Claimed, gathered and sent

This was last week's theology question. Eschatology is the study of the last things, second coming of Christ etc. My response follows the question. What relevance does eschatology have for your daily life now? In what practical ways can you be a "personal microcosm of the eschatological new creation" for those around you? What effects might this have upon your relationships with others? To be honest, I do not see that eschatology has a great impact on my life now. In order to be prepared for the Lord’s coming, we just need to continue drawing closer to him, to become more like him. As we are more continually in his presence, it will not really matter when he returns or whose perspective was right. I can be a “personal microcosm of the eschatological new creation” for those around me by continuing to do what I am doing now. I want to be more like Jesus. This can only happen by spending time with him. The disciplines of journaling, lectio divina and divine ho...

God cleanses and feeds us by these means of grace. Baptism is carried out by Christ’s command calling us to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them” (Mt 28:19). As a Lutheran, infants as well as adults and children are baptized. I have struggled with this sometimes because my understanding since becoming a believer is that it should follow faith, not precede it. From early church history, however, infants have been baptized. In Acts, entire families were baptized (Acts 16:15, 33). Cyprian of Carthage (200-258) wrote approvingly of the practice. [1] The Book of Concord states, “We maintain that we should baptize children because they also belong to the promised redemption that was brought about in Christ (Mt 19:14). The church ought to extend it to them.” [2] In The Small Catechism, Luther explains, baptism “brings about forgiveness of sins, redeems from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe it, as the Word and promise of...

This is a great article I just read. It is from the "Gifted for Leadership" blog. Enjoy! The Audacity of Dreams by Sally Morgenthaler June 15, 2007 | Dreams are powerful things. They help propel us forward in life. They are the aspirations of our hearts, and we hope, the framework of the extraordinary. For better or worse, what we think and what we dream tends to materialize. “As a person thinks in the heart, so a person becomes” (Proverbs 23:7). The best dreams call us to our higher selves, participating creatively in the things and plans of God. Good dreams reflect a Philippians 4:8 orientation: “Brothers and sisters, think about things that are good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that are true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected.” Dreams that are “worthy of praise”—dreams of the Spirit—come to us from many places: our family of faith; a worship experience; deep prayer and meditation. Yet, some of the best dreams come to us from si...

We were presented with a very interesting series of questions this week in Principles of Theology. See how you would answer them. What is your view regarding the topic of Baptism in the Holy Spirit? Specifically, (1) Is it a work of grace distinct from and subsequent to regeneration? Why or why not? (2) Is tongues the initial evidence of Baptism in the Holy Spirit? Why or why not? My response is below I am divided on the issue of the baptism with the Holy Spirit. I have experienced this and it has been beneficial in growth in grace, particularly as a relatively new believer. Jack Hayford’s interpretation of the scripture is one I agree with regarding this being a work of grace distinct from and often subsequent to regeneration. Throughout the book of Acts, in particular, we see the infilling of the Holy Spirit as a separate work. Passages such as Acts 8:14-16; 9:16-18; 10:44-45 and so on speak of this as a separate experience for believers besides the apostles. So...

A while back I had started a devotional on Ephesians 1:17-19 and had said the next few posts would be about that. Well...I got waylaid. So, back to Ephesians we go. Ephesians 1:17-19 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him , 18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. Once again, this passages is bookended with God. It begins with "I pray...that...God." It ends with "...his great power." And in between, it's all about knowing him. In verse 17b, "...come to know him." What specifically do we learn about God? hope-"...the hope to which he has called you" v 18. riches-"what are th...

The discipline I chose to practice this week is sometimes referred to as divine hours, the divine office, daily office or fixed hour prayer. It has grown out of the tradition of the Benedictine monastic order and originally had nine different times of prayer. It is now down to seven in most orders and many lay people pray anywhere from three to four. My practice this week has been morning prayer, noon prayer and then evening prayer or vespers. This is a short explanation from the website Explore Faith. People have prayed at fixed hours during the day for centuries. Quietly easing away from the obligations of home or work, they take a few moments to spend time with God. These moments connect them to the Divine, and to the countless others who are also pausing to pray the prayers designated for that hour, on that day. Prayers whispered and chanted, spoken loud and clear or murmured silently within, all join together in a continuous flow, a river...

This post was written in response to several questions posed by my Principles of Theology professor. Those questions are: What role does God play in our sanctification? What responsibility do we have? In what ways will you intentionally foster the development of the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5) and holiness in your own life in the coming days? My response is below. What do you think? ****************************** God’s role in sanctification is that he does the work. We can do nothing to make ourselves sanctified or holy. God works and we cooperate. Grudem states, “sanctification is primarily a work of God…” [1] The Father disciplines us (see Heb 12:5-11). Christ is “our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Cor1:30) because he earned this for us. He is also our example, “pioneer and perfecter of our faith” (Heb 12:2). The Holy Spirit has the major role in the sanctification of ...