Chesterton

G. K. Chesterton was a colossal figure in our Christian history. Among other things, his book "The Everlasting Man" was the determinative factor in C. S. Lewis' conversion. Like Lewis, Chesterton had to come a long way spiritually to overcome his disbelief in Christ.

The beauty of our Christian story, especially the Bethlehem event, wowed Chesterton. He went from being a hardened unbeliever to being a sold-out believer due to the sheer beauty of Jesus.

G. K. grew up in an irreligious home. Raised by unbelieving parents, he was brought up on fairy tales, myths, and legends. His formative years were filled with wonder. His unbelief never offered him an adequate explanation for the world's marvels. To Chesterton, the whole creation was magic. When he met Jesus, Chesterton said he met the Magician.

G. K. always felt something personal was in the world, like a work of intentional artistry. For instance, he all along believed lovely red roses had to have been planned. When he met Jesus, Chesterton said he met the Artist.

         

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Bell Prayer Requests

In a recent blog I mentioned several praise reports from our unreached people group, the Bells of the Big Country. In this post, I highlight prayer requests that have come to us from believers serving among the Bells.

A young male village music teacher, a young female believer, an older woman who leads a group in her village, and an older male who has been blind since his teens participated in a recent Christian Bell songwriting workshop.

Pray God will continue to use their gifts to write worship songs in the Bell language. Pray the songs they write will draw other Bells to Jesus.

Two Bell couples are experiencing significant pressure from their parents to return to participating in superstitious practices. Pray for them to have wisdom as to how they can honor their parents without compromising their faith. Also pray the parents will have receptive hearts as the couples share God's love and truth with their family.

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Epic San Francisco

I used my prior blog to celebrate what is happening in our unreached people group, the Bells of the Big Country. This blog highlights victories enjoyed in 2013 by our church plant in San Francisco. Ben and Shauna Pilgreen continue to set the pace. They are always careful to send their thanks for Second's continued involvement with them.

Here are some high points Epic is celebrating from this year. Forty people went public with their faith through baptism. Epic now collectively sponsors over 70 kids in Uganda through Compassion International.

Epic saw over 300 adults sign up for small groups this fall, had over 200 people participate in their "Serve the City" day in April, and averaged right at 300 people each Sunday for the year. They plan to begin a third morning service soon. Nearly 300 adults serve as volunteers at Epic. Ben says his favorite victories are the stories of so much life change among his people.

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Good News From The Bells

We adopted the Bells of the Big Country (name changed) in 1997 as our unreached people group. I have often been reminded of the phrase, "There are reasons why the last groups to be reached are the last groups." I have watched Second labor tirelessly for 16 years over the Bells. I have been discouraged often. but recently received heartening news from a conference held to discuss the Bells. Enjoy.

Over 500 have become Christ-followers. This includes both young and old believers. Second paid for the Jesus Film to be translated into their language, and 26 books of the Bible are now available in their language. Among the majority people in the country, house churches are being mobilized to help reach the Bells, a minority group in their country.

Organizations working with the Bells are cooperating better, and have persevered through many trials. At least three Bell churches are meeting regularly. As the Bells become more literate, they are more open to the outside world. My dream is to have a Bell on the platform at Second Baptist someday. We'll see.

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Don't Say It

Ruth and I enjoy being Salvation Army Christmas bell-ringers every year. One thing we like to do is to pretend things we might like to say but never would.

For instance, "Merry Christmas, Jerk!!". "Tell your Uncle Scrooge Merry Christmas. Oh! You are Scrooge. Sorry about the mix-up."

"Thank you for the nickel; enjoy your flat screen." "Merry Christmas. Hey! Look at me when I'm talking to you."

Oh well. I think that's enough to get my point across. Every time you see a Salvation Army bell-ringer, put some money in the bucket, smile, and say with enthusiasm, "Merry Christmas!!"

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A Tale of Two Cities

If you ever go to the Holy Land, two cities are a must see. The first is Capernaum, where Jesus headquartered His public ministry. Some of His most famous miracles were performed there.

The main city to see, of course, is Jerusalem. As our bus approached Jerusalem for the first time, a holy hush fell over our group. You could tell it was a special moment for everyone.

Going to Jerusalem is like going home. Even if you've never been there before, you like it is where you were always meant to be.

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Giving Thanks

Every direction I turn, I see cause to thank God for His blessings to me. I think this has been one of my best Thanksgiving holidays ever.

I spent all day Tuesday with ancestors, at Mom and Dad's. The years are catching up with them. I need to see them every day I can.

On Thursday my attention turned to descendants. All my offspring gathered at daughter Rebekah's house. Spent about eight hours surrounded by the loves of my life. My Dallas Cowboys even won.

On Friday, the focus was on my soulmate, my sweet babe, the Babe Ruth. We went to The Chateau to use the gift card the church gave us for Pastor Appreciation Month.

Thank you, Lord, for your overwhelming kindnesses to me.

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Galilee's Capital

Sepphoris, the Roman capital of Galilee when Jesus lived, was located not far from Nazareth. The Roman Roads and Mosaics there are stunning. It was obviously a huge world of activity and life. It holds special interest to Christians because it was a beehive of construction during New Testament days. Many carpenters came from miles around to find work there.

One of the most popular spots in Israel is the Jesus Boat Museum. It houses a boat that dates from the first century A.D. It looks exactly like what we think of when we ponder Jesus in a boat with the Twelve. At the Chapel of the Beatitudes I led a devotional based on the Beatitudes. Stopped briefly at the Chapel for Peter's Restoration, where Jesus supposedly told him to "Feed My sheep."

We stopped at the spot where Jesus is said to have healed the demoniac and sent 3000 pigs into the Sea of Galilee. We then ate lunch at a restaurant where you can order St. Peter's Fish with or without a head. It's intimidating to eat a fish that's looking back at you. We rode a boat across the Sea. It's always moving to traverse the body of water Jesus and Peter walked on.

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Slaying Prophets

Twitter @john316marshall
www.facebook.com/john316marshallThe trip to Mt Carmel is worth the effort in order to see the gruesome statue atop it. It depicts one preacher in a bad mood killing another preacher having a bad day. Seems safe to say Elijah was a man's man.

Toured Megiddo. At the horse stables ruins, you can see an abundance of mangers. They are all made of stone, which is plentiful in Israel.

Whatever your end time belief, it is sobering to look down on the Valley of Armageddon. Napoleon called it the world's most natural battlefield.

Re-Married

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www.facebook.com/john316marshallAt Cana of Galilee, where Jesus performed His first miracle by turning water into wine at a wedding, several of us, including Ruth and me, renewed our marriage vows.

At Caesarea by the Sea we tested the acoustics of the Roman theater. Amazing. The Hippodrome, where horses raced, reminded me of the chariot race from the movie Ben Hur.

Lebanon and Syria

On our first full morning in Israel, we drove far north to visit Caesarea Philippi. The ruins of a huge pagan Roman temple there added poignancy to the confession Peter made there. In this city he said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God". The gods of Rome were among the first to fall before the advance of the Nazarene. I found it significant that the place where Jesus was exalted by Peter is also the place where nothing but ruins remain of a pagan temple.

As we drove up the valley to the north, we could see Lebanon to our left and Syria to our right. Both are military hotspots. Lebanon is controlled by Hezbollah. Syria is in a civil war. It was a bit eerie to drive so closely between the two hostile countries.

We toured Nazareth Village. Our tour guide and fellow Second Baptist member Cary Summers is the CEO of Nazareth Village. Over 150 movies have had scenes shot here. It is an amazing reproduction of first century Nazareth. It gives a genuine feel of what Nazareth was truly like when Jesus lived there.

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Tiberius

Twitter @john316marshall
www.facebook.com/john316marshallWe started our Holy Land visit in Tiberius. The Sea of Galilee was visible outside our hotel room. It was sobering to look out every morning and see the only body of water ever walked on.

From the time we left our house till we arrived at Leonardo Plaza Hotel we spent 26 hours in transit. It's a grueling trip, especially if you can't sleep on a plane.

Another tough part of the trip was the scarcity of wi-fi. I had thought a nation as developed as Israel would have internet access in abundance. Nope. It was tough to come by.

Israel

Last night about midnight Ruth and I returned from ten days in Israel with a group from our church. This was my fourth trip there; Ruth's third. Whether it's your first trip or your fiftieth, for believers, traveling to Israel is like going home.

The Holy Land is like a huge sermon prop that illustrates what the Bible is about. Aha moments abound in Israel.

For the next few days I intend to use this blog as a way to convey some of what we experienced there. I wish all of you could have traveled with us.

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Pray Over the Lost

To be saved, unbelievers must come themselves to Jesus, but before they do this, we believers should be bringing them before His throne in prayer. I encourage us to pick at least one lost person and never let go. Very few unbelievers become believers without having been prayed for first.

We know without doubt; the lost won't pray for themselves. We have to pray for them. We pray about ourselves much. I have been a believer 55 years. If I have prayed for myself only twice a day for all these years—and we all know we pray multiple times each day for ourselves—I have offered over 40,000 prayers for me.

Maybe you and I could slip some praying in there for the lost, many of whom have never prayed once for themselves. Blessed are the unbelievers who know if they go to Hell, they will at the last moment have to crash through a believer's prayers.

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Sons of Zebedee

I preached Sunday about James and John. Of the Apostles, James was the first to die, martyred by Herod. John, the last to die, was exiled to the Isle of Patmos.

         It doesn't seem fair that James died young. I wonder how he felt about it. Maybe the last words of another faithful servant can indicate what James thought at the end. Allen Gardiner, faithful missionary to Picton Island at the southern tip of South America, experienced many hardships and physical difficulties in serving Jesus. He died on the mission field of starvation.

When his body was found, his diary lay nearby. It bore the record of hunger, thirst, wounds, and loneliness. The last entry showed the struggle of a shaky hand trying to write legibly. It read, "I am overwhelmed with a sense of the goodness of God." My guess is, James felt this, a sense of gratitude for having been called away from a fishing boat to a cause worth giving his life for, even when young.

         John lived long. He wrote five New Testament books. His highest honor was being known as the disciple Jesus loved (JN 13:23). Jesus loves all people equally, but being human, was subject to bonding with certain personalities. Temperaments can resonate.

         I want the bonding with Jesus that John the Beloved had. I know Jesus loves me. I also want Him to like me. I want Him to feel special affinity between us, to sense our personalities resonating, with no sin in the way.

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McCheyne Lessons

I like to read biographies. Seeing the strengths and weaknesses of others helps me better understand and improve myself. I recently began the arduous task of reading "The Memoirs and Remains of Robert Murray McCheyne".

I've often read of him. He is responsible for two of my life quotes. I've long known he literally changed the nation of Scotland and beyond.

I did not know he died at age 29. Stunning. How does a person walk so mightily with God to be a powerhouse for eternity before age 30?

I'm determined to find out. Stay tuned. I'll try to keep you posted on this blog with updates and insights.

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23,000 Church Plants

It was an honor to have Dr. David Nelms of The Timothy Initiative with us for church planting weekend. He is a man whose work in training indigenous church planters has resulted in over 23,000 churches having been planted in Asia. For you who want to know more about his work, I encourage you to check out his web site at www.ttionline.org.

We hope to do two things with Dr. Nelms. He has never had a church work with him in launching his plan in Europe. Second would like to be that church. Due to the spiritual barrenness of Western Europe, this is a daunting task. Let's begin praying now for strongholds to be broken.

We also will be leaning on Dr. Nelms to help us in our church planting efforts locally. We cannot keep paying full-time salaries and building buildings for new churches. We must find a way whereby everyone can enlist a small group and hopefully have a church grow out of that group. Pray for us to have wisdom in these days.

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Caring for Souls

The heroes of our faith have always had a burning passion to win the lost. Paul wished he were accursed to benefit his countrymen (RM 9:3). John Knox said, "Give me Scotland or I die." Wesley said, "The whole world is my parish". Praying Hyde landed on the mission field, and said, "Here let me burn out for God." Amy Carmichael, who spent 55 years as a missionary to India without ever taking a furlough, prayed, "Make me Thy fuel." David Brainerd, who died at 29, yet Wesley required all Methodist ministers to read his biography, said, "Oh, that I were a flame of fire in my Master's cause." Henry Martyn, missionary to India and Persia, prayed he might "burn out for God," and did.       

MacArthur tells a story of Robert Murray McCheyne, one of my favorite heroes. I have been blessed for years by repeating his prayer, "Lord, make me as holy as a saved sinner can be." One of my life's most moving experiences was to voice that prayer aloud in McCheyne's Scotland. It was said of him, "Everywhere he stepped Scotland shook" (Courtland Myers). He was responsible for thousands coming to Jesus; all before he died at 29. How does a person have that much influence this young? Visitors who come to see the church where McCheyne was Pastor are shown a table, chair, and open Bible. They are then told he spent hours with his head buried in the Bible, weeping for those he would preach to. I pray God would give us all, beginning with me, a deeper passion for unbelievers.

Facebook on Mission

Recently I was communication with missionaries from our church who are assigned to a restricted area. I asked if social networking was helping them. Their answers were informative. They said Facebook lets them give quick posts, which is all some people want. For those who want more detailed information, a blog seems most helpful.

They hope to do some video prayer walking when their internet problems are ironed out. That could provide helpful visuals for prayer warriors back home.

I asked if social media helps ease loneliness, or makes them more homesick, or neither? The wife's answer is a classic. "Neither. I feel responsible to keep connected to those who promised to pray. Maybe encourage others to take up the challenge as well. Not homesick in the least. After all I do have my Lord and my man here."

Pray for our missionaries. They are serving the Lord by representing us to the ends of the earth.

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Epic in San Francisco

I am on my way home from San Francisco, where I have been in meetings with Ben Pilgreen and other staff members at Epic.

Friday morning and afternoon I served with two other Pastors in giving guidance to Ben on questions he had raised. The other Pastors were Steve Stroope, Pastor of one of Anerica's largest churches, and Andy Wood, whose church plant is running over 1500 in attendance in less than 5 years.

Friday night I took the Epic staff and their spouses to a fine dining restaurant. They were significantly blessed.

Our work in San Francisco continues to do well. All four couples who moved there to plant Epic love San Francisco, and are thrilled to be there. God wrought a great work in their hearts.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, but it's time to be home. When I travel, I miss Ruth, family, friends, and Second.

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Jesus' Groups

Thank you for your kind response to my Sunday morning sermon. It was the first time I ever used 140 living breathing human beings as props. I thought it would be like herding cats. Instead, it came off like clock work. Huzzah.

The method Jesus left us for Kingdom work is organizationally simple. He started with Himself—holiness matters most. He then found 3 who would provide accountability and support—He took the three with Him into the death throes of Gethsemane. He poured His life into 12—they were His vanguard into lostness; He gave the Great Commission to them first. He sent the 70 out on mission. This is still a good size for mission and ministry work. It is no coincidence the average USA church runs 70 in attendance. Everybody can know everyone else, and they can band together to get God's work done effectively.

And then there were the multitudes. We need to be together to hear the Word preached, to sing, and and to be inspired. We don't have to be rocket scientists to figure out Jesus' approach to successful Kingdom work. His methods worked then; they will work now too.

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Preparing for Sunday

Saturday has always been for me a day set apart to prepare for the Lord's Day. Even when I was a kid, Mom made sure we all had our Saturday night baths in plenty of time to go to bed early so that we would be well rested and at our best Sunday morning. I never hear stories like that any more.

I'm not a stickler for things like this, but I do appreciate the fact my parents were trying to teach me the need to be at my best on Sunday. That still weighs heavily on me. On Saturday, I cloister myself, work hard on sermons, pray, and go to bed early.

I will see you in the morning. I pray I'll be in the right frame of mind and spirit to be a blessing. Always pray for me on Saturdays. I want to be effective on Sunday morning. I seek to bless you. This can only happen if God works through me to minister to you. I love you.

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Heaven is Sweeter Today

A few weeks ago I met a man who is terminally ill. He's been a hard-driving unbelieving Marine since his Viet Nam days. He met a lady who knew me, and asked him if he would be willing to talk with me about his soul. Surprisingly, he said yes.

After a couple meetings, he received the Lord. The change was immediate and profound. I tried to mentor him. We made it through only one session. He asked if we could talk about death. We walked through I Corinthians 15, word by word, together.

His health became much worse last week. He had to go into ICU. When I entered his room, I saw the paperback Bible I had given him all dog-eared and worn. It was a great testimony to the change in his life.

I left his bedside about 20 minutes ago. He will be going on to see the Lord face to face soon. He says he is ready to go. He is dying at peace with God. It's been a beautiful experience for me. I am reminded; the Gospel works. People are still being radically changed by the good news of Jesus. My friend will be gone before long. Heaven is sweeter today than it was yesterday. Thank you, Jesus.

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WW2

Today in 1939 Germany faked a Polish attack on one of its radio stations. This scam provided the supposed justification for Hitler's decision to attack Poland the next day, thereby beginning World War II. The battle would rage relentlessly for another 2 years and three months before Pearl Harbor brought the USA into the war.

My Grandpa Hill was already 45 years old when Pearl Harbor happened. He immediately volunteered to be a chaplain, but was told he was far too old. He kept pestering them, and finally they took him in the army. He was soon on his way to France, where he had served in World War I as a soldier boy under John Pershing.

My Grandpa always said his years as a chaplain were the best years of his ministry. He felt maybe the most fulfilling part of it was writing dictated letters from wounded soldiers that they wanted sent to their family members.

After the war, Grandpa was briefly assigned to the VA hospital in Memphis. When he mustered out of the service, he took a Pastorate and moved his family to nearby Luxora, Arkansas, which is where my dad lived. The rest is history.

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Back-to-School Week

This was a great week at Second. let me recap some of the highlights.

Last Sunday 201 youth attended Second U (our three Sunday School hours). This was the third highest attendance since Cory West arrived.

Sunday night 79 high school students attended Connexxus (small groups).

Wednesday night, 111 Middle Schoolers and their leaders attended SYNC. This exceeds the previous small group attendance record by nearly 30. Congratulations to Cory and his awesome leaders.

Our new Men's Ministry Bible Study group met for the first time Wednesday night. 85 attended. Come join us next Wednesday night at 6pm. We are proud of Shane Segars and Jay Hughes for leading this.

The MSU Vine met Wednesday night for the first time this semester. Several hundred students attended. We had 200 students gather Tuesday night for our first meeting of The Drury Vine. To put it in perspective, that's 10% of their student population. Congratulations to our College Minister, Daniel Hood, to his interns, and to his leaders at the Drury Vine, Clayton and Katie Havelka.

Our Preschool and Children's Ministries filled all volunteer positions. Thank you, Leah Capps and Denise Schriver.

Thanks goes to Kevin Hawkins and our church choir for their singing the National Anthem at the Cardinals game last night.

Blackwood Brothers Plane Crash

In my growing-up days, the Blackwood Brothers, a Southern Gospel group, were by far my favorite singers.  On my recent vacation, I had a chance to re-visit a painful memory that happened to them before I can remember.

Through the years I have often heard about the tragedy, a plane crash in Clanton AL that took the lives of two of the group. On vacation this summer we drove through Clanton. I happened to remember that a monument at one time had been placed at the site. With help from Google and a few locals, Ruth and I found it. Isn't it interesting how something like that from the past can suddenly take on deeper meaning?

On June 14, 1954, the Quartet won the Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts national competition (similar to today's American Idol). Sixteen days later two of the group were killed in a small plane crash. One of them, R. W. Blackwood, was the singer that young Elvis Presley modeled much of his own performing after. Elvis wept when he heard the news. He auditioned to take R. W.'s place, but was turned down because he was "too animated". How's that for an understatement?

Few people remember or care about the events of June 1954, but for me they still hold value. I love history.

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Orphaned Churches

According to Aaron Coe, a VP at our North American Mission Board, over half of new church plants are orphans. They have no sponsoring church.

This statistic stunned me. Something is wrong here. This problem is fixable. Every church should be working with at least one church plant.

Few churches can take full responsibility for a young church, but consortiums of churches could totally fill the bill. Few congregations can help a lot, but all can help some. Let's all find an orphan church to adopt.

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U S Grant the Uxorious

Twitter @john316marshall
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The race was on, Grant's last battle was engaged, and as usual, Grant won. He finished his autobiography three days before he died. Its publication made his wife very wealthy.

This would have pleased Grant. His biographer said he was uxorious. That was a new word to me. I looked it up. It means having a highly developed love for your wife. Amen. I hope Ruth thinks I am uxorious.

Legends

Dr. John 3:16 Marshall, Pastor
Second Baptist Church
3111 E. Battlefield Road
Springfield MO 65804
417-887-3111 x110

Twitter @john316marshall
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She and her brother decided to race around a church building in opposite directions. When they crashed into each other, Mom ended up with blood pouring from her forehead. Grandma thought Mom would die, but she survived, with only a scar to show for it.

While Ruth and I were on vacation this month, we took a new route to Destin. In MS I saw a sign pointing to the town of Walnut. Sounded familiar. I called Mom. She verified it was the place where she lived when the accident occurred. She also said it was the church her dad was Pastor of when he enlisted as an Army chaplain in WW2.

Ruth and I wheeled into the town, and found the church. I sent pictures to mom. It seemed to please her that the church building was still there.

Boll Weevil

Twitter @john316marshall
www.facebook.com/john316marshallWhile on vacation I preached at a missions conference near Destin in Enterprise AL. Hillcrest Baptist Church there is a large congregation. Several hundred were there on a Monday night.

I wanted to have my picture made with the only monument in the world dedicated to the boll weevil. Most cotton farmers hate boll weevils, but not in Enterprise AL.

One year boll weevils totally destroyed the cotton crop. To survive, the locals planted rice, and made a fortune. Thus they are grateful for the boll weevil.

I call this the Romans 8:28 monument. By the way, it is in the middle of the street at a busy intersection. The Missions Pastor who took this picture of Pastor Michael Mynatt and me almost got hit buy a SUV. No kidding.

The Jesus-footprint in Man of Steel

Yesterday Ruth and I saw the new Superman movie, Man of Steel. I couldn't help but be amazed by the Christ-symbols in it: only birth of its kind, sent to save the world, bearded scene in which Superman, floating in the position of the cross, looks amazingly like our traditional pictures of Jesus. Evil beings were released from an evil "Purgatory". Evolution lost (an interesting observation).

The movie reminds me that the mega-story of Western Culture, the ideals by which we live, are drawn straight from the life of Christ. Our enemies may hate it and assail it, but the Jesus-footprint is still strong in our country. We cannot escape the idea of a loving God who comes to rescue our planet by fighting evil forces and seeking to bring about good in us all.

The movie emotionally exhausted me. I am a lifelong Superman fan. I take a personal interest in his well being. I jerked, jumped, dodged, and hunkered down in my seat often. Ruth kept saying, "It's just a movie." Just a movie? Not when its Superman fighting for truth, justice, and the American Way.

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I Still Love to Read

I can remember how I learned to read. My parents bought Superman comics for me and I devoured them. Interestingly, Superman is still by far my number one Superhero.

I don't recall enjoying to read that much during my school days. It was when I was free to read whatever I wanted that the craving took hold. I could easily read 8 hours a day every day. My eyes give out before my interest does.

I read leadership books, and books about church health. Biographies also fascinate me. My favorite genre, though, is history, especially Civil War history. My reading teaches me many good lessons for life. I learn from the mistakes and successes of the people I read about. An old adage spurs me on. A wise man learns from his own mistakes; an even wiser man learns from the mistakes of others.

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