Month: March 2018

THE RESURRECTION & THE DEATH

~ Pat Vick ~ Leave a comment
Photo Credit: Aldiha Kjelland, Via The New York Times, April 1, 2012

Spring. New life. Hope in the air. Easter time. The resurrection heavy on our minds and hearts. That’s when the “The Incident” happened. So suddenly.

My brother and I were eight or nine years old. Our mom had gotten us each a baby chick for Easter that year. They were just so precious. Mine was pink and His was green. (That was before they knew the colored dye was harmful to their health.) They acted like they thought we were their parents. Running up to us and cheep-cheeping frantically to be fed, following us around the patio as fast as their little legs could carry them, and nestling close to our necks with their eyes closed as we cradled them. Our babies.

The primary care of our babies naturally fell to me, as I was the more responsible parent. Don’t get me wrong; Bryan loved his chick. He was a boy, however, and had other manly responsibilities. One of which was fighting wars by blowing up plastic green army men with firecrackers in the sand pile. The other was playing in the NBA with a nerf basketball and rim that hung off our parents’ bedroom door, in which he was all the players, the coaches and the crowd -for both teams, simultaneously.

(Insert radical crowd noises and eye roll here.)

Bryan loved to be on the go, and I enjoyed staying at home. So it was on this day when the accident occurred. He was gone to town with a family member, and I was going to spend a few hours keeping our babies company.

Our house was a brown brick, Spanish style, U shaped home, with a patio in the center. That’s where our babies lived in a cardboard box.

I thought I would construct a more suitable living quarters for our babies, instead of the crude cardboard habitat they were living in. It was going to be very sturdy. I used a heavy castiron fire pit grate for the outside wall. Nothing was going to get in to our babies. I played with them for a few minutes, maybe half an hour. Very proud of myself for being able to construct such sturdy living arrangements for the chicks.

As I stood up to go inside, feeling assured they were content and safe, I bumped the iron grate wall. That’s when it happened -the incident that made me a murderer.

It happened so quickly. I didn’t actually see the wall fall, but the aftermath is imprinted in my mind for a lifetime. I remember the colors mostly -green and red and pinkish brown all squished together like the inside of a marble. Apparently, baby chicks are very fragile. I had killed my brother’s baby. My own chick was chirping frantically, and eyeing me suspiciously.

While I was standing there in horror, wishing I could have a do over, I heard the car doors shut. Not only did I have to deal with my own heartache and guilt, but now I had to face my brother and tell him what I had done, all before the aftermath was even cleaned up

My brother probably hasn’t thought about our baby chicks and “The Incident” another time over the years. The fact that I’m writing about the incident over four decades later, should tell you how it impacted me. It was quite a heavy burden for a nine year old to bear.

I remember feeling shocked, frightened, horrified, regretful, ashamed, and sickened. Are these feelings familiar to you?

All of us carry burdens quietly throughout our lives. Burdens that weigh down our spirits unnecessarily. Jesus really is our Burden-bearer. He tells us in His Word that He desires to carry our burdens for us. He desires to give us rest in Him.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

The Apostle Peter sure knew a thing or two about carrying heavy burdens. After all, he denied the Lord Jesus three times after he declared that he would die with Him if need be. Never again has a rooster crowing sounded so heavy.

Yet, we see Peter on the Day of Pentecost preaching the keynote message of salvation and approximately 3,000 people being added to the Church that day. Just as Jesus had said he would have the Keys of the Kingdom, he used those keys to unlock the gift of salvation on that momentous day by instructing the crowd:

“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” (Acts 2:38-39)

In his first epistle, Peter eveals how he accomplished this.

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7)

ALLOWING JESUS TO BEAR OUR BURDENS INVOLVES:

1. HUMBLING -God does not humble us. We must humble ourselves. This begins with true repentance.
2. CASTING -God does not take our burdens from us. We must exert the effort to “cast” them upon Him physically, emotionally and spiritually.
3. ALLOWING -God does not force us to move past an unloaded burden. We must choose to allow Him to carry it for us and move forward. This involves forgiving ourselves.

WHAT KINDS OF BURDENS DOES JESUS WANT TO CARRY FOR US?

1. Things that we have willfully done, said or thought.
2. Things that we have accidentally done, said or thought.
3. Things that we have unknowingly done, said or thought.

WHAT KIND OF BURDENS ARE YOU TRYING TO CARRY ALONE?

During this Easter season, my prayer, and Jesus’ great desire, is that you will finally take advantage of His sacrifice, and cast ALL your burdens upon Him.

I know from experience they can get extremely heavy.

Warm Regards, -Pat

THE REMNANT: What Does An Old Scrap Of Cloth Have In Common With The True Church?

~ Pat Vick ~ 2 Comments

We have lived on our farm for the last ten years. We purchased it from a family who had lived on the land for decades. Through the years, as my husband and and sons have worked the ground, they have unearthed many treasures. Not of monetary value, but bits of history. A tool here. A toy there. A piece of metal from a trailer or a tractor. Evidence of past generations that have lived here. Worked here. Died here.

There is one thing that has surfaced time and again. On the acreage in front of where our house now sits, was once a thriving sawmill. Now it is a small lake that hosts a family of Canadian geese and one mallard duck. When the lake was being dug, again and again, we would find scraps of fabric. Not just any fabric. Not multiple kinds of fabric. But remnants of one specific garment.

Even now, every Summer, when one of the men till the ground between the house and the lake or run the bush hog over it, there it will be. Another Remnant.

It always stands out against its surroundings, with its odd pattern and color scheme. Patches of black, orange and pink, interspersed with a trickle of yellow circles. We’ve asked the previous owners if they remember what it might have been. A worker’s shirt? A ladies’ skirt or apron? A table cloth or bed sheet? No, they have no specific memory of it. It could have been anything, really.

But I can’t let it go. It wears on my mind. Why does it matter what it was all these years later? The only reason that I can give is because it keeps turning up. It matters because it was, and still is. The fact that it remains is proof that it is real and vital and true.

That old scrap of fabric reminds me of the Church. Real people who chose to follow Jesus. Real people who repented of their sins and were baptized in Jesus’ name. Real people that He poured His Holy Spirit into. Real people who spoke in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Real people who separated themselves from sin and worldliness, choosing to live a holy and consecrated life to the Lord. Real people who gave all they had -time, money, talents, and even their lives. Real people who were persecuted and hunted and put on trial and killed. All the day long. Year after year. Generation after generation. Dark age to dark age.

The ungodly world would have you believe those people never existed. That what you predominately see today called “church” is what always was. No, my friend. Don’t you believe it. The bedazzled, self-centered, over indulged, superficial, drunk on entertainment, any way you like it thing that is heralded by so many in the name of our Savior isn’t the Church that Jesus built.

How do I know? How could I possibly know? Because every time the ground is stirred up, the evidence is brought to the surface. Another remnant. You can’t hide the Truth when another remnant rises to the top. Oh, it may not be pretty. A bit odd, really, with its awkward patches of patterns and colors. It may not look like the world, or act like the world, or talk like the world. That’s because it’s IN the world, but not OF the world.

You can keep going to that thing called church if you want to. You can blend in with everyone else, do like everyone else, and talk like everyone else. But in your heart, you know the Truth. There was a Church that was different, pure, holy. And the reason you know it, the way you can be sure, is that every so often, the ground is stirred, and another remnant turns up.

CHURCH: Ekklesia (Called Out Ones, Set Apart) Click To Tweet

That co-worker that always wears skirts. That family member that never went to college, but prays in a language that you know she never learned. That teenager that refuses to be a part of the “fun” the rest of the crowd has going. The one that refuses to bend…and refuses to be ignored. For millennia there have been those like her, declaring their story. His Story.

They may have been torn asunder in the sawmill of persecution, yet they live. Just as righteous Abel’s blood cried out from the ground to his God, so does theirs witness of a True Church. Trust me when I tell you, the Remnant is alive and well.

“Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.” (Romans 11:5)

Warm Regards, -Pat

If you are dissatisfied with the church you attend because it doesn’t reflect the attributes of the Church that Jesus built, or if you are looking for a home Church, I invite you to check out the UNITED PENTECOSTAL CHURCH, INTERNATIONAL. It is one of several Church organizations that promotes true Apostolic Doctrine. (Including the Oneness of God, the New Birth Experience of Repentance, Baptism in Jesus’ Name & the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, as well as living a lifestyle of Holiness.

As always, feel free to leave a comment, share to social media, SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER, and email me PAT@PATVICK.COM.

REMIND ME AGAIN…What’s Keeping You From Being Baptized In Jesus’ Name?

~ Pat Vick ~ 3 Comments

It’s a sincere question that begs a sincere answer.

You say you love Jesus. You say you’re a Christian. I can tell by your conversation and by your works that you are true-hearted about your love and service to Him. You wear Jesus t-shirts. You have a Jesus charm on your bracelet. Your car sports a “What Would Jesus Do?” bumper sticker. And it’s a good thing you’re serious about Him, because you know how hard those things are to get off. You end your prayers with a heartfelt, “in Jesus’ name.”

So, remind me again…What’s keeping you from being baptized in Jesus’ name?

I’ve heard you talk about where He brought you from; that old life of sin that He delivered you out of. I’ve seen the shame seep into your eyes and down your cheeks when you remember the old you. I’ve also witnessed the thankful joy that chases it away when you share how He changed you. I believe you when you say you’ll never be able to repay His sacrifice that purchased your freedom, but you’ll never stop trying.

So, remind me again…What’s keeping you from being baptized in Jesus’ name?

I know you say that you have already been baptized. It was according to Matthew 28:19, right? Let’s take a look at that.

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” (Matthew 28:19)

I was baptized once using this formula, as well. Then I realized that Jesus was saying to do what He said, not just repeat what He said. I realized that the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost is Jesus. That explains why I didn’t feel clean when I came up out of the water, only wet.

Once I understood this, I was re-baptized. This time, the preacher said, “In the name of Jesus Christ” when he put me under the water. I can tell you it felt altogether different from the first time. I felt truly clean-not just wet.

So, remind me again…What’s keeping you from being baptized in Jesus’ name?

Would it make a difference to know that every account in scriptures where people were baptized, the name of Jesus was spoken over them?

“Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they are baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)” (Acts 8:14-16)

“Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.” (Acts 10:47-48)

“And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. then said Paul, John verily baptized with he baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

So, remind me again…What’s keeping you from being baptized in Jesus’ name?

Would it make a difference to know that it is baptism in Jesus’ name that remits (removes) our sins?

“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38)

Remind me again...What’s keeping you from being baptized in Jesus’ name? Click To Tweet

I think you meant it when you said you would do anything to please Jesus. You would go anywhere He asked you to. You would give up anything He ask of you. In your heart and mind, no sacrifice was too much to give because of your great love for Him, and His for you.

Could that great sacrifice possibly be something so simple as allowing a Man of God to immerse you under water in baptism while pronouncing the name of your Savior, Redeemer, Lover of Your Soul, Great God, Jesus Christ, over you? I’m confused as to why you wouldn’t do such a small thing.

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) 

“And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on them name of the Lord.” (Acts 22:16)

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus…” (Colossians 3:17)

SO, REMIND ME AGAIN…

What’s keeping you from being baptized in Jesus’ name?

Warm Regards -Pat

INVITATION TO SHARE

-Do you have a memory of being baptized in Jesus’ name that you would like to share?

-Were you baptized another way before you were baptized in Jesus’ name? Could you feel a difference?

-Does your Church baptize in Jesus’ name only?

-Do you want to find a Church near you where you can be baptized in Jesus’ name? VISIT UPCI.ORG.

As always, feel free to leave a comment, share to social media, SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER, and email me: Pat@PATVICK.COM.