Sunday, January 20, 2008

Somewhere In The Middle

In the comments a few days ago, someone made a statement that has been bothering me ever since. Since "Things-I-think-about-when-I-can't-sleep" is always good fodder for blog posts, and because I just don't feel comfortable letting the statement just dangle out there unanswered, I will now attempt a justification response.

When Melanie said, "I am not sure how you do what you do", I had several reactions. My first was to be frustrated that I may have, by only giving snapshots into our life (a drawback inherent to blogging), led folks to believe a storybook account of our life. The second was to think, I know exactly how you feel.

The Momma in me has to warn you explicitly about assuming too much. Don't read too much between-the-lines about the lives of anyone...especially online. I can't write about everything, and even if I could, I wouldn't air our dirty laundry in so public a forum. Case in point, allow me to ask some questions. Is my laundry caught up? Do I yell at my kids? Is my husband happy and well cared for? How does my garden grow? And most importantly...is it well with my soul?

Truth is, you can't know from just reading blog posts. I have several dear friends with whom my relationship is conducted primarily via computer. Even with extensive e-mail and phone conversations ~ even they ~ can't truly know about our life. The view from a blog is comprised of no more than multiple peeks through a fence's knotholes, and it is not a reputable source from which one may draw a complete picture. All of that is to say, I am not doing all that much. Especially now.

I am currently prostrate on the family room couch. My head is pounding, my mouth is constantly watering with oh-please-can't-I-just-throw-up anticipation, and I can only type a couple of lines at a time before I have to stop to let the dizziness subside. Meanwhile, my family is fending for themselves. My eleven year-old daughter made dinner alone, while helping me entertain the Littles. For the past several weeks, I have only been able to be up and about for (at most) an hour at a time before I feel so sick I need to lie down. This is not the stuff of Super Woman, whoever she is.

I have however, made the same statement ("I don't know how you do all you do") to many women over the years and thought it about still more. Anyone with more children than myself, at whatever number of children I currently had, I automatically assumed was handling all things well, with abundant grace and tea parties, as well. I just knew that their sinks, laundry hampers, and trash cans were empty before bedtime each night, their meals were well-balanced, colorful and healthy, their husbands were enraptured at all times, their children rose up each day and called them blessed, and since they had regular devotional times, YHWH loved them more than me. I knew it. I have been a Mom-To-A-Few, and looked up to the Mommas-Of-Many. I am now somewhere in the middle...a Momma-Of-Many, sandwiched between the  folks looking to me, while I look to the Mommas-Of-Nations. The truth, which I eventually discovered somewhere along the way, was that I couldn't assume too much...although I still haven't learned to walk in this truth at all times.

As I lay here now, I am less than 36 hours away from being the hostess of a family of thirteen. While Mr. Visionary would say that my house could - possibly - use a little "picking up", my inability to see in shades of grey tells me that it is a wreck. I will need to prepare three meals a day for 22 people for at least three days. I have a minuscule amount prepared, and no great ideas for the rest. And yet, here I lay, unable to function any better at present.

The Momma who will visit is soft spoken, loving, patient, kind, beautiful and has been pregnant many times. This is not the sort of woman in front of whom I want to appear to be a sissy. And yet, even with all the self control I can muster, I am not a hero, either. Will this Super Mom of Eleven (whom I greatly admire) understand? Has she ever been laid up with morning sickness? Surely she was always prepared when company was coming, and surely her house was always orderly. Surely. I know this because I have seen knothole versions of her life. And if the knotholes look like that, I can fill in the rest for myself.

Or can I?

Friday, January 18, 2008

Leftover Oatmeal Transformed

Fall 2007 159

After going through the trouble of making yogurt to save a jar of whey, buying from a co-op 50 pound bags of organic oat groats, rolling it into oatmeal, soaking the grain overnight in the whey mixture, cooking it and adding organic butter and coconut oil... I can not bear to throw the stuff away. It goes against every frugal, there-are-children-starving-in-this-world and...don't-you-know-how-hard-Dad-worked-to-pay-for-it bone in my body to just toss it.

So the experiments began. I would add the oatmeal to my bread dough, but never could get it to stay light. I journeyed through adding it to homemade pancake batter, homemade biscuit dough and cookie dough. Some of those experiments were fair, but we were still searching for *just* the right use for this pale, cold and slimy bit of what could potentially be yummy-healthy goodness.

Fall 2007 161

Enter Peanut Butter Bars. An old La Leche League cookbook recipe I made in ages past called for rolled oats, soaked in boiling water for a bit before adding to the recipe. I looked at the leftover oatmeal and thought,"This has been in boiling water quite a bit...let's try it." So, without further adieu, we share with you our new, tried-and-true, we'd-almost-make-extra-oatmeal-just-to-have-for-this...recipe.

Peanut Butter Bars with Leftover Oatmeal

2 cups leftover oatmeal, cold and slimy is fine

1/2 cup butter, softened (coconut oil is also yum)

1 cup sweetener...sugar, sucanat, etc....(or honey- if you half the amount, and it doesn't get the batter too moist)

1 egg

1 cup whole grain flour...wheat, spelt, etc....(Yes, these work with rice flour if you need!)(maybe a bit of extra flour if you used honey to sweeten)

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/3 cup peanut butter (we like this better doubled)

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream butter, sweetener and eggs in a bowl. (The boys like to squoosh this with their well-washed hands.) Add oats and other ingredients; mix well. Spread into greased 9x13" baking pan. Bake at 350' for 10-15 minutes. Cool on wire rack; cut into bars. Yield 18(small) servings.

We have also served this hot, scooped into bowls with cold milk either on top or in a glass beside. It is so yummy for breakfast. The texture seems to be a bit different each time we make it, my guess is because of the varying amount of butter and sugar we add to the original oatmeal pot. It makes great snack bars, or with a few chocolate chips mixed into the batter, a very rich dessert bar for crowds. (We have found that tripling this makes two very full jelly-roll pans full.)

Enjoy!

For more frugal ideas, head over to Crystal's place for her Frugal Friday post!

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Thinking Outside Of The Mop

When my girlfriend called to force me into submission blackmail me offer her family's services in our preparations for some friends visiting, I caved willingly accepted their help. I know her family, and have seen them in action before... they work really hard. So when she and her four teen daughters showed up this morning to help us get not only caught up, but ahead of the game, I was quite relieved.

Because I admire how skillfully and happily her children work, I am also all ears when she dispenses any advice on this subject. I want to learn all I can from folks who have good fruit in the areas in which our family is hoping to produce the same. She apparently has a much better grasp than myself on the concept of making a job fun, for I can tell you I never considered her method for getting help with mopping floors before.

Perhaps I should have been concerned when the first thing she told the kids to do was to go put on some play socks. Or even when my friend told me, "Just don't look, Julie," as one of her girls had all my children laughing hysterically in the mudroom. But after they left, the children asked me if they could, "Do what we did to the mudroom floor... to the kitchen floor?" Not 100% sure what I was getting myself into, but being really impressed with the look of the mudroom, I consented.









I now have a long list of children who have volunteered to clean the kitchen floor for me... any time I want.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

A Fly On The Couch And Lessons In Parenting

We should have crises more often. They can be very encouraging. Folks that have sane, quiet lives may never have the opportunity to be encouraged in the way I have recently. Of course, they may never have the need to be encouraged as I have needed, but still.

The first several weeks of morning sickness were not the most exciting of days, but they were manageable, and I was able to function with relative normalcy. I was beginning to think that the dandelion tincture I had been taking to help clean up my liver before the next pregnancy had worked. Gleeful that I might make it through this season unscathed, I was rather taken aback as I rounded the next corner. Apparently I rounded said corner only to run smack in to a wall.

From my perspective as a couch vegetable these past few days, I have been surprised by some gaps in my parenting (was the four-year old always this good at talking her way out of trouble?), and tickled pink by others (when did my ten year old become so good with the baby?) My dizziness and nausea from being pregnant and my fatigue from nursing while pregnant left me a good excuse no other option but to be the proverbial fly on the couch wall. Sometimes I was able to give instructions, other times I could only be at the mercy of whatever training had previously taken hold.

As I watched the children manage their work and help each other, I realized that this was a definite step above the workings of normal life. This Mom's-out-of-commission emergency has allowed my children to rise to the occasion and grow to a new level. Their head knowledge is getting some practical, hands-on experience and I can see their individual and collective self respect increase. I am also watching as their level of respect for each other is growing.

Tonight, because all hands were on deck and needed in other areas, our eight year old son (you know, the middle child, who the experts say is supposedly left out and ignored), made dinner. I laid on the couch and read him the instructions, as he made Sue Gregg's Salmon Quiche alone. When the children asked (as they always do) what was for dinner, I proudly announced that the Dreamer was making it, and they should ask him. When the shock wore off, it became obvious by the children's expressions and exclamations that this boy had just risen to a higher level in their estimation. Wow, he can make dinner? Yeah. He can.

I think he was as shocked as the rest that he really did it. In the midst of a great need (we were hungry), this guy just added to the list of things he can manage well. With three capable child-cooks older than him, If I hadn't been sick on the couch, he may have never had the opportunity. I'm not a big fan of feeling this yucky. I'd gladly avoid it if there were a way. But this I can tell you with certainty: If I had to go through this ten times over, I'd do it... just to see the children look at my Dreamer that way.

And to see him so beaming in pride. You did good, Buddy. You did real good.

Spring 2007 173

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Increasing The Flock

Our first plan was developed in order to help protect the mental health of those close to us, who, without the benefit of a biblical worldview would not handle such wonderful news well. It was also protection for myself in particular, for, fending off the 6.4 billion questions that would ensue following such an announcement, would not be the easiest task, especially in my condition.

However, we are realizing that it does not actually fall within our realm of responsibility to protect full grown adults from their own faulty logic or misplaced priorities, hence, we have relegated Plan One to File Thirteen. Plan Two involves repeating ad nauseum (should the need arise) the profound statement, "I don't know... we'll see."

All of this is to say that we are keeping the good news under our collective hats no longer, and we are thrilled to announce that YHWH as seen fit to bless us with another child. When the children were appraised of the development, the boys literally jumped up and down screaming in delight, and the girls beamed and glowed happily. Doodle wanted to know if the baby could sleep with her, and the boys demanded that it be a boy. "It's about time", they asserted.

While the family as a whole could not be more thrilled, I personally can picture myself a bit more chipper after the morning-noon-and-night sickness has abated. This too shall pass, eh?

As an aside, and to hopefully fend off the inevitable questions that will indeed come regarding our future plans and Israel, I can say this: No plans have changed. We are still in Step One, which is to sell our home and farm. Step Two will involve moving somewhere (No, we are not sure where) that we can buy a house with cash and fit it with basic solar power. Step Three will be to complete our financial preparations for moving to Israel. It is only an outline, but YHWH often doesn't reveal the specifics until just the moment when they need to be known. It works better for me that way. Then I only have to concern myself with the very next step ~ which right now would be to go take some ginger tincture to soothe this nausea.

Meanwhile, we hope you will rejoice with us! If you cannot, your silence would be greatly appreciated. (Warm smile and batting eyelashes here.)


ImageChef.com - Custom comment codes for MySpace, Hi5, Friendster and more





Psalm 107:41-43



41 But he lifted the needy out of their affliction
and increased their families like flocks.


42 The upright see and rejoice,
but all the wicked shut their mouths.


43 Whoever is wise, let him heed these things
and consider the great love of YHWH.




 


Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Restoring The Early Church ~ Lesson 13

Here's a PDF link for the lesson, or just read below:

 


 


Section 1 - Lesson 13


A Hebraic Perspective


 


 


The Holy Spirit: Power Behind Spiritual Gifts



The Holy Spirit: Instigator of Communal Connectedness








A Hebraic Perspective

Holy Spirit: Power Behind Spiritual Gifts





“Now about spiritual gifts, brothers,



I do not want you to be ignorant”

(1 Corinthians 12:1).





“So also you: since you are


zealots of spiritual things,



seek that you may abound to the upbuilding of the called-out ones”


(1 Corinthians 14:12, literal translation).




What is a spiritual gift?



Simply, the Holy Spirit working through His people in a given manner at the time He chooses so that they can carry out the ministry appointed to them by God.

A gift endowed by the Holy Spirit can be identified by the motivation for its use. You walk in that gifting by being prompted or even impelled by the Spirit. His work in you will cause others to praise God as they see the result of His participation through you, just as those of Jesus’s day gave God thanks when they saw what He did!


Almost anyone you encounter has talents or capabilities that have been developed from either their raw genetic framework or from intensive training. These are not spiritual gifts. Gifts of the Spirit have a supernatural quality, since the Spirit of Christ has given them to you! In other words, a spiritual gift is received after conversion.



A friend years back wrote this insightful passage to clarify the topic of spiritual gifts: “Every believer has a gift or gifts apportioned to him or her. Every believer is responsible to exercise those gifts. Every believer has some gift, therefore all should be encouraged. No one has all the gifts, therefore all should be humble. All gifts are for the one Body, therefore all should be harmonious. All gifts are from the Lord, therefore all should be content(emphasis added).1

Followers of Jesus are indeed privileged to be gifted by His Spirit. Yet, we are also held accountable by God to exercise that privilege as His Spirit prompts.


In the earliest Church, the gifts of the Holy Spirit were manifested in both the believers’ individual and communal lives to build up the Body in love-grounded obedient trust. Through exercise of these various gifts, the followers of Jesus were continually aware of God’s proximity and His loving concern for the spiritual growth of His people.


A further dimension of reliance on the Spirit within was spiritual warfare. They had no doubt that their Adversary, as dangerously ravenous as a roaring lion, had declared war on them for trusting in Jesus (see Revelation 12:17).


The reality of Satan and evil spirits wasn’t new to them. Examples of demonic manifestations and interaction with man are threaded throughout the Older Testament. (See 1 Samuel 16:14; 1 Chronicles 21:1; Job 1:7; Zechariah 3:1.) Even more dramatically, these early believers saw firsthand or heard accounts of demonic deliverance by Jesus and the apostles.


So one of the functions of the Holy Spirit was to provide the followers of Jesus with particular empowerment by which they could do battle against evil.


Great spiritual lessons can be drawn from the history recounted in the Hebrew Bible. The God Who guided Joshua and David in battle knew something about fighting and winning wars!


The first lesson in warfare was that every soldier had a key purpose and specialty. Not everyone was a scout, an armor-bearer or a javelin thrower. The combination of specialized warriors functioned as an effective army unit.


“Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss (Judges 20: 16). The angle of shot for a lefty was opposite that which an enemy might anticipate, and their accuracy was an especially prized skill as well!



Others among the troops were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed(1 Chronicles 12:2).

Each unique ability was needed for the good of the whole, just as with spiritual gifting. And because God shows no partiality (Deuteronomy 10:17), we must not consider one anointing greater than another. Once again, the principle of equal value finds scriptural precedent for us today. David led his troops against the Amalekites who had captured the families of his men. But his most exhausted soldiers stayed behind to guard their possessions.


After the battle was won and the families recovered, David passed an ordinance: “The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike (1 Samuel 30:24). Each did his part to meet the needs of the whole, and was rewarded accordingly.





When Paul refers to the variety of gifting intended to serve God’s purposes, he’s able as a Hebrew Bible scholar to call upon his remembrance of his people’s military history. Each and every assignment was necessary for the well-being of the collective called-out ones: “All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines (1 Corinthians 12:11).



Paul’s military references in his letters to Timothy, Philemon and the followers of Jesus in Philippi reinforce the understanding that we are at war in the heavenlies. A warfare mentality demands that each soldier for Christ do his or her part through the power of the Holy Spirit. Much of the Church, however, has relegated the gifts of the Holy Spirit to something akin to an elective college course.

Whether at the level of home fellowship or congregation, the spiritual coordination and cooperation of the gifts to meet God’s purposes for each faith community is dependent on discerning and obeying the Holy Spirit.



Two chief reasons underlie the lack of coordination of gifts in faith communities:





• Failure to understand the nature of the spiritual warfare in which the Church is engaged.


• Ignorance of the importance of spiritual gifts in contending victoriously in this struggle.




The Church was called to take the offensive in waging war against the powers of darkness. As our Captain promised, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not withstand it” (Matthew 16:18). “Gates” don’t fight! They’re meant to be knocked down by our Lord’s troops as we invade enemy soil with the Sword of Truth.


The gifts of the Holy Spirit, the individual spiritual empowerment He gives as He judges best for each, equip us to fight vigorously and victoriously in the inevitable spiritual warfare we’ll encounter. The Spirit aspires to use every follower of Jesus to do his or her part.






Try to envision yourself and your faith community at war as the early Church did. Then try to grasp the nature of the power that’s required to wage and win the war. Again, a spiritual gift is not the same as a natural talent. Your natural abilities are put to use according to the impulse of your mind’s determination.

Spiritual gifts are imparted by the Holy Spirit to your spirit. Because they emanate from God to serve His purposes, spiritual gifts come to you after your conversion. At that point you are indwelled by His Spirit and available to be an instrument in His hand.



The Holy Spirit knows precisely which gifts are necessary within each faith community to wage the particular battles they encounter. No two battles are the same. Each must be fought with Spirit-discernment and with the weapons that will be effective when they are coordinated.


David, the warrior who had God’s heart and ear, was victorious because he was God-dependent in his battle strategies. Each time He sought His Lord’s tactics, God directed him differently yet precisely (see 1 Chronicles 14:10; 1 Samuel 23).


Spiritual gifts are a means by which our Father’s grace is poured out on His children. The Greek word for gift, “charisma,” comes from a verb meaning “to show favor, to give freely.” It is related to the word charis, which means “grace”. So our Father’s spiritual gifts are His favor freely given to you for you to walk in spiritual power on His behalf.

The gifts of the Spirit are also referred to as “pneumatikon”, as in “manifestation of the Spirit” (see 1 Corinthians 12:7). The indwelling Spirit manifests His presence in each believer through the particular gift or gifts He has imparted. His gifts are Spirit-breathed, and come with the power to use them and the wisdom to know when to use them.


Aren’t you overwhelmed with humble gratefulness as you consider the amazing love of our Lord to impart such gifts to mere humans? These gifts are completely unmerited by us, for they emanate not from natural inclinations or hope for recognition but from God’s desire to use us for His purposes.


Jesus spoke of the Spirit as “power [dunamis, dynamic power] from on high” (see Luke 24:49). Having walked the earth as a man, He recognized how frail we are in our own strength, no matter how noble our intentions. That’s why His promise is so necessary if we are to fulfill our Father’s plans:





But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).





Recognizing his own limitations, Paul relied on the wisdom and power of God to touch people’s hearts through him. The apostle insisted that his preaching was “not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power; not in words taught by human wisdom but in words taught by the Holy Spirit(1 Corinthians 2:4,13).



Since the Holy Spirit was so vitally necessary to the work of the early Church, believers today must regain a biblical understanding of His importance.

[For more on spiritual gifts and their use in spiritual warfare, see our book, God’s Instruments For War. It contains a spiritual gift survey to help determine what gift(s) the Spirit has apportioned to you.]






Writers’ Observation:

In the military, people are assigned because of their particular specialty. For example, Mike was a helicopter pilot. His assignments were based on where a helicopter pilot was needed.


We’ve seen over the years that the most spiritually vibrant work of any marriage or faith community comes about as the individuals know and coordinate their spiritual gifts. Here’s a point for you to consider: What if our God, in His foreknowledge, has ordained certain of His followers to marry because of the gift(s) each brings with them into their marriage union? Sadly, we’ve found that the lack of knowing and using their gifts brings frustration into the marriage.


Oftentimes the Spirit draws people into a particular faith community because their gift(s) are needed there for the building up and service of that body. The individuals may not even be aware of the Spirit’s purpose for joining them to this family of believers. Yet, God’s Word speaks to this:



“In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps(Proverbs 16:9).

“A man’s steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way?” (Proverbs 20:24).


Even without your conscious awareness, our Lord designed that you marry a particular individual endowed with particular gifts(s), even if your and/or your spouse’s relationship with Him didn’t come about until years later! And, He has placed you in a particular faith community because your gifts are needed in their midst.


It’s important for you to get hold of this reality. It will change your spiritual perception of both your spouse and others in your faith community! As you come to know the gifts of others, your collective purpose in God’s service becomes all the more clear.





Do you know what gifts the Holy Spirit has apportioned to you? Yes or No. If yes, what are they? [If no, please see our book.]








If yes, would you classify yourself as someone who zealously uses your spiritual gifts in the body and in the world, or as a complacent spectator who is apprehensive to use your gifts? Have you resisted His use of you in your gifting? When?








Describe two or three instances in which you experienced the Holy Spirit using your gifts.





If you’re married, do you know your spouses gift(s)? Yes or No. If yes, how do you coordinate together in using your gifts?









Do you know the gifts of others close to you in your faith community? Yes or No. If yes, how do you coordinate together to use your gifts?







What benefits would derive in your faith community if each believer manifested the gifts of the Spirit to one another?









A Hebraic Perspective


Holy Spirit: Instigator of Communal Connectedness





“What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church”

1 Corinthians 14:26






People share fellowship to not only worship God and praise Him communally (John 4:24), but also to stir one another in mutual edification (1 Corinthians 14:5,12). Communal worship and building up truly occur when the Holy Spirit within each person in the faith community is encouraged to participate (1 Corinthians 14:26, above).

Have you ever wondered why there are so few descriptions and instructions about faith communities in the Newer Testament? First, the apostles didn’t have to explain what was so very well known among the Hebraic believers who comprised the early Church.



As to offices and anointings, there were already apostles and evangelists functioning in the synagogues prior to the time of Christ. Also, elders and deacons oversaw the gatherings and collected and distributed alms for the needy. Their activities were not new developments that originated in the Newer Testament.


One particular element was critical in the fellowshiping together of the earliest followers of Jesus: communal participation. This was made possible by the presence of the Holy Spirit in their midst. The Hebraic model for faith community gatherings provided the freedom for participation, a pattern that was adapted into the Church.

Coming together as extended spiritual family was the means by which followers of Jesus were able to “one another” in obedience to the commands of Jesus. Paul’s instructions to the family of Jesus in Colosse are precise:





Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God (Colossians 3:16).





These varied expressions of the Spirit’s work in their lives were part and parcel of their relational intimacy with each other as brothers and sisters.


The participatory enactment we see in the earliest Church did not just spring up in a vacuum. Far from it! The earliest Church understood their mutual accountability for communal righteousness. They communally stayed repentant in order that the Father would answer their prayers. Linked to their communal prayer life were communal responsibility and communal participation in their fellowship gatherings.





Many people who read the Bible in English are unaware that most of the commands in the Newer Testament are plural, addressed to the whole faith community not singular, for the individual. Exceptions, of course, appear in personal messages to Timothy and Phile-mon, for example.


Paul’s instructions to the body of believers in Philippi address them all together: “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). The majority of Christians who read this verse today would understand that they, alone, are to work out their own salvation. Not so!



Both the Greek verb and the pronoun which build off the Hebraic view of communal responsibility are plural. It would better be understood as You all work out you all’s salvation with each other’s help.” We’re commanded to collectively and communally help each other on our pilgrimage to salvation.


Because of their heritage as a people called out for God’s purposes, our Hebraic ancestors in the faith clearly perceived themselves as an interconnected whole. They collectively desired to relate to God in love-grounded obedience. What we today might refer to as “body life” was an essential element of that communal awareness. Communal responsibility, communal righteousness, communal participation all flowed out of their mutual commitment to God and to each other.

With the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, is it any wonder you see the enactment of their communal responsibility shortly thereafter? “All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need” (Acts 2: 44,45).






As it pertains to communal participation, giftings are manifested when the faith community of extended spiritual family is gathered together. Paul gives us a glimpse into communal participation as a means of sharing each other’s gifting:




If the gift of tongues is exercised, let it be by two or at most three, and each in turn; and let someone interpret. And if there is no one present who can interpret, let the people who speak in tongues keep silent when the congregation meets — they can speak to themselves and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, while the others weigh what is said. And if something is revealed to a prophet who is sitting down, let the first one be silent (1 Corinthians 14:27-30)





This is the way the extended spiritual family in Jesus functioned until the Hellenists introduced the pagan religious practices that are now hallowed as “church services”. Hellenist-influenced gatherings produce spectators. A few put on a performance for the many.


Communal participation is the indicator that the Spirit within each person is given the freedom to both worship God and build up one another (1 Corinthians 14:5,12).


Are you in a participatory faith community? Yes or No? Describe what it’s like for you during your fellowship time with others.








How does what you’ve written align with what we cited about the earliest Church gatherings?








Recap: Your Life With The Holy Spirit


The early Hebraic believers appreciated their unique relationship with God because it fulfilled the Hebrew Scripture prophecies of their righteousness in Christ. They also clung to one another as an extended spiritual family, a “body” in which each belonged to the other. The manifestation of the Holy Spirit in their midst assured them of their acceptance and chosenness, “a deposit guaranteeing [their] inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession” (Ephesians 1:14).





We want to encourage you: The same power that came upon Jesus when He rose up out of the Jordan River is available to you and to everyone else who puts their trust in Jesus as the Bible stipulates. Paul describes it this way:





...his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 1:19,20).


The Bible affirms certain signs that evidence the Holy Spirit is truly in someone who claims to be a Christian. In other words, it isn’t what someone without the Spirit claims to be, but proof of the Spirit’s presence that confirms his true status as our Father’s child. Romans 8: 9 sums it up simply: “...if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ” (Romans 8:9).


Let’s review a few indicators of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling:






First, the presence of the Holy Spirit in you indicates you’ve embraced the true Gospel. The 23,000 competing denominations worldwide each proclaim their own individual versions of the Gospel. Somebody’s distorting the truth! So the Spirit’s presence in you is your assurance that you’ve embraced the true Gospel.




Second, the convicting presence of the Holy Spirit causes you to live repentantly. You have a readiness to confess your sins and turn from them, and you’re reluctant to even tolerate unconfessed sin in your life.






Third, your life is empowered by the Spirit. As Paul reveals, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit... All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines” (1 Corinthi-ans 12:4,11). When you’re empowered by the Spirit of God in you, everyone who knows you will recognize it. Just look at the life changes in followers of Jesus in the Book of Acts! Out of your mouth will flow testimonies to our Father’s glory. The Spirit of God in you enables you to experience our Father and His Son.

Do you think that someone who experiences God can keep His mouth shut about what that Spirit is doing in and through him? We don’t think so!


Although the Spirit’s presence in you is unseen, His working in each of us is evident. Weigh these realities about the Holy Spirit:





• He’s either dwelling within you, or He’s not.


• You either live convicted, repentant and empowered, or you don’t.


• You either live communally responsible and actively participating, or you don’t.





Would you and those who know you well in the faith attest that they see indicators of the Holy Spirit in you? Ask them to describe evidence that the Spirit indwells you.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

New Poster Awaits Bush

In the upcoming days, billboards all over Jerusalem will be plastered with a new poster on the eve of U.S. President Bush’s visit to Israel.

Bush read bible

I'm just sayin'. He should.

Original article from Arutz Sheva  HERE.  Free High resolution version of the poster in PDF format HERE.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Restoring The Early Church ~ Lesson 12

Now that the holidays are over with all the visiting, parties and busyness, I for one am looking forward to settling in to a long winter's study. We are two lessons away from moving into Section Two - which is the part of this study that shocked me at first, but led to many "Aha!" moments as I started seeing the pieces of a large and troubling puzzle fall into place.


This lesson and the next are not-too-long, so I will post them in fairly quick succession, so that we may move on to Section Two all the sooner.


 


A HEBRAIC PERSPECTIVE


The Holy Spirit : Giver of Spiritual Discernment


 


Here's the link for Lesson 12.