Check out this link regarding an Emergent leader. It is very interesting and should be a warning as anyone wraps their arms around this theology and movement.
http://www.christianworldviewnetwork.com/video.php/2087/Brannon_Howse
Here is a follow up article on a new book with Emergent leaders writing articles.
http://www.christianworldviewnetwork.com/article.php/2096/Bob_DeWaay
Another good article. A little in your face, but good.
http://www.christianworldviewnetwork.com/article.php/2068/Ingrid_Schlueter
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
Ask a Martyr about the Promise of Happiness
Here is a video that I found very interesting. It was sent to me by a friend. I think it gives a great message of what the Christian faith can truly be like while on this earth. It is not about attaining health and wealth, nor a "get out of jail" card. It is about Christ and Him alone.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Poor or Rich, That is the Question?
“Each [Beatitude] leads to the other in logical succession. Being poor in spirit reflects the right attitude we should have to our sinful condition, which then should lead us to mourn, to be meek and gentle, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to be merciful, pure in heart, and have a peacemaking spirit. A Christian who has all those qualities will be so far above the level of the world that his life will rebuke the world – which will bring persecution from the world and light to the world.” – John MacArthur
I am going to go through the Beatitudes as well as Jude in my blog, so there may be times when one blog is on Jude and one on a Beatitude. Do not worry I plan on going through each Beatitude and through the book of Jude as the weeks go by. The only break will be my time in India, as we will be giving updates while there on this blog.
Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
What do you think of when someone says they are Blessed? I think of Grandma Bryd. She is this wonderful little old lady in Charlotte, NC. When I was the director of Faith, Hope & Love she was taking care of three of her grandchildren who attended the program. Every time I would ask her how she was doing, she would reply “blessed.” I would think to myself, how can she say that, as she lives in one of the poorest communities has virtually no money and raises three grandchildren with no financial support from any other family member. Yet, every time I asked her how she was she would reply “blessed.”
I now understand and know she could truly say that because of her relationship with Christ. It had nothing to do with material wealth or worldly things, but she knew that this world was only temporal and where she was going. She lived dependent on Christ and that is why she is blessed, and blessed she is. I wish everyone had the privilege of meeting her.
Philippians 4:11-13, “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
The Greek word for Blessed is “Makapioi.” It comes from a characterization of God, meaning blessedness. This is when God’s nature is indwelt within us and His nature is in us. Blessed also means to be fully satisfied, but this is not to be from the things of this earth or life, but because of Christ residing within you. Being blessed is not on account of me or you, but Christ. Not on external things, but Christ. Not what someone else thinks of me, or says of me. Not what grades I get, or who I date, or how much I make, but Christ.
1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
The poor in spirit, in this context, are those who recognize their total spiritual destitution and complete dependence on God for everything, the very breath you breathe now. All is dependent on God. If He for a mille-second stopped thinking about you then you would disappear as if never existing. He holds you and me in the palm of His hands.
Someone who is poor in spirit recognizes that we are spiritually impoverished in the sight of God. They are those that recognized this and their utter and complete dependence on God. They realize that the only reason they breathe is because God allows it. The only reason they exist is because God made it so. The poor in spirit understand there is nothing the can do to earn it and nothing to gain more of it. It is from God alone and nothing that we can or will do to attain the kingdom of heaven. If we could then it would take control from God and it would make a means of works for salvation, and we no what Paul thinks about a works based faith.
Lastly, Jesus makes a point of saying “in spirit,” in this verse, and it is because it takes away any physical way of attaining this blessing. You cannot fake it by wearing the right close, or saying the right things. God looks at the heart and what is there He will know, and sooner or later it will reveal itself to the real world as well. It makes us dependent like a child. It means that we are completely reliable on God; utterly reliant on Him.
My pastor was telling us about Mr. Finney, if you do not know who he is then research him, as he is an important figure in our faith. He said that Mr. Finney opened his soul to God and his life was never the same. So, the question I ask you and in turn ask myself is: Have you opened your soul to God? Have you repented and asked for Him to fill all those spots you filled with fleshy desires? Until then, I am afraid that we may never fully understand or appreciate what it means to be “poor in spirit,” or blessed fully because of it.
Poor your soul out to God. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun?” – Ecclesiastes 1:2-3.
I am going to go through the Beatitudes as well as Jude in my blog, so there may be times when one blog is on Jude and one on a Beatitude. Do not worry I plan on going through each Beatitude and through the book of Jude as the weeks go by. The only break will be my time in India, as we will be giving updates while there on this blog.
Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
What do you think of when someone says they are Blessed? I think of Grandma Bryd. She is this wonderful little old lady in Charlotte, NC. When I was the director of Faith, Hope & Love she was taking care of three of her grandchildren who attended the program. Every time I would ask her how she was doing, she would reply “blessed.” I would think to myself, how can she say that, as she lives in one of the poorest communities has virtually no money and raises three grandchildren with no financial support from any other family member. Yet, every time I asked her how she was she would reply “blessed.”
I now understand and know she could truly say that because of her relationship with Christ. It had nothing to do with material wealth or worldly things, but she knew that this world was only temporal and where she was going. She lived dependent on Christ and that is why she is blessed, and blessed she is. I wish everyone had the privilege of meeting her.
Philippians 4:11-13, “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
The Greek word for Blessed is “Makapioi.” It comes from a characterization of God, meaning blessedness. This is when God’s nature is indwelt within us and His nature is in us. Blessed also means to be fully satisfied, but this is not to be from the things of this earth or life, but because of Christ residing within you. Being blessed is not on account of me or you, but Christ. Not on external things, but Christ. Not what someone else thinks of me, or says of me. Not what grades I get, or who I date, or how much I make, but Christ.
1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
The poor in spirit, in this context, are those who recognize their total spiritual destitution and complete dependence on God for everything, the very breath you breathe now. All is dependent on God. If He for a mille-second stopped thinking about you then you would disappear as if never existing. He holds you and me in the palm of His hands.
Someone who is poor in spirit recognizes that we are spiritually impoverished in the sight of God. They are those that recognized this and their utter and complete dependence on God. They realize that the only reason they breathe is because God allows it. The only reason they exist is because God made it so. The poor in spirit understand there is nothing the can do to earn it and nothing to gain more of it. It is from God alone and nothing that we can or will do to attain the kingdom of heaven. If we could then it would take control from God and it would make a means of works for salvation, and we no what Paul thinks about a works based faith.
Lastly, Jesus makes a point of saying “in spirit,” in this verse, and it is because it takes away any physical way of attaining this blessing. You cannot fake it by wearing the right close, or saying the right things. God looks at the heart and what is there He will know, and sooner or later it will reveal itself to the real world as well. It makes us dependent like a child. It means that we are completely reliable on God; utterly reliant on Him.
My pastor was telling us about Mr. Finney, if you do not know who he is then research him, as he is an important figure in our faith. He said that Mr. Finney opened his soul to God and his life was never the same. So, the question I ask you and in turn ask myself is: Have you opened your soul to God? Have you repented and asked for Him to fill all those spots you filled with fleshy desires? Until then, I am afraid that we may never fully understand or appreciate what it means to be “poor in spirit,” or blessed fully because of it.
Poor your soul out to God. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun?” – Ecclesiastes 1:2-3.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Think Your Big? Think Again.
The message below was written to me by one of the college students at Graystone. I found it very compelling and interesting. I would describe what you are about to read, but you will get the gist once you read it. . . . enough said.
God is being so good and awesome- even though I’m pretty sure I try and leave about 20 times a day. I’m daily amazed that He puts up with me and all my thinking that I’m so big and so important. I’m rereading “I am not but I know I AM” by Louie Giglio, and a big part of it is how big God is and how small we are. And that’s true- I mean.. beyond the obvious, the times that I mess things up the most are when I’m trying to be big and take care of everything and be tough an independent. I was sitting outside after my trip to the gym the other day just kind of talking to God and I thought- man.. here I am thinking that I’m so big.. and I looked around and hit my head on the tree I was leaning against. You know, I’m not even bigger than that tree- that one tree.. and there were probably 20 trees in my general vicinity.. and I’m not bigger than any of them. I look down and see grass, and I couldn’t count the blades of grass in a 1 foot area, and God knows exactly how many blades of grass there are in the whole world. And the sun was coming up, and that one will get you every time. Junk, I couldn’t make the sun come up no matter what I tried. None the less create it or hold it in place. I was the smallest thing around me. I think I was trying to look at being sick.. and think that I was bigger than my sickness. But that’s not it- I’m a lot smaller than pseudo tumor.. but God is a whole lot bigger. And that’s a really simple thing.. but it makes a big difference. Thinking about making yourself small so that God can be bigger in your life is a simple concept.. but it makes such a big difference.
Sometimes it takes a hit in the head to bring us back to reality. Thank you Kayte for sharing and giving a great example of the Greatness of God.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
All Are Equal?
The Interfaith Council I participated is described as:
The IUP Interfaith Council is an interdenominational body where people of all faiths will be welcomed and included as equal partners. All member groups will have an equal right to speak and vote. The Interfaith Council recognizes and affirms the spiritual part of every human being.
I have been really fighting with myself as to my participation within an organization that makes equal all faiths. I was not questioning the people, as they were all very nice, caring and intelligent people. What I am questioning is what they have allowed themselves to believe.
How would I say that all the faiths that were sitting in the room were equal partners, when I believe the Bible to be the true inerrant word of God and all other faiths to be false? It is impossible to then believe in equality amongst the members. Where I do believe the people as individuals are equal in our humanistic qualities, but in the essence of our spirituality and what is inside us there is a big difference and inequality.
Philosophically there cannot equality in truth among us. There has to be a right or wrong. Either Christ is the way or He is not. To give the representation that Christ is not the ONLY way and that He is equal in thought to other beliefs is something I could no longer rationalize.
I looked at several key verses in Scripture that talk about partnering with other beliefs and then it truly becomes a “no-brainer” to me.
1 John 4:2-3, “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.”
How is that I could sit and truthfully tell a Wiccan that he/she is as equal in thought to what I believe, when I believe in Christ and she/he does not? How can I sit there and allow them to vote on spiritual matters that affect the IUP student when I believe that would be deceiving them, and as in the verse above I would go against God Himself.
Here are some other verses I took into consideration when deciding what to do:
Romans 16:17, “I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.”
2 Corinthians 6:14-15, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?”
2 Thessalonians 3:6, “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.”
2 John 10-11, “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.”
2 Peter 2:1-3, “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.” (What better place to happen then in a place that says all our beliefs are equal.)
Then there is the entire book of Jude.
I had to go with my conscience and the Bible on this one. It is evident to me that we are not to yolk ourselves to something that could ultimately lead to confusion or outright misleading to one of the students I am accountable for. How can I tell them Christ is the only way and then go to a group that says all ways are equal? Though we are given to our own beliefs, the very presence of being there gives room for confusion and misleading.
If the group were formed to debate what truth is then I would be all for it, but I do not believe that our IUP students should be taught that anything but Christ is truth. They could be taught the other beliefs, but at the same time I think they should be taught as to why they are wrong and why Christianity is the only true way to Heaven. By no other name on earth or in Heaven is one saved, except by Jesus Christ.
The IUP Interfaith Council is an interdenominational body where people of all faiths will be welcomed and included as equal partners. All member groups will have an equal right to speak and vote. The Interfaith Council recognizes and affirms the spiritual part of every human being.
I have been really fighting with myself as to my participation within an organization that makes equal all faiths. I was not questioning the people, as they were all very nice, caring and intelligent people. What I am questioning is what they have allowed themselves to believe.
How would I say that all the faiths that were sitting in the room were equal partners, when I believe the Bible to be the true inerrant word of God and all other faiths to be false? It is impossible to then believe in equality amongst the members. Where I do believe the people as individuals are equal in our humanistic qualities, but in the essence of our spirituality and what is inside us there is a big difference and inequality.
Philosophically there cannot equality in truth among us. There has to be a right or wrong. Either Christ is the way or He is not. To give the representation that Christ is not the ONLY way and that He is equal in thought to other beliefs is something I could no longer rationalize.
I looked at several key verses in Scripture that talk about partnering with other beliefs and then it truly becomes a “no-brainer” to me.
1 John 4:2-3, “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.”
How is that I could sit and truthfully tell a Wiccan that he/she is as equal in thought to what I believe, when I believe in Christ and she/he does not? How can I sit there and allow them to vote on spiritual matters that affect the IUP student when I believe that would be deceiving them, and as in the verse above I would go against God Himself.
Here are some other verses I took into consideration when deciding what to do:
Romans 16:17, “I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.”
2 Corinthians 6:14-15, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?”
2 Thessalonians 3:6, “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.”
2 John 10-11, “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.”
2 Peter 2:1-3, “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.” (What better place to happen then in a place that says all our beliefs are equal.)
Then there is the entire book of Jude.
I had to go with my conscience and the Bible on this one. It is evident to me that we are not to yolk ourselves to something that could ultimately lead to confusion or outright misleading to one of the students I am accountable for. How can I tell them Christ is the only way and then go to a group that says all ways are equal? Though we are given to our own beliefs, the very presence of being there gives room for confusion and misleading.
If the group were formed to debate what truth is then I would be all for it, but I do not believe that our IUP students should be taught that anything but Christ is truth. They could be taught the other beliefs, but at the same time I think they should be taught as to why they are wrong and why Christianity is the only true way to Heaven. By no other name on earth or in Heaven is one saved, except by Jesus Christ.
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