MOVING FORWARD TO THE VISION

Who are you?  Why are you where you are? And what are you supposed to be doing there?  The sum of those answers expresses your purpose, your vision.

My church had to ask those questions and define its vision.  Along the way we discovered some deep truths about us, God’s Word, and the reason an ancient prophet had to write a vision statement of his own.

That story was told in the sermon for our Homecoming Day.  The message is called MOVING FORWARD TO THE VISION. 

Listen well.

If you can’t get the audio on your device, visit the main podcast page at http://revandersongraves.podomatic.com/

The podcast is on iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/anderson-graves-podcast/id918990482

---Anderson T. Graves II   is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Miles Chapel CME Church in Fairfield, Alabama;  executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO);  and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).

Subscribe to my personal blog  www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com .

Email atgravestwo2@aol.com

Friend me at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

You can help support this ministry with a donation to Miles Chapel CME Church.

You can help support Rev. Graves’ work by visiting his personal blog and clicking the DONATE button on the right-hand sidebar.

Support by check or money order may be mailed to 

Miles Chapel CME Church

P O Box 132

Fairfield, Al 35064

REVISIONS

When I was an English teacher, I made my students write multiple drafts of every paper.  Generally speaking, they hated revising and re-writing their work.  From time to time, one of them would turn in a rewrite that was identical to the original paper. 

I’d give it back saying, “Go over the corrections and suggestions I marked on your first draft and revise this.”

The student would say, “I hate revising.  Just gimme my F, Mr. Graves.”

That never worked.  I’d reteach the grammar and composition principles. I’d make them read their papers back to me.  I’d call their parents on my cell phone.  I’d literally stand over them until word-by-word, sentence-by-sentence they’d revised their paper according to the standards I was teaching.

They had to do the revisions.  It was the only way to make them better writers.

“How,” I would declaim, “will you ever get better at something if you don’t see what you’re doing wrong?  And what’s the point of seeing what you’re doing wrong if you don’t go back and do it better?”

Jesus promised His disciples that when He went away, the Holy Spirit would come.  In John 16: 7,12 Jesus referred to the Holy Ghost as “the Helper” and “the Spirit of Truth.”

The Holy Spirit would “help” because when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8).  In other words, the Holy Spirit helps us by showing us the truth about what we’ve done wrong, how we should do it right, and what consequence/grade we get if we don’t go back and do better.  He marks our lives like a paper and then teach us precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little … (Isaiah 28: 10) until we’ve rewritten/ repented and changed/ transformed our works according to the standards Jesus is teaching us. 

The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you (John 14: 26)

As a college freshman, I took an “honors college” English composition class.  The class was filled with students on academic scholarships.  When the professor returned our first college essays, one of my classmates looked stricken.  He went pale (and everybody in this class was Black).    Later on we found him in the dorm holding out his paper, pacing circles, and ranting like a character in a Shakespearean monologue.

“Look at it!” he cried.  “Look at my paper.  Look at all the reeeeed.  It’s like she stabbed it with a pen.  Like she stabbed me and there is my blood.   LOOK AT IT!”

(I am not making this up.)

We hate revising our works.  We don’t want to do all that repenting.   We don’t want to face the old and deep and wrong ways in which we express our lives.  When the Holy Spirit convicts us, it hurts.  It hurts like a pen stabbing into our hearts.  The Lord points out our sin and then demands that we LOOK AT IT.

We don’t wanna do that.  We’d rather fail.

But you have to do the revising.  You  have to do the repenting and changing.

Out of the Old Testment, the Lord commands us to be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. (Lev 11:44; Lev 11:45; Lev 19:2; Lev 20:7; Lev 20:26)

In the New Testament, Jesus instructs us, Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5: 48)

That is the standard.  So how will we ever get right if we don’t accept what God is telling us we are doing wrong?  And what’s the point of God telling us what we’ve done wrong if we don’t go on and do better?

Don’t sulk, and lament, and give up when the Holy Spirit marks out where your living needs to be revised. 

Accept it.  Fix it.  Rejoice that the Lord cares enough to help you get it right.

That college classmate of mine:  he rewrote that paper.  He made it through the blood.  He graduated before I did, with  two degrees.  One of them was a B.S. in English.

Do the revising.  It’s worth it.

---Anderson T. Graves II   is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church in Montgomery, Alabama.

Call  334-288-0577
Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
Friend me at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

To hear sermons, read devotions, and learn more about the ministry at Hall Memorial CME Church, visit www.hallmemorialcme@blogspotcom.

If you enjoy our work, please help support our work in the community. Send a donation of any amount by check or money order.
Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116

THE BEST BLOG I'VE WRITTEN----- THAT YOU'LL NEVER READ

A few nights ago while I was waiting for my students in the city jail, I wrote a draft for “The Word to the Wise” blog through the book of Proverbs.  It all just flowed out in a rush of scribbling in longhand. Now, I’m not bragging, but this piece was good.  Way better than what you’re reading now.  Eloquent, moving, inspiring. Re-reading the draft made me tear up a little. 

The next morning I started typing and cross-checking scriptures, and I realized something terrible.

My article was Biblically------wrong.  I had taken the scripture somewhere it wasn’t supposed to go.  To justify my points and conclusions I had taken some unjustifiable liberties with the Biblical text.  I had not encouraged sin or denied right doctrine.  But, what I had written was not what the Bible had said.

Now I must remind you that this draft was ------good.  One of the best I’ve ever composed.

I threw it away.

Preachers and theologians tend to be gifted in the use of words.  Therefore, we are accountable to the Giver of our gifts for how we use/ misuse the gifts He’s given.  

It’s easy to get caught in the flow of language and publish a beautiful and inspiring LIE about the gospel.   It’s so easy, and that’s why it happens so often.

Some of the “Christian” posters and quotes shared across the internet promote behavior that is so exactly the opposite of what the Bible says that I expect my screen to burst into flame.    Some of the “prophetic” declarations and decrees posted online must have been delivered by Martians because no angel would dare bring a message so contrary to God’s word. 

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.  (1 John 4:1)

That’s a message not only to the audience but to the speaker because even a true prophet can speak falsely when he/she gets caught up in the moment.   In the 7^th chapter of 2 Samuel, David gets the idea to build a temple to God.  He asks the prophet Nathan for his counsel.

Then Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.” (2 Samuel 7: 3)     

Nathan’s reply was sensible and godly-sounding.  But, Nathan’s reply was WRONG. 

That was not what God had said.

Nathan, a genuine, sincere, called, and anointed man of God had misrepresented God’s Word.   When he checked the Word later that night, God showed Nathan how he’d gone awry.  (2 Samuel 7: 4-16)

What is a prophet, preacher, theologian, writer, blogger, emailer, texter, tweeter, or random Christian copying and pasting online supposed to do when you see from the Word that the thing you’d said is not right with God’ Word?  What can you do when you already put it out there and you don’t wanna look stupid in front of your audience?

You can get over yourself, and you tell the truth.

Nathan marched back to King David’s palace and said, “Umm, David.  About that thing I said that God said about the thing you said you wanted to do for God------- Yeah, I was wrong.”

According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.  (2 Samuel 7: 17)

Sometimes you have to throw a line out of the sermon.  Sometimes you shouldn’t share that cute-sounding quote.  Sometimes you have to throw away a heartfelt composition. 

… let God be true but every man a liar. (Romans 3: 4)

All of us, especially those of us who are called to expound on God’s Word, have to be careful.    We must not let saying what SOUNDS GOOD must take priority over saying what IS RIGHT.

---Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577

Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order.

Mail all contributions to :

Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road

Montgomery, AL 36116

THE BEST BLOG I'VE WRITTEN----- THAT YOU'LL NEVER READ

A few nights ago while I was waiting for my students in the city jail, I wrote a draft for “The Word to the Wise” blog through the book of Proverbs.  It all just flowed out in a rush of scribbling in longhand. Now, I’m not bragging, but this piece was good.  Way better than what you’re reading now.  Eloquent, moving, inspiring. Re-reading the draft made me tear up a little. 

The next morning I started typing and cross-checking scriptures, and I realized something terrible.

My article was Biblically wrong. 

I had taken the scripture somewhere it wasn’t supposed to go.  To justify my points and conclusions I had taken some unjustifiable liberties with the Biblical text.  I didn't encourage sin or deny true doctrine;  but, what I wrote was not what the Bible had said.

Now I must remind you that this draft was gooooood.  One of the best I’ve ever written.

I threw it away.

Preachers and theologians tend to be gifted in the use of words.  So we are especially accountable to the Giver of our gifts for how we use or misuse our words.  

It’s easy to get caught in the flow of language and publish a beautiful and inspiring LIE about the gospel.   It’s so easy, and that’s why it happens so often.

Some of the “Christian” posters and quotes shared across the internet promote behaviors that is so exactly the opposite of what the Bible says that I expect my screen to burst into flame.    Some of the “prophetic” declarations and decrees posted online must have been delivered by Martians because no angel would dare bring a message so contrary to God’s word. 

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.  (1 John 4:1)

That’s a message not only to the audience but to the speakers because even a true prophet can speak falsely when he/she gets caught up in the moment.  

For example, in the 7^th chapter of 2 Samuel, David got the idea to build a temple to God.  He asked the prophet Nathan for his counsel.

Then Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.” (2 Samuel 7: 3)     

Nathan’s reply was sensible and it sounded godly.  But, Nathan’s reply was WRONG. 

That was not what God had said.

Nathan, a genuine, sincere, called, and anointed man of God had misrepresented God’s Word.   When he checked the Word later that night, God showed Nathan how he’d gone wrong.  (2 Samuel 7: 4-16)

What is a prophet, preacher, theologian, writer, blogger, emailer, texter, tweeter, or random Christian copying and pasting online supposed to do when you see from the Word that the thing you’ve said is not right with God’ Word?  What can you do when you've already put it out there and you don’t wanna look stupid in front of your audience?

You can get over yourself, and you tell the truth.

Nathan marched back to King David’s palace and said, “Umm, David.  About that thing I said that God said about the thing you said you wanted to do for God------- Yeah, I was wrong.”

According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.  (2 Samuel 7: 17)

Sometimes you have to throw a line out of the sermon.  Sometimes you have delete that cute quote.  Sometimes you need to throw away a heartfelt composition. 

… let God be true but every man a liar. (Romans 3: 4)

All of us, especially those of us who are called to expound on God’s Word, have to be careful.    We must never let saying what SOUNDS GOOD take priority over saying what IS RIGHT.

---Anderson T. Graves II   is a pastor, writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Call me at 334-288-0577
Email me at atgravestwo2@aol.com
Friend me at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

To hear sermons, read devotions, and learn more about the ministry at Hall Memorial CME Church, visit www.hallmemorialcme@blogspotcom.