Things I Think…
1. The “great apostasy” begins with believing we’re already in the “better country’…“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.
If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.” (Hebrews 11:13–16 ESV)
2. I have a raging Daylight Savings Time hangover…
3. If you’re terribly unsettled by both the church and the culture you’re right where God wants you…
4. Rachel Denhollander gives me huge hope for better things in the fight against corruption in the church…this woman will not be intimidated by the bullying and smear tactics that have silenced so many…may God be with her in every way…
5. If you’re posting political angst every day on your social media, you’re basically talking to yourself…no one is interested in being persuaded…
6. I can accurately predict who the next pastor to fall will be by counting the number of “sponsored ads” they buy on Facebook…
7. I think I feel sorry for those folks who have been told what a heretic Eugene Peterson is…they’ve been robbed by the Pharisees…
8. I don’t tell our congregation who they can’t read…they’re adults with brains who should consider such rants that a breach of pastoral ethics and authority…
9. In the bad old days the church burned those it considered heretics…we’ve replaced the pyre with the post and tweet…
10. I wonder how people who don’t seem to have a conscience can claim to have the Spirit…got lots on my mind today…
Well, I will need #1 fleshed out a bit because it is definitely part of my realized eschatology that in the Spirit we are already tasting the good things that are to come. I am not troubled by having that view challenged but by having it labeled as “great apostasy.”
First, let me acknowledge the weakness of this weeks column and my own poor writing today.
The “apostasy” I speak of is the belief that the country one dwells in is favored by God above all others, almost to the point of attributing theocratic qualities to the preferred leaders.
I have huge problems with “realized eschatology” as well, but that will have to wait until I’m awake… 🙂
Ah,
Nationalisms are all definitely demonic apostasy.
#6…. LOL!!!! my recent pet peeve. Or being on IG and farming for likes.
Yeah #6 is a doozy. I hope not, because if so, I know someone who is about to be in trouble.
KrisH…it’s obnoxious as hell to me…especially because the church is paying for those…
instead of telling people what to read (or not) pastors should be begging their people simply to read…it would have a profound effect both on them and the next generation.
I have a puppy-potty-training hangover…DST was nary a blip on the radar.
in order for the church to be effected by women like Rachel Denhollander, they first must be given a voice and a hearing…
your third observation both comforts and unsettles me.
fil,
I don’t think Rachel is going to ask permission…may her tribe increase…
As to #3…it comforts me if it unsettles and comforts you…
#3 – this is where I am most of the time, and quite honestly, it seems to make me unpopular in both camps. I don’t know if that means I’m doing it right or wrong. I’m told that I am less influential (in both camps) because of my occasional concern/angst/frustration/desire-to-see-things-be-better in both directions, even though I do my best to provide positive solutions. I feel like I’m actually going crazy sometimes because few others seem to express the same things. I love the church. It is terribly broken in my neck of the woods but few seem to see if because they have different working definitions of broken and working.
This is why I’m so psyched about Karl Vaters new book “Small Church Essentials.” It’s not a gimmick book, it’s not a church grown book, it’s a church health book and the best I’ve seen so far. https://corbys.link/smallchurch if you’re interested.
As for #6, I’ve had to do a tremendous about of blocking to avoid these kinds of ads in my feeds. They still get through, but, barf.
What are the ads pastors are buying?
Ads about themselves… 🙂 They’re the product…
1 … Never lose hope, but never forget until Christ returns, this world is entropic pole to pole in every direction until Christ returns…
along that line is the Church falling short where end times education is concerned? Are we too much concerned with touting our interpretation of Revelation chapter by chapter to the neglect of equipping Saints with a solid grasp of Christ v false christs and teachers? Is it enough to just say, “well, if He doesnt come all at once within everyone’s view, it isnt the real Christ?” Are our churches really Christ centered or more religion centered?
only on the first “thing” and ive already got a day’s worth of ponder… ?
Em, I am handling the teaching of Rev chapter by chapter. Since I think that Rev is the telling of the church history past, present and future between the advents (over and over again) I would say that is teaching / equipping a solid grasp of “Christ v false christs and teachers.” At least that was the method chosen by the Apostle John.
So what would you substitute in place of teaching scripture?
@ #2:
This one strikes a chord with regard to “Daylight Savings Time”.
Only a white man would cut a foot off of his blanket, sew it onto the other end, and then claim he has a longer blanket…
— Attributed to a Lakota Medicine Man —
MLD, you read my #13 as directed at your teachimng here? It wasnt
I have only found one justification for setting clicks ahead and back again today… This far north it allows kids to get to and from school and activities in dayliight, but…
Why not just change schedules for the kids?
em, I didn’t take your post as aimed at me – but I did want to explain that Rev contains exactly what you stated as missing – so I asked what you would substitute for Bible teaching.
In AZ, we do not do DST
#1. I would say that most of what we are told of the end of the age, is incorrect, if not outright lies. Starting with an end times, one world government. A European Anti-Christ in tailored designer suits.
We do requuire a grasp of what God has revealed of how history from the ascension of His Son back to the Throne room of God to His return to earth, but the “lying signs and wonders” our Lord pointed to in His overview in Matt. 24 are much less apt to cause us to get sidetracked IF we have really been taught to appreciate a Holy God, His Son and His unrelenting, unwavering plan…
We are not to be running after phenomena – if God does a miracle, once in a while He sees fit to do so, just praise Him and move on smiling…
So, it is pretty hard to declare what is a correct teaching of the end… At best we speculate, and thats okay to a point, but its pretty certain when it comes it will be crystal clear… Tread lightly, tho, cuz we aint seen nothin yet… ?
Em, some of us are not speculating about the end at all. My entire end time scenario is what Jesus (Matt 25) and the creeds say. Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead – dispatch each to their appropriate eternity and bring down the New Heaven and the New Earth.
All that other stuff is speculation.
If you wish to continue we should go to Weekend Word where it became a topic today, so we can keep Michael’s article clean.
#8 I’ll read whatever I want. In my past, whilst in a CC, we were contantly told what was “edifying” to read, to listen to, to watch, etc. Well, I’m too old to have some “pastor” tell me what to do.
MLD, my first comment was prompted by Michael’s 1st thot this a.m… as much as i love thus nation and the progress we’ve made, it is a fact that ultimately progress erodes and the Church should not think that we can reform a corrupted planet without Jesus Christ here running the show in person, but do church folk avoid living in Christ by looking for signs etc? a bit of a rabbit trail……
I’m done