Prata Potpourri: Activating the Holy Spirit? Raising hands in worship, Creation curriculum, Dressing mercifully, more
By Elizabeth Prata
We are in deep throes of winter. There are blizzards up north, there are frigid temperatures down south, it’s a January morning. I like winter in Georgia, but many Georgians do not. They are used to the hot summers, whereas I, being from New England, am not fond of 100 degree heat.
But the LORD created seasons each for their time. I love to see the progression of seasons and their changes through the calendar and I think of Jesus sustaining it all with the power of His word.
And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. (Hebrews 1:3).
While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Summer and winter, And day and night Shall not cease. (Genesis 8:22)
Let’s be grateful that the LORD created it all, upholds it all, and,
He has made everything beautiful in its time. … (Ecclesiastes 3:11 ESV).
This past October, the United States pulled out of Afghanistan, a war that we had entered and ended in a defeat for us. Our pullout was chaotic, and it left behind a good many Americans stranded and alone. Worse, the pull-out also left behind some Christians who are now at the mercy of hostile religious forces. I saw this tweet and it had been retweeted by noted missionary Paul Washer, so I believe it is credible. Our brothers and sisters are still in Afghanistan, even if we have forgotten them or moved on from this news cycle.
Justin Peters has begun another great series. It is called “Why are Charismatics So Weird?” The introduction video is about 15 minutes long and includes a segment about “Holy Spirit Activate” which many Charismatics chant or sing. “Holy Spirit activate”?! They forget Ananias and Sapphira. They forget that the Spirit told the Antioch church to set aside Barnabas. The Spirit told Philip to speak to the Eunuch. Spirit needs no one to “activate Him”! Every regenerate Christian on the face of the planet has been touched by the Holy Spirit. Activate? He IS busy!
This blog post from Team Pyro is an oldie but a goodie. By the way, the Pyromaniacs have years and years of great content. This one was re-posted recently and it concerns men’s eyes, and how women dress for church.
“[U]nless I’m happily mistaken: some good Christian sisters will not dress as helpfully as they could.” Read the post for more good thoughts from Dan Phillips.
Sometimes us Baptists are called the “frozen chosen” because we don’t move or dance or raise our hands when the singing comes on. Or the praying. Or anytime, really. We are accused of limiting our personal worship experience by not ‘letting loose.’ Some even go to an extreme and claim that ‘raising holy hands’ is mandated from the Bible. But is it? Is it really? Here is Chris King from G3 Ministries with a look from the Bible on the issue of raising hands during the church service. I found it interesting, I hope you do too. It’s an issue that is rarely explored, biblically, so here’s your opportunity!
I love all things creation. I used to be an adult pagan who looked at the world, and knew, just knew, it wasn’t made by an impersonal bang. But I was confused as to its origins. My, how I was spiritually relieved and completely satisfied when I learned the truth! God made it. So I am of course a fan of the creation ministry Answers in Genesis. Ken Ham, founder of AIG, recently wrote a family curriculum/devotional I’d like to bring to your attention.
Creation to Babel By Ken Ham.
“In a society mired in godlessness and humanism, parents are given the high calling of raising children who will know the Truth, live the Truth, and take the Truth into the next generations. In Creation to Babel, today’s Christian family will find a unique commentary on Genesis 1 – 11 to ensure the biblical foundation is established in their children’s hearts. Perfect for family devotions and Bible studies, Creation to Babel:
- Offers parents a powerful combination of apologetics and doctrine.
- Instills biblical answers to contemporary issues such as gender, gay “marriage,” abortion, racism, and others.
- Provides answers to the most-asked questions people have about these passages with applications to personal living.
- Helps families put themselves under the authority of the Word, and not over it.
Can we trust the Bible as a historical document? You bet we can! Here is the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (CARM.org) with the answers:
“Can we trust the New Testament? Many people do not believe that the Bible is a reliable document of history. But, the fact is the Bible is very trustworthy as a historical document. When we compare the biblical documents to any other ancient historical document, we would see that the Bible is in a class by itself regarding the number of ancient copies and their reliability. Please consider the chart below.” More here.
I hope you find these edifying, interesting, or otherwise worthwhile. Thanks for reading!
