Sent Forth

In John chapter seven verse two, Jesus on the eighth day of the feast of tents or tabernacles, stands up and he proclaims “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believes on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” This scripture opens up an amazing thought of where the Holy Spirit is leading the church. Too often we have used this scripture as we pray for those who are seeking the gift of tongues. When instead of seeking the gift of tongues we need to be seeking the giver and listening to the heart of the one who is leading. The Holy Spirit does not want us to place him on a pedestal, his work is to honor, and glorify the one who was sent, Jesus Christ. We as the church, rooted in Pentecostal tradition, need to remember and ensure that our ways of worship bring reverence, honor, and point to the savior whom the Holy Spirit came to glorify. 
 

Facing the Future- The Relevant Church

 Have we become an irrelevant church in a world that progresses by the minute? I do not say that to imply that our message is irrelevant, as the message of Christ will always be relevant in every life and in every church. We use too many excuses to explain why our churches are small. I once heard a church member say the “small church” was God’s plan for the Church of God of Prophecy. Do we really believe that? Looking into the future, the existence of the Church of God of Prophecy is largely in the hands of the local churches and their desire to be relevant churches. Large corporations such as Apple, Google, and Amazon became relevant in our society because they adapted to trends and met the needs of their customers. These three companies did not reach the top four market cap companies by sitting idly by, waiting for increase. I recently visited a church for their services, and my senses - the sights, the smells, and the things I heard - told me I had stepped back in time 30 years. How can we face the future, when we are already behind?