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AND I TELL YOU, YOU ARE PETER, AND ON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH, AND THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST IT. — MATTHEW 16:18 ESV I personally find this verse, in particular, one of the most reassuring verses in all the Scriptures. Wow! What a powerful a promise—one with which many have found solace. In these unprecedented and even turbulent times, we must look back on the victory of Christ. We rest in it, especially given all that’s going on around us. But, I challenge you not to trust in this promise for the wrong reason. In ancient times, walls protected cities from those who were without. Like any other wall, there was a door/gate that served its duty. These cities were not prisons, by design, but more of a refuge from danger. When times of trouble came, the gates were closed—to separate the town’s people from their enemies. Since the protection of the city was dependent on the strength or power of its gates, during times of war, the gates of these cities would usually be the first place of assault. As such, the “gates of hell or Hades” means the power of Hades. The name “Hades” was originally the name of the god who presided over the realm of the dead and was often referred to as the “house of Hades.” It designated the place to which everyone who departs this life descends, regardless of their moral character. In the New Testament, Hades is the realm of the dead, and in this verse Hades or hell is represented as a mighty city with its gates representing its power. Many Christians believe that Jesus is referring to His impending death in the verse above, which is highly likely, but is there more here than prevalent presuppositions allow to be seen? Though He would be crucified and buried, He would rise from the dead and build His Church. Jesus was emphasizing the fact that the powers of death could not hold him in. Not only would the Church be established in spite of the powers of Hades or hell, but
it would also thrive in spite of these powers. The Church will never fail; though generation after generation succumbs to the power of physical death, yet other generations will arise to perpetuate the Church. Jesus’ Church or “called out ones” are not merely on the defensive; we are also on the offensive. Many read the passage above as though we are simply surviving attacks from the evil one. But, it does not say the gates of life shall prevail. Rather, it states that the gates of hell shall not prevail. The kingdom of God is on the offensive; the Church is the aggressor. It is striking the gates of hades, the gates of death; and death shall not prevail over life. Death and Hades shall be thrown into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone/Sulfur. Death will be swallowed up in victory. Nancy Harmon wrote these powerful lyrics that I believe accurately describes the church… We are in the that army of the Lord We've been washed in the blood and we are going forth There is nothing that can stop this mighty moving force With a shout of praise, a two-edged sword Ev'ry stronghold of bondage must fall beneath our feet Ev’ry prisoner held captive must be free For our deliverance has come through the power of the Son It's the blood-bought, the church, the redeemed The Gates of Hell shall not prevail. The Church will conquer Hades and not a stone shall remain unturned. My friend and songwriter, Lanny Wolfe put it this way in his song, “The Church Will Stand.” And the church will stand triumphantly Against the powers of Earth and Hell Weathered and battle-scarred, still the church is alive and well. And though kingdoms may rise, every kingdom will fall That’s built on sinking sand, But only the church of the living God forever will stand. I challenge you to seize the opportunities given during this season in which we are called to serve. I love you & so does the Father! Because He is, I am, Tim R. Barker
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Many times in our hurried up, time crunched, stay on schedule church and business culture we neglect giving our people an opportunity to wait upon the Lord to receive from Him. We live in an ever changing culture that for the most part only gives us a few seconds to communicate a point. Many times the people around us need more than just a few seconds to receive healing, encouragement, wisdom, filling or re-filling with the Holy Spirit and we as leaders, pastors and ministers need to make it a priority to give our people time to receive, to lead them to these un-hurried times in the Lord’s presence, His unhurried, unscheduled “still water” moments. I understand the doctrine of waiting upon the Lord and that one does not necessarily need long periods of time to receive from the Lord, but many times we do. I don’t think it was by accident that Jesus asked His followers to wait in Jerusalem until they received power from on high. One hour turned into two, one day in to two days, one week into10 days. 10 days of waiting, worshipping and giving the Lord their total attention and priority. The benefit of this “time of waiting” was life changing for them personally and for the lost around them! They received power to be His witnesses, to live and die for the sake of the gospel and an assurance that Jesus was with them and in them. We need to reexamine our fast paced culture that has crept into the church worship expression. I’m certainly not advocating a long service for the sake of longness because sometimes our services need to be shorter, but I am saying that we need to allow for and plan unhurried scheduled times for our people to receive from the Lord. Maybe a prayer retreat where nothing else is scheduled except worship, prayer and waiting on the Lord. Possibly in this new “Corona communication culture” you can plan times on Zoom or FB Live to lead your people in hurried prayer times in which they can be filled and re-filled with the precious Holy Spirit - a virtual retreat specifically designed to receive from the Lord. I don’t know the exact answer for your ministry setting and assignment, but as we pray the Lord will lead! Maybe as ministers we need some unhurried uninterrupted time with Him. Our sheep will follow our lead. Don’t follow the false doctrine of ‘not everyone will speak in tongues’ or ‘if God wants me to have the gift of tongues He will just give it to me’. Don’t allow the enemy of our soul to talk you or your people out of this tremendously vital blessing.
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I so enjoy encouraging people in the area of receiving the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, because most of the time all people need is an encouraging word. This last fall during the SAGU credentialing orientation a young lady came up to me and ask if she needed to speak in tongues in order to become an AG Missionary. I did not want to just tell her “Yes”, and in so doing condemn and discourage her. I avoided answering her question directly and just simply shared with her my testimony and share with her that it was the Lord’s desire to fill her and for her to experience speaking in tongues. Her heart was so hungry and her eyes filled with tears. I encouraged her to find a place to pray and spend with the Father. The next day I received an email from her telling me that she went to a prayer meeting that evening on campus and she was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. I don’t like to dwell on the negative but dwell on the fact that the Lord wants to fill you. It is His will! One similar experience happened a few years ago when interviewing a ministerial candidate. He had not been filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues so I encouraged him to worship the Lord on his way home. As he did he was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues right there in his car. In Dr. George O. Wood’s article, THE SPIRIT AND SPEAKING IN TONGUE, Life in the Spirit, he not only does a verse by verse study of the instances in the Book of Acts that refer to speaking in tongues as the initial sign of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, but also gives one of the most thorough teachings on the subject that I have read. It is very encouraging and will not only encourage those who are seeking the Baptism in the Holy Spirit but will challenge those who have allowed their hearts to grow cold to be re-filled. “There are four ways that tongues function in the believer and in the church. The first way that glossolalia or tongues function is in relationship to the baptism in the Spirit. We look at the book of Acts for discovering this. The first reference is Acts 2:4. “They all were filled with the Spirit and spoke with other tongues as the Spirit gave them to utter.” All spoke in tongues. Many use an interpretation, which says that the first occurrence of something is the determining and controlling way of understanding that spirituality. Here on the day of Pentecost we find that when all were baptized in the Spirit the scriptures do not say, then some prophesied and some did works of healing and some exercised discernment and some gave utterances in tongues and some interpreted
tongues and some gave wisdom and some gave a word of knowledge. But you have in Acts 2:4 this glossolalia as being part of the experience of all those who received the Spirit. I would suggest that as we look at other instances in Acts and the baptism in the Spirit that glossolalia or tongues was a part of them all. The second reference to the baptism in the Spirit is Acts 8:16-17 where the Samaritans have Peter and John come to them from Jerusalem and they had already believed in Jesus and had been baptized in water but had not yet received the Spirit. So Peter and John lay hands upon them that they might receive the Spirit. Then suddenly in Acts we find that there is no reference to tongues on that occasion as happened on the day of Pentecost. We are quick to assume that Pentecost must have been a unique experience since they didn’t speak in tongues in Samaria. But I think that’s a little too simplistic in looking at the text. There are some clues within the text itself that something happened with the Spirit came upon the Samaritans. One thing, Simon saw that the Spirit was given. Remember last week in dealing with the promise of the Father we noted that the content of that promise was something that you have seen and hear. Another phrase that’s used specifically of the Spirit in chapter 8:16 is that he had not yet fallen upon them. The New International Version says, “for the Spirit had not yet come upon them.” But the Greek word was literally “to fall upon” and it’s a very physical word. It’s used in Luke 15:20 for the prodigal son who comes home and falls upon his father’s neck. It’s used in Acts 20:10 when Eutychus, the boy who listened to Paul’s longwinded sermon, fell out of the window, dead on the ground. Paul came down and fell upon him. Giving mouth to mouth Spiritual resuscitation. In Acts 20:37 when Paul was saying goodbye to the Ephesian elders, they fell on his neck. And in Acts 10:44 at Cornelius’ house. While Peter was speaking these words the Holy Spirit fell upon all of those who were hearing the word and they began to speak with other tongues. In Acts 11:15 says the Spirit fell upon Cornelius “as upon us in the beginning.” It’s interesting that in Acts 2 the Spirit is described as being poured out. But here Peter is saying describing the experience says that the Spirit fell upon us. And the Spirit fell upon Cornelius. And the Spirit falls upon the Samaritans. There’s something physical to it. Something arresting. It is not simply passe. You received the Spirit when you are converted then there’s no dramatic Spiritual experience the rest of your life. You just sort of sail along. It’s very evident from looking at Peter’s words that the early church expected that when hands were laid upon people there was some physical accompaniment. Some sign, some evidence that the Spirit had come. In Acts 9:17 we have the third instance of the baptism in the Spirit. That is Saul. When he is converted on the road to Damascus then the Lord sends to him Ananaias to lay hands upon him that he might receive the Spirit and receive his sight. Here again we are not told that Paul spoke in tongues on the occasion. But by using the process of induction we come to the conclusions in 1 Corinthians 14 that tongues were a regular part of his prayer life. He spoke in tongues he said, More than you do. When he came in 55 A.D. some 25 years after his conversion experience to a group of 12 followers of John the Baptist at Ephesus the first question he asked them, “’Having believed did you receive the Spirit?’ then he laid hands upon them and they received the Spirit and spoke with other tongues.” It is almost inconceivable to me to assume that an apostle of the church would not have had the same experience as the apostles who followed the Lord
after the flesh. We know that certainly there had to be a time when this became a part of his experience since tongues was such an important part of his prayer life. Then there is the experience of Cornelius, the fourth experience in Acts – chapter 10 and 11 – where the Spirit comes upon Cornelius and his family and they receive the Spirit. The Spirit falls upon them and they speak “all with other tongues.” Then finally the fifth experience in Ephesus, Acts 19:1-7. Once more they receive the Spirit and speak with tongues. So of the five instances clearly in Acts where people receive the Spirit, three times it is explicitly mentioned that people spoke in tongues. In another, a fourth, the experience with Paul, surely at some time he began this. It is logical to assume that his beginning experience would be identical to that of the day of Pentecost. And at Samaria, likewise the Spirit falls upon them. There are some who say but this doesn’t prove the case that all in the baptism of the Spirit speak with tongues since only three out of five instances mention speaking in tongues. But to say that that then would draw one to the conclusion that all do not speak in tongues is to miss out on understanding on what kind of historian Luke is. Luke leaves some things unsaid because he takes them for granted. For example, it would be the position of most every believer except perhaps the community of Quakers that water baptism is a part and component of the initial Christian experience – repent and be baptized. We would understand from that based upon the book of Acts teaching that all who believe are baptized in water. I don’t think anyone except perhaps the Quakers would assume that New Testament people were not people who at their conversion we are baptized in water. That’s an understanding. But if you go through the book of Acts, you will find in the 26 specific instances where there are conversion accounts in Acts either of groups as a whole or of individuals one by one only 9 times does Luke even mention that a person was baptized in water. Is he then giving us a ration that approximately one out of every four believers who come to the Lord need to be baptized in water? No, that’s not what he’s doing. It is such a common thing that in the church it’s commonly understood that you repent and are baptized. That the account in Acts 13 and 14 of Paul’s first missionary journey which saw thousands of people won to the faith out of that whole missionary journey he doesn’t mention water baptism one time. But what Luke is doing is helping us to see that the day of Pentecost kind of experience was re-created at Cornelius’ house, recreated 25 years later at Ephesus and it was the experience of Samaria and the experience in Saul’s life as well. There are some who say you cannot take doctrine out of the book of Acts because in order to have a doctrine of tongues associated with the baptism of the Spirit you will have to find the teaching in the Epistles. Because the epistles contain what is called didactic teaching. That is simply a word, which means to teach in a systematic way like I’m trying to do tonight. There are those who say if you expect tongues to be associated with the baptism of the Spirit, Paul would have surely taken this theme up in one of the epistles and dealt with it if he felt it was important. But we must remember that many themes were not dealt with in the epistles that were very important in the life of the church. The reason why they weren’t dealt with is that they were not matters of controversy in the church. For example, there is no didactic or systematic teaching in the epistles on the Trinity. We take our understanding of the trinity out of the historical sections – the gospels and Acts as well as references in the Epistles.
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There is no didactic teaching or systematic teaching on the virgin birth. We get that out of the gospels. But no one of us is going to throw the virgin birth out because it is not systematically taught in the epistles. Nor is there any sequential or didactic teaching in the epistles on how we are to baptize somebody whether sprinkling, immersion or whatever. But we don’t throw that out because it is not taught. In fact there would not even be systematic teaching on the Lord’s supper in the epistles were it not for the fact that the Corinthians were having a problem with it. That’s why it was discussed. This is an area where we are led to assume that the early church was not having a problem. In fact we can take doctrine from the book of Acts based upon the clear teaching of the scriptures themselves. But Paul writing to Timothy, 2 Timothy 3:16 says “All scripture is God breathed and is useful for doctrine.” All scripture, including the book of Acts, is useful for doctrine. Luke represents the truth that God is revealing himself in history. A part of understanding God’s ways is to understand how he moved through the historical processes he created. Among those of the 120 on the day of Pentecost – Samaria, Saul of Tarsus, Cornelius and the disciples at Ephesus.” If you would like to receive a copy of Dr. Wood’s article in it’s entirety please let me know and I will email it or mail it to you. Other books that I have found helpful are “Demystifying Speaking in Tongues” by James Fields and “Be Filled with the Spirit: Powerful, Life-Changing Instructions for a Spirit-Filled Life” by Dr. Doyle Jones. These books and articles can be very helpful with your own teaching on the subject and a great encouragement to those who are seeking. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to those under your care: *Are you saved? *Do you know Jesus as Lord and Savior? *Have you ever been water baptized? *Do you know how to pray? *Do you pray daily? *Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed? *Have you ever spoken in tongues? *Do you speak in tongues on a daily basis? *Do you need physical healing? *Do you need a miracle in your life? *Have you ever been refilled with the Holy Spirit? *Do you know how to share your faith? *Do you know how to lead someone to salvation, healing, water baptism, Baptism in the Holy Spirit? etc. . . . and please remember that discipleship is not just telling them, but showing them. Leading them and not pushing them. Discipleship is relationship and not dictatorship. During this time of uncertainty and the shaking that the world is going through it is not time to back down and be quiet in regards to our testimony of Jesus and our faith in Him. It’s time to “put the pedal to the metal” and witness and serve like never before. Jesus is coming very soon! Let’s take as many with us to heaven as we possibly can! We love and appreciate each of you. Thank you so much for your ministry! Stay faithful! Your Fellow Servant, Pastor Don
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Ministers & Churches Changes and Updates New Certified Analissa Flores
New License Robert Jensen
Upgraded to License Jacob Lindsey
Reinstated
Duke Backus Thomas Chacko Cody East
Martha Jordan Bobbi Knowles
Transfers in
Justin “Taylor” Choate – North Texas District Jeremy Cox – Oklahoma District Amanda Lafontaine – Kansas District
Transfers Out
Luis Bonilla – Iowa District Gary Bottoms – Rocky Mountain District Scott Forsythe – North Texas District
Herbert McCloney Walter Payne
Floyd Smith – New York District Loyd Thurman Jr. – North Texas District
Adrian Lopez – North Texas District Douglas McIntosh – Georgia District
New Pastors Jeremy Cox – Living Word Church, Conroe Loyd Thurman Jr. – Community Church, Orange
New Church Rio City Church – San Antonio
Church Name Change LifePointe Fellowship, Pearland - NOW LifePoint Church of Pearland, Pearland The Worship Center, Houston - NOW City Church, Houston Calvary Church – Stafford, TX - NOW Legacy Church – Stafford, TX
Withdrawn From the Assemblies of God Village Heights – Tomball
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COVID-19 Update Due to the current health crisis of COVID-19 all remaining DSOM classes for the year have been suspended. If you need to take a class please call the District Ministry Center at 713.455.1221
2020 Schedule Date
Level 1 Courses (Certified) Level 2 Courses (License)
Level 3 Courses (Ordained)
June 6
MIN123 The Local Church in Evangelism
THE245 Eschatology: A Study of Things to Come
MIN327 Church Administration, Finance & Law
June 6
MIN191 Beginning Internship
MIN291 Intermediate Internship
MIN391 Advanced Internship
September 12
9:30AM - 12:00PM THE142 AG History, Missions & Governance
MIN251 Effective Leadership
THE311 Prayer & Worship
Classes not taught on site, students study with their Mentor
1:30PM - 3:30PM MIN171 Spirit Empowered Church October 3
MIN181 Relationships & Ethics in Ministry
MIN281 Conflict Management for Church Leaders
November 7
BIB114 THE211 Christ in the Synoptic Gospels Introduction to Theology
MIN381 Pastoral Ministry BIB313 Corinthian Correspondence
As our new District Ministries Center is currently being constructed, DSOM will be held at our temporary district office at Crossroads Fellowship Houston 12110 East Sam Houston Pkwy N Houston, TX ¡ 77044
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Vigilant Warriors!
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 5:8-11 NKJV Peter is winding down his first letter. He is writing to “the pilgrims of the Dispersion” (1:1). These are Believers that fled from the persecution taking place in Jerusalem. It was penned about three decades after the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. The people he was writing to were Jewish Believers living in what today is the country of Turkey. They were struggling and obviously greatly oppressed. It was difficult times. So, Pastor Peter writes to them this encouraging and instructive letter. Before signing off, he makes the statement in the four verses above. In verse 6 and 7 he gives one of those wonderful promises found throughout the Bible. Listen to the instruction and the promised results of obedience. “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. NKJV We should all say “Amen” to what Peter wrote. This is a time for the saved, the redeemed, to be vigilant, but humbly vigilant towards the Lord, making sure we are not retreating, knowing the joy of our christian privilege of “casting our care on Him”! Paul writes similar instruction in his letter to the Colossian Christians: “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving”. Col 4:2 NKJV Paul is encouraging his readers to be vigilant in prayer and thanksgiving. More great instruction! So, Seniors, and really all of us, how do we do that? It begins with understanding purpose. Why did God save you? What is His purpose for His church? Why was Jesus sent into the world? It will be difficult to be vigilant about something if we do not understand it’s purpose.
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In Ephesians 1, there is a beautiful revelation of purpose, your purpose for breathing. Verses 3-14 tells us that we are here to bring glory to God. It shows all three members of the One True God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, working harmoniously together to bring about this purpose in each of us! · Verses 3-6 tells us that the Father, before the world was formed, determined that those who trust in Christ should be to “the praise of His Glory”. That is the Father’s plan! · Verses 7-12 shows how, through His Blood, we are forgiven, at that those who trust in Jesus should live to “the praise of His Glory”. · Verses 13-14 reveals that the Holy Spirit was sent to work in our lives so that we should be “to the praise of His Glory”. So, it was the Father’s plan. Jesus put the plan in place through His suffering, death and Resurrection. The Holy Spirit works the plan in each of us. If we are to be vigilant in these difficult times, we had better know why! You, we, are here to glorify God. Everything we do should bring honor and glory to Him. Remember the WWJD craze? I have another acronym, DIBGTG. Does It Bring Glory To God! What does “Glorify” mean? The New Testament Greek word is “doxazo”. The root word, “doxa” means “opinion”. Doxazo is interpreted in the Bible to mean: Magnify, praise, extol. Here is a good definition: “To reveal or make clearer the glory of (God) by one's living.” We are called to help people clarify a right opinion of God by making Him understandable through how we live, talk and act, thus bring honor to him. Unless we begin and end our day with that clear purpose, it can be easy to get sidetracked. So, remember the question, DIBGTG? Even in the time we spend sheltering at home there are opportunities, every day to fulfill our purpose! Be creative and bold! If we, in these days of instability are going to be vigilant, lets likewise remember to BGTG in all we do! Makes every day have value! “No Coasting to the Finish Line!” Wayne Clark Seniors With Purpose
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Training R a n g e rs
Girls Ministries S m a l l G ro u p L e a d e r s
Basic Leadership Training Guide
Including Children with Disabilities
S u n d a y S c h o o l Te a c h e r s
Sticky Lessons Learning that Lasts
Leaving a Spiritual Legacy
H ave t h e r i g h t t o o l s t o be a c o n f i d e n t , e n t h u s i a s t i c , c re a t i v e a n d p r e p a r e d l e a d e r / t e a c h e r .
Melissa LeClare mleclare@stxag.org 713-455-1221 www.stxgm.org South Texas Girls Ministries 14
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