Watching God work...

“We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;” (2 Corinthians 4:13)

Sunday, we hosted a gathering from four of our churches in Cancun. We all got to hear the testimonies of a total of nine people awaiting baptism, including two from our group in Alamos. Usually, each church does their own thing, often baptizing in the ocean. Being indoors, though, with a good sound system, allowed us all to hear two excellent Bible messages, plus every word of each testimony. It also helps that we now have a beautiful baptistry. Everyone went away rejoicing over how God works!

Steppenwolf...

Hermann Hesse (1877-1962) was a German author who was in vogue in the 60's when I became acquainted with his writing. In "Steppenwolf", Hesse introduces his main character, Mr. Harry Haller, like this:

"For he was not a sociable man. Indeed, he was unsociable to a degree I had never before experienced in anybody. He was, in fact, as he called himself, a real wolf of the Steppes, a strange, wild, shy--very shy--being from another world than mine. How deep the loneliness into which his life had drifted on account of his disposition and destiny,.."

A wolf of the Steppe: a peculiarly apt description of some; a tendency innate to some degree in us all.

In the presence of God...

"...for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.” (Hebrews 11:27)

When do you most feel like you have been in the presence of God? I guess if I were a more spiritual person, I might respond, "late at night while I am praying." Sadly, for me, that is not usually the case.

I'm not shooting here for creepy organ music and goosebumps. I am pretty sure that there is not some mystical experience awaiting me around the corner. It is tiresome at times dealing with the superstition, the confusing of ritual with rebirth, the emotionalism attributed to the Holy Spirit, the expectation of some overpowering manifestation that would nudge one over the line into saving faith.

Growing Pains...

“From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4:16)

The Lord's work begins and ends with making disciples, the kind that grow together into locally functioning bodies of believers, i.e., churches. How do you get from no church to church? ...from zero to maturity? I wish more of the next generation of Christians could be enjoined to envision and commit to the entire process, whether next door or "...unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

Divine use of the past tense...

At the outset, we were told that in order to learn a new language, we would end up learning our own as well. That turned out to be true. It is hard, but the prize comes years later when you feel as comfortable in the learned language as you do in the one you were born into.

Orbus Update...

http://refreshingbones.blogspot.com/2009_10_01_archive.html

Remember Orbus? He is four and a half months old now. A few thoughts on the analogy that continues to unfold around his rescue:

"Salvation is not meant for everyone, right?"

In Monday night's Systematic Theology class, we touched on the concept of universal salvation, something propounded by a few and felt to be true by many: basically, that since Christ has died for all and risen from the dead, then all are now safe from eternal judgment.

While the Bible makes it clear that the sacrifice of the Son of God was complete, eternal, and perpetually efficacious, it makes it equally clear that many will still not escape that eternal horror. No one has ever always believed in God... no one has ever done enough good things to get into heaven... no one is free of sin... no one is inherently perfect in a way that would satisfy the demands of a just God... no one goes to heaven just because he wants to.