Yorba Linda Vineyard

Recently I again went through some early teachings from John & Carol about the early beginnings of the Vineyard. It’s interesting with all the technology that’s available to us now it feels like it was just yesterday when some of these meetings took place.

During John’s life and ministry there were many people that wrote many different papers concerning who they believed John was and what the Vineyard stood for.

One of the funny things about John was I believed he was well ahead of his time. Many times he said and spoke things that are just happening today. He was amazing the way he saw the future and where the Church was going. I cant tell you how many things I see today that John said would in effect be happening if certain decisions were made. And not all of them are positive!

One thing John said in particular was that he knew when he was gone others would come in and write things that were incorrect. And boy was he ever right! That happened right away. In fact a man in particular wrote a book about the Vineyard, and went and showed it to John and John wasn’t fond of it. In fact, this is when he went home and asked Carol to write a book to tell the people the way it really was. He wanted her to write about the way things went down in the birthing of the Vineyard Movement as well as what took place throughout the years.

Even though John [nor many of us] were fond of that book the man released the anyways. In fact right after John passed.  The timing was inconsiderate.  And lets face it; in today’s world anyone can write a book. In fact anyone can write a book and publish it themselves, just to make a buck. Which I'm fine with unless it's about John or the Vineyard and it comes about in a way that doesn't represent us correctly. And thank the Lord that Carol is still with us. And Carols pretty great in so many ways. One of the things I love about Carol is what a great storyteller she is. She’s a well of information and experience of all God has done through out the years. So when people ask me about the early days of the Vineyard, I always tell them to listen to what Carol says. Listen to what she speaks and read what she’s written. There’s lots of information out there, but why not listen to from the one who was one of the founders? Carol knows the Vineyard.

One of the many things I’ve learned with having kids is being a parent is full-time that offers non-stop opportunities to use as training moments. One high value we have with our two kids, Camie Rose and John Richard II is the importance of raising them with the knowledge that they remember who they are.  In fact when they head out somewhere, I always say, ‘Stranger danger,’ and many times, I’ll also say, “remember who you are!”  There are too many people out there who will want to tell them who they think they are or what they should be doing, so I want them to know with out a doubt the answers to those questions so they are swayed or pulled in different directions.

It’s invaluable to know who we are, why we’re here and where we’re going. 

The Vineyard Movement is way to young of a Movement to not remember where we come from. When we remember where we come from is when we remember those things God has anointed us for. We’re anointed for a purpose. If this weren’t the case, there wouldn’t be a need for so many different denominations. I believe God anoints different denominations with purpose. The Vineyard is the Lord’s idea and He has destined why the Vineyard exists. The reason its worked and been sustained is because Gods handprints have been all over it.

If we forget about the handprints and what captured our hearts, we’ll begin to get really good at what we can do without Him.

I run into leaders all the time that have gotten so busy with doing church, and administrating the church, that there’s no time left over to just be the church. In fact, they’re so busy trying to make the church happen and they have no time to do the thing they love—to do the things that first got them. For example, someone gets saved and loves evangelism. They love being with people, telling people about the Lord- in fact they love being with the lost. Then they get into ministry and they get so busy trying to keep the ministry together that they have no time left over to reach the lost. The very thing they love becomes the thing that suffers- because there’s no time for it.

But what happens is the passion then begins to fade. Somewhere they’ve forgotten who they are, and what they’re for because its been replaced with what’s practical or what ‘has’ to be done.

When we remember what God has done, it feeds who we are. It reminds us of all God has done, is doing and gives us faith for the more to come.  To remember is vital as it reminds us how faithful Gods been time and again. Just think in your own life how many times God showed up when it didn’t even seem possible? Where it felt like everything was going to fall apart, God showed up and rescued you?

I was watching the Olympics this past year and I just love it. I love the competitions; I love the different countries and the expression of the individual as well as the individual countries, and I love how it’s a time when we all come together. But I was watching how the torch goes around the world until it gets to the place where the fire is lit at the opening ceremony. All these volunteers get the privilege of being a part of history. They get to be a part of this amazing event, yet they are volunteers and were chosen for the task.

I begin to think, ‘what if someone decided to stop?’ ‘

What is someone decides they’re just to tired and they don’t want to walk or run anymore?’ What would then happen to the torch?

And as I was thinking about all this I begin to think of the Vineyard. It’s our job to run our part of the race and to pass the baton on to the ones following. If you and I don’t make the choice to pass the baton, then that’s where it stops.

No one running with the baton for the Olympics talks about how tired they are. They don’t complain about the distance, or ask questions about where they’re asked to run. They’ve been given an incredible privilege and they know it. So they put their heart into it and share about their role in the journey.

It all comes down to choice. Will we choose to remember the privilege? Will we do our part? I don’t know about you, but I sure don’t want to be the one that made the decision to stop the torch from continuing on. Would you want that to land on you? 

Can you imagine? “Well, we were going strong, until Christy decided she didn’t want to go on…” Who would want to be known for the one that forgot and gave up?

But the truth is I know if I don’t make the conscious choice to continue running the race; looking for those to pass the baton too, that’s exactly what would happen.

This isn't just concerning the Vineyard, as any Movement can easily forget their heritage.

It doesn’t take much to forget.  Remember that’s why God has made it clear for thousands of years the importance of passing on who God is and how he works. This isn’t just a one-time deal; it’s a daily commitment.

[Deuteronomy 6:6-7]
"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

Notice these are commandments---To impress here means to seal it- to mark it.  We’re called to seal on people’s hearts all God has done. And this Scripture is saying, were called to do this all the time! To seal it on our kids hearts who God is; what He’s already done and remind them of all the reasons God is the faithful one to trust in!

If you and I don’t tell the story, then those following us will not have a value for what we call the Vineyard. You only value what you know and what you love. All through history from generation to generation there are those that knew the Lord, yet their children did not. God doesn’t think or plan like us. We think of the immediate and how things affect us. God thinks generationally. Remember he refers to himself as the “God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob”. This is why God makes a commitment of promise to us when He says, “If you obey that blessing goes to the 1000^th generation! That’s our heritage and that’s the blessing of following Christ. Our decisions and choices don’t just affect us, but those that follow us. It’s part our legacy! It’s written on the hearts of our children and those we have given our life too for the sake of the Kingdom! [Ps. 103]

It’s way to easy to forget and its way easy to give up. If you look at Joshua 24:31 it says, “And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders, that outlived Joshua. And they had known all the works of the Lord, and all he had done for Israel.”

Then we find in the following book of Judges, in chapter 2, “And also the generations were gathered unto their fathers, and there arose another generation who knew not the Lord, nor the works which He had done for Israel.”

What happened from the days of Joshua and those that served under his leadership to the generations that followed? Someone didn’t remember and remind the people of all God had done. Just think about this. These are the people and the grandkids of those delivered out of Egypt. They made it through the wilderness for 40 years. I mean here God performed all those miracles that were unbelievable! The parting of the Red Sea; the manna falling from heaven; the victories in war, the cloud by day, the fire by night, and so many others. God had revealed himself time and time again to these people in ways that you and I would love to see, yet, the following generations didn’t know the Lord and didn’t even remember these same works!

It only took one generation to not tell the story and remember who they were and who God was to them.

Do you realize that all through church history there are movements that have been birthed long before the Vineyard; many wonderful movements, but many that initially started with an anointing that have gone far away from those things? The Methodists who stood on purity? They were also known for worshipping a bit on the wild side! John Wesley who stood for holiness? This movement now ordains homosexuals.

What about the Lutherans? Remember Martin Luther? Some of Luther’s early writings he shared that he became convinced the church was corrupting and had lost sight of several of the central truths of Christianity.  In 2009 they passed the vote in Minneapolis, Minnesota to ordain clergy that are homosexual.

What about St. Patrick’s? Remember, we celebrate this every March?  It might be surprising to some but St. Patrick was never about green bear and leprechauns. St. Patrick was actually a miracle worker who prayed up to 100 times a day. He ministered to the druids and planted 100’s of churches.

What about Yale and Harvard? If you look through their history and the reason they came into existence, is a far cry from what they are now. They were birthed to train ministers and now they are two of the most liberal schools in the US. This is a common thread all through out history.

I believe one of the reasons it’s important we remember and why we keep telling the story is so we learn from the generations before us what worked, what didn’t work as well as what God put his anointing on. Its so we learn to do things better.

One of the things that became very clear to me over the years in the Vineyard is all the wonderful things God has allowed us to be a part of. Just look at the worship God birthed in the church through the Vineyard. Look at the way church was changed with what once was a choir with a song leader is now a called a worship leader with a band. 

I could go on and on with many areas the Vineyard has had incredible impact around the nations. But what I’ve also seen and walked through are those things that didn’t work well. Those things that we wouldn’t want passed down to the following generations.

What about those things? What about the leaders that fell into adultery or the worship where we obviously made some lousy decisions that affected where were at today with Vineyard worship?

Would we want those things passed down? I doubt anyone would say yes. How do we equip the following generations so they don’t walk through the same hardships as we did?

We tell them the truth. We tell of the pitfalls. And we talk about those things where we’ve made some mistakes. I believe that’s where we are. We need to be honest about those things that didn’t or aren’t working so those following can move forward with great power and clarity.

For years I’ve been very hesitant to talk about things that are embarrassing to our history, but now I believe its necessary. In fact months back I was in England chatting with the Gumbel’s who are with Holy Trinity Brompton. We were talking about John’s early visitation and how the Lord showed up in great power. There was another gentleman present, but I can’t even remember his name, but I knew he was a Vicar somewhere in London. Anyways, we were chatting about all the wonderful things the Lord did through John and the Vineyard had done in the U.K.- it was a really great time. But as we were talking, this other gentleman, who absolutely loved

John, and was changed radically through John’s visits, asked me about a few leaders who were with the early Vineyard asking what had happened with some of these guys in the last several years? I noticed as I continued to share a bit about some of these men, that there was a painful pattern. A pattern we definitely don’t want to pass on. As we began to chat we talked about the importance of heritage and learning from those things that really hurt as well of the many things that helped.

It’s an opportunity to learn. Not an opportunity we would pick but an opportunity nevertheless. People want to know the truth and it’s truth that sets us free.

As with any Church Movement some leaders have made poor decisions. The Vineyard has seen our fair share of people that have fallen. There’s no need to share the names of these men, as they have families that didn’t do anything wrong and I don’t believe in shaming people. But what I’ve seen through out John’s ministry are men that John shared so much with. They wouldn’t have had a platform of ministry if it wasn’t for John, and even though he was so generous to them, many of these men went their own ways in sin, and turned their back on John. In fact, a few of them treated him with horrible disrespect. John didn’t talk much about them or what they were doing behind his back; he was way gracious. They had chosen to give their life to pornography, extra-marital affairs as well as other things that took them out of ministry. And of course not everyone fell to sexual sin, there were those that were glory grabbers. They wanted all the glory!

The sad part was watching all those years they had the audacity to blame John.

It was very difficult and painful for John and Carol. Any of you in leadership will know what I am talking about. You give your life to people and not everyone walks away with a grateful heart. It’s very painful and John experienced this time and again. Even though he didn’t talk about it much didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. Of course it hurt!

And even though they all had gifting their choices took them out. John’s choices did not take them out; their own selfish choices did. They themselves are to blame for where they are at today. But when we look through our history, we have seen men that have forgotten who they were. They forgot the privilege of what they were invited into. They forgot the Vineyard or spiritual gifts wasn’t about them. Or just because they wrote a song or God used them in healing they were above and better than other’s. There were those that forgot they weren’t invincible and they each took themselves out of remembering the high value of accountability.

We lost way to many to their 15 minutes of fame. I hate to say it that way, but that’s exactly what it looked like. It was embarrassing, and really unnecessary, however we'll continue the pattern if we don't learn from errors done in the past.

We must tell those following us that character must override gifting. Gifting will get you somewhere, but it will not keep you there. All of us have watched good people not make it far in the Kingdom. We have to keep our hearts clean. We are the ones responsible for that. Keeping our hearts clean is what will continue to sustain us personally and corporately.

One way of not continuing in some patterns that aren’t healthy is to share how destructive those patterns are, and to make people aware. I meet way to many leaders that don’t know how to say no, so they have no balance in their life and there home life suffers because of it.  I can see they’re afraid if they say no, they’ll never be asked again.

One of my favorite things about John was that he was never really impressed with people and their anointing. He was highly impressed with Christ. And anyone that knew John knew he loved watching everyone doing the stuff. But every year I would gather all our songwriters from around the world and in our last songwriting meeting with John, what he said to the writers struck us all in the heart. He said, “I don’t care if you never write another song. What I do care is to see your children and family intact and seeing you married to the same spouse in twenty years.”

How amazing is that? No matter how much fame and money the worship tended to bring, that was never the point to John. He knew how quick people would sacrifice their family for it. So he made it clear to us not only at this meeting but time and again what was really important and how to keep balance in our lives. If you ask many of the worship leaders, they’ll tell you when they ran into John the first thing he would usually ask is how the family was doing.

I’ll never forget those time’s. And I do believe people don’t naturally know these things so we need to be reminded. And not only that but when were struggling to tell on ourselves! Isn’t it true that  ‘your only as sick as your secrets.’ So don’t have them- go tell on yourself to someone so poor choices don’t take you out of the high calling God has for you!

I’ve seen it too many times and it’s such a rip off. Remember, the enemy steals from us in fact, that’s why he’s called a thief, not a robber. A robber will come up and rip you off; a thief will sneak in and be slippery in how he steals. He doesn’t want you know what he’s taking from your life. 

Lets remember those choices that didn’t work well. Let’s remember the poor choices people made that not only hurt them, their families, but also the Body. But lets remember so we don’t do them ourselves! Lets see the destructive patterns so we know there’s a huge price tag to poor choices. I would be devastated if one day one of my leaders fell into sin, a sin I’ve seen trap leaders before and have one that I love come back to me asking why I didn’t tell them. Why didn’t I tell them this is what this sin would do to their family and ministry?  It’s not healthy to play like everything’s fine and there’s no mistakes or hardships in life. We learn from our mistakes as much as if not more than our successes.  

Remember, sin doesn’t define us. Jesus does.  But we also have to remember that no one is above anything. In fact, anytime I hear someone say, “I’ll never do that,” is a sure danger sign to me. We need each other for accountability. We need others to love us and we need others to walk through life with so we have people able to tell us where we missed it, or where were off course. It’s for our own safety!

Remember who you are. Remember why God called you, and remember what God has anointed you for. Remember to tell the story over and over again so you and those following after you don’t forget!

What have you seen God do that you would want your great grandkids to know?

What are the things you’ve learned the hard way that you’d hate if you saw your kids struggling with those same things? I encourage you to talk about those things, write it down…. And share them time and time again.

If you & I don’t talk about the works of God as well as the struggles we’ve had and especially what God has done amongst us, then our great grandkids won’t know.

Remember, remember, and remember--- That is up to us. To remember and to remind others---Let’s continue to pass the torch….  

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