I grew up in the CRC, and am still here, along with my family. I'm married to Daryl, who has a construction business. I had a CPA license for 10 or so years, then I added EX to the front, and MOM to the back, so now I'm an EX CPA, MOM =). I am MOM to Duncan, Ian and Samantha. Our family also owns a raspberry farm, and in the summers we get to work out there together.
thanks for all your hard work, crc staff... enjoyed being able to watch it live, enjoyed connecting with other's that are addicted to watching synod, Oh, I mean are passionate about synod. Thank you for breaking out Moses Chung's speech in a separate clip.... if this isn't too much work would you be able to break it out with the intro by James (about 1 minute earlier)? I want to forward that section to my church. many thx.
I agree that bringing unity between churches in an area is a key part of the concept. Jesus addresses the church in an area, ie. the church of Ephesus, the church of Smyrna, the church of Pergamos, etc.
So, I believe we do need to connect with other congregations/denominations in our area as the "church of your town", ie the "church of Grand Rapids" or whatever it might be, to worship, pray and serve together. It is so beautiful when brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ cross these traditional barriers and focus on His Kingdom together.
I'm not against denominations, they have a practical side, but I am against the dissension, the competition, the pride, the superior attitudes that tend to go with them, and as someone mentioned, we might be more focused on our little "kingdom" then His Kingdom.
One of the scriptures the Spirit's been putting on my heart is Malachi 3:1-3... and along with this the line from the hymn, How Firm a Foundation... The flame shall not hurt thee, I only design, thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.
Praise God!!! thanks for being honest about this...let me state up front, that I love the CRC, and have been a part of it all my life...but I love the Kingdom of God more!! I pray that our vision will expand beyond the CRC walls, and we will connect on greater levels, in worship with congregations of other "streams"/denominations. I have found that God really honors when we connect with our brothers and sisters in Christ, that are from different congregations and denominations as well as our own. It broadens our perspective of His Kingdom, and grows our love for each other. I have witnessed wonderful breakthroughs as believers have prayed together in unity, again crossing denominational barriers...earlier this year, the local prayer center invited all the pastors (150-200) from the area to come together for prayer...there were over 40 pastors that came, from probably about 30 different churches, that prayed and had communion together. The testimonies from that gathering are beautiful and powerful. (some of the pastors on this network were there!)
One of my biggest struggles, is with our hesitation with, no - I will say it more bluntly, our fear of the Holy Spirit. Fear of the "manifestations" that are not what we are used to. I could write on this a long time, but I will succinctly say, that we can learn alot from our Pentecostal brethren, who have been more completely walking in step with the Spirit much longer than we have. I sense that we are cautiously treading forth, and granted we can point to some of the extreme and even bizarre manifestations as a reason for not going that direction too swiftly. But I have found, as I have worshipped, prayed, and talked with my brothers and sisters, that we have much to offer each other. On the one hand, a pentecostal pastor shared that he wished that there was more reverence in the worship at his church...well, we definitely have that, if that's what you want to call it...while I'm praying for more freedom in our worship, instead of the stiff, stoic reserve. Believe you me, I know CRC members can praise exuberantly, just go to any local sporting event. SO, what's holding us back during worship of the ALMIGHTY GOD OF THE UNIVERSE!!! OF HIS PRECIOUS SON WHO POURED OUT HIS LIFE to the point He was unrecognizable as a man. My heart breaks, with our reasons/excuses. Anyway, that (high praise -Ps. 149:6 NKJV) is an entire discussion in itself (and one of the things i believe we have mostly missed).
Again, my heart breaks for what we have missed in our tradition. I have to remind myself often, of how far we have come and the good growth that is happening. PTL!! But when I hear similar statements about being thankful for the reformed tradition, for whatever reason I am burdened, it seems like the areas we have missed are on my heart right now.
The LORD gave me a picture in the natural, it's even on DVD (would you like to see it?), of a passionate (non-CRC) pastor/intercessor sharing on the supremacy of Christ and restoring the tabernacle of David (both are an entire discussion in and of themselves). He was sharing at a CRC church, and so the messages were given in front of the pulpit, with the CRC symbol of the Trinitarian triangle and cross in the background. That gave me hope for our denomination, whatever it might look like, when we embrace/focus on the supremacy of Christ (not humanitarianism), raise up missional worshippers and connect beyond our denomination, that there will be a new life, a vibrancy to our faith.
We talk about accepting diversity...I believe we have to go beyond accepting, and celebrate it.
Let's see, did I mention honor...honoring each other is huge.
Ok, you also mentioned people attending the CRC who cannot be involved in leadership due to minor differences of doctrine...one that I'm struggling with is mentioned under the CRC positional statements of pentecostalism...that those who believe in the 2nd blessing as one of the ways we are baptized in the Spirit, cannot be in leadership roles...or something to that effect. Here's what the CRC position states:
Church members who believe the “second blessing” teaching are disqualified from holding office, but not everyone who claims to have certain charismatic experiences is by that fact alone disqualified. The Spirit-filled church must judge what gifts of the Spirit may or should be employed in the exercise of the offices. Ag
Again, this is an entire discussion...but I've found that those who have experienced the 2nd blessing or whatever we want to call it, have a vibrancy to their faith and prayer life that I have not found often in our denomination, either that or it's buried deep and maybe it's time to uncover it.
I really do want to honor the CRC, and sense that God will break open the floodgates, but we've got some purifying and purging ahead of us.
So, again, bless your heart for being bold and brave and starting this discussion...again, my heart is to honor the CRC, but we do need an honest assessment of where things are not healthy, to prune that which is not bearing fruit.
ps...we would really stink (with pride) if we think we have a corner on the truth... that's not a place I want to be... and that's probably why God made spread it out over all the "streams", so we wouldn't have this "elite" mentality.
Again, thank you for sharing your heart...I'm so glad you did...I had brought up a denominational concern last year to a local CRC leader, and the response was basically "no one really cares, and if they did, nothing's going to change at the denominational level"...talk about discouragement and frustration...these issues have been on my heart, and I don't know what God is going to do about them, but I know He wants us walking more fully in step with His Spirit, and bearing more fruit for His Kingdom...so I will keep praying into this, as your post is a very encouraging confirmation that He is putting similar thoughts on other believers hearts!
Well...maybe one of our aromas is the almond family, ie marzipan...do a study on the almond branch in scripture, it's interesting...that's what Aaron's rod was, an almond branch because when it sprouted, there were almond blossoms and almonds (Numbers 17:8)...the candlesticks were designed with almond blossoms as the cups (Ex. 25:31; Zech 4:2), and when God asked Jeremiah what do you see. and jeremiah said a branch, it was from an almond tree (Jeremiah 1:11)... anyway, an interesting possibility about our denomination...
I have read the '73 and the '09 reports on pentecostalism from synod. and I am very grateful for the forward motion these represent...Praise God, we no longer officially endorse cessationism...although i do run into it still, with a flat out "God doesn't do that anymore" response to some "supernatural" testimonies. God's working on me to honor these godly believers even though we are on different pages (or on different "wave"lengths) in regard to how the Holy Spirit is working today.
In regard to high praise...I do feel this has been an aspect we have missed, and to support that, just look up Ps.149:6 in the NIV and in almost any other version, and note the difference. Another scripture regarding praise, that I'm digging into the various translations on, is Ps. 22:3...the NIV is unique, as far as I can tell, in how it translates it... Through this focus on v3 (PTL!), I have also gained beautiful insight into Jesus suffering on the cross through this psalm during this Lenten season, since Ps. 22 is a messianic prophecy. I wouldn't have been digging into it to the level I am, other than I was working on further insight on v3.
So, yes, the LORD is working on my heart, for the areas where I am not in one accord with the denomination I am in, to respect the authority of the denomination, but yet to be honest about issues/concepts/doctrines I'm struggling with. I sense that He doesn't want us glossing over these areas anymore, but refining them - sharpening each other. There is much gold in the CRC, but there is refining that needs to be done to consume the dross. Are we willing to go through the refining, are we even willing to admit that we need refining? Do we even want to be refined, or are we pretty comfortable with how things are?
God is connecting across denominational lines, just this morning someone shared a beautiful testimony on this in their life.
That's very cool! Tim. thanks for sharing, keep us posted. Love the Is. 58 theme! One ministry (non-denominational) I'm involved with is renting the parsonage of a crc church, and using it somewhat as a communal living home, but also to host people from around the world as they come to visit people connected with the prayer ministry, or to participate in or "observe" our prayer ministry as it's unique in some ways. We call the house the "Gatekeeper House" after the gatekeepers King David financed for the temple (I Chron. 26) One amazing couple has been led to live there and oversee all the comings and goings, and it is amazing the richness of diversity we have seen in people flowing through. They got some of their "training" at the Jesus Haus in Hernnhut, Germany, home of the Moravians. http://www.czherrnhut.de/jesus-haus/en/
I have been listening to a lot of messianic music lately (look up chavah messianic radio if interested), and a lot of it is straight scripture, especially Paul Wilbur's songs... here's just a taste =)
in this song, the Shema by Paul Wilbur (Deut 6:4), you can even learn the Shema in Hebrew =) but most of the song is in English...
Bonnie, bless your heart for being bold and brave and bringing this into the light!!
I see part of the problem directly connected to pornography (objectification of women)... so am working on exposing what is hidden in darkness there and there is a huge connection between porn and violence... For me every level of porn is horrific, but especially disturbing/sickening is the fact that the porn industry fuels/feeds the human trafficking and abuse of children in the sex trade - child porn/prostitution... it has been an unbelievable battle... several things i am coming to a conclusion regarding this battle and i think it's relevant for domestic violence, and other abuses of women/children as well:
1) silence contributes to the problem... be warned though, that when you speak Truth about things the enemy does not want exposed, the enemy will use those in church to try to silence you in various ways... ie discredit you, the enemy will use others to call you unstable, emotionally unhealthy, heretical, divisive, a gossip, slanderer, they will threaten, intimidate, manipulate, abuse, ostracize, shame and shun you to mention a few behaviors typical of silencing in order to cover up the "deed"... you will quite likely lose friends... sometimes even your job...
but don't let that stop you!!! Go on in the Name of God... (*** See quote below)
2) secrecy... when things need to be kept secret, that's not a good sign... God says expose what is hidden in darkness, and warns that the enemy will do everything he can to keep it in darkness (John 3:19-21) Truth will want the light..
3) cover up... beside trying to silence those who speak (see #1), manipulation, deception/lies, fraud, tampering of evidence, are a few more ways the enemy will try to keep the "evil" from coming out into the light.
so far in the situations I'm familiar with, it seems that those in leadership are protecting those in power at the expense of the victim. Sadly, disturbingly so, I have not witnessed justice from the church leadership involved in these situations, and instead the women are treated as expendable, much like the woman caught in adultery (John 8).
*** here's an encouraging quote from a 1791 letter from John Wesley to Willliam Wilberforce:
Unless the divine power has raised you us to be as Athanasius contra mundum (Athanasius against the world), I see not how you can go through your glorious enterprise in opposing that execrable villainy which is the scandal of religion, of England, and of human nature. Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? O be not weary of well doing! ***Go on, in the name of God and in the power of his might, till even American slavery (the vilest that ever saw the sun) shall vanish away before it.
it seems some of the confusion comes from what is the loving thing to do? is exposing what is going on in darkness the loving thing to do, or is the loving thing not confronting it, and letting those in power continue to cover up wrong doing, so that the leaders (and the church's) reputation can be protected? Hebrews 12 gives us the answer to that I think... He disciplines those He loves... so that after the discipline, we will walk in the peacable fruit of righteousness... that can't happen until we first repent and own up to what is our fault, where we have dropped the ball of what He has called us to do.
Every single revival was marked by open repentance... and at this point there still seems to be denial of any wrongdoing and much resistance to genuine repentance. so let's keep praying and speaking as the Spirit leads...
bless your heart Meg for your response... that is a great quote, and it was also the motto of the Moravians in the 1700's, who if you aren't familiar with them, they are worth researching...
this is an amazing thing i have found, when I pray with brothers and sisters in the LORD, from all different streams, we are almost always in unity... as soon as we finish praying and start talking, I quickly realize we have some different theological pages... but yet, when we pray together in the Name of Jesus, there is a definite sense of unity.
What is interesting to me, is how in Revelation, the 7 churches are addressed by geographical area. I think God intended us to have to work through our theological differences of understanding (iron sharpens iron), and yes, when it is heresy, then to deal with it and repent, again using the letters to the 7 churches as examples.. however, what is heresy, and what is not, can be a difficult question, and the Word of God, under the enlightenment of the Spirit, is our plumbline. The confusion comes in with interpretation/understanding. (This hits so close to home, as I just got an email re this very thing, so sorry if I'm vague and just scratching the surface on this, but it's a huge topic)
and your last question:
And, regardless, how are we tasked to demonstrate charity?
honoring each other is huge (Rom 12:10), we honor the Church, as the Bride of Christ, and so we honor each other as brothers and sisters in the LORD.
a second thing that has helped me, is knowing that our battle is not against each other, not against flesh and blood, but it's against the enemy who is trying to steal, kill, destroy, divide and deceive.
but here's our assurance!! Greater is He that is in us...
LORD, pour Your love into the hearts of Your followers, by Your Spirit, so that we can be one, as You and the Father are one!
my hope and prayer for Synod, is that there will be such an outpouring of the Spirit for unity... going back to the Moravians, they had many struggles over doctrine - far more diverse than what we're wrestling with here, as they had religious refugees from various streams (moravian brethren / catholic / protestant / lutheran / etc) all coming together to live in Hernhut, close to Count Nicolaus von Zinzendorf's estate (he wrote #513 in Gray Psalter - Christian Hearts in Love United - works well with tune of Come all Christians be Committed as an option). They were so divided that they walked to church/communion on separate sides of the street. at one point, through prayer and research led by Zinzendorf, a covenant of unity was drawn up, and shortly thereafter the Holy Spirit fell upon them in one of the most powerful outpourings since Pentecost. I think most of us would love for such an outpouring to fall on the crc / synod / michigan /any state / any congregation !!
BOQ The refugees established a new village called Herrnhut, about 2 miles (3 km) from Berthelsdorf. The town initially grew steadily, but major religious disagreements emerged and by 1727 the community was divided into warring factions. Count Zinzendorf worked to bring about unity in the town and the Brotherly Agreement was adopted by the community on 12 May 1727. This is considered the beginning of the renewal. Then, on 13 August 1727 the community underwent a dramatic transformation when the inhabitants of Herrnhut "learned to love one another", following an experience that they attributed to a visitation of the Holy Spirit, similar to that recorded in the Bible on the day of Pentecost. EOQ
warring factions hmmm? can we relate?
again, their history is fascinating, as the Moravian Brethren come from the pre-reformers of Jan Hus and John Comenius... I encourage you to do your own research on them... maybe this should be mandatory reading for synod delegates =)
Posted in: Ideas for Next Year? Webcast, News, Etc.
thanks for all your hard work, crc staff... enjoyed being able to watch it live, enjoyed connecting with other's that are addicted to watching synod, Oh, I mean are passionate about synod. Thank you for breaking out Moses Chung's speech in a separate clip.... if this isn't too much work would you be able to break it out with the intro by James (about 1 minute earlier)? I want to forward that section to my church. many thx.
Posted in: We Can Answer Jesus' Prayer — and Article 3 of the Belhar
I agree that bringing unity between churches in an area is a key part of the concept. Jesus addresses the church in an area, ie. the church of Ephesus, the church of Smyrna, the church of Pergamos, etc.
So, I believe we do need to connect with other congregations/denominations in our area as the "church of your town", ie the "church of Grand Rapids" or whatever it might be, to worship, pray and serve together. It is so beautiful when brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ cross these traditional barriers and focus on His Kingdom together.
I'm not against denominations, they have a practical side, but I am against the dissension, the competition, the pride, the superior attitudes that tend to go with them, and as someone mentioned, we might be more focused on our little "kingdom" then His Kingdom.
One of the scriptures the Spirit's been putting on my heart is Malachi 3:1-3... and along with this the line from the hymn, How Firm a Foundation... The flame shall not hurt thee, I only design, thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.
Posted in: The Reformed Distinctive, or the Reformed "Stink"?
Praise God!!! thanks for being honest about this...let me state up front, that I love the CRC, and have been a part of it all my life...but I love the Kingdom of God more!! I pray that our vision will expand beyond the CRC walls, and we will connect on greater levels, in worship with congregations of other "streams"/denominations. I have found that God really honors when we connect with our brothers and sisters in Christ, that are from different congregations and denominations as well as our own. It broadens our perspective of His Kingdom, and grows our love for each other. I have witnessed wonderful breakthroughs as believers have prayed together in unity, again crossing denominational barriers...earlier this year, the local prayer center invited all the pastors (150-200) from the area to come together for prayer...there were over 40 pastors that came, from probably about 30 different churches, that prayed and had communion together. The testimonies from that gathering are beautiful and powerful. (some of the pastors on this network were there!)
One of my biggest struggles, is with our hesitation with, no - I will say it more bluntly, our fear of the Holy Spirit. Fear of the "manifestations" that are not what we are used to. I could write on this a long time, but I will succinctly say, that we can learn alot from our Pentecostal brethren, who have been more completely walking in step with the Spirit much longer than we have. I sense that we are cautiously treading forth, and granted we can point to some of the extreme and even bizarre manifestations as a reason for not going that direction too swiftly. But I have found, as I have worshipped, prayed, and talked with my brothers and sisters, that we have much to offer each other. On the one hand, a pentecostal pastor shared that he wished that there was more reverence in the worship at his church...well, we definitely have that, if that's what you want to call it...while I'm praying for more freedom in our worship, instead of the stiff, stoic reserve. Believe you me, I know CRC members can praise exuberantly, just go to any local sporting event. SO, what's holding us back during worship of the ALMIGHTY GOD OF THE UNIVERSE!!! OF HIS PRECIOUS SON WHO POURED OUT HIS LIFE to the point He was unrecognizable as a man. My heart breaks, with our reasons/excuses. Anyway, that (high praise -Ps. 149:6 NKJV) is an entire discussion in itself (and one of the things i believe we have mostly missed).
Again, my heart breaks for what we have missed in our tradition. I have to remind myself often, of how far we have come and the good growth that is happening. PTL!! But when I hear similar statements about being thankful for the reformed tradition, for whatever reason I am burdened, it seems like the areas we have missed are on my heart right now.
The LORD gave me a picture in the natural, it's even on DVD (would you like to see it?), of a passionate (non-CRC) pastor/intercessor sharing on the supremacy of Christ and restoring the tabernacle of David (both are an entire discussion in and of themselves). He was sharing at a CRC church, and so the messages were given in front of the pulpit, with the CRC symbol of the Trinitarian triangle and cross in the background. That gave me hope for our denomination, whatever it might look like, when we embrace/focus on the supremacy of Christ (not humanitarianism), raise up missional worshippers and connect beyond our denomination, that there will be a new life, a vibrancy to our faith.
We talk about accepting diversity...I believe we have to go beyond accepting, and celebrate it.
Let's see, did I mention honor...honoring each other is huge.
Ok, you also mentioned people attending the CRC who cannot be involved in leadership due to minor differences of doctrine...one that I'm struggling with is mentioned under the CRC positional statements of pentecostalism...that those who believe in the 2nd blessing as one of the ways we are baptized in the Spirit, cannot be in leadership roles...or something to that effect. Here's what the CRC position states:
Church members who believe the “second blessing” teaching are disqualified from holding office, but not everyone who claims to have certain charismatic experiences is by that fact alone disqualified. The Spirit-filled church must judge what gifts of the Spirit may or should be employed in the exercise of the offices. Ag
Again, this is an entire discussion...but I've found that those who have experienced the 2nd blessing or whatever we want to call it, have a vibrancy to their faith and prayer life that I have not found often in our denomination, either that or it's buried deep and maybe it's time to uncover it.
I really do want to honor the CRC, and sense that God will break open the floodgates, but we've got some purifying and purging ahead of us.
So, again, bless your heart for being bold and brave and starting this discussion...again, my heart is to honor the CRC, but we do need an honest assessment of where things are not healthy, to prune that which is not bearing fruit.
ps...we would really stink (with pride) if we think we have a corner on the truth... that's not a place I want to be... and that's probably why God made spread it out over all the "streams", so we wouldn't have this "elite" mentality.
Posted in: The Reformed Distinctive, or the Reformed "Stink"?
Again, thank you for sharing your heart...I'm so glad you did...I had brought up a denominational concern last year to a local CRC leader, and the response was basically "no one really cares, and if they did, nothing's going to change at the denominational level"...talk about discouragement and frustration...these issues have been on my heart, and I don't know what God is going to do about them, but I know He wants us walking more fully in step with His Spirit, and bearing more fruit for His Kingdom...so I will keep praying into this, as your post is a very encouraging confirmation that He is putting similar thoughts on other believers hearts!
Posted in: The Reformed Distinctive, or the Reformed "Stink"?
Well...maybe one of our aromas is the almond family, ie marzipan...do a study on the almond branch in scripture, it's interesting...that's what Aaron's rod was, an almond branch because when it sprouted, there were almond blossoms and almonds (Numbers 17:8)...the candlesticks were designed with almond blossoms as the cups (Ex. 25:31; Zech 4:2), and when God asked Jeremiah what do you see. and jeremiah said a branch, it was from an almond tree (Jeremiah 1:11)... anyway, an interesting possibility about our denomination...
I have read the '73 and the '09 reports on pentecostalism from synod. and I am very grateful for the forward motion these represent...Praise God, we no longer officially endorse cessationism...although i do run into it still, with a flat out "God doesn't do that anymore" response to some "supernatural" testimonies. God's working on me to honor these godly believers even though we are on different pages (or on different "wave"lengths) in regard to how the Holy Spirit is working today.
In regard to high praise...I do feel this has been an aspect we have missed, and to support that, just look up Ps.149:6 in the NIV and in almost any other version, and note the difference. Another scripture regarding praise, that I'm digging into the various translations on, is Ps. 22:3...the NIV is unique, as far as I can tell, in how it translates it... Through this focus on v3 (PTL!), I have also gained beautiful insight into Jesus suffering on the cross through this psalm during this Lenten season, since Ps. 22 is a messianic prophecy. I wouldn't have been digging into it to the level I am, other than I was working on further insight on v3.
So, yes, the LORD is working on my heart, for the areas where I am not in one accord with the denomination I am in, to respect the authority of the denomination, but yet to be honest about issues/concepts/doctrines I'm struggling with. I sense that He doesn't want us glossing over these areas anymore, but refining them - sharpening each other. There is much gold in the CRC, but there is refining that needs to be done to consume the dross. Are we willing to go through the refining, are we even willing to admit that we need refining? Do we even want to be refined, or are we pretty comfortable with how things are?
God is connecting across denominational lines, just this morning someone shared a beautiful testimony on this in their life.
Praise God!
Posted in: Bought the House Next Door ... Now What?
That's very cool! Tim. thanks for sharing, keep us posted. Love the Is. 58 theme! One ministry (non-denominational) I'm involved with is renting the parsonage of a crc church, and using it somewhat as a communal living home, but also to host people from around the world as they come to visit people connected with the prayer ministry, or to participate in or "observe" our prayer ministry as it's unique in some ways. We call the house the "Gatekeeper House" after the gatekeepers King David financed for the temple (I Chron. 26) One amazing couple has been led to live there and oversee all the comings and goings, and it is amazing the richness of diversity we have seen in people flowing through. They got some of their "training" at the Jesus Haus in Hernnhut, Germany, home of the Moravians. http://www.czherrnhut.de/jesus-haus/en/
there is so much potential...
hope to listen to the sermon soon =)
Posted in: Abuse Victims Task Force: Discussion
BOQ Or we will be having this discussion again in about four years. EOQ
Hey Judy, you were prophetic... they did have the discussion again in 4 years (2014) and again 4 years later (2018)...
Posted in: The Memory Power of Music
I have been listening to a lot of messianic music lately (look up chavah messianic radio if interested), and a lot of it is straight scripture, especially Paul Wilbur's songs... here's just a taste =)
in this song, the Shema by Paul Wilbur (Deut 6:4), you can even learn the Shema in Hebrew =) but most of the song is in English...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXYB9F8Yxvk ;
Medley: Let God Arise (Psalm 68:1-3)/ It is Good (Psalm 92:1-5,12-13; / Roni Roni (Zeph 3:14); again performed by Paul Wilbur
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrCal6kE-r4
Posted in: Where is the Church?
Bonnie, bless your heart for being bold and brave and bringing this into the light!!
I see part of the problem directly connected to pornography (objectification of women)... so am working on exposing what is hidden in darkness there and there is a huge connection between porn and violence... For me every level of porn is horrific, but especially disturbing/sickening is the fact that the porn industry fuels/feeds the human trafficking and abuse of children in the sex trade - child porn/prostitution... it has been an unbelievable battle... several things i am coming to a conclusion regarding this battle and i think it's relevant for domestic violence, and other abuses of women/children as well:
1) silence contributes to the problem... be warned though, that when you speak Truth about things the enemy does not want exposed, the enemy will use those in church to try to silence you in various ways... ie discredit you, the enemy will use others to call you unstable, emotionally unhealthy, heretical, divisive, a gossip, slanderer, they will threaten, intimidate, manipulate, abuse, ostracize, shame and shun you to mention a few behaviors typical of silencing in order to cover up the "deed"... you will quite likely lose friends... sometimes even your job...
but don't let that stop you!!! Go on in the Name of God... (*** See quote below)
2) secrecy... when things need to be kept secret, that's not a good sign... God says expose what is hidden in darkness, and warns that the enemy will do everything he can to keep it in darkness (John 3:19-21) Truth will want the light..
3) cover up... beside trying to silence those who speak (see #1), manipulation, deception/lies, fraud, tampering of evidence, are a few more ways the enemy will try to keep the "evil" from coming out into the light.
so far in the situations I'm familiar with, it seems that those in leadership are protecting those in power at the expense of the victim. Sadly, disturbingly so, I have not witnessed justice from the church leadership involved in these situations, and instead the women are treated as expendable, much like the woman caught in adultery (John 8).
*** here's an encouraging quote from a 1791 letter from John Wesley to Willliam Wilberforce:
Unless the divine power has raised you us to be as Athanasius contra mundum (Athanasius against the world), I see not how you can go through your glorious enterprise in opposing that execrable villainy which is the scandal of religion, of England, and of human nature. Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? O be not weary of well doing! ***Go on, in the name of God and in the power of his might, till even American slavery (the vilest that ever saw the sun) shall vanish away before it.
Posted in: Where is the Church?
thx Bonnie, please keep talking!!
it seems some of the confusion comes from what is the loving thing to do? is exposing what is going on in darkness the loving thing to do, or is the loving thing not confronting it, and letting those in power continue to cover up wrong doing, so that the leaders (and the church's) reputation can be protected? Hebrews 12 gives us the answer to that I think... He disciplines those He loves... so that after the discipline, we will walk in the peacable fruit of righteousness... that can't happen until we first repent and own up to what is our fault, where we have dropped the ball of what He has called us to do.
Every single revival was marked by open repentance... and at this point there still seems to be denial of any wrongdoing and much resistance to genuine repentance. so let's keep praying and speaking as the Spirit leads...
Posted in: Overtures 3 & 4: Laying Out the Debate
bless your heart Meg for your response... that is a great quote, and it was also the motto of the Moravians in the 1700's, who if you aren't familiar with them, they are worth researching...
this is an amazing thing i have found, when I pray with brothers and sisters in the LORD, from all different streams, we are almost always in unity... as soon as we finish praying and start talking, I quickly realize we have some different theological pages... but yet, when we pray together in the Name of Jesus, there is a definite sense of unity.
What is interesting to me, is how in Revelation, the 7 churches are addressed by geographical area. I think God intended us to have to work through our theological differences of understanding (iron sharpens iron), and yes, when it is heresy, then to deal with it and repent, again using the letters to the 7 churches as examples.. however, what is heresy, and what is not, can be a difficult question, and the Word of God, under the enlightenment of the Spirit, is our plumbline. The confusion comes in with interpretation/understanding. (This hits so close to home, as I just got an email re this very thing, so sorry if I'm vague and just scratching the surface on this, but it's a huge topic)
and your last question:
And, regardless, how are we tasked to demonstrate charity?
honoring each other is huge (Rom 12:10), we honor the Church, as the Bride of Christ, and so we honor each other as brothers and sisters in the LORD.
a second thing that has helped me, is knowing that our battle is not against each other, not against flesh and blood, but it's against the enemy who is trying to steal, kill, destroy, divide and deceive.
but here's our assurance!! Greater is He that is in us...
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=victors+crown&mid=6EEDEC9F617436DB646F6EEDEC9F617436DB646F&view=detail&FORM=VIRE3
Posted in: Overtures 3 & 4: Laying Out the Debate
LORD, pour Your love into the hearts of Your followers, by Your Spirit, so that we can be one, as You and the Father are one!
my hope and prayer for Synod, is that there will be such an outpouring of the Spirit for unity... going back to the Moravians, they had many struggles over doctrine - far more diverse than what we're wrestling with here, as they had religious refugees from various streams (moravian brethren / catholic / protestant / lutheran / etc) all coming together to live in Hernhut, close to Count Nicolaus von Zinzendorf's estate (he wrote #513 in Gray Psalter - Christian Hearts in Love United - works well with tune of Come all Christians be Committed as an option). They were so divided that they walked to church/communion on separate sides of the street. at one point, through prayer and research led by Zinzendorf, a covenant of unity was drawn up, and shortly thereafter the Holy Spirit fell upon them in one of the most powerful outpourings since Pentecost. I think most of us would love for such an outpouring to fall on the crc / synod / michigan /any state / any congregation !!
here's a quote from the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moravian_Church
BOQ The refugees established a new village called Herrnhut, about 2 miles (3 km) from Berthelsdorf. The town initially grew steadily, but major religious disagreements emerged and by 1727 the community was divided into warring factions. Count Zinzendorf worked to bring about unity in the town and the Brotherly Agreement was adopted by the community on 12 May 1727. This is considered the beginning of the renewal. Then, on 13 August 1727 the community underwent a dramatic transformation when the inhabitants of Herrnhut "learned to love one another", following an experience that they attributed to a visitation of the Holy Spirit, similar to that recorded in the Bible on the day of Pentecost. EOQ
warring factions hmmm? can we relate?
again, their history is fascinating, as the Moravian Brethren come from the pre-reformers of Jan Hus and John Comenius... I encourage you to do your own research on them... maybe this should be mandatory reading for synod delegates =)