God is not Done
Believe in our Future!
Terry R. Baughman

“My prayers for you are full of praise to God as I give him thanks for you with great joy! I’m so grateful for our union and our enduring partnership that began the first time I presented to you the gospel. I pray with great faith for you, because I’m fully convinced that the One who began this gracious work in you will faithfully continue the process of maturing you until the unveiling of our Lord Jesus Christ!” (Philippians 1:3-6 TPT).

Paul reflected on his relationship with believers in Philippi. From the baptism of Lydia, to the deliverance of the slave girl’s oppression, and the conversion of the jailer’s family after the miraculous earthquake that freed Paul and Silas from confinement. These and many more were among the converts and followers of Jesus as a result of Paul’s ministry there. In his letter to these believers, Paul’s heart was overflowing with praise to God for their faithfulness. He was thoroughly convinced that God, who had started this spiritual journey in them, would continue to lead them until the very end. Paul was convinced that, “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6 NKJ).

Often people feel that their spiritual experience began and ended with the New Birth. Though we can rejoice in that miraculous experience, there was a process that brought us to that wonderful conversion and it continues beyond our birth of water and the Spirit. Our Spiritual journey is more than a few noteworthy experiences, but encompasses all of our days, the highs and the lows of life. And, He is not done with us yet!

It is extremely encouraging to realize that God is not a momentary friend and our experiences with Him are not just for a moment. Jesus is faithful and steadfast in His commitment to every believer. The writer of Hebrews stated, “He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5 NKJ). One of the last recorded statements of Jesus was, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:29 NKJ).

Where God is there is life, there is hope, and there is a future. Jesus stated, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6 NKJ). He declared, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10 NKJ). His eternal purpose was to give us a hope and a future beyond this life. 

Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2-3 NKJ). He goes before us to prepare the place, and clear the road. He is the way!

Paul taught that, “Patient endurance will refine our character, and proven character leads us back to hope. And this hope is not a disappointing fantasy, because we can now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives in us!” (Romans 5:4-5 TPT). Our hope is found through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is His Spirit in us that gives us hope for the future and confidence in His leading. 

What God has already done for us and through us gives us great confidence in His ability to see us through every obstacle of life and all the adversity of the enemy. The prophet Isaiah delivered the word of the Lord, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me” (Isaiah 54:17 NKJ).

An Elevation worship song, My Testimony, has a line that says, “If I'm not dead, You're not done, Greater things are still to come.” This is a confession that God is not finished with us yet! We are still in process. He is still working on us. We have a future!
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As long as we live; as long as we have breath, we know that God has a plan for our lives and is working in us. We may struggle to know God’s purpose, and strive to understand God’s plan in our lives, but this one thing we know: God is not done with us yet!


Theme passage:
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJ).

Celebrate our Past!
Terry R. Baughman

“I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (2 Timothy 1:5-6 NIV).

Some pride themselves on being a self-made man, however, that is seldom the case. Everyone who accomplishes anything in life does so with the assistance of someone else. We learn from our parents, mentors, friends, and educators. Mistakes are made, and second chances grant us the possibility to try again, having learned from our failed experience. Other opportunities come from unexpected sources and beyond our ability to create. We learn and we grow because of the collective wisdom of all these influences.

It becomes apparent that we are a product of our environment and those attributes which we inherited from our ancestry. Some of our abilities and inclinations are inherent in our psyche; they are talents with which we were born. Other strengths and understanding comes from external sources. We were taught tools to navigate life in difficult circumstances. 

It may serve us well to remember that one of the ten commandments, which are the very foundation of God’s guidance for life, calls on us to, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12 NIV). Paul referred to this commandment as one with promise, “That it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth” (Ephesians 6:3 NIV). 

It is expected of us that we would live in obedience to God’s commandments. In the context, after a commandment to observe the Sabbath of rest, and right before, “Do not murder,” is this commandment to, “Honor your father and mother.” Observe this and there is an attached blessing to those who remember our past and honor our legacy. 

Paul spoke of the legacy enjoyed by Timothy. He wrote to the young minister and remarked that the same sincere faith seen in him was also evident in his mother and grandmother. Something special and spiritual had been transmitted to each succeeding generation. Those who can look back and remember the heritage received from their lineage are especially blessed and should always give honor to those who lived in faith and left such a great legacy. 

The implication of a spiritual legacy is included in the message of Peter on the Day of Pentecost. After he declared the outpouring of the Spirit to be a fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel, he went on to extend the blessing to those who were to come. The gift of the Spirit was promised to all who believe, repent, and experience water baptism in the name of Jesus. All who heard him preach could have been recipients of this promise. He said, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Then Peter continued with an extension of that promise when he said, “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38-39 NKJ). Jesus is still calling people unto Himself, and the promise is still being proclaimed to every succeeding generation. 

There are many who do not have a legacy of spiritual gifts in their families. Some are the only representative in their family that have obeyed the Scripture and received the New Birth experience. Even those have a legacy. There are a host of believers who have preceded us that have left behind their witness of faith, and lived their lives in such a way to inspire us to follow Christ with the same passion and conviction. That is also a legacy we can honor as we thank God for His grace and the blessing of knowing such great leaders.  

Whether it’s a family connection, or a long surviving congregation of faithful believers, there is ample cause to celebrate our heritage and honor the legacy of faith with which we have been blessed. May we always honor our legacy!
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Theme passage:
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJ).

Celebrate our Past!
Terry R. Baughman

“I planted the church, and Apollos came and cared for it, but it was God who caused it to grow. This means the one who plants is not anybody special, nor the one who waters, for God is the one who brings the supernatural growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6-7 TPT).

We stand on the shoulders of giants and our vision is unobscured. We see clearly and further due to this elevated place of support. If it were not for those who stood in the past, we could not stand presently in this position of trust and responsibility. We are gifted a great opportunity and an awesome task to leverage the talents, the investments, and the properties with which we have been endowed. We cannot miss our moment! 

Because of the many sacrifices of past heroes, we are able to celebrate successes they would have never dreamed possible. In humility, we should celebrate all those who have preceded us. Everything that we enjoy are the fruit of those who faithfully planted, watered, and tended the good seed placed in fertile soil. Because they labored, our harvest is greater. Because someone laid a good foundation we are able to build for a better future. This is both our blessing and our great responsibility! 

Paul stressed the connection between ministries and our reliance on other men and women to fulfill our ministry. Any success we enjoy is due to the contribution in the kingdom harvest of others who work with us, or have gone on before us. The church is a body, and we are all connected. Any good thing that comes from our efforts is a team win. We (all of us) are workers together with God. 

The Apostle also emphasized our utter dependence upon God when He said, “It was God who caused it to grow.” We are nothing! “God is the one who brings the supernatural growth.” As much as we are dependent on those who have gone before, nothing would have been accomplished except for God’s supernatural empowerment to complete the work. Paul wrote, “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6 NKJ). What He has been doing through us will be finished. He is faithful to complete it! 

The harvest comes at different times for different species. Some vegetables come to fruition and are ready to enjoy within a few weeks, while fruit trees take years to begin their season of fruitfulness. Nature has a way of developing patience in the gardener. You can plant and prune, water and nourish, but the harvest cannot be hurried. When the time is right and the season has come the natural fruit is produced in abundance. 

We long for the latter rain and the great ingathering of the last days, and it will come, but it will only come in His season and in the fulness of the time. Just as Jesus appeared at the prescribed moment in history to enact the greatest hope for all of humanity, we rejoice in the promise of redemption prophesied for the end of days. Joel spoke the Word of the Lord, “It shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh” (Joel 2:28 NKJ). Peter declared it to be accomplished on the Day of Pentecost, “This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16 NKJ). What was fulfilled then continues now as God’s Spirit is being poured out in every nation and around the world. 

An understanding of our past and how we arrived at this moment is crucial to our continued success. We did not arrive here by accident or due to our own special abilities, but only by the grace of our God. He saw us and saved us in spite of our failures and He redeemed us from our sins. Now we are commissioned to fulfill His purpose and we are privileged to serve in His Kingdom. 

We are another link in a long succession of Apostolic ministries. We do our part and fulfill our calling. Then, we pass the torch to another generation to carry on what we faithfully communicate to them. So, on this Father’s Day, and every day, we celebrate our past and we believe in our future! 

​Theme passage:
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJ).