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First Assembly of God Newsletter April 2009 |
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During the month of April we will once again celebrate the "greatest" event in human history, Easter. What makes Easter so special? Because it provides a message not only of victory, but of hope. Let me share an excerpt from a sermon written by Clyde Box entitled, "The Folded Napkin." In the Gospel of John, in the 20th chapter, the account is recorded of Peter and John coming to the tomb of Jesus after Mary had already been there. Mary had been frightened earlier when she had arrived and had seen the stone rolled away from the opening. John, who was younger than Peter, out ran Peter, and when he arrived, he looked inside and saw the grave clothes laying there. When Peter arrived he went inside and noticed not only the linen wrappings lying there, but the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side. Is that important? Yes! Is it significant? Absolutely! In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish male knew this tradition. When the servant set the table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished. Now if the master was done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table, for in those days, the wadded napkin meant, "I'm done." But, if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because the folded napkin meant, "I'm coming back!" When Peter, John and Mary saw that folded napkin, I believe God spoke to them in their being and said, "He's not finished yet...He's coming back!"I thank God that He's not finished saving souls and He's not finished reclaiming backsliders! The tomb is empty boldly declaring Jesus' victory over death and the grave. Our Savior is alive and because the napkin is folded, "He's coming back!" That's the message of hope that we have to offer to a lost and hurting world. Boldly proclaim to all, while the napkin is still folded. — Pastor Jeff |
BUSINESS
ADMINISTRATOR NOTES
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As I mentioned last month I recently had the opportunity to attend Tommy Barnett’s 32nd annual Pastors School in Phoenix, Arizona. One of the suggestions there was that churches should provide members with quarterly updates of their giving. This is done as a courtesy to help individuals track their giving and make any adjustments they may feel necessary before it gets too late in the year. We are going to implement that suggestion on a trial basis so you will be receiving quarterly reports in April, July, and October this year. Your official year-end giving report will be provided to you in January as always. I would be interested in your feedback as to how helpful the quarterly reports are. For the rest of this article I would like to share a story about John D. Rockefeller, the world’s first billionaire, which is a great example of the benefits of giving back a portion of what we have been blessed with. Rockefeller was a man who knew how to set goals, follow through, and achieve what our culture calls success. At the age of 23 he became a millionaire, and at 50 a billionaire. Every decision, attitude, and relationship was tailored to create his personal power and wealth. A mere three years later, at the age of 53, Rockefeller became very ill. His entire body became racked with pain and he lost all the hair on his head. In complete agony, the world’s richest man could buy anything he wanted, but he could only digest milk and crackers. He couldn’t sleep, didn’t smile, and nothing in life meant anything to him. There was no humor, balance, or joy left in his life. He was truly sick physically, mentally, and emotionally. His personal, highly skilled physicians predicted he would die within a year. As he approached death, Rockefeller vaguely remembered a dream about not being able to take any of his successes into the next world with him. He suddenly realized he was not in control of his own life and that he needed to make a choice. He summoned his attorneys, accountants, and managers and instructed them to establish the Rockefeller Foundation which is dedicated to fighting disease and ignorance around the world. This new direction in his life eventually led to the discovery of penicillin, cures for certain strains of malaria, tuberculosis and diphtheria and a long list of other important discoveries. The most amazing part of this story is what happened to Rockefeller after he made his life changing decision about what constitutes true success. The moment he started to give back a part of all that he had earned, his health dramatically improved. Where once it looked like he would die a disheartened death at age 53, he became a healthy, happy, and fulfilled man who lived to be 98. Rockefeller learned gratitude and gave back from his earnings. In doing so he was not only healed but he became whole. Probably none of us will ever experience anything approaching Rockefeller’s wealth, but the same principles apply no matter what we have. God wants all of us to be whole in terms of how we give back (time, talents, resources) from what he has blessed us with. Thought for the month: Credit is what keeps us from knowing how far past broke we are. — Steve Parsons |
