|
March 2007
The Arrow
Volume II, Issue 2
We are already almost one-quarter of the way through the new year. Time is going by, and it seems to me it’s picking up speed! I want to thank all of you who responded to last month’s story about Mosaka Fallah, my friend from Liberia who has struggled and strived for over twenty years and is now enrolled in a PhD program at the University of Kentucky. Special thanks to those who sent contributions for the "car fund”; as soon as we generate sufficient contributions we will send them to him so that he can have some basic transportation as he pursues his degree.
Special Shoutout To Dea. Luther Lewis of Kansas City, Missouri, who serves as the president of the Southwest District Laymen of Missouri. As a result of his leadership 185 men gathered together on the third Saturday of February to study God’s word. Good leadership is revealed not by what we say, but by the results of what we do. The results in Kansas City spoke for themselves; Luther Lewis is a gifted leader.
THE SHOT
How to Handle Haters
At one time or another, each of us has had to deal with haters, those insecure, small-minded people who oppose gifted people. I have discovered that the best way to handle them is to understand their tactics and to remain confident in the gift God has given you. Here’s what they do.
First, they deny your gift. They take the position that you are not who God says you are, and that you cannot do what God says you can do. Their hope is that by denying your gift they can discourage you and persuade you to abandon your gift.
If they are unsuccessful in denying your gift, next they try to detain your gift; they try to place limits on the gift God has given you. This is a slick move, because normally it comes in the form of a compliment. These enemies will say something nice and seemingly complimentary, but they include in their compliment a limitation that ultimately denies the true extent of you gift.
If denial does not work, and if you refuse to be detained, their final resort is to destroy you.
These are the tactics the enemies of God used against Jesus. First they denied His gift (can anything good come out of Bethlehem?) When He persisted, they tried to detain Him by complimenting Him as a great teacher. The compliment really was an attempt to limit Him by denying His divinity. When He refused to be limited, they felt they had no choice but to destroy Him on the cross.
Of course, the good news is if we keep the faith and stay focused on who we are and whose we are, all of these efforts will fail. Just as Jesus rose from the dead and reigns today, so we who persist in our gift will triumph over the small-minded among us, and continue to be fruitful.
WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON?
As mentioned above, in February we were blessed to present a three hour workshop for the men (and a few women!) of the Southwest District of Missouri. While in Kansas City we also spoke at two churches on Sunday.
We also traveled to Charleston, South Carolina for a men’s weekend at the Mt. Olive Baptist Church. We are thankful to Pastor Glover and the members of Mt. Olive for their participation and hospitality during the weekend.
WHAT'S COMING UP?
March is a very busy month. We are scheduled to speak at the annual Pastors and Men’s Conference sponsored by the California Baptist State Convention. We are also scheduled to bring the morning message at both services of the Restoration Christian Fellowship in Denver Colorado and to be the featured speaker at a men’s rally sponsored by Restoration and other churches in Denver. Finally, we are scheduled to speak at the annual Super Conference sponsored by the General Missionary Baptist Convention of Mississippi, to be held in Jackson, Mississippi, and to bring the morning message at a Sunday morning men’s breakfast and at one of the local churches. Please continue to pray for our strength and traveling grace, and don’t forget Mosaka.
Aiming at the Mark,
Ernest Tinsley
|
