The Prayer Of The Holy Spirit

In this paper, I will review Robert Gromacki’s book The Holy Spirit: Who He is, What He Does I will detail what I feel the book is about. I will emphasize various points given by the author that stood out to me. Finally, I will give my personal evaluation of the book.

My personal theology of preaching has evolved in surprising and inspiring ways this semester as my pastoral identity has become clearer through my exegetical explorations, further discernment of my pastoral call, and my ministerial experiences with both my supervisor and the church members at my supervised ministry placement. This ongoing formation of my pastoral identity has been a journey of personal discovery of both my gifts and weaknesses, as well as a deep exploration of my faith in God. In fact, I have come to realize that there is a direct correlation between the images of God which resonate deepest within me and my understanding of my pastoral calling. One of the most powerful image of God for me continues to be that of the Good Shepherd. God, the Sustainer, Guide, and Protector, revealed so powerful in this image of a shepherd caring for the flock, exemplifies one of the most important roles of a pastor. In administering pastoral care to those who have put their trust in me, I feel I am following Jesus’ example, a concept which is central to the way in which I live and share my faith with others. A dear friend of mine once said a Christian preacher should always incorporate the good news of Jesus Christ in each and every sermon as a witness of faith. Yet, I realize this can be a challenging goal at times, especially if I choose to strictly adhere to only the texts assigned by the common lectionary for

The Holy Spirit of God is the active force or power in one’s life, which most certainly includes spiritual formation (Pettit, 2008, p. 46). When Jesus was speaking with his disciples he made it clear – by using the analogy of a vine and branches – that apart from him they could do nothing (John 15:5). Only if one is connected to Christ will they have the ability to bear fruit and the way Jesus empowers those connected to him is through the Holy Spirt that that father will send in his name (John 14:26). The fact is that the triune God dwells in the Christian in and through the Holy Spirit. One sees this when they place multiple passages together to gain a full understanding of this concept. For example, Jesus made it clear that he and the father would come and make their home with the disciple (John 14:23). In 1 Corinthians 6:19 Paul reminds the Corinthians that their bodies are the very temple of God because the Holy Spirit dwells in them which is similar to what Jesus said would happen when he sent the Holy Spirit after his resurrection and ascension (John 14:17, 16:7).

In his mercy God has cast out every lesser god; yet still requires his people to agonize over the pain and suffering of others first and foremost in Christian worship. Pastors are obliged, therefore, to doggedly resolve difficult issues that pertain to worship without acquiescing to the congregational sensitivity. God requires assemblies to serve the disenfranchised optimally in the worship space first, and for this reason, assemblies need to hear teaching homilies concerning how to perform the demands of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their ritual lives. Such teaching, in turn, clearly reveals how the Praxis of worship extends to private

This paper is a report on the book Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship by David Peterson, where a brief report of the book is narrated here followed by a personal assessment of the book and its content. • Jesus claims to be the Son of God and that he is also superior to David and the Temple and also as Lord of the Sabbath. Matthew suggests that Jesus complete the claims of him being ‘Immanuel’ when he promised his disciples that he will be with them to the end of the age. This is also the fulfillment of the promised to Abraham. Matthew brings about the relation of Jesus and the Scriptures where he connected the cleansing of the temple to the Old Testament form of treating the temple as the ‘house of Prayer’.

Whereas the principles of the fourfold worship pattern mediate the worship experience as a celebration of Christ, the Eucharistic pattern described by Stancliffe appears to permeate God’s dealings with His people in history, ministry, life and worship. Alexander Schmemann describes this pattern as a journey beginning with our entrance into the presence of Christ (27). Each metaphor offers a way of viewing the choreographed movements and narrative of worship as lifting one from the profane into the transforming presence of Holy God. Recognizing the fourfold within the Eucharistic journey is the beginning of a practical outflow the liturgy of the sacrament might represent for those who want to explore what God is doing and how they can be a part of

Christianity believes that the Holy Spirit is the third person of God and is the same as the Son of God. He is the Lord and the Lord of Christ. Catholics and Protestants believe that the Holy Spirit by the Holy Father by the Communists, the Orthodox Church by the Father, the ages of faith, love, worship and worship. For by the grace of God, the Holy Spirit is the only one who is able to give birth to salvation; this salvation is completed by the bloodshed of Jesus Christ on the cross. The Holy Spirit lives in the heart of the believer and becomes our Counselor and sanctifies us. The Spirit comes to reveal and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, to lead us into all truths, and to manifest the sins of the world with righteousness and judgment. Through

In Chapter 3, Joe Horness sets forth an argument for contemporary music-driven worship. This style of worship has an emphasis on relationship. Horness seeks to set forth the true goal of contemporary worship. It is not just about the instrumentation; instead it focuses on the communication. Horness takes the reader personally through his journey from traditional worship to contemporary worship, including his experience with Willow Creek Church. In his chapter, Horness promotes an emphasis on connecting: connecting unbelievers with believers and ultimately, connecting all people with God. He states, “People of this generation are longing to experience the genuine presence of God. And God is longing to move in and among the hearts of his people. If we will learn to worship from hearts that are fully engaged, God will be glorified and set free to move in us and among us (104).” Horness ends his chapter with some brief warnings for those involved in the contemporary worship. He then encourages all worshipers to seek above all to bring their best to God

Worship: Worship is the expression of regard towards God or a supernatural entity. Many religions around the world worship many God or many other gods of their religion.

The physical expression of worship is often shown through lifting of hands, kneeling in prayer, crying out to God, and a musical dance. Worship is also shown during seasonal programs or events such as: Christmas’ Eve, New Year’s Eve, and Easter. Worship, then, is enhanced, because people are of the same belief about God and His Son, Jesus Christ. The authors, Paul Engle and Steve Cowan writes, “Worship is inherently theological. It is primarily about God. Specifically, it is about how Christ-followers offer to God their love, gratitude, and praise.” Therefore, people may get distracted or misunderstand worship based on their belief in God. The day of Pentecost is example of people being on one accorded in their belief and worship to God, as

They are called out by God to experience and witness to the gospel. The work of worshipping God would invite them to gather in a ritual act of worship. Worshipping God in a tradition is led by a pastor. This would involve “preaching, teaching, healing, gathering the community, governance, outreach and community witness.” The Greek word ecclesia is referred to the people who are called out for these ministerial tasks.

Despite the fact that the rule of worship appear all inclusive, there is a few diverse styles of worship and ritual in light of the fact that Christian have an alternate understanding of who God is and the likewise have distinctive level of association with Him. Worship is a matter of the heart, it is an individual association with God. It is our specialty inside to join with our Maker. It is the inward cooperation, for example, discussion (talked, implicit or composed) with God, contemplation on scriptures and about integrity of God and His holly character. Worship comprise of our everyday stroll with God and all the exertion by our brain and soul to join with Him. Worship is an everyday walk with Jesus. As Christian, meet

Over the years, many people have seen their lives transformed spiritually through their practices and adherence to the application of scriptures, prayer and spiritual traditions. Therefore, churches express their spirituality through different traditions and practices based on the emphasis placed on that particular tradition. Fundamentally, in identifying these traditions Richard Foster placed them in six categories, namely, contemplative, holiness, charismatic, social justice, evangelical, and incarnation. Although, these traditions are central to our Christian faith each church has demonstrated a tendency to prefer the practice of one over the other (Spiritual Formation, in Class notes, 2013).

Our next question is how we should worship. Worship is often confused as being simply music, but it can encompass much more and be manifest in other forms, such as prayer or art. According to Rory Noland, “everything we do…can be done as an act of worship” (Noland, Worship on Earth as it is in Heaven, pg. 31), this may include anything as simple as spending time with family, being involved in the community, doing dishes, or even doing chores. Worship is not something that should be done without thought, but should be intentional. As said by Steven Brooks, “worship requires action from the worshiper” (Brooks, Worship Quest, pg. 63), meaning we cannot be idle worshipers. We should worship with all of our beings, not holding anything back from God; we should give our very best to him.

The Holy Spirit plays a very vital role in the lives of each and every believer; He can strengthen us with a strength that we cannot even begin to muster up in ourselves. He can bring us joy that we cannot even begin to find in the things of this world. He can bring peace to our lives more than anything that we can ever find on this earth. “The Holy Spirit which is primarily an energizing process, is also a revealing, refining, consuming, illuminating process, and one by which we are made to glow with love to God, and love to man, and love to souls.”