Between the Cherubim - Misty Edwards

A little Psalm 80 for your post-ascension compunction.

Worship Albums in 2004

2004 was a good year for Worship CDs. Let me draw your attention to three outstanding projects:

#3: When Silence Falls - Tim Hughes



From the man who brought you Here I Am to Worship, a remarkable collection of songs.
Simple, fairly light, rock arrangements.

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#2: Arriving - Chris Tomlin



You probably already know most of these songs, but it's nice to hear Mr. Tomlin drip his tenor honey on it.
And it's nice to give him a dollar.

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#1: Facedown - Matt Redman



Best CD ever. Recorded live in Georgia at a conference. He must have spent years writing these songs. The DVD is also very good. It's pretty funny actually, because if you watch it, you'll see that they took Matt's own guitar out of the mix entirely ;)

Wonderful songs + Humility + Matchless Production Quality = Facedown

Important Message from John Mulinde

Watch in higher quality here.

Confidence - St Symeon the New Theologian

One thing I've discovered in the writings of ancient monks is humility. They are unaware of us arrogant protestant critics bearing rocks. Unaware of us disrespectful charismatics who lift proof texts from their mystic teachers and put them in our books that condemn obedience. Unaware of how disgusting to us is their desperation to be saved.

The harder you try, the more desperate you get for help. That's why the monastics jettison everything they can, even good things, to live simply and pray for mercy.

I hope that in reading this, we do not allow our understanding of justification to override the Gospel; Jesus said a lot about obedience to Himself. Let me point out for example, something that shows up in our cultural blind spot: Responding to an altar-call is very much a work.

Praying a prayer with sincerity is also a work. Warding ourselves against any hint of legalism is a very difficult work, and a burden Jesus never gave us. That's something the reformers gleaned from Paul, using only half of what he said and no Gospel texts at all. Modernism hit the fan and we now have a new law of no-law and no one is lifting a finger to help us bear it. It's a deadly error to think that saving faith consists in doing nothing at all; that effort causes us to forfeit grace.  It might be that the effort to do nothing forfeits grace.

The antidote for despair is not presumption; it's desperate repentance and watching yourself grow up into Christ (Eph 4:15).

Be not deceived, my brethren. God loves mankind, He is merciful and compassionate. Of this I bear witness and this I confess, for it is by His compassion that I am confident that I will be saved. But know this, that it will be of no avail for those who are impenitent and do not keep His commandments with all exactitude and with much fear; they will be punished far more severely than the unbelieving and unbaptized heathen. Be not deceived, brethren; let not any of your offenses appear insignificant to you, nor dismiss them with contempt as though they do not greatly damage your souls. Servants who are grateful do not recognize any difference between a small offense and a great one. Even if their offense consist merely in a glance or in a thought or word, they feel about it as though they have fallen from the love of God, which I believe is true (III.7).

[…]

The deadly wound consists of every sin that is not repented and confessed, and of falling into despair. This depends on our choice and will. If we do not yield ourselves to the pit of carelessness and despair the devils cannot at all prevail over us. Even when we have been wounded, if we so wish we may through fervent penitence become more courageous and skillful fighters. To rise again and fight after being wounded and slain belongs to the noblest and bravest – it is worthy of great praise and most admirable. It does not depend on us whether we should be preserved from suffering wounds. To become either mortal or immortal depends on us, for if we do not despair we shall not die, “death will have no dominion over us” (Rom 6:9), but we shall always be strong if we flee in penitence to our all-powerful and gracious God.

Therefore I encourage myself and us all to display all eagerness, all patient courage and endurance by means of good deeds. Thus may we make our way through all the commandments and precepts of Christ, so that in readiness of soul we may attain to the eternal habitations by the guidance of the Spirit. So shall we be found worthy to stand before the one and indivisible Trinity and in Him worship Christ our God, to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen (III.10).

– St Symeon, The Discourses

Finger of God

Finger of God began as a short film about God's miraculous power. I had no budget, no script, and no idea what this movie was ultimately going to look like. I teach storytelling and film at a University in Chicago, and here I was breaking all of my own rules.

But that's where I found myself, and I quickly discovered that God is an incredible film producer. He funded the whole film (I never had to ask for money), took me around the world, and introduced me to some truly incredible people.

So what is the film about? Well, now that it's finished, I can finally answer that question. On the surface it is about the miraculous. I originally thought I was making a film that simply tried to capture miracles on tape. But as the story progressed, things began to change.

At its core, it is about the heart of God. It's about how He views us, and how He is desperate for a relationship with us. Along the way, He places his finger on our lives, touches us deeply, heals us, shows His creativity, and generally surprises us with every move He makes.

The film's international cast includes a wide variety of people, ministries, and personalities. But just to whet your appetite, here is a partial list of some of the things you will see and hear about in this film:

Manna in the Pentagon
African children who perform miracles every day
Incredibly rare footage of the Chinese underground church
Eastern European Gypsies radically changed by God's power
Amazing stories of the miraculous
Hundreds raised from the dead
Gemstones appearing out of thin air
Saddaam Hussein's old palace is now a church
And much, much more.

-Darren Wilson, Director

Pentecostal Catholics

[This is a repost from Pastor Terry's Blog originally posted Wednesday, 3/10/10.]

Today's post will mean more if you read yesterday's post first. I shared how two events were occurring simultaneously on the same day – January 1, 1901: In Rome, the Pope was leading a prayer for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and in Topeka, Kansas, the Holy Spirit was being poured out on a group of protestant Bible College students. The Catholic church didn't experience its own Pentecost until 1967, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on students at Duquesne University. Shortly afterwards, a similar event occurred at Notre Dame. From these initial sparks the Charismatic Renewal spread throughout the Catholic Church.

NOW, FOR THE REST OF THE STORY: Today, in Topeka, Kansas, on the very spot where once stood that Bible College, now stands a Roman Catholic Church – a charismatic Catholic church! Since 1967 more than 5,000 Catholics have received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues at this church! My professor, Dr. Vinson Synan, spoke there for a week of meetings in the late 1980's and led 120 Catholics into Spirit Baptism that week. While there he took the priest to the foundation stones of the Bible College, where the rectory now stands, and told him the story of the 1901 outpouring on that spot. The Charismatic Renewal is continuing and increasing, especially in developing nations, and among all kinds of people. Truly, God is pouring out His Spirit "on all flesh" (Joel 2:28).

TOMORROW – I'll talk about the Charismatic Renewal in the Mainline Protestant Churches.

Repost from Pastor Terry's Blog.

Pentecostals and Catholics

[This is a repost from Pastor Terry's Blog originally posted Tuesday, 3/9/10.]

I want to tell you a true story every student of the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement knows well:

On January 1, 1901, at a small Bible College in Topeka Kansas, a student named Agnes Ozman received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. This event sparked a revival that has since spread all over the world and has come to be known as the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. Today, over 600 million Christians worldwide speak in tongues or identify with those who do.

But blessings always carry hidden dangers. In this case, Pentecostals face the subtle temptation to think that God is only moving among us and people like us. Such exclusivism not only indicates spiritual pride, it manifests plain old ignorance. Let me tell you another story few Pentecostals/Charismatics know.

In 1897, in Lucca, Italy, a Roman Catholic nun by the name of Elena Guerra, wrote to Pope Leo XIII, asking him to proclaim nine days of prayer to the Holy Spirit, beseeching Him to come again, just as He came at Pentecost. The Pope complied and went a step further. He called Catholics to a new appreciation for the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. All over the world millions of Catholics began focusing on the Holy Spirit as never before. The Pope also proclaimed the coming twentieth century the "Century of the Holy Spirit." On January 1, 1901, He led prayer for this at the Vatican, and even led the faithful in singing "Come Holy Spirit."

Think about that. On the same day the Pope was singing, "Come Holy Spirit" at the Vatican in Rome, Agnes Ozman was receiving the Baptism in the Spirit at Topeka, Kansas! God was working simultaneously in two very different groups of people – and neither group was aware of the other. That's just like God! He's bigger than the little boxes we tend to put Him in.

But there's another part of this story that makes it even more exciting. God answered the prayers of those Catholics in another way that went far beyond Topeka, Kansas. DON'T MISS TOMORROW'S POST. I'm going to share "THE REST OF THE STORY."

Repost from Pastor Terry's Blog.