Episode Transcript
[00:00:20] Kevin: Hello and welcome to the podcast, 10 more minutes. I am your host, Kevin Neville, and. And I have the one and only. The one and only Pastor Phil McNeil. Good thing it's one and only, because I didn't know that we could handle more than one.
[00:00:33] Phil: That's what my wife says. Trust me now.
[00:00:35] Kevin: Pastor Phil, thank you so much for being here. And literally the opening day of Oasis, you preached an amazing message, a message that's really on your heart. I've heard it bits and pieces, but this is where it sort of all came together. Yeah. So let me ask, just for a little bit, for those who are watching and don't know, you tell us a little bit about yourself.
[00:00:55] Phil: Well, let's see. My parents immigrated from Ireland when I was 4 years old, grew up in Canada, and in my last year of university, I gave my heart back to the Lord. My dad had been a pastor on and off, so I grew up in the church, and I thought, well, there's easier ways to make a living, you know, and so I didn't mind serving the Lord and mind giving to the work of the Lord. But the whole thing of being a pastor or carrying the church or being in the ministry, not something I really thought I had to do. But when the call comes, you have no choice, because you either respond or you're miserable.
So in my last year university, I gave my heart back to the Lord and I came down to a little place called Elim Bible. In those days, Institute. Now it's Elim Bible College.
And I came for one year and ended up staying for three. In fact, I've been in this area now for decades because Elim became very influential in my life.
I'm grateful for this place. It's not the only place, but I'm grateful for this place and what it has been in my life. And now being the president of the fellowship is such an honor because I love their DNA. I love who they are, and I love what they're about.
Amen.
[00:02:06] Kevin: Amen. So the president of Elim Fellowship, one year.
[00:02:09] Phil: One year, yeah.
The heart of that has been. Oh, by the way, also, I met my wife here after I graduated, and I just happened to see her. She started working on campus and we got to know each other. So Elon has blessed me in many ways. This first year, we.
The first five months we got out there and we did like, I think eight regional events, mostly over the Northeast, and, you know, we'd go and I think about. We have about just under 800 credential holders, members Ministers, pastors, missionaries, different types of ministry, some parachurch.
And we got out there and about a little over 300 of them actually made it to some of these events along with others because our doors are always open to anyone in ministry. But about 323, I think it was, of our actual credential holders came. So the first four or five months was a lot of travel, but a lot of relationship building and helping people. And our theme, as the theme for our conference was opening the prophetic wells. And so there was a lot of personal prophecy, a lot of crying out to God for his grace among us and upon us and, and just a great chance to connect. We have some, you know, beautiful people out there. And what's really amazing is a lot of our churches are growing right now.
A good chunk of them are in building programs and multi million dollar building programs. And we've got some like I have over the years in the church. I've pastored for over 30 years. We've had our years of struggling, we've had our years of building. That's the local church, you know, you never know. One day it's sunny, the next day can be raining. And then Covid comes and we all say amen, don't we? So a lot of things can affect the local church, but God is faithful. And so that's what the first six months were like.
The last six months, to be honest with you, we've been just doing a lot of individual churches getting out there at least twice a month, if not more. I'm in different churches ministering again, spending time in the living rooms with pastors and leaders and hopefully ministering to them and encourage them, hearing their cry and praying with them and just developing that one on one relationship that that's the heart of Elim. Now as we get larger, that's a little harder. But we also have regional reps and area reps that can do that too. So it's not just me. We've got some, I think 15 elders right now that they go out, they travel, they see how the churches are doing. And we're actually going to increase that next year. We're going to put more money in the budget for our elders to get out there more.
And because they can do more than just me and some of the other staff in the office, we want them out there so people get to know them. And so that's our heart and that's what I've been doing. We are a relational fellowship and when we lose that, we've lost everything because I don't need to be a part of an organization. I need to be a part of an organism, something that lives and breathes. And believe me, this organization lives and breathes sometimes. I wouldn't say it's always perfect, just me, but I wouldn't say it's always perfect. But we have a lot of really broken, gentle, kind, loving, strengthened in Jesus, people that are a part of us. And it's an honor to get out there. Just being here at the conference and seeing some of them, been in their homes, you know, ate some food with them, some food that was unbelievably cultural. I mean, stuff I'd never had before.
Awesome stuff. And so that's the other thing I love about our fellowship, is, you know, our heart for.
Because we have sent to every nation. Every nation is a part of us. And so getting out there and being involved with people, and now with Oasis. Listen, if you didn't come this year, come next year, you won't regret it. I'm telling you. Our altars were full tonight, and all of our elders and their spouses were up there ministering and praying for people. There's a prophetic flow. People were getting words of wisdom, knowledge. I know people were praying for healing. Why wouldn't you want to come?
And plus, relationships are important.
You feel sometimes you don't have time. You don't have time not to build relationships. And sometimes there's effort and energy involved, but I'm telling you, it pays off. I've got decades of relationships in that room out there tonight when I minister, people I've known from the time I was in my 20s and single, traveling among the churches and just ministering with a music group called Highest Call. I look out there, most of those people now are still 70 or 80 years old, but some of them now, their kids are there. And so I get to see their kids and the generations going forth. And that's a part of our heritage as a fellowship. Yeah.
[00:06:39] Kevin: And speaking. Speaking of that, you know, your. Your message tonight, the crucified life, I think we all, you know, it hit us where we live. Where did that message come from?
[00:06:50] Phil: Gosh, it's Elim's DNA.
As a student, we were taught it. We were taught not to fight, kick and scream, exalt ourselves. There's an acrostic for pride. It means, please realize I deserve exaltation.
Elim's DNA is to lay our lives down for one another and for the kingdom. We do not always get it right, but we tried to the best of Our ability, that's part of our DNA. And so tonight I was trying to just hit that root, that DNA of who we are, that we prefer one another, we lay our lives down, we trust the Lord that he'll take care of us, that when one door closes, another opens, and we trust the Lord. You know, and I shared, like you said, some of the message, at least, probably about a third of it I've shared over this year at different churches. But, you know, not everybody was there. And so some of those points I brought because I wanted the whole fellowship to hear it. But there were some new things in there tonight that we're just fresh for tonight.
I think the biggest thing that really hits me, and I preached this years ago at my church. On the night he was betrayed, Jesus took bread and broke it. That thing. I'll tell you the story that I didn't share out there. It was a Sunday morning. I had my message done. It was Easter Sunday, and as I wake up at seven in the morning, the Lord speaks to my heart. On the night he was betrayed, Jesus took bread and broke it. And he spoke to my heart. And he said, I want you to throw off the message you have and I want you to get into the Word and develop a sermon based on those Scriptures.
And I remember arguing with him because it's Easter and that's a good Easter message. This is about death. It should be about resurrection. And. But I remember going down and just putting together a sermon in an hour. And I preached at that Sunday and come to find out even within that, there were a couple of my leaders who had met that weekend and they were not happy with me as pastor. And they'd said some things and done some things and started some things in motion. And when they heard that message and that the Lord spoke to me for that morning, they were convicted and repented from what they were saying and what they were about to do on the night, he was betrayed. Now, that doesn't always happen. Sometimes things happen. We all go through betrayal. But Jesus did not ruminate on it. He did not, as it were, stroke it or. Oh, let's just. Because betrayal can become comfort in our hurt. I understand hurt, if you don't think I've.
I'm not young anymore. I've been hurt a few times in life, let me tell you. But at the end of the day, I've always found. And two times in particular by a miracle, one in a dream, one a word from the Lord. In the dream, he spoke to me. In a dream, a minister Prayed over me, why are you kicking against the pricks, Phil? And I didn't realize kicking against the goats I was wrestling with. God wanted to do. These people left. And I was offended. But at the end of the day, God was moving them on to bless them and to bless the church.
And then the second time was the Lord spoke to me. I was mad about some things ministers had done, other pastors and da, da, da, da, rah, rah, rah. And the dark night of the soul. I'm talking to the Lord's. The dark night of the soul. And all of a sudden, the Lord spoke to me and said, you're not my only son.
That was perfect surgery.
It wasn't rude or offensive. I wish I could speak to people the way the Holy Spirit can speak to us, you know?
But I was free. And it was surgery. The flesh was cut off. It was healed. And I started to laugh because, yeah, because God deals with me that way. Being Irish, a little joke goes a long way. And for me, I just started laughing because, yeah, you snot Phil McNeil, you're not his only son, you arrogant little so and so, you. But it was funny to me that God would speak to me so surgically and cut away the flesh.
Years ago, I was with a pastor, sitting, talking to him, and he's telling me about how he got offended by church. He's no longer in ministry. He was fixing cars, which is fine. It's a noble profession. I don't mean it that way.
I found out the offense happened 20 years ago. For the last 20 years, he's been fixing cars. When there was a call in his life, but he couldn't get over the offense.
Had a couple come into my church. She was mad at her husband, and this is when I was first counseling. She said, he went out and bought a red pickup, and he didn't even ask me, just went out and bought that pickup. And I'm listening to this, and I'm realizing, wait a minute, this is when the church was small. He has a white pickup, right? I'm thinking to myself, so I go, wait a minute, he has a white pickup. And she goes, yeah, well, that was 10 years ago. He went out and bought that red pickup, and he didn't ask me. I wonder if their marriage was having trouble. And the reason is, is because forget the stupid red pickup.
I love to sing that song, and hopefully copy won't come and get us, but let it go.
Let it go. It's one of my favorite songs. I think I preach a lot on this because a lot of us, including myself, deal with this.
We're human.
We want to be honored. We want to be respected. But the only one who honors us and respects us is God.
And we can go to him in our time of need, broken, feeling dishonored, and believe that he will heal us because he is always faithful, whereas I am not always faithful and neither are others.
[00:12:00] Kevin: That's a beautiful 10 more minutes. You know, it's the idea that we could get offended by being taught not to be offended. Or we could realize when it's time to let it go, you know, that we could let it all go.
[00:12:11] Phil: Life is too short.
[00:12:13] Kevin: Amen.
[00:12:14] Phil: At the end of the day, I trust the Lord. That's the whole thing about offense. It's because you don't trust the Lord. That's what it's all about.
It comes to the Garden of Eden when the serpent came to them and said, did God really say?
He introduced mistrust of God.
And you're offended when you don't trust God to take care of you.
All leadership is what established by God.
And so when you trust that God established you and God's put you in a situation, then you don't have to be offended. Fear is the root of all offense. Insecurity, which is of the enemy, because God calls you loved and beloved, is the root of all offense. I no longer call you servants. I call you friends.
He's our friend. He is for you. I've been singing that song. He is for you just goes on and on. He is for you and he is for us. Amen.
[00:13:09] Kevin: Amen. Amen. Thank you, Pastor Phil McNeil. Enjoy 10 more minutes. This has been Kevin Neville and we will see you guys on the next.
[00:13:18] Phil: Week, May 5, 6 and 7, 2020, here in lovely Lima.
[00:13:24] Kevin: I know, I'll be there.
[00:13:25] Phil: Yeah, you will be here.
[00:13:26] Kevin: God bless. We'll see you in the next episode.
