Standing At the Gate

Revelation 3
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
I was up early this morning here in Ulanbaatar, Mongolia and decided to just spend some time in prayer to be ready for my day. As I paced back and forth in front of my window I noticed several people started just standing at the locked gate to the property where I am staying. They would every once in a while glance toward the front door to see if someone was coming to unlock the gate. Just to the left and behind this scene is a Buddhist Temple that they have been putting a fresh coat of paint on all week. I even saw the Monk for this temple standing in front it the other day. It struck me as I stood there looking at this scene that so many people do not know that the Lord of creation is standing at the door of their heart and knocking. All they need is an invitation to open up the door of their heart. They do not need to clean up or be put on probation before they really come to relationship with the Lord Jesus. (re-read Luke 15 the story of Prodigal Son). Jesus takes us right where we are at. This picture captured my heart this morning and motivated me to pray for a harvest of souls in the world today. Ed

Cross Cultural Evangelism

I am sitting in my room in Mongolia just praying . . . find my my faith increasing. Seeing another culture who loves and believes in the same Jesus that I do is so refreshing. Understanding and knowing that Biblical principles and truths are timeless and with out borders.

Rom 1:16 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. NKJV

I know that it is definitely not my style of preaching, my American way, or anything about me. My effectiveness here in this culture is strictly a direct result of POWER OF THE GOSPEL.

Let's just challenge people with the simple truths of scripture and let them fight in the war of the soul.

I preached on the prodigal son on Sunday here in Mongolia. What I thought was the simplest message ever. The harvest was so strong that I just sat back amazed at how God works as His Word is confirmed.

I am so stoked to teach YOUTH MINISTRY in the Mongolia Assemblies of God Bible School.

More to come.

Schools out (almost) & Mongolia

I spoke at my last school for the 2009-10 school year yesterday. At this school it was the 11th year in a row for me to be on their campus. The High School students have heard the message of sexual purity from me since they were in the 5th grade. Many came up to me to give me their thanks for the years of encouragement. Still others hearts were cold and hard to the this message. I spent and unusual amount of time talking about SECONDARY VIRGINITY (basically forgiveness). I got as close to giving and altar call in public school as I think I ever have. I am believing for GRACE AND HOPE to come to these students.

NOW OFF TO MONGOLIA - Where I will speak 21 times in 14 days. PLEASE PRAY!!

- Bible School Youth Ministry Intensive
- 6 different Public School - yes you heard me right I will carry the message of VIRGINITY to - - - Mongolia.
- Three Church services
- 2 Youth Rallies

What will you do today? Use your time - energy - talent - wisdom to encourage others and extend His Kingdom. That is what I am going to do.

Ed

Students breaking free from generational sins . . .

Ezekiel 18:19 MSG - YouVersion.com: Online Bible: "20 The soul that sins is the soul that dies. The child does not share the guilt of the parent, nor the parent the guilt of the child. If you live upright and well, you get the credit; if you live a wicked life, you’re guilty as charged."

STUDENTS BREAKING FREE FROM THE GENERATIONAL SINS OF THEIR PARENTS TO BECOME WORLD CHANGERS.

I have heard so many excuses of why students will not sell out to the Lord so that He can connect them to their destiny and chief among them is that

"I CAN'T GET PAST WHAT IS GOING ON AT HOME." Well I heard a very young youth pastor this weekend declare prophetically over a group of students that "Everyone has a past but everyone must choose their future."

Our excuse for living for God or not living for God cannot be wrapped up in the choices of others. God will not judge us based on the choices of those closest to us. (i.e. parents or family members).

Stand up - Stand out!

Decide to serve God with all your heart and become a WORLD CHANGER! As you sell out completely He will honor your decision and give you the grace to overcome all the obstacles in your path. Who knows? He may use your life to speak to those around you how good life can be.

Yes, I know family is the toughest group of people to share your faith with, but they are the ones that need you the most.

The world that needs changing the most is right there in your HOME.

As the verse says if you are living sideways and your parents are living right the judgement is yours and not your parents. Parents break free from the burden of guilt and shame. You have lived uprightly before the Lord and your children have chosen their future.

READ THE REST OF THIS CHAPTER IN EZEKIEL. GOD WILL FORGIVE! HE WILL TURN IT AROUND FOR YOU IF YOU WANT TO TURN AROUND! PARENT OR CHILD.

North Carolina Is Good

In the month of April I have spoken in 11 services and one TV show in the state of North Carolina. I had the privilege of speaking to leaders, parents, youth, and whole church services. This was all done in four different churches in either Raleigh or Goldsboro.

I am a blessed man to share my gifts with these wonderful people and be trusted to speak to students and parents of students alike.

It always seems to me there is reverse impartation. I go and speak to impart truths and challenge to the hearers so they can become better, bigger, and go higher but without fail I come away with the same done for me. I think it is the law of sowing and reaping that is working. IT REALLY IS FUN!!

One afternoon we ( Pastor Tammy, Aaron Brown, & myself) drove over to the Duke University campus. This was done at my request as I had never been there before. I had one request and that was to see where Duke (the NCAA BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPS OF 2010) plays basketball. The name of the place is Cameron Indoor Stadium it looks like a glorified High School gym.

I wondered how they could recruit the caliber of player that wins national championships to play in a place like this. Then it struck me: THEY HAVE CREATED A CULTURE OF WINNING.

What would happen in church if we created a culture where everybody goes home feeling like they won. I mean everybody!! From the cradle to the altar. If we could become successful at creating this kind of atmosphere it would not make a bit of difference what kind of building we played (preached) in people would come because when they left they knew they had been a part of the winning team.

The cool part is we have won according to what Jesus did on the cross. Lets elevate our thinking to that level.

Be Blessed,
Ed

Pastor ENVY . . . . MMMMMMMMMMM

I just had to write this. Easter was the largest ever attendance in the three year existence of the Church that I pastor. GENERATIONS CHURCH of Lubbock, TX. We had the whopping huge number of around 140 (my ushers said, that the drama people were moving around and people were coming in late) which is close enough.

I have been reading tweets from my Pastor friends from Seattle, Las Vegas, and Australia just to name a few. They were all tweeting about Easter attendance and salvation (8800 at one 43,000 at another). Even one church in my own town had over 4500 and they are only one year older than us.

Those numbers are so huge and amazing that I cannot do anything but sit there and stare a the screen and be numb but happy for them.

On some level though I compare myself to them and ask myself . . . What do you think you are doing? Do you even know what you are doing?

HENCE THE PASTOR ENVY!! PLUS FEELING LIKE A TOTAL FAILURE. Comforted with the words I say all the time to my church. "WE ARE NOT WHAT WE USED TO BE AND WE ARE NOT WHAT WE ARE GOING TO BE."

Jesus said, "that He would build His church ". , , ok Lord what is going wrong with ours?

I am getting healed in my mind and my heart. We will take another step in our destiny today. We will not quit. We will not stop. ENVY & ENMITY ARE BOTH NEGATIVE TERMS SO I DECIDE TONIGHT THAT I WILL FORGIVE MYSELF AND AGREE WITH GOD THAT HE IS BUILDING HIS CHURCH.

I know where my heart is tonight and it is healed probably just because I confessed my sin of Pastor envy.

Feeling Better w/ a renewed mind.

Good Friday - Silent Saturday - Resurrection Day

Yes, today is Good Friday. The day that Jesus was brutally crucified. History records many people were crucified as a form of the death penalty for their crime.

It struck me! Then what was the big deal about Jesus being crucified, beaten, and abused beyond physical recognition. Like one of those scary moments in a movie that catches you totally off guard and you kind of jump in your seat and your heart momentarily races; it hit me. It was not just the crucifixion of Jesus that was so bad (it was worse than we even imagine).

It was the simple fact that they crucified and INNOCENT MAN.

Pilate said it, Matt 27:23 "Why?" Pilate demanded. "What crime has he committed?"

Thief on the cross, Luke 23:41 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."

Roman officer, Luke 23:47 47 When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, "Surely this man was innocent."

Heb 4:15 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.

The spotless and perfect LAMB OF GOD was wrongfully murdered.

How depressing this must have been to His followers who had such high hopes of cultural change. SILENT SATURDAY . . . . we do not have much information about what went down on Saturday.

Yes, the saying is true, "IT IS FRIDAY BUT SUNDAY IS COMING." We win on RESURRECTION DAY!!

Satan must have come unglued to realize that actually in all of his plotting and scheming he was outsmarted and totally defeated forever. He even used the religious people of the day as the ring leaders. Matt 26:57 Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered.

But he could not make his trumped up charges stick in the courts of heaven because this was God the Fathers plan to rescue the world from sin and separation. In the final analysis of the whole event nobody even killed Jesus . . . John 19:30 "It is finished!" Then he bowed his head and released his spirit. He literally laid His life down. It was not taken from Him by some religious leader, Roman Soldier, or even Satan.

John 3:16 16 "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

This is the point of Easter!!! We can not comprehend this kind of love but we can receive it and live in it and enjoy the benefits of it.

Jesus Loves You!!
Ed