A Distant Thunder

2007-06-07T13:32:00.000-06:00

Life Ring

by Matt E.

When the towels are needin' foldin',

And there's kiddies runnin' round,

I'll toss me wife a life ring,

To ensure she doesn't drown.

But who would get a life ring,

In the middle of the sea,

Throw it back onto the ship

And say "You didn't toss like me?"

Life as a Vapor

2006-12-31T17:06:00.001-07:00

I was working on a long post when the computer froze... now I am out of the time I set aside. Check back next year.

Bye!

My Utmost for His Highest: December 21st

2006-12-22T09:41:00.000-07:00

EXPERIENCE OR REVELATION

"We have received . . . the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." 1 Corinthians 2:12

Reality is Redemption, not my experience of Redemption; but Redemption has no meaning for me until it speaks the language of my conscious life. When I am born again, the Spirit of God takes me right out of myself and my experiences, and identifies me with Jesus Christ. If I am left with my experiences, my experiences have not been produced by Redemption. The proof that they are produced by Redemption is that I am led out of myself all the time, I no longer pay any attention to my experiences as the ground of Reality, but only to the Reality which produced the experiences. My experiences are not worth anything unless they keep me at the Source, Jesus Christ.

If you try to dam up the Holy Spirit in you to produce subjective experiences, you will find that He will burst all bounds and take you back again to the historic Christ. Never nourish an experience which has not God as its Source and faith in God as its result. If you do, your experience is anti-Christian, no matter what visions you may have had. Is Jesus Christ Lord of your experiences, or do you try to lord it over Him? Is any experience dearer to you than your Lord? He must be Lord over you, and you must not pay attention to any experience over which He is not Lord. There comes a time when God will make you impatient with your own experience - I do not care what I experience; I am sure of Him.

Be ruthless with yourself if you are given to talking about the experiences you have had. Faith that is sure of itself is not faith; faith that is sure of God is the only faith there is.

Yes, I talk about my experiences way too much. I have done this and that, felt this or that, seen this and this, blah, blah, blah. What are they in comparision to Jesus, His life, death, resurrection and knowing Him?

My experiences are only paths carved so that I may know Him better.

So tie me to a tree...

2006-10-23T10:36:00.000-06:00

Show You Love
by Jars of Clay

Speak
say the words that no one else will ever say
Love
love like the world we know is over in a day

I'm gonna show you love in every language
I'm gonna speak with words that need no form
I'm gonna give you what you've never had before

You're beautiful
and I am weakened by the force of your eyes
So shime
bright to seperate the truth from the lies

I'm gonna show you love in every language
I'm gonna speak with words that need no form
I'm gonna give you what you've never had before

So tie me to a tree and let the smoke and ash collect
No, I won't regret to let love do what love will let
We can drown in mixed emotions
or walk across an angry sea
This is the cost of being free

I have no idea what Jars of Clay had in mind when they wrote and recorded this song. All I know, is that it stirs something deeper in me than what most might hear. It is probably just the way God wired my brain, but I seem to be extra sensitive to anything that has phrases like, "every language" in it.

Read these lyrics from the eyes and heart of a missionary. Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael or Jim Elliot could have written this song. How about world changing revolutionaries like William Tyndale and Martin Luther? I can hear them proclaiming their convictions:

I'm gonna show you love in every language
I'm gonna speak with words that need no form
I'm gonna give you what you've never had before

And that they did. And some died for the cause of Christ, screaming:

So tie me to a tree and let the smoke and ash collect
No, I won't regret to let love do what love will let
We can drown in mixed emotions
or walk across an angry sea
This is the cost of being free

What does love "let" sometimes? Love lets pain, heartache, tragedy, disaster, persecution, famine, nakedness, beatings and loneliness to show the world what true love is. True love for humanity exists in a life that is fully surrendered and in love with God, thus compelling that soul to spread the name of Jesus to those who have yet to experience His glory. Many a surrendered soul has faced persecution or death at the hands of those who were being shown love.

This is the cost of being free.

For the Love of Luther: Project Wittenberg

2006-10-12T11:40:00.000-06:00

Where would we be without the sacrifice, determination, faithfulness, passion, conviction, time, energy and obedience of Martin Luther. If you have never studied this man, his life and legacy, I encourage you to do so. Your Christianity today would not be what it is without this man. Read books about him, watch the amazing movie Luther and read the material he penned.

Disputation of Doctor Martin Luther

on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences

by Dr. Martin Luther (1517)

Out of love for the truth and the desire to bring it to light, the following propositions will be discussed at Wittenberg, under the presidency of the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and of Sacred Theology, and Lecturer in Ordinary on the same at that place. Wherefore he requests that those who are unable to be present and debate orally with us, may do so by letter.

In the Name our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

1. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said Poenitentiam agite, willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.

2. This word cannot be understood to mean sacramental penance, i.e., confession and satisfaction, which is administered by the priests.

3. Yet it means not inward repentance only; nay, there is no inward repentance which does not outwardly work divers mortifications of the flesh.

4. The penalty [of sin], therefore, continues so long as hatred of self continues; for this is the true inward repentance, and continues until our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

5. The pope does not intend to remit, and cannot remit any penalties other than those which he has imposed either by his own authority or by that of the Canons.

6. The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring that it has been remitted by God and by assenting to God's remission; though, to be sure, he may grant remission in cases reserved to his judgment. If his right to grant remission in such cases were despised, the guilt would remain entirely unforgiven.

7. God remits guilt to no one whom He does not, at the same time, humble in all things and bring into subjection to His vicar, the priest.

8. The penitential canons are imposed only on the living, and, according to them, nothing should be imposed on the dying.

9. Therefore the Holy Spirit in the pope is kind to us, because in his decrees he always makes exception of the article of death and of necessity.

10. Ignorant and wicked are the doings of those priests who, in the case of the dying, reserve canonical penances for purgatory.

11. This changing of the canonical penalty to the penalty of purgatory is quite evidently one of the tares that were sown while the bishops slept.

12. In former times the canonical penalties were imposed not after, but before absolution, as tests of true contrition.

13. The dying are freed by death from all penalties; they are already dead to canonical rules, and have a right to be released from them.

14. The imperfect health [of soul], that is to say, the imperfect love, of the dying brings with it, of necessity, great fear; and the smaller the love, the greater is the fear.

15. This fear and horror is sufficient of itself alone (to say nothing of other things) to constitute the penalty of purgatory, since it is very near to the horror of despair.

16. Hell, purgatory, and heaven seem to differ as do despair, almost-despair, and the assurance of safety.

17. With souls in purgatory it seems necessary that horror should grow less and love increase.

18. It seems unproved, either by reason or Scripture, that they are outside the state of merit, that is to say, of increasing love.

19. Again, it seems unproved that they, or at least that all of them, are certain or assured of their own blessedness, though we may be quite certain of it.

20. Therefore by "full remission of all penalties" the pope means not actually "of all," but only of those imposed by himself.

21. Therefore those preachers of indulgences are in error, who say that by the pope's indulgences a man is freed from every penalty, and saved;

22. Whereas he remits to souls in purgatory no penalty which, according to the canons, they would have had to pay in this life.

23. If it is at all possible to grant to any one the remission of all penalties whatsoever, it is certain that this remission can be granted only to the most perfect, that is, to the very fewest.

24. It must needs be, therefore, that the greater part of the people are deceived by that indiscriminate and highsounding promise of release from penalty.

25. The power which the pope has, in a general way, over purgatory, is just like the power which any bishop or curate has, in a special way, within his own diocese or parish.

26. The pope does well when he grants remission to souls [in purgatory], not by the power of the keys (which he does not possess), but by way of intercession.

27. They preach man who say that so soon as the penny jingles into the money-box, the soul flies out [of purgatory].

28. It is certain that when the penny jingles into the money-box, gain and avarice can be increased, but the result of the intercession of the Church is in the power of God alone.

29. Who knows whether all the souls in purgatory wish to be bought out of it, as in the legend of Sts. Severinus and Paschal.

30. No one is sure that his own contrition is sincere; much less that he has attained full remission.

31. Rare as is the man that is truly penitent, so rare is also the man who truly buys indulgences, i.e., such men are most rare.

32. They will be condemned eternally, together with their teachers, who believe themselves sure of their salvation because they have letters of pardon.

33. Men must be on their guard against those who say that the pope's pardons are that inestimable gift of God by which man is reconciled to Him;

34. For these "graces of pardon" concern only the penalties of sacramental satisfaction, and these are appointed by man.

35. They preach no Christian doctrine who teach that contrition is not necessary in those who intend to buy souls out of purgatory or to buy confessionalia.

36. Every truly repentant Christian has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt, even without letters of pardon.

37. Every true Christian, whether living or dead, has part in all the blessings of Christ and the Church; and this is granted him by God, even without letters of pardon.

38. Nevertheless, the remission and participation [in the blessings of the Church] which are granted by the pope are in no way to be despised, for they are, as I have said, the declaration of divine remission.

39. It is most difficult, even for the very keenest theologians, at one and the same time to commend to the people the abundance of pardons and [the need of] true contrition.

40. True contrition seeks and loves penalties, but liberal pardons only relax penalties and cause them to be hated, or at least, furnish an occasion [for hating them].

41. Apostolic pardons are to be preached with caution, lest the people may falsely think them preferable to other good works of love.

42. Christians are to be taught that the pope does not intend the buying of pardons to be compared in any way to works of mercy.

43. Christians are to be taught that he who gives to the poor or lends to the needy does a better work than buying pardons;

44. Because love grows by works of love, and man becomes better; but by pardons man does not grow better, only more free from penalty.

45. Christians are to be taught that he who sees a man in need, and passes him by, and gives [his money] for pardons, purchases not the indulgences of the pope, but the indignation of God.

46. Christians are to be taught that unless they have more than they need, they are bound to keep back what is necessary for their own families, and by no means to squander it on pardons.

47. Christians are to be taught that the buying of pardons is a matter of free will, and not of commandment.

48. Christians are to be taught that the pope, in granting pardons, needs, and therefore desires, their devout prayer for him more than the money they bring.

49. Christians are to be taught that the pope's pardons are useful, if they do not put their trust in them; but altogether harmful, if through them they lose their fear of God.

50. Christians are to be taught that if the pope knew the exactions of the pardon-preachers, he would rather that St. Peter's church should go to ashes, than that it should be built up with the skin, flesh and bones of his sheep.

51. Christians are to be taught that it would be the pope's wish, as it is his duty, to give of his own money to very many of those from whom certain hawkers of pardons cajole money, even though the church of St. Peter might have to be sold.

52. The assurance of salvation by letters of pardon is vain, even though the commissary, nay, even though the pope himself, were to stake his soul upon it.

53. They are enemies of Christ and of the pope, who bid the Word of God be altogether silent in some Churches, in order that pardons may be preached in others.

54. Injury is done the Word of God when, in the same sermon, an equal or a longer time is spent on pardons than on this Word.

55. It must be the intention of the pope that if pardons, which are a very small thing, are celebrated with one bell, with single processions and ceremonies, then the Gospel, which is the very greatest thing, should be preached with a hundred bells, a hundred processions, a hundred ceremonies.

56. The "treasures of the Church," out of which the pope. grants indulgences, are not sufficiently named or known among the people of Christ.

57. That they are not temporal treasures is certainly evident, for many of the vendors do not pour out such treasures so easily, but only gather them.

58. Nor are they the merits of Christ and the Saints, for even without the pope, these always work grace for the inner man, and the cross, death, and hell for the outward man.

59. St. Lawrence said that the treasures of the Church were the Church's poor, but he spoke according to the usage of the word in his own time.

60. Without rashness we say that the keys of the Church, given by Christ's merit, are that treasure;

61. For it is clear that for the remission of penalties and of reserved cases, the power of the pope is of itself sufficient.

62. The true treasure of the Church is the Most Holy Gospel of the glory and the grace of God.

63. But this treasure is naturally most odious, for it makes the first to be last.

64. On the other hand, the treasure of indulgences is naturally most acceptable, for it makes the last to be first.

65. Therefore the treasures of the Gospel are nets with which they formerly were wont to fish for men of riches.

66. The treasures of the indulgences are nets with which they now fish for the riches of men.

67. The indulgences which the preachers cry as the "greatest graces" are known to be truly such, in so far as they promote gain.

68. Yet they are in truth the very smallest graces compared with the grace of God and the piety of the Cross.

69. Bishops and curates are bound to admit the commissaries of apostolic pardons, with all reverence.

70. But still more are they bound to strain all their eyes and attend with all their ears, lest these men preach their own dreams instead of the commission of the pope.

71. He who speaks against the truth of apostolic pardons, let him be anathema and accursed!

72. But he who guards against the lust and license of the pardon-preachers, let him be blessed!

73. The pope justly thunders against those who, by any art, contrive the injury of the traffic in pardons.

74. But much more does he intend to thunder against those who use the pretext of pardons to contrive the injury of holy love and truth.

75. To think the papal pardons so great that they could absolve a man even if he had committed an impossible sin and violated the Mother of God -- this is madness.

76. We say, on the contrary, that the papal pardons are not able to remove the very least of venial sins, so far as its guilt is concerned.

77. It is said that even St. Peter, if he were now Pope, could not bestow greater graces; this is blasphemy against St. Peter and against the pope.

78. We say, on the contrary, that even the present pope, and any pope at all, has greater graces at his disposal; to wit, the Gospel, powers, gifts of healing, etc., as it is written in I. Corinthians xii.

79. To say that the cross, emblazoned with the papal arms, which is set up [by the preachers of indulgences], is of equal worth with the Cross of Christ, is blasphemy.

80. The bishops, curates and theologians who allow such talk to be spread among the people, will have an account to render.

81. This unbridled preaching of pardons makes it no easy matter, even for learned men, to rescue the reverence due to the pope from slander, or even from the shrewd questionings of the laity.

82. To wit: -- "Why does not the pope empty purgatory, for the sake of holy love and of the dire need of the souls that are there, if he redeems an infinite number of souls for the sake of miserable money with which to build a Church? The former reasons would be most just; the latter is most trivial."

83. Again: -- "Why are mortuary and anniversary masses for the dead continued, and why does he not return or permit the withdrawal of the endowments founded on their behalf, since it is wrong to pray for the redeemed?"

84. Again: -- "What is this new piety of God and the pope, that for money they allow a man who is impious and their enemy to buy out of purgatory the pious soul of a friend of God, and do not rather, because of that pious and beloved soul's own need, free it for pure love's sake?"

85. Again: -- "Why are the penitential canons long since in actual fact and through disuse abrogated and dead, now satisfied by the granting of indulgences, as though they were still alive and in force?"

86. Again: -- "Why does not the pope, whose wealth is to-day greater than the riches of the richest, build just this one church of St. Peter with his own money, rather than with the money of poor believers?"

87. Again: -- "What is it that the pope remits, and what participation does he grant to those who, by perfect contrition, have a right to full remission and participation?"

88. Again: -- "What greater blessing could come to the Church than if the pope were to do a hundred times a day what he now does once, and bestow on every believer these remissions and participations?"

89. "Since the pope, by his pardons, seeks the salvation of souls rather than money, why does he suspend the indulgences and pardons granted heretofore, since these have equal efficacy?"

90. To repress these arguments and scruples of the laity by force alone, and not to resolve them by giving reasons, is to expose the Church and the pope to the ridicule of their enemies, and to make Christians unhappy.

91. If, therefore, pardons were preached according to the spirit and mind of the pope, all these doubts would be readily resolved; nay, they would not exist.

92. Away, then, with all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, "Peace, peace," and there is no peace!

93. Blessed be all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, "Cross, cross," and there is no cross!

94. Christians are to be exhorted that they be diligent in following Christ, their Head, through penalties, deaths, and hell;

95. And thus be confident of entering into heaven rather through many tribulations, than through the assurance of peace.

A Comfort in Timelessness

2006-10-05T21:02:00.000-06:00

Have you ever pondered the reality of God existing outside the restrictions of Time? He does not need time, nor is He governed by it. For us, time is a guide, yet He is self-guided and self-sufficient. Time denotes a form of limitation that schedules our lives, and because God is all powerful, He cannot be limited by His own creation.

He sees everything as an ever-present NOW.

Think about it. Since God is outside of time, not being governed by it, but creating it and guiding it, and seeing all things as an ever present NOW, then all of humanity from Creation to Destruction has, to God, already happened. He sees Moses as clearly as He sees us now and as perfectly as He sees the future. His knowledge no one can fathom, including His knowledge of, what appears to us to be, the past, present and future.

Some might argue, then, that we are mere robots, acting out a script to God's blockbuster movie. If God knows all and sees all, He knows who will believe in Him and who will not. He knows about the disasters, wars, famines, diseases and murders that will plague humanity while it exists. He knows the joy, laughter, pleasure, delight and excitement that will ring throughout the ages.

Still, I find God's timelessness atribute to be incredibly comforting for me. He knows all. He sees all. There is no need for me to worry about the timing of events in my life. He has them planned and designed before I was physically created. Can I make more of myself? No, He deserves the glory! Should I sin in carelessness? No, He deserves the glory!

The more I "understand" of God, the more I realize that He is a Paradox. There are things that I will never understand about Him because the two opposing sides seem to so perfectly compliment eachother. Lion. Lamb. Grace. Mercy. Wrath. Redemption. A desire for none to perish, but a knowledge of who will. Master above all, but close friend. Outside of time, but for 33 years was confined by it. Divinity. Humanity.

One last thought, from Miss Ann Marie, to blow your mind... if God is Timeless, then He must be Spaceless too. If He cannot be confined by Time, then He cannot be hindered or measured by Space. Therefore, any size object to Him would appear to be the same in relation to each other. We are all small, mountains are small, galaxies are small when measured by the measureless God.

If, in your ponderings about God He seems to shrink, my dear friend, you are being deceived. Do not try to conform God to human logic. It is terribly dishonoring.

A Week Lacking Oswald Chambers

2006-09-28T18:07:00.000-06:00

A week lacking My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers is synonomous for a string of gloomy days. My copy of this magnificent book was left at our church, an hour and a half from my home, and awaited my return today. As I sit in my brother's office, listening to him and the members of the "worship team" practice for Sunday, I am attempting to read the last four days of brillance from Mr. Chambers.

September 22nd-
"To have a master and to be mastered is not the same thing. To have a master means that there is one who knows me better than I know myself, one who is closer than a friend, one who fathoms the remotest abyss of my heart and satisfies it, son who has brought me into the secure sense that he has met and solved every perplexity and problem of my mind."

To be mastered involves a certain amount of conquering between two opponents. The weaker of the two, more than likely, will be the one who is forced into submission. The one who is mastered will probably not look upon the "master" with favor. Thinking spiritually about mastery, when I view my relationship with God as Him overtaking me, I struggle all the more with obedience. Yet, God is Master, not because He has conquered me into submission, but because He knows all. He is my Master whether I recognize Him as such or not. He sees the depths of my heart and loves me the same. He has all knowledge and can solve all of my finite problems. Why would I not want Him as Master?

"He wants us in the relationship in which He is easily Master without our conscious knowledge of it, all we know is that we are His to obey."

This is the highest form of obedience and one that I strive for every day- to obey without knowing it because I am His child and want to please Him in all I do. Why do I not live this way when I want to? Is it beacuse I do not know what I should do? No, for I know the good I ought to do and do not do it, therefore sinning. The reason, so many times, that I do not obey is because I lack belief in the promises of God. If I believed God as I should there would be no hesitance in my obedience. His promises proclaim Him to be trustworthy. His promises show His faithfulness from age to age. It is only my self-centered foolishness that hinders me. Praise Him for His mercy and grace.

September 23rd-
"We start with Christ and we end with Him- "until we all attain to the stature of the manhood of Christ Jesus," not to our idea of what the Christian life should be. The aim of the missionary is to do God's will, not to be useful, not to win the heathen; he is useful and he does win the heathen, but that is not his aim. His aim is to do the will of His Lord."

What is my aim? Do I focus my energy on being the Christian that the Christian society demands from me? Or do I pour my life into doing the will of God? Those are hard questions to answer, not because of the questions themselves, but because they are so close it is hard to seperate which is which. There is a point where I can focus on being the "best Christian ever" and lose sight of doing God's will. Yet, when I pursue the will of God, the other will automatically happen.

The Lausanne Covenant

2006-09-26T09:39:00.000-06:00

God has called me where

my deep gladness

and the world's deep hunger

meet.

Inside each person there are certain dreams and desires that are ignited by simple things- things that affect no one else. Your pulse might not quicken when you see a world map. Your heart might not melt at the sight of dirty children in grass huts. You may not spend countless hours studying unreached people groups. You may not enjoy eating strange cross-cultural foods or browse international food markets for fun. You may not look at an airplane ascending to the sky and wish you were on it headed across the ocean to a distant land. You may not feel an overwhelming sense of energy when you think about taking God to the nations.

I do. Oh, I do.

The Lausanne Covenant was written in 1974 at the International Congress on World Evangelism and was signed by over 2,300 people. After spending a large amount of time in prayer and fasting, grieved over the lack of world evangelization, they decided to write a covenantal confession. Fifteen years later they wrote The Manila Manifesto as a second part to the covenant. Both are absolutely incredible. If I, as an individual, would embrace this confession whole-heartedly and live my faith with such passion, my sphere of influence would change. If we, as believers in Jesus Christ, would embrace this confession and work together to glorify God as He deserves to be glorified, the world as we know it would never be the same.

The Lausanne Covenant

INTRODUCTION
We, members of the Church of Jesus Christ from more than 150 nations, participants in the International Congress on World Evangelization at Lausanne, praise God for his great salvation and rejoice in the fellowship he has given us with himself and with each other. We are deeply stirred by what God is doing in our day, moved to penitence by our failures and challenged by the unfinished task of evangelization. We believe the gospel is God's good news for the whole world, and we are determined by his grace to obey Christ's commission to proclaim it to every person and to make disciples of every nation. We desire, therefore, to affirm our faith and our resolve, and to make public our covenant.

1. THE PURPOSE OF GOD
We affirm our belief in the one eternal God, Creator and Lord of the world, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who governs all things according to the purpose of his will. He has been calling out from the world a people for himself, and sending his people back into the world to be his servants and his witnesses, for the extension of his kingdom, the building up of Christ's body, and the glory of his name. We confess with shame that we have often denied our calling and failed in our mission, by becoming conformed to the world or by withdrawing from it. Yet we rejoice that even when borne by earthen vessels the gospel is still a precious treasure. To the task of making that treasure known in the power of the Holy Spirit we desire to dedicate ourselves anew.

Isa. 40:28; Matt. 28:19; Eph. 1:11; Acts 15:14; John 27:6,18; Eph. 4:12, Rom. 12:2; 1 Cor. 5:10; 2 Cor 4:72

2. THE AUTHORITY AND POWER OF THE BIBLE
We affirm the divine inspiration, truthfulness and authority of both Old and New Testament Scriptures in their entirety as the only written word of God, without error in all that it affirms, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice. We also affirm the power of God's word to accomplish his purpose of salvation. The message of the bible is addressed to all men and women. For God's revelation in Christ and in Scripture is unchangeable. Through it the Holy Spirit still speaks today. He illumines the minds of God's people in every culture to perceive its truth freshly through their own eyes and thus discloses to the whole Church ever more of the many-colored wisdom of God.

2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21; Isa. 55:fl; Rom. 1:16i 1 Cor. 1:21; John 10:35; Matt 5:17-18; Jude3; Eph. 1:17-18

3. THE UNIQUENESS AND UNIVERSALITY OF CHRIST
We affirm that there is only one Savior and only one gospel, although there is a wide diversity of evangelistic approaches. We recognize that everyone has some knowledge of God through his general revelation in nature. But we deny that this can save, for people suppress the truth by their unrighteousness. We also reject as derogatory to Christ and the gospel every kind of syncretism and dialog which implies that Christ speaks equally through all religions and ideologies. Jesus Christ, being himself the only God-man, who gave himself as the only ransom for sinners, is the only mediator between God and people. There is no other name by which we must be saved. All men and women are perishing because of sin, but God loves everyone, not wishing that any should perish but that all should repent. Yet those who reject Christ repudiate the joy of salvation and condemn themselves to eternal separation from God. To proclaim Jesus as "the Savior of the world" is not to affirm that all people are either automatically or ultimately saved, still less to affirm that all religions offer salvation in Christ. Rather it is to proclaim God's love for a world of sinners and to invite everyone to respond to him as Savior and Lord in the wholehearted personal commitment of repentance and faith. Jesus Christ has been exalted above every other name; we long for the day when every knee shall bow to him and every tongue shall confess him Lord.

Gal. 1:6-9; Rom. 1:18-32; 1 Tim 2:5,6; Acts 4:12, John 3:16-19; 2 Peter 3:9; 2 Thes. 1:7-9; John 4:42; Matt. 11:28; Eph. 1:20-21; Phil. 2:9-11

4. THE NATURE OF EVANGELISM
To evangelize is to spread the good news that Jesus Christ died for our sin and was raised from the dead according to the Scriptures, and that as the reigning Lord he now offers the forgiveness of sins and the liberating gift of the Spirit to all who repent and believe. Our Christian presence in the world is indispensable to evangelism, and so is that kind of dialog whose purpose is to listen sensitively in order to understand. But evangelism itself is the proclamation of the historical, biblical Christ as Savior and Lord, with a view to persuading people to come to him personally and so be reconciled to God. In issuing the gospel invitation we have no liberty to conceal the cost of discipleship. Jesus still calls all who would follow him to deny themselves, take up their cross, and identify themselves with his new community. The results of evangelism include obedience to Christ, incorporation into his Church and responsible service in the world.
1 Cor. 15:34; Acts 2:32-39; John 20:21; 1 Cor. 1:23; 2 Cor. 4:5; 2 Cor. 5:11,20; Luke 14:25-33; Mark 8:34; Acts 2:40,47; Mark 10:43-45

5. CHRISTIAN SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
We affirm that God is both the Creator and the Judge of all. We therefore should share his concern for justice and reconciliation throughout human society and for the liberation of men and women from every kind of oppression. Because men and women are made in the image of God, every person, regardless of race, religion, color, culture, class, sex or age, has an intrinsic dignity because of which he or she should be respected and served, not exploited. Here too we express penitence both for our neglect and for having sometimes regarded evangelism and social concern as mutually exclusive. Although reconciliation with other people is not reconciliation with God, nor is social action evangelism, nor is political liberation salvation, nevertheless we affirm that evangelism and socio-political involvement are both part of our Christian duty. For both are necessary expressions of our doctrines of God and man, our love for our neighbor and our obedience to Jesus Christ. The message of salvation implies also a message of judgment upon every form of alienation, oppression and discrimination, and we should not be afraid to denounce evil and injustice wherever they exist. When people receive Christ they are born again, into his kingdom and must seek not only to exhibit but also to spread its righteousness in the midst of an unrighteous world. The salvation we claim should be transforming us in the totality of our personal and social responsibilities. Faith without works is dead.

Acts 17:26,31; Gen. 18:25; Ps. 45:7; Isa. 1:17, Gen. 1:26-27, Lev. 19:18; Luke 6:27,35; James 3:9; John 3:3,5; Matt 5:20; Matt. 6:33; 2 Cor. 3:18; James 2:14-26

6. THE CHURCH AND EVANGELISM
We affirm that Christ sends his redeemed people into the world as the Father sent him, and that this calls for a similar deep and costly penetration of the world. We need to break out of our ecclesiastical ghettos and permeate non-Christian society. In the Church's mission of sacrificial service evangelism is primary. World evangelization requires the whole Church to take the whole gospel to the whole world. The Church is at the very center of God's cosmic purpose and is his appointed means of spreading the gospel. But a church which preaches the cross must itself be marked by the cross. It becomes a stumbling block to evangelism when it betrays the gospel or lacks a living faith in God, a genuine love for people, or scrupulous honesty in all things including promotion and finance. The church is the community of God's people rather than an institution, and must not be identified with any particular culture, social or political system, or human ideology.

John 17:18; 20:21; Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; 20:27; Eph. 1:9-10; 3:9-11; Gal. 6:14,17; 2 Cor. 6:3-4; 2 Tim. 2:19-21; Phil. 1:27

7. COOPERATION IN EVANGELISM
We affirm that the Church's visible unity in truth is God's purpose. Evangelism also summons us to unity, because our oneness strengthens our witness, just as our disunity undermines our gospel of reconciliation. We recognize, however, that organizational unity may take many forms and does not necessarily forward evangelism. Yet we who share the same biblical faith should be closely united in fellowship, work and witness. We confess that our testimony has sometimes been marred by sinful individualism and needless duplication. We pledge ourselves to seek a deeper unity in truth, worship, holiness and mission. We urge the development of regional and functional cooperation for the furtherance of the Church's mission, for strategic planning, for mutual encouragement, and for the sharing of resources and experience.

Eph. 4:34, John 17:21,23; 13:35; Phil. 1:27

8. CHURCHES IN EVANGELISTIC PARTNERSHIP
We rejoice that a new missionary era has dawned. The dominant role of western missions is fast disappearing. God is raising up from the younger churches a great new resource for world evangelization, and is thus demonstrating that the responsibility to evangelize belongs to the whole body of Christ. All churches should therefore be asking God and themselves what they should be doing both to reach their own area and to send missionaries to other parts of the world. A reevaluation of our missionary responsibility and role should be continuous. Thus a growing partnership of churches will develop and the universal character of Christ's Church will be more clearly exhibited. We also thank God for agencies which labor in bible translation, theological education, the mass media, Christian literature, evangelism, missions, church renewal and other specialist fields. They too should engage in constant self-examination to evaluate their effectiveness as part of the Church's mission.

Rom. 1:8; Phil 1:5; 4:15; Acts 13:1-3; 1 Thes. 1:6-8

9. THE URGENCY OF THE EVANGELISTIC TASK
More than 2,700 million people, which is more than two-thirds of all humanity, have yet to be evangelized. We are ashamed that so many have been neglected; it is a standing rebuke to us and to the whole Church. There is now, however, in many parts of the world an unprecedented receptivity to the Lord Jesus Christ. We are convinced that this is the time for churches and para-church agencies to pray earnestly for the salvation of the unreached and to launch new efforts to achieve world evangelization. A reduction of foreign missionaries and money in an evangelized country may sometimes be necessary to facilitate the national church's growth in self-reliance and to release resources for unevangelized areas. Missionaries should flow ever more freely from and to all six continents in a spirit of humble service. The goal should be, by all available means and at the earliest possible time, that every person will have the opportunity to hear, understand, and receive the good news. We cannot hope to attain this goal without sacrifice. All of us are shocked by the poverty of millions and disturbed by the injustices which cause it. Those of us who live in affluent circumstances accept our duty to develop a simple life-style in order to contribute more generously to both relief and evangelism.

Mark 16:15; John 9:4; Matt. 9:35-38; Isa. 58:6-7; James 2:1-9; 1 Cor. 9:19-23; James 1:27, Matt. 25:31-46; Acts 2:44-45; 4:34-35

10. EVANGELISM AND CULTURE
The development of strategies for world evangelization calls for imaginative pioneering methods. Under God, the result will be the rise of churches deeply rooted in Christ and closely related to their culture. Culture must always be tested and judged by Scripture. Because men and women are God's creatures, some of their culture is rich in beauty and goodness. Because they are fallen, all of it is tainted with sin and some of it is demonic. The gospel does not presuppose the superiority of any culture to another, but evaluates all cultures according to its own criteria of truth and righteousness, and insists on moral absolutes in every culture. Missions have all too frequently exported with the gospel an alien culture and churches have sometimes been in bondage to culture rather than to Scripture. Christ's evangelists must humbly seek to empty themselves of all but their personal authenticity in order to become the servants of others, and churches must seek to transform and enrich culture, all for the glory of God.

Mark 7:8-9,13; Gen. 4:21-22; 1 Cor. 9:19-23; Phil. 2:5-7; 2 Cor. 4:5

11. EDUCATION AND LEADERSHIP
We confess that we have sometimes pursued church growth at the expense of church depth, and divorced evangelism from Christian nurture. We also acknowledge that some of our missions have been too slow to equip and encourage national leaders to assume their rightful responsibilities. Yet we are committed to indigenous principles, and long that every church will have national leaders who manifest a Christian style of leadership in terms not of domination but of service. We recognize that there is a great need to improve theological education, especially for church leaders. In every nation and culture there should be an effective training program for pastors and laity in doctrine, discipleship, evangelism, nurture and service. Such training programs should not rely on any stereotyped methodology but should be developed by creative local initiatives according to biblical standards.

Col. 1:27-28; Acts 14:23; Titus 1.5,9; Mark 10:4245; Eph. 4:11-12

12. SPIRITUAL CONFLICT
We believe that we are engaged in constant spiritual warfare with the principalities and powers of evil, who are seeking to overthrow the Church and frustrate its task of world evangelization. We know our need to equip ourselves with God's armor and to fight this battle with the spiritual weapons of truth and prayer. For we detect the activity of our enemy, not only in false ideologies outside the Church, but also inside it in false gospels which twist Scripture and put people in the place of God. We need both watchfulness and discernment to safeguard the biblical gospel. We acknowledge that we ourselves are not immune to worldliness of thought and action, that is, to a surrender to secularism. For example, although careful studies of church growth, both numerical and spiritual, are right and valuable, we have sometimes neglected them. At other times, desirous to ensure a response to the gospel, we have compromised our message, manipulated our hearers through pressure techniques, and become unduly preoccupied with statistics or even dishonest in our use of them. All this is worldly. The Church must be in the world; the world must not be in the Church.
Eph. 6:12; 2 Cor. 4:3-4, Eph. 6:11,13-18; 2 Cor. 10:3-5; 1 John 2:18-26; 4:1-3; Gal. 1:6-9; 2 Cor. 2:17; 4.2; John 17.15

13. FREEDOM AND PERSECUTION
It is the God-appointed duty of every government to secure conditions of peace, justice and liberty in which the Church may obey God, serve the Lord Christ, and preach the gospel without interference. We therefore pray for the leaders of the nations and call upon them to guarantee freedom of thought and conscience, and freedom to practice and propagate religion in accordance with the will of God and as set forth in The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We also express our deep concern for all who have been unjustly imprisoned, and especially for those who are suffering for their testimony to the Lord Jesus. We promise to pray and work for their freedom. At the same time we refuse to be intimidated by their fate. God helping us, we too will seek to stand against injustice and to remain faithful to the gospel, whatever the cost. We do not forget the warnings of Jesus that persecution is inevitable.
1 Tim. 2:1-4; Col. 3:24; Acts 4:19; 5:29; Heb. 13:1-3; Luke 4:18; Gal. 5:11; 6:12, Matt. 5:10-12, John 15:18-21

14. THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Father sent his Spirit to bear witness to his Son; without his witness ours is futile. Conviction of sin, faith in Christ, new birth and Christian growth are all his work. Further, the Holy Spirit is a missionary spirit; thus evangelism should arise spontaneously from a Spirit-filled church. A church that is not a missionary church is contradicting itself and quenching the Spirit. Worldwide evangelization will become a realistic possibility only when the Spirit renews the church in truth and wisdom, faith, holiness, love and power. We therefore call upon all Christians to pray for such a visitation of the sovereign Spirit of God that all his fruit may appear in all his people and that all his gifts may enrich the body of Christ. Only then will the whole Church become a fit instrument in his hands, that the whole earth may hear his voice.

Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. 2:4; John 15:26-27; John 16:8-11; 2 Cor. 12:3; John 3:6-8; 2 Cor. 3:18; John 7:37-39; 1 Thes. 5:19; Ps. 85:4-7; Gal. 5:22-23; Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-31; Ps. 67:1-3

15. THE RETURN OF CHRIST
We believe that Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly, in power and glory, to consummate his salvation and his judgment. This promise of his coming is a further spur to our evangelism, for we remember his words that the gospel must first be preached to all nations. We believe that the interim period between Christ's ascension and return is to be filled with the mission of the people of God, who have no liberty to stop before the end. We also remember his warning that false Christs and false prophets will arise as precursors of the final Antichrist. We therefore reject as a proud, self-confident dream the notion that people can ever build a utopia on earth. Our Christian confidence is that God will perfect his kingdom, and we look forward with eager anticipation to that day, and to the new heaven and earth in which righteousness will dwell and God will reign forever. Meanwhile, we rededicate ourselves to the service of Christ and of people in joyful submission to his authority over the whole of our lives.
Mark 14:62; Heb. 9:28; Mark 13:10; Matt. 28:20; Acts 1:8-11; Mark 13:21-23; 1 John 2:18; 4:1-3; Luke 12:32; Rev. 21:1-5; 2 Peter 3:13; Matt. 28:18

CONCLUSION
Therefore, in the light of this our faith and our resolve, we enter into a solemn covenant with God and with each other, to pray, to plan and to work together for the evangelization of the whole world. We call upon others to join us. May God help us by his grace and for his glory to be faithful to this our covenant! Amen, Alleluia!

International Congress on World Evangelization, Lausanne, Switzerland, July 1974

A Title Defined

2006-09-22T17:02:00.000-06:00

Thunder. Thunder resonates. Thunder permeates. Thunder can be heard many miles beyond its location of origin. Thunder strikes fear in the most gallant knights and spawns whimpers in the tiniest babe. Thunder echoes off of monstrous mountains and cascades through bottomless valleys.

What images and emotions are awakened in your heart when you think of thunder? Fear? Awe? Respect? Honest adults will admit a fear of thunder that haunted their childhood. Violent storms and warm blankets, pulled tightly around ones’ chin, are inseparable memories of growing up. Then we awake one day no longer terrified of the piercing rumble. Now we understand the cause and effect, explaining it away as just a part of nature. Still, it frequently catches the bravest off guard as it splits the evening sky with flashes of brilliance and deafening cracks.

The word ‘thunder’ is used in a myriad of descriptive forms. The dictionary defines thunder as, “A deep prolonged loud noise; a loud, explosive, resounding noise; a threatening or startling utterance, denunciation, or the like.” Thunder can be used to describe the explosion of air colliding, galloping horses, a startling bang, gunfire, etc.

Three particular images used for thunder encompass all that is envisioned for the title and purpose of this new blog. First, Scripture declares that the voice and presence of God thunders (Exodus 19:16, Job 37:2, Psalm 18:13, Psalm 81:7). The entire temple in Isaiah 6 violently shuttered when Holiness Itself was praised.

Second, thunder describes a proclamation or admonition when it is said, “Her voice thundered through the auditorium.” When a person wants to convey urgency and importance, do they whisper? When danger is present and a loved one could be harmed, do we speak quietly? Of course not, we yell, scream and cry out as loud as possible!

Finally, imagine an army. Picture the movies you have seen in which an army rides to battle. Do the warriors step the hooves of their horses softly in order to avoid being heard? No, they usually blaze ahead in a full gallop, thundering across an open plain to oppose the enemy. They are not silent. They are not afraid. They have a cause to defend. And they are willing to risk their lives for their people and their king.

Perhaps thunder is used to illustrate God’s voice because He wants us to fear Him and listen. Perhaps when we hear God’s voice our proclamation to others should reflect urgency. Perhaps it is time to arise as an army and confront the evil that wages war against what God says is true.

Thunder IS rumbling in the heart of this generation. It may be a distant thunder, but it exists all the same. Can you hear it?

It is not time to be comfortable. It is not time to seek wealth. It is not time to pursue fame. It is not time to warm the church pew, donate to charity and write checks.

It is time to stand for truth. It is time to know God. It is time to believe what He says is true. It is time to suffer, as Christ did. It is time to be selfless, as Christ was. It is time to confront everything that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Confronting evil is risky and dangerous.

A Distant Thunder will not be for the weak of heart, those who want to remain comfortable or anyone who is content with where they are at spiritually. A Distant Thunder will dive into topics like abortion, neo-theism, discipleship, Islam, home education and captivity to Christ.

I do not claim to have reached perfection, no, instead to learn as I write and write as I learn. I do not claim to have answers, but to somehow challenge those who follow Christ to do so- with everything that they are.

A distant thunder can be heard…

“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. A voice says, “Cry out. And I said, “What shall I cry?” You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah,

“Here is your God!” ”
(From passages in Isaiah 40)

2006-09-14T10:56:00.000-06:00

First post, woohoo