What is my Philosphy of Ministry? For 40 Years, The Answer Has Been in the Making!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

 

Reverends Lester DUAINE & PAMELA Jeanne ALLEN

Agape Covenant Ministries

Post Office Box 223 Wellsboro PA 16901-0223

1-570-723-1956 Home/Office 1-570-787-3238 Cellular

lduaineallen@yahoo.com, pamelajealln@yahoo.com

http://lesterduaineallen.wordpress.com, http://retseleniaudnella.wordpress.com

Dear Church-Family 

    

What is my philosophy and theology regarding the pastoral ministry?

A Definition of My Ministry – I am and have been full-time in the Christian ministry for nearing forty years.  I have a life-long average of twelve to sixteen hours per day actively involved in the many aspects and facets of the Christian ministry.  As all Christians do, so I too, spend my own time with God, with Bible reading and prayer daily since July 7^th, 1958, when I became a Christian, as a twelve-year-old boy… from then until now.   Throughout my professional life answering the “Call of God” I perform the functions and essences of the ministry.   I practice counseling sessions.  I make sermon preparations and deliver them.  I prepare and conduct Bible studies.  I attend to care-groups.   I prepare for and conduct business meetings.  I am active in the clergy councils, and the minister’s meetings.  I usually represent our church in my work with three clergy councils.  There are groups of local brothers who are evangelical, and who meet weekly for coordinated ministry, mutual fellowship and Christian encouragement.   There are groups of local brothers who are of the main-line denominations and I represent our Church-Family within the Christian community.   As an example in one recent pastorate in Southern Maryland, I met with the several denominational clergy in the Calvert County, St. Mary’s County and St. Charles County, in regular sessions.  I love working with my own fellow Godly brothers and participated in all Chesapeake District meetings as often as called to meet and usually monthly.   I routinely performed pastoral calling on a schedule and by appointment with all families annually or more, meeting in convenience at a restaurant or in a home as preferred.   Whenever an immediate need should arise, I habitually did pastoral calling, regardless of the time.  I also do home visitation as a matter of recourse in follow-up work after guests come on Church visits.  I attend to hospital visitations religiously.   I especially appreciate the elderly and work geriatrics with conviction.   I visit nursing homes.  I visit the imprisoned.  I visit the orphanages.  I love to drop by folks in their working environs.   I enjoy impromptu visits and scheduled visits.   I assist with clothing and food ministries attending to the hungry and to the needy.  I cooperate in the hospital, business and college Chaplaincy programs.   I participate in Kiwanis, Lions, Rotary and such other service clubs to know the local businessmen.   In most pastorates I am involved with the local government, in the town councils and this usually includes the reading of Scriptures and the praying of prayers for these Sessions which were televised.   I attend seminars, conduct and attend youth rallies, I benefit from Sunday School conventions.  I always have lead camps, retreats, and outings.  I participate in the Association of Christian Schools International and Mid-Atlantic Christian School Association.  I work on continuing education.  I work weddings and related counseling, funerals and related ministries, Christian Concerts and related altar work.  I prepare for and conduct the local church’s business sessions.  I conduct Church Services.  I do the church’s business with the public.    I have ministered via television, radio and the newspaper mediums.  I spend time writing.   I am currently concluding three volumes… #1 “A Compilation of Letters”… #2 “Trichotomy – Spirit, Soul and Body – The Nature of Man- A Study in Christian Growth”…  #3 “Contrasting World-Views – ‘His – Theirs’”.   I perform planning sessions and calendar work.   I do office work for communication and correspondence with “Kith, Kin & Kountrymen”.   I do reading and research for all public and private presentations.   I am learning computer applications like Microsoft PowerPoint for Bible Study and Sermon presentations.   I have done churchyard work.  I have done church custodial work.  I have done routine Church-maintenance.   Among other duties and ministry activities multitudinous in number, I employ myself in the Lord’s work that I love and that I am devoted to.   I am a family man and I love the roles of husband, father, and grandfather… brother, son, nephew, uncle, colleague and friend!

What is my philosophy and theology regarding the pastoral ministry’s legality and financial obligations?

Self-Employed Minister – I am not an employee of the church nor do I work for wages or for salary as an employee.   I am and have been a self-employed minister, since 1972 to serve God, the churches and the respective communities.   I negotiate an income with each church to remain self-employed.   This is only for clarification for IRS purposes. 

The tithes of God’s ancient tribes’ family-members paid their priestly brethren, “The Levite Tribe” a tithe or a tenth of their increase.   This is God’s pattern and my preferred assumptions in a perfect world and it is the assumption for the New Testament Church.   With that, the priests attended to the Temple, the widows, the orphans, the poor, the society, the education, and its extended ministries and themselves and their families and all for ten per cent.   Today we all know that Uncle Sam takes a larger bite than ten per cent to care for some of these items through our Federal Governments programs.  

Israel gave their tenth to support the priests while the priests devoted themselves to the work of the ministry.   Some great consideration calculates the just professional pastoral provision for pastoral positions should approximate and an average of the family incomes within the Church-Family. 

The services that I have presented in the pastoral Christian Ministries throughout my life have opened many new opportunities in each place for additional ministry.   Usually each congregation has grown, doubling, tripling and even quadrupling in size and income.  

In the year of my original ordination, 1972, I signed the IRS Form 4361 and retain submission to this privilege: 

4361 Form File

Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service

Application for Exemption From Self-Employment Tax

For Use by Ministers, Members of Religious Orders and Christian Science Practitioners

Accountability to God – But, first of all, I am accountable to God.   I do not see myself as a maverick, but as a Church-Family member.   God gives gifts and roles to each of us and we all share in the corporate ministry together.   Each one of us adds, his or her own unique part all included and no one excluded and thereby all are mutually beneficial to each other.   Every family member within the local Church-Family has gifts and roles to share.   No one is superior or inferior to any other Church-Family member within the body of Christ, don’t you agree?  I do not see the pastoral role as bigger and better that every other gift and role within the Church-Family.   I shall however, do my absolute best to make you proud of me, as I also know each of you will do your best for each other and for me…  and we shall all be proud of you and grateful to you… As Jesus gave His best for all of us… so we for Him!  And we all love Him!

Accountability To God’s Servants — I have long-term accountability partners, men and women of God, who loving advise, genuinely admonish, give unbiased counsel and contribute godly wisdom.  I choose to be accountable to the brethren and my friends at PineCrest Fellowship filing and communicating as requested on forms and reports.  Then as each of us are accountable to the brethren within the Church-Family of God so in the equal measure and sense as for each of us, so I also would be.   Neither do I see Church brethren or myself as the boss of the Church.   Jesus said, “I will build my Church.  “  He created each of us for His own purposes, uniquely.   He bought and paid for the Church with His own blood.   He gave His own Holy Spirit supervision of His Church.   Of all that He gave to us, in loving obedience we worship Him.  We devote ourselves to him in our time, and in our talents.   We give Him our tithes and offerings.  With those tithes and offerings, given back to Him in obedience and in love with commitment, we assist in the establishment of this little part of His big Kingdom.   We will not be guilty of sinning, by thinking, by speaking or by behaving as though He were on vacation, or absent, or incapable, or disinterested, or not understanding our dilemmas.  

Finances — Concerning the responsibilities for Church-Family finances, I need to inform you that I have always delegated to others the expenditure of all Church-Family funds.  All expenditures shall be as per budget, devised, presented, known, understood, voted upon, enacted and approved by the Church-Family, and supervised by the responsibles, other than by me.  All funds are tallied by a designated board of tellers, and deposited by them, excluding the treasurers, is my safeguard recommendation.  This is a suggestion from every denomination and ministry organization and before I come on the scene.  All funds are disbursed by check by the treasurer, as per approved budget.   All fiscal responsibilities are tended in a timely manner, as per PA laws of accounting, integrity and prudence.   I shall desire no access to church moneys.  Any programs, needs or expenditures newly realized and not yet budgeted shall be proposed, explained, defended and entered as a budget item.   Admittedly, emergencies arise, but the prepared budget shall be in effect, with such contingencies.   Finances shall be performed with integrity, on business principles and with proper accounting policies and reports. 

Hierarchy – I see myself as no ones boss, while in the pastoral role, nor do I perceive any others to be my bosses, except that Jesus Christ is the boss of all of us.   I see my pastoral role as a spiritual gift, based upon Ephesians Four.  

(Eph 4 NLT)  {11} He is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.  {12} Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ, {13} until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ. 

Spiritual Giftings – I believe that “the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers” are spiritual Gifts; these are usually the professional clergy.   However, they should not be granted leadership roles within the Church-Family apart from God the Holy Spirits giftings with the spiritual gifts as “the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers”

God chooses to give to His Church “the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers” as that, “Gifts”.   Think of it this way if you will… I will be a present, a gift to you as a pastor-brother within your Church-Family, and you shall know that God has sent me as “the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers” for you.   Within every alive, active, growing, thriving and healthy Church-Family there are already “the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers” gifted and appointed by God.  There will come up from within, new men and women and young people gifted and appointed for leadership, who will become themselves the righteous and influential fulfilling the roles of “the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers”, for this and for future generations as the Lord tarries. 

I see all other Christians within the Body of Christ as having their own spiritual gifts, roles and talents. 

What is my philosophy and theology regarding the pastoral ministry?

Pastor – I believe that it is a calling of God to be a Pastor, as I have just been sharing, with you.   I believe that it is a spiritual gift to be a Pastor.   “And He gave some Pastors” Ephesians 4:11.   I believe Acts 20:18-21 in Paul’s farewell address to Ephesus is a clear and concise definition of the Pastoral ministry, “I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me and how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying of repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.  ”  I believe this is a caricature of my philosophy and theology of the pastoral ministry personally.      I believe I must minister to the old and young, to the poor and wealthy, to the ignorant and learned, to the loveable and to the unlovely, to the sick and the well, to the sinner and the saint, to the church member and to the neighbor to the church, to the family, to the married and to the single, to the happy and to the frustrated, to each and every one that God brings across my path.   I believe I am required by God to devote myself completely; body, soul and Spirit, I am dedicated to the work that our Lord has called me to.   I am ministering as people have needs, whether it is convenient or not.   I must care for the lonely, the widows, the fatherless, the parents, the grandparents, the children, the families; I must admonish them to live right, to tithe, to serve, to correct their courses of action to hold on when they want to give up.   I believe I must serve them as a shepherd does his flock.   I must serve them as a willing loving slave as Jesus said.   My ministry must be intimate, personal and caring to each one.   They must feel that I am caringly approachable, genuinely concerned, Biblically and academically qualified.   They must know that I am compassionate, wise, experienced and ardent and ambitious, informed with current events and affairs and knowing history and context in accord with the Holy Bible.   I must be a strong leader.   I must be reasonable.   I must example what I speak.   I must be willing to share not only my strengths but also my weaknesses and show them how God has power to forgive, heal, correct, and use failures for good.   This encourages the people of God, and they realize that the challenge and goal of Christian perfection and holy living is attainable.   I am not Jesus Christ, but I believe I must live as close to Him, be as much like Him as I can be, so that as Paul said, so I too can say “Imitate me!”  In my life, they will have a living object lesson to example the message before them.   I must pray with them, laugh and cry with them, care about their interests, and family concerns, listen to them as well as talk to them.   I must rebuke and console them, and I must protect them; I must oppose their false ideas.   I must know God, and know them.   They must learn of God from me, and they will love God and me as I love them.   I believe love is the quality and color of my role as a pastoral minister.   I love my calling.   I pray God to make me to excel in it through His grace, strength, and blessing. 

What is my philosophy and theology regarding preaching?

Preaching and Teaching – I believe preaching and teaching is declaring God’s Word as recorded in the Bible.   Preaching and teaching are declaring this Biblical truth with conviction, understanding, and Spirit.   I believe God would have me preach and teach well prepared, with genuine communication, face to face, heart to heart and with a specific premise.   I believe I should know what I want my audiences to know, or to do, or to be, as a result of having heard a sermon that I have preached, or a lesson that I have taught.   I believe a sermon will entertain, though that is not its purpose.   I believe a sermon will inform, though that is not its highest purpose.   I believe a sermon is to declare the truth of Jesus Christ and His claims and to require from the audiences a response to accept or reject that truth.  

Homiletical Preaching Styles – There are many forms of sermon-preaching and lesson-teaching styles.   Each of them has unique strengths:  The expositional, the topical, the biographical, the didactical, the doctrinal, the practical, the message for special occasions, the evangelistic, and the missionary styles are among the more popular forms of sermon delivery styles.   Each preacher is familiar with these several types, and most preachers use them all on different occasions.   I personally prefer the expositional style presented in a storyline.   I also enjoy teaching topical subjects as in a lesson plan developing the subject to understanding.   Though I am not restricted by style.   I also enjoy both the didactical or teaching style and the doctrinal systematic theology teaching styles and feel very comfortable with them.   I believe each preacher develops his own most perfect style with maturity, experience and influence.   And after time I have developed what is my own unique preaching style, personality and technique, as all other preachers are prone to do. 

Teaching Styles – I believe every sermon should always be a declaration of God’s truth!   Every sermon and lesson must always be based upon the Bible!  We must be careful to address the temporal issues of today’s news in the context of God’s inerrant, unchanging and absolute truth.   We must never accommodate God’s Eternal Word with today’s assumptions.   The Bible is absolute!  These sermons should be developed and shared in meaningful, understandable and age and gender appropriate means through any of the several discourse approaches including these: Give Typical Examples, > Chart Comparisons, Contrasts and Similarities, > Communicate Discussions, Explanations and with Descriptions, > Show Aspects and Perspectives, > Furnish Causes and Effects, > Consider Time Sequences and Chronologies, > Advise of Advantages or Disadvantages, weighing “Pros & Cons”, > On occasions even State the Obvious and Plain Clear Observations, > Tell Storylines with meaning, of human interests with emotions, anecdotes & themes, humor, > Be Creative and Imaginative, > Express and Communicate Practical Applications, > Make the Theory Make Sense, > Articulate Realistic Assumptions, > Correspond Propositions Logically.

Preaching and Teaching by Message and By Lifestyle – I try to be exciting in my preaching.   However, I believe that my life is preaching a louder message than my sermon, therefore I trust God to make my life a message to His glory.   I believe that true preaching is God’s word to man rather than man’s word about God.   I believe that through Bible-study and fervent prayer, God’s word will be so indelibly impressed upon my Spirit that I know I am speaking His words and not my own.   I believe that the success of preaching is not in my skill, but in the power of God’s Word.   I believe that when I am pure through the cleansing of the blood of Christ, when I am indwelt with the presence of Jesus Christ’s Holy Spirit and when I am under the anointing of God’s Holy Spirit, the message that God has to give to my audiences and congregations will enter their heart and challenge their commitment, spark their faith, inspire their devotion, warm their love, thrill their hearts, instruct their minds and move them to action.   I believe with Paul that is not with enticing words of men’s wisdom, but in the simple, powerful beauty of the preached word!

What is your theology regarding discipleship?

Discipleship – I believe that as Jesus Christ chose 12 disciples and required of them godly discipline, allegiance, loyalty, sacrifice, attention, obedience and service; so God requires this of me and all who would hear the voice and the call of God.   This is not to say that discipleship-is required only of ful2-time, professional ministers, it is rather to say the high and holy calling of sanctification, holy Christian living, and consecrated discipleship is God’s voice and call to every heart believer.   I believe that this kind of discipleship will make every believer a full-time disciple in every situation.   I believe that discipleship will evidence in one’s life through salvation by doing good at every opportunity to all men, and especially to those of the body of Christ.   I believe that a believer who is living a life of discipleship will minister to the bodily needs by giving food to the hungry, clothing to the naked, visiting those that are sick or in prison, ministering to the widows and the fatherless.   I believe that a disciple will by precept and example minister instruction, practice Spirit worship, reprove the facts, and exhort the commands, all in love, and with all diligence, that the Gospel be not blamed.   A disciple will run with patience the race that is set before him; he will consider himself a slave willing to obey all of the Master’s commands; he will deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow close to Christ; he will be willing to suffer for the sake of the Gospel of Christ will ever keep and respect the Ten Commandments loving God and loving his fellow man with a whole heart.   I believe that a disciple will abstain from all forms of spiritism, witchcraft, astrology, and all forms of the occult.   He will abstain from all sins including drug usage, overindulgence, idle curiosity, evil speech, materialism, sensuality, unholy ambition, evil thoughts, worldliness, evil desires and lustful passions.   I believe that a true disciple of Christ Jesus will abstain from humanism, cults, heresies, and secret societies.   A disciple will respect individual human rights of all persons; He will live, talk, think, and do circumspectly, justly, and righteously in all of his responsibilities and contractual obligations.   He will respect all duly constituted authority in the home, church, and the state, except when to do so violates the clear Word of God.   A Christian disciple will strive for the advancement of God’s kingdom and for the mutual edification of fellow believers, in holiness, knowledge, and love; and he will walk in Christian fellowship in carefulness giving and receiving admonition with meekness and affection.   He will pray for others and offer his aid to one sick or in distress; he will cultivate Christian sympathy; and he will demonstrate purity, charity, faith, hope, courtesy and respect. 

I believe that a disciple will be careful in his dress, manners, habits, attitudes, motives, purposes, conversation, and stewardship of time, tithe, and talent.   I believe that a disciple is a faithful and consistent student utilizing the opportunities to learn to be a better servant by reading, traveling as opportunity opens, studying under the tutuledge of the able and experienced.   I believe that a disciple will preserve the sanctity-of the home, and respect the Biblical laws and requirements for marriage and child rearing, and the care of the sick and aged of the family. 

What is my philosophy and theology regarding the church of Jesus Christ?

The Church Is The Boy Of Jesus Christ – I believe that the visible church of Christ is the congregation of faithful believers whose lives are pure and holy and following in the footsteps of our Saviour Jesus Christ.   I believe that the church is, the body of Christ and all those that hear the Word preached and who preach the Word to the world, both by precept and by example.   I believe that the church is the body of Christ that faithfully administers the sacraments to the believers within the body.   I believe that the church is the visible body of Christ upon the earth doing now what Christ would do if He were walking our earth again.   I believe that the true church is universal in scope and ministry; and that the church reaches across denominations, cultures, generations, boundaries, governments, races, nationalities, to include all who believe in the Gospel as presented within the Holy Scriptures.   I believe that within the church there will be the broad spectrum from babes in Christ to children in Christ, to young men in Christ, to mature men in Christ.   In the church, each believer has a special part and talent to contribute to serve Christ and the others within the body.   I believe that the true church includes all faithful believers, some of whom have gone to be with the Lord and others of whom remain on the earth, having renounced the world, the flesh, and the devil, and are committed unto Him and His church, till He come.   I believe that the local church is a body of believers formally organized on Gospel principles meeting together regularly for the purposes of evangelism, worship, “edification, exhortation and comfort”, instruction and service. 

Based upon (1 Cor 12, 13, 14 NLT) I believe that The Body Of Christ is One Body of many Parts… Though Many Parts, One Body – I believe that the Church of Jesus Christ includes all body parts as members of the body of Christ and all who hold the faith as taught in the Holy Scriptures, and all who subscribe to the tenants of the Biblical tenants of Faith as included it the Ancient Creeds and all who submit to the ecclesiastical authority appointed by God to safeguard the church.

 

What is my philosophy and theology regarding the Holy Spirit as He relates to the life of holiness, Christian living and the spiritual fruits and gifts, the Christian Beatitudes and The Christian Virtues?

 

Holiness – I believe that the scriptures in John 14:16,26; John 15:26; John 16:7-15 impart the teaching of Christ Jesus regarding the ministry and the work of His own Holy Spirit in the Christian’s life.   The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus, that left Him while on the Cross and that came upon His new Church and all Christians in the upper room.   This same Holy Spirit leads us in our Christian walks and matures us in holiness.   The Holy Spirit dwells in the disciples as Comforter, Counselor, and Advocate; He teaches us all things, He recalls to us what Jesus said, He testifies of Jesus, He reproves the world of sin, of the righteousness of Jesus Christ required of all, and of His soon coming judgment, He lives with us to guide us, His disciples into all truth, and the Holy Spirit does not speak of Himself, but only what He hears, He exalts Jesus Christ, He shows all disciples things to come, He glorify Jesus Christ by showing the things of Jesus to them.  

I believe that the Deity of the Holy Spirit is taught in Acts 5:3,4 and elsewhere.   He works in my life to perfect holiness, perfectness, maturity, separation from evil, and to make me complete, wholesome, righteous, obedient, submissive and responsive to the living and true God.   The Holy Spirit applies the work of Christ to my life.  

The Emblems Of The Holy Spirit – I believe that the Emblems of the Holy Spirit signify the ministry of the Spirit to a Christian to make sanctification complete, to make holiness real and practical in this present life.   These Emblems of the Holy Spirit are Fire, Wind, Water, Dove, Oil, Seal, Fruits and Gifts.  

These emblems are used to express the Holy Spirit’s works in my life:

Fire speaks of His consuming power, of His purifying power in the heart of a believer, and of His pervasive ravaging power against our inherited and acquired depravity;

Wind speaks of His “breath of life” and of His dynamic power to speak to us and to move us, and of His hidden depth beyond our knowledge, wisdom and understanding, and His power to regenerate and to recreate;

Water speaks of His refreshing and quenching, of His life sustaining power, and of His filling and overflowing of each believer with spiritual life and healthy energetic vitality;

Dove speaks of His gentleness, tenderness, peacefulness (for the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension) and of His compassion;

Oil speaks of His anointing for ministry and service, of His healing, balm and salve for heart and life, and of His presence abiding and comprehensive covering;

Seal speaks of His ownership of us now and of His signature upon us that we belong to Him and of His authority and protection over us;

Fruits speak of His own nature, producing in our lives likenesses and realities of similitude to the nature and image Christ Jesus, sweet, luscious delicious satisfying and nourishing;

Gifts speak of useful tools for service to minister to others in cooperation with Him, of His plans and purposes, and that all be tended.

 

Sanctification In The Holy Spirit – The Holy Spirit regenerates my life and indwells my heart.   The raging fires of God’s Holy Spirit purges my life-forests from the debris of my own personal sins, actions, choices, and decisions and of my inherited sin, the disease of Adam, that cancer that kills.   He owns me and places His seal upon me.   The hurricane forces of the Holy Spirit demand my attention to plans, patters and purposes.   The Holy Spirit witnesses with my Spirit and that I belong to God.   As the Dove alights upon my life, significance is granted and makes His declaration that I am accepted into His family and His ministry.   Jesus baptizes me in water for salvation, quenching my thirsts for the real, the important and the eternal.   I pray that His Holy Spirit laden my branches with the luscious, delicious fruit, making the Christian life I live desirable.   Jesus Christ baptizes me in His own Holy Spirit for service.   The Holy Spirit infills me, He empowers me, He leads me, He administers the fruits, the gifts, the virtues and the beatitudes to my life to bring me into full compliance with the precepts and examples of Jesus Christ.   He empowers me to confront the heresies of this world’s world-view and to teach, preach and incorporate Jesus Christ’s world-view as taught in these Beatitudes.  

The Holy Spirit has been given control of my life and as much of my life that has not yet learned full obedience, submission, understanding and maturity, I pray to be made complete in and through Him. 

The Sins Against The Holy Spirit – I believe that the sins against the Holy Spirit hinder, cripple, and destroy any guilty person.

The sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is ascribing to the devil what God alone can do or ascribing to God what the devil has done.   Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit has no forgiveness.  The sin of resisting the Holy Spirit is committed when He convicts and one refuses to obey.  The sin of grieving the Holy Spirit is committed when a believer does not yield full control of his life to God for the glory of Christ.  The sin of quenching the Holy Spirit is committed when known sin is unconfessed and unforgiven.  The sin of lying to the Holy Spirit is mocking God and is only self-deception.   It is born of jealousy, selfishness, and pride.  

I believe that the Holy Spirit has sanctified me.   He enables me to love God with all my heart, mind, soul, body, strength, and He guides me as I grow in God’s grace.   He imparts God’s mercy upon my life, that is, He does not treat me as I deserve as in Hell.   He imparts God’s grace upon my life, that is, He does give to me what I do not deserve, as in eternal blessings like heaven and temporal blessings, like food, shelter and clothing.   He enables me to love my neighbor as myself. 

I believe that the work of the Holy Spirit convicts me of my sin, of His righteousness and its application to my life, and of His judgment upon all sin, upon all sins and upon all that reject Him.  

Fruit of the Holy Spirit – When I was a new Christian, back in 1958, my own pastor gave these beautiful thoughts about the fruits of the Holy Spirit.  

(Gal 5:22-26 NLT)  “But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, {23} gentleness, and self-control.  Here there is no conflict with the law.  {24} Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.  {25} If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.  {26} Let us not become conceited, or irritate one another, or be jealous of one another.  “

 

I believe that the fruit of the Spirit in my life is love.   Joy is this love’s strength.   Peace is this love’s security.   Patience is this love’s endurance.   Kindness is this love’s conduct.   Goodness is its character.   Faithfulness is this love’s confidence.   Gentleness is its humility.   Self-control is this love’s victory!  (John 13:35 KJV)  “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”  On this John 13:35: Ryrie Study Bible says that all men will know the Christian Disciples had a mutual love and love would be the strongest possible argument for the Christian faith.    

My life is Spirit controlled, sanctified and holy as I remain dedicated to God and remain totally yielded to Him, as I walk in all known light, obey every known command, cherish and claim every precious promise, perform every required duty, bear every fruit, exercise every gift, preach every truth, minister in every opportunity, love unconditionally, serve sacrificially, teach by precept and example.  

Ephesians 4:11-16 and He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ; till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Conclusion – I conclude with these assumptions.   I am not going to fulfill “The Great Commission” by proxy…  I will not displace anyone… We shall discover and exercise our unique gifts together… We shall continue a healthy Church-Family and grow… We will live in brotherly love, in harmony with pure hearts and in fervent-servant spirit… We will fulfill “Ten-Commandments” by loving God and each other as Jesus taught. 

May I have the privilege to visit with your Church-Family?

Pastor L. Duaine Allen

Professional

Reverends Lester DUAINE & PAMELA Jeanne ALLEN

Agape Covenant Ministries

Post Office Box 223 Wellsboro PA 16901-0223

1-570-723-1956 Home/Office 1-570-787-3238 Cellular

lduaineallen@yahoo.com pamelajealln@yahoo.com

http://lesterduaineallen.wordpress.com , http://retseleniaudnella.wordpress.com

 

Personal

Duaine & Pamela Allen

“Pinnacle Towers” – Apartment/Suite 509

10 Cole Street, Wellsboro PA 16901-1239

1-570-723-1956 Home/Office 1-570-787-3238 Cellular

En Theos, En Agape, (In dynamic Godly enthusiasm and in fervent Christian love, I salute you!)

Duaine Allen