Knowing Where You Come From

It’s always nice to do a little research and find out about your history.

Many people enjoy going through the family tree and discovering little know facts or interesting people who were a part of who they’ve become. For me, I’ve spent the last few weeks reading a book on my spiritual family tree, Assemblies of God History, Mission and Governance.

I have been a part of the Assemblies of God for as long as I can remember. In my personal opinion, I have a rich family heritage in the AoG, too! My Great Grandfather planted a church in South St. Louis, MO that is still active today! My Grandfather was a licensed minister with the Assemblies, my Father will be ordained this upcoming May, and I know that at least one of my Great-Aunts was, too!

Through the years I have learned so much about the Assemblies that not everything I have read was new information. But there were several stories that gripped my heart and made me want to shout! I thought I would share just a couple with you. Some are just simple facts or quotes, some are about people doing great things. Everything I am going to share is from my textbook, Assemblies of God History, Missions and Governance by Gary McGee, Annette Newberry, and Randy Hedlun.

“Pentecostals did not wait for someone to appoint them to a special ministry. To Spirit-filled believers,  Pentecost and ministry went hand in hand.” (p.36)
What an amazing challenge to us today! God has called every one of us to fulfill a purpose. Sometimes that purpose is only found once we plug in and become active in a ministry of our local church. Whether it’s Sunday School teacher, nursery worker, youth sponsor or a helper in kid’s church, we are all a part of what makes the church function. So get busy!

And then there is the story of Marcus Grable. He was a janitor at Gospel Publishing House (the Assemblies of God publishing company). He wasn’t a pastor or an evangelist and yet, he opened three branch Sunday schools in his spare time. At one point, GPH began to receive many questions about Sunday School. Mr. Grable asked to be given a desk and a typewriter so he could answer all the letters coming in.

In 1935, he was appointed by the Executive Presbytery to lead and develop the Sunday School Promotion Department. “Mr. Sunday School” began immediately. He did so much through this position from mentoring workers, developing training programs and even sponsored national and regional Sunday School Conventions. “Just four days before his death at age seventy-nine, Grable was still promoting Sunday schools. Dressed as a farmer, he pushed a wheelbarrow three miles in a parade. The sign on his display read, “Pushin’ for our kids.”" (p. 55)

Thomas Zimmerman was elected as General Superintendent in 1959. In 1968 he spoke to the Council of Evangelism on the mission of the church. “He emphasized the task of the church: to minister to the Lord, to other believers, and to the world. “Let us never get the idea that God has brought us to our present plateau to terminate progress–His command is, ‘Go forward’”. This came as a call to revival! God doesn’t just leave us or hang us out to dry. And He doesn’t ask or encourage us to do things. He COMMANDS us to move forward. It reminds me of the movie “Meet The Robinson’s“. We have to keep moving forward. God is calling us forward. He is telling us to continue to reach out to the world.

The main goal of the Assemblies of God, according to the very first General Council and many other times since, is to be the greatest evangelism the world has ever seen. This is why people came together to form the Assemblies. To better organize and conduct missionary activities overseas. John Welch said, “The General Council of the Assemblies of God was never meant to be an institution; it is just a missionary agency” (Missionary Movement, 1920, 8)”.

One of the other, many, many things I found interesting is the involvement and commitment of women in missions. Before 1935, woman could only be ordained for missions and evangelism. They couldn’t perform the duties of a Pastor (weddings, funerals and such). By 1925, 95% of the 250 missionaries were single women! J. Roswell Flower said this about women in missions:”Young women have volunteered in far greater numbers than men for pioneering in China, India, Africa, and South America. The have struggled with building projects, the management of stations, the supervision of native workers, etc., and have been called upon to perform a multitude of tasks which should have been placed upon the stronger shoulders of men…They have struggled and suffered and many of them have been compelled to come home broken in body and spirit because of the heavy tasks which were laid up on them” (Flower, 1923,).
This is so encouraging to me, a female pastor. I understand, though, what Mr. Flower is saying. I too feel that all too often in churches we see women doing ministry that a man should be doing. But because there is a need, and someone should fill it, a woman steps up to the plate and swings the bat! God used many women in ministry. In the Bible we read stories of Deborah, Rahab, Ruth and Esther, just to name a few.  What an amazing blessing to one day be counted in that same cloud of witnesses.

I could go on and on…and maybe you were tempted to stop reading paragraphs ago. I thank you for holding on! I just want to share two more things. You may wonder why I feel it important enough to blog…or ramble…about these things. I will tell you. So many of you may never read this book I am studying. And it’s a misfortune for you. I just feel that these things are important, encouraging and a great part of our heritage.

The following statement is from the “Vision Statement” that was read to the attendees at the end of an event that took place in Indianapolis called “2000 Celebration of the Assemblies of God in Indianapolis.” These words remind us of what it means to be Pentecostal: “We are a people of the Spirit! We are a people of vision. Birthed in the fire of renewal, still less than one hundred years ago, we have now become a worldwide influence for worship, discipleship, and evangelism in the twenty-first century. What God has done, and is doing, should fill us with gratitude and awe and should move us to deep prayer and faith in understanding God’s vision for us in this new century. Who can predict what the Holy Spirit may yet do before the return of the Lord? His vision is that the glory of Christ be revealed among every people and culture. Our church must proclaim to this world in the twenty-first century with first-century fervor.” (p.92)
In other words, just as the disciples and apostles were going here and there on the heels of the ascension of the Messiah and were “compelled” to share the love and sacrifice of Christ, so we should go here and there doing the same and with the same passion. Evangelism is up to every single one of us who calls ourselves a believer. What kind of person would I be if I never shared what I have been given?

And the last thing I want to share is this, while going over seas on a missions trip is important to those of us who are just regular people without a specific ministry call, there is a ripe harvest field in our own backyard. “America is the world’s third-largest unreached nation with over 195 million unreached people. A spiritual vacuum has been created by three generations influenced by secularism.” (p.178)
Your job, your school, your family, your neighbors, your child’s sport’s team or Girl/Boy scout troop is your mission field. The grocery store, doctor’s office, your favorite restaurant are ready for the harvest!

God give us a heart for the lost. Remind us of what our purpose and goals are. Times may change. Methods may change. But our message remains the same. We are here, by God’s grace, to share with anyone and everyone about the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. “By any means possible.”

And that’s where I come from.

Pastor Stacey