Stephen W. Hiemstra's Blog, page 3

Orando en el Espíritu

Por Stephen W. Hiemstra

Santo Padre,

Toda la alabanza y el honor, el poder y el dominio, la verdad y la justicia son tuyos porque has establecido y sostenido tu comunidad escatológica con tu Espíritu Santo que camina con nosotros y nos concede dones espirituales. Estar siempre cerca.

Perdónanos cuando nos desviamos del camino espiritual que tú has puesto ante nosotros y nos centramos en otras cosas. Estar siempre cerca.

Gracias por los muchos dones del espíritu y por tu gracia cuando deambulamos. Estar siempre cerca.

Con el poder de tu Espíritu Santo, atráenos hacia ti. Abre nuestros corazones. Ilumina nuestros pensamientos. Fortalece nuestras manos en tu servicio.

En el precioso nombre de Jesús, Amén.

Orando en el Espíritu
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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Walking in the Spirit

Walk by the Spirit, 

and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 

(Gal 5:16 )

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

The Holy Spirit is not an abstract concept for the Apostle Paul that merely guides interpretation of scripture. Paul sees at least two additional roles for the Holy Spirit: Spiritual companionship and provisioner of spiritual gifts.

Led by the Spirit

Thompson ( 2011, 61) writes: “Paul does not speak of ethics, but of how to walk, the primary term for ethical conduct.” Continuing Galatians 5 cited above we read:

“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Gal 5:18-23)

If our walk with the Lord is a metaphor for ethical living, the Holy Spirit is our walking companion and it is the Holy Spirit that distinguishes our walking ethics from law. Note that the fruits of the spirit appear strongly influenced by the self-described attributes of God: Mercy, grace, patience, love, and faithfulness (Exod 34:6).

Interestingly, it is this walking ethics, not the work of Christ or the strength of our faith, that Paul says distinguishes the church from law. Elsewhere, Paul writes:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Cor 12:9)

If our conduct falls short, in Christ we are forgiven, but it is not forgiveness in the absence of being “led by the Spirit.” (Gal 5:18) In this sense, stumbling is part of walking.

Everywhere in the ancient world Christian communities were in the minority where their ethical conduct set them apart from the culture around them. Paul writes:

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom 12:1-2)

The controlling concept throughout Paul’s teaching is that the church is a holy community, set apart—“A living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God”—in continuity with historical Israel, not by blood, but by faith (Gal 2:21-28). In this context, worship is a holy life, not music played on Sunday morning.

Spiritual Gifts

If the church is an eschatological community established by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2), Paul sees the church also sustained by the Holy Spirit through the provision of spiritual gifts. He writes:

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” (1 Cor 12:4-7)

Paul follows up with a lengthy list of spiritual gifts, but the list is necessarily incomplete because: “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit.” These gifts are unique to each believer, but share the characteristics of being “for the common good.” 

Paul likens these gifts to parts of the human body, none of which are extraneous or more valuable than another. Paul writes:

“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” (1 Cor 12:12-13)

Note the reference to the Holy Spirit given in baptism. Paul’s ecclesiology and ethics are thoroughly spirit driven.

References

Thompson, James W. 2011. Moral Formation according to Paul. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.

Walking in the Spirit

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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Caminar en el Espíritu

Digo, pues: anden por el Espíritu, 

y no cumplirán el deseo de la carne. 

(Gal 5:16)

Por Stephen W. Hiemstra

El Espíritu Santo no es un concepto abstracto que simplemente guía la interpretación de las Escrituras. Pablo ve al menos dos funciones adicionales para el Espíritu Santo: Compañía espiritual y provisión de dones espirituales.

Guiado por el Espíritu

Thompson (2011, 61) escribe: “Pablo no habla de ética, sino de cómo caminar, el término principal para la conducta ética.” Continuando Gálatas 5 citados arriba leemos:

¨Pero si son guiados por el Espíritu, no están bajo la Ley. Ahora bien, las obras de la carne son evidentes, las cuales son: inmoralidad, impureza, sensualidad, idolatría, hechicería, enemistades, pleitos, celos, enojos, rivalidades, disensiones, herejías, envidias, borracheras, orgías y cosas semejantes, contra las cuales les advierto, como ya se lo he dicho antes, que los que practican tales cosas no heredarán el reino de Dios. Pero el fruto del Espíritu es amor, gozo, paz, paciencia, benignidad, bondad, fidelidad, mansedumbre, dominio propio; contra tales cosas no hay ley.¨ (Gal 5:18-23)

Si nuestro caminar con el Señor es una metáfora de una vida ética, el Espíritu Santo es nuestro compañero de camino, y es el Espíritu Santo el que distingue nuestra ética de caminar de la ley. Observe que los frutos del espíritu parecen fuertemente influenciados por los atributos autodescritos de Dios: Misericordia, gracia, paciencia, amor y fidelidad (Éxodo 34:6).

Curiosamente, es esta ética de caminar, no la obra de Cristo ni la fuerza de nuestra fe, lo que, según Pablo, distingue a la iglesia de la ley. En otra parte, Pablo escribe:

¨Te basta mi gracia, pues mi poder se perfecciona en la debilidad.” Por tanto, con muchísimo gusto me gloriaré más bien en mis debilidades, para que el poder de Cristo more en mí.¨ (2 Cor 12:9)

Si tropezamos en nuestro caminar, en Cristo somos perdonados, pero no es perdón en ausencia de ser “guiados por el Espíritu.” (Gal 5:18) Tropezar es parte del camino—todos tropezamos.

En todas partes del mundo antiguo las comunidades cristianas eran minoría y su conducta ética las diferenciaba de la cultura que las rodeaba. Pablo escribe:

¨Por tanto, hermanos, les ruego por las misericordias de Dios que presenten sus cuerpos como sacrificio vivo y santo, aceptable (agradable) a Dios, que es el culto racional de ustedes. Y no se adapten (no se conformen) a este mundo, sino transfórmense mediante la renovación de su mente, para que verifiquen cuál es la voluntad de Dios: lo que es bueno y aceptable (agradable) y perfecto.¨ (Rom 12:1-2)

El concepto rector de toda la enseñanza de Pablo es que la iglesia es una comunidad santa, apartada—“sacrificio vivo y santo, aceptable (agradable) a Dios”—en continuidad con el Israel histórico, no por la sangre, sino por la fe  (Gal 2:21-28). En este contexto, la adoración es una vida santa, no música tocada el domingo por la mañana.

Los Dones Espirituales

Si la iglesia es una comunidad escatológica (una comunidad consciente del fin de los tiempos) establecida por el Espíritu Santo (Hechos 2), Pablo ve a la iglesia también sostenida por el Espíritu Santo a través de la provisión de dones espirituales. El escribe:

¨Ahora bien, hay diversidad de dones, pero el Espíritu es el mismo. Hay diversidad de ministerios, pero el Señor es el mismo. Y hay diversidad de operaciones, pero es el mismo Dios el que hace todas las cosas en todos. Pero a cada uno se le da la manifestación del Espíritu para el bien común.¨ (1 Cor 12:4-7)

Pablo continúa con una larga lista de dones espirituales, pero la lista es necesariamente incompleta porque ¨a cada uno se le da la manifestación del Espíritu.¨ Estos dones son únicos para cada creyente, pero comparten la característica de ser “para el bien común.¨

Pablo compara estos dones con partes del cuerpo humano, ninguna de las cuales es extraña o más valiosa que otra. Pablo escribe:

¨Porque así como el cuerpo es uno, y tiene muchos miembros, pero, todos los miembros del cuerpo, aunque son muchos, constituyen un solo cuerpo, así también es Cristo. Pues por un mismo Espíritu todos fuimos bautizados en un solo cuerpo, ya Judíos o Griegos, ya esclavos o libres. A todos se nos dio a beber del mismo Espíritu.¨ (1 Cor 12:12-13)

Nótese la referencia al Espíritu Santo dada en el bautismo. La eclesiología y la ética de Pablo están totalmente impulsadas por el espíritu.

Caminar en el Espíritu
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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Beechick Outlines Biblical Learning Method

Ruth Beechick. 1982. A Biblical Psychology of Learning. Denver: Accent Books.

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

One of the most insidious assumptions of modern and postmodern people is that the current generation is the most intelligent, most perceptive. It is as if everything that came before was prologue to this fantastic new beginning. Not only is this assumption not true; it is idolatrous because, like original sin, this assumption presumes the role of God, who is the true source of all knowledge. This is why as we grow in our faith and learn about it, we find the Bible increasingly interesting. Books that help us understand the Bible in new ways are especially interesting.

Introduction

In her book, A Biblical Psychology of Learning, educator Dr. Ruth Beechick starts noting that: “we need a theory of learning based on the Bible.” (8) The reason for Beechick’s interest is that in studying learning theory more generally, she was frustrated that the behavioral theory explained primarily the behavior of rats (stimulus-response) and other theories likewise focused on only one dimension of learning. Surely, human complexity required a more complex understanding of learning, she thought (9).

Learning Starts with the Heart

In her attempt to develop a biblical understanding of learning, Beechick observes:

“When we look to the Bible one inescapable fact about man is his heart. The word is used more than 800 times.” (12)

Beechick goes into a long discussion of how modern people understand the biblical concept of heart, but I suspect that, because the heart has a much wider scope of meaning in Hebrew and Greek, heart would translate as a range of emotional and intellectual meanings, which Beechick argues do not all begin with cognition in the mind. She argues from biblical, historical, and scientific evidence that the heart has its own autonomous influence (39).

Biblical Learning Model Uses More Information

Beechick makes an interesting chart comparing sources of input into three learning theories—behaviorism, humanism, and biblical—with their view of man and basis of study. Behaviorism views man as a personless body; humanism views many as a biological organism; and the biblical view of man is that we are created in the image of God. Behaviorism studies laboratory animals; humanism studies mankind; and the biblical view considers animals, people, and the biblical experience (26). From her review, she concludes that the biblical view is better informed than behaviorism or humanism because it takes into account more information (33).

Beechick’s core learning model is built on a model from John A.R. Wilson, Mildred D. Robeck, and William B. Michael called Psychological Foundations of Learning (New York: McGraw Hill, 1969) and has five components:

Wise self-direction (creativity),Concept Learning,Information learning,Heart-set (self-discipline), andParental love and discipline (54).

Each of these components interacts with the others and combines influences from both the head and the heart. The remainder of the book focuses on explaining each of these five components.

Example of Psalm 78

Beechick walks through this learning model that she finds illustrated in several verses in Psalm 78 through wisdom and foolishness applications of the model (example and counter-example). The wisdom application is found in verses one, six, and seven (70):

Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children,so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; (Ps 78:1, 6-7 ESV)

The foolish-learner application is found in the verses that follow (72). Proverbs 10 provides another application of the model through example and counter-example. In walking through these illustrations, Beechick notes that learning starts with the orientation of the heart (heart-setting) and that God disciplines his people with both anger and love (69). Because our hearts are not always naturally set on learning, discipline plays a key role in biblical learning, which the Psalmist likens to the growth of a palm or cedar tree (Ps 92:12).

Who is Ruth Beechick?

Her Amazon author page reports the following biography:

“Dr. Ruth Beechick spent a lifetime teaching and studying how people learn. She taught in Washington state, Alaska, Arizona and in several colleges and seminaries in other states. She also spent thirteen years at a publishing company writing curriculum for churches. In ‘retirement’ she continues to write for the burgeoning homeschool movement. Her degrees are A.B. from Seattle Pacific University, M.A.Ed. and Ed.D. from Arizona State University.”

Ruth has written numerous books and curriculum materials for homeschooling, but she passed away in 2013 and does not have her own website.

Assessment

Ruth Beechick’s A Biblical Psychology of Learning is an interesting for anyone interested in biblical teaching methods, which explains why she has been so influential in the homeschooling movement. Her learning model is complex which seems appropriate because we are complex people, but it also suggests that rigorous study is required to apply it.

Beechick Outlines Biblical Learning MethodAlso see: 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/Sum_end_25 ,  Signup

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Spirit: Monday Monologues (podcast), September 8, 2025

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on the 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!

Spirit: Monday Monologues (podcast), September 8, 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/Sum_end_25 ,  Signup

 
 

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Breath Prayer

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Spirit of Truth,

All praise and honor, power and dominion, truth and justice are yours because you veil yourself to the ungodly and reveal yourself to seekers through your Holy Spirit.

Forgive our impatience, our untrusting attitudes, and hardened hearts. Do not give us over to our own desires, but grant us eyes that see and ears that hear.

Thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, who grants us spiritual gifts, unveils our hearts, and sustains us through difficult times.

In the power of your Holy Spirit, open the eyes of this new generation—grant us revival—that we might share your love through Jesus Christ.

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Breath 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/Sum_end_25 ,  Signup

 

 

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Oración de Aliento

Por Stephen W. Hiemstra

Espíritu de Verdad,

Toda la alabanza y el honor, el poder y el dominio, la verdad y la justicia son tuyos porque te ocultas a los impíos y te revelas a los buscadores por medio de tu Espíritu Santo.

Perdona nuestra impaciencia, nuestras actitudes desconfiadas y nuestros corazones endurecidos. No nos entregues a nuestros propios deseos, sino concédenos ojos que vean y oídos que oigan.

Gracias por el don de tu Espíritu Santo, Paráclito, que nos concede dones espirituales, abre nuestros corazones y nos sostiene en los momentos difíciles.

Con el poder de tu Espíritu Santo, abre los ojos de esta nueva generación—concédenos un avivamiento—para que podamos compartir tu amor por medio de Jesucristo.

En el precioso nombre de Jesús, Amén.

Oración de Aliento
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 Holy Spirit and Scripture

But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth 

and in your heart, so that you can do it. 

(Deut 30:14)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

The Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in the Apostle Paul’s reading of scripture because scripture is veiled to our eyes and can only be understood through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. When the Corinthian church asked Paul for his letters of recommendation, he boldly replied:

“You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” (2 Cor 3:2-3)

His letter of recommendation, obvious to the whole world, was the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of Corinthian church.

In this same chapter in his letter, Paul turned to an enigmatic story of how Moses’ face shined when he communed with God, so much that he had to veil his face:

“But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Cor 3:14-17)

In this same way, when one reads scripture outside the context of faith, it remains veiled and can only be unveiled through the power of the Holy Spirit. In summarizing Paul’s hermeneutical method, Hays (1989, 191) writes: “No reading of Scripture can be legitimate, then, if it fails to shape the readers into a community that embodies the love of God as shown forth in Christ.”

This is why when Paul speaks of faith, he speaks in terms of this unveiling as when he writes, paraphrasing Deuteronomy 30:14:

“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, 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. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” (Rom 10:8-11)

This unveiling metaphor is crucial to understanding both Paul’s hermeneutical method (interpretation of scripture) and the mystery of faith: Both require the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit.

Implicit in Paul’s copious use of Old Testament scripture is the continuity of the Nation of Israel with the church, a theme explicitly drawn out in Paul’s grafting analogy in Romans 11. The curiosity of scriptural echoes arises in Paul’s writing as a tension between theme and counter-theme. Hays (1989, 46) writes:

“In Romans 1:18-3:20, even where Paul uses scriptural allusions to underscore the message of God’s judgment, the texts themselves whisper the counter-theme of God’s mercy.”

This statement jumps out at me because this particular passage is much reviled by postmoderns and hammered like a bible-over-the-head by some commentators. Hays (1989, 47) refers to this as the ”judgment/grace paradigm that undergirds the whole witness of Scripture.”

The role of the Holy Spirit in Paul’s hermeneutical method is so basic that it sometimes goes unnoticed. Consider the famous passage in Timothy:

“All Scripture is breathed out by God [Theo-pneumatos, θεόπνευστος] and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16-17)

Note the phrase,“breathed out by God.” In both Hebrew and Greek, the term for Holy Spirit can mean spirit, breath, or wind. The implication here is that scripture is both inspired by the Holy Spirit and best read through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

References

Hays, Richard B. 1989. Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul. New Haven: Yale University Press.

The Holy Spirit and Scripture

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/Sum_end_25 ,  Signup

 

 

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El Espíritu Santo y la Escritura

 

Pues la palabra está muy cerca de ti, 

en tu boca y en tu corazón, para que la guardes.

(Deut 30:14)

Por Stephen W. Hiemstra

El Espíritu Santo juega un papel crucial en la lectura de las Escrituras por parte del apóstol Pablo. Cuando la iglesia de Corinto le pidió a Pablo sus cartas de recomendación, él respondió:

¨Ustedes son nuestra carta, escrita en nuestros corazones, conocida y leída por todos los hombres, siendo manifiesto que son carta de Cristo redactada por nosotros, no escrita con tinta, sino con el Espíritu del Dios vivo; no en tablas de piedra, sino en tablas de corazones humanos.¨ (2 Cor 3:2-3)

Su carta de recomendación fue la obra del Espíritu Santo en la vida de la iglesia de Corinto.

En este punto, Pablo recurrió a una enigmática historia de cómo el rostro de Moisés brillaba cuando se comunicaba con Dios, tanto que tuvo que velarlo:

¨Pero el entendimiento de ellos se endureció. Porque hasta el día de hoy, en la lectura del antiguo pacto (testamento) el mismo velo permanece sin alzarse, pues sólo en Cristo es quitado. Y hasta el día de hoy, cada vez que se lee a Moisés, un velo está puesto sobre sus corazones. Pero cuando alguien se vuelve al Señor, el velo es quitado. Ahora bien, el Señor es el Espíritu; y donde está el Espíritu del Señor, hay libertad.¨ (2 Cor 3:14-17)

De la misma manera, cuando uno lee la Escritura fuera del contexto de la fe, ésta permanece velada y sólo puede ser revelada a través del poder del Espíritu Santo. Al resumir el método hermenéutico de Pablo, Hays (1989, 191) escribe: “Ninguna lectura de las Escrituras puede ser legítima si no logra formar a los lectores en una comunidad que encarne el amor de Dios manifestado en Cristo.”

Por eso, cuando Pablo habla de la fe, habla en términos de esta revelación como cuando escribe, parafraseando Deuteronomio 30:14:

¨Pero, ¿qué dice? Cerca de it está la palabra, en tu boca y en tu corazon, es decir, la palabra de fe que predicamos: 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. Porque con el corazón se cree para justicia, y con la boca se confiesa para salvación  Pues la Escritura dice: Todo el que cree en el, no sera vergonzado.” (Rom 10:8-11)

Esta metáfora reveladora es crucial para comprender tanto el método hermenéutico de Pablo como el misterio de la fe: ambos requieren la instrumentalidad del Espíritu Santo.

En el abundante uso que Pablo hace de las escrituras del Antiguo Testamento está implícita la continuidad del pueblo de Israel con la iglesia, un tema explícitamente planteado en la analogía del injerto que hace Pablo en Romanos 11. La curiosidad de los ecos escriturales surge en los escritos de Pablo como una tensión entre tema y contratema. Hays (1989, 46) escribe:

“En Romanos 1:18-3:20, incluso cuando Pablo usa alusiones bíblicas para subrayar el mensaje del juicio de Dios, los textos mismos susurran el contratema de la misericordia de Dios.”

Esta declaración se destaca porque este pasaje es utilizado por algunos comentaristas para confrontar la gente, como golpear alguien con una Biblia sobre la cabeza, y es muy vilipendiado por otros. Hays (1989, 47) se refiere a esto como el “paradigma juicio/gracia que sustenta todo el testimonio de la Escritura.”

El papel del Espíritu Santo en el método hermenéutico de Pablo es tan básico que a veces pasa desapercibido. Considera el famoso pasaje de Timoteo:

“Toda Escritura es inspirada por Dios [Theo-pneumatos] y útil para enseñar, para reprender, para corregir, para instruir en justicia, a fin de que el hombre de Dios sea perfecto (apto), equipado para toda buena obra.” (2 Tim 3:16-17)

La frase “inspirado por Dios” es el término para Espíritu Santo y puede significar espíritu, aliento o viento tanto en hebreo como en griego. La implicación aquí es que la Escritura está ambos inspirada por el Espíritu Santo y se lee mejor a través de la inspiración del Espíritu Santo.

El Espíritu Santo y la Escritura
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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Akinyemi: Realize God’s Will Through Prayer

Abayomi Akinyemi. 2008. Avoid the Path to Pisgah. Lake Mary, FL: Creation House, A Strang Company.

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

Have you ever wondered why you fail to achieve your potential in your faith walk and in life? You are not alone. Many talented people do not realize their potential, frequently falling short in dramatic ways. Think of all the young celebrities—sports and film stars—who in spite of fame and fortune end up living desperate lives in poverty later in life.

Underachievers share much in common in Moses who led the Nation of Israel out of Egypt only to be later forbidden by God to enter the Promised Land. God only allowed Moses a glimpse of the Promised Land from atop Mount Pisgah (Deut 3:26-27). Are you ready to avoid the trip up Mount Pisgah and enter the Promised Land?

Introduction

 In his book, Avoid the Path to Pisgah, Abayomi Akinyemi examines the story of Moses and how he achieved so much, but failed to achieve his dream of entering the Promised Land. In his introduction, Akinyemi (18) sees “seemingly minor distractions, weaknesses, and temptations” forming a pathway to Pisgah. Furthermore, he observes:

“Moses was a great vessel in the hand of God. He was called, anointed, and given a mandate by God to lead the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt into the Promised Land, yet he did not fulfill his destiny.” (26)

How could this happen? Akinyemi (77) sees the answer in a single verse:

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, (Heb 12:1 KJV)

Besetting Weights and Sins

The key words in this verse are besetting weights and sins. A besetting sin is one that we know about and struggle with our entire lives, like an obsession that we cannot control, but a weight is a hindrance or character flaw. Moses had at least three weights: an anger management problem, a tendency to complain, and he failed to honor God by following his instructions carefully under pressure.

Moses’ first weight was an anger-management problem (91). Early in life, it led him to murder an Egyptian who was abusing a fellow Hebrew (Exod 2:11-12). Later in life, when he saw the Nation of Israel worshiping the Golden Calf, he threw down the tables of stone that God had given him with the Ten Commandments (Exod 32:19).

Moses’ second weight was problem with complaining. Moses (91) did not want to go back to Egypt when God commissioned him and he did everything he could to get out of it (Exod 3:11—4:17). When the people of Israel began complaining in the desert, Moses (93) followed suit and began a rant against God (Num 11:10-13).

Moses’ third weight was that he failed to honor God by following his instructions carefully under pressure. At Meribah, when the people had no water, God told Moses to speak the rock to yield water (Exod 20:8), but, when the time came, Moses struck the rock twice with his rod (Exod 20:11). Why was the instruction important? Moses did not give the honor to God for delivering the water, but took it for himself in front of all the people by striking the rock. Consequently, God did not allow him to lead the people into the Promised Land (Exod 20:12).

Mount Pisgah

When Moses complained about this punishment to God, God said:

“Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes westward and northward and southward and eastward, and look at it with your eyes, for you shall not go over this Jordan.” (Deut 3:27 ESV)

Thus, Moses died on Mount Pisgah and never entered the Promised Land.

How do we avoid the path to Pisgah? Akinyemi (110-112) advises us to control our anger, yield totally to the Holy Spirit to cultivate the fruits of the spirit (Gal 5:22-23), and avoid pressure from people. But most of all we should pray aggressively, especially at night (112-117).

Assessment

In his book, Avoid the Path to Pisgah, Abayomi Akinyemi examines the problem that many talented Christian leaders fail to achieve their God-given potential by examining the life and ministry of Moses. Moses, in spite of obvious gifts of leadership, never entered the Promised Land which was a key objective of his call to ministry (Exod 3:7-10). Akinyemi writes with energy and recounts many interesting examples from scripture and from evangelism in his home country of Nigeria. Anyone interested in realizing their potential in ministry would do well to read and study this book.

http://www.zion-cityofgod.org.

Akinyemi: Realize God’s Will Through PrayerAlso see:Prayer for Healing, Comfort, and Deliverance A Place for Authoritative Prayer Other ways to engage online:Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Sum_end_25 ,  Signup

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