Jesus

When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Source: Bible - Luke 23:33-34

A Catholic Pope on Luther - "challenges us"

Pope Francis urged Catholics and Lutherans on Monday to forgive the "errors" of the past and forge a future together, including sharing the Eucharist, as he marked the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation by traveling to secular Sweden with a message of Christian unity.

Francis and the leaders of the Lutheran World Federation presided over an ecumenical prayer service in the Lund cathedral, the first time a pope has commemorated the anniversary of Martin Luther's revolt with such a symbolically powerful gesture.

Francis quoted Luther and praised him for having restored the centrality of Scripture to the church.

"The spiritual experience of Martin Luther challenges us to remember that apart from God, we can do nothing," Francis said.

Source: Andrew Medichini, Jan M. Olsen & Nicole Winfield - Associated Press, "Pope on Reformation: Forgive 'errors' of past, forge unity", 31 Oct 2016, https://www.yahoo.com/news/reformer-pope-heads-sweden-mark-luthers-reforms-050227744.html

Peter Nevland

When darkness closes in, introduces itself as a friend,
then I'm sad to say I'm too often drawn in to the lies and gossiping

God Your words are purest silver, full of meek untainted grace
So let my words bring only honor to Your vast and gracious name
...

I call upon my name of the Lord to guard my heart, make my words pure

Source: Peter Nevland - Purest Silver - Psalm 12, from Exposing the Psalms, by Peter Nevland & Co.

Paul

(4) Philemon, I always thank my God when I remember you in my prayers, (5) because I hear about your love for all of God’s people and your faith in the Lord Jesus.

Source: The Apostle Paul - Philemon 4-5

A Catholic Bishop on Luther - "A Mystic of Grace"

This is why I say Ryrie has caused me to look at Luther in a new light. One of the standard matrices for understanding religion is the distinction between the mystical and the prophetic, or between the experiential and the rational. On the standard reading, Luther would fall clearly on the latter side of this divide. He is, it would seem, the theologian of the word par excellence. And indeed, we can find throughout his writings many critiques of priestcraft, sacramentalism, and what he called Schwarmerei or pious enthusiasm. Nevertheless, if Ryrie is right, this is to get only part, indeed a small part, of the story. At bottom, Luther was a mystic of grace, someone who had fallen completely in love—which helps enormously to explain what makes his theological ideas both so fascinating and so frustrating. People in love do and say extravagant things. So overwhelmed are they by the experience of the beloved that they are given to words such as “only” and “never” and “forever.” If you doubt me, read any of the great romantic poets, or for that matter, listen to a teenager speak about his first crush. After a lifetime of scrupulosity and interior struggle, Luther sensed the breakthrough of the divine grace through the mediation of the Bible. Hence, are we surprised that he would express his ecstasy in exaggerated, over the top language: “By grace alone! By faith alone! By the Scriptures alone!”

Source: Bishop Robert Barron - "Looking at Luther with Fresh Eyes", Word on Fire, 13 June 2017, https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/article/looking-at-luther-with-fresh-eyes/5491/

"__________ is good for me"

Last week I had the privilege of hiking in the Montana wilderness with Rankin Wilbourne, a dear friend and pastor from southern California.

As we shared about the challenges, blessings and setbacks we’ve both experienced in our personal lives and ministries, Rankin said something I will never forget:

“I’ve discovered that anything that humbles me is good for me.”

Wow. That put many of my life experiences into a more helpful perspective.

I hope it will do the same for you.

- Ken Sande

PS – Rankin’s first book, Union with Christ, was just featured in Christianity Today. I’ve just started it myself, but I already see direct applications to relational wisdom. I commend it to you as book that will profoundly impact your relationship with God and the people around you.

Source: Rankin Wilbourne - As quoted by Ken Sande in his Relational Wisdom blog entry for 22 August 2016, http://rw360.org/2016/08/21/anything-humbles-good/

Ann Cogdell

I want to end this overview of the June Gathering by telling you some of the things that were brought home to me. I realized that I can’t enter well into what I'll call "identificational repentance" when really I’m indifferent; and I'm indifferent when things are distant from me -- distant in history or distant in the present, geographically or emotionally. Particularly, in being among those who were definitely not indifferent, (and Europeans seem to have so much a better sense of history than many of us Americans, they're more connected) I felt the pain of not being able to respond as fully as I’d have liked. The process of praying prayers of identificational repentance is both humbling and necessarily cleansing—looking at the sin of another or a grievous event of history, I felt that my eyes needed to be purified so that I could look with care rather than point the finger.

I would commend the story of a German Lutheran pastor's experience of entering into identificational repentance during his time in a previous gathering held in Rome.

Source: Ann Cogdell - Report to Christ Church Anglican in Waco, 4 Sept. 2016

"Repenting is hard, particularly when ..."

Third, as we begin to grasp our own contribution to the deep divisions that exist among believers, and the ways we have wronged in word, thought, and deed, in personal acts and unjust structures, we need to repent. Repenting is to call our own sins for what they are, to acknowledge them to God, and the wronged person as wrong, to come to terms with the real hurt and harm we have caused, and to acknowledge our intent, with God’s help to live differently and to determine what that difference will look like. Often we need to do this with the offended.

Repenting is hard, particularly when we think the other might have more to repent of than do we. Often the others think it the other way around. The question sometimes is simply, who will end the rounds of accusations and begin the process of repentance and restoration?

Source: Robert C Trube - rtrube54, "The Scandal of the Church in America: Part Two", Bob on Books, 14 Feb 2017, https://bobonbooks.com/2017/02/14/the-scandal-of-the-church-in-america-part-two/

New Mexico Prays

New Mexico Prays is a cross-denominational, multi-ethnic, Jesus-centered prayer movement. We have 39 churches in 10 cities covering New Mexico in 24/7 prayer from the Assemblies of God, Calvary Chapel Southwest, Church of God (Anderson, IN), Church of God (Cleveland, TN) Messianic Jews, Catholic, Presbyterian, Christian Reformed, Church of God in Christ (COGIC), Full Gospel Baptist, Victory Outreach, Church of Christ, Ministers Fellowship International (MFI), Southern Baptist, and non-denominational. Join the movement today: NewMexicoPrays.org.

Source: New Mexico Prays - From http://www.NewMexicoPrays.org, as posted on FB by Trey Kent, 25 Jan 2017

"... unless you forgive your fellow believers from your heart"

(23) Jesus told the people this parable (story): “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who told his servants to pay back the money they owed him. (24) As he began to settle his accounts, a servant who owed the king about 20 years’ wages was brought to him. (25) Because the servant was not able to pay, the king ordered that he and his family and all that he owned be sold to repay his debt. (26) Hearing this the servant fell on his knees, begging, ‘Please be patient with me, and I will pay you back everything I owe you.’ (27) The king showed mercy toward the servant and forgave him his entire debt and let him go. (28) But when that servant left, he found a fellow servant who owed him about one day’s wages. He grabbed him and began to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay me back all that you owe me!’ (29) His fellow servant fell to his knees, begging him, ‘Please be patient with me, and I will pay you back everything I owe you.’ (30) But he refused to forgive him his debt. Instead, he had the man thrown into prison until he could pay his entire debt. (31) When the other servants saw what had happened, they were very angry and went and told the king everything. (32) Then the king had the servant he had forgiven brought to him and he said, ‘You are a wicked servant! I forgave you of all your debt because you begged me. (33) You should have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had mercy on you.’ (34) In his anger the king gave him to the jailers to be punished, until he paid back all he owed. (35) This is how my Father in heaven will treat you unless you forgive your fellow believers from your heart.”

Source: Bible (IEB) - Matthew 18:23-35

Joe Tosini, John 17 Movement

It's no secret that division in a family brings harm and pain on many levels. The church which is described as the family of God remains divided. The attitudes and harsh judgements amongst professing Christians have caused deep wounds and centuries of conflicts.

"Father I pray that those who believe in me will be one so the world will know you sent me." That prayer of Jesus in the 17th chapter of the Gospel according to John is the reason Roman Catholics and a variety of Protestant Christians met together on May 23rd, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona.

There was a declaration made that day by those in attendance to see the Church in Phoenix becoming relationally unified in a way that would make the claims of Jesus visibly seen and felt by those within and outside of the church.

My impression of our day but even more of the effort and working together of so many leading up to Saturday's meeting gives me hope that the church in all of its rich diversity can live and work as one family in the unity of the Holy Spirit.

Source: Joe Tosini - Founder, John 17 Movement, http://www.john17movement.com/

Bradley Nassif

It is not just the Catholic wing of the historic churches which have elements within them insisting upon a recapture of the central kerygma – which, as Fr. Cantalamessa noted in his talk is sometimes simply called “the Gospel” – but we see this too amongst some of the Orthodox theologians. So Bradley Nassif, a Lebanese Christian who grew up in American in the Antiochan Orthodox Church – and who says, “I am deeply indebted to evangelical Christians who helped bring me into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ during my high school years,” (Gundry & Stamoolis, eds., Three Views on Eastern Orthodoxy and Evangelicalism (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004), p. 27 – notes in his article, “Reclaiming the Gospel,” found at < http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles6/NassifGospel.php > that, “The most urgent need in the Orthodox world today is the need for an aggressive "internal mission" of (re)converting our people to Jesus Christ. The gospel of Christ and our life in Him need to be reclaimed as the very centerpiece of Church life…. [T]he basic gospel message […, t]he life-changing message of the forgiveness of sins and new life in Christ must be deliberately applied to the entire sacramental life of the Church.”

Source: Bradley Nassif - “Reclaiming the Gospel,” as quoted in footnote 41 of "Evangelicals Cooperatively Evangelising & Discipling with Catholics in Faithfulness to Evangelical Distinctives", by Paul Miller
http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles6/NassifGospel.php

Small Bricks, Large Wall

I often think about how our marriage might have turned out if we hadn't learned to forgive each other on a daily basis right from the start. So many couples sleep in the same bed and share the same house but remain miles apart inwardly, because they have built up a wall of resentment between themselves. The bricks in this wall may be very small - a forgotten anniversary, a misunderstanding, a business meeting that took precedence over a long-awaited family outing.

Source: Johann Christoph Arnold - Why Forgive?, pp.122

Philip Yancey

And frankly, I think the church in the United States, the more it embeds with politics… Europeans understand where that goes. When the church and the state are seen like this [joins hands], and then the state proves what it is - a flawed and sometimes corrupt system - then the church is judged by this, and rejected. There are countries in Europe where the church is set back for decades and decades, because they have been stained by how they sold their soul for power, I would say. As the United States grows more and more secular, I tell the people there: ‘We are becoming more like the fertile soil in which the early church did best’. Like the Roman Empire, this was a pagan and hostile society in which Christians stood out by being different. When you are in a place like the United States or Europe in its recent past, where the majority will claim to be Christians, but then they look like everyone else, then the people do not understand what the gospel is. But when Christians look radically different from the world around them, then the people can see the difference.

Source: Philip Yancey - "Philip Yancey: US evangelicals should learn from Europe’s history of religion and power", Evangelical Focus Newsletter, 23 September 2016, http://evangelicalfocus.com/world/1951/Philip_Yancey_US_evangelicals_should_learn_from_Europes_history_of_religion_and_power_

Sister Constance

Meet the nuns who put an end to the French Revolution. "The first to sing as she ascended was the youngest of the Carmelites, Sister Constance. Called by the executioners, she knelt before her Mother Superior, asked her blessing and permission to die, and then placed herself beneath the guillotine without any need of assistance or force. Each of the remaining nuns followed in exactly the same manner. During the executions, no sounds could be heard save the singing of the sisters, their chorus reduced one by one, and the remorseless slicing of the guillotine. The customary drum roll did not take place, and no one in the crowd cheered, laughed, or mocked the victims."

Source: Author Unknown - As posted by David Gabler on FB, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYq614xqnlI

Cliff Hunter

We don't see eye to eye but I pray one day that we'll arrive
At a place where grace and love abide, where differences are put aside.
For the sake of peace we'll murder pride, stop breeding death, start speaking life,
And maybe we could spend some time seeing the world through the other's eyes.
Forgiving more, condemning less, stop adding to this awful mess.
Praying to see the other blessed, sharing those things inside these chests.
I'm guilty but don't wanna be, this sin just comes so naturally,
But I repent, I wanna see our mutual prosperity!
----------- Chorus ---------------
So please believe that I'm sorry. I know I'm wrong, I often am.
You've got the right to be angry. If you stay mad, I'll understand.
But you should know that I feel guilty. It isn't right, those things I've done.
So please forgive me and I'll try harder to love you better, so much better from now on!
----------------------------------
Oh You're special but you never know. I hardly ever let it show,
the way I really feel inside, shrouded in my fear and pride.
And God forbid I let you see the most authentic parts of me.
The shame of my impurity or the pain and insecurity,
But never mind the reasons why, the fact is that you're God's and I have judged you as if you were mine.
This is where I draw the line.
I'm choosing now to put your needs before my own
And happily die to self and try my best to love you more and love me less.

Source: Cliff Hunter - From Now On, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxoLizX1fIk&feature=youtu.be

"On the road to full unity"

Greeting the German delegation in his private library, Francis sought to give new impetus to the effort toward Christian unity. He encouraged evangelicals and Catholics, when considering an ecumenical initiative, to ask themselves: “Can we share it with our brothers and sisters in Christ? Can we do another stretch of the road together?

“We have the same baptism: We must walk together, without growing tired,” Francis said. There is no going back on the road to unity he assured the delegation; Catholics and evangelicals must “continue to witness together to the Gospel and to continue on the road to full unity.”

Source: Gerard O'Connell - "German Evangelical Church issues historic invite to Pope Francis", America : The Jesuit Review, 6 Feb 2017, http://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2017/02/06/german-evangelical-church-issues-historic-invite-pope-francis

Theopolis

What kind of churches do we at Theopolis dream of? Churches like these:
....
Cities where all the churches pray and worship and labor together, where the pastors serve the interests of the city, speaking with one voice to civic leaders. Pastoral associations that include representatives of every church—Evangelical, mainline, charismatic, Catholic, Orthodox. Local pastoral associations that discuss theological differences, and do so honestly, vigorously, charitably, striving toward a common confession of the faith.

Source: Peter Leithart - Theopolis Institute blog, "Reformational Catholicism, A Wish List", 20 October 2016, https://theopolisinstitute.com/reformational-catholicism-a-wish-list/