Blog - Page 21 of 318 - John H Armstrong

A Special Season in the Desert – A Journey into Deeper Ecumenism (3)

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:43-05:00January 28th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Discipleship, Faith, Love, Missional-Ecumenism, My Christian Unity Story, Personal, Prayer, Renewal, Spirituality, The Church, Unity of the Church|

What God gave to me in the late 1990s, and into the early years of this present century, was a settled assurance that he would go with me into a desert. There I would feel abandoned at times but he would always be with me. In the desert he would provide for me, heal me, teach me and prepare me for a very different future. Though I did not know what that future would look like precisely what was revealed to me was that when he placed me in my new role I would have power and true freedom to exalt him openly. I had no idea what this meant in my wildest dreams. I did know, beyond any doubt in my soul, that this new mission was “from the Lord” and that every blessing would be his alone. One year I preached twice all year, at least in Sunday services. When my wife asked me this question, about how many times I had preached in a certain year, I was stunned to answer her since I […]

A Special Season in the Desert – A Journey Into Deeper Ecumenism (2)

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:43-05:00January 27th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, American Evangelicalism, Missional-Ecumenism, My Christian Unity Story, Personal, Renewal, Roman Catholicism, Spirituality, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

My Saturday evening story of Christian unity, that I wrote about yesterday, was connected with two ministries I partnered with for several days: CRM and the City of the Lord. The City of the Lord has centers in Tempe (Phoenix), Los Angeles, San Diego and Monterey Bay. My new friend Peter Poppleton leads the City of the Lord community in Tempe. (Photo of Peter at the right.) Their weekly events are characterized by charismatic praise & worship; i.e. by growth in and exercise of the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. The word “charism,”as most of you will know, means “gift.” The word “charismatic” signifies the use of a gift or gifts. The services at the City of the Lord often see the conversion of hearts, inner healing, physical healing, and words of prophecy, among other gifts that the Holy Spirit imparts within the community. The traditional seven marks (gifts) of the Holy Spirit (wisdom, knowledge, fortitude, understanding, piety, counsel and fear of the Lord) are actively sought and developed in this community through prayer and instruction. Likewise, […]

A Special Season in the Desert – A Journey into Deeper Ecumenism (1)

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:44-05:00January 26th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Business, Discipleship, Evangelism, Love, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Renewal, Roman Catholicism, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

The mission of ACT3 takes me to many cities and communities, to meet with leaders in private as well as large and small groups of earnest Christians from many churches. Some of my most enjoyable work is building relationships with some of the most interesting and mission-focused leaders that I’ve ever had the pleasure of sharing my life-journey with as partners. Such was the case again because of a visit to the Phoenix area, January 16-21. Over the next few days I plan to share this mission with friends by means of these blogs. I ask you to share in the joy of what Christ is doing and to pray for me as I seek to be faithful to God’s John 17 call upon my life.

On Saturday, January 17, I spoke at a Phoenix-area John 17 Movement meeting hosted by Catholic Renewal Ministries of the Diocese of Phoenix. Catholic Renewal Ministries (CRM) is a ministry organization that provides a variety of services to parishes and prayer groups across the Phoenix diocese, including: seminars, retreats, conferences, healing masses, praise nights and other devotional resources. CRM can best be […]

Rev. Ian Simkins on Christian Unity and Why It Maters (2)

By John Armstrong|2015-01-23T16:25:33-06:00January 22nd, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Missional-Ecumenism, My Christian Unity Story, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

Yesterday I published the first of two video interviews ACT3 did with Rev. Ian Simkins about Christian unity and why it matters. This is a wonderful testimony to the power of God in unity and to what this important vision means for the whole church. Ian speaks as a thoughtful Christian minister and as a board member for ACT3 Network.

Rev. Ian Simkins on Christian Unity and Why It Matters (1)

By John Armstrong|2015-01-23T16:25:33-06:00January 21st, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Missional-Ecumenism, My Christian Unity Story, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

ACT3 Network is a mission committed to “empowering leaders and churches for unity in Christ’s mission.” It is led by a board made up of thirteen people. We are Catholic and Protestant, male and female, minister and non-minister, younger and older. One of our fine young board members is Rev. Ian Simkins, pastor of the non-denominational Poplar Creek Church in Bartlett, Illinois. Our videographer sat down with Ian a few months ago and asked him to talk about unity and his vision of the church as one. You will see and hear this vision of John 17:21 here. This is the first of two videos that he gave to us. I think you will find it deeply encouraging and hopeful. The second video will appear tomorrow.

The Lausanne Catholic-Evangelical Conversation 2014 (2)

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:44-05:00January 20th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Evangelism, Friendship, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

During the days of September 11-13, 2014, twenty-six people from Catholic and evangelical churches gathered to build relationships for the sake of Christ’s mission. Yesterday I shared the first portion of our report. Today I share the second part of our document.

Relationships for the Sake of the Mission

The 2014 Lausanne Catholic-Evangelical Conversation

Part Two

Nate Bacon suggested the Emmaus Road dialogue as a model of evangelization. In the context of sharing their pain, disappointment, and devastation the two disciples invited Jesus into their conversation, as did the disciples who Jesus sent out two by two, appearing to the townspeople they encounter as homeless people. In touching the wounds of humanity, we touch the wounds of Christ. We say to the poor, “we need you.” We need the poor; we do evangelization because we need to, in order to encounter Christ.

Fr. Barron had previously suggested another way of viewing the church: “the prolongation of the Incarnation through space and time.” Many were intrigued by this notion, but Suzanne McDonald explained […]

The Lausanne Catholic-Evangelical Conversation 2014 (1)

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:44-05:00January 19th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3|

Last fall the second annual Lausanne Catholic-Evangelical Conversation took place at Mundelein Seminary in Illinois. Twenty-six people, half of whom were from the Catholic Church and half of whom were from evangelical Protestant communities, joined together for a two-plus day dialogue. The opening evening included a public event that was recorded and can be seen on the ACT3 Network site. The 2013 event is also posted as a video on the same website.

Except for this one public meeting on the opening night the dialogue was intentionally informal and private. One of the greatest takeaways was our friendships and open conversation. We do not seek to solve direct problems (per se) or to write a major ecumenical paper. Our goal was to build trust and ask questions in a conversation of genuine love. We believe this is not the only way to address our present disunity but it is a major way, if not the best and first way. If love unites us in Christ then we must seek to experience this love together. This event allowed […]

Why Is There Something Rather Than Nothing?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:44-05:00January 15th, 2015|Categories: Biblical Theology, God's Character, Love, Philosophy|

Philosophers have debated this question for millennia: “Why is there something rather than nothing?” Christians have an answer, indeed the only answer that I believe satisfies both the mind and the heart.

In the distant past there was only God. The ineffable and eternal God, existing in the triune fellowship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He was/is a God of eternal love. God is a triune fellowship of selfless, perfect, other-centered love. Further, there is no conscious life outside of God, the Father-Son-Spirit. God alone constitutes the complete whole of reality.

This is what we confess in the Creed and this really is central to Christian faith: “I believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.”

But in God there was never anything lacking. The picture is perfect. It is one of a ceaseless peace and joy flowing in love within the circle of the three persons in the divine trinity. God did not, simply put, create everything that is because he lacked anything or needed you or me. He created us out of a […]

Suzanne McDonald: A Reformed Theologian On Christian Unity

By John Armstrong|2015-02-11T09:46:45-06:00January 14th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Missional Church, Missional-Ecumenism, My Christian Unity Story, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

Dr. Suzanne McDonald is associate professor of historical and systematic theology at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. Suzanne is a “new” friend and shared powerfully in our Lausanne Catholic-Evangelical Conversation last fall. Suzanne is a native of Great Britain and completed her Ph.D. at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. She has a keen mind but a very warm and engaging spirit.

On the Western Seminary website Suzanne describes her life and teaching with these very moving words:

“I’m passionate about teaching theology because of the powerful ways that the Holy Spirit has used studying theology to deepen my relationship with the Triune God and transform my life in Christ. I pray that this will be true for every student, too, so that by doing theology together, we may grow in knowledge and love of the Lord, our ability to share that with others, and our desire to reflect more fully in our lives what we learn of God’s promises and purposes for us and all of creation.”

Faith Energized By Love

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:44-05:00January 13th, 2015|Categories: Biblical Theology, Faith, Freedom, God's Character, Love, Personal, Spirituality|

As I have been reading and writing on love for more than thirteen months now I am awestruck by so much that is transforming my own life.

Here is but one example. A Pauline text that has deeply moved me can be read in Galatians 5:1-6:

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. Once again I testify to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obliged to obey the entire law. You who want to be justified by the law have cut yourselves off from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working through love […]