THE LOST POST!

Remember my post from yesterday where I said "How frustrating"???? Well guess what.. I found it somehow buried in the recesses of this computer. Praise God! Well here it is, so you'll have to read this (if you are a reader of my blog) and understand that this was actually yesterday's post.

This post was originally entitled, "Mentor my mentor"

Can you say that God is moving in my life? Can I get an Amen out there?



Today has been an amazing day, I woke up this morning, checked my email and saw that Kolan had emailed me about a new place for me to look at regarding websites for the church. I checked it out and was very impressed with the site. I've signed up to a free membership and will fiddle with it for the next 30 days or so to see what can be done. I've already fidlled with it for a couple hours and I've become more and more impressed with each passing minute.



Then I took off to go to work. I arrived at work and went through a bunch of administrative things that I needed to do. Blew through them quickly, God blessed me in it surely. At 1025 I left to attend "Dead Preachers Society".



This is a meeting, a fellowship, a bible study led by Pastor Wayne Barber of Hoffmantown Baptist Church. We were studying 2nd John 7-11. It was an amazing time of study and most importantly I felt the Holy Spirit present with our study. I actually stopped taking notes at one point and simply typed out a prayer... the following is what I typed:



"Thank you Lord God Almighty so much for bringing me to this fellowship! I feel your presence among the believers gathered around the table.. I feel an amazing peace and a hunger for the continued presence of the Holy Spirit with these believers!"



The study was amazing and very intimate in its connection with Him.



Pastor Barber was gracious in his teaching and humble in his own wanting to learn from those gathered even as much as he was teaching and leading the fellowship.



We went over the significance of the Greek verb tensing of words.. here is a brief synopsis that was given by Pastor Matt (fellow of Pastor Barber) at the study:



Greek Verbs: Tense, Voice, Mood



Tense - Time and Kind of action (Time - past, present and future) (Kind - linear/incomplete, perfected/complete, punctiliar/undefined)



TENSE:

Present - action taking place in the present, continuous or repeated action

Aorist - punctiliar action with no reference to time, usually translated as past (completed)

Perfect - completed action/process in the past with results continuing to the present

Pluperfect- similar to perfect, except result of action also in the past

Imperfect - linear/continuous action in the past

Future - punctiliar action that will take place (Aorist tense put in the future)



VOICE:

Active - the subject performs the action

Passive - the subject receives the action (someone else is causing the action)

Middle - the subject is enabled in the action (no English equivalent)

Direct - subject acting upon himself; Matt 27:5 "and he.. hanged himself"

Indirect - subject acting for or by himself; Acts 22:16 "... be baptized and wash away your sins"

Deponent - middle in form, active in meaning; Acts 17:11 "they received the word" (dependant upon something happening)



MOOD:

Indicative - statement of fact or question

Imperative - command, exhortation, or entreaty

Subjunctive - probability: doubt, uncertainty, or indefiniteness

Optative - possibility: wish, prayer, or indirect quotation (rare in NT)



We discussed 2 John and how it is an exhortation to live the Christlike life first.. then be prepared to defend it from heresy. We talked about the cult of liberalism and cultic groups. We discussed the pollution of the church from those from within.


It was brought up that Joel Osteen (false teacher) said recently that the Mormon Jesus is one and the same as the Christian Jesus. Absolutely heretical! Yet 30,000- 40,000 people fall under his leadership every week.



Here is the dialogue that took place:



The discernment of Joel Osteen, or rather, lack thereof, came out yesterday on Fox News Sunday in this interview with Chris Wallace:

.
Chris Wallace: And what about Mitt Romney? And I've got to ask you the question, because it is a question whether it should be or not in this campaign, is a Mormon a true Christian?

.

Joel Osteen: Well, in my mind they are. Mitt Romney has said that he believes in Christ as his savior, and that's what I believe, so, you know, I'm not the one to judge the little details of it. So I believe they are. And so, you know, Mitt Romney seems like a man of character and integrity to me, and I don't think he would -- anything would stop me from voting for him if that's what I felt like.

.

Chris Wallace: So, for instance, when people start talking about Joseph Smith, the founder of the church, and the golden tablets in upstate New York, and God assumes the shape of a man, do you not get hung up in those theological issues?

.

Joel Osteen: I probably don't get hung up in them because I haven't really studied them or thought about them. And you know, I just try to let God be the judge of that. I mean, I don't know. I certainly can't say that I agree with everything that I've heard about it, but from what I've heard from Mitt, when he says that Christ is his savior, to me that's a common bond."

.

Yeah, why get hung up on those little details?



Unbelievable! Anyhow, please be not decieved. Let me say outright that Mormons do not believe in the biblical Jesus. If anyone would like more on this, read the Scripture and find out what it says about the Christ. Further there is a book called "One nation under gods" by Richard Abanes. Fantastic book that examines the Church of Latter Day Saints or Mormons.



BREAK BREAK



After the study, Pastor Wayne Barber took an hour of his time to sit with me and review the doctrinal statement of BTF. He reviewed it in its entirety and assented to the truths finding nothing in error. It was such a blessing to have a man of God like Pastor Wayne take the time to read our statement and give his approval.



I asked Pastor Wayne if he would consider mentoring me directly to which he agreed. Not only that, he said, "I'd love to, that is my passion."



I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am, even there with him I was moved by the Spirit to praise God for providing a Paul to my Timothy... may Almighty God bless our time together and may I learn all that the Spirit has to teach me through His faithful servant Wayne.



If I had a time machine I would fast forward time to next week.. I was immensely blessed.



BREAK BREAK



After the study I went back to the office to finish up my work for the night. Chris came into my office and shared that the Spirit of God really spoke to him clearly after he got out of the shower last night. That specifically he was to "get ready and prepared" as he was to reconcile with his father who he hasn't spoken to in some time. The details aren't important as the fact that the Holy Spirit is moving in Chris' life in a stronger way than ever before and that Chris is feeling the direction of Christ in his life.



After work, I accompanied Chris to Barnes and Noble where he wanted to go and purchase a bible. We looked at various and he ended up going with the NIV Study Bible which is a great tool for where he is at. I pledged to him that when I found a good study version of the ESV that it would be my gift to him.



Again an amazing day.. now off to work on my list for both HOSFU and BTF.



God bless!



Pastor Eric