Don't just go to church, Be "The Church"!

What do you think of doctors who do not treat patients by using all of the means available to cure them? What do you think of lawyers who do not defend their clients to the best of their ability? What do you think of politicians who do not keep their campaign promises once they are in office? Honestly answer that question. Are not preachers, churches, and saints who do not do their VERY BEST to reach the lost the same as these doctors, lawyers, and politicians?

Have you been redeemed and washed in the precious blood of the Lamb? Have you been baptized in His name and filled with His Spirit? Well, you have a mission from on High and it is called the Great Commission. Your mission is to reach the lost who are around you. Just going to church is not all that is to this. The lost was never commanded to come to us, but we were commanded to go to them with the Gospel. Why are we not doing more to participate in the mission?

"The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few." 

Anyone that has the Holy Ghost should have a sense of urgency. We must act with the knowledge that time is extremely short. "Today is the day of salvation, now is the accepted time." When you go into the store, do you witness to someone? When was the last time you witness to a lost soul that you came in contact with? You are surrounded everyday with people who may die and go to hell if you do not get a sense of urgency and passion for their souls. Is it good to witness to the lost? Is it good for you to give your very best effort to reach a lost world? James 4:17, "...to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." No matter how holy we look or how faithful we are with out church attendance, if we are not reaching to win souls, we are in sin!

Does a hospital have a right to call itself a hospital if no one is getting well? Does a fire department have a right to call itself a fire department if it is not involved in putting out fires? Is a grocery store a grocery store if there is no food in it to buy? If you do not strive to reach the lost with everything in you, do you have the right to call yourself "The Church"? Do we really have the right to call ourselves "The Church"?

(Apostolic Iron Online periodical 2007)

Troyce D. Mack

Apostolic Revival Center - United Pentecostal Church

7 Berkeley Street

Manning, SC 29102

"God's Way is Adequate"

Oh how very important it is to have direction in life. You must know where you're going and the obstacles you must face while heading there. Imagine you deciding to take a trip across country. It sounds lively and enjoyable, but it can very quickly turn into a disaster. You must plan and put all the logistics in place before ever starting that task. Yes, there must be proper planning, implementation, and coordination of the details of this trip. The most important element that will cause all of the logistics to be successful is direction. You must know where you are going and how to get there. Direction is a purpose or orientation toward a goal that serves to guide or to motivate. It gets you focused on the operation at hand.

Everyone needs direction in life. Jeremiah 10:23, "O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." You should understand that you can not do this only. You should have at least one person that you trust and that you can confide in to help you and provide some direction through this journey of life. The amplified version of the verse in Jeremiah 10 puts it like this, "O LORD, I know that the determination of the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man, even in a strong man or in a man at his best to direct his own steps." Therefore, Psalm 37:23 saids, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way." So, not only is it good for you to have another person that will help you through the darkness of the travel but it is advantageous and appropriate to get direction from the Lord thy God. You won't ever have to worry about getting lost or erring following God's direction. The way of God is sufficient, dependable, flawless, perfect, safe, stable, trustworthy, adequate, complete, profitable, unblemished and worthwhiled. Follow after God, my friend, and you won't err.

Yes, in order to follow God's directions, you must deny yourself. You can't always do what flesh wants, especially when the counsel of God is telling you to do the opposite. Proverbs 14:12, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Often time, we allow our flesh to overrule, even over the direction of God and we become so desensitized to the voice of God in our lives. So many other stuff has a louder sound in our ears. We watch filthy tv shows and movies full of profanity and immorality. We listen to filthy music, and go to places on the internet that no child of God should be. As a result, we allow these things to lessen our sensitvity to the voice of God and we begin to slowly drift into error. Holiness is not just what you wear on the outside, but Holiness is within, it is a lifestyle. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Lord Bless,

Troyce Mack

ARC-United Pentecostal Church

7 Berkeley Street

Manning, SC 29102