| Update
December 2nd, 2005
Dear
Good Shepherd,
Good
Morning! I hope you are not already too stressed by the Christmas
prep? Anne and I are almost there and Thanksgiving was just
last week. Oh well, tis the season. God is good. The weekly
article is below and below that you'll find the rest of the
update. Enjoy!
Weekly
Article
Questions
and Answers III
This
week I was asked yet another great question by Ed Habicht:
“There
were so many miracles in the bible but why don't they happen
anymore? And what about prophets? There are so many prophets
in the bible, where did they all go?”
There
are several answers to this common and very important question.
I'll try to approach it in sections:
•
When considering the frequency
of miracles it is always helpful to remember that the bible
records accounts of events that occurred over the course of
thousands and thousands of years. The events seem closer together
in time because we read about them in one book. But many people
in the Old Testament lived their whole lives without ever
seeing a miracle. Given this fact, your observation that you
haven't seen any miracles in your lifetime is one that could
be echoed by millions of Israelites past who lived and died
without witnessing a great miracle.
•
God is not a magician. He does
not perform tricks to impress. The miracles in the bible always
have a purpose. Namely, they serve to validate or vindicate
a prophet or a prophetic utterance. Moses, for example, was
given a rod that turned into a snake whenever he cast it to
the earth. God gave him this rod to validate his leadership
and his message. If any doubted that God sent Moses, the rod
served as a tangible demonstration of that fact and vindication
of his words. Likewise, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ long
with his miracles accomplished (among many other things) the
same purpose. Jesus' resurrection vindicated his claim to
be God's Son and validated his claim that his teaching came
directly from the Father.
•
People in the days of Moses and
Jesus did not posses the full revelation of God. We, on the
other hand, have the words of Moses and all the prophets,
kings, priests, disciples, apostles, and Christ himself written
down in one book. Human beings, writing under the superintending
Spirit of God, have written down the divinely inspired words
of the prophets and apostles validated by the miraculous power
of God in the past in the book we call the bible.
•
So what? Well, if: 1. The life
and teachings of Jesus and his followers represent the ultimate
and supreme revelation of God (and it does), and 2. The purpose
of miracles is to validate revelation (as it is), should it
really be any surprise that miracles and prophecies on par
with what we read about in the bible are somewhat less common
today?
•
The full Word of God, Jesus Christ,
has been revealed already. We, today, possess his all-sufficient
self-revelation in the words of the Bible. While there is
a place for miracles today, there is no need for
miracles.
•
Having said that, I would dispute
the claim that miracles and prophets are, in an absolute sense,
no more. While the Jesus and his apostles have given us God's
ultimate and supreme revelation, God still speaks and he still
dwells with his people through his Holy Spirit. While there
will be no more revelations and miracles on par with or that
can rival those in the bible until Jesus returns in his glory,
God does still act.
•
If you go back read the article
I wrote a few weeks ago on spiritual gifts or better yet go
read chapter 12 of St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians,,
you will note that there are people in the church
today with the power to heal and the spiritual insight to
know the will of God in specific situations. There are also
people who have the ability to speak to God in special prayer
languages and to discern the presence of demonic power. These
are miraculous or supernatural gifts that are still present
today. I have personally seen all of them at work through
various people in various churches. I have even seen some
of at work in people here at Good Shepherd.
•
The primary difference between
the miracles and prophesies in the church today and the miracles
and prophesies you read about in the bible is that the miracles
and prophesies today hinge on, depend upon, and flow directly
out of the revelation already given through Jesus Christ in
the New Testament. They do not signal a new revelation, but
are further manifestations of the revelation we read about
in the New Testament. They simply provide further validation
to the words and witness of Christ and his apostles. This
is so important I'll say it again: the gifts of the Spirit
are not given to validate a new word from God or a new truth
from heaven. Rather they flow out of and point back to the
New Covenant and are consistent with the revelation already
given in the New Testament.
•
This is why we are told by Jesus
(Matthew 7:15; 24:4, 24), Peter (2 nd Peter 2), Paul (2 nd
Tim 3:1-4:5) John (1 st John 4:1-5:3), and Jude (the whole
book) never to take any new word or teaching to heart, even
if accompanied by a miracle (Matt 24:4), unless it is consistent
with the revelation of God through Jesus Christ contained
and completed in the New Testament.
“But
even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel
other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally
condemned.” (Galatians 1:8)
False
teachers always claim “prophetic” authority or say that they
are delivering a “new revelation” from God when in fact they
are simply contradicting the full and sufficient and true
revelation of God in Christ as revealed in the bible.
One
further word about prophesies. The office of prophet consists
of two distinct roles. The first is foretelling .
Prophetic foretelling is the act of conveying or passing along
previously unknown information about what God will do in the
future. The standard for testing someone who claims to have
this gift is twofold. First he or she must be 100% accurate.
All that is foretold must come to pass. Second, what is foretold
must be consistent with all that has already been revealed
in the bible. True foretelling prophecy cannot contradict
the bible because God does not contradict himself. Foretelling
is a rare gift these days because God has revealed what he
will ultimately do in the future through the scriptures. The
second role of the prophet is forthtelling. Prophetic
Forthtelling is quite common. Forthtelling is not telling
the future, but proclaiming and teaching the revealed truths
of God. Preaching and teaching are two ways that this second
role of the prophetic office is still exercised today. The
test for forthtellers is the same test given to all teachers
and preachers: is his or her teaching and preaching consistent
with the Bible?
Well,
I hope this answers your question sufficiently. If not, please
feel free to respond with another. That goes for everyone
so please let me know any questions you might have.
Until
next week's article, may God bless you all.
Matt+
Here is the news,
UPDATE CONTENTS:
BAPTISM
ADVENT
ACOLYTE
PRACTICE
CHRISTMAS PAGEANT
CHRISTMAS BAKESALE
DECK
THE HALLS
STEWARDSHIP
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
BIBLE STUDIES
BIBLE
STUDIES ON THE WEB
CHRISTMAS
WORSHIP SCHEDULE
NEWS
BAPTISM
: This
Sunday one of our newest members, Katy Rolf,
will be baptized at the 10:30am service. If you've not yet
met Katy, you may have heard her. She and her fiancé,
Justin Almeida, joined the choir soon after they began attending
Good Shepherd. Both are graduate students at BU. Katy is working
on a teaching degree with a specialty in High School Physics
and Justin is working toward a doctorate in Mathematics. They
are preparing to be married in 2006.
Come
Sunday and celebrate Katy's initiation into the visible body
of Christ and welcome her warmly to Good Shepherd as a sister
in the faith.
ADVENT:
For those of
you new to the Anglican tradition wondering about some of
the changes in worship during Advent, be sure to read the
article on the front page of the newsletter or check it out
online. It explains alot,
but if you still have more questions, don't be afraid to ask.
I'm always looking for more material for the “Q and A” articles.
ACOLYTE
PRACTICE: There will be an acolyte practice this
coming Saturday. You probably already know this and I think
Rob Finch has already announced the time, so this is just
a reminder.
CHRISTMAS PAGEANT:
Anne wanted me to remind you that there will be Pageant
practice EVERY SUNDAY after the 10:30am service
beginning this Sunday!
CHRISTMAS
BAKE SALE : THIS SATURDAY December
3rd!
DECK
THE HALLS: The
“Greening” of the church will take place on Sunday December
18 th , after the 10:30am service. For those of you who are
new to Good Shepherd, the “greening of the church” is essentially
decorating the church for Christmas. Greenery and wreaths
are hung, trees set up, ribbons tied, lights and decorations
put in their proper places and a good time had by all. There
will be a potluck lunch for all who stay and help. HELP is
something we need every year, so please don't be shy. There
are some jobs that require strong men, unafraid of heights,
and others require a great deal of attention to detail and
organization. If you have these qualities and skills, what
a great time to use them and have fun in the process.
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION: This
week we'll continue our discussion on how to create a Christian
culture in your home. Have you ever noticed how easy it is
to set your faith into a little “Sunday Morning” box and leave
it there the rest of the week? According to the scriptures,
the home is supposed to be, in many ways, like a micro-scaled
church with many if not most of the same principles and purposes
applying to fathers and mothers that apply to pastors. God
calls Christian parents to both be faithful and to raise up
their children in the faith. The home should be a place of
refuge, peace, and safety where Jesus' presence and his word
are known and loved.
I
don't know about you, but my home often falls short of the
biblical model. But, I also know that the bible is a sufficient
guide and contains the necessary principles to help Anne and
I come closer and closer to it. And I also know that God gives
his power and his grace to people who commit themselves to
walking in accordance with his word. So no matter where you
are in your own family life or what has happened in the past,
God's grace is for you. He forgives, restores and redeems,
and wants to help, heal, and build your family and mine into
a strong, loving, and peaceful body of Christ. If your family
needs serious help, just a tune up, or if you know someone
who might like to hear biblical family principles, then come.
It has been a wonderful discussion so far.
For
those interested, here are the two books I have used throughout
this section of our family life series:
Dare
to Discipline, by Dr. James Dobson
Standing
on the Promises by Douglas Wilson
BIBLE
STUDIES: All the Bible Studies will be running as
scheduled this week.
BIBLE
STUDIES ON THE WEB As the year winds down, the website
is gearing up. If you are in the New Beginners series you
know that I have published a curriculum
online and that I send out my notes after each class period.
In the future I hope to do this with all of the bible studies
I lead. They will each have their own page complete with updates
on homework, notes, outlines, and meeting times. This way
if you miss a week or fall behind all you have to do is get
on your own bible study page and find all of the info you've
missed. The first study to be put online will be the New Beginner's
study. You should find a link to this page at the bottom of
the Good Shepherd homepage and one from the general bible
study page.
CHRISTMAS
WORSHIP SCHEDULE: Christmas
is on a Sunday this year and there will be church that day,
but at a different time so please pay special attention to
the schedule below.
Christmas
Eve
5:00pm
Christmas Eve family service with pageant
10:30pm
Christmas Carols
11:00pm
Christmas Eve Celebration: communion, sermon, music, lights!
Christmas
Day
11:00am
Christmas Day Worship: Communion and sermon
GOOD NEWS FOR THE WEEK:
7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will
find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone
who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks,
the door will be opened. 9 "Which of you, if his
son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks
for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though
you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to
those who ask him! (Matthew 7:7-11)
Don't
forget to....BRING A FRIEND TO CHURCH!
Daily Schedule for the week of Sunday December 4th,
2005
Monday:
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
Tuesday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
9:00 a.m. Tuesday Morning Bible Study
6:30 p.m. Tuesday Evening Bible Study
Wednesday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
Thursday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
5:30 p.m. Shepherd's Bowl
6:30 p.m. New Beginners Bible Study
7:30 p.m. Choir Practice
Friday
6:30 a.m. Men's Breakfast/Bible Study
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
Saturday:
10:00 a.m. Women's Bible Study
Sunday December 11
th : Advent 2 year B
8:00am Holy Communion I and Sermon
9:15 Christian Education for All ages
10:30 am Holy Communion I, Music and Sermon
PAGEANT PRACTICE
God bless you all
Matt+
|
