Stephen W. Hiemstra's Blog, page 18

Old Testament Images

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, 

because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; 

he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, 

to proclaim liberty to the captives, 

and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.

(Isa 61:1)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

The Holy Spirit is alive and well in the Old Testament. Because the Holy Spirit is the agent of God’s work in his creation, it is helpful to recognize two distinct Old Testament characteristics: Examples of the Holy Spirit’s manifestation and embodiment. I use the term, manifestation of the Holy Spirit, to capture a pattern of action while the Holy Spirit’s embodiment suggests a symbol or joint participation of the spirit and a person. Both are important in scripture as God’s agency in his creation is described.

Manifestations of the Holy Spirit

The first characteristic of the Holy Spirit is manifestation. The Holy Spirit’s footloose nature is manifest in at least two patterns in the Old Testament that display responses to God’s invitation of faith. The first manifestation is seen in Abraham’s call to faith:

“Now the LORD said to Abram, Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gen 12:1-3)

Abraham must leave behind all sources of security in the ancient world—country, tribe, and family—to respond to God’s call. Abraham’s faith is displayed in a physical, not verbal, response to this call. God’s election becomes obvious in both blessings and curses to prosper and protect Abraham. Evidence of Abraham’s election arises in his sharing of God’s blessings with others.

For those who refuse the invitation of faith, a second manifestation can be seen:

“And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God has driven you, and return to the LORD your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you.” (Deut 30:1-3)

For those who refuse faith, there is the curse of scattering, an echo of the curse of Cain (Gen 3:14). Here the pattern is: collective sin, scattering and enslavement, crying out to the Lord, and the sending of a deliverer. Walter Brueggemann (2016, 59) describes this pattern as the Deuteronomic Cycle.

These two manifestations are repeated throughout scripture and represent two responses to God’s invitation of faith. All are called; not all respond. One way or the other, through the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit: “To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.” (Isa 45:23)

Embodiment of the Holy Spirit

The second characteristic of the Holy Spirit is embodiment. The first person to embody the Holy Spirit is likely Abel, the righteous son of Adam and Eve. Scripture does not actually say that Abel was embodied with the Holy Spirit, but is a keeper of sheep and provided worship that God found acceptable( Gen 4:2-5). His brother, Cain, was a farmer and, later, a city-builder. After Cain killed Abel out of jealousy, God cursed Cain to be a wanderer, and Adam and Eve had a third son, Seth, who replaced Abel as the righteous son (Gen 4:25-26). The genealogy in Genesis 11:10-27 shows Abraham to be a direct descendent of Shem.

Melchizedek is thought by some to be another name for Seth who also directly passed on blessings to Abraham. Abraham responded by offering a tithe (Gen 14:18-20) suggesting that Abraham both had and embraced the status of the righteous lineage, which required no further anointing of the Holy Spirit. This lineage traces through Isaac and Joseph. Each member of this righteous lineage has a direct relationship with God that is then passed onto the Nation of Israel.

This righteous lineage history lays the groundwork for charismatic leadership where the spiritual legacy of the Holy Spirit takes the form of messianic leaders, those anointed with oil and the laying on of hands. Messianic titles include: priests, prophets, and kings. The title, Christ, is a Greek translation of the Hebrew word, messiah.

The Special Role of Moses

Leadership in Israel went to Joseph bypassing Simeon and Levi (the first and second born sons of Jacob) because of their role in the bloodshed after the rape of their sister Dinah (Gen 34). Because Moses was of the tribe of Levi (Exod 2:1) he was not of the righteous lineage. This is ironic because the tribe of Levi became priests under Moses’ leadership. Nevertheless, God called Moses personally to lead the Nation of Israel out of Egypt (Exod 3:1-10).

Moses embodied the Holy Spirit on account of his personal relationship with God. As Moses led the Nation of Israel out of Egypt and into the desert, we read:

“And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.” (Exod 13:21)

The Holy Spirit is embodied here in a “pillar of cloud” often referred to as the Shekinah cloud, where Shekinah is a transliteration of the Hebrew word for divine presence. The Shekinah cloud is also seen hanging over Mount Sinai with the giving of the law (Exod 19)) and over the Tabernacle (Num 9:15), the antecedent of the Temple built in Jerusalem by Solomon.

The Temple in Jerusalem

The anointing of the Holy Spirit in Old Testament is given to charismatic leaders and, on one occasion, to 70 leaders of the Nation of Israel (Num 11:25), an antecedent of the founding of the church at Pentecost (Acts 2). The founding of the Temple in Jerusalem started not with the Holy Spirit, but with King David wanting to move the Tabernacle to Jerusalem and replace it with a temple.

God was not altogether pleased with David’s idea of building a temple:

“In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” (2 Sam 7:7)

Building a temple in the ancient world was a way to control access to the gods and was typically an instrument of nation-building and kingly rule. God forbid David from building a temple because he spent most of his life at war, but conceded that his son, Solomon, could build this temple.

When Solomon built the temple and dedicated it, it was filled with the Shekinah glory of God (2 Chr 7:1). This was the first Temple of Jerusalem that was later destroyed by the Babylonians (2 Kgs 25:9). A second Temple of Jerusalem was built by the exiles returning from Babylon 70 years later (Ezr 3). 

The idea that God’s throne is in heaven suggests that the status of temples as an embodiment of the Holy Spirit has always been problematic (Ps 11:4). This problematic embodiment reaches a highpoint with the crucifixion of Jesus when temple veil was torn (Matt 27:51) and the Temple in Jerusalem was again destroyed in AD 70 by the Romans.

Old Testament Images
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




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Imágenes del Antiguo Testamento

El Espíritu del Señor DIOS está sobre mí, 

Porque me ha ungido el SEÑOR Para traer buenas nuevas a los afligidos. 

Me ha enviado para vendar a los quebrantados de corazón, 

Para proclamar libertad a los cautivos Y liberación a los prisioneros;

(Isa 61:1)

Por Stephen W. Hiemstra

Muchas personas, muchas iglesias, se centran en el Nuevo Testamento y descuidan el Antiguo Testamento. Sin embargo, el Espíritu Santo, el instigador de la iglesia en Pentecostés, está vivo y bien en el Antiguo Testamento. Debido a que el Espíritu Santo es el agente de la obra de Dios en su creación, es útil reconocer dos características distintivas del Antiguo Testamento: ejemplos de la manifestación y encarnación del Espíritu Santo. Utilizo el término manifestación del Espíritu Santo para capturar un patrón dinámico de acción, mientras que la encarnación del Espíritu Santo sugiere un milagro, señal o símbolo estático. Ambos son importantes en las Escrituras porque se describe la acción de Dios en su creación.

Manifestaciones del Espíritu Santo

La primera característica del Espíritu Santo es la manifestación. La naturaleza libre del Espíritu Santo se manifiesta en al menos dos patrones en el Antiguo Testamento que muestran respuestas a la invitación de Dios a la fe. La primera manifestación se ve en el llamado de Abraham a la fe:

¨Y el SEÑOR dijo a Abram: Vete de tu tierra, de entre tus parientes y de la casa de tu padre, a la tierra que yo te mostraré. Haré de ti una nación grande, y te bendeciré, Engrandeceré tu nombre, y serás bendición. Bendeciré a los que te bendigan, y al que te maldiga, maldeciré. En ti serán benditas todas las familias de la tierra.” (Gen 12:1-3)

Abraham debe dejar atrás todas las fuentes de seguridad del mundo antiguo—país, tribu, y familia—para responder al llamado de Dios. La fe de Abraham se manifiesta en una respuesta física, no verbal, a este llamado. La elección de Dios se hace evidente tanto en las bendiciones como en las maldiciones para prosperar y proteger a Abraham. 

La evidencia de la elección de Abraham surge en su acto de compartir las bendiciones de Dios con los demás.

Aunque nosotros, los posmodernos, leemos el llamado de Abraham como el llamado de un individuo, se trata de una presuposición cultural. Abraham es el jefe masculino de su familia extendida, un grupo comunitario que lo siguió. También tenía numerosos esclavos y un pequeño ejército de seguidores (Gén 12:16; 14:14). El nombre Abraham (padre de naciones) es más bien un título, como rey o presidente (Gén 17:5). Por consiguiente, el llamado de Abraham es más bien una declaración de visión comunitaria.

Para aquellos que rechazan la invitación de la fe, se puede ver una segunda manifestación:

¨Y sucederá que cuando todas estas cosas hayan venido sobre ti, la bendición y la maldición que he puesto delante de ti, y tú las recuerdes en todas las naciones adonde el SEÑOR tu Dios te haya desterrado, y vuelvas al SEÑOR tu Dios, tú y tus hijos, y le obedezcas con todo tu corazón y con toda tu alma conforme a todo lo que yo te ordeno hoy, entonces el SEÑOR tu Dios te hará volver de tu cautividad, y tendrá compasión de ti y te recogerá de nuevo de entre todos los pueblos adonde el SEÑOR tu Dios te haya dispersado.¨ (Deut 30:1-3)

Aquellos que rechazan la fe se ganan la maldición de la dispersión, un eco de la maldición de Caín (Gén 3,14). Aquí el modelo es el pecado colectivo, la dispersión y la esclavitud, el clamor al Señor, y el envío de un salvador. Walter Brueggemann (2016, 59) describe este patrón como el Ciclo Deuteronómico.

Estas dos manifestaciones se repiten a lo largo de las Escrituras. Jeffrey Niehaus (2014, 74) observa: “Las representaciones bíblicas anteriores de ciertas verdades pueden ser lacónicas, y declaraciones o revelaciones posteriores de las mismas verdades pueden brindar más detalles.” Representan también dos respuestas a la invitación de Dios a la fe. Todos son llamados; no todos responden. De una forma u otra, por medio del Espíritu Santo: ¨Que ante mí se doblará toda rodilla, y toda lengua jurará lealtad.¨ (Isa 45:23)

Encarnación del Espíritu Santo

La segunda característica del Espíritu Santo es la encarnación. La primera persona que encarnó el Espíritu Santo fue probablemente Abel, el hijo justo de Adán y Eva. En realidad, las Escrituras no dicen que Abel estuviera encarnado con el Espíritu Santo, pero como pastor ofreció sacrificios de las ovejas primogénitas que Dios encontró aceptables. Su hermano, Caín, cultivó la tierra y ofreció frutos que Dios no consideró aceptables. Quizás fue porque el fruto que ofreció podía tomarse como un recordatorio del pecado de Adán y Eva (se usan las mismas palabras hebreas y griegas para fruto; Gén 4:2-5). Después de que Caín mató a Abel por celos, Dios maldijo a Caín para que fuera un vagabundo, y Adán y Eva tuvieron un tercer hijo, Set, quien reemplazó a Abel como el hijo justo (Gén 4:25-26).

La genealogía de Génesis 5 vincula a Set con Noé. Las genealogías en Génesis 10 y 11 vinculan al hijo justo de Noé con Abraham. Este linaje justo se remonta al hijo de Abraham, Isaac, y a su nieto, Jacob. Al llegar a la fe y luego luchar con Dios, Jacob toma el nombre de Israel (Génesis 28:12-22; Génesis 32:24-28) y los doce hijos de Jacob forman la Nación de Israel. Al bendecir a sus hijos antes de morir, Jacob llama a Judá cachorro de león, lo que se toma como una profecía de liderazgo real (Gén 49:9-10).

Esta historia de linaje justo sienta las bases para un liderazgo carismático donde el legado espiritual del Espíritu Santo toma la forma de líderes mesiánicos, aquellos ungidos con aceite y la imposición de manos. Los títulos mesiánicos incluyen sacerdotes, profetas y reyes. El título Cristo es una traducción griega de la palabra hebrea mesías.

El Papel Especial de Moisés

El liderazgo en Israel pasó a José, pasando por alto a Rubén, Simeón y Leví (el primogénito, segundo y tercer hijo de Jacob) debido a su pecado (Gén 34). Moisés era de la tribu de Leví, no de Judá ni hijo de José (Éxodo 2:1). Sin embargo, Dios llamó personalmente a Moisés para sacar a la nación de Israel de Egipto (Éxodo 3:1-10).

Moisés encarnó al Espíritu Santo debido a su relación personal con Dios, no a su herencia familiar. Mientras Moisés conducía a la nación de Israel fuera de Egipto y hacia el desierto, leemos:

¨El SEÑOR iba delante de ellos, de día en una columna de nube para guiarlos por el camino, y de noche en una columna de fuego para alumbrarlos, a fin de que anduvieran de día y de noche.¨ (Éxodo 13:21)

El Espíritu Santo está encarnado aquí en una “columna de nube,” a la que a menudo se hace referencia como la nube Shekinah, donde Shekinah es una transliteración de la palabra hebrea para presencia divina. La nube Shekinah también se ve suspendida sobre el Monte Sinaí con la entrega de la ley (Éxodo 19) y sobre el Tabernáculo (Núm 9:15), el antecedente del Templo construido en Jerusalén por Salomón (2 Crón 7:1).

El Templo en Jerusalén

La unción del Espíritu Santo en el Antiguo Testamento es dada a líderes carismáticos y, en una ocasión, a setenta líderes de la Nación de Israel (Núm. 11:25), un antecedente de la fundación de la iglesia en Pentecostés (Hechos 2). La fundación del Templo en Jerusalén no comenzó con el Espíritu Santo, sino con el rey David de la tribu de Judá (Rut 4:12-22) que quería trasladar el Tabernáculo a Jerusalén y reemplazarlo con un templo.

A Dios no le agradó del todo la idea de David de construir un templo:

¨Dondequiera que he ido con todos los Israelitas, ¿hablé palabra a alguna de las tribus de Israel, a la cual haya ordenado que pastoreara a mi pueblo Israel, diciéndoles: ¿Por qué ustedes no me han edificado una casa de cedro?¨ (2 Sam. 7:7)

La construcción de un templo en el mundo antiguo era una forma de controlar el acceso a los dioses y era típicamente un instrumento para la construcción de una nación y el gobierno real. Dios prohibió a David construir un templo porque pasó la mayor parte de su vida en la guerra, pero concedió que su hijo, Salomón, pudiera construir este templo (2 Sam 7:12-13). La concesión de Dios para que el hijo de David construyera un templo surgió como parte de su promesa de construir la casa de David—una dinastía. Cuando Salomón construyó el templo y lo dedicó, estaba lleno de la gloria Shekinah de Dios (2 Cr 7:1). Este fue el primer Templo de Jerusalén que luego fue destruido por los babilonios (2 R 25:9). 

Un segundo Templo de Jerusalén fue construido por los exiliados que regresaron de Babilonia setenta años después (Esd 3), pero no se hace mención de la nube Shekinah.

La idea de que el trono de Dios está en el cielo sugiere que el estatus de los templos como encarnación del Espíritu Santo siempre ha sido problemático (Salmo 11:4) y, en última instancia, resulta en el abandono del templo por parte de Dios. Esta problemática encarnación alcanza un punto culminante en el juicio de Jesús ante el Sanedrín, cuando fue acusado de destruir el templo y de blasfemia (Marcos 14:58-64). Más tarde, con la crucifixión de Jesús, el velo del templo se rasgó (Mateo 27:51). El Templo de Jerusalén fue destruido en el año 70 d.C. por los romanos y nunca fue reconstruido. Esto hizo imposible para los judíos ofrecer los sacrificios requeridos (por ejemplo, Lev 1:1-4). Los cristianos creen que la muerte de Jesús en la cruz fue el sacrificio final de una vez por todas (Heb 9).

Imágenes del Antiguo Testamento
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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Salinger Explores Self and Grief

 

Jerome David Salinger. 1945. The Catcher in the Rye. New York: Little, Black, and Company—Back Bay Books.

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

An adage among those who listen carefully to people states that one cannot help but tell their own story. For example, Savage (77) writes:

“Everyone tells stories—children, youth, and adults of all ages. Hidden inside those stories, like diamonds in the rough, are the deep truths of the unconscious. Storytelling is a form of self-disclosure.”

 Especially obvious are stories that begin—I know a man who—which almost always are stories about the one telling the story (Savage 95). Fiction stories are, of course, no different.

In his book, The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger introduced us to a moody young man, Holden Caulfield, who is about to be kicked out of a boarding school, Pencey Preparatory, not too far from New York City. When we drop in on Holden, it is the last weekend before school lets out in December and he narrates his interactions with roommates and professors, but something is not right. His roommate pressures him into writing a composition for him, arguing that he is too busy with his love interest to write the report, which makes no sense if Holden is flunking out because of a lack of academic ability. His professor feels guilty for flunking him, which makes no sense if Holden is flunking out because he just doesn’t fit in. When we learn that Holden is a junior and has flunked out of three other schools, we begin to wonder why exactly Holden just cannot make a go of it at Pencey.

Holden is due to return home for the holidays on Wednesday, but gets bored and anxious saying goodbye to friends and faculty at Pencey so he takes the train into New York City and, rather than good home, rents a room in a cheap flop house. Riding the elevator up to his room, the elevator operator offers to hook him up with a prostitute. He agrees, checks into his room, and waits for his date. As he is waiting, he notices that the hotel across the street is a source of immediate entertainment, as people have left their blinds up and are engaging in all sorts of mischief. In particular, he witnesses a man dressing up in women’s clothes and a couple having fun squirting their drinks all over each other.

Meanwhile, his date shows up and begins undressing only to find Holden not in the mood for sex, but quite willing to pay for her company. The prostitute gets bored and asks for her money, at which point Holden learns that the price he was quoted was not the price now being asked. He refuses to pay the additional cost and, when the girl leaves only to come back with her pimp, he ends up getting beat up in an odd display of principle, because he has repeatedly shared with us as readers that he lacks courage. Even odder is that in the middle of his beating he never tells the pimp that the prostitute did not earn her wages.

In telling the story about his experience with the prostitute, we learn that Holden cannot stand the idea of making love to anyone without actually being in love with them—Holden is not as loose and wild as we are led to believe. But it is like we as the readers learn this important insight before Holden himself becomes aware of it. In fact, in his brooding and wandering around New York visiting bars, calling up friends, and dropping in on former professors we learn that Holden is fixated on a friend, Jane Gallagher, who he never quite gets the courage to call. Yet, he calls an old flame, Sally Hayes, and even meets with her. Holden is a young man seriously out of touch with himself.

Being out of touch with himself, Holden does not process grief well. Early in the book, we learn that Holden is still grieving the death of his brother, Allie, who died of leukemia. Late in the book we learn of the death also of a friend, James Castle, at one of the previous schools who, after being bullied by classmates, jumped out of a window to his death. The reason for the bullying is never stated, but the professor, Mr. Antolini, who retrieved the boy’s body remained a close friend of Holden even after he left that school and Holden later suspects him of being a pervert. Furthermore, Castle’s death appears to have been the source of Holden’s inability to concentrate and to complete his education. Just like the reason for the bullying remains a mystery, so does their relationship. Was Castle more than a casual friend?

Assessment

J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye proved to be a good read and is now, in spite of a lot of foul language and exploration of sexual themes, a book which is frequently required reading for young adults. In my case, it was a father’s day gift from my son and, as a novel, a diversion from my usual nonfiction fare. The origin of the title and the allusion posed by the cover are both revealed at the appropriate time in the narration which you might enjoy learning for yourself. I certainly did.

Footnotes

Salinger admitted as much in an interview in 1953 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._D._S...).

References

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

Salinger Explores Self and GriefAlso see:Niebuhr Examines American Christian Roots, Part 1 Friedman Brings Healing by Shifting Focus from Individuals to the Family Books, Films, and MinistryOther ways to engage online:Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.netPublisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Adv_2024,  Signup

 

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Pentecost: Monday Monologues (podcast), March 31, 2025

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on Pentecost. 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!

Pentecost: Monday Monologues (podcast), May 1, 2023
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/sprng_2025, Signup
 
 

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Pentecostal Prayer

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Holy Spirit,

All praise and honor, power and dominion, truth and justice are yours, because you formed and empowered the church at Pentecost and in faith have come into our lives.

We confess that we have not lived into our salvation or shared it with those in need. Forgive us our selfishness, our pride, and our neglect of your church.

Thank you for Pentecost, for the many spiritual gifts, for your provision and sustenance,  and for your presence and protection.

Draw us closer to you ever waking hour. Open our hearts, illumine our thoughts, and strengthen our hands in your service.

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Pentecostal Prayer
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/sprng_2025, Signup
 
 

 

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Oración Pentecostés

Por Stephen W. Hiemstra

Espíritu Santo,

Tuyos son toda la alabanza y el honor, el poder y el dominio, la verdad y la justicia, porque tú engendraste en nosotros la fe y fundaste la iglesia en Pentecostés.

Confesamos que no hemos vivido nuestra salvación ni la hemos compartido con los necesitados. Perdona nuestro egoísmo, nuestro orgullo y nuestro descuido de tu iglesia.

Gracias por Pentecostés, por los muchos dones espirituales, por tu provisión y sustento, y por tu presencia y protección.

Acércanos más a ti cada hora del día. Abre nuestros corazones, ilumina nuestros pensamientos y fortalece nuestras manos en tu servicio.

En el precioso nombre de Jesús, Amén.

Oración Pentecostés
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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The Postmodern Dilemma

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God 

or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, 

and their foolish hearts were darkened. 

(Rom 1:21)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

The battleground of the church is the human heart.

The Biblical Heart

Just before God sent the flood to wipe out all of humanity, save Noah and his family, we read:

“The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” (Gen 6:5-6)

Notice the phrases, “every intention of the thoughts of his heart,” and “grieved him [God] to his heart.”

The word, heart, in the Hebrew is lev (לֵב BDB 4761), which means either “1. The inner man in contrast with outer” or “2. The inner man, indef., soul, comprehending mind, affections and will.” The Greek translation in the Septuagint is cardia (BDAG 3926 καρδία) that means either “1. Heart as seat of physical, spiritual and mental life” or “2. Interior, center, heart.” The Biblical heart is according closer to the term, soul, and clearly involves both mind and body, not simply a body part or emotional center.

The Apostle Paul Use of Heart

The Apostle Paul uses the concept of the heart in Genesis 6 in defining salvation: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Rom 10:9) He also employs heart language in citing the antithesis of faith, as cited in Romans 1:21 above. This thesis and antithesis uses of heart in Paul’s writing displays the heart as the focal point of spiritual warfare.

Normally, we expect an argument to start with a statement of the thesis: the heart is the battlefield over which the question of faith is decided. Because Paul starts, not with the thesis as expected, but the antithesis—foolish hearts—we sense Paul taking the doctrine of original sin seriously. Our hearts are not a blank slate that our parents and teachers simply write on. Original sin darkens our hearts making the work of Christ on the cross necessary to implant the Holy Spirit at the moment of confession.

Original sin refers to the rebellion of Adam and Eve in disobeying God to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:17). This act defined Adam and Eve as lawbreakers and tainted the family tree. While Paul writes about “foolish hearts,” there is also a curse: “God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts.” (Rom 1:24) “Lusts of their hearts” rephrased as: “dishonorable passions.” (Rom 1:26) Original sin is a heart problem of loving the wrong things.

The Problem of Sin

The heart is accordingly not neutral ground. God’s general revelation, often pictured in Psalm 19, has been rejected. Paul writes: “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” (Rom 1:20) Men and women did not honor God, were ungrateful, and were futile in their thinking (Rom 1:21). Furthermore, “They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.” (Rom 1:23) 

The current fascination with the occult, gender, and the many emotional-support animals are not necessarily innocent obsessions, in part, because they represent confused hearts—hearts not loving the right things. Paul follows these “debased minds” down the slippery slope to their logical conclusion:

“They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.” (Rom 1:29-31)

While your list of evil acts may not be the same as Paul’s, the point is that sin leaves no one untouched whose heart is allowed to gravitate to its own dishonorable passion.

Founding of the Church on Pentecost

The church began with the gift of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. The Feast of Pentecost celebrated the barely harvest (or first fruits; Lev 23) that was a time of joy because it meant that the fasting and hunger from the previous winter—so common before the Industrial Revolution—would finally end. In this context, we read:

“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4)

Several observations here are important. First, the disciples were “all together in one place.” The church’s formation was a communal experience. Second, the Holy Spirit is the agent of this transformation “from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind” and the one filling each of them. Third, “tongues as of fire” enabled them all to speak in “other tongues.”

While the Holy Spirit inaugurates the church collectively, the Apostle Peter in speaking later the same day about what it means to participate in this transformation also refers to the agency of the Holy Spirit in individuals. He says: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38) The church provides a forum for repentance and baptism, but it is the Holy Spirit that is the agent of transformation in the believer following God’s special revelation in Jesus Christ.

Battleground of 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




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El Dilema Posmoderno

Pues aunque conocían a Dios, no Lo honraron (no Lo glorificaron) 

como a Dios ni Le dieron gracias, sino que se hicieron vanos en sus razonamientos 

y su necio corazón fue entenebrecido.

(Rom 1:21)

Por Stephen W. Hiemstra

El campo de la batalla de la iglesia es el corazón humano.

Justo antes de que Dios enviara el diluvio para acabar con toda la humanidad, excepto Noé y su familia, leemos:

El SEÑOR vio que era mucha la maldad de los hombres en la tierra, y que toda intención de los pensamientos de su corazón era sólo hacer siempre el mal. Y al SEÑOR Le pesó haber hecho al hombre en la tierra, y sintió tristeza en Su corazón. (Gen 6:5-6)

Observe las frases, ¨toda intención de los pensamientos de su corazón¨ y ¨sintió tristeza en su corazón.¨ Claramente Dios tiene sentimientos y el pecado le entristece.

La palabra corazón en hebreo es lev (BDB 4761), que significa “el hombre interior en contraste con el exterior” o “el hombre interior, indef., alma, que comprende mente, afectos y voluntad.” La traducción griega en la Septuaginta es cardia (BDAG 3926), que significa “Corazón como sede de la vida física, espiritual y mental” o “Interior, centro, corazón.” El corazón bíblico se acerca más al término alma e involucra claramente tanto la mente como el cuerpo, no simplemente una parte del cuerpo o un centro emocional.

El Uso del Corazón por parte del Apóstol Pablo

El apóstol Pablo utiliza el concepto de corazón para definir la salvación:¨Que si confiesas con tu boca a Jesús por Señor, y crees en tu corazón que Dios Lo resucitó de entre los muertos, serás salvo.¨ (Rom 10:9) También emplea el lenguaje del corazón —corazones necios— al citar la antítesis de la fe, como se cita en Romanos 1:21, citado al comienzo del capítulo. Este uso de tesis y antítesis del término corazón en los escritos de Pablo implica que el corazón es el punto focal de la guerra espiritual.

Considere Romanos 1:21. Normalmente, abrimos un argumento con una declaración de la tesis: El corazón es el campo de batalla en el que se decide la cuestión de la fe. Porque Pablo no comienza con la tesis como se esperaba, sino con la antítesis—corazones necios—nuestros corazones no son una pizarra en blanco en la que nuestros padres y maestros simplemente escriben. El pecado oscurece nuestros corazones, haciendo necesaria la obra de Cristo en la cruz.

El Problema del Pecado

El pecado original se refiere a la rebelión de Adán y Eva al desobedecer a Dios al comer del árbol del conocimiento del bien y del mal (Gén 2:17). Este acto definió a Adán y Eva como transgresores de la ley y manchó el árbol genealógico. Mientras Pablo escribe sobre “corazones necios,” también hay una maldición: ¨Por lo cual Dios los entregó a la impureza en la lujuria de sus corazones.¨ (Rom 1:24) Dos versículos después, la expresión ¨La lujuria de sus corazones¨ se reformula como ¨pasiones degradantes.¨ (Rom 1:26) El pecado original es un problema del corazón que consiste en amar las cosas equivocadas.

El corazón no es pues un terreno neutral. La revelación general de Dios, a menudo descrita en el Salmo 19 como una visión idealizada de la creación, ha sido rechazada. Pablo escribe: ¨Porque desde la creación del mundo, sus atributos invisibles, su eterno poder y divinidad, se han visto con toda claridad, siendo entendidos por medio de lo creado, de manera que ellos no tienen excusa.¨ (Rom 1:20 Los hombres y las mujeres no honraron a Dios, fueron ingratos y fútiles en sus pensamientos (Rom 1:21). Además, “y cambiaron la gloria del Dios incorruptible por una imagen en forma de hombre corruptible, de aves, de cuadrúpedos y de reptiles.¨ (Rom 1:23)

La fascinación actual por lo oculto, el género y las drogas recreativas no son necesariamente obsesiones inocentes, en parte, porque representan corazones confundidos—corazones que no aman las cosas correctas. Pablo sigue a estas “mentes depravadas” por la pendiente resbaladiza hasta su conclusión lógica:

¨Están llenos de toda injusticia, maldad (perversidad), avaricia y malicia, llenos de envidia, homicidios, pleitos, engaños, y malignidad. Son chismosos, detractores (calumniadores), aborrecedores enemigos) de Dios, insolentes, soberbios, jactanciosos (arrogantes), inventores de lo malo, desobedientes (rebeldes) a los padres, sin entendimiento, indignos de confianza (desleales), sin amor, despiadados.¨ (Rom 1:29-31)

Aunque tu lista de actos malvados puede no ser la misma que la de Pablo, el punto es que el pecado no deja intacto a nadie cuyo corazón se deja gravitar hacia su propia pasión deshonrosa.

Fundación de la Iglesia en Pentecostés

La iglesia comenzó con el regalo del Espíritu Santo en Pentecostés. La fiesta de Pentecostés se celebraba cincuenta días después de la Pascua y la cosecha de la cebada (o primicias; Lev 23). Fue un momento de alegría porque el ayuno y el hambre del invierno anterior —la situación normal para la mayoría de la gente antes de la Revolución Industrial— finalmente terminarían. En este contexto, leemos:

¨Cuando llegó el día de Pentecostés, estaban todos juntos (unánimes) en un mismo lugar, y de repente vino del cielo un ruido como el de una ráfaga de viento impetuoso que llenó toda la casa donde estaban sentados. Se les aparecieron lenguas como de fuego que, repartiéndose, se posaron sobre cada uno de ellos. Todos fueron llenos del Espíritu Santo y comenzaron a hablar en otras lenguas, según el Espíritu les daba habilidad para expresarse.¨ (Hechos 2:1-4)

Aquí hay varias observaciones importantes. Primero, los discípulos estaban ¨todos juntos (unánimes) en un mismo lugar.¨ La formación de la iglesia fue una experiencia comunitaria. Segundo, el Espíritu Santo es el agente de esta transformación ¨del cielo un ruido como el de una ráfaga de viento impetuoso¨ y el que llena a cada uno de ellos. Tercero, las ¨lenguas como de fuego¨ les permitieron a todos hablar en ¨otras lenguas.¨

Mientras que el Espíritu Santo inaugura la iglesia colectivamente, más tarde ese mismo día el apóstol Pedro aplica la agencia del Espíritu Santo también a los individuos, diciendo: ¨Arrepiéntanse y sean bautizados cada uno de ustedes en el nombre de Jesucristo para perdón de sus pecados, y recibirán el don del Espíritu Santo.¨ (Hechos 2:38) La iglesia proporciona un foro para el arrepentimiento, el bautismo y la comunión, pero es el Espíritu Santo el agente de transformación en el creyente después de la revelación especial de Dios en Jesucristo.

El Dilema Posmoderno
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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Seibert Clarifies Part-Time Ministry

Warren Seibert. 2016. The Calling of a Part-Time Pastor: A Guidebook for Small Church Leaders.  Bloomington: Westbow Press.

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

It is interesting how the watering down of religious commitment has affected our notions of a healthy church. In the rabbinic tradition, a rabbi could hold worship with no less than a minyan (10 adult males) which meant that, if the congregants kept the tithe (a tenth of their income), the rabbi could maintain a living standard consistent with his minyan. In the U.S. today, where average giving is more like 1 percent of income, a church needs about 100 members to support a pastor. Because already about 2/3 of the Protestants churches in North America have less than 100 members (xiii) and about 30 percent of the pastors already part-time (xvi), the loss of millennial and builder generation members can only increase the financial pressure to call part-time pastors (11).

Introduction

In his book, The Call of a Part-Time Pastor, Warren Seibert writes:

“The only thing that is really ‘part-time’ or partial about my ministry position is that amount of financial compensation that my church is able to provide at this time. This is why I prefer the term ‘bivocational’ to describe my life and service…Simply defined, a bivocational pastor is someone serving in a ministry setting who must rely upon an additional source of income outside their ministry in order to support themselves or their family” (xviii).

“the truth is that part-time pastors are not a new phenomenon at all…a careful study of church history demonstrates that what is actually ‘new’ in the church is full-time clergy.” (5)

What is a Tentmaker?

The Apostle Paul, for example, worked as a tentmaker; Chrysostom was a farmer; Dionysius was a physician (4-5). Seibert offers many examples in support of his thesis, which is that part-time pastors are the norm, not the exception, even today.

Warren Seibert is himself a bivocational pastor ordained by the Reformed Church in America, who also works as a registered nurse. He divides his book into three parts:

The World of Part-Time Ministry,
The World of the Part-Time Church, and
A Partnership in Full-Time Ministry (xi).

Let me address each in turn.

The World of Part-Time Ministry .

Many Christians and many pastors have negative attitudes about small churches and part-time pastors. Why? (12) Denomination groups, for example, often perpetuate these attitudes both by setting minimum salary requirements above what small churches can pay and refusing to ordain candidates for ministry who do not have paid ministry positions, forcing them, in effect, to take volunteer positions that many cannot afford.

Contemporary Mission

Seibert sees the small church as the contemporary mission field (13) where the pastor is called to full-time ministry, just like every other Christian (23).

He divides this call into three parts: a call to salvation, a call to sanctification, and a call to service (26). This last call, the call to service, distinguishes the pastor from other Christians. Each of us has a call to service, but not all of us have a call to pastoral leadership (35). In the reformed tradition, the call to service is referred to as the “priesthood of all believers” (30) and it is not simply a task delegated to the pastor.  Ministry can never be delegated to the pastor because there is “simply too much work to do” (38).

The World of the Part-Time Church .

What is a church? In the New Testament Greek, the church (ekklesian; ἐκκλησίαν Matt 16:18) translatesfrom the Greek as the called out ones (43).  The ones called out are called out by Jesus himself. Therefore, Seibert clarifies, saying: “The church is a gathering of people who profess that Jesus is their Lord and Savior.” (44) The many voices that we hear today that compete for the time, energy, and resources of the church, he suggests, need to be subordinated to the authority of Christ (45) who calls his church to make disciples by means of going, baptizing, and teaching (49).  The four fundamental tasks in making disciples, he suggests, are: worship, discipleship, fellowship, and evangelism (51).

A Partnership in Full-Time Ministry .

Unrealistic expectations by churches and by pastors, especially unspoken and assumed expectations, hamper many part-time pastors (71). One colleague close to me, for example, received a call after the retirement of beloved pastor. He responded to an expressed desire to recruit new members only to find that the church desired new members to look like the old ones. Not meeting the unexpected desire, he found himself seeking a new position about three years later.

Expectations of the Church

Seibert offers lists of expectations that the church should have of a part-time pastor and what the part-time pastor should expect of the church. The church should expect:

A person of strong character, a call to bivocational ministry who believes and preaches the Word of God, is a person of prayer, loves the people, provides pastoral care, leadership, and training, and agrees with the duties and expectations of the ministry (73-76).

Expectations of the Pastor

The pastor should expect:

A church that prays for their pastor. It accepts their pastor’s leadership, cares for the pastor and family, holds realistic expectations, ministers alongside the pastor. It furthermore understands the limits of part-time work, and supports the ministry with attendance, giving, and salary (76-79).

Seibert observes that Gospel ministry remains hard, but not complicated (81).

Warren Seibert’s The Calling of a Part-Time Pastor is a helpful guide for small church leadership. It is short, understandable, and readable.

The definition of a minyan is only hinted at in the Old Testament. Moses and Jethro, for example, talk about leaders of tens, fifties, hundreds, and thousands. “Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.” (Exod 18:25 ESV; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minyan ).  In Numbers 14, Moses refers to the 10 spies who grumbled about entering the Promised Land, as a: “wicked congregation”. The tithe is more concretely defined (e.g. Lev 27:30-32).

http://West-Copake.RCAchurches.org.

Seibert Clarifies The Ups and Downs of Part-Time Ministry
Also see:
The Christian Memoir 
Karr Voices Memoir Clearly 
Books, Films, and Ministry
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/sprng_2025, Signup

 

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Holy Spirit: Monday Monologues (podcast), March 24, 2025

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on Holy Spirit. 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!

Holy Spirit: Monday Monologues (podcast), March 24, 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/sprng_2025, Signup
 
 

The post Holy Spirit: Monday Monologues (podcast), March 24, 2025 appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.