"No reading of the Book of Acts will suggest that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is always inner and quiet. In adopting such an attitude we may be cutting ourselves off from the activity of the sovereign Spirit which we all so much need, and cosigning our congregations to harmonious sterility." ~ Canadian church historian Ian Rennie
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Monday, April 18, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
God Broke My Paradigm...and I liked it.
As I ponder and reflect on all that took place last week my mind often lands on a few of the moments that I found to be especially fun.
One of them is the Rock Concert / Worship / Deliverance atmosphere during Angela Greenig's daytime session. What a riot! I have taught on deliverance several times over the years in a few different contexts. I have tried to personally witness several different methods that others use and have read many books on the subject. I have NEVER seen anything like what took place that morning. Ever.
She threw little toy army men at people to remind them we are in a spiritual battle. She waved a sword violently as she prayed. She yelled AT people in tongues. She seemed to have a "Come and get some!" attitude with the demonic. Because of her I can use the words "leg scissors" and "ministry" together in a sentence.
Angela did everything that I have ever told students not to do. She did some other things I had not thought to tell them not to do. And the best part? I never once felt like things were amiss as it all took place. There are some things that are wise as principles but should not be made into strict laws of behavior.
There was yelling, falling, pushing, crying, and people being touched by God. As she ministered I thought of Smith Wigglesworth. If I were a pastor in a church in the first half of the 20th century that Smith ministered in I can imagine that I would of been aghast as he wound up to strike someone with an infirmity. I hope that my offense would be gone as the fruit of their healing was evident and I recognized that God was was not sharing my offense. As I reflect I am smiling. The body of Christ is beautifully diverse and thankfully God did not make everyone like me.
I hope to see Angela again. I can learn much from her. She has experienced some things I have only read about in books. God is using her in areas that many have been unwilling to go. I am praying for God's Kingdom to keep advancing through the unlikeliest of people in the unlikeliest of places in the unlikeliest of ways.
- Posted using BlogPress
One of them is the Rock Concert / Worship / Deliverance atmosphere during Angela Greenig's daytime session. What a riot! I have taught on deliverance several times over the years in a few different contexts. I have tried to personally witness several different methods that others use and have read many books on the subject. I have NEVER seen anything like what took place that morning. Ever.
She threw little toy army men at people to remind them we are in a spiritual battle. She waved a sword violently as she prayed. She yelled AT people in tongues. She seemed to have a "Come and get some!" attitude with the demonic. Because of her I can use the words "leg scissors" and "ministry" together in a sentence.
Angela did everything that I have ever told students not to do. She did some other things I had not thought to tell them not to do. And the best part? I never once felt like things were amiss as it all took place. There are some things that are wise as principles but should not be made into strict laws of behavior.
There was yelling, falling, pushing, crying, and people being touched by God. As she ministered I thought of Smith Wigglesworth. If I were a pastor in a church in the first half of the 20th century that Smith ministered in I can imagine that I would of been aghast as he wound up to strike someone with an infirmity. I hope that my offense would be gone as the fruit of their healing was evident and I recognized that God was was not sharing my offense. As I reflect I am smiling. The body of Christ is beautifully diverse and thankfully God did not make everyone like me.
I hope to see Angela again. I can learn much from her. She has experienced some things I have only read about in books. God is using her in areas that many have been unwilling to go. I am praying for God's Kingdom to keep advancing through the unlikeliest of people in the unlikeliest of places in the unlikeliest of ways.
- Posted using BlogPress
Monday, March 28, 2011
Azusa St. & William Seymour
Tomorrow morning I will teach on The Azusa St. Revival in Redeemer Ministry School. No one person in the history of the 20th century captures my interest like Azusa's leader William J. Seymour.
Who is William J. Seymour? He was a one eyed black man that was a son of slaves with no formal education that God raised up to be the greatest civil rights leader you've never heard of. He is the one person in modern Christian history that causes me to feel "something" (I put it in quotes because I can't explain what that thing I feel is) when I look at his picture. The "something" is a mixture of respect, regard, pity, admiration, and maybe even love. But my musings regarding loving someone that was born 100 years before me and only known through the extant testimonies of other people is a topic for another day.
He may very well have been the founder of modern Pentecostalism but he is rarely more than a footnote in Pentecostal literature. I think he was more significant to the cause of civil rights than Malcolm X, and that is no denigration to Malcolm X.
He is best known for pastoring the church that made glossolalia (speaking in tongues) famous but in my opinion that wasn't the defining mark of the revival.
Tonight I am thankful that I get to tell others a story that I enjoy so much.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Who is William J. Seymour? He was a one eyed black man that was a son of slaves with no formal education that God raised up to be the greatest civil rights leader you've never heard of. He is the one person in modern Christian history that causes me to feel "something" (I put it in quotes because I can't explain what that thing I feel is) when I look at his picture. The "something" is a mixture of respect, regard, pity, admiration, and maybe even love. But my musings regarding loving someone that was born 100 years before me and only known through the extant testimonies of other people is a topic for another day.
He may very well have been the founder of modern Pentecostalism but he is rarely more than a footnote in Pentecostal literature. I think he was more significant to the cause of civil rights than Malcolm X, and that is no denigration to Malcolm X.
He is best known for pastoring the church that made glossolalia (speaking in tongues) famous but in my opinion that wasn't the defining mark of the revival.
Tonight I am thankful that I get to tell others a story that I enjoy so much.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Some questions about 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Next Sunday Pastor John will be preaching out of 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. Each week home groups in our church meet together and many of them discuss the verses that are going to preached that coming Sunday. I am putting the questions that will be discussed this week along with the corresponding verses below:
26: "Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.”
Q: How would you describe yourself before you became a follower of Jesus?
Q: What does human wisdom consist of? How does that compare to God's wisdom?
27-29:"But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.”
Q: Why would God choose foolish, weak, lowly, and despised things to reveal Himself through rather than things that are wise and strong?
Q: What are some examples of God choosing unlikely seemingly unqualified people to show His glory through throughout history?
30-31 “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
Q: How specifically did Jesus become wisdom from God? What does that phrase mean?
Q: If you were talking to someone that had never been to church before, how would you explain the meaning of the words “righteousness, holiness, and redemption”?
Q: What are several things you can boast in The Lord about?
26: "Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.”
Q: How would you describe yourself before you became a follower of Jesus?
Q: What does human wisdom consist of? How does that compare to God's wisdom?
27-29:"But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.”
Q: Why would God choose foolish, weak, lowly, and despised things to reveal Himself through rather than things that are wise and strong?
Q: What are some examples of God choosing unlikely seemingly unqualified people to show His glory through throughout history?
30-31 “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
Q: How specifically did Jesus become wisdom from God? What does that phrase mean?
Q: If you were talking to someone that had never been to church before, how would you explain the meaning of the words “righteousness, holiness, and redemption”?
Q: What are several things you can boast in The Lord about?
Friday, March 11, 2011
Volunteers Needed:
The Salvation Army Warming Center is a facility that gives people without shelter a place to stay when temperatures are expected to be below 32 degrees. The Warming Center is scheduled to cease operating for the season on Saturday night March 12th . If we can find volunteers to monitor the facility from 8pm - 8am each night we could help keep the Warming Center open until the winter weather breaks (which may be within a couple of weeks). There are usually 8 or 9 people on average staying the night at the facility. Sometimes there are as few as 2 or 3 depending on the severity of the weather.
There currently are shelters for women and children in Monroe so the vast majority of the people staying at the Warming Center are males.
If you are interested in volunteering for this in the next 2 weeks please contact me (Josh - 693-1831; joshabentley@gmail.com ) and I will give the specifics of what volunteering would entail. It feels like a Jesus-opportunity to help provide shelter to people without any. Any amount of time you can donate between 8pm -8am would be very helpful.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
The Salvation Army Warming Center is a facility that gives people without shelter a place to stay when temperatures are expected to be below 32 degrees. The Warming Center is scheduled to cease operating for the season on Saturday night March 12th . If we can find volunteers to monitor the facility from 8pm - 8am each night we could help keep the Warming Center open until the winter weather breaks (which may be within a couple of weeks). There are usually 8 or 9 people on average staying the night at the facility. Sometimes there are as few as 2 or 3 depending on the severity of the weather.
There currently are shelters for women and children in Monroe so the vast majority of the people staying at the Warming Center are males.
If you are interested in volunteering for this in the next 2 weeks please contact me (Josh - 693-1831; joshabentley@gmail.com ) and I will give the specifics of what volunteering would entail. It feels like a Jesus-opportunity to help provide shelter to people without any. Any amount of time you can donate between 8pm -8am would be very helpful.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Saturday, March 5, 2011
C.S. Lewis on God's Humility
C. S. Lewis wrote:It is hardly complimentary to God that we should choose him as an alternative to hell. Yet even this he accepts. The creature’s illusion of self-sufficiency must, for the creature’s sake, be shattered. And by trouble, or fear of trouble on earth, by crude fear of the eternal flames, God shatters it, unmindful of his glory’s diminution. I call this “divine humility”, because it’s a poor thing to strike our colours to God when the ship is going down under us, a poor thing to come to him as a last resort, to offer up our own when it is no longer worth keeping. If God were proud, he would hardly have us on such terms. But he is not proud. He stoops to conquer. He would have us even though we have shown that we prefer everything else to him, and come to him because there is nothing better now to be had.
From "The Problem of Pain"
Friday, March 4, 2011
Tonight at the Cafe
Just in case, I've been on my best behavior all week.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
