A One Hour Sunday AM Worship Experience Isn't Enough!

I have taken a break from the Men's Encounter on this Saturday afternoon to come back to the church and do a few things before heading back out to the Encounter. We have over 50 men attending this particular encounter. This group has 19 men who have never attended an encounter and we have men from about 10 different churches in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.

Like many of our encounters, these men have come hungry to encounter God. From the very first night, they have entered in and received. Last night, I opened up the encounter with a message on "Peniel" which is taken from Genesis 32 meaning "face to face with God." I challenged men to "go after" (persevere) God as Jacob did when "he would not let go" of the angel of God whom Jacob wrestled all night. I ended my message talking about how Jacob recieved a new name and a blessing from almighty God for his efforts, but in the end it cost him a hip injury that left him limp for the rest of his life.

I shared with the men that there is "no character change without brokenness." Jacob's character I.D. changed after Peniel but it cost him...he became a broken man. Nonetheless, Psalm 34:18 reminds us "The LORD [is] nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."

Saturday morning began with devotions by Jeff Brumfield. Jeff shared his testimony about how he walked away from the Lord five years but made his way by God's grace. His brother Ken followed by teaching on the "Prodigal Son." It was great to see how God is using these two men. They both are very gifted speakers who God anointed greatly today. I am very proud of them both and I got a feeling their earthly dad is somewhere in that "great cloud of witnesses" pretty proud of them too.

Frank Jones and Gerry Chess did a super job speaking on the Cross and the power of the Resurrection, respectively. Every man in the building was on the edge of their seat as Frank did an illustrated message about the cross. It was very, very powerful. If you are a pastor and reading this blog I would highly recommend you e-mail me and have him come and do a "Good Friday" message or a presentation at your church. I really don't think in all my life have I seen or heard anything so powerful as that. Brother Gerry too did a beautiful job on leading them men to begin to look back to the cross as they go forward in the power of the resurrected life.

I need to wrap this up, but I have to confess an encounter weekend is the "most powerful" vehicle of ministry that I have seen in the church in my 47 years of living and 27 years of ministry. The average person's life today is so messed up that it takes more than a hour or 90 minute church service for God to work in their lives. Our church services today in America for the most part are too manufactured and people in the pews are too time-conscience. The result is that the Spirit of God has been eliminated from influencing the corporate worship service while man's agenda is carried out in the name of God.

It took Jacob getting alone at Peniel and persevering even past the pain until he received from God. It took 120 obedient disciples to gather in an upperroom tarrying (persevering) until the power of God fell and the church was launched. One hour a week just isn't enough!