Leonard Ravenhill said you need to pray for 2 things. \u00a0Vision and unction.<\/p>\n
I just posted an old post that I wrote in April 2013 called, “If I had 6 million dollars”.<\/p>\n
This post has a lot of “I” in it, but don’t let that fool you. \u00a0The Bible says delight thyself also in the Lord and he will give thee the desires of thine heart. \u00a0 This vision has come and go and died and resurrected multiple times over the years. \u00a0Over the past few weeks, I have seen God get a hold of my heart again, I have seen God give me victory over past stumbling blocks and healing over past hurts and disappointments, I have love now for the church and the brethren, my marriage has become the best it has ever been, and my children, well, they are still crazy and a work in progress, but I am determined more than ever to be the husband, father, and church member I am called to be. \u00a0 And I am secure in what I believe and while I will stand for the truth, I won’t cut the heads off of those that don’t agree or see it “my way”. \u00a0Or stab them in the back.<\/p>\n
Now the dilemma — this pharmacy I had waited a year to open is mostly a sham after being officially open 10 months. \u00a0The guys who hired me sold me a bill of goods and a lot of false promises and they likely will shut it down if I call them on the carpet. \u00a0They claimed to own 20 pharmacies in another state, but really the one just owned 2. \u00a0And they promise me and everyone else the world, but rarely come through with even a piece of moon.<\/p>\n
I do have another pharmacy lined up but they don’t open until January and I am torn if I just ride this one out another year and then let this dream resurrect itself, take the new job in January and put 2 years into getting it going and then let this dream resurrect itself — or throw caution into the wind, realize a year from now Jesus is likely to have returned and that \u00a0there is really nothing I am waiting for except the green light. \u00a0And 10 million dollars.<\/p>\n
I have the vision, I have the burden, God has given me ideas to get the finances to back it up, and I have the passion and walk now to make it work. \u00a0Or I can patiently wait for door to open.<\/p>\n
I strongly suspect that I don’t have as much time to launch as I think. \u00a0There is a lot of speculation about major events coming up soon so Obama can declare martial law and run for a 3rd term. \u00a0He has already shown the Constitution means nothing to him, and already shows he changes the rules as he goes. \u00a0Something is brewing and something is coming. \u00a0I don’t know what, I don’t know when, but my thoughts, (which are not his thoughts, so don’t sell the farm, yet!) are by November we might know where things are going. \u00a0And the way things are going, we might be gone by October! \u00a0 Is there worse mistakes than trying to start a big ministry venture before the rapture hits?<\/p>\n
Now I am upgrading from my previous 6 million dollar request. \u00a010 million dollars is my goal. \u00a0In 10 days. \u00a0Call it part\u00a0inflation\u00a0and part increased unction and part insanity.<\/p>\n
I haven’t worked out the details exactly how I am going to get the money. \u00a0God seems to \u00a0have given me a few ideas, I have a few options to reach out to, I have a crowd-funding idea with a twist, and I am crazy enough to ask God for 10 million dollars. \u00a0Though, I am noting I once wrote 1 million dollars on the pledge for the building project at the Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church where I was attending at the time. \u00a0I asked God how much to pledge and I though he said a million dollars. \u00a0 I think I misunderstood and perhaps he meant in Guyanese currency. \u00a0Back then I had some ideas, but didn’t have the faith. \u00a0Or the feet. \u00a0Or the wife that I have now (I didn’t have any wife!) \u00a0that gets those feet moving to catch up to my visions.<\/p>\n
Do I have any billionaires reading this? \u00a0But I do have it spent already.<\/p>\n
Seriously, Jesus had 12 men who were sold out (well, if you don’t count Judas. \u00a0Let’s replace him with Paul for this illustration) and they were able to do full time ministry. \u00a0I honestly believe that if instead of being a pharmacy manager, I put the same effort into being ministry manager for 12 full time, PAID, Christian workers we could turn the world upside down.<\/p>\n
I say paid, because of practicality for the requirements of having to live in America. \u00a0I am not going to live an\u00a0extravagant\u00a0lifestyle, but America is expensive to feed and clothe and have the basics. \u00a0 If I had the finances to go beyond that, to use the unrighteous mammon of this world to reach them, I would do so.<\/p>\n
It would not be about bribing people by paying them. \u00a0It would be freeing them up from their secular jobs to do the work of an evangelist. \u00a0I’m not knocking how we do things now, but today in general you send someone off to Bible College, they attend for 4 years, they go meeting to meeting and spend their days off booking more meetings or fellowshipping with the leaders. \u00a0 That has it’s place, the church certainly needs a different voice from time to time, and there is a lot of time involved planning on just simply finding where to go next. \u00a0However, we need desperately people with CHARITY to get out on the STREETS, to spend time discipling again and spend the time it takes to really get people saved and serving — with the right foundation, the right replacement of their false Christs and turning of their American Idols, and the right game plan early on.<\/p>\n
Someone can recruit me on the street to become a volunteer fireman by giving me a great presentation and gets me excited. \u00a0I sign up and they leave me with a, “Now that you signed up, here’s what you have to do. \u00a0Start reading the Fireman manual, figure it out for yourself, and we will come by next time there is a fire and see if you want to come join us. \u00a0But no matter what happens, never doubt that you are a real fireman. \u00a0Here is your certificate to prove it!” \u00a0When the dust settles, my commitment doesn’t sound all that committed. \u00a0I get disillusioned, overwhelmed, and I run to the next thing to get my attention. \u00a0The issues that deal with our modern evangelism are ones I believe God used pharmacy to show me how to correct them. \u00a0These are addressed in blog posts such as “Jesus is not a FLU SHOT” and “Don’t recruit with the Fatted Calf.”<\/p>\n
I am not necessarily knocking the Prayer-at-the-Fair booths, but the reality from being there is you generate a bunch of decisions, despite the fact you are not allowed to warn of Hell or point out their false religions, you non-confrontation-ally\u00a0ask them if they want to go to Heaven, and you lead them in a prayer and after promise eternal life that no man can put asunder. \u00a0In less than 10 minutes, they are “saved”, back on the\u00a0Ferris\u00a0wheel, and enjoying the cotton candy and pop corn, and you never see them again.<\/p>\n
I am afraid that is at best, all we have time for today. \u00a0And that is what most churches give their money toward. \u00a0Ministry A gets 5,697 converts an hour and Ministry B discipled only 10 in 2015. \u00a0It doesn’t matter that Ministry A can’t get 5,696 and 1\/2 of them to return the follow up phone calls. \u00a0Or that Ministry B now has 3 of the 10 as full time workers all surrendered to the ministry.<\/p>\n
Not that secular work is bad, it is just to support a family today it turns into a full time career. \u00a0You can’t serve God and mammon and they that preach the gospel shall live of the gospel. \u00a0 I work 50 hours a week. \u00a0I travel 2 hours each day. \u00a0I have to keep up with licensing. \u00a0I have after work training and dinners and phone calls to deal with. \u00a0I enjoy the work, \u00a0and I do have opportunities now and then to give the gospel. \u00a0However, of the 12 that work for “me” I could assign 2 to work part time at the Burger King as undercover Christians and have their back if they get fired. \u00a0Today we can’t share our faith boldly at work. \u00a0We can’t take stands against Islam or sodomy for example or human resources comes running over to shut us down or show us the door.<\/p>\n
I would love to put 40 hours a week into evangelism, writing, discipling, training, ministering, counseling PLUS 2 hours a day in prayer and devotion time, \u00a0 \u00a0And have 12 people doing the same thing. \u00a0Helping the church, but not working for the church except for the after hours things like everyone else.<\/p>\n
So why 12 million dollars?<\/p>\n
Or was it 10 million?<\/p>\n
First, I would say give me $30,000 and the green light for the next 4 months, and a chance then to turn it into $10 million once the initial ground work is laid. \u00a0Lord willing, I would quit the job, put my pharmacy license on an open fire, and rent an office in the village of Hamburg with a desk , computer, phone, printer, and Keurig machine. \u00a0 I would try to balance my time, try to get about 12 tracts out, get a few booklets out and books, and start reaching contacts, while daily witnessing and evangelizing and preaching when opportunity presents itself. \u00a0 \u00a0Once there was regular street preaching and fruitful street work, I would have a video presentation made.<\/p>\n
If God allows significant money that comes in I would pay off all debt and get my family moved closer to the church. \u00a0God might just provide for the next step of needs. \u00a0I am not sure how that whole thing works, but God will provide as I step out. \u00a0I would \u00a0soon like to upgrade and rent an office for 3 people initially and get it stocked and loaded with computer printing equipment. \u00a0My first hire would be two media guys, Tom and George, and we would begin. \u00a0While we were starting the ministry going, the church would pay off their building, and start renovating the space next door to include adequate space for 13 offices\/cubicles, a fully functional printing ministry, and a place to make animation and graphics. \u00a0The church could have the rest of the building if there is any space left.<\/p>\n
There would be 4 arms to this ministry down the road. \u00a0First is the End Times Vol Fire Co. \u00a0It would be the evangelism wing. \u00a0Next would be the End Times Special Forces Division, which would be discipleship, prayer meetings, men’s\u00a0accountability\u00a0and men’s ministries and addiction counseling\/resources, \u00a0 3rd would be the End Times Health Care Plan with\u00a0trainings\u00a0and seminars on American diets, health, etc. \u00a0It would incorporate a new field called Healthcare Evangelism, a term the Lord gave me a while back, doing something similar\u00a0to Kent Hovind creation type Power-Point seminars mostly at churches, but with a health care twist. \u00a0And 4th would be the End Times Kid’s Explorer’s Adventures. \u00a0It would be assisting with regular VBS type events, and having for example, a special portable unit that can go into the city, set up a dinosaur puppet show or some sort of Bible study and reach out to kids on an ongoing basis.<\/p>\n
Names are subject to change.<\/p>\n
The ETVFC is the evangelism wing. \u00a0It would comprise mostly doing evangelism, but would try to get back to the old paths. \u00a0For example, we wouldn’t knock on a door, give someone a 10 minute gospel presentation, and have them pray and then declare them saved. \u00a0This does not lead to true conversions. \u00a0A door-to-door might start with a DVD presentation. \u00a0If a funeral was preached, we could ask the Pastor if we could humor him this time, and to not have an “invitation” but instead offer those interested in learning more to enroll in either a free 4-6 week “Salvation Bible basics” course or welcome 6 one-on-one home delivery courses.<\/p>\n
I strongly believe that you need to build trust, you need to address the false Christs they have as a “default” setting in their hearts, use the law and teach a full balanced view of who God is, teaching on things like the resurrection and creation, etc, before you even mention the plan of Salvation. \u00a0There needs to be plowing, watering, time to deal with\u00a0misconceptions\u00a0 and clearly differentiating the Real and False Christs in this world.<\/p>\n
And offer the gift of eternal life that comes with a condition — saving faith and biblical repentance.<\/p>\n
My head is spinning, so I don’t blame you if yours is. \u00a0You don’t have to catch the whole vision. \u00a0It’s changed and adjusted and grown so it might go in a whole different direction all together. \u00a0I am simply calling unto Him for the next step.<\/p>\n
I wrote the vision. \u00a0The next step is simply to take one. \u00a0And away from the pharmacy one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Leonard Ravenhill said you need to pray for 2 things. \u00a0Vision and unction. I just posted an old post that I wrote in April 2013 called, “If I had 6 million dollars”. This post has a lot of “I” in … Continue reading