Posts
Wesley: "Be holy... for without holiness there are none that shall see God"
Calvin: "For his glory... we are created and redeemed to do good works in him"
For what words & deeds will the reformers of our day be remembered?
I'm going to go with forgiveness as the core element that will both draw the 21st Century Church back to its core and the gravitational force that will draw the lost hurting souls into the Father's loving arms. I'm going to go with today's best teaching on forgiveness as FOUND HERE. Until I can be convinced that the word of God says otherwise I'm going to be heavily promoting the work of this modern prophet - Steve Diehl of Forgiveness Ministries. It has become painfully obvious in my own life that solid theology (while a blessing) is no antidote for sin. It is clear as I examine my own soul that confession and repentance (while good fruit from the Spirit) are incapable of providing the healing my heart longs for.
Forgiveness has, of course, been there all along... why does it seem like I'm just learning so much about it now in the middle of my life? If grace and holiness are the warp and woof of the fabric of our Christian faith, then forgiveness is the very fibre spun into the varied color strings, and stretched on the loom of love.
"Forgiven" is our universal state of being, but "forgiving" is also the art that none but the elect ever master. I have much to learn if my temptations and anger are any indication, but I am grateful for those, like Steve, who have instructed me in the science & craft of the two sides of forgiveness. Even more, I am thankful for the crimson flood of Jesus blood and for the glory of his resurrection, for without these twin historical facts the fabric of our faith would have faded long ago. (Hebrews 9:22 / 1 Cor. 15:12-28 ) Because of the cross and the empty tomb I have an antidote for my doubts and healing for my soul.
500 years ago the bright lights of the Reformation opened the floodgate of scripture and released a fresh current of orthodoxy. While we must keep testing the stream of teaching in the church for the toxins of heterodoxy, we must also recognize the unhealthy stagnation downstream where the Christian faith has ceased to flow due to the man created pools of conservativism vs. liberalism. Neither of these modern dams can contain the Spirit, and I believe the exodus of post-modern Millenials from both mainline and fundamentalist churches is (at least in part) a yearning for a healing stream to flow free once more. I believe that teaching biblical forgiveness is the dynamite that can blow up what we ourselves have erected and I believe that if we have the courage to place this explosive power strategically we will see a mighty river of grace and revival once again.
For more on biblical forgiveness please listen to Focus on Forgiveness Saturdays @ 6pm on AM 1100 KFAX and learn more at www.focusonforgiveness.org
