Always Remember

Dear Tabernacle Family,

In Hebrews 11:38, the writer states “of whom the world was not worthy.”

This week, America will celebrate Veteran’s Day, a time to honor the GREAT men and women whose lives were interrupted when responding to this country’s call to serve in its military forces. Sadly, many made the ultimate sacrifice of laying down their lives, while others were returned bearing the deep physical and emotional scars of conflict. These very special people had a sense of destiny and the realization that they were answering the call of something greater.

Those called to service didn’t want to go into conflict, but their sense of loyalty to duty and honor was greater than their personal desires and comfort. That has been the history of the men and women of this nation dating back to Colonial times, when they willingly risked everything to stand for righteousness and justice in the land.

In his Gettysburg Address, President Lincoln called the nation to be reconciled and healed, so the many lives that were laid down would not be in vain. The battle cry of the Texans was “Remember the Alamo;” the battle cry of WWII was “Remember Pearl Harbor.”

Victory isn’t achieved merely with a battle cry by itself. It requires the response of individuals to win a victory over tyranny. However, the battle cry and the hope of a better day served as encouragement to keep pressing on, despite how things appeared at any point in time. What is often overlooked or discounted in those times of major crises was God’s intervention in our affairs at specific times which prepared the hearts of people for the challenges.

Today, we live in a time when there is little evidence of nobility of thought, nor singleness of purpose. It isn’t enough to agreeably disagree with a message, but also a determination to destroy the messenger. Consequently, we have become fragmented as a people, and in the process, it weakened our ability to withstand attacks from without and within.

Our nation is greatly in need of a people who are called by His Name that are willing to follow the directions of 2 Chronicles 7:14: humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways. The promise in return is that He will hear us, forgive our sin and He will heal our land.

The answers to our national problems will not be found in Washington, nor Albany, nor any seat of earthly government, because the core of the issue is primarily in the hearts of the governed. Earthly governments cannot change man’s heart. May we always remember the great victory that was accomplished on the Cross and the empty tomb. Our battle cry to remember is "HE IS LORD!"

As we honor those who have served us and previous generations, may we purpose in our hearts that we will stand for righteousness and justice.

Pastor Allen Baun

Emotional Intelligence and Spirtual Maturity

Dear Tabernacle Family,

This past weekend I sat in a virtual conference featuring Christine Caine and she gave an anointed and challenging message. Her message paired well with the devotional time I have been having with the Lord regarding Emotional Intelligence and Spiritual Maturity as both of these go hand in hand.

Emotional Intelligence is the capability to recognize one’s own emotions and those of others; discern and label the emotions appropriately, use this information to guide thinking and responses, and manage and adjust emotions to adapt to environments or achieve one’s goals. A higher Emotional Intelligence leads to greater mental health, job performance and leadership skills.

The Bishop of Canterbury is quoted as saying, “Emotional Intelligence is a wonderful adjunct faculty to the gifts of the Holy Spirit.” All of me and all of creation is subject to the power of the Holy Spirit. When we become less full of ourselves and yield to the power of the Holy Spirit, we can discern what the Holy Spirit is doing in us. Do I need to press forward or yield? Do I need to get quiet and find the deep stream of God’s grace before moving forward?

Paul, the apostle, posed himself as an example to believers. The study of his life shows the power of yielding along with emotional and spiritual maturity in the journey of a believer. The Paul of later years says in Galations 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

As we develop our ability to read our emotions and those of others and develop a greater spiritual “tuning in” to the deeper level of listening and yielding, we grow our Emotional and Spiritual Maturity. As we develop the devotion in the deeper places of God, the “I” in me is yielding to the “I” in the “Great I AM.”

Blessings,

Pastor Sharon Baldwin

Preschool Ministries and SWDC Director

Submission to Governing Authorities

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. - Romans 13:1

In 2020, amid the COVID-19 global pandemic, I cannot think of a more controversial verse of scripture. The authority of Paul’s writing to the Roman believers is felt today as government officials are making decisions on how every American lives their daily life. I have heard questions, criticisms, and even rejections, consistently, in the last few months of how the context of this verse relates to our current situation. I believe this verse is living and active today and there are several things we can glean.

More than likely, many of the early church in Rome that Paul was writing to were at Pentecost in the upper room. These Roman Jews returned from a life-altering experience where a mighty wind blew in from heaven and tongues of fire filled the room. Their lives were forever changed, but they needed to acclimate to this new reality in their home of Rome; the authoritarian, murderous, empire of the world at that time. They may have felt that the upper room experience would change the entire world and usher in a new reign of the Kingdom of God. What they returned to was a Rome where believers had to worship in their homes, sometimes hidden, while dealing with persecution from an emperor that could choose at any moment to have them tortured and murdered. I try to consider how controversial it would have been for Paul to write these words, ‘Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities,’ to a congregation living under such extreme persecution. In comparison, what we are experiencing now is not even similar.

I remember Sunday morning March 15th, when we also experienced a mighty move of God. The crescendo of our Despise Not Prophecy Conference. I felt it was the beginning of an outpouring to our congregation and our region. When we all woke up on Monday morning March 16th, we returned to our world, a very different world. The government issued a Stay-At-Home Order. We were deemed “essential” or “non-essential” at our places of work. Many of us were either placed on unemployment or let go as entire industries were shut down. We were told that we could not hold services or ministries on the church campus. We were asked to wear masks, practice increased hygiene and cleaning, and maintain social distances to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. If Paul was alive today, witnessing the rebellion and resistance of so many believers, do we honestly have a Biblical justification, or even worse an excuse, for acting the way so many of us are?

Paul, a Roman citizen, knew he was writing his letter to a people greatly persecuted. He himself would ultimately be beheaded by Rome. Yet, he unwaveringly declares to his brothers and sisters in Christ that ‘there is no authority except that which God has established.’ I urge each of us to wrestle with this verse and how it applies to us personally and corporately. We are in unprecedented times. Let us be thankful that ‘the authorities that exist have been established by God.’

Pastor Joshua Ogle