George Floyd Taylor was an amazing man. He was one of the earliest members of the Holiness Church of North Carolina and a leading figure in the IPHC following the 1911 merger in Falcon, North Carolina. Despite a congenital handicap, he worked tirelessly for the cause of Jesus Christ. He was an avid reader and student, and he earned a master\u2019s degree from the University of North Carolina.<\/p>\n
Nearly 100 years ago in Falcon, North Carolina, Taylor wrote in The Pentecostal Holiness Advocate (in the September 26, 1918 issue) about something that happened to him as a boy. \u201cWhen I was a lad I received a mental vision of the vastness of this world and of its needs,\u201d Taylor wrote, \u201cand I consecrated my life to God to do something to help save it and bless it.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the night of January 7, 1919, in Franklin Springs, Georgia, the 38-year-old Taylor added this to what God did in his life as a youngster:<\/p>\n
\u201cI carefully sought to a text in the Bible that might make my motto for life, and the Spirit seemed to give me Romans 12:11. I have tried to make this the motto of my life<\/em>; and I hope that death may ever take me in this motto.\u201d<\/em> (Quoted in January 16, 1919 issue of The PH Advocate).<\/p>\n Romans 12:11 in the King James Version reads, \u201cNot slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.\u201d I find Taylor\u2019s life inspiring for many reasons: he was the second IPHC General Superintendent (1913-1917); he was General Treasurer of the IPHC; he was editor of the first IPHC magazine, The Pentecostal Holiness Advocate; he was headmaster of the Falcon Holiness School; he wrote the first Sunday School lessons (for all grades) of the IPHC; he wrote several books; and he was manager of the Pentecostal Holiness Publishing House.<\/p>\n He also began Franklin Springs Institute\u2014now Emmanuel College\u2014in January 1919. As the founder of Franklin Springs Institute, he made his personal life motto verse the motto verse of the school.<\/p>\n One thing is certain, G.F. Taylor fully obeyed Romans 12:11! There are events in our childhood that shape our future. Sometimes it\u2019s a dream or vision, or it\u2019s something we see or hear. Those events can harden our hearts or make us sensitive to God.<\/p>\n Reading these comments by Taylor describing his own youth, I have pictures of IPHC young people from around the world hearing the voice of God. Among the lessons of his life, three come to the forefront for each generation.<\/p>\n First, though he grew up in rural North Carolina, God spoke to his young mind and showed him \u201cthe vastness of this world and of its needs.\u201d God\u2019s ability to speak to us can overcome our normal worldview and experiences. A child can investigate the vast expanse of a night sky and realize the world is larger than their surroundings. Today, youngsters explore the universe or see the world\u2019s needs through Google.<\/p>\n John Wesley saw the needs of the world but experienced his adequacy when he went to Georgia as a young Anglican missionary. Leaving Georgia, he spent the rest of his life riding across \u201cthis blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England\u201d and through those lenses realized \u201cthe world is my parish.\u201d<\/p>\n As a boy I remember IPHC missionaries visiting the church. Their stories touched my heart and expanded the borders of my thinking and my desires. God used those men and women to awaken me to what I would later discover to be God\u2019s will for my life\u2014service to Him.<\/p>\n That was the second thing about Taylor that speaks to me in these decades of life: A consecration to live, serve and bless the world the Lord enables me to touch. I see a young generation arising today that wants the challenges of a fully consecrated life to Christ. To a growing number of young, comfort, prestige, and recognition do not compare to living for a cause greater than oneself.<\/p>\n Finally, we can all learn what it is to study the Bible, in Taylor\u2019s words, \u201cto carefully\u201d (seek) God speaking to us with a defining Word from the Bible. For Taylor, that verse was Romans 12:11. For St. Augustine, struggling to finally consecrate his whole self to God, it was Romans 13:13-14: \u201cLet us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts\u201d (NKJV).<\/p>\n The key is that boys and girls, as well as men and women, are exposed to the life-changing power of the Word of God. As a lad, G.F. Taylor learned the power of God\u2019s Word and sought God\u2019s defining word for his life. None of us are too old for God to cease speaking to us. New seasons of life bring forth fresh insights from the Word. But we must have ears to hear, and there must be voices to speak.<\/p>\n In the marathon called life, where generations arrive, mature, and prepare to leave, there are legacies to leave for others. G.F. Taylor\u2019s life gives us three of those legacies: a vision for the world and its needs; the power of full surrender to what God desires of us; and a life lived by the sustaining power of the Word of God.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n By Doug Beacham<\/strong><\/p>\n This article was published in\u00a0the September 2018 issue of Encourage<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"excerpt","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2817,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1],"tags":[510,45,134,46,290,12],"class_list":{"0":"post-2801","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bishops-blog","8":"category-general","9":"tag-510","10":"tag-bishop","11":"tag-bishops-blog","12":"tag-doug-beacham","13":"tag-iphc-general-superintendent","14":"tag-september","15":"entry"},"title_es":"Debemos valorar la generaci\u00f3n que nos sigue","content_es":"A principios de este a\u00f1o, el Centro de Investigaci\u00f3n Pew public\u00f3 sus fechas definitivas relacionadas con las cuatro generaciones principales que viven en los Estados Unidos. Estos son: (1) la generaci\u00f3n silenciosa, nacida entre 1928 y 1945 (edades 73-90); (2) Boomers, nacidos entre 1946 y 1964 (edades 54-72); (3) Generaci\u00f3n X: nacido en 1965-1980 (edades 38-53); y (4) Millennials: nacido en 1981-1996 (edades 22-37). Aunque no se menciona en este informe de Pew, la Generaci\u00f3n Z constituye a los nacidos desde 1997; tienen 21 a\u00f1os o menos en 2018. Este estudio me pareci\u00f3 interesante por varias razones. La primera es que muchos Boomers contin\u00faan liderando instituciones c\u00edvicas, empresariales, educativas y eclesi\u00e1sticas. Como Boomers, fuimos influenciados (para bien o para mal) por los principales cambios culturales en la vida estadounidense en la d\u00e9cada de 1960: la revoluci\u00f3n sexual, la importancia del movimiento de Derechos Civiles para los estadounidenses negros y la aceptaci\u00f3n del relativismo moral en lugar de la verdad revelada. Pero al mismo tiempo, los Boomers son parte de una poblaci\u00f3n que envejece. Aproximadamente 10,000 Boomers llegan a la edad de 65 todos los d\u00edas. ( Haga clic aqu\u00ed<\/a> para obtener m\u00e1s informaci\u00f3n). Millones de personas de 62 a\u00f1os en adelante est\u00e1n recibiendo Seguro Social. Dependen de la Generaci\u00f3n X y los Millennials para pagar los impuestos necesarios para manejar la jubilaci\u00f3n de Boomer, que probablemente durar\u00e1 entre 35 y 40 a\u00f1os m\u00e1s. La segunda raz\u00f3n por la que encontr\u00e9 esto tan interesante se relaciona con mi ubicaci\u00f3n mientras escribo esta columna. En julio, Susan y yo asistimos al evento YouthQuest de IPHC en Covington, Kentucky. El enfoque ha estado en el valor central de IPHC 2018, "Valoramos con oraci\u00f3n a todas las generaciones". Estaba muy agradecido de ver el \u00e9nfasis dado a Arise 2033 durante YouthQuest. Esta generaci\u00f3n de adolescentes tendr\u00e1 entre 20 y 30 a\u00f1os cuando el IPHC se re\u00fana en 2033 para conmemorar el 2000 aniversario de la muerte, la resurrecci\u00f3n de Jesucristo y el D\u00eda de Pentecost\u00e9s. La parte de Bellas Artes de YouthQuest incluye sermones cortos. Debido a que estoy tan interesado en los j\u00f3venes que el Esp\u00edritu Santo est\u00e1 llamando al ministerio, siempre disfruto escuchando estos sermones. Estoy agradecido por la cantidad de mujeres j\u00f3venes que los pastores, padres y congregaciones alientan a participar en la predicaci\u00f3n. Este a\u00f1o, el texto de la predicaci\u00f3n fue Malaqu\u00edas 4: 6a, "Y volver\u00e1 los corazones de los padres hacia los hijos, y los corazones de los hijos hacia sus padres" (NKJV). Mientras estas mujeres y hombres j\u00f3venes predicaban, todos hablaban con pasi\u00f3n sobre las responsabilidades de una generaci\u00f3n a otra. Algunos hablaron del contexto hist\u00f3rico de Malachi y lo relacionaron con nuestro presente. Algunos hablaron con historias personales desgarradoras de sobrevivir a los matrimonios rotos de sus padres. Algunos describieron c\u00f3mo la referencia al profeta El\u00edas en Malaqu\u00edas 4: 5 se cumpli\u00f3 en la persona de Juan el Bautista (Mateo 11: 7-14; 17:12, 13). Cuando estos j\u00f3venes predicadores leyeron o mencionaron Malaqu\u00edas 4: 6a, tuve esta imagen en mi mente de una piedra grabada con el texto hebreo de esa parte del texto (ver la foto en esta p\u00e1gina). Hace varios a\u00f1os, cuando \u00e9ramos j\u00f3venes Baby Boomers que buscaban inspiraci\u00f3n y gu\u00eda en una generaci\u00f3n anterior, Susan y yo encontramos el grabado y lo mantuvimos colgado en la pared de nuestra casa. Es un recordatorio constante para nosotros de las oportunidades y responsabilidades que tenemos. Es importante notar que Malaqu\u00edas 4: 6 comienza con un llamado prof\u00e9tico a cada generaci\u00f3n de "padres" (y "madres") para que vuelvan sus corazones a los que vienen detr\u00e1s de ellos. Nosotros, que somos mayores, no podemos esperar a que los m\u00e1s j\u00f3venes se dirijan a nosotros. Primero debemos recurrir a ellos. Nos volvemos con arrepentimiento, comprensi\u00f3n y paciencia. No nos volvemos en un esfuerzo d\u00e9bil para ser "relevantes", sino que nos volvemos con gracia, verdad y amor. Nos convertimos en personas cuyas vidas pueden ser imitadas. No nos volvemos porque somos mejores, sino porque hemos ido m\u00e1s lejos en el camino con el Se\u00f1or de las generaciones. Creo que como el avivamiento, el arrepentimiento, la renovaci\u00f3n, la reconciliaci\u00f3n y la restauraci\u00f3n ocurren entre aquellos que somos mayores, ser\u00e1 un testimonio y una se\u00f1al para aquellos que nos siguen de la gran fidelidad del Se\u00f1or. Para nosotros Boomers, el tiempo corre. Nuestro tiempo en esta tierra es corto. Dirij\u00e1monos a las generaciones m\u00e1s j\u00f3venes con pasi\u00f3n ungida por el Esp\u00edritu. Tal vez el juicio final mencionado en Malaqu\u00edas 4: 6b siempre dependa de c\u00f3mo y cu\u00e1ndo recurramos a quienes nos siguen. Inquilinos con entusiasmo nuestras vidas en aquellos que nos siguen. Puede encontrar m\u00e1s informaci\u00f3n sobre el estudio Pew Research aqu\u00ed<\/a> . Por Doug Beacham<\/strong> Este art\u00edculo fue publicado en la edici\u00f3n de agosto de 2018 de Encourage<\/a> .<\/em>","author_name":"","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2018\/09\/PHOTO-Beacham-1-e1536698808292.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb62Bx-Jb","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2801"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2801\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}