EChurch@Wartburg – 3.4.12

Posted on by March 3, 2012avatar

Welcome to the gathering of EChurch@Wartburg

Enhanced Rainbow by Barb Ver Sluis

Here is our order of worship

This song is for all of you who have been let down. Here are the words to contemplate as you listen.

I will change your name
You shall no longer be called
Wounded, Outcast, Lonely or Afraid
I will change your name 
Your NEW name shall be
Confidence, Joyfulness, Overcoming One
Faithfulness, Friend of God,
One who Seeks My Face

"Jesus, preaching good tidings to the poor,
proclaiming release to the captives,
setting at liberty them that are bound,
I adore thee.
Jesus, friend of the poor,
Feeder of the hungry,
Healer of the sick,
I adore thee,
Jesus, denouncing the oppressor,
instructing the simple,
going about doing good,
I adore thee.
Jesus, Teacher of patience,
Pattern of gentleness, 
Prophet of the kingdom of heaven,
I adore thee."

A Book of Prayers for Students

"O God our Father, we would thank you for all the bright things of life.
Help us to see them, and to count them, and to remember them,
that our lives may flow in ceaseless praise; 
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen".

J.H. Jowett, 1846-1923

If you are new to EChurch, please click on this link for an explanation

Scripture Reading:  Hebrews 10:17-18 (NASB Bible Gateway)

“AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS
I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE.”
Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.

"Thank you Lord, that You will be our hiding place whatever happens".  (Corrie ten Boom)

"May the strength of God pilot us,
May the power of God preserve us,
May the wisdom of God instruct us,
May the hand of God protect us,
May the way of God direct us,
May the shield of God defend us,
May the host of God guard us against the snares of evil
and the temptations of this world." Amen
Patrick, c.389-c.461

Thank you for spending your precious time worshipping the Lord.

(All prayers today taken from The Complete Book of Christian Prayer 1995)

Comments

EChurch@Wartburg – 3.4.12 — 61 Comments

  1. Dee,

    Thanks so much for sharing the song “I Will Change Your Name”. I had never heard it before, and I must confess that I have played it numerous times because it is SO BEAUTIFUL!

  2. Wanda and Dee,

    You two are displaying thoughtfulness and wonderful creativity in the EChurch@Wartburg setup! I have been super busy this week and had not been able to read the posts you both have written this week until this morning. Wow! Powerful and prolific are the two words that come to mind. Obviously, there will be people who disagree with what you write, including the people whom you name and the ministries you single out. Could you be wrong and they be right? Of course! I don’t think so, nor do you, for that is the reason you write!

    The GOOD thing that is happening, regardless of agreement, is that DIFFERING SIDES are presented in freedom and Christians, are learning the difference between unity and uniformity. We want the former but we must DISPEL the latter. Wartburg Watch is a true friend to Christianity for doing just that! Some will, of course, disagree with what I say and what I write. As we have said, those who do so should be free to disagree and encouraged in their disagreement!

    People grow stronger when they live in a world that is not all cheesy fairy-tale and syrupy lingo (“Hallelujah, brother!”) that makes Christianity feel as fake as it sometimes looks.

    You two ladies have a GREAT weekend!

    In His Grace,

    Wade

  3. Wade,

    Thanks again for agreeing to let us post your sermons. They are so encouraging!

    I am sure that you take issue with some of what we write, but at least you hear us out. We don’t expect everyone to agree with us. Heck, Dee and I don’t always agree on everything, but we have tremendous respect for each other. Case in point – one of us believes Jepthah sacrificed his daughter while the other believes she lived out her life as a perpetual virgin.

    Thank you for respecting us, Wade. If more pastors were like you we could write about other topics like cooking, decorating. or bird watching. 🙂

    Unfortunately, spiritual abuse has only gotten worse since we started blogging, so we will keep our focus on those who are causing pain.

  4. I am still trying to get my head around this kind of love God has for me as Wade described. Thank you Wade, Dee, and Deb for this church experience that I cannot put into words. I am overwhelmed. May God help me to accept his love. (It is so hard to type thru tears) this “amnesia” is hard for me to get used to. I will need God to help me. I know He will. God bless you all.

  5. scooter’s mom,

    I am so glad you have been touched by Wade’s message. Isn’t it incredible that a pastor you don’t even know has such deep concern for you. That’s the true Christian faith. Don’t try to figure it out all at once. I’m convinced that it’s a process.

    As Wade explained in his message last week, once you understand the depth of God’s love for you, you will have to find an outlet for it. One of the outlets Dee and I have discovered is this EChurch concept. We are grateful that Wade agreed to join us in this endeavor.

    May your life forever be changed by this new understanding of God’s great love for you, His dear child.

  6. Thank you for this EChurch today, I really needed a message like this. Being made new is something I’m having trouble getting to grips with lately.

    I have a small prayer request if nobody minds. I have my driving test on Tuesday morning and I’m nervous. So much so that I didn’t sleep last night, which if course is counter-productive to driving. I wish for God’s peace to be with me at bedtime and for the Spirit to be with me when I take the test.

    Thanks.

  8. Anne,

    I don’t think taking a driving test is trivial! I understand about feeling nervous…I had to renew my driver’s license not long ago!

    I will pray for you as you prepare and then take the exam. May you have God’s rest and wisdom.

    “When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul.” (Psalm 94:19)

  9. Anne,

    Welcome to TWW! I am so glad that Wade’s message was encouraging.

    Please know that I will be praying for you. Dee and I were involved in Moms in Touch for a long time, and we are strong believers in prayer! No prayer is too insignificant for us. God bless you!

  10. It’s the first time I’ve heard a sermon so focused on the subject of sin with the end result not being guilt or shame, but rather joy and gratitude for “God’s intentional global amnesia.” Thank you Pastor Wade! I might add that the sermon today was so personal that I actually could have been scooter’s mom. Smile….

    I pray that God will continue to impart His wisdom and understanding to you, Pastor Wade, so you can continue to break the chains that bind His people.

    Thanks also, Dee and Deb, for the thoughtfully chosen worship songs that blend beautifully with the sermon topic.

  11. Victorious,

    I am so thankful that Wade’s sermon touched you, as it did me. I loved the worship songs, too! Here is the background for their selection.

    Dee recommended the first one – I Will Change Your Name. Her church sometimes sings it, and until she shared it with me a few days ago, I had never heard it. It’s really touched my heart, and I believe it could easily be the theme song for The Wartburg Watch.

    The songs Indescribable and Amazing Love were sung at Emmanuel last Sunday before Wade delivered this message. Kudos to Emmanuel’s worship leader!

    I chose the final song because I believe it beautifully summarizes what Wade shared.

    I pray that this worship experience will touch the hearts of many.

  12. I really appreciate the EChurch@Wartburg! I have been a member of Covenant Life Church for 32 years, most of that under CJ Mahaney. It has been a difficult experience for me and my family. Pastor Wade’s messages are helping me.

  13. I want all of you to know how much I love you and how much our church loves you all. I have requested our ladies Sunday School class to pray for this ministry as well as all of you. I had the privilege of leading in prayer this morning with our ladies for all of you. Although we cannot physically wrap our arms around you, we want to and have spiritually speaking.

  14. Debbie K,

    Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers! Words cannot adequately express my gratitude to you, your pastor, and your congregation for reaching out to this internet “community group” with the love of Jesus Christ. Blessings to your Sunday School class for remembering us through prayer.

  15. JEH,

    I am overjoyed to hear you are being blessed by our EChurch outreach. I hope you will continue to participate each week. We are committed to this ministry. Please know that I will be keeping you in my prayers.

  16. Hi Ruth!

    Thank you so much for assisting us with this ministry!

    You are such a blessing to Dee and me.

  17. Thank you for EChurch. I used to live in Enid, and have been in Wyoming for 27 years. It is God’s message to me this week since I have been hearing about His great love and forgiveness here also.
    How AWESOME is our God!!
    Bless you all and keep pressing on! See you in Heaven SOON!
    Love in Jesus,
    Sheila

  18. Debbie
    Thank you so much. It is neat to feel a part of your ministry group and I look forward to seeing you all again.

  19. JEH
    Thank you for your comment. It is our hope to bring grace to many people who attended churches with grace in the title but legalism in practice. Theology that resulted in that sort of oppression is theology that needs to be “revamped.”

  20. Victorious
    Thank you for your feedback. And in some ways, many of us have been “scooter’s mom.”

  21. Sheila Stroud,

    When I was a child, I had a pen pal and loved communicating with someone from a far away place. Recently, I have remembered that experience and realized that through this blog I have pen pals around the country and even around the world!

    It is so wonderful to hear from you! You left Enid before Wade Burleson began pastoring at Emmanuel in February 1992 (according to the church website). I just realized that last month he marked his 20th anniversary there. 🙂

    I so grateful that he is touching your life. I have never been to Wyoming, but I’d love to travel there sometime.

    God bless you, Sheila!

  22. “I Will Change Your Name.” Good night, what a song. What a song.

    Thanks, Ladies of the Castle, for putting it up. Thanks, Wade, for a sermon to go with it.

    Fob James

  23. “…When the power of love is stronger than the love of power, the world will know peace..” – Jimi Hendrix –

  24. Dee, Deb,

    I’ve spent fifty years putting together worship services that I wanted to express the flow of worship I found in Psalm 95:1-6 which I see includes at least what I would call celebration, contemplation and adoration. These then can result in hearing a word from God or proclamation as seen in verses 7-11. I’ve seen it happen…on occasion… in a corporate worship service where I’ve been. It’s nothing short of incredible.

    I have to say, there is a sense in which that unique, spiritual experience has been mine again. This time with E-Church@ Wartburg flavor. You two are amazing tools in the hand of an Incredible God who is still allowing us to experience Him together.

    Scooter’s mom, you, my sister, are loved by a brother that may never meet you until we’re home, but loved you are.

  26. Paul

    God is infinitely creative. As a former pastor of mine was wont to say:

    “Same batter, different shaped cake pans.”

    Bet your services were pretty cool as well.

  27. Fob

    That has been one of my favorites for years. When I start to think “Lonely”, God reminds me “Friend of God.”

  28. Another wonderful service from Pastor Wade. You cannot imagine how much I thank God for you guys and this. I’m going to open myself up here: honestly, I have been having severe panic/anxiety attacks…not joking. Almost debilitating. Now, I do have a history of this, but these attacks have been in remission for sometime. Recently, they’ve come back with a vengeance. My belief is that they have to do with church…for some reason, since I’ve started looking for a new home away from SGM, these panic attacks have been worsening. I’m not sure what to do, but the only way I can do church it seems is here, for the time being. Not that this is a crutch…but I need to know that God is for me, and I struggle with that now.

    So [sigh]…first, I’d love you guys to please pray for me. And second, thanks again so much for giving me a way to still get spiritual food corporately, without all the paralyzing fear.

    Thank you.

  30. Argo – I hear you.

    Maybe you need to give yourself some time – and go to another church when you feel ready. And because * you want to, * not because you feel you have to.

  32. Fob James,

    We’ve never been called “Ladies of the Castle” before. Coming from you, we are extremely honored!

    I am grateful that you enjoyed this newfangled worship experience. It grew out of a love for our brothers and sisters in Christ who have been hurt in some way by those in “authority” over them in the church. We have a heart for those who have been spiritually abused.

    I enjoyed reading your commentary on “Christian Authority” on Wade Burleson’s blog, and I want to encourage our readers to check it out.

    A Great Article from Fob James on Christian Authority

    Blessings to you, Fob!

  33. Thanks, Numo,
    I appreciate that advice, and I think I really am going to take it. I’ve done some thinking and I’ve come to the same conclusion.
    Thanks again.

  34. Paul,

    We are just two ordinary women following what we believe to be God’s will. We are grateful that this EChurch experience is drawing people closer to God.

    It was exactly one month ago today that Dee called me with this crazy idea of offering a worship experience on our blog. Last December Dee and I traveled to Enid to meet your son Wade and his lovely wife Rachelle. We attended the Refuge service with Rachelle and watched Wade’s sermon on the screen. Afterwards, I told Wade and Rachelle that others outside the Emmanuel congregation needed to hear these incredible messages. At the time I thought satellite churches were the only option.

    When Dee suggested this radical idea, we thought it would take months and months to work out all the details. She e-mailed Wade and asked whether he would consider the possibility of allowing us to post his messages. He graciously agreed, and within a matter of days Emmanuel established a Vimeo account.

    Two weeks after the EChurch idea came to Dee, the first worship experience was posted here at TWW. I have been so blessed by picking out the music together with Dee and listening to Wade’s sermons.

    To God be the glory!

  35. Argo,

    Please know that I’ll be praying for you. I agree with numo. Take your time in seeking out another fellowship. We are overjoyed that we can offer you this EChurch experience. Praise God that the internet makes it possible!

  36. Argo
    Welcome to this Fellowship of the Wounded. Know that you will be in my prayers daily. May you find some rest here and know that you are loved by Jesus and us.

  37. Dee,

    Can you believe that it was just one month ago today that you called me about this CRAZY idea?

    I am truly amazed, and I’m glad you listened to that still small voice…

    God must be behind it. 🙂

  38. Fob

    Thank you. I will cherish the name you gave us “Ladies of the Castle.” I always tear up when I hear I Will Change Your Name.

    Jesus did that for me and I am no longer that other person. When I hear the stories of heartache caused by some churches, I think of this as I pray for them.

  40. Argo,

    Your comment really spoke to me for a couple of reasons. First, I admire your transparency. Oh how I wish we followers of Christ could be more open about our sins, our weaknesses, our struggles, and our fears. No reason for shame or guilt anymore, so why not just tell people where we are. Second, I was moved by your passion for God’s people (the church). Your discomfort and stress over a change speaks to me that His people mean a great deal to you.

    Know this Argo. I have already asked our Lord to do for you what only He can do. I am no physician, but like you, I know the Great Physician. I have no magical abilities in wording prayers, but like you, I have a desire to pray. I have already asked God for His abounding mercies to heal you of panic attacks. He will. Until He does, I have also asked the Lord to give you peace that a panic attack is a time to pause and reflect. I am praying that when the panic arises, you will simply remember what is true of you, and that the panic will be like a neon sign broadcasting the truths of His love, His acceptance and His enjoyment of YOU as a person. I am praying the Lord will cause you to see in that panic that you are “P-ersonally A-ccepted N-OW I-n C-hrist.”

    Forever It Is True,

    Wade

    P.S. I am not trying to fix you. Frankly, it is BECAUSE of your panic attacks that you have ministered to me. I’m glad you have them, but I know you want rid of them. I am praying to this end and simply want you to know that your comment truly touched me.

  42. Wade,

    What thoughtful and reassuring words for Argo. God bless you as your minister to our TWW family. Knowing how busy you are as a pastor, I am exceedingly grateful that you care so deeply about your brothers and sisters in Christ here.

  43. Thanks much, Dee. I thought I knew all the old Vineyard songs, but I didn’t. “I Will Change Your Name” is so powerful, so meaningful to me now as well. I also sent you and Deb an email to your addresses on the site. Fob

  44. Dee, Deb, and Wade,

    Thank you so much for your very kind words and all your prayers. I know they are already helping! 🙂 I praise the Lord for how His Spirit moves in His children. His Spirit of love, compassion, humility and mercy is obvious in you all. Thanks so much again.

  45. Paul B., and all of you, my sisters and brothers in Christ:

    Thank you for the love for me you have shared. this is a new experience for me and you know what – I LIKE IT!!! If I don’t meet you guys here on earth, I will see you in heaven. Just so you can recognize me – I’ll be the one jumping up and down and acting all crazy out of love for you guys and my Lord.

    Argo, hang in there. Panic attacks are frightening, I know. I have a family member who suffers from them. Wade’s advice is wonderful. Remember your healing will come in God’s time. Until then, keep the faith and lean on Jesus. My prayers are also with you.

  47. The healing is beginning. Will be a slow process probably but how good it feels to have hope that I don’t have to live life with a bag of burden filled with guilt, unworthiness, etc.

    Thank you soooooooooooo much Wade, Deb, Dee and all my new bros & sis’.

  48. Scooter’s Mom,

    You have many friends in Enid – and many people who came up to me after the service and said, “You know, I think I’M Scooter’s Mom!”

    🙂

    Have a GREAT week!

    Wade

  49. Scooter’s mom,
    Thank you! I hate feeling like this. It’s horrible, but knowing that I still have a body of believers out there I can come to for prayer really helps.

  50. Argo,

    I also want to say that I used to suffer from panic attacks, and they are NO fun. Mine got better due to a judicious use of medication and also from getting help from a therapist who worked with cognitive therapy techniques.

    Those are both valid avenues of healing for panic disorder/panic attacks, imo.

    (Not to sound like I’m *telling* you to do something – you don’t need that! Just my 2 cents’ worth.)

  51. Numo,
    Oh, no….advice is more than welcome. Yes, I intend to pursue both of those avenues. Thanks!

  52. If I had to listen to the same sermon every Sunday for the rest of my life, this one probably wouldn’t win but it is certainly a contender. Wade, your Greek mythology illustration was an exacting distinction between radical grace and antinomianism. It was separated MUCH more accurately than last week, imo, and as one who has left a church and job over blatant antinomianism, this was very helpful. I understand it better than ever now.

  53. Okay, I have been hanging around reading for a while. I like the EChurch concept. But today was the first time I actually listened to Wade’s message. It was exactly what I needed to be reminded of.

    I grew up in a very legalistic denomination – they claimed that the blood of Jesus “washed away all sins”, but they taught that you had to live to certain standards and there was a long list of things that you had to swear not to do when you signed the membership card….not to make a long story (you can go to my blog if you’re interested 🙂 ), but events with a small fellowship I am involved with that is still finding its bearings left me unsettled and questioning my own standing….this message was perfect to help ground me back in God’s love and away from his “demand for perfection and conformity”.

    Wade, Dee, Deb….thank you.

    Wade, I am supposed to teach at this fellowship soon. I have freedom to teach whatever I want and I feel the subject is “freedom”. This message gave me some needed places to work from (among the others I already have) – and provided renewed confirmation of the need for it to be taught, even if they don’t all want to hear it.

  54. Jeannette,

    I do pray that the Lord will use you in ways that you never thought or imagained as you lead others in your church to find true freedom in Jesus Christ! That goal, to me, is one of the greatest goals any teacher of the Word could ever have!

  55. Miguel,

    I learned a long time ago to teach the Word and focus on the text – meaning I desire to always be faithful to the text and not nearly as concerned with my presentation or how I look in the eyes of others. I sometimes succeed in obtaining my goal of fidelity to the text and sometimes I don’t. Any criticism I receive is welcome and evaluated based on my desire to be faithful to the text and any praise received is evaluated in the same manner. Is it about the text? This helps in that I don’t need praise nor do I ever fear criticism. I want to know if I have been faithful to the text. What I look for is whether or not the listener finishes hearing me teach and says, “Yes! I see that in the text!” If that doesn’t happen, I have done poorly.

    You write, “If I had to listen to the same sermon every Sunday for the rest of my life, this one probably wouldn’t win but it is certainly a contender!” Thanks for the kind words, but I do hope you never have to listen to any of my sermons more than once! On the other hand, if there were only one verse in the Word of God that I had listen to read Sunday after Sunday, this one verse, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more,” would be at the TOP of my list – I think like it would be yours!

    🙂

  56. Jeanette: I have been spending a little time reading your blog and I have to say Wow! You are a wonderful writer. The words that caught my eye were from a post you wrote September 6, 2008. I quote:

    Until the church learns to love those within its four walls – especially the ones it has wounded, it has no business taking a false love to the world. It is like a form of love (a cardboard caricature, if you will) that denies the power of God’s real love. Those outside the church smell the fake a mile away – and run.

    You are exactly right. Again, Wow!

  57. Jeanette: Another Wow piece from your blog.

    Okay. How do I get this from my head into words. Hmm… within the the church culture, there is a theme of ‘walking in love’ that says you ‘love your brothers and sister in Christ’ no matter what. You must always forgive and overlook hurts and love covers, it doesn’t expose. Hmm… how to convey what I see… Okay, it has been created into this thing that is like a code of silence. It stretches to the place where if you speak up and say,”Hey, that’s not right,” you are accused of attacking.

    Love is a foundational element to the Christian faith. Love is what moves Papa to act. Love is what moved Jesus to act. But I don’t think, from my own limited experience, that the church really knows what love means – what it is – what it does. I think they try, as they do with so many things, to use the concept of love to modify people’s behavior. And if people behave civilly and are nice to each other, that is all most churches really care about.

    They take it to another level when they tell the people that if they are doing this or not doing that, the are not walking in love. It creates a climate of fear. People become afraid of being accused of not walking in love, so they stuff the pain or anger when someone hurts them. Hmm… there is a woman in the church that I left. She was also a leader. And she was a bossy, controlling type. And her love walk was her pride and joy. Anytime someone did something she didn’t like, she would say, “I’m maintaining my love walk. So I’m letting that go.” Hmm.. how paradoxical – that walking in love can become all about her and not about others… She was also the love walk police. She would admonish everyone to ‘maintain their love walk.’ Argh!

    You are very perceptive and your words convey clearly your heart. Good stuff. People really need to hear this.

  58. Jeanette: Debbie’s right, you’ve got some powerful words there. What a gift!

    I thought I’d let you all know that I didn’t pass my driving test today. I made a couple of blunders that I almost never make, and yet they popped up today of all days. I feel gutted, especially since the route was pretty easy. I’ll be taking it again on the 21st of this month.

  59. Anne,

    I woke up in the middle of the night (about seven hours ago) and prayed for you and for the others who submitted prayer requests here at our EChurch.

    I am really sorry that you didn’t pass your driving test, but rest assured I will be praying again on March 21st. All things work together for good for those who love Jesus Christ, and maybe you are learning to be courageous in response to your fear. That is something I have learned as I have dared to step out in faith and do things that I didn’t believe were possible, like writing in this forum.

    Blessings, dear sister in Christ.

  60. Thank you Deb, much much appreciated. Usually if something big goes wrong for me God uses it to address a deep inner issue, so at least I can get some spiritual maturity/healing/revelation out of it. Yes, all things do work together for good.

    (I’ll probably be learning how to cope better with failure. I really, really don’t handle it well).

  61. Wade, thank you. Your prayers are much appreciated as is the encouragement.

    Debbie and Anne: thank you for your kind words. And Debbie, thank you for checking out my blog. I hope to have more opportunity in the future to share this with a wider audience. The church really is such a mess and as the anger has faded, my heart breaks for those trapped in the system without even knowing they are bound….