Reformed Thinking

The name El Shaddai profoundly embodies God's power and provision through its multifaceted meaning and consistent biblical usage. Lexically, "Shaddai" is often linked to "overpower" (signifying almighty power) and "breast" (denoting all-nourishing sufficiency), reflecting interpretations like "God Almighty" and "All-sufficient God". Reformed theology embraces this "thick" meaning, where strength, height, and nurture converge. Throughout redemptive history, El Shaddai consistently demonstrates both aspects. To the patriarchs, God as El Shaddai promised innumerable offspring and land, showcasing power to overcome barrenness and provision for future generations. In the Exodus-Sinai narrative, His power was displayed through plagues and the Red Sea crossing, while His provision sustained Israel with manna and water in the wilderness. The Book of Job illustrates Shaddai’s sovereign power over calamity and relief, even wounding to heal. In Christ, El Shaddai's substance permeates miracles like the virgin birth and multiplying bread, showing power perfected in weakness on the cross and sufficient grace poured out. The Apocalypse culminates with the "Almighty" reigning, guarding His people until consummation, linking His power with their ultimate preservation. Reformed theology synthesizes El Shaddai as omnipotent covenant fidelity, where God pledges His infinite power to secure His promises and provide for His people. This undergirds doctrines like providence, election, and perseverance of the saints, guaranteeing believers are "kept by the power of God". Pastorally, this understanding fosters assurance by relocating trust from human effort to God’s unfailing power and sufficiency, encourages bold prayer, fuels holiness, and emboldens mission, confirming that God's power is always fitted to His people's needs and His sufficiency never runs dry. Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologian Patreon: patreon.com/edi_reformed

Costi Hinn's central message addresses "Why spread God's glory among the nations?" He states that the primary motivation is the glory of God, which radically transformed his own life. He recounts his past immersion in the prosperity gospel, where he viewed God as a "magic genie" for personal gain, a period he now identifies as being "not saved" and on "the road to hell." His current conviction is that humanity exists for God's glory, not the other way around. He outlines four interconnected truths driving global missions. First, God's glory demands universal proclamation, demonstrating that "every idol must fall and only Yahweh stands." Second, the worship of God is the goal of missions, as authentic worship breeds witness, naturally compelling transformed believers to share the gospel. He suggests a "missions problem" often indicates a "worship problem." Third, the judgment of God is the urgency of missions, as a "timer on this life" means people will meet Christ as "savior or as judge." Finally, our obedience to God is the agency of missions, emphasizing it as a normal mandate for the church, not an exclusive "calling." Hinn critiques the "comfortable Christian life," which fosters a "small safe self-focused faith" and a "myopic view of missions." This comfort, he argues, distracts believers with trivialities and creates a "false dichotomy" between local and global ministry. He defines spiritual warfare as a subtle "battle for the mind," designed to keep Western believers complacent. His friend Brooks embodies the "normal" approach to missions. Costi's insights are deeply informed by Psalm 96, which serves as his foundational "missionary psalm," providing a "global, God-centered, and urgent" vision for the church. Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologian Patreon: patreon.com/edi_reformed

The foundational principle of Christian life is the profound understanding that believers are not their own masters, but belong wholly to God. This means their entire being—thoughts, speech, meditations, and actions—must be consecrated and dedicated solely to His glory. Their own reason and will are to be surrendered, and they must depart from themselves, allowing God's wisdom and will to rule all their actions. This transformation, known as the "renewal of the mind," requires human reason to submit entirely to the bidding of God's Spirit, a concept distinct from ancient philosophical reliance on human reason. This core principle manifests in believers' actions in several ways: * Devotion to God's Glory: Believers actively seek not their own interests, but God's will and glory, subordinating self-concern and zealously obeying His commandments. This self-denial eradicates vices like pride, arrogance, ambition, avarice, and other evils spawned by self-love, allowing for genuine goodness and humility. * Renouncing Worldly Desires: It trains believers to renounce "irreligion and worldly passions" and to live "sober, upright, and godly lives." This includes chastity, temperance, a frugal use of temporal goods, patience in poverty, fulfilling duties of equity, and connecting with God in true holiness. * Transformed Interactions with Others: Self-denial reshapes relationships by combating self-love. Believers esteem others above themselves, honor God's gifts in others, overlook their faults, and treat everyone with cordiality and humility. They practice sincere generosity, recognizing all benefits as entrusted for the common good of the church and liberally sharing them. This love extends even to the "unworthy," as believers look upon the image of God in all men, forgiving wrongs and returning good for evil. * Trust in God's Providence: Believers resign themselves and all possessions to God's will, trusting solely in His blessing for prosperity and avoiding wicked means to acquire wealth or status. When facing adversity—be it disease, war, famine, or loss—they bear it with a peaceful and grateful mind, understanding it is "ordained of God." Unlike pagans who attribute misfortune to blind fortune, Christians know that God's hand, with "most orderly justice," governs all circumstances. Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologian Patreon: patreon.com/edi_reformed

Missionaries emphasize unreached language groups for three primary reasons, all deeply rooted in their understanding of the Bible and the mission of Christ. Firstly, they believe Jesus explicitly commands His followers to gather those who belong to Him from every language group. The "Great Commission" in Matthew 28 and Luke 24 calls for making disciples of "all nations" (Greek: panta ta ethne), which is interpreted as all language groups. This understanding traces back to humanity's division by languages at the Tower of Babel in Genesis, with the entire biblical narrative from Genesis 12 seen as God's resolution to gather people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, where the gospel was heard in various languages, is viewed as evidence of God reversing the curse of Babel and ensuring Christ is known globally. Secondly, for these unreached groups, hearing the name of Jesus is their only hope of salvation. A critical logical chain from Romans 10 states that people cannot call on the Lord if they haven't believed, cannot believe if they haven't heard, and cannot hear without someone preaching, and no one can preach unless sent. Unreached language groups "have no access to the gospel unless we send people," meaning they often lack Christian ministers, Bibles, or media in their language. They "dwell in utter darkness with no light unless we go learn their language and tell them," an effort deemed profoundly worthwhile given that an immortal soul is "worth the life of the Son of God." Finally, it is considered an "unparalleled honor" to proclaim Christ where He has never been named. Inspired by the Apostle Paul's ambition not to build on another's foundation, missionaries find unique privilege in being the first to introduce the gospel to a people group. This honor involves "seeing the light of the gospel break into a language group for the first time in human history" and hearing the name of Jesus sung by those who previously had no knowledge of Him. God confers this distinct honor not upon angels, but upon "sinful weak people," underscoring the profound significance and privilege of participating in this specific aspect of His redemptive plan. Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologian Patreon: patreon.com/edi_reformed

True Christians are profoundly characterized by a "lamblike, dovelike spirit and temper of Jesus Christ," which is considered the "true, and distinguishing disposition" of their hearts. This spirit is not merely one virtue but the "most excellent and essential thing in Christianity," without which other religious expressions are considered "nothing." This gentle and benevolent spirit manifests through several core virtues. Love, or charity, is paramount, encompassing long-suffering, kindness, humility, and a lack of envy or quick provocation. Christ explicitly identified love for one another as His "new commandment" and the primary mark by which His disciples would be known. Meekness is another central quality, exemplified by Christ Himself, who is often called "the Lamb." True Christians are likened to "little children," signifying their innocence, harmlessness, simplicity, and a pliable, teachable nature. Furthermore, a forgiving spirit and mercy are absolute necessities. Christians must be willing to overlook and forgive injuries, as Christ warned that lack of forgiveness would result in God's withholding of His own. A disposition to pity and relieve the afflicted is also essential, serving as a criterion for final judgment. This Christian character also redefines traditional notions of fortitude and zeal. True Christian fortitude is not a "brutal fierceness" but a strength of mind that suppresses one's own unruly passions and steadfastly maintains a "holy calm, meekness, sweetness, and benevolence" amidst adversity, mirroring Christ's silent suffering. Similarly, genuine zeal is a "sweet flame" of divine love, primarily directed against one's own sins and "things," not "persons," ensuring it remains consistent with gentleness and love. Ultimately, true conversion involves a "remarkable change" from a "wolf and serpent" disposition to this prevailing lamblike temper. The sources emphatically state that there is "no such thing as a morose, hard, close, high-spirited, spiteful, true Christian," emphasizing that a genuine transformation of spirit and temper is the undeniable mark of a true follower of Christ. Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologian Patreon: patreon.com/edi_reformed