Let's Take a Walk

You may not believe this, but as a child, my elementary school report cards often had comments from the teacher informing my parents that I was an excessive talker. I often joke that my teacher’s favorite day of the school year was the day that I didn’t come to school. While my academic marks were quite good, my deportment or conduct marks showed that I needed to strengthen my ability to refrain from talking and making funny comments. Believe me when I say that my parents took the teacher’s comments to heart (or, pardon the pun – to bottom), and got down to the bottom of the problem (in more ways than one) and changed my desire to be the student who always had something funny to say.

Fortunately, I learned a long time ago to not give the Holy Spirit a negative deportment grade for excessive talking. In fact, I continually urge Him to kick it into overdrive and talk and talk and talk to me. It was during one of these times this week that I heard Him remind me of a truth that I had been neglecting. Consider this:

"The Lord said to Abram after Lot had left him, Lift up now your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; For all the land which you see I will give to you and to your posterity forever. And I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth, so that if a man could count the dust of the earth, then could your descendants also be counted. Arise, walk through the land, the length of it and the breadth of it, for I will give it to you.”
Genesis 13:14-17 (The Amplified Translation)

As I read this, I heard the Holy Spirit tell me that His movement in our children’s ministry is limited by what I can see and where I walk. As God told Abraham, we are to change our point of view (“life up your eyes”) and look beyond our present location and “reality” and to begin to see what He sees. Next, God told Abraham that what he could see would affect both him and his children. Then, after changing what we can see, we are to get up (“arise”) and to begin to be the forerunner and walk in and experience this new land.

I could easily write several paragraphs and take several minutes of your time to enlarge upon the truths shared by the Holy Spirit. But, upon your request, the same Holy Spirit who spoke to me can and will speak to you. After hearing His voice, you will see afresh and anew His passion for moving in and among the children and also be challenged to begin to travel into the realm of the Spirit so that your children can follow you into the heavenlies.

Now, close this program, turn off the computer and ask the Holy Spirit to begin to talk to you. Then, begin to listen to Him. Then, begin to dream and see through His eyes. Then, get up and start walking. Believe me, you are long overdue for a good long walk.

Selah … Billy

Are You Jesus?

I had one of the cutest things happen a few weeks ago in our mid-week 4-year-old class. I came by the room that night to check on and communicate with the teachers for a couple of minutes and in doing so, I became engaged in conversation with an adorable little boy who was enjoying playing with Play Dough. After a talking for a while, I asked him, "Do you know who I am?" Looking up at me with the most loving eyes, he said, "Jesus?"

At first, the cuteness factor was almost too much. I wanted to laugh out loud at his statement. Me? Jesus? Was he kidding? But later, the Holy Spirit reminded me that on that particular evening, I had been given the opportunity to be Jesus' representative. To that little boy, I was Jesus-in-the-flesh.

While this blog entry isn't my typical blog telling of flowing with the Holy Spirit, it is a gentle reminder of my need for being dependent upon Him. After all, on that particular Wednesday night, I was His agent for representing Jesus. Think about it ....

Are You Limiting the Holy Spirit?

Just a quick thought for you ... are you limiting the Holy Spirit? This Comforter (Greek wordParakletos) is sent from the Father with the purpose of being your counselor, helper, advocate, intercessor, strengthener, and standby. In other words, He is sent to fortify and enlarge upon your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses.

The purpose for this week's blog is to remind you of the reality that the Holy Spirit only comes and works by invitation. Without invitation, He will stand to the side and see you operate in your own strengths all the while remorsefully acknowledging that your strengths will only produce temporary success and fruit. Without invitation, He will stand to the side and see you operate in and suffer because of your weaknesses remorsefully acknowledging that your weaknesses will produce little if any fruit.

Are you allowing Him to fulfill His assignment? No matter what stage of ministry that might be experiencing right now, it is prudent to insure that you are walking side-by-side with Him. In the times when everything is flourishing, is He present and guiding you or are you accomplishing these feats in your own giftings? When He is fulfilling His assignments, He will enable you to supersede your abilities and giftings. In the times of "God where are You?", can you sense His presence? It could well be that in these times He is waiting for you to ask Him to step in and fulfill His heavenly assignment.

Today, let's stop and confirm our dependence upon Him. He is waiting on your invitation!

Have You Heard?

Several years ago, I was in one of three weekend services and my wife Vickie was on the platform leading the children in worship. I'll have to admit, it was one of the most wonderful, powerful times of worship that I had witnessed in any of our services. It seemed as though that we had entered into a new level of intensity and passion. After the worship was over and I was on the platform transitioning into the next area of the service, I commented to Vickie about what I had just witnessed and told her that I saw that some day that we would have to work to get the kids to stop praising and worshiping God because of their unquenchable passion. What a spiritual statement ... at least that is what I thought. A few minutes later, the service had transitioned into the teaching portion and I was off of the platform and going out to my Explorer to put away some props. On the way out to the truck, I clearly heard the Holy Spirit correct me. I heard Him say, "Quit saying that I see the day coming and instead begin to declare TODAY is the day of the Holy Ghost." In other words, He was instructing me to quit putting things off into the future and to begin to vocalize and announce what He wants to do today. So, instead of saying that I see the day coming when we will have difficulty stopping the children from worshiping God I should announce to the children that TODAY is the day that the Holy Ghost is moving and stirring. TODAY is the day of His moving in and amongst our children. TODAY is the day of the Holy Ghost.

It is easy in Pentecostal/Charismatic circles to live in the past and to constantly talk about what God did at Azusa Street or during the Charismatic revival of the 60's and 70's or the Toronto Airport Revival or the Brownsville Revival. On the flip side, we can put off the day of His visitation and moving into some distant day that is just barely beyond our reach. The correction informed and reminded me of the reality of His being a TODAY presence and power. TODAY is His day and we need to announce it, welcome it, and embrace it. In doing so, He will make our announcement a visible reality.

The purpose of this week's blog is to ask you to join with me and together let's declare that TODAY is the day of the Holy Ghost. Beginning today, let's daily declare, welcome, and embrace that He is ever present. Beginning today, let's daily declare, welcome, and embrace His power. While we are thankful for what He has done in the past and at the same time recognize that He has plans for our future, we are to acknowledge that He is working TODAY in a mighty, powerful way.

In case that you haven't heard .... TODAY is the day of the Holy Ghost!

How Dependent Are You?

Just a quick question for you ... if Jesus was totally dependent upon the Holy Spirit for the enablement to fulfill His earthly mission, how much more should we be connected to and dependent upon the Holy Spirit so that we can complete our assignment?

How dependent was Jesus upon the Holy Spirit? John 5:19 tells us that Jesus did nothing on His own. Luke 3 and 4 shows that Jesus' ministry didn't begin until He was filled with the Holy Spirit. Acts 10:38 reveals that Jesus' anointing and power came from the Holy Spirit.

Again the question ... how much more should we be connected to and dependent upon the Holy Spirit so that we can complete our assignment?

The Litmus Test of Successful Ministry

While we all love the elements that make up our ministry (the crazy characters, games, skits, puppets, visuals, etc.), we know that the litmus test of the success of a particular service isn't found in these elements. It is so important that we constantly remind ourselves that these are just mere tools that open the children's hearts so that the gospel can be presented. They are just the means of, not the meaning of our ministry. It is far too easy to get this reversed and place such emphasis upon the tools that we neglect the message and purpose of our ministry.

Upon leaving a ministry occasion, the apostle Paul reflected upon what had transpired. In looking back, this learned man knew without question that the mechanical side of the ministry was planned and done with excellence. But, that wasn't the sign of its success. Notice his evaluation:

"We know this because the Good News we brought came to you not only with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit, and with complete certainty." 1 Thessalonians 1:5 (God's Word for Today)

When we leave our services, what will we claim as the highlight of our time with the children? Will it be the skit involving a new, outrageous character? Will it be the new puppet song? All of those things are great. They really, really are. But, hopefully, our priorities are not askew. Hopefully like the apostle Paul, we will be able to say with a full assurance that the Holy Spirit undeniably and powerfully demonstrated that He was in the room and that our children will never ever be the same again. That my friend is the litmus test of a successful children's ministry service!

If He Did It Once, He Can Do It Again!

One of the greatest ways to stir up your faith and passion for seeing God demonstrate His presence and power in children and your children's ministry is to read about what God has done in previous revivals and heavenly visitations. Reading the reports about what God has done in the past and knowing that if God has done poured out His Spirit upon children before that He can do it again provides a constant, consistent weapon against the lies of the enemy and his deceitful reports that children flowing with the Holy Spirit is just wishful thinking.

Sadly, it is difficult to find books that tell of the wonderful moves of God among children. Authors have treated this subject with the same type of mentality that many churches have treated children's ministry ... the subject is stuck in obscure places and only mentioned in passing. I know this is true because my personal library has dozens and dozens of books that recount the events of previous revivals and it is rare to find a paragraph or two in any of the books that even mentions children. It is as though that God totally ignored the children. But, we all know that this isn't true.

So, allow me to suggest a couple of books to add to your library that tells these stories and will bless you and encourage you.

* "Children and the Holy Spirit: How to Set Your Child's Heart on Fire for God" by Mark Harper. The book was written in 1999 and isn't readily available through places like Amazon.com. You can purchase the book online through Mark's website www.superchurch.com. It will be a great addition to your library!

* "They Told Me Their Stories: The Youth and Children of Azusa Street Tell Their Stories" by Tommy Welchel. This book available through Amazon.com shares stories that I haven't read in any of the dozen books that I have on the Azusa Street Revival ... especially as seen through the eyes of what was then the children and youth of the revival.

Do yourself a favor and invest in some resources that will remind you of the fact that if God has done it before, He can and WILL do it again if we pursue after Him!