Category: Church & Ministry

Could There Be Another Great Revival in America?

On By Archie L. GilmerIn Church & Ministry, Culture & Conviction1 Comment
Bob Beltz: Preacher at Valley Mills Christian Church Indianapolis, IN click the photo to listen to the message (the message starts at the 14:56 time mark)

I recently listened to sermon preached by a great brother in Christ, Mentor, and friend. His name is Bob Beltz at Valley Mills Christian Church in Indianapolis, IN. His sermon was powerful and thought provoking at least for me.

He preached from Lamentations and really brought some perspective to the table about where exactly to look when evaluating what we need as a nation, a society, and as the body of Christ.

“Judah has gone into exile under affliction and under harsh servitude; she dwells amoung the nations, but she has found no rest; all her pursuers have overtaken her in the midst of distress.”                 -Lamentations 1:3

For the past six to eight years I have often thought of America as needing another great revival! What I mean is for those Americans who will readily and maybe even honestly claim to believe in God or call themselves Christians yet seldom or never attend church to return to putting God first in all things.

Often times these Americans will go most of their lives without ever opening God’s Word in the privacy of their own home. Somehow these Americans have fallen into the trap of believing that simply not denying God’s existence is enough to secure a spot in a place we all know as heaven. Not accepting the fact that it does not work that way.

I had often thought that if we would just pray that God would move in a way that brought about a great revival in the hearts of The Church in America then all of the wickedness and wrongdoing that seemed so overwhelming would be defeated.

The problem with that thought was that it was born and motivated by my own spiritual youth and naivety. You see, what I did not have a full grasp on was that revivals are what happen to the believers within the church, those who are actively working within the body of Christ and seeking the Lord. It is The Church that is to be the focus of a revival!

Maybe it is because I was raised in the 70’s and 80’s. Even then Americans were being taught that this nation was a Christian nation founded on Christian principles. Leading me to just assume that all Americans believed in God. At least that was the case in the Midwest where I spent a lot of my childhood.

Maybe I simply assumed that an American revival meant that many if not most would return to the Christian foundation that our forefathers stood on.

The reality of it all is simply that The Church, the body of Christ, are the people who need to be awakened. After all, according to the great commission, it is the responsibility of The Church to go into the world and make disciples!

“And He said to them, “Go into all the world and peach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.””                          – Mark 16:15-16

To simply pray that God would change the hearts of those who have not accepted His gospel and do nothing else in regard to our neighbor’s salvation is a complete act of deflecting our God given responsibility back on God Himself!

What I have come to realize over the past five or six years is that it is The Church in America that is sick. After all, it is fool hearted to expect people who have never accepted God, His Word, and the Christian life to live according to the Christian way of life! It is The Church, the body of Christ, that has become complacent.

The believers have slowly given in to the pressures of the world and compromised bit by bit. All the while convincing themselves that we are good enough. We sometimes still go to church and sometimes give our tithes. Verbally confirming that we believe in God and even Jesus sometimes. All the while allowing the foundations of the Christian family to be destroyed by the world around us without any effort to actively standing up and call sin what it is. I do not mean in the public houses, I mean within the walls of our families, our own houses and churches. While at the same time, our behavior in society does not reflect what we say we believe.

Somehow the believers, The Church, arrived at a way of life that is complacent and maybe even blending in with the politically correct mindset of the American culture. Most Americans who are Christians will immediately reject the idea of political correctness, however when confronted with an opportunity to stand firm on our Christian principles, we shrink back for fear of offending our family, friends, and neighbors. An example of fearing what the world will percieve about the Christian who is supposed to be about love and kindness.

The reality is that the believers in these “United” States of America have shrunk back. I remember when I first started full time ministry about fifteen or so years ago. There were some of the older believers in the churches that I was part of who would tell stories about protesting and picketing outside liquor stores and XXX bookstores which had been starting up in their neighborhoods. They had great success in shutting them down. People were also getting saved back then!

“Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”

– James 2:17

I remember at that time I thought to myself, “that doesn’t seem like what God would have us do”. Even though what was being promoted by those businesses was not something that honored God and provided great temptation to sin in the community, I thought that it was a bit aggressive and might have given the wrong impression to the rest of the community about the church. Which is still the mindset of many church leaders today many times.

I look back now and think that I was probably half correct in my thinking. I was correct in thinking that it was a bit aggressive. However, I now see that it was and always is correct to stand up and call sin what it is! Maybe sometimes even when it is or would be perceived as aggressive. I cannot speak to the manner in which those older brethren took action were right or wrong. Only God will judge that.

I will however say that I think that I would rather stand before God and be corrected over the manner in which I stood firm in what is right or wrong than to stand before Him and try to explain why I just stood by and did nothing or said nothing.

I think that only much prayer and fasting will allow us to be in tune with the Holy Spirit as He leads us toward making disciples and bringing in the harvest.

If we would ever be able to surrender to what God is doing, we would be quick to repent, heal, and be made strong. And by we, I mean the believers.

I believe it would be the next great revival in the body of Christ!

We must seek the Lord. We must cry out for spiritual growth and strength to go into a world of wickedness and hurt and simply love people.

We must be about our Father’s business.

The Gaslighting of America and The Church

On By Archie L. GilmerIn Church & Ministry, Culture & ConvictionLeave a comment
https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-andrew-klavan-show

I recently read an article written by Andrew Klavan that was published on The Daily Wire. In that article, Klavan is pointing out something that I have been pondering for most of 2020 and maybe even a bit longer. That is this thing called “gaslighting”. What is gaslighting?

To borrow an excerpt from Klavan’s article.

“The term “gaslighting” comes from a 1938 suspense play by Patrick Hamilton called “Angel Street.” The play, which became the movie “Gaslight,” is about abusive husband Jack Manningham, who seeks to hide the fact that he’s a murderer and a thief by convincing his wife that she’s insane. He does this by trying to make her think she does not see what she sees — the gaslights dimming — or hear what she hears — his footsteps in the apartment above.”

Photo from: https://www.dailywire.com/news/klavan-gaslight-nation?

The actual definition of gaslighting is as follows:

Gaselighting:

verb (used with object), gas·light·ed or gas·lit, gas·light·ing.

to cause (a person) to doubt his or her sanity through the use of psychological manipulation:

This type of manipulation is very subtle, effective, and dangerous. Often times a person who is being gaslighted finds themselves in a serious state of insanity or maybe even worse if there is such a thing.

As a preacher of the gospel and a committed Christian to the faith in which I have surrendered myself to, I find that a healthy pursuit of the truth is absolutely necessary for success as well as survival in this world. After all, the gospel message is all about what is true!

Having said all that, I will say that I find it very hard to accept that since before January 01, 2020, until the date of this writing, August 01,2020, that such a string of catastrophic situations would occur back to back or simultaneously.

It has only been a short seven months and we have and continue to deal with Presidential impeachment hearings, global pandemics, federal and local governmental abuse of powers, social unrest (some may say tyranny), as well as the relentless challenge of any authority, racial tension and riots in our streets, and let’s not forget the audacious attempts to simply erase the entire history of the greatest nation in the world, by force no less!

I personally find it very difficult maybe even impossible for all of these events and happenings to be coincidental. Yes, some are consequences of another, but it all seems to be laced with the idea that there is a “man behind the curtain” pulling all the strings and pushing all the buttons! I cannot bring myself to accept that all of this is just happening without some political agenda driving it all.

I do not pretend to understand all of it. I cannot even begin to start assigning blame or responsibility on any one group or individual as to who might be the puppet master’s in it all. All I know is that I feel that I and every other American citizen who disagrees with any left wing or liberal minded groups are being gaslighted as we speak.

As Klavan pointed out in his article, there are groups of people as well as political groups that are engaging in hatred and discord in an effort to gain leverage and power to push their agenda all the while preaching that it is me or “we the people” that are the one’s that are the haters and dividers!

We now find ourselves in such a position that any pushback or attempt to defend ourselves actually plays right into the hands of those who are attacking America! If I stand firm in who I am as a white Christian man who is also an American Citizen as well as a Preacher of the gospel, the fingers will immediately start pointing, “see, he hates everyone because he won’t agree or fall in line with what we want and believe”!

This scenario plays out in every part of our lives from debating about how we choose or not choose to protect ourselves from a very real and deadly virus all the way to whether or not a person will submit to the regime of the Black Lives Matter movements, Antifa, or any other Socialist/Marxist organization.

What does not seem to matter is what anyone really thinks or believes about any of it. There is simply a steady stream of information being fed to society by the government, media, and all the different groups of people out there. All of it controlled by “the man behind the curtain”. There is no discussion. No attempt to open mindedly understand each other. Simply all there is to remain is chaos and confusion.

Chaos and confusion are what the gaslighter wants. Division and strife are what the socialist/Marxist depends on. As long as the truth is not presented, the crowd is left to wrestle with their own thoughts of what exactly is reality and what is not.

Even when the truth is plain to all, anytime anyone begins to embrace what is real or true, the mob quickly pounces to shut it down and condemn the fact finder as racist scum and told to sit down and shut up, or else.

And because no one else in the crowd who also are being gaslighted, will stand in the face of the lies, neither will anyone else. It is evidence that the gaslighting is working.

The victims are afraid to speak out about any of it for fear of being accused of or maybe revealing to the world their state of insanity. Even though there is no insanity on their part. We are simply being told that 1+1=4. If we object with what we know to be true, we are smacked down and shunned from society and any connection to it!

The insanity lies in the minds of the mob, the gaslighters. They are the ones who have lost touch with reality. They are the ones who are living in a fantasy world filled with hate and discord and calling it social and political progress. Something that no one in their right mind would ever have thought would happen. Yet here we are. Here it is.

As an American citizen I am more than upset about all of it. However, because I am a believer in Jesus as Lord and Savior of all, I must consider the Kingdom of God first and foremost in all of it. So, what does that mean?

Well, as was stated in my previous blogpost, American Christians and These “United” States 2020, The kingdom of God is the priority. That means that I must be about the work of the Kingdom. Which is basically, loving God and loving people. Sounds simple right? Well, not so much.

I personally believe that we are to live the Christian life in such a way that we honor God in all parts of our lives. Good times and bad times. I believe that God has made it clear that there are certain moral and ethical truths which He expects the believer to stand firm on and not shrink back from anything that challenges that.

We find in scripture where the book of Hebrews calls the believer to persevere!

“But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.” – Hebrews 10:39

What is happening in the “United” States of America today is a direct attack on the very core values of the Christian faith! The very thing that the Christian is to stand firm on. Our core values are the foundation of not only the Body of Christ but this nation as well! We have a duty to stand firm on those values and beliefs, which by the way all are centered on Christ our Lord! See the letter to the Colossians.

Everything that the socialist/Marxist agenda proudly stands for is intended to dismantle the family unit as God Himself had established. All of the acts of the sinful nature which are obvious according to Galatians 5, are now condoned and promoted. At the time of this writing, there are some reports of bibles being burned in Portland, OR in the midst of the rioting in the streets!

If we sit back and say nothing. If we shrink back to our pews and pulpits and preach the “safe” message that the gospel is all about going to heaven and that what goes on in this world is not our concern, I fear that we will be in error at best. It is our responsibility to fight for the morals, truths, and principles of the Kingdom of God!

“your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”    – Matthew 6:10

That is how the Lord Jesus taught His disciples to pray! His will be done, on EARTH as it is in heaven! We are charged with stewardship of the gospel! The truth of the word of God! We must not simply shrink back and allow the wickedness in the hearts of those who think the gospel foolishness, 1 Corinthians, to simply destroy what God has established in the world!

It is not a matter of winning or losing a battle against the evils of this world. It is a matter of standing before a Holy God who will evaluate the hearts of each believer. He will call to account the stewardship of each one of us when it comes to the truths with which he entrusted in our charge! Refer to the parable of the talents which can be found in Matthew’s gospel chapter 25.

It is about how much are we willing work in the harvest fields even when they were on fire and being destroyed by the wickedness of the evil one. After all it is those who take the gospel for foolishness who are perishing, again 1 Corinthians, who really are the ones Jesus sent us after when He said to go and make disciples!

“…The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers in to his harvest field.”              – Matthew 9:37-38

In today’s world, in these “United” States of America, the Christian is faced with a choice. Either shrink back and allow the gaslighting to lead us into compromising the gospel and the moral foundation that Jesus died for. Or we can stand firm in Christ and stand firm in our convictions, loving God by loving people. That sometimes means speaking truth in the face of wickedness and evil. Often times if not every time it means taking harsh and/or brutal treatment from the enemies, the mobs, the gaslighters.

Here is what I know for a fact. God’s word is indeed absolute truth. His morals and principles are indeed good and trustworthy. Jesus did indeed die and was resurrected from the dead and is now at the right hand of the Father in heaven! These facts alone should be enough for me and every other believe to stand firm in truth.

Archie L. Gilmer

Call things what they are. Trust in the God in whom we claim to believe! Do not shrink back!

Stand up Church! Speak Truth! Love!

Skipping Church for the Holidays

On By Archie L. GilmerIn Church & Ministry, Culture & Conviction, Faith & DiscipleshipLeave a comment

Here it is, once again. It is the time that people begin to travel and meet with family to celebrate Thanksgiving. Plenty of food, fun, and work! Most of us tend to eat way too much food and some even drink way too much drink. However, for many, together with Christmas, this time of year is special.

If you are like most, these times can also be very busy and cost way too much money. Family members arriving from wherever they live. The stress level many times goes sky-high. Everything must be just right, after all, family does not always get together.

And then there are some families that do not look forward to these times. Some families do not enjoy being around other family and sometimes life has caused things to be unpleasant. But each year they go through the motions.

Thanksgiving is a National Holiday here in the United States of America. It is not a Christian Holiday or any religious Holiday. Christmas on the other hand is very much a Christian Holiday! But, that is another blog post so stay tuned for that one.

Getting to the point. It seems that the preachers and Elders of the churches have some of the same conversations around this time of the year. This conversation is centered around how many people attend or do not attend church services on the Sundays before and after both of these holidays.

It is expected that people will be traveling. Because of this, the attendance numbers will either be larger than usual or lower than usual. It all depends on who does the travelling. The mystery lies in whether or not those who attend church regularly, will attend church while traveling or not. Within that question, another question needs to be answered.

It seems to be a two-sided coin when it comes to getting any conclusion to the question. The church leaders have come to expect that numbers will either be high or low on these holiday Sundays. But they do not have to be so drastic.

The first side of the coin. Previously, I mention the question of whether or not people who normally attend church, do so when they are travelling. Although I have no statistics, I would say that the majority, more than 50%, do not. Those that do attend while travelling, usually do so because the people they are visiting also attend church. Therefore, it would be easy for them to attend.

However, many of those people who are not visiting other people find it easy just to skip going to church for that Sunday. After all, they only have so many days of traveling and want to make the most of it. This is why I guess about 50% of regular church attended who travel will attend church while traveling.

The second side of the coin. This side of the coin deals with those who travel as well as those who do not travel during these holidays. First, there are those who travel and visit family, friends or others who are not church goers. Many of these people find it difficult to attend church when those that they are visiting do not. It can get a bit awkward. Although it really should not be, it is.

I will get back to them. The second point about this side of the coin is about those regular church attenders who do not travel for the holiday season but have visitor at their home. Again, there is an awkward situation which occurs when family, friends, or others have traveled to visit but are not church goers. So, they skip church for the sake of not having to have the conversation with their guests.

Both of these situations are the same situation. It comes down to having the conversation about who we are as Christians and either feeling like we are being rude or offensive by inviting our guests to church or leaving them for the hour that it takes to go to church, or actually being a witness to what it means to be a Christian and allowing the world, the guests, to see how important your faith is.

Let me just point out that it is not sinful to skip church on Sunday. Do not think that I am trying to make that statement. This blog post is simply an effort to bring out some truths that I think should at least be thought about, if not talked about within our homes and churches.

The reality is that if the Christian did a better job of prioritizing their relationships with God and taking every opportunity to worship God and be His witness, especially to those who are not believers or church goers, then the church attendance conversation between church leadership circles would not be such a big conversation.

Sure, because people will travel and others will not be able to attend even if they wanted to, there would still be an influx of attendance, high and low. The real dilemma is about the proper witness that the body of Christ is putting out into the world. Or is it really what it sometimes looks like. The Christians put God first always, unless it is uncomfortable or is inconvenient.

“…let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”   Hebrews 10:24-25 (NASB)

This blog post is intended to be a reminder and an encouragement. That all of us who are believers, Christians, would do everything we can to be the best witness and bring honor and glory to God during this Thanksgiving and Christmas. Ultimately God knows our hearts.

I pray that God will bless you all and that this Thanksgiving will be memorable and sweet for each of us. Blessings to you all!

Small Churches Working in a Seemingly Mega Church World

On By Archie L. GilmerIn Church & Ministry, Culture & ConvictionLeave a comment

Anyone who has been taken to church as a child, or who has been around any bible teaching even a little bit would at least know about David and Goliath. It is the story in 1 Samuel 17 that shows how young David showed up on the battle field and killed the Philistine warrior.

This story is a picture of a young boy saving the day when all of Saul’s army of fighting men were too afraid. Sometimes a smaller congregation might look at the ministry field in this way. Of course, the smaller church being young David in this scenario.

Most likely, many of the smaller churches, 60 people or less, actually end up portraying a picture similar to that of Gideon found in chapter 6 of Judges. Many small churches today are found hiding in their proverbial wine presses trying to evangelize the community but never leaving the church.

All the while, the larger churches seemingly continue to grow and seem to be making disciples daily. Much like that which we see in Acts, these churches are out in the public squares and attracting attention. Many are doing so for the sake of the gospel and making disciples and doing well at it.

Some of these larger churches or mega churches even have unknowingly lost track of the mission and become something that they did not set out to be. But that is another blog. I digress. Not all churches, large, small, or somewhere between are actually making disciples. There is a big difference between making disciples and filling up a building and calling it church.

Most anyone could fill up a building full of people. That is the easy part. The difficulty is to get people to come to hear the gospel and be a part of the Kingdom of God. I once was dropping my son off at college and overheard two college girls talking. “I have tried a few churches since we started school. I think it is good to see what a church has to offer me.” One said to the other.

At first, I thought to myself “how selfish can people be, all they are looking for is how the church can serve them.” As time went on and I look back, I realize that is what most people are thinking when they come into a church.

When we try to look at things from that perspective, it is important to notice that many churches, small or large are doing everything they can to love God and love others. Many are affective and being used by God greatly. Small and Large churches. Both are bring glory to the Kingdom of God and both are being used in powerful ways by God!

So, why then do some smaller churches seem to be failing or are indeed, and most of the larger churches or “mega” churches never seem to fail? Once again, it is a matter of perspective. Just as for David and Gideon, their perspectives caused their actions to be what they were.

There are many small congregations throughout the world who are standing firm in the truth of God’s word and standing in the face of a giant in the form of government hostility, social hostility, Spiritual hostility, and even ecumenical hostility! Yet because, like the church seen in the book of Acts, they too are filled with the Holy Spirit of all might God and are staying faithful to that work.

At the same time, there are way too many smaller congregations who have hidden themselves inside their church walls and refuse to do any ministry because they are trapped by fear that they will lose their church. They fear that may lose their church if they spend any money on ministry efforts, “what if they can’t pay the bills? They fear that they may lose their church if they make decisions that upset those still there who then will leave.

Also, they fear they may lose their church if they actually do ministry and it works. If that happens, a lot of people will start coming and “take over their church”. All the while they fool themselves into believing that they are “threading wheat”/doing ministry when no one in the community really knows that they exist. Meanwhile, God is trying to say to them, “The Lord is with you, valiant warrior.” Judges 6:12 (CSB)

Just down the street or in the next town, there are churches who have hundreds if not thousands of people attending each Sunday. These larger church have many ministries active in their communities and many people are coming into closer relationships with God and each other. These churches provide various types of ministry from children to adult spiritual edification. Not to mention outreach opportunities. God is using these churches very powerfully and people are know Him and He is being glorified!

On the other hand, there also are many churches who are filling up large buildings with people and there is music, ministries, and seemingly everything that was described in the last paragraph except, the teaching is not there. Something is wrong in the doctrine or the motives behind the leadership, or even something else behind the scenes. In these cases, many people are being misled and actually getting further and further away from the truth of Gods word. This also is another blog post for later.

The point is that there are people who are looking for what is true. There are many churches out there, all claiming that we have the “true” truth. So, what then? What happens to the college girls who are looking for a church that will meet their needs? And why do many smaller churches fail while other seem to be healthy. Why do these college girls, and people like them, decide not to attend the smaller congregations?

Many say it is because of the music, or the age of the congregation. I really cannot make much argument about that. However, I will say that God is bigger than that. It is true, the larger churches seem to be offering the worship experience that many young people are responding to and many older folks are rejecting.

I will also offer this element of blame, most people are like sheep and they follow the crowd. It is easy to follow the crowd. If there is a larger church where people can just show up and be served or hide out, they most likely will not have to get involved. I believe that if a church could serve whatever they offer out a drive through window, people would use it. Not all people, but some would.

The bottom line here is that there really is no answer to the “what’s wrong with this picture” question that gets painted here. I would say to the small church congregation, take courage, God is the same for you as He is for all. I would say to the larger church congregation,

“Let your eyes look forward; if your gaze straight ahead. Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all our ways will be established. Don’t turn to the right or the left; keep you feet away rom evil.”      Proverbs 4:25-27

I would also encourage the small churches to press on and work hard trusting God while I would encourage the larger churches to consider the smaller churches as valuable as well as partners in ministry!

Each of us, large, medium or small congregations would do good to consider the words of Jesus spoken to Peter as he asked Jesus; “Lord, what about him?” John 21:21 (CSB). Referring to John possibly living forever. To which Jesus answered; “If I want him to remain until I come, ….. what is that to you? As for you, follow me.” John 21:22

Help your church glorify God in all that it does. As far as what God is doing with the other congregations in the world, “what is that to you?”. Jesus has a way of telling us to mind our own business.

“Me and God have church by ourselves”- Do Christians Have to Go to Church?

On By Archie L. GilmerIn Church & Ministry, Faith & Discipleship3 Comments

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10:23-25‬ ‭NASB‬‬

Over my time in full-time ministry, I have had many conversations with a number of people about going to church. These conversations centered around many aspects, ranging from availability due to work schedules, physical ability or lack there of, and my favorite being “Me and God do our own thing on Sundays”.

Now, I know that there are many other ways that this conversation goes between the Preacher/Christian and others. The one I am focusing on here is the idea presented about whether person must go to church to be a Christian.

First, let me make it clear that it is a fact that there are people who work on Sunday mornings. It is a fact that there are plenty who cannot physically get out or come to church. It is also a fact that there are countless individuals who would love to be at church on Sunday as well as be involved with what a congregation is doing as a whole!

Let’s put all of those aside for the moment. What I am dealing with here is the idea that a person who would say that they are a Christian and also stands in the position that he or she does not “need” to attend church. That they and God do their own thing and that is good enough.

It would seem that the question at hand then would be, “does a person have to go to church to be a Christian?” To that question, I would say that going to church does not make you a Christian. But that is not the question really, is it?

When a person presents the idea, “me and God do our own thing”, the real issue is being presented in a subtle manner. What this person is really doing is challenging or daring the Preacher or whoever else, to question their salvation based on the fact that they do not go to church. It really is a defense tactic because usually the person is asked if they would like to attend church or the Preacher mentions church.

The core of the problem is that people, church goers as well as non-church goers have a misunderstanding of the purpose of attending church or being a part of the ministry of the church. The church goer sees it as evidence that a person is saved, where the non-church goer sees it as a test of their salvation or belief. This is why this conversation is such a problem in the Kingdom of God today.

The real question that church goers should be asking themselves and others is, “do I/you know Jesus?”. At the same time the real question that non-church goers should be asking themselves is “do I really know Jesus?”. If everyone would focus more on this question, the church attendance conversation would be non-existent.

As was presented at the beginning of this blog post, Hebrews chapter 10 gives us some insight into what this Christian life is to be about. In verses 23-25 we can see that words like “hold fast”, “stimulate one another to love and good deeds”, and “not forsaking our own assembling together”, which draw a picture for the believer and the “Church”.

The picture that is drawn for the believer here is that of community. A picture of people who although are different in many ways, share life together. Just as we can see all throughout the book of Acts, every time the believers shared life together in work, prayer or fellowship, God blessed them and their numbers grew!

God, the creator, does not make mistakes. He has created human beings to need fellowship. He created a mate for Adam because He knew that is is not good for man to be alone. Jesus’ death and resurrection is all about restoring fellowship and unity! I know, many thought is was about God letting people go to heaven as apposed to going to hell. Yes, that is true, but it is a very surface level understanding of the work of the cross. Not to mention a little bit selfish.

The truth is, you and I are offered grace, forgiveness, and reconciliation by the blood of Christ not primarily because we need a Savior. NO! All of that happened so that God would be glorified! Only God could take what is broken and make it whole again! Only God can take the rebellious soul and administer consequences and yet spare the law-breaker!

No, Jesus was born in the flesh, gave His life brutally on a cross, and then God the Father raised Him from death so that all of creation and all the universe would know that He indeed is Lord of it all! Oh, and by the way, because He loves His creation, that’s you and I, we get to experience the blessings that come with His glory and Lordship!

So, maybe it really is a question of salvation. Scripture tells us that those who believe would “Repent, and each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38-39. This goes together with chapter 17 of the gospel of John. We can read there that Jesus Himself prayed to the Father that the believers would be one with Him as He is with the Father. He prayed for unity in the body of Christ.

All who are genuinely saved are a part of the body of Christ. It is the same Holy Spirit living within each of them. So, when James teaches that the prayer of a righteous man is powerful, I cannot believe that here is a more powerful prayer than that of Jesus our Lord!

Therefore, it would be logical and actually expected that those who are believers, those saved by the blood of Christ, would be united! As we grow spiritually along the way, our desires fade away and the desires of the Holy Spirit begin to be dominant in our hearts. All of this should take us back to our original question. Must a person go to church to be saved?

I will conclude with this answer. A person does not get saved by attending church. That would be a work and we are not saved by works. However, if a person is genuinely “saved” by faith in the blood of Christ through repentance and baptism, and the Spirit of God is living within them, then would we not desire the fellowship of the body of Christ? After all, that was our Lord’s Prayer in chapter 17 of John.

No it is not a sin to work on Sunday. No it is not a sin to miss church service. However, if a person is a true believer, there would be a desire to be a part of the body of Christ. Notice, I still have not said that there should be a desire to go to church on Sunday. That is because there is more to being a part of the church than going to church on Sunday morning.

If a person works on Sunday morning or is unable to physically attend worship service and there is that desire to be a part of the body of Christ, they will find a way. People generally do what they want to do.

Most church congregations hold worship services on Sunday morning. Many have other times of worship such as Sunday evening, Saturday evening, and even on Wednesday evening. So there really is no excuse. After all, that really is all that it is, an excuse. Aside from worship services, there are bible studies, outreach programs, evangelism, and much more that the body of Christ is doing.

So, it really is not about going to church on Sunday morning. It is more about knowing God in such a way that not only allows a person to be reconciled to Him in spite of that person’s rebelliousness against Him, but also to know Him in a way that the person’s desire is to be a part of the body of Christ, the Kingdom of God.

Ultimately, a Christian will have an overwhelming desire to surrender to a life of participation in the body of Christ and glorifying a Holy God!

I pray that we all have the desire to be a part of the body of Christ! Oh, the answer that you might be looking for from me is, NO! No, you cannot be a Christian and not be a part of the body of Christ.

Can you love your church too much?

On By Archie L. GilmerIn Church & Ministry, Faith & Discipleship2 Comments

Most, when asked about the church that they attend, would say great things about their church. I would hope anyway. Well, there is always those who are never happy with anything. However, most might even say that they love their church! Sometimes people feel this way because it is the only church they have ever attended, and some may be fairly new to their church. Regardless, everyone who says that they love their church also has their personal reasons for loving their church.

Not long ago, I preached a sermon series about getting excited about church and helping others do the same. Now, as a Preacher, I think that it is vital that the Preachers and church leaders lead by example here. But first, they and the members must all answer one question, and answer it honestly.

The question is not, “do you love your church?” That question is simply a part of the real question by which an honest answer has the potential to set the church on fire for doing the work of the Kingdom. The real question, the full question is; “Do you love YOUR church, or do you love THE church?”

The truth is that some love their church too much. That’s right, too much! You may think that it is not possible to do that. I will submit that it is very possible and in fact has happened and is happening way too often. Even to the point of contributing to the demise of many congregations around the world! Sadly.

What does it mean to love your church too much? First, the question itself gives away the answer if we are paying attention. Some do not realize that the church belongs to God. The church is not mine, nor is it yours or anyone else’s! Far too many people have staked some kind of claim to ownership in “their” church building presume to have control over the what, when, where, why, and how much of what goes on at the building that facilitates church.

Second, because some love “their” church too much, evangelism turns into an effort to get others to join them at “their” church for the purpose of encouraging the visitor to become more like them as well as loving the church for the same reasons that they do. The sad part about people loving “their” church too much is that the result is missing out on what God is doing in the world through His Kingdom work!

As we read instructions given to husbands in Ephesians;

”Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”     Ephesians 5:25-27 NASB

Although, this teaching is speaking about the relationship that a husband should have with his wife, there is more to see here. If the instruction is for the husband to love the wife as Christ loved the church, then there should be and is explanation about how Christ loved the church.

Let us notice that it shows there in Ephesians chapter 5 that Christ “gave Himself up for her,”. It continues by using words like sanctity, wash, and that she, “THE Church”, would be made Holy and blameless. The fact that Christ Himself willingly gave Himself up for the church should give all believers a clue as to what it means to “love THE church”!

If the believers, those who surrender by faith to the gospel of Jesus as the Christ, are the body of Christ, and they are, then they/we ARE the Church! Furthermore, if we who are being made blameless by Jesus offering Himself up for us, and we would call ourselves “Christian”, “like Christ”, then how can we not give ourselves up for “THE Church”?

You see, it is very possible to love “YOUR” church too much! Yet know this, it is impossible or anyone or group of people to love “THE” Church too much! It all comes down to one thing. How do you view church? Have I/you somehow confused the church with other organizations which allow members to take ownership and positions of control? Or have I/you been able to see “The” Church and grow into loving God with all our hearts, minds, and souls as well as loving first “THE” Church as we love ourselves and then even others in the world?

We must realize and continue to be reminded that buildings, furniture, money, and any other thing in existence is NOT “THE” Church! It is those who believe that Jesus is the Christ and by faith, repentance, and baptism for the forgiveness of sin, anyone can become part of “THE” Church! It is “THE” Church that IS the Kingdom of God!

So, I ask. “Do you love your church too much? Are you slowly choking the life out of the congregation of believers which God has included you to be a part of? If so, I pray that God will help you to repent, and begin to see “THE” Church, His Church. And when you do, I pray that you fall madly in love with “THE” Church!

To God Be the Glory!

What the Preacher Learned After Becoming a Police Officer

On By Archie L. GilmerIn Church & Ministry, Faith & DiscipleshipLeave a comment

“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority:whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.”

1 Peter 2:13-17

I have been Preaching now for over 10 years. The early years of my life were spent like everyone else, trying to figure out what I was going to do with my life. I had done everything from bagging groceries, back when employees did that for you, to working in factories, warehouses, construction, and even driving tractor trailers.

Officer A.L. Gilmer
Chaplain/Officer A.L. Gilmer WPD

After getting into full time mission work, youth ministry, prison ministry, men’s ministry, and various other aspects of ministry, I found myself in Eastern North Carolina as the Preacher of a church in Martin County. After a few years there, I found opportunities to volunteer as Chaplain for the local Police Department. I had already been involved with the local fire department so this seemed to just fit in with my desire to be connected with the community.

Most people who know me well, will acknowledge that I am a person who rarely will do things the way most people would do things. This would prove to be true even in this case. I mentioned that I learned some things along the way in life, and in the ministry opportunities I had experienced. One of those lessons is that it is impossible to minister to people if you do not know them or understand what is happening in their lives.

So in this case, I decided that if I am to be the Chaplain of the Police Department, as well as the Fire Department, I needed to know what they do, how they do it, and why they do it. Most importantly, I wanted to know the effects of all of those things on them and their families. The only way to do this was for me to become a cop!

To make a long story short, and get to the point of this blog post, I enrolled in the B.L.E.T. (basic law enforcement training) program at Pitt Community College, I was an over 40 male in a class with 30 some 20 something men and women. After about 4 months, a lot of hard physical work, sleepless days, and awesome support from classmates, I was sworn in as a Police Officer with Williamston Police Department. 

Just like every other officer, I went through field training and then began filling in shifts when needed for the department. I did not work full-time, I simply volunteered my time so that I could stay committed to my duties as the Preacher for the church. By doing this I found myself smack in the middle of the lives of some of those who protect the public from harm day and night!

It was not what I expected, however it was challenging and exciting and stressful at times. Not only do I get to contribute to helping these officers when they are doing their almost impossible jobs, but I also get to help the community in a way that I never could before. To top it all off, I often found myself being able to talk with the officers in the county and be available as the Chaplain. Which was the main goal in the first place. 

So what did I learn after becoming a police officer? Well, out all the many things I learned about people, Law Enforcement, and myself, the one thing that stands out quite often is what we were warned about during the first day of B.L.E.T. class.

“You will lose friend, and people will look at you different.” That is what we were told by our instructors about becoming police officers. At first I did not believe it. But after I was sworn in and especially after people saw me wearing the police uniform, I found that it was true. It could not be ignored.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, looked at me in a different light. I do not believe that I “lost all my friends” but everyone treated me differently. Most of the time in what seemed to be a negative way. Most, do not even realize that they are doing it. Some do.

What I had not noticed so much until then was that this same thing was true after I was ordained to become a Preacher. Especially after I accepted a position with the actual title “Preacher”! Even then, everyone I knew suddenly had a different perspective about who I am, and it showed in how they behaved around me. 

Officer Gilmer
Chaplain/Officer A.L. Gilmer WPD

I have found so many similarities in being a Police Officer and being a Preacher. To give you a short list; There are times when everyone loves the Police. The same is true for the Preacher. There are times when everyone hates the Police. The same is true for the Preacher.

Everyone wants to say they are friends with the Police. The same is true for the Preacher. Nobody wants the Police invited to their parties. The same is true for the Preacher. The Police officer has one of the most stressful, disrespected, thankless and in the trenches dirty jobs. The same is true for the Preacher.

When society as a whole feels happy and safe, the Police Officer is praised and celebrated. The same is true for the Preacher. When the Police Officer does his/her job and exercises authority, the offender resists and fights back. The same is true for the Preacher. The fact is that there are good and bad Police Officers. The same is true for the Preachers. 

So what this Preacher has learned by becoming a Police Officer is that people have a deeply rooted problem with authority! We have had it since Adam and Eve, and we always will. That is why we need God’s solution, Jesus on the cross. 

Oh, one last thing I have learned that Police Officers and Preachers have in common, they both get up everyday and prepare to do it all over again, regardless of how the day before went. Because it is who they are! 

God’s Speed.

Florence vs. The Kingdom of God

On By Archie L. GilmerIn Church & Ministry, Faith & DiscipleshipLeave a comment

When the struggles of life are really real, that is when the true colors of humanity become evident to the world. Often times we fall into this trap of building this false presentation of control and self-sustainment of our own lives to the world around us. Naively believing that we have created this life in which we have little worries of danger. All the while chasing after more and more luxuries and pleasures of the World.

Most of us, when we hear things like that, we automatically think of others or even reject the idea that it is even true, especially about self. However, the proof is found when it all hits the fan.

When this world and everything that God created shows itself to be bigger and stronger than anything that we can build on our own, such as we just witnessed with Hurricane Florence, that is when we are forced to deal with the reality of our frail and insufficient abilities to obtain or even sustain personal and spiritual security for ourselves.

The fact is, and we all already know this, we are not in control of much in this world. Sure, we have the free will to make decisions that chart the coarse of our lives, but that is all we are in control of. We cannot control anyone else, we cannot control the rest of God’s creation, and we cannot control Satan and his wickedness. We certainly cannot control God and His Kingdom. In many ways, we are along for the ride.

The ride I am referring to is life itself. This life we live in the flesh. The time we spend living in this world until we no longer exist in this world. Another fact is that life is short.

“Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” James 4:14

Hurricane Florence has claimed lives and devastated many who may have thought that they were secure from all harm, some believers and some not. In the middle of it all, it is those who are making choices to be involved in bringing relief to the suffering and comfort to the distressed who are taking what little they can control and making a powerful impact.

Photo Courtesy of Two Rivers Church Facebook page New Bern NC

In the middle of the disasters in life, it is always the Kingdom of God that prevails. The people who have chosen to be a part of the Kingdom of God are the ones who may or may not be directly affected by the storm, drop everything and share time, effort, money and supplies to help a neighbor. Sure there are many people in the world who participate in this out of the goodness of their heart, but it is the Kingdom of God which leads the way.

This is what the church is all about, this is the framework of the body of Christ. Each congregation of believers serving the Lord where ever they are yet ready to respond to a neighbor. This is classic Acts 2:44-45,

“And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have needed.”

When I see evidence of the many congregations and other groups from around the country and the world heading toward the needs of the suffering, I see the Kingdom of God at work. This is who we are in Christ, this is the witness for the Kingdom of God!

“Bear one another’s burdens,and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2

img_0052-1.jpg
Photo courtesy of Two Rivers Church Facebook Page New Bern NC

We all have control over what kind of legacy we will leave behind. We all have control over the choices we make and what our lives will be about. It is important to realize that all of our decisions in this life are rooted in the most important decision that no one can avoid. Are we going to live our lives committed to being a part of the Kingdom of God? Or are we going to live our short lives building our own kingdoms?

Aside from what I would think is the obvious benefits or consequences of choosing one or the other of these choices, eternal life with God or without God, it is important to see the results of each. After all, if this is all we are really in control of, surely we do not want to get it wrong!

Making the choice to enter the Kingdom of God and live this short life experiencing and representing the Kingdom of God, now that produces real joy, and blessing! Those who use their free will to choose to be a part of this Kingdom are beginning their eternal life of serving and enjoying the biggest, most powerful entity in all of existence!

This choice is not all about going to heaven after we die, although eternal life in the presence of our Holy God is an awesome part of it, it is about being restored to and participating in the greatest community of all communities! The family of God!

Making the choice to live life outside of the Kingdom of God is an option. Beware, the consequences are great! Sure, success in this wold is possible, joy and happiness may be experienced, as much as this world can offer.

At least until the storms of life become stronger or when the vapor call life vanishes away. At which point anything good will also vanish. Leaving only misery and pain for eternity. Because the motivating factor behind this way of life is to take care of self.

The choice is yours, either way the Kingdom of God will prevail!

God in the Aftermath of Hurricane Florence!

On By Archie L. GilmerIn Church & Ministry, Faith & Discipleship2 Comments

September 2, 2018. That is the day that my wife I and woke in the morning to a foggy Blue Ridge Mountain morning. Why is that special or note worthy? It is because we had just moved from the East Coast area of North Carolina to the Western Mountains of North Carolina. Little did we know, that just a few short weeks later, we would be watching our friends and church family back East deal with hurricane Florence. 

Photo Credit: https://disasters.nasa.gov/hurricane-florence-2018

I can still remember the times that we had to prepare for hurricanes over the past 8 years of living there. I could not help but feel glad that my wife and I did not have to deal with the struggles that were still happening almost a week later. At the same time, I have a longing to go there and do what ever can be done for those who cannot help themselves. As I think and pray about ways that my wife and I along with our new church family here in the mountains can get involved, I am once again seeing the greatness of our Holy God.

I am not sure if we are always aware of the fact that our God is a God who is always multi-tasking. Effortlessly multi-tasking I might add. Some may be asking the usual question, “if God is such a great God, then why, why does He allow such hardship and suffering?” It is a valid question. One which I believe God wants us to ask and ponder over.

I believe that this question is what allows us to seek more of God. How else would we know how great our God really is? Just ask Job? I mean, it is always in the middle of the storm that God really has our attention. I do not mean to say that God purposely puts hurricanes in the path of certain areas or people, I am saying that we live in a world created by God. Nothing happens without Him knowing about it.

This world has also been contaminated by sin and wickedness. The fact is, bad things happen. Bad things happen to “good” people and guess what, bad things happen to “bad” people also. God is God and “God does not show favoritism” as Peter realized in Acts 10:34.

Just as all the great attributes of our Holy God are available to all people, so it is true about the mighty authority and wrath of God. This is NOT to say that any natural disaster is part of God’s wrath. It is only to say that God is never surprised nor is He out of control of His universe and it is those who know Him who experience the peace in the middle of and in the aftermath of the storms of life.

Having pointed all of that out, I would simply like to point out that God has made it possible for us to be a part of His Kingdom even while we live in a world that sometimes makes us feel like something is wrong. However, for those who will continue to seek Him in the fair weather days, will take comfort in Him during the storms of life.

During this time Psalm 23 comes to mind. Not really the entire Psalm, just the first verse. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” (NASB) I heard it taught many years ago by a preacher who’s name I cannot recall. He explained the verse as follows, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. – another God! You see if God is our Lord, what else could we possibly need in any situation that we do not already have? If God is my shepherd, I do not want another God!

So, while we pray and help our brothers and sisters who were affected by hurricane Florence, let us remember and help others know that God is still God and that He is fully involved in what is going on in the world.  

Are We Doing Church Backwards?

On By Archie L. GilmerIn Church & Ministry, Faith & DiscipleshipLeave a comment

God has been leading people to travel the world and make disciples since the resurrection of Jesus and His ascension to be with the Father. Making disciples ultimately leads those new disciples meeting together as we see in Acts 2:42. From then until now as far as this preacher can tell is the way God has been leading people, not everyone, to plant churches. The key is in the disciple making.

With that being said, I would ask the question that seems obvious to me. Are we making disciples or are we planting churches? I think that the general response to that would be yes to both. Yes we are trying to make disciples and yes we are planting churches. Therefore, the real question must be, are we making disciples hoping to start a church or are we starting a church hoping to make disciples? Hopefully, those led to plant new churches in this world are truly led by our Lord or that work.

I do believe that starting a new church can have many different faces. God can start a church in the wilderness of some vast region of some country in someone’s home. He can start a church in the basement of a building in China or Korea and such places. Our Lord can also start a new church right in the middle of a dying congregation located in any city, town, or other type of community.

If there were a “problem”, so to say, with the church plant movement, it does not seem to be within the idea of planting or starting new work and calling it a church. After all, who are we to second guess or question what the Lord is doing with His faithful disciples? The truth is that every ministry or mission assigned to a human being is going to have issues or flaws. This is due to the fact that God is using His created human beings as tools to get the work done. As we all know, where ever there are people involved, there will be “problems”. Thank God for Jesus!

 

“But if we wal in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”  – 1 John 1:7

 

Our Training Grounds

 
Because I have not attended all the Christian Universities and Bible Colleges, I cannot speak for or about them all. I will however say that the following comments are formed from my own experiences while studying at the Christian Universities to which I have been a part of. First, I will say that many great ministry workers have been trained at these Universities. Decades of God honoring disciple making has been gleaned from the work done in these places. I too have gleaned many tools and much wisdom from my experiences with them. The obvious fact is that God is and has done great things throughout the world as a result of the faithfulness of our fine Christian Universities. To Him be the Glory!

When it comes to church planting, I have noticed that these Universities as well as the Christian conferences seem to focus a lot of energy and emphasis on church planting. Many of the conferences are promoting the church plant groups who are very helpful when it comes to starting a new church. While everyone is doing great work together for the Kingdom of God, I wonder if there isn’t something missing. Many of the classes offered at the University have to do with starting a church or growing a church. Although these classes are beneficial to the student and can be helpful in future ministry, could it be that there are too many sides on the plate and not enough meat?

Simply what I mean is that much of the classes that have to do with church growth or church planting lead in the same direction and do not allow the student to have options when it comes to application. I mean really, what young aspiring Preacher or Worship Leader would sign up for classes about how to minister to the small church of 20-50 older members, or better yet, choose to earn a degree in small church leadership? It is simply a matter of following the Lord when it comes to applying what the Lord has done to get us prepared.

The Fruit of Our Labor

 
As I am sitting here putting these words to print, my mind ponders over the ministry that I have been assigned. I also reflect on the time I spent before hand preparing for this work. Honestly, I did not know what to expect as I entered the arena of the preaching ministry. Sure, I had ideas and thoughts, some naive and some reasonable. The point is this. I have seen many young people come out of school on fire for serving the Lord in their heart felt area of calling only to burn out within 2-3 years. Although I realize that each circumstance is different and that one explanation will not apply to all, the concern from my perspective is that in some cases if not many, the preparation does not match the actual application or situation.

Many of the churches already in existence are small to mid sized congregations. They also come with history and with history comes tradition. Although these things are not necessarily a negative element, they will sometimes hinder the application of the ministry skills and ideas which are being taught. I guess the simple way to say it is, that the young disciple makers being trained in the Universities and Colleges seem to have their own vision of mega churches and concert like worship or at least contemporary style worship, as well as being a part of or actually leading a five person ministry team. The reality of just the opposite slaps them in the face and almost immediately discouragement sets in. This sometimes causes the person to leave ministry all together and for others it can instigate a calling to “start a new church”.

Let me be clear. There is a difference between a person being called into a mission field or the purpose of starting a new work in any part of the world, than a person who out of discouragement or even ill feelings deciding to start a new work for the sake of doing things the way they dreamed it would be. I personally support what God is doing in the church planting area of the disciple making arena. However, I have difficulty with the idea that God would call anyone to abandon the old for the sake of reaching new. When I say the old for the sake of the new, what I really mean is people, disciples.

 
The Bottom Line

Bottom line is this. It is not my desire to point fingers an say what or who is wrong or right. I simply am trying to point out that we all are supposed to be doing the same thing. Making disciples. The great part of that is that God would use each of us with our many differences to end up at the same goal. Making disciples. I may one day be preaching to a larger crowd of people than I am currently, only God knows that. I think it is a mistake to allow current disciples, as well as teach future disciples that picking and choosing or catering to one or the other generation is acceptable. I have seen and read about many church plants that are full of diverse disciples of various ages. At the same time, I see and read about new church plants only focusing on the younger generation at the cost of putting up a big “not welcome” sign in front of everyone else.

 

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common.” – Acts 2:42-44

Weather we are assigned to small congregations, large congregations, or to start a new work, we need to put the main thing first. That is disciple making. If we are encouraging healthy disciples in our circle of ministry, they will multiply as one of my awesome mentors once told me. You see, all the music, style, building type, atmosphere, and ministry tools do not amount to a hill of beans if we are not being disciples and making disciples. Most of the things that seem to divide us are really often times a difference in what type of fruit is being produced and what it looks like. There are many disciples now in their senior years of age that are serving well and honoring God with their lives, while singing hymns and wearing suits and ties. At the same time there are plenty of amazing young people who allow God to do some great work in their lives or His glory. In the end it does not matter. I believe what honors God is that the body o Christ be united while embracing our differences as well as using them as a tool to make more disciples.

Sometimes I wonder if we are “doing” church backwards. Instead of creating a ministry that appeals to peoples muse buttons, maybe we should all just focus on making disciples first and allowing God to reveal the face of the ministry to the world!