August 2021
Father’s Day 1995 The Lord Himself did a mighty work when He poured out His presence in Pensacola Florida during the Brownsville Revival that resulted in the nations being reached with mighty testimonies of His Glory and many coming to Salvation through Jesus Christ. Steve Hill was the Evangelist who labored alongside Pastor John Kilpatrick night after night as thousands of souls repented for their sins and wept in the sweet presence of Holy Spirit. Jeri, Steve’s wife was also there night after night responding to the call to grow ever closer to the Lord.
In a recent conversation, Jeri and Greg talk about the testimonies of the Lord and how the Lord is going to pour out His Spirit in a mighty way again. As Greg shares, the Lord has shown him the nations coming to the Gulf Coast, “The Glory Zone”. “Brownsville was small compared to what I saw”. People who are famous in their nations, were coming to the Gulf Coast just to operate a camera, capturing the Glory of God, willing to do the work of ministry.
As Jeri shares, she’s beginning to see that take place as she is involved with Christ For All Nations. Under the leadership of Daniel Kolenda, Boot Camp Evangelism is raising up Evangelists to go out to the nations. Jeri is involved in this ministry as well as one of their Evangelism Coaches. Daniel Kolenda is launching Nations Church in Orlando, FL. If you are in the Orlando area, it’s time to get connected. Jesus Image with Michael Koulianos is also reaching the nations for Jesus Christ with the Good News of the Gospel reaching out evangelizing. As Jeri explains, “they are letting Holy Spirit overtake them”. She continues, “when you let Holy Spirit overtake you, its letting Him change your mind, because we get our opinions from the world, and so if we get so full of the Word of God it’s changing our mind, it’s changing our will to God’s will, and it’s changing our emotion so that we are not depressed, cast down, beaten up, and discouraged…” This is how we are able to recognize what God is speaking, and how He is leading, “but we are all emotionally in tune with what God wants to do. He wants to be in charge of our mind, our will, and our emotions, our spirit man, and be victorious over the flesh.” Jeri continues to talk about how her relationship with the Lord has changed and developed the more she walks with the Lord, “I’ve been serving Him for 45 years now and it only gets more intense and more exciting. There’s nothing like it in this world.” This is our only moment in time to do something for our Lord and King. This is our only opportunity to do something for God. It’s time to get in and to get involved in what God is doing. Jeri also talks about the ministry that she is involved in, Ryan’s Hope, named after her son who passed away. This ministry is directed towards helping men of all ages needing help in restoration.
This is the beauty of living a life dedicated to the Lord. Even after Steve Hill has gone to be with the Lord, there is still fruit multiplying for the Lord as people are continuing to be touched and reached. Steve has now gone on to be with his First Love, and Jeri continues to serve her First Love. This is our moment to do the same and live a sold-out life knowing that at any moment, our next breath, can be in eternity.
Image courtesy of Bruce Rolff/Shutterstock.com
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Father’s Day 1995 The Lord Himself did a mighty work when He poured out His presence in Pensacola Florida during the Brownsville Revival that resulted in the nations being reached with mighty testimonies of His Glory and many coming to Salvation through Jesus Christ. Steve Hill was the Evangelist who labored alongside Pastor John Kilpatrick night after night as thousands of souls repented for their sins and wept in the sweet presence of Holy Spirit. Jeri, Steve’s wife was also there night after night responding to the call to grow ever closer to the Lord.
In a recent conversation, Jeri Hill talks about the life of transition that her and Steve lived following the Lord in those beginning days of the Brownsville Revival. “In that first year we moved nine times because we didn’t know how long we were going to be there”. They were following the lead of the Holy Spirit, until five years later, in 1999, they decided to leave Pensacola. “The only reason we felt led to leave Brownsville is because there were less sinners coming.” All the while during those five years of the Brownsville Revival, Steve was receiving invitations from around the world for him to come preach in their nation, “we cannot all go to Brownsville, please come to us”. After leaving Pensacola, FL, Steve and Jeri travel to Japan to share the Gospel.
It was during an event in Japan that Jeri felt the Holy Spirit suddenly impress upon her, “go outside and evangelize right now”. After grabbing an interpreter, she was handing out Gospel tracks and inviting people to the even that was about to start in 45 mins. Her and her interpreter run out of tracks and Jeri tells the interpreter to go get more tracks. “All of a sudden I’m doubling over weeping and wailing for the people of Japan. I am bawling my eyes out wailing an saying ‘the people of Japan need Jesus! the people of Japan need Jesus!’ and I am wailing…” Suddenly Jeri is approached by someone in their ministry team who recognized Jeri and tells Jeri that the girl with him is a pastor’s daughter who wants to leave and doesn’t believe in what Steve is doing in their city means anything. She confronted this young girl and boldly declared, “the devil has you right where he wants you, he wants you to leave, he does not want you to believe that he’s real, and the devil is dancing, he’s pleased, he’s so happy that you are about to leaving.” But Jeri didn’t stop there, “if you have even a little mustard seed of faith, you get back in there and listen to my husband preach”. The girl ended up walking away, and suddenly the burden of the Holy Spirit lifted. During the message, Steve called Jeri up to be alongside him praying for the pastors. It was while Jeri was on the platform that she felt a tap on her shoulder, and it was the young man and girl who told Jeri that she gave her heart to Jesus! So many people miss those promptings of the Holy Spirit. If we don’t pay attention to how the Holy Spirit is leading us, we can miss Him. As Jeri shares, “that’s what it’s all about. My job was to be interceding and praying and believing…”
Father’s Day 1995 The Lord Himself did a mighty work when He poured out His presence in Pensacola Florida during the Brownsville Revival that resulted in the nations being reached with mighty testimonies of His Glory and many coming to Salvation through Jesus Christ. Steve Hill was the Evangelist who labored alongside Pastor John Kilpatrick night after night as thousands of souls repented for their sins and wept in the sweet presence of Holy Spirit. Jeri, Steve’s wife was also there night after night responding to the call to grow ever closer to the Lord.
In a recent conversation, Jeri talks about how when her and Steve where evangelizing in South America, they were laboring day and night. This was long before Brownsville was on anybody’s grid. Evangelizing during the day, church services during the night. A lot of people don’t understand “the work” of ministry, they just think it just happens. As Jeri explains, “it’s a matter of stepping out, opening your mouth, handing the track, praying with them, whatever they would allow you to do, you just did it.” Steve and Jeri immersed themselves into the culture as they both were able to speak Spanish after moving to Costa Rica and living with a family, asking them to teach them, and correct them regarding their Spanish.
So many people are afraid of just “getting out there”, afraid that they will make a mistake or say something wrong. Jeri recalls one of her first encounters after only be saved for two months, she was in the city amongst the people handing out tracks. A man comes up to her and says, “okay, just don’t give me a track. Tell me what it means to you…for forty-five minutes I shared my testimony with him and what God had done in my life. He took the track that I had and said, ‘thank you’, and he walked away.” Jeri thought there was more to do wanting to know if she could have prayed for him. That next Monday, in a Teen Challenge meeting, people were standing up and sharing testimonies. One man who gave his testimony stood up, who turned out to be same man that Jeri had just shared her testimony to. After telling all those who were listening about the young girl that he had met, and that he wanted to know what the track meant to her, he took the track and walked away. As he was walking away, he told the crowd what he said to the Lord, “God, I want what she has”, and he gave his heart to Jesus as he was walking away. As he was finishing his testimony in the Teen Challenge meeting, he pointed at Jeri, “that’s the girl right there, would you stand up”. Jeri was shocked, “it works”, she told herself. As Jeri plainly says, “we’re supposed to have a passion for God, and a burden for people.”
Revelation 12:11 declares, “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death”. There is power in the simple truth of sharing your stories of what God has done in your life with other people. If you’re dead in Christ, you’re not worried about yourself. Your yes to God matters so much to God. There are so many people want to give their everything to God, but they totally feel held back because their spouse is not following the Lord. Jeri talks about how powerful your witness is when you are committed. “God is powerful to keep a marriage together, even when they aren’t seeing eye to eye. So, God doesn’t want them to give up on that person, because they are just as important to God as going out and doing something else for God.” Even too, when children come along in a family, that may change how ministry looks, but it doesn’t have to stop ministry. Jeri continues, “in the beginning I took Ryan out on one hip.” When the Brownsville Revival started, Steve and Jeri had a three-week-old baby, “so I would be back in the nursing room quite a bit, but the whole time I was so on Steve’s page because I wanted to see people get right with God, so even if it was Steve doing it, or if it was me doing it, it was being done”.
Father’s Day 1995 The Lord Himself did a mighty work when He poured out His presence in Pensacola Florida during the Brownsville Revival that resulted in the nations being reached with mighty testimonies of His Glory and many coming to Salvation through Jesus Christ. Steve Hill was the Evangelist who labored alongside Pastor John Kilpatrick night after night as thousands of souls repented for their sins and wept in the sweet presence of Holy Spirit. Jeri, Steve’s wife was also there night after night responding to the call to grow ever closer to the Lord.
In a recent conversation, Jeri talks about how the Lord brought the two of them together when they were in Bible School under David Wilkerson. They recall a time when Steve talked about those unforgettable days and how they submitted themselves to godly leadership. “Gwen Wilkerson, David Wilkerson’s wife, came to me and said, ‘Jeri, you may be making the biggest mistake of your life. Jeri may not be the girl for you’”. That wasn’t what Steve wanted to hear. Steve continues, “you know what that caused me to do? PRAY! PRAY! Instead of living in orbit, I got my feet back on solid ground and got on my face. ‘Jesus I’m infatuated with this girl. Get this out of me and speak to me. Speak to me Jesus, I don’t want to make a mistake.” Steve had to know, and asked the Lord, “IS THIS YOU OR NOT? IF IT’S YOU THEN YOU GUIDE EVERY STEP.” This is so important to think about and remember. Steve continues to describe how so many people would not receive that kind of leadership in their lives. “Some of you would never put up with anything like this because you’re snots, you’re stuck up…there’s people that will not receive a word of counsel from nobody.”
After Steve and Jeri decided to move forward in their relationship and date, the direction they received from their leadership was that they could spend 15 minutes a week with each other. Specifically, “you can spend 15 minutes with her but don’t touch her”. So, Steve asked, “can I shake her hand?” “No” was the response he got”. Steve continues, “I happened to get around godly counsel. They told me to behave myself.” For those who would rebel against godly leadership and counsel like this, Steve says, “friend I want to tell you where you’re going. You’re going down the wrong path. With an attitude like that, you ain’t going to make it nowhere with Jesus cause He’s put authorities in your life.” When the time came for Steve to ask Jeri to marry her, he still didn’t know what her hand felt like, or even had a ring to give her.
On one of their short walks together, Steve knew this was the day to ask. But his time was running short, he only had 15 minutes with Jeri. “Jeri, will you marry me?” “How can I say no?” A long drawn out “moooooo” came bellowing out from one of the neighboring cows in the nearby pasture. That was confirmation. 15 minutes was up. “Well, see you later. She goes walking off one way. I mean this is the girl I’m gonna marry. Not even a handshake.” Steve continues to point out what happened during that season of their lives. “We fell in love with each other, not in lust… It’s hard to get to know a girl in the back seat of a car with the windows steamed up and a bunch of heavy panting going on. You’re not going to get very intimate in your spirit with a woman like that and you’re gonna end up marrying the girl AND YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW HER!” This is where having godly counsel in your life can guide you to make wise decisions. “So I got around wise counsel that was so contrary to the world’s counsel.” What would the world’s counsel have said? “The world would say ‘shack up with her for a few months man before you marry her’. The world would say, ‘make sure you got some type of marriage agreement before you ever get into this thing.’ It’s a whole lot different with Jesus”. Many people don’t start with God’s values in views or with godly counsel leading the way. It’s hard to unmake a wrong beginning. You got to go back to the start.
Jeri recalls those memorable moments as well as she talks about during those days at Bible School under David Wilkerson, she used to clean the Wilkerson’s home. One day, David Wilkerson asked for a volunteer to clean his car. Steve raised his hand and was cleaning the car. Steve shared with David, “I’m interested in Jeri Larson.” David responded, “you’re getting the best girl on the ranch”. As Jeri explains, “it was growing in my heart, this love for Steve, and I did not want anybody”. Up to this point in her life, Jeri had only experienced dysfunctional relationships and had only planned to be sold out for Jesus and not have any man in her life. “And so for two months I was binding the enemy with this emotion that was happening in my heart. Every time I saw Steve, my heart was beating out of my chest.” Jeri continues to describe how she was fighting, what she thought, was distractions from the enemy, “I would get up three o’clock in the morning and pray till five, binding the enemy that was distracting me in my relationship with Jesus Christ…God was putting it there but I was fighting it.” She even went to her advisor to ask for prayer because her prayers weren’t working. The advisor wanted to know what they were praying about. “Well, somebody is distracting me. My emotions are distracted when I see one of the guys and I need victory over this, and I need a prayer partner. Please help me pray for victory.” After 45 minutes of her advisor insisting on wanting to know who it was, she didn’t say and ended up leaving.
Later in the day, Jeri is approached by Steve in the lunchroom and she is just appalled that he would approach her. GET AWAY FROM ME was what she felt belting out of her spirit towards him. Steve knew something was wrong and followed after Jeri as she walked away. “Jeri! What is going on?” She replied, “nothing God can’t handle.” Steve insisted, “Well tell me what’s going on and I’ll pray for you.” Without missing a beat, Jeri retorted, “you don’t need to know what it is to pray”. Steve immediately went into his prayer closet to pray for Jeri and the Lord spoke to Steve, “she’s fighting love for you”. Come to find out, Steve was waking up at three in the morning, praying to the Lord with hands raised, until five in the morning, thanking God that the Lord was bringing him and Jeri together. Days later Steve and Jeri see each other in the office and Steve says to Jeri, “[the staff] know about us”. As Jeri hears this, she has her own internal dialogue with the Lord, “God, I was praying for deliverance from this. Do I not have a say in my life? Immediately God said to me, ‘No. You don’t have a say. Your say has to be yes.’” So many people can completely understand and empathize with Jeri’s perspective.
So many people have been hurt and wounded by relationships. We can be whole people, in Christ, without needing a relationship with a spouse in order to feel whole. Thinking about her marriage with Steve, Jeri says, “I think what really played a part in how our marriage went, is in Bible School, they told us ‘to give 100% and don’t expect anything in return. If you expect something, you’re going to be disappointed, and if you give 100%, as unto the Lord and you’re doing it unto God, you will receive so much satisfaction in doing it as unto the Lord and not create drama.” Our spouses can never fulfill our lives where only Jesus can be. Jeri continues, “I didn’t look for Steve to fulfill me. I looked to God to fulfill me and use me.” This is what was so beautiful between them in their marriage because they never defined each other by what wasn’t given, or by what couldn’t be given at the time. Jeri continues to point out the decision she made every time Steve walked into the door.
Rewinding the journey back to story of being surrounded by cows and being asked by Steve to marry him, Jeri talks about she wanted to serve the Lord with all that she had, but she knew the decision of marriage was important. “You used to be a heroin addict. I used to be a drug addict and we were lost. If you think for one minute that you are going to go back into drugs, tell me today. Because even though I love you, I don’t want to marry you.” Steve responded to her, “I am going to live for God all the days of my life.” That’s all she needed to hear. As she clapped her hands, she said, “okay let’s do it”. Moments before Jeri was about to walk down the aisle in her wedding, wearing her wedding dress, someone asked her if she was nervous. She kicked off her shoes, twirled and said, “No, I’m excited!”, and then proceeded to put her shoes back on and walked down the aisle.
Father’s Day 1995 The Lord Himself did a mighty work when He poured out His presence in Pensacola Florida during the Brownsville Revival that resulted in the nations being reached with mighty testimonies of His Glory and many coming to Salvation through Jesus Christ. Steve Hill was the Evangelist who labored alongside Pastor John Kilpatrick night after night as thousands of souls repented for their sins and wept in the sweet presence of Holy Spirit. Jeri, Steve’s wife was also there night after night responding to the call to grow ever closer to the Lord.
In a recent conversation Jeri Hill talks about the importance of praying for the lost with a broken heart weeping before the Lord. Steve and Jeri continually kept the verse of Psalm 126:6 before them, “Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.” They continually lived their lives with a focus on reaching the lost with the love of Jesus Christ. As Jeri recalls, “going to church every single night, it wasn’t just at Brownsville. We were in church services evangelized. And that’s how we planted every single Church: we evangelized, went out on the streets, told people about Jesus and planted a church by evangelizing.” It’s important to be people focused and to notice those that the Lord has placed right next to us. As Greg describes, “the person next to you is an opportunity, they’re not a problem”.
Jeri recalls one particular teenager that she had witnessed to. “Every single day for six months I witness to this young lady…and I told her that Jesus loved her and had a plan for her life. She was an Argentine Revolutionist. She didn’t want to hear it and for six months she rejected it.” Jeri didn’t let that response stop her. “I began to fast for her, and I wept for her and sometimes I would cry…everyday I wept and wept and wept”. Jeri details how something changed after six months and in a conversation with this young lady that was challenging Jeri, Jeri slammed her hand down on the table, which was a glass table declared boldly, “I believe in Jesus Christ and I believe He died for you and I believe that He has a plan for you and you have to give your life to Jesus Christ.” By this point Jeri was screaming these words at her. This young lady took a couple steps back and simply said, “okay, I believe you now”. This young lady becomes the first female missionary to go to Cameroon, Africa and preaches everywhere she goes. She ended up moving back to the United States and shared with Jeri, “you taught me how to do this. You did it for me, I can do it for somebody else”. Jeri continues to point out how important is not to miss those moments. “You do not know what is going on in a person’s life and what they’ve been crying out. It’s just what we say to people, God is working behind the scenes in people’s lives. He might be giving them dreams. He might be giving them vision of things. He might be speaking to them in audible voices…but what we don’t know what God is doing behind the scenes.”
Greg describes a similar journey when he himself was in the middle of the Brownsville Revival also running a business of his own. He would run his plastics company and leave work everyday, heading to the Brownsville Revival, and tell one of his employees, “God loves you and has a plan for your life”. Day after day the same words. Even after inviting this employee to Revival over and over, this employee would always respond with a kind “no thank you”. Until one day, Greg offers, “If I pay you, will you come?” That was all he needed. This man ended up witnessing what Greg had been trying to share with him all these times, and encountered the love of God, the power of God, and he gave his life to Jesus Christ that very day.
Steve Hill did the same thing each and every day sharing about the love of God, the power of God in his memorable messages. As Jeri describes, “Steve had to prepare a message every single day. He’d get up at eight o’clock in the morning, go over to the office and have a message done, and ready for that evening by two o’clock in the afternoon. Everyday”. Contrary to belief, Steve had never used props before in his messages until he started preaching at the Brownsville Revival. Steve had a powerful message that he would also share with people who been coming to the Brownsville Revival, “don’t come in and hog the sanctuary, leave room for the sinner, go out and evangelize, don’t come every single night we need room for the sinners that are coming”.
What else is additionally important to recognize about the Brownsville Revival is not only how many lives were touched, but also the many lives that were touched during that time that are still faithfully serving the Lord. As Jeri describes, “the other second thing that is the most important is the fruit that remains and is producing fruit…it’s not supposed to stop, we have to pass it on”. As Steve got older, he ended up getting cancer. Not even cancer could stop Steve from bearing good fruit for the Lord. Jeri continues, “during that time he was doing videos for the online school of evangelism because he wanted to leave behind something that would help people to grow in producing more fruit after he was gone”. One of Steve’s last videos was conversation with Peter Wagner talking to the nations.
When you look at the lives of Steve and Jeri, you can clearly see that there is no fear of how people will respond. As Jeri says, “I don’t care what people think about me”. Jeri also shares that “Steve always wanted to be murdered for Jesus”. People may be surprised to know that people came to the Brownsville Revival with weapons hoping to kill someone on the platform. When somebody comes to Jeri’s front door of her house, she isn’t afraid to answer the door. “I don’t run away. There is somebody that is coming to my door that needs to hear about Jesus…they can not walk out the door without me talking about the love of my life.” Jeri also talks about how she uses the many different props from Steve’s past messages from the Brownsville Revival that are displayed around her house that she uses to bring up Jesus to those that visit her home. We can do this very same thing and put things that represent what God has done in our lives around our homes for the purpose of bringing up Jesus to them and telling them that Jesus loves them and has a plan for their lives.
Image courtesy of fizkes/Shutterstock.com
Super Chickens and Super Churches? Are they Different, Are they the Same?
In the Western Culture, the idea of a “Super-Sized” meal is something most are aware of. With just a quick drive-up window, and a 30 second conversation, we have access to “Super-Sized” meals. With our meals being so easily “Super-Sized”, sometimes we begin to take on the same belief that everything has to be the same way; “Super-Sized”. Anyone who has traveled outside the United States, there is a quick realization that the serving size for their foods is not the same way. Walking through grocery stores in America could easily be described as warehouses. When we look at the church, or what many perceive the church to be, we begin to assume that it has to be the same way. It seems that people aren’t happy unless it’s bigger.; it’s “Super-Sized”.
While talking about the concept of “Super”, it’s important to recognize a talk that Margaret Heffernan shared at a TED Talk. In this presentation, she talks about a study conducted by Purdue University on chickens. While referencing this study, she first asks the question of “what makes Corporations successful?”. This is a valid question, as hopefully the Church is interested in this answer as we should all want to be successful. The question is though, does Jesus define success the same way today’s corporations define success? Jesus’s words in John 15: 1-8 are pretty straightforward:
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He [a]takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
This is so powerful when we approach the topic of wanting to be productive or successful. Is about producing “the most eggs” or producing fruit”. In the case of business, it may be easy to measure productivity by just looking at revenue. But, in the case of chickens, as Margaret shares, “it’s easy to measure with chickens, cause you just count the eggs”. As all people want more productivity, Purdue University carried out their own study. In this study, one flock of chickens was monitored for 6 generations, left untouched. Then, there was another flock. In each generation, only the most productive chicken was chosen to be used for breeding. So, now 6 generations later, what were the differences between the two flocks? Looking at the first flock, production had increased. Wonderful.
What about the second flock that was comprised of only the highest producing chickens in their generation? This is where the study gets interesting. As Margaret shares, “all but three were dead. They’d pecked the rest to death.” She continues, “the individually productive chickens had only achieved their success by suppressing the productivity of the rest”. Hearing those results, you may find those results eerily similar to what you’ve witnessed in your own life. Isn’t it interesting how “production” and “results” is driving factor why many of us make the decisions that we do? Is it really about just getting to the top? Margaret shares her thoughts on this mindset this way, “and I’ve never really felt motivated by pecking orders, or by super chickens, or by superstars. But, for the past fifty years we’ve run most organizations, and some societies along the super chicken model. We’ve thought that success is achieved by picking the superstars”. Have you seen this? How many times do people just decide to pay more money for the superstar, or volunteer to BE the superstar?
If we can see that this model doesn’t truly work in the business/corporate model, how can we ever think that this would be an acceptable model in the Church? Recalling Jesus’ words from John 15, fruit only comes when we walk in Him, not apart from Him. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. Truth of the matter is, each of us has a part to play. None of us is supposed to do it all. Jesus is the One, the star. If we only get focused on productivity, and not the very fruit that we are bearing in our lives, Eternity will not end well. Jesus says very specifically how it will be for those who focused all their efforts on just “producing” while neglecting fruit,
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”
This important to hear these truths now. There is going to be a fruit check when we stand before Jesus. Are you a part of what God is doing in our generation? Now is the time to find out! If you have not yet met Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can hear we met Him by reading our stories as well.
Many of us have been exposed to a myriad of team dynamics. Some of these different experiences have been overwhelmingly positive, while others, not so much. What is about team makeup that makes some teams more successful than others? This is an important question to ask because we always want to be a part of successful team no matter where we are. Corporations often have team training exercises to maximize productivity and output, but all the while neglecting the very people that make up those teams. As the Church, we all love Jesus, we get hyped up and excited for an event on Sunday morning; we arrive as individuals, we participated as individuals, and we end up leaving as individuals. Has the Church carried out their routines the same way Corporations have?
In a presentation at a TED Talk, Margaret Heffernan shares about a study conducted by MIT, by putting together groups of people and presenting to them difficult scenarios that the teams then had to solve. As the researchers were observing the performance of these groups and teams, they were surprised at what the found to be what distinguished the groups that performed well versus those that did not. What they initially thought would be factors that produced results, was actually the opposite. As Heffernan shares, “the high achieving groups were not those that had spectacular high IQ; nor were the successful groups the ones that had the highest aggregate IQ”. The interesting reality were the three factors that all of the successful teams had in this study; “they showed high degrees of social sensitivity to each other. This is measured by something called reading the mind and the eye test. It’s broadly considered a test for empathy, and the groups that scored highly on this did better. Secondly, the successful groups gave roughly equal time to each other, so that no one’s voice dominated but neither were there any passengers. And thirdly, the more successful groups had more women in them”.
This is so important to understand: MIT figured out through this study what God knew all along. God has created us all to have something important and valuable to bring to the table. It’s imperative that we have empathy to value those around us, to our left and to our right. But, just because it’s imperative doesn’t mean that empathy exists. We have to have TIME to connect in order to build empathy and connectivity with one another. Just because we are gathering as the Church, doesn’t mean that we are connecting with one another.
When was the last time that someone asked you, “what is God saying to you?” Has anybody asked you to share what your thoughts are? After listening to a message about the Word of God for an hour, has anybody ever asked you what your thoughts are about that teaching? Has that ever happened? Well based on MIT, the successful gatherings are the ones that do. We’re not talking about “social networking” but “social connectivity”. As foreign as a thought as this may be, the truth is you can actually enjoy coming together and connecting with the Church, the Body of Christ.
Instead of showing up somewhere as an individual, disconnected and alone, only to then leave equally disconnected afterwards, imagine having a gather to be connected to where you have an established relationship with people the other 6 and a half days of the week before the gathering? This is the gathering that Jesus desires for His Church. He desires for us to honor one another. Think about this reality: if Jesus died for them, they are worth listening to. Jesus said in John 13:34-35, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” What MIT and Margaret Heffernan is talking about is the reality that we have to love one another. You may have never been brought to the table or seen as something to even having something important to share at the table. We can often see how our relationship is with the Lord by looking at how our relationship is with people. It’s hard to say that we love Jesus if we’re not doing anything to love those who are His, the Church. If we’re treating people bad, we’re treating Jesus bad.
Imagine a place where people, who you have relationship and connection with, look forward to seeing you, who know your name, and who walk with you each other’s journeys of life. Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them”. As you share you life with another, you gather together to break bread, and to discuss the testimonies of what Jesus has done in your life, you discuss with one another what Jesus says in His Word, you find out that His tangible presence is there. He is there, in the midst of those who are His. Why would you want to be anywhere else where His presence is not? When we see this, we can understand why all of hell comes after everything involving the family, because it is design. Imagine beginning to see family as God designed it to be.
The Church Isn’t a Compilation of Specialties; It’s Family
Looking at the model of the Church today, there appears to be a collection of specialties. There those that focus on the children, the specialties for men and women, like we have specialties in medicine. We used to have one general practitioner for family medicine, and now we have all these differing specialists for all the specific body parts as if were not whole human beings. God designed us to be whole and to function as a whole. In a presentation at a TED Talk, Margaret Heffernan shares about a study conducted by MIT regarding an observation on teams and the productivity of those teams.
As Heffernan points out, “Companies don’t have ideas, only people do; and what motivates people are the bonds and loyalties, and trust they develop between each other. What matters is the mortar, not just the bricks.” Can you imagine being in an environment where the connectivity of relationships between you and the people around you is valued greater that the results of productivity at the end of the day? What help us to become more fruitful is the very relationships we have. When we look at Colossians 3:12-14, we can see how the Word of God speaks about this very truth. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” It’s a shocker to realize, but the mortar that actually binds us together, is love!
Bishop T.D. Jakes said this, “Lord, if I have to be lonely, please at least let me be alone”. How many people are surrounded by people all day long and are still consumed with being alone? Just because we have people around us, doesn’t mean that we have relationship. It’s hard to have value when you don’t have relationship. Simply taking the time to learn to know the person next to you, we are taking the time to know Jesus. If we don’t spend time with the people around us, why would be shocked to find out that they don’t feel valued?
We don’t “swipe right” or “swipe left” when we are looking for a Church family, or looking for relationship with God? Having friends in our lives is not about the number of followers on our Social Media platforms, it’s about the people in our lives that we are walking together, who we care about, who care about us. Relationship with other people is a choice that we have to make. As Rick Joyner with Morning Star Ministries said, “if you’re in depression, it’s because you’ve distanced yourself away from God because the closer you get to God’s presence, you’re not depressed”. Truth of the matter is that you’re not just showing up to a gathering for yourself, you’re showing up because of those that value and need that relationship with you! We’re not called to do this alone, we can’t walk this out alone. We’re only able to bear fruit when we’re walking with Jesus, walking with others. This is where the fruit happens.
To know that you have God’s family around you, to know that you are connected to God’s family is indescribable. Pat recalls his own journey of understanding that he can’t do this alone and how much it means to him to have true, authentic family in his life. “Its priceless. You can’t put a price on it, it’s so beautiful. Being around family, people that truly love you, that care about you, care about your family, care about what’s going on in your life”. You can recognize those surface level conversations and relationships. Family is not supposed to be that way. If you’ve never had that authentic relationship in your life, seek out relationship! It’s important to have relationships with people that you trust, not just anybody. Your heart matters, so entrust your heart to those that value you AND your heart! It takes time to build healthy relationships, and healthy family. However long it takes, IT’S WORTH IT! YOU MATTER TO GOD!
Super Chickens and Super Churches? Are they Different, Are they the Same?
In the Western Culture, the idea of a “Super-Sized” meal is something most are aware of. With just a quick drive-up window, and a 30 second conversation, we have access to “Super-Sized” meals. With our meals being so easily “Super-Sized”, sometimes we begin to take on the same belief that everything has to be the same way; “Super-Sized”. Anyone who has traveled outside the United States, there is a quick realization that the serving size for their foods is not the same way. Walking through grocery stores in America could easily be described as warehouses. When we look at the church, or what many perceive the church to be, we begin to assume that it has to be the same way. It seems that people aren’t happy unless it’s bigger.; it’s “Super-Sized”.
While talking about the concept of “Super”, it’s important to recognize a talk that Margaret Heffernan shared at a TED Talk. In this presentation, she talks about a study conducted by Purdue University on chickens. While referencing this study, she first asks the question of “what makes Corporations successful?”. This is a valid question, as hopefully the Church is interested in this answer as we should all want to be successful. The question is though, does Jesus define success the same way today’s corporations define success? Jesus’s words in John 15: 1-8 are pretty straightforward:
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He [a]takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
This is so powerful when we approach the topic of wanting to be productive or successful. Is about producing “the most eggs” or producing fruit”. In the case of business, it may be easy to measure productivity by just looking at revenue. But, in the case of chickens, as Margaret shares, “it’s easy to measure with chickens, cause you just count the eggs”. As all people want more productivity, Purdue University carried out their own study. In this study, one flock of chickens was monitored for 6 generations, left untouched. Then, there was another flock. In each generation, only the most productive chicken was chosen to be used for breeding. So, now 6 generations later, what were the differences between the two flocks? Looking at the first flock, production had increased. Wonderful.
What about the second flock that was comprised of only the highest producing chickens in their generation? This is where the study gets interesting. As Margaret shares, “all but three were dead. They’d pecked the rest to death.” She continues, “the individually productive chickens had only achieved their success by suppressing the productivity of the rest”. Hearing those results, you may find those results eerily similar to what you’ve witnessed in your own life. Isn’t it interesting how “production” and “results” is driving factor why many of us make the decisions that we do? Is it really about just getting to the top? Margaret shares her thoughts on this mindset this way, “and I’ve never really felt motivated by pecking orders, or by super chickens, or by superstars. But, for the past fifty years we’ve run most organizations, and some societies along the super chicken model. We’ve thought that success is achieved by picking the superstars”. Have you seen this? How many times do people just decide to pay more money for the superstar, or volunteer to BE the superstar?
If we can see that this model doesn’t truly work in the business/corporate model, how can we ever think that this would be an acceptable model in the Church? Recalling Jesus’ words from John 15, fruit only comes when we walk in Him, not apart from Him. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. Truth of the matter is, each of us has a part to play. None of us is supposed to do it all. Jesus is the One, the star. If we only get focused on productivity, and not the very fruit that we are bearing in our lives, Eternity will not end well. Jesus says very specifically how it will be for those who focused all their efforts on just “producing” while neglecting fruit,
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”
This important to hear these truths now. There is going to be a fruit check when we stand before Jesus. Are you a part of what God is doing in our generation? Now is the time to find out! If you have not yet met Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can hear we met Him by reading our stories as well.
Jesus Has Called Us to Be Successful. What Does a Successful Church Look Like?
Many of us have been exposed to a myriad of team dynamics. Some of these different experiences have been overwhelmingly positive, while others, not so much. What is about team makeup that makes some teams more successful than others? This is an important question to ask because we always want to be a part of successful team no matter where we are. Corporations often have team training exercises to maximize productivity and output, but all the while neglecting the very people that make up those teams. As the Church, we all love Jesus, we get hyped up and excited for an event on Sunday morning; we arrive as individuals, we participated as individuals, and we end up leaving as individuals. Has the Church carried out their routines the same way Corporations have?
In a presentation at a TED Talk, Margaret Heffernan shares about a study conducted by MIT, by putting together groups of people and presenting to them difficult scenarios that the teams then had to solve. As the researchers were observing the performance of these groups and teams, they were surprised at what the found to be what distinguished the groups that performed well versus those that did not. What they initially thought would be factors that produced results, was actually the opposite. As Heffernan shares, “the high achieving groups were not those that had spectacular high IQ; nor were the successful groups the ones that had the highest aggregate IQ”. The interesting reality were the three factors that all of the successful teams had in this study; “they showed high degrees of social sensitivity to each other. This is measured by something called reading the mind and the eye test. It’s broadly considered a test for empathy, and the groups that scored highly on this did better. Secondly, the successful groups gave roughly equal time to each other, so that no one’s voice dominated but neither were there any passengers. And thirdly, the more successful groups had more women in them”.
This is so important to understand: MIT figured out through this study what God knew all along. God has created us all to have something important and valuable to bring to the table. It’s imperative that we have empathy to value those around us, to our left and to our right. But, just because it’s imperative doesn’t mean that empathy exists. We have to have TIME to connect in order to build empathy and connectivity with one another. Just because we are gathering as the Church, doesn’t mean that we are connecting with one another.
When was the last time that someone asked you, “what is God saying to you?” Has anybody asked you to share what your thoughts are? After listening to a message about the Word of God for an hour, has anybody ever asked you what your thoughts are about that teaching? Has that ever happened? Well based on MIT, the successful gatherings are the ones that do. We’re not talking about “social networking” but “social connectivity”. As foreign as a thought as this may be, the truth is you can actually enjoy coming together and connecting with the Church, the Body of Christ.
Instead of showing up somewhere as an individual, disconnected and alone, only to then leave equally disconnected afterwards, imagine having a gather to be connected to where you have an established relationship with people the other 6 and a half days of the week before the gathering? This is the gathering that Jesus desires for His Church. He desires for us to honor one another. Think about this reality: if Jesus died for them, they are worth listening to. Jesus said in John 13:34-35, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” What MIT and Margaret Heffernan is talking about is the reality that we have to love one another. You may have never been brought to the table or seen as something to even having something important to share at the table. We can often see how our relationship is with the Lord by looking at how our relationship is with people. It’s hard to say that we love Jesus if we’re not doing anything to love those who are His, the Church. If we’re treating people bad, we’re treating Jesus bad.
Imagine a place where people, who you have relationship and connection with, look forward to seeing you, who know your name, and who walk with you each other’s journeys of life. Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them”. As you share you life with another, you gather together to break bread, and to discuss the testimonies of what Jesus has done in your life, you discuss with one another what Jesus says in His Word, you find out that His tangible presence is there. He is there, in the midst of those who are His. Why would you want to be anywhere else where His presence is not? When we see this, we can understand why all of hell comes after everything involving the family, because it is design. Imagine beginning to see family as God designed it to be.
Dysfunction Is A Common Definition of Family, But It’s Not God’s Design for Family?
Imagine a place where people, who you have relationship and connection with, look forward to seeing you, who know your name, and who walk with you each other’s journeys of life. Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them”. As you share you life with another, you gather together to break bread, and to discuss the testimonies of what Jesus has done in your life, you discuss with one another what Jesus says in His Word, you find out that His tangible presence is there. He is there, in the midst of those who are His. Why would you want to be anywhere else where His presence is not? When we see this, we can understand why all of hell comes after everything involving the family, because it is design. Imagine beginning to see family as God designed it to be.
This can totally be a foreign concept, ESPECIALLY if you’ve never seen this before, and all you’ve ever witnessed with anything relating to family is painful and dysfunctional. This is exactly what Margaret Heffernan shared while talking a TED Talk regarding a study from MIT observing why some groups do better than others. It’s called “social connectedness”. As Heffernan shares, “it means that what happens between people really counts, because in groups that are highly attuned and sensitive to each other ideas can flow and grow, people don’t get stuck, they don’t waste energy down dead ends”. It’s interesting to realize and remember, that of all the things that Jesus died for, He didn’t die for an organization, or a building, He died for people. Jesus Christ died for you. We should want to know what the people around us have to say. It’s about meaningful conversation that takes place within the context of relationship and family.
Steve recalls his own story of the first time that he encountered God’s family. Sitting there at the table, enjoying the food, he was watching, waiting for the argument to break out. Waiting for a plate to be thrown or somebody to stomp out the door. The thought that he just couldn’t answer was that, “how can so many people come together, and talk for so long, and nobody argue, nobody burst out in some fit of rage? What is this!”. The very concept of family was one of the most foreign concepts; what it is, or even how to be a part of it. Steve was seeing it, and watching it, and was absolutely gripped by it because he had never seen it before in his life. You can’t “Watch family”. You are called to get it. As Steve continues to share, he points out the revelation that came during this season of his life, “you don’t realize that you’re dysfunctional until you physically, visibly, see functioning healthy family. You just think you’re normal”. It’s important to remember too, healthy family doesn’t just happen. As Steve points out, “you have to grow in it”.
This is the reality that so many people are presently in right now: dysfunction. Your family environment may be dysfunctional, while at the same time you are showing up to work everyday in an environment where it’s all about production and results, you may be succeeding under the guise of “quarterly performance”, but you’re dying inside. You may be feeling miserable right now. That’s because God has called you be connected to His family.
The Church Isn’t a Compilation of Specialties; It’s Family
Looking at the model of the Church today, there appears to be a collection of specialties. There those that focus on the children, the specialties for men and women, like we have specialties in medicine. We used to have one general practitioner for family medicine, and now we have all these differing specialists for all the specific body parts as if were not whole human beings. God designed us to be whole and to function as a whole. In a presentation at a TED Talk, Margaret Heffernan shares about a study conducted by MIT regarding an observation on teams and the productivity of those teams.
As Heffernan points out, “Companies don’t have ideas, only people do; and what motivates people are the bonds and loyalties, and trust they develop between each other. What matters is the mortar, not just the bricks.” Can you imagine being in an environment where the connectivity of relationships between you and the people around you is valued greater that the results of productivity at the end of the day? What help us to become more fruitful is the very relationships we have. When we look at Colossians 3:12-14, we can see how the Word of God speaks about this very truth. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” It’s a shocker to realize, but the mortar that actually binds us together, is love!
Bishop T.D. Jakes said this, “Lord, if I have to be lonely, please at least let me be alone”. How many people are surrounded by people all day long and are still consumed with being alone? Just because we have people around us, doesn’t mean that we have relationship. It’s hard to have value when you don’t have relationship. Simply taking the time to learn to know the person next to you, we are taking the time to know Jesus. If we don’t spend time with the people around us, why would be shocked to find out that they don’t feel valued?
We don’t “swipe right” or “swipe left” when we are looking for a Church family, or looking for relationship with God? Having friends in our lives is not about the number of followers on our Social Media platforms, it’s about the people in our lives that we are walking together, who we care about, who care about us. Relationship with other people is a choice that we have to make. As Rick Joyner with Morning Star Ministries said, “if you’re in depression, it’s because you’ve distanced yourself away from God because the closer you get to God’s presence, you’re not depressed”. Truth of the matter is that you’re not just showing up to a gathering for yourself, you’re showing up because of those that value and need that relationship with you! We’re not called to do this alone, we can’t walk this out alone. We’re only able to bear fruit when we’re walking with Jesus, walking with others. This is where the fruit happens.
To know that you have God’s family around you, to know that you are connected to God’s family is indescribable. Pat recalls his own journey of understanding that he can’t do this alone and how much it means to him to have true, authentic family in his life. “Its priceless. You can’t put a price on it, it’s so beautiful. Being around family, people that truly love you, that care about you, care about your family, care about what’s going on in your life”. You can recognize those surface level conversations and relationships. Family is not supposed to be that way. If you’ve never had that authentic relationship in your life, seek out relationship! It’s important to have relationships with people that you trust, not just anybody. Your heart matters, so entrust your heart to those that value you AND your heart! It takes time to build healthy relationships, and healthy family. However long it takes, IT’S WORTH IT! YOU MATTER TO GOD!
Father’s Day 1995 The Lord Himself did a mighty work when He poured out His presence in Pensacola Florida during the Brownsville Revival that resulted in the nations being reached with mighty testimonies of His Glory and many coming to Salvation through Jesus Christ. Steve Hill was the Evangelist who labored alongside Pastor John Kilpatrick night after night as thousands of souls repented for their sins and wept in the sweet presence of Holy Spirit. Jeri, Steve’s wife was also there night after night responding to the call to grow ever closer to the Lord.
When we look at the lives of those who labored so faithfully before the Lord, many people want to live that same life. Unfortunately, many people don’t see the price that was continually willing to be paid in order to walk out that life. Truth be told, there is a price to be paid. Jeri recently said, “When [Steve and I] got saved, we did not want to live for ourselves. We wanted it to be totally sold out for [the Lord], for whatever He wanted and to say yes to Him every step of the way”. So, is it really as simple as saying yes? Jeri responds with a resounding yes! She continues to share how the first yes led to more opportunities to say yes to. “When things happened at Brownsville, we had already been in ministry for twenty years. We had been married for 16 years. It’s not something that happens overnight. Show the Lord that you’re faithful in the little things. If He can’t find you faithful in the little things, how can we do something more for Him? We have to be faithful in the smallest of things.”
In a recent conversation with Daniel Day, Jeri recounts the journey that Steve and Jeri walked out being faithful to the Lord when they felt led to share the Gospel in a region that was known as the “Graveyard of Pastors” because every pastor who had ever attempted to go there, ended up leaving. After arriving in this region, Steve and Hill began seeking the Lord for a piece of land. After Steve began a friendly relationship over a period of time playing tennis with a young man named Gustavo, Gustavo said, “I want you to meet my mom”. After Steve was introduced to Gustavo’s mother, she said, “I want you to meet my brother”, who just so happened to be the mayor of the city. The mayor clearly recognized the transformation in his nephew’s life and wanted to help Steve do what he could so the children in the city could be touched and transformed in the same way. Steve responded, “well, I need a piece of land, but I don’t have any money for a piece of land.” The mayor hands Steve a written note and directs him down the hall and who to give the note too. Without looking at the note, Steve obediently hands the note to who he was directed to go to. This person reads the note, pulls down a map, and says, “the mayor says you can take your pick”. Jeri recounts visiting that same location years later after Steve had gone on to be with the Lord, she learned that this original Church gathering had gone on to plant another 25 churches. “That is how it explodes. One person ministering to somebody playing tennis and look how it exploded from that”. The most beautiful testimony of this story is the countless children who were first impacted years ago, are now still faithfully loving on others in the city and planting Churches for the Lord.
Image courtesy of Matthew Nigel/Shutterstock.com