God’s Will, Our Purpose

By Dr. Sanejo Leonard

Responding to God’s call is not always easy, and there is never a “right” time to do so. Most good decisions requiring action and movement can be a struggle to finally settle, and one of the struggles we have is when to take action. Planning and preparation are always important. As the saying goes, “measure twice, saw once,” so decisions should be carefully evaluated and weighed out. However, our human nature and the second law of thermodynamics tend to work against us in the area of change, shifting direction, and forward movement.

God’s Will

Additionally, there are some decisions that don’t require much thought: show love, kindness, and care to others; love God and pursue spiritual growth; lastly, respond to God’s purpose and intention for your life. The last one becomes harder as it can be difficult to know what God’s purpose is for your life. The essence is that God’s will and calling for your life is to grow into Christ’s likeness so that you can become, through His careful sculpting and transformation of your character, the best version of you that He created you to be. God’s will for your life does not have to be mysterious and something you wait for years to understand. Simply and purposefully grow towards God and develop the personality, gifts, and talents He has given you.

God’s Calling

For some, God has called you to start businesses, create safe and healthy places for people to work and be productive in society. For others, God has called you to be creative and write, design, draw, and share musical and artistic beauty. To some, God has called you to vocational ministry and has equipped you to do so.

I finally embraced my call to ministry after several years of trying to understand how God had uniquely gifted and prepared me for vocational ministry. The calling grew stronger and stronger in my heart and mind in my junior year in college, and after several confirmations by professors who saw in me what I couldn’t as yet see in myself. There were gifts and talents God had given me that I couldn’t manufacture, and I knew at several points along the way that I was in the right place when I ministered to others and I felt a sacred sense of God’s presence that also resonated with the other person; when I preached and felt an unmistakable anointing coming over that I could not create on my own; when I taught my first college course at a Bible college on the importance of theology and Bible study and people were touched connected with the ideas on a deep and profound ways. These gifts came from inside, from the years of preparation as a young person through memorizing scripture and being engaged in my church and youth group, through the talents and personality God created me to have, and the years of education and ministerial training I received.

Our Purpose

Fulfilling our purpose requires preparation, education, training, and embracing the calling God has given to us. Being willing to embrace life’s challenges as part of our preparation, all of the education we have received or need to receive, and understanding our personality, our gifts, and the talents with which God has entrusted us—all are needed to help us step into our calling and purpose.

Our purpose in life is to respond to God’s specific and individual call for each of us, and then to embrace His collective will for all of us to grow into transformational Christlikeness.

I pray that each of you would lean into God’s purpose for your life, your calling, and His will for you.

But Let Justice Roll on Like a River…

By Dr. L. William Oliverio, Jr.

It seems that if any biblical text might be appropriate for our moment in history, it may be the book of the Prophet Amos. In the book of Amos, the northern kingdom of Israel (which had been split from the southern kingdom of Judah a century before) stood in grand confidence due to its territorial expansion and increasing wealth, as well as its faithfulness in holding religious rituals in the Israelite tradition. But it was also good at worshiping other gods, and it was a society fixed upon injustices – especially abuse of the poor.

Along came Amos, a farmer from the borderlands along Judah and Israel (though from Judah’s side), who came and prophesied in the northern Israelite holy place, Bethel, and for some time. The book starts out with a series of divine judgments on the idolatrous neighboring nations of Israel. Now that’s good preaching, Amos – with judgments on violent Damascus, enslaving Gaza, treacherous Tyre, merciless Edom, child-murdering Ammon, Moab for its assassination of Edom’s king, and then even to Judah for rejecting the law of the LORD and being led astray by false gods.

The Bible Project video on Amos (Bible Project) nicely illustrates how the literary structure of Amos forms a spiral circling around – and then turning in to the northern kingdom of Israel. The LORD will be relentless on Israel, he prophesies, because,

“For three sins of Israel,
even for four, I will not relent.
They sell the innocent for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals.
They trample on the heads of the poor
as on the dust of the ground
and deny justice to the oppressed.
Father and son use the same girl
and so profane my holy name.
They lie down beside every altar
on garments taken in pledge.
In the house of their god
they drink wine taken as fines.” (Amos 2:6-8)

Innocent people are sold out. The needed are treated as cheap, lowly goods. Justice is denied. Women are treated as prostitutes. Any altar that creates profit or advantage is a place for business. They celebrate in idolatry. And, ouch, the house of “their god” assumes they are pagans, not worshipers of the LORD, Yahweh.

It is so easy for paganism and immorality and injustice to slip back under the guise of biblical faith, as Amos’ sermon to Israel mocks the religious trappings and observations in the places of worship,

“Go to Bethel and sin;
go to Gilgal and sin yet more.
Bring your sacrifices every morning,
your tithes every three years.
Burn leavened bread as a thank offering
and brag about your freewill offerings—
boast about them, you Israelites,
for this is what you love to do,
declares the Sovereign Lord.” (Amos 4:4-5)

The (in)famous statement “prepare to meet your God” actually comes from a portion of this sermon shortly after (4:12).

Then there’s this, the culmination of the sermon in chapter 5.

“Hear this word, Israel, this lament I take up concerning you:

Fallen is Virgin Israel,
never to rise again,
deserted in her own land,
with no one to lift her up.

This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Israel:

Your city that marches out a thousand strong
will have only a hundred left;
your town that marches out a hundred strong
will have only ten left.

This is what the Lord says to Israel:

Seek me and live;
do not seek Bethel,
do not go to Gilgal,
do not journey to Beersheba.
For Gilgal will surely go into exile,
and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.

Seek the Lord and live,
or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire;
it will devour them,
and Bethel will have no one to quench it.

There are those who turn justice into bitterness
and cast righteousness to the ground.

He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
who turns midnight into dawn
and darkens day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land—
the Lord is his name.
With a blinding flash he destroys the stronghold
and brings the fortified city to ruin.

There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court
and detest the one who tells the truth.

You levy a straw tax on the poor
and impose a tax on their grain.
Therefore, though you have built stone mansions,
you will not live in them;
though you have planted lush vineyards,
you will not drink their wine.
For I know how many are your offenses
and how great your sins.

There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes
and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.
Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times,
for the times are evil.

Seek good, not evil,
that you may live.
Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you,
just as you say he is.
Hate evil, love good;
maintain justice in the courts.
Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy
on the remnant of Joseph” (Amos 5:1-15)

 For, as is, their worship is not acceptable,

“I hate, I despise your religious festivals;
your assemblies are a stench to me.
Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.
Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps” (5:21-23).

The only answer is this, and it’s simple, if difficult for those married to corruption,

“But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (5:24)

That’s all. There’s no replacement for obedience, for righteousness, for justice – for true worship of the LORD.

So also with us. The call is to choose life, to love neighbors as ourselves, to work against systematic injustices, and to live with a heart of generosity and love and good will to others. Without love of neighbor, love of God rings hollow.

Amos will soon offer hope. But that hope is dependent, only, on the provision above from 5:24.

Engaging Lectures Using Technology

By Dr. Paul Fishell

Great lecturers create comfortable learning environments, present students with varied forms of learning material, and emphasize key points during lecture. In this article, techniques in ZOOM will be discussed on creating environment, presenting learning materials, and emphasizing key points of the lecture.

Creating a Good Classroom Environment

Lecture should be comfortable for the speaker and listeners. Hunkering over the computer creates tension for the lecturer and the listener. Moving away from the hunkering position lowers tension on the speaker. One’s hardware can allow the teacher to relax more when lecturing.

Within ZOOM, options exist to avoid headphones. Wired headphones puts the lecturer on a leash and dehumanizes the lecturer. One way to avoid feedback is to use speakers or microphones not on the same device. One can situate a directional microphone between the speakers and lecturer. Or, a Bluetooth may be synced to computer or a phone with meeting audio.

Another way to free up the lecturer is to positioned webcam on a music stand. Then, it can be raised, lowered, or pan the office of the lecturer. Having a portable camera allows the lecturer to write on a physical whiteboard with a clear view of the whiteboard. By using a webcam, the teacher is now teaching like Mr. Rodgers. Mr. Rodgers taught his students while moving about his room, which happened to have a camera. Whether standing or walking about, a lecturer in ZOOM may now speak with their hands and use body language. The portable camera allows the lecturer to create online an environment similar to traditional classrooms.

Curriculum Presentation

ZOOM allows the teacher to share one’s own desktop. Whatever slides a teacher has prepared may be shared. Presentation slides are naturally formatted for topical outlines. Bulleted slides require students to listen for information to ‘fill in’ the outlines. Slides guide the lecture rather than give the lecture. Slides that contain all the information negates the need for the student to listen.

Change is good. Change creates mini-learning curves. Learning curves studies show

Embracing His Praises During Life Restrictions

By Pastor John Francis

Psalm 145:4 (The Passion Translation)

“Generation after generation will declare more of your greatness and declare more of your glory.”

We are invited into the praise and adoration of our Father because He knows it is good and healthy for us, especially in seasons of difficulty.  During Mardi Gras Outreach in February this year, a spirit of praise and worship released expectation and anticipation from one generation to another.  That sound of praise brought to my remembrance the deep calling within my soul that I experienced during my young teenage days!  Only a few months later, here we are, faced with an unexpected and serious situation. It almost seems like a Paul and Silas in the prison sort of experience.  Who would have ever imagined what we are experiencing as a result of COVID-19?  Perhaps like the apostles, we can be encouraged through singing from our hearts, love songs to our heavenly Father and releasing those songs to others.  Perhaps some prisoners may find freedom and even some prison-keepers may find salvation during this time.

From a young age I was raised around worship and praise.  My father in those days was a “song leader” within our church.  As a young 13 year old boy, I remember having a moment when the question came into my mind, “Who are you going to praise?”  Would I follow my Father in heaven or would I be intimidated by my baseball playing friends?  My attraction to those friends and their natural talent attempted to block me from God’s call and keep my heart from praise.  The voice in my head cried out, “don’t lift your hands in praise!”  That day I won the inner battle of my heart and peer pressure was defeated.

Growing up in church life was a great and wonderful experience.  I found the call of God during those years to love God and love His people.  I so enjoyed hearing God’s people give Him praise for His nature and the things He accomplished in and through His people.  I loved the sound of intergenerational praise.  Praise taught me to have a strong mindset during difficult and trying seasons.  Praise was my weapon! May it be our weapon today as well.

Praying in the Spirit in the Midst of Crisis

By Jared Walker

As Pentecostal Christians, our unique doctrine and experience of the Holy Spirit lends us a powerful tool by which we can overcome the world in these trying times. I am talking about praying in the Spirit. There are many benefits to this privileged prayer of partnership with the Third Person of the Trinity.

First, according to Paul, it is how we put on and put to use the full armor of God that we may take our stand against “spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:10-18). In reclaiming our Pentecostal heritage, we also reclaim a supernatural perspective that reflects what is seen is moved by what is unseen. The problems plaguing our world are far greater than viruses and the schemes of humans. But we cannot apprehend the true evils, much less thwart them, except by praying in the Holy Spirit. Therefore, spiritual warfare is waged through spiritual prayer. As an aside, we should not think of this kind of prayer as an exception to the rule of our morning “quiet times,” or that it is something that only  “intercessors” can do. For as Paul exhorted the Ephesians: “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”

Second, as Jude wrote, it builds up our “most holy faith” (Jude 20). Paul adds depth to this point in 1 Corinthians 14 when he contrasts the gift of tongues with prophecy. Summarily, tongues are a heavenly prayer language, unknowable to anyone but God- not even the one praying is privy to the actual content of such prayers (v. 2). Nevertheless, “anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves” (v. 4). Paul later instructs, “If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays” (v. 14), and infers that one can sing, praise, and thank God in tongues (vv. 15-17). So while our minds are unfruitful, praying in tongues greatly impacts our spirits as well as the spiritual realm.

Third, it allows us to pray precisely according to God’s will. This is what drove me to relate this topic to our current crisis in the first place. Candidly speaking, I have no clue what is going on or what I should do about it, and it doesn’t seem like anyone else does either.  “There are… so many kinds of voices in the world,” but at bottom there is only one we must follow (1 Cor. 14:10 KJV). Again, Paul provides the insight to our interplay with the Spirit when he speaks of “the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit,” explaining that “the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:9-11). God’s Spirit gives us access to God’s mind in order that we may know God’s thoughts, and by extension God’s voice.

How, then, can we gain such access? This comes back to praying in the Holy Spirit. In Romans 8:26-27, we read that “the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” Now this may be in reference to tongues or it may mean literal groaning. Regardless, the former stands as a valid practice as demonstrated in my second point; the latter, however, can be exhibited in what the old timers called “travailing.” Travailing is when the Spirit moves upon a person to experience His grief over the world’s sin and pain, causing them to physically moan and writhe about. Travailing is very mysterious in that it is “wordless,” but many who have entered into it sensed that they were praying for things of global significance “in accordance with the will of God.”

In the midst of a global crisis, we need to discern and to do God’s will more than ever. We cannot allow fear and confusion to paralyze us from fulfilling our ministry and reaching the world for Christ. There is indeed a strange social reality being thrusted upon us, rife with new obstacles to our message and outreach. But the Spirit knows what to say, what to do and where to go so we can bear fruit for God! The future- both short and long-term- may be incredibly uncertain, but the Spirit gives us the wisdom and patience we need to endure- even flourish- come what may! There may be confusion as to what God is doing in the world right now, but the Spirit wants us to know God’s heart and mind. On a personal and practical level, I can attest, along with many of my mentors in the faith, that taking time daily to pray in the Spirit consistently brings me closer to God, elevates my perspective and bolsters my faith like few things can.

Abiding in Christ in the Midst of COVID-19

By Dr. Sanejo Leonard

The past few weeks I have been meditating and practicing lectio divina on a familiar passage in Luke 13, the one where Jesus cries over Jerusalem in his desire to draw the city and its people back to himself. In reflecting upon that scripture, I was drawn to the start of the passage where Pharisees come to him and urge him to leave because Herod wants to kill him. Luke, ever the detailed writer, tips us off in dramatic fashion to the urgency in the narrative by writing “At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you [italics added]” (Lk. 13:31, NRSV).

Whether the Pharisees were trying to help Jesus, or this was a ploy to get him out of their city (probably the latter), the sense of urgency would cause any normal person to react: someone is trying to kill you, do something about it! Yet, Jesus was no “normal” person. While Jesus was both human and divine and struggled with many of the same human emotions we deal with, there was also a sense of calm deep within him, showing his ability to remain at peace despite the fear and anxiety that swirled around him (e.g., remember the story of Jesus asleep on the boat in the midst of the storm in Luke 8:23-25). Jesus’ frequent time spent with the Father in prayer (Lk. 5:16) seems to have contributed to his ability to respond to life’s challenges with a sense of calm rather than the temptation to react. Knee-jerk reactions often reflect ingrained habits, habits and parts of our character that have yet to be transformed into Christ’s likeness and Christ’s character.

Instead of reacting to the Pharisees and their attempt to cause fear, Jesus brings the focus back around to his mission and to others. It is from there that Jesus proceeds to express his sorrow over Jerusalem, desiring to gather her children together in a protective manner (Lk. 13:34), and as such, letting everyone know that his life was not his own; his life was meant to be lived and to die for others.

Jesus’ example shows us that our ability to weather our current storm of a global crisis is in our daily and frequent connection with God our loving Father, and the deep and abiding peace we will find from that relationship. As we grow in our ability to remain or abide in Jesus and his love, the fruit from that abiding will be our ability to love others (Jn. 15:5-12). The fruit will be our ability to respond from a well of peace rather than react from a shallow point of fear and anxiety. Our fruit will be responding with hope that only comes from a God who is bigger than our current crisis than a trust in human ability alone to fight this crisis. It is only when we learn to abide in Christ that our reactions change to thoughtful and peaceful responses because we are deeply rooted in Christ and his love (Eph. 3:17-18). Being the self-proclaimed “fraidy-cat” that I am, I need to remind myself of this practice as much as anyone.

May we this day, this week, and in this crisis learn to abide in Christ and find peace and calm there, and in turn, love and care for others to bring God’s light in the midst of this darkness.

Amen.

The Long, Hard Journey of Faith

By Lisa Denise Edwards

If the future feels uncertain right now, and worry keeps occupying too much room in your heart, in your mind, remember this: God is already in all of our tomorrows. He knows our way, and He has a plan. And we can be assured it’s always the best one for us.

God never asks us to figure it all out on our own. He just asks us to trust Him, to recognize His leadership and Sovereignty in our lives. And He promises to make our pathways straight. We may not always see what’s ahead, but He does.

“Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make. Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go” (Proverbs 3:5-6, TPT).

There’s great power in trusting Him. For it clears the way for our security to be based solely on Him, not on our circumstances, or other people; not on ourselves, or our own ways of thinking. He is faithful to lead us and He sees the big picture. He brings clarity and light through foggy times. He knows what’s around the other side of the bend where we can’t fully see. His timing is perfect even when we start to feel like we’ve been forgotten. No matter how we feel or what our current situation may be, we can be confident that God’s Presence will go before us, paving our pathways, guiding and guarding our steps.