The Tiger in the Woods

24 02 2010

“I was unfaithful, I had affairs; I cheated…I’m deeply sorry.”[i]

-Tiger Woods

This past Friday (Feb. 19th) was another day in the history of disgraced superstars as famed golfer Tiger Woods apologized on every major media outlet for his serial infidelity.

But what made Tiger’s press conference unique was not the length, but the reference to his Buddhist religion. As his Thai-born mother sat nearby, Woods said part of his rehab would include a return to his Buddhist faith. Woods said his mother raised him as a Buddhist, and he practiced his faith “until I drifted away from it in recent years.”[ii]

In past interviews, Woods has referred to the practice of Buddhist meditation as giving him the focus needed in golf. “In therapy I’ve learned the importance of looking at my spiritual life and keeping it in balance with my professional life,” Woods said. “I need to regain my balance and be centered so I can save the things that are most important to me, my marriage and my children.”[iii]

“He was reaffirming his own family’s tradition,” said Robert Thurman, a professor of Buddhist studies at Columbia University.[iv] In January, Fox News analyst Britt Hume, in a roundtable discussion about the controversy, said that Tiger should turn his life over to Jesus Christ for the needed forgiveness of his sins.

Tiger’s comments about his Buddhist faith seemed timed to counter the comments by Britt Hume.　No one knows for sure, but what is undeniable is Tiger’s desire to rehabilitate his image and his life through the worldview, tenets, and structure of Buddhism.

The religion called Buddhism was founded by Gautama Buddha, a rich nobleman’s son, about 150 BC, Buddha abandoned his wife and son to become a wandering ascetic in search of truth.[v] 　Buddhist historians tell us that after 7 years of wandering, inquiring, and meditating, he found “the true path to enlightenment,” under the legendary tree of wisdom.[vi]　 The teachings of Buddha are embodied in “Four Noble Truths”: truth of suffering; cause of suffering; cessation of suffering; and the truth of the way to remove suffering. According to Buddhism, “Existence is pain…the cause of suffering is craving…and the truth to remove suffering involves a comprehensive system of moral cultivation [through an 8 fold path].”[vii]

In Buddhism there is no God to trust or believe in.　Buddha placed man within the tension of the eternal “now.” Buddhism offers the opportunity to be Buddha, if we do the work. It’s already there, it’s who we are,” said Darren Littlejohn, a Buddhist and author of The 12 Step Buddhist, a book about addiction recovery. He said Woods’ comments reflected the Buddhist belief that “life is suffering. It’s based on attachment, anger and desire.”[viii]

If Buddhists do violate certain precepts — killing, stealing and sexual misconduct among them — then they are subject to the law of karma.

“What people need to understand about karma is that it is based entirely on volitional action,” said Charles Prebish, a Buddhist studies professor at Utah State. “If one chooses to do an act that is morally inappropriate, then one will reap the rewards. In Tiger Woods’ case, one could say that some of those repercussions seem to be immediate. The negative karma that he accrued is starting to bear fruit.”[ix]

Meaning?　Tiger’s rehab will involve Tiger trying to rehab Tiger with Tiger power!　The Tiger within must break through his negative karma.　The Tiger who met the press on Friday is the same Tiger that slept with countless women and is the same Tiger who will look deep within to find the hidden “middle path” that will lead to enlightenment.　Good luck Tiger.

I hope and pray the best for Tiger.　Tiger will need all of our prayers.　The path he is on will be profoundly difficult, albeit impossible. 　For Tiger, luck and self-discipline will be key.　He has no one but himself to depend on.　

Living a lifestyle of integrity is not easy for anyone.　Even for the Jesus follower, let’s be honest—when we look in the mirror each day, we see what Martin Luther once quipped, “Iustus et peccator simul,” meaning “saint and sinner.”　So, we don’t cast stones but rather we look at the poor state of Tiger Woods and we realize that there is a sinner within all of us.　We are both saint and sinner, declared righteous in Christ, and yet encased within a sinful nature.

However, as Jesus followers we don’t believe in ourselves, we don’t believe in inner karma, middle paths, or the eternal now.　We don’t look within; we look without! 　We don’t look in the mirror each morning and chant, “I can, I can, I can,” rather we stare at the “peaccator simul,” and say “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t,” but, “Jesus can.”　We look not at our suffering; we look at His suffering.　We rely not on our power: we rely on His power.　And this makes all the difference.

 

 

[i]　AP sports story by Bob Baum in FoxNews Internet

[ii] Ibid.

[iii] AP February 20, 2010

[iv] Ibid.

[v] Walter Martin, Kingdom of the Cults, p. 235.

[vi] Ibid.

[vii] Encyclopedia of Religion, p. 95.

[viii] AP ibid.

[ix] Ibid.


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A Letter to Mountain Springs

16 02 2010

What a Year!

I’m writing each of you to share my heart with you.  This past year is one of the most redemptive of my ministry life, and has brought many transitions into the life of our church fellowship.  Some of these changes have been difficult, but most have brought great praise to my spirit and I believe all have brought glory to God.  I so appreciate the countless people who have shared, emailed, facebooked or called Liz and me and our pastoral staff to share their prayers and love.  Thank you for your friendship, love and prayers. 

God surprised us with some changes in our plans this past year.  We never anticipated this but eagerly welcomed God’s work in so many lives. 

  • 2 spontaneous weekend baptisms that led to 200+ men, women and children giving their hearts more fully to Jesus
  • VBS in June was another huge surprise with over 1100 children attending, making it our largest VBS ever
  • Josiah Dangers transitioning from youth ministry to becoming our Worship Life Pastor
  • Welcoming Chris Fetters as our Student Life Pastor

These changes have led to greater intensity, focus and vision for your ministries. 

It’s exciting to see the growth throughout our Church. From Family Life coaching and support, to Community Life Small Groups, changes are happening that are bringing both growth and transformation.  As we add a fourth service to accommodate what God is doing, please keep the Pastoral Elders in your prayers.  These changes are exciting and they will take much planning, creativity and leadership.

The Right Type of Change

Change can be difficult.  But the right kind of change can be transformational.  Change is good if it draws us closer to Jesus.  Change is wonderful when we allow it to create a deeper hunger for more of God’s power, influence and love in our lives.  Change is important in our growth as Jesus followers.  Change has the potential to sharpen and develop us.  This past year was like many of the seminal events of my life.  Throughout my life, change has been orchestrated by God to transform me.  All of these transitions, though hard at the time, have turned out to be a deep blessing later.  Let me recount a little of my journey.

Jesus Saved Me

Jesus saved me in my freshman year at the University of Georgia.  At the time, I was a happy, pagan jock that loved gymnastics, girls, southern rock music and having lots of fun.  God apprehended me in my self-satisfied pride, showed me my sin and gave me a hunger to follow Him (but God has yet to deliver me from southern rock).  The cross of Jesus revolutionized my life forever.  When Jesus saved me, I gave up everything I knew at the time to follow Him.  The day after I surrendered my heart to Jesus, everything changed.  I started sharing my faith with anyone who would listen and before I knew it, God opened up Bible studies all over the campus.  I began to devour any Christian book I could get my hands on.  My life on the gymnastics team was turned right-side up and over the next few years, half of the team gave their lives to Christ.  Jesus rocked my life with a radical change.

This new-found faith led me to the mission field in China, smuggling Bibles.  That’s where I met a foxy blonde from UCLA who looked like she needed a man like me in her life!  It took her three years and two continents to finally acknowledge that need.  This was a wonderful change in my life.

Our Adventure

Our adventure led us to Okinawa, Japan, and later to Pasadena, California.  It was during our three years in southern California that God spoke through visions, dreams and many prophetic encounters that He was guiding us to plant a church in Colorado Springs.  After much prayer, seeking advice and receiving God’s confirmation, we made the move to Colorado.  We had no team and no money, we moved to a city where we had never lived and had no equity.  But we did have faith in a great God who does the miraculous.  And we believed that Jesus had called us and anointed us for this new pioneer effort.  It was a scary but exciting change.

God Built a Church

Over the next fifteen years God gave us favor.  From the beginnings in our basement, with no money and no people, God built a church.  Yes, He built Mountain Springs even as we struggled through the internal, spiritual and relational battles that go with planting a new body of believers.  Hundreds of people were saved, hundreds of people thought I was weird, hundreds became leaders, and over time the family of Mountain Springs grew and matured.  Leaders came and went.  We planted thirteen other churches during this time.  Ministries were started, stopped and redesigned.  Pastors came and moved on.  Change was the air we breathed. 

Exhaustion was the atmosphere I lived in—perpetually.  It was during these years that I came close to a mental and emotional breakdown.  Panic attacks and depression were constantly knocking at the door of my life.  Jesus, Liz, my family and friends sustained me.  Liz is my best friend and she always stood strong even when her husband wasn’t too much fun to live with.  Pastor Daniel and Laurie, Dan and Beth Balch and countless others who have never given up on the original vision of Mountain Springs have continued to be strong arms that have picked Liz and me up over these years.  Change was hard, and even when we wanted to give up, God never quit.  I am so grateful.

500-3500

The past seven years have been the busiest of my very busy life.  The growth of the church has been amazing and surprising.  We never expected nor planned to grow from 500 to 3500 so quickly.  It has been difficult but exhilarating.  The constant need for more staff, more buildings and more ministries to accommodate the needs of a growing body of believers has taxed us all.   Not to mention the pressure of a growing family—God blessed the Holt family with two more children during these years (#6 and 7).  The constant need to identify and deploy new leadership and new programs has been more than overwhelming.  We have been in a proverbially “over-our-head” mentality for seven years.  These changes have been simultaneously thrilling and tiring. 

Just to put this in perspective:  in a five year span, we built three multi-million dollar buildings, increased our staff from 7 to 40, and watched our budget grow from $600,000 to over $3 million!  We developed programs that failed, thrived, stopped and started.  As I spoke regularly for five services every week, I developed tendinitis in my ankles, planter-fasciitis in my heels, regularly lost my voice and struggled to keep up. 

Self-Discovery Means Change

As the pressure of ministry has increased, so has my need to understand the limitations of my gifts, talents and skills.  Starting in the fall of 2008, under the guidance of Pastor Daniel and Nathan Baxter (our consultant), the Pastoral Staff Team began to evaluate our gifts, talents, skills and ministry areas in order to better discover God’s specific bulls-eye purpose for our church.  This has been a time of constant study, discussion and testing to find what God has “hardwired” us for.  All of us are growing in our personal discovery of God’s specific and targeted gifts for our pastoral lives.

Over the past two years through much prayer, counsel, reading and discussion with respected leaders, I have been gradually moving away from the day-to-day leadership of the church.  It has become increasingly clear that I’m not a great manager or a very good administrator.  The church has long outgrown my ability to lead all the details.  Everyone has known this—but it’s taken me a while to realize that my need to oversee and lead almost every sector of the church has hampered growth and productivity.

So, this year I have given the day-to-day leadership responsibility to Pastor Daniel.  His leadership, character, detail-orientation, people-skills and passion for Jesus are clear for all of us to see.   His loyalty to the vision and values of Mountain Springs are unquestionable.  His ability to make things happen through leaders has been tested for almost eleven years.  Daniel and Laurie’s friendship through all of these years of highs and lows is truly amazing.

A month ago, I resigned as the chairman of the Board of Elders and handed the chairmanship over to Denny Yoder. Denny and his wife Deb have been supportive members of Mountain Springs for over ten years.  His expertise in managing and overseeing a large organization as well as his love for our vision makes this an ideal transition.  Denny is a retired Air Force Colonel and is currently special adviser to the President of International Students, Inc.  His loyalty, coupled with his gifting as a coach and manager, have made him a perfect fit for taking over the Elder Board. 

The Next Twenty Years

In the first letter to the Corinthians we read, “Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him” (7:17). As I have sought the Lord for His vision for Mountain Springs and my life as the senior pastor, He once again reminded me of the following five things that He spoke and assigned to me: 

•             “marry Liz” – 1983

•             “plant a church in Colorado Springs” – 1991-1994

•             “build and rebuild the Church” – 1992

•             “build and rebuild the Family” – 1992

•             “plant 1000 churches” – 1994

God has uniquely hardwired me to be a visionary leader and teacher of God’s Word.  As I gaze into the next twenty years of ministry, I am asking God to position me in the place where I can make the most impact for the Kingdom of God.  As I meet with pastors, leaders and friends, it becomes evident that I am in a transition from working more in the church to exclusively working on the church.  I am called to move from being the pastor of one church to being a missiologist-overseeing leader who is guiding many churches.  My job description will now have five key aspects: 

1.            Visionary Leadership | One of my main responsibilities as Senior Pastor at Mountain Springs will continue to be seeking and leading the missional vision of MSC.  To accomplish this better, the day-to-day leadership will continue to be led by Pastor Daniel and our Pastoral Elder Team.  This change, since the summer of 2008, has been a good transition for all of us.  Pastor Daniel’s leadership has led to a very healthy Pastoral Elder team.

2.            Connecting the Bible to our Culture | I love teaching the Bible and connecting the scriptures to our culture.  I consider the study of the Word of God and theology as one of the most important responsibilities for the overall health and growth of our fellowship.  I believe that the power of the Spirit flows most effectively to change lives through the practical teaching of the Bible.  Our style of teaching God’s Word book by book lends itself to the need for much study and preparation, which will continue to occupy much of my time.

3.            Leading a Revolution of Love for our City | God has given us a vision for a revolution of love for our city.  We believe that God wants us to plant new campuses of Mountain Springs Church.  Through strategic prayer, planning and raising up leaders, we endeavor to establish new MSC campuses in the years to come.  My role will be the central teacher for all new campuses through video broadcasts. Pastor Daniel, along with a select leadership team, will be developing the key strategic plan for this expansion.

4.            Leading a Church Planting Network | God has reignited my heart for church planting.  Though MSC has planted 13 churches, the past few years have been a time of missional drift in this area.  Many years ago God spoke to me to plant 1000 churches.  God is rekindling that vision and I will be focusing more energy on the development of the Word and Spirit Network, our church planting/church networking ministry.  This new role will mean connecting with existing church planting networks and setting a strategic plan for WSN over the next twenty years.

5.            Writing Materials for MSC and the Body of Christ | Currently I’m working on a book on marriage and I have a deepening vision to write articles, materials and books on the family and the purpose of the Church.  Taking the needed time for writing will be increasingly important in my role of building up the Body of Christ.

Get Ready!

I’m excited about the future!  The wind of the Spirit is blowing and we are setting our sails.  The church over the past six months has been growing and we will have added another service (Saturday night 4:30pm) to facilitate what God is doing.  New small groups are being developed, many people are getting saved and Easter is just around the corner.  We are beginning a revolution of love in our city!  It doesn’t get much better than this!  Get ready for the adventure of your life.


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Haiti and My Conflict

26 01 2010

Haiti and My Conflict

Like many of you, I have been watching the news updates on the devastating earthquake in Haiti.  Every network from CNN to ESPN is jumping on this major story.  And when you’re looking at real-life photos and real-time video it’s easy to become tearful.  We can almost smell the stench of death as we see bodies pulled out of the cinder-block wreckage.  The chaos and pain is unfathomable.  Watching little girls and boys wandering the streets with no parents, guardians or love is heart-wrenching.

The body count has reached over 100,000 with estimates that it will exceed more than a quarter of a million by the end of the week.  This is a catastrophe of apocalyptic standards.  The pain and turmoil of this nation rips my heart apart. 

I can’t speak for others, but I’ll tell you my initial and continuous reaction to this situation is a combination of compassion and anger.  I find myself ticked off at Haiti’s leaders!  I want to march in there, find the president and his cabinet, and hang ’em all!  I know this isn’t a very “Christian” pastoral response and I’ve asked God to forgive me for my attitude, but that’s how I feel.

But, at the same time, I have to wonder how God feels? 

How could Haiti’s leaders allow their people to live in such squalor?  How could they let the presidential palace, three times bigger than the White House, become so grossly ostentatious while the hillsides surrounding it are stacked with cardboard shacks and the people are reduced to eating mud cakes?  Greed, greed, greed.  God is angry!  God weeps!  And so do I.

My heart breaks with love and compassion for the precious, image bearers of God in Haiti, especially the women and children.   I had trouble sleeping last night as I dreamed of the kids with no mommy or daddy, no support, no protection from elements or evil.  I thought about the well-financed men who will come as tools of Satan, offering them food and shelter, only to drag them into prostitution, drug addiction and a life of bondage.  I get angry when I imagine the reality that faces these Haitian children.  God is angry!  God weeps!  And so do I.

But, simultaneously, I rejoice with the surprising, even shocking miracles that are bringing hundreds of children from orphanages in Haiti to the United States to be adopted by caring families.  I praise the Lord for the nine families in our church who are now holding in their arms these precious innocent image-of-God bearers.  God’s heart bursts with joy! God’s heart spills over with love!  And so does mine!

So how do we process such conflicting emotions?  How do we deal with both the righteous anger and the overwhelming compassion that are erupting within us?  Maybe we’re not too different from Jesus.  He had a lot of anger directed at the prideful arrogant Pharisee’s, but was moved with love and compassion for the outcasts and displaced.  I’m conflicted.


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Start the New Year with Prayer and Fasting

16 12 2009

  

As we come to the end of an old year and begin a new year, I’m reminded of the power and peace that comes through prayer and fasting.  As Jesus started his public ministry with prayer and fasting we at Mountain Springs Church want to begin our new year, as a church body, with prayer and fasting.  Join us January 4th-8th at 6:30pm for our second annual “Impact 2010” in our sanctuary as we seek the Lord through my continued teaching on Luke, worship and prayer.

I’m a firm believer in the power of prayer and fasting.  In twenty-eight years of ministry, no other spiritual endeavor, outside of Bible study, has proved to have such anointing in my life.  Let me explain briefly why I believe so strongly in the power of prayer and fasting.

Throughout scripture one of the ways God has consistently shown His power in answer to prayer has been in response to the fasting and prayer of His saints.  People may not understand the power of fasting and prayer, and thus do not do it.  People may not like the discomfort of fasting and prayer, and thus do not try it.  But no one who reads the Bible can deny the fact that throughout history whenever people decided to fast and pray, God always answered their prayer in a powerful way! Joshua, David, Ezra, Nehemiah, Daniel, the disciples of John the Baptist, Anna, the apostles, Paul, Barnabas, and the early church all practiced fasting and prayer.  Jesus fasted and prayed for forty days before He began His public ministry.  In Luke 5:34-35 Jesus instructed His disciples to fast after He left them.  This was taken very seriously in light of the regular use of fasting and prayer that continued throughout the early church as recorded in the book of Acts and the writing of the early church fathers.  Fasting and prayer is one of the key means by which Christians throughout the ages have received answers from God concerning the prayers of their heart.

For Westerner’s like me, fasting is often difficult to practice because it is difficult to rationally understand.  Our Western Worldview is based on a rational approach to life that often subconsciously colors and limits how we read and interpret the Bible.  I think it is important to realize that fasting, as well as prayer, and many other spiritual principles in the Bible cannot be completely understood rationally.  Prayer and fasting is a Biblical principle not a mathematical formula.

Every time I have sought God through fasting and prayer I have received an answer to my prayers!  Sometimes God has answered dramatically and sometimes quietly, but His powerful arm has always moved when I have set my heart to diligently fast and pray over an issue.  I am not surprised by this; it is only consistent with a prayer-hearing and prayer-answering God.  Because God is no respecter of persons, I am confident that if anyone sets his or her heart on the things of God, God will answer.

Here is an outline for a few reasons why I believe fasting and prayer is so powerful and useful to getting answers from God.  It is borne out of scripture and experience, thus I would refer anyone interested in this subject to more learned men with far more experience than myself, for further, more in-depth study.  Many have asked my opinion on this subject, so I feel obliged to share a few thoughts.

1)       Fasting and prayer FOCUSES our prayers upon a particular need or problem by putting God first, turning our back upon everything else (including physical needs) and seeking God’s face for those things upon our heart.  Throughout scripture we see focused prayers by the saints as they cried out to God for His power and answers.  In the book of Esther, we observe Mordecai focusing his fasting and prayer for the salvation of his nation (Esther 4:1-3).  Ezra focused his prayers at one point for a safe journey through enemy territory (Ezra 8:21), and at another point he focused his prayers and fasting for revival in Israel (Ezra 9, 10).  In Acts 13 we see the church sending out missionaries as a result of fasting and prayer.  They were focused on God in a special way, and He spoke to them.  Again John R. Rice says, “Fasting, then, should mean that one determines to seek the face of God and for a time, at least, to abstain from other things in order to give the whole heart to prayer and waiting on God.  Fasting and prayer means to leave off the lesser blessings for the greater one, the lesser duty for the far more important duty”2.  The apostles said, “We will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word”(Acts 6:4). Praying went before preaching!  Fasting means putting prayer first, ahead of our bodies’ most basic desires, or any other thing that would deter us, and focusing our heart toward God.

Over the years I have fasted and prayed in order to focus my prayers on church planting, revival, family matters, and financial needs.  When we FOCUS our prayers through fasting, God has promised to answer us.  Jesus said, “Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks find, and to him who knocks it shall be opened”(Matthew 7:7, 8).

It is the experience of most who fast for more than 7 days that clarity of mind and a freedom in prayer comes after all foods in the body have been broken down.  This clarity and freedom enables one to FOCUS his or her prayer with greater intensity.

2)       Prayer with fasting binds the evil forces of Satan in a way that prayer without fasting cannot.  In Daniel 10 we see this principle at work as Daniel sought the Lord for 21 days in focused prayer and fasting.  It took 21 days of fasting and prayer before the “prince” of Persia’s power could be broken and Daniel could receive the answer he sought.  Kiel and Delitzsch’s Commentary on the Old Testament write, “The Prince of Persia was the spiritual force that guided the advancement of the next world government”3. and The New Bible Commentary Revised writes, “The spiritual power behind the gods of Persia”4. Hence, there is agreement with these noted scholars that the thing which held up the answer to Daniel’s prayer was a “spiritual force”, a “power” working against God.  Ephesians 6:12 in the New American Standard also translates these demonic beings as “world forces”.  It would seem from the Ephesians 6:12 passage that just as there are hierarchies of angels available to do the work of God, there are also corresponding hierarchies of demonic powers that constantly work to sabotage and destroy God’s work.  In the case of Daniel, the answer from God could not reach him without 21 days of fasting and prayer!  The means by which the answer came was through a higher, more powerful angel binding the demon over Persia and thus releasing God’s power to Daniel.

Again we see this principle at work as Jesus dealt with a demonically influenced boy of whom the disciples tried unsuccessfully to release from an evil spirit.  After Jesus had freed the young man from the evil spirit, he explained to his inquisitive disciples the reason why they were unable to free the boy.  Jesus said, “This kin (kind of demon-Ryries’) cannot come out by anything but prayer and fasting.” (Mark 9:29)  Prayer with fasting is needed to break through spiritual forces that hinder or block God’s answer to our prayers.  Thus, it is no wonder that every great revival has been preceded by great seasons of prayer and, with certain men, coupled with fasting.

I believe that there are certain problems so deep and powerful in a person, city, or nation, that the problem cannot be solved outside of great fasting and prayer.  It would seem that the fasting and prayer of Mordecai and then the Jews (Esther 4-10) were the means by which God turned tragedy into triumph against the evil forces working in and through Haman.

3)       Fasting and prayer increases our desire, which elevates our faith, which is a key component to answered prayer.  Throughout the New Testament we see Jesus speaking of the relationship of faith to healings, miracles, and the work He could do.  It is even written that Jesus was restricted in what He could do because of a lack of faith.  Faith is key in prayer.  According to Hebrews 11:6 prayer without faith does not even please God.  On the other hand, we realize from passages like Matthew 9:29; 17:20; and 21:21, that Jesus moves to answer prayer when there is faith.  So how can our faith be increased and deepened?  I believe it is through increasing our desire.  As our desire for something increases, our faith will also increase.  Fasting and prayer can be one way in which this can occur.  Paul Cho writes, “The desire for food is basic to all living creatures.  It is one of the strongest motivational forces at work in the body, even before birth.  Babies are born with the natural instinct to reach out for the mother’s breasts.  If we can combine this intense natural desire with our natural spiritual desire for communion with our spiritual source, then what results is a much greater intensity: this is the purpose of prayer and fasting.” 5

 

All of us pray for the desires of our heart.  It is natural that we also pray more intensely for our deepest desires.  Psalm 37:40 speaks of the importance God places upon desire, promising to bless us with the desires of our heart.  Prayer with fasting increases our desire and deepens our faith.

In my life almost all convictions that have stayed with me over the years came as a result of seasons of prayer and fasting.  My desires and deepest convictions have largely been molded, not through reading books or listening to sermons, but rather in the lonely closet of prayer and fasting.

4)       Prayer and Fasting humbles us.  Humility is one of the greatest character traits we can possess.  Humility allows us to more fully rely upon God.  2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked way, then will I hear…”  If it is true that pride is the greatest hindrance to obedience, then conversely it also could be true that humility is the greatest virtue in obedience.  (See also Ezra 8:21)

As I have felt the pain of fasting I have realized my frailty, my weakness, and my general “spiritual flabbiness”.  It is quite humbling.  (I might also add that one should not even consider fasting if it is based upon some kind of prideful spiritual elitism or ascetism).  One cannot truly fast with the proper motives without a humble admission that he or she cannot find a solution or answer to a dilemma or prayer without God’s supernatural intervention.  It is in humility that one enters into prayer and fasting and it is in this closet that one is even more deeply humbled.  The most humbling experiences of my life are when God supernaturally answers my prayers!

I encourage all men and women to fast and pray and watch God move in a marvelous way.  I would caution one from jumping headlong into this area without proper preparation.  I would encourage the reading of books on fasting and starting off with only 1 – 3 day fasts.  After several of these 1-3 day fasts, one can easily increase the time and fast longer.

When one does decide to fast and pray, it is important to remember that the battle will be spiritual in nature, thus the work of the enemy will increase in proportion to ones’ faith to see God answer his or her prayer.  Be prepared mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually for battle!  God has given us many wonderful promises and as we truly begin to believe them, the enemy will realize our potential and not be destroyed without a fight.  Thus, be filled with the Holy Spirit and get ready to experience the miraculous. 

Join us the first week in January for Impact 2010 as we seek the Lord as a corporate body in the potential power of fasting and prayer.

by Steve Holt

FOOTNOTES:

  1. Prayer, Asking and Receiving by Dr. John R. Rice, Sword of the Lord Publishers, 1942, Page 17.
  2. Ibid.  Page 216.
  3. Commentary on the Old Testament by Kiel and Delitzsch.
  4. The New Bible Commentary: Revised  by Guthrie, Motyer, Stibbs, and Wiseman Erdmans Publishing Company, 1970.
  5. Prayer: The Key to Revival by Paul Cho, Word Books, 1984.  Page 115, 116.

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Paranormal Activity

19 11 2009

Many are fearful and disturbed by the “paranormal.” In the following blog, Liz, my wife shares a perspective to the supernatural that we all need to hear. May it be as much of a blessing to you as it has been to me…

 

When I told my family that I was thinking of writing a blog on Paranormal Activity, a couple of my kids said, “You can’t write on “Paranormal Activity.” You haven’t even seen the movie!” I asked them if they were sure that I hadn’t seen P.A. Then I told them that I wasn’t going to waste my time writing about a movie that is staged and fake, but I was going to write about REAL paranormal activity. The word, “paranormal” according to the wiktionary, refers to things that “cannot be explained through scientific methods.” It is supernatural phenomenon—haunted houses, ghosts, vampires, witches, Ouija boards, kabala, demons and even angels, to name a few. It is the alluring topic that has timelessly thrilled the mind—caused us to be “psycho” over Alfred Hitchcock films, made the 1973 movie, “The Exorcist,” a real head-spinner, and now has brewed this low-budget movie, Paranormal Activity, into a Blockbuster hit.

So what is it about human beings? On one day, we cling to the security of our three dimensional scientific world of knowledge and accomplishments. On the next, we go see a movie like P.A. and get freaked out about the possibility of encountering unpredictable powers greater than what our five senses can take in. What makes us mortals naturally drawn to the supernatural?

Speaking of being drawn, I couldn’t resist seeing what all the hoopla was about. While the rest of my family was watching a sweet family movie at Hollywood Theatre, I got a little bored and wandered down to where Paranormal Activity was playing. I stood in the entrance way and watched a chunk of it. I thought I was going to see a movie about a creepy, old house, but instead, I was surprised to see that it was filmed in a house that you or I might live in. As a matter of fact, I picked up a few decorating tips from Katie, and thought to myself, “How clever! The paranormal in a normal house!”—for the purpose of putting the haunting thought in our minds that it could possibly happen to you or me.

Wait a minute. Why talk about thoughts? It’s already happened to me…

Awhile back, the paranormal set foot into an apartment that my husband, Steve, and I were renting in Tokyo, Japan. We were missionaries there working with college students and studying the Japanese language at the time. We had just returned home from a four month furlough, and Steve wanted to have a few of his guys over for dinner to catch up on their lives. He asked Yoshi to come a little early, because he wanted to talk with him about the contents of a letter that he had written to us while we were in the United States. In the letter he told Steve that he was having suicidal thoughts and that he had to ask his roommate to take every sharp object out of their apartment as a safety measure.

I was cooking in a little corner we called our “kitchen” and couldn’t help overhearing Yoshi tell Steve that he was okay now and no need to worry. Steve suggested that he pray for Yoshi anyway as another safety measure. Almost immediately, after he started praying, all paranormal activity broke loose. At the mention of the name of Jesus, Yoshi reacted violently. He looked and sounded like a slithering, hissing snake on our small Japanese couch. We were stunned. Our missionary training had not prepared us for something like this.

The paranormal activity that we found ourselves in the middle of didn’t stabilize, but only escalated. During a tense moment of confrontational prayer, Yoshi took out our end table and lamp. The table was chopped in half! Fear gripped us all! We were perplexed, at the very least, as to what we should do next. While Steve kept praying, I got on the phone and called two of our missionary friends to help. Upon entering and seeing the paranormal in our living room, one of these missionaries fell to his knees, almost in tears, and looked more scared than us. Some help. We knew it was going to be a long evening.

After a few long hours of prayer, Steve decided he needed a break. As he walked around asking God what to do, he heard from the Lord, “Get their names.” As Steve commanded the demonic spirits to reveal their identity, the tide turned and eventually all of the demons were cast out of our poor friend, Yoshi. By dawn, he sat peacefully and in his right mind on our couch.

You would have thought that this experience with the paranormal would have been ranked as one of the worst things that could have ever happened to me. It wasn’t pleasant, but it was life-changing. I saw, first hand, the destroying work of demons in Yoshi’s life, which explains some of earth’s woes, and perhaps, some of our personal ones. I witnessed the cowering reaction of demons to the name of Jesus. Being a witness to these things that evening erased any previous doubts about the validity of the paranormal, the Bible, the supremacy of Christ and the power of His cross. Jesus was Yoshi’s Rescuer that night. He continues the offer to be our Rescuer today.

- Liz Holt
http://redhotopic.wordpress.com/


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Death Be Not Proud

21 10 2009

My friend Lewis died this month. Early in the morning, while studying, I received one of those dreaded phone calls telling me that Lewis had died in the early morning hours. As I drove to his home, I found myself praying for the extended family, for the girls (two precious girls of 11 and 18), and for his steadfast and unwavering wife of twenty years.  I asked the Lord for grace, peace, and faith over each person.  I asked the Lord for wisdom in what to say and how to say it.  None of us knows the right way to discuss death. 

Death, whenever it comes up in a conversation, is the show stopper.  No one wants to talk about death.  The topic has a unique way of sneaking up and surprising you.  Just when everyone is enjoying each other, someone mentions that that person just died or this person was killed in a car accident, whatever it might be, and no one can talk after that. From that point, everything else is, might I say, trivial. The jokes aren’t as funny, the story about the trip, not as interesting.  Death trumps everyone, everything, everytime.  It’s the grim reaper in the room.

Death is the specter in the night, dressed up as a kind of dark hooded medieval monk, appearing and then disappearing in the dark trees of our mind.  It is often the dreaded nightmare of fear, darkness, and aloneness.  We fear death don’t we?  Admit it.  We all have a deep dark secret…we fear dying.  We fear our loved one’s dying even more.

Death seems to be the end of everything, so conclusive, so, so, final.  Because of our finiteness and our own mental limitations we just can’t fully grasp death.  All we know is what we’ve experienced here on earth.  All we understand is what we’ve been taught, here in the three dimensional world.  Comparisons and abstract thoughts blend into the stories we’ve heard about death and dying.  What will it feel like?  Who will be there?  Is it true that there are angels in heaven? Is St. Peter really the main greeter at those pearly gates?  Are there really gates?

There is the story of Billy Graham, standing by the bedside of his maternal grandmother, who had been in and out of consciousness, when suddenly in a surprising moment of clarity, sat up and exclaimed, “I see them, they’re all there, and the angels, so beautiful…” and then she died.  What was that?  Was it one of those many supernatural moments that God gives to remind us that everything he’s been saying about eternity is true?  Could it be that God cares enough that he would want Billy Graham, arguably the greatest evangelist of the 20th century, to have a firsthand witness of the eternity he so boldly preached about? 

I think God knows that we can’t fully grasp death.  We can feel love, feel friendship, feel forgiveness, but whoever heard of feeling death? Death is not easy to understand.  It’s a mystery wrapped in an enigma.  I believe that God in His created order, never intended death for His creation.  Death wasn’t the perfect plan in the creation of Adam and Eve.  Death is not natural. Our hearts and minds were never created to fully comprehend death.

Life was the original purpose and plan. We get life.  Our minds and hearts enjoy thinking about life.  We love talking about it, experiencing it, reveling in it.  Life is cool to talk about.  Life is all about running, laughing, joking, falling in love, and friendships.  Life is three dimensional and fun.

Jesus taught us about life.  He even said, “I came that you might have life and that you might have it abundantly.” (John 10:10b)  Jesus, with consummate insight, is offering wild possibilities in His invitation.  Jesus wants to give us life, His brand of life, His way of living.  He wants us to really live.  Jesus is all about living.

On another occasion Jesus also said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6)  Jesus seems to be saying that “the way,” and “the truth,” and “the life” are all somehow wrapped in the same package.  Could it be that Jesus has given us a “way” of living?  Could it be that Jesus has given us the “truth” about life?

Jesus understands our questions, our false hopes, our fears about death.  And he has placed himself as the ultimate anecdote for fear.  He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. (John 11:25)  No grand teaching on fear.  No expansive sermon on dying.  Just a simple statement about faith and trust.  Jesus is placing himself as the answer to the sum of all our fears.  Not a theory, not an explanation, not a formula.  Jesus wants us to know that He is the resurrection from death.  He is the life. 

Do you see it?  Death has nothing to be proud of.  Death has no sting, no power, and no allure (1 Cor 15:55).  Jesus has conquered death with life (Romans 6:9-10).  Jesus is the life and he has defeated death on his terms. Jesus died on the cross, went down into hell, took the keys of death and the fear of death away from satan and has secured life (Hebrews 2:15; Ephesians 4:9).  Life is secure because Jesus secured it.

For the Jesus follower, death is now swallowed up with life!  Death means life.  Death cannot be proud for life has overtaken it.  We have nothing to fear.  Fear is ravaged by the hope of life.  Life rules in our minds if Jesus reigns in our hearts.

My friend Lewis isn’t dead.  Lewis is alive.  Lewis passed from the three dimensional world into the fourth dimension of life the way I want to pass someday.  He passed from this life in his sleep, in his bedroom, with his family nearby. Lewis passed with faith, with joy, with a purpose.  Lewis is healed of his brain tumor.  Right now Lewis is living the most active, joyful, productive life he has ever lived.  C.S. Lewis once said that death is just passing from one room to the next; from one reality to another.  My good friend Lewis got up out of his bed at 4am yesterday and walked into another room and met Jesus face to face.  Now that’s a great life!


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ELCA Misstep leading to Division

8 10 2009

Many of you have asked about the latest in the earlier “ELCA Misstep” blog that I wrote several weeks ago. Here’s the latest from the OneNewsNow.com, TheChurchReport.com, and The Associated Press, as used by permission from my dear friend and Vice President of Pastoral Ministries at Focus on the Family, H.B. London.

Conservative Lutherans Gather

More than 1,200 biblically orthodox members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the nation’s largest Lutheran denomination, spent last weekend in suburban Indianapolis praying and discussing what can be done about the left-leaning policies of their denomination. Just last month, for example, the ELCA dropped a long-held ban on partnered homosexual clergy. Delegates eventually approved a resolution directing its steering committee to report back in one year on whether these conservative churches should stay within the ELCA, form their own denomination or join another.

The meeting was sponsored by Lutheran CORE (Coalition for Reform, but changed over the weekend to Coalition for Renewal). Mark Chavez, president of Lutheran CORE, explained the need for the weekend meeting: “It’s primarily about gathering those who have had their denomination, namely the ELCA, withdraw from the Christian faith and pull away from most other Christian churches in the world.”

Chavez also commented on a letter written to denominational leaders by the presiding bishop of the ELCA, which warned of a disaster if conservative church members withhold funds: “It’s clearly an attempt to shift the responsibility for the crisis in the ELCA to those who continue to practice and believe what the ELCA says it believes — that the inspired Word of God in the Old and New Testaments [is] the authoritative source and norm for our faith.”

Lutheran CORE’s chairman, 71-year-old Rev. Paull Spring, a pastor for 44 years, received a standing ovation Friday night when he said, “God is calling us to do something. The ELCA has fallen into heresy. It is a time for confession and a time to resist. It is, please God, also a time for new life and transformation and for mission.”

“We are not dividing the church. The church is already divided,” said Rev. Paul Ulring, a member of the Lutheran CORE steering committee. “We’re just mopping up what the church did.”

“We now have two churches within one organizational structure. One church emphasizes Bible and theology; the other culture and experience,” said Rev. Kenneth Sauer in his opening remarks to the weekend convocation. “There are deep divisions over the fundamental meaning of the Gospel, the authority of Scripture and the purpose and work of the Holy Spirit. The division reaches into congregations, synods, and seminaries and agencies.” [OneNewsNow.com, TheChurchReport.com, The Associated Press]

Let’s keep the ELCA in our prayers. As predicted by many who have watched such theological charades for many years, chances are strong that this will be one of those divisively defining issues within a denomination.

There are wonderful pastors on both sides of the issue, and the breaking of fellowship will be very painful and frustrating. It’s a denominational divorce that will hurt the children more than the parents. Having grown up in the ELCA, my heart breaks for what I believe breaks the heart of God.

Carpe Diem Gloriae Dei,

Steve


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ELCA Misstep leading to Division

8 10 2009

Many of you have asked about the latest in the earlier “ELCA Misstep” blog that I wrote several weeks ago.  Here’s the latest from the OneNewsNow.com, TheChurchReport.com, and The Associated Press, as used by permission from my dear friend and Vice President of Pastoral Ministries at Focus on the Family, H.B. London.

Conservative Lutherans Gather

More than 1,200 biblically orthodox members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the nation’s largest Lutheran denomination, spent last weekend in suburban Indianapolis praying and discussing what can be done about the left-leaning policies of their denomination. Just last month, for example, the ELCA dropped a long-held ban on partnered homosexual clergy. Delegates eventually approved a resolution directing its steering committee to report back in one year on whether these conservative churches should stay within the ELCA, form their own denomination or join another.

The meeting was sponsored by Lutheran CORE (Coalition for Reform, but changed over the weekend to Coalition for Renewal). Mark Chavez, president of Lutheran CORE, explained the need for the weekend meeting: “It’s primarily about gathering those who have had their denomination, namely the ELCA, withdraw from the Christian faith and pull away from most other Christian churches in the world.”

Chavez also commented on a letter written to denominational leaders by the presiding bishop of the ELCA, which warned of a disaster if conservative church members withhold funds: “It’s clearly an attempt to shift the responsibility for the crisis in the ELCA to those who continue to practice and believe what the ELCA says it believes — that the inspired Word of God in the Old and New Testaments [is] the authoritative source and norm for our faith.”

Lutheran CORE’s chairman, 71-year-old Rev. Paull Spring, a pastor for 44 years, received a standing ovation Friday night when he said, “God is calling us to do something. The ELCA has fallen into heresy. It is a time for confession and a time to resist. It is, please God, also a time for new life and transformation and for mission.”

“We are not dividing the church. The church is already divided,” said Rev. Paul Ulring, a member of the Lutheran CORE steering committee. “We’re just mopping up what the church did.”

“We now have two churches within one organizational structure. One church emphasizes Bible and theology; the other culture and experience,” said Rev. Kenneth Sauer in his opening remarks to the weekend convocation. “There are deep divisions over the fundamental meaning of the Gospel, the authority of Scripture and the purpose and work of the Holy Spirit. The division reaches into congregations, synods, and seminaries and agencies.” [OneNewsNow.com, TheChurchReport.com, The Associated Press]

Let’s keep the ELCA in our prayers.  As predicted by many who have watched such theological charades for many years, chances are strong that this will be one of those divisively defining issues within a denomination. 

There are wonderful pastors on both sides of the issue, and the breaking of fellowship will be very painful and frustrating.  It’s a denominational divorce that will hurt the children more than the parents.  Having grown up in the ELCA, my heart breaks for what I believe breaks the heart of God.

Carpe Diem Gloriae Dei,

Steve


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Bible Translations: Are they really Trustworthy? Part 3

11 09 2009

 

In the first two blogs on Bible translation, I have dealt with such questions as how we got our current Bible, the translation process, revelation, and inspiration (Bible Translations I).  We then looked at how we got our current canon of 66 books, preservation of the Bible, and transmission (Bible Translations II).  In this article, I want to look at how we can get the most out of our current English translations through understanding different Bibles that are available to us today.  Choosing the Bible translation that is right for you can be difficult.  I’m hopeful that my blog will be helpful in your understanding and evaluation of our current modern translations.

 

If you were to enter any Christian bookstore today, you could be overwhelmed by the plethora of Bible translations available.  While there are literally hundreds of Bible translations, there are three versions that account for probably 90% of all the Bible sales worldwide.  They are: the New International Version (NIV), the New American Standard Version (NAS), and the much loved and respected King James Version (KJV).  These three translations are very accurate, readable, and faithful to the original languages of the Bible.

 

English Bible translations tend to be governed by one of two general translation theories. The first theory has been called “formal-equivalence,” “literal,” or “word-for-word” translation. According to this theory, the translator attempts to render each word of the original language into English and seeks to preserve the original syntax and sentence structure as much as possible in translation.  The second theory has been called “dynamic-equivalence,” “functional-equivalence,” or “thought-for-thought” translation.  The goal of this translation theory is to produce in English the closest natural equivalent of the message expressed by the original language text, both in meaning and in style.

 

Word for Word Translations

 

Word for Word translations make a special effort to translate each word from the original languages as accurately as possible.  The philosophical perspective of Bible translations through word for word translation was the guide of Bible translators up to the middle of the 20th century. 

 

These translations are excellent for word studies and accuracy, though the poetic style and nuances of the original languages can sometimes be lost.  Probably the most well loved and popular versions available today would be the New American Standard Version (NAS), the English Standard Version (ESV), and the New King James Version (NKJV), which I currently use the most often at Mountain Springs Church.

 

New American Standard Version (NAS)

 

Originally translated in 1971; updated in 1995, the NAS was produced by 54 evangelical protestant scholars sponsored by the Lockman Foundation.  This version is very literal in vocabulary and word order, although the criticism has been that the English seems a bit stilted at times.  Of all the literal word for word translations, I believe the NAS to be the most literal of all.  I like this translation and it is the favorite of my wife.

 

English Standard Version (ESV)

 

The ESV is the newest literal translation on the market today.  It is growing rapidly in popularity among the reformed crowd.  I was recently at a conference where this translation was hailed as the best word for word translation available today. This excellent translation was published in 2001 by Crossway and developed by a team of 100 scholars with the goal of accuracy and readability.

 

New King James Version (NKJV)

 

In 1982, the old King James Version (KJV) was updated with more modern english. Although the choice of words make it easier to read, it still maintains the beauty of language with its unique poetic style and 17th century sentence structure.  This is my personal favorite as a study and preaching Bible.  I find the word for word translations to be accurate most of the time and the ease in word studies to be on the level of the NAS.

 

Thought for Thought Translations

 

In the category of thought for thought translations, the primary purpose of scholars has been to keep the meaning of the languages of the original authors and translate it into the same pattern of thought in the readers language.  In deciding on a thought for thought Bible, you might want to consider the grade level of the reader.  The most popular thought for thought Bible would be the New International Version (NIV) which is written on an 8th grade level, the New Century Version (NCV) written on a 4th grade level, the Contemporary English Version (CEV) written on a 5th grade level, New Living Translation (NLT) on a 6th grade level, and Today’s English Version (TEV) on a 7th grade level.

 

New International Version (NIV)

 

The NIV is considered to be the most popular translation of the Bible today.  It is most admired for its straight forward and accurate style.  Completed in 1978, it was the product of 115 evangelical scholars from all over the English speaking world.  Over 150 million have been sold since 1978, making it by far the best selling translation today.  Its language is easy to read and its accuracy very well respected.

 

New Century Version (NCV)

 

The NCV reads like a newspaper.  It targets the 4th grade reading level and is an acceptable balance between literalism and paraphrase.  Some paraphrasing is used to avoid words no longer in common use.

 

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 

The CEV is a new translation published in 1995 and was originally intended to be a children’s translation.  Thus, it is quite readable and easy to understand.  It is excellent for the unchurched and non-native speakers of English.

 

New Living Translation (NLT)

 

The NLT is a completely new translation of the Bible first produced by Bible.org in 2005.  It contains more than 60,000 notes by the translators to help readers understand the process of translation.  This version seeks to retain the easy reading style of such thought for thought translations as the Living Bible and splits the difference between the paraphrase and the literal translation.

 

Today’s English Version (TEV)

 

Completed in 1976, the TEV was translated by Robert G. Bratcher and six other scholars.  Over 118 million have been sold and this translation is very free-flowing and fairly accurate.  This translation tries to avoid traditional biblical vocabulary and looks at the passages of the Bible in more nontraditional ways.  Excellent for non-christians and the unchurched. 

 

Which Translation?

 

I believe that all the translations we have looked at above are accurate, readable, and produced by fine scholarship.  I would recommend all of the above.  The question for the reader in selecting a Bible translation is one of purpose.

 

If you are interested in a serious study of the Bible, including grammar, vocabulary, and word studies, I would highly recommend one of the three word for word translations of which I have just written.  If, on the other hand, you are using your Bible for more devotional reading, or reading to your children, you may want to consider one of the mentioned thought for thought translations.

 

All of these translations are excellent.  Let me encourage you to pick up the Bible translation you love and then love it!  Love the Bible!  Read it, study it, and memorize it.  The purpose of reading the Bible about God is that we might come to discover, love, and obey the God of the Bible!  Go for it, jump in.  Have fun.

 

Carpe Diem Gloriae Dei,

Steve 

 

 

 


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The ELCA Misstep

1 09 2009

I grew up as a pastor’s kid, with my father being in the clergy of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA). I have many fond memories of my formative years in the Lutheran heritage. My father and mother love Jesus and love the history and liturgy of the Lutheran Church. They taught me to love God and revere the Scriptures. Most of my deepest convictions about life, work, family, and God were formed by these two precious saints. I went to church every week and, due to the high church style of my dad’s churches, I learned by heart the Apostles and Nicene Creeds, the Lord’s Prayer, and Luther’s shorter treatise on baptism. Now, that’s not bad upbringing.

But the ELCA that I grew up in has changed dramatically over the past 30 years. Like a tiny leak in the upstairs bathroom that, unattended, will cause the ceiling to cave in, the ELCA has gradually and slowly been moving further and further from the Bible that Luther so loved. As of a week ago, the slow theological leak has now become a flood. A week ago the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) during its national convention in Minneapolis voted to allow practicing gay and lesbian pastors to be ordained. The following are excerpts from the Bishop Julian Gordy, the bishop of the ELCA Southeastern Synod, explaining the new policy on homosexual clergy.

This past Friday, after hours of heart wrenching discussion and debate, our church, meeting in Assembly in Minneapolis, voted to ease limits on gay clergy and to allow congregations which wish to do so to recognize committed, life-long, publicly accountable same-sex relationships. It was a time for dancing for some, a time for mourning for others.

Some feel that they are finally included fully in the life of our church. The day for which they have worked and prayed for years has arrived.

Others find this change to be deeply troubling. They view the actions of the Assembly as contrary to the Bible and Lutheran teaching and practice.

During the weeks and months to come, I hope that both those groups and all those who find themselves somewhere in between will be able to talk with one another as we continue to discern the Spirit’s direction for us and for our church.

The implications of the Assembly’s actions will unfold more fully over time. Over the coming months, processes to implement the Assembly’s decisions will be worked out by church-wide leaders and staff, in consultation with the Conference of Bishops. This will not happen right away, but will take some months.

We know this much for sure: Whereas persons in committed same-sex relationships formerly were barred from serving on any of the official ministry rosters of our church, a way is now being opened for such persons to serve in rostered ministries, but only if they are otherwise qualified, as determined by the synod’s candidacy committee, and if a congregation chooses to call them. The call process will operate in the same way that it has since the beginning of our church, with congregations free to call that person to whom the Spirit directs them…

In Galatians, St. Paul admonishes us to “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” This mutual burden bearing is one of the things that separate the church of Jesus from the world in which we are each required and expected to bear our own burdens.

Playing on the ELCA tag line, “God’s work. Our hands,” Dr. Ishmael Noko, a Tanzanian pastor and the outgoing executive director of the Lutheran World Federation reminded the Assembly that unity is a work of God. Our hands are called to serve that unity. The church of Jesus Christ is not ours to dismember. I am convinced that no church in the world has put the gospel into practice any better than the ELCA. We are bound to do all that we can to preserve its God-given unity and health.

Thank you for your prayers and for your support.

Julian Gordy
Bishop
ELCA Southeastern Synod

I believe the ELCA has made a profound theological and missiological misstep with this decision. Like the Presbyterians and Episcopalians before them, this decision will lead to more disunity than the denomination ever bargained for. Disunity is most pronounced when churches have no plumb line for determining truth and unity. When the hermeneutic for truth, life, and vision is surrendered to majority vote, a denomination is in deep trouble.

The culture is changing. Never has a nation so quickly abandoned the ideals, foundations, and mission as America in the past 40 years. The disunity of our nation politically, spiritually, and culturally is evidence of a nation that is anchorless. Even the mainline churches that once stood strong as a “light on a hill” have now abandoned their source for truth, the Bible. The Bible has become a dusty old historical book that, like the so called “progressives” in Congress and their view of our constitution that it is a living document that is open to anyone’s interpretation based on the wants and whims of the culture. Praise God this was not Moses’ view of the Law when he returned from Mt. Sinai.

It is true that methods for proclamation of the gospel must change to fit our landscape, but our message remains rock solid, based on the foundations of truth through a literal historical hermeneutic of God’s holy writ. Contextualization means just that. We study to understand our changing context, so that we can present the ageless truths that never change. If we abandon our foundations and traditional convictions, upheld with blood through the centuries, we abandon the anchor for truth.

I’m disappointed by the ELCA’s decision but I am not surprised. I told my dad five years ago that I saw this coming to the Lutherans. Now the ELCA has joined the ranks of most of the mainline denominations who bought into Barthian, neoorthodox, slightly less liberal theology of the 40’s and 50’s that has now proverbially become the chicken that has come home to roost. I’m sad to say that God will not be mocked and the Bible is still inerrant and infallible.

So, the great heritage of biblical commitment of Luther and Melancthon will gradually fade away in the ELCA. These are the gasps of a dying denomination. It will not happen overnight because there are still many of the Builder generation and late Baby Boomers who love the liturgy and the style of Lutheranism, but the younger generation will not be impressed. They are not persuaded; and this decision will continue the trend in the ELCA of young people leaving the church. Why? Because the ELCA (and all of the more liberal denominations) are looking more and more like the culture they have grown up in. The standards being lowered only lowers the commitment and faith of the adherents, and there will be fewer and fewer to be found.

I do hope that some Bible-centered evangelicals that are left within the pastoral ranks of the ELCA will choose to stay and fight, but I would not blame them if this is the last sign on a winding theological road that spells “exit.” For many the vestiges of a biblical standard for judging culture, the nature of man and the mission of God, will seem to have faded away in a momentous vote in Minneapolis that will leave them frustrated and depressed. And they will leave in droves.

The good news is that new denominations and new relational church networks will be formed. This is already happening within the Presbyterian and Episcopal evangelical churches, and it will certainly happen within the ranks of the ELCA. And Jesus will still be Lord and He will still continue to build His church and the gates of hell will still not prevail against her!

Carpe Diem Gloriae Dei,
Steve


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