My Theology of Worship

This paper was presented in a Theology of Worship class at NTS

Introduction
Worship is an integral part of our relationship with God. From the very onset God created us to worship him and to do it in the best way possible. The Theology of Worship class has opened my eyes to a lot of things which I did not even realize about worship before. It has allowed me to look at worship in new ways and even more creative ways than I have ever done before. It has allowed me to have a wide scope of viewing worship as opposed to what I used to have in the past.
I am blessed enough to have grown up in several parts of Kenya before moving to the United States. During those years, I witnessed several worship styles from several cultural settings. People have all kinds of different tastes to worship and I have always marveled at how creative these styles can be. In the end, I have learned that my way of worship is just one of many which if we put together we can be able to fulfill the heavenly experience which awaits us when we get to see Jesus. Nevertheless, I also realize the importance of being faithful to the word of God and allowing the Spirit of God to flow through me in many ways even as I worship. I also realize that worship belongs to God and was created by God. I am only a vessel through which that worship is channeled back to him. God has blessed me with a lot of gifts. This is amongst many other gifts given to a lot of people around me. When these gifts are put together, they flow like a river and grant us an opportunity to worship God in an unstoppable way. My prayer at the end of every day is that the Lord may accept my worship and allow me to participate faithfully in worshipping him more and more each day.
David Peterson in Engaging With God: A Biblical Theology of Worship introduces his book with the following quote: “Worship is the supreme and only indispensable activity of the Christian Church. It alone will endure, like the love for God which it expresses, into heaven, when all other activities of the Church will have passed away. It must therefore, even more strictly than any of the less essential doings of the Church, come under the criticism and control of the revelation on which the Church is founded.” When I was in college we used to tell the University Choir that they are the only evangelists who will get a job in heaven. Worship is eternal and as long as we live and when we get to heaven, we will continue worshipping our savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

THEOLOGY
Content of Worship
Worship is an essential part of the Christian life. Every day I wake up the first thing I marvel at is how awesome my God is. It is an amazing experience to know that I am a participant in worshiping my savior and Lord Jesus Christ. It is an ongoing process and what I have to do is to blend in (as my preference will later suggest) and be part of it in the most harmonious way possible. The earth and everything in it reflects the wonder of who God is. All that we see around us should reflect the majesty of God. Don Saliers in Worship as Theology writes, “The sheer wonderment of life, of moon rise or dawn, or of the luxurious variety of living things, is its own testimony. The face of the beloved, the play of children, persons of moral integrity, human creativity in music, painting, film, literature, and all folk arts from every society and culture - all these offer a glimpse of that which seems deeper than all ugliness and violence. Such are clues, perhaps, to something good and beautiful permeating human beings. Poets sing of this: "There lives the dearest freshness deep down things," as in Gerhard Manley Hopkins' poem "God's Grandeur."” I am reminded of the story when Jesus rebuked the Pharisees during the triumphal entry and told them that if the people kept quiet then even stones will begin to shout out and praise the Lord. I once heard someone say during a church service that they don’t want to wait until stones begin to shout so they might as well shout to the top of their lungs.
The content of worship should reflect on the power of our loving God. It should embrace the embodiment of trinity and reflect on the saving grace of Jesus Christ. It should envelope around the presence of the Holy Spirit in us and as our guide and counselor. In the lecture notes, Dr. Schwanz emphasizes that “Christian worship must be thoroughly saturated in the biblical story of God’s redemptive actions. Through worship, you, the worshipper, are invited to “find yourself in God’s story,” that is, to join people throughout the ages who have proclaimed that Jesus is Savior and Lord. The gospel is heard in true worship.” This makes the content of worship the most important theological aspect of it. The content actually determines where worship goes the moment it begins.
The content of worship must include prayer. Prayer is the most crucial part of the Christian life. It involves us directly communicating with God and presenting our thanksgiving and requests to him. It is very common for prayer to be at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of every worship service. As a matter of fact prayer should be in every part of a worship service. Another important part of the content of worship is Scripture. I have been in many Nazarene worship services where Scripture reading did not even feature before preaching. In such services, usually the people depend entirely on the preacher’s Scripture reading which at times is not even done in a formal way but in bits and pieces. In such a case the people may go back home without participating in the most important part of their lives as Christians.
The content of worship must also contain (if necessary) songs which reflect the desired theme. There are several seasons in the Christian calendar which can be properly honored through appropriate and theme-fitting songs. These seasons and events include, Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, and as mentioned in the lecture notes the “liturgical year can be understood as being divided into two sections: Christ and the Christian.” These are not only important historically but also in the contemporary Christian life. In examining these seasons, Christians have the privilege to use songs specifically composed to embrace the messages of these seasons and therefore able to help the Christian grow spiritually in worship in truth and in Spirit.
The content of worship must also contain sound theological themes. In the blended section of Exploring the Worship Spectrum Robert Webber writes, “Blended worship is about the triune God. We worship God the Father in the language of mystery, God the Son in the language of story, and God the Spirit in the language of symbol.” Such themes should embrace particular events following the Christian calendar or specific events like baptism, dedication, wedding, and many others. These are also used in special services on numerous occasions in the Christian calendar. There are specific doctrinal themes embraced by particular denominations for example, holiness or the doctrine of Entire Sanctification. Such themes may require use of songs and sermons which are able to embrace them during services.

Structure of Worship
Worship should essentially be structured to reflect its very true source which is the Lord. It should be structured in a way suitable to the worshipers yet presentable to the one to whom the worship is presented. The structure of worship should be harmonic and rhythmic to enable the participants to feel what they are doing yet present it faithfully to the Lord. The structure of worship should be broad just as we have many traditions which reflect differently on how worship is supposed to be done yet all seem to arrive at the same goal which is to uplift the name of the Lord. The structure should include all the things (instruments, use of bodily expressions, costumes, etc) that the congregation are aware of and are able to do without feeling isolated. The structure may embrace different kinds of models. In Exploring the Worship Spectrum, Webber writes in the Blended section that, “The biblical order of worship (our communal rehearsal of our relationship with God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) itself brings us into the presence of the transcendent God, draws our lives into the story and unleashes the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives here and now in public worship, and then in the worship of our whole life in all that we do.” Webber continues that “This structure or order of worship is called the fourfold pattern because it does four things: (1) it gathers the people in God’s presence; (2) it tells and proclaims the story in the song, in Scripture, in preaching, in prayer, and in the kiss of peace; (3) it enacts the story in water, bread, wine, oil (the symbols speak and act); and (4) it sends God’s people forth into the world to love and serve the Lord. This fourfold pattern is rooted in Scripture and attested in history.” These models may be traditional, contemporary or in between. The worship structure is essential to the overall outcome of a service.
The structure of worship may involve use of symbolic languages especially in the liturgy, hymns, prayers, collects, and contemporary and traditional songs. Each of these components completes the worship experience. The worship structure, even though not as important as the content, should reflect the particular message conveyed by the content. Historically the structure developed from the Word and the Eucharist into entrance, Word, Eucharist and dismissal. In the lecture notes, Dr. Schwanz notes, “In spatial terms, entrance is moving in, the Word is moving down from God Almighty to the congregation, Eucharist (or thanksgiving) is moving up from the congregation to God, and dismissal is moving out.” The entrance includes gathering, praise, and renewal. The gathering may involve informal greetings, announcements, call to worship, processional greetings, call to worship, invocation or collect and songs. The praise section of the entrance may involve songs, scripture readings, and receiving of the offerings. The entrance allows the worshippers to enter into the presence of God. It is very common to use a call to worship during this time. The goal of the call to worship is to “assemble the saints” and get them ready for the worship that is before them. An invocation addressed to God usually follows the call to worship. The whole process is an affirmation of total dependence on God and the people are able to express this through for example, a prayer of confession.
According to the lecture notes, the Word movement is “cognitive and instructive.” It involves listening and response. During reading of the Word which may also be done creatively by involving the entire or certain sections of the congregation, the body of Christ is able to experience the beautiful process of listening to the voice of God. “The service of the Word is dialogical in nature: the congregation listens as the Word is read and proclaimed, then responds by declaring their obedience and commitment to the Word.”
Some of the actions done during the proclamation of the Word of God include, children’s sermon, prayer illumination, Scripture reading and response, silent meditation, drama, preparation song and sermon. During the worship service, the people are also given an opportunity to respond to the Word of God. Response is an essential part because it allows the worshipper to affirm what the Lord is doing in their lives through worship. This response may involve, songs, discussion of the sermon, invitation to an altar call, receiving the offering, prayers of the people, creed, passing the peace, confession and assurance of pardon. These actions enable the participants during a worship service to experience the blessings of the Lord without any limits.
The last two parts of the structure of worship are thanksgiving and dismissal. In thanksgiving the people are able to express their gratitude to God through the offertory, doxology, silent meditation for self examination, songs, The Lord’s Supper, prayers of thanksgiving, songs of thanksgiving, baptism or child dedication, and anointing with oil for healing. It is particularly important to note the importance of thanksgiving whether through the Eucharist or offering. It simply enables us to acknowledges the goodness of the Lord and be thankful for the things he has done and continues to do in our lives. I think it is probably the least emphasized in most modern churches yet remains one of the most important aspects of the Christian worship. After entrance, the Word, and thanksgiving, the people of God are able to conclude the corporate dialogue with God through dismissal. Dismissal involves, congregational songs, benediction, words of sending, announcements, recessional, and postlude. The dismissal is the shortest of all these movements but it should be done with joy since it brings to conclusion the opportunity to participate in a worship service instituted by the Lord himself. All the praise is given to the Lord.

Style of Worship
I think one of the most fascinating things about worship is the style in which or with which it is done. I happen to come from a very diverse culture and my father had the opportunity to pastor a number of churches in different parts of Kenya. This brought quite a tremendous experience seeing all the worship styles across Kenya. After pastoring mostly in Western Kenya, we moved to Nairobi where things were totally different. Western Kenya was very diverse in worship style. People were a little bit more expressive and felt free during worship. Clapping of hands was the main instrumental alongside drum sets and other African instruments. If you have ever been in an African church then you would notice how people use hand-clapping quite extensively. People also sang relatively loud and sometimes a small room could seem quite small.
In Nairobi, the worship was more contemporary. More instruments were used and a lot of stuff was computerized. Most of the songs if not all were projected onto a screen. The young people did most of the special songs and these were usually laced by dances of different kinds. I remember Central Church of the Nazarene, Nairobi using hymns only during the offering session or on just very few services. But the style was typically contemporary with some services carrying a blended tone to it. I also had a chance to visit a number of churches which were more charismatic and others music driven. As an assignment for another Worship class at ANU, we got to visit a few churches which had liturgical, traditional hymn-based and contemporary music-driven styles of worship.
As I grew older I realized that all these styles were just attempts to worship in the best way possible for those respective congregations. Paul A. Basden concludes Exploring the Worship Spectrum by issuing some very important remarks. He writes, “When it comes to understanding how to worship God, the limiting and leveling factor facing every one of us is this: “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12).” The Lord has blessed us with all kinds of gifts and when we maximize the use of those gifts then I am very sure we will see diverse results just as we see in worship styles. The style should not allow any room for compromise of the content and historically structure just as mentioned in the notes. It should instead be complimentary of the content and structure since it is mostly expressed in the song service. Of the all the three components of the Theology of Worship, it is style which has changed the most with time, “from classical music and hymnody (choir and organ) with vestments in the first service, to praise songs (worship team and band) with vestments in the second service, to praise songs (worship team and band) with no vestments in the third service.” Style also tends to draw heavily from culture to culture. Webber adds that “the style of worship reflects culture.” As the Gospel message was preached across the world, each culture tended to contextualize the message as it was and used the existing musical trends to also develop music that is relevant to the Gospel message. I can cite quite a few songs which are simply duplicated versions of secular songs yet remain very popular in the Gospel music world especially here in Kenya.
On a personal level, I think style of worship must also be restrictive. Biblical principles must dictate the style of worship not matter what it costs. The worship leader is entrusted with the task of ensuring that the style of worship remains strongly rooted in Scripture. There are tunes which are just way too secular to be used to produce Gospel music. There are also some dancing trends especially among the young people which have been used in Christian stages and their portrayal of sensuality and hedonism does not enhance the message of Jesus Christ. As the world moves much farther and farther away from God, it seems to drag the church closer and closer to it. The church should inform the culture of the world and not vice versa as it looks today.
In the course of this class I have constantly embraced "blended worship" as my main style. Coming from a very culturally diverse background, I have found out that it is essential to include everybody in worship no matter their preference considering that those preferences honor God and are done with faithfulness. As I have mentioned under the content of worship, a good style of worship can be theologically sound yet enjoyable and flexible to suit those who are participating freely. A blended worship style does not isolate and still allows others to enjoy what others are able to do best. While everybody may be included, everybody is also given the opportunity to give their best. The message can still be kept pure despite the blending.
No matter what the worship style is, it should be God-centered and God-authored. We should worship God just as God wants us to worship him. The worship styles only allow us to be free and express ourselves but we should treat it is a sacrificial opportunity so that we give our best since the Lord deserves the best. Basden mentions Paul Zahl who “reminds us that worship should be vertical, biblical, and Godward.” We should always remember where it all begins and where it ends. Styles will always vary but I think that variation should actually make us bond together and enjoy watching others worship the Lord just as we do. I think it is going to be a big choir in heaven, let alone the diversity. King David must be rehearsing for it quite a bunch.

PASTORAL STRATEGY
My current place of worship which I would consider as immediate former for the time being was in a more blended setting. The church itself is in a small town of about 1000 people and everybody somehow had a relationship with or was a former member of the Lutheran, Presbyterian, or Catholic churches in town. There were also young couples who had probably grown up in these churches and were looking for an opportunity to experience something new. There were also veteran members who had been in the Nazarene church for a very long time and had their generational families with them. It was amazing how there can be such polarization in such a small town especially amongst these churches. As a matter of fact some of my visits to these churches during this class were probably the second or the third time.
The worship at the Nazarene church is a blended one which tends to lean towards traditional and contemporary worship styles. There is regular use of hymns though they are usually the modernized versions. A lot of contemporary songs are also usually used during the morning service. The church has a piano and several guitars. There is also a contemporary drum set and a reasonable sound system which have always drawn criticism from older members in the church. The songs are usually projected onto a screen and sung most of the times with members standing.
I would satisfactorily say that my current place of worship is adequate enough in terms of fulfilling its goals. I would particularly be concerned about the approach and also the way in which the member get involved during worship. There is usually little or no enthusiasm at all from the members during worship. It is very common to see members stand and watch the praise and worship team do all the worship without participating at all. This lack of enthusiasm itself can make the members lose focus and actually impede the presence of the Holy Spirit during worship. A more profound encounter with God through corporate worship is more than necessary.
I think one of the ways to encourage the members to step up their involvement would be to open a whole teaching series on worship. This would involve several materials used during this worship class and also member participation through other various avenues including skits and personal presentations. I would also encourage members to see the urgency and importance of worship and participation in it. Through prayer, I would also ask the Lord to open the members’ eyes to enable them to see the beauty involved in worship and ask them to do it wholeheartedly as if it belonged to them. More importantly I would ask the members to embrace worship in their home settings with their respective families. There is no better place to teach corporate worship than in the family setting. If it is done in the home, then it can be easily done in the church.

PASTORAL LEADERSHIP
How I plan and conduct worship is very essential to the fulfillment of its purpose. Throughout this class, I have come to realize that the worship leader is very important to the outcome of a worship service more than I initially thought. I remember several occasions in the past when I chose a number of songs and gave them to the worship leader to figure out how they were all going to be sung during a worship service without even imagining the various differences in key or rhythm and how much problem they could present to the worship leader. I have also been in worship services where the songs were literally miles apart in terms of their theological implications. Others even had songs with seasonal themes without considering the season itself while others had nothing absolutely to do with the theme intended for them. There is also the importance of having a worship service which flows from the beginning to the end. I have attended worship services which somehow got lost in the middle not to come back and find themselves. As a pastoral leader, I think there are several key elements which should determine how I plan and conduct worship.
Firstly, I think the setting especially where the worship is conducted would be key to the worship planning. I would first ensure that I know the type of worshippers who will be involved in the worship process which may include, age group; cultural orientation, education especially language (this would probably make much more sense in a diverse setting especially here in Africa and most major cities), and social factors which may determine their response. I would particularly be sensitive on how I conduct worship in certain settings. I remember when I first went to the United States and how different things seemed in my first few weeks. My accent was completely different, the songs were mostly new to me, the people worshipped differently and I am only thankful to the Lord who gave me the patience to learn and embrace the newer styles. Secondly, I would look at the available resources especially those at my disposal like instruments, song books, sound systems, and may be a choir. I would also consider carefully the occasion in which the worship service is to be conducted. The Theology of Worship class has specifically taught me the importance of the Christian year and I have realized how much I have ignored very important Christian practices in the past. The Christian events are specifically important to how I would design a worship plan. The lecture notes particularly helped me to realize the massive importance of the sacraments during worship services.
In one of the lecture notes, Common Immeasurable Elements in Sacred Spaces, Michael Shaugnessy mentions the importance of faith, unity, support, ritual, mystery, symbolism and truth as very important to the Christian experience of Worship. Each of these elements must be reinforced during any worship planning and I would particularly ensure that where applicable, each is ideally recognized and used as desired. Shaugnessy also adds that, “Truth and integrity are paramount in the design of the sacred spaces.” How I design worship plan must be thoroughly dictated by scriptural truth. Sometimes even my personal preferences are bound to be ignored if they don’t necessarily proclaim the message of Jesus.
Another set of key elements in worship planning include the use of songs, especially hymns, psalms and spiritual songs. When selecting songs, I must consider the themes, harmonic relationships, and emotional pacing. Each of these resources will ensure the worship plan has a flow and fulfills its intended desire. The overall worship plan must have consistency in message and must also flow freely. Use of Scripture readings and prayers must be designed in such a way that they fit into the worship plan and flow easily with the rest of the service.

Conclusion
There is nothing more beautiful than worship. For me, it is a personal thing to a personal God. My desire is to be the best worshiper ever and every day I strive to improve my worship to my God. It even amazes me that the Lord has given me the tremendous opportunity to participate in worshipping him. Paul A. Basden concludes Exploring the Worship Spectrum with the following words: “The truth that grasps me, that will not release me, is this: God is past finding out, more powerful and holy and gracious than we can imagine, beyond our highest thoughts, deeper than our most intense emotions. Yet he calls us to worship him. Such is the challenge before us: We humans – mortal, flawed, fallen creatures that we are – offer our worship to God – the eternal, perfect, all-wise Creator and Lord.” I am amazed.

Mary Mary

Jeremy Camp - There Will Be A Day

Church and Politics

Three Degrees of Separation from Speaking of Faith on Vimeo.

The Church that I love

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Moving On: What about the relationships?

It took me quite a while to get back on this one. Eventually I knew I had to post something on here to keep this blog going. About a month ago, I took off from my beloved small town of LaMoure, after a two year stint as a youth pastor. If you've ever lived in a small town then you would probably know the effects it had on me. I have rightfully claimed it was by far the best experience I have ever had in my entire life. The main reason supporting this claim is the relationships I established with almost the entire community of over 900 people. To some, that is a pretty small town but there was always more to the town than just a small town label. Apart from that it brought back to the good old memories of growing up in rural Kenya.

Growing up, there was a clear sense of community wherever you went. Whether it was at the village market or the old prairie church or on the corridors of the mud-walled elementary schools, you always never failed to sense somebody was looking out for you. I remember being punished for wrongdoing by people I didn't even know. I remember being aided by people I had never even met. All these happened the moment I arrived in the small town of LaMoure. During my time at the seminary in Kansas City, my fellow students have always wondered what in the world led me to LaMoure and how I survived two winters there. To them it is probably the most fascinating thing that they have ever heard of. To me, it was just another wonderful life experience.

Here is my point. When I first arrived in LaMoure, there was a little curiosity by a lot of people to know who I was and where I came from and some of my stories, both good and bad. After a while, everybody seemed to have known me inside out. There is always a small town mentality where people tend to share stories and spread news very quickly. Suddenly people I had not met or even remembered anything about began to say hello to me and tell how good it was to have me in the town. I was kind of fascinated by that having lived for a while in Nairobi. Life was totally different when I moved to Nairobi in 2003 after high school. It was even hard to know who lived next door no matter how many times you met. So when I came to LaMoure, my values were reinforced and once again I began to develop relationships. I was always taught to value relationships with people no matter where they came from, their background and everything that defined them. Nairobi seemed to have taken that away from me. The teens especially made my life what it is and for the first time I knew that people whom you didn't even know still cared.

Eventually, it was time for me to move on. I had arrived without any friends yet I left having developed many relationships. I don't know how long those relationships will last but I know for sure that they existed at one point in life. Nevertheless, there is only one relationship that can never be broken. The relationship with our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. We have to remember that we are capable of walking away from it but he will never leave us nor forsake us. So you know that I am a true Wesleyan.

A Doctrinal Comparative Evaluation of Wesleyan and Pentecostal Perspectives on Sanctification

This paper was presented in the Doctrine of Christian Holiness class (Spring 2008)

Introduction to Sanctification
In all the varied views of what sanctification is and is not, each seem to agree to the fact that it is all directed towards a holistic relationship with God through Jesus Christ which each individual ought to yearn for. The Bible is foundational in defining this relationship as agreed by all of them. Gundry states that the authors of these varied views agree “that the Bible teaches a sanctification that is past, present, and future.” The past is embedded in Christ’s already completed work. The present is found in a life that progressively seeks to live like Christ and the future is entrusted in Christ’s return when sin is totally removed. With a strong desire to do the will of God and the acknowledgement of Jesus Christ as Lord of all our lives, we can truly be sanctified in Jesus Christ. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, it is possible to live a sanctified life.

Wesleyan Perspective
The Wesleyan tradition has been known for its strong concern for an “ethical faith.” John Wesley’s strong definitive theological viewpoints ensured that the aim for a practical and an ethical experience of the Christian life and that of the church remained a high priority of and in the Christian life. For Wesley, biblical Christianity is not an end in itself. It must be complimented by a practical ““faith that works by divine love” in the crucible of everyday life.” Every person has the freedom to choose to enjoy the gifts of God or reject them. God’s sovereign grace and the freedom of humankind to choose, put together, provides the ultimate spiritual experience for every Christian.

Pentecostal Perspective
The Pentecostal perspective is founded strongly in Acts 2:4 where speaking in tongues is considered the “initial outward evidence that a person has been baptized in the Holy Spirit.” Such a person is then considered ready for the Christian service. Traditionally, this experience was witnessed by a large number of people who gathered together for worship in a former Methodist church in Azusa Street in Los Angeles. The initial belief was that sanctification was a second definite work of grace while baptism was the third. This was evident outwardly through speaking in tongues. Other definitions especially by the Assemblies of God said that the believer was required to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in order to be sanctified. It was not necessarily a goal to be pursued by the Christian.

Comparative Analysis of Wesleyan and Pentecostal Perspectives on Sanctification
For Wesleyans, “the supreme and overruling purpose of God’s plan of salvation is to renew men’s and women’s hearts in His own image.” This view strongly suggests that the current life of an individual is full of a divine purpose. It also suggests a fundamental relationship which must be built from the point of salvation as one seeks to grow in grace. The holiness lost in the fall of man can be restored fully by the grace of God which is available to all. Some of the early teachings from the Pentecostal movements however suggest that sanctification is attained the moment one believes in Jesus Christ. Their sins are forgiven and they become totally cleansed from all unrighteousness. According the Pentecostal movement, water baptism plays a very important role in sanctification. One is immersed in water and dies with Christ and one arises from that water one also arises with Christ as Christ arose from the dead. This signifies a unique newly established relationship between one and God that can never be broken. This relationship in itself is established by the work of Christ and our union with him.

According to the Wesleyans, God purposefully loved all human kind. This is virtually evident in the provision of the prevenient grace. Adam and Eve had been corrupted yet the Lord overlooked this and called them back to Himself accepting them the way they were. In a similar way, God has continued to call every single descendant of Adam and Eve and it is upon them to accept or reject this call. This persistent call for restoration of a broken relationship truly reflects on the magnitude of God’s love above everything else. For the Pentecostals, the moment we are set free by the blood of Christ, we are made full participants in God’s kingdom. We then become rightful inheritors of the blessings of God through Jesus Christ. All this happened because of the sacrifice by Jesus Christ on the cross for all humankind. The cross therefore becomes very critical to our sanctification.

For the Pentecostals, there is need for progress in sanctification. We are dead to sin when we accept Jesus Christ as our savior, but we still have a part to play in the ensuing process. We may be saved but we still have work to do. This work includes turning away from our former ways and acquiring new ways that are in line with the will of God. Our continued walk with Christ also means continual cleansing from all unrighteousness so that when we play our part well, God plays His equally. For the Wesleyans, we have to depend upon God. This is what it means to love God with all our hearts, soul and mind. The spirit is in constant work in us. This enables us to come to the point of repentance and faith and our lives are constantly renewed in the image of God. God wants to restore us back to that perfect relationship before the fall. This can only happen if we totally submit and depend on Him.

According to the Wesleyans, regeneration marks the beginning of sanctification. We are granted a compelling motive to love God and to be conformed in His image. We then become victorious over sin through the power of the Holy Spirit. At this moment we begin to become like Christ. This grows and develops into a perfect love for God and for others which is meant for every child born of God. For the Pentecostals the Spirit’s work does not only give us life but also baptizes us into the body of Christ. When we are plunged into the water of baptism we become filled and saturated with the Spirit. The Word of God is also empowered and made effective in us through the Holy Spirit. The Word of the Spirit is the word of God. It is only through this Word that God accomplishes His work in our hearts and in our lives. When we do our part, God sees our potential and “makes provision for it through the Spirit and the Word.”

According to the Pentecostals, “God’s purpose in sanctification is to bring us to maturity, not (at least in this life) to absolute or perfection.” This maturity is brought about by the Word and the Spirit. The Christians therefore has the duty to respond the Word and the Spirit in faith and obedience. We have to fully cooperate with the Word and the Spirit in order to become sanctified. Nevertheless, not matter how much we progress and or even try to, we can not be made perfect in this life. As long as we are doing our best with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are essentially healthy Christians participating in entire sanctification. For the Wesleyans, sanctification is a process through which we are perfected in Christ. To be sanctified is to be set apart and totally consecrated to God. There is still more work going on beyond this life but Christians can be made perfect in love in this love. “Wesley understood entire sanctification, or perfection in love, then, as a continuum of grace and response that leads persons from the guilt and despair of their sin to the knowledge of God and, by faith in His grace in Jesus Christ, to the crisis moment of the justification and the new birth.” We are able to respond to God’s Holiness and love for us through obedience. This obedience to the will of God leads to conformity to the mind of Christ for the believer. At this point one is free and able to enjoy the “pure love of God in all their relationships.” Gundry concludes that Wesley’s “emphasis upon the importance of what God does “in us” through Christ, as well as upon what God does “for us” through Christ, constitutes Wesley’s greatest contribution to the Christian church.” Perfection of love in us by God through the Holy Spirit is the ultimate goal of the Christian life. It is a gift that can be enjoyed by every Christian today.

Conclusion
These two perspectives are obviously distinct from each other. Both draw a lot of biblical support for their views but what remains important is the issue itself which is sanctification. Sanctification is scriptural and is necessary for every Christian. We must die to sin and live as Christ in our daily lives. Of course we are bound to make mistakes but that should not be an excuse for submitting our lives fully to God and allowing Him to be Lord over our lives. When we sing the song of surrendering all to Jesus we should mean every single word in there. It is the only way through which we can be transformed by Christ through the Holy Spirit and live a sanctified life.

Examining Wynkoop’s A Theology of Love: The Dynamic of Wesleyanism

This paper was presented in the Doctrine of Christian Holiness class in Spring 2008. After a review, the professor thought I was a disciple of Wynkoop to which I said I don't know.

Introduction
There is no better way of describing Wesleyanism without examining the central theme embedded in love. Love is broad and almost incomprehensible in human limited terms, at least in the English language. In the preface to A Theology of Love, Wynkoop suggests, “love may mean anything – or nothing.” Every single context may vary in bringing out the complexity of understanding what love is. Songs, poems, drama and many other literary dimensions have been composed to try and grasp the idea of love. Wynkoop also describes Wesley as an “Apostle of Love.” She adds, Wesley “Proclaimed holiness, the highest possible spiritual value, in terms of love, in the ace of love’s lowest possible connotation.” The Christian’s attempt to emulate Jesus Christ must begin and end in love.

Preliminary Observations
The thesis of Wynkoop’s book is that “love is the dynamic of Wesleyanism.” It propels the ideas which define Wesleyanism. Wynkoop adds, “After any substantial research into John Wesley’s writing one becomes aware of the high importance of love to his theology and preaching concerns.” All the theological concepts making up Wesleyanism are heavily embedded in love. It is like a segmented circle whose center piece is love. According to Wynkoop, it is much better to understand Wesley’s theology as of love rather than holiness. Wesley rediscovered the central issue of Christianity in love. “Holiness is dynamic and that the character of holiness is love.” It is important to understand holiness dynamically as love. The idea of a personal relationship only affirms the equal concepts of love and holiness.
Love is profound. It is much deeper than it sounds. It has great implications that include ethics, personal relationship, outreach, creativity, psychology and many others. A theology of love gives a strong emphasis on the origins which obviously drives everything else back to God and then humanity as a faithful participant in God’s creation. The etymologies of the concepts, agape and eros help to give insightful meanings to the conception of love. Wynkoop then begins a journey of exploring love in Wesleyanism. She examines the origins of Wesleyanism with John Wesley at the center of it all. Wesley’s theology becomes very critical here, especially his critical approach and understanding of the circumstances that surrounded his time. Wynkoop also explores a hermeneutical approach to Wesley. In this attempt, she discusses Wesley’s methodology and his understanding of humanity and the social aspects of religion and their biblical founding.

Examining the Core Principles
It is always a daunting task to try to define Christianity to the very basics making it what it is versus what it should be. Relationships are very important. As a matter of fact, it is rightfully correct to define Christianity in terms of a relationship between Christians and Jesus Christ. It signifies a faithful initiative to follow into the steps of Jesus Christ. Relationship has a tendency to grow or deteriorate, especially in human terms where forgiveness may not even exist. In Godly terms the relationship is nurtured and immersed in the concept of love where the love of God defines everything else. This love is meant to grow. As one grows in the relationship, one begins to grasp the idea of God’s love towards people. To know God is to love God. One is still bound to make mistakes or even attempt to run away from this relationship, but God is gracious and merciful and is able to restore such persons back to him. It brings to mind the stories about the prodigal son or even the parable of the lost sheep. Several steps have to be taken in order to stay in this relationship.

A life of holiness entails a thorough self examination not for pride but for discipline purposes. It is important to dedicate one’s self fully to the Lord. We have to entrust the Lord to cleanse thoroughly and prepare us for His works. A clean heart is particularly important in doing the will of the Lord. Wynkoop writes, “The clean heart was a part of the spiritual quest which characterized” Wesley’s “life.” As a matter of fact, the doctrine of holiness emphasizes strongly on a clean heart. There is also a huge biblical emphasis of a clean heart. Purity of the heart or a cleansed heart ought to be sought by all Christians. It is a significant step towards building the relationship in love. The love for God and man entails maintaining those relationships not only in physical terms but also in spiritual terms. Wynkoop adds, “Cleansing or purity of heart is as difficult to lift out of its context as is faith or perfection or love or obedience because it partakes, like they, so intimately of them all that to abstract it robs it of the very thing it is.” The purpose of cleansing is to become pure. Purity is essential in a trustworthy relationship. Wynkoop cites the extreme moralistic tones of purity which include “cultic purity” and “moralism.” She says that Wesley avoided these tones instead averting to more practical and biblical understanding of purity. His followers followed the same path. Wynkoop also cites several biblical connotations of the words purity and cleansing. A very good biblical example was used by Jesus Christ when he said, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). This becomes a very personal act by the fact that it is intended to come from the heart of a particular individual. The result of seeing God becomes even more personal and significant to the faithful. “The emphasis on a heart being pure is significant. Purity is a quality of “hearts.”” It is important to conclude that when purity begins from the heart, it spreads out into the whole person and is reflected on the outward behavior. Wynkoop also adds, “Purity or cleansing is a moral relationship to God and man, not a quality in the substance of the soul.” This means that all the glory is God’s and not based on personal efforts and works.

Wynkoop then takes us to the next level by addressing the idea of perfection. Perfection has commonly been used and certainly misunderstood. Wesley’s doctrine of perfection can be simply summarized in the love of God and man. Wynkoop includes statements such as, “Love is the dynamic of theology and experience. Love, structured by holiness, links all that we know of man. Love is the end of the law. It is the goal of every step in grace and the norm of the Christian life in this world.” Wynkoop obviously seems to be addressing “real” Christians as Collins described Wesley in his book, A Real Christian. I would just like to add that all Christians should endeavor, not by their own means but by the acknowledgement of the power of God through the Holy Spirit, to live a life of perfect love. Christian perfection is not and should not be understood as perfectionism. That kind of approach automatically puts it out of context. We are commanded to be perfect just as the father is. Of course we don’t expect the Lord to grant us what we cannot bear. We first have to acknowledged that we are totally dependent upon Him and all else goes from there. There should be constant maturity in experience. Wynkoop adds, “Christian perfection is the entering into a covenant with God, that is, the attainment of majority or spiritual adulthood.” The Christian character must ripen. It must endeavor to continue on as it gets closer and closer to the will of God.
In addressing the issue of sanctification, Wynkoop picks up on the two dynamics which are distinguishable in Wesleyanism: Substance and circumstance. According to her, “Substance referred to the content of truth; circumstance, the means to that end.” There is a response which is evident in a life being totally submitted to God. We basically respond to God’s call. The substance goes deep down inside the heart of the individual. The fact that it relates to the experience does not accredit it fully to the individual. Sanctification is obviously related to God. We also have to remember that we have a part to play in the process. The moral response of man to God’s salvation is absolutely critical. This does not mean we have to work for it at all. Our love for God directs us to totally depend on Him. Wynkoop adds, “If sanctification is basically purity of heart, and purity of heart a single-hearted love for God, or an undivided heart, we speak of a dynamic relationship – not a static, impersonal state.” Circumstance denotes an occurrence and the acknowledgement of it. The spiritual progress is obviously important and every Christian should examine themselves personally yet be careful about boasting of the steps they have taken above everybody else. Instead, it should bring an opportunity to celebrate God’s gift of grace to all of humanity.

Interpreting Wesley's "A Plain Account of Christian Perfection"

The doctrine of Christian perfection is unequivocal in the Wesleyan tradition. As a matter of fact, it stands out clearly in any Wesleyan theological interpretation. Wesley himself described in his A Plain Account of Christian Perfection of his intention “to give a plain and distinct account of the steps by which I was led, during a course of many years, to embrace the doctrine of Christian perfection.” He outlines a lifetime of careful examination of what Christian perfection is and what it ought to be. With this, Wesley presents what he describes as his “thought” and why he “thought so.”

Wesley begins his discourse by describing his amazing experience after he read Bishop Taylor’s Rule and Exercises of Holy Living and Dying. He describes how he was “exceedingly affected” after reading several parts of the book. He was particularly attracted to the part of the book that spoke explicitly about “purity of intention.” This convinced him that he had to do nothing but surrender all his life to God. This included his words, actions and all his thoughts to which “there was no medium.” One either was totally dedicated to God or nothing else. His discourse continues with the readings from Kempis and Law, which expounds to his exploratory experience. Nevertheless, it all led him to begin to study the bible seriously. He describes the Bible as “the only standard of truth, and the only model of pure religion.” From this basis he also builds the idea that the Christian walk must embrace Jesus Christ in the entirety and total conformity to “our Master.”

Wesley then embarks on a sermon he preached before the university in St. Mary’s Church: The Circumcision of the Heart. In this sermon, Wesley embraces love as encompassing all the commandments. According to him, love for God out of God’s love for us should supercede everything else that we might think about. He goes ahead to outline the true character of a Methodist in regards to the instructions he is giving to the followers of his teachings. Wesley then focuses on the importance of Christians allowing Christ to live in them. This is the only way that they can live a victorious life free from evil yet bound in the love of Christ. In order to reach this point where one truly loves God with their heart, one has to go through obstacles and even failures. The out-pouring of the Grace of God is available to every Christian so that in the process, “they are freed from self-will, as desiring nothing but the holy and perfect will of God: not supplies in want, not ease of pain, nor life, or death, or any creature; but continually crying in their inmost soul, ‘Father, Thy will be done.’” Wesley also cites a number of hymns that he feels are relevant to the message of Christian perfection.

The inevitable discourse on sanctification then comes up. In a conference, they agreed that to be sanctified is “to be renewed in the image of God, “in righteousness and true holiness.”” It implied “the loving God with all our heart, and mind, and soul” as mentioned in Deuteronomy 6:5. At this point, according to Wesley, one begins to love with all their heart and dedicate everything in their lives to Him. It becomes a step-by-step process that must truly reflect the desire to participate in communion with God. He gives a brief insertion about the command to be holy just as the Father is.

Christian perfection comes with a responsibility. Christians must guard their hearts against falsehood and continue to seek the Lord earnestly. In the process, Christians are able to witness and bear fruit to the message that they preach through love. They however have to be constantly reminded that they need Christ and without Him they would be of no use at all. The Scripture must also remain the basis of authority in the Christian life. It is only through Scripture that the Christian is made aware of God’s love. It is through the Scriptures that one can see the examples of Jesus Christ, whether he was tempted, or whether he lived a life worthy of following; so that one is able to see that Christian perfection is attainable. Sanctification also depends totally upon God. God gives freely and the fruit of the Spirit is available to all. Through those gifts, Christians are able to exemplify Christ in their lives as they live a holy life.

Wesley completes his papers by saying that perfection is there because it is mentioned over and over in the Scripture. He cites, “It is not so early as justification; It is not so late as death; It is not absolute; It does not make any man infallible; It is perfect love: it is improvable; It is amissible and also that it is constantly both preceded and followed by a gradual work.” Every single Christian is called to perfection. Wesley clarifies the fact that Christian perfection does not just come overnight. It springs forth in Christians who have dedicated their lives totally to God and are willing to live for Him. True love of God comes from a pure heart. A pure heart is filled with pure intentions. Pure intensions are driven by humility and total dependence upon God. It is a cycle that begins with God and ends with God. The moment Christians lose their focus of God, they forget the commands that have been given them, to be holy, and begin to embrace the worldly pleasures of which the Christian must remain vigilant and rely upon the freedom in Christ in order to overcome. Wesley also points out that we must be witnesses in Christian perfection. True experience of the love of God will outwardly show in the eyes of everybody. It begins on the inside and translates into the outside. A victorious life is one that totally depends on God. Jesus Christ paid the price for our freedom. Our source of strength and hope is solely contingent upon the cross of Jesus Christ.

Response to Vatican

The Vatican has put up a new list of sins that are considered as deadly as those mentioned traditionally. We can all go back and talk about pride, gluttony, sloth, envy, anger, greed and lust but the new list includes polluting, genetic engineering, being obscenely rich, drug dealing, abortion, pedophilia and causing social injustice. Without a doubt sin is a very broad issue and never limited by mere words and definitions. As a matter of fact, a Wesleyan like me would obviously embrace quite a number of definitions but with one simply standing out. Sin is simply a willful transgression against a known law of God. When I take Jesus' summary of the law of Moses when He said, you gotta love your God with all your heart, soul and mind and then love your neighbor as yourself, it obviously suggests a relational aspect of the nature and attribute of God.

Relationship
There is no question about the importance of a strong relationship with God and the need to constantly nurture that relationship. Firstly I acknowledge the fact that I am a sinner who is totally dependent on God and that I can not do anything else but to trust and rely upon Christ's faithfulness. I also acknowledged God's sacrifice through His son Jesus Christ who died to save me from my sins. As a result of his resurrection, I can now live a life free of sin. I don't totally condemn the necessity of works in trying to address holy living. But I think God excepts me to grow from childhood to adulthood. That comes with responsibility and each one of us is called to be responsible and not careless. It also means that I should not take the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ for granted. I must constantly work at it with fear and trembling. Of course I will not necessarily trust in my merits but Christ's merits on the cross. So how do I nurture this relationship without placing all the attention on what I am doing instead of what Christ is doing in me? Well, it is through submission and fully submitting myself to God, in His service and to His people. This means I must love unconditionally just like He did for me. If I haven't done any sin then there would be no need to be saved. But as Jesus pointed out, if any of us was called upon to cast the first stone in case we are sinless, then all of us would walk away with our heads low. A relationship must be responsible. Christ watches over us every day, but we have to allow him to work in us. We can choose to resist or give him way. A relationship can be broken especially in this sinfully stained world. But with God, it can be restored and the most beautiful thing is, it can be restored completely as if it was anew.

So what is all these to do with these sins. I totally agree that these are unacceptable acts before God. With a society where individualism and pride is taking over by the minute, it is becoming harder and harder by the day to address some of these acts. I therefore applaud the Vatican for taking the step to acknowledge these. More to follow.

CONFESSION; A Means of Grace?

James 5:16, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

Romans 10:9, "That if you confess your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

I went to college with a couple Catholic friends of mine. We used to rant about the whole issue of Penitence and the necessity of it as a means of Grace within the Catholic tradition. My friends and I used to argue that we didn't need nobody to know that we had done anything wrong, let alone the priest or pastor, since we had the full access of Jesus Christ and as Christians we were entitled to forgiveness. As a young Wesleyan, I believed that God was loving so much that I was not going to get in trouble for doing simple wrongdoings. Of course, I was not necessarily ignorant about sin and what sin is and what it isn't. I was very much aware of its roots and causes and often cited the fact that sin was sin before God. I also did understand that sometimes the degree of the consequences can be a little bit higher in once case of a sinful act compared to another. But that is another topic altogether and I will try to talk more about it later on.

Was/Is there a necessity of Penitence? Does it amount to Confession? In this case I use Confession to mean acknowledgment or disclosure of sin or sinfulness, esp. to a priest to obtain absolution (dictionary.com). When one stands before a priest and confesses one's sins and the priest says "your sins are forgiven," does that stand? And it does, then for how long? Or does it wait somewhere before finally being acknowledged by Jesus? If one's sins are forgiven, then what is the need for penance? If it is true that God forgives our sins and forgets them as East is from the West (Psalm 103:12), then why do we have to make up for them with some kind of punishment? I do understand the fact that there are consequences to sin, some heavier than others. I don't know the answers to these questions at the moment. Nevertheless, I would like to look generally into the true meaning of Confession and by confession I mean εξομολόγηση. Does it amount to a means of Grace? Is it an act that we should constantly participate in or do we hold the general protestant idea that once one's sins are forgiven, then that is it? Lets see!

Matthew 18:15-20, and John 20:19-23 are very critical here. A prayerful life must embrace confession. Firstly, we have to remember Jesus' regular confessional prayers to the Father. He was not necessarily repenting of anything but he was acknowledging the fact that his Father was in charge of everything. He was also submitting Himself to Him. Jesus didn't take advantage of his closeness to the Father but he reduced himself to servant hood in order to serve Him just as He sent Him here on earth.

Back to Confession. Matthew 18:15, "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault..." Now that is quite a step forward. I have to admit that sometimes I carry the resentment within instead of just being open and telling someone they wronged. We tend to be careful not to hurt people. One thing I have observed in my current seminary experience is that people are too nice to each other. My fellow students are too nice that they are literally afraid to say anything they feel can hurt somebody. If we are honest enough we should point out the wrongs in order to correct them. I think we should everybody else around as if they were our own children and at the same time they are our parents.

Jesus command to his disciples when he appeared to them after his resurrection was that if they forgave anyone their sins, those sins would be forgiven and vice versa. Now am not going to go deeper into the etymological issues involved here. I am going to take Jesus for his word. In order for them to have done this, the person who was to be forgiven had to have confessed of and repented of their sins before any action was taken. Jesus was even accused of forgiving sins. He cared deeply enough to see how guilt as a result of sin could hamper someone's relationship with God.

Why is confession of sin between brothers and sisters in Christ critical? It opens up a channel of accountability. It also encourages others who might have felt that their sins are too big to talk about. It gives the weaker brothers and sisters courage to openly share their struggles and seek help from those who have overcome such. A strong sense of security must however be built before this is able to happen. In the Holy Club, the members were free with each other. They knew each other well and understood the circumstantial backgrounds from which each of them had come from. They were aware of each other's failings and were willing to address them. They knew the importance of building a strong relationship in order to bridge any possible gaps that could emerge between them. It reminds of the disciples of Jesus who were often amazed at how much trust Jesus gave them. Sometimes they could not believe that Jesus was so free with them to tell them his secrets. For three years, they struggled to even understand who Jesus was. If they were open enough they could have been able to learn much about him and cast away their doubts forever.

I conclude that confession is a means of grace. It should be a lifestyle. In a fallen world sinfully stained by sin, we are bound to say things we ought not to say or do things we ought not to do. We have also seen people do things which we think they could not have done had they been free with us to tell us what they were going through. Many of such cases have always ended up being fatal. Sometimes the guilt of not sharing our lives with others can overwhelm us. We just have to build those relationships and ensure that we continue to confess our sins one to another and acknowledge that Jesus is Lord over our lives. As a Wesleyan, I think confession is part and parcel of the means of grace.

Extract from A' Kempis Book 1 ch, 5

Reading the Holy Scripture

TRUTH, not eloquence, is to be sought in reading the Holy Scriptures; and every part must be read in the spirit in which it was written. For in the Scriptures we ought to seek profit rather than polished diction.

Likewise we ought to read simple and devout books as willingly as learned and profound ones. We ought not to be swayed by the authority of the writer, whether he be a great literary light or an insignificant person, but by the love of simple truth. We ought not to ask who is speaking, but mark what is said. Men pass away, but the truth of the Lord remains forever. God speaks to us in many ways without regard for persons.

Our curiosity often impedes our reading of the Scriptures, when we wish to understand and mull over what we ought simply to read and pass by. If you would profit from it, therefore, read with humility, simplicity, and faith, and never seek a reputation for being learned. Seek willingly and listen attentively to the words of the saints; do not be displeased with the sayings of the ancients, for they were not made without purpose.

New Year, New Hope, More Trust in God.......

Isaiah 43:18-19 "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

Restoration

It is a new year, a new beginning, a new time to remind ourselves of the goodness of the Lord. It is a time to reminisce the wonderful things God has done in our lives and to continue glorifying Him above all else in our lives. It is that time that we forget the former things and begin to dwell on the new chapter that is being written by the Lord. The Lord reminds us to forget about the former things and to avoid dwelling on the past, but instead, focus on the future, the new things that He is doing in us. The Lord is doing things in our lives that even us will not understand. But what are we called to do? How are we to respond to God's call to do new things in our lives? How are we to react to the amazing things that God is doing?

These questions bring to mind David's prayer of restoration in Psalm 51. In verse 12, King David, acknowledges that he has sinned before the Lord and prays that the Lord restores the joy of his salvation. It is amazing how the past can dictate our future and lead us to self-condemnation, something that Christ has taken away already. It is also amazing how the decisions we make based on past events can eventually lead to a miserable life. I have always advised myself to avoid making decisions based on past events. The good thing about this is that we can be restored and get the joy back so that we can live a wholesome life. In Psalms 23:3, the Lord restores our souls. He knows exactly what we want and leads us there. The more we seek for ourselves the more we become less dependent upon the Lord and hopefully, the more we should realize that we need to get back to the Lord. Last week I defined Holiness, as the total dependence upon God. It is the realization that I cannot do it on my own, and so I can turn it over to Christ. It is like a battle with sin in our lives. Without total surrender to God and the acknowledgment that we are sinners before, we will continue living miserably. Only God can lead us to restoration. And when we are finally restored, the path to a new beginning becomes inevitable. There is so much joy whenever you have a new beginning and feel that you have been restored. I am reminded of the many people that Jesus forgave of their sins and they walked away relieved and feeling restored. That is how I feel whenever the Lord grants me that peace of mind that enables me to confront life head on without fear.

Renewal and Refreshing

There is so much joy whenever one is renewed and refreshed in the Lord. The Lord assures us in Isaiah 40:31, that if we wait upon Him, our strength will be renewed. This renewal is wholesome and embraces, our body, soul and spirit. This inward renewal not only occur once we are restored, but on a daily basis (2 Corinthians 4:16). This renewal also leads to inward transformation (Romans 12:2). In other words, we become more like Christ and less like ourselves. We become new creations (Ephesians 4:24) and continue with the journey of obedience and total dependence upon God. In this renewal, the Lord grants us a new heart and a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26). These developments enable us to confront new challenges with much confidence knowing that God is on our side. Our trust in the Lord continues to build up and our hope in the Lord acquire new levels of strength. All these happen because the Lord is good. What a joy it is to go into a new year with confidence and victory. What a joy to go into the new year, having been renewed and restored. What a joy to enter into the new year with hope and assurance. I hope that your soul, body and mind is renewed and refreshed and that the joy of your salvation is restored as you enter into this new year. You may have faced all kinds of things in the past year, but it is time forget the past and dwell on the future. You have may faced tragedies, unforgettable events, and uncertainties, but its time to take a new dimension in life. New year, New Hope, More trust in God.