We continue to pray for the Roman Catholic Church and the grave decision they are now facing in selecting the 267th pope. The conclave to make this selection will convene 05/07. Who will the Cardinals select? If the leadership of Benedict and Francis, which covered 20 years, has been too tumultuous we may see the selection of an Italian, with the hope for greater tranquility. Those who watch these things have suggested some front runners which reflect the thought of the Roman Catholic Church. Oddly enough they have selected two progressives, two conservatives, a theologian and an administrator. Regardless of where one may fall on the spiritual spectrum, this is a very important decision.
Please remember that you bless us with your presence, and may the Holy Spirit bring you His comfort and His peace. Join us!!!
Zoom Link:
For Study, Prayer and Fellowship - 8:00 AM PDT on 05/03/2025:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82968961343?pwd=LzcwVjJKcWVESDRURlhDcXlNV0JUdz09
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05/03/2025 – Prologue - The fruits of the Holy Spirit are the traits of the Spirit of God that are in us. We call them fruits because they are a product of our growing relationship with the Holy Spirit. They are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. [NIV: Gal. 5:22-23] The number may vary depending on the compiler and their faith tradition. (Roman Catholic - 1831 (7) and 1832 (12). We have selected the nine that have been enumerated by Paul as the main attributes of a godly life:
1) Fruit of Love - It is because God is love and when we grow in knowing the God of love, love becomes automatic. If we truly know God, we are able to consistently walk in this kind of love. [1John 4:7-8]
2) Fruit of Joy – We are to rejoice under every circumstance in which we may find ourselves. In our natural state, this is absolutely impossible but when we walk in the Spirit it becomes a reality. [1 Thess. 5:16-17]
3) Fruit of Peace - Peace happens when our emotions are in check and they are confident and secure. The Bible tells us this can only take place through Christ. [John 16:33]
4) Fruit of Patience – (or Long-suffering or Forbearance) Suffering for our faith is consis-tent teaching within scripture. We are to rejoice in the midst of suffering and take it patiently. [1 Cor. 13:4; 1 Peter 2:20-21]
5) Fruit of Kindness - We are to suffer long and be patient during our time of trial, but we are to remain kind in the midst of the trial. (1 Cor. 13:4)
6) Fruit of Goodness* - The goodness of the ‘world’ has a limit: if you do good to me, I will do good to you. This is the best man can do. The challenge is man was created to be like God and God does good no matter what happens, not because things are good around Him, but because He is good. (Rom. 12:21)
7) Fruit of Faithfulness - When we walk in the Spirit, we expect faith to be growing in our lives. Faithfulness will also grow because this falls into the category of goodness and love. But faith, miracle activating faith, thrives as we walk with the God of faith. (Rom. 10:17)
8) Fruit of Gentleness - A man of God does not speak harshly, nor loudly and overbearing with their voice. They are gentle, can teach, and patient with those near them. (Phil. 4:5)
9) Fruit of Self-Control* – The mastering of sensual appetites: overeating, drunkenness, or sexual indulgence (2 Tim. 2:17)
The challenge of Christian Culture – Many opine, the Christian population is growing. (Yes.) They say the rebirth is an outgrowth of a sincere sorrow at being isolated from God and renewal is facilitated by contemplation and wisdom. When studying trends, we must be careful to separate population and culture. (Not the same.) Some claim that ‘half’ the world suffers from an enlightened form of atheism. However, we watch as public scholars, professed atheists, have accepted Jesus as their savior. They have come to realize that Jesus’ light shines more brightly than theirs. Many had found a home in, or admiration of, the brutal communist regime, only to be gravely disappointed. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the latent brutality of the CCP seriously weakened their intellectual claims: that “science trumps God.” We face a serious crisis by an attempt to define Christian culture in a time of rapid change. One must go forward on a country by country basis. We can seek a monolithic Christian Culture, but we must heed Paul’s example, [1 Cor. 9:19-27]. Paul said, “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. [v. 22]
Many of the cultural elite run fromChristianity and try desperately to have the masses follow them. Those elites were faced with a binary decision: create a non-Christian culture or reject a culture derived from Christian values. Examples of non-Christian cultures are the folks that embrace Islam, Buddhism, or Shintoism. Some nations with a long Christian history, now reject Christianity, are stumbling trying to create a culture without faith or God. They are failing! Culture is not created via the rational mind nor the force of will. It is created through a long and inspired process; one that involves our instinct and soul. Instinct, a natural ability or reaction that helps one decide or act without thinking; versus Wisdom, an ability to make good judgements based on one’s knowledge and experience, or the quality of being of good judgement. God leads our instincts and allows us to nurture ideas, which can be profound. We may find instincts lead us to love and to preserve what surrounds us; our soul leads us to spirituality through love and faith. Faith is the spiritual language of instinct. If we loseour faith our instinct may allow us to fall into dumbness, powerlessness and darkness. (Stupidity and/or man’s sin nature) People without faith live lives detached from their instincts. Think Bolshevism. Elites formed an amorphous mix of chaos and nightmares, making them become real. This is not culturewhich begins with truth and is a unifying element. When nations lose their faith, wandering into agnosticism or atheism; they reject the old, the precious, and create nothing in its place. Thus, we find humiliation, debauchery, and decay in the “brave new world,”*
Where does this leave the Christian? What happens: When we run from God, we reject Christian culture because we challenge Christian principles. When we claim Christ naught, but a teacher? When we decide Jesus did not come (God in human form) to save mankind, did not come to call all sinners to repent, did not come to convert man to a new life, but simply came to watch man die in darkness and sin? If we reject even one of these principles of our faith it would mean ceasing to be a Christian. We are not called to flee the ‘world’ or mankind or reject the ‘world’ or to curse it. We are called to bring the light of Christ’s teachings to earth and to reveal the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the fabric of this life. And thus, we are to create a Christian Culture on this earth.
However, what happens when we turn to Holy Scripture for direct quotes about the form Christian Culture is to take. There are very few direct indications regarding the form we should follow. Nor will we find much help dealing with the forces pulling people away from Christianity – art, science, politics and economics. We find little dealing with the natural world. Nor do we find much help in dealing with contemporary art, music, dance or sculpture. We may have better hope for guidance concerning government and politics. We quickly turn to [Matt. 6:28-30], Jesus said to the Pharisees, “… render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” This baits the question: are we to understand that the things of Caesar are completely alien to godliness? If true, then godly actions have nothing to do with government or politics. That fails on its face. Here is where we are headed: Peter and Paul urged their followers to submit to earthly authorities, for, “there is no authority except from God.” [Rom. 13:1] By what measure are we guided when we create a Christian Culture in modern government? Quite candidly. we are left seeking and reliant on our own strength. We have broad clues: The Holy Spirit descends on the apostles [Acts 3]; the first Christian communities [Acts 4; 5] and Pope Leo XIII’s, Rerum Novarum. If we digest all of the above, we may conclude that the entire history of Christianity is in reality a search for Christian culture. What is true is: each of us is on a search, which has led to some extreme beliefs/teachings. AMEN
Love, hank
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