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Archive for the ‘Charismatic’ Category
It Is Well with My Soul
Posted: June 30, 2020 in Ancient Faith, belief, Biblical, Body of Christ, catholic, Charismatic, Christian, Church, Cross, death, Evangelical, Faith, Father, glory, God, Gospel, Holy Spirit, Holy Trinity, Hope, Jesus, Kingdom of God, life, Lutheran, Messiah, orthodoxy, Pentecostal, redemption, regeneration, reign, renewal, repent, Repentance, resurrection, sanctification, Scriptural, Son, story, Teaching, Testimony, transformation, Uncategorized, WordTags: eternity, Father, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, life, love, protection, Provision, Son
The first half of 2020 has often caught me off guard. As I watch events unfold I have felt anxiety, distress, confusion, loneliness, and even anger. The solid ground under my American way of life is shaking. Justice and truth seem like injured soldiers limping away into the darkness. And yet…it is well with my soul.
The beautiful and deeply loved hymn, It Is Well With My Soul (or Peace Like a River), was written by Horatio Spafford in 1873. He was a wealthy attorney, businessman, husband, and father of five children, but multiple tragedies struck; first in the loss of his young son and the loss of his business in the great Chicago fire of 1871, then in the sinking of the SS Ville du Havre in 1873 where he lost all four daughters to the sea. Spafford learned of this great loss by telegraph from his wife with the barren words, “Saved alone.”
In the midst of great emotional pain, our Lord raised up faith and hope in this man of sorrows and enabled him to pen a song that comforts and encourages us today. God has not promised us a life free of fears, sorrow, or loss; but He has promised to bring us comfort in all circumstances, a deep deposit of comfort and compassion that we can lavish on others in times of trouble.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Receive God’s great love and comfort to sustain you in 2020, and don’t hesitate to give His comfort away. May it be well with your soul today!
by Sue DeSha
Are You Unsettled Too?
Posted: June 26, 2020 in Ancient Faith, belief, Biblical, Body of Christ, Calling, Charismatic, Christian, Church, Cross, death, Evangelical, Evangelism, Faith, Father, glory, God, Gospel, Holy Spirit, Holy Trinity, Hope, Jesus, kerygma, Kingdom of God, Love, Lutheran, Messiah, Ministry, Orthodox, orthodoxy, Pastoral Care, Pentecostal, power, preach, Preaching, redemption, regeneration, reign, renewal, repent, Repentance, Sacramental, Scriptural, sign, Son, Teaching, WordDear Beloved in Christ,
For some time now you have been strangely unsettled in your spirit. This has perplexed you – as you have just been getting on with your Christian walk even though participating in the general life of the church had all be ceased for the past three months. You have been disturbed in yourself. You have re-read the pages of the Bible relating to the dynamic works of the apostles and the early disciples; and then compared these with what you have been experiencing in your own life and church setting.
You have perceived a gap between where, spiritually-speaking, things are now, and where the early followers of Jesus Christ were in their day. I am not suggesting that Pentecost is to be repeated; but rather continued, for Ephesians 5:18 says, “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.” (NLT)
In different times and circumstances, you may have felt that it was time to reevaluate your journey with Jesus Christ, but in a strange way you have not felt any clear direction regarding which way to go. Maybe you have been feeling and continue to feel that you need strive to identify more closely with your community and the section of your neighborhood/ workplace, in which you live.
You may be sensing that any striving that you have done to draw closer to Jesus Christ, and to be more committed to His calling and God’s word, has increased rather than reduced the dissatisfaction and unrest that you have been feeling. You have felt lonely because you haven’t been surrounded by other Christians. Most other “Christians” in fact seem to be happily getting on with their lives. This adds to your perplexity. “Is it just me? Why am I feeling this way? There must be something wrong with me; as most others seem to be getting along OK.”
You have been concerned that you might be getting cynical and critical over what you see as the increasing worldliness in the church. You may be long for fellowship with others whom you feel might understand – in some measure at least – “where you are.” As you cautiously and honestly open up to others whom you sense may be walking the same path; you find that they too, in their heart of hearts, have been going through exactly the same inner spiritual processes and turmoil as yourself.
If you have been sensing or experiencing any of these things take heart beloved child of God. I believe that what you have been going through is a God-given unsettledness, a Holy dissatisfaction with “what is.” What He has been creating in you is preparing you for the days ahead.
I believe a great crisis is coming – for our society, its peoples, the current religious systems, and what many would call “the church.” God desires those who have been weaned away from dependency on the structures, programs, and other facets of organized “churchiness.” He is looking for those who hunger and thirst after righteousness; those who long to be filled with the life-giving Holy Spirit of God. He is desiring and preparing those who will seek to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified; those who will find no satisfaction in the trinkets of this world and who will spurn worldly methods and sinful passions, the fixation with “success,” and the worldly measurements of “spirituality” and “commitment” that have invaded the visible church. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is building His Church. God rules and reigns. His Kingdom has no end!
Please consider the following questions. Are you a believer who is prepared to “abandon all” for the sake of Jesus Christ and His Great Commission to reach the lost? Have you considered the cost, and are you prepared to pay that price in the context of the measure of grace that has been given to you? Do you, in your spirit, realize that nothing short of total submission will quench your thirst for God and satisfy the desires of your heart?
The way ahead could involve great sacrifice; and you may face rejection and much criticism – even from those around you and those close to you in the “church.” It is this type of sacrifice in which the Lord delights for Jesus says in Matthew 5:11-12, “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are My followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.” (NLT) Indeed the cost of turning away from His calling upon your life will be even greater.
Take heart dear follower of Jesus Christ, you are not alone. Many others are being spoken to in exactly the same way as God is speaking to you. It may not be apparent to you yet; but time will reveal those who will stand with you. Meanwhile equip yourself with the knowledge of His Word and abandon yourself to the leading of His Spirit, that He might use you according to His will and purposes, as the God of all ages works out His purposes in this lost and dying world.
Your God and my God has clearly stated through His Son Jesus Christ in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, because they shall be filled.”
Lastly, remember God’s encouraging words in Joshua 1:9, “Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (CSB)
May God the Father, the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the gracious Holy Spirit be with you all – One God, be praised, both now and forever, even unto the end of the ages. Amen.
May God bless and keep you,
Pastor Gary
~ thanks to Colin Wilson
Summer Breeze
Posted: July 3, 2019 in Ancient Faith, belief, Biblical, Charismatic, Christian, Cross, Evangelical, Faith, God, Gospel, Holy Spirit, Holy Trinity, life, Love, Lutheran, Messiah, orthodoxy, poetry, repent, Repentance, resurrection, sanctification, Teaching, WordDo you remember this song from Seals and Croft?
“See the curtains hanging in the window, in the evening on a Friday night; A little light shining through the window, lets me know everything is alright… Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind; Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind…
See the paper laying in the sidewalk, a little music from the house next door; So I walked on up to the doorstep, through the screen and across the floor…
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind; Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind…
Sweet days of summer, the jasmine’s in bloom; July is dressed up and playing her tune; And I come home from a hard day’s work; And you’re waiting there, not a care in the world; See the smile waiting in the kitchen, food cooking and the plates for two; Feel the arms that reach out to hold me, in the evening when the day is through…
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind; Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind…”
In John 3:8, Jesus says, “The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it’s going. That’s how it is with everyone who has been born from the Spirit.” Nicodemus had objected to Jesus’ teaching because he did not understand. Jesus shows him that he ought not to reject it on that account, for he constantly had a problem believing. Jesus’ words might appear incomprehensible, but His teaching was to be understood by its effects. As in this case of the wind, the effects were seen, the sound was heard, important changes were produced by it, trees and clouds were moved, yet the wind is not seen, nor do we know where it comes, nor by what laws it is governed. So it is with the operations of the Holy Spirit in the life of a person.
When the Holy Spirit comes, we see the changes produced. Men who are sinful become holy; the thoughtless become serious; the licentious become pure; the vicious, moral; the moral, religious; the prayerless, prayerful; the rebellious and obstinate, meek, mild, and gentle. When we see such changes, we ought no more to doubt that they are produced by God ‐ by the mighty Agent, than when we see the trees moved, or the waters of the ocean piled upon heaps, or feel the cooling effects of a summer’s breeze. In those cases we attribute it to the “wind,” even though we do not see it, and we do not understand how it operates.
Here are four things we learn from this passage:
1. That the proper evidence of conversion is the effect of change on the life.
2. That we must not search for the cause or manner of the change on the life.
3. That God has power over the most hardened sinner to change him, as He has power over the loftiest oak, to bring it down by a sweeping blast.
4. That there is a great variety of the modes of the operation of the Holy Spirit. As the “wind” sometimes sweeps with a tempest, and knocks everyone down all before it, and sometimes blows upon us in a mild evening zephyr, so it is with the operations of the Holy Spirit.
The sinner sometimes trembles and is prostrate before the truth, and sometimes is sweetly and gently drawn to the cross of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit’s invisible operations gives visible evidence of His power. The Holy Spirit works His own way beyond our comprehension just like we do not know the law of the wind.
So, as our summer draws nearer and covers us with its warmth, remember as you feel the summer breeze upon your face, that God, by the invisible power of His Holy Spirit has moved you and changed you, and is in the process of changing you, from glory to glory into the blessed, holy image of His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Have a blessed summer!
Where I come from and what I hold…
Posted: July 1, 2016 in Ancient Faith, belief, Biblical, Charismatic, Christian, Evangelical, Evangelism, Faith, Father, glory, God, Gospel, Holy Spirit, Holy Trinity, Jesus, Lutheran, Martin Luther, Messiah, Pentecostal, power, regeneration, renewal, resurrection, Teaching, WordI was asked recently the following question, “If you had to doctrinally and denominationally classify yourself for someone to get a grasp of where you come from and what you hold, what would you say?” The following is my answer:
First, I confess the consensus of the five first centuries of the church.
- Classic theism: One omnipotent, benevolent God, distinct from creation.
- Nicene and Chalcedonian Trinitarianism: one God in three eternally existent persons, equal in power and glory.
- Christ, the God-Man, the one mediator between God & the human race, incarnate, crucified, resurrected, ascended, & coming again.
- Humanity created in the image of God, yet tragically fallen & profoundly in need of restoration to God through Christ.
- The Visible Church: the community of the redeemed, indwelt by the Holy Spirit; the mystical body of Christ on earth.
- The one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.
- The Sacraments: visible signs and seals of the grace of God, ministering Christ’s love to us in our deep need.
- The Christian life: characterized by the prime theological virtues of faith, hope, and love.
Secondly, I confess the five Solas, the principles that drove the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century and separated it from the Roman Catholic Church.
- The authority of Scripture: sola scriptura (Scripture alone)
- the basis of salvation: Sola Gratia (Grace alone)
- the means of salvation: Sola Fide (Faith alone)
- the merit of salvation: Solus Christus (Christ alone)
- In everything, Soli Deo Gloria (To God alone be the glory in all things)
Lastly, I confess that salvation is completely of God alone:
In salvation: monergism not synergism. Martin Luther was monergistic, see his book “Bondage of the Will.” After he died, Luther’s teachings were subtly changed.
Monergism is the view that the Holy Spirit is the only agent who effects the regeneration of Christians. It is in contrast with synergism, the view that there is a cooperation between the divine and the human in the regeneration process. Monergism is a redemptive blessing purchased by Christ for those the Father has given Him (1 Pet 1:3, John 3:5, 6, 6:37, 39). This grace works independently of any human cooperation and conveys that power into the fallen soul whereby the person who is to be saved is effectually enabled to respond to the gospel call (John 1:13; Acts 2:39, 13:48; Rom 9:16; Titus 3:4-5).
God alone saves. Such monergism flowed from the pen of Martin Luther.
In conclusion:
How would I label myself? My label would be “Historic Evangelical Lutheran Charismatic.”
Why?
First, my theology is “Historic Evangelical” because it affirms with historic Christianity that the Bible, as the inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word of God, is the sole written revelation that rules the faith and practice of the Christian community and alone can bind the conscience. This faith refers to the doctrine of justification by faith alone whereby the believer is justified before God by the free grace of God by which he is declared righteous and the righteousness of Christ is imputed to the believer (Rom. 5:18-19). The sole ground of my justification is the merit of Jesus, imputed to all who put their trust in Him. However, good works flow necessarily and immediately from all justified persons, these works are not the meritorious grounds of my justification (Ephesians 2:8-10).
Secondly, for me, to be Lutheran is to adhere to the purest teachings of the Bible – to affirm the doctrine taught by Jesus, Paul, and the apostles. Scripture is considered the ultimate authority in matters of life and faith and all Reformed doctrine is founded on the Bible. I am convinced that Lutheran doctrine is nothing more than the teachings of Jesus, the Apostles and the totality of the Scriptures. Were it not for human sin we would not have to make a distinction between biblical Christianity and the faith spawned by the Reformation.
Lastly, my theology is charismatic because I believe in the baptism in the Holy Spirit, according to the Scriptures. This was the normal experience of the entire early Christian Church. I believe that baptism in the Holy Spirit is the clothing of power for life and service. The Holy Spirit bestows spiritual gifts for their use in the work of ministry. Baptism in the Holy Spirit can be distinct from and after the experience of the new birth, or it can occur simultaneously with the new birth. Speaking in tongues is NOT the ONLY evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:9, Luke 3:16; 24:49; Acts 1:8, 2:4, 8:12-17, 10:44-46, 11:14-16, 15:7-9; 1 Corinthians 12:4-13 &28, 14:1-19.)