The love of power or the power of love?

Posted on June 21, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

Where ever we turn in our culture we are encouraged to be empowered for all sorts of things. If the advertising industry is to believed then all sorts of products will empower us. The Politicians make similar promises and sadly so does the church. We are encouraged to go to conferences so that we will receive an impartation of power. surely this can’t be wrong after all Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they had been endued with power, didn’t he?

The whole thing of power can be something which can lead us in the wrong direction, so often we want power so that we can be seen as influential and spiritual people. If we seek power very often we find ourselves trying to manipulate circumstances so that we can be seen as powerful people. We seek the gifts of the Holy Spirit so that we can be powerful people, we assure ourselves that the world needs people moving in power. But this concentration on power can have a corrupting influence upon us because we lost sight of why God wants to empower his people.

The reason the Lord Jesus wanted to empower his disciples is quite clear they were empowered for mission and that mission would glorify Jesus. They did not seek power so that they would look good but so that Jesus would be honoured. Jesus modeled what he expected from his disciples as Paul shows us in Philippians chapter 2,

 Think this in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

6 who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider being equal with God something to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself
by* taking the form of a slave,
by* becoming in the likeness of people.
And being found in appearance like a man,
8 he humbled himself
by* becoming obedient to the point of death,
that is, death on a cross.
9 Therefore also God exalted him
and graciously granted him the name above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow,
of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

These verse demonstrate the radical power of self giving love, Jesus gave up his place in heaven to become a servant and we are called to imitate Christ in this. What we need then is a concentration on love, love for God and each other. When we look at the ministry of the Lord Jesus what do we admire about him? surely it his  love towards the needy, he uses his power to demonstrate his love. When we look at the early church we see the same thing time and time again God’s power is used to express God’s love. If we were to be filled with love we would become powerful people because genuine love is powerful. Read 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14, and what you see demonstrated here is that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are to be used in the context of showing love (The same is true of Romans 12). The greatest impact is made by those who love the most because they seek the good of the other person. Bernard of Clairvaux  in his magnificent work on the love of God causes the reader to stop and worship his great God, in more recent history we can think of William Wilberforce and the Clapham Sect, Mother Teresa,Martin Luther-King and others who have shown the world that God is a God of love.

If we then seek to obey the two greatest commandments to love God and our neighbour, we will need all the gifts of the Holy Spirit for worship and service. But we will not be seeking the good our ends but rather seeking the kingdom of God. When we become the loving people God wants us to be, we will be channels of blessing to others. When we are serving the Lord and expressing his love to a lost and broken world, we will find that we are truly fulfilled.

Therefore we need to ask God to make us the loving people that he desires us to be, the path of love is not an easy path to walk on but it is the best one.

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Does The Law Restore Your Soul? How does Psalm 19 relate to Evangelical views of the Law

Posted on June 20, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

I was reading my Bible this morning and I came to Psalm 19 and its positive evaluation of the law ( if you are reading the Message, you will miss what the Psalmist really says). The Psalmist here and in Psalm 119 has a very positive evaluation of the law which does not coincide with that normally believed in evangelical circles today. surely the law can’t revive,refresh or restore the soul can it? After all the apostle Paul has shown us what a negative thing is, hasn’t he?

But perhaps our Picture of the apostle Paul’s teaching is not a complete one, in other places he seems to have a more positive attitude to the law. Is Paul inconsistent when he quotes the promises of the law when addressing children in the book of Ephesians?

When Paul deals with the Judaizers’ in his letters he comes down harshly upon them and their use of the law because they saw the law as part of their contribution to being saved. If they kept the law it will be a cause of gaining merit. Paul realizes that this is to misuse the law because the law was never intended to be the path of salvation.

Lets take a step back to what the Psalmist thought the law was, he sees it as the Lord’s pattern of right living given to the people who the Lord has redeemed. The Psalmist knew that the law was given to Israel after they had been delivered from the Egyptians. So the law is given to God’s redeemed people to show them how to live before the face of God. This is why the Puritans could use an expression that is foreign to us, the grace of law. Ernest Kevan( The founding Principle of London School of Theology)  wrote his doctoral thesis on this subject and this makes a vital contribution to discussions about the place of the law.

But how could the Psalmist say that God’s law revived him? we think of the commandments as something negative but the biblical attitude to the teaching of the law is entirely different, the law is the guide to the holy life. When the Psalmist wanted with all his heart to please God, he looked to the law for guidance. The biblical writers however saw the first five books of the bible as The Law. When we see this we can see that the Psalmist could be revived by the accounts of God’s loving faithfulness to his people, when he read the account of the exodus, he saw the God of holy love at work delivering his people from bondage. He could also see in the Levitical law that god had provided sacrifice for all sorts of sin, the sacrifices were a constant reminder to him of the grace of God. I along with many other Christians used to struggle with the book of Leviticus until I realized that every sacrifice in the book shows me a little more of what Christ has achieved for us on the cross. The book of Leviticus is full of Jesus when we use the eyes of faith.  Perhaps with these thoughts in mind, we can take a closer look at the law and realize that it is not a threat to us but rather it guides us in the path of holiness and because God’s law is gracious it can revive our souls.

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Individualism, Collectivism and the Kingdom of God

Posted on June 19, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

As we consider both the ecclesiastical and the social implications of the doctrine of humankind for the kingdom of God, we run straight into the problems caused by both individualism and collectivism.

Collectivism in ecclesiology can be seen in the more hierarchical models of church government, with the emphasis on the body governed by the bishops. On the other hand individualism can easily be seen in the free church model. Both collectivism and individualism bring with them attendant problems. Where is the priesthood of all believers reflected in the more hierarchical structures of church life? There seems to be an inbuilt clergy/laity divide which does not reflect the teaching of scripture on being the body of Christ. The potential for each member to use their gifts can so easily be lost when the individuality of the believer is lost to a structure that works top down. One does not see this problem only in the ancient church models but also in those where the church is run like a business, where the church members can be treated more like customers rather than members of the body of Christ.

On the other hand individualism so exalts individual choice that the corporate nature of the church is in danger of being lost. This can be seen when baptism is divorced from Church membership, when this happens baptism is reduced to a celebration of someones conversion rather than their incorporation into the body of Christ. This also accounts for the democratic way of administering church government. The church meeting becomes the central decision-making body where every-bodies input is sen as equal in value. The individualistic model leads to a lack of acknowledging the proper place of leadership as given in the New Testament. One sees the model of just pastor and deacons in many Baptist churches, where  deacons assume the roles of both the new testament eldership and the diaconate.  This leads to a lack of recognition of those called to spiritual leadership in the body.

The relational view of man as given in the Bible , leads to a more healthy emphasis because it recognizes both the importance of the communal and the individual aspects of man. The emphasis on relationship at the heart of the Christian view of man, shows us the importance of both freedom and a structure of leadership that guides that freedom. Biblical leadership is neither totalitarian nor democratic but pastoral, leadership is valued because it leads each person to play their part in the body. Many Baptists seem almost scared at any concept of authority being exercised by the leadership. It is assumed that all authority must be against the individual’s interest, I have never understood this even though I am a Baptist. Good leadership will listen to the people and try to lead them according to the word of God.

The observations made about the relational view of man above apply equally to social matters, the christian can not espouse a Capitalist philosophy similar to Adam Smith’s without contradicting the clear teaching of scripture on the other hand liberation theology is fatally flawed with its acceptance of the Marxist collectivist view of society. We need to work on the development of concepts of leadership and justice which will accord with the biblical view of man.

The challenge to us today is to be truly counter cultural and advocate a Christian view of man and work out its implications for the church,family and society generally.

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He will complete the good work he began in you.

Posted on June 19, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

When God in his grace has called us into his kingdom, he means us to stay in that kingdom and to grow in grace. Paul expressed it this way,

3 I give thanks to my God upon my every remembrance of you, 4 always in my every prayer for all of you, making the prayer with joy, 5 because of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 convinced of this same thing, that the one who began a good work in you will finish it* until the day of Christ Jesus,

(Php 1:3–6).

Paul is convinced that God will complete the good work he has begun in the believers, God will hold them close to himself and cause them to grow.

Sometimes I am asked whether I believe it is right to say “once saved always saved” and I always have to answer that question carefully. If we mean do all people who profess Christ has saved them at an evangelistic event and then show no signs of new life, then the answer is no. On the other hand if we ask if anyone who has received eternal life can lose it, the answer must be a resounding NO. Eternal life is just that,eternal and once we are truly saved by the grace of God, we cannot lose that salvation. Romans 8 shows us that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.  God has planned to bring his people home to glory and he has the power to do it.

some people talk about eternal security in a way that gives the impression that we can just passively wait for God to save us. Any assurance that we are eternally secure should encourage us to grow in grace. The word of God constantly reminds us that we are called to become  Christlike in every way. The old term that was used was the Final Perseverance of the Saints, to my mind this better summarizes the biblical teaching. The emphasis is here placed on God’s promise to lead us and to care for us, so that we grow in grace.

We can confidently face the future knowing that God will lead us home and he will cause us to become more like him as he leads us on. Our confidence is in God and his saving power,he is strong but we are weak, we are in a safe place all the time that we acknowledge our dependence upon God.

In the last few posts commencing with the one on human sinfulness I have outlined in brief form the so-called five points of Calvinism, I hope this has been  a helpful study.

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You must be born again.

Posted on June 19, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

In John’s gospel Jesus teaches us about the work of the Holy Spirit and along with the rest of the New Testament teaching we see that the work of the Spirit is central to conversion.

No one has ever become a Christian without the Holy Spirit opening their eyes to the truth of their own spiritual state and their own need of Christ as Saviour. When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus in John chapter 3, he showed Nicodemus the necessity of the new birth. Jesus in this passage shows clearly that we need the work of the Spirit before we can have new life. Nicodemus finds the whole thing puzzling but Jesus spells out how the Spirit sovereignly works in the hearts of men. Further on in the gospel he articulates a little more about the role of the spirit in leading people to himself, Jesus says,

8 And when he* comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and concerning righteousness and concerning judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me, 10 and concerning righteousness, because I am going away to the Father and you will see me no more, 11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

(Jn 16:8–11).

Jesus here shows us that because of the Holy spirit convicts of sin and the real need of salvation. Notice how this is illustrated on the day of Pentecost,

37 Now when they* heard this,* they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “What should we do, men and brothers?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

(Ac 2:37–38).

Peter preaches the gospel and the Holy spirit convicts the crowd of their need of a Saviour, it is as the Holy spirit works that people are led to Christ.

Notice how the Apostle Paul describes how salvation comes to us,

3 For we also were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, enslaved to various desires and pleasures, spending our lives in wickedness and envy, despicable, hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love for mankind of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not by deeds of righteousness that we have done, but because of his mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we may become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

(Tt 3:3–7).

Paul shows quite clearly that the Holy Spirit is the one who applies salvation to our hearts. Without the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit we will never know the wonders of what Christ has done for us.

In all aspects of our salvation we see that God is the one who initiates whether it be in the plan of salvation or its application.

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Jesus will save his people from their sins.

Posted on June 19, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

Having looked at God’s plan of electing some to eternal life before the foundation of the world, we now to look briefly at the intention of the atonement. For many it seems that the atonement is just a vague offering for sin that does not accomplish anything. The notion is that unless someone avails themselves of the atonement the atonement is useless to them. Now of course this is true but who is that avails themselves of the atoning death of Christ, the answer is the elect.

Theological debates get quite complicated at this point, with the accusation that this limits the atonement. Yes the atonement is limited in its application to the elect but is of such immense value that it it is sufficient for all..It is also true that all views of the atonement place some limitation upon the atonement. The Arminian view sees it limited in its effect whereas the reformed theologian sees the atonement limited by God’s intention as well as by its effect.

Matthew tells us,

you will call his name ‘Jesus,’ because he will save his people from their sins.”

Notice this verse is very clear Jesus will save his people from their sins, their is no doubt about it. The whole thrust of scripture is that god will save his elect people. This is shown in the law(especially the sacrificial law) and the prophets.

We notice here that God’s grace is invincible, the sovereignty of God’s grace should be a comfort to weak sinners like us. What he has decided will be accomplished. We kneel before the Lamb and praise him for his eternal love, knowing that we are in the hands of the God who loves us. God will never let us go because he has loved us with an everlasting love.

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Chosen in Christ before time began.

Posted on June 18, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

In my last post I highlighted the problem of humankind’s sinfulness in this one I want to show that sin did not surprise God and his plan of salvation was in place.

The Apostle Paul says

he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption through Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of the glory of his grace that he bestowed on us in the beloved,

Here we see that God had already chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world. The doctrine of election is one that has puzzled the greatest minds in the Christian Church. But it is plainly taught in scripture and we must therefore accept it. We should note however that it is always set in passages which give assurance to the believer. It is given to us to assure us of the eternal nature of God’s love.

Election is also for a purpose that of being made like Jesus, we are adopted into the family of God through the finished work of Christ, we can do nothing to earn our salvation. The children of god are made to be like their elder brother,Jesus Christ who in turn bears the image of the Father.

Man in his rebellion turns against God but God is determined that some of the human race will become his children. If we had been in charge we would not have shown grace but rather justice, we hate rebellion and anything that insults us. God is so different he sees the greatness of the sin, he sees the cost of salvation and yet he still plans to save some from the race of Adam. Paul in Ephesians 1 glories in God, the doctrine of election that Paul teaches should cause us to do the same.

When we look at this doctrine we often see the paradox of God’s sovereign grace and humankind’s freedom of choice, we can puzzle our minds forever but if we do not accept that both of these are true we will not be honest to the word of God.

Rather than perplexing our minds,the scripture calls us to delight in the wonder of a God who shows eternal love to us.

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The Sinfulness of Humankind.

Posted on June 18, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

The doctrine of humankind’s sinfulness is not a popular one, one can understand this but it is important to stress that we can not understand God’s grace unless it is against this background.

The essence of sin is rebellion against God, the decision not to respect his authority but rather to set ourselves at the centre of the picture. One has only to read Genesis 3 to see how humankind’s rebellion was the start of self centered self. See the blame shifting that immediately comes about,man blames woman,woman blames Satan.  as a result of this creation is also involved in the curse. Humankind at the centre instead of God means the deterioration of humankind in every aspect of human nature. Before the fall the relationship between man and woman is ideal, whereas after the fall we see more and more problems creeping into human relationships.

The intellect of human beings is now fallen and seeks its own autonomy instead of serving God. The intellectual capabilities are now self centered  instead of God centered bringing in its wake a trail of destruction, the mind which is not submitted to God will always go in the wrong direction.

Our emotions have been also messed up by sin, emotional wholeness is to be found in a life of worship to God but as result of the fall we have become those who put ourselves in the place of God. The result of this is brokeness because of false expectations of our selves and of others. Our emotions begin to bring the fruits of sin through a loss of a sense of true identity, we tend to seek our identity in who we are, we therefore meet with many disappointments.

Our creativity is taken in wrong directions, we were born to create good things but we have learned how to create destructive things. Yes we do create good things but just think of how even good things like art and music are misused every day. We see the potential within human beings and yet so often it is misused to bring about hurt,confusion and destruction.

The whole area of our moral choices has been affected by our fall into sin, instead of making ethical choice based on God’s commandments, we choose to invent our own standards. We see the result of this every day as we hear people defend their decisions by saying, “I did’t hurt anyone”. The standard has become the happiness of the majority instead of God’s absolute standards.

Sin is destroying us, the culture we live and the very earth we live upon but we think we have all the answers. Until we realize that god is right and that he is just and holy there is no hope for us.

God is also gracious and he wants a people for himself, he therefore sent Jesus into this world to save sinners, the clearest portrayal of the awfulness of sin is the cross of Christ. That cross is also the only way that we can escape the penalty of sin.

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God of Grace and Power. (A Prayer)

Posted on June 17, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

Lord I thank you that you are a gracious and loving God and that you exert your power for the sake of your people.

When I look at the sinfulness of my heart it is amazing that a holy God will have anything to do with me, yet Lord in your grace you have drawn me to yourself.

Lord I know that  sin has touched every part of my being and I deserve your judgement. Yet through the work of Christ you have forgiven my sins and given me a new life. Lord enable me to receive from you so that I might become more like Jesus.

Lord I am weak but you are strong, uphold me with your power so that I might serve your purposes in this generation.

Lord help me to be God centered, so that the Triune God of grace will be glorified in my life and through it.

Father enable me to hide in you and realize that I am your son

Lord Jesus, you are my Lord,My Saviour and my friend.

Holy spirit you empower me, you counsel me and equip me. Holy spirit anoint me afresh so that I may serve my God in new ways.

God of grace I come to you in Jesus name, seeking your glory and your fame. Amen

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One Name,One Number by Richard Brunton: A book review

Posted on June 16, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

This is not an unbiased review as I have known the author since the beginning of Living Hope Ministries. Also, as mentioned in the book, the church I serve as an elder is twinned with a church in Bosnia.

This book is an account of Richards life leading up to the founding of Living Hope Ministries and, in more detail, the story of Living Hope Ministries.

The account shows that obedience to God when he calls to a new task is vital. When Richard went to Kenya on his first visit he could not anticipate how the Lord would develop this ministry. At first it looked as if Richard was to serve just a few African countries but now he ministers in the Balkans,  Pakistan and India to name a few countries.

Richard’s main emphasis has been to equip the church and especially pastors in the very poor areas. He has brought sound teaching and guidance to so many in this way. He also leads evangelistic meetings and has seen many people saved, healed and touched in powerful ways by the Holy Spirit.

This book is easy to read and full of testimonies to the power of a living God; Jesus Christ is glorified in its pages. Get hold of a copy of this book and you will be encouraged to see what God is doing through ordinary people in many parts of the World.

The ISBN Number is 978-1907636-39-4 The publisher is Verite.

Posted in Anointing, Baptism of the Holy Spirit, body of Christ, Charismatic, Church, filled with the Spirit, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Revival, Spiritual gifts, Spiritual Warfare., Word of God | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment