I.                   Good Morning

A.                Thank you for inviting me.

B.                 I’ve been a Pastor for three years.

1.                  I was born again when I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior in 1969 in a small town in Texas.

2.                  Didn’t walk the Christian walk throughout my later years in HS or college.

a)                  When I met my wife in College I was living as a total pagan.

(1)               Fraternity, water polo player, Criminal Justice major, Conservative.

(2)               She was a journalism major, women’s study minor, liberal.

b)                  We will celebrate our 25^th wedding anniversary next May. My success as a pastor includes the fact that God has blessed me with a wife that is totally committed to Jesus.

C.                Actively been involved with ministry for over 15 years now.

1.                  Warehouse Ministries-Louis Neely

a)                  1 Cor 1:27-30 "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-and the things that are not-to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him."

2.                  Went to a Billy Graham Crusade in Sacramento.

a)                  Susan went forward, I went forward re-committed my life to Christ.

b)                  Started going to a Nazarene Church, left when the pastor said he was resigning to pursue a business opportunity.

c)                  Went to an Assembly of God church. Didn’t really feel like we fit in.

3.                  We were working in a restaurant when Susan found a flyer for a Christian Arts and Media group that met at the Warehouse.

a)                  We went, and after the first sermon I heard by Louis I never left

(1)               He taught very simply from the Bible, explaining God’s Word.

4.                  After a while Louis mentioned that they needed help in the SS. I prayed about it and offered my services.

a)                  I started going to Mon Night Bible Study.

b)                  A few years later they started the Men’s and Women’s Bible Study and after the first year of taking part they asked if I would become a group leader the following year.

c)                  I then was asked if I would take over the Wed Night 1^st through 6^th grade youth ministry.

(1)               They were ending their program and said I had free hand to find a program.

(2)               We developed our own based on Acts 2:42 .

d)                  I then got involved with the Thurs morning children’s Bible study.

5.                  They then started CC Bible College under the tutelage of Jeff Miles.

a)                  I really began to understand the different Pastors at Warehouse.

b)                  How God used different ones talent’s for His Glory.

(1)               I have never met anyone who is more serious about their commitment to God’s Word. Jeff is very no-nonsense.

(2)               Engineering background. A great expositor. And a great friend.

(3)               Under Him I learned the seriousness of correctly handling God’s Word.

(a)               Ps 138:2 For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.

c)                  This is the main thing about being a Pastor, getting to know God’s Word. Since God is infinite, we will never know it completely. But as we study it, our knowledge of God will grow. The more I study the Bible, the more I love Jesus, the more I understand that it is by His Grace, Power, and Love that I stand.

6.                  Went to Cambodia on a short term mission trip with Christian Dentists.

a)                  Came back totally sold out for the Lord. Met Christians that when they prayed, “give us this day our daily bread”, they meant it.

D.                In 2000 I was finishing up Bible College.

1.                  Both my Christian friends and my non-Christian friends had watched me attend over the last 5 years and were asking what I was going to do.

a)                  Open a store front church on K st. Enter the mission field, send out resumes to Senior Pastors, stay at Warehouse and teach Sunday School.

b)                  Whatever the Lord had in mind was fine.

II.                 I was not prepared for the bombshell that was going to go off in my life. I was quickly going to learn what it meant to have faith and trust in the Lord. God was going to put me to the test to see if I was as strong a Christian as I pretended to be.

A.                Gen 12:1 Gen 12:1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.

1.                  Saturday Sept 2^nd, 2000-Louis Neely Came into Intercessory Prayer, said the Pastor of CCW was retiring and after much prayer and consideration, had recommended me. And would I please call them by Tuesday.

a)                  “Louis where is Westwood?”

(1)               Up by Lake Almanor

b)                  “Louis where is Lake Almanor?”

(1)               Kind of strange look, “Up by Susanville”

2.                  Called the Number and agreed to meet with them on Wed September 13^th.

3.                  Tuesday Sept 12, 2000-Had my last beer.

4.                  Wed Sept 13, 2000-Drove to Westwood. Met with the elders. Didn’t think anything would come of it.

a)                  On the way home the Holy Spirit spoke to me as audible as if He was in the car.

(1)               “I’m pleased that you had the courage to drive up and talk with them”.

(2)               I told my wife what happened and we just praised the Lord and went on with our life.

5.                  About a week later they asked if I would drive up and preach.

a)                  I took one of class papers on Romans 8 and went up and gave my first sermon.

6.                  They then offered me the position of Pastor of CCW a few weeks later.

B.                 It was a total shock.

1.                  I’m a city boy. Have traveled around the world my whole life. I’m totally at home in a big city.

a)                  Hotels, restaurants, ordering in a fine restaurant, getting bumped off planes, dealing with a concierge. No problem.

b)                  The only time I dealt with snow was to go skiing.

c)                  Cold at home, turn up the thermostat.

d)                  Hungry at 3 AM go out to a Denny’s or a late night restaurant.

C.                I knew I was in for a lifestyle change when one of the elders called me in November and said I needed to come up and get my winter supply of firewood.

1.                  What do you mean?

2.                  We heat our homes with wood.

a)                  ANC-About Cutting Wood that weekend.

3.                  I also found out that it is 50 miles round trip to go to a movie, to get a Big Mac, to go to a Safeway.

4.                  That the temp drops down to 10-15 below zero, that it is nothing to get 2-4 feet of snow at a time.

D.                We moved up there completely by Dec 7^th.

1.                  We have been blessed beyond anything I could ever imagine.

E.                 I have begun to see the wisdom of God putting me in Westwood. Totally out of my element. I can not take any credit for any good thing that happens there or in any ministry I’m involved in. All the Glory goes to God.

1.                  1 Cor 1:27-30 (NO ONE CAN BOAST!)

III.              As You Continue Your Walk Don’t Get Depressed or Worried

A.                You’ll read about pastor’s burning out, getting depressed, worried, etc. This is not Biblical, but since we are human it happens.

1.                  In the 3 years I’ve been up there I know of 7 pastors that have left.

B.                 The secret to this is looking completely unto Jesus. Whenever I have a bad day or fret I just go to the Bible. I ask the Holy Spirit to take me to the cross.

1.                  ANC - LAMA -   Another pastor in the area shared with me about how he was having problems with the seating arrangements in his church..

a)                  John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me (In Jesus) you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

C.                Moses-didn’t get to go into the promised land, John the Baptist had concerns that he had backed the wrong man, then he had his head chopped off, Paul was constantly getting run out of town, David and his 400 men started out as what I would call complete losers.

a)                  1 Sam 22:1-2 David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father's household heard about it, they went down to him there. 2 All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.

b)                  Doesn’t sound like the beginning of a promising ministry.

(1)               Living in a cave, 400 people broke, discontented, and in distress.

D.                Jesus, God’s own Son ended up crucified, not for anything He did. But for my sins.

1.                  How can I get upset, or scared when I have such great examples throughout the Bible.

a)                  It’s all about Jesus.

2.                  ANC- Mar 2000 Lake Tahoe Pastor’s Conference. Gayle Erwin gave one of the most wonderful teachings just for me. (Those that were there probably got something out of it too!)

a)                  Mat 16:17-20. The fact that Jesus will build His Church, That the Gates of Hell will not prevail against it.

b)                  Gayle pointed out that it is Jesus’ church.

(1)               Jesus knew you and put you in the position of Pastor. And it’s not because you are a great teacher, or eloquent, or have overcome every sin, or any other reason.

(a)               Simply because He knows what He is doing.

(2)               And there is really nothing you can do to mess it up.

IV.             The Privilege and Honor of being a Pastor.

A.                To me there is no greater honor, or privilege than being a pastor. The men I know in CC who serve God are the greatest men I’ve ever met in my life.

1.                  Sold out for Jesus.

2.                  Each one entirely different. There are no “Cookie Cutter Clones” among God’s servants.

a)                  I can only be the best Pastor Terry Johnson I can be.

(1)               I can’t be Damien Kyle, Chuck Smith, Greg Laurie, Raul Reese, Louis Neely, Etc.

b)                  Let God show you where you should serve, let Him develop your talents.

(1)               ANC - The guy named Jim stopping by searching for a place to live by a CC. Liked fishing, country, skiing.

(a)               Prayed with Him, and told him don’t make that a criteria.

(b)               Ask God to show Him. Not His Will, but God’s Will

B.                 You can prepare for the ministry, but I don’t believe you can prepare for being a Pastor.

1.                  Simply because it is a second by second life that is lived in the physical realm with your eyes firmly focused on the spiritual realm.

2.                  You understand the seriousness that you are not just dealing with something that might effect a person’s hobbies or lively hood. You are dealing with their eternity.

3.                  This is why Jesus wept over Jerusalem, and said “If you had only known”.

4.                  This is what being a Pastor means. Loving people so much that you are constantly pleading with God to help you teach his word better, to help you understand it better, to love people more than you do now.

a)                  ANC - It is like having a child, no matter what, once you become a parent you are a parent forever. Your child grows and changes moment by moment. Each day bringing new challenges, new joys, new sorrows, new excitement.

b)                  It is the same with the flock you are entrusted with, as you get to know them, the Lord shows you in the spiritual realm how to minister to them.

(1)               No flock is the same. So there are general guidelines, but you have to minister in the “Today”, the moment by moment life you live as you represent Jesus.

(2)               There are things that I share only with my wife, there are things that I share only with God, and there are things that can only be understood by another Pastor.

C.                I say this with all sincerity. I’ve never understood people who say they “failed at everything else, so they thought they would give being a minister a try”. Or, they enter the ministry like you would the profession of being a doctor, lawyer, or football player.

1.                  This is the highest calling there is a man can have or follow.

2.                  Serving the King of Kings, Jesus.

a)                  Bottom Line Two types of people you will encounter as you serve the Lord.

(1)               Those who Know Jesus - Encourage them, edify them, help them in their walk.

(a)               We are not in competition with one another.

(b)               We are co-servants.

(2)               Those that don’t know Jesus.

(a)               Pray that the Lord would open their eyes to who Jesus is.

(b)               All things are created by Christ, for Christ, and through Christ.

(c)               Any topic of discussion can be turned to the discussion of spiritual things and eventually Jesus.

D.                I have come to understand that being a pastor is sort of like stepping off the Golden Gate Bridge, there is no turning back. Your life is never the same. I can never go back to the world.

1.                  Worldly success.

a)                  Tampa Bay won the SB last year, Marlins won the World Series, there will be lawyers that win great cases today that will change the course of History. Dictators can act that impact millions of millions of people.

b)                  As a Pastor we have a higher calling. One that the effects will last throughout eternity.

(1)               We get to share God’s Word.

(2)               We get to enter His throne room on behalf of others.

(3)               We get to pray with people to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior.

V.               How Do You Stay Sharp As A Pastor? Live on The Edge

A.                To me this is the secret of being joyful and being able to stay in the ministry. I’m constantly praying that I don’t get complacent, that I don’t settle for yesterdays victory. Or last week’s joy.

B.                 I want to live on the edge of a cliff as I serve God.

1.                  It forces you to get into God’s Word.

2.                  It forces you to pray.

3.                  It forces you to fellowship with strong Christians.

4.                  It forces you to remember the cross, and take communion very seriously.

C.                In other words Acts 2:42 is not just words, it is a way of life.

D.                I’m constantly telling our congregation that I want to be stretched, that I want them to be stretched, and grow as Christians. (No where in the Bible have I found that God is concerned about Terry Johnson being comfortable!)

1.                  God is not going to run out of power, love, grace wisdom

a)                  He is not surprised when I mess up, fall on my face, have a problem I can’t solve.

2.                  We are not going to run out of people to share the Gospel with. Or Christians to pray for, or encourage.

E.                 I praise God that He puts me into situations where I don’t have a clue what to do. I just look to His Word, and pray.

1.                  ANC - A young couple

a)                  Got a call from one of the women in our church, a young couple had lost their 5 month old child. Didn’t have anyone to comfort them. They didn’t go to church. Would I be willing to talk with them.

b)                  I grabbed my Bible headed out the door, praying as I went. They lived in another town.

c)                  About 5 miles down the road it hit me. “I haven’t a clue what I’m going to say to them, if anything, what I could do, if anything” Panic mode came on fast.

d)                  Started praying, “Lord I’m driving down to visit these people, please give me some words to say”. “Lord I’m getting pretty close to their town, please, please give me some words to say”… “Lord I’m pulling into their apt parking lot and I’m going to get out of the car, Please…Please…Please…” “Lord, I’m going to knock on the door now, I sure hope you will speak through me, because I haven’t a clue what to say or do”

e)                  ANC - Tell story of what happened at the first meeting in their apt..

f)                   Aftermath of Meeting

(1)               He was Put in the County Jail for child endangerment. I started visiting Him.

(2)               About the third time I visited him and was leaving, he asked me if the God that I served would help Him clear His mind, He couldn’t think straight.

(a)               I sat back down, explained that He could ask Him, Himself, that this is what a personal relationship with Jesus is all about.

(3)               Complete change instantly. Even his family noticed.

g)                  We watched as the trials went on and the state went after him.

(1)               He was eventually given a prison sentence.

(2)               He is still growing in the Lord.

h)                 His wife had no interest in God, or coming to church, but I prayed with her for her husband.

(1)               One evening she called and wanted to ask a couple of questions. She had lost my phone number and had to look it up in the phone book.

(2)               Found our church under “Non-Denominational Churches”. Said it sounded ominous.

(3)               I explained what it meant, and how there were different beliefs about who God is.

(4)               I explained what we as Christians believe, that Jesus died on the cross, and that we could know we have forgiveness for our sins.

(5)               She said that this time she understood what it meant, and that it was very clear.

(6)               I asked if she would like to pray to accept Christ as Her Lord and Savior.

(7)               She did, instant change in her life.

F.                 Not everything is as daunting as that situation was, But God is always in control, always comes through.

1.                  He has never let me down, and He never will. I have His word on it.

G.                I often wonder what the angels think as I tend to push the envelop in ministry.

1.                  Taking our youth group to Santa Cruz for a weekend of surfing and fellowship with Aptos CC.

2.                  This last summer we had our first Teen Campout and retreat. No one involved had ever taken part in the position they were in.

a)                  Norm our youth group leader acted as camp pastor.

b)                  Kippy was camp director

(1)               ANC - Kippy and the rope swing.

c)                  Kids did devotionals, and led worship.

3.                  We often have dinner and a movie at our house.

a)                  SS kids wanted to know why only the big kids got to do fun things with the Pastor.

(1)               They wanted a dinner and a movie night.

b)                  Two weeks ago I had 17 children between the ages of 3 and 8 over for cartoons, a short Christian cartoon video, and then we watched that movie “Ice Age”

(1)               We had a small snack bar set up, sodas, popcorn

(2)               The kids all got to make individual pizzas.

c)                  Mid afternoon that day it hit me “What have you gotten yourself into this time?”

(1)               This is what being a pastor is about.

d)                  Simply going where the Lord leads.

(1)               For each one of us in this room, it is entirely different.

(2)               Since each one of us are created in God’s image, one of a kind, created to do works for Him.

VI.             Closing

A.                As a Pastor I pray that I can continue serving the Lord for as long as I live, as other great men have throughout the years.

1.                  Polycarp

a)                  When then he was brought before him, the proconsul enquired whether he were the man. And on his confessing that he was, he tried to persuade him to a denial saying, 'Have respect to thine age,' and other things in accordance therewith, as it is their wont to say; 'Swear by the genius of Caesar; repent and say, Away with the atheists.' Then Polycarp with solemn countenance looked upon the whole multitude of lawless heathen that were in the stadium, and waved his hand to them; and groaning and looking up to heaven he said, 'Away with the atheists.'

b)                  But when the magistrate pressed him hard and said, 'Swear the oath, and I will release thee; revile the Christ,' Polycarp said, 'Fourscore and six years have I been His servant, and He hath done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?'

2.                  Dietrich Bonhoeffer

a)                  He understood early on what Hitler meant. He was safely in America and went back to Germany.

b)                  He wrote to a friend

(1)               “I shall have no right to participate in the reconstruction of Christian life in Germany after the war if I do not share the trials of this time with my people…Christians in Germany will face the terrible alternative of either willing the defeat of their nation in order that Christian civilization may survive, or will the victory of their nation and destroying our civilization. I know which of these alternatives I must choose, but I cannot make this choice in security.”

3.                  Pann Summ

a)                  Lived through the Kamhr Rouge, made it safely to America. Got a good education, became a Christian. Went back to Cambodia to share the Gospel.

4.                  Paul

a)                  2 Tim 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

B.                 And I definitely want to hear My King, My Lord, My Brother, My Friend Say:

1.                  Matt 25:21 Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

VII.          Let’s Pray!

VIII.        Any Questions?