Calling, Burden and Bones

Perhaps every minister desires to be in the will of God for their ministry, albeit as some past threads have proven there may be several interpretations of exactly how to determine exactly what the will of God is for your life. The purpose of this thread is not to rehash that debate, but to provide a little insight for those who may at this time be seeking a direction or validating/confirming a calling from the Lord. The Bible is clear that God orders the steps of a good man. Many people in the Bible did things for God only after He had told them where to go or what to do. Jesus Himself was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness. Phillip was led of God to leave a red hot revival to go to the desert where he was led to the chariot of the Ethiopian eunuch. Ananias was led to a street called Strait to deliver God's Word to Saul of Tarsus. The point is . . . God leads . . . we follow. On this I believe we would all agree. But I want to add another few points that I believe could help someone today. First . . . never go on a relocation or permamnent life-changing move on a the strength of a burden alone. A burden is not a calling. Sometimes burdens come so you can be led to pray, or to lend assistance, and so forth . . . but not necessarily a calling. If one goes and changes their life because of a burden . . . there will come a day when the burden will leave. A burden will come and go. People will disappoint or hurt you and you may hate where you are on any given day. So if you go only because of a burden . . . during times when the burden lifts you too will want to leave. However . . . when God calls and sends you . . . you will stay and do God's will whether the burden is strong and present or even if it has left for a season. There is also an empowerment that comes with a calling . . . that does not come with a burden alone. A calling brings confidence and stamina that God will be with you at all times. It produces faith. Consider Nehemiah as an example . . . he heard the need, felt the burden, prayed and repented about it, received an opportunity to speak to the king, got permission for the mission, received letters of endorsement and empowerment, investigated the real situation, and shared the vision. He did not go because of the burden, but he went only after he received permission to be sent from the king. Second . . . we often mistake a feeling of familiarity for our past with a calling. For example . . . many men at some time or another believe or think they may one day return and pastor their home church. Why is this so? Let me give a personal example:I came from an incredible spiritual church. The moves of God there were so deep and rich. I have never experienced the same since those days in any church. That was my home town, my home church, I have family members there, and I have received much of the mantle of anointing that rests upon my pastor. I have sought God for this mantle and know it will come in its time and stages. But on top of that, for years I thought there was a possibility that I would some day return there and pastor that church. After all . . . I even still have a burden for my home town. But that has never been and will never be my place of calling. Instead what God has done has called me to carry forth the bones of that place into other places with me. To carry the familiar . . . the things I love . . . the remnants of my heritage into the future. So instead of spinning my wheels waiting or hoping for that church to call me to return it is instead the will of God for me to never forget where I came from and to make that same thing happen wherever He sends me.If I were to return to that home church today all is different. It is a different building, a different pastor, different people . . . same city but a different culture. So it would be the devil's trap for me to "wait" to return there when all along God has me where He wants me to be at this time. It is here that I can work with God to create that spiritual environment and fulfill His will. I encourage each of you to strengthen the things that remain . . . remember the things that you were taught . . . impart them to those you can impart them to . . . be sensitive to God's voice and leading . . . and confirm any calling with multiple witnesses.

Thank God for the Robert Bakers in life

Sometimes we fail to see the blessings of God in our midst. Quite often our eyes are not opened to the things God is visibly doing right in front of us. One such blessing was Robert Baker, and it happened when I was a pastor on the US/Mexican border.

It began with a call from Rick (our youth leader) as he was returning from a military training event in San Antonio. He had picked up a hitch-hiker and wanted me to get the cheapest hotel room I could find for 3 nights.

I cautioned him to not do this, but Rick insisted that as he passed the hitch-hiker God told him to go back and pick him up. Reluctantly I agreed and made the reservations. The next day I met Robert Baker.

Robert was a drifter. He had lost contact with his family years before and after many attempts had given up on finding them again. He never did. He had been on the road for years. Robert immediately began to come to church, and although he was a quiet man liked being there. We liked him and the church just took him in as one of our own.

Two weeks later satanist arsoned our church. On top of this my wife and I had just purchased a large home and guest home that was going to be totally restored, and the project was not yet started. I was pastoring the church and two daughter works, and my wife and I both had heavy work schedules. This was mid 1992 and we were about to enter the year from Hell.

During that year the shining light was Robert Baker. He worked tirelessly on bot the church and our home. He put in thousands of hard hours and never once complained. Literally I can say that I do not know how we could have made it without him. His work, sacrifice, and generosity were extraordinary.

About the time we were finishing Robert came to me with the news that he felt it was time to move on. I tried to talk him out of it but he was insistant. We had baptized him but he had never received the Holy Ghost. I knew he was headed for the Denver area so Igave him the names and contact information for the churches there. Two weeks later he called to say he had settled in Pastor Billy Hale's church and he had received the Holy Ghost!

We stayed in contact through the years. Eventually Robert became very involved in bus ministry there in Denver. True to his form he eventually relocated to Florida and then to San Antonio, Texas. There he became entrenched in one of our wonderful churches.

Robert passed away unexpectedly before Christmas last year. His pastor called me with the news and also informed me of the faithfulness of Robert Baker and of how he often spoke of us with affection.

How often we overlook the value of the Robert Baker's of our lives. Even right now I believe we have some Robert Bakers in our midst. These are here to serve a purpose and then led by the Lord to move on to serve Him at another place and another time. May we never be jealous or envious of their presence or the attention they receive. They may just be passing through but they will leave something to be treasured when they move on.

Expecting a Move of God

This past Sunday was Easter Sunday. We here at Gracepoint gathered together and worshipped the Lord as did believing people across this nation and around this world. For this we give God praise.

Many things were done in our attempt to glorify God in our service. The Kidpoint children led us in song as unto the Lord in sign language. The praise singers did an awesome job of leading us into God's presence with singing and into His courts with praise. Students from Gateway Bible College blessed us immensely in song as they were accompanied by our multi-talented Youth Pastor Armando drawing via computer an incredible Easter saga on the visual screen. The choir's rendition of Let the Vail Down Let the Praise Go Up was like . . . wow! Ginger Sitzes lead vocal was as good as it gets.

I had just returned the night before from a preaching trip to the nation of Belize. I was privileged to be the speaker for their District Conference in Belize City. As I approached the pulpit Sunday I was excited to preach the Easter message entitled, After His Own Kind. That message is available for your listening on this website.

The crowd was tremendous . . . the house was packed!

For these and other things I give the Lord praise.

Yet with all of the good . . . there were some struggles on Sunday. There were a few minor technical difficulties but we pressed through them. The main thing I noticed was a spiritual ceiling that was upon the congregation . . . and it even effected me. I admit that I left knowing that we had an abundance of untapped potential in that service.

Here is an interesting point. Before the service I was downstairs praying when I felt the most awesome presence of God. I came upstairs and asked two spiritually sensitive brethren to please come back downstairs with me. We all confirmed that there is going to be a mighty manifestation and visitation of God this week here at Gracepoint. We prayed in agreement and walked out of that prayer in the power of the Holy Ghost. Yet as soon as I entered the sanctuary I felt the oppression of the adversary. This has since continued for several days and to the point of this writing.

So I am encouraged in the Lord! Why? Because often right before a significant spiritual awakening there is an onslaught of spiritual resistance sent to resist God's people and designed to break their faith.

But we shall not be denied . . . for we are not ignorant of Satan's devices. Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world! I remind the adversary right now . . . you lose because we have already won!

We are expecting a mighty manifestation and visitation of God at Gracepoint this week.

If you are in the area . . . visit us on Sunday and experience Jesus with us.