So, I preached my first sermon at Redemption Hill Church, on Sunday 10 May 2009. It's on "Staying in the truth - Pursuing sound doctrine" and the text was 2 John 7 - 9.
7For(A) many deceivers(B) have gone out into the world,(C) those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8Watch yourselves,(D) so that you may not lose what we[a] have worked for, but(E) may win a full reward. 9Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ,(F) does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.
I made 4 points:
(i) We must have love in our hearts as we pursue sound doctrine
(ii) We must confess Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, as sound doctrine
(iii) We are watchful and careful in our pursuit of sound doctrine
(iv) Our pursuit of sound doctrine is ultimately our pursuit of our full joy in God
You can listen to it here, and read the manuscript here, for what it's worth. Once again, I'm amazed at the grace of God...
Monday, May 11, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Summary of Hebrews
The Message of Hebrews
1. The message of Hebrews is that Jesus Christ is the final and fullest revelation of God to man (1:1-3). He is the exact representation of God (1:3); superior to angels (1:4); crowned with glory and honour, and the founder of salvation because of His death for sinners (2:9-11); greater than Moses (3:3), as the great high priest who has passed through the heavens (4:14, 7:26); separated from sinners and therefore exalted (7:26) and seated at the right hand of God as a Minister in the true tent of God (8:1-2, 10:12-13). He entered once and for all into the holy places by His own blood (9:12); is a priest in the order of Melchizedek (7:17); the guarantor of a better covenant (7:22), and mediates a better covenant enacted on better promises (8:6, 9:15, 12:24) through his blood. He sanctifies His people through the offering of Himself (10:10), suffering outside the gate (13:12). He is the founder and perfecter of our faith (12:2); is the same yesterday and today and forever (13:8). He is the great shepherd of the sheep (13:20) who equips them to do His will (13:20); and all glory belongs to Him (13:21).
2. In view of who Jesus is, the writer of the Hebrews exhorts the Hebrew Christians to pay close attention to the message (2:1) and not neglect this great salvation (2:3); draw near with confidence to the throne of grace (4:16), with full assurance of faith (10:22); leave the elementary doctrines of Christ and go on the maturity (6:1); look to Jesus (12:2); struggle against sin (12:4); love one another with brotherly love (13:1-2); and bear with the writer’s word of exhortation (13:22).
Possible Application
3. The tendency in Christian circles today seems to be either experience or religiosity, in our bid to know God and to live as He would have us. Hebrews teaches us that while there is a place for both experience, and religious observance, what must precede is the supremacy of Jesus Christ over both. Jesus is the final revelation of God to man, and when we look at Christ we see God. To really experience God, we are not to look into ourselves, or even to some external ill defined “warm fuzzy”, we are to gaze at the person of Jesus all that He is and all that He has done if. There we find the experience of Jesus. When it comes to religious observances, we must be careful not to fall into the trap of the Pharisees, who knew not the Scriptures or the power of God. All the Old Testament laws, prophets, sacrifices etc. point to the person of Jesus. Thus, we are to look to Him as the once and for all sacrifice who has fulfilled all the religious observances required of God. That is the basis for our own “religious observances”. That is the basis for our not neglecting this great salvation, and for not falling away from grace.
1. The message of Hebrews is that Jesus Christ is the final and fullest revelation of God to man (1:1-3). He is the exact representation of God (1:3); superior to angels (1:4); crowned with glory and honour, and the founder of salvation because of His death for sinners (2:9-11); greater than Moses (3:3), as the great high priest who has passed through the heavens (4:14, 7:26); separated from sinners and therefore exalted (7:26) and seated at the right hand of God as a Minister in the true tent of God (8:1-2, 10:12-13). He entered once and for all into the holy places by His own blood (9:12); is a priest in the order of Melchizedek (7:17); the guarantor of a better covenant (7:22), and mediates a better covenant enacted on better promises (8:6, 9:15, 12:24) through his blood. He sanctifies His people through the offering of Himself (10:10), suffering outside the gate (13:12). He is the founder and perfecter of our faith (12:2); is the same yesterday and today and forever (13:8). He is the great shepherd of the sheep (13:20) who equips them to do His will (13:20); and all glory belongs to Him (13:21).
2. In view of who Jesus is, the writer of the Hebrews exhorts the Hebrew Christians to pay close attention to the message (2:1) and not neglect this great salvation (2:3); draw near with confidence to the throne of grace (4:16), with full assurance of faith (10:22); leave the elementary doctrines of Christ and go on the maturity (6:1); look to Jesus (12:2); struggle against sin (12:4); love one another with brotherly love (13:1-2); and bear with the writer’s word of exhortation (13:22).
Possible Application
3. The tendency in Christian circles today seems to be either experience or religiosity, in our bid to know God and to live as He would have us. Hebrews teaches us that while there is a place for both experience, and religious observance, what must precede is the supremacy of Jesus Christ over both. Jesus is the final revelation of God to man, and when we look at Christ we see God. To really experience God, we are not to look into ourselves, or even to some external ill defined “warm fuzzy”, we are to gaze at the person of Jesus all that He is and all that He has done if. There we find the experience of Jesus. When it comes to religious observances, we must be careful not to fall into the trap of the Pharisees, who knew not the Scriptures or the power of God. All the Old Testament laws, prophets, sacrifices etc. point to the person of Jesus. Thus, we are to look to Him as the once and for all sacrifice who has fulfilled all the religious observances required of God. That is the basis for our own “religious observances”. That is the basis for our not neglecting this great salvation, and for not falling away from grace.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
A review of "What Saint Paul Really Said" by NT Wright
This is the first time I've actually read NT Wright, and I have been told that his other works clarify some of my criticisms. Nonetheless, I thought this would be useful as a quick and dirty summary for those unfamiliar with Wright. I must admit that I am still confused by some of the things he wrote.. Anyways, this review was done in a huff all the way into the wee hours of Monday! So, I am sure it is really bad... :-)
Introduction
1. Tom Wright, the Bishop of Durham, wrote this book, to “clear a path through to the St Paul of history”. In this book, Wright wrestles with Rudolph Bultman, W. D. Davies, Ernst Kasemann, E P Sanders, and A. N. Wilson, and their conflicting portrayals of Paul. He discusses whether Paul wrote out of a Jewish or Hellenistic context, his role in the foundation of Christianity, and the centre of his theology. Wright thus paints for us a portrait of Paul, his culture, context, influences and affiliations.
2. Wright boldly claims a redefinition of the Christian message. He cuts through history and theology, and proposes a redefinition of such foundational themes of the Bible such as ‘the Gospel’, ‘the righteousness of God’, and ‘Justification’, and in the process clashes, the likes of Augustine, Luther and Calvin.
Paul writes out of his Jewish context
3. Wright argues that Paul is a Shammaite Pharisee, one of the “strictest of the strict”, zealous for Israel’s God and for the Torah. His intention was thus that he and others kept Torah so wholeheartedly, that they would be marked out as those who would be vindicated when YHWH finally acted to save his people.
4. Encountering the risen Christ, Saul of Tarsus came to see that Israel’s destiny had now been achieved in Jesus the Messiah. God had done for Jesus of Nazareth, what Saul had thought he was going to do for Israel. Thus, although Paul came to this new perspective, he remained rooted within his previous covenantal theology. In that process, Wright makes the following clarifications:
‘The Gospel’ is not an account of how people get saved, but the proclamation of the Lordship of Christ
5. Paul is of the view that what the world needed was precisely the Jewish message of God’s covenantal promise to restore Israel, fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah. Thus, Paul still maintains his (Jewish) relentless opposition to paganism, and zealous promotion of Torah observance, but with a radical change in emphasis, to see that all this fulfilled in Christ, for Israel. Simply put, Israel is redeemed in the person of Jesus, and humankind is redeemed, through Jesus, so that the image of God may be restored.
6. ‘The gospel’ is not a system of thought or techniques for making people Christians, but rather the personal announcement of the person of Jesus. Preaching the gospel, to Wright, thus means announcing Jesus as Lord of the world, and seeking to bring that Lordship to bear over every aspect of the world.
‘The righteousness of God’ should not be understood as a law-court metaphor only, but in terms of God’s covenant faithfulness
7. Following his redefinition of “Gospel”, he redefines “the righteousness of God”. Against the understanding of “the righteousness of God” as ‘imputed’ and ‘imparted’, Wright argues that God’s righteousness can only mean God’s own moral quality, expressed in His covenant faithfulness.
8. This covenant faithfulness is expressed, in God’s active power to deal with evil, to save his people, and to do so with impartiality, through delivering his people from oppression. Thus to Wright, you cannot play of God’s justice against His love. God’s justice is His love in action to right the wrongs of his suffering world by taking the weight upon Him.
‘Justification’ is not a matter of how you get saved, but how you tell who was already saved
9. A person comes into relationship with the living God when ‘the Gospel’ in terms of the Lordship of Christ is announced to them, and through this means, God works by His Spirit upon their hearts, and as a result, they come to believe the message, and they join the Christian community through baptism, and begin to share in its common life and its common way of life.
10. Thus, to Wright, ‘justification’ is redefined from how someone enters the community of God’s people, or how someone establishes a relationship with God, to rather how someone could tell that they were part of the community of the true people of God.
Evaluation and Reflections
11. Wright ably answers the charge that Paul distorts the message of Jesus, by painting an eschatological view of redemptive history, and showing the appropriate continuity between Jesus and Paul on the eschatological time-table. Although, he does present a helpful cosmic view of the continuity between God’s Covenant with Israel, and the church, which is ultimately fulfilled in the person of Jesus Chris, Wright seems to neglect the personal element of the gospel. The world is fallen because man, who was to have dominion over creation, disqualified himself through sin and rebellion. The world is “oppressed” because of personal sin. Following redemption through the blood of Christ, the blessings of redemption can flow through redeemed man to creation.
12. Wright’s redefinitions of ‘the Gospel’, ‘the righteousness of God’ and ‘justification’ are uncalled for. His argument that ‘the righteousness of God’ can only mean the moral quality that is in God, in no way ‘imputed’ or ‘imparted’ is weak, and flies against text as clear as 2 Corinthians 5:21, and Philippians 3:9. It is noble that he wants to preserve the righteousness of God as a moral quality of God, but does this necessitate cutting off the Biblical teachings of imputation and impartation?
13. His redefinition of ‘justification’ as a way of determining how one is already saved and not how one gets saved is confusing. For Wright, a person comes into relationship with the living God, by belief, baptism, and the sharing of the church’s common life. What then is ‘the message’ that needs to be believed for someone to be saved? If it is just that “Jesus is Lord”, how can that Lordship be expressed without the one Lorded over being crushed by the utter holiness of Christ in his sin? Surely Jesus is Lord, because he must also be Saviour? And because He is a mighty Saviour and Lord, who has dealt decisively with the sins of his people, does that not then free His people to live in grateful community, in life giving service, and in redemptive work for creation?
14. In conclusion, I have enjoyed reading Wright, and found him helpful in pointing us towards a bigger view of the Gospel. Yet, I am troubled, that he does not see his “expanded views” complementary to the more personal elements of the Gospel, but insists on redefining key salvific themes in Scripture. This dangerously maligns personal responsibility for sin, and the rightful righteous wrath of God against sin.
Introduction
1. Tom Wright, the Bishop of Durham, wrote this book, to “clear a path through to the St Paul of history”. In this book, Wright wrestles with Rudolph Bultman, W. D. Davies, Ernst Kasemann, E P Sanders, and A. N. Wilson, and their conflicting portrayals of Paul. He discusses whether Paul wrote out of a Jewish or Hellenistic context, his role in the foundation of Christianity, and the centre of his theology. Wright thus paints for us a portrait of Paul, his culture, context, influences and affiliations.
2. Wright boldly claims a redefinition of the Christian message. He cuts through history and theology, and proposes a redefinition of such foundational themes of the Bible such as ‘the Gospel’, ‘the righteousness of God’, and ‘Justification’, and in the process clashes, the likes of Augustine, Luther and Calvin.
Paul writes out of his Jewish context
3. Wright argues that Paul is a Shammaite Pharisee, one of the “strictest of the strict”, zealous for Israel’s God and for the Torah. His intention was thus that he and others kept Torah so wholeheartedly, that they would be marked out as those who would be vindicated when YHWH finally acted to save his people.
4. Encountering the risen Christ, Saul of Tarsus came to see that Israel’s destiny had now been achieved in Jesus the Messiah. God had done for Jesus of Nazareth, what Saul had thought he was going to do for Israel. Thus, although Paul came to this new perspective, he remained rooted within his previous covenantal theology. In that process, Wright makes the following clarifications:
‘The Gospel’ is not an account of how people get saved, but the proclamation of the Lordship of Christ
5. Paul is of the view that what the world needed was precisely the Jewish message of God’s covenantal promise to restore Israel, fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah. Thus, Paul still maintains his (Jewish) relentless opposition to paganism, and zealous promotion of Torah observance, but with a radical change in emphasis, to see that all this fulfilled in Christ, for Israel. Simply put, Israel is redeemed in the person of Jesus, and humankind is redeemed, through Jesus, so that the image of God may be restored.
6. ‘The gospel’ is not a system of thought or techniques for making people Christians, but rather the personal announcement of the person of Jesus. Preaching the gospel, to Wright, thus means announcing Jesus as Lord of the world, and seeking to bring that Lordship to bear over every aspect of the world.
‘The righteousness of God’ should not be understood as a law-court metaphor only, but in terms of God’s covenant faithfulness
7. Following his redefinition of “Gospel”, he redefines “the righteousness of God”. Against the understanding of “the righteousness of God” as ‘imputed’ and ‘imparted’, Wright argues that God’s righteousness can only mean God’s own moral quality, expressed in His covenant faithfulness.
8. This covenant faithfulness is expressed, in God’s active power to deal with evil, to save his people, and to do so with impartiality, through delivering his people from oppression. Thus to Wright, you cannot play of God’s justice against His love. God’s justice is His love in action to right the wrongs of his suffering world by taking the weight upon Him.
‘Justification’ is not a matter of how you get saved, but how you tell who was already saved
9. A person comes into relationship with the living God when ‘the Gospel’ in terms of the Lordship of Christ is announced to them, and through this means, God works by His Spirit upon their hearts, and as a result, they come to believe the message, and they join the Christian community through baptism, and begin to share in its common life and its common way of life.
10. Thus, to Wright, ‘justification’ is redefined from how someone enters the community of God’s people, or how someone establishes a relationship with God, to rather how someone could tell that they were part of the community of the true people of God.
Evaluation and Reflections
11. Wright ably answers the charge that Paul distorts the message of Jesus, by painting an eschatological view of redemptive history, and showing the appropriate continuity between Jesus and Paul on the eschatological time-table. Although, he does present a helpful cosmic view of the continuity between God’s Covenant with Israel, and the church, which is ultimately fulfilled in the person of Jesus Chris, Wright seems to neglect the personal element of the gospel. The world is fallen because man, who was to have dominion over creation, disqualified himself through sin and rebellion. The world is “oppressed” because of personal sin. Following redemption through the blood of Christ, the blessings of redemption can flow through redeemed man to creation.
12. Wright’s redefinitions of ‘the Gospel’, ‘the righteousness of God’ and ‘justification’ are uncalled for. His argument that ‘the righteousness of God’ can only mean the moral quality that is in God, in no way ‘imputed’ or ‘imparted’ is weak, and flies against text as clear as 2 Corinthians 5:21, and Philippians 3:9. It is noble that he wants to preserve the righteousness of God as a moral quality of God, but does this necessitate cutting off the Biblical teachings of imputation and impartation?
13. His redefinition of ‘justification’ as a way of determining how one is already saved and not how one gets saved is confusing. For Wright, a person comes into relationship with the living God, by belief, baptism, and the sharing of the church’s common life. What then is ‘the message’ that needs to be believed for someone to be saved? If it is just that “Jesus is Lord”, how can that Lordship be expressed without the one Lorded over being crushed by the utter holiness of Christ in his sin? Surely Jesus is Lord, because he must also be Saviour? And because He is a mighty Saviour and Lord, who has dealt decisively with the sins of his people, does that not then free His people to live in grateful community, in life giving service, and in redemptive work for creation?
14. In conclusion, I have enjoyed reading Wright, and found him helpful in pointing us towards a bigger view of the Gospel. Yet, I am troubled, that he does not see his “expanded views” complementary to the more personal elements of the Gospel, but insists on redefining key salvific themes in Scripture. This dangerously maligns personal responsibility for sin, and the rightful righteous wrath of God against sin.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
The Funeral - Beautiful Imperfections
This is a touching video about "beautiful imperfections" made by the Ministry of Community, Youth and Sports here in Singapore, to encourage our young people to get married...
As Christians, I wonder if our tireless pursuit here on earth for the perfect everything (spouse, career, church, pet, haircut, ministry...), often disguised as "Nothing but the best is worthy of Christ!", is in reality a betrayal of our lack of trust in God and His Gospel?
When Christ returns, all imperfections will be done away with... The imperfections of this life create a yearning in us for the perfections of Christ, and the Kingdom He is bringing to earth. May we then learn to love and live as perfectly imperfect for Christ in this present age, knowing that the perfection that He will bring will make it all worth it!
"1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." Revelation 21:1-4
As Christians, I wonder if our tireless pursuit here on earth for the perfect everything (spouse, career, church, pet, haircut, ministry...), often disguised as "Nothing but the best is worthy of Christ!", is in reality a betrayal of our lack of trust in God and His Gospel?
When Christ returns, all imperfections will be done away with... The imperfections of this life create a yearning in us for the perfections of Christ, and the Kingdom He is bringing to earth. May we then learn to love and live as perfectly imperfect for Christ in this present age, knowing that the perfection that He will bring will make it all worth it!
"1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." Revelation 21:1-4
Friday, April 10, 2009
Two Videos for the Good Friday/Easter Weekend
A time to come back to cross, a time to come back to Jesus, Lord over all...
Jesus Wants the Rose!
That's My King! I wonder if you know Him ?
Jesus Wants the Rose!
That's My King! I wonder if you know Him ?
Friday, April 3, 2009
Summary of Ephesians
The Message of Ephesians
1. The Ephesians are to “know” the hope to which God has “called” (1:18), and “walk” in a manner worthy of that “calling” (4:1). They are to “know” two things:
a. The “riches” of God’s “glorious inheritance in the saints” (1:18) which are the “spiritual blessings” (1:3) in Christ, i.e. predestination (1:5), adoption (1:6), redemption (1:7), forgiveness (1:7), and final unity (1:10). Paul uses the shorthand “salvation” (1:13) for this, and it is received “by grace through faith” (2:5, 8) not by “works” (2:9)
b. The “immeasurable greatness” of God’s “power” toward those “who believe” (1:18-19) which is the same power that God used to raise Jesus, and seat him at his right hand (1:19), that breaks down the wall of hostility between man and God, and between man and man (3:16), equips for ministry (3:7), strengthens the saints (3:17), enables the comprehension of God’s love (3:18) et al. This “power” also works to strengthen against the devil’s schemes (6:11).
2. Then, they are to “walk” with “humility and gentleness” (4:2); “patience, bearing with one another in love” (4:2)’ and “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (4:3). These traits are worked out within the church (4:11 - 5:21), the family (5:22 - 6:4) and between slaves and masters (6:5-9).
Possible Application
3. Right practice birthed from right belief – Paul does not begin with the imperatives, but rather with what God has done in Jesus Christ. How they “walk” must be determined by what they “know”. Even when talking about “walking”, the connection is drawn back to the “knowing” e.g. he tells husbands to “love your wives” (the “walking”), as “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (the “knowing”) (5:25). This distinguishes Christianity from other belief systems. Other systems say, “You obey and therefore you are accepted”. Christianity says, “You are accepted and therefore you obey”. In pragmatic Singapore, there is a tendency to focus on ‘getting the job done’, with the ends justifying the means. The problem with this is that without drawing the link to the Cross of Jesus Christ, we may do good works, but not proclaim Christ. We will have mere religiosity that ultimately does not commend us to God, as only Christ can. We must recover this important link.
4. The Spirit is essential to live and ministry – The Holy Spirit is prominent in Ephesians. By Him, the Ephesians are “sealed” in what Christ has done (1:13). He is the “guarantee” of their inheritance (1:14). Through Him they have access to God (2:18). He strengthens them so that Christ can dwell in their hearts (2:22, 3:15-17). He unites (3:4). He can be grieved (4:30). He is the Spirit of true worship (5:18-20). He is the one that helps them to fight the good fight of faith (6:17-18). In essence, the Holy Spirit is essential in life and ministry. His work is however described in a more qualitative, than quantitative manner. From this observation perhaps that “conservatives” can come to realize the importance of the Spirit, while the “charismatics” can learn not to emphasize outward manifestations (e.g. signs and wonders) over qualitative change in persons and churches.
1. The Ephesians are to “know” the hope to which God has “called” (1:18), and “walk” in a manner worthy of that “calling” (4:1). They are to “know” two things:
a. The “riches” of God’s “glorious inheritance in the saints” (1:18) which are the “spiritual blessings” (1:3) in Christ, i.e. predestination (1:5), adoption (1:6), redemption (1:7), forgiveness (1:7), and final unity (1:10). Paul uses the shorthand “salvation” (1:13) for this, and it is received “by grace through faith” (2:5, 8) not by “works” (2:9)
b. The “immeasurable greatness” of God’s “power” toward those “who believe” (1:18-19) which is the same power that God used to raise Jesus, and seat him at his right hand (1:19), that breaks down the wall of hostility between man and God, and between man and man (3:16), equips for ministry (3:7), strengthens the saints (3:17), enables the comprehension of God’s love (3:18) et al. This “power” also works to strengthen against the devil’s schemes (6:11).
2. Then, they are to “walk” with “humility and gentleness” (4:2); “patience, bearing with one another in love” (4:2)’ and “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (4:3). These traits are worked out within the church (4:11 - 5:21), the family (5:22 - 6:4) and between slaves and masters (6:5-9).
Possible Application
3. Right practice birthed from right belief – Paul does not begin with the imperatives, but rather with what God has done in Jesus Christ. How they “walk” must be determined by what they “know”. Even when talking about “walking”, the connection is drawn back to the “knowing” e.g. he tells husbands to “love your wives” (the “walking”), as “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (the “knowing”) (5:25). This distinguishes Christianity from other belief systems. Other systems say, “You obey and therefore you are accepted”. Christianity says, “You are accepted and therefore you obey”. In pragmatic Singapore, there is a tendency to focus on ‘getting the job done’, with the ends justifying the means. The problem with this is that without drawing the link to the Cross of Jesus Christ, we may do good works, but not proclaim Christ. We will have mere religiosity that ultimately does not commend us to God, as only Christ can. We must recover this important link.
4. The Spirit is essential to live and ministry – The Holy Spirit is prominent in Ephesians. By Him, the Ephesians are “sealed” in what Christ has done (1:13). He is the “guarantee” of their inheritance (1:14). Through Him they have access to God (2:18). He strengthens them so that Christ can dwell in their hearts (2:22, 3:15-17). He unites (3:4). He can be grieved (4:30). He is the Spirit of true worship (5:18-20). He is the one that helps them to fight the good fight of faith (6:17-18). In essence, the Holy Spirit is essential in life and ministry. His work is however described in a more qualitative, than quantitative manner. From this observation perhaps that “conservatives” can come to realize the importance of the Spirit, while the “charismatics” can learn not to emphasize outward manifestations (e.g. signs and wonders) over qualitative change in persons and churches.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Joining Redemption Hill
In the short time that I've been blogging, I've written about coming to gospel-centered convictions, mulled how these convictions are best worked out in the context of a local church, ranted (sinfully) at the lack of such a church here, laid out some desirable characteristics of how such a church may look like, and shared about meeting Simon and visiting Redemption Hill (here, here and here).
After a couple of months of (difficult and emotional) thinking, praying, talking to different people, and arguing even.. in seeking after God's will.. We've decided to trust God, and take a step of faith by joining Simon (and gang) in building Redemption Hill Church. Knowing some sense of "the hope to which he has called", "the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints", and "the immeasurable greatness of his power" (Ephesians 1:18-19), with quiet confidence in Our Lord Jesus Christ, but now knowing what the future will hold, we want to follow where He leads.. Pray for us, as we humbly seek to glorify Christ with our lives! :-)
After a couple of months of (difficult and emotional) thinking, praying, talking to different people, and arguing even.. in seeking after God's will.. We've decided to trust God, and take a step of faith by joining Simon (and gang) in building Redemption Hill Church. Knowing some sense of "the hope to which he has called", "the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints", and "the immeasurable greatness of his power" (Ephesians 1:18-19), with quiet confidence in Our Lord Jesus Christ, but now knowing what the future will hold, we want to follow where He leads.. Pray for us, as we humbly seek to glorify Christ with our lives! :-)
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