Quote by A. W. Tozer

"I confess that it is hard for me to accept the fact that it is now very rare for anyone to come into the house of God, silently confessing: 'Dear Lord, I am ready and willing to hear what You will speak to me today.'"

Tozer, A. W.  "Christ Came To Save."  Mornings With Tozer.  Chicago, IL:  Wing Spread Publishers, 2008.  Entry for February 10.

Apollo On My Mind (1/28/16)

Kiski River, Railroad & Road to E. Vandergrift, PA
Taken 12.25.15 from Orr Ave. in the
Borough of Okalahoma, PA

That's the Kiskiminetas River you see in the right half of the picture.

That road (on the left next to the railroad tracks) gets traveled regularly.  It is the main road into the community of East Vandergrift.

Those railroad tracks get used regularly.  Many times daily trains whistle as they get ready to cross Route 66 on the Westmoreland County side of the Leonard C. Miller Memorial Bridge.  That bridge gets traveled regularly.

As it is anywhere else, much of life in Apollo and the surrounding communities is routine, regular. Unfortunately that regularity includes irregular church attendance.  People are quick to remind me that they are affiliated with such-and-such a church, but then tell me they attend hardly at all.  I hear this regularly.

Please pray for Apollo.  It is a community that desperately needs a stirring by God's Spirit.  Religion is big here, and there are some noble things being attempted.  If people aren't being converted to Christ, however, I'm not satisfied.  In 2016 it is my prayer that I will regularly hear of people surrendering to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Apollo On My Mind (11/12/15)

Apollo, PA (Route 56 West) 10.23.15

This photo, taken outside Apollo Assembly of God, is tricky. The bottom half of the photo, including the two red business signs, is in the Borough of Apollo.  The top half of the photo isn't. It's in the Borough of Oklahoma.  Without that information, this photo makes it seem as if the photo is all one place.  You would never know that there is a mile's drive between the silver mailbox (lower right) and the red barn (top left).

Do you know what else is tricky?  You might think that our quaint borough is a Christian community. Within the borough limits, I can think of at least seven churches.  Factor in those which border the borough and I can add a few more.  All those churches -- surely Apollo is a Christian community.

Apollo is only a community in which some Christians live.  Hey, that's a good start, but it's not enough. Drive around on Sunday morning at 10:00 and notice how many vehicles are still in the driveways.

Why not make up your mind that you will go to church on Sunday?  Commit yourself to it!  (Going to church won't make you a Christian, but you can find out there how to become one.  If you don't want to wait, call the Apollo Assembly of God Church.)

Yes, I want Apollo to be Christian.  More than that, I want you to be a Christian.  Let's dialogue.  What does "Christian" mean to you?  Are you one?  How do you know?

Nehemiah Chapter 10

• Themes
• Responsibility
• Generosity
• Key Words
• "Tithe", "tenth" > 5x
• "House of the Lord", "House of our God" > 9x
• "Contribution", "contribute" > 3x
• "First", "firstbruit" > 5x
• Outline
• Statement of the leaders of this covenant (10:1-27)
• Submission to the authority of God's Word (10:28-29)
• Separation from the compromise by worldly influence (10:30)
• Surrender to the responsibilities of corporate worship (10:31-39)
• Observation #1
• The community (10:1-27) was to be known as people of the Book (10:28-30) and people of the House (10:31-39).  Christians want to open the Bible and live accordingly.  Christians want to be in church.
• Observation #2
• To not tithe, to not bring the first, to not contribute -- this meant neglect and irresponsibility.  Lack of generosity meant failure to accept covenant responsibility.  Before they could accept responsibility, they had to surrender their lives (10:28-30).  If your heart (life) isn't surrendered, your money and goods won't be either.  Maintaining Christian community (church, the family of God) is a costly enterprise.  It will cost you time, effort, money, leisure and energy.  Nonetheless, it is worth it!

Statistics on the Unchurched (Warren Bird)

• According to the latest research, more than 1 out of every 3 adults (33%) in America is unchurched. This means they haven’t attended a religious service of any type during the past year. This represents some 125 million Americans.
• That number alone would be the 10^th largest country in the world!
• That’s more people than live in 230 countries of the world (based on lists that name 242 different countries).

http://leadnet.org/blog/post/more_than_100_million_unchurched_in_the_united_states (Accessed 09.20.12)

The A-B-C's of Churchgoing

• Am I accepted? Do I feel welcomed?
• Do I belong? Do I feel wanted? Do I “fit” here? Does this feel like “my church” or is it just “a church I attend”?
• Am I connected? Is there relationship with anyone beyond Sunday morning? Does friendliness on Sunday extend into caring Monday through Saturday?

What does that mean for us who have been here a while? 

1. Just because someone attends regularly doesn’t mean he feels a sense of belonging
2. Friendliness is not enough. Ask the next question. Take the next step. Caring is always a “do” posture.
3. People come to church looking for relationships. What we believe is important. However, people don’t care what we believe until they experience value and significance.
4. Those who have experienced acceptance, belonging, and connection must be committed to helping those who haven’t. 
5. We must provide acceptance, belonging and connection so the local bars won’t have to.

Summer Is Here

All of us need to beware that family gatherings, sports, festivals and other outdoor events don't become lame excuses for missing church.  Yep, I'm harping on it early.  I'm not against having a vacation.  Go have fun!  When vacation is over, get back to church.  That's all.  Sunday is the Lord's Day.  It is meant for worship, rest and relationships.  Let's be brutally honest:  When we miss church, it is usually (not always, but usually) due to laziness or apathy.  (You know I'm not talking about sickness or hospitalization.)  We would still have time to enjoy local festivities without having to miss church. If that hot dog is calling us at 11:00 A.M., I'm sure there would be another one at 1:30 P.M.  Vendors will take our money regardless of the time.  So what if you miss your favorite band?  That band would be more important than worship?  I've heard, "God wants me to have fun" and "God understands."  Down deep you know you're just making excuses.  I can't tell you why this is, but it's enough of a pattern that I'll mention it.  When you miss a Sunday service, that's not all you miss.  You miss a provision, promise or answer from God.  Think of it this way:  When you miss church, you're stealing from yourself.  The end.