Tune and Prepare!

study in the Chapterhouse The Constant Need Ephesians 4:1-16 Holman Christian Standard Bible 1 Therefore I, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, 2 with all humility and gentleness , with patience {tolerating}, accepting {bearing} one another in love, 3 diligently keeping the unity * of the Spirit with the peace that binds us. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to {called in} one hope at your calling— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. *Keeping the unity means: acceptance and active love ( agape: inviting love / or 'Hesed' ), creating an environment with mutual trust and support. See: David Guzik's article about unity (see: the apostolic heart in Rm.1:12 and 14:19 ) 7 Now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of the Messiah’s gift. 8 For it says: When He...

(our spiritual and mental hygiene) This article is part of the "Vitalize" pack Our salvation and our adoption has been prepared in advance (Eph 1:4-6) by His love, but our lives continue to go on in this disordered, ungodly world. The Lord Jesus and his apostles take great care to maintain the hygiene of our lives. They never confuse salvation with sanctification . 2Cor 7:1 Therefore, dear friends, since we have such promises, let us cleanse ourselves from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, completing our sanctification in the fear of God. Let's start with the well-known scene: Remember that Jesus Christ washed the feet of his disciples. During supper,... Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands,... rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel t...

This article is part of the "Vitalize" pack Reuben A. Torrey: "How to Obtain Fulness of Power For Christian life?" Chapter 3 — The Power of the Holy Spirit sample, part I "Power belongeth unto God." Ps 62 Intro The Holy Spirit is the person who imparts to the individual believer the power that belongs to God. This is the Holy Spirit's work in the believer, to take what belongs to God and make it ours. All the manifold power of God belongs to the children of God as their birthright in Christ, "All things are yours." (1 Cor. 3:21) But all that belongs to us as our birthright in Christ becomes ours in actual and experimental possession through the Holy Spirit's work in us as individuals. To the extent that we understand and claim for ourselves the Holy Spirit's work, to that extent do we obtain for ourselves the fulness of power in Christian life and service that God has provided for us in Christ. A very la...

This article is part of the "Vitalize" pack Reuben A. Torrey: "How to Obtain Fulness of Power For Christian life?" Chapter 3 — The Power of the Holy Spirit sample, part II "Power belongeth unto God." Ps 62 8. Further down in the chapter there is a new thought. Rom. 8:16: "The Spirit [himself] beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God." The Holy Spirit bears witness with the spirit of the believer that he is a child of God. Note that Paul does not say that the Spirit bears witness to our spirit, but with it— "together with our spirit," is the exact force of the words used. That is, there are two who bear witness to our sonship: First, our spirit bears witness that we are children of God; second, the Holy Spirit bears witness together with our spirit that we are children of God. How does the Holy Spirit bear His testimony to this fact? Gal. 4:6 answers this question: "Because ...

..and their restoration This article is part of the "Vitalize" pack Pre Protestantism have seen many changes, variations, (and ramifications) since Martin Luther. Even in the early days, Calvin himself modified (theologically developed) Luther's original prophetic vision. Meanwhile, the ever-ubiquitous Catholic culture continues to "keep pace with the world" and with its needs in various human activities. I think We, faithful folks are not to be like them... We can see many strong, portfolio building trend: "come as you are" we hear "and do not change for the purse sake!" is the reason why. The result? Growth-centered mindset and technique, aiming quantity at the expense of quality. We have seen this before and although we repeat the warnings, this is a thriving practice for the sake of the church budget. The Portfolians are on the threshold, brothers! New strength and vitality In the following note, I would like to highligh...

© jhopfan.org This article is a part of the "Vitalize" pack Isaiah 62:6 Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen on your walls; they will never be silent, day or night. There is no rest for you, who remind the Lord. Do not give Him rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem the praise of the earth. · Does this statement only apply to Jerusalem? · Has the revelation been fulfilled? · Definition of guard? We are to continually praise, glorify and worship God – because Jesus prays that God's Kingdom will come and His will be done here on earth, as it is in the Heaven . And in heaven, there is constant praise, worship and adoration. (I wrote a study about the reflection of the Heaven here. ) We're the royal priesthood in the New Testament. So the basic priestly ministries of prayer, fasting, thanksgiving, worship and representation are our responsibility. Although you see a different order on the jhopfan.or...

Our Spiritual Journey Teaching and learning is not a lecture.. is there a way back to the informal? This article is part of the "Vitalize" pack In the tapestry of believer's life, teaching and learning are woven threads, strongly connected yet profoundly distinct from mere lectures and rote memorization. The teachings of Jesus Christ, the process of imparting knowledge transcends the mundane, becoming a sacred endeavor. Or - rather - challenge. One way or peer to peer? The postmodern life has a one way {consumerism or entertaining} culture. You can see the model: The person who's entertaining and the Audience who listens. In other words this is the Lecture culture or TED talk culture. Unfortunately this misleads us keeping our lives, hearts in the unilateral communication which is far far away from the peer to peer developing relationship during the {original} teaching. In the ancient culture the sages , seers and prophets or the pro...