Stephen W. Hiemstra's Blog, page 12

Definition of the Church: Monday Monologues (podcast), June 2, 2025

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on Defining the Church. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).

To listen, click on this link.

Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!

Definition of the Church: Monday Monologues (podcast), June 2, 2025
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com




Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Look_25 ,  Signup


 


 

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Petition for the Church

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Blessed Lord Jesus,

All glory and honor, power and dominion, truth and justice are yours because you have walked among us, called us to be a people, and promised to be our God (Exod 6:7; Lev 26:12; Jer 1:4). May we all always hear your voice (Jer 7:23).

Forgive us, Lord, for amplifying our own voice and covering our ears when you speak to us. May we all always listen to your words.

Thank you for the blessings of Christian friendship, comfort of family, and the many tangible things that you have placed in our lives. May we always harken to your voice.

In the power of your Holy Spirit, draw us to yourself. Open our hearts, illuminate our thoughts, and strengthen our hands in your service. Set our hair on fire for your church. In Jesus’ previous name, Amen.

Petition for the Church
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com





Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Look_25 ,  Signup
 



 
 

 

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Petición de la Iglesia

Por Stephen W. Hiemstra

Bendito Señor Jesús,

Toda la gloria y el honor, el poder y el dominio, la verdad y la justicia son tuyos porque has caminado entre nosotros, nos has llamado a ser un pueblo y has prometido ser nuestro Dios (Éxodo 6:7; Lev. 26:12; Jer. 1:4). Que todos podamos escuchar siempre tu voz (Jer 7,23).

Perdónanos, Señor, por amplificar nuestra propia voz y tapar nuestros oídos cuando nos hablas. Que todos podamos escuchar siempre tus palabras.

Gracias por las bendiciones de la amistad cristiana, el consuelo de la familia y las muchas cosas tangibles que has puesto en nuestras vidas. Que siempre podamos escuchar tu voz.

Con el poder de tu Espíritu Santo, atráenos hacia ti. Abre nuestros corazones, ilumina nuestros pensamientos y fortalece nuestras manos en tu servicio. Enciende nuestro cabello por tu iglesia.

En el precioso nombre de Jesús, Amén.

Petición de la Iglesia
Vea También:
Una Guía Cristiana a la Espiritualidad
Vida en Tensión
Otras Formas de Interactuar en Línea:



Sitio Web del Autor:  http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Sitio Web del Editor:  http://www.T2Pneuma.com






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Defining the Church

For where two or three are gathered in my name, 

there am I among them. 

(Matt. 18:20)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

The church is not easily defined. The Apostle Paul’s term ecclesia (ἐκκλησίᾳ; 1 Cor 1:2) remains helpful because it describes an organic institution the called out ones defined primarily by its call.

Being defined by its call (or mission), not by its institutional structure, means that the church’s origins lie in the one calling it out.  On Pentecost when the church was born, the defining characteristic of those called was the tongues of fire (Acts 2:3) that rested on their head. At seminary we used to describe those truly tuned into their work as having “their hair on fire for the Lord,” an obvious allusion to Pentecost experience.

The Old Testament description of a church, kahal (קָהַל, BDB 8447), means assembly, convocation, congregation. In Deuteronomy, we read: Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words (Deut 4:10). The context here offers a purpose—hear my words—and a particular time suggesting the ecclesia is even here not a random group or group defined by a particular place as in a temple. This purpose highlights the role of worship in the church.

While this is obviously not a comprehensive review of the Old Testament-New Testament contrast in view of the church, it highlights the contrast between the footloose and embodied interpretations of the work of the Holy Spirit in the church.

The Question of Mission

As a practical matter, church leaders often struggle to articulate their corporate mission, especially as they approach the calling of pastors. The usual strategy is to plan a leadership retreat and brainstorm a mission statement that ends up plastered on business cards, stationary, and miscellaneous swag. The problem with the MBA approach to discerning a church call is it focuses on group process rather than observing movement of the spirit within the life of the church.

In my work as a hospital chaplain I met a troubled woman—a paraplegic—in the emergency department. When I asked her about scripture or perhaps a Bible story that she enjoyed, she talked about the story of Joseph, whose brothers threw him in a pit and later sold him as a slave (Gen 37). As a paraplegic, this woman had been abused by her family even as they lived off of her government transfer payments. This woman’s life story was a direct analogy to the story of Joseph, which for her was a rehearsal story, a story from the past with current significance (Savage 1996, 84-89).

The story of the paraplegic highlights one method for discerning God’s call on a particular church. What passage of scripture best describes significant work or events in the life of the church? A campus church might mirror the mentoring work, for example, of Barnabas who encouraged the Apostle Paul (Acts 4:36; 9:27). An inner-city church might relate to the story of the woman at the well (John 4). A house church in China might find the story of Abigail who saved her foolish husband’s life by offering hospitality to David (1 Samuel 25). Understanding a parallel biblical story can suggest additional elements that would be helpful in the current context.

Because churches often combine a collection of ministries, each of the ministries may have its own unique calling much like a vegetable stand in a farmer’s market. The call of the wider church may lie in helping these ministries define their mission and resourcing their work.

Signs of the Times

Two historical trends in the church more widely have come together in recent years to complicate arriving at a proper definition of the church (and a proper sense of Christian identity) in the U.S. context. The first has to do with the separation of church and state. The second is the demise of Christendom.

Separation of church and state became a political reality in the Protestant Reformation. After Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the church door in Wittenburg, Germany in 1517, the Protestant Reformation spun off a number of Protestant denominations that in the American context competed for members, authority, and influence. Bradley Longfield (2013, 95) writes that in “The 1830s the Presbyterian General Assembly rivaled the federal government for popular influence and esteem.” What was political expedient in the nineteenth century, is today no longer relevant with major moral issues like abortion, divorce, and homosexuality now decided through legislation and court decisions, not biblical warrant. The separation of church and state that allowed for freedom of religious affiliation—no official church—now effectively mandates a state religion without a church.

Christendom arose in the fourth century when Emperor Constantine (272-337 AD) adopted Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire (after 313 AD). When Christianity became an official religion, many new converts came into the church for reasons not necessarily related to faith. The need to define what it meant to be a Christian thus became a high priority. The Nicene Creed (325-381 AD), Apostle Creed (340 AD), and the Bible itself (367 AD) all date from this period. The demise of Christendom as an informal institution in this generation has reignited the identity question that had previously been a settled issue for roughly fifteen hundred years.

While some argue that Christendom’s demise was a long overdue, its absence reverberates throughout the church and complicates any attempt to define the church and its mission in this time and place. Likewise, the collapse of the separation of church and state means that the three signs of the true church (right preaching, right administration of sacraments, and church discipline) can no longer be assured (PCUSA 1999, 3.18) because of boundary-management incongruities. While the cause of these changes can certainly be argued, the existence of these changes is not really subject to question.

Return to a Biblical Church

While there is no one biblical institution called the church, the primary example of a church in the New Testament is the house church served by bivocational clergy. The New Testament gives no examples of professional clergy. The Apostle Paul worked as a tentmaker (Acts 18:3), which served as an interesting double-entendre. Paul made tents during the day and worked at night as an evangelist building the tabernacle (tent) of God. Would that we could do the same.

References

Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius (BDB). 1905. Hebrew-English Lexicon, unabridged.

Longfield, Bradley J. 2013. Presbyterians and American Culture: A History.  Louisville:  Westminster John Knox Press.

Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PC USA). 1999. The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)—Part I: Book of Confession. Louisville, KY: Office of the General Assembly.

Savage, John. 1996. Listening and Caring Skills: A Guide for Groups and Leaders. Nashville: Abingdon Press.

Defining the Church
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com




Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Look_25 ,  Signup


 

 

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Definición de la Iglesia

Porque donde están dos o tres reunidos en Mi nombre, 

allí estoy Yo en medio de ellos.

(Mateo 18:20)

La iglesia no se define fácilmente. El término del apóstol Pablo, ecclesia (1 Co 1:2), que significa llamados, sigue siendo útil porque describe una institución orgánica definida principalmente por su llamado, no por su estructura institucional. En Pentecostés, cuando nació la iglesia, la característica definitoria de los llamados eran las lenguas de fuego (Hechos 2:3) que se posaban sobre sus cabezas. En el seminario, solíamos describir a aquellos verdaderamente sintonizados con su trabajo como personas que tenían “el cabello en llamas por el Señor,” una alusión obvia a la experiencia de Pentecostés.

La descripción de un iglesia en el Antiguo Testamento, kahal (BDB 8447), significa asamblea, convocación, congregación. En Deuteronomio, leemos: ¨Reúneme el pueblo para que yo les haga oír mis palabras.¨ (Deut 4:10) El contexto aquí ofrece un propósito —“oír mis palabras”— y un tiempo particular que sugiere que la ecclesia no es aquí un grupo aleatorio o un grupo definido por un lugar particular como en un templo. Este propósito resalta el papel del culto en la iglesia.

Aunque esta no es una revisión exhaustiva del contraste entre el Antiguo y el Nuevo Testamento desde la perspectiva de la iglesia, resalta el contraste entre las interpretaciones libres y encarnadas de la obra del Espíritu Santo en la iglesia.

La Cuestión de la Misión

En la práctica, los líderes de la iglesia a menudo tienen dificultades para articular su misión corporativa, especialmente cuando se acercan al llamado de pastores. La estrategia habitual es planificar un retiro de líderes y hacer una lluvia de ideas sobre una declaración de misión que termina impresa en tarjetas de presentación, papelería y 

misceláneas botín. El problema con el enfoque de la escuela de negocios para discernir un llamado a la iglesia es que se centra en el proceso grupal en lugar de observar el movimiento del espíritu dentro de la vida de la iglesia.

En mi trabajo como capellán de hospital, conocí a una mujer con problemas, una parapléjica, en el departamento de emergencias. Cuando le pregunté sobre las Escrituras o quizás una historia bíblica que le gustaba, habló de la historia de José, cuyos hermanos lo arrojaron a un pozo y luego lo vendieron como esclavo (Gén 37). Como una parapléjica, esta familia del esta mujer había abusado de ella incluso cuando vivían de los pagos de transferencia del gobierno. La historia de vida de esta mujer era una analogía directa con la historia de José, que para ella era una historia de ensayo, una historia del pasado con significado actual (Savage 1996, 84-89).

Mi historia del parapléjico resalta un método para discernir el llamado de Dios a una iglesia en particular. ¿Qué pasaje de las Escrituras describe mejor un trabajo o eventos importantes en la vida de la iglesia? Una iglesia universitaria podría reflejar el trabajo de mentoría, por ejemplo, de Bernabé, quien animó al apóstol Pablo (Hechos 4:36; 9:27). 

Una iglesia del centro de la ciudad podría identificarse con la historia de la mujer junto al pozo (Juan 4). Una iglesia doméstica en China podría identificarse con la historia de Abigail, quien salvó la vida de su tonto esposo al ofrecerle hospitalidad a David (1 Sam 25). Comprender una historia bíblica paralela puede sugerir elementos adicionales que serían útiles en el contexto actual.

Debido a que las iglesias a menudo combinan una colección de ministerios, cada uno de ellos puede tener su propio llamado único, muy similar a un puesto de verduras en un mercado de agricultores: un mercado con distintos tipos de productos. El llamado de la iglesia en general puede ser ayudar a estos ministerios a definir su misión y financiar su trabajo.

Señales de los Tiempos

En los últimos años se han unido dos tendencias históricas en la iglesia que complican la tarea de llegar a una definición adecuada de la iglesia (y a un sentido apropiado de identidad cristiana) en el contexto estadounidense. El primero tiene que ver con la separación de la iglesia y el estado. El segundo es la desaparición de la cristiandad.

La separación de la iglesia y el estado se convirtió en una realidad política en la Reforma Protestante. Después de que Martín Lutero clavara sus noventa y cinco tesis en la puerta de la iglesia de Wittenburg, Alemania, en 1517, la Reforma Protestante engendró una serie de denominaciones protestantes que en el contexto estadounidense competían por miembros, autoridad e influencia. Bradley Longfield (2013, 95) escribe que en “la década de 1830 la Asamblea General Presbiteriana rivalizaba con el gobierno federal en cuanto a influencia y estima popular.” Lo que era políticamente conveniente en el siglo XIX hoy ya no es relevante porque importantes cuestiones morales, como el aborto, el divorcio y la homosexualidad, ahora se deciden a través de legislación y decisiones judiciales sin referencia a ninguna referencia bíblica. La separación de la Iglesia y el Estado que permitía la libertad de afiliación religiosa—ninguna iglesia oficial—ahora mandata efectivamente una religión estatal sin iglesia.

La cristiandad surgió en el siglo IV cuando el emperador Constantino (272-337 d. C.) adoptó el cristianismo como religión oficial del Imperio Romano (después del 313 d. C.).  Cuando el cristianismo se convirtió en religión oficial, muchos nuevos conversos llegaron a la iglesia por razones no necesariamente relacionadas con la fe. La necesidad de definir qué significaba ser cristiano se convirtió así en una alta prioridad. El Credo de Nicea (325-381 d.C.), el Credo de los Apóstoles (340 d.C.) y la propia Biblia (367 d.C.) como texto unificado datan de este período. La desaparición de la cristiandad en esta generación ha reavivado la cuestión de la identidad que había sido un asunto resuelto durante aproximadamente mil quinientos años.

Aunque algunos sostienen que la desaparición de la cristiandad era algo que ya debía haberse producido hace tiempo, su ausencia resuena en toda la Iglesia y complica cualquier intento de definir la Iglesia y su misión en este tiempo y lugar. De la misma manera, el colapso de la separación entre la iglesia y el estado significa que las tres señales de la verdadera iglesia (la predicación correcta, la administración correcta de los sacramentos y la disciplina eclesiástica) ya no pueden garantizarse (PCUSA 1999, 3.18). Si bien es cierto que se puede discutir la causa de estos cambios, su existencia es clara.

Regreso a una Iglesia Bíblica

Si bien no existe una institución bíblica llamada iglesia, el principal ejemplo de una iglesia en el Nuevo Testamento es la iglesia doméstica atendida por clérigos con dos vocaciones. El Nuevo Testamento no da ejemplos de clérigos profesionales. El apóstol Pablo trabajaba como fabricante de tiendas (Hechos 18:3), lo qe sirvió como un interesante doble sentido. Pablo hacía tiendas durante el día y trabajaba de noche como evangelista construyendo el tabernáculo (una tienda) de Dios.

Definición de la Iglesia
Vea También:
Una Guía Cristiana a la Espiritualidad
Vida en Tensión
Otras Formas de Interactuar en Línea:



Sitio Web del Autor:  http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Sitio Web del Editor:  http://www.T2Pneuma.com





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Kodak Prays for the Persecuted

Betsey Kodat. 2015. Arise, LORD! Scriptural Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Herndon, Virginia: CreateSpace.

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

The annual number of Christian martyrs in 2015 has been estimated to have been 90,000 people. This estimate is a decline from 377,000 in 1970s in the heyday of world communism, but it is still about three times the number (34,400) in 1900 (IBMR 2015, 29) and has probably increased since that estimate was made because of genocide reported in the ISIS conflict in the Middle East. Those directly affected by genocide and martyrdom thankfully remain a small portion of the Christians worldwide suffering persecution.

Betsey Kodat In her book, Arise LORD! Scriptural Prayer for the Persecuted Church, takes her title from Psalm 3—

O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill. I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people! (Ps 3:1-8 ESV)

—and focuses on intervening for those affected in prayer (3). Prayer is, of course, hard enough because in order to pray for the persecuted, one needs to admit to yourself that persecution exists and believe in your heart that God both truly exists and cares enough to intervene. Intervening in prayer also requires admitting our own impotence to stop persecution, often a hard step for gung-ho Americans, so by inviting us to pray for the persecuted God is also inviting us to set aside our pride and approach Him in humility. This need of humility is aptly captured in the cover graphic displaying the disciples in the storm on the Galilee (Matt 8:23-27) which symbolized persecution and early church fathers referred to as “the ship of Peter” (7).

In approaching prayer for the persecuted, Kodat recommends a 4-part movement in prayer:

Opening Prayer,Strategic Prayer,Specific Prayer, andClosing Prayer (7).

The basic prayer in 4-movements structures the core chapters in her book and the group prayer template, which functions as the book’s concluding chapter (166-168). Kodak expands these 4-movements into 6 steps in application, allowing for preliminary research and a period of spontaneous prayer just before the closing (15).   Let me turn briefly to each of these 6 steps.

Step 1: Preliminary Research. Kodat admonishes us to: “Research target needs before you pray, using reputable resources, then select prayers that meet these needs” (16) She then offers a list of websites that can be used to undertake this research. Research for prayer might seem like overkill, but in prayer we are asking God to channel His power to specific ends. By engaging both our hearts and our minds, taking time to be specific demonstrates to us and to God that we are serious about prayer.

Step 2: Opening Prayer. Kodat recommends that we open prayer employing 6 specific topics: placing ourselves in God’s hands, praising God, binding Satan, confession, thanking God, and song (17). These instructions remind me of the “harp and bowl” prayers of the saints (Rev 5:8) where music and petitions are mixed together in continuous prayer.

Step 3: Scripture-based Strategic Prayer. Kodat offers a list of 7 topics for strategic prayer to select among for particular occasions. This list includes—general needs, strength, leaders, supporting churches, nations, national leaders, and persecutors—and it targets topics that may prevent or correct the problem of persecution (18).

Step 4: Scripture-based Specific Prayer. Kodat offers a fairly short list of 4 specific prayers (19)—for crises, recovery from crises, ongoing oppression, and a 4-page list of specific items mentioned throughout the book (170-173). Being specific in prayer has commonly been promoted as a way to channel God’s power, but channeling is unnecessary for an all-powerful God; a better explanation for channeling is so that God’s concern for us would be more obvious (John 9:3).

Step 5: Spontaneous Prayer. Kodat advises us to “pray with Holy Spirit insight as your heart leads.” (20) This advice might seem out of place because for most people this is the only way that they normally pray, but something more interesting is at work. If we become too formal in our prayers and neglect to engage our hearts, then we pray for reasons other than love—remember the Apostle Paul’s admonition:

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” (1 Cor 13:1-3)

Nothing is gained by praying without love, in part, because our love marks us as disciples of Christ worthy of God’s attention to our prayer (1 John 4:21).

Step 6: Closing Prayer. Kodat’s guidance on closing prayer is brief:

“Choose a blessing, and pray it in unison along with ‘leaving our concerns with God’ and the Lord’s Prayer” (20).

In particular, Kodat advises us to pray corporately to intensify the power of prayer (21).

Betsey Kodat’s Arise, LORD! Scriptural Prayer for the Persecuted Church is a readable and thoughtful devotional focused on interceding for the persecuted church. Each devotional includes an introduction to the topic, suggested resources, a list of suggested prayers, and scriptural resources. In addition to being a prayer warrior, Kodak writes, teaches, and is a dedicated mom, but I know her best for her tireless work for the Capital Christian Writers’ club.

Communism is an atheist philosophy and remains widely influential in secular circles even today. Over time, communist nations have been fairly open in their persecution of Christians who are often accused of representing a foreign influence. This idea of foreign influence is also an excuse used in the case of Middle Eastern persecution of Christian minorities (Iwanicki and Bailey 2012).

“A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son…” (Ps 3:1).

International House of Prayer (http://www.ihopkc.org).

This rather-unusual idea of praying for the persecutors comes directly from Christ—“You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.  But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matt 5:43-45)—who essentially advised us to persecution as a ministry opportunity.

http://www.BetseyKodat.com.

www.CapitalChristianWriters.org.

References

 International Bulletin of Missionary Research (IBMR). 2015. Christianity 2015: Religious Diversity and Personal Contact. Cited: 28 December 2015. Online: (http://www.gordonconwell.edu/ockenga/...).

Iwanicki, Hugh and Dave Bailey. 2012. Shock and Alarm: What It Was Really Like at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. North Charleston: CreateSpace. (Review: http://wp.me/p3Xeut-1pl).

Kodak Prays for the PersecutedAlso see:MacNutt Prays for Healing Willard Hears God, Part 1Blackaby Expects Answers to Prayer Books, Films, and MinistryOther ways to engage online:Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Look_25 ,  Signup  

 

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Unity: Monday Monologues (podcast), May 26, 2025 https://t2pneuma.net/2025/05/26/unity... #podcast

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on Analyzing the Data. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).

To listen, click on this link.

Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!

Unity: Monday Monologues (podcast), May 26, 2025
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com




Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Look_25 ,  Signup


 
 

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Unity: Monday Monologues (podcast), May 26, 2025

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on Analyzing the Data. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).

To listen, click on this link.

Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!

Unity: Monday Monologues (podcast), May 26, 2025
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com




Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Look_25 ,  Signup


 
 

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Petition for Unity

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Loving Father,

All praise and honor, power and dominion, truth and justice are yours because you brought us together and called us to be a people, your people. Unify us in Christ.

Forgive our inattention, our complacency, our lethargy in the face of challenges. Unify us in Christ.

Thank you for the many blessings in this life: health, family, homes, and medical plans. Unify us in you, not these other things.

In the power of your Holy Spirit, open our eyes and unstop our ears as the fire of self-destruction approaches. May we feel the heat before we are burned and all that is precious to us is swept away.

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Petition for Unity
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com




Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Look_25 ,  Signup


 
 

 

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Petición de Unidad

Por Stephen W. Hiemstra

Padre Amoroso

Toda la alabanza y el honor, el poder y el dominio, la verdad y la justicia son tuyos, porque nos reuniste y nos llamaste a ser un pueblo, tu pueblo (1 Pe 2:9-10). Unificarnos en Cristo.

Perdona nuestra falta de atención, nuestra complacencia, nuestro letargo ante los desafíos. Unificarnos en Cristo.

Gracias por las muchas bendiciones en esta vida: salud, familia, hogar y planes médicos. Unificanos en ti, no en estas otras cosas.

En el poder de tu Espíritu Santo, abre nuestros ojos y destapa nuestros oídos mientras se acerca el fuego de la autodestrucción. Que podamos sentir el calor antes de que nos quememos y todo lo que es precioso para nosotros sea barrido.

En el precioso nombre de Jesús, Amén.

Petición de Unidad
Vea También:
Una Guía Cristiana a la Espiritualidad
Vida en Tensión
Otras Formas de Interactuar en Línea:



Sitio Web del Autor:  http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Sitio Web del Editor:  http://www.T2Pneuma.com






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