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This week I have completed seventeen years of ministry at Findlay First as the lead pastor. What a journey it has been. My heart is full of love for the people of this church and our community. I remember when I was first called by Dr. Fairbanks to consider coming for an interview. My first thought was that I was content with where I was and that the Lord was continuing to use us where we were. I told Vickie that I thought my love for Shelby County was increasing. Her response to me was, “Why couldn’t your love for the people of Hancock County increase as well?” I guess she told me. So we decided to just come and interview.
During the interview, the Lord showed up in a powerful way and we knew that we were to come to Findlay. After preaching at a service during the week and fellowshipping with the people, Vickie was right. God placed the people of Findlay, Ohio on my heart. I specifically remember traveling home and wondering how we were going to tell the people of Sidney that God was calling us to another church. It was like mourning a death. Sure enough, the next day, Dr. Fairbanks called and said that they wanted to continue in the process of calling us to come and be their pastor. After a few weeks and the congregation voted, we started our transition to Findlay, Ohio. It is mind boggling to think of the many changes and how much we have all grown in the faith. I will be forever grateful for the love this church has shown to my family through the years. Vickie and I will celebrate 30 years of marriage on Monday and to think that we spent more than half of it with the great people of Findlay First Church of the Nazarene. Thank you for loving my family and helping me to raise my children. It is fun to look at pictures of people and renovations over the years. What a fun journey it has been. Just think, in some respects, we have just begun. I am looking forward to many more years of growing to be more like Jesus with Findlay First Nazarene. Let me close with a prayer the Apostle Paul prayed for a church he was a part of. 15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. Ephesians 1:15-23 Have a blessed day today and may the Lord open up doors you have been praying for. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike
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Years ago, there was a book called The Pineapple Story about a missionary who had a hard time loving the people he was called to minister to. He had a pineapple garden that he was trying to cultivate, but the natives kept stealing the pineapples. He was angry all the time. Then he told the natives that he had “given his pineapple garden to God.” He gave up his rights to receive the treatment he “deserved.” He stopped being angry, because it was God’s problem now. When he did that, God did some interesting things!
The story is about realizing that we are stewards, not owners—that our lives and things aren’t our own if we have given them to God. Anger comes when we hold on to our rights. It’s a matter of surrender. We could live more joyfully— maybe even love unconditionally—if we would say, “God, this is your relationship. This is your time. This is your idea. I’m going to surrender to You my agenda and my expectations.” Will we still be disappointed and hurt sometimes? Yes, but we give that to God, too. Sometimes dealing with issues like anger is both an instant decision and a process. If you are struggling with anger issues, then let me suggest you do the following: 1. Recall what makes you angry. What are you really angry about? 2. List your rights which others are violating. 3. Transfer your rights to God. Picture yourself kneeling in the presence of God and putting your rights on the altar. Then tell God He can do whatever He wants. You are giving ownership of that to God. 4. Intentionally thank God whatever happens. God may not give you what you want for reasons you may not see. If He does, they are privileges to be used for God’s purposes. 5. Use future anger as God’s alarm system. Meekness is yielding our rights to God. Anger will point out something that needs to be let go of and given back to God. “Keep company with Him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of Himself to us. Love like that.” Ephesians 5:2, The Message Father’s Day is this Sunday. Come and bring all fathers and there will be a gift for you following each service. Camp Meeting in St. Marys is still going on. If you have never been before, it is worth checking out. Hope to see you down there. Have a blessed day! Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike Faith and hope go closely together. I want to look in Hebrews today to find the correlation that the enemy does not want us to ponder on. Biblical hope is much more than simply longing for something that might happen. It is a confident assurance – rooted in faith – that God will do what he promised to do. This is huge in understanding the totality of faith and hope.
Let me lay out a path for you to dwell on today. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 To not hope gives us no future. To not have faith would kill any hopes you have of the future. Do you see the connection? “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 Now we see that belief plays a major role in faith and hope. It is like they are all intertwined. Amazing! Could it be that the reward for those who earnestly seek him is fresh hope? Now look with me at Hebrews 6:19: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” The image suggests a harbor where the soul securely drops an anchor. That anchor has been carried to the safest point of all – the inner sanctuary behind the curtain – by Jesus, who went before us. To keep the harbor imagery in mind, it recalls the role of sailors who leave their ship in a smaller craft in order to carry the anchor forward to a place where it can be firmly lodged. So too Jesus, by his entrance into the heavenly sanctuary where He functions as a High Priest forever, interceding for us all, gives to us a hope anchored in total trust that He will do what he says he will do. That alone is enough to rest on the hope of a great future. I think of the song Cornerstone that we sing from time to time: My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly trust in Jesus’ name Christ alone, cornerstone, weak made strong, in the Saviors love Through the storm, He is Lord, Lord of all. Whatever you are going through today, whatever has happened to you yesterday, don’t allow the enemy to steal your hope. Place your hope in Christ, the Great High Priest, a place that is secure forever. God is faithful! On Sunday, we will continue to look at John 3 and ask the Lord to reveal to us exactly what we need to continue to live a fruitful, spirit-filled, hope-filled life. Live free today and place your trust solely on things from above and not of this world. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike The charge to go and make disciples of all nations propelled the early followers of Christ into a strategic mission that turned the world upside down – not just by preaching the gospel, but by training the new believers as well. To be a Christian is to be a disciple – a lifelong learner and follower of Jesus.
3 Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. 5 Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. - 2 Timothy 2:3-6 Paul compares the life of a disciple to the life of a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer. He then promises that if Timothy will reflect on these things, the Lord will give him insight. I want you to reflect on each of these things so that God can give you insight as to what a fully devoted follower is all about. Write each word down and reflect on what it teaches you about discipleship. In Luke 6:40 it says that the student will become like the teacher. If we are called to make disciples, what are you producing? Spend some time reflecting on how the Lord wants to develop you not only to sustain you but the replicate Himself through you in others. This Sunday we are celebrating those who have graduated. Let’s come and show our support for the next chapter in so many lives and pray that they will be all about knowing Jesus as they continue on in their journey. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike There was a father who kept a journal everyday to look back on wrote something in it that was not completely accurate. He wrote, “Went fishing with my son today – a day wasted.” His son followed in his father’s footsteps and also kept a journal. In his he wrote, “Went fishing with my father – the most wonderful day of my life!”
On Sunday, we had baby day. It was wonderful seeing all the babies in our church. Along with these babies are parents who have the responsibility to raise them up in the Lord. What all is involved in that? As a parent, your role never ceases even when they are grown up and out on their own. Sometimes when you raise your children it can be the most challenging and rewarding times of your life. You never take a vacation from being a mom and dad. If you are not always hooked in to the power source of the Holy Spirit, then you are going to fail at raising kids who completely rely on the Lord. In a few weeks, we will see our children enter a new season of life by celebrating those who are graduating. As I shared, you have 936 weeks with your children home full time. What you do with those weeks matters. The apostle Paul shares a few simple truths in Ephesians 6 to help guide you on your journey. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise--3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” 4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. 5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. - Ephesians 6:1-6 Did you see the three guidelines for Christian Parenting?
May God continue to give all parents the wisdom to walk as a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ, following the One who knows best. When we make a mistake, we own it, as forgiveness, and strive to be all that God empowers us to be. Pray often for one another as we work to raise up children who love God with all their heart. “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 3 John 4 Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. - John 14:16-17
Jesus calls upon the Father and sets the stage for the Holy Spirit to come and fill the believers. He does not bring us this far to drop us. His ministry and power continue to be evident in the form of the Holy Spirit. In John 16:7-15, Jesus begins to get very specific in His description of the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. He reveals that the Holy Spirit’s ministry will look very much like His, except that He will indwell all believers and empower them to live and look like Jesus. Unfortunately, as A.W. Tozer has said, “Every believer has the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit does not have every believer.” What would happen if the Holy Spirit were suddenly removed from our safe, routine driven world where people are used to living on their own human strength? Probably about 95% of all we do would continue, unaffected by His absence. A.W. Tozer was a well-known author and pastor in the early 1900’s. Here is what he writes, “The doctrine of the Spirit as it relates to the believer has, over the last half century, been shrouded in a mist such as lies upon a mountain in stormy weather. A world of confusion has surrounded this truth. This confusion has not come by accident. An enemy has done this. Satan knows that Spiritless evangelicalism is as deadly as modernism or heresy, and he has done everything in his power to prevent us from enjoying our true Christian heritage.” Tozer died in 1963. The world has advanced in ungodly territory since then. Every step away from God seems extreme in the present time you are living. He was seeing it then and we are definitely seeing unprecedented evil amongst us today. They say that sinful living is the same today as it was many years ago. It just has a new coating. As a world, we just continue to slip further and further away from our spiritual heritage. The Holy Spirit desires to not only indwell but to empower us; to not simply be in us but be on us, in power. He wants us to not be dragged into the pattern of this world. He is a person, just like Jesus, who has a mind, will, and emotions and wants to gift and enable every Christian for supernatural ministry. Look at what the Holy Spirit’s role is:
This Sunday we will continue our Study of the Gospel of John. We will specifically look in John 3. I always look forward to worshipping the Father with my Church family. Consciously seek the Lord and His Spirit with all your heart. Give Him your all and follow with an unrelenting dedication to His ways. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike There was a lady named Anne Sullivan born in poverty and affliction. She was half blind. Her mother died and she went to live in the poor house in Massachusetts. While she was at Perkins Institute for the Blind, a brilliant operation restored her sight. From that point on she devoted herself to the blind.
One of the people she cared for was a baby born blind and deaf by the name of Helen Keller. Anne initially taught her thirty words, spelling them by touching the hand. She worked with her for forty-nine years. Helen became an incredible powerhouse in her own right. Time came when misfortune befell Anne Sullivan, who meanwhile had become Mrs. Macy. She became blind. Now it was time for the student to become the teacher. Helen, out of gratitude, returned grace to Anne by helping her to cope and thrive in her new condition. Psalm 100 is filled with praise, thanksgiving, and a heart of gratitude for all God has done for us. 1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. (Psalm 100) Within Psalm 100 there are 7 reasons to show gratitude to the Lord:
We serve a God who gives us many reasons to be grateful. If you think about it, the instant that we are born, we already owe our mothers for nine months of room and board. There is no way that we can pay that debt. But we can have fun trying. Maybe even this Sunday as we celebrate Mother’s Day. This Sunday we will have a small token of appreciation for our mothers and recognize the love they have for their families. Gratitude is from the same root word as “grace,” which signifies the free and boundless mercy of God. Thanksgiving is from the same root as “think,” so that to think is to thank. Take some time today to be grateful and thankful for not only the Lord but our mothers and others the Lord brings into our lives. When we choose to live a grateful life, we will live as a blessed people and see the Lord provide peace that passes all understanding. May God give each of us a grateful heart. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike It’s report time. I’ve known about it for a while but it is finally here. It is like the paper the professor assigned at the beginning of the semester and now it is due within the week. It is crunch time because you’ve allowed other things to get in the way. They were necessary but they didn’t get you where you needed to be.
I like how Chuck Swindoll describes this professional thief that steals your time away. “Chances are you’d never pick this slick little guy out of a crowd, but many, over the years, have come to regard him as a formidable giant. Quick as a laser and silent as a moonbeam, he can pick any lock. Once inside, his winsome ways will captivate your attentions. You’ll treat him like your best friend. But watch out. He’ll strip you without a blink of remorse. Master clever logic that he is, the bandit will rearrange the facts just enough to gain your sympathies. When others call his character into question, you’ll find yourself not only believing in him, but actually quoting and defending him. Too late, you’ll see through his ruse and give him grudging credit as the shrewdest of all thieves. Some never come to such a realization at all. They stroll to their graves arm-in-arm with the very robber who has stolen away their lives. His name? Procrastination. His specialty? Stealing time and incentive. This not only happens with reports or tests that creep up on us, it happens in most of our bathrooms when we step on the scales. I know you have done it, as have I. You step on the scales and look down in disbelief. “Who broke my scale?” The scale is telling the truth, but the thief offers another interpretation. So what do you do? Wait to deal with it another day because you can put it off ‘til tomorrow. Besides, you have a box full of donuts to celebrate something with." Some of you have been putting some things off for a while now. You’ve ignored it, dodged it, postponed it, even run from it. The time is now to check that off your list. The thief offers the perfect alibi and back on the shelf goes your decision. Don’t fall for it this time. “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” Proverbs 14:23 I pray your day will be profitable as you work on eliminating another long, overdue item on your list of postponed tasks. Remember that we will have our Faith Promise Dinner on Saturday at 5:30pm in the Family Life Center. Sam Tamayo from the Philippines will be our guest speaker. He has an incredible testimony you will not want to miss. Our Work and Witness Team will be sharing some stories from the Tennessee trip to Crosstyle Ministries as well as our Kinderchoir sharing a song. Childcare will be provided for 3 and under. The kids will love hearing all the things God is doing in our world. It is going to be a great night. So don’t put it off, put it on your calendar right now. Ok, where do I start on this report…? What else can I do… Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike I was recently at a meeting with other pastors from all across the United States. The thing we have in common is that we lead churches that are in some exciting days. We have about 30 who gather together to share experiences and stories of how God is at work. One of the thoughts that is prevalent is that we are blessed beyond measure. There is no person amongst us that thinks the Lord is doing a great work because of us. We all realize that in spite of us the church is continuing to move forward.
There were a couple of pastors who shared some deep hurts when it came to ministry. It was good to see how the others responded by first going to God in prayer. For that moment we were solely there to see the Lord renew a brother in Christ. God is so good to provide a safe place to share the burdens that weigh us down from time to time. In John 16:33, Jesus says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” I take refuge in the fact that our God can give us peace in the midst of troubles. He didn’t say that there might be trouble. He said that there will be trouble. No matter what you are going through, God provides peace. It isn’t the kind of peace that shows up after the trouble is all over. It is a peace that sustains us in the midst of the trouble. Take heart! The Overcomer will give us the same victory He has. So no matter what you are going through, give it back to Jesus. He will help you to overcome this world. Faith Promise weekend is just a week away. On Saturday, May 5 at 5:30pm we will come together for a meal and hear an awesome testimony about how the Lord brought a young man through many heart aches and pains. His name is Sam Tamayo and he is from the Philippines. I know that you will be encouraged as you see the impact our church is having all over the world. We will also get a glimpse of the work our team did in Tennessee for the Work and Witness project. Lots of good things happening. Come and participate in what God is doing! Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike Two churches from different denominations were located a couple of blocks from each other and they decided to combine efforts in order to have more resources for ministry and be more effective. So they decided to merge and become one united body rather than two struggling congregations. It was a good idea on paper but they couldn’t agree on many things because they were both set in their ways. The problem? They couldn’t agree on how they would recite the Lord’s Prayer of all things. One group wanted “forgive us our trespasses” while the other demanded “forgive us our debts.” So the news paper reported that one church went back to its trespasses while the other returned to its debts!
It’s one thing to stand firm in major issues clearly set forth in Scripture. It’s another thing to pick fights over jobs and titles. People can be so petty over things that really don’t amount to a hill of beans in the final analysis. Many times we go down paths that we think heaven is holding its breath over. I saw a phrase the other day that said, “We negotiate eyeball to eyeball, and each side is unwilling to blink.” There is a passage that speaks to the fact that people are going to approach ministry different than you. It is not a matter of doing it right or wrong, it is a matter of different styles. It is found in the book of Mark. I believe there are many churches that can become territorial and think they are the only ones that can do it right. If they are doing it in Jesus’ name, it has Biblical depth, and people are being transformed into Christlikeness, then it is good. 38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” 39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us. 41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward. Mark 9:38-41 I want to encourage you to give a cup of cold water to those who need it today. When you see another person doing it in Jesus’ name, then celebrate that there is another one serving others for the cause of Christ. It may not be the way that I do it but that is not up to me. I need to be faithful in the way that God has called me to. When you look at life through that lens, it will be more fun to travel alongside of you. Please remember the Twice Blessed Sale this week as you are out and about. This can possibly be an opportunity to introduce someone to the love of Jesus that will make all the difference in their broken world. May you serve the Lord with passion today as you follow Jesus with all your heart. I am looking forward to a great day on Sunday as we worship the King of kings and Lord of lords. Remember to also come prepared to vote for next year’s leadership in between services. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike |
Rev. Mike McClurgSenior Pastor, Findlay First Church of the Nazarene Archives
June 2018
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