Apostolic Survey - Part Three
February 7, 2000

Welcome to this, our third and final segment of the comprehensive survey of Apostolics at millennium’s pivot. Apostolic respondents from 11 states and provinces gave us their enthusiastic thoughts on these categories, in many cases writing long paragraphs to prove they were right. Who are we to argue?

Without the Word, we are nothing. With few exceptions, our respondents added their take on the Most Appropriate Scripture for the 1990s. Many portions had multiple entries, but Paul’s greatest epistle (Romans) was quoted most, while II Timothy 3:1-7 was the portion of scripture noted most.

After that, there were some personal selections ("Psalm 139. This is my most appropriate Scripture for any decade."), some eclectic choices ("For Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him." (Genesis 21:2) There's nothing like a miracle in the 90s.") and some obvious inspiration ("And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12:2)

Almost all entries touched on either the outpouring of God’s spirit or the evil of the day. Whether that evil is endemic to human nature or specific to the endtimes is open for discussion.

Since eyes sometime glaze when endless italicized words fill a computer screen, the nominated scriptures will be interspersed throughout today’s response.

• "For men shall be lovers . . . of pleasures more than lovers of God." (II Timothy 3:2-4)
• "Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they worshiped the things God made but not the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever. Amen." (Romans 1:25, New Living Translation)

No other category had such a dominating winner. While others received multiple votes, Teklemariam Gezahagne, the Apostolic superintendent of Ethiopia and the man credited with leading the unstoppable revival there, overwhelmed his closest contenders by an almost 2-1 margin. This was a match-up of national and international figures who have all touched thousands of souls through their ministries.

Still, that didn’t stop some from voting with their heart. One respondent chose her youth pastor ("He has been a incredible role model for me."), while another went even closer ("my blatantly subjective response: My mother (no one has more consistently "lived Christ")" ). Who are we to say they’re incorrect?

First, some comments about our winner:

• to keep unity during a time period of rapid growth and large numbers takes serious spirituality and dedication.
• He has done a great deal to lead the Ethiopian church to operate in a way similar to that of the early church and there has been great growth.
• No one has experienced greater revival than the Apostolics in Ethiopia, under the humble leadership of Brother Teklemariam.

Other nominees included...

• Murril Cornwell, pastor in Wichita, KS—He is the greatest soulwinner in the United Pentecostal Church.
• Billy Cole—healings, miracles, and Holy Ghost outpourings. Truly a prophet.
• Jack Cunningham—Has led the North American Church into a vision of revival and church growth that is unprecedented.
• Jeff Arnold
• Marvin Walker—In an age of divided families, Bro. Walker has done so much to strengthen the people of God through marriage and youth ministry. His calling has led him to the leadership of Tupelo Children’s Mansion where he and Sis. Claudette Walker's excellent spirit will reap a harvest of souls and healing for troubled families.
• David K. Bernard—Through his excellent ability to communicate through the written word, we have a whole series of books that soundly and clearly explain the Word of God. Too many times we are unable to explain our beliefs, but through his books we are able to understand the Word. Although many of his books were written in the 80s, they are still an excellent tool for learning and teaching.
• N. A. Urshan—for his visionary approaches during his superintendency (and the many behind-the-scenes activities that he does that relatively few hear about, e.g. meeting personally with President Clinton, Yasser Arafat, etc. to get serious church issues resolved that further the kingdom of God worldwide).
• Bro. Harry Scism—He has led the Foreign Missions Division of the United Pentecostal Church in evangelizing the world. I know him to be a man of God and I have a lot of respect for him as a Christian.
• Reverend Marvin G. Walker—I can't think of any one person who has touched more lives in a real way than Brother Walker. The largest area of his influence, obviously, is through Bible Quizzing. This program, under his leadership, has touched literally thousands of young lives, and the people those young lives will affect can't be counted! Then, there's his work with married couples at retreats and seminars throughout America, his work with Missionary Kids, his new work at Tupelo Children's Mansion and his example to his own home church in Cincinnati and now in Mississippi.
• Billy Cole—What a work the dedication and vision of one man can accomplish.

• "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; And, also, upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit." (Joel 2:28-29) God is pouring out his Spirit like never before.
• "While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." (Acts 19:1-2; NIV)

Best Sermon of the Decade

For every message heard, not many resonate beyond the year. Even fewer cut an impression into that hallowed "all-time" status. Indeed, perhaps it’s healthy that we can’t remember the specifics of one or two, but rather know that the accumulation of truth is what matters most. Of course, it’s also important to remember that it’s not always the best preacher who preaches the single best sermon.

Naturally, everyone’s favorite was matched by no one else. Some voters couldn’t remember the appropriate title, but the major points or place of contact. Still others named neither title nor preacher to make a point. Whatever the comment, all were passionate about their choice.

• "I Thirst"—Jerry Jones, May 1993. He preached on being thirsty for God and hungering for the things of God—it seemed as if he had read my mail. However, at the conclusion of his message, I found that the entire church felt as I did. I remember the altars and pews were filled with saints who spent quite a bit of time that night quenching that thirst.
• "Three Kinds of Christianity"—Lee Stoneking.
• "Unexplainable Yet Undeniable"—Jeff Arnold.
• "The God of the Calendar"—Norman R. Paslay II. In the book of Exodus, God declared a new year with a new calendar for Israel. He deleted their life of slavery from the record books. Will he do any less for us?
• "Please Don't Go to Hell"—Jerry Jones, April 1994. That sermon has stuck with me ever since I heard it. It was one of the most heartfelt and gutwrenching sermons I've ever heard.
• I don't remember the title, but it was a sermon I heard in a chapel service at the World Evangelism Center of the United Pentecostal Church. The gist of the sermon was that God cares about little things so much that He desired Solomon to use masters of carving for the little bitty unseen places of the capitals of the temple.
• The "last one" Jerry Jones preached, really !!
• Stan Gleason, Youth Day, General Conference for the United Pentecostal Church, 1999
• Jonathan Maki preached a message while I was in India about having a personal time with God in order to have something to share. This has stayed with me.
• "The Four Companies at Gethsemane." This message, preached by Pastor Richard Grandquist, draws a parallel between the Gethsemane experience and developing intimacy with the Creator through solitude and aloneness. The major point of the message is: the closer you get to Jesus, the fewer people surround you.
• The "average" ones preached during "average" Sunday services in Apostolic churches around the world. These are the ones that, on the whole, feed the flock.
• "What if This Was The Last Sermon You Heard?" Brother Ben Baldrige

• "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;" (I Corinthians 1:27)
• "And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time." (Daniel 7:25) Never before have I enjoyed such prosperity and material wealth. Never before has it been so difficult for me to make time commitments, and easier for me to make financial commitments. Never before have I considered sleep a luxury. Never before have I so fiercely protected one night off…

Of all the categories surveyed, this one held the most multiple nominees. When it comes to Apostolic preaching, there’s a clear elite. Any of the names below can fire the soul and excite the mind with a greater hunger for God.

• Lee Stoneking, (Evangelist)—Frankly, I don't enjoy the large meetings too much because there is so much shouting that I can't hear anything. I like his messages at School of Missions. You can feel the presence and power of God, but he is also an interesting speaker with a sense of humor.
• Paul Mooney (Indianapolis, IN)—Many have his fire, but few match his depth and breadth.
• Jerry Jones (St. Louis, MO)—I don't think I need to explain.
• Bro. Jason Siscoe (Evangelist)—He is my favorite preacher. My life has been changed by some of his sermons.
• Cleveland Becton (Mesquite, TX)—His experienced wisdom and genuine humility exudes from the pulpit as he delivers the Word of God. Bro. Becton possesses an authentic love for people which enhances his ability to communicate and impact lives through the ministry of preaching.
• Lee Stoneking—His ministry is powerful and personal. You come hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Your soul is blessed to overflowing, and yet, you still want more
• Anthony Mangun (Alexandria, LA)—Powerful, uplifting, articulate, always a powerful closing which leads to awesome moves of the Spirit.
• Jerry Jones, without a doubt!
• Jason Siscoe —He preaches directly to where you are to where you want to be.
• All of those ministers who routinely "walk in the Spirit" and minister on a daily basis to their local calling.
• Brian Kinsey (St. Louis, MO)—He is a very fiery preacher, and I love listening to him.

• "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20)
• "Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand." and "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." (Daniel 12:10, 4)

Of all of our categories, this elicited the largest (private) surprise because almost no one had an answer. Sunday School, the backbone of every church, the source of almost all real church growth (according to numerous surveys throughout the years) and the single cause of more lost sleep than all other ministries combined, somehow didn’t register on most respondent’s ballots.

There might be several causes for this:

1. Fatigue makes the memory weary.
2. Apostolics are geared toward high voltage preaching instead of low-key, day-to-day teaching.
3. Teachers are mediocre and uninspired.

Among the answers, many teachers remembered their own favorite lessons ("I enjoyed teaching the New Converts class while in Stockton, CA. We used In My Father's House."), were mentioned by their wife (thanks Nita!) or teasingly decided the best lesson was "the last one I taught!!" One respondent mentioned their favorite lesson ever ("On Isaiah 40, and how great God is. It's incredible to think that God measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, weighed the mountains of the world in scales and the hills in a balance, yet He cares for my smallest need. This is my favorite chapter in the Bible."), but it was from the 1980s.

Still, this lack of response seems odd because of all the ministries in the church, none are supposed to be as focused on specific needs than Sunday School. Think about these narrow class titles: "Young Marrieds," "College and Career," "High School," "New Converts." All of these are niche ministries supposedly geared toward specific situations in a student’s ongoing life. Yet, less than a third of the respondents answered in this category. It’s not a crisis, but it might be an accurate snapshot on how Apostolics prioritized in the 1990s.

• "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28). This has been proven over and over again to me, not just in this last decade, but throughout my life.
• Romans 8:28 has become one of my life's verses. Especially dealing with some of the things I have had to go through.

Apostolic of the Century

Is it feasible to believe only one person can represent a century? Is it possible for just one person to change a century? That’s what we asked everyone to do for this, our most prestigious category. Respondents took this weighty choice to heart and, with few exceptions, justified their answers with definitive reasons. It was also touching to notice that some respondents shared very personal reasons to justify their answers.

While many worthy names were nominated, perhaps these first three deserve some type of special recognition for making the others possible. Then again, first does not always make for greatest.

• William Seymour—African-American who led the Azusa Street Revival in 1906, faced severe criticism from a number of skeptics, yet helped usher in the 20th century re-birth of Pentecostalism.
• Agnes Ozman—believed to be the first person filled with the Holy Spirit in the 20th century, initiating a return to this experience by an ever increasing number of believers around the world.
• Teklemariam Gehazagne—Superintendent of the Apostolic Church of Ethiopia, who has led their national movement to over 1.4 million members (as of December, 1999) in less than 30 years) and has gone through insurmountable persecution because of his testimony, including his new baby being dropped from a several story building and his wife starving to death.

• Guy E. Roam—The epitome of a Christian. Not only did he start and pastor one incredible church, but he started many daughter churches in the St. Louis area, sent many missionaries and AIMers from his congregation, and groomed dozens of young men and women who are prominent pastors and pastor's wives in the Apostolic realm today. He genuinely loved everyone and always had a kind smile and word for everyone he met. He was never too proud to roll up his sleeves and get in the middle of any project. He would have given his last dime (and I'm sure on many occasions did just that!) to anyone he thought was in need. Spiritually, financially, and physically, Pastor Roam made a terrific contribution to the 20th century church.
• Billy Cole—Has led the church into new dimensions of revival. He preached Apostolic revival and the Gifts of the Spirit long before they were popular.
• Howard Goss
• C.M. Becton
• Norman R. Paslay I—He and Sis Mary Alice Paslay pastored a church born out of adversity, but matured through kindness and sacrifice. He risked jail and gave up money for a new office so that Calvary Christian Academy could be founded. Those who knew him will never forget his spirit of giving.
• Nona Freeman—a pioneering missionary to Africa.
• Andrew Urshan—because of his effect on his generation, and our generation via his influence on the UPC General Superintendent we have today and for the last 20+ years, N. A. Urshan, his son.
• G.A. Mangun—Fasting, prayer, revival church, need I say more?
• Ellis Scism—-He was a man who went through a great deal of hardship to work as a missionary in India. As a result, the church grew greatly. I have a lot of respect and love for him.
• Nathaniel A. Urshan—He represents the past (his father Andrew David Urshan), the present (himself and his other preaching relatives), and the future (his preaching grandson (s?). He has led the United Pentecostal Church for a quarter of a century. By his longevity as a leader in the Apostolic movement, and how he's reached out to those in power both here and in other countries, he has my vote. (Besides, he looks so adorable in his white suit!)
• I personally would like to change this to Apostolics {plural} of the Century. They are those who forged the road before us. The pioneers who fought traditionalism, ignorance and persecution in order to learn about our wonderful truth. They endured being ostracized from friends, family members, and town members while sacrificing all for the propagation of the Gospel. If it hadn't been for them, we wouldn't be here now. We wouldn't be so educated and so full of finesse. We owe so much to these people for their daily sacrifices.

© ninetyandnine.com, 2000

--------

The answers are in! Tell us which ones you must agree/disagree with and why! After all, this survey’s purpose was to define today’s Apostolic experience. Does it reflect yours?

Have an opinion on an article?  Let us know how you feel!  Click feedback & fill us in.

contact information:   
Please let us know your opinion by giving feedback on an article or the site.
general information: general@ninetyandnine.com
copyright © 2005 www.ninetyandnine.com