Thoughts from Pastor

7 Things About the Altar Service

2011-05-25T13:49:00.000-05:00

It seems to me that everything should crescendo to this important part of the church service. It's Selah time, the Holy pause. This is a time for reflection and a chance to respond to what we've experienced and heard. Countless times, after the Hammer (Jer. 23:29), had broken up my heart, the altar service became the hallowed spot where I could repent and be renewed. I felt the Lord calling me to preach during an altar service. Countless times I have rededicated my life to the Lord while lingering in His presence around the altar. I am certain that I would have lost many valuable things had it not been for the Altar Service. I have witnessed a trend today to rush through this important part of the church experience. God forbid. Listed here are 7 things that are important to me about the altar service.

1. Respond Quickly. Don't wait to see who else may be going to pray or look around to note who may be watching. Move on out when the appeal is given. Jesus taught us what can happen very quickly after the Seed of the Word is sown, "Then cometh the devil and taketh away the word out of their hearts" (Luke 8:12). There is no delay on the devils part. He goes to work immediately. Move out quickly and start watering in the seed with prayer and meditation.

2. Recognize the Value of Corporate Prayer. When instructing on prayer Jesus taught that we should enter into our closet and shut the door (Matt. 6:6). However, the scripture is filled with many examples of the corporate prayer meeting. The Holy Ghost fell in a corporate prayer meeting in Acts 2. The saints gathered at the house of Mary to pray for Peter's deliverance in Acts 12. The Altar Service is pretty much the only time when the entire church can pray together corporately. It is imperative that we take advantage of this opportunity.

3. Stay Alert, Someone May Need A Prayer Partner. Sometimes praying alone is sufficient and at other times a prayer partner can be a welcome addition. It is obvious that when praying with others, a person must be sensitive to the Spirit. Be cautious about intruding into someone's space when it appears that a work of the Spirit is going on and privacy would be appreciated. Be respectful. Most people just need you to pray with them, they don't you to shake them. A quivering hand will likely distract them. Loudness in my own ears will definitely distract me. And please, no bad breath in my face. How can I keep my mind of God with someone breathing down my neck with bad breath? Further, I don't need 10 different hands laid on my head. This is neither the place nor time for holy power hand competition to see who can get the job done. With this being said there are times when a comforting hand on my shoulder is greatly appreciated. It let’s me know that I am not alone and that someone is covenanting with me in prayer. An uninvited and unwelcome prayer partner with too much zeal may be one reason some people don’t frequent the altar area more often.

4. Get Involved. Please, do something during this time. If you are going to stare at Facebook or Twitter on your cell phone, move on to Appleby's. When you are uninvolved in the Altar Service, the message is clear, you're not interested. Enough already. Further, if you choose not to come to the front please pray in the pew. The last thing we need is a spectator section during an Altar Service. Someone may desperately need your help to lay claim to victory. When you pray you are saying, "I care." We cannot always know what personal challenge someone may be facing in their life but our prayers not only can, but will help bring about the needed breakthrough.

5. Be Patient. People can easily spend an hour on Facebook or Twitter but after only 10 minutes around the altar they are ready to leave. We may be into microwaves but God is still into marinating. "They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength" (Is 40:31). Is there anything going on in your city as important as what's happening around the altar. I think not! Working to create the guest friendly short service may have cost us the lost art of waiting on God. The great work that has been done by the Spirit while the saints waited on God around an altar is immeasurable. A note to myself and other ministers, perhaps a shorter sermon would allow for more time around the altar.

6. No Fellowshipping Until the Altar Service Is Complete. The prayers of the lingering minority who are lingering around the altar have often been drowned out by the fellowshipping and laughter of the majority who have lost interest. When the disruptive moments come in your life (and they will come) you will then want the entire corporate body will pray with you. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Don't expect the whole church to rapidly respond to your special needs in the altar if your pattern has been to show disinterest in others when they were seeking God. "Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free" (Eph. 6:8).

7. Don't Criticize People Who Go Pray In The Altar Every Service. Stop asking those tired and worn out questions like, "Wonder what's wrong with them?" Or, "Wonder what sin they have committed?" I have personally heard this statement, "I worry about people who go to the altar every service." Some people, like myself, happen to love this special time of the service and are always ready to respond. It's just that simple. Rather than criticize others who always go to the front to pray, make involvement in the altar service a pattern for your own life. The church needs you. Somebody say Amen!

2011-04-14T11:49:00.001-05:00

Randy Alcorn Comments on Modesty

My husband and I are glad that the church is finally talking about the problem of pornography and purity in the Body of Christ, and helping men address this issue. But why do we never hear about purity for women in the way they dress? I’m talking about women who profess to be Christ-followers. They become a stumbling block to their brothers when they dress seductively or dress to be sexy as the world has deemed fashionable. Please address the issue of modesty.

That is a great question, and it’s very problematic. Just recently I was speaking at a church, and found I could not look a certain direction at the congregation because of how one woman was dressed. This happens frequently. I’ve been in churches where I can’t look at the worship team because of how a woman is dressed and swaying seductively while holding the microphone. It’s something you would expect in a nightclub, yet it’s in the church—the Body of Christ.

I’m all for sex and I think it’s great for a woman to be sexy with one person—her husband. The irony is there are cases where women have gotten so used to appearing sexy in public yet actually have no sexual relationship with their own husbands. So we have two issues going on related to the issue of modesty—modesty in public, and modesty when the Body of Christ is assembled. And this latter one is huge.

When I was a youth pastor, many years ago, we had a problem with swimsuits that is much worse today for church youth groups because of the change in fashions. The way girls wore their two-piece swimsuits, and even many one-pieces, showed so much. You have young men on a church retreat who are looking at these girls—their sisters in Christ—and thinking what young men think and being led into temptation.

I’m not justifying the way men think. It is a problem, but it is also true—as the person indicates who asks this question—that there’s a responsibility here for girls, and certainly for their dads and moms, to seriously consider this.

As for the part of the question asking why this is not being addressed like it should be in churches, I believe the answer is fear. I think there are many pastors and church leaders, who, like many husbands and fathers, are afraid to speak up for fear of offending women who are fashion-conscious. Some women think that to be fashionable, you have to have outfits that are sexy—including the split skirts, the very tight skirts and pants, and low-cut tops. All of these things send a message to men, and pastors are very self-conscious about speaking up because they think, There are women who will think I am a pervert for even mentioning this. “Oh, is that what the pastor is thinking about when he’s up front?”

It’s a difficult situation, but it’s an issue I believe male leaders of the home and church need the courage to speak up about and address directly. We also need godly women (especially godly women who can be reasonably fashionable and attractive in the right sense of attractive—not sexually attractive) who will lovingly challenge other women and let them know they are sending a wrong message. And if they don’t care about the message they’re sending, then something’s really wrong and they need to repent. We need open, clear discussions about this so women can become aware and understand the issue.

The Bible says our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. That compels us to honor God in all we do and say. Sadly, many inappropriate relationships develop in the church. Sometimes they start in small groups; others start through working relationships between church staff. There have been adulterous relationships that began during small group retreats, where women and men dressed and acted a certain way. Many of these relationships could be avoided if we paid closer attention to how we dress, how we come across, and the kind of affection we show.

I love to show physical affection. I often side-hug women I care about and know—if I have a close, appropriate brother-sister relationship—by putting my hand on their shoulders and pulling them toward me. But I avoid full-frontal hugs. Women sometimes are not aware how these kinds of hugs can affect their brothers in Christ.

Nancy Leigh DeMoss has excellent material on modesty and purity. She has a wonderful booklet titled The Look: Does God Really Care What I Wear? as well as several resources about the freedom of modesty at her ministry’s website, www.reviveourhearts.com.

I do believe modesty is something we need to take a very close, careful, prayerful look at in the Body of Christ. We need to not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Louisiana Men's Conference May 5-7

2011-03-31T16:33:00.004-05:00

One of the most rewarding endeavors in my personal life has been the opportunities afforded to be involved in Men's Ministry and most especially the Louisiana District Men's Conference that is held in Tioga each year. This life changing meeting continues now since 1987 and I am always amazed at the intensity and passion that literally exudes from the men who faithfully gather at this timely meeting.

This year will be no exception as great men of God gather to hear these great speakers: Brian Kinsey, Florida; Jimmy Toney, Indiana; Charles Nugent, Lake Charles; David Shatwell, Oklahoma, Kevin Cox, Louisiana, and Jerry Dean, Louisiana. Each of these men of God will bring the conference attendees to a fresh encounter with God. The 2011 theme is R.U.N. which is an acronym for Renewing ... Unleashing ... Now!

I have a dream of seeing the Tabernacle on the Camp Ground in Tioga full of good godly men who are hungering for more of God. If each man would bring one other man we could easily fill up the Tabernacle. From the opening "Clap your hands and shout unto God" the house of God reverberates with strong male voices reaching out to God. Join us this year. You can register online for $35.00 at www.laapostolicman.com

Pastor Tim Mahoney will host a Men's Conference 4 man scramble golf tournament at Oak Wing Golf Course in Alexandria at 11:00 May 5th. The cost per person is $50. The winners will be recognized during the Men's Conference. To register a team for this tournament call Pastor Mahoney at 337-794-1643.

It's time to R.U.N.

Pastor David Dean

2011-03-08T14:15:00.005-06:00

I trust that you will not think I am presumptuous in thinking that everyone would be interested in reading this lengthy post. For those who pass this way and may have some interest, these are the notes that I used in the time given to me at my brother's lengthy funeral. I did not read these notes verbatim and did some adlibbing for sure. Further, I have tried to do some editing before posting on this site. I am certain that I have missed some grammatical errors so please, overlook my mistakes. I wish you could have heard all of my brothers speak and sing at the memorial service. We each took our turn going from the youngest to the oldest. In my opinion, Mark, the youngest and the only one of the five brothers who didn't have Rev. in front of his name (His words verbatim) on the program, was the most eloquent. Although we wept much at the memorial service we laughed more. You couldn't be around David Dean without laughing a lot. Throughout the service, God turned our sorrow into laughter. I think the laughter helped my grieving parents more than anything else. Truly, laughter did us good like a medicine.

David Horton Dean
December 2, 1946 – February 16, 2011

The patriarch Job said of God, “In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind (Job 12:9-10).” Isaiah echoed these words when he declared “Thus saith God the LORD … he that giveth breath unto the people upon it … (Isaiah 42:5)” The Apostle Paul wrote, “…seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things (Acts 17:25).”

These three witnesses agree that our breath, yours and mine, and in fact all living flesh, is held by and sustained by God.

First of all, I want to thank and praise our Lord that during my pilgrimage of now 58 years in this world, until somewhere around 2:30 February 16, God has shielded the William Dean family from the feelings of a deep loss that comes with losing a family member.

This feeling is not one I want to feel again for a long time. However, I recognize that this choice is in God’s hands.

With my dad now living at 89 and mother at 85, and considering the considerable amount of travel my brothers and I have undertaken, God has protected us and continued to keep that breath of God in all of us all my years and for this I give Him praise.

With David’s passing it has been almost impossible for me to keep my mind focused on my most recent memories. Although it is not intended, my thoughts of David go back to childhood. Perhaps this is because we were together much more then.

As a boy I was always amazed and proud of my oldest and then big brother. I’m sure this is normal but David seemed much braver and tougher than most of the other boys his age. He was also very smart.

Although he wasn't especially spiritually minded during those days, he did know a lot about end-time events and most especially the mark of the beast and the anti-christ. He would scare me to death when he would talk about these frightening events while we laid on our blankets in the back yard on those warm summer nights in DeLeon, Texas. His teaching one night (Johnny said at the funeral that David had convinced us that night that the moon had turned to blood) resulted in a prayer meeting at the church. I missed that prayer meeting because I had become so overcome with fright at not being able to buy or sell without the mark of the beast that I had quietly slipped into the house to my own bed. That night Johnny received the Holy Ghost.

David loved all animals with the exception of cats. David would climb high trees every spring in search of baby squirrels in their nest. He would usually find at least one or two squirrels to bring home. He soon discovered that if they had some hair on their bodies their chance of survival was better. David would keep those babies in an old shoe box and feed them with baby doll bottles. More than one of these squirrels grew up to become pets at the Dean house. One squirrel actually traveled with us to live in West Texas for two years and then returned with us to Killeen.

David could easily recognize the sound of a panther at night out near DeLeon Brick Plant where we often spent the night outdoors. He would always let us know when the panther was on the prowl. The panther was usually a black panther the way David talked. I’m not sure how he knew the panther was black but he could tell. According to David, black panthers were the meanest kind of all panther species.

He could tell by the panthers screams how far away it might be and without fail he was careful to let us know if the panther was headed our way and I don't ever remember a black panther that was moving farther away. It was pretty difficult to go to sleep knowing a black panther was prowling the night close to where we had made our camp.

We often followed David on all day journeys down the rail road tracks and across country fields. We were never lost it seems and he always knew the way back home.

David could dive like an Olympic champion from the towering clay cliffs around the Pits. David had found this exceptionally good swimming hole he called the Pits. We would spend countless hours there in the summer. Sometimes we thought to bring bathing suits and sometimes we forgot. I really didn't matter to us. I remember those cliffs as being several stories high and his dives were beautiful. He called them the Swan Dive. My feeble attempts at the Swan Dive turned into belly busters more often than not and so I quit doing them. He also taught us to do the Jackknife. David taught me how to dog paddle at the pits. I must have been only about 7 years old at that time. David never found the bottom of the Pits and this is amazing considering how far down under the water he could go (I really think that was the truth).

One day from the picture window of the parsonage my brother Johnny saw David Creel (for some reason none of us ever liked him or his brother Timothy) choking me on the sandlot baseball field over a disputed call. Johnny truthfully shouted “David Creel is whipping Jerry” and that’s all my big brother needed. David ran across the field, hurdling over a couple of barb wire fences without slowing down on the way. David Creel saw him coming and took off running into his house with my brother in hot pursuit. Almost immediately they came running out the back door with David right behind him. David told us that they ran right past his parents who were sitting at the table eating their lunch. When Creel’s dad came out and said something to David, my brother started climbing over the fence saying something like "I'll whip you too." David did have a temper. Mr. Creel went back into his house. I went home snubbing.

David was my hero without a spotlight! When the older Carlin boy came to the parsonage one day with the bull whip, popping it and threatening us, looking really mean, it was David who stood up to him and dared him to pop one of us. David was a Senior in high school then. I remember him taking his high school ring off of his ring finer and slipping it on the middle finger of his right hand. He was getting ready. I don’t know if David could have whipped the bully but I suppose Carlin thought so because he left and went home without popping anyone.

David had a unique way of getting any herd of cattle to chase us. I was even reluctant to cross some fields with him where there were cattle present. He would make the sounds of a calf and run a few feet and here those cattle would come chasing us across the pasture until we could get past a fence (David could make sounds like all animals including the black panther). This was better than any roller coaster ride and would scare the wits out of me. David would die laughing and I would be wondering why he wasn’t afraid that the cattle were going to stamped all over us. As you can see he was much tougher and braver than the rest of us.

David kept me from a big sin one day. Mom sent me to look in her purse to get the fifty cent piece to go to Sloan’s Grocery to purchase a loaf of bread. In those days a loaf of bread only cost about a quarter. When I looked in mom’s purse I noticed that she had two fifty cent pieces so I quickly surmised that she didn’t know this and I quietly pocketed the extra fifty cent piece. Feeling quite proud of my accomplishment I secretly told David about my thievery. He quickly shamed me by scolding me and informing me about how poor we were and what a difficult time dad and mom were having financially trying to raise five boys. He shamed me so much that I slipped back into the house and secretly placed the money back in mom’s purse. I immediately felt a great sense of relief. I realize now that David was truly looking our for my welfare, however, I found out later that David was taking money from the little plastic church house that people put their birthday offerings in at the church. I guess that was different.

We all loved to hear David tell his stories. He had more stories than a Reader’s Digest. These were Real Life Stories. "Shoot, I’ll tell you one thing," he would say. The word shoot was the closest mom and dad let us come to cussing. We all knew David embellished his real life stories but we didn’t care because those stories made us laugh. Over the years, the more he told them, the better they got. “Shoot fire man,” he would say, “I ain’t lying.”

David taught me some things he shouldn’t have, (Some are not repeatable here).” “One night my childhood friend Randy Barnes and I were roaming the woods with David and a bunch of older boys. I was just a kid and David gave me and Randy two cigarettes apiece. I would be a good while before I figured out why. Johnny and David would later tell that I was a tattle tale. I don’t accept this accusation but looking back it may have been true because most likely the two cigarettes were hush money.

David burned a hole in the vinyl seat cover of the old Chevrolet with the ashes from a cigarette he was smoking. Right there by the drivers seat in the old 1960 Biscayne. He told Dad that one of his friends was riding in the middle and did it. I was really scared for him because I knew all liars went to hell. Dad believed him I suppose.

The first time I every preached a message with my brothers in the congregation was a very frightening experience. Just about the toughest crowd I’ve ever spoken in front of. David was sitting on the end of the pew about half way back next to the middle aisle. While I was preaching he leaned out into the aisle and waved at me. This was not a wave of encouragement. He was trying to make me laugh. That was David.

David changed my life one day. When he graduated from DeLeon High School we didn’t know if he was going to graduate until the day of graduation. He had to make a certain grade on his Algebra test to get his diploma. He passed. Behind closed doors, he would tell us he couldn’t wait to get out of the house. He didn’t like the house rules.

After graduation, just like he promised, he promptly left and moved to Uncle Lonnie’s in Plano, Texas. Going to sow some wild oats I guess. He went to work for Uncle Lonnie who ran a crew building highways I think. David’s girlfriend went up to spend the summer with her sister who also lived in that area. Someone talked them into going to church in Richardson. I don’t know if David sowed any wild oats but the next time I saw him he had just stepped off the Greyhound Bus up from the house. I saw him walking toward our home carrying his suitcase. And of all things, the crazy nut was wearing a suit with a tie!

Upon arrival he announced to us that he prayed back through and that the Lord had called him to preach. He was planning to go to Texas Bible College. David would never know what an impact that day had on my life.

Later that year, he brought some young preachers home with him from Bible School and one of them preached on hell. As you can see I can still vividly remember that night.

Later on David was responsible for giving me an opportunity that helped shape my life. David had been the pastor of a church in Moro, Arkansas. When he resigned to accept another pastorate, he called me. Gina and I were living in San Antonio where I was an assistant pastor. He asked me if I wanted to come and "try out" at the church in Moro. Gina and I had preached a revival there and they had asked David if I was interested. Guess the Dean had made a good impression and they wanted his younger brother for a pastor. I told him no but about the next week my pastor told me they couldn’t afford me any longer so I called David and told him that we had been praying about Moro (LOL) and had changed our mind. The rest is history.

Every ministry door that opened unto us after our move to Arkansas can be traced back to being pastor of the church in Moro, Arkansas. Thanks David.

David, more than anything else, lived for ministry. When young, he used to get really nervous before he preached. He would always have to go to the bathroom right before church started. One particular night he actually crawled out a window and went to the bathroom. The pastors office door opened into the sanctuary and he was embarrassed to walk past the congregation.

A man came by Scott and White Hospital last week to tell David goodbye. On his way out he leaned over to me and said, “Your brother was the only person to ever get through to me.” David could truly minister to people.

If there were ten adults, a dog, and two kids in the room, David first attention was given to the kids and the dog and then the adults. Sometimes it might have been the dog first, then the kids and then the adults. He loved children and animals. He could make kids laugh by talking his Donald Duck talk to them. He truly loved people and he truly loved The Tabernacle of Praise in Killeen, Texas where he was pastor for 22 years.

Like most of us, there were some conundrums in David’s life. Today these are greatly overshadowed by his deep love for God, people (especially children), animals and his deep love for his family.

My oldest brother was unusually competitive. To David, every sandlot baseball game was equivalent to the World Series and simple neighborhood football games were like the Super Bowl. He hated to lose, I mean, he hated to lose. If he said let’s play 2 out of 3 and lost 2 he would quickly change it to 3 out of 5. Many, if not most of the games we played as kids, David made them up. If he started losing he would often change the rules. Of course, he was smarter than the rest of us so we let him. Even in a ‘thumpum’ football game, or a ping pong match, with David, you would think we were competing in the Master’s Golf Tournament.

He never lost that competitive spirit. David did not want to die. He wanted to whip this disease. My own research on the Internet frightened me. I immediately saw that Mesothelioma (Asbestos Cancer) is deadly. There is no medical cure. I also saw that this disease causes a great deal of pain. we believe in a God that heals, always have, and might I say, always will. So we believed as did David he would not lose this battle. I think David had more faith than any of us.

For many months David would always respond to my text of encouragement to him. When he didn’t have the energy to respond, Shannon, his son, told me he would still read my text. So every few days I would send him a text that would go unanswered and this was fine. One day I sent him a text that ended with a scripture from Acts 5:16, “And they were healed, every one.” I was shocked when he immediately text me back and said, “You’re so right Jerry.” He believed he would be healed.

I arrived at the hospital just a few hours before David slipped into a coma. He was still talking and he told me, I've got to get back to eating. I've got to start eating again. David didn't want to lose. However, with his sickness, someone else was calling the shots. David couldn’t change the rules in this game. There was someone higher up, someone who outranked him. Jehovah wasn't going to let him change the rules this time.

And yet, still David held on. The hospice worker said when she left on Friday evening, “He won’t be here when I get back Monday morning.” She didn’t know about my brother’s competitive spirit. Monday morning when she arrived she just threw her hands up in the air. Not only was David still breathing, nothing it seemed had really changed and would not change for several more days.

The great news is that David's losing this time was not a real loss. He was actually going to win. His horrible suffering would end and peace would come.

Over the years, like many other people, I have developed a ringing in my ears. The past few years it has become worse. A trip to the doctor confirmed what I already knew. Nothing can be done about it. Most of the time, so long as there is some noise around I really don’t notice the ringing. But, when it gets quite the ringing is there, always there.

Like the ringing in my ears I have already noticed that so long as I am busy, I'm not thinking of David so much. But when it gets quite, and I get still, I miss my bother and wish we could chat a while. And when I think that I can't call him and talk, there is this deep feeling of sadness in my heart that will bring tears to my eyes. Although we didn’t talk every day, and sometimes not even every week, I always knew that if I wanted to talk to my hero without a spotlight, I could.

Jesus once told his disciples that it was hard for a rich man to go to heaven. The disciples were stunned and Peter said, “Luke 18:28-30 Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting."

I get the impression that many if not most people are more excited today about the manifold blessings promised on this earth than they are in the promise of life everlasting. However, on this day, it is the "life everlasting" that is most important to us. You see, it was our call to ministry that geographically separated me and my brothers. Today, it is our prayer and hope, that in time it will be our calling to ministry that will ultimately bring us together again. And for this I praise God.

I asked a friend who recently lost a younger brother last week, “Will we ever get over this?” He said, “You’ll get past it, but you’ll never get over it.” I believed him and decided that this is best. Why would I want to get over losing my big brother? I don’t.

My last text from David came almost one week before he slipped into a coma. Referring to our church's live web cast which he often watched with his son Shannon during his sickness, he said, "I WILL BE WATCHING YOU THIS MORNING OK I love you" Until the end he wanted to be at church. He never said good-bye without saying, "I love you Jerry" or "I love you too." So i sign off today by saying, "Hope you're watching David, I LOVE YOU."

Twitter / Home

2011-03-08T14:13:00.000-06:00

Twitter / Home

Pentecostal - Noun or Adjective

2010-07-12T14:34:00.004-05:00

George Knowles, in his book A World to Love, tells about a party of explorers who found themselves perplexed by something they found in a remote African jungle. In a clearing they discovered 35 carefully laid fires that had never been lit. They had the appearance of 35 little tepees, with dry leaves surrounded by small, dry twigs, and larger pieces of wood arranged in good Boy Scout fashion.

Who built the fires? Why had not even one been lit? The mystery cleared up when the explorers saw dozens of chimpanzees watching from the trees. The chimps had watched campers and copied the art of fire building, but they had no fire.

Shouldn't we ask ourselves, "Do we have the Pentecostal Fire, or do we just have the trappings?"

Along with Elijah, we laugh and mock Jezebel's foolish prophets of Baal who were unable to produce fire from heaven. Let's not be hasty to join with Elijah in the mockery. Paul warned his readers that the last days would produce a people who would have a form of godliness that is void of the power.

Wouldn't it be cool if Apostolic representatives could meet with Muslim representatives for a showdown on the mountain and say, "the God that answereth by fire, let him be God" (1 Kings 18:24). I wouldn't be worried about the Muslims producing fire but could the Apostolic brethren produce the fire?

Leonard Sweet recently said, “The church of Jesus Christ is alive and well. In fact, Christianity is still the fastest growing religion in the world. But it’s growing not in the North and West, but in the South and East. Why the difference? Why is Christianity surging in the South and East and not in North America and Europe? Because where the body of Christ is growing the people aren’t trying to do church. They’re doing Pentecost. Maybe it’s time for us as a church to stop relying on our own powers and programs, blueprints, and boilerplates, and start doing what these early disciples did: trust the Spirit and do Pentecost.”

The word Pentecostal can be an noun (person, place, or thing) or it can be an adjective (a word describing a person, place, or thing). Are you a Pentecostal in name only, or in your actions?

A few more quotes from Leonard Sweet: "When we do church, we’re concerned about decency and order. When we do Pentecost, we’re concerned about fire and glory. When we do church, we want God to leave us alone. When we do Pentecost, we want God to order us around. When we do church, we wear out our lives maintaining an institution. When we do Pentecost, we set ourselves on fire, blow up evil, and our lives are spent setting off the gospel dynamite of spirit and fire.”

The Church of the Laodiceans Can Have Revival

2009-09-08T15:25:00.003-05:00

The Church of the Laodiceans Can Have Revival!

Rev 3:14-22 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write. . . I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot . . . As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent . . . Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me . . .

It would be arrogant and ignorant should the North American Church think that we are the ruling majority of Pentecostals on planet earth. Our overseas churches and constituents far outnumber the Pentecostals of North America. However, we are the wealthiest. In our wealth, we have no equal. What if our precious brothers and sisters from Nicaragua or the Philippines could visit our North American churches next week. Would we look like Laodicea to them? May God help us to do right with our wealth. To whom much is given, much is required.

God observed the works of the church of the Laodiceans and saw lukewarmness. God's quarrel was not with what these saints were doing but rather the passionless way they went about their kingdom work. God never mentions a loss of first love as He did to Ephesus, neither did he point out any obvious sins. It was their lack of zeal that apparently nauseated Him to the point of vomiting them out of His mouth.

God looked at their works and then gave a scathing rebuke to this lukewarm church. Because you are lukewarm and unexcited and unenthusiastic about working for me I am going to spew you out of my mouth. The Laodiceans lack of passion gave God a sick stomach. God must be concerned about passion among His believers.

The name Laodicea means the rule of the people and suggests a democratic church that no longer understood or followed spiritual leaders. They had themselves a nice little democratic church. It was their church; the church of the Laodiceans.

It was so tragic that having such a great potential to bless, they had no passion to carry out the work of God. Because of this, in God’s eyes they were poor and pitiful and blind and naked. Warren Wiersbe said of the Laodiceans, "What a picture of the apostate church of today, with its prestige, wealth, and political power, yet all the while spiritually poor."

Christ is standing outside the door of this lukewarm body of believers. This church has all this wealth and power but no zeal for kingdom work. Please understand, they were certainly working, but without passion. However, God was willing to come into that lukewarm church if someone would only open the door. God could have broken down the door and demanded a meeting. This was His church that He had purchased with His own blood. Yet, He waited for someone to open the door.

Enough about the sad state of affairs in the Church of the Laodiceans. Is there any hope for such a church? I ask this question because the North American Church sure has a close resemblance to those first century believers in Laodicea. Yes, the church of the Laodiceans can have revival. After rebuking them soundly saying, "as many as I love I chasten" God said, "Be zealous therefore and repent." I have gold for you and I’m more than willing to sell it to you. I am not going to give it to you but I’ll sell it to you. Ah, real riches. I have white raiment for you, clothes of righteousness for you to put on so the shame of your nakedness will not appear. And I have some eye salve for you so you can see clearly.

Take a look at the hope in this verse. There is still time. What Laodicea needed and what we must have is passion and zeal. A great opportunity waits! Would someone please help me open the door? Yes, He could force His way in, He could bust down the door, but that's not His way. He waits for someone with passion to throw open the door.

Perhaps the key word for this turnaround is zealous. The word zealous means to have warmth of feeling for or against. It means simply to burn with zeal. You and I are for some things and we are against some things but do we burn with zeal about them?

I am often aware of the many glaring weaknesses in my life. I’ve got enough close friends and family that keep me from forgetting those weaknesses, some learned and hopefully some genetic. I do not consider myself a good administer. I am not the best at delegating. I have so much to learn about leadership. I don’t always deal with situations as quickly as I should. This is not trash talk, just the facts.

However, myself and some others had one great thing going for us in the early 70's when we walked out by faith into ministry. We had passion. We were zealous for the Lord's work. I wanted then and still desire today a book of Acts church. I still hunger to see the miraculous. One man said, "The proof of your desire is in your pursuit" and I am still pursuing. I'm aging and I may fight cynicism but I am still believing we will witness one more great move of God in North America. This will be a powerful move that will bring with it a demonstration of the spirit and power of God and restore righteousness to the body of Christ.

There were great men of God who helped stoke the fires of passion in my early days of ministry. Along with my father, there were others like the Manguns, the Kilgores, and the Pughs. This list is much longer that this. They preached with such passion that they caused us to truly believe that end-time revival was more than a possibility, it was going to happen.

Yes, the church of the Laodiceans can have revival. Be zealous therefore, and repent. Whatsoever your hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. Get excited about whatever it is your doing no matter how small or how great the task. Do it with enthusiasm. I hope that in my short time of ministry I can impart a passionate vision into others. Pray for me!

William H. Dean and Cancer Report

2009-07-06T15:34:00.001-05:00

Dad is 87 years old. He is a World War II veteran. He has a Purple Heart and 2 Oak Leaf Clusters signifying he was wounded three times. Today he is listed as 100% disabled by the V.A. Dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer many years ago and opted to have his prostrate removed through an extremely rough surgery. For the first seven years after the surgery his P.S.A. counts remained low thus leading the doctors to believe that the cancer had been contained in the prostate. However, seven years after the surgery his P.S.A. counts started to rise again. There was a tumor somewhere in his body and it was active. Although his cancer cannot be cured we are grateful that his particular type of cancer is very slow growing. Last Monday, after reading his recent P.S.A. counts his doctor told him that the cancer has either moved into his lymph nodes or his bones. The doctor promptly offered a treatment that comes with side effects but cannot cure the cancer. Following is my dad's response. "In the war, they killed men in front of me, behind me, on my left, and on my right. My buddies wanted to live as much as I did. God let me live to come home and marry my sweetheart and find truth. Since I found Jesus, I have received in this life 100 fold without persecution. I don't want the treatment" Although we are expecting to keep dad around for a long while I cannot help but say that dad taught me how to live and now he is going to teach me how to die. Live long dad and besides, who knows, the rapture may catch us all away and we'll meet the Lord together in the clouds. Israel is fixing to bomb Iran and Russia is coming to their aid. Ezekiel prophesied that God would put a hook in Russia's jaw and drag them down to fight Israel. Russia, you better take a long hard look at Ezekiel 38 and 39. It's going to cost you more lives than you can imagine to make this trip because God's fury is going to come up in His face when you enter Israel. Pray for Dad's healing.

Louisiana Men's Conference 2009 - Heros Without Spotlights

2009-05-21T14:44:00.018-05:00

Photos courtesy of RyanAustinDean photography.

There wasn't one insignificant moment. Every second was alive with the Spirit. Every song, every message, every moment of prayer, precious fellowship, the smell of catfish and crawfish as it spread across the camp grounds, anointing of the Men's Conference towels Friday evening, prodigals returning to the Father's House, praying with our pastors, all the men who received the Holy Ghost, one was 82 years old, another 70, $30,000 given to Foreign Missions, and the preaching was the best part. Tim Mahoney preached, "When God Says, Now I Know." Ronnie LaCombe's text was "Hur . . . Who Is A Him." Dr. Ray Kloepper's Message, "Guard Your Heart." Robert Tisdale's Message, "Recover Yourselves." Kevin Cox's message, "Who Decides What Is Significant?" We each returned home to become Providers, Protectors, Prophets, & Priest in our families and we all dare to remain permanently changed. Forever we shall be "Heroes Without Spotlights."

A picture says a thousand words . . .

Never To Young

Never Too Old

Brothers

1045 Registered

To order DVD's and CD's go to www.ladistupc.org

Praying For Our Pastors

Louisiana Men's Conference 2010
April 29-May 1
Tioga, Louisiana

Progicals Came Home

Nicaragua Bible School

2009-03-27T09:05:00.006-05:00

I watched a short video taken during the National Minister's Conference of the United Pentecostal Church in the nation of Nicaragua. Missionary John Hopkins shared this video with me. The exuberant rejoicing of the several hundred preachers and wives was over a sacrificial offering that had just been received. Regional Missionary Hopkins was present at this conference and told me that amount of the offering had just been announced and this is why the preachers and their wives were so excited. The total offering was the equivalent of about $1,500 U.S. Dollars. Later, the missionary in Nicaragua, Bro. Nix, related to me that some of the minister's had put their bus fare home in the offering. In 1998, Nicaragua was hit by hurricane Mitch. The nation, already poor, still suffers from the devastating effects of this hurricane and much of the infrastructure of the nation has never been rebuilt.

I am told by Bro. Hopkins that the Pentecostals in Nicaragua are some of the most wonderful Christians you will ever meet. Watching them rejoice over $1,500 should really cause us to stop and count our blessings and bring some perspective to our lives.

Because of the Miracle Offering given by The Pentecostals of Bossier City the United Pentecostal Church of Nicaragua has been able to purchase five acres of beautiful property on which a Bible School will be built as a memorial to my father and mother, Rev. and Mrs. W. H. Dean. Calvary Tabernacle of Bentonville, Arkansas, will also help us with the monies needed. My brother Johnny is pastor in Bentonville.

Bro. Nix told me that the great people of Nicaragua have been praying for ten years for a new Bible School. With this much excitement over $1,500 you can quickly see that without God's help the fulfillment of this dream would have been impossible.

We also hope to build a second Bible School in Guadeloupe, Mexico

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Why Is He Famous

2009-02-17T16:00:00.003-06:00

Following is some wisdom that came forth from my 8 year old grandson last Sunday. Riding with me to the restaurant Lincoln saw a copy of a recent publication of the Smithsonian magazine on the back seat. Covering the front of the magazine were large pictures of both Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin. My grandson immediately recognized the face of our former president but wanted to know the name of the other gentleman. I told him it was Charles Darwin. As is the case with an 8 year old there is always another question, "Who is he?" "Well," I said, "He is the man who came up with the idea of evolution." I braced for the next obvious question, "What is evolution." I explained to his inquisitive mind that evolution was a theory that man came from a monkey. Rather matter of fact like Lincoln asked his final question on the subject, "Why is he famous?" Out of the mouth of babes . . .

Evidence of the Grace of God!

2008-11-18T15:05:00.002-06:00

When the disciples in Jerusalem heard about the great revival taking place in Antioch they sent Barnabas to check things out. When he arrived in Antioch he saw,"evidence of the grace of God"(Acts 11:22 NIV). Amazing! What did Barnabas see that gave witness to God's grace. Miracles? Physical healings? Radically changed lives? Holy Ghost baptisms? Water baptisms? Families coming together? Restored relationships? True repentance? What was the indisputable evidence witnessed by Barnabas that made him "glad" and provoked him to "encourage them to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts." I think we would be safe in saying, all of the above.

Is there indisputable evidence of the Grace of God in your local assembly? Do you worship with people whose regenerated lives testify of God's unmerited favor. If God's grace were on trial at The Pentecostals of Bossier City where I worship each week, would we have sufficient evidence to find God guilty? How terrible and sad it would be to worship with a congregation where there was no evidence of God's amazing grace. Praise be to God, we have some proof. Come and worship with The Pentecostals of Bossier City and everywhere you look, you will see evidence that our God is rich in mercy.

When we sing I am free to dance, praise God, there are people who have been set free. Many who have been set free from the chains of slavery brought on by sin. Free from the bar stool, free from cocaine, free from pornography, and free from the meth addiction. You'll worship with some are free from literal incarceration, free because of the ACTS program they went through while behind bars. You will see a couple whose marriage was gone but God's grace kept them together. I could go on for a while!

Not only do we see this evidence in the lives people who were rescued out of dark sin but also there are plenty like myself who by the grace of God was kept from so much in the world. Sure, I was a sinner and I needed God's grace but praise God he kept me from having to experience some of the nightmarish things we have heard about from others.

I wouldn't want to worship where there was no evidence of God's grace. I thank my God that when I arrive for worship at The Pentecostals of Bossier City, every where I look, I see evidence of the grace of God and I am glad!

2008-09-16T17:48:00.001-05:00

Miracle Offering from the Pentecostals of Bossier

2008-09-16T10:22:00.005-05:00

July 20, our evangelist, Jonathan Haygood challenged The Pentecostals of Bossier City to give what we are calling our "Miracle Offering" to Foreign Missions. I have been personally overwhelmed by what has truly been a miracle. As of September 14, the offerings placed in front of the pulpit had reached $450,000.00. More has been pledged. These same people responded again this past Sunday and gave over $20,000 to Sheaves for Christ. Our tithing has not suffered during this time but has probably increased. Hallelujah!

John wished above all things that his fellow laborers in the church would prosper and be in health even as their souls prospered. Jesus said, "Give and it shall be given unto you, pressed down, shaken together, running over ... " If we live out God's principles of tithing and offerings, His Word promises that He will open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings upon us. However, do not forget that Jesus judged the rich fool for hoarding. The rich fool was not judged because he was blessed with great crops. We know that it was the Lord who caused him to prosper. He was judged for hoarding.

There are so many wonderful stories to tell about various people who sacrificially gave that this site does not provide enough space to share them. The stories of sowing in The Kingdom and reaping a harvest will come later. For now, join with us and rejoice!!!

2008-08-17T16:45:00.004-05:00

The picture is of Jackson Luke Dean. He is the son of Jeremy and Patrice. This boy is something else and like his cousins, he loves his PaPa J. He loves my very nice Bible for some reason and I do not have the heart to tell him he cannot play with it. Anyway, I want him to love the Word. Psalms 19 & 119 are two of my favorite chapters in the Bible. They both have great insight into the beauty of the forever settled in heaven Word of God.

In the last four weeks, The Pentecostals of Bossier have responded beautifully to an appeal by an evangelist for a sacrificial offering to World Missions. To date they have given over $405,000. A large portion of the gifts have been placed on the platform in front of our pulpit during our worship. It looks like this figure will go over 1/2 million before this is over. I am overwhelmed. We are humbled greatly by this. Many people have given sacrificially out of their very living. God will now hasten to perform His Word and will mightily bless this congregation and the many people who have given. I am anxious to watch all of this unfold.

20th Pastoral Anniversary

2008-05-29T13:34:00.002-05:00

We have now been a part of The Pentecostals of Bossier City for 20 years. This doesn't seem possible until I look at the pictures of what my family looked like 20 years ago. Last night we honored our graduating seniors at a reception in the Life Center. There were pictures in some of their albums of myself holding these seniors shortly after they were born. It seems surreal to me that they have never had another pastor. Wow!

Thank you Bossier City Pentecostals for all the kindness shown to us through the years. We have walked through valleys and climbed high mountains. Once we had a funeral, a wedding, and a baby born, all on the same day. These past 20 years have been marked with great revivals, two large building programs, special meetings, missions conferences, Holy Ghost visitations and through it all, we have learned to trust in God. The Lord has blessed us all and oh how the Lord has blessed Gina and I and our family.

Mistakes? Plenty of them! Gina and I pray that we have gleaned something from our mistakes. Victories? To numerous to remember. We give God all the glory.

One of the members said, "I hope the Lord gives you another twenty years as pastor here." Thanks, but I'm 55 now and at times I am tired, really tired. Maybe 10 more years as pastor. Yes, that sounds better. God's will? That sounds best.

Praying at the Capitol

2008-02-10T17:00:00.000-06:00

On January 14, I was asked to give the benediction prayer at the inauguration ceremony for Bobby Jindal, the new governor or Louisiana. Governor Jindal and one of his staff members have previously visited our church. I introduced him to the congregation and gave him a chance to give a short talk. To the amazement of many of us he stayed to hear Doug Klinedinst preach that morning.

Several months ago, some attack ads were being run on local television portraying Governor Jindal in a light that I felt was totally untrue. I was asked during that time to join in on a conference call with the governor and a number of other ministers in the state. The governor was very appreciative and attentive to the advice that was given to him during this conference call. I was just honored to be a part of the call. I wrote a letter to the editor of the Shreveport Times to refute these ads and was surprised when the paper printed my letter.

Early in January of this year I received a call from a man named Daniel Kirk. Daniel said that he was from Bobby Jindal’s staff and said that the governor was requesting that I pray at his inauguration. Having pulled my share of practical jokes on people I immediately assumed that this was a prank and ask Daniel is this was a joke. He laughed and said no. Of course I was honored and immediately said yes. My son Ryan drove me down and took some pictures for me. Somehow he managed to get into one of the television media booths and stayed for the entire ceremony. Dr. Fred Lowry, the pastor of First Baptist Church in Bossier prayed the invocation, and Mickey Mangun, sang the National Anthem.

Praying at the Governor’s Inauguration on the steps of the Louisiana State Capitol was an exhilarating experience. Here I was, seated on the platform with our new governor and his family, four past Louisiana governors, all of the other state officials who were to be sworn in that day, two sitting United States senators, all the current U. S. congressmen from Louisiana, Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, and a host of other dignitaries. C.B.S. sports analyst Tim Brando, was the Master of Ceremonies.

I smiled to myself as I waited for the proceedings to begin and remembered my humble beginnings. I could not help but recall all of the insecurities I faced as a child and the Obsessive Compulsive Behavior that I battled as a boy until God healed me. I must confess that some insecurities linger until this day. I was thinking, wow, if Randy Barnes and Dickie Dee Mohon could see me know. I almost laughed out loud. I was greatly humbled by this experience felt like Mary, the mother of Jesus must have felt when she said, “He hath remembered my low estate.”

When Tim Brando announced that Jerry Dean, pastor of The Pentecostals of Bossier was coming to pray the benediction prayer, the Lord strengthened me and a wave of Holy Ghost boldness came upon me. I had previously been asked to write down my prayer, which I want to do anyway. Following is a copy of the prayer I prayed on January the 14th at the governor’s inauguration.

Inauguration Benediction Prayer - Governor Bobby Jindal
By Pastor Jerry Dean - January 14, 2008

Our Father who rules in the heavens, we pray on this momentous day that Your matchless name Jesus will be hallowed in all the earth.

We praise You for the blessings you have freely poured out upon our state and our great nation. You are great and greatly to be praised.

Solomon taught us that Righteousness exalts a nation; we pray therefore that you will lead the people of this state in the paths of righteousness for Your Great names sake.

Keep us from temptation and deliver us from evil.

Oh Lord, If you kept a record of sins who could stand before you? We praise you greatly because with you there is forgiveness. So as we forgive others, we ask you to forgive us our failures and our shortcomings.

Let Your kingdom to come and let Your will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.

The prophet Daniel tells us that You change the seasons and guide history. You raise up kings and also bring them down. With this knowledge, we understand then and believe that You have brought Governor Jindal along with each of these elected officials to their respective places of leadership and we believe that You have raised them up to serve this state.

We are also aware of the timeless words of wisdom from King Solomon who said, “The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.” With this knowledge it is incumbent upon us today to stand before you as did that ancient King of Judah and declare, “Oh Lord, Our eyes are upon you.”

For Governor Jindal, his family, his staff, and for all the leaders of our great state we petition you and ask that You give each of them wisdom to know how to direct the affairs of men.

We do not asking for earthly wisdom which only gives way to jealousy and selfish ambition. Rather, we ask for the wisdom that comes down from above that is pure, and peaceable, and gentle, and full of mercy.

We believe that one man, with God, can make a difference. Lead Governor Jindal as he leads our state. Give him understanding according to Your Word and order his steps in Your word.

Teach him to trust in You with all of his heart and lean not to his own understanding, to acknowledge you in all of his ways so that you will direct his steps.

We look to You Father, on this special day for Your divine sanction and approval. You have shown us what is good; and what You require of us, that is to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with You? We ask for Your grace to fulfill these requirements.

Now Lord God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause Your face to shine upon us.

We ask these things in the Name of Jesus Christ,

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever, Amen!

Inauguration Prayer

2008-02-06T21:32:00.001-06:00

T. F. Tenney Quotes - Bossier Fall Classic

2007-11-13T13:39:00.000-06:00

I would rather deal with a man with wrong doctrine and the right spirit than a man with right doctrine and the wrong spirit. If a man has a right spirit we can get his doctrine right. John said, "Try the spirits ... "

Experience: What God gave you when you didn’t get what you wanted.

Meekness: The ability to accept criticism without resentment and praise without pride.

Paul said in the early part of his ministry that he was the least of the Apostles. Later he said I am the least of the saints. In the later part of his life he called himself the chiefest of sinners.

Jesus started His ministry by turning water into wine. He ended His ministry with a basin of water and a towel. He started with the miraculous and ended with the mundane.

It is easy to keep rules but it is not easy to build relationships. You can’t stay happily married if all you have is rules.

You cannot make a hundred fold saint out of a thirty fold saint.

You choose your dreams - Your dreams choose your future.

Paul said to Timothy, “Study to show thyself approved.” If you don’t study, you are not approved.

If you’ve got a chip on your shoulder then there must be a block a little higher up.

Jesus washed the feet of all the disciples including Judas. He was not afraid to wash the feet of a contaminated brother. Jesus washed the feet of people that He knew was conniving against Him. Peter learned the lesson of humility well. Notice how many times he mentioned humility in his two epistles.

Our self-righteousness will only get us the best seat in hell.

When Jesus knew that the Father had delivered everything into His hands, He took a towel. What would you have taken when you came to this understanding?

Communion is remembering him
Foot washing is remembering others.

Promotion comes from your enemies. Trials come from your friends.

Jesus said, "The zeal of God's house hath eaten me up." What’s eating you up?

Camp Meeting

2007-07-09T20:28:00.000-05:00

After the Friday evening service at Camp Meeting, Gina and myself along with some other friends had the opportunity to sit down with G. A. Mangun and listen to him tell us how he prays through the tabernacle every time he prays. To listen to this man speak about his close encounters with God in the past few weeks really put a fresh desire in my Spirit to know God. Bro. Mangun is 87 years old but still prays for hours at a time. He told us that a spirit of prayer came on him a couple of weeks ago at 10:00 at night and he prayed until well after midnight. We must have a demonstration of the apostolic power in our churches to do what must be done and we will never see it happen until we are willing to give ourselves continually to prayer and the Word as the Apostles did. I covet your prayers. I want to know Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Not just hear about him, I want to know him.

Parable in the Garden

2007-06-21T21:00:00.000-05:00

PaPa J & Boys

2007-06-08T19:14:00.000-05:00

Grandsons: Harrison, Jackson Luke, Lincoln

2007-06-08T15:19:00.000-05:00

Jerry Dean a blogger???

2007-06-08T14:33:00.000-05:00

Everyone who knows me well, knows that I am not computer savvy enough to do this but I am venturing out into the world of blogging. Ryan Dean and Baron Carson came into my office this past Monday and said, "Pastor, if you really want to get your thank you message to the youth that you gave last night, we suggest a video blog. I had no clue how to get this done but I said, "When can we do it" and here we are. I am excited. I will be adding new video blogs to my page shortly and will do my best to keep them coming with the help of my team here. Now, don't get to thinking I'm going to catch up with Steve Jobs although Ryan did talk me into a Mini Mac at home and I am slowly trying to learn to get around on it.

When I found out I could post pictures of my grandsons on the blog I knew this would be God's will. Our church web site www.bossierupc.org will have a link to get you to the blog. Hope you will stop by every now and then to take a look.

Message to Students

2007-06-08T08:56:00.001-05:00