We were saddened to learn of the recent death of Joseph Horchak, the father of Mike Horchak who pastors GCI churches in Hammond and New Orleans, Louisiana.
Joseph died on April 10 in Mountain Home, Arkansas, at the age of 93. During his last hours, his daughter, Jacqui Blackwood, was by his side.
Born in Breziner, Pennsylvania in 1922, Joseph married Betty Wargo in 1944. She preceded him in death. Joseph is survived by three sons: Joseph C. Horchak (Jackie) of Roseville, CA, Michael Horchak (Pam) of Hammond, LA, and Douglas Horchak (Tanya) of McKinney, TX; daughter, Jacqui Blackwood (Fred) of Holly, MI; ten grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Cards to the family may be sent to:
Mike Horchak 41120 Adelle Drive Hammond, LA 70403-7539
Here is a follow-up to the earlier prayer request for Patty Mitchell from her husband Wayne, pastor of the GCI congregation in Seattle-Bellevue, Washington.
Wayne & Patty Mitchell
We just returned from our day with several doctors. Thank God, we got some good news! What the doctors thought was cancer in Patty’s lungs and lymph nodes in her chest, turned out to be inflammation brought on by an infection she has been battling for three months. What came at us like a roaring lion, the true Lion of Judah tamed into a scratching house cat. There is, after all, only one King of the Jungle. And we roll with him!
Patty’s doctors started her on a regimen of supplementation, diet and hot Epsom salts baths to treat the inflammation. She also continues to be treated for papillary carcinoma. We meet soon with surgeons to discuss the extent of needed surgery. After that, she will have 12 weeks of chemotherapy, then bi-monthly treatments for a year. She should be clear then. If not, we will continue the regimen until she is.
So it’s very good news overall! Thank you for your prayers, kind words and loving support.
Cards may be sent to:
Wayne and Patty Mitchell 14509 254 Avenue SE Monroe, WA 98272-9333
Several years ago, a brother in Christ from another denomination approached me with a sense of urgency. He said he had a “word of knowledge” for me from the Lord. He said God wanted me to know that unless I went to a particular church in Toronto or Pensacola to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, God would remove me from church leadership within six months and our denomination would disappear within a year. Wanting to be polite, I didn’t say what I was thinking: “I believe Jesus is telling me not to listen to you!”
Though I believe the Spirit, from time to time, gifts some with special wisdom and discernment, this brother’s message was clearly the invention of his own imagination. Over the years, many have felt the need to share with me a word of knowledge or a prophecy, which they claim is from the Lord. On one occasion, a gentleman declared that he wanted to anoint and ordain me. I explained that I already had been ordained and wasn’t sure why he wanted to anoint me (I wasn’t feeling sick—at least not until he mentioned this “word”!). It reminded me of the people who audition for one of those TV singing contests. Though they sound awful, they get angry when the judges won’t let them on the show!
Though I’ve had several of these experiences over the years, the only times the prophecy was true, was when it mirrored (coincidentally?) what already is revealed in Scripture. One time, a woman who said she was a prophetess brought me this message from the Lord: “God loves you!” She seemed taken aback when I replied, “He loves you too!” She seemed genuinely surprised when I then told her that God’s love for all people is one of the fundamentals of the faith. I mentioned that the old song is true, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” I think she walked away disappointed.
On another occasion, a man told me that God told him to “wash my feet.” He seemed surprised when I replied that his message was more for him than for me—perhaps God was telling him to serve me and others in practical ways. It’s sad that some people are motivated to convey a “word of knowledge” for others, yet they do not hear God’s already-revealed word for them!
Those who have come to me with a word of knowledge or a prophecy generally have not brought a new revelation. Not a single one of these prophecies has come to pass. But that’s no surprise, because the purpose of prophecy is not to foretell the future but to point to Jesus, who is the center of God’s plan of redemption. As the apostle John wrote, “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10). Jesus declared that all Scripture (and that includes all its prophecies) point to him (John 5:39). As declared by the author of Hebrews: “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe” (Hebrews 1:1-2). Jesus is now our prophet, as well as our priest, sage and king.
When someone proclaims that the Spirit has given them a special gift, they (perhaps unwittingly) imply that the Spirit is operating separately from Jesus and the Father. Some even proclaim that the Spirit gets “the short end of the stick” when he doesn’t receive as much worship as do the Father and the Son. They seem to conceive of the Trinity as three-in-competition rather than three-in-communion. But let me be clear: The Spirit has not altered God’s plan of redemption; has not displaced Jesus as the center of all prophecy; and never works separate from Jesus and the Father. The Spirit never does anything outside the unity and communion of the Trinity.
Jesus explained that the Spirit is sent to guide us into all truth and in doing so does not speak on his own. He is sent to do the will of the Father. The Spirit comes from the Father, through the incarnate Son, and actualizes within us all that God accomplished for us in Christ. Elmer Colyer put it this way in an article entitled “Thomas F. Torrance on the Holy Spirit”:
Jesus, our brother, does all of this for us on our behalf and in our place in and through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is born of the Spirit. At his baptism, Jesus was anointed for us with the Spirit without measure, for he received the Holy Spirit into the very humanity Christ assumed in the incarnation. Jesus Christ lived out his entire earthly life and ministry in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Everything our Lord did, he did in the communion of the Spirit, including his death and resurrection. So it is no isolated or naked Holy Spirit who comes upon the church at Pentecost, but rather the “Spirit of Jesus” (Acts 16:7), the Holy Spirit who was fully engaged in the life, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord.
Just as Jesus does not do anything behind the back of the Father, neither does the Holy Spirit work independently of the Father and Son. T.F. Torrance talked about the Spirit “hiding behind the Father” and bringing the “radiance of God’s glory to bear upon us.” The Holy Spirit does not have a separate agenda nor does he give messages separate from what the Word is saying. Note this from T.F.:
Like Christ the Holy Spirit is one in being and of the same being as the Father, but unlike Christ the Holy Spirit is not one in being and of the same being as we are, for he incarnated the Son but does not incarnate himself, he utters the Word but does not utter himself. He directs us through himself to the one Word and Face of God in Jesus Christ in accordance with whom all our knowledge of God is formed in our minds, knowledge of the Spirit as well as of the Father and of the Son. This is the diaphanous self-effacing nature of the Holy Spirit who hides himself, as it were, behind the Father in the Son and behind the Son in the Father, but also the enlightening transparence of the Spirit who by throwing his eternal Light upon the Father through the Son and upon the Son in the Father, brings the radiance of God’s Glory to bear upon us. We do not know the Holy Spirit directly in his own personal Reality or Glory. We know him only in his unique spiritual mode of activity and transparent presence in virtue of which God’s self-revelation shines through to us in Christ, and we are made through the Spirit to see the Father in the Son and the Son in the Father.
When the Scripture speaks of the fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit, it is not speaking of things separate from the Father or the Son. The fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, etc.), are characteristics of the Son that we share in through the indwelling Spirit. Likewise, the gifts of the Spirit (including the “word of knowledge”) are not separate from the Father or the Son, and are given principally to encourage and embolden the faith of the recipient.
Let me close with this from T.F. Torrance: “What Jesus Christ does for us and to us, and what the Holy Spirit does in us, is what God himself does for us, to us, and in us” (Christian Doctrine, p. 95). Now that’s a word of knowledge!
Looking to Jesus, the one true prophet, Joseph Tkach
Note: the cartoons in this issue are used with permission from Naked Pastor (www.nakedpastor.com).
This update is from Lorenzo Arroyo, mission developer for GCI-Mexico and GCI-USA regional pastor.
On April 3-5, GCI Mexico held its annual Equipping Conference in Guadalajara, Mexico. Attending from the U.S. were Gary and Cathy Deddo, Heber and Xochilt Ticas, and Lorenzo and Rita Arroyo. Approximately 65 pastors and other congregational leaders traveled from various states in Mexico to attend. In addition to plenary presentations, workshops and small group sessions were provided for pastors, ministry leaders, men’s and women’s groups (pictured below) and emerging leaders. Alfredo Mercado, GCI Mexico national leader, coordinated efforts with local churches to provide conference transportation, lodging and meals.
A particularly inspirational event during the conference was a special service held Saturday evening at GCI-Mexico’s newest mission outreach in Santa Rosa (near Guadalajara). A bus was chartered for conference attendees to travel there for a community outreach service. The group was welcomed by a procession of children and over 100 people attending. There was lively worship, dynamic preaching and great fellowship and food. The highlight was a blessing of children conducted by visiting pastor and church planter Heber Ticas (pictured at left), who lined up the children in pairs then anointed, prayed over and blessed each one. As over 30 children were blessed, tears were shed by parents and friends. Though economically impoverished, the children received the gentle touch of Jesus, present through the Holy Spirit.
Pastors Alberto Luis Soto and Humberto Perez, along with Deacon Jose Rodriguez oversee this new mission outreach, which was planted about nine months ago. Though the building where it meets has no floor and a partial roof, the evening gathering felt like meeting in a cathedral. During the lively worship, many “Hallelujahs” were expressed with great joy (see picture below).
During the main conference in Guadalajara, Gary Deddo gave a plenary session entitled “Union with Christ and the Kingdom of God.” Cathy Deddo (pictured at left), Rita Arroyo, Xochilt Ticas and Selena Soto gave talks for women’s breakouts. Heber and Lorenzo led group discussions on implementing next steps toward community outreach. Their presentation emphasized Trinitarian evangelism, participation in mission and church renewal. Heber also worked with the younger adults on leadership development, including making plans to hold the next GCI-Mexico youth camp over the New Year holiday, possibly in the area of Cuernavaca. Heber and Xochilt will be camp instructors.
At the conference, Alfredo Mercado announced that a congregation in Chihuahua, Mexico, recently joined GCI. Its pastor, Jose Luis Cruz Flores, after checking out our website, contacted our home office, resulting in Alfredo’s visit. The congregation has about 60 members. We look forward to their involvement in future conferences and camps. God is good!
On Sunday, over 100 people enjoyed an uplifting Easter celebration. Cathy Deddo presented “Receiving the Self-giving God” from John 13. Her moving plenary talk focused on the Triune God’s unconditional love that knows no bounds except those we make for ourselves. Like Peter, we need to learn to let go and let God love us extravagantly.
Next, Gary Deddo (pictured preaching at right with his interpreter) gave an inspirational sermon entitled, “Don’t Cry for Jesus.” His message emphasized that Jesus was not a victim of fatalistic circumstances leading to a pitiful death as is so often portrayed. Rather than a victim, Jesus is the victor, who of his own choosing laid down his life for our redemption. Natanael Cruz led Easter worship with a dazzling arrangements of spiritual songs. Those in attendance were moving and clapping to the music!
Thanks to individuals and congregations in Canada, Washington, Oregon, California and elsewhere for the generous gifts that made this conference possible. Donations to the GCI home office help fund events like this and are very much appreciated.
As stated in a recent post at ChurchLeaders.com, “No church can do everything. Not if we want to do any of it well. But every church can do something really well. Maybe a couple things. That’s what makes a church great…. especially in a small church.” To read the full post, click here.
At its semiannual meeting on March 5, the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) Board of Directors expressed collective grief and profound concern for the suffering of Christians around the world. “Our brothers and sisters in Christ are being persecuted, uprooted from their ancestral homes, and even martyred because of their faith,” the motion states. Click here to read more.
In the video below, Greg Williams, director of Church Administration and Development, provides an update on the recent GenMin Converge 2015 event held in March in Ohio. For more videos from Converge 2015, go to http://www.generationsministries.org/converge-2015-highlights.html.
Last week, we asked for prayer for Harry Garden (seated at right in the picture), who was near death in hospice care. Harry died late Sunday evening, April 12. He spent the day surrounded by family including children and grandchildren.
Harry’s widow, Mary Ann, is happy to have family surrounding her at this time. She reports that Harry died peacefully and that his hope and faith throughout his illness was an inspiration to all who came into contact with him.
Thanks for your continuing prayers for Mary Ann and the rest of Harry’s family. Cards may be sent to:
Mary Ann Garden 11412 W Sheriac Street Wichita, KS 67209
On the way out of church one Sunday, a young boy announced: ”Mommy, I’ve decided to become a minister when I grow up.” She replied, “That’s okay with us, but what made you decide that?” “Well,” said the little boy, “I have to go to church on Sunday anyway, and I figure it will be more fun to stand up and yell, than to sit and listen.”
Thankfully, most of our pastors and other preachers are not into yelling, though I chuckle remembering being “yelled at” in sermons when I was growing up.
I’m reminded of another story about preaching: A boy was watching his father, a pastor, write a sermon. “How do you know what to say?” he asked. “Why, God tells me,” his father answered. The boy then asked, “So, why do you keep crossing things out?”
Martin Luther
Certainly God puts in our hearts both the desire to preach and the content of the message, and yet we have our part to play—a part that certainly challenges us. When I sense God sharing something with me during times of study and meditation in Scripture, I often desire to share what I’m learning with others through a sermon or article. God, who desires to be known, uses our preaching to tell people about his nature, character, heart, mind and purpose as revealed and embodied in Jesus Christ. As Martin Luther said, “Beyond all the might and the power of the world and of all creatures, Christ proves his ability to draw the hearts of men to himself through the Word alone.” Our preaching should deliver God’s Word, the gospel, to God’s beloved children. In emphasizing the importance and power of that type of preaching, Martin Luther said this:
The lips are the public reservoirs of the church. In them alone is kept the Word of God… Unless the Word is preached publicly, it slips away. The more it is preached, the more firmly it is retained. Reading it is not as profitable as hearing it, for the live voice teaches, exhorts, defends, and resists the spirit of error. Satan does not care a hoot for the written Word of God, but he flees at the speaking of the Word (Luther’s Works, volume 18, p. 401).
John Calvin
Luther believed that the Holy Spirit was uniquely at work in the preaching of God’s Word. John Calvin held the same belief and emphasized a verse-by-verse, expository method. He would spend months preaching through books of the Bible. His series in Acts took more than three years. He gave 186 sermons in Corinthians, 353 in Isaiah and 200 in Deuteronomy. Now, I’m not recommending we do exactly as Calvin did. He preached ten times every two weeks, but most of us preach once a week at most. However, there is much to be said about having a thorough knowledge of Scripture—understanding who it is written to and what events were occurring when it was written, then keeping that knowledge under the umbrella of the most important exegetical question of all: Who is Jesus?
I marvel at what occurs between the delivery and reception of a sermon. The ideas the preacher seeks to convey sometimes are quite different from what an individual listener receives. On several occasions someone thanked me for “the very clear point” they heard in my sermon. When they describe that point, I wonder if they heard what I actually said! It’s not that they weren’t listening, or were hearing what they wanted to hear. God had a message just for them. That God often works in this way is one of the reasons I spend a lot of time in prayer during sermon preparation.
When I preach, I seek to follow Jesus’ method of using stories, humor and drama, with references to common practices of contemporary culture. Story-telling is one of the most effective tools in preaching. I seek to faithfully communicate the expository background/context of the passage, then illustrate the application of its main point by telling a relevant story. Though listeners may not remember all the background, they will often remember the story and its main point.
St. Peter Preaching at Pentecost by Benjamin West
The church’s founding fathers, who also were preachers, tended to tell stories to effectively communicate the message of the gospel. In the book of Acts and the Epistles we find Peter, John and Paul sharing stories of their personal journey with Jesus. We also find this narrative approach in the sermons of such notable preachers as John Chrysostom (the “golden mouth” preacher), Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, John Knox, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Spurgeon and David Martyn Lloyd-Jones.
Though none of us are famous preachers, our sermons still are of great value, particularly when well-prepared. In his book for preachers, Between Two Worlds, John Stott says it takes at least 12 hours to prepare an effective sermon. Though many of our preachers are unable to devote that much time, I urge us all to make sermon preparation a high priority. As noted above, that includes time in prayer.
Effective sermons clearly communicate the gospel and leave the audience wanting more. Many of us have experienced a child squealing with delight when we lift them into the air and spin them around. Their first response is often, “Do it again!” So we lift and twirl them again, only to hear, “Do it again!” and again and again. When we tire and put them down, they still call out for more. Effective preaching is like that. When we tell the story and make our point, people respond with, “Tell us more!”
Jesus exhorts us to embrace a child’s wide-eyed enthusiasm and trust that wants more and more of God’s Word. There have been many times when I’ve heard a sermon that was 90 minutes or longer, but because it was so captivating, seemed only a few minutes long. Then there were other sermons that after only 10 minutes felt like two hours! That’s why I remind preachers that it’s better to finish with the audience wanting more, than to have them wish they had left early.
I thank our pastors and other preachers for their labor of love in giving effective sermons. Let us all remember that when we preach, we have opportunity to share the exciting, encouraging, powerful, inspiring and life-giving good news (gospel) of God grace. Concerning that grace, note this from T.F. Torrance:
Grace is to be understood as the impartation not just of something from God but of God Himself. In Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit, God freely gives to us in such a way that the Gift and the Giver are one and the same in the wholeness and indivisibility of His grace.… (Reality and Evangelical Theology, pp. 14-15).
When people come to church, they need to hear from God about that grace. They need to hear about God’s love, and about how, in love, he works to change them from the inside out, and works to transform the entire world, often in hidden ways. As we bring this word (the gospel), through our preaching, I believe “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7, NRSV) will be released into people’s lives. As a result, an energy and trust to live faithfully despite temptations and trials will be fostered in them by the Spirit. I pray you will not become weary in this vital task, and that together we will co-minister with Jesus, setting up signs of his kingdom through the effective preaching of his Word.
Now it’s time for me to get to work on my next sermon…
Preaching the Word with you, Joseph Tkach
PS: Dan Rogers is putting together a course in preaching at Grace Communion Seminary. It takes a while for new courses to be developed and approved. We’ll let you know when this new course is first offered.
Note: the three paintings above are public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
