Master Builders New York Conference – August 3-5, 2018

Pastor Pete Beck III • August 8, 2018

Pastor Pete joined his Dad and Apostle Reginald Holiday from Greensboro for a ministry trip to New York City for a three-day Master Builders conference. Master Builders is a fellowship of five-fold ministers, whose purpose is to serve and strengthen local churches around the world. We arrived Friday afternoon at La Guardia, where Pastor Wilson Caimares, a forty-year New York City resident, picked us up. He drove us back to Queens to drop off our luggage at the church building, pictured on the left, which is located on Roosevelt Ave. in Corona, NY. An elevated train line runs along the street, providing the 24/7 rumble of the in and outbound trains every few minutes, which becomes part of the background noise of the city.

Flushing Meadows Corona Park is adjacent, where we took a short walk. We saw the outside of the Queens Museum, Citi Stadium, where the Mets play, and the Billie Jean King USTA Tennis Center, the home of the US Open Tournament. Needing some exercise after being cooped up on the plane, the four of us lifted the globe that marked the site of a previous Worlds Fair. It really wasn’t as heavy as it looks. The fountains provide a fantastic area in which the kids can romp in the warmer months.

We were treated to a nice mid-afternoon meal at the Olive Garden. The decision was made to stay at the church building rather than drive all the way out to Wilson’s Long Island home, since, when the traffic is bad, it can be an hour drive each way. Also, Wilson had to make sure his guest Charles, from Ghana, was safely delivered to the train station for a trip to the midwest for college.

Papa Pete Preaching. Pastor Caimares Translating.

The evening meeting cranked up with some worship. Pretty much everything is in Spanish, so the work I have been doing brushing up on my language skills using Rosetta Stone paid off. However, until I immerse myself for a while in the language, I will never really learn it. The music had a decidedly Hispanic flavor, which I like.

Dad preached the first message of our conference, the theme being “Walking by Faith.” Pastor

Apostle Reginald Holiday

Wilson translated for him. Dad has been working with this church for twenty years. He used to drive up from Greensboro, but now, being ninety, prefers to fly. The people love him and rightly so. After the meeting we went to the basement for a taco supper. The church shares a meal after every service, usually cooked by a church member who is chef – Mexican style. After the meeting, we made the drive to Wilson’s home. He and his wife graciously hosted the three of us, along with his daughter, son-in-law, and three beautiful grandchildren.

Pastor Pete III Preaching with Victor Translating

The next morning we arose to some great coffee, the “black anointing,” as Wilson calls it. Later

in the morning we were treated to a wonderful breakfast of eggs, cheese, and bagels. The conference cranked up at Noon. After another time of worship, Apostle Holiday shared a message on faith in his usual rousing style. It was an inspiring message powerfully preached. Once again, Pastor Caimares translated. Following a short break, Pastor Pete III, yours truly, shared on how to escape the downward pull of unbelief and hopelessness. One of the elders named Victor did the translating this time. He did a great job. The photo on the left is a little blurry because the anointing was so

Jones Beach

strong.🙂 Afterward we concluded with another fabulous mid-afternoon meal in the basement.

The original plan was for all of us to take in a Mets-Braves game that evening, but that did not happen due to circumstances beyond our control. Instead we took a relaxing and refreshing walk on the boardwalk at Jones Beach, Long Island. What a place! It was cool and breezy when we went, around 8 pm, but still lots of people were there. The parking lots are about equivalent to the Greensboro Coliseum’s. We then returned to Wilson’s home for homemade tostadas (fried plantains) and to bed.

Papa Pete, Pastor Jose Luis Aleman, and Pastor Pete III

Sunday morning we drove to the Bronx to minister at Iglesia Cristiana del Nuevo Pacto (New Covenant Christian Church), pastored by Jose Luis Aleman. It was a beautiful drive past the Botanical Gardens and the Bronx Zoo. While crossing Throgs Neck Bridge, we gained a beautiful view of Manhattan. I fell in love with the people at the Bronx Church. The worship was sweet. I have not had an emotional response to a church like that since being in Poland. They are very special to the Lord. I shared a message on The Gospel in Three Words: Jesus is Lord , with Pastor Wilson translating for me.

Lunch in the Basement

We then drove back to Queens where Reggie preached another dynamic message on faith in Pastor Wilson’s church. He hit a home run for sure. At least four people came forward after his altar call to receive the Lord, a breakthrough victory! Following this we gathered in the basement for another fabulous meal of chicken, rice, salad, and a birthday cake celebrating Dad’s 90 trips around the sun.

From there Wilson drove us back to La Guardia for the return flight. It was a great trip. I fell in love with the people of those two churches and hope to return to see them and more of the city. Hasta luego. Vaya con Dios.

 

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How Can I Transition from Spectating at Church to Being a Player?

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Christianity is not a spectator sport. The Reformation renewed some very important truths of the faith that had been lost over time, one of which is the priesthood of the believer . This doctrine means that in the New Covenant there is no clergy-laity distinction. Everyone is called to ministry. All followers of Christ are called, equipped, and expected to partner with the Holy Spirit in the adventure of using their spiritual gifts, time, energy, finances – everything – to fish for people and encourage them to become followers of Christ and fishers of men in their own right. Every football and basketball season an interesting phenomenon takes place. People personally identify with their favorite teams. When their team is doing well, they feel good about themselves and become enthusiastic, vocal, and visible fans. What is so intriguing is that many of us think that we somehow acquire greater worth and prestige, if our team excels and does better than the other teams. It is almost as if we were the ones who are competing. All big sporting events are filled with such fans who get satisfaction out of watching others play the game. So it is with many people who attend churches. We all know that playing and spectating are vastly different. When we spectate, we can imagine ourselves making better decisions and better plays than the players on the court or the field, but the reality is that we are not playing. Jesus has invited his followers actually to participate in the greatest adventure of being his Spirit-filled and empowered representatives. Unfortunately most of us who call ourselves Christians are merely spectating fans. We may agree with the concept of being involved in the Great Commission, but we have fallen into the trap of being passive, sitting on the sidelines, hoping that someone else will lead our family member, neighbor, or friend to Christ and teach them how to follow him fully. Many Christians think that evangelism is inviting someone to church, where they will hear the preacher talk about Christ. We do not see ourselves as the one who can best share the gospel with them. However, the truth of the matter is that we cannot transfer our responsibility to fulfill the Great Commission to someone else. God does not give us the option of merely being fans or spectators. God asks us to be players – disciples and disciple makers. Not everyone is equally gifted in this area, but we are all asked to participate. Some may win thousands to Christ, while others may help only a few become followers of the Master over a lifetime. Sadly, a great number of those who call themselves Christians have never led even one person to faith in Christ. In some cases they have given up trying. This ought not be. Could this be because we do not even talk about Jesus in a serious way with anyone outside of church meetings? Suggestions Ask God to forgive us for succumbing to laziness, fear, and the spirit of the age that tells us to keep our faith to ourselves. Ask the Holy Spirit to stir in us the fire of enthusiasm for Jesus and the Gospel. Ask him to give us a love for those who live around you who do not yet know Christ. Familiarize ourselves with the Gospel. (I recommend The King Jesus Gospel by McKnight. You can read my summary by clicking here or you may wish to read my articles on the subject .) Pray for opportunities to speak meaningfully to people. Make it a priority to get to know the people in your neighborhood, at work, at the gym, at school, and wherever you have the opportunity to connect. As we spend time in conversation, we will begin to see how Jesus and the Gospel can help them. Our care for them may give us a platform from which to speak about Jesus to them. Visit people and have them over to our homes. The more time we spend with people, the greater the opportunity we provide for the Holy Spirit to work in the relationships. Offer to pray for people on the spot when a genuine need for God’s help surfaces. Join a group (or start one) whose focus is fishing for people and making disciples. In many cases this will be what some call a “missional” church, as opposed to an event-oriented spectator church. We need to be encouraged in the work of the Great Commission because, although it is rewarding, it can be difficult and discouraging at times. Never, never, never, never give up. Our heavenly reward will be great!
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