Here’s the truth about “churches”

Another one from Lance Rowe.

<PRE><TT>Praise the Lord, my precious brothers and sisters in our ord Jesus Christ! For those of you who like poetry and humor, this one is hot off the press. Hope you don’t think I am being too cynical…I love you all…

A TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PASTOR’S PRAYER FOR REVIVAL

We are praying for revival, Lord, but only on OUR conditions

You wouldn’t want us to get too bored, so we’ll hold to our traditions

An hour a week of fervent prayer is more than enough to suffice

Just as long as there is central air and the amenities are nice.

The programs we get from Williams Creek are made to attract the people

Like the fashion show we held last week underneath our gilded steeple.

All the women in the neighborhood were blessed with the speaker we had

Pastor Nancy Illmakyafeelgood looked nice in her lavender plaid!

Next week we will take our mission trip and do our good deed for the year

When we return, we will show a clip and some testimonies we’ll hear.

Sure, there are people in our city who are in need of freedom from sin

But we can’t give them here our pity; all the bums will be coming in!

We donate to the city missions who will minister to that kind

That’s how WE meet the great commission; we pay those who are so inclined.

We need to attract more “wholesome” souls who will be faithful with their tithe

So we can reach our ministry’s goals and pay our staff from eight to five.

We are praying for revival Lord, oh please send down the latter rain

Help your church to be in one accord, but let it be in our domain!

Bring the pastors all down to their knees; let them with praises each extol

Just don’t make us share our pulpits please, or to relinquish our control!

We really don’t need the Holy Ghost to bring conviction for our sins -

In our staff we have an able host that can expose their origins.

“Repentance” is an archaic word, some tendencies are genetic

Psychology’s message is preferred over a Biblical emetic.

Though we emulate the world Lord, We know it really don’t matter-

We’ll copy those things folks have adored, and we’ll allure them with our flatter.

Did I mention we will have an auto show and a concert of Christian thrash?

We’ve been blessed to see our churches grow, and have a steady stream of cash!

We are equipping every member to be faithful in attendance

From January to December as religious co-dependants.

They pray “that prayer” then they join our church and learn to pay their weekly dues

As they listen from their fav’rite perch to have their apathy excused.

Did I say we need revival, Lord? I don’t know what I was thinking!

To change our course, we can not afford – we pastors are interlinking.

We need more programs to bring men in; more attractions to grab their eyes

More counselors who will soothe their sin, and more people that believe their lies!

If we have genuine revival, I fear for the mess it will bring:

Expectation of Your Arrival, and preparation for the King.

We’ll have to preach a stricter message of the Holiness You require

And then we’ll move to simple dressage, from the fashions we once desired.

Pastor Nancy Illmakyafeelgood will no longer come here to preach

And the women from the neighborhood will go elsewhere to hear her teach.

Our members will not be satisfied with just a token mission trip

Once their calling has been ratified to continual chaplainship!

They’ll prob’ly start missing out on church as they minister to the lost

Forsaking their fav’rite Sunday perch in exchange for Your Pentecost.

They’ll be guided by the Holy Ghost instead of the counselors we pay

And they’ll act like they’re some priestly Host as they go minister and pray.

We’ll lose our members of “good standing” When they bring the sick and the poor

And the deacons will be demanding that we return where we were before.

This place will look more like a mission than the palace it has become

And I might lose my recognition as a success in Christendom.

Please don’t bring us a revival, Lord, we’re just fine in the place we are

Just ignore those words I once implored and bring more programs and fancy cars!

1Jo 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Visit my website for updates and Bible Studies: http://www.crosscountry4jesus.com

The 24/7 Prayer Tent Comes Down in New Orleans

Read the whole thing at the link below. This is just the beginning. It is too long to post on my blog here.

24/7 prayer tent to come down 5/30/2007

MISSISSIPPI RIVER PRAYER WALK TO CONTINUE

What follows is my personal evaluation of the result of a small ministry (Crosscountry Ministries) working for the past 20 months with a Large International type ministry (Celebration Church). Because of the nature of each ministry involved, the perspectives and priorities of ministry will differ. As they say there are three sides to every story: Yours, mine, and the Lord’s.

What is written here is NOT intended as an indictment on any other ministry. Having said that, I do want to go on the record as stating that I believe that the bigger a ministry gets, the more out of touch with real one-on-one ministry a pastor can become. The more ambitious one becomes in expanding “his ministry”, the less involved with “common people” he will become. On my prayer walk, I have been praying that pastors in America would return to their first love. That they would remember what it was to simply minister and not administrate. That they would repent of their building their own Kingdom mentality, and begin to seek each other’s good before their own. The Lord has made me walk out the prayers that I pray.

For twenty months I have worked with Celebration Church to see the city of new Orleans impacted for Jesus Christ, and in doing so, to assist Pastor Dennis Watson and his ministry to be restored to pre-Katrina standards or even better. In doing so, the Lord opened my eyes to seeing how a big ministry operates. I am glad I have remained small. Hallelujah! I believe it must be very difficult to hold on to a semblance of integrity when you are courting other churches for the support you need to make your corporation run! What follows is my personal observations of the past 20 months.

Reading the Bible

I have heard it time and time again. ‘Read your Bible.’ This phrase was drilled into my being from an early age of Sunday school and organized church. Though now I do not buy into the well intentioned pressure and at some points manipulation to simply ‘read’ my Bible would not get me anywhere.  Did anyone teach me how to glean anything out of the Bible?

I think we do a terrible disservice to those who need the word to speak directly to their life by telling them and pressuring them to simply read their Bible.  What we need to do is teach them how to read their Bible to get something out of it.

If we simply show someone how to use the cross references that are listed in all Bibles we would be teaching them how to gain the knowledge of the Word of God.  Without digging deeper we don’t gain the fullness of God which Ephesians talks about in chapter 4.

I don’t read my Bible everyday.  Does that make me a bad person? No.    Maybe if we spent more time encouraging people to follow Matthew 25, which says, ‘feed those who are hungry, clothe those who are naked, heel those who are sick,’ we might actually change some lives!

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