This week I began my 12th month at Mabel White and boy has it passed quickly!  As I’m reflecting back I am so thankful for all that God has done in bringing me and my family to such a great church full of caring and loving people.  Our prayer that God would send us to a church that would love us and allow us to love them has been answered!  God really does know what He’s doing and I give Him praise and thanks for all He has done.  I began jotting down a list of things this week and was shocked at how much we’ve accomplished together this past year.  Just look at this list!

• We participated in three Mission Projects–2 foreign and 1 home.
• We’re broadcasting every week via the radio in Nigeria and the Philippines.
• We’ve had over 75 additions to the church.
• We’ve smoothly transitioned to 2 morning worship services and 3 Life Group Sessions.
• We’ve launched our New Members Orientation Class.
• We’ve begun training our deacons to help them be more effective in their ministry.
• We’ve hired an Executive Pastor and Student Pastor and are now fully staffed.
• We over-gave our budget in 2009 by $160,000.00 dollars.
• We are $31,000.00 ahead of the 2010 budget through the end of February.
• We’ve increased over 200 in our worship attendance.
• We’ve painted the outside of the building.
• We are in the process of painting the inside of the building.
• We’ve remodeled the administrative offices.
• We’re in the process of remodeling the Student area.
• We are in the process of replacing the carpet in the main lobby and hallways.
• We’ve created 2 coffee shops that have been a huge hit!
• Within the next couple of weeks, lighting will be installed in the rear parking lot.
• We’ve created a new state of the art website.
• We are streaming live on the internet every Sunday.

I get excited just thinking about and seeing all that God has done and is doing through Mabel White.  A lot of what has been done this year is laying the foundation for what is to come.  I truly believe we haven’t seen anything yet and that our best days are ahead of us.  So at the end of year one the only thing I can say is, “It sure has been good!”

I don’t know when I’ve been as excited and optimistic about any ministry as I am about the ministry of Mabel White.  Since this past spring it seems that God has opened the gates of heaven and blessed us in many ways.  However, God is not through!  We’re just getting started and this year we have an opportunity to accomplish a lot.  Here are some things that I’m praying about and I wish you would join me as I ask the Father to use us for His glory.

THERE IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO REACH MORE PEOPLE.

Reaching people for Christ is the reason for our ministry.  Our focus cannot be so internal that we lose focus of the streets and lanes of our city.  We must reach out to those who don’t know Christ and build relationships with them in order to see them come to Christ.

THERE IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND THE TENT OF LEADERSHIP.

I don’t know if you follow college football recruiting but the teams that get the best players are the most successful.  The University of Florida football program just graduated the most successful class, as far as wins are concerned, in the history of the SEC.  In order to reach our community we’ve got to recruit and train more leaders.  Remember, God didn’t save you to sit and soak!  When you sit and soak you begin to sour and you will cause a stink.  I want to challenge you to find your place to serve.

THERE IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRACTICE CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP.

Your money is your life in a condensed form.  How you use your money says a lot about your life.  Last year was a good year financially.  We over gave our budget but as soon as 2010 came we started over.  This year we need $2,300.00 a week more than what we received last year to meet the budget.  I know some might think that sounds like a lot but if you will join me and the others in leadership in tithing your income we will have no problem meeting this budget.

THERE IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXECUTE WITH EXCELLENCE.

The Bible says that “whatever we do in word or in deed, do it to the glory of God.  Every week our audience is non other than the Lord Jesus Christ.  Everything we do should be done with that in mind.

THERE IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO MODEL AUTHENTIC CHRISTIANITY.

Jesus told us to be salt and light in a dark and unflavored world.  Let me challenge you to ask God to let you fall more in love with Jesus during 2010 than ever before.  Let Macon be able to tell that we have been with Jesus.

Remember our purpose is “to build lives that glorfy God.”  We’ll accomplish this by bringing them in, building them up, and sending them out.  If we will build relationships, give, train leaders, start new Life Groups, and expand the tent of leadership; 2010 will be a year to remember.

Shortly after coming to Macon one of the things that grabbed me was when I discovered that 70% of the people that live within 3 miles of our church are unchurched.  When I heard that statistic, the magnitude of what God has placed us here to do shot through me like a bolt of lightening.  What a huge assignment!  God has placed us in the middle of a mission field that is ripe for harvest.  So I immediately began asking God what we need to do to reach these people who desperately need to be impacted by the gospel.

In the process of my search I ran across some information in Tom Rainer’s book, Surprising Insights From The Unchurched.  In this book he discusses the top reasons unchurched people give for choosing a church.  According to his research, here are the top 10 reasons:

1. 90% Pastor/Preaching
2. 88% Doctrines
3. 49% Friendliness
4. 42% Other Issues
5. 41% Someone From Church Witnessed To Me
6. 38% Family Member
7. 37% Sensed God’s Presence/Atmosphere of the Church
8. 25% Relationship Other Than Family Member
9. 25% Sunday School Class
10. 25% Children’s/Youth Ministry

After reading this information, I think it is clear that our focus must be to do whatever it takes to reach this group.  God hasn’t put us here to swap sheep with other churches; He’s called us to reach the unchurched!  When you look at the list, how do you think we stack up against the research?

I’m getting old!  This October I will turn 50 and it seems like time is flying by.  One of the first signs that you are aging is your eye sight begins to change.  When I turned 40 I noticed that things began looking fuzzy up close.  As I hit 45 I noticed my arms were all of a sudden shorter; for some strange reason I couldn’t hold the menu far enough away to see it! Now at 49 I have to have glasses to read anything.  I think you’ll have to agree that vision is crucial.  Without it you are handicapped; your progress at best is slowed, and at worst is stopped.  You need vision to navigate effectively and see where you are going.

Just as vision is critical to your physical body, it is also important for the ministry of the church.  Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”  All around us are people who desperately need to hear the good news and God has strategically positioned us so that we can show them the way to Christ.  Last Sunday was awesome!  The crowd, the music, the atmosphere, the buzz in the hallways, the food…everything was wonderful!  Let me recap some of the main points I shared.

• Excellence will be the standard.
• Outreach must become a priority.
• Everyone must do their part.
• We must have a “whatever it takes” attitude.

Now that we have the plan, we must begin the work.  I honestly believe the stage is set for God to do something amazing.  This is a great church full of great people that God wants to use to touch the community and the world for Christ.  I can’t wait to see what is going to happen in the days ahead!

It seems that life takes many twists and turns that keep us in total dependence on God.  The last 18 months have been an adventure of mountain tops and valleys that have challenged everything that I have ever taught.  I can tell you this, God’s Word is true and Jesus is not only necessary, He is enough!

In March my life story began another chapter.  I was called to Pastor Mabel White Memorial Baptist Church in Macon, Georgia.  Before coming to pastor this church, Gina and I  prayed for two things.  First, that God would give us a people who would love us for who we are and second, that God would give us a congregation for us to love in return.  It seems that He has answered that prayer!

Here are my take-aways from the past 18 months:

As a Christ-follower our foundation IS sure.

When the storm comes you will stand!  You will feel the current and tide pulling against you, but you will be astonished at God’s faithfulness.

Prayer is hard work, but it works!

When we pray according to His will He hears us, and if He hears us whatever we ask we have from Him. (1 John 5:14-15)

Testing comes in many forms.

Sometimes it comes in a form that you never expected.

When you love Jesus, testing makes you better instead of bitter.

Enough said!

God rewards our faithfulness!

When you’re faithful and are determined to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord, He sees and blesses.

When I look back on where I’ve been and see where I am right now, I stand in amazement.  I am in a better place than before and feel so grateful for all that God has done.  I can’t wait to see what He is going to accomplish in the days ahead.

When I was younger, one of my favorite television shows was Gomer Pyle. I used to love to watch and see what Gomer would get into next. His nonchalant way of dealing with the constant criticism that came his way from Sergeant Slaughter was down right hilarious at times. Whenever I watched the Gomer, I was impressed that he always responded rather than reacted to the criticism. I’ve been writing about gentleness for the last several posts, and whenever I think of someone who demonstrates “gentle-power”, I picture someone who has their personality, outlook, words, expectations, and response under God’s control.

Gentle people are proactive, not reactive. To put it another way, a proactive person is self-controlled, while a reactive person is controlled by circumstances, emotions, or any number of other things. Proverbs 16:32 says, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.” Haven’t we all said on occasion, “You make me so angry. I’m so upset because of what you’ve done?” Well, a gentle person is not controlled by the actions of others. I can remember many years ago that a wise friend told me, “Lee, just respond; don’t react.” When we respond we open the door for God to take control of the situation. So, the driving question is: How do you become a proactive, non-reacting person? Here it is: Seek first to understand - then to be understood. So many times we do it in reverse. We want to be understood before we seek to understand. We want others to hear our side, see our point of view, and understand how we feel. If we are honest with ourselves, we can see that that response is rooted in selfishness. Basically we are saying, “It’s all about me. My thoughts and feelings are far more important than yours.” However, if we are going to allow the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us and exhibit the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, we are going to have to put others first and self last. And since this is contrary to our selfish nature, we are going to have to spend time on our knees asking God to replace our selfishness with His selflessness. Then, and only then, will we be able to demonstrate gentle-power. “And the fruit of the Spirit is gentleness.”

In order to be gentle people, we not only must place our personality, outlook, and words under God’s control, but we must also place our expectations under God’s control as well.  Listen to Ephesians 4:2, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”  Let me ask you a question, when someone disappoints you—and we’ve all been disappointed by people—are you gentle or judgmental? It’s a good question isn’t it?  A classic Old Testament example is Elijah. The greatest day in Elijah’s life was on Mount Carmel, when the fire came down from heaven and God showed Himself. But we know that after Elijah experienced one of his greatest days in ministry, he soon after experienced discouragement and depression. His response was to retreat from life with the attitude, “I’m no better than anyone else.” His emotional state was at an all time low. Do you remember what God said to him? God said, “Elijah, I want you to go to the cave.” This phrase is kind of amusing when you think about it. When I was in elementary school and the teacher would say, “Lee, you can go and stand in the hall,” I knew the teacher would be coming out to chat with me after she finished her lesson. I would stand out in that hall with dread, waiting to see how bad my punishment was going to be.

When God said, “Elijah, I want you to go to the cave,” you can imagine what was going through Elijah’s head. Elijah was probably thinking to himself, “Man, I’ve disappointed Him. I’ve blown it big time. I haven’t been the man of God I needed to be. Where was my faith? Where was my courage? I wonder what God is going to do?” Do you remember what God did? God came to Elijah and told him to come out of the cave and stand before Him. And when Elijah came out, he experienced some amazing things. First of all, there was a strong, mighty wind; but the Bible says that God was not in the wind. Then came an earthquake; but God was not in the earthquake. Next came fire; but God was not in the fire. But finally God’s Word tells us, “after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.” Do you know what God was doing? God wasn’t beating Elijah up; He was loving Elijah. He was saying, “I know you’re down and discouraged, but I am here with you.”

I’ve been talking about gentleness for several posts. Can I ask you a question? Is there anyone out there that can say, “Lee, I think I’ve got ‘gentleness’ perfected. I’ve enjoyed your posts, but I don’t feel like I have any room to grow in this area; I’ve already arrived.” Anyone?  The truth is most, if not all of us, have a long way to go when it comes to gentleness. We can all probably say that we have blown it in the past when it comes to being gentle. In fact, I’m sure we would love to go back in time and change some things, but we can’t. However, don’t waste your time looking back, God is speaking to you just as He spoke to Elijah. God is saying to you, “Just go to the cave for a moment.” He’s not going to send a strong wind, or an earthquake, or even a fire. He’s going to be like the father of the Prodigal Son. When the boy came home, his Dad threw his arms around him and kissed him. God is always waiting for us with open arms.

One thing that Christianity is not – it’s not about people being perfect. It’s about people allowing God’s grace to cover and forgive every sin that they’ve ever committed, making them new people in Christ! You’ll never attain gentleness by working hard and doing your best. You will only have gentleness when you surrender that area of your life to God and allow Him to work in and through you.

I’ve been defining “gentleness” as used by Paul in Galatians 5:23, “For the fruit of the Spirit is…gentleness.”  Using the word Power as an acrostic, I’ve said that in order to demonstrate gentleness or ”gentle power” you have to bring your P-personality under God’s control, your O-outlook under God’s control, and your W-words under God’s control.

I’m sure you realize that it’s not the things that go in one ear and out the other that cause damage.  It’s the things that go in one ear and get all mixed up, and then end up coming out of the mouth!  That’s what causes problems.  We have to bring our words under God’s control.  Listen to Ephesians 4:29, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”  Boy do I need to hear that!  It is so easy just to fly off the handle and say the first thing that comes into our heads.  However, we have to allow the Holy Spirit to act as the filter for everything that comes out of our mouth.  James tells us why this is so critical in James 3:6-8,  “And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.  But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.”

The truth is that we can’t tame our tongue; if we could we would.  Have you ever said something and wished that you could reach out and grab the words and put them back into your mouth?  I’m sure as soon as they rolled off your lips you thought, “Man why did I say that!”  Well, we can’t control our tongue on our own.  We can’t do anything apart from God.  That’s why God has so much to say about it why it must be seasoned by God’s grace and tempered by His Spirit.

This is the second post out of five where I am defining “gentle power” or gentleness which is a part of the Fruit of the Spirit.  Not only is gentleness bringing our personality under God’s control, it is also bringing our outlook under God’s control.  I’ve been a pastor for over 25 years and one of the things I’ve learned is that everyone’s outlook on life is different.  Some are completely absorbed in themselves.  There actions and decisions are all about themselves and no one else is taken into consideration.  Their motto is: “I might as well look out of number one because no one else is going to.”   Others are less focused on themselves and think about how their decisions and actions affect others.  These folks tend to be a little less compulsive and more reflective.

In Galatians 5:22-23 when Paul says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is…gentleness“ he is saying part of being gentle is bringing my outlook on life under God’s control.  What are the results? What happens when I bring my outlook under God’s control?  The primary way this manifests itself is that we start working for the benefit of others, not just ourselves.  You see, gentle people are understanding.  2 Peter 1:7 says, “…and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.” This will make the next step possible, which is for you to enjoy other people, to like them, and finally grow to love them deeply. Gentle people also are not demanding.  Listen to James 3:16, “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.” Enough said!

Over the next the next five posts I want to give you a definition of “gentle power.” By using the word P-O-W-E-R as an acrostic, I believe it will help us understand what Paul was saying when he said, “For the fruit of the Spirit is…gentleness.”

The “P” in power stands from personaility.  A gentle person takes the personality that God has given them, unique as it is, and places it under the control of God. I think of Jesus’ three closest friends, Peter, James, and John. Now, this is a great illustration of how God doesn’t give up on us when we’re not meek or we’re not the person we need to be.

Remember the time when the Lord sent James and John ahead to Samaria? This was a time when Jesus was extremely unpopular. They weren’t well received and really, the bottom line is that Jesus and the disciples couldn’t stay at the Samaritan Hilton that night. And they were really ticked and said, “Let’s call fire down from heaven.” That is not a gentle person.

Remember the time when James’ and Johns’ mother came to Jesus and said, “Lord when you come into your kingdom can Jim sit on one side and Johnny sit on the other?” That is not a gentle request. That’s truly looking out for number one.

How about Peter? There are many illustrations of Peter demonstrating not gentleness, but an impulsiveness and arrogance. What blesses my heart is, despite their personalities, Jesus never gave up on them, but He kept working on them and maturing them. Today you may not be the gentle person that you want to be, but the good news is that through God’s grace and maturity and seasoning, you can become that person. You see all four different temperaments. We all know them:

• The choleric wants to control everything.

• The melancholic needs a lot of gentleness, training and teaching, because they’re judgmental and highly critical.

• The phlegmatic is good under pressure, witty, enjoys humor.

• The Sanguine is optimistic is driven by their feelings and a slow finisher.

So no matter what personality we have, we don’t want to change the personality. We don’t need to make a choleric a phlegmatic, but what we have to do is put our personality under the control of God.