Tag: Holy Spirit (page 2 of 2)

Service Ruts

Isaiah 29 – Judgments against Jerusalem because they were honoring God with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him (v13-14). Jesus also later used this against the Jews.

We need to consciously avoid spiritual ruts. Doing and saying the same thing all the time is not conducive to spiritual growth. I think church services should bend over backward to make each service different somehow. Pastors need to allow the Holy Spirit freedom to move among the people and trust that the Spirit will do this if allowed. Unfortunately, humans like to control things (even God’s Spirit) because it somehow gives the feeling of security and safety. I recall my boyhood church always singing 3 hymns and the sermon always lasted 20 minutes. I prided myself being ready for the next agenda item in the bulletin. My eyes and attention was on that bulletin schedule, longing for its end. Little did I know at that time that I was falling into the category of Isaiah 29:13!

Now I’ll go out on a limb – even what I would deem as “spirit-filled churches” have dulled their spiritual senses by having the same routine every Sunday. Let us not put God in a box. I remember one Sunday my pastor preached a great sermon, and at the end he said that at the last minute, the Spirit told him to not preach from his prepared notes, but rather wing it! Now there is faith and freedom! Why not let worship continue “past the ordained time” sometimes? Why should worship always contain songs? We should do what the Holy Spirit wants us to do when we gather in Jesus’ name. Maybe that means to stimulate a discussion among the congregation about some Biblical topic, rather than a traditional sermon. Maybe people could get up and share testimonies for an entire or part of a service. Maybe we could put down the musical instruments once in a great while, etc., etc. C.S.Lewis maintained via his Chronicles of Narnia books that Jesus is not a tame lion, but He is good.

Church structure today, perhaps unwittingly in many cases, has played “lion tamer” all too often. At first, few notice. But over time, the Spirit fades from the service, or it isn’t quite as strong as it could be. If services were more free, more people would come with higher anticipation. High anticipation is faith within the heart of the believer that God will speak to them and that they will also be used by God to touch someone else. That attitude is being gradually lost, even in some good churches…ouch!

I am not advocating pastors allowing people to go crazy in the church. There are parameters of common sense and decency. What I am saying is let us not fall into a routine that will become dull over time, or not what it could be. Many churches start out great but lose something over time. The Holy Spirit is the best One that can “think outside the box.” People’s needs will be met if we truly allow that Spirit free reign.

Feedback so far:

NF – Excellent—-so very true!

GR – Continued great work. AMEN. Church services from time to time can indeed become mundane. At FBBC there is DEFINITELY a routine every Sunday. Our WED services are much more open and unstructured. In any event, I agree, we need to vary things and NOT get in that rut. Audience participation is always fun. We do that Wednesday nights.

Mickey L (4/20/13) – Amen Amen Amen.

 

Ecumenism

“Ecumenism” refers only to Christian churches/faiths coming together as one. It does not mean “interfaith” which unites different religions. It also does not refer to non-denominationalism which simply represents Christian churches with no ties to protestant denominations that tend to include man-made traditions birthed in history. Non-denominational churches tend to be autonomous therefore have no church hierarchy, i.e., a head church that determines all doctrine. I think this is the best model. Here I find more love for Jesus and others, and more excellent Bible teachings. I’ve also met some great pastors that never attended seminary or Christian college. God anoints who He wants.

The Ecumenical Movement involves organized churches such as Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Protestant. You won’t find non- denominational churches involved. They view it as compromise on key doctrines.

On the surface uniting all the Christian faiths together as one seems good. I’m sure Satan has used the “divide and conquer” rule throughout history to lessen impact. The danger of uniting, however, is loss of imperative Truth.

In my view, the essential truths are the identity of Jesus Christ and God’s salvation plan. Therefore, several groups who reject the deity of Christ and adhere to good works and/or rites and rituals to earn salvation must be eliminated from a united group wrought by God. From what I’ve seen over the years among the “ecumenical groups” is not much power of spirit (2 Timothy 3:5), especially in the area of introducing Jesus Christ to people who do not know who He is. Isn’t that what Satan wants? It seems to me that the most repressive power Satan and demons exert on this planet is against the true identity of Jesus and how a human soul gets saved.

United religious groups not formed by the Holy Spirit usually are folks who think they are good people doing good things for God. It may be a difficult concept to grasp but when fallen humans strive in their own “goodness” to please God, He looks at those works as “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). One problem fallen humans have is the lack of perception of true Holiness which only God has and how far we have fallen from that state. At very best, we see truth dimly (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Now for Christian churches that have the essential tenets of the faith in tact, there should be more unity, especially among the non-denominational churches. However, they allow other doctrines such as how to interpret End-time prophecy, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and how to worship God “properly,” prideful pastors who fear losing people, and social/political issues to get in the way of unity. This is tragic indeed. Perhaps only a major catastrophe would bring us all together as one, but then later, we would most likely slide back into our comfort zones.

Unity that is not wrought by God is evil as was the case with the Tower of Babel scene. The concept of “unity” (the attempt at religious unity) erodes important truths and will not be the answer to the world’s problems. I look at this world as a sinking ship, and I’m trying to get as many people as I can into the lifeboat via the Gospel. I think people within the ecumenical movement are not as alive in Christ as they could be and therefore can more easily fit together with others with the same problem.

Simply stated, I perceive there exists a true church and a false church in this world. The true one loves Jesus, tells others about Him, reads the Bible as a lifeline to God, loves people, and knows they cannot earn their way to heaven, it’s all God’s mercy and grace given via Jesus Christ. The false church basks in good works, seldom gets into the Bible, doubts several portions of the Bible, its people seldom mention the name of Jesus in social discourse, pride themselves in being good people, lack God’s love for lost souls, adhere to man-made traditions or rituals as though they have some sort of cleansing-of-the-soul power, have other priorities (idols) in this life.

By reading Jesus’ messages to the seven churches in Turkey near the beginning of the Book of Revelation, we get a good idea about what’s wrong and right with churches today.

Is Leaving Family for God All right?

PATRICK: I’ve left some family who do not believe because they want me to agree with them follow them in worldly ways. It’s heartbreaking at times, and I try always to be sensitive to the Spirit when He wants me to contact them and what to say, which I do. I know Jesus wants us to love the sinner and our enemies, but at the same time He speaks of leaving one’s family and farm to follow Him. I know this is a struggle many Christians face and the danger of being legalistic looms over such relational struggles. Any thoughts?

DAVE: You raise a good issue. It’s not an easy one to deal with. Obviously, our love for Jesus must far surpass our love for family/friends/enemies (Matthew 10:37). Sometimes that priority will lead us away from them. As long as our heart has the right attitude, it’s okay to leave. At one point Jesus said to the man whom He was calling but wanted to bury his father first, “Let the dead bury the dead you follow Me now” (Matthew 8:21-22). In other words, I think Jesus was saying that “some people will never get saved and are ‘dead’ even though they are still alive in the flesh, and there is Something of Utmost Importance speaking to you right now.” Jesus also said of the Pharisees who were His enemies, “Let them go for they are blind guides” (Matthew 15:14). The Apostles left their wives and families (how completely we do not know) and Jesus said there will be a reward in Heaven for that (Matthew 19:27-29). So certainly leaving certain people is not only permissible, it may be dictated by the Spirit. It doesn’t necessarily mean we stop loving and praying for them because we will never know whether or not they will get saved someday.

On the other hand, many Scriptures say that family commitment is important and good. For example, if a spouse gets saved, they are not to divorce the unsaved partner unless the unsaved demands it (1 Cor.7:12- 13). Also, a man should provide for his family. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ Loves the Church and gave Himself up for her. Wives are supposed to submit to and respect their husbands. Fathers are not to provoke their children to anger. Children are to honor their parents. None of these contexts remotely suggest abandoning the family for God. So perhaps leaving the family is for a special calling, i.e. Peter and the other eleven, and more people over the centuries. But maybe this is not to be the norm for all Christian men and women.

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