I know that the title of this post is cliche therefore I hope that this post does not go unheeded due to the title. However, it accurately describes our situation. We must change our methods if we wish to reach our prodigals and the lost of this generation. It should be obvious to us that the current methods we use or have used in the recent past were not enough to keep our prodigals and typically it is easier to maintain than to restore. That being said, if the methods we have used in the past are not maintaining our youth, we need to find new methods to both retain those that we have, restore those that we have lost and gain those that are hungry for a true experience with God. We must be careful about our traditions, traditions are good but don't let a man-made tradition get in the way when it comes to reaching a lost and dying world. At our local church we have made some changes to the presentation of our services and we have decided to change our Sunday evening Service into a time for home fellowship groups. We are praying that God will give us open doors into our communities and that many people will join our home groups and hear of the wonderful truth of Jesus Christ.
Introduction
At a time when many Apostolics are 3rd, 4th or even 5th generation, many are losing sight of the landmarks that our previous generations have left us. This eagerness to depart from the things that identify us is not always a lack of love for truth, but is often the result of a lack of adequate teaching. This is reflected in my own life. Being a 4th generation Pentecostal myself, I fell for the "it's only a consecration" philosophy and for a period of time lost my way. It was not due to a lack of love for God, but it was because I had only been taught "The Rules" without ever really learning the reasoning behind them. By the grace of God my wife and I found our way back to fullness of truth and for that we will be eternally grateful. In retrospect we now know that by turning away from our heritage God opened our eyes to see that what before seemed like bonds and burdens was the very thing that brought us back and into deep relationship with Him.
Because of our past experience, God has given us a burden for what we will call Prodigals. The dictionary defines prodigal as a person who spends, or has spent, his or her money or substance with wasteful extravagance. This seems very fitting as many former apostolics are using their God-given talent wastefully. Many fine singers, musicians, and even preachers are using their talents for pursuit of worldly gain rather than to glorify their Creator. We know that everyone is called to be a minister in some capacity and we pray that you will join us in praying for these that have gone astray.
Many days I will simply post the prayer requests that I have received while other days I may be able to post an encouraging scripture or story. To subscribe simply click the RSS subscription button below or simply visit this page to check for updates. Because of other excellent resources for prayer, such as World Network of Prayer (www.wnop.org), I ask that your requests would be limited to lost children of Apostolic parents. I will be accepting prayer requests, praise reports and encouraging stories for entry into the blog. If you or anyone you know is praying for a son or daughter who has wandered or has been led astray, please do not hesitate to send me a prayer request through the comments section below. Comments are not public and only prayer requests, praise reports etc. will be published. In order to maintain anonymity only first names along with the state of residence will be posted on any prayer list.
This blog is a new venture for me entirely and I will apologize in advance for any growing pains we may experience over the next few months. I pray that you will be patient with me as we begin this journey together.
Thank you for taking the time to view this blog. I hope and pray it will be a blessing to you.
For the Kingdom,
Mark Barnes
Sunday, May 8, 2011
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