The Spirit Calls, Gathers, Enlightens and Sanctifies God’s People Live The Joy of Participating in the Sacred Romance Sanctification is a journey each believer takes in his or her life with Christ. Each of our stories can be better appreciated against the background of the master story, the romance of being drawn closer to the …
Our Part in the Big Picture of God’s Sacred Romance Read More »
The Spirit Calls, Gathers, Enlightens and Sanctifies God’s People A Pietist’s Advocacy of Evangelical Ministry Sanctification is the journey of being drawn closer to God. It is not an accomplishment we achieve on our own. The Holy Spirit is the key actor. What is our part in the process of sanctification? Verbs become important. Some …
Inviting the Spirit to Let Christ Become More at Home in My Heart Read More »
The Spirit Calls, Gathers, Enlightens and Sanctifies God’s People “Now we are only halfway pure and holy,” says Martin Luther in his explanation of the Spirit’s work of sanctification. “Holiness has begun and is growing daily.” (Large Catechism, Third Article). So many of us in today’s world are trained to measure and assign numbers to what we are …
The Spirit Calls, Gathers, Enlightens and Sanctifies God’s People Charting Your Spiritual Journey of Growing Closer to God The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyon has been a great classic of spiritual literature for centuries. It tells the story of Mr. Pilgrim’s journey to the Celestial City. On the way, he encounters many detractors but also many encouragers. What …
The Spirit Calls, Gathers, Enlightens and Sanctifies God’s People Keep Trying Innovative Ministries The cues people respond to today are different from those of even thirty years ago. Think cell phones and social media. Churches have always been a source of cues for recognizing and reacting to God. What’s happening today is that the old …
The Spirit Calls, Gathers, Enlightens and Sanctifies God’s People Shifting the Starting Point for Thinking About Our Relationship With God In Luther’s words, “Through the church the Spirit gathers us, using it to teach and preach the Word. By it he creates and increases sanctification, causing it daily to grow and come strong in the …