Jesus Freak

I am not the sharpest "theologian" in the box. When I get into conversations with friends as to the definitions of what church words mean...I can keep up to a certain point. More and more I here about new church words that I have no clue what they mean.

I remember while I was in seminary that telling someone that I went to a Bible church. One of the other students ask me if I was a "dispensationalist." One of my first answers was no, I quit doing that....Just joking. Honestly I thought, "well I can't spell it, so I don't know if I am one or not." Honestly 7 years later, I don't know if I am one.

In seminary I learned all srts of big words to describe what people are and are not. Probably only seminary students care about these sort of things. Untill the day I started going to seminary I did not know a calvanist from Calvin and Hobbs. I did not know an Armenian from Amsterdam. It turns out the bulk of students and professors at the seminary that I went to were calvanist. Some even call them selves "5 Point" calvinist. The more I studied, the more I became convinced that I was not one. I wanted to form my own student association called Armeniast Annonomoys. I did not think it would go over very well.

I started reading books that I was not encouraged to read. I read about Westley, Finney, The Book of Acts, 1 Corinthians and books by Jim Cymbala. After a dynamic encounter with God while I was at the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York I really had to sit down and examine myself and my theology.

So what am I? Am I Pentecostal or Charismatic??? My Answer is yes. Well am I a dispensationalist? I could be, but I still can spell it so I am with holding judgement on the subject. Now I work with some guys who are teaching me words like Missional, Evangelical, Post-modern, Emerging, Liturgical, Reformed.....what is a poor red neck like me to do??????

I have decided to simply adopt the title of Jesus Freak. It was good enough for DC Talk, I figure it is good enough for me. Your Thoughts?

Dont Shoot The Wounded

Some times we as christians can be very cruel. When one of our brothers and sisters is overtaken in some sin, we walk away from them. But we dont do this with all sins. We are especially hard on those who have been leaders. I am guilty of this myself. But as I read God's word I think, who am I to look down on anyone? What ever happened to restoring the one overtaken in sin. Helping them to be reconciled?

We also seem to be harder on those who have a struggle with a sexual sin. We seem to be able to look over and wink at some things but as soon as someone has "one of those problems" we are ready to crucify them. I am not saying it is ok to sin sexually, but isnt sin...sin??? Just because one brother or sister struggles with one sin and not another does not make one sin better or worse does it?

We can make it very hard on people who want to repent and be right with God. We seem to want to add things to people that God does not want them to do. We are all dirt. We are all ragamuffins. We are all loved by God. We should always be ready to be reconciled to our brother and sister. We should not be a stumbling block in someone's path towards repentence.

People can still be used after a fall. We should be ready to help someone. I know their are consequences. But do we have to make it worse? I catch some flak for listening to Jimmy and Donnie Swaggart. I know Jimmy had a problem in the 80's. I know he disgraced the church and himself. But he continues now to preach the word of God. I enjoy reading his study bible. I dont always agree with him, but my faith is not based on him. Jim Bakker was able to be used of the Lord again. There have been others.

Wasnt King David still used of God after the rooftop?

Any one ever make you feel dumb?

I have two favorite bible teachers that really make feel like an idiot. I don't mean that in a bad way. They are so smart and their teaching style is so wonderful that I have a hard time keeping up with them. I listen in my office and on the radio all the time.

Ravi Zacharias is one of them. I love his accent. He is from India. He has studied all over the place and has probably read every book in the Oxford Library. This guy can use some HUGE words. His ministry is called "Let my people think."

The other guy is Alistair Begg. He pastors the Park Street Church in Cleavland, Ohio. He is a British dude. His ministry is called "Truth for Life."

So why do I listen to them? Maybe it is their accents. Don't they make me feel dumb? I guess they do, but they challenge me to read and study. They challenge me to research deeper not only in the written words but also to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying. When I don't understand the written words, the Holy Spirit helps me.

That is one of the benefits of Spirit filled living. The Holy Spirit is so much more than tongues, healing, and running laps around the church. I am not making fun by no means. I am simply saying that by yielding to the Spirit, we can have a deeper walk with God. We can ask Him to teach us on levels that our flesh can only dream up.

Another Day

I love Sunday's. I get up early and come to the office and pray and study while it is quite in the office. I have some wonderful times listening to the Lord and getting myself ready for service and Sunday school. It gives me time to fill up spiritually so that I am prepared to minister to folks.

This morning while coming down the stairs I got a spasm in my back. OH MY GOSH IT HURT!!!! I really had to work hard not to scream out. Now in a pentecostal / charismatic church that would be OK at times. Falling on the floor can be OK, at certain times. But the things I wanted to scream and the reason I would be falling out, would not be because i was "under the anointing" or "overcome by the power", I would be because I was in PAIN!!!! I could just see me crawling on the floor screaming and someone saying..."that's is pastor, shout the praises of God." God spared me from doing that though.

Tonight in church we are praying for Rwanda. I have recently finished a book entitled "The Bishop of Rwanda." It is about the Genocide in 1994. It details why the genocide happened and many stories of people who were killed. It also chronicles the reconciliation of the survivors. Many times while reading this book I wanted to just weep. It gives me a whole new picture of God's forgiveness. I have had to forgive for offenses against me. I have had to struggle at times forgiving. But they pale in comparison to the stories I read of the people of Rwanda being able to forgive. Once account tells of a pastor who watched his entire family butchered with machetes, his wife and daughter raped and tortured and he could do nothing. It tells of him meeting one of the men in prison years later while he was preaching. God was able to help him forgive that man. What excuse do I have when I have trouble forgiving.....