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Improvise. We learn to Improvise from an early age. If you don't have the proper tool, make something else work. If you can't afford the "going thing", don't despair, Improvise. You know, the "cardboard in your shoe" type of thing, to keep the water out going to school. I remember when, "Brill Cream", for men's hair, was popular. "a little dab will do you", "they'll love to put there fingers in your hair!" Of course we couldn't afford that luxury, but that sure sounded fun! But "Improvise" kicked in, and I found that a dip in the pan of left over "bacon-greese" made it look almost the same. Well no girls ran their fingers through my hair, but I had dogs that followed me all the way to school....A great thing, that Improvise. You might remember in the 60's when the "white Levi's" first came out. My sister Vicki, was growing up and got a job at the Concession stand at Harmon park, she bought her a pair of those. They were for girls, and had the zipper on the side. I wanted a pair of White Levi's so bad, that Improvise showed up and I talked her into letting me wear them to school. Although the zipper on the side was a little problem, but I just left my shirt un-tucked, it was worth trouble. But I was thinking that there are some things we can't afford to improvise with. The Word for example. I've heard it told me many times, concerning some Bible doctrine, "That's non-essential to salvation." or simply, "that's non-essential." I'm not wanting to sound mean or smart, but "..all scripture was given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, instruction in righteousness".. (II TIMOTHY 3:16-17); and, another place in the bible, it says that "..for this prophesy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost.." So, just a thought; when you feel like something in the Word is non-essential, why don't you ask the Holy Ghost if what He wrote is "non-essential". Yes, some things may seem not to be essential to salvation, but they are essential to something. One doctrine by itself, may not seem to be much, but doctrine "builds upon itself". One thing leads to another; the little revelations build to greater understandings and so on, if that makes any sense. An old analogy might make it a little clearer: "for want of a nail, the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe, the horse was lost; for want of the horse, the rider was lost; for want of the rider, the message was lost; for want of the message, the battle was lost; all for the want of a nail." Ok, so I like improvise, but not when it comes to this precious Word. Love you all.
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Happy New Year! I told someone last night, "I can't wait for Christmas!"--Boy! I'm fortunate to still be alive after that statement! But starting out this New Year, I found a wonderful promise from [Isaiah 41:10], tucked away in the middle of the verse, that says simply but powerfully, "..I will strengthen you.." Is there anything impossible with the "only God" who could speak this world into existence? The Sun has never quit shining, Morning and evening are still on time, the Ocean Tides are still predictable. Think about it, The World hangs on Nothing. Did you know that the Earth weighs -34,170,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 lbs.? (I had a hard time getting my bathroom scales under it, and almost fell off.) I don't even know how to say that weight in words! Can God be unfaithful to keep this promise for a want of power? When God's Word upholds this tremendous Earth, and keeps it in Orbit, how can we imagine that He has "out-promised" Himself or that in this promise, that "He will strengthen you," that He has gone beyond His power to fulfill it!? He hasn't even begun to tap into His reservoir of help and mercy grace and power to Strengthen all of those who will call on Him! "My God is more than enough! He will supply all your needs! He is my El Shaddai, He always looks after me! Jehovah Jireh, you are my God!!" "..I will strengthen you"
I picked up the guitar this morning and started singing a song I haven't sang for may years. It was a song written in around 1966-1967, by my sister Linda. (I don't want to embarrass her,) but it's so vivid in my mind how God blessed her at such a young age, with a gift of song and music, when we first came into the wonderful Pentecostal experience of the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. (I know this may sound strange to the present generation.) The Lord would even wake her up in the wee hours of the morning and give her a song, with the music, and she would write it down on whatever paper was available. Mary and I sang these songs at many a meeting over the next several years. The songs had such deep meaning, coming from a young girl of about 20 or 21 years of age, there's no doubt they were songs born in heaven. I was singing one this morning, "A Wavering Heart". The chorus goes like this, "a wavering heart makes a wondering soul, and a wondering soul, makes a body grow cold," (repeat), verse one went like this, "This life's full, this life's full of trouble, Satan's here wants to steal you away. Don't give in to his temptations, if you do he'll lead you astray." "For a wavering heart, makes a wondering soul, and a wondering soul, makes the body grow cold. A wavering heart, makes a wondering soul, and a wondering soul, makes a body grow cold." We sang the song, "Have you trimmed your lamps for the Lord?", that she wrote, many times, because it seemed so pertinent to our day. And it's even more pertinent today than 48 years ago. I was singing another this morning that Linda wrote, "I want the spirit flowing through my veins." This song is so inspiring to me even today. There were many more, and I'm hoping I can dig them out from some where, because these messages in song, are still special, and powerful. "The gifts and callings of God are without excuse." One song she was given, was entitled, "What would you do if God had His Way?" And the title speaks for itself. Part of the lyrics go like this, "...we would but answer, soft without anger, we would speak words from the heart not the head, we would do things, only pleasing to His eyes, we would be blind of fools, for they're dead, We would speak words of wisdom and knowledge, we would not do the things that condemn, we would but walk, the road of the Bible, we would Turn Back from the world and It's sin. We would but fill our hearts with His blessings, we would but cleanse our soul all the day, and this one plea, to live like Jesus, that's what we'd do if God had His way!" Can any of you feel what I'm feeling right now? I feel like David, while running from Saul, In (I Chronicles 11:17), when he said, "Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem.." I say, Oh for a fresh anointing of that precious Holy Ghost! Thanks Linda, and thank You Lord!!
I was praying this prayer Wednesday night at our prayer after bible study, "God don't let these altars be barren in Longview.." Well, when I came up to bring the message today, God moved me over out of the way and began to bless our service and people began to come to the Altar and weep and pray. One young man we had baptized last week was so shaken and touched even after service he said he was like vibrating inside and as he was explaining it to me and said, "I don't want this feeling to leave," it was the same as I felt the morning I first felt the touch of God, and was filled with the Gift of the Holy Ghost that night. One lady prayed through to the Holy Ghost today after being away from God for 20 years. She spoke in tongues, with tears for at least 20 minutes. She remembered a word I spoke last week about this could be your last window of opportunity, and God honored her faith, and her husband and children were there with her. And so many others today were touched we don't even know, and can you imagine, God did it without me or anyone else even preaching a word...that ought to tell us something. Thank you Jesus.
I love harlots...thought I might get your attention. Maybe I should also say that I hate harlotry. My mind was on the scripture in {Ephesians 6:12} that says, "for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." As christian men and women we are not at war against "persons", but against sin and error. We love adulterers but hate the adultery; we love the infidel but not the infidelity; we are to love the idolater but not the the idolatry; and so with the addicts but not the addictions that hold them captive and steal their souls; we love the heretics but not the heresy; and so on. "..for we wrestle not against flesh and blood..". We are at war with anything that opposes God and His truth, but not the opposer. We are supposed to hold to the command by Jesus in {Matthew 5:44} that says, "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." I know that many often make it a "war of flesh and blood", instead of a war against "wrong" and this leads to religious controversies and abusing each other with remarks etc. This is, "forgetting" what Christ's war is. We are not to fight against men but for them. While we could often be at war against someones person, the real enemy, which is the sin or error sits on the sideline and smiles. The "old time religion", "makes me love everybody." Lord don't let me be a part of the religion that says, " makes me slay everybody." Yes, slay every sin, every size sin, the big ones and the little ones, but do it in love for our fellow man. We don't want anything spared that is against God and truth, but never are we at war against "any man" that walks on this earth. "..for we wrestle not against flesh and blood.." And Lord I pray for our "leaders" but save us from faulty leadership in America, that would lead us away from the Godly principles that many of our fore-fathers evidently stood for. This has much to do with our liberty, peace, our comfort and especially our happiness. We don't want to see these taken away, but the problem is with the rulers of the darkness of the world, spiritual wickedness in high places and principalities and powers that only the Lord can destroy. Lord don't let our bibles become "chained up" and our preachers "silenced" from declaring truth that will save souls from the lake of fire, and at the same time be a blessing to "good-old-America". If we don't recognize and come against the true enemy of this land and time it is more than possible that America could be named among the dead nations. The signs of this time are all around us and God forbid that it should happen! We love people, and the "old time religion", that, "..makes me love everybody..", save us from the religion that says, "..makes me slay everybody..". Give me that old time religion!
The wise man Solomon said, {Proverbs 11:14} "Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety." I don't want to get so narrow minded that I miss valuable counsel that God sends me through a variety of people.
My uncle Red told me long ago, he said, " Butch, you can have all the money in the world but if you don't have your health you don't have anything." That's been good counsel, thanks again uncle Red! I still remind myself of the wisdom in it. My uncle Ronny Hinson told me when I first felt a call to ministry, he said, " Butchy, you won't be able on your own strength to make people change, but if you get the inside of the barn hot enough the outside will peel." "Thanks for that bit of wisdom uncle Ronny, it's also helped me through the years!" I know that Jesus is the "Mighty Counselor", and I love the revelation He puts in my heart, that is like honey in the rock! But I also thank him for the people He has brought into my life that spur me on, and care enough to share wisdom and understanding. My mom told me when I started pastoring in Olympia years ago, she said, "Butch, you're going to find that there's three types of people in any congregation; Believers, unbelievers and make-believers". "Thanks Mom", "I think I've been all three at times." I only regret that through the years I was not more attentive to the counsel that was all around me as I grew up. There is a lot of counsel that comes to us besides that which comes from behind the pulpit, if we will pay attention. "He that hath an ear to hear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the church's." Take time to let Him speak to you. But here's a little advice I myself heard a long time ago, it was, " He that thinks by the inch, and talks by the yard, needs to removed by the foot." That one I still need to work on....so with that I'll go. Have a great day Ya'll! Four more baptized in the precious name of Jesus today. Sins forgiven and washed away. It was a blessing to see a good number in our meetings today, worshiping and enjoying the presence of the Lord. The Lord is raising up a good church in the city of Longview.
{Acts 2:46-47} "And they continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with singleness of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." "Lord we believe and ask you to add daily here such as should be saved." Our little congregation has tripled since January which is the Lord's doing, but oh I want to see "such as should be saved" here. If we will just continue daily with one accord...with that apostolic attitude, ie. in doing our part, then I know that He is going to do His! We ask for all who will to join us and support us in prayer and believing for revival here, and thank all who love and support this Longview church. I really love how God does things! After I was first filled with the Holy Ghost at a camp meeting in McCall, Idaho, at age 16, one of the first elements of this experience, if that is a correct way to put it, was the desire to pray with more feeling and understanding than I had ever felt before. I had “said prayers” most of my growing up life influenced by godly parents, but I don’t ever remember really “praying because I loved and felt so close to God”. “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” This was an every night prayer taught to me by my mom as a child. I would then say things like, “ forgive me of all the bad things I’ve done today, bless mom and dad, and my brothers and sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles etc.", and then drift off to sleep, unless I had been exceptionally bad and then I eventually scared myself off to sleep. But there was something very special and different after praying through to the baptism of the Holy Ghost that drew me so much closer in relationship to Jesus. It’s like I was personally drawn to Him. I even began to picture Him in my mind when I prayed and talked to Him like I would a close friend. I looked forward to entering into that Spirit filled realm again and again, almost always eventually beginning to speak with an unknown tongue and not wanting to quit. It was in these times that I noticed that my prayers began to be answered. In these times it was like the cares of this life faded away and I entered into a heavenly realm that I don’t know how to explain unless it’s like when Mary and I were dating and we would get alone, there was nothing else at that time that really seemed to matter. You know what I mean, like you know, we held hands and stuff.
Well, I guess the subject of prayer was on my mind. Jesus has never moved over. He is still there to be that close friend that knows me and understands the things I share with Him, even before I share it. He is still unchangeable in that my requests get answered and I can still enter in that spirit filled realm like being caught up into a level of heaven. I’m sure that is why it’s call “heavenly places”, and I still love to dwell there in that presence. It must have really been a shock to leave that heavenly place and come to an earth with the presence of evil all around. I even wonder what angels feel when they are sent to us. I conclude with this. Without the force of prayer where we can pour out our vehement desires to God, I don’t see how we can have a move of God in our personal life nor in our church’s. I believe that it’s the mighty cry of many burning hearts knocking at the gate of mercy that gets heaven’s attention and will bring revival to us and our people. I personally feel a need to throw my heart into prayer and focus on the all powerful God, letting my request be known to Him and my praise. I believe that real praying is more powerful than any sermon I could preach. My soul is reaching out to you Jesus, in this very desperate hour we live in. You are still the answer!! |
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