A Post-it Note from God

We all need reminders from time to time, or at least I know that I do. I survive a crazy lifestyle and keep on track of appointments and on top of projects because of the reminders that I place in my iPhone and the usage of a ton of Post-it Notes. My friend Jim Wideman teaches in his leadership conferences that God didn't give you a brain for memory. Your brain was placed inside your head to be creative. God gave you tools to assist you with your memory. To that I'll say a big, hearty amen!

This week, I want to serve as a Texas-sized Post-it Note and remind you about a truth that we quote and purportedly live by.

"Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit,
saith the LORD of hosts." Zechariah 4:6

I know that you know this verse. But, while many of us know this verse, somehow or another we constantly fail to heed God's instructions. Let me allow God to tell us His instructions one more time ...

"You won't «succeed» by might or by power, but by my Spirit,

says the LORD of Armies." (God's Word for Today)

And, one more time ...

"It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit,
says the LORD Almighty." (New Living Translation)

And then, one last reminder ...

"It's not by your creativity, personality, or talents nor by your
sets or props ... "  (Billy Burns Translation)

We all know that God's instruction to Zerubbabel is applicable for us today. I know that you know it. I guess that this reminder is so that you will show what you know to be true.

Let's Eliminate Wacky Tabacky Ministry

A few years ago, I came across an individual who had attended one of our Ignite the Supernatural Conferences. In reconnecting with this person they were so kind in their compliments of the conference. It truly had made an impact in their life. Everything was great until they made a statement telling me that because of their relationship with the Holy Spirit, they no longer studied before they went in to minister to the children. Now, they just "flowed" with the Spirit and whatever happened was a result of His leading. Believe me when I write that I did correct that error. We teach that flowing is a direct result of time with the Lord (prayer) and time in His Word. This time in His Word is also called preparation or study. That is why Paul told Timothy to "study to show yourself approved unto God". This preparation in the Word will prevent doctrinal error and keep the ministry balanced and not wacky and weird.

I came across this quote from R.C. Sproul's book The Mystery of the Holy Spirit. It is great counsel for those desiring to flow with the Holy Spirit.

"The Holy Spirit may be distinguished from the Word, but to separate the Word and the Spirit is spiritually fatal. The Holy Spirit teaches, leads, and speaks to us through the Word and with the Word, not apart from or against the Word. How grievous it is to the Holy Spirit when unbridled spirits mock God by claiming the leading of the Spirit when they are acting against the Word."

If you truly want to a Holy Ghost children's ministry, STUDY and PREPARE. Find a Word-filled curriculum or create a teaching series that will usher in the desired move of God. Walk into the service with both YOU and YOUR team ready to teach the lesson all the while being subject to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, the One who aided you in your preparation. In doing so, here will be the results.Powerful ... yes. Biblically sound and balanced ... yes. Holy Ghost sensitive ... yes. Wacky and weird ... no!

Let's keep the Holy Spirit and the Word together. In other words, place the FLOW with the KNOW and then you and your children will GROW. (I'm a poet and didn't know it.)

Words With Friends Anyone?

They say that confession is good for the soul. And so, here's my confession. (I feel like I am at an AA meeting.) I am Billy Burns and I am helplessly addicted to word games on my iPad and iPhone. I absolutely love playing games like Words With Friends, Hanging With Friends, Scramble With Friends, etc. By far, my favorite game is Words With Friends. I have 12 games going right now and I am winning in 9 of the games.

Why is this Scrabble-like game my favorite? Because I've learned the strategy of the game. It's not just placing letters on the screen to form a word. It's not about playing a word just to play a word. Many of my opponents haven't discovered this secret. Good players know the importance of strategically forming words that will give maximum points while not setting up their opponent and enabling them to form Double Word or Triple Word possibilities.

Many children's leaders are just like my Words With Friends opponents. They just do a service because it's time to do something. There is no foresight and planning on their part. They fail to be strategic in their planning.

Have you looked at 2013? Do you have a vision where you want to be 12 months from now? Are there specific goals and dreams for your ministry? I know that I do. That's why we kicked off this year with a series that I wrote called The Blood, The Word, The Name. At the end of this year, I want to see children who are boldly standing for God and using the powerful God-given weapons against our enemy. After this series, we'll spend time teaching On Assignment with the Holy Ghost. I can foresee a powerful year ahead of us.

So, will I be doing services just to do services? Are you kidding me? No way! There is a strategy. Each and every service will be pointing towards the end goal. There will also be fun weekends mixed in-between the series. That's a part of the strategy. I know that the children are spirit, soul, and body. They need variety. But, I have the services lined up to make 2013 be a year of destiny. I've heard from God. I'm making strategic moves and being fully aware that He will also be making strategic moves.

Bring on 2013. I'm ready!

Be Bold? Who Me? YEP!!!

For my daily devotions this year, I've chosen to just read through the New Testament. I'm doing this for several reasons. First, it's not an overwhelming amount of reading each day. Like you, my life is full and extra time just isn't in my schedule. Secondly, I am using a program (Laridian PocketBible) on my iPad that allows me to have a screen showing three panels. I have it set up so that the Scripture is in the full left panel and then the two right panels (one on top of the other) are two commentaries. Thus, I'm not spending too much time each day because my reading is usually just one chapter PLUS I get to dig a little into each reading. Pretty cool!

Here's something that I've discovered in reading in my readings in Matthew's gospel. In the first 16 chapters, I've noticed twice that the people marveled at Jesus' authority. (Matthew 7 and 9). What's significant about this? Many of these people knew Jesus personally. After all, in His childhood, Jesus had played with their kids. He perhaps lived in a nearby town and they had bumped into each other from time-to-time. They knew that He was Joseph and Mary's son. For some 30 years, there wasn't anything significant about Him. He was just Jesus of Nazareth. Now, for some strange reason, this Jesus guy is different. There is a boldness and power about Him.

They same could be said about Peter and John in the Book of Acts. After the miracle found in Acts 3, we read that the Jewish leaders marveled at the power and authority demonstrated at the healing of the lame man. In Acts 4, the astonished leaders begin to discuss what they knew about Peter and John. They had known these men for years. As kids, they had dealings with each other. Peter's mom knew their mothers. They used to skip school together. They knew for a fact that Peter and John weren't the most brilliant guys around. But now, for some strange reason, Peter and John are different.

Here is the common denominator. The "change in life" occurred after the infilling of the Holy Ghost. It's the truth! Read through the Gospels and you'll notice that nothing of significance was recorded in Jesus' first 30 years. But, after the infilling of the Holy Ghost, people began to take note of what He said and what He did. The same could be said about Peter and John. Up to the Day of Pentecost, their bio sheet wasn't anything to brag about. Right? Failures and disappointments abounded. But, after being filled with the Holy Ghost, things were different. A new-found boldness and authority permeated from these men.

I'm writing this blog today to remind you that the same Holy Ghost who turned insignificant, unnoticeable individuals into men who changed the world now lives on the inside of you. That same boldness is abiding inside of you. That same authority resides in you. So, don't sit back. Stand up. Speak up. Dare to believe God. History is waiting to tell your story!!!

Advice from John Wesley

While I was still in Bible College, my homiletics teacher, Rev. Jesse K. Moon, taught us that some sermons are timely (meant to be preached for a defined, specific time) and others are timeless (preachable at any time). A few weeks ago, I downloaded to my iPad a book written back in 1746 containing what I consider to be a combo message (both timely and timeless). John Wesley's Advice to a People Called Methodist was written to the fledgling group of congregations forming to become the Methodist denomination. And yet, some 260+ years later, this message and admonition needs to be preached again and again today both to the Body of Christ at large and Pentecostal/Charismatic children's ministry leaders and workers in particular. Below are some passages from the sermon.

"And as much offence as you give by your name, you will give still more by your principles. You will give offence to the bigots for opinions, modes of worship, and ordinances, by laying no more stress upon them; to the bigots against them, by laying so much; to men of form, by insisting so frequently and strongly on the inward power of religion; to moral men, (so called,) by declaring the absolute necessity of faith, in order to acceptance with God. To men of reason you will give offence, by talking of inspiration and receiving the Holy Ghost ...."

" ... Keep in the very path wherein you now tread. Be true to your principles. Never rest again in the dead formality of religion."

"Yet expect not that others will deal thus with you. No: Some will endeavour to fright you out of your principles; some to shame you into a more popular religion, to laugh and rally you out of your singularity."

Wesley's advice back in 1746 is still applicable today. Let me remind you of your DNA. You are a blood-bought child of God, filled with the Holy Spirit, a passionate lover of the Word of God, and a devil-frightening dynamo for the Kingdom. Nothing more. Nothing less. Don't change who you are. Don't dumb down your assignment. Don't settle for anything less than a Holy Spirit inspired, endorsed, and equipped ministry. It's true that not everyone will embrace this way of thinking ... but Heaven does!

Meditate upon Wesley's admonition and then share it with those who work alongside of you. Selah.

The "New" Normal? (Give Me That Old Time Religion)

I'll have to admit up front that I don't watch much television. Give me an episode or two of Wheel of Fortune and perhaps a couple of cop shows and I'll have my quota of television for the week. Oh ... if there is a good World War II or Korean War movie (it has to be black and white - NO COLOR - to be considered good) on the Fox Movie Channel or Turner Classic Movie network, I'll gladly push everything aside for a couple of hours.

This year, I've seen commercials about a television program that is apparently a hit comedy entitled The New Normal. I've never watched an episode. Never have. Never will. Why? Here's what the NBC network says on the internet about this program ... "Two gay dads and a baby and mother create a totally new kind of family comedy." I won't waste the energy or the blog space to begin to tell what is wrong with this new normal.

Let's take a minute and look at what is considered normal in the life of New Testament church. Better yet, let me quote from one of my favorite preachers and authors, Leonard Ravenhill.

"In the early church, signs and wonders and miracles followed. They cast out demons, blindness and paralysis. That's normal Christianity!"

Our children are buying this "new" normal propagated on television because we haven't demonstrated the New Testament, Holy Spirit-filled normal. The fingerprints of the Holy Spirit can't be found on much of what we do. Let me continue the quote from Ravenhill.

"We're so sub-normal, if we ever became normal, they (the world) will think we're abnormal."

I'm here today to cry out "Give me that old time religion." It doesn't have to be packaged the same as in days gone bye. The tools might be different. The techniques might be radically different. But even with all of these changes, the New Testament normal is the only acceptable normal. What the Holy Spirit did in the Book of Acts is what He wants to do today. The same Holy Spirit that filled the upper room in Acts 2 and walked out of the room with the 120 enabling them to be the Church wants to fill your children's service and talk and demonstrate His presence.

Come on children's ministry leader. Let's preach what normal is. Better yet, let's demonstrate what normal is. Let's turn the church (a building containing lifeless, powerless, motionless people) into the Church (a living, breathing, power-packed representative of the most high God).

It's Time for Your Annual Check-Up!

Once a year, most adults go to a physician for a physical check-up. Whether we like it or not, the check-up generally affirms what we already know to be true. The annual report tells us that aren't exercising enough, we need to lay off of the sweets, and that "diet" is a four-letter word that won't get our mouths washed out with soap by our mother. Each year, we pay a lot of money to hear a physician tell us what we already know to be true and the prescription needed to get to where we need to be, right? 

For this week's blog entry, I want to share a check-up report about today's church as presented by two highly respected leaders.

Dr. A. W. Tozer (noted Pastor, preacher, and author) - “If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95 percent of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference.” 

C.T. Studd (missionary to China, India, and Africa) - "How little chance the Holy Ghost has nowadays. The churches and missionary societies have so bound Him in red tape that they practically ask Him to sit in a corner while they do the work themselves."

To be honest, these assessments weren't written in the past few months. In fact, both of these men lived many, many years ago. And yet, their assessment of today's church is still so accurate. Sadly, just like our annual physical report, we are hearing what we already know to be true. Much of what is done in the church is done without the anointing and presence of the Holy Spirit. We know that this is true!

The purpose of this week's blog is to challenge you to assess what is going on in your children's ministry. Be honest. You already know the answer. Is the Holy Spirit's presence readily seen in your ministry? Is He allowed to move about as He desires or is He bound up in the red tape? Upon answering these questions, you already know what needs to be done. Come on. Start making the necessary changes to get the ministry where you know it should be.

Selah ...

Stockpiling Your Arsenal

Anyone with any military experience knows the importance of being well-armed and prepared as they enter into battle. Battles are lengthy. The combat strategy calls for an army ready for the long-haul. With that in mind, no one would enter into combat only being armed with a gun loaded with a single bullet, right? Instead, they would enter the battle with an arsenal of weapons. They would have their primary weapon and a host of auxiliary weapons and a stockpile of ammo.

This week, I want to deviate away from passing along a teaching idea or principle and instead share some of the arsenal of resources that I constantly refer to in my quest to impact a generation of children and equip multitudes of children's ministry leaders to know, love, and flow with the Holy Spirit. While the Bible has been and continues to be my ultimate, primary weapon, over the years I have collected many, many books that share teaching about Holy Spirit's personality, works, gifts, attributes, fruit, etc. In this arsenal, you will find many books with dog-eared pages, my handwritten notes scattered throughout the book, and an abundance of highlighted sentences and/or paragraphs.

Let me start off by saying that the following list is far from being exhaustive. My bookshelves at home and the office are filled to overflowing with books about the Holy Spirit. The following is in my opinion the "must-haves". Most if not all of the books are available through amazon.com.

* The Book of Acts: A Commentary by C. Peter Wagner
* The Dynamic Duo: The Holy Spirit and You by Rick Renner
* The Spirit Himself by Ralph Riggs

* The God I Never Knew by Robert Morris
* Commissioned with Power by Gordon Lindsay
* The Holy Spirit, My Senior Partner by David Yonggi Cho

* Tongues: Beyond the Upper Room by Kenneth Hagin
* 70 Reasons for Speaking in Tongues by Dr. Bill Hamon
* The Walk of the Spirit, the Walk of Power by Dave Roberson (available for free download on his website www.daveroberson.org)
* Pentecost Lost by Patricia Holland

I trust that these books will become a part of your library and be a blessing to you.

One more quick note ... I am currently reading Taking Action by Reinhard Bonnke. It is an incredible addition to my library.

Make It Visible #8

Here is one final idea for making the teaching about the Holy Spirit come alive.

Object Lesson: Praying in Other Tongues, The Key to Unlocking the Benefits of Heaven
Props: Key, Plastic Hotel Room Key Card
Slide: 1 Corinthians 14:2

If you have stayed in a hotel lately, you know that it is a rare thing to find a hotel that still uses the traditional key (show key) anymore for their rooms. After having key after key not being returned as the guests left their hotel, hotel owners called upon technology to create a safe, secure, affordable means to allow guests to get into their hotel rooms. The result is a key card. (Show hotel key card.)

Have you seen one of these cards before? No matter the hotel chain, the key cards are all basically the same. On one side, you have information about the hotel. It might show the logo of the hotel chain or maybe just the word "welcome". The other side of the key card is generally nothing but a magnetic stripe.

Let's take a couple of minutes and talk about the magnetic stripe found on the back of the motel room key card. Now I will readily admit that I am not the smartest person. To me, the stripe on the back of this card doesn't look like much. There's nothing too exciting about a stripe. But, inside of this stripe is embedded or hidden a secret language that enables you to enter into a place that once was forbidden. Am I right? Without this secret or mysterious language, you won't be able to enjoy all that is beyond the door.

Here is one more benefit of this stripe. You don't have to be able to decipher the hidden language. You don't have to know all that is hidden inside of the stripe. The lock on the door recognizes, reads, and responds to the hidden language!

Why have I shared this information about a hotel room key card? Because God has provided a way for you and I to enjoy special benefits from heaven that can only be obtained and opened by using something that is much like this magnetic stripe on the back of the key card. In God's Word we find: (Show slide)

"For if you have the ability to speak in tongues, you will be
talking only to God, since people won’t be able to understand
you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit,

but it will all be mysterious."

2 Corinthians 14:2 (The New Living Translation) 

Did you get that? By praying in a special language given by the Holy Spirit, we are able to pray secrets or mysteries. This is so exciting because this only-God-and-you secret language (mysteries) will unlock heaven and open the door for God to do wonderful things to us and through us. As the mysterious words come out of our mouths, heaven instantly recognizes, reads, and responds to the hidden language and ... well, let's pray in our language right now and let God show us what will happen!

Make It Visible #7

Here is one more object lesson that will help make your teaching about the Holy Spirit come alive.

Object Lesson: This Gift is For You
Prop: Giant dictionary
Slides: Joel 2:28, word definitions
Note: While any dictionary will work for this object lesson, I use the Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary. This dictionary is huge! It is about 4 inches thick and contains over 2100 pages of words and definitions. It makes for a great prop to show the enormity of our English language. Perhaps your local public or school library will allow you to borrow a comparable dictionary.

For those coming into our nation and having to learn to communicate in a new language, our English language can be quite difficult to learn and master. One of the difficulties comes from the fact that many of our words have multiple meanings. The person learning our language might hear a word used in a sentence and have a full understanding of one of its meanings and yet not understand how that word fits into the subject of the conversation. For example, consider the word "trunk". From this massive dictionary (show dictionary), we find that there are ten different definitions, all talking about different things. The definitions include: (Show slide … revealing one definition at a time.)

1. The main woody axis of a tree.
2. A proboscis, especially the long prehensile proboscis of an elephant.
3. A covering over the hatches of a ship.
4. A covered compartment for luggage and storage, generally at the rear of an automobile.
5. A large packing case or box that clasps shut, used as luggage or for storage.

Can you see how difficult that this can be? They might be hearing the word "trunk" and think that the speaker is talking about a long nose on an elephant when in all actuality the speaker is referring to the part of a car that stores luggage.

Here is the reason for today's object lesson. God was so careful to insure that you know that He loves you so much that He has a special gift for you. In sending His precious Holy Spirit, He wanted to make sure that you know and understand that you are to be included with those receiving this gift. God said in Joel 2:28: (Show slide)

"I will pour out my Spirit upon all people ..."
Joel 2:28 (New Living Translation)

Did you notice the word "all"? Let's look in this dictionary one more time to make sure that there is no room for confusion. Here is the definition for the word "all":

1. Being or representing the entire or total number, amount, or quantity.
2. Every.

It is just that simple. The word "all" doesn't mean just a few or one or two here and there. All means ALL. In looking at our Bible verse again (show slide), how many people did God say that He would pour His Spirit upon? It's so simple. A-L-L people. No one is left out. In fact, the Bible even makes double sure that you know that you are included when we discover that a little further in this verse and then later in Acts 2:17 and Acts 2:39 God specifically says that this "all" includes children.

Let's not make this difficult or complicated. There aren't ten different definitions for the word "all". It is impossible to not know God's desire. His gift of the Holy Spirit is for Y-O-U!

Make It Visible #6

Here is another object lesson to enhance your teaching about the Holy Spirit.

Object Lesson: The Holy Spirit, Our Counselor
Prop: Newspaper
Slides: Fictitious advice column, John 16:13

A lot of moms and dads start off their day by reading a newspaper. Some will sit with the newspaper in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. Now, you may not know this but every newspaper is divided into sections. There is the section devoted to the national, state, and local news. (Show front page/section of the newspaper.) Then, there is the section of the newspaper that tells the news about business/finance. (Show that portion of the newspaper.) Third is usually the section devoted to the sports news. (Show that portion of the newspaper.) And then finally is the section of the newspaper that has what I call the personal interest news which includes the comics, recipes, television programming schedules, and advice columns. (Show that portion of the newspaper.)

I brought this newspaper to the service today because I want to look at this last section, and in particular to the portion of the section called the advice columns. In this newpaper you find Dear Abby and then next to it is Dear Ann Landers. In these columns, these individuals print letters which have been written asking for their advice. It might have to do with needing advice on how to deal with a lazy child or a mean co-worker or a friend with horrible bad breath. The letters can be quite serious or out and out hilarious. In fact, I have taken one of these letters from a recent column and placed it on a slide. (Create and then show a funny letter. It might be from a person claiming that they have a cat that talks to its owner demanding milk served at a certain temperature and other crazy demands.) If you read very many of these columns day after day, you will see that there are many people needing advice and help.

Here is my question for you. Why would people ask advice from someone whom they've never met and don't know? They don't know Abby or Ann and Abby and Ann doesn't know them. And yet, the writer is pouring out their heart and telling personal and maybe secret things to Abby or Ann.

Here is an idea. Instead of Dear Abby or Ann Landers, why don't we seek the advice and direction from the Holy Spirit who knows us and everything about us? You see, He knows everything about everything and is anxiously waiting for an opportunity to share that information with us. (Show slide.)

"But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will lead you

into all truth. He will not speak his own words, but he will

 speak only what he hears,and he will tell you what is to come."

 John 16:13 (New Century Version)

When we need help and direction, we have THE One to turn to. (To illustrate this, hold up your index finger when you say the words "THE One" and then add the middle finger when you add the next word "to". When you say the word "turn", turn your hand around and then when you add the final "to" return your hand to the original position.)

Thank God for the Holy Spirit!

Make It Visible #5

Here is one more idea to help make the teaching about the Holy Spirit come alive and be visible.

Object Lesson: The Person of the Holy Spirit
Prop: Pen

Far too often, we hear the Holy Spirit being referred to as some mystical force or unknowable entity. Jesus went to great lengths to dispel what I call the "weirdness factor" about the Holy Spirit by insuring that His disciples heard from His very lips that the Holy Spirit was a Person that they could know. How do I know this? When Jesus introduced the Holy Spirit to His followers, not once did He show the Holy Spirit to be a force or an invisible, mysterious "it". Instead, we find in John 14 - 16, Jesus purposefully refers to the Holy Spirit 19 times with personal pronouns including "He", "Him", and "Himself".

How is this significant? Try as you might, you can't know an "it". A great example would be my Cross pen (a great pen for a preacher to have ... "Cross" ... get it? ... anyways). I love my pen. It is big and heavy and is great to write with. But as much as I love my pen, "it" has never told me that "it" loves me back. "It" has never told that "it" loves the way that I hold "it". "It" has never told me that being in my hand makes "it" feel secure. Why? Because my pen is an "it".

On the other hand, you can KNOW a PERSON. A PERSON can and will COMMUNICATE with you.You can SEE the FEELINGS/EMOTIONS of a PERSON.

There is no wonder that Jesus over and over and over again emphasized the "Personhood" of the Holy Spirit. In doing so, Jesus turned the "mystical" into the "knowable". It would be wise for us to do the same thing!

Make It Visible #4

I trust that these Make It Visible entries are providing ideas that will enhance your teaching about the Holy Spirit. This week, I will share another game that can be used as an object lesson to teach about one of the Holy Spirit's jobs.

"He Said What?"

Persons: Leader and 3 boys and 3 girls
Slide: John 16:13
Preparation: Write a lengthy sentence that contains several adjectives on an index card.  An example might be "I love to eat gooey marshmallow treats and drink really hot chocolate on cold, wet wintry nights".

Game: Line up the children side by side and placing the children boy, girl, boy, girl, boy, and girl. Explain that before the service, you wrote a fact about yourself that you want to share with everyone. And, to make sure that it would be memorable, you thought and thought and thought, came up with the perfect sentence that will share earth-shattering news, and then wrote that thought on this index card. Now, you are going to read the sentence by whispering it into the ear of the first person. That person will whisper it into the ear of the next person. This will continue until it reaches the last person who will then tell everyone what they've learned about me. Explain that each child will need to pay special attention to what is being said because it can only be whispered one time to them. As the news reaches the last person, ask them to reveal what they've learned and then compare what they've announced to what you have written on the index card.

Application: In using this game, I have NEVER had the final announcement be any where near the original statement. The sentence given by the final child is generally hilarious. Why is this statement so far removed from what was originally given? The deviation from the original statement could be due to individuals not listening correctly or perhaps being distracted or individuals not speaking clearly. The end result is that the final statement didn't accurately convey your thought.

How does this apply to the Holy Spirit? Consider this ... (Show John 16:13 slide.)

"But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will lead you into all truth.
He will not speak his own words, but he will speak only what
he hears, and he will tell you what is to come."

John 16:13 (New Century Version)

Notice the job of the Holy Spirit. The heavenly Father talks to the Holy Spirit. There is no whispering going on so that inaccuracies or misunderstandings might arise. The Holy Spirit then tells you what He has learned from the Father. Notice that there aren't four or five or fifteen people that pass along the information to each other before it gets to you. The information or guidance comes straight from the Father through the Holy Spirit. Is there room for mistakes or confusion? Nope. Because the Holy Spirit "will speak ONLY (emphasis mine) what He hears". According to John 16:13, the Holy Spirit will insure that you will always, always, always know that you know that you know that you have accurately heard from the Father!

Make It Visible #3

In the last two blog entries, I shared games that will enhance your teaching about the Holy Spirit. This week, I want to share a few ideas about some props that I use in my teachings.

First, let me share some props that you probably already own.

1. A Swiss army knife. Great prop for teaching how the Holy Spirit is prepared to assist in any and every situation. These knives have every type of accessory needed to remedy practically any need. Jesus showed His dependence upon the "Swiss army knife" Companion in Luke 4:18-19.
2. A flashlight with battery.In going to Walmart or Target, you will discover that flashlights are sold along with the batteries needed to power the flashlight. Why? Because without the needed power, the flashlight can't fulfill its purpose!
3. A dogbone. Sold in the pet stores or department stores. A great prop for illustrating how the Holy Spirit gives you a spiritual backbone. (Acts 1:8) The bigger the dogbone, the better for the illustration!
4. Barbells. Used to illustrate the value of praying in other tongues. Jude 20 and 1Corinthians 14:4 teaches that we grow stronger as we pray in our heavenly prayer language.
5. A GPS (global positioning system). Used to demonstrate that the Holy Spirit has been sent to lead and guide us. (John 16:13)
6. A three-legged easel or tripod. Great for teaching about the Trinity, their responsibilities and dependency upon each other. Each leg of the easel is important and carries equal responsibility. In the Trinity, the Father was dependent upon the Son to express His love. The Son was dependent upon the Father for His leadership. The Son was dependent upon the Holy Spirit to enable Him to fulfill His assignment. The Holy Spirit was dependent upon the Father to lead the Son and speak to the Son. Great illustration!

Here are some props that you can purchase through amazon.com. Just type in the information that I am providing into Amazon's search engine and you will be offered a large selection to choose from.

1. Rubber brain. Great for teaching about being lead by your spirit and not your brain.
2. Rubber tongue. Great for teaching how the Holy Spirit doesn't grab ahold of our tongue and force us to speak in other tongues. Paul wrote, "I will pray in the Spirit." It is a matter of our will.
3. Play Visions Mega Mouth by Play Visions. Great prop for showing the importance of opening up your mouth and using your voice to connect your spirit and the Holy Spirit as we pray in our heavenly language.
4. Plastic ear. Great for teaching about the inward ear that hears the voice of the Holy Spirit.
5. Stiff rope. Great "magic" prop for illustrating how the Holy Spirit will give you a spiritual backbone.

I'll see you next week with more ideas for making the teaching about the Holy Spirit come alive.

Make It Visible #2

Too many ideas ... too little space. This week, I want to share another idea to help make teaching on the Holy Spirit come alive. In Make It Visible #2 I want to provide a game that will show the importance of being filled to overflowing with God's Spirit. Once again I am sharing the game just as it would appear in one of our service curriculums.

“Filled to Overflowing”

Persons: Leader and 6 boys and 6 girls

Props: 12 large disposable cups, Styrofoam peanuts, 2 large clear containers, 2 music stands

BG Music: _______________

Note: The Styrofoam peanuts can be purchased in large bags at Office Depot or any office supply store. One idea for the large clear containers could be the large clear containers that you would find at Sam's Wholesale Club used with the Cheese Balls (Cheetos like snacks). Or you could use large clear drink pitchers.

Logistics: It is important to have a cleaning crew ready to pick up or sweep up the Styrofoam peanuts lying on the ground after the game.
                       

Game: This is a simple relay game with the children standing side-to-side on the platform and holding a cup. At one end of the line is a container of the Styrofoam peanuts. At the other end of the line is the large empty clear container that is placed on a music stand. 

The object of the game is to pass the peanuts down the row (the children pouring the peanuts from one cup to the next) until the clear container is filled to overflowing. To make the game more interesting, have both teams race at the same time.

Application: Filled to overflowing. In order to win, nothing less will do. Will only having a little be enough? No. How about almost being full? NO!!! The winners of our game were those who made sure that their container was FILLED to OVERFLOWING.

Why is this important? Because we see that after Jesus returned to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit, the disciples were so filled with the Spirit that they had trouble containing Him on the inside. As they went through their day, these filled-to-overflowing people splashed the overflow on those around them. (Acts 5:15-16) Great things happened when the splashing took place!

That SAME Holy Ghost wants to splash out of filled-to-overflowing people (including boys and girls) TODAY. Let’s be one of those filled-to-overflowing people! 

Make It Visible #1

From time to time, I mention different ideas that I've incorporated in our services to make the teaching come alive. Many of these ideas are shared in our Regional Ignite the Supernatural Conferences when Vickie teaches a workshop entitled Holy Spirit Projectiles. I always hate that time of our conference because I know that when Vickie is teaching this workshop, the majority of the people always gravitate to her class leaving my workshop that is running simultaneously with just a few people. I know that people are looking for ways to make the invisible become visible.

So, for the next few weeks, I want to share some of these ideas with you. Some blog entries will provide ideas for games. Other blog entries will be object lessons. And finally other blog entries will provide information where to find props that will help you.

Let's start with a game that shows the importance of listening to the inward voice of the Holy Spirit. It's called "How Bad Do You Want It?". I am presenting the game to you just like it would appear in a curriculum.

“How Bad Do You Want It”

Persons: Leader and 1 boy and 1 girl
Props: Two $1.00 bills
Slides: Countdown Timer, John 16:13, Proverbs 20:27

Game: Before the service, two $1.00 bills are hidden in the auditorium. One boy and then later one girl will race against time to find the hidden money. Our leader is to only give the clues of “hot”, “hotter”, “burning hot”, “cold”, “colder”, “freezing” to describe how close the child is to their prize. Each child will be given 90 seconds to find their prize.

Application: In order to win the prize, the child had to really pay attention to what was being said. What a shame it would be to hear directions that turn by turn, step by step lead them to the prize and yet totally ignore what was being said. I don’t know about you, I’d be focusing. I’d really want that prize.

In talking to His disciples, Jesus tells us that one of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is talk to us and in doing so, He will give us direction. (Show John 16:13 slide) Is it an audible voice that we hear with our ears? Well, it could happen. But, the majority of the time, the Holy Spirit will give us a knowing on the inside of us. In the Book of Proverbs (show Proverbs 20:27 slide) we see that God's Holy Spirit will speak to our spirit giving us direction. It is in our spirit that we will sense and know where to go, how to go, when to go.

How bad do you want God's direction? In listening to His voice and following His direction, we will be blessed, protected, and secure!!! I don't know about you, but I REALLY want to hear and obey the Holy Spirit. 

Pentecost

I recently discovered and then downloaded to my iPad three books written by a great British Pentecostal pioneer Alexander A. Boddy. The first of the books, The Laying on of Hands, was written in 1895 and the remaining two, Pentecost for England and (The True) Pleading of the Blood, were written in 1907. It was through the influence of the Anglican Alexander and his wife Mary that a move of God's Spirit began to sweep across the United Kingdom at the beginning of the twentieth century. Mary often prayed for people to receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The most famous of these is Smith Wigglesworth.

It was in the book Pentecost for England that I discovered a thought that I continue to meditate upon and trust that it will be a blessing to you.

Pentecost is a baptism of praise, coming over the balconies of heaven from the glorified presence of our Savior, having an unmistakable relation to His glorification, fills us with His glory striking the chords of praise we never dreamed existed in our souls and finding adequate expression only in the tongues, which come with it the scenes of heavenly praise and adoration above. 

Boddy's statement reminds us that being Pentecostal isn't a denomination. It is ... well, reread the quotation again and allow the Holy Spirit define His presence in your life.

Filled to Overflowing

This week, allow me to share a few powerful sentences from The Complete Smith Wigglesworth. Rather than comment on the quote, I'll ask you to read and then reread and then rereread (in other word, meditate upon) this statement from a mighty man of God. I believe that it will grow on the inside of you and challenge you to yearn for a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit ...

"The most important thing, the one thing that counts, is to see that we are filled with the Holy Spirit, filled to overflowing. Anything less than this is displeasing to God. We are commanded by God to be filled with His Spirit, and in the measure that you fail of this, you are far short of the plan of God."

I'll see you next week!

Do I Have a Witness?

It's a sad day for the Burns' household. One of our favorite television shows The Closer has its next-to-last episode tonight. For however many years, Vickie and I on Monday nights have either been watching the live episode or made sure that our DVR has been set to record Brenda Leigh Johnson solve what at first appears to be an unsolvable crime. Each week, we are amazed as we watch her team push aside circumstantial evidence and put together an air-tight case against the criminal. I know that next Monday, we'll have the box of tissues ready as we bid The Closer goodbye.

Allow me to share something that I've learned from watching The Closer (and a host of other cop/detective shows) that will apply to your children's ministry. Circumstantial evidence and hear-say evidence won't hold up in a court of law. Cases presented with loosely formed evidence or evidence coming second- or third-hand will always be thrown out of court. To substantiate any claim of guilt, there has to be rock solid evidence that can be corroborated from an eye witness or evidence garnered from a touchable object.

How does this pertain to your children's ministry? In most Sunday school classrooms and children's church auditoriums, the audience (our boys and girls) who are gathered to be the jury and weigh out the evidence of our presentation (our lesson or sermon) are mere recipients of second-hand evidence. Few if any have ever witnessed evidence to substantiate the claims presented in the Gospel. And, due to the lack of sustainable proof, many children are sadly putting the teachings of Bible in the same category as fables and superstitious tales.

Children's worker, how powerful is an eye-witness ministry? In Matthew 11:23 Jesus shares the power of witnessing the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit when He says that Sodom and Gomorrah would still be around today if they could have witnessed the mighty miracles performed in the cities about the Sea of Galilee. Later in His Great Commission in Mark 16, Jesus tells His followers to back up their teachings with evidence. Jesus knew that seeing IS believing.

I know that the walk of the believer is a life of faith. I know that the scriptures teach that the "just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17) and that we "walk by faith and not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. But, each week, we stand before a courtroom of children formulating conclusions about whether or not they will walk with Christ after they leave our ministry. Is our evidence second-hand? Or, are there things that they can see and experience that will provide rock solid proof that we aren't teaching fables and myths? What we teach and preach to the children can be and MUST BE substantiated with undeniable proof so that can know that they know that they know that Jesus is still the same yesterday, today, and forever. Let's provide an opportunity for the children to be able to sing, "Look what the Lord has done. Look what the Lord has done. He's healed my body. He's touched my mind. He saved me just in time ..." Then and only then will we have children who live for Jesus the remainder of their lives.

The Realness Factor

One of the most profound statements about the Holy Spirit is found in Benny Hinn's book "Welcome, Holy Spirit" where he quotes Kathryn Kuhlman telling of her relationship with the Spirit of God. Let me share this thought taken from page 28 " ... Kathryn Kuhlman looked out over those seated in the audience for her healing service and said of the Holy Spirit, 'He's more real to me than you are.'"

How real is the Holy Spirit to you? For many, the Holy Spirit is Someone that they kind of know exists but can't provide much information about Him. To others, He is just a part of a religious creed recited in church services. Others have reduced God's Spirit to nothing more than a force or mystical, invisible entity.

I know that this blog entry isn't very lengthy. It doesn't take many words to ask you to examine the realness of the Holy Spirit in your life. Can you join Kathryn Kuhlman in stating that He is more real to you than the flesh and blood person sitting in the room with you right now? If not, do yourself a favor and get to know the Spirit of the living God. In doing so, you'll never ever be the same again.