Finally! I'm back, for good...maybe.

Well, since I discovered the hard way NOT to challenge myself to blog everyday during finals week I had to postpone my mission. However, as of Thursday my classes are done tests are over and Christmas break has begun. Friday was the absolute perfect day to start my winter break with a bang. Lots of fellowship, laughter (until there were tears), sledding, snowball fights, playing knights and maidens like little kids, white elephant and more. God has given me allot.

With that, I'm excited to delve into Acts. Round two of blogging everyday, chapter two of acts.

Acts 2:2

"Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting."

- Nothing super deep to say here, but perhaps this explains why I enjoy sitting outdoors in the middle of windstorms so much?

I challenge you to read Acts 2: 3-13. It's only 10 verses, but very important ones. Allot of people tend to discredit speaking in tongues, much like those in verse 13. Although I could, I will not sit here and give you a lengthy description of what I believe, I will say that as bible believing, Christians redeemed through Christ we are all called to believe this:

2 Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,"

My thought is this. If you believe that the redemption of Jesus Christ through His sacrifice on the cross is relevant for today's world and our lives, then you must also believe that acts 2 is relevant and useful for us now.

Now, I will make it clear that I do believe in speaking in tongues. It's in the bible, so I should, unless I mean to discredit hell, heaven and salvation too. Your response may be similar to this one, which I have received before - "It seems like everyone is just abusing the idea and in doing so making it irrelevant." Well, I'm sorry you feel that way.

I never got the chance to truly respond how I would have liked to that statement. So, I will tell you now... if you even read this.

I see speaking in tongues like any other spiritual gift. If you've taken any sort of spiritual gift "asessment test" (which, if you haven't you should try to get your hands on one!) you are able to see that these gifts are diverse. So, comparing... let's say, Administration (?) to speaking in tongues.

With speaking in tongues, it IS possible for people to abuse it. It would seem very easy to let the idea over come you and "speak in tongues" to feel more spiritual. This is not the true movement of the Holy Spirit. However, when the Holy Spirit does move it is powerful and beautiful. Weather to us it seems as though someone was sampling the wine or just like gibberish, life does not always center on our understanding. So, it can be abused, but also well used.

Administration, there is a good way to use this gift and a way to abuse it. If someone is joining a group and heading into a leadership or "administrative" position it would be easy to get full of ego and misuse power. Being angered and displeased easily, pushing others around and being plain out overly bossy. My guess is, this is NOT how God intended this gift to be used. However, someone could enter the same leadership position and take a humble stance. Asking others what has and hasn't worked to reach the given goal with the group. Making it clear that you in no way believe you are the ultimate authority on everything in the world. There is a way to abuse administration and there is a way to use it well.

Really, you should just read Acts 2 and pray about what God wants to show you through it... I am in no way a scholar or any sort of authority when it comes to biblical texts. I just think that too often we let misled members of the body define what we see as possible and impossible. We put God in a box, we put that box behind bars, and build a church of "religion" on top of that dungeon. God cannot be hidden in a box, he is much to glorious to be contained. Again, I would challenge you to read Acts 2 and have a prayerfully sensitive spirit to what the Lord would have you learn from it.

There is allot of really good stuff in Acts 2...go read it! :)

Jackie