“The truth sets us free (John 8:32) but the truth doesn’t always come to us just as facts & principles but as flesh & blood stories with real, imperfect, struggling people. The Bible is full of stories about people. Abraham, Moses, David and others teach us about faith, obedience, love, sacrifice, and following the Lord. Modern day examples can help us also. I’ve been blessed by reading and hearing how God has worked through different people. These next blogs will be a summary of some of my favorite stories. Here’s a few fine print disclaimers:

1. I’m not saying these are the best Christians ever. They are just the stories that have encouraged me. The greatest believers may very well be those who are low-profile and unknown. (Mark 10:31)
2. The list reflects only the stories I’ve heard and therefore it is biased toward the 19th, 20th, & 21st Century and America.
3. The list is biased toward people serving in a ministry similar to my calling so there are lots of Pastors and not artists or business owners. The list is heavy on the urban and evangelist side because those are the areas God has put in my heart. I think everyone needs to find their own examples which connect with them.
4. Of course our ultimate example is Jesus. From God alone is all goodness and to Him alone be all glory. And I know that the Bible gives us inspired stories of saints. However, it is good to be challenged by the example of other believers (Hebrews 13:7-8).
5. The people I have actually known and served with have really been life-giving to me. A book is no substitute for a relationship. We need fellowship. However, it’s sad that so many people read so many worthless stories and watch hours of TV & movies with no positive value when there are faith building examples available.

Hope these brief biographies encourage you because the Lord wants to use all of us in great ways!

Let me know some of your favorite stories and examples of the Christian life.

 

Favorite Story # 15: David Wilkerson

      Gang violence, drug & alcohol abuse, poverty, and broken homes. The story could be written just about anywhere at any time but something about the urban tragedy in New York City in the 1950s caught the attention of a young Pastor in Pennsylvania. He was born in 1931 in Hammond, Indiana, grew up in a Christian home and wound up in ministry in a small town in his mid to late 20s. After reading a Life magazine article about 7 youths in New York City that were charged with murder he felt called by the Lord to go to New York city. Without any human connections but with the leading of the Lord he went to the courthouse where the murder trial was taking place and began to talk to people.  Fifty years later he is still making a difference for the gospel in New York and around the world.

      David Wilkerson was 27 years old when he began to reach out to troubled youths in New York. Several people gave their lives to Christ, including a gang leader named Nicky Cruz, who went on to become a powerful evangelist. A book and movie were made about Cruz’ life called “The Cross and the Switchblade”. The book was a best seller and now has sold 50 million copies. Wilkerson and his wife, Gwen, along with 2 other couples started a rehab ministry called “Teen Challenge” and a missions organization called “YWAM”. Teen Challenge has had the highest recovery rate of any rehab program in America for years. They receive no government money, since they teach the Bible in their program, and yet they have better results than all other rehabs.

      After ministering in the inner-city for years Wilkerson started an evangelistic ministry called World Challenge and moved to Texas. In 1986 he took a trip to New York and while walking down 42nd Street he felt the Lord call him to move back to New York and start a church. He was obedient to that vision and started Times Square Church in 1987. After renting (in a very high rent area) they got a great deal on a theatre. During the Persian Gulf War the U.S. economy was struggling and they were able to purchase a large theatre in 1989. The church has grown to over 5000 people, has started other churches, shelters for homeless people, sent out missionaries, and run conferences for Pastors.

      I attended one of the conferences hosted by Times Square Church in 2002 and even had a chance to briefly meet David Wilkerson. He preached several times and there was a powerful anointing upon his messages. He is not a loud or very expressive speaker but you can tell that he is one who has spent time in the presence of God.

      Here’s some of the reasons why David Wilkerson is such an encouragement to me:

1. Urban Ministry. He has been serving and seeing great results in the hardcore inner city of New York for years. He is not just reaching ‘transfer believers’ from the church down the street.
2. Rehab Ministry. Anyone familiar with Teen Challenge knows the great work they do. We have sent many people to the Chicago branch of Teen Challenge. They are the real deal. Wilkerson doesn’t oversee it anymore but he started it and gave it the initial direction.
3. Perseverance. Here’s a guy who has been on fire for the Lord for over 50 years. He hasn’t given up or taken the easy road. I love the fact that he went back to New York to plant a church at age 56! He is still going strong now at age 77.
4. Family. He has been married for over 50 years and all 4 kids are serving in the Lord and involved with ministries. They have had trials. Besides living in some rough areas and having a heavy travel schedule they have dealt with illness. His wife has had many operation for cancer and one of their grandchildren died at a young age from cancer a couple of years ago. They are proof that you can serve the Lord for a long time, raise kids who love Jesus, and overcome trials.
5. Holiness. He has not changed his basic message about holiness throughout the years. At times Wilkerson has been criticized for being too strict but he has reached many people without watering down the gospel.

Check out www.tsnyc.org and www.worldchallenge.org to get an update on Times Square Church and World Challenge. 

David Wilkerson in 1958

Nicky Cruz

David & Gwen Wilkerson

 

 

      The vision and practice of re-starts has been an exciting ‘God thing’ at New Life for almost 10 years. The first time we had a re-start was when Galilee Baptist Church became the Lakeview location of New Life Community Church in the year 2000. We have now been blessed to see a total of 5 re-starts that are all going strong. We have 11 locations so nearly half of them are the result of a re-start.

      Churches aren’t the only organizations to go through this process and we can learn something from other areas. Businesses, schools, even sports teams go through this cycle. The difference maker is leadership. Take Bill Parcells, a pro football coach and executive, as an example. He has an amazing track record of turning teams around.

      The New York Giants were a consistent loser when Parcells became Head coach in 1983. In his second season they had a winning record and wound up winning the Super Bowl in his 4th and 8th seasons as Head Coach.

      Since that time he has worked for 4 different teams who have all experienced dramatic change. The Patriots were 2-14 in 1992, Parcells become the Head Coach in 1993 and they were a winning team in his 2nd year and in the Super Bowl in his 4th year.

      The Jets went 1-15 in 1996 but Parcells became coach and they posted records of 9-7 and 12-4 in the next two seasons.

      The Cowboys had 3 straight 5-11 seasons but in Parcells first season in 2003 they went 10-6 and wound up with winning records in 3 of his 4 seasons.

       Last year the Dolphins were the biggest losers in pro football with a 1-15 record. Parcells became the Executive Vice President, made a lot of changes, picked a new coach, and in his first year of leadership the team is 9-6 with a chance at the playoffs. Somebody call the Detroit Lions!

      Unfortunately, winning football games has temporary, very limited value and no one will care about this ‘success’ in 100 years. But we may be able to learn something about the importance of leadership. Anyone can make excuses but some people, with the same opportunities and challenges, are more effective.

      A few key questions come to mind:

      What is success? [It’s obvious in sports. Success = more wins and ultimately a championship. It’s obvious in business. A victory = greater profit and long term financial health. It’s not so obvious in the church.]

      How do we evaluate our results? [What do we believe God has called us to do? Are we seeing those things happen? Is there fruit in our lives and in this church?]

      How can we do better?  

      The Church Growth Movement was a great work of God started in the 1950s by Donald McGavran, a former missionary to India. One of the key questions he asked was, “Why do some churches grow more than others?” That question led to research, which led to a discovery of ‘wisdom principles’, which has helped many churches reach more people with the gospel. As we reflect on 2008 and prepare for the New Year I’m asking these questions both to myself and to the church overall:

      What is success? How do we evaluate our results? How can we do better?

      May the Lord give us wisdom as we seek to be the people and the church He has called us to be. “From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Eph 4:16

Having a good Christmas week so far. My family is a little spread out but we got to see my sister and her family about a week ago, we saw my brother and his family over the last couple days, and will visit my wife’s family on Christmas day. My parents live nearby so we saw them both when my brother and sister were in town.

Whatever you do and whoever you are with I hope that you have a blessed Christmas.

God’s promises and His warnings are true 24/7 and 365 days a year so keep close to Him and honor Him during these holidays. Nowadays when I go to a family gathering I try to have the attitude of a servant. I want to be a blessing to my family. As a kid I was simply happy for having time off and presents. The time off from school was a bigger gift to me than anything else! Now I realize more how short life is and how rare the chances are to connect with people so I try to be ready to make the most of the chance to build relationships.

We are reminded in Psalm 118:24 that “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Time is in God’s hands, He created the seasons and is in control so it is His will that today is today. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:34 to let today’s own troubles be sufficient for today. Don’t worry about yesterday or tomorrow, just take care of today with faith, obedience, and rejoicing in God’s blessings.

 

ALL-TIME FAVORITE CHRISTIANS

On another note, I was reading a biography of a great Christian leader and it got me thinking about who the most inspiring, motivating people in history are to me. I put together a quick list of 15 people. I kept it all to Christian leaders, although of course there are great leaders who didn’t claim to be followers of Christ (Ghandi, Churchill, etc.). I want to share with you my list over the next few weeks. I’m not saying that these 15 are better than any others but they are simply the ones that I have heard about and have motivated me. Who would be on your list?

My favorite sport right now, and the only sport I have been watching, isn’t the NFL, NBA, or NCAA but rather Grade School Varsity Basketball. Our oldest child, Rachel, is in 7th grade and a member of the St. John’s Eagles. This has been an awesome year as the Eagles are heading into their Christmas break with a perfect 14-0 record! They won the Walther tournament for the first time in many years. Of course we don’t get carried away at the games and we’re more concerned about how they play, etc., etc. but it is fun to win.

The true test of any team or individual comes when things are tough. Last week the team had an easy game on Monday (up 20-0 at the end of the 1st quarter) followed by a difficult game on Tuesday. The hard game was away against some tall, strong, athletic young women (hard to believe they were still in grade school). The game was tied at halftime and early in the 3rd quarter my daughter was hit hard in the face by an elbow from an opposing player. She was hurt and had to leave the game. However, she recovered and went back into the game. I was glad that the Eagles pulled out a tough 5 point victory but more glad that my daughter can take a shot and come back. I know in life she will have problems and hopefully she is learning to bounce back and keep going.

I believe this is one of the good lessons to be learned in sports. My daughter will be better prepared for life if she learns how to deal with conflict and opposition more and more. As parents we need to protect our kids but not necessarily make life easy or remove challenges. We’re all going to receive some ‘elbows in the face’ at times but with Christ we will have the strength to handle whatever comes our way. Our faith grows each time we ‘take a shot’ and come back with faith and obedience to the Lord.

As Peter told the church many years ago, “In this [your salvation] you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1Peter 1:6-7

This past Sunday we celebrated our first baptisms at New Life Tri-Taylor since we opened two months ago.

Six ladies wearing blue t-shirts that read "I found a New Life" gave brief but powerful testimonies before a packed auditorium.  The church erupted in worship and celebration as Pastor Danny baptized these women in Jesus name. The tears and the joy on their faces were reminders of the life changing power of God. With limited time, but energized by the baptisms I had just witnessed I preached from Colossians chapter four. At the end of the message I felt prompted in my spirit to call out anyone else who needed to get baptized that day.  Four more people came forward for a spontaneous baptism. With no extra change of cloths, but courage and determination to obey two men and two more women stepped into the waters of baptism. What a powerful moment. It touched me to see Kevin Dweyer step up to the baptistery and help baptize his wife Terry who responded to the impromptu call that morning.

After witnessing 10 baptisms I left Tri-Taylor grateful to be a part of a community of faith that is seeing so many lives transformed in Jesus name.