Pentecost

Happy Pentecost everyone!

I remember celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit back in Romania. Since the coming of God's Spirit upon His people means that they are made more like Him, we celebrated Pentecost with fruits. Why fruit? Obviously it's the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5, "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." So Pentecost is really a way to celebrate what God is doing in us and in our church. To honor the Holy Spirit of God who is always at work. We might be tempted to think that God is only active when we think about Him, or that He is not interested in ALL the details of our lives. But because God sent His Spirit to be among us we are assured that He is with us always.

And if God is with us and for us, who can be against us? We certainly can do all things through Christ and His Spirit that stregthens us to live the abundant life that Jesus talked about. So my friends, let us honor God by praising Him for the gift of His Holy Spirit. Without whom the church would be simply a human endeavor. Let us hold firmly to the faith that God's presence means power when we are weak, hope when we are in despair, joy when we are sad, and love when feel unloveable.

God is with us!

Enjoy Pentecost!

Bunyan

Refreshing

Hello everyone who reads this post... all three of you. Rachel, James and I are safely back from Atlanta, where we had a great time at the preaching conference. We heard good preachers from across the country, people like Tom Long, Barbara Brown Taylor, Craig Barnes and others. I was touched by their desire to teach pastors, and also about how they each had a unique style. I could tell they all used notes which was comforting to know, but you could hardly tell they did since they spoke so fluidly. I have been debating with myself about NOT using notes and preaching from the text alone, but that can get difficult. I tend to ramble and say too much, and not end well. Will Willimon amazed me when he ended his sermon with a cliff hanger of a statement. I forget it word for word, but it goes something like this... Jesus does those kinds of things... and I just don't understand. Then he just walks away from the pulpit. I was litterally shocked, but inspired. I felt like it was an effective way to get people to remember the topic and content of the sermon.

Anyways, we had a good time visiting some family as well. One of the reason I chose to go to this conference was it's location. I have wanted to visit Atlanta for a while, but never had the opportunity. I got to see my uncle and his family and had a nice dinner with them, also a good friend who I grew up with. My mom and dad came to Atlanta too, they watched James a lot while Rachel and I went to the conference and out to dinner one night. Although on Thursday it was Rachel's birthday and it didn't really feel like her birthday, all I got her was a card. I plan on doing more, Lord willing. So that's where we're at for now.

I pray that we all have a safe Memorial Day, I plan on working around the house and not going in to the church. It will be there for me when I get there Tuesday.

Blessings,

Bunyan

hitting home

The church father Tertullian wrote, 'the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." This topic is very near to my heart because my family has experienced much persecution, my grandfather and father both faced opposition to the Gospel. As I was reading the book I mentioned on Sunday morning, "The Persecutor" it brought a flood of emotions about what it would be like to be a pastor during those times. I often forget how much people have suffered for me to have the liberties and opportunities I have today. It certainly could have been otherwise. But God is SO faithful, He intercedes at just the right moment.

It's a good reminder that what we do on Sunday morning is a privilege, and it is of the utmost importance. People were not so fortunate to have these same freedoms for many years. So let us not neglect to meet together as some have done. It would be a shame if our spiritual ancestors knew how relaxed we are about our church attendance. But imagine if your attendance at church could include a vicious beating from secret police who would pretend to be new believers, yet tell the police of the time and location of the meeting. How many would we have in our congregation then? When I read books like this it reminds me of how serious and important the work of salvation is. Are we serious about Jesus, and the new life He gives us?

I pray that God would grant us a renewed vigor about our faith, about missions, and evangelism even in the face of opposition, whether it is financial, cultural, or personal discomfort. May the message of Jesus Christ be the most important message we share every week.