…one of the other results of the Reformation was a kind of disenchantment of Christian worship, not so much in Luther and Calvin, or at least not to the extent that later Reformers like Zwingli or the Puritans. This disenchantment involved a rejection of sacramentality—the conviction that the Spirit meets us in matter, that material stuff is a channel of grace. As a result, Christianity becomes a kind of intellectualized set of ideas rather than a liturgical way of life.

Taylor calls this a process of excarnation, and in many ways I think it is a lamentable byproduct of the Reformation—and not one that necessarily has to follow from other convictions of the Reformers. Indeed, I would say some of us (like Todd Billings, John Witvliet, Hans Boersma, me, and others) are trying to recover a ”Reformed catholicity” that tries to undo this part of the story. – link

I think in the last 500 years, fear has crept into the church and ruled many souls. So much killing and shunning for believing the wrong doctrines. So people became fearful of believing the wrong thing.

I see the church needs several correctives. One major corrective is to cast out fear. The Greek for “perfect love drives out fear” indicates “exo-fear”, i.e. putting fear on the outside similar to an exo-skeleton being outside of the body.

I think Scripture speaks of a balance of orthopraxy, orthodoxy and orthopathy, as in James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

“…do we take time to talk about the manifold and astonishing blessings of salvation? Do we give time and effort to explaining the new birth; our new name and identity; adoption into God’s family; the experience of God’s love and beholding Christ’s glory; the slow but radical change in our character; a growing freedom from our past and peace in our present; power and meaning in the face of suffering; membership in a new, universal, multi-racial counter-cultural community; a mission to do justice and mercy on the earth; guidance from and personal fellowship with God himself; relationships of love that go on forever; the promise of our own future perfection and glorious beauty; complete confidence in the face of death; and the new heavens and new earth, a perfectly restored material world?” – http://thinktheology.co.uk/blog/article/keller_pascal_and_preaching_the_gospel

“The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” – Jn 6:29

For his end, God is working powerfully to give me sufficient evidence to place my trust him. This is often a messy and protracted process, but he’s always working to get us to a place of child-like trust in him (Jn 5:17).

Yes indeed. That is one of many excellent points James Danaher makes in his “Eyes/Ears” book. Danaher doesn’t deny the future Heaven/Hell existence, but he points out that much of the wording in Scripture indicates a present hell and that the “Today is the day” salvation is being saved from the the false images of God we have in the present.

This understanding helped bring back the beauty and magnificent wonder of the gospel to me.

The power of Christ on the cross is that through this event, we are humbled by Jesus’ utter vulnerability and humility. We are stripped of our fig leaves and pretenses and offered healing through union with someone who is the very embodiment of truth.

as we meditate on exceedingly good heavenly things, basically bad earthly things fail to preoccupy or inhibit us..
HALLELUJAH!

So just because someone has the appearance of godliness doesn’t mean they are good for us or will be helpful to us.

To masquerade is to present a false show or pretense; to pretend to be someone one is not. I want no part of pretending to be someone else or wearing a mask so I look like everyone in my group. I am me. You are you. And neither of us is God.

14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. – 2 Cor 11:14-15

The original Hebrew term, satan, is a noun from a verb meaning primarily to, “obstruct, oppose,” as it is found in Numbers 22:22, 1 Samuel 29:4, Psalms 109:6. Ha-Satan is traditionally translated as “the accuser,” or “the adversary.” The definite article “ha-”, English “the”, is used to show that this is a title bestowed on a being, versus the name of a being. Thus this being would be referred to as “the Satan.”- http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Satan.html

I am sure that is how they feel, and those are legitimate feelings. By my conscience is clean because I am not making false statements. As difficult as it may seem to believe, I do have evidence that should send some top leaders, including SB, to jail. According to American law at least, some ubf leaders should be in jail right now, either for what they did (physical/sexual abuse) or for what they failed to do (pastors are required to report abuse). And I have not been lying: I have been repeating the stories and words shared with me. We have over 200 testimonies of all kinds of abuse.

And as far as betrayal goes, the friendships that were real survived my resignation from ubf. What I sadly discovered was that most of the friendships I thought I had were only acquaintances based on loyalty to the ubf heritage and honor to SL. When those things were gone from my life, so were my “friends”.

So I am in no way convicted by the Spirit that I am doing Satan’s work (although this exercise has helped me to be more cautious not to let my human nature appear to be Satan’s work). The mission statement of Jesus in Luke 4 tells us God’s work is primarily liberation. What I have done has helped spark liberation for many people around the world. Can Satan drive out Satan?

What did convict me rather deeply as I read these works of Satan is this– from 1 Corinthians 13:4– love is kind.

9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” – Jude 1:9

7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. – Rev 12:7-9

12. Taking too much pride in your international trading acumen

Through your widespread trade
you were filled with violence,
and you sinned.
So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,
and I expelled you, guardian cherub,
from among the fiery stones. – Eze 28:16

13. Butchering the word of God whilst exhibiting craftiness

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” – Gen 3:1

14. Ruling the world, in spirit form, and leading others into disobedience

30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. – Jn 12:30-31

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. – Eph 2:1-2