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Mountaineers are always free, to depend on God and others. Are we?

By Ron George Jr. for January 15, 2013.
Have you ever been asked how many members you have in your church, or how many come on Sunday morning? Why does it matter to them, and does it matter to God? God cares so much that He is not willing that any should perish. He sent His only begotten Son to become our Lord and Savior. But we mountaineers are prideful people. To be honest, we for the most part, we don’t have much here to take pride in, so we take pride in our church, hoping secretly to have the biggest and the best,. Why not be proud of your church? Is there anything wrong with that?   You could say that you have the biggest church around, with the most members, the best pastor, and the best people money can buy. Well, we may not want to go that far, but we do tend to compare our church with the other churches in the community, and it isn’t only the people, but it is also the preachers. Why? So they can see how they are doing compared to the others and to see if they are the biggest and the best. Since we have the biggest and the best, then we don’t need anyone else. We don’t need any help or support from the denomination, the community churches, and we don’t even need God in some instances. We are self-made individuals who can make it on their own, and if we don’t have what we need to become more effective, we can make do. Just making do and getting by is not what God is hoping for.   God wants people to come to Him and to depend on Him for what we need in this life and the next. I told a deacon in a business meeting our Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills.   He replied that he wished God would give Him some. Have you ever thought that it takes faith to ask, and you have not because you ask not? Have you ever thought about the unity that God wants from His people? So much so that they lack for nothing because they ask each other and depend on one another as they did in the Bible. This is the Holy unity that Jesus prayed for in John 17.
       That brings up another problem which we need to resolve. It is prideful independence. Is it a sin?   We have made it on our own.   We don’t need help and we don’t need you. We can make it on our own. We can make do. Churches don’t help each other as they could and as they should.   That reminds me of our oldest daughter (I think she gets this from her mother). Fiercely independent, head strong, and prideful she looked us in the eye on the way to kindergarden one morning and proclaimed to us that her socks were on the wrong feet. So she proceeded to remove her shoes and switch her socks. Yes, today sometimes the socks are still on the wrong feet, we say. She knew what was best. Do we know what is best and are we willing to miss out on the rest of the better by remaining in our stubborn mountaineer independence. Every coal miner knows that with a pole ax and a ball of black tape you can fix anything; but could it be better?
In today’s church in the mountains it is a sad turn of events when churches split, Christians fight and argue, and general havoc prevails among the brothers, sisters, and family members. Sinful pride and love of self rules our lives, homes, families, and churches. I remember one situation in which the pastors of the church were asked to provide some intervention in the family which was fighting over the inheirtance that was about to be left to them. Yes, that’s right, Mom wasn’t even dead yet, and they were already at odds with each other. They were Christians, members of the same church, and siblings. The tempers got so heated that one of the inlaws backed the pastor up against the wall and proceeded to threaten to pound him if he didn’t change what was going to be done, so that he could get the money. So the story goes on in our beautiful hills and hollers and we sometimes have a time admitting that we need some help. We may know we need some help, but are we willing to admit it? Ye have not because ye ask not.
On the other hand, we need to be willing to extend our hand and heart to help someone else besides ourselves. All of what we do in our churches is designed to build the kingdom of God (our kingdom of god is limited to our church). Shouldn’t our ministry be designed to build the Kingdom and the whole Kingdom, so help us God? What happens to the pond that doesn’t have an outlet? Have you ever seen a mud hole? God gives us his blessings, resources, and talents so that we can help others, not just ourselves. This prevents us from developing the “us verses them” mentality or “you and me against the world” thinking. By giving ourselves to others, the inflow and outflow continues to produce a healthly relationship and a healthy church. It keeps us from thinking that we know it all and have it all figured out. We are right and everyone else is wrong. Could we leave the judgment to God, or do you call judging others fruit inspecting? We all look up and ask for mercy. We are all in the same boat. We all put our pants on one leg at a time. You ain’t no better than me and I am not any better than you. Why can’t we look at each other with God’s love to encourage and support one another? Isn’t this what Jesus wants and commands us to do?
Love one another. If I tell you that I love you, but then I say you are going to hell because you don’t believe exactly as I do, do I really love you or have I become your judge and condemned you?   Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved. But if I say I love you and I listen to you, and encourage you, share with you, support you, and pray for you; would you now believe me? We are free to depend on God for our salvation and we are free to depend on each other for the support and encouragement that we need to live. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. And who is my neighbor? Are you? Am I?

Top 50 Questions from Mountaineers???

Do you care about your family, friends, and neighbors? Will you make an effort through prayer and going to win them to Christ? Thanks for all you are doing for the Lord. How do you as a Christian and a fisher of men answer these from the people you know?

Who Are You? Where are you from? What do you do? What do you want? What are you selling? We aren’t buying anything! What are you willing to do for us? What are you doing here anyway? What is your reason for getting involved in our mountain life? How far are you willing to go? How long will you stay? We were making it fine when you came, so … Do you really care? What’s it to you? What do I need a church? What is it going to cost? Why do I need a Savior? I am making it fine just as I am. I have already been to the church and they are just like me. So… Why do the folks at the church cheat me and take advantage of me and then they want me to go to heaven with them? There is too much fighting at church. They don’t want me there? They don’t act like they want me. They have never invited me to a service. Are you sure there is a God? How do you know? Can you prove it to me scientifically? Do you believe in the Lord? Who is He? What has church done for you? How much do you really care? Will you leave me alone? Why can’t Christians and Churches get along? Did you hear what that preacher did? Does the church really care for me? If those people at that church are going to heaven then I am too! Do I have to change? I have always believed in Jesus.? What’s the difference between your church and all these others? Why should I come to your church over these others? Do you really want me there? I don’t have any church clothes. Are my old blue jeans ok? I still like to party so I had better just stay home. Can I drink my beer or my wine and still come to your church? Did Jesus drink? Will you forgive me and talk to me? What did I do that made you shun me? I used to come to your church. Do you remember when, or do you remember the time that you… Will you forgive me? Will you invite me to your house and church? What if I come and don’t come back are you going to call and hound me back into it? Do I have to get up front? Will I have to say anything? Is that preacher going to come by my house? Will you stop bothering me?
Mountaineers are always free. But are we free to serve the Lord? What holds most of us from being free from the chains that bind us from change? The answers to these questions will be the answer to some of the problems we face in our Christian life and in our efforts to help our family, friends, and neighbors. Will you stop bothering them? Did God stop bothering you? God minds and we matter to Him, but do these matter to you? From Pastor Ron, a fellow mountaineer!

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Will we take a stand for people on our roads?
The Christian Mountain Newsletter by Ron George Jr. on January 22, 2013

What is the value of life?   Is life being cheapened?   How much do we value the lives and souls of ourselves, families, friends, neighbors, folks in the community, county, country, and world? How much do we value our missions: local, national and international?   Are you ready to go to battle for the lives and souls of men and women and boys and girls who live in the mountains? Acts 1:8.
Fayette countians went on record in 1860 to say they would eat roots and berries until every federal was out of Fayette county. What would you be willing to do for people’s lives to be changed and their souls saved? How far would you go? What would you do?
We willingly spend thousands of dollars on foreign missions, yet how much are we willing to spend to get the mission out of our church and into our neighborhoods?   We can make a difference right here and right now. But we must change. We have to start emphasizing our local mission and our local work. Our executive director of our convention wrote an article called roots and fruits. In that article he said if we take care of our roots then we will have the fruits that we need in order to flourish and to grow.
What about the need? Is mission work needed right here? How are our churches doing in reaching out? Compare the amount of money you spend on missions. How much do you send out to foreign lands, denominations, and mission projects abroad? How much do you spend in your church on the people right here on your streets and highways?
Others have seen the need. Missionaries and work teams from across our country come to what they call the Appalachians to do mission work. What have we done? What have you done? What is your church’s mission? Do you have one? Why do you exist as a Christian, a church, and a denomination? When people call your church or come by to ask for help, what do you tell them? Does your church help people? The growth of your church is directly related to time, talents, and money you spend on reaching out and helping others in your immediate community.
You may say that your church is too small to do anything. That may be the case in many a mountain church, but what if the churches worked together? What if we are able to help another church and make it possible for them to be more effective? How could that help us? When the church and community are strong in the Lord, then everyone benefits from the blessings that God wants to give. It is amazing what God could do if we would just let Him.
I am not suggesting dropping all of our mission outreach to foreign countries, but we need a balanced approach to reach all who need the Savior. Many churches don’t consider the local mission work a priority because we have services such as Sunday school , vbs, and others, but I ask you to evaluate how these are working for you? Are more folks coming in, and is your church making a difference? Are you? Is there more to do? People need the Lord and we need each other. Please consider the following as a possible mission statement for your church and for your life. This is my mission.
Our Mission: Our Business is People, by Gerry Hickman
Our business is people and our reason is Jesus Christ.
Our purpose is to personally live Jesus Christ.
Because of His love for us, we can love Him and one another.
We believe:
1. In the absolute necessity of conversion to Jesus,
2. The absolute reality of eternal life now in Jesus,
3. And the absolute need of each other in the fellowship of believers.
4. Our desire is to present Jesus Christ in compassion and understanding to every individual who does not know Him,
5. And to encourage and develop every individual who does know Him.

Will The Real Mountaineer preacher please stand up?

By Ronald E. George Jr.

Wonder why many folks don’t answer God’s call into the ministry of the Word and the service of the church. Here is what type of preacher do most Mountaineers really appreciate? Some of these requirments were taken directly from written church requirements and the rest have come from the Spirit and the leading of the Lord through 25 years of fulltime Christian/Church service. Who will stand up for us, says the Spirit as He speaks through His Preachers?

One that is young or full of energy. But has the wisdome of one who is twice his age.
One that is from here. More trusted, more known, more accepted, more appreciated.
One that is outspoken and tells it like it is.
One that is not afraid to step on your toes.
One that is not afraid to let the chips fall so that he is more interested in giving the whole Word of God and not just enough to tickle someones ears.
One that is a hard worker, not a lazy somebody. So in that light to some he must be ready to hop at the drop of a hat to get to whatever they had in mind. So that when they call he answers and is ready to go. No Matter what or who he is doing when they call.
One that is the lowest paid person in the church. This is so that he depends more on God and also ensures that he is not here just for the money. He is an authentic man of God and not Mammon.
One that reads the KJV. To many, any other version is unknown and therefore is to be avoided or shunned because it may be wrong or purposefully written so as to mislead folks to hell.
One that is seen as caring more about God and the Bible than the people. So that he would never compromise the Word and tell something that was less than the truth.
One that has never been divorced is married and has children according to Timothy. So this obviously would require that Jesus or Paul the apostle would not qualify as a pastor in many a mountaineer church.
One that is a male, of course there would never be a question that someone who was female would be permitted or invited to serve as a church pastor or preacher as we call them. But according to Paul he is to let the women pray and to prophesy or preach. So what do we do. Is Paul contradiciting his own writing? Of Course Luke said in the Acts that God would pour out His Spirit on both men and women but that passage and others are cast aside for the more popular view that the woman is to be quiet. I can’t believe that more mountaineer women don’t speak up about these contradictory scriptures and teachings.
One that is able to always preach the best sermon and visit the most people as any preacher yet. He will visit and he will be judged on his visitation. If he doesn’t visit me, then he is lazy. He has never been to visit me.
Because of the large number of elderly members and shut-ins, I believe that he should build relationships and trust between himself and all members through a strong visitation program. By this and this alone he will be judged good or bad.
He needs to possess a large reserve of energy and have a strong work ethic.
He needs to allot time daily during the workweek to be at the Church in order to be accessible to the Church secretary and the members. During which time he must be ready to talk, pray, or what ever else we want/need him to do.
He needs to be a STRONG mentor, guide, friend, and encourager to other leaders in the church.
He must not spend or suggest that we spend any of our money since this is money that we have put there for the emergency or rainy day fund. Our welfare will come first and foremost over all no matter what the cost or the savings account will hold. The pastor will put the sheep ahead of any vision or leading that the Lord gives on the account that we are not going to spend that money no matter what.
We will always support our selves and our programs over any other need that he or his family may have so be ready to go to God preacher and don’t come crying to us with your needs. You will supply ours.
He must be willing to be a servant. So much so that he will come to every meeting of the church and do as asked but also never have a vote or a right to vote on any decision the church makes. He will always be an exofficio member of all only.
He should be a good facilitator who can make sound suggestions but have the ability to leave the final decision-making to the laity. He must be prepared to be continuallly disappointed because we will never change what we are doing until we want to or until we die.
He should be a visionary in the creation of new ideas about how the Church can reach the lost souls of this area. But he must be prepared to go it alone. As we have already done all we can do or are willing to do. So go get’em boy.
He should be a skilled and enthusiatic teacher of the Bible.
He must be ready to challenge us to grow or change for the better but at the same time continue to lead the same old thing and preach the usual sermon. How dare he change anyting that we have been doing. Who gave him the right to change something. This is my church. I was here when he came and I will be here until he is gone. Or I will leave or not support him as long as he is here, then when he finally leaves I will come back and support the church again and undo what that lazy preacher changed.
He needs to possess humility, a strong disposition and a non-confrontational attitude during times when the Church must make difficult decisions. Don’t confront us with your perceptions because you are wrong. Don’t even suggest that…
He needs to be able to laugh at himself and possess a good sense of humor.
He must, after all is said and done, must possess a friendly, relaxed manner.