Author: walter bright

Benefits of Genuine Worship/ Part 1

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I remember walking into service that Wednesday night just when the amen to the opening prayer was said. I sat down in the very back of the church, but that didn’t stop the Holy Spirit from reaching me that day. The worship leader had his eyes closed, head tilted back as he pounded on that Kurzweil Sp2x from the beginning to the end of the worship experience. The music was loud and the atmosphere charged with something that words can not explain. Before long I was lost in worship of Almighty God and it was beautiful. All of a sudden, tears started flowing down my cheek. It escalated bit by bit until I could not control myself. For the next 30 -45 minutes, with hands lifted, I wept like a baby. By the time worship was over – Almighty God had broken me and soften my heart for something I still can’t get enough of – “genuine worship.” Every opportunity we have to meet with and worship God is an opportunity for God to release into our lives all of His goodness. When …

ReThinking the way you grieve

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There is nothing that can replace the absence of someone dear to us, and one should not even attempt to do so. One must simply hold out and endure it. At first that sounds very hard, but at the same time it is also a great comfort. For to the extent the emptiness truly remains unfilled one remains connected to the other person through it. It is wrong to say that God fills the emptiness. God in no way fills it but much more leaves it precisely unfilled and thus helps us preserve — even in pain — the authentic relationship. Furthermore, the more beautiful and full the remembrances, the more difficult the separation. But gratitude transforms the torment of memory into silent joy. One bears what was lovely in the past not as a thorn but as a precious gift deep within, a hidden treasure of which one can always be certain. — Dietrich Bonhoeffer

How Should a Reformed Pastor Be Charismatic?

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The message by U.K. Pastor Tope Koleoso is entitled “Sovereign Grace, Spiritual Gifts and the Pastor: How Should a Reformed Pastor be Charismatic?” He encouraged church leaders not to sidestep the supernatural in the Christian faith and ministry, but to rightly understand and exercise the gifts of the Holy Spirit while shunning fanaticism. The freedom in Spirit must not surrender to fanaticism, our openness to the Spirit must never violate the Word of God, and our expression of joy must never degenerate into mere excitability.     Video via Joshua Harris

7 Signs of Authentic ongoing transformation

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1. Getting Better When a man is getting better, he understands more and more clearly the evil that’s left in him. When a man is getting worse, he understands his own badness less and less. C. S. Lewis 2. Obedience not Sacrifice When a man makes obedience, not the lifting up of sacrifices, the thing to pursue – he is on the path to transformation. “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. John 14:23 3. Uses Grace as Empowerment When a man no longer sees grace as a big cover up, he is on the path to transformation. ”Grace  is not to cover up our weaknesses but to empower us to lead a life pleasing to God.” John Bevere 4. Feeds the Spirit and not the Flesh When a man spends all his energies not on activities to feed the flesh, but on spiritual disciplines that edify, built up, encourage and sanctify, he is on the path to transformation. ”For if you live according …

Yes, I know Jesus Blood can make the vilest sinner clean

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Come, ye sinners, lost and hopeless, Jesus’ blood can make you free; For He  saved the worst among you, When He saved a wretch like me. Refrain And I know, yes, I know, Jesus’ blood can make the vilest sinner clean, And I know, yes, I know, Jesus’ blood can make the vilest sinner clean. To  the faint He giveth power, Through  the mountains makes a way; Findeth water in the desert, Turns the night to  golden day. In temptation He is near thee, Holds the pow’rs of hell at  bay; Guides you to the path of safety, Gives you grace for ev’ry  day. He will keep thee while the ages Roll throughout eternity; Though earth hinders and hell rages, All must work for good to  thee.

7 Things It’s impossible for God to do

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We so often hear and talk about the power and sovereignty of God, and about the things He is able or capable to do, but do you know that there are some things God cannot do? Before you think I am about to write something heretical, these things as you imagined are things that are inconsistent with his character and incompatible with his nature. For example: It is impossible for God to lie I am sure you have met, either in your family or among your friends, people who are not trustworthy when it comes to what they say. They promise you that they will do something, but never deliver on their promises. God is not like that – He means what he says and says what he means. The scripture says it is impossible for him to lie. What that means is that you can depend on his every word and trust in his promises. It is impossible for God to be unfaithful It is his nature to be faithful. 2 Timothy 2:13 says, …

What is the gopspel? N. T. Wright explains

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Thirteen Minutes is precious time, but it will be well invested listening to what N. T. Wright has to say about the gospel. I encourage you to take a listen, you will not regret it. Who is N. T. Wright? N. T. Wright is an Anglican bishop and a leading New Testament scholar. Wright was the Bishop of Durham in the Church of England from 2003 until his retirement in 2010. He is currently Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at St Mary’s College, University of St Andrews in Scotland. Among modern New Testament scholars, Wright is an important proponent of traditional views on theological matters including Christ’s bodily resurrection and second coming. Further he has expressed strenuous opposition both to the ordination of openly gay Christians and the blessing of same sex partnerships and marriages as occurs in the Episcopal Church (United States). I really like him. Video Via Pangea Blog

Shh! – Victory is in progress

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Too often we talk ourselves out of the miracles and blessings God wants to release in our lives. Our constant complaining, nagging and grumbling sometimes delay or even hinder us from experiencing the breakthroughs we so desperately want. Moses tried to talk his way out of becoming a mighty deliverer. Gideon tried to explain his way out of reaching his full potential. Before the parting of the red sea – the Israelites were on the verge of turning around and going back to Egypt because of their incessant negative speech and grumbling. Before the taking of the promised land – they literally delayed the taking of this good land by a negative report that completely stalled – if not put off the mission. Before the miracles of bread falling from the sky and water gushing out of the rock, Israel’s continued grumbling, nagging and quarrelling and murmuring became too much for God to handle, let alone his prophet. At this juncture in the history of Israel (Joshua 6), they are about to take a fortified city and …

Holy Spirit: Hover over me – Rest upon me

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Genesis 1:2 The Spirit of the God was hovering over the waters Have you ever wondered what your church or your life would look like if there was a genuine and authentic move of the Spirit of God. I long again for the day when we would embrace His fullness in everything we do. I don’t mind all the new and creative things we are doing in our churches and the efforts individual believers are exerting to please God. But I am longing again for a move of God through His Spirit, because I’m convinced that where he is there is freedom, power and the ability to do greater things for God. He makes everything easy when He shows up. It is like the working of His mighty power within. When He is there, we do not only preach and teach than let  people go home without experiencing what we talked about in our sermons – we do it like Jesus did it: teaching, preaching, healing, and delivering those oppressed by the devil by the power of …

Rembrandt, an artist to grow old with

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The Guardian, Jonathan Jones on Art blog writes the following and ends with a question. This post is an attempt to respond to that question: According to the British art critic Jonathan Jones, many Renaissance artists were “coldly curious” or even cruel in their depictions of old age. For instance, Leonardo da Vinci scorned elderly faces as “monstrous wrecks.” Fortunately, there was one notable exception to this habit of mocking the elderly—Rembrandt. Jones writes, “Rembrandt painted old age with a nobility and power that no artist has ever approached.” He recognized “the dignity and character of aged faces” and embraced “the marks of time as beautiful, mysterious, and rich.” Rembrandt was much more interested in what Jones calls “the mystery behind someone’s eyes.” But Rembrandt’s deepest study of aging was based on his own life. Rembrandt painted more self portraits than any other artist of the 17th century, and all together they tell the story of his journey into old age. For instance, in 1640, at the height of his career, Rembrandt painted his “Self …