Erling Thu

You are a prince of God among us

I have been reading in Genesis recently and was struck by the words used as a title of this entry. These words were spoken to Abraham when he approached the Hittite elders to buy a burial ground for Sarah, his wife who had died.

Abraham was a stranger and a foreigner among the Hittites. He was sojourning in their land. He was a Hebrew - a man from beyond. He did not belong to any of the etnic groups of the land of Canaan. He had no property. He had no house to dwell in. He was not part of any city or community. He was only sojourning in the land God had promised to give to him and his decendants. He had no public function or position among the people of Canaan.

God is able

This morning I read, that God is able to do immeasurable more than all we ask or image, according to his power that is at work within us, in Paul's letter to the Ephesians.

Tithing and legalism

A few days ago two good young men visited me in the house in the forest to talk about tithing. They had been practising tithing for many years, but now they had reached the conclusion that tithing was not a biblical principle. Tithing was no longer a practice they had to follow as believers who lived in the grace of the new covenant. The main reason for reaching this conclusion was their personal experience of a legalistic way tithing had been taught and practised. And of cause they had read some books saying that tithing no longer applied to Christians. We had a very good talk about tithing and generous giving, but we reached no common agreement on the biblical ground for the practise in new covenant communities today.

Prophetic flowers

If you have not read my previous post on the white anemones that cover the ground at our place in the forest I suggest that you read that entry before you proceed to read about prophetic flowers.

A powerful name

In the Book of Acts, which I have been reading the last few days, the name of Jesus Christ has a very prominent place. The early Christians were strong believers in the powerful name of Jesus Christ. Therefore they saw signs and wonders take place in that powerful name.

Proclaiming the risen Christ

I am reading the Acts at the moment and I have been encouraged by discovering how central the proclamation of the risen Christ is for the early Christians. The apostles were bold in proclaiming that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. It seems to be their focus every time they preach or explain why they are doing what they are doing. The risen Christ seemed to be their reason for everything they did and said.

Destined for glory

Apostles and prophets are stewards of a revelation of the mystery of God that God destined for our glory before time began (1 Cor 2:7). The eternal purpose of God is to bring many sons and daughters to glory (Hebr.2:10). God wants a large family of sons and daughters conformed to the glorious image of his Son. Jesus Christ is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being (Hebr.1,3).

RESOLUTIONS

New Year is the time for resolutions for many people who want to change their lifestyle in one way or the other. I normally do not make new resolutions when we enter a new year. I have resolved that I will live my life fully for the Lord and that I want to serve his purpose in my entire life. But today I came across some resolutions made by the famous American revivalist Jonathan Edwards. I am posting his 70 revolutions which he read to himself once a week, and think there are lots of things to be learned from these resolutions.

Controlled by feelings or covenant obligations?

I have been reading the First Book of Samuel the last few days and I have struck by the difference in how King Saul and his servant David acted or reacted or responded to situations they met in life. King Saul was chosen and anointed by God to be the first king of the Israelites. He had everything going for him. He had a very good beginning, but he did not finish in a good and honourable way.

Prophetic realism

I like spending time with prophets. They inspire me. Their company makes me feel like a real man with strong passions about God and man, holiness and sin, love and hate, zeal and laziness. I can’t be indifferent to what they share with me because there is such fire in their words. The revelation they are living by enlightens my spirit. In the fellowship of the prophets I am taking to a higher level of existence. They make me realize that I am not only a human being, but that I am a man of God, a servant of God. They make me understand that I am living for something greater than human fame and success. They make me aware of that I am living for something greater than myself. I realize that I exist, live and move in God who is my source and my end, the very meaning of my life. Through the insight I receive from spending time with the prophets enlarge my life.