One thing we really like about the church we have been attending on Sundays is the teaching. We are being treated to a really good sermon series right now. Paul M. moved here this summer to work part-time at GG and also serve as the US representative for 3dm. I am really enjoying his teaching and influence. Each week seems to get better and inspire me more.
The series - which you can listen to HERE - is Kingdom Come. Sort of a 'what does it look like for God's Kingdom to break in here on earth?' I wish I'd taken better notes (I quit bringing my notebook some months ago), but I have jotted a few things down on my phone.
One of the over-arching ideas is... "The rule of God means the removal of sin, sickness, sadness, and satan, and a restoration of right relationship with God." So how does that happen?
The spiritual battle we face (or the battle in general) is how do we get from our human experience (the earthly realm), to what God's Word says (the heavenly realm)? Paul suggests it begins with:
1. HOPE
2. Then we REPENT AND BELIEVE (we change based on our hope)
3. PERSEVERE (we 'ask, seek, and knock')
4. And finally we have FAITH
As I said, each week has gotten better. It started with 'Hearing God,' then 'God's Provision.' Yesterday was on Healing. It was some innaresting stuff. He has a lot of good, real-life examples from his time serving in Sheffield, England.
So, in spite of all the stuff that goes on in my mind about what I am or what I should do and all that stuff... it is nice to get to be a part of teaching like this. I wish I could share more about it, or remember more about it, but this is what I've got in my phone right now.
3 comments:
You can have my notes. Or I can copy them for you anyway.
What you have written is very important and thought provoking.
I'm sure you know that repentance is very important to my understanding of what it means for a person to be a follower of Jesus. As a result, I have done a lot of thinking about where repentance comes from in a person's heart and mind.
The notion that hope precedes it is interesting to me but, in the end, that's not what I see in the Word. In fact, I see repentance coming from a very different emotion.
Jesus said, "Come to me all you who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest."
Paul said, "For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret..."
It seems to me that hope comes after repentance and belief in the gospel.
I'd love very much to know how, in the theological paradigm you are receiving, hope works its way into the equation before repentance.
I have too much trouble resisting the temptation that a little shepherd-dominated thinking is in play here.
Bill,
I went back and looked through the sermon slides and discovered the place of HOPE in this setting. He refers to HOPE as Logos - 'The Word.' We must start there (according to Paul M). I tend to think you might agree with that. :)
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