Not So Cheap Grace

On Friday I received a phone call. The person on the other end of the line asked me to come to her house to visit her. She and her "husband" (2 kids, no marriage) had come to the church on the previous Sunday. It had been obvious she didn't want to attend, but her recently converted "husband" had insisted. So she came. The following Thursday her "husband" had come to my office. From what he had told me, I never expected a phone call from her the next day.

I rearranged my schedule and went to visit her on Saturday morning. She was at her mother's house. She has not lived with her "husband" or kids for some time. The conversation was typical for people meeting for the first time under difficult circumstances. She shared a bit of her history and her problems. I listened. After 30 minutes I asked her why she had asked me to come. She told me that she was ready to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. She wanted to pray the prayer of salvation.

At this point I usually pray with the person. If they can articulate their need for the Lord and their desire to become a disciple of Jesus Christ, they normally they are ready to pray.

Sometimes we are quick to pray with the person, because we want to make it as easy as possible. Sometimes...many times this is a mistake. I felt a "check" in my spirit and I began to define true repentance for her. I told her that she would need to give Jesus 100% of her life, not just a small part. She could not hold back anything. I told her that Jesus would forgive her and would transform her, but she would have to give him everything, both the good and the bad. She would have to make changes in her lifestyle and live according to God's will.

Then I asked her if she was ready to pray the prayer of salvation. She answered, "No." At first I was in shock, but then I realized there was something or someone that she was not willing to give up. We talked some more and I prayed for her. I left and went home. I felt like a failure.

She came to church on Sunday. She came with her "husband" and 2 kids. She had a huge smile on her face. After church she told me that she had given her life to Jesus after I had left the house. She was ready to move forward with the Lord. She was ready for him to restore her marriage. They scheduled counseling for this week.

The angels in heaven were singing the "Hallelujah Chorus!" Another name had been added to Book of Life.

Being Comfortable

I'm enjoying Mark Batterson's book, Wild Goose Chase. If you haven't read it, I would recommend you read it with an open heart and mind. I appreciate his personal illustrations because they mirror many the experiences and decisions that opened up our lives to receive a missionary calling and eventually brought us to Peru. It has been 16 years since this happened. We had become comfortable in our previous ministry setting. There was nothing pushing us to leave the District Office. No one asked us to leave Nebraska. But it was what God wanted. The Lord had an adventure for us. Obedience, not comfort, was what He wanted from us. The journey would be full of risk. There would be good days and bad days. There would exciting times and scary times. We would have to make sacrifices. However, it would be worth it. It has been worth it.

Are we comfortable again? Even though we "chased" after the leading of the Holy Spirit 16 years ago, it doesn't mean we are still "tuned in" to His will and ready to take on the next adventure. I think it is a question we all must answer many times in our lives, but especially those of us who have received a vocational call to ministry. Am I comfortable?

This year I have tried to intentionally reopen my life to God-directed change. It hasn't been easy. At times it has been painful. I like comfort. I like order. I like predictability. The Lord doesn't seem to understand the importance of these priorities.

We are experiencing staff changes at the church. Our youth pastor is leaving after 7 years at El Oasis. We are now working with lay leaders. The youth ministry will look different. Another couple is coming in October to help with other areas that need attention. It will be interesting to see how they mesh with the El Oasis family and the vision God has given us. We are starting a small group ministry to try and reach more of the unsaved. The arrival of new people will cause us to rethink how we "do church."

All of this is happening as we begin to prepare ourselves for itineration in June 2012. While I don't understand it all, I'm learning to accept God's perfect timing. I'm running to stay one step ahead of the changes and one step behind the Holy Spirit. It is exciting. It is challenging. It is what He wants. My prayer is that we never become too comfortable to "chase the wild goose."

Decision Points

I just read George W. Bush's book, Decision Points. The book is impressive because it gives insight into what it means to be a good leader. While this is especially true when it comes to leader of the world's most powerful nation, it is also true for every leader, no matter how large or small their charge. The principle of decision making is the same. Good leaders must be prepared and unafraid to make timely decisions, both the easy and the difficult. Followers want direction. They are unwilling to move forward, until they receive guidance. Without a decision, they lack focus and motivation. Good leaders understand this need and respond.

This year has been full of moments where I have had to make decisions, many of them difficult because they dealt with people that I love. I am a decisive person, but I found myself hesitating because of the emotional attachments. I didn't want to "pull the trigger." I didn't want to face the changes that were needed in myself and in others. I was not being a good leader and these areas of my life and ministry were suffering as a result. God spoke to me through this book. I realized as a leader, I had to make the hard choices and leave the results in God's hands. Once I set aside my fear and made the difficult decisions, a sense of relief and a sense of peace returned to me and to those around me. The future became clearer and hope returned. Life is full of "decision points." Your success as leader will be determined in these moments.

Un Año de Cambios-A Year of Changes

It is difficult for three-dimensional creatures to hear from the what Pastor Yonggi Cho has called the "fourth dimension". Pastors who enter the pulpit struggle with this because, in a certain sense, they are sharing a special message from God's heart. The congregation comes expecting God to speak to them. They want to hear from the "fourth dimension." They difficulty comes because the pastor must somehow know the difference between his/her voice and God's voice as they seek to prepare and share the Sunday sermon.

The same is true with the operation of the Spiritual gifts (I Corinthians 12). We want to know if God is speaking (prophecy) or if it is the individual. The uncertainity of this dilemma has caused some to dismiss the Spiritual gifts. The possibility of human error is too risky. And yet, we normally have no problem accepting the Sunday sermon as "God speaking."

Despite the risk and the possibility of confusion, I believe God still speaks and He still speaks, not only from the pulpit on Sunday, but also via the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Time often helps us know if it comes from God or from man. We just need patience. In January of this year God spoke to our congregation through a word of prophecy telling us that 2011 would be a year of changes for us as individuals, for our families and for our church. It did not seem monumental at the moment. Nevertheless we have been amazed that the changes that have come during the first 5 months of this year. When we begin to doubt the source of the changes, we return to prophecy given in January. It is easier to accept the changes when we remember that God did something to prepare us for this.

I'm glad God is not silent.

This past December our Christmas holiday was interrupted by an urgent phone call from the States. My father, Arvel Fransisco, had been admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. Dad had suffered from COPD for many years and was breathing with great difficulty. This wasn't the first scare he had given us. However, the nurse helped convince us that this time was different. We quickly purchased tickets and packed our bags. We arrived in time to spend 2 days with him before he passed away on December 31st.

In Loving Memory

Arvel Fransisco

October 18, 1921 ~ December 31, 2010

Mr. Arvel Anderson Fransisco, age 89, retired machinist

passed away on Friday, December 31 at his home in Tulsa.

Mr. Fransisco was born on October 18, 1921 in Watkins,

Oklahoma to James Arvel and Nora Edith (Lamb) Fransisco.

After his high school graduation he enlisted in the U.S. Army

and was honorable discharged on October 4, 1945 at Fort

Bragg, North Carolina. For over 50 years he was a machinist

in the tool & die industry working for various companies

mainly in the Tulsa area. He was known as “Cisco” to family

and friends. In the past few years he was called “Pops.”

He is survived by two sons, Rev. John Fransisco and his

wife Kerri of Lima, Peru and Ray Fransisco of Tulsa, a

daughter, Sharolyn Fransisco of Tulsa, his brother Clyde

Austin Fransisco of Jenks, granddaughters, Kristen and

Katherine Fransisco, grandsons, Austin Fransisco and Derick

Koehn, 2 great granddaughters, Amari and Aruzhan Koehn,

also many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by

his wife Alta Rosezella Fransisco, a sister, Edith Pauline

Fransisco and 3 brothers, Floyd Lee, Cletus Earl and James

Lee Fransisco.

Funeral Service

10:00 a.m.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Ninde Brookside Chapel

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Officiating

Rev. John Fransisco

and Rev. David Sears

Musical Selections

Because He Lives

How Great Thou Art

Norma McQuary, Pianist

Jeff & Gloria Smith, Soloists

Pallbearers

Nieces & Nephews

Interment

Bixby Cemetery

Bixby, Oklahoma

Problemas No Se Solucionan-Problems Don't Solve Themselves

In my article on "moldy churches" I wrote about unresolved conflict and how it can create divisions in the church. The same principles apply to families as well. Recently I saw this firsthand.

We have a family in our church that has been struggling to deal with a very serious problem which could potentially be quite harmful to almost every member of the family. The parents and the older children are on one side and the youngest child and her boyfriend are on the other side. I have tried to help on several occasions, but a "third-party" can only do so much to bring about resolution. The power to solve the conflict is in their hands. I have highlighted priorities and pointed out several viable options. I have encouraged them to make compromises. I insisted that it was time for action. Nothing was done. Of course, things got worse, much worse.

Our human nature encourages us to wait, rather than take action. This is especially true here in Peru. It is part of the culture as well. The Spanish language uses the reflexive tense to emphasize a common understanding that many times things "just happen" on their own. If a plate falls to the ground (se cayó el plato), it's as if the plate does it by its own effort. As a result no one is responsible for the broken plate. If someone loses his/her computer (se me perdió la computadora), it's as if the computer lost itself. No one is responsible for its loss. Their world view allows things to just happen on their own accord. The same concept can be extended to problems. Problems should solve themselves, especially if one waits long enough. It is not necessary to do anything, because eventually it will work itself out.

A couple of weeks ago I spoke on unity in the Body of Christ. I pointed out that conflicts in families, at work and in the church don't just happen. People are responsible for the conflicts. I also told them that conflicts don't solve themselves. In fact they get worse when they are ignored. People must decide to do something or the conflict will never go away.

After church the parents asked to speak with me. They finally decided to do something to end the "war." Over the past few days they have taken positive steps to reach out to their daughter. I trust it will be bring about restoration.

"Moldy" Churches

The humidity here in Lima is nearly 100% during the entire year, even though it never rains. The changing seasons do little to affect the moisture content of the air. Residents of Lima often joke that those who live on the Peruvian coast are actually breathing water, sort of like fish. One of the greatest problems created by the humidity is mold. It grows everywhere there has been moisture. Clothes or shoes that are unused for a few months begin to produce small green fuzz. At it is difficult to find because it grows undetected. A musty odor is often the first clue that mold is present. By then, it is too late.

Unresolved personal conflict is similar to mold, especially in the church. The original problem that could have been easily dealt with using the Matthew 18:15-17 principle begins a process of fermentation. Within a short time the small misunderstanding turns into bitterness and hatred. And then "fuzz" begins to spread, many times undetected by the pastor or church leadership. The "offended party" starts to talk. It takes the form of a prayer request or a small group session of "unburdening." The "offended party" needs support. He or she needs people to be on his or her side. Certainly such benign intentions could never be harmful. However, at this point individual problems become small group problems. Soon small group problems become larger group problems as the "chain of concern" continues to grow. The mold is everywhere! Each person interprets the information received through the filter of their own experiences and prejudices. It doesn't' take long for the unresolved personal conflict to be transformed into a "full-blown" church division.

Once mold begins to grow it is so hard to kill. One missionary family who lived by the ocean had throw out their "damp" couch because there was no way to destroy the mold. I believe that Satan enjoys destroying the church from within. His work often takes this "innocent" route.

The afore mentioned Matthew 18 principle gives the following steps:

1. If you have conflict with someone, go to them personally

and work it out.

2. If you can't fix the problem, then find a friend or your pastor to

go with you. Try again to resolve the conflict.

3. If this doesn't work, then take the issue to a still larger, neutral

group, like the church board.

4. If everything fails, forgive them, separate yourself from them

and move on.

This process takes time and it takes work. But the results are miraculous. I've seen it work on every level. As a pastor I'm motivated to follow this plan because it is God's way of dealing with conflict and because I know that no one wants to be a part of a "moldy" church.