Andrew Murray
And God Created Woman
Difference between Anabaptists and Evangelicals
Mysteries of the Kingdom of God
Anabaptist
Voice
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The Anabaptist Voice
01/14/2009
Proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God: Love, Joy and Peace in
Jesus.
Dear friend in Christ,
Grace to your and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are having b
eautiful
days over here in southern Arizona. We see some people go for a walk or
running, and some of them wear only shorts and shirt. It has been cold in the
morning, but the sun warms up pretty good and it is comfortable being outdoors
during the day. Here is a photo taken last Sunday in Tucson of an orange tree
loaded with oranges and a photo of the finches eating on the feeder in our back
yard.
We learned that it was minus 37 degrees yesterday morning in Grand Forks,
North Dakota, where we used to live years ago when Don was a police officer in
Grand Forks and later a technician at a NASA satellite tracking station north of
East Grand Forks. A neighbor there told Michi that when you throw out a bucket
of water, before it hits the ground, it would freeze. It was not so, but the
neighbor was teasing her how cold it gets there. The snow in North Dakota was
powdery and not wet, and it was a new scenery for her, being raised in southern
Japan where it rarely snowed.
All of us are well now. Praise God. We went to the Vineyard church last
Sunday. It was wonderful to worship together with brothers and sisters in the
Lord.
Last Friday, Naomi went to visit her friend Mary Matchin. She encourages
Naomi and she enjoys being there. Thank you, Mary.
Krishta Brown also is a wonderful friend for Naomi. She came Monday
evening to spend time with Naomi, and we had a wonderful time together playing
the Wii Fit exercise games. Patrick and David installed the Wii Fit system for
us when they came a couple of weeks ago. It is an exercise program as the photo
shows. Naomi told us that she plays the same game at her physical therapy.
The Sunday sermon at the Vineyard church was about the necessity of
communicating with God, having a loving, obedient relationship with Him. God
the Father wants us to communicate. He is all Love. Until Adam and Eve
disobeyed, they were in unity and close together with God. How wonderful it is
to be loved by our Heavenly Father, to accept His love and to grow under His
Love, to be part of His Church.
The Church
What is a Church? A Church is a group of people in a locality that share
a joyful life of brotherly love, living according to the teachings and commands
of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit within them, resting in the love and
care of their heavenly Father.
This understanding of what is a Church slowly came to Conrad Grebel
(1498–1526), the co-founder of the Anabaptist movement. He was a young married
man who joined a Bible study led by Ulrich Zwingli, the head
pastor of the Protestant church in Zurich, Switzerland. As Conrad studied the
Bible, he began to see the vast difference between the Church of his day and the
Church described in the New Testament. The Church of his day consisted of all
citizens of the area, whether good people or bad people. They became members of
the Church when they were baptized as infants.
There was no such thing as a Church consisting of people sharing a joyful
life of brotherly love as described in the Bible. Their Christian religion was
a civil religion, controlled by the civil government which appointed the church
leaders. There was no separation of Church and state as taught in the Bible.
Conrad began to see the need for a believer’s baptism and a communion for
only those who lived a holy life. He and 15 other men met on January 21, 1525,
in the home of Felix Manz to discuss these issues. During the meeting George
Blaurock, a strong minded former Catholic priest, asked Conrad to baptize him
with the true Christian baptism. The rest followed and the Anabaptist religion
began on that day.
The response of the local Church, the civil church, was to make
believer’s baptism illegal, violators subject to the death penalty. Felix Manz
was arrested and killed by drowning on January 5, 1527, and George Blaurock was
burned at the stake on September 6, 1529, Christian martyrs for the sake of a
true Church.
Jesus said, “A new command I
give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
(John 13:34-35)
The apostle Paul wrote: “The only thing
that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”
(Gal. 5:6)
The true Church is a group of people in a locality that share a
joyful life of brotherly love, who are living according to the teachings and
commands of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit within them, resting in the
love and care of their heavenly Father.
The Holy Spirit
What, who, where is the Holy Spirit? Jesus said, “If
anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the
Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”
By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to
receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet
been glorified. (John 7:37-39)
Jesus said, “You will receive power when
the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses.”
(Acts 1:8)
The apostle Peter said, “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the
Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” (Acts 5:32)
The apostle Paul wrote: “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ,
he does not belong to Christ.” (Rom 8:9)
The apostle John wrote: “Those who obey his commands live in him, and he
in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit
he gave us.” (1 John 3:24) “We know that we live in him and he in us, because
he has given us of his Spirit.” (1 John 4:13)
Jesus said, “The Counselor, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will
remind you of everything I have said to you.”
(John 14:26)
The apostle Paul taught us that God’s holy people will be producing the
fruits of the Holy Spirit in their lives, which are love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control. (Gal 5:22-23)
Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my
Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,
while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more
fruitful.” (John 15:1-2)
The apostle Paul wrote: “To each one is given
the gifts of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the
Spirit the word of wisdom; and to another the word of knowledge,
according to the same Spirit; to another faith, in the same Spirit; and
to another gifts of healings, in the one Spirit; and to another workings
of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another
discernment of spirits; to another the ability to pray in the tongues;
and to another the interpretation of tongues.” (1 Cor 12:7-10)
Paul explained what praying in tongues is: “Anyone
who prays in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one
understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit… When I pray in a tongue,
my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray
with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit,
but I will also sing with my mind.” (1 Cor 14:2, 14-15)
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and
began to pray in tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:4)
While Peter was speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on the listeners. And
they were amazed because the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Gentiles also for
they heard them praying in tongues and magnifying God. (Acts 10:44-46)
When Paul had laid his hands upon the believers in Ephesus, the Holy
Spirit came on them, and they began to pray in tongues and prophesy. (Acts
19:6)
If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to
Christ. (Rom 8:9)
Jesus said, “If you know how to give good
gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy
Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke
11:13)
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you, dear friend. (2 Cor 13:14)
your brother and sisters in Christ,
Don, Michi & Naomi Murphy
Tucson, AZ phone 520-297-1639
www.AnabaptistChurch.org
"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to
what is good.” (Romans 12:9)