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Published: 22 September 2016

Is Calvary Baptist Church a “praying church?” Our next study in Acts will focus on the Ascension of Christ and the response of the apostles and disciples. They had a global task ahead of them after the Ascension but rather than gather for strategic planning sessions, they prayed. I have said before, and I maintain, that we should try to avoid talking about the “power of prayer.” Prayer is actually our dialogue with God. He is the One with the power, we are dependent and in need of His provision and power. But, it is through prayer that we access His power and in that sense, there is power in prayer because we “lay hold of Him.” Now, to the question, “Is Calvary a praying church?” That is a very hard question to answer. If someone were to analyze that question from the outside, they might look at our schedule and purpose of meetings. They would not see “Prayer Meeting” on our schedule and might even conclude that we don’t pray at all! I’m not sure that more church meetings for prayer would make us a praying church. It seems to me that if the Calvary family spends time in prayer personally and with others, in all seasons and in each occasion that we would be a praying church. Since I cannot possibly be with the 600+ people that call Calvary “their church,” I cannot answer the question objectively. Here’s what I do know. We have a pastor who prays, even when he is undergoing treatment for cancer. We have a staff that prays. I have even caught them actually praying “on the clock!” We have Elders and Deacons that pray. I don’t remember one meeting in the past 21 years that we haven’t prayed. I know our musicians pray. Before every rehearsal and every service, they ask God for help. I know a lot of you pray. I get cards, texts, emails and personal reminders that you pray for us and for me. I know my grandkids are learning to pray, I’ve heard them myself…oh my soul! I guess the only way to answer the question in the big picture is for you—the church—to be persons of prayer. Do you pray? Do you listen to God and speak with Him? The Ascension of Christ guarantees your access to the Father. The Father’s promises give you a reason to pray. The praying of the Holy Spirit sorts out the will of God in our prayers so we don’t have to pray perfectly. Let us pray. Let us be a praying church!

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Published: 15 September 2016

There’s a weird word for you.  Did you know that “whelm” is a word?  It means to “submerge, cover or engulf.”  If that’s not descriptive enough for a tough day, the word “over” is added.  So sometimes we are whelmed but at times we are overwhelmed!  That word means, “buried, helpless and overcome.”  I know I shouldn’t, but I feel overwhelmed quite often.  I’m not sure if it’s my personality, my vocation or my lack of faith.  It’s likely a combination of all three but whatever the reasons, the effects are crummy.  What makes it even worse is when I start comparing my life with people who actually are overwhelmed!  Then I add guilt to my “overwhelmedness” and I either get paralyzed or I want to run as fast and as far as I can.  I can’t help but wonder what the apostles “felt” when Jesus said, “Take the good news to every nation!”  I bet Thomas said, “Seriously?!”  Talk about an overwhelming task.  Consider where Jesus told them to start, Jerusalem!  And then?  Samaria!  I’m smirking as I write this.  Eleven guys with no organization, no money, no political or religious backing and very few supporters had the responsibility to take the testimony of Jesus to the end of the earth.  It seems ludicrous when I read it; it seems super-uber-mega-over-whelming.  BUT.  That’s the first word of Acts 1:8.  BUT.  “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…”  That one truth from a partial sentence truly changes everything.  This wasn’t their task to do in God’s absence.  It was their privilege to join God in what He was doing.  Jesus said, “You shall receive the Holy Spirit,” and “You shall be witnesses to Me…”  They didn’t have to figure it all out.  In fact, never once does the Lord say, “Figure it out.”  He says things like, “Follow Me, Trust Me, Believe also in Me, Come to Me,” etc.  Never does He say “Figure it out.”  I am happy to report that when I do come to Jesus and hear Him by Word and Spirit I experience His peace.  My head pops back up above the water.  I can breathe again knowing that He is still doing what He did then, providing the power to become the kind of people who can carry out His mission.  Let’s not live overwhelmed or even whelmed for that matter.  Let’s live in the partnership of Power.