Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles in Jerusalem fifty days after Easter. The Spirit descended as tongues of fire, empowering the apostles to proclaim the gospel in every tongue. The result was the conversion of people from many nations and the baptism of thousands of families. Pentecost thereby fulfilled the…
We Believe: Who Has Spoken Through the Prophets
The Nicene Creed of 325 ended with only one phrase on the Holy Spirit: [We believe] “in the Holy Spirit.” Due to the issue of Marcionism, the bishops at Constantinople in 381 added a new section on the Spirit, which included the words “who has spoken through the prophets.” Why was this necessary, and what…
We Believe: Who With the Father and the Son is Worshiped and Glorified
Wait. If the Nicene Creed has already established that the Holy Spirit is God, “the Lord, the giver of life,” why must we then confess that, “with the Father and the Son, [the Holy Spirit] is worshiped and glorified”? We find no such addendum attached to the sections on the Father and the Son. Why…
We Believe: In the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life
As we commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed from the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, our focus shifts to the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD to explore the profound theological affirmation of the Holy Spirit’s divinity encapsulated in the phrase, “…We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of…
A Report from the Asbury Revival
How did the revival start? There have been people praying for revival in Wilmore for months, maybe years. Groups of students and seminarians gathering to pray. Historically, when you look at revivals, prayer precedes revival. It was a normal Wednesday chapel service, in Hughes Auditorium. But a dozen students stayed afterword for prayer, and students…
How Do We Know If Our Experiences of God Are Real or Not? Lessons from Jonathan Edwards
How do we know if our experiences of God are real or not? If we thought that we, or our congregations, were experiencing revival, or renewal, how would we discern if it was really from the Holy Spirit? What would be happening? What wouldn’t be happening? If we pray for God’s work in our own…
Putting the Fire in the Fireplace: Anglicanism & the Holy Spirit
A fireplace exists to hold a fire. Without fire, a fireplace merely becomes a cold ornamental shell. Likewise, a fire without a fireplace can easily become a wildfire, having no container. The Anglican tradition is akin to a fireplace that is meant to provide a structure or foundation for a lively faith. It allows us…
Yanny vs. Laurel and Tongues of Fire
Lots of amazing things happened on the Day of Pentecost, recorded in Acts 2. Earth was overcome with Wind and Fire. Chaos ensued. Rushing. Falling. Power. Roaring. Speaking. Hearing. Wind. Fire. Pow! What a day. The promised Gift of the Holy Spirit did not come gently to soothe. He is NOT that kind of comforter. …
Yanny vs. Laurel, Pentecost, and What People Hear
For the record, I hear Laurel. I can’t not hear Laurel. My wife hears Yanny. I’ll let you know how that works out. This latest viral sensation, similar to ‘The Dress’ before it, plays on the maddening subjectivity of human perception. Whether it’s sight or sound, we take our sensory perception as bedrock and when…
The Church And The Holy Spirit – A Very Brief History
Empowering The Church Recently, I was at a clergy retreat where Bishop Bill Murdoch taught and encouraged the clergy of the Anglican Diocese of the South to operate with expectation of the leading and moving of the Holy Spirit today. In the first century Paul explained to the church how the Spirit works through believers…
8 Keys for Personal Prayer
Every believer can have a dynamic personal prayer life. The Bible gives us the keys to developing a powerful prayer life. The Scriptures are full of examples of men and women who walked with God and used prayer to impact their world, and you can do the same thing through prayer. The following are scriptural…
Showing the Spirit
At a clergy retreat, I once asked a fellow priest what his church was like. He said that his parish had two groups of people. He raised both hands high in the air, turned his face to the heavens, closed his eyes, and swayed gently. “That’s the first group,” he said. Then, he clasped his…
