The Pastor's Perspective

     Have you ever sat down to a cup of coffee that you expected to be piping hot, only to find it was lukewarm? Or perhaps you reached for a refreshing glass of ice water on a hot and humid day, but it was room temperature? As someone who grew up from down south; I firmly believe the only tea that is suitable to drink is sweet ICED tea. There is something uniquely unappealing about "lukewarm." It’s neither soothing nor refreshing; it’s just bland.       This is exactly how Jesus describes the church in Laodicea. They weren't a "bad" church by worldly standards—they weren't teaching heresy or falling into deep scandalous sin. They were simply comfortable. They were self-reliant, wealthy, and at ease. Yet, out of all seven churches in Revelation, Jesus saves His harshest words for this one. You have to wonder Why? The answer is because a heart that thinks it "has it all" feels no need for the One who actually provides everything. The Modern "Ap...

     Have you ever felt like you were just "going through the motions" in your faith? On the outside, everything looks fine—you attend church, you say the right things, and you might even be involved in various programs. But on the inside, the fire has gone out. You feel spiritually cold, dry, and perhaps even "dead."       The church in Sardis was the ultimate "zombie" church. They had a reputation for being alive and active, but Jesus—who sees past the surface—delivered a staggering diagnosis: "You are dead."       It is a sobering reminder that a church's health isn't measured by the size of its budget, the number of its programs, or the crowd in the pews. There are churches that are filled with thousands upon thousand of people but that does not mean that they are a church or that the pastor is a true man of God. One pastor reminded me that not everything that "grows" is good, because tumors grow too! God’s standard for a li...

    As a pastor I love to read about various revivals in history, because they give us a little light on how revival begins.      During the great Welsh revival there was a minister who was said to be very successful in sharing the gospel. Many individuals would respond to his message and they would repent of their sins and be saved. Hundreds of people were coming to Jesus Christ under this man's ministry.  What made this so interesting was that this minister preached the same sermon everywhere he went.      As news about this minister and his one very effected message came to the ears of another minister. The minister was interested in hearing this message for himself. This man wanted to know what was the secret.       So when this minister heard this preacher was going to preach in a near by city. He waisted no time to go and hear this powerful sermon. The minister traveled a great distant to get to the meeting. He sat t...