Posted on 01/10/2007 6:18:19 PM PST by SandRat
FORT HUACHUCA — In the Bible, 40-day events have special meanings.
On Sunday, a program designed to help the fort’s Christian community to strengthen their beliefs started 40 Days of Purpose on the post, Chaplain (Col.) Glenn Woodson said. “Forty days is significant. There are a number of examples of that number of days in the Bible,” he said Monday.
In the Old Testament, Noah experienced 40 days of rain, and Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai before returning with the 10 commandments.
In the New Testament, Jesus wandered in the wilderness for 40 days and spent the same period of time with his disciples after his resurrection.
The genesis for the fort program, available to all of the post’s Christian community during 2007, is to find answers postulated in Rick Warren’s book “The Purpose Driven Life,” the colonel said. The 2002 book once was No. 1 on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list.
This is the second time the 40-day program has been done on the fort. This year’s event will cost about $2,000 and includes books and other materials.
“Each week has a theme, and each week there are chapters to be read and discussed in small-group discussions,” Woodson said.
Each Sunday the ministers of the various Christian services on the fort will sermonize about the main subject for the week.
On Sunday, his sermon was to ask a question poised by Warren’s subtitle “What on earth am I here for?” and to answer it, said the chaplain, who is the post’s religious activities coordinator.
Within his sermon, Woodson said the three points, which were questions. They were: Why am I alive? Does my life matter? What is my purpose in life?
In order, the answers he provided were, “We were created to be loved by God, we were created to live forever and the purpose is to worship, have fellowship, be engaged in discipleship, to minister and to evangelize.”
Worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and evangelism are the other main purposes of the program.
Each person who takes part is provided a copy of Warren’s book, which is the study program for the 40 Days of Purpose.
Not everyone will take part in the program, but they will get snippets by attending the main Sunday services.
Those who want to take part in the small discussion groups, which he expects to number about six, each with a dozen or more members, will talk about the different chapters in the book.
Much like Bible study classes many churches have, the book uses scripture passages as part of the focus for discussions.
The majority of the Christian services on the fort have started the 40-day program.
The program is not mandatory, Woodson emphasized, but is for anyone who wants to strengthen his or her belief foundation and to have a better understanding of Christianity.
The entire post Christian community is involved, said the United Methodist-ordained pastor.
The impact of the program is designed to help individuals and congregations. It is hoped the program will create “a greater sense of community and fellowship within and among the various chapels on Fort Huachuca,” he said.
From youth to retirees who use the fort’s chapel services, Woodson sees those involved in the program as having a closer relationship with God and strengthening and developing fellowship with others.
“It’s a guideline for teaching Christianity,” he said.
Each of the post’s Christian leaders will incorporate the messages the 40 Days of Purpose is seeking to provide based on their faith-based beliefs.
That means the Roman Catholic chaplain will discuss the program in ways fellow co-religionists understand, and Protestants and Orthodox leaders will do the same.
What is important is that the basic Christian roots will be discussed by everyone, and that will strengthen everyone, Woodson said.
“I’m excited about it (the program),” he said. “It is designed by Christians for Christians to benefit Christians.”
HERALD/REVIEW senior reporter Bill Hess can be reached at 515-4615 or by e-mail at bill.hess@svherald.com.
OK...Let drive to the store and buy some soda and popcorn and I'll be back to watch. I love Warren threads. LOL!
Litekeeper
Chaplain, US Army (retired)
Ping
We went through 40 days a couple of years ago. In our small group 3 people gave their life to the Lord.
We went through the program in a military chapel, and I couldn't teach the lessons as written. I had to rewrite them..they were just flat wrong. It was really sad.
For those interested in knowing what the gospel message is, it's simple. Here it is:
Believe God has chosen you to have a relationship with Jesus, who died on the cross for you. Believe that no matter what you've done, God wants to forgive you. Receive Jesus into your life as your Lord and Savior and receive his forgiveness for your sins.
If anybody reading this thread wants to know more, please contact me.
ping!
We Army Chaplains are always about a 2 years behind. We don't realize that "Purpose" is now ancient news, and that the newer, more "progressive" Warren is now yesterday's news.
It happens to us because we spend so much time deployed and listening only to AFN.
LOL!
Author doesn't know the English language too well???
Dominations
rather than
Denominations
I believe you are correct...
PRAISE GOD.
I know lots of folks get saved in such small groups and grow on to maturity in them, too.
I am happy to cheer on such fruitfulness for The Kingdom.
Thanks.
Thank you for this good report.
May God bless you in every way.
jm
Your Gospel doesn't mention REPENTANCE.
Each Sunday the ministers of the various Christian services on the fort will sermonize about the main subject for the week.
I was at Fort Huachuca from 2000-2002 (As evidenced by knowing how to spell Huachuca without looking it up). At the time the Chaplains preached from Scripture, not Warren. I guess chapels change with the Chaplains.
Say, what happens if you only do 39 1/2 days? Does the spell break?
Hey, LK, be careful with US United Methodists. We still have a few scriptural conservatives out here from place to place.
:>)
| Repentance |
| Word family: repentance, repent Synonyms: penitence, remorse Related ideas: sin, sorry, guilt, regret, conversion, turning. Definition: repentance is a change of heart and mind regarding sin. The intent to rebel is replaced by the intent to be righteous. Greek References:metanoia 3341 (Strong) cf 3326 meta, 3539 noeo 3563 nous Scripture: Repentance is essential
Comment: Repentance is more than simply regret or sorrow for wrongs committed in the past. Repentance is a determination to change, and commitment to living righteously in the future. Repentance turns |
Pretty sure it does. Then you have to buy another book & start over.
40 days of Repentance...that sounds better.
...but 40 days of Repentance wouldn't cross denominational boundaries and be used by professional sports teams and by communist dictators and by 25 million buyers.
Which is why the world loves it so much. Their "felt needs" are being met, not to mention what it's done for the grass skirt market. Personally I'm waiting on the board game.
I agree. There's nobody we're going to agree with 100% of the time. I certainly don't agree with everything Warren says or does.
Which things ("that Warren says and does") do you not agree with, Scripter?
Q1) What is the chief and greatest end of man?
A1) The chief and greatest end of man is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy Him forever.
You fail to understand or purposely misrepresent nearly everything I write, so again I ask you to please show some character and honor my request to never write me again.
Where is the purposeful misrepresentation?
Were you aware that in The Purpose Driven Life Warren agrees with the Westminster Catechism that you quoted? I think it was chapter 7 (What on Earth Am I Here For) where Warren writes: we glorify God by worshipping him. Worship is our first responsibility to God. We worship God by enjoying him, by loving other believers, by becoming like Christ and by telling others about him.
Not being one of the chief advocates of the Westminster Confession, I must (confess) that they have that one right.
Glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
I can't imagine how to improve on that statement.
With all due respect, the premise of your question is nonsense (no, you're not being nonsensial, the premise of the question however is nonsensial)...see section below:
I think it was chapter 7 (What on Earth Am I Here For) where Warren writes: we glorify God by worshipping him....
Already Warren is here limiting the application of the Catechism...
and...
Worship is our first responsibility to God. We worship God by enjoying him,...
Here, Warren has made an equivalance that is not valid...(assuming he 'agrees' with the catechism) glorify = worship and worship = glorify
finally...
...by loving other believers, by becoming like Christ and by telling others about him.
Again, an unwarranted limitation of the Catechism. Indeed, the Westminster Catechism continues:
Q12) What are the decrees of God?
A12) God's decrees are the wise, free, and holy acts of the counsel of his will, whereby, from all eternity, he has, for his own glory, unchangeably foreordained: Whatsoever comes to pass in time, especially concerning angels and men.
and
Q13) What has God especially decreed concerning angels and men?
A13) God, by an eternal and immutable decree, out of his mere love, for the praise of his glorious grace, to be manifested in due time, has elected some angels to glory; and in Christ has chosen some men to eternal life, and the means thereof: and also, according to his sovereign power, and the unsearchable counsel of his own will (whereby he extends or withholds favor as he pleases), has passed by and foreordained the rest to dishonor and wrath, to be for their sin inflicted, to the praise of the glory of his justice.
i seriously doubt that Warren endourses these parts of the Westminster Catechism.
Purpose Driven Church, pgs. 255, 271 "Crowds always flock to hear good news. There is enough bad news in the world that the last thing people need is to hear more bad news when they come to church. They are looking for anyone who can give them hope and help and encouragement....A good salesman knows you always start with the customer's needs, not the product."
In the chapter you cited, Warren deceives by teaching that glorifying God is a matter of works. Starting on p55, He says that we bring glory to God by:
1) -by worshiping him - which Warren sums up by saying "When you use your whole life for God's glory, everything you do can become an act of worship".
2) -by loving other believers - which Warren sums up by saying: "It is your responsibility to learn how to love as God does, because God is love and it honors him.
3) -by becoming like Christ - which Warren comments on by saying, "Spiritual maturity is becoming like Jesus in the way we think, feel, and act. The more you develop Christ, like character, the more you will bring glory to God.
4)-by serving others with our gifts. To which Warren comments, "God didn't give you your abilities for selfish purposes. They were given to benefit others, just as others were given abilities for your benefits"
5) -by telling others about him. To which Warren teaches "-introducing others to Jesus, helping them discover their purpose and preparing them for their eternal destiny.
In the first one, where Warren says: "When you use your whole life for God's glory, everything you do can become an act of worship", it is obvious to all that Warren is teaching that it is about what YOU can do. He blatantly says "everything you do CAN become". The burden rests on the person. He does not tell that major part about how it can become worshipful. He just skips right over the main part.
Scripture teaches that it is about humbling our hearts and our minds and indeed every thought, word and deed, to the submission of God's will, not our will. It is about our persona and our works decreasing, and Him increasing, as John the Baptist says. Yet, Warren doesn't mention that. Instead, his focus is mainly on what we can DO.
In the second, Warren says it is our responsibility to learn how - yet he doesn't explain how. He does not explain that the only way we CAN love anyone is to put our own selfish desires aside, to crucify them so that His love flows through us. His love, not us trying to imitate His love, or to learn how to imitate it. It is about putting us aside and allowing Him. Big difference. One honors and glorifies man (Warren) and is easy to do - you can learn it in 40 days. The other is quite difficult and means you must sacrifice your desires and wants and slay your pride at the cross. Not all can do that in 40 days. Oh wait, this is just accomplished in one of those 40 days.
In the third way, Warren again makes it a man-centered docrine talking about how we work at being more like Jesus. The gospel says that it is God Himself at work in us, conforming us to His image. His work because we submit and obey. That is the God-centered, biblical doctrine.
His fourth point is again man-centered. Abilities and spiritual gifts for one thing are not necessarily the same. Natural born talents often must be given up in order for Him to be glorified in our lives. And the purpose of the gifts is not to benefit others, but to reveal His nature. Another problem is that Warren does not define terms such as benefit. The world see that in a material and selfish sense rather than in the spiritual and this book is not geared toward the spiritually mature. So, his statement become very misleading and again points to man, not God.
In his last way, Warren implies that the main reason that we are to lift up the name of Jesus in order for people to find a purpose in their life. No. That is not biblical at all. The main reason is that upon hearing Truth, our eyes will be open and we will repent and turn from our sins and trust in God for our salvation from such things that Warren teaches.
Then on p 57, Warren says, "Jesus stood at a fork in the road. Would he fulfill his purpose and bring glory to God, or would he shrink back and live a comfortable, self-centered life. You face the same choice."
EEKS! No! Jesus never came to a fork. He came to die as our substitionary atonement. It was never about His "choice". His first recorded words were about being about His Father's business. Standing at a fork in the road implies that Jesus actually had to think about what to do next, and the way that Warren phrases it teaches that Jesus wavered or even thought about wavering in doing the will of the Father. That is totally wrong and would have been a sin. He Himself taught us that even thoughts that are not submitted to the will of God are disobedient. So for Jesus to even think and ponder about what He was going to do would make Him less than the perfect sacrifice. Would make Him less that His perfect deity.
We do not face the same choice, not really. Oh, we face the choice in our walk of obeying Him and working out our salvation, but we do not face the choice of being the atoning sacrifice. That borders on pure blasphemy.
I don't have the book in front of me so I can't verify what you're saying. From what I see above I don't read it the same way you do. That is, I don't see anything wrong with this statement as you've presented it: When you use your whole life for God's glory, everything you do can become an act of worship.
I don't see anything wrong and encourage people to use their whole life for God's glory. And that when people do use their whole life for God's glory, then everything [they] do can become an act of worship.
For some reason you read that to exclude humbling our hearts, minds, thoughts, words and deeds, to the submission of God's will. I don't read it that way.
Convenient that he leaves out the assertion by Rick Warren that 40 days transformed people. That is flat out not true, and especially not true in the examples he gives in the book.
They're almost as good as Obama threads.
OH YES THEY WILL! Whether they like it or not, they will. And if they object to its unbiblical teachings, they'll be shown the door.
And why is this a "news" story for Sierra Vista? This stuff has been around for years. They're just now dabbling in the PD Koolaid?
I'd recently read that Warren's organization had to make some cutbacks and that they were no longer promoting the "40 Days With a Purpose" program. So, yes, it is ancient news.
Now it's "40 days of community" which is almost worse!
listen to a review of 40 days of Community with Todd Wilken and Chris Rosebrough.
http://www.kfuo.org/mp3/Issues5/Issues_Etc_Nov_30b.mp3
http://www.kfuo.org/mp3/Issues6/Issues_Etc_Jan_08a.mp3
http://www.kfuo.org/mp3/Issues6/Issues_Etc_Jan_08b.mp3
Excellent stuff.
Ya know, no one says that Rick warren doesn't occasionally say something good and true. It's the stuff he says that is WRONG that is the problem.
http://www.newswithviews.com/religion/religion9.htm
Almost? LOL!
Let me fix that there link (if you don't mind) :)
http://www.newswithviews.com/religion/religion9.htm
thanks!
Everytime I hear about that roll of toilet paper changing lives I want to retch.
Books DO NOT change lives.
God does.
And the idol that Warren has become, in the eyes of some, sure is'nt close to the Almighty in any manner.
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