ACTS - Maintaining Spiritual Capacity By Ray Stedman from his talk "Whatever Became Of Integrity". A graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and a highly respected Bible expositor, Ray served in youth ministry at the Church of the Open Door in Los Angeles, pastored by Dr. J. Vernon McGee. Immediately following graduation from seminary, Ray traveled with the well known Bible teacher, Dr. Harry A. Ironside, who for many years was pastor of Moody Bible Church in Chicago. Ray served 40 years as pastor of the Peninsula Bible Church, before retiring in 1990. While Ray passed away in 1992, he impact on others can be characterized by J.I Packer's statement that "Throughout the Christian centuries, from Crysostom and Augustine through Luther, Calvin, and Matthew Henry, to Martin Lloyd- Jones and Ray Stedman, working pastors have been proving themselves to be the best of all Bible expositors." In Southern California last week we met in small groups to discuss and share with one another how we pastors kept ourselves vital and spiritually alive. One of the pastors I met with particularly intrigued me. This man is only 35 years old, but he ministers to more than ten thousand people every Sunday morning. I was interested in what he said about how he maintains his spiritual capacity: Every morning he sits at his desk and writes across the top of a sheet of paper the letters A, C, T, S. (I pass this on for any help it may give any of you.) The A stands for adoration; C, confession; T, thanksgiving; and S, supplication. Under the letter A, he writes down all the things he can think of about the majesty, greatness and glory of God. He does what Jesus teaches us to do in the Lord's prayer, which is to turn our thoughts to God first: "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name," {Matt 6:9, Luke 11:2}. Then he begins to contemplate the majesty of God, the greatness of his being, the love of his heart, the mercy that he has manifested toward him, and he lists all those qualities. That is what the Psalmist did: "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. All that is within me, bless ye the Lord," {cf, Psa 103:1-2}. Then he turns to confession. He said, "I write down the sins that I am aware of doing yesterday. If it is Monday morning, and, in my preaching Sunday, I exaggerated in an illustration -- I said it was a nine car pile-up when it was only a six car pile-up -- I do not write that I exaggerated, but that I lied to the people. If I inadvertently kept some change that was given to me by mistake, I do not write down that I kept some money that was not mine, but that I stole some money yesterday. I want to be hard on myself. I want to put it down in the worse possible way so I will face in myself these tendencies." Next, he said, "I turn to thanksgiving, and I begin to give thanks that I am forgiven these things. One by one I cross them out, and write, 'forgiven, forgiven.' Then under supplication, I pray and ask God for the strength not to be like that anymore, but to be honest, careful and thoughtful." No wonder that young man is being greatly used of God! My heart delighted that such a young preacher would have that kind of integrity about him. My heart delighted that such a young preacher would have that kind of integrity about him.
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