Are Prophets Really Still Around? (Part 1)

“Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”

– Luke 7:39 NKJV

Misconceptions abound when it comes to prophetic ministry and prophets. The reference above illustrates this perfectly. Jesus is interacting with a woman and a religious leader has a preconceived idea as to what a “real” prophet would be doing or saying. It becomes even more interesting as the religious leader is a supposed expert in what we would call “biblical knowledge” and the accusation is made towards Jesus who would epitomize the ultimate prophetic expression. I also think this story opens up the very real consideration that Old Testament prophetic activity may not exactly be replicated under a new covenant. In other words, an Old Testament prophet may not transition through the Cross in exactly the same way to be a New Testament prophet. (We will open that can in an upcoming post.)

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Happy Reformation Day! (Or All Saints Eve)

Why is Reformation Day Important?
Today is the day 508 years ago that Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Chapel. Most people think of the restoration of the doctrine of Justification by Faith (Alone), and that would indeed be one of the big ones…
But I want to point out in our current day of incredible government overreach and attempts of god-like power, that Martin Luther rightly pointed out (for the first time in centuries), that there was no higher allegiance than first loyalty to the Word of God. Our allegiance was not to the whims of Kings, Popes, or Councils, but bound to the Scriptures. In modern application that would include political parties, politicians, and our civic government. One could make a case that Reformation Day is as vital to the Church and nation as the Fourth of July…perhaps even more so. There would have been no Fourth of July had there been no Reformation Day.

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Continuationism and Prophets (Introduction)

“Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.” (I Corinthians 14:1)

The last series of posts that I shared with you I mentioned that I sense a call to advocate for the theological position of continuationism. There is a spectrum of beliefs and convictions within this “lane” with various nuances and differences. As a whole, however, we believe that the “gifts” are still in operation which includes the revelatory gifts (tongues, interpretation of tongues, and prophecy) rightly understood. I dealt with the differences in understanding revelation in the previous posts, but will continue to touch on points through this set of posts as well.

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The John Wesley Bobblehead

I have my own personal interest in the latest news coming out of the United Methodist Church General Church Conference. As many may already be aware (in a nutshell) the UMC denomination has opened its doors to full inclusion and participation of LGBTQ+ persons in the ministry. Those clergy members who may have been defrocked or licenses suspended in years past for officiating or assimilating S/S marriages or ministry as per their manual of Discipline, will now be restored to full ministerial status within its circles.

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An Updated Review on Metaxas “Letter to the American Church”

When Eric Metaxas’ book was released, Letter to the American Church, I made sure I quickly secured my copy. His previous books, Martin Luther, and Bonhoeffer were both interesting and compelling works to read. As a former local church pastor, college professor, and current director of Church Engagement with a state-based policy organization, his premise in Letter to the American Church, solicited both my interest and anticipation. It was with equal interest that I have also viewed the recent release of the movie under the same name. The movie was a source of concern within the state policy organization I work for due to a donor who asked that we consider promoting this movie at a high visibility event we were hosting. The conversation swirled specifically around the 90-second marketing trailer which was being asked to be shown and whether its presentation at our event constituted an “endorsement” or just an “advertisement”. In much the same way vendors set up their tables for closely related events, could this trailer be presented to our audience? It caused no small discussion with opinions across the theological and practical spectrum.

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