Welcome!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Still Blogging, Just Not Here.
Just wanted to say once again that I'm still blogging, but for whatever reasons I decided to change blogs. I'm now at bookofreservations.blogspot.com. Com visit me and see what I've been up to over there if you haven't yet!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
I ended my hibernation early...
I've begun to write again, but this blog has gotten stale for me for the time being so I'm moving my writings to a new blog. I've gotten quite a bit prepared so there should be something new ever few days or so. Check the whole thing out at:
http://bookofreservations.blogspot.com/
Here's a teaser for the first blog post I've put up there:
There's a change in the air. Over the last several years the wind has shifted. I don't have exact statistics, but there is a definite switch in people's approach to spirituality. It's an huge move too. Not just a few people here and there, but massive numbers. Thousands are leaving the churches that have dominated the religious scene for the last few decades. In case that did sink in, let me say that again. Thousands of people are leaving your average, impersonal, corporate churches, and they know it. The future is about as bleak for all the smaller churches who are trying to emulate these massive, failed experiments too.
I do not write this in a condescending or condemning spirit. I truly empathize with those who are stuck in those places. What I am doing here is writing this in the spirit of truth and love. I believe the most deceitful and hateful thing a person can do is ignore a harmful situation, thinking that it will eventually just go away. We need a return to authenticity, and it is a lack of just that, along with many other contributing problems that has led American and Western Christianity to where it is today.
Christians, genuine, born-again Christians are tired of counterfeits, fake spirituality, and copies of the real thing. They are becoming more and more discriminating in their searching and yearning after Christ, the kingdom of God, and His righteousness. They are gaining, and training, an uncanny sense to be able to discern the authentic faith from the false ones.
Read on at http://bookofreservations.blogspot.com/2011/02/authenticity-can-i-get-some.html
http://bookofreservations.blogspot.com/
Here's a teaser for the first blog post I've put up there:
There's a change in the air. Over the last several years the wind has shifted. I don't have exact statistics, but there is a definite switch in people's approach to spirituality. It's an huge move too. Not just a few people here and there, but massive numbers. Thousands are leaving the churches that have dominated the religious scene for the last few decades. In case that did sink in, let me say that again. Thousands of people are leaving your average, impersonal, corporate churches, and they know it. The future is about as bleak for all the smaller churches who are trying to emulate these massive, failed experiments too.
I do not write this in a condescending or condemning spirit. I truly empathize with those who are stuck in those places. What I am doing here is writing this in the spirit of truth and love. I believe the most deceitful and hateful thing a person can do is ignore a harmful situation, thinking that it will eventually just go away. We need a return to authenticity, and it is a lack of just that, along with many other contributing problems that has led American and Western Christianity to where it is today.
Christians, genuine, born-again Christians are tired of counterfeits, fake spirituality, and copies of the real thing. They are becoming more and more discriminating in their searching and yearning after Christ, the kingdom of God, and His righteousness. They are gaining, and training, an uncanny sense to be able to discern the authentic faith from the false ones.
Read on at http://bookofreservations.blogspot.com/2011/02/authenticity-can-i-get-some.html
Thursday, November 25, 2010
A Psalm For Giving Thanks
Psalm 100
His Steadfast Love Endures Forever
A Psalm for giving thanks.
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
3 Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
5 For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
His Steadfast Love Endures Forever
A Psalm for giving thanks.
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
3 Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
5 For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Preaching To Spiritually Exhausted People
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
This is an honest and genuine look at one of the biggest, yet most smothered and hidden problems facing churches today. Pastor Alan Kraft talks about Preaching to the Spiritually Exhausted in the article I read and comment on in this video.
Jesus said, "Come to me, all who labor are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Is the Church a place where people can find rest today for their weary souls, or just another place that wears people out even more, despite good intentions of course. Is there any good news left in Christianity once you get hooked and pulled in through the door, or was that good news just the bait that has since been switched on you and replaced with a different message?
With years of study in God's word, Kraft brings us an insightful and refreshing look at what God intended for the Church to be and do, what mesaage we are to be bringing and how discipleship is supposed to be done. Kraft doesn't offer us a patronizing lecture based soley on his own personal experiences, but based on God's word. Unlike so many others who are out there offering advice on the church, Kraft isn't setting himself and his "perfect" example up as the standard - he sets God's word up as the standard and even admits that he's still making mistakes.
Link to article: http://www.stoptryingharder.com/Preaching_to_the_Exhausted.pdf
Part 2
Part 3
This is an honest and genuine look at one of the biggest, yet most smothered and hidden problems facing churches today. Pastor Alan Kraft talks about Preaching to the Spiritually Exhausted in the article I read and comment on in this video.
Jesus said, "Come to me, all who labor are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Is the Church a place where people can find rest today for their weary souls, or just another place that wears people out even more, despite good intentions of course. Is there any good news left in Christianity once you get hooked and pulled in through the door, or was that good news just the bait that has since been switched on you and replaced with a different message?
With years of study in God's word, Kraft brings us an insightful and refreshing look at what God intended for the Church to be and do, what mesaage we are to be bringing and how discipleship is supposed to be done. Kraft doesn't offer us a patronizing lecture based soley on his own personal experiences, but based on God's word. Unlike so many others who are out there offering advice on the church, Kraft isn't setting himself and his "perfect" example up as the standard - he sets God's word up as the standard and even admits that he's still making mistakes.
Link to article: http://www.stoptryingharder.com/Preaching_to_the_Exhausted.pdf
Sunday, October 31, 2010
New 95 Theses, Part 14
Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, the public bulletin board of his day. In like manner, we, Athanasius and Chrysostom*, post these 95 theses on the door of the Internet. Like the original theses, these are debatable, for we believe that it is through vigorous debate that the spirits are tested and truth is revealed.
In publishing these theses, we do not intend to foment division, but to expose those who are creating division within the body of Christ. We are not addressing any particular church body or person, but invite all who love the Gospel of Jesus Christ to engage in this debate. We do so in the spirit of the great Reformer, Martin Luther, as we implore the mercies of God upon His Church, for the sake of Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Church and Bishop of our souls.
84. To create and sustain saving faith, God established the office of the holy ministry in the church to preach the Gospel and administer the sacraments according to our Lord’s institution.
85. No one may publicly preach, teach, or administer the sacraments in the churches without his being called and ordained.
86. Those who introduce novelties into the church are the true agents of division.
87. The ordination of women is a novelty that has caused great division in the church.
88. The introduction of worship forms not held in common by the churches is a cause of division and a stumbling block.
89. The church belongs to no man but to Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, and Lord of the church.
90. Woe to the false prophets who cry, “Unity, unity” when there is no unity.
91. Again, woe to those who say, “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace.
92. Again, woe to those who say, “Gospel, gospel,” when there is no Gospel.
93. Blessed are those who say, “Cross, cross,” when there is no cross.
94. Christians are to be exhorted that they be diligent in following Christ, their Head, through all suffering, death, and hell;
95. And thus be confident of entering into heaven through many trials and tribulations, rather than through the assurance of outward peace, unity, and happiness.
******
HAPPY REFORMATION DAY!
If you don't know what it is, Watch the movie Luther today. Reformation Day is celebrated in honor of the day Martin Luther posted the original 95 theses to the doors of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31st, 1517. He unintentionally began a Reformation that he ended up continuing once he saw that the Medieval Catholic Church was not willing to listen to the sound reason and logic of Scripture.
It is only because of God that we are not all worshipping Mary, praying to the saints, and blindly following the anit-Christ spirit that possesses the Pope and being taught that we have to pay and work our way into heaven through indulgances, penance and other works of man-made tradition and laws. A lot of people don't realize how heavy a debt they owe to Luther for the getting the ball rolling in the fight for freedom of religion.
In Luther's day there were not 30,000+ different denominations like there are today. There was only one "church." You did not worship how the Scriptures told you to, but you worshipped how the Catholic Church told you to. They held great power over the people and had immense sway on the ruling authorities of the time. What Martin Luther did should have gotten him killed, which nearly the entire civilized world was trying to do at one point.
Many of those who came before Luther that made similiar discoveries in the Scriptures and tried to let people know were swiftly executed, like John Hus, who was burnt at the stake for his confessions of faith. Only by the grace of God was Luther allowed to live long enough to see his work of freeing the minds of thousands from the tyranny of the Catholic Church. To this day the Catholic Church hates Martin Luther and calls him a heretic.
We owe the memory of Martin Luther respect and honor, the same way we owe the many brave military men and women, who have given up their lives for our individual freedom, respect and honor. Even though I may not hold the same views as a Democrat, I still honor a soldier who was a Democrat for his service and bravery. Even though we all may not be "Lutheran" we still owe Martin Luther the respect of a father figure. We are all his children in a way, unless you're a Roman Catholic of course.
May God richly bless you with the unconditional forgiveness of all your sins, won for you by the vicarious death and resurrection of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ! Amen.
Brandon
*Notice: I am not the original author of these theses. I am simply passing them along, nailing them to another door on the internet.
In publishing these theses, we do not intend to foment division, but to expose those who are creating division within the body of Christ. We are not addressing any particular church body or person, but invite all who love the Gospel of Jesus Christ to engage in this debate. We do so in the spirit of the great Reformer, Martin Luther, as we implore the mercies of God upon His Church, for the sake of Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Church and Bishop of our souls.
84. To create and sustain saving faith, God established the office of the holy ministry in the church to preach the Gospel and administer the sacraments according to our Lord’s institution.
85. No one may publicly preach, teach, or administer the sacraments in the churches without his being called and ordained.
86. Those who introduce novelties into the church are the true agents of division.
87. The ordination of women is a novelty that has caused great division in the church.
88. The introduction of worship forms not held in common by the churches is a cause of division and a stumbling block.
89. The church belongs to no man but to Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, and Lord of the church.
90. Woe to the false prophets who cry, “Unity, unity” when there is no unity.
91. Again, woe to those who say, “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace.
92. Again, woe to those who say, “Gospel, gospel,” when there is no Gospel.
93. Blessed are those who say, “Cross, cross,” when there is no cross.
94. Christians are to be exhorted that they be diligent in following Christ, their Head, through all suffering, death, and hell;
95. And thus be confident of entering into heaven through many trials and tribulations, rather than through the assurance of outward peace, unity, and happiness.
******
HAPPY REFORMATION DAY!
If you don't know what it is, Watch the movie Luther today. Reformation Day is celebrated in honor of the day Martin Luther posted the original 95 theses to the doors of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31st, 1517. He unintentionally began a Reformation that he ended up continuing once he saw that the Medieval Catholic Church was not willing to listen to the sound reason and logic of Scripture.
It is only because of God that we are not all worshipping Mary, praying to the saints, and blindly following the anit-Christ spirit that possesses the Pope and being taught that we have to pay and work our way into heaven through indulgances, penance and other works of man-made tradition and laws. A lot of people don't realize how heavy a debt they owe to Luther for the getting the ball rolling in the fight for freedom of religion.
In Luther's day there were not 30,000+ different denominations like there are today. There was only one "church." You did not worship how the Scriptures told you to, but you worshipped how the Catholic Church told you to. They held great power over the people and had immense sway on the ruling authorities of the time. What Martin Luther did should have gotten him killed, which nearly the entire civilized world was trying to do at one point.
Many of those who came before Luther that made similiar discoveries in the Scriptures and tried to let people know were swiftly executed, like John Hus, who was burnt at the stake for his confessions of faith. Only by the grace of God was Luther allowed to live long enough to see his work of freeing the minds of thousands from the tyranny of the Catholic Church. To this day the Catholic Church hates Martin Luther and calls him a heretic.
We owe the memory of Martin Luther respect and honor, the same way we owe the many brave military men and women, who have given up their lives for our individual freedom, respect and honor. Even though I may not hold the same views as a Democrat, I still honor a soldier who was a Democrat for his service and bravery. Even though we all may not be "Lutheran" we still owe Martin Luther the respect of a father figure. We are all his children in a way, unless you're a Roman Catholic of course.
May God richly bless you with the unconditional forgiveness of all your sins, won for you by the vicarious death and resurrection of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ! Amen.
Brandon
*Notice: I am not the original author of these theses. I am simply passing them along, nailing them to another door on the internet.
Entire Sanctification - True or False Doctrine? Part 3
On this episode of Rediscovery I discuss the doctrine of Entire Sanctification. True or false? What is it in the first place? What does Scripture say about this type of ideology? Can one actually become perfect and without sin? If this doctrine is not true, does it really pose any risk to anyone? Should we be concerned about it or those who believe it? Has anyone ever actually claimed to have experienced the manifestation of what this doctrine teaches? These questions and a lot more will be covered in this video.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
The "New 95 Theses," Part 13
72. Worship is doctrine put into practice.
73. As one worships, so one believes.
74. As one believes, so one worships.
75. Christian worship consists of God’s service to us through His giving and our receiving in faith the gifts of Christ’s Word, Body, and Blood, and our service to God by our prayer, praise, and thanksgiving.
76. Worship that is focused on principles for Christian living obscures the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His gifts and is detrimental to faith and salvation.
77. While Christian liberty allows that worship forms need not be altogether the same in every time and place, unity in faith and practice requires that worship forms must not be altogether different in every time and place.
78. Worship forms serve as identifying banners in the confessional field of battle.
79. Peculiar and novel worship forms obscure the unity of the churches and extol the creativity of the worship leaders.
80. In matters neither commanded nor forbidden in the Word of God (adiaphora), the churches of God are free to change ceremonies according to circumstances, as may be most beneficial and edifying to the churches of God. (Epitome, Art X.4)
81. Such changes must avoid all frivolity and offenses, particularly with regard to those who are weak in faith (Epitome, Art X.5).
82. Where the Gospel is at stake, concessions in ceremony must not be made so as to suggest unity with those who deny the Gospel (Epitome, Art X.6)
83. Therefore, it is contrary to the doctrine of adiaphora to hide the substance of Lutheran doctrine behind a non-Lutheran style of worship.
******
One more post to come completing the posting of all 95 of these "New 95 Theses." That will be up tomorrow. I encourage you to read through these again if you've been folloing them. They challenge the common practice in the American church today. They challenge the norm and the average. They expose challenging questions and problems that deserve to be answered and accounted for.
I don't know how God will use this. Perhaps 50 years from now someone will stumble upon these, like I stumbled upon Luther's 95 theses nearly 500 years after he wrote them. Perhaps, like those did to me, these also will cause someone to begin asking the hard questions that need to be asked again.
The Reformation that began on October 31st, 1517 continues to this day. The Reformation that God began through Martin Luther has swept across the world. In small pockets and growing in speed and strength, young and old alike are rediscovering the call to return to God's word as the final and absolute authority in all things spiritual and religious, abandoning the false, subjective, experiential religion that is passed off as modern day "Christianity."
This move back to truths that were uncovered during the early Reformation days is wide, diverse and sweeping! Individuals, pastors, laymen, the learned and the uneducated alike, churches and even communities, are hearing and answering the call to arms; the call to return to and defend the faith once delivered to the saints. They are acknowledging the warning of the hidden dangers, being disguised as truth and godly religion that has for far to long been growing in its focus on the Christian and our ministries, obscuring any possible focus on Christ till there is barely any trace of Christ and His ministry left in our churches.
73. As one worships, so one believes.
74. As one believes, so one worships.
75. Christian worship consists of God’s service to us through His giving and our receiving in faith the gifts of Christ’s Word, Body, and Blood, and our service to God by our prayer, praise, and thanksgiving.
76. Worship that is focused on principles for Christian living obscures the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His gifts and is detrimental to faith and salvation.
77. While Christian liberty allows that worship forms need not be altogether the same in every time and place, unity in faith and practice requires that worship forms must not be altogether different in every time and place.
78. Worship forms serve as identifying banners in the confessional field of battle.
79. Peculiar and novel worship forms obscure the unity of the churches and extol the creativity of the worship leaders.
80. In matters neither commanded nor forbidden in the Word of God (adiaphora), the churches of God are free to change ceremonies according to circumstances, as may be most beneficial and edifying to the churches of God. (Epitome, Art X.4)
81. Such changes must avoid all frivolity and offenses, particularly with regard to those who are weak in faith (Epitome, Art X.5).
82. Where the Gospel is at stake, concessions in ceremony must not be made so as to suggest unity with those who deny the Gospel (Epitome, Art X.6)
83. Therefore, it is contrary to the doctrine of adiaphora to hide the substance of Lutheran doctrine behind a non-Lutheran style of worship.
******
One more post to come completing the posting of all 95 of these "New 95 Theses." That will be up tomorrow. I encourage you to read through these again if you've been folloing them. They challenge the common practice in the American church today. They challenge the norm and the average. They expose challenging questions and problems that deserve to be answered and accounted for.
I don't know how God will use this. Perhaps 50 years from now someone will stumble upon these, like I stumbled upon Luther's 95 theses nearly 500 years after he wrote them. Perhaps, like those did to me, these also will cause someone to begin asking the hard questions that need to be asked again.
The Reformation that began on October 31st, 1517 continues to this day. The Reformation that God began through Martin Luther has swept across the world. In small pockets and growing in speed and strength, young and old alike are rediscovering the call to return to God's word as the final and absolute authority in all things spiritual and religious, abandoning the false, subjective, experiential religion that is passed off as modern day "Christianity."
This move back to truths that were uncovered during the early Reformation days is wide, diverse and sweeping! Individuals, pastors, laymen, the learned and the uneducated alike, churches and even communities, are hearing and answering the call to arms; the call to return to and defend the faith once delivered to the saints. They are acknowledging the warning of the hidden dangers, being disguised as truth and godly religion that has for far to long been growing in its focus on the Christian and our ministries, obscuring any possible focus on Christ till there is barely any trace of Christ and His ministry left in our churches.
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