tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23758043.post1560546240435467688..comments2008-03-04T23:32:57.947-05:00Derek Vreelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278564226756132082noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23758043.post-18145270788162333892008-03-04T23:32:00.000-05:002008-03-04T23:32:00.000-05:00Derek,<BR/><BR/>I ran across this on in the intro of Colossioans in my Bible...<BR/><BR/>"Pure Christianity lives between two dangers ever present: the danger that it will evaporate into a philosophy - philosophies of the atonement... and the danger that it will feeze into a form." (Dr. Scofield).<BR/><BR/>and<BR/><BR/>"Thou, O Christ, art all I want; more than all in Thee I find." (Charles Wesley).Shane Oglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16892682137266936445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23758043.post-81711375137544756092008-03-04T23:26:00.000-05:002008-03-04T23:26:00.000-05:00Hey Derek,<BR/><BR/>We all stretch for the things that are just out of our reach – we love it when God touches it and makes it fly – we hate it when we crash and burn. I sometimes struggle over a truth for months (and occasionally years) before I ever present it from the pulpit – and at other times I take the church along for the ride – we struggle through it together (just did about nine months of that – in Hebrews – last year). I've even been known to ditch a series I started – saying, “apparently I'm just not ready for this one yet.”<BR/><BR/>Funny, one time I did that – apologizing for what had to be absolutely the worst sermon I've ever delivered – only to find out that a grown man (in his fifties) had to get up and leave the service – only to go to the men's restroom and weep like a baby! “Ya' just never know!”<BR/><BR/>I am currently reading Bill Johnson's “When Heaven Invades Earth” -- (hadn't ready a book from the charismatic persuasion in some time) – he had some interesting things to say on this exact subject. I would say he is weaving in and out of what you say here in your blog – and, though somewhat veiled – even in my last post on my own site (at least in intentionality). <BR/><BR/>Here it is – dissect/ digest it as you wish (it's not mine – it's Bill's) – maybe it has something to say to all of us (no matter where we fall in our passionate pursuit of the Holy)... <BR/><BR/>Bill Johnson on “Teaching into an Encounter”...<BR/><BR/>Personal charisma is often valued more by the church than either anointing or truth. People of little character can have positions of leadership in the church if they have personality. Paul found this particularly troubling. He had worked hard to bring the Corinthians into faith. He had chosen not to wow them with what he knew. In fact, he led them to an encounter with the God of all power who would become the anchor of their faith. But now the sermonizers had come on the scene. Paul's answer was to send them someone just like himself – Timothy. They needed a reminder of what their spiritual father looked like. This would help them to recalibrate their value system to imitate people of substance, who are also people of power!<BR/><BR/>Paul makes a stunning statement clarifying the right choice. He said, “The Kingdom of God is not in word but in power.” The original language puts it like this – “The Kingdom of God is not in logos but in dunamis.” Apparently they had a lot of teachers who were good at speaking many words, but displayed little power. They did not follow the pattern that Jesus set for them. Dunamis is “the power of God displayed and imparted in a Holy Spirit outpouring,” That is the kingdom!<BR/><BR/>Two chapters earlier Paul lays out his ministry priority as bringing the people of Corinth to a place of faith in God's power (dunamis). Here he addresses how they were set up to fail if things didn't change. Any time the people of God became preoccupied with concepts and ideologies instead of a Christ-like expression of life and power, they are set up to fail, no matter how good those ideas are. Christianity is not a philosophy; it is a relationship. It's the God encounter that makes the concepts powerful. We must require this of ourselves. How? We must seek until we find.<BR/><BR/>Scripture references sited for this portion of chapter 8 (pg. 91):<BR/><BR/>I Cor. 4:20<BR/>I Cor. 2:5<BR/>Lk. 11:10<BR/><BR/>Bill goes onto say that “Under grace I don't get a road map... I get a tour guide – the Holy Spirit.”<BR/><BR/>God Bless,<BR/><BR/>ShaneShane Oglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16892682137266936445noreply@blogger.com