What's in a name

One meets interesting people while traveling. A gentlemen I met on a cross country bus trip in Honduras made me think twice about how I identify myself as far as religion goes.

In Central America the buses are prone to stop at every little village  for people to get on and off. At these stops vendors usually get on and try to sell their wares. I was coming back to the city from a weekend preaching trip when I had an interesting encounter with a young doctor. A lady got on selling her goods at one of the many nameless bus stops along the highway. She had some things I didn't recognize and I asked what they were in my limited Spanish. I had only been in the country a few weeks at this time.  A man across from me answered in excellent English and told me what they were called. He then surprised by asking, rather abruptly,where I was from. I told him that I was from the States. His next question was even more startling. "What are you doing here."

I was caught a bit off guard but I realized he was just interested and not being offensive. I told him I was doing mission work and he asked what church I was with. When I replied that I was with the United Pentecostal Church he said, "Oh, you are catholic." When I told him I wasn't catholic he was confused. "Pentecostés", he replied. "Isn't that catholic?" I tried to explain to him that I wasn't Catholic but he just looked more confused.

The reason for the confusion is the terminology. According to the New Testament, the original Christian church was started on the day of Pentecost. The Roman Catholic church insists that it is the original church that can trace its origins all the way to New Testament times. Thus they teach that they are the Pentecostal church or the church that was started at Pentecost.

 I believe history shows otherwise, however. Oneness Apostolics such as myself (those who baptize in Jesus name) believe and teach that we are the original church. We believe that the original message of repentance, water baptism, and the infilling of the Holy Spirit that we preach today is the same as what Peter preached in Acts chapter 2. There have been pockets of people all through the centuries that believed, taught, and practiced this same message. They have at different times been called primitive Baptists, Anabaptists, Holiness, and more times than not, heretics or even witches. They have always self-identified with the name of Jesus, especially in baptism.

When It tried explaining this to my new friend he didn't really want to discuss it so I was cordial and allowed him to change the subject. We visited through the rest of the bus ride and ate lunch together when the bus stopped halfway of our journey. It proved to be interesting. I learned that he was an intern at the University Hospital in the capital and had been raised in English speaking schools, thus the good English. He was a pleasant conversationalist and I enjoyed the time though I regretted that he wasn't open to the gospel. I did leave the conversation with more of an understanding about the religious mindset of the local people and even of people in general.

I learned that day that tradition is a hard thing to break. It doesn't matter how much it goes against history, science or logic;  what mama and daddy taught will always be truth to most people. I also learned that terms can be misleading. In the southern United States Pentecostal is a denomination. It refers to a group of people who believe in loud worship, conservative Christian values, and most of all, speaking in tongues. Outside of the Bible belt the terms Christian and Catholic are usually synonymous. Thus any reference to Pentecost would be either Jewish or Catholic.

Since that day my thoughts about denominational titles are much different Some of my grandmother's family identified themselves as primitive Baptists yet they spoke in tongues and baptized in Jesus name. In the 20th century most people who spoke in tongues called themselves Pentecostal. The name we choose to call ourselves is not as important as the message we preach and the lifestyle we live. The only name that really matters is the name of Jesus Christ. It is the name of the one who died for our sins. According to Acts 4:12 it is the only name by which we can be saved.  It is the only worthy name. It is the name of God himself.

If you haven't been baptized in the lovely name of Jesus you are missing out. Won't you join me today in taking on his name in baptism. It is a privilege like none other. There is no greater experience. To take on his name means to take on his power, his virtue, and his glory. It also can mean to take on his suffering and shame. But who better to identify with than the Son of God himself. If I have to suffer I'd rather suffer for his name and in his name than without his name. In the words of the old song, I choose to be a Christian. It is the name I choose to identify with in life, in baptism, in doctrine, in death and in my hope of the future resurrection. Oh, how I love the name of Jesus, it is the sweetest name I know. Long live that name! All hail king Jesus!

In Jesus name,

Sullivan Jones

Where is the Church?

It was family and friends Sunday at New Birth Church in Clinton, MS. The house was packed with members and visitors alike. I had invited a friend from work and she came. The church family had prepared a great meal for after the service. It promised to be a wonderful day until one of the air conditioners quit working. As I sat in the heat I grumbled to myself. Why did the air have to go out on a day like today?

Then I remembered another service with no air conditioning. I was conducting a ministerial meeting in Mango Creek, Belize. Typical for Belize, it was a hot day. There was no air conditioning and the windows and doors were open with hopes that an occasional breeze would cool us off a bit. Right as I was about to reach the main point of my sermon there was a "disturbance" outside. The pastors children were chasing a chicken that was to be served for lunch. A dog joined in the chase and chaos ensued. I tried to ignore it and keep preaching but I could tell I had lost my audience. Between the clucking, barking, and screaming no one could hear me anyway. I quickly brought the service to a close.

Back to Mississippi. On that family and friends day Pastor Phillips preached a wonderful message. His title was "If this were your last week." My friend from work was stirred. We all felt the presence of God very near. The lack of air conditioning didn't seem to matter as much.

In America we have so much. We often take our blessings for granted. Yet the real blessings are not our material comforts.What we really need is a fresh touch of God's spirit. Thankfully, his spirit is not confined to a certain geographical location. I have felt his spirit near in ornate churches in the United States and in simple huts in Central America. God loves people and anywhere that people are gathered in his name he will be in the midst. I am thankful for the air conditioning and comfortable, padded chairs in our churches. Given a choice I would not go without electricity or indoor plumbing. Yet these things are a convenience and not a necessity.

To be a part of God's church is the greatest privilege in the world. Wherever his church is gathered together, that's where His spirit is and that's where I want to be. Don't you?

Thankfully Yours,

Sullivan Jones

The Blame Game

In Tegucigalpa  the trash is collected twice a week as it is in many cities here in the United States. I was accustomed to putting my trash out the night before pickup as it usually ran in our neighborhood by seven A.M. One evening as I went to put the trash out the lady across the street nearly attacked me with her broom. It seemed she was upset because the stray dogs in the area were getting into the trash.

The little lady was constantly sweeping the sidewalk in front of her house and the houses to either side of hers. My roommate and I always found this amusing as it was impossible to keep the street clean. People in this part of the world are just as likely to throw their trash in the streets as they are to put it in the trash can. She was determined to keep her area of the city clean, however.

This particular evening as I went to put the trash out she came running over to me waving her broom. She began to yell at me for putting the trash out too early where the dogs could get into it. As she waved her broom she got more and more excited. She told me how all of the problems in her country was the fault of the Americans because "you think you can come down here and do as you please without following the rules." With each accusation her voice raised several octaves. By this time I was livid and told her I was leaving the trash there and turned to walk off. She followed me yelling that she was going to call the district and have me thrown out of the country. As I walked off she was saying that I could go home and put my trash in the streets there if I wanted to.

As I thought about what she said I got more and more upset.  It was easy to justify my feelings. Hadn't I come several thousand miles to bring her people the gospel. What if I just went home and let them do as they please, I thought. I can preach to people in the United States if they don't want me here. It took some serious prayer time to realize how wrong my feelings were. 

The scripture tells us that all of us have sinned and come short of God's glory. That's right, all of us. The basic problem with humanity is that few of us are willing to own up to our mistakes. It is easier to blame someone else. This little lady was convinced that I, as the foreigner, was the cause of her problems. But haven't we in America done the same thing? We blame society, family, the schools, the system and anything else we can think of for our problems. It keeps us from having to feel personally responsible for anything. 

It is not a new thought. Adam blamed Eve for tempting him to eat the fruit; Eve blamed the serpent. I'm sure that if the serpent could have blamed someone else it would have. In the end, all of their excuses didn't matter to God. Punishment was meted out accordingly. One day our excuses will not matter either. Each of us will answer to God for our own actions. The only answer is to acknowledge our own responsibilities now, repent, and allow him to cover our faults with his grace. 

I wonder if Adam and Eve's punishment would have been less severe if they would have confessed instead of blaming? Just a thought .....

Prayerfully Yours,

Sullivan Jones 

What language do you speak?

In the last few years much has been said about the importance of the "Navajo Code Talkers" whose ability to speak a language no one else in the world could understand was so profitable to the allied effort during WWII. They created a code that the Germans and Japanese were never able to break. There contribution to the war was invaluable. By the same token, very little has been said about the role that Louisiana French speakers played in the French Resistance during that time. It is said that the Germans could quickly identify a Canadian French accent and by that many spies were caught. The Louisiana French that we commonly call Cajun today is very close to the common language of Northern France. With a few lessons  Cajun French speakers were able to pass themselves off as French peasants when in fact they were spies. There effort to the war can not be overstated.

Bernie LeJeune was sent to Camp Shelby, Mississppi in 1941 to prepare for service overseas. In the initial interview he was asked if he spoke a second language. He replied that he spoke French. The interviewer looked at his paperwork, saw that he was from Louisiana, and brushed it aside. Your dialect of French, he was told, will not be of any use to the military. LeJeune was stationed in Casablanca. There the French and American bureaucracy  had locked horns. One night LaJeune overhead some officers from the French army in a heated discussion. He walked up and asked what the problem was. They replied that the absence of a capable interpreter was causing all the problems. LaJeune had a new job and the problem was solved. So much for his French being of no use to the U.S. military.

Is there someone in our lives whose importance we have underestimated? Perhaps they are not just like us. They may seem to be causing problems on the job, in church, or in our circle of friends. It could be that we just have not yet discovered what that person is good at. We are all guilty of being a little impatient with others at times. Perhaps we need to spend a little more time getting to know that person before we write him off. It may be that he is the answer to a problem we have been praying about for a long time.

All of us are created in the image of God and so all of us have worth. May God help us to see each individual he places in our lives as a gift from him.

Thoughtfully Yours,

Sullivan Jones

The Way of the Cross

Hebrews 12:2 - Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The word "despise" in this instance means something like "to not pay attention to." The scripture is telling us that Jesus did not let the shame of the cross keep him from doing the will of his father. He came to this earth with a purpose - to restore sinful humanity to a right relationship with God. There was never a thought in his mind about turning back. That decision was made long before he was born. He was conceived in the mind and plan of God before the foundation of the world. The human part of him, no doubt, had reservations. But the God inside of Him gave him strength to endure the agony of the cross for our sakes.

In the same way, there are times when all of us have to face a cross. It is not a literal Roman cross that I speak of. But it is still a place of crucifixion or dying out to our fleshly desires. We must all come to a place of decision; will I choose my own path or will I follow the one God has chosen for me?

The world we live in is making it increasingly harder to identify oneself as a Christian. There was a time when to identify oneself with Christianity was to identify with all that is Holy, noble, respected and pure. The concept of many in our world today is that Christians are bigots, intolerant, and hard to get along with. The pressure is on to conform.

There are those who try to make us ashamed of our "old-fashioned" ideas about what is proper and what isn't. In such times Christians have a choice to make. It is not a new choice. Jesus' disciples made it, Christians in the dark ages made it, and we must make it now. We must follow Jesus at any cost. Christians should be a peace loving people. We should treat everyone we meet with respect. But we should not allow the world to dictate our morals or lifestyles. The way of the cross might be a shameful one but it leads to Jesus. I say we should choose the cross. How about you?

In Christian Service,

Sullivan Jones

Imagination - A terrible thing to waste!

Philippians 4:8 - Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

The imagination is a powerful thing. If necessity is the mother of invention then imagination is the fuel that fires the engines of our mind. Thomas Edison used his imagination to invent the Phonograph. George Washington Carver used his imagination to bring us more than 300 uses for the peanut. The list goes on .....

The imagination can also be used for evil. The examples in our world are so numerous that they don't need naming.  The imagination itself is neither evil nor good. A good person will conceive of ways to help people. An evil person  will think up mischief or crime.

The imagination can also cause us to believe things are a certain way when they aren't. I'm sure we've all been scared by a ghost story or horror movie. Our logic tells us one thing but our imagination convinces us otherwise. There are people who have been scared into having heart attacks because their imaginations were working overtime. What we put into our minds is fuel for the imagination.

The best way to ensure that our imaginations and motives are pure is to be careful what we feed on. We should be careful about what we read, watch, and listen to. These things enter our minds and become food for the imagination. Ultimately they will guide our thoughts and help to shape our destinies. We've all heard the term "food for thought." Truthfully everything that enters our minds is "food for our thoughts." I want my thoughts and imaginations to be true, honest, just, pure, lovely and so forth. (Philippians 4:8) After all, the imagination is a terrible thing to waste.

Thank God for CMMC

Good Morning Everyone,
This is not my usual post but it was in my heart. I submitted the following article to the Clarion Ledger and I pray that they post it. Thanks and have a great day.

Sullivan Jones

I have lived in the Jackson are for a little over three years. During that time I have repeatedly heard horror stories about Central Mississippi Medical Center. Since my wife recently had surgery there, I only felt it fair to tip the scales in their favor.

Last fall we began a search for a primary care doctor and surgeon in the Jackson area. We had been driving to Hattiesburg for her care. After calling several clinics and finding out that they either weren’t taking new patients or wouldn’t take her insurance we got connected with CMMC.

In October Gail had knee replacement surgery. The care was the best we could have hoped for. The nurses were kind, the therapy exceptional, and the facilities clean. One night there was a slight problem with some of the equipment. The next morning the head nurse was in our room to apologize and make sure that everything was well. Unfortunately bad experiences do happen everywhere but that was not our experience. I know that for us CMMC was a life saver. To all those who work so hard on a daily basis to give good medical care to this community, we say thank you.

Tradition

Tradition is a powerful thing. It is what binds us to our past and gives us a sense of belonging. Tradition has the potential to create strong family units; the absence of it creates a sense of disconnect from identity. A missionary who has traveled quite a bit once told me that the lack of traditions in a "melting pot" society has been shown to have negative influences on the youth including disrespect for the elderly, no sense of identity, etc. On the other hand, a strong sense of tradition can create a healthy sense of respect for self and others.
Matthew 10: 35-36 - For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

All people groups have traditions that can be used for good and bad. Some of them are beautiful and others are steeped in centuries of ignorance and superstition. Who doesn't love blowing out the candles on a birthday cake or opening a gift on Christmas Eve? Tradition. For centuries a young widow in India would commit suicide by lighting herself on fire on top of her husband's funeral pyre. Tradition. See the difference?

All of us tend to get defensive when our traditions are crossed. It may seem that we are being personally assaulted. Yet many times the word of God does just that. It goes against our traditions. This is the meaning of the verse where Jesus said he had come to set family members against one another. It wasn't that he had no respect for traditions or family ties. It was just that he knew his teachings were going to cause many to have to make a choice. Are my traditions more important than the teachings of the one I now call Lord?

There are times when all of us must choose as well. Will I be offended when I realize that some Biblical truth challenges what my grandmother or aunt believed? What if my father and mother walked in all the light they knew but now I am being shown more? Can I accept that maybe they weren't right about everything?

Let's look at the medical field. It wasn't that long ago that Penicillin was discovered. Before Penicillin people died from what today would be considered a minor ailment. After Penicillin was a different story. My point is this. Who would refuse to take Penicillin because grandmother and grandfather didn't have access to it. Hardly anyone.

Yet many people have rejected truths from God's word because it went against family tradition. I am glad I am not the judge. I have no power to grant anyone access to heaven or condemn anyone to hell. As a minister of the gospel I must preach what the word of God says, even when it goes against family tradition. I can't answer for my forefathers but I can answer for myself. I'd rather have the Penicillin than die from Pneumonia; I'd rather accept truth than take a chance with my soul.

Sincerely,

Sullivan Jones

Murder With the Tongue

Revelation 12:10 - The accuser of our brethren is cast down.

Did you know that God can speak to us in dreams? There are many Biblical examples of God sending warnings, encouragement, rebuke, and direction to his people through dreams. Of course, not all dreams come from God, but he does speak this way. In light of that, I would like to share a dream with you.

In this dream I say a person who was trying to establish his reputation as a preacher. Two other people were telling things about the person's past. They were convinced that God could not/would not use this person because of past sins. As I watched, a man suddenly appeared, looked at the two accusers and said "You are doing the same thing. You are murdering this man with your tongue."

When I awoke the scripture came to mind about the accuser of our brethren. This is a name the Bible gives to Lucifer. I suddenly realized that when we are constantly accusing people of things, such as past sins that may be repented of, we are aligning ourselves with Lucifer. It is his job to still, kill, and destroy. It is the Christian's job to build up and give hope.

Are you struggling today to forgive yourself or someone else of past mistakes? Do you constantly remember things someone else has done to you? Maybe you feel guilt yourself over things done in the past. Allow me to tell you today, these accusing thoughts do not come from God. If you have asked God to forgive you, He has. The Bible says he has removed our sins as far from us as the "east is from the west." (Psalm 103:12). I don't know how one can measure where the East stops and the West begins, but I know that the sins I have repented of are a long way from me.

God is a merciful God who is quick to forgive. The only way he doesn't forgive is if we will not forgive others. God hates that attitude because it says that I am worthy enough to be forgiven but someone else isn't. When I constantly bring up someone else's past mistakes I am unwittingly aligning myself with Satan. Thank God for his mercy toward me. I have been forgiven of much and I must remember to show that same mercy to others.

Lord, help me today not to murder anyone with my tongue. If I am tempted to slander, let me remember the things I've been forgiven of. Help to show the same grace to others that I would want shown to me. Amen!

Sincerely,

Sullivan Jones

I am not Superman

Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

All of us like to hear messages about faith. It is one of the most popular things to write about. We try to encourage each other with words like "just have faith." The reason it is such a universal topic is because all of us have our struggles. All of us have those things we deal with in private (and some not so private) that try our endurance levels. Even the most stalwart of us have those times of uncertainty when we wonder how things are going to work out. It is times like these when we need faith the most and yet struggle with it the most.

Faith is often misunderstood. It is not just a mental exercise in believe. I can believe I'm Superman all day but if I jump off a building I'm going to fall and break my neck. Why? Because I'm not Superman and I can't fly. What gives faith its power is the one in whom we have faith. When we understand that the God we serve has never lost a battle, never made a mistake, and never run out of answers it is easy to trust him.

It is not about how strong or weak my faith is. The gospels tell a story about a man who needed healing for his son. Jesus told him that he would receive if he could believe. His answer still speaks to us today. "Lord, I believe. Please help my unbelief." He received his miracle. It is ok to admit that our faith is wavering. I believe God likes our honesty; He knows anyway. In the end it is not up to my great faith. It is up to Him anyway and he knows exactly how to handle my situation. Who wouldn't want to serve a God like that.

Lord, I believe. Please help my unbelief!

Sincerely,

Sullivan Jones

Seize the Day!

Did you ever wish life had a rewind button? I know I sure have. Like the day I stuck my finger in hot, melted chocolate to see if it was ready for pouring. I jerked it back out quick enough but the damage had been done.  What about those times we say things we shouldn't say. A co-worker of mine once walked up an told me that another co-worker had caught her sleeping in the closet. The boss was standing right next to me when she said it. OOPS! Rewind!

Unfortunately life doesn't give us that pleasure. We have to make the most of every situation while we can. There is an old Latin expression, "Carpe Diem" , that seems to sum it up. Simply put it means "seize the day". Take advantage of the right now. There are so many things around us that need doing. There is always something we can find to be productive in right where we are. Seize the day!

I can only speak for myself. I have wasted for too much time in life worrying about the yesterday I can't change and the tomorrow that may never arrive. It is time to seize the day. A portion of time, once spent, can never be regained. We must make our choices carefully. There are some things that we can not undo.

I am thankful that God forgives and restores. He can renew us when we have fallen and need his grace. But I am not necessarily thinking of sin. I am thinking about the hasty decisions we are prone to make and then wish we wouldn't have. The old saying is "act in haste, repent at leisure." We know the young are liable to make quick decisions without considering the consequences. But I have seen some "not-so-young" folks make bad decisions as well. My thoughts were, "they should have known better."

Now I'm not saying we should be afraid to make decisions. Being afraid to make a decision is not healthy either; it holds back any progress. I'm only saying that we need to be careful to think things through. If  I have one shot in life, I want to get it right. In life there is no rewind button.

Carpe Diem! Seize the Day!

Thoughtfully,

Sullivan Jones

The Bucket List

I recently heard a term I wasn't familiar with: bucket list. I was reading Facebook and saw a conversation where someone was talking about their bucket list. I had to ask my wife to learn that this is a list of things people hope to do before they die. It seems the term evolved from the old cliché "to kick the bucket". I suppose I have a vivid imagination but I could just see someone walking around with a bucket trying to cram as much as they could into it.

 

I am reminded of the story Jesus told about the man who wanted to tear down his barns and build bigger barns to hold more of his accumulated wealth. Then Jesus said, "You fool, this very night you will be required to answer for your soul." I am sure the man's wealth meant very little to him after he stood in judgment before God.

 

 Those of you who know me know that I love to travel. There are a whole list of places I'd like to see and things I'd like to experience. There was a time when the things I wanted to do defined everything about me. I was motivated but what I wanted to do and nothing else. If an item wasn't on my "bucket list" I  considered it a waste of time no matter how important it might be.

 

It took me a while to realize that there were things God might have planned for me that weren't on my list. In fact, I am convinced that the best way to make God laugh is to give him a list of things we think are important. It is not that he is a callous, indifferent God. It's just that his ways are so much higher than our ways. God is truly like a parent and we are so often like children. We demand to have things the way we want them and he knows that some things are simply not good for us.

 

Now I am all for dreaming. I believe God wants us to better ourselves. Without a dream very little would be accomplished in this life. But we can't be so set in our dreams that we don't leave room for God to redirect our paths as he sees fit. A very popular book came out several years ago called The Purpose Driven Life. In it the author sets forth his idea about how we all need to be driven by a purpose to keep us going. It sort of sounds like that bucket list again.

 

Everything I have ever said I would never do I have found myself doing. I remember telling a junior high football coach that I never wanted to work as a janitor. I spent three years working as a janitor and it was a very good experience, though somewhat humbling. I told a mentor of mine that I never wanted to work with little kids. If I taught, I wanted to teach high school or college. I make my living working in Head Start. I didn't realize what a joy it can be to work with children until I was involved in it. You get the picture.

 

You see, the problem with making our own lists is that we usually set our sights to low. God wants us to prosper. He designed each of us with a purpose. But only he knows what all that purpose will encompass. A bucket will be way to small to hold all the good things He has for us if we yield our lives to Him.

 

Lord, help me not to limit myself to a bucket list. The sky is the limit with you in control. Amen.

 

Prayerfully Yours,

 

Sullivan Jones

I Need You to Survive

I awoke this morning with the words from a song by Hezekiah Walker going through my mind. The song is called "I need you to Survive" and speaks of our need for each other. The words are not just beautiful, they are true. None of us was created to be an island. God put a need deep in the heart of the most austere of us to have human companionship.

There are some, like me, who treasure their quiet times. Others feel the need to have people around all the time and enjoy being the center of attention. All of us have our unique personalities. But their is one thing that is certain: none of us can make it through life completely alone. The very first thing that God said after making Adam was, "It is not good for him to be alone." I don't think God was thinking only of romance, though he did create that need in us as well. The bigger picture is that he created us to be socialites. We enjoy living, working, and playing together because God intended it to be that way.

Corrie ten Boom was a heroine of WWII. She spent many months in solitary confinement for hiding Jews in her home to protect them from the Germans. In her book The Hiding Place she describes the joy she felt the first time she was allowed to emerge from her cell and go to the shower room. She frantically looked around to see if perhaps her sister Betsie, who was in another cell, had been allowed out as well. She first felt disappointment at not seeing her. Then Corrie realized her error. Later she would write these words: "These are all my sisters. How rich is anyone who can simply see human faces."

As I contemplate these words I am so thankful for the people God has put in my life. God has given me family and friends. I have a church full of people who love me; and I work with people who have gone out of their way to show me that they care. It is so easy for us to take one another for granted. We build walls that separate us over the silliest things. Yet the walls that seem to protect usually just make us lonely by keeping others at bay.

I am making a fresh commitment in my own life to reach out to others. I want people to know that I care and that they are important to me. I may not even have to say it. A smile, a kind word, or a helping hand will probably be enough. Would you join me in letting someone else know how much you need them? We need each other. I need you to survive .....



I Need You To Survive
I need you, you need me;
we're all a part of God's body.
Stand with me, agree with me;
we're all a part of God's body.

It is His will that every need be supplied;
you are important to me,
I need you to survive.
You are important to me,
I need you to survive.

I pray for you, you pray for me;
I love you, I need you to survive.
I won't harm you with words from my mouth;
I love you, I need you to survive.

Trusting God

Psalm 139:17 – How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!

Psalm 139 is David’s declaration that God knows everything about him. He begins by acknowledging that God has searched him and known him. He continues on to say, "God you know when I sit down and when I get up". In verse 4 he says "I can’t even say anything that he doesn’t know because He knows every word in my mouth". (My paraphrase) In short, David was declaring that he could trust in his God.

Yesterday I had need to remind myself that I can trust God. My wife and I had one of those unexpected curve balls of life thrown our way. You know the kind: the ones that catch you so unprepared you don’t know what to do. After nearly four years of struggling with her health, my wife had a knee replacement in October. The second surgery was scheduled for June 3, less than a month away. It has been like the light at the end of the tunnel. Yesterday the doctor’s nurse called to say he was leaving the area and that we would have to find another surgeon.

We were upset, to say the least.  I was angry, frustrated, and truthfully, a little afraid. What if we can’t find another surgeon willing to see her? How long will she have to wait for another surgery? These are the things that go through a person’s mind at a time like this.

On the way home from work I tried to “encourage myself in the Lord” like David did. It didn’t seem to be working. I knew God was with me but I felt like my faith was a million miles away. Thankfully last night was church night. And do you know what Pastor preached about? Worshipping God! That’s right, worshipping God.

Now I know we have all heard it before. “If we will worship God in the midst of a trial, he will come through for us.” I have preached it numerous times. But last night I had to practice it. I think you know what happened. The more I began to worship, the smaller my problem seemed and the bigger my God seemed. You see it really isn’t a big problem compared to the God that we serve.

It could be a big problem if my trust was in the surgeon. It would be a big problem if my trust was in my own ability to solve it. But our trust has been in God from the very beginning. He knew this was going to happen and he allowed it to happen. He could have stopped it. But he chose to let it happen. He must know something I don’t know.

You see, in those times when we don’t know what to do, we have to trust God’s heart. If I truly believe he loves me and is looking out for my good (I know He is) I can trust him with perfect peace. It may be that we needed a different doctor. It may be that God knew which nurses needed to be in the hospital on a certain day for Gail to get the best care. It may simply be that God knew we needed a lesson in trust. I don’t know but I don’t have to know. He knows and that is enough for me.

God Bless,

Sullivan Jones

The Attitude of a Servant

II Timothy 2:24 - And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach patient.

My wife and I have a monogramed towel that was given to us upon our ordination into the ministry. It contains our names, the date of the service, and the word Ordination. It is a beautiful towel and will hopefully be a treasure to remind us of that special night for many years to come. However, it is not just a beautiful keepsake. The bishop performing our service told us that the towel had been chosen to remind us of one thing: we are servants.

The word servant is not a word we like to use in our society. It goes against the grain to think of truly having to serve someone else. In fact, the United States was founded upon the principle that all men are created equal. Though it took many years for that privilege to be extended to everyone, today all of us have civil rights. For this I am truly thankful.

The Apostle Paul started several of his New Testament letters by introducing himself as a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ or a servant of God. Few of us today would be comfortable being called a servant to anyone. Yet all of us truly are called to be servants of God. And as his servants, we are called on to serve our fellow man as well. Like any service, it is not always pleasant. What servant likes to wash his masters feet? Yet there is a joy found in service that can be found nowhere else. The knowledge that we have made life better for someone else is worth more than all the money in the world.

I think the reason we don't like to think of ourselves as servants is because the word service is often taken as a synonym for weakness. This is not true. To be a servant does not mean one has to allow himself to be walked on. Jesus Christ was our perfect example and we see him showing great strength.Once he even braided a whip and drove the money changers from the temple. This does not speak to me of weakness or someone who could be easily manipulated.

I like to think of the spirit of a servant like this: it is when we have yielded the strength that we know we have to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We are meek when he says to be meek and we are fierce when he says to be fierce. Sure there are times to stand up for our rights. There are times we must be bold and protect ourselves and fight for what is ours.

But a fighting spirit must not be our way of life. We should do everything possible to life a peaceful life. Paul's motto was "if it be possible, live at peace with all men." Some people just make it impossible to live at peace with the. But they are the exception. As a servant of Jesus Christ I must be fully yielded to him. If he calls me to fight, I will fight. But nine times out of ten he will call me to serve. I must be willing to serve with the same passion I would fight with.

Jesus told a parable about a servant that came in from working in the field and served his master's dinner before eating himself. He then said that the servant shouldn't be thanked but had done what was right because he was a servant. Lord, help me to remember that I am your servant. You bought me with the price of your blood on Calvary. I belong to you. When you call me to a task, it is my duty to obey. Help me to obey with a heart of love and not with a spirit of ingratitude. I truly want to be your servant. If this means I must serve my fellow man, so be it.

God Bless,

Sullivan Jones

I Want to Change the World

One of my favorite authors is Judith Bentley. Mrs. Bentley is an educator and a pastor's wife. She and her husband Robert, also in the educational field, spent ten years in the former Soviet Union (now the Commonwealth of Independent States) as Christian schoolteachers. She has written several books about this wonderful time in their lives. I have read them all several times and rotated between laughing, crying and not knowing what to think. Most of all, I feel and identify with her love for children.

In her book Red September Mrs. Bentley  tells about her challenges learning to pronounce and memorize the names of her school children when she taught in an international school. This school was made up of  children not only from Russia but around the world. Her first morning she was confronted with names like Nashra Rahman, Toyin Ajewole, Nomazula Gateseni, and so forth. Despite this she remembered why she had become a teacher to begin with; however naïve it may have seemed, she wanted to change the world. Her trouble with culture shock and other minor inconveniences never diminished her love for the children.

For the past two years I have been working with public Head Start. I have come to love the people I work with and the children I serve. But there are also daily challenges. How do I relate to children that come from a different culture than I do? How do I help their parents overcome challenges I know nothing of? How do I overcome my own prejudices that at one time I would have denied I had? When I feel overwhelmed I just remind myself, I still want to change the world. Yes it may seem naïve. But I'm convinced  naïve is not always a bad thing.

I too love the children I work with. And I have the same desire Mrs. Bentley had. I love the education field because I know that teachers do change lives. However naïve it may seem, I too want to change the world.  I remind myself of this when  I'm confronted with names like Nyairreo, Jorvit and Joharri. Or when I don't know if Nery is a boy or a girl's name.

Lord, help me to see beyond Tivarius, Jamarious, and Tylajha. Help me to see a child that needs your love. I believe that by God's grace we can change the world, one small child at a time.

For the Children of the World,

Sullivan Jones

Speaking in Tongues

I have a book on my desk entitled "Around the World with 80 Words".  It professes to give the 80 most important words in 25 of the world's most spoken languages. For a self proclaimed linguist like me the book is a dream come true. I actually keep an additional copy in my bookshelf at home. Now and then I find myself flipping through it just for fun. The knowledge actually came in handy one time when I ran into a Romanian  family at a church where I was speaking.

Words are fascinating things. We use them to describe things, to order food, for singing, for romance, and the list goes on. Some even find pleasure in making up new words. Sometimes when I can't think of the right word in English I can describe in better in Spanish and vice versa. There is a word for almost everything in some language or another.

Yet sometimes our human words are not enough. We need to express something that we can't quite articulate. Perhaps our prayers need to go to a higher level than human thought can convey. We need to reach beyond the natural and communicate with a God who is supernatural. For such times, God gives us the gift of tongues.

The word tongues in this context means languages. For those times when we don't know how to pray, God prays through us in a language we can't understand. He speaks things into existence that we would never know to speak. He may be reversing the course of a disease or rearranging our future, who knows? What we do know is that the God who knows all and sees all is speaking his will into existence through a vessel that is yielded to him.

The supernatural gift of speaking in tongues is, without a doubt, one of the most misunderstood things in the Bible. Because of lack of understanding, many have simply tried to dismiss it as irrelevant or not available for us today. Yet speaking in tongues is certainly real. Those who have experienced it know just how real it is.

I recently had a man try to convince why tongues was not real. His basic premise was that speaking in tongues is just babble or incoherent nonsense. I know the difference, however, between a true language and psychobabble when I hear it. In times of prayer I have heard other people speak in some of the most beautiful languages imaginable. I once heard a man praying in fluent Hebrew and another man praying in a Chinese dialect. Another time I  saw two people who spoke only English speak intelligibly to one another in a language that neither knew for several hours after a time of prayer. They both later testified that during this time they could neither speak nor think in English.

 There have been many reports of someone praying in an unknown language without realizing that a visitor who stood by understood them to speak in his or her native language. The words they spoke, when translated, were either an explanation of the gospel message, how real God is, or something similar.

Yes it is a mystery. The Apostle Paul confirms this when he says that "the Spirit speaks mysteries through us." (I Corinthians 14:2 -paraphrased) But oh how wonderful the experience! There is nothing greater than being filled with God's spirit. The experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues is real, relevant, and available to all who would desire it.

Still skeptical? Why not ask God to prove himself to you today? Tell him that if the Holy Spirit baptism if for you today, you want it. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Respectfully Yours,

Sullivan Jones

The Priviledge of Prayer

1 John 5:14-15 - And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

Today is the National Day of Prayer. It is such an honor to live in a nation that still allows us to pray without fear of reprisal. There are those among us who would like any mention of God forbidden but I am thankful that, at least for now, we can still pray openly. I saw a T-shirt once that said "as long as there are tests, there will be prayer in schools." It seems somewhat funny but the saying bodes much truth. We humans have a way of calling on God when we need him and pretty much ignoring him at other times.

Now on to my daily thought:

 We so often hold to the fact that God will answer "if we have faith" or "if two of three agree it will be done". The Apostle John gives us some oft overlooked instruction in the above verse. If we ask according to his will, he hears us. The word hear means "to pay attention to"; it can be translated as "to have respect for". So God has respect for our prayers when we pray according to his will.

Many times we are frustrated when we think that our prayers are not being heard. But God simply will not give us something that goes against his will no matter how hard we beg. He does know what is best for us, but in the end he is also sovereign. He is a king, and though he is approachable, we must remember that he owes no man anything. It is only through his grace that sinful man is allowed to approach unto a Holy God.

The quickest way to get our prayers answered is to pray for the will of God no matter what it is. I have been guilty so many times of praying for the will of God but holding out for what I wanted. When the will of God turned out to be something other than what I wanted, I was upset. The good news is that if we pray earnestly for the will of God we can have peace that God's will is going to be done. I once heard a man of God say, "if you pray for the will of God, then whatever happens is the will of God."

Now, we know that people can do things that are against God's will because of free choice. But I am convinced that if I pray for the will of God, he will turn everything for my good. He has a way of intervening when we give him permission to do so. He is sovereign but I am thankful that he is also merciful. Will you join me today, instead of bringing your want list to God, to thank him for the privilege of prayer. Ask him to have mercy on our country and forgive us of our sins. Ask him to let his will be done in our country. I believe that will move his heart. Who knows? He may just be moved enough to give us something that we wanted but didn't really need all because we sought his will first.

Prayerfully,

Sullivan Jones

A dime a dozen

I Corinthians 12:15 - If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.

Have you ever felt like you weren't needed? valueless? unappreciated? Consider with me the difference between a dime and a thousand dollar bill. The dime seems almost useless in today's economy. And who wouldn't like to have a few thousand dollar bills lying around?

The major difference between a dime and a thousand dollar bill is the insertion of a few zeros at the end. The zeros may not have any value on their own but they make a big difference once attached to another number. The role of the zeroes is of utmost importance.You may feel like that zero. Let me encourage you. The thousand dollar bill could not exist without three zeroes behind the one. If even one was not present, it would not be a thousand.

No man ever built a multimillion dollar corporation on his own. The finest chefs in the finest restaurants must have servers and dishwashers. The highest paid CEO needs a janitor to keep the office clean. In fact, the janitor is the first one missed if he doesn't show up for work.

God has given all of us something to do. It may not seem like the most important job but it is necessary. You may think no one would notice if you weren't doing your job, but they would. If the young man pulling the trash would work like he owned the building, one day he may own it. If the young lady waiting tables would greet her customers as if she owned the restaurant, one day she may.

Do you feel like a zero? Keep working as if you were the thousand dollar bill. I promise you, God sees all, and other people do too. People are usually observing us the most when we think no one is watching. Give it your all and one day you'll see you weren't such a zero after all.

Thoughtfully,

Sullivan Jones