The Value of Church History

History is a fascinating subject. Whether talking about a person or event from thousands of years ago or within the last 20 years, history is always about only the past. Never now or the future. Some reading this remember persons and/or events from as far back as 50 years ago. Perhaps less. 

 The same is true concerning church history. By church I mean the Church-God’s Church-the Body of Christ. Believers in the lordship of Jesus Christ. We believers also have a history. People and events from the past who and which have helped influence where we are as the Church today.

 Throughout Church history many events have taken place. God has used a great number of people like you, to accomplish His plans and purposes. At times those, with such last names as Wycliffe, Tyndale, Augustine, Luther, Wesley, Whitfield, Finney, Woodworth-Etter, Sunday, and Graham have been greatly used by God to bring about God’s love and power.

 For some reason it grieves me that so many believers-especially charismatic Christians-know little or nothing about their heritage. Recently I was at a large meeting, attended by christians from many states and countries. When asked if she had ever heard of Zion, a product table volunteer replied that she had not. Yet her employer, a well-known speaker, regularly teaches on divine healing. 

 Some may say, “What difference does it make, knowing Church history?” Others go to the other extreme, knowing historical details while missing the real message of the moves of God. Another opportunity for balance. 

 Some may remember my three posts from years ago, highlighting people and places in church history who/which have profoundly influenced multiplied millions in the areas of divine healing and speaking in tongues, during the last 120 years. Not just in America but worldwide. Two cities, Zion and Topeka; one place, Azusa Street. You’ll find all three of them mentioned under older posts, beginning March 24, 2017. 

 Knowing church history will hopefully raise awareness of how the present came to be, as well as increase appreciation for those who were wonderfully used of the Holy Spirit to give us a taste of heaven on earth.

May both your present and future be blessed by knowing your past.

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2018-2024

Questions for Atheists

Although it’s too late for an atheist to convince me that God doesn’t exist, my heart goes out to those who actually believe that this wondrous universe we live in (somehow) came from a singular explosion of primordial somethings.

Rather than arguing, I have some simple questions for atheists, questions which you may wish to ask doubters within your own sphere of influence. All of these questions have no legitimate answer, outside of “I don’t know-but God does.” Enjoy:

1. Apart from how the mega trillions of stars came into being, where did the space in between the stars come from?

2. Red, yellow and blue are the primary colors. Which came first?

3. Matter exists as a solid, liquid, or gas. Which of these three forms came first?

4. Electrical charges of atoms are either positive, negative, or neutral. Which of these charges came first?

5. Sight, hearing, smelling, touch, and taste comprise the five physical senses. Which came first?

No doubt, you may have additional questions of your own to ask those you know to be atheists. Or at least questioners of God. The above five questions, when sincerely asked, could cause someone to think outside of his/her experiences. And at least contemplate the existence of someone we call God.

The seed you plant will be watered by someone else, but God will give the increase. Or maybe you’ll be the waterer of someone else’s seed. Either way, leave the results to God, and enjoy the above questions for atheists-or any thinker, for that matter.

Exhibit A

When introducing evidence to establish facts, lawyers will label each piece with an identifying mark, such as exhibit A, B, C, etc. The same is true in life. When establishing a Biblical truth, one may refer to the personal testimony of another individual as evidence of that particular truth, such as healing.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I present evidence that God heals today as He did 2,000 years ago. I present to you exhibit A, a person who has experienced God’s healing power. This person actually suffered in two ways as a child growing up into adulthood: poison ivy and bedwetting. 

Those who have had poison ivy (as well as poison oak and poison sumac) tell of itching, loss of sleep, and tremendous discomfort. I heard of one person who stated that having poison ivy was worse than breaking a bone. Either way, ouch.

As I stated, this person also suffered from bedwetting beyond the age of 3-5 years old. In this person’s case it continued well into the teen years. Imagine the embarrassment of going somewhere for the night, fearing the ridicule resulting from an “accident.” 

The story now gets better. Two weeks after this person gave his life to Christ he found out that God had also healed him of bedwetting. Talk about relief! He’s been “dry” ever since.

Poison ivy was still a problem until this person, now in his twenties, came to realize for himself that the stripes Jesus bore for us were for our healing, including his (I Peter 2:24).  Acting on this truth led to him receiving healing in his own body. His faith had made him whole.

I’m exhibit A, the boy allergic to poison ivy, suffering from bedwetting. In both cases, I’ve been free for many years now. I’m not bragging on me, I’m bragging on Jesus, my Lord and Healer. I’m bragging on God.

May what's been shared inspire your faith, encourage your heart, and serve as evidence of God's healing power in the world today. Who'll be exhibit B?

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2018-2024

No Patents Pending

Generally speaking, patents are issued for original inventions, such as the personal computer or automobile. One need not look around very long to see something that resulted from a patent.

 But no patent has ever been or will be issued for the making of this universe. That includes every star, planet, moon-all objects found throughout the vast expanse of what is called outer space. 

There are estimated to be as many as two trillion galaxies in the universe. Galaxies, not stars. Two trillion galaxies, as in 2,000,000,000,000. Each galaxy contains hundreds of billions of stars within its “borders”. Anyway you slice it, the number of stars is beyond human comprehension-at least mine. 

Regardless of how many stars God made, no patents have ever been issued for any of them. Nor are any pending. Why is this? 

Because God owns this universe. Every galaxy, star, planet, moon, and all objects in between. They’re all His. No one person or group has even come close to creating one celestial object, much less trillions of them. So, no patents issued.

Here’s a thought: the same God Who created this universe cares about every detail of your life. He’s not only big enough to keep this universe going, but He’s big enough for you to trust Him with your life. This includes your present and your future.

Even though there are no patents pending on anything God has ever made He’s keeping the universe running, while giving you His undivided attention. No one else does that, so no patents have been issued on God’s care for you. None pending either.

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2018-2024

Declare Your In (ner) dependence Day

Here in America July 4th is also known as Independence Day, marking our independence from England, nearly 250 years ago.

Christians ought to have a day of independence as well; the day (or night) when we received our independence from the devil and doing things his way. A time when we remember our deliverance from spiritual darkness and being placed into the kingdom of God, through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Going from living for the devil to living for God means being dependent on Him for all we need in this life: health, provision in every area-including financial and material supply-and guidance.

Guidance from God implies doing things His way rather than our own. It means being dependent on Him rather than on ourselves. It means giving God our best, expecting His part to make the difference in every situation, large or small. Inner dependence.

Inner dependence is simply depending on the living God, Who’s living in you, to supply every need, to put you over in life. It’s cooperating with God to see victory over even the most challenging circumstances in life, knowing that nothing is too difficult-or insignificant-for God to handle on our behalf.

Why wait for July 4th to celebrate your independence?  Every day can be a day of inner dependence on God, through His Word, enabling you to win over every situation life presents you.

It’s time to declare your own in (ner) dependence on God.

When It’s Good to be Behind

Being behind carries a negative connotation of something happening that’s not good, such as any or all of the following: Behind in paying bills; behind in school; behind in getting ready for _______

You can add your own to this list, but you get the picture. Being behind is never a positive in today’s world. Or is it? Could there be an instance when it’s actually good to be behind?

The Bible, in Proverbs 3:5-6, tells us to trust in God with all of our heart, rather than our own (human reasoning). In all of our ways we are to acknowledge-recognize-God, and He will direct us.

No doubt every Christian wants God to lead, but how often do we either get so far ahead of God that we wonder where God went or get so far behind that “catching” up seems fruitless?

God’s way is for us to trust Him with not only His Plan for our lives, but each step along the way. Trusting Him with how to get to the destination is just as-if not more-important than knowing what God has for each of us.

If we’re out in front of God, we might not notice when He turns off the “road” we think He should still be on. Conversely, we could be so far behind Him that we missed seeing the “turn” He just made. 

God’s best is that we let Him lead, following close enough behind where we can see where He’s going. This is when it’s good to be behind. This is when there’s no chance of being left behind.

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2018-2024

What Time is Now?

Not what time is it now but, what time is now? Does “now” have a time? If so, what is it?

According to the Bible, faith is always now. There’s nothing past or future about faith. Jesus Himself said that when we pray for something (Mark 11:24) we are to believe that we receive the answer when we pray-then we’ll receive it in the future, whatever it is that we simply believed that we received when we prayed.

Once you receive the answer (i.e. finances, healing, job) you can stop believing-you’ll know it. You’ll have the finances in your hands, healing verified in your body; you’ll be working at your job. But faith is always now, never later, as is the case with hope.

As someone has said, there’s no such thing as later-on faith.

There are times when I’m tempted to look too much to the future. How long will it be until_______________? This recently happened, where I started to think about how many hours until my work week was over. To help keep my focus on the moment, the following phrase came to me: “now o’clock.” That, to me, was from God, spoken to my heart by His Holy Spirit.

God certainly cares about the future, but our focus is to be where we are right now, for what we say and do now creates our future. Focusing on now o’clock has helped me to major on right now, forgetting the past and trusting the future to God.

If, like me, you’ve been tempted to look too much to the future-or past-perhaps now o’clock will help your focus to be on your now.

What time is now? Day or night, it’s always now o’clock.

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2018-2024

Why Wait Until Midnight?

Why Wait ‘til Midnight?

Living on this earth means having to face real problems. At times the situation you’re facing may seem hopeless. You’re not alone.

In the Bible, the book of Acts, chapter 16 we see Paul and Silas unjustly thrown into a Philippian jail. The “crime"? For being used of God to deliver a young woman from demonic bondage.

Beaten, with their feet in stocks, Paul and Silas were facing  imprisonment or, worse, death. Not a time for campfire songs, including “Kum-Ba-Yah" (Come by here).

Both Paul and Silas began to do something in their midnight hour: pray and sing praises to God. While they were doing something seemingly insignificant, God sent the answer.

Things we can learn from Paul and Silas’s experience:

1. Never underestimate the power of prayer. No, it’s not the only thing to do but, in Paul and Silas’s case, what else could they do?  No Bible, no sermons on what to do when unjustly jailed, no internet. It pays to know how to pray.

2.  Singing praises to God is an act of faith, not a feeling. There’s something about singing praises that just works.

3. Praying and singing praises to God opened the door for something good to happen to Paul and Silas. In their case the prison doors were opened and the bands of all were loosed.

Your situation may not be unjust imprisonment, but just as real. It was literally midnight for Paul and Silas. Your situation may seem like a midnight to you-dark and bleak. But God hasn’t changed.

Even though He knows, tell God what’s going on. Remind Him of his promises, then begin to praise God for His goodness, His mercy, His mighty power to deliver you from that situation. Singing praises to God opens the door for Him to work on your behalf.

Midnight situations are the exception, not the norm. Since prayer and praise work all the time, why wait until midnight to praise God? After all, prayer is neither seasonal nor situational. It’s when things are going well that it’s easier to pray, praise, and spend more time in the presence of God, without outside pressures.

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2018-2024