Good Morning!  Are you ready for the work week, or did you already complain in your heart (or out loud) that it is time to go back to work?

Thus far, in the first selection on murmuring, we have discussed how the Spirit leads us in dealing with complaining and its negative influences on our lives. Through faith we can use the positive plan, God promised us, to deal with dissention among our fellow brothers.  We also looked at how God intends us to lead others who engage in murmuring. The second selection showed us that we need consultation and leading from God to overcome Satan and his strategies.  The Lord leads us to what we shall and shall not do, according to His will.  In this third and final selection, we will complete the remaining Spirit-led requirements, leaving us with a better understanding of what He would have us do when encountered with murmuring, whether it is from others or within ourselves.

Let us begin with the fourth requirement from God; “Thou shall not focus on the murmurers.” As we continue to look at the Israelites in the wilderness, God states in Exodus 16:6, “…You shall know that the Lord hath brought you out from the land of Egypt.” Here, Moses and Aaron could have scorned against the Jews, however they would have been taking on the Israelites’ negative characteristics.  Leaders often become prey to the very issues that irritate them.  They start complaining about the complainers.  Moses never complained about the Jews, despite their continued grumbling.  Often times, we complain and lose out on the blessings, contentment, and peace, which God intends for us.

Next, we are instructed that, “Thou shall talk truth to the murmurers.” In Exodus 16:7-8, the scripture states, “…then you shall see the glory of the Lord.” This was a positive statement about the future.  Sometimes there is pressure to compromise the truth, due to the consequences, but we’ll never be good leaders if we fail to tell complainers the truth.  Instruction six says, “Thou shall not bear the murmurers alone.” Exodus 16:9 states, “…Come near before the Lord.” Moses used Aaron to speak to the congregation.  They were not only brothers, but a team.  Aaron challenged the Jews to come near before the Lord, “…for He hath heard your murmurings.” If we are dissatisfied, hungry, or hurt, we are to come near before the Lord.  This is where you can get real, lasting help.

We also see that, “Thou shall not point people to yourself.”  In Exodus 16:10, the Bible says, “…They looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.”  Moses told Aaron, “We are not their saviors.”  The ego drives people to look to others; however the Spirit always directs people to look towards the Lord and not draw the focus on themselves.  You’ll never be able to live up to the performance standard of God.

Finally, we see, “Thou shall persevere until death.” Dealing with those who complain, whether it is in ministry, family, or business, ranks high on the list of why leaders quit.  For instance, statements are uttered like, “I’ve had it; I’m not putting up with this anymore!” This was not an option for Moses.  Our success is not based on how many people we change from being negative, to being content.  If you take that as the standard, even Moses was a flop.  A leader is not here for the followers, but for Him.

In conclusion, throughout these selections on murmuring, we’ve seen how faith must be used to combat murmuring, both among others and within ourselves and how good leadership is a reliance on God.  Our success is measured by our willingness to remain faithful to the call of God, with a good spirit, regardless of the situation.  Every leader will be criticized.  God called us here to persevere.  It’s inevitable that people will perpetually murmur.  Get over it and move on. Love God, serve the Lord, persevere, and enjoy a wonderful week!

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As the old song says, “We’ll understand it better by and by.” Sometimes God wants us to use blind faith in times of desperation, despite our lack of understanding in the ways and means of His solution.  We’ve seen in this series on leadership how God requires that we make certain assumptions, take certain actions, and as we’ll see below, in the conclusion of this series, understand certain analogies, when leading those in their time of need.

Let us look at the analogies which must be understood when leading those who have a basic need that is unmet.  One effective strategy is to look for the analogies of the Old Testament.  These are the “meatier” portions of the Word.  Ask yourself, “What is He really trying to teach?” The first of the analogies is that water was a need.  In John 4, Jesus sat at a well and told a Samaritan, “I can give you water that will take your thirst away.  I am the Living Water.” Jesus was the fulfillment of the analogy that took place in Exodus 17.  God always does more than simply what we see on the surface.  Here, we see that the big picture.  The Israelites needed to observe that the Water of Life came from the smitten Rock, which symbolized the Son of God.  The Bible declares very candidly, in 1 Corinthians 10:4, that the Rock which Moses struck was, “The Rock of Christ!” When the rock was struck, this was a prophetical smiting of the Son of God.  He was smitten for our sins that the Water of Life might come out, and all who would drink by faith may live forever.  It’s teaching Biblical salvation through Christ.

Now, there is also the analogy of the rod of Moses.  This rod was useful in balancing his walk. Moses had forty years of balancing his walk by traveling over the rocks and rugged terrain with his sheep.  It kept him from breaking his neck, as well as, defending and rescuing his sheep when they were in trouble.  God then used him in a supernatural way.  God needs to do a work personally in us before He can do anything through us.  Learn to be stabilized by the Lord.  Walk with Him.  Consistently depend on Him and His power. The rod was a symbol similar to the scepter in the hand of pharaoh.  It was key in dividing the Red Sea, bringing the plagues, and in bringing forth water from the rock.  Be reminded, Moses didn’t simply pick up the rod at a “nickel and dime” store, he honed it over forty years of applying Godly principles to his own life.  It was then that God used the rod in an awesome way.

Moses understood that God was the reason for stability in his walk, self-preservation, and security in life. It all depended on the power of God represented by this walking stick.  These verses in Exodus 17, indicate to us that we should not think God is wrong when He says, “I’ve not seen the righteous forsaken nor His seed begging bread.” There are other aspects to consider.  If you are where God wants you to be, you may have needs which are unmet.  You may need a miracle.  He’s the One Who can give you that miracle!  You don’t have to manipulate Him.  He can bring you the miracle in His time.  You may get thirsty and complain. However, be careful not to criticize others.  You can take your burden to God and cry out to Him.  See what He can do.   He can do much through your need!

Have a wonderful day IN the Lord!
Dr. Paul A. Kingsbury

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Psalm 96: 1-13
“O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness…” This exhortation in verse nine is familiar to most believers. Sadly, it is not always practiced. As we study this Psalm, it would be well to ask ourselves if we are worshiping the Lord in the beauty of holiness, in our hearts, in our homes, and in our churches.

It is a very sad fact to contemplate, but most Christians are well aware that much of what goes on in the name of worshiping the Lord today is not in the beauty of holiness, but in the ugliness of unholiness. It is easy to blame someone else for this sad situation, but what fills your heart and mind when you gather with fellow believers to worship the Lord?

Many churches are being torn apart today because so many people come to church just to criticize the preacher or to find fault with others in the church. Even for one hour many believers seem unable to bring their own lives fully into subjection to the Lord and His Word so that a worship service can be truly in the beauty of holiness – in an attitude of reverence – and with a spirit of forgiveness and understanding in connection with the needs and problems of others.

How will we be able to proclaim the true gospel message to the heathen, and remind him of his righteous judgment (v. 10) if we are not worshiping Him in the beauty of holiness ourselves? Note also verse 13 where God says that He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with His truth. Those who would sacrifice truth on the altar of expediency are denying God’s righteous judgment, and ignoring His will.

Only those who worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness can be faithful witnesses for Jesus Christ. Only those who worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness can sing unto the Lord a new song (v. 1). If we would give the Lord the glory due His name, and bring an offering that would please Him, then we must not follow those in our day who are willing to tolerate error. We cannot give the excuse that unholiness in the church and in the proclamation of the Gospel are justified in an attempt to fulfill the Great Commission.

It is difficult to obey the word of the Lord when the majority of the Christians are disobeying it. But let us not forget that the results of disobedience are always disastrous. Let us desire to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!

Dr. George Crabb D.O.

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See that ye refuse not him that speaketh.  For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: (Hebrews 12:25)

I heard about a little boy who was not getting good grades in school because he had not been paying attention to his teacher.  One day, his teacher sent a note home for his parents about his conduct and his grades.  The next day, he came up to the teacher and said, “I don’t want to scare you, but my dad told me last night that if I don’t start getting better grades somebody’s going to get a spanking!”  That kid needs a dunce cap.  The teacher is not the problem.  Bad things happen when we do not pay attention.  I do not know how many times someone has sat in my office who was desperately seeking help, and I heard them say, “I wish I had listened.”  This concept of listening is not just hearing; the idea is listening with the full intention of heeding what is said.  God will speak to you through four distinct ways.  Today, we will discuss the first one:

God speaks to us through Jesus’ blood.  The alternative to listening is refusing to hear.  That is what the children of Israel did at Mount Sinai.  They asked for God to speak to Moses because they did not want to hear His voice.  The warning here is very stern.  If we refuse to heed God when He speaks to our hearts, as he calls us and challenges us to this matter of growth and maturity and perfection, then we are treading on very dangerous ground.

You and I must not refuse the One who shed His blood on Calvary’s cross for our sins.  Today, when Jesus speaks to you, He speaks with nail prints in His hands and feet.  He speaks with the marks from the crown of thorns in His brow.  He speaks with the wound in His side.  I can imagine Him saying, “Why would you refuse Me?  After all I have done for you, why would you turn your back on Me?  Why would you quit My will?  Why would you quit My work?  Why would you quit My way?  Why would you go into the world after all I have done for you?  My blood was shed for you!  Can you not then live for Me?”

When we refuse to listen to the voice of our Saviour, we are refusing the Saviour who shed His precious blood for our sins.  I have known some people who said they were Christians, but they appeared to be content with simply having a fire insurance policy against going to Hell.   They do not read the Bible or go out soul winning or spend time serving God.  They are having a good time in the world and living it up, but I want to tell you that there is a judgment day coming.  Such people may be backslidden believers, or they may not be saved at all.  Jesus issued a solemn warning to us in the Sermon on the Mount regarding people who think they are saved but do not truly have a personal relationship with Him.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:21-23)

There are so many blessings that come along with our salvation as we serve the Lord.  We experience spiritual growth and development, a personal walk with God, answers to prayer, the opportunity to see our lives used, and the joy of being a blessing to others.  All of those blessings are forfeited when we walk away, because we refuse to listen to the Teacher who speaks to us through His blood.

Next week, we will continue on this topic of “God is speaking…are you listening?”  We will discuss the second of four distinct ways God will speak to you.  Listen…do you hear Him today?

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Good Monday Morning!  Let’s continue to look over this subject of mercy.  What exactly brings a person to realize their need to seek God’s mercy?  Last week, we discussed the motivation of the healthy fear of God; and the motivation of the Word of God.  What else can motivate us to seek God’s mercy?

Christians who seek God’s mercy are conscious of the presence of God.  Hebrews 4:13 says, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” There is no clothing that can cover your nakedness from the Lord. He sees you the way you really are.  A Christian who is motivated and moved to come to God’s throne and say, “God, I need mercy” is inevitably a believer who has been confronted by the omnipresence of God. Do we personally understand that God is everywhere?  He is “personally” everywhere so much that he lives inside the believer.  That is what makes us a holy Temple unto the Lord; God living inside of us. When we lose consciousness of that, that He’s watching us (He knows us intimately), we lose sight of how much we need mercy. But, when I know He is looking at me and sees me just as I really am, it motivates me to go to His throne of grace and ask for His mercy because I know that what He sees is not always good.

Christians who seek God’s mercy are conscious that they need mercy first before they can extend mercy to others.  Hebrews 4:14 says, “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God.” When we offer mercy to people who do not deserve it, there is a tendency for us to start feeling sorry for ourselves. There’s a tendency to get disgusted with them and say, “You know what, I’m just tired of this. I’ve given you mercy and given you mercy, and I’m tired. I don’t have any more to give.” You cannot buy mercy at Wal-Mart or the grocery store. The only place to get it is from God. When you go to God because you need mercy to give to other people, it reminds you of the fact that you really need mercy for you. When you run out of mercy for others, it is because you have lost sight of your need for mercy from God.

Finally, the person who seeks God’s mercy is conscious of the fact that without it they will “lose their grip.” Hebrews 4:14 says, “let us hold fast our profession.” The idea behind this is that of our losing grip on the rope that is keeping us moored from drifting away.  You can drift just imperceptibly. You do not notice it; it happens slowly. That is the analogy that is used here; that we can lose our grip on that which moors us.  Your profession is the testimony of your Christian life.  Our covenant we have made with God was when we confessed that we belong to Him.  Now, we are conscious of the fact that we are losing our grip on that testimony.  This motivates us to turn to the Lord Jesus and to seek His help.

Turn to God, my friend! Do you seek God’s mercy today?  It is available, my friend, for his mercies “are new every morning.” Next week, we will discover how to “obtain” this mercy from God.  May we all seek God’s mercy!

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This past week I asked our International Director, Bro. Burks, to put together a list to help struggling chapters retain visitors in tough times. The list he provided is based on phone calls that he and his staff have fielded; discussions with successful directors; and several years of his own personal experience as an RU Director in Virginia.  The main focus of this week’s report is how to turn visitors into students. I trust that you will consider implementing these proven strategies in developing your God-given, extremely sensitive and important visitors into active, participating students.  It is the first step to achieving any hope of turning the addicted to the God’s support group—the local church!

Issue 1: The Friday Night Atmosphere!

The official itinerary is integral to creating an atmosphere that portrays a consistent message to every visitor. That message MUST contain the following key ingredients:

1. “No matter your struggles, we are an addiction program that can help you or your loved one.” This message usually takes place twice. Once in a profound statement of sorts in the tri-talk introduction and more importantly, and with definition, in the weekly New Beginnings class.
2. The New Beginnings group leader (who should be a type A, sold-out, RU promoter) should explain the success rate of local chapters of Reformers Unanimous all across America. Some chapters may be very small in attendance compared to others. Credibility will be established if you give them a glimpse of the success rate. Jay Griffin, a Director in Milford, Ohio tells me, “of the students that completed the Stronghold book in their chapter, they had a 93% success rate.” You can safely say there are over 20,000 people any given week attending an addiction program that use the RU materials.  Our RU program graduates simply succeed and that needs to be “hammered home.”  If not, doubt sets in to the validity of a church and Bible-based program in the minds of new students.
3. They should also reiterate this again when they make their mandatory visit on their visitors that week.  Yes! Mandatory visits are expected.  If you sense your New Beginnings class teacher is ineffective, you should replace him quickly. But until you can, the Director should make those visits instead to ensure the student can speak up about any mis-perceptions.

1. An environment of transparency is needed during the first and second talks for this program to be effective. If a student comes to a chapter and the church members are perceived as perfect people without problems, it will be an immediate turn-off to potential students. I cannot stress the importance of everyone on our leadership teams viewing ourselves as student’s first, servants second, and teachers third. By our own participation in all aspects of the program and curriculum, it will create an example for students to follow.

Issue 2: We must remember that Reformers Unanimous is a milk ministry, and avoid serving strong meat.

1. It is necessary to remember that Reformers Unanimous deals with heart issues and not issues of outward conformity. We should avoid discussing hot-topic issues that would be considered strong meat and stick to the modus operandi that we are here to turn their hearts toward the Lord. Standards, for the most part are for the leadership staff to know and follow but not teach as part of RU training.  Of course, some exceptions may apply; but if so, we encourage individual coaching over entire class teaching. When faced with a student who is newer and inquisitive of such things as listed in number one above, a leader should use phrases such as, “That’s a good question, see me after class and we’ll talk about that, but right now let’s stay focused on issues we faced this week in our recovery.” Or perhaps even the phrase, “That’s a great question, let me give you some verses after class to look into that,” in order to turn the conversation in a right direction.
2. Directors should avoid attacking Christian or political figures or denominations and their leaders on Friday night. This will only tear down any influence that you may have in their life, especially those who are new.  Warning the flock is the responsibility of the Pastor, not the RU leaders.
3. It is good for the Director to occasionally remind the students that as their attendance increases, so does the chance that they will hear truths which may take as offensive. Encourage them to allow God to use inside persuasion of His Spirit and the outside pressure of the Word and authority to guide them in right truth.

Issue 3: Reactivate the 2-3-4 Plan and ensure that it is happening every single week.

1. Again, I repeat that every first-time visitor should get a visit by the director or the New Beginnings class leader before the next Friday night. I can remember those early days inviting students, from Friday night, on Saturday afternoon to come on Sunday morning to the second class and taking them to lunch with me on my dime to encourage them to return the next Friday. I had more students join our church as a result of this than any other.
2. One big mistake is the transition between the Beginner’s class and the challenge groups. It should be understood that every person that walks through the door is in the New Beginnings, or Beginners, class and are an active part of the 2-3-4 Plan. I have heard of 2 options to make sure this happens. The first is that the burden is on the Beginner’s Class leadership and Director to make sure the 2-3-4 Plan is implemented on every visitor until they get in a group. The second option is to assign every first time visitor on their second wee, to a group, whether they return or not. The leader will actively pursue them for their class. It is often true that a student doesn’t care what we know until they know that we care.  A visit shows you care.
3. Use the RU official FastTrack software to track the 2-3-4 Plan properly and hold each leader accountable to the calls, postcards, and visits every single week. If a student misses several weeks in a row, and receives no contact from the leadership, the enemy will plant seeds of doubt that we don’t care and are not concerned about their recovery. Please be sure to communicate quarterly to inactive students.

Issue 4: Encourage curriculum participation for every student.

1. 1. The best way to encourage students to do challenges is for the leadership to have completed challenges.
   2. If a student seems to be resistant in doing challenges, it is time for that leader to meet with them privately and find out the root cause. If they have memory problems or get stuck on particular challenges, then creatively find a way to shorten or go around those challenges to keep a student motivated and participating.
   3. Have a dynamic award ceremony. If the award ceremony is not exciting it may come across as something childish for a brand new student. This is a time we praise our students for doing what is right. It can be extremely profitable and a motivational technique in keeping visitors who never get good news.  Have all students come up front to get their awards and have them stay until awards are completed and a final applause is given.  Encourage participation to those still seated who may not be progressing but sensing conviction as a result.  Be careful not to condemn.
   4. If you cannot have an exciting awards ceremony every week, postpone it some weeks or have it faithfully every two weeks.

Issue 5: During the third talk, the director’s message from the Nevertheless I Live Textbook should be relevant to the struggles people face while in their addiction.

A recent phone call into my office by a student who attended an RU broke my heart.  I began to feel his pain for help but having not received it at a local chapter in which he had placed his initial hope by attendance. At this particular chapter, the director has chosen to preach sermons lasting sixty minutes while pupils fall asleep (these were his words). When I suggested he purchase our Nevertheless I Live syllabus for his own learning, his words were, “If the director of my chapter would have used this text book and taught it from his heart I know I would have gotten the help I need.” Directors, I would rather you have a 25 minute message from the RU Textbook and share 5 minutes of your heart to help the addicted every week than have you present profound truths that challenge your most matured students but lose your beginners. With the RU Friday night class being live streamed in Rockford and available for download later, there should be no excuse for each of you men to fine-tune your teaching and preaching skills by listening to the Founder and President every week in Rockford.  Brother Curington has now taught through the textbook 9 times in 14 years.  He is currently on a pace that will take him two years to go through it once.  It’s getting more relevant each year, not less.  That’s God…not the outline or the teacher.

Other Suggestions:

1.) Read something from the Founder of RU every day.  Have you experienced the blessing of Today I Lay, Umbrella Fella or his newest book on Peace?  They are relevant for YOU to be relevant to them.

2.) Read or listen on MP3 to the whole chapter that you’re teaching every Friday night that you are teaching it.  If a chapter takes three weeks, read that chapter three times (once weekly).  Then prepare days before you preach that chapter portion.   Use second talk in order to distribute and collect 2-3-4 plans and to encourage students.  A five minute refresher before you preach would be helpful at that time too.

3.) Ask God to give you wisdom on how to effectively present the Hidden Life message to your people.

4.) Always give an invitation for salvation and spiritual development.

Many chapters are successfully getting visitors weekly through the “Battle is ON” outreach, along with other techniques they have found successful. If you struggle to get visitors, please, call our office today! (815-986-0460) If your struggle is to keep them, then heed these listed checkpoints.

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Are you discontented with an empty, meaningless, pointless life where everything just focuses on you and your own pleasures? Have you found out that what you have is not satisfying; so you get another goal; and then, when you reach it, you find out it’s not satisfying either?  You are not alone.

Over and over in Scripture, we see people desperately crying out to God for mercy.  Whether it was the sick, the crippled, or the demon-possessed, these people came to Jesus seeking His mercy for their problems.  What is it that brings a person to a position where they are conscious of their need for mercy from God?  Hebrews 4:1, “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.” These people who are conscious of their need for God’s mercy are motivated to come boldly to God for mercy because of fear.  I understand that Jesus said, “Fear not” oftentimes to his disciples.  There are some things we should not fear; but at the same time, there is a healthy fear that every Christian ought to have. I want my life to count for Jesus Christ.  I want to know that I made a positive difference in this world.   I want my wife and our children to know that I was a man of God, and I had an influence in their life.   I want to be a faithful pastor.  However, I live with fear of falling short of that goal.  I do not want to do anything, be anything, or go anywhere that will ruin the potential that I have for Jesus Christ in this life. So, I am motivated by that fear. People who are conscious of their need for God’s mercy are motivated by fear.

People who seek God’s mercy are also motivated by the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The Bible is alive, and it beats with the heartbeat of Jesus Christ.  It is far more than just pieces of paper in a bound book; it is the living Word of God. That means it is current for every generation. If the Bible is doing what it should in your life, it will be like a two-edged sword.  Swords are very motivating. If I said, “Move out of the way,” you might say, “Why should I?” But, if I had a sharp two-edged sword, and I poked you with it, you would move out of the way without any argument.

It is tragic, but many people have a relationship with the Bible that does not move them. As a result, they are not very conscious of their need for God and His mercy in their lives. When God’s Word starts piercing and dividing asunder your soul and spirit, you are going to be motivated to go to God for help.  When it begins to cut you, when it begins to reveal, as He says here in this verse, “the thoughts and intents of the heart,” you see your need for mercy very clearly.   Think about your thought life.  Aren’t you glad there is not a little monitor where everyone can actually see and hear what you are thinking?  When people are cut by the Word of God, it drives them to seek God’s mercy.

Do you seek God’s mercy today?  It is available, my friend, for his mercies “are new every morning.”

Have a wonderful day IN the Lord!
Dr. Paul A. Kingsbury

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Mark 3:1-6, “And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.  (2)  And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.  (3)  And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.  (4)  And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.  (5)  And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.  (6)  And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.”

How sad it is when people, who have an opportunity to see Jesus, entirely miss the opportunity! I believe the reason that they miss it is not because they do not want to see it.  The truth is (just as the Pharisees in the verses above) they have distanced themselves from God.  Because of that distance, they are now experience great bondage. This bondage creates “blinders” which inhibits them from being able to see Christ and His marvelous works.  Recently someone said to me, regarding their time in the morning with God, “Devotions don’t work.”  Devotion defined is “The state of being dedicated, consecrated, or solemnly set apart for a particular purpose.” That particular purpose is what drives misery or victory.

The Pharisees of all people should have been rejoicing in the fact that Jesus had come. They were teaching about the coming Kingdom.  They saw people responding and experiencing healing both physically and spiritually.  Yet, they would watch, murmur, and plot to kill Him.  Why, because their devotion was on something else besides Him.  Their hearts had become hard and prideful.   They were more dedicated to the rules and laws, than the law Giver.  They were blinded.  Jesus was doing things that they had never seen before and instead of getting to know Him, they rejected Him and tried to find fault with everything He did.

It’s sad! The Pharisees were the religious leaders of their day, they knew everything about Him, but never knew Him!  They were in church every Sunday, their prayers were long and they probably used big words.  They even had a public ministry because of the status that it would bring to them; but they missed Jesus.  They were more focused on their appearance than the condition of their heart.  They got busy doing the work of God, and forgot about being with God.  Don’t be like the Pharisees and miss Jesus.  Jesus desires truth and focuses on the heart, while Satan desires deception and focuses on appearance. Don’t go through the motions and miss the personal relationship!  Jesus tells us to love the Lord with all thy heart.  That my friend is devotion to a Person and that Person is Jesus.

Today, will you know about Jesus or will you know Jesus?  Will you see Him when He is working, or will you be blinded?  Will you desire His presence or will you desire your preferences?

I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.

Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the power of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.

O the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!

There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.

Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died.
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

Have a wonderful day IN the Lord!
Benjamin R. Burks

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Good Morning!  Looking again today at I Thessalonians 2, I want to direct your attention to verse eleven.  Paul likens his balanced ministry to a father with his children, ^“As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children.” I know that not everyone has the privilege of growing up with a godly father who expressed his love and guided his children.  But, there is nothing sweeter than a close parent-child relationship.  My 12-year-old son, Justin, still comes in to say good night to me.  I would not trade anything for the time we spend together, talking about the things of God, praying for each other and for God’s work in our church and our lives. I have never seen a parent shout and berate a child into good behavior.  But, I have seen patience and love work amazing transformations.  This is true with all relationships. You are not going to shout anybody into getting right with God.  You are not going to criticize anybody into getting right with God.  You are not going to insult anyone into getting right with God. Remember, the “goodness of God leadeth [them] to repentance.”

When working with people, Paul reminds us in verse 12, “That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you into his kingdom and glory.” This is the vision that Paul and others had when they first came to Thessalonica; it had a vision that was “eternal”. Why do people do ministry? Why should we disciple others?  Sadly, some people do it for personal, selfish reasons. Paul said, “I want you to know that our vision for you is that you walk worthy of the vocation in which God has called to you; worthy of His kingdom; worthy of His glory.” Oftentimes, our efforts to help people with the truth of this Word are curtailed and hindered because we lose sight of the eternal nature of our purpose.  Paul and his team started out focused on the long-term goal, and they kept that focus no matter what else was going on around them.

After all is said and done, it really is not about our comfort.  It is not really about changing people to benefit us or even ultimately to benefit them. It is ultimately for Him.

The church in Thessalonica was not just great while Paul and Silas and others were there, because those people were not focused on pleasing Paul and others. They were not just “toeing the line” because someone, a spiritual leader, a mentor was overseeing them. They caught a vision that they could walk worthy of the vocation that God has called them fulfill. How do we “minister” when no one is looking?  We must walk worthy.  It is absolutely essential, but it will never happen unless we continually work in this matter of blending and balancing our mercy and truth in presenting God’s Word to others.  Your ministry, whether to an entire church or a single individual, will succeed to the extent that it matches this pattern established by Paul and his team.  Let us all learn from their example.

Have a wonderful day IN the Lord!
Dr. Paul A. Kingsbury

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RU Sunday School Class

If you do not have your RU Sunday School class activated, we strongly encourage you to do so. The ultimate the goal of Reformers Unanimous is to get people connected Christ and to His local church, as it remains God’s support group to minister to addicted people. A few ideas to help you implement or IMPROVE the RU Sunday School class:

1. We follow a similar format as Friday night, just somewhat different. First, we talk to each other through fellowship. Many of us get there early and have coffee and a Danish of sorts.  Though sometimes it leads to actual counsel, often it’s just friendly fellowship.  Second, we “officially” open class by talking to God in prayer and testimonies. This is done in a briefer format. Here in Rockford, we dedicate 10 minutes to popcorn testimonies (people just pop out short testimonies of God’s goodness).  And third, God talks to us through the message.
2. The curriculum for the Sunday School class has many options. One, you can use the Nevertheless I Live book, but at the other end of the book (i.e., if you are in chapter one on Friday, be in chapter 6 on Sunday or chapter 3 vs. chapter 9).  Or, you can use the Tall Law or Umbrella Fella Sunday School curriculum which has a teacher’s guides and corresponding student’s guides.  These should be purchased by the student separately. Battleship is a great 8-12 week study as well!  Or, thirdly, you can teach through what your church uses for their Sunday School class, but make sure you are angling it all toward teaching the crucified Christian life, and not a “try harder to do better” mentality.
3. In the starting of your 2nd RU class, be careful not to mandate that all of your leadership or even longer attending students attend without your pastor’s approval. The truth is you should build this class with people from your community. This does not mean that it would not be helpful to have a handful of workers from your church join your students, particularly your leadership if available. This should be navigated with your pastor as not to hurt other ministries already operating in your church.  Don’t start a R.U.S.S. ministry (RU Sunday School Class) and then take students or your class leadership from other classes.  It only leads to resentment.  We should always be known as the church’s primary ministry that produces fruit, not plucks fruit.
4. However, if I were your director, I would watch the parking lot AFTER SS to  look for people coming in to church that do not appear to attend a Sunday School class and ask them to consider visiting your RU class for some intense discipleship.   This could be a way to gain more people from the church on Friday night.
5. Remember.  Though most every church at first considers it an extra, unnecessary ministry, they soon realize it is just too big of a stretch to expect addicts to assimilate into our SS formats in their earliest months of recovery.  Let them have their own group until they are comfortable around the church folk and then let them augment into the ministry.  We don’t make the singles hang out with the seniors, or the young married’s with the teens.  If they can have a clique for such a time as this, so ought the “newbee’s” who have just come to believe and are looking to be received.

I think all of this indicates that an RU Sunday school class is not only a wise ministry to have within your chapter, it is an integral ministry.

Kidz Club

In the early years, we’ve had some chapters that did not start out with a Kidz Club in their chapter. Today, we highly discourage this.  Why?  Because not only do the addicts coming to the your RU class have kids between 6 and 12 years old that need something worthwhile  in which to participate, but the workers have children who need the same.  We have observed that chapters who failed to start a Kidz Club when they first began, but subsequently started within the first 18 months invariably doubled the size of their class within just a few short months.  They also saw a greater consistency in student attendance, leadership retention and a general lowering of recidivism back into the world.   I think all of this proves it also is not only a wise ministry to have within your chapter, it is an integral ministry.

RIP

We also highly recommend established chapters to start a RIP (Reformers Institutional Program) ministry in the county jail or area prison or both. It will not only reach the incarcerated, whom are in the jail for minor skirmishes with the law up to charges that have a maximum of 364 days, but their family members as well. Most county incarcerated are blue collar and even white collar who are there for 60 days or less stints in the county clink for offenses from writing bad checks, dui, driving without insurance, domestic issues or other intoxicating issues that all but guarantee they need your program as a “get out of jail free” card.  I have KEY and I mean KEY staff that I first met and ministered to while they were incarcerated in the county jail.  Your efforts on the behalf of your county law enforcement will also provides an opportunity for you to personally reduce recidivism in your community upon their release by plugging them into a Friday night RU and your local New Testament church. All of these ideas will increase your effectiveness in ministering to the addicted.

I think all of this proves it is also not only a wise ministry to have within your chapter, it is an integral ministry.

In closing on these three ministries, we have tools and training available for all three of these programs.  If you do not currently have a 2nd RU Class on Sunday, an RU children’s program, or a RIP program, please call us. We have supplementary kits that can get you started right away ministering in these three additional ways.  Expand your ministry.  Costs are extremely minimal and the benefits are huge)

Summer Advertising

Addicts ALWAYS want to sober up on January 1^st (New Year’s Resolutions!) and on June 1^st (They want a sober summer!).  It is now that time of year when the weather begins to break from the cold! We recommend that you prepare for the summer by stocking up on your advertising and implementing a strong summer Battle is ON! Strategy.  It’s so easy and your students WILL follow a motivated leader into enemy territory to look for soldiers will to defect to the Lords Army.  If you will motivate, they will participate!!  It would be a good idea to reactivate your bar drops, along with your community outreach poster drives on Saturday with your students.

We give out envelops with 7 tracts to all students who raise their hand to give them out over the course of a week or so and we do this LITERALLY every week.  You can’t go wrong with our high quality, low cost tracts!  Our church handbills are designed for YOUR church bulletin.  You just have to follow it up with an announcement to the church member for each to PLEASE post in a prominent place or distribute with a heart of grace.

If nothing else, lay out your ENTIRE advertising package you received with your starter kit on an 8-foot table and encourage your people to distribute at their leisure and announce it every Friday and or Sunday.  C’mon Directors, “if you do what you’ve always done, you will get what you’ve always got!”

Please call Barry today if you need to place an order for these things at 815-986-0460 ext 108.

Freedom Threads

This is a fundraising arm of our ministry that allows our ladies to make a small income to assist in the cost of their stay in the Women’s Home. We have high quality t-shirts and imprints available for purchase. If you or your church is in need of a custom t-shirt, then please contact us. Some ideas would be RU shirts as a fund raiser for your chapter, church softball team, youth department, custom RU or Kidz Club shirts, or personal customized shirts. Please call Will Fowler for a free quote at 815-986-0460 ext. 133.

Ministry Travel

Bro. Burks is currently booking travel for those who represent our ministry for the summer of this year. If you have a desire to book Bro. Steve Curington, Dr. George Crabb, Bro. Ben Burks, or any of the advanced trainers of our ministry, then please call Bro. Burks at 815-986-0460 ext. 109.  We seldom book out more than 90 days in advance so our chapters and supporting churches can have our services when needed most.

Question and Answer

We would like to begin a question and answer section for our Friday blogs. If you have a Friday blog question that you would like to see Bro. Curington or one of the staff answer, please submit these questions by addressing it FOUNDERS REPORT QUESTION and emailing it to weneedu@reformu.com and be sure to mention it as a Friday blog question. We may not be able to answer all of them but we will answer as many of them as we can and we sense your questions will help others develop their chapter as well.

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