At the feeding of thousands (John 6), the basic need that day was food.  From the reading, we gather that the logistics and concern of feeding that multitude was felt on the “platform”… not among the “saints”.

The Phillip/Andrew dilemma did not seem to reach the ranks of the congregation… they (so it seems), just TRUSTED IN JESUS… even for the evening meal!

Please notice, however…

The hungriest man in far back corner of the field NEVER SAW THE MIRACLE… he just ATE the miracle as if it was just regular bread.  Indeed it was… just bread!Beloved John writes it down this way: “Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that Prophet that should come into the world.” (John 6:14)  “Those men” being those closest to the platform!

The big question is…           Can we ACCEPT God’s working in the far corners of our lives WITHOUT REQUIRING THE PROOF OF THE MIRACLE?

Otherwise…            If we REQUIRE the “proof of the pudding” every time, in order to believe (also known as The Thomas Law of Unbelief), we are (and will be) forever doomed to blindness of the blessing!

Just because you do not SEE the performance of the miracle does not mean that God is not alive and well in the administration of your life!  ACCEPT the workings of His Hands in your life WITHOUT requiring the “proof of the pudding”!
Somewhere ahead He is multiplying bread… for you!  So…

Be thankful and ACCEPT the DAILY BREAD He is supplying RIGHT NOW!
Don’t live in bitter blindness of the miracle!

Rev. John Bradley Lambeth
“Uniquely Missions Minded”

There are MANY things that God WANTS to do… God WANTS to perform miracles and other supernatural interventions… All the while He is waiting for some intercessor (YOU!!!) to pick up the weapon (of prayer) and ACTIVATE DIVINE POWER!
For the dense minded (and hardheaded), I repeat: God CANNOT pray! But if He could, what would His prayer be?
Where do you see God desiring to work and perform? Where is the miracle just shimmering on the edge of reality? Where is there that revival just bubbling below the surface?  All of these are examples of how your prayer life would REALLY change if you were to start praying… “Lord, I know you WANT to perform the miracle, but you are WAITING for someone to say SOMETHING!”
Maybe that was the reason why the Angel turned back to talk with Abraham: God WANTED to save Lot but NEEDED someone (you Abraham!) to SAY something!
In reality, we each KNOW what God is “dying” to perform… but we are the ONLY ones that can ACTIVATE the ACTION!
I well understand this short text will rub some of my “friends” the wrong way; they will claim that there are theological errors in the presentation… truthfully, they may be better at words and Biblical doctrine than I am…, but no one can debate what I felt in prayer this morning as the power of this simple thought sprang into ACTION while I was crying out to God… I heard Him say…
…You are the ONLY PRAYER I HAVE! So…
Pray Me into ACTION!

Rev. John Bradley Lambeth
“Uniquely Missions Minded”

In reality, while many believe in a worldwide revival (a debatable issue), because of the enormity of the proposal and the little that can be done toward that goal, most just freeze up and do NOTHING leaving all in the hands of God… which is just another copout.

Cutting to the chase:  if the church is not growing, it is dying!

So, how do we “Grow a Church”?

Missionaries, of course, are expected to be experts in this area.  While far from a spectacular conversion rate, real missionaries are truly qualified as spiritual lab researchers in this vital area of Church Growth.  Please allow me to share some things we have learned:

Much like diets and weight-loss programs, just about anything in soul winning efforts will work for a short period of time.  The final result, however, as each effort fades into poor numbers, is to see the saints (the REAL SOUL-WINNERS of the church) become despondent and harder than ever to sign on to the challenge of the next new program.

So, one thing we learned is that contests (which team can bring in more visitors) works only for a short time.  It may  probably be a good way to start the congregation toward a new vision, but does little to the long-term efforts of changing the MINDSET of the church!

So, the biggest challenge is getting visitors to church at a regular rate… not in spurts, but in a flow!

That is the reason why, early on, the Apostolic Churches of Brazil changed the concept and definitions of the “Mother Church”. (Again, this is another good reason to support successful missionaries: as they fine-tune new models and ideas, the supporting pastor benefits from the final spiritual results.)

We now understand that the “Mother Church” CANNOT just be a title given to denote the “original” church group… the connection between the mother church and daughter congregations must be MUCH STRONGER than that in order to survive the quality test of time!

In reality, we have learned that the “Mother Church” must truly be the HUB of the WHEEL SPOKES (daughter churches).  After all, the daughter churches are the EXTENSION of the HOME MINISTERIAL VISION.  (Forgive the capital lettered wording throughout this mini-study; however, they denote KEY thoughts that require full understanding in order to successfully implant the mother church/daughter congregation concept.)

Our laboratory work has shown that the Mother Church cannot merely be another one of the connected churches! That is the huge mistake that many pastors make when implanting a mother-church/daughter-congregation project: unwittingly, they allow (foster?) a daughter-congregation mentality inside the mother church.  The vision, the functions and even the structure of services of the mother-church must be completely “REENGINEERED” (spiritually speaking) in order to launch into the new world of citywide (even regional) outreach.

Because of this, we constantly must adjust (and readjust) our battle plans, strategies and even our weaponry to achieve the victory edge over the tricks of guerrilla tactics hatched in hell.

Having said all of that, it becomes obvious that missionaries fulfill a vital part in the Church´s spiritual laboratory: The answers that missionaries apply to current foreign challenges are often the very solution needed for stateside issues.

Why, then, are missionaries so shunned by the so called Pentecostal intellectuals? Oh well…

Case in point:

Long before stateside congregations began planting daughter churches around the metropolitan area of the mother church, battle-tough missionaries were already pushing into that sphere of connected daughter churches.

It was truly a spiritual laboratory experiment. The possibilities of something (everything, at times!) going wrong were enormous.  And, to answer your unspoken question, yes, a lot did go wrong.  The concept worked very well as a tool to pull souls back from the licking flames of hell.  But, on the other side, during those early years, there were many negative aspects to the experiment!

For example, there were daughter churches that refused to line up to the overall vision of the leading pastor… how did we deal with such issues? We would cry a ton of tears and go back to the laboratory and try again… and again… and again, until we got that one issue worked out… Then, another type of problem would crop up… back to the lab we went!

And, even to this day, we must keep a careful eye on apostolic quality and spiritual connectivity when dealing with daughter works.

However, that early experiment was successful! We now know that a well structured network of daughter congregations MULTIPLIES one visionary pastor into a battlefield giant whose apostolic (powerfully bright!) presence crosses many valleys of darkness.

I will be writing of other spiritual laboratory experiments, some were successful; others total failures… but before signing off, allow me to ask:

• Why are there so few stateside churches using the daughter work concept?
• (Deleted!) The other inquiries regarding the first question were deleted… too polemic!
• Why are battle-tested missionaries not brought in to help set the first daughter work up?
• And when the initial problems crop up (be assured, trouble will show up), why do some pastors refuse to consult and acquire “street-smart” advice from their missionary partner?

Today, years later, tired of facing impossible needs all alone, I have learned the power of AGREEING.  Thanks for the lesson, Nanny.

In Mark 4, the Bible introduces a palsy victim.  He had four friends. That makes five with him!  The Bible also placed an emphatic note about THEIR FAITH (Mark 2:5)!  I call it Five-Fold Faith.

Thus, according to my definition of “THEIR” faith, I can affirm that the palsy victim also had faith.  Would the victim’s faith alone have been enough? Biblically, yes… after all, a small seed of faith is enough to remove mountains.  Even so, his stand-alone faith was probably somewhat wilted and timid after a constant day-to-day battle of dealing with physical limitations (he needed help to do the simplest of tasks!).

From all indications, the stricken man’s faith was present… but his need was HUGE!  Now what would happen if four more portions of faith were added to his seed… Wow!

It was THEIR FAITH that prompted miracle action in that crowded room.

Gather friends and agree!

I am reminded (how can I forget?!?) of the greatest of miracles that I personally witnessed: the resurrection of little Gloria.

I was there when a large avocado hit the tiny baby on the head, just outside the sanctuary. The direct, forty foot free-fall hit caused, from all indications, instant death.  Immediate CPR forced an artificial heartbeat… but the spontaneity of life was gone! Gloria was dead!

The ambulance rush from our small town health clinic to the nearest big city hospital center gave us 20-25 minutes to find FIVE holding (and many more) agreeing hands.  That we did…!  We needed a miracle!

I shall never forget the intense, connected, agreeing, and multiple portions of faith that gathered in the church for a miracle on Gloria’s behalf.

While we prayed and as the ambulance shrilly pushed toward the distant hospital something SPECIAL happened!

There is no medical explanation.  After a quick emergency examination, the doctor skeptically asked:  “An avocado hit her, you say…?” “Must not be the same baby, the second set of X-rays show no damage…?!?” Gloria was alive! She was (and still is) a walking resurrection!

The palsy patient had a seed of faith, but when he added four more portions of faith… it became Five-fold faith!

Hold hands… join around the cot of your “hell”.  Boldly remove the roof, let the ropes down to Jesus… do TOGETHER what one man alone can’t do: move into the world of the supernatural miracles.

Connecting portions of faith TOGETHER is the igniting spark of powerful miracles.  Try it!

He was not the best looking dude in town, as a matter a fact he was barefooted, huddled under his large “beach” umbrella waiting for his last customer… me.

“Do you want to read the newspaper while I work on your shoes”, he asked as he was caressing the leather of my Sunday shoes.  Shaking my head in negative reply, I watched him work on my soul… ah, sorry, shoes.

He looked up and gave me a serious report about my shoes “the leather is dried out”… I had never noticed! The shoes did not look too bad, what does he mean saying the leather dried out?

Over the next 25 minutes, I watched him work on my soul, uh, excuse me… shoes.  Meanwhile, the drizzle intensified, splattering on his hunched back.

He rubbed into the leather (tired soul leather) seven layers of wax polish.  I counted! Seven layers! After each layer, he gently brushed away the excess and rubbed in another coat of protective buff.

Wide-eyed I saw him rub the polish into the leather with his bare hands!  With wonderment, I realized this man was not the standard shoe shiner plying the trade on every corner.  No, this was, well, he was a shoe doctor.  I could tell when he occasionally looked up… his eyes told the story…he was dealing with a sick pair of shoes… or was it a soul?

Fifteen minutes ago I felt quite proud of my Sunday shoes… now, I was worried about them.  Only after he mentioned the dryness, I did notice the hairline cracks in the leather!  The cracks were everywhere!

Finally, unable to contain myself, I broke the silence and asked: “how long have you shined shoes?” He replied without looking up (although I could hear the glean in his voice) “forty two years”.   He continued “I care about shoes, I LOVE shoes; that is why I am still here this late Saturday evening!”  Embolden, I asked, “do you always spend this much time on a pair of shoes?”… “Only when they need the added time… yours really need extra care.”  I went silent again…

Another customer showed up.  Unbothered, not at all rushed to pick up another Brazilian dollar or two, he continued working on my soul, oops, shoes.

At last, about when the street lights started glowing, he pulled off the protective sock covers and gentled rubbed my shoes good-by.  He then helped me down from the booth chair as I looked down at the shoes.  Beautiful and lovely, my shoes looked worthy of a King.  Best of all, the drizzle had ceased.  I was ready for church!

As I walked back down the street I realized that an “Elder” had work on my soul… excuse me, shoes.

I looked down again at the work of that master artesian.  Because of forty-two years of experience with shoes, he knew what tired leather looked like when he saw a bad case. He knew the serious significance of hairline cracks.  He was a true Elder.

Elders are those men of God that have weathered decades of Apostolic service and are in love with their calling.  They are dedicated to soul-shining… if you know what I mean.

Real elders are not into the money business, but rather into the soul-shining of men.  True elders may not dress as sharp as the “hot” evangelist who just breezed into town last week… On the other hand, an Elder does not disappear when you need him most!  An Elder cares enough to wait in the rain for you to show up with your scuffed soul.

Let your elder shine your soul!

No, I do not condone sin in any of its forms.  To the contrary, we all know the high standards that God sets for His Church (and ministry).  Thus, the importance of the Holy Ghost ministration in our souls! Otherwise we would never make Heaven!

However, on more than one occasion I have witnessed a sadist spirit (which certainly is not part of the Fruit of the Spirit) prowling the hallways of our circles of Pentecostal fellowship.

Sometimes you can almost see a “killer” look in the eyes of some! Killer in the sense of “I am out to destroy you”!

Obviously, we have no problem in regards moral sin or adamant false doctrine.  Such types are immediately cut from our midst… rightfully so!

Rather, I refer to those that erred regarding a lesser sin… worse yet, may NOT have erred… but Pentecostal opinion gave them no chance of explanation or defense.  They are guilty (and condemned) before the trial began!

Why would the Bible spell out restoration procedure if no type of sin (or mistake) qualify for the recovery program?

Why are some (later proven innocent… too late) ostracized and ousted from all fellowship based solely on a single opinion of some Pentecostal sadist?

Before, however, even this writing is condemned by the small group of perfectionists who infiltrate our ranks, allow me to return to the nucleus of my point:

All of us are responsible for the guardianship of our precious brotherhood.  We are to “exhort one another daily; lest any … be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Hb. 3:13).  If you can do it with a humble and open heart, by all means reason and help (even exhort!) your fellow brother/sister.

Just don’t keep hitting blow after blow without mercy or relief!  Help your fellow servant with the intent of recovery…not with a diabolic plan of wiping him/her from the face of the Pentecostal world!

Do it right!  Go to the person, present the facts, listen to their defense evidence, then check the facts out.  Afterward, if necessary, help that brother recover by guiding him through the steps of forgiveness, cleansing and restoration.

If he/her will not listen, try again… with another mutual friend present as a counselor/witness.

No positive result? Walk away. Isolate and move on with your life (again, moral sin and false doctrine have another set of rules).

Just don’t nitpick!  Lay it ALL on the table at one time!  Don’t “harp” on a single issue, holding other accusations in your back pocket awaiting for another day to hit AGAIN! AGAIN…! AGAIN…! (Do you hear the echo of a never satisfied sadist?)

Such tactics of hitting over and over (without relief) were developed in hell’s basement.  Satan showed those filthy colors when on a vendetta march against Job.  Discontent with the outcome of Job’s first hit (and recovery), Satan hit him again with boils WHILE HE WAS STILL GRIEVING OVER THE COFFINS!

There is a vicious element that says: HIT HIM AGAIN.  Love says DON’T HIT HIM AGAIN.  Let love dig around the tree another year!

As Jude wrote “and of some have compassion, making a difference” (1:22).  Don’t be the one that throws the final stone of death!

A final word to “secret” enemies:

It grieves me to see some that secretly hold on to supposed errs of “friends”… never revealing the inside scoop they have… until someone else hits that “friend” first (and hard).  Then the “fox” rushes in for his chance to kick and hit when/while the accused (now ex-friend) is still reeling from the first trial!

Why did you wait until now?  Sincerity does not dwell in hidden rooms of dark secrets!

It is easy to misinterpret this short essay.  Some will say I am soft, others will see me condoning sin.  I am neither.  I plead for a spirit of mercy and restoration for those that one day may need loving exhortation instead of a final kick to the bloody face over some petty issue.

Yet, in the minds (and hearts) of most world residents, that one click opens a brand new season christened as year 2011. But what does the new season really mean?

To us, the new season brings us inexorably closer to His Coming.  As we watch with eyes open wide the rollout of troubling events, our prayers become more intense as we plead for Him to come take us Home.  This new season brings a renewed desire TO GO HOME!  We are Heaven bound.

Continuing with the usage of years as seasons, Noah is a perfect illustration. He lived 120 SEASONS (years) and built the boat on his expectations (“…until the day that Noah entered into the ark”).  You can almost hear him say with commanding URGENCY: “we are getting out of here… hand me another board.”

Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, there is another group of God’s original creation that also celebrates a new season at the dong of midnight. This (much larger) group does not have the same intensive expectation as “our” small group does.  Rather, their perceived seasonal disdain is noticeable and even palpable.  It’s as if they KNOW that they are hell bound and don’t really care.  They live the SAME YEAR with us, yet their season is of a different type. In short, they too live a Noah season!  They live “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until…”.  Until… until… until tomorrow (whenever that is).

The two seasons fulfill their course CONCURRENTLY over the SAME year, in spite of the TOTALLY DIFFERENCES.

The contrast of (same) seasons was unique last night here in Brazil.  While groups of thousands gathered on the thousand white-sanded Brazilian beaches to dance, fornicate and offer sacrifices unto the goddess of the sea, there were small groups of Apostolics secluded away in churches across this vast nation crying out to God, praying “Even so, come Lord Jesus”.

Yes, our prayers will be answered, perhaps yet this season… and we probably won’t even be missed.  Meanwhile, let’s be diligent not to be caught up with the low spirit of their frolicking season.

Let’s be sober and vigilant… our Redemption draws nigh!

Give them a gift of books… ebooks! With the advent of ebooks, the world is a lot smaller and can be more enjoyable on rainy nights.  All that is needed is a Kindle Book or a Kindle Book PC program (free download!).

Oh, and a Kindle ebook to read, of course. Thus, I suggest:

When you find a good book that you would like to instantly share with some lonely home (or foreign) missionary, make a commitment to purchase the ebook on Amazon (www.amazon.com) and gift it to them! The instructions are simple and easy to follow:

Any Kindle book available for purchase in the Kindle Store can be given as a gift to anyone with an e-mail address. You do not need a Kindle to send or receive Kindle book gifts, and the recipient can read their gift on a registered Kindle device or any free Kindle reading application.

To gift a Kindle book, click the Give as a Gift button located under the Buy button on Kindle Store product detail pages. You can also gift Kindle books through your recipient’s Amazon Wishlist. Note that free books, books on pre-order, periodicals and other content in the Kindle Store cannot be gifted at this time.

To complete your Kindle Book gift order:

1. Enter the e-mail address for your gift recipient.
2. Enter an optional gift message.  If you’d like to preview the notification your recipient will receive, click the Preview E-mail button.
3. Click the Place your order button to finish your gift purchase using your Kindle 1-click payment method.

Gift Notification

Your gift recipient will be notified of their gift at the e-mail address you provide.

While my intention is on behalf of the many home missionaries (a small gesture = enjoyable moments), I can´t pass up the opportunity to share my Amazon email address with you: lambeth{at}via-rs.net Pardon my little puppy dog smile.