There is a country song by Mark Wills entitled “19-something”, in which he talks about growing up in the 1970’s and 1980’s and all of the nostalgia that defined that era.  I was born in the mid 70’s, so I can’t really identify with a lot of what he’s saying as much as the “40 something” crowd would.  But when he gets to the verse about the 80’s, something in me clicks.  Memories flood through my mind.  He mentions that “a space shuttle fell out of the sky and the whole world cried”, referencing the Space Shuttle Challenger.  This week marked the 25^th anniversary of the Challenger tragedy, and just last night I was telling my son about where I was when it happened, ( this very thing reminding me of times my grandpa would tell me where he was when he heard about Pearl Harbor, Kennedy, etc…).  I had stayed home sick from school that day, and my grandma’s black and white TV was interrupted by breaking news about the shuttle disaster.  These sorts of things mark a young man, not as a detriment, or a building block, but simply marked… a point of reference that I will forever point to.  Mark Wills references Pac-Man, Star Wars, Elvis, baseball cards, bell bottoms, 8 track tapes, skating rinks, black Trans Ams, big hair and parachute pants, to name a few.  All of these things stir memories for anyone who can remember back that far.  Pastor Paul Mooney made a statement once that “the music that you will consider the greatest music is that which was popular when you were about 15 years old.”  I thought about this and was astonished to find how true I find this to be. They say smell triggers memory more than any other sense.  I would argue that music is a close second.  My extent of secular music listening extends only to smooth jazz and Bossa Nova, but I will hear songs occasionally from my teen years and think “they don’t make music like that anymore.”  I really feel this way, but I have to acknowledge that much of it is misplaced nostalgia.  I wouldn’t want to go back, but those years were an incredible time in my life.  It’s easy for me to say the world was a better place then because I had little responsibility or forethought of life, you spend those years living in the moment.  I often wonder if this is the reason why those who are seasoned in years look back fondly at the 40’s and 50’s with yearning to go back.  The golden era, they say looking back at an Ozzie and Harriet, Leave it to Beaver generation. I wonder if they yearn for those days not because Andy Griffeth was sheriff, but because it reminds them of a life much simpler as a kid, as a teenager, as a young adult.  A time of their first car, their first kiss, their first fill in the blank.   I will be the first to admit that there is certainly an enormous appeal to that era.  I myself am almost infatuated with the history of the post war generation.  1945-1965 had to have been a great time to live in.  Or was it?  It certainly was if you were white.  I seriously doubt very many blacks or other minorities look back to the 50’s and think “I wish I could have lived back then.”  The 1940’s were one of the darkest decades in the world’s history.  Yes, I am drawn to the Kennedy era cool, the fashion, the style, the naïve optimism. But I also know that the chaos of the late 60’s, the rebellion, the rape of traditional values, did not occur overnight.  While Ozzie and Harriet were living happily ever after, the seeds of our destruction were being sown.  They came to fruition in the late 60’s, the growth fueled by an unpopular and very political war.  Fortunately for America, the nonsense of this movement was paralyzed by the fact that a lack of drive was the nature of the beast for the average hippie.  Within a few short years the thrust of the movement had died.  It was a failed social experiment, one that future generations should study with trepidation.

The fact is that the world as we knew it is much, much different.  I’m not saying it’s all negative.  From a glass half full perspective, I see good in the world that did not exist as a whole a few short years ago.  We live in one of the few nations on this planet that gives absolute opportunity for anyone to be anything they desire to be, provided they are willing to pay the price.  I firmly believe that ANYONE with a desire to be a millionaire could do so.  There are much loftier goals in life to aspire than to make money however, and all of those goals are possible, if you are willing to pay the price.  We are a free people… free to worship as we choose, free to express ourselves, free to live anyway we choose.  With this freedom comes a great deal of inefficiency and laziness, but out of it also arises greatness.

Technology has dramatically changed the world as we know it.  We by default think of computers and the internet, but other things have greatly improved because of technology.  The average Ford or Chevy has more luxury that a Lincoln or BMW had just a few years ago.  Technology has shrunk the world, it has leveled the playing field, the earth truly is flat.  Yes, you too can have Grey Poupon.  Mom & Pop retailers can compete head to head with a big box store, and the lone dissenting voice can have the same platform as the masses.  The internet has become the great equalizer.  I highly recommend the Jeff Jarvis book “What Would Google Do.”  It will open your eyes as it has mine to the revolution that is the internet.  In many, many ways this connectivity has created choices, options, and variety.  We have only begun to scratch the surface on what this connected lifestyle will do to and for society.  For the first time in modern history, such economic principles as ‘supply and demand’ are being called into question by a whole new set of marketing rules that for the first time are being made possible because of this linked up world.  Of course these principles will always have their place, but companies are making fortunes not only ignoring them but hedging their bets against these concepts.  It’s a mad mad world, and only those who are on the leading edge of the curve are qualified to profit in it.

On the other hand, technology certainly has its limits.  I am a huge critic of Facebook and social networking.  Not so much that I have a problem with it as much as I don’t “get it” on the same scale that the rest of the world does.  I have a theory that Facebook thrives off of two base principles of humanity.  One, that people are narcissistic, that is they LOVE to talk about themselves. And two, that people that voyeurs, they love peeking inside the lives of other people.  It is this 2^nd concept that explains the addiction to it, people are nosey.  They are voyeurs, peering unnoticed into the lives of those closest to them.  I know this because like you I do it also.  I have no desire to have a page of my own, to post my latest farmers market find, but I do enjoy looking through the peephole to see a glimpse of those who I already connect with on a regular basis.  The thought however occurs to me that all I see through that peephole is what that person wants to show… nothing is truly discovered.  Facebook allows people to project an image of themselves that may or may not be true.  I am highly entertained by all of the people who are constantly spouting Scripture or some wise axiom or motivational quote when in reality I have never seen this person be so positive in person.  The social network isn’t evil, it isn’t wrong, it is simply one dimensional.  My greatest issue with all of this is that it is a substitute.  People are substituting screen and keyboard and widgets in place of viable, warm, human relationships.  I decided sometime ago that in the big picture of life I would pursue three things.  First, relationships.  A relationship with Christ first, then with family, then with a lost and dying world.  Second, I would pursue beauty.  Whether it be art or music or nature, I would look for beauty in this dark world.  And third, (the one that has never defined me), I would pursue adventure.  A spontaneous road trip, a road less traveled, a new experience, or a new way of doing things..  None of these things can be accomplished through technology.  Does it have it place? Absolutely. Can it solve our fundamental challenges in life?  Never. The World As We Knew It is dead.  Somewhere in our lifetime we crossed a threshold, a point of no return.  The knowledge of man has changed our society, our world, our lives.  There’s no going back, so embrace the positive, repel the negative, and through God’s grace live a fulfilling life through authentic relationships, beauty, and adventure.

(In a future post I will address technology and its role, potential, and limitations in the church today. )

Principles of Apostolic Revival Part 1:

If the Apostolic church were asked to sum up our doctrinal beliefs in one statement, we most likely would point to Acts 2:38 as the summation of the new birth message of salvation.  Of course it is not the only verse in the Bible dealing with salvation, and we must be careful not to make the same mistake others have made by basing their entire salvation experience on one verse of Scripture.  It is vital that we declare the “whole counsel of God.” The mercy and grace of God and the majesty of Calvary, along with justification by faith all play roles in our redemption.  Many years ago someone wrote to Bro. J.T. Pugh a letter from the mission field.  In this letter they made this statement… “Upon a life I did not live, and upon a death that I did not die, I rest my whole eternity.”  This may very well be my favorite quotation of all time.  The fact that I am banking my eternal salvation upon the life that Jesus lived and the death that he died, and not my own righteousness, is a powerful revelation.

All of this being said, somewhere we must mature as Christians beyond the point of just being happy to have missed Hell.  We must have loftier goals in our walk with God than to just “make the rapture.” If we are going to be the church God intended us to be, there MUST be a drive inside of the core of the church, but especially the ministry, to have Biblical Apostolic revival.  Revival that is more than a set of church services, more than emotions produced by the right songs, but something that produces lasting change in the lives of men and women.  Revival that causes sinners to cry out for forgiveness also causes lukewarm saints to fan the dying embers in their soul.  I have zero interest in just “holding the fort” til Jesus comes.  There are two prophecies concerning the end time church.  One says that there will be a great falling away and typifies the last day church as Laodecia, the lukewarm, half-hearted, spiritually blind people of God.  But there is a second prophecy that says in the last day God will pour out His spirit upon all flesh.  While some are walking out the back door, God is sending hungry people our way.  We are  experiencing it in the greatest measure that I have witnessed in my lifetime in our local church.  God is going to have a CHURCH, with me or without me.  We get to choose, we get to decide… which group we will be a part of.  If I felt that I must simply “hold on” until the rapture, I would resign my ministry, sell my books, and ride a pew to Heaven.  Thank God that’s not the case… we can and will have Apostolic Revival from now until Jesus comes.  Yes there will be seasons of revival and seasons of drought, but overall we can have a climate of Holy Ghost Revival.  In the coming weeks I will be focusing on the Biblical Principles that will when practiced promote revival and help disciple saints into Christian maturity.

Signs of the Times Week 1
Signs of the Times Week 2
Signs of the Times Week 3
Signs of the Times Week 4

I was very shocked and saddened this afternoon to receive the email that was sent out to thousands around the world, informing us that Bro. JT Pugh passed away today. Bro. Pugh’s preaching and ministry has been as influential to me as any man outside of the two men who have been my Pastor.  When I was 21 years old I listened to a tape of him preaching at a Because of the Times several years ago.  His message was on “Being a Four Square Man.”  It impacted me deeply and I listened to it several times over the years.  Then I read his book “The Flesh of God” and had a radical transformation in my thinking about what the purpose of the Church is supposed to be.  Much of my mindset and thinking about the Kingdom of God today can be attributed to his writings.

Bro. Pugh embodied to me what it meant to be a MAN of God. He said when he was young he read about a certain man being a Southern Gentlemen, and decided from that day that is exactly what he would be.

We were privileged to have Bro. Pugh speak at our Men’s Conference a few years ago.  I don’t remember his exact title, but he closed his message out by having all men go up to each other and shake hands, looking them in the eye and saying “I want to see you in heaven.”  It wasn’t light hearted or trite, there was such a soberness in the Sanctuary that day.  I will never forget, and could take you to the exact spot in the old church where it took place, when Bro. Pugh grabbed my hand, gripped it strong, looked me in the eye, and said in the tone that only he could, “I want to see you in Heaven.” I am not exaggerating in saying that it was life changing.  The trivial and the shallow suddenly paled in comparison to what really matters.  A young man in his 20’s grew up a little that day, I sobered up and thought differently.  This my friend, is the power that a man of God should have when he is dealing with people.  We should have the innate ability through the anointing to change the lives of men and women through our ministry to them.  This man certainly had that anointing.

The most impact that he had on me however was in June 2008.  He came to DuQuoin to preach a Friday evening sectional rally.  After service was dismissed, I was standing close to him on the platform.  I had my camera with me, and asked him if he would allow me to have my picture taken with him.  Now I realize there are guys who do this all the time, but I am not that guy. I was very uncomfortable asking him this, but decided to do so knowing I would regret not doing it.  He happily obliged.  I am not personally one to want a lot of pictures on the walls of my office, but behind my desk chair of my office hangs the only picture on my walls, of JT Pugh and myself.  That however was not the life changing part of the story.  The next morning Pastor Dan McKinnies and I took Bro. Pugh back to the St. Louis airport.  It was an experience.  I sat in the car and at lunch at Red Lobster and soaked in everything he had to say.  I came home that evening and wrote down everything I could remember him telling us so that I would have it forever.  I would not trade an all expense paid trip to any conference for those four hours that day.

Bro. Paul Mooney made a statement about Bro. Pugh in a small group setting of missionaries a few years ago in Europe.  My quote is not verbatim, but he said “Bro. Pugh is a man who in his 80’s is always thinking new thoughts.”  Some men have the gift of being able to see around the corner.  He was always 20 years ahead of his time in his concepts and vision, seeing things that not very many others could envision.  One of the greatest examples of this is the message he preached at Because of the Times 1983.  This message is a must see for every minister.  He dealt with issues that I doubt many were talking about in 1983.  It is available on DVD through Whitesteeple Bookstore in Alexandria.

Today we lost a man of God, a void created in an already empty world.  It should also be a clear call and cry to every single young minister to strive to be everything that God wants us to be.  JT Pugh is not the only one, every day we lose men and ministers who may not have the name recognition of a JT Pugh, but were every bit the equal in terms of character and dignity.  Let us as ministers and saints of God realize what matters most, and refocus our lives upon making a difference to a lost and dying world.

God Bless,
JR Emery

]]> http://jremery.wordpress.com/2010/03/23/remember-jt-pugh/feed/ 2 J.R.Emery JT Pugh Memorial Graphic JT Pugh http://jremery.wordpress.com/2009/12/22/terry-shock/ http://jremery.wordpress.com/2009/12/22/terry-shock/#comments Wed, 23 Dec 2009 02:12:32 +0000 JREmery http://jremery.wordpress.com/?p=206 ]]> Terry Shock has become a powerful voice in Pentecost. I have spoken with a couple of people who have worked with him closely and the things that stand out to both of them have been his character and integrity. He has a real grasp on what the mission and purpose of the church is. Every minister should order the message he preached at BOTT 2009 at whitesteeple.com
Here is a excellent excerpt from Bro. Shock.

Listen here:   I Saw the Dead – J.T. Pugh

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Listen Here:  Your First Night In Hell -J.T. Pugh

God Bless,

JR Emery

2009 proved to be a very historic and prophetic year for our world.  I think the Christian who is in tune with the Spirit of God will agree that ever since 9/11 things haven’t been the same.  It’s not even something I can necessarily put my finger on, but in my spirit I know that a page was turned in prophecy after that dreadful day.  This year has just added to that feeling.  Basic, fundamental beliefs that have been considered sacred are being challenged both in the secular world and the Church.  The White House is occupied by not just a man, but an entire administration who is far past just being “liberal”.  I am not one who believes everything I read and hear, I try very hard to separate political rhetoric from the cold hard truth.  However, it seems that the agenda of this administration is to reshape our nation as we know it.  Our first and second amendment rights are being threatened like never before.  In the Apostolic Church world, 2009 has brought upon a brazen attack upon fundamental doctrine that I have always considered untouchable.  If you haven’t yet visited the site, I encourage you to visit wedeclare.org.  I do not understand the thought process that comes with wanting to bypass fundamental truths that have proven themselves over several generations.  I personally believe that doctrines such as the New Birth are a necessity for Salvation, but even if they weren’t, why would you want to exclude such a powerful experience that God has provided for us.  The Word of God is settled.  Period. It will NEVER change.  We will either accept it and be saved or twist it to our perspective and be lost.  God help us to approach His Word with the attitude “not my will but Thine be done.”

With all of this said, I am not in the least bit discouraged.  I have no idea what 2010 holds for our nation or our Church.  I try to stay balanced somewhere between reality and optimism, and so I believe when push comes to shove there is only so much ignorance the silent majority will put up with.  I’d like to think our nation is going to come out of this.  She is going to prosper.  But I can’t be sure, I can’t guarantee it.  We need to pray for America like never before.

However, I can say with absolute certainty  that the Church is going to be triumphant.  There will be a strong and glorious, Apostolic Holy Ghost Revival Church in these last days.  I want to make sure I am part of it.  Let Him separate the wheat from the tares, and believe me He knows how and when to sift.  Let us pray for a book of Acts church… that preaches the Word of God.  A church where the Word becomes alive in every saints heart.  A church where signs and wonders confirm His Word.  A church where the fear of God is mixed with the joy of the Holy Ghost.  Let the Gifts of the Spirit operate.  Let Apostolic Procedure be the order of the day.  I am SO TIRED of tradition. I am more hungry for a move of God than I have ever been in my life.   Let the Spirit of God dominate our services… let the anointing flow unbridled.  Can it happen? Yes.  Will it happen?  That is up to you and I.

God Bless,

JR Emery