The Trinity is a hard thing to understand, three persons but one God? Not three gods? Not one God who takes three forms? How does it work? One helpful way to understand it is to think of it as harmony, as music, where three different sounds combine to make one that is greater than just three separate voices. A helpful phrase is, “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts”. So 1+1+1 > 3. Or, with God, 1+1+1 = infinity. And it’s more than just the nature of God, it’s how we live. A Godly life is a harmony of people where all voices are heard, and have a place in the song.
The New Normal - Pentecost - May 31, 2020
When Jesus returns to The Father, he tells the disciples to go back to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit, but he gives them no timeline. They simply have to wait, in fellowship, and pray. In the midst of these shutdowns and isolation from coronavirus, we have to accept a lot of waiting for something to happen, at some time, we don’t know when, but we know that it will not be a return to business as usual, but a new normal brought about by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:1-9
In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning 2 until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 4 While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. "This," he said, "is what you have heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." 9 When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
Stepping Back and Starting Over – Podcast 4 – May 5, 2020
The fourth of my weekly reflections I did after we had to shut down services because of coronavirus. Here I discuss a little about the history of mission work, how the initial missionary would often spend a long time planting seeds of the faith, only to have to step back at some point and leave the indigenous people to take over.
How Long? - Podcast 3 - April 28, 2020
The third of my little weekly reflections I started during the shutdown for coronavirus, this one deals with the topic we all have had one our minds this whole time – “how long will it last?” The truth is, a lot longer than we thought. I thought we’d be throwing a welcome back party in June. I was really, really wrong on that one. But the idea of lamenting and asking God for a timeline is not new; it’s very Biblical.