Spiritual Inebriation

Greetings All!

     I have always contended that who we become in life has to do, not only (of course) with the direct input of God into our lives through His Word and His Spirit, but the guidance, influences, and input of other people whose wisdom and counsel and insights we have sought out. This is one of the reasons I always check out the libraries of other people!  I want to see who they have turned to for guidance and inspiration, and have thus, in some way, helped form them.  James Stuart Bell also understands this principle. And therefore he sought to inquire who the authors were that influenced the life of someone he admired -- A. W. Tozer.

     This selection, therefore, comes from his book, "From the Library of A. W. Tozer -- Selections from Writers Who Influenced his Spiritual Journey."   This particular excerpt (only one of hundreds in his book) is from a book in Tozer's library by Jan Van Ruysbroeck's (or John of Ruusbroec, born in 1293 A.D. near Brussels, Belgium) called, "The Adornment of the Spiritual Marriage."  In this selection he speaks of one of the joys of being the Bride of Christ -- "Spiritual Inebriation."  Enjoy.

Spiritual Inebriation

"The joy of the Lord is our strength."

Nehemiah 8:10

"Do not be drunk with wine, with leads to debauchery, 

but instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit."

Ephesians 5:18

     "Spiritual inebriation is this: that a man receives more sensible joy and sweetness than his heart can either contain or desire.  Spiritual inebriation brings forth many strange gestures in men. It makes some sing and praise God because of the fullness of joy, and some weep with great tears because of the sweetness of heart.  It makes one restless in his in all his limbs, so that he must run, jump, and dance, and so excites another that he must move and clap his hands.  Another cries out with a loud voice and so shows forth the plenitude his soul feels within, and another must be silent and melt away because of the rapture which he feels with all his senses.

     At times he thinks that all the world must feel what he feels; at times he thinks that none can taste what he has attained. Often he thinks that he never could, nor ever shall, lose this sense of well-being; at times he wonders why all men do not become God-desiring.  At one time he thinks that God is for him alone, or none other as much as him; at another time he asks himself with amazement of what nature these delights can be, and whence they come, and what happened to him.

     This is the most rapturous life (as regards our bodily feelings) which man may attain upon earth.  Sometimes the excess of joy becomes so great the man thinks that his heart must burst. And for all these manifold gifts and miraculous works, he shall, with a humble heart, thank and praise and honor and reverence the Lord, who can do all this, and thank Him with fervent devotion because it is His will to do all this.  And the man shall always keep in his heart and speak through his mouth with sincere intention: "Lord, I am not worthy of this. Yet I have need of Your boundless goodness and of Your support." In such humility he may grow and rise into higher virtues." 

     On the day of Pentecost unbelievers accused the disciples of being drunk (Acts 2:15).  Why?  Surely it was because of the sheer joy they felt, and the glow on their faces that attested to it (similar to what is described above) when the Holy Spirit came and fell upon them on that day.  After all, it was only 9:00 o'clock in the morning and they were obviously full of intense joy and energy (or the Spirit's "power" - Acts 1:8 - or dunamis in the Greek, the same word from which we get our English word "dynamite").  Of course, speaking in tongues (or languages they had not learned) may have played into it as well!

     Though some fear the intense emotions that can often attend centered prayer, joyful worship, or the experience of the Holy Spirit, it did seem to be part of the experience of the early disciples and apostles. Have you experienced such times? Have you ever found your heart so full of joy it was hard to contain?  Ever been moved to sing, praise, clap, cry or dance, touched as you were by the overwhelming sense of God's grace, goodness and love?  Ever sensed the presence of God's holiness and complete otherness in such a way that it moved you to feel that to even speak a word, or simply move, would have been inappropriate and irreverent?   Have you ever become so conscious of the reality and presence of God that it altered the way you viewed everything happening around you, and made even the most common things beautiful and sacred?

     Such experiences are not uncommon in Scripture. And dare I suggest that if we pursued God with the intensity of many of those in Scripture, we might find such experiences more commonplace too? 

Living in the grace of Jesus, Pastor Jeff

Churches In Missions

Greetings All!

     This week's "thought" comes to you from a newsletter I received from a man named Paul Hatmacher (seen below with his wife Barbara) who serves as president of an organization called, "Churches In Missions."   I received his Christmas Newsletter and thought that the story he shared was encouraging enough (and challenging enough) to pass it along to you.  As one who has met Paul I can tell you he loves the Lord, is full of faith, and exudes joy. This is the story of his recent bout with pneumonia just after Thanksgiving and his determination to be a missionary even in the hospital.  Enjoy.

     "Speaking of the pneumonia invading my lungs one doctor said: "I've seen ugly CT scans, but yours is among the ugliest."  On the way to the emergency room, I prayed, "Make me a blessing through all this."  The way the Holy Spirit guided me was to thank everyone for anything they did and never complain, whether it hurt or not, and even when they awakened me at 5:45 a.m. to be weighed. I was in the hospital for 12 days, received excellent care and endured some of the strongest medications. But we dare not overlook the blessings that have resulted: The staff constantly asked, "Why are you so thankful and kind?"  That was the Lord's opening for me to share what the Lord means to me and has allowed me to experience.  I shared that in our missionary experiences, we were among people who had nothing, yet they showed joy and gratefulness for everything.

     I related that we had been so blessed with their care and God's blessings that I just had to say "thank you."  I related that I was cured of complaining with a chorus I learned in Sunday School. Every time I begin to complain, I sing or hum the chorus, "Count your blessings, name them one by one."  Can you believe it, for the next few days, every time one of the nurses walked by my room they hummed or sang that chorus! 

     I had the joy of witnessing to at least 4 MD's, and every nurse and aid -- and everyone said: "you are a different kind of patient."  One nurse, after midnight, checked on me and as she was tucking the blankets she began weeping and said, "my life's a mess." I invited her to return when she could and I had the privilege to hold her hands and through her tears lead her to trust Jesus as her Savior. 

     I still have a visiting nurse three times a week and a therapist twice a week and praise the Lord I am getting stronger and the x-ray I had today will reveal the pneumonia is gone... I wouldn't want to go through this again, but it taught me that being a missionary isn't just when we cross the ocean or preach from a pulpit.  We are to be salt and light whatever the circumstance... P.S. - Upon being dismissed from the hospital the Director of that division came by to thank me personally for being an encouragement."

     I share his story because as a pastor I visit hospitals a lot and often hear patients, family members, and the like, expressing just the opposite.  I myself have not always been the most thankful or cheerful of patients. Yet, Paul challenged me to consider that even my hospital stays can be opportunities to be salt and light.  Seeing his joyful demeanor (even when not feeling well) made a nurse comfortable enough to open up with him and give him the opportunity to share about Jesus and lead her to Christ. I wonder if that's not how it should always be for a believer. 

     Too often we can be so focused on the care we get, or what we think it should be as opposed to what it is (especially in light of the cost), that we are led to complain instead of thanking our caregivers.  We look to be served instead of seeking to see it as an opportunity to serve as missionaries in that place.  It would be helpful on such occasions to remember how blessed we are, and that many people around the world would give anything just to have a hospital to go to, never mind the level of care we have here in the States.  So, as a reminder of what we are called to, and the difference it can make if we just determine to respond differently, I pass his story along to you. After all, it is all about what we can do for Jesus and His kingdom.

To God Alone Be Glory,  Pastor Jeff

Thanksgiving

Greetings All,

     I could not send out this week's 'thought' without offering you a few insights on the need, beauty, duty, pleasure, healthiness, and attitude-altering effects of thanksgiving. 
     It's an attitude encouraged repeatedly throughout the Bible, and is so necessary in every aspect of the believers life -- including worship. For as the writer of Hebrews tells us (12:28): "Let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably..."

     Therefore I offer you these words of wisdom from various sources and authors -- the Bible, secular philosophers, inspirational speakers, Christian and non-Christian authors, therapists, and every day people. Nearly everyone who has any degree of wisdom at all knows how imperative a truly grateful heart is to a more healthy outlook and the nurturing of inner joy -- especially when that gratitude is offered to the One who gives us all good things to enjoy.

     "If you need help, ask God. If you don't, thank Him."

Anonymous

     "The more we understand God's sovereignty, the more our prayers will be filled with thanksgiving."

R. C. Sproul

     "There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy."

Ralph H. Blum 

     "If anyone would tell you the shortest, surest way to happiness and all perfection, he must tell you to make it a rule to yourself to thank and praise God for everything that happens to you." 

William Law 

     "None is more impoverished than the one who has no gratitude. Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy."

Fred De Witt Van Amburgh

     "If there is one thing that will make all the difference to how you feel when you go to sleep and how you feel when you get up, is how grateful you are for everything that you have." 

Josh Brendan

     "Practicing gratitude is a very powerful tool to shift your attention on the things you don't have to the things you do have and this alone will make you feel better."

Noelia Aanulds

     "We can always find something to be thankful for, and there may be reasons why we ought to be thankful for even those dispensations which appear dark and frowning."

Albert Barnes

     "Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action."

W. J. Cameron 

     "Give thanks not just on Thanksgiving Day, but every day of your life. Appreciate and never take for granted all that you have."

Catherine Pulsifer

     "When someone gives you a gift that he's already sacrificed and paid for, you don't try to pay him back; you just receive the gift with thanksgiving and spontaneously lavish love on the giver."

Ron Larson, Seeing Jesus: Restoring His Brilliance

     "Often I'll speak my thanksgiving aloud. Hearing the long list of good gifts God has given me is usually just what I need to restore my joy."

Lori Hatcher, Hungry for God ... Starving for Time

     "It is literally true, as the thankless say, that they have nothing to be thankful for. He who sits by the fire, thankless for the fire, is just as if he had no fire. Nothing is possessed save in appreciation, of which thankfulness is the indispensable ingredient. But a thankful heart hath a continual feast."

W.J. Cameron 

     "If there is one thing that will make all the difference to how you feel when you go to sleep and how you feel when you get up, is how grateful you are for everything that you have."

Josh Brendan

     "What would happen in my own life if thanksgiving became the main thing for me?"

John Juneman

     "A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues." 

Cicero

     "For flowers that bloom about our feet; 

       For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet; 

       For song of bird, and hum of bee; 

       For all things fair we hear or see, 

       Father in heaven, we thank Thee!" 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

     With prayers that you will truly pause, take time away from the food and football, count your many blessings, and offer to God the gratitude He above all others is worthy of and deserves.

     In His Service, Pastor Jeff

Thanksgiving History

Greetings All,

     Since those of us who reside in the United States are celebrating Thanksgiving Day in just two days, I thought a little history regarding the day would be helpful for carrying out your celebration more in keeping with the reason for which it was originally instituted.

Some useful facts are:

          1.) George Washington proclaimed the first nationwide thanksgiving celebration in America marking November 26, 1789 as "a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty God."  This was a one time observance and had more to do with the victory over the British, the establishment of the United States as a nation, and the growing prosperity of the nation.

     2.) Thanksgiving as we know it today did not became a nationally observed annual holiday until 1864 (see below).

     3.) It was instituted by Abraham Lincoln as a day to offer thanks to God out of gratitude for Northern (Union) military victories that seemed to suggest the war would soon be over, prosperity despite war, and the re-union of North and South an impending reality.

     4.) It included an admonition to, "reverently humble ourselves in the dust AND FROM THERE offer penitent and fervent prayers to [Almighty God as] the Great Disposer of Events."

     5.) The focus on the Pilgrims, strongly prominent in past years, but less prominent in our day, came to be the focus over time (after the Civil War ended), since it would have been hard for Southerners to celebrate a national day of thanksgiving in which they are referred to as, "the enemy, who is of our own household."

     6.) The first Thanksgiving celebrations were observed by the Pilgrims (celebrated in 1621, 1623, and 1631). The first celebration included 52 colonists [consisting of both Saints (or believers in Jesus), and Strangers (or unbelievers)] and 90 Wampanoag Indians. It apparently lasted three days.

     7.) The food they ate at that first celebration included: "goose, duck, swan, eels, clams, lobster, deer, Indian corn, chestnuts, gooseberries, and beer."

Proclamation 118 - Thanksgiving Day

October 20, 1864

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

     It has pleased Almighty God to prolong our national life another year, defending us with His guardian care against unfriendly designs from abroad and vouchsafing to us in His mercy many and signal victories over the enemy, who is of our own household. It has also pleased our Heavenly Father to favor as well our citizens in their homes as our soldiers in their camps and our sailors on the rivers and seas with unusual health. He has largely augmented our free population by emancipation and by immigration, while He has opened to us new sources of wealth and has crowned the labor of our workingmen in every department of industry with abundant rewards. Moreover, He has been pleased to animate and inspire our minds and hearts with fortitude, courage, and resolution sufficient for the great trial of civil war into which we have been brought by our adherence as a nation to the cause of freedom and humanity, and to afford to us reasonable hopes of an ultimate and happy deliverance from all our dangers and afflictions:

     Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do hereby appoint and set apart the last Thursday in November next as a day which I desire to be observed by all my fellow-citizens, wherever they may then be, as a day of thanksgiving and praise to Almighty God, the beneficent Creator and Ruler of the Universe. And I do further recommend to my fellow-citizens aforesaid that on that occasion they do reverently humble themselves in the dust and from thence offer up penitent and fervent prayers and supplications to the Great Disposer of Events for a return of the inestimable blessings of peace, union, and harmony throughout the land which it has pleased Him to assign as a dwelling place for ourselves and for our posterity throughout all generations.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, this 20th day of October, A.D. 1864, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-ninth.

By the President: ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

WILLIAM H. SEWARD,  Secretary of State.

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     It is my hope that you might be moved to spend the day as Lincoln first envisioned it:

     "as a day of thanksgiving and praise to Almighty God, the beneficent Creator and Ruler of the Universe.  And I do further recommend to my fellow-citizens aforesaid that on that occasion they do reverently humble themselves in the dust, and from thence offer up penitent and fervent prayers and supplications to the Great Disposer of Events for a return of the inestimable blessings of peace, union, and harmony throughout the land..." 

In Grateful Praise to our Abundantly Gracious and Generous God, Pastor Jeff