Small Becomes Big sermon from Aug 21, 2016

In this sermon video from last Sunday, I explain how before God used Philip to be a great Evangelist, He first used him in a smaller role, feeding the widows.  I also lay out a new tag line that we have integrated into our ministry: "Purity ~ Power ~ Purpose"  I also explain a new method of deep discipleship that we are starting based on the DNA model.

Don't Make Ministry Harder than it Should Be

Ministry is hard!  It's one of the hardest things there is.  But the most rewarding things are often the hardest and ministry is extremely rewarding.

I was talking to the Lord the other day, asking Him about all of the pain... the rejection, the helplessness, the failures, more...  The biggest painful thing on my mind were the people who I had invested so much time and energy into who in the end, not only left me, but did vicious things to me as they left or after they left.

He said to me, "You are making ministry harder than it should be."  In other words, the fact that it is so hard is greatly your own fault!  Just what I wanted to hear!

As I contemplated what the Lord had said, the following scripture came to me.

Matthew 7:6 (NLT)
6 “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.

Here it is again in another version:

Matthew 7:6 (NKJV)
6 “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

Wow!  Since I had thrown my pearls to pigs and dogs, wasted what is holy on unholy people, I had reaped a reward of having them turn on me and tear me up!

So I inquired of the Lord further...  "Aren't most people spiritual pigs and dogs?"  "Yes."  "Is it 50%?" "More."  "Is it 75%?"  "More."  "Is it 90%?"  "More."  I stopped asking that and asked something else.

"Lord, if most people are pigs and I can't give them pearls, am I even supposed to minister to them?"  He answered, "Yes!"

So pigs and dogs need ministry, but they need a different kind of ministry.  They simply need the ministry of getting cleaned up.  Of someone speaking the truth to them in love over and over again. Leading them to repentance and the processes which renew their minds.  I saw a vision of spraying a "flock of pigs" with a fire hose.

So when does someone come to a place that I can give them pearls?  Train them for leadership, teach them the deeper things, bring them into a greater place of trust, raise them up in the gifts and more? The answer is, once they stop behaving like pigs and dogs!

What is it that pigs and dogs do that the people of God are not supposed to do?  The answer is found in the following scripture!

2 Peter 2:22 (NLT)

22 They prove the truth of this proverb: “A dog returns to its vomit.” And another says, “A washed pig returns to the mud.”

Dogs eat what they vomited out and pigs go back and jump into the mud!  People go back to their sinful and empty ways!  You will know who is serious by their fruit!

So from now on, until I see that someone has stopped rolling in the mud and going back to what they purged to partake again, I will take them as seriously for discipleship as they take themselves.  If they aren't serious, then I can't be very serious about them.  But if they are serious about walking according to God's Word, then I can seriously walk with them and invest my pearls into their life!

My Dad has Lymphoma but Is Not Retiring or Giving Up!

We are finally, after a couple of weeks of gathering data and first properly informing key leaders, are able to speak publicly about what is going on with my Dad, Everett McKinney.  Simply put, he has been diagnosed to have two kinds of lymphoma.  I'm not going to get into great details about the disease, but for those who don't know, this is a form of cancer.  He and my Mom, Evelyn, left Asia and rushed to Portland, Oregon to work with the incredible OHSU Knight Cancer Institute and went under the care of Dr Andy Chen, really, one of the best in the world.  This is the Oregon Health and Science University's work that is funded in great part by Phil Knight, the co-founder of Nike.  In medical terms, given my Dad's age, physical strength and the condition, he has been given an estimated rate of 65% chance of survival.

More importantly, we started receiving messages from the Lord about Dad well before he found out about this lymphoma.  All of the messages which came prophetically or in times of worship and prayer had one thing in common.  They included the phrase, "God's not done with you yet!"  The Lord also sent Dad a message a few days ago, saying, "Fight!  Never give up!"  We believe in healing, we believe that God uses Dr's, we believe that God allows testings and we believe the report of the Lord!  In other words, healing is coming!

Dad and Mom are NOT retiring.  They have secured a 6 month medical leave with Assemblies of God World Missions and we literally expect them to be back in full time service within those 6 months or less.  They are in the midst of the most strategic and effective ministry times of their lives! The enemy never gives up and that is why we cannot either.

If you are a supporter of theirs either in prayer or in funding or in both, then please, walk with them and even consider doubling down in your partnership with them at this time.  Insurance and medicare are covering the costs of the treatment but there are other extra costs that are not covered.  We cannot fully decipher those yet, but they are substantial and personal expenses for them are hard to generate.

As the USA in the last few years has radically changed in regards to funding full time "sent" missionaries, moving towards supporting indigenous works, spending on in-house projects and sending teams to the field on short term trips, many full time missionaries have given up and gone back to America as trying to raise funds now is more like trying to get blood out of a rock than it ever has been before.  Others have learned how to self-fund by opening businesses (tent makers) while others have simply lowered their operating costs and are willing to do the work of God with less funding than what most would expect.  It is amazing how many missionaries I know here in Asia who have budgets of less than $1k per month and they are happily doing the work of the Lord.  These are focused, committed and amazing people who give their all for Christ!

In the case of Dad and Mom McKinney, they have chosen to stay on God's Mission for them even though every month, they must dip into their retirement funds at a rate literally of thousands of dollars per month.  Their particular ministry involves much travel which is more expensive than what most missionaries have to pay for.   My brother Doug and I don't care that they are spending what would have been our inheritance on something much more important!  Souls! There is no better investment than that!

Please pray!  And if you are led to help them in their hour of need or to give extra, please contact my Mom directly at everett.mckinney@agmd.org as to how to best speed resources to them.

Thanks so much!  May the Lord richly bless you as you spend your life for Him!

Above: Setting up the first bag of chemo.  My wife Amy and I were in the room.  This was a few days ago.  I'm back in Manila now...

Above: Dad relaxing just before the first chemo treatment...

Above: My wife Amy enjoying a moment with my Dad who is enjoying his Dutch Brothers "sugar free white annihilator."  If you haven't had one and you live anywhere near a Dutch Brothers Coffee, you simply must try!  You will never desire a Starbucks ever again  :-)

Above: This is a 3 minute video of Dad and Mom, greeting Gateway Mission Assembly which was shot on Amy's I-phone just a few hours ago which we showed the Church at service this morning.