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21 Sep 2010

Why I Love The Wesleyan Church: Holiness

“Holiness” is a funny word: it can bring to mind strange rules and fiery preachers… and sometimes things are done in the name of ‘holiness’ that make it appear the antithesis of love. So, please don’t let the topic of this post keep you from going any further. I freely admit that some of our definitions of holiness are misguided and potentially hurtful; I also admit we’ve been distracted by conversations related to but not central to holiness. Discussion about the Wesleyan stance on alcohol is best left to another post (or ginormous tome). No, we’re not perfect in how we approach the outward look of holiness… neither am I perfect in how I live, believe, or do life. But our passion is the truth that the work of Jesus who lived, died, rose again ascended into heaven and even now pleads for us really does make us new. The impossible call of God’s Spirit to be holy is met (more…)

Tags: church, faith, Holiness, Holy Spirit, The Wesleyan Church, victory
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06 Oct 2009

The Gimmies

<Image courtesy of bejealousofme> Christmas is coming. Now, we may not be very far into autumn, Halloween is still almost a month away, and Thanksgiving is a distant thought for those of us here in the US. But reminders are everywhere that Christmas is coming and retailers are working hard to instill a bad case of the gimmies in every consumer. It’s a disease that strikes young and old alike, when raw consumerism and selfishness reign, and though self-restraint may keep us from actually verbalizing, “Gimmie, gimmie, gimmie…” the sentiment can still be found in many. But The Gimmies aren’t something unique to the Christmas spending season or retail marketing. Somewhere deep within each of us is the desire to grab a hold of the stuff that isn’t ours but we think we deserve. In Joshua 7, Achan did exactly this. He grabbed a hold of some of the very things God said were only God’s, and, as shared in (more…)

Tags: discipline, history, Joshua, Patience, Scripture, victory
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29 Sep 2009

Victory: Simple

<image courtesy of graylight> Over the course of the last few Joshua posts, some ideas have been shared about where victory for the Israelites wasn’t found as they fought in the somewhat well-known battle for Jericho and their less familiar defeat at Ai. As counterintuitive as it may seem, we discovered that the key to their victory wasn’t in a flashy move of God, attempting to conquer, or self-confident. The key to their victory—and the key for us to find victory and freedom in what we face—is simple: Joshua 7:10-13 (TNIV)— 10 The LORD said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. 12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because (more…)

Tags: faith, history, Joshua, Scripture, victory
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15 Sep 2009

Victory: More than Confidence

<image courtesy of unapistim> In our final discussion of what victory isn’t based on chapters 6 & 7 of Joshua, we find the Israelites engaged in a post-Jericho battle with the people of a little town called Ai: Joshua 7 2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the region.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 When they returned to Joshua, they said, “Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there.” 4 So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, 5 who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down (more…)

Tags: faith, history, Joshua, Scripture, victory
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10 Sep 2009

Victory: More than a Miracle

<image courtesy of Image*After> After the Israelites have crossed into enemy territory and prepared themselves for battle in some pretty interesting ways, it’s time to overcome the obstacle of Jericho—a fortified city with some strategic importance. If you’re at all familiar with the story of the Battle of Jericho, you know the ‘highlight’ is when the walls collapse, leaving a once impregnable fortress ready for the taking. It’s an incredible picture of God demonstrating his divine power over the human effort of the people of Jericho. But this ‘flashy move’ of God isn’t where the Israelites find victory. In fact, far from it: Josh 6:1-5 1 Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. 2 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. (more…)

Tags: Encouragement, faith, history, Joshua, Scripture, victory
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09 Sep 2009

Victory…

<image courtesy of Dano> – The last few posts on the book of Joshua focused a little on the battles faced by the Israelites, and how God prepared them to find and find victory as they began their conquest of the land they had been led to as well as some things we can take from their pre-battle lessons. Now in the story (chapters 6 and 7 of Joshua), we’ll follow the Israelites as they battle at Jericho (which is a well-fortified city whose residents/leadership had seen Joshua’s army coming from afar—so they are very, very ready for a fight) and at another town called Ai. If you’re familiar with the story at all, you might have in mind that the battle went something like this: The Israelites march around the city a few times and the wall surrounding the city are supernaturally destroyed. The Israelites claim victory and move on. But there’s a great deal more to the story; (more…)

Tags: history, Joshua, Scripture, victory
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03 Sep 2009

Ready for Battle: Provision

<image courtesy of Lawrence Op> We all face moments during life’s many battles when we come to the incontrovertible realization that we just do not have what it takes to push through: …the obstacles are too big …circumstaces are too hard …finances are too tight …we’re sorely outnumbered …and, most disconcerting of all, hope seems too far gone. God knew the people of Israel would face these same things as they went about the impossible business of conquering the land they had been promised and later began the process of nation building. So, it’s interesting that before they fight the battle for the strategically significant city-state of Jericho, the Israelites find themselves being reminded of God’s power, and are in a situation where they must trust God’s plan of action even though it couldn’t have made too much sense at the time when this happens: Joshua 5: 10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped (more…)

Tags: Encouragement, faith, Joshua, Scripture, victory
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31 Aug 2009

Ready for Battle: Trust

<image courtesy of powerbooktrance> – One of the recurring themes throughout Joshua is the need to follow the instructions God gives the people. The importance of this will become painfully clear later in the story of Israel as the nation endures the consequences of ignoring God’s instruction. But, here again in Joshua, we see something of a reminder—this time before the army goes to war—about operating within God’s parameters. It’s a reminder that’s good for us to hear, too, when we’re looking for victory within our own lives: Joshua 5– 2 At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.”3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth. 4 Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age—died in the desert on the way after leaving Egypt. 5 All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the (more…)

Tags: Cost, faith, Joshua, Scripture, victory
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27 Aug 2009

Getting Ready for Battle: Remember, God is Powerful

<image courtesy of c.p.storm> For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God.” Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the LORD had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted in fear and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites. ~ Joshua 4:23-5:1, TNIV We’re discussing how to be ready for some of the battles that come our way in life. You can read the introduction here . But the (more…)

Tags: faith, Joshua, Scripture, victory
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24 Aug 2009

What Battles are You Facing?

<Image courtesy of army.mil> So much of life seems like it involves ‘battle.’ Think of how we describe much of what we endure in a single day: At the beginning of the day: we fight to get out of bed. During the day: we fight to maintain attention. Sometime in the afternoon: we fight cravings. Once things wind down: we fight to keep our eyes open. And that’s just the normal kind of day; this is to say nothing about the different ‘corporate battles’ people face, those who find themselves ‘battling cancer,’ those trying to fight the battle of the bulge, fighting to keep the skeletons in our closets at bay, the couple in a rough patch who are fighting for their marriage (even though it appears they may be fighting each other). Then on top of that (or perhaps related to many of the things just listed), Scripture reminds us, like-it-or-not, believe-it-or-not, we are entrenched in a spuiritual battle (more…)

Tags: courage, Encouragement, faith, Joshua, Scripture, victory
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Posts Tagged ‘victory’