Now Think On This
Steve Martin
“Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead." And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.” (Matthew 17:9-12, NKJV)
After more than 21 years...it is time to be back.
The silver-hairs are BACK AT IT!
I just want to share this testimony, for it has become a fulfilled hope and promised day for us. I strongly believe it will also be an encouragement for many others who think the time has come and gone.
On Feb. 3, 2019, Laurie and I were once again on a Sunday morning church worship team. It had been almost six years since the last time that had happened.
By then it had gotten to the point where we thought our time was done. The days were over. The years had come and moved on. We didn't sing in public since August 2013 - the last time with our group Ahava Love Band at a One New Man Saturday night meeting with Warren Marcus.
In fact, at times we considered, if not aloud but to ourselves, "Let the others do it now. I've done my part. I am tired, old, and time has passed." I can speak for myself, that this thought was just to cover up the longing I still had from the Lord to lead others into worship. And now that it seemed to have finished, I wanted the inner longing to stop. It almost was as if I didn't want to think about it, for it didn't seem that it would happen again.
The Bible speaks of that happening to others. They have a call from the Lord, they do it for a time, and then they are set aside; distracted into other areas, or just quit out of discouragement and "lack of use".
But the Lord has His plans, His purposes, and His faith, which is bigger than ours. If the time is not over with Him, then it is not over with us. That which He has put in each of us may have been buried for a while, and even considered as dead. But it is only taking more process time to pressure the soft coal into a hard diamond, more so to enable the finest to come forth, beyond what would have done if completed earlier ahead of its time.
And the rest of the story…
Another very important part of this restoration concerns the building that we sang in – the former Heritage USA/PTL Barn (Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker ministry). In November of 1997, I was the Administrator of All Nations Church/Mahesh Chavda Ministries (Mahesh and Bonnie Chavda), which had relocated from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Charlotte, NC on July 3, 1994.
Having administrated many conferences since the beginning of my time with that ministry, in August 1987, (a grand total of exactly 40 in the 14 years I served with them) we had scheduled a national conference with the then current owners of the former Heritage USA property, to be held in mid-November 1997. The New Heritage USA (as it had been renamed) Barn venue was the specific location. (Be sure to read the rest: The Silvers Are Back!)
