Pastor Hoban’s Blog

Aliens

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:08:33 -0500

A member of my church emailed me this week asking a question about the existence of aliens. A question came up in her Bible study and she remembered that I talked about it once. Here is my reply.

There are extra-terrestrial beings, they are called angels. So, in a sense there are aliens, but they have no fleshy form.

The whole concept of alien life on other planets comes from the idea that all life on Earth evolved over a period of time. This concept dismisses the Creation story in Genesis or God's hand in the matter. The idea goes further, that if life here evolved from simple organisms, life most probably evolved on other planets. This is a matter of probability; because there are countless galaxies, there will be countless solar systems with planets with the probability that on at least one of those planets life has evolved.

From a standpoint of creation, God would have made these creatures on other planets at the same time as he made the earth and the stars. God could have easily done this, but did he? For intelligent life like ours to exist on other planets, that have a corporeal form like ours, having flesh like ours, these creatures would have to have a God conscience. If they had a God conscience then they would have had the ability to sin (to turn away from God). If that is the case, the universe could have been brought under the curse of sin by these creatures, thus even affecting us. It would also stand that because of our sin we would have affected them. From a theological position, it doesn't match up. Now, because these creatures would not have been sons of Adam, the salvation that is afforded to us in Christ could not be afforded to them. Christ came as a man to redeem mankind. Because they would not be of the race of men, Christ's death, burial and resurrection would not suffice for their redemption. Now, this poses a problem.

We know that God so loved the world that he sent Jesus to die for the world. For the Son of God to redeem these creatures, He would have to die for them also. Jesus cannot be crucified twice because He lives forever. It would then stand that God is not love, to leave these creatures forever lost.

The Bible tells us that there will be a rapture of the saints into heaven. The so-called alien appearances are often accompanied by abductions. I believe that one way to explain away the rapture of the church will be that aliens took people.

No, I don’t believe that people are seeing aliens from other planets. Most are probably hoaxes and if they are really experiencing anything, it is most likely of the demonic kind.

We are to look up, alright…but not for some alien space ship, but for the coming of the Lord with power.

PJH.

The Problem!

Thu, 3 Jul 2008 11:55:43 -0500

As Spirit-filled, Pentecostal, Charismatic believers, we pride ourselves on how we can have a personal relationship with God - not just one where it is only a one-way conversation, but we can have that intimate relationship where God speaks to us. God can and does give us specific direction in our lives. Leading a congregation, big, medium or small, this blessing can be the “biggest problem”.

In churches where most people don’t expect God to actually speak to them, the congregation depends on the spirituality of the pastor to hear from God. After all he is being paid to be spiritual. But in the churches where we believe that the Spirit of God has been poured out on “all”, often instead of the pastor hearing from the Holy Spirit and informing the congregation on where God is leading, the people are hearing from God for the pastor.

When the apostle Paul set up churches in the New Testament Church, he appointed an overseer and elders to lead. Usually the overseer was the chief pastor, but the elders served as advisors. This is the model we have adopted for Church in the Word. I serve as the Overseer (if you want a more traditional name for it, you can use the word Bishop) and my Council serves as advisors. This group of men and women pray for the direction for the church, give advice on matters both spiritual and material, and ensure that the church keeps to the highest standards of integrity. If you want to find the qualifications for overseers and elders just read 1 Timothy 3.

Even though the Council and I work from a place of unity (There has never been disunity in the Council), there are some (and I mean very few) in the church who “hear from God” like to feel as if they have an in with God and God is telling them the direction the church should go. I have noticed over the years, that these people who claim to hear from God are often unstable, find it difficult to work as a team player, and seldom actually do hear from God. Some people have gone as far as to tell me how the worship team should be arranged on the stage and who should serve in the office. They get ideas in their minds that are usually only their imagination, or worse, some sort of demonic influence. Very often they find it hard to trust.

Can God use someone to speak to the pastor that is not an elder? Sure he can, but if it is out of sync with God’s word or brings disunity, it’s not of God.

For my part, I wish people would just live by the Word and measure everything by it. The most stable and most faithful are often the quietest. They serve without bother. They work on their own relationship with God and keep while lending support to others. It’s the encouragers and the servants who build a local church. The ones who boast of their spiritual prowess usually don’t.

PJH

P.S. We have a Council meeting on Tuesday evening. What a wonderful time in the Holy Spirit we had.

Computer Malaise

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:27:51 -0500

Have you ever been without a computer for a week? This last week my hard drive on my Mac died. It was a difficult time for me. I had a replacement laptop, but it just wasn’t the same. Without all my “stuff” on hand I felt lost. Now I have it back with a bigger 320g hard drive.

It’s amazing how much we have become dependent on our electronic devices. Email, word processing, Keynote presentations, the Internet…we are so wired and addicted to the stuff. Just today when I came into the office, Dennis, my associate pastor, asked me if I got his email. It was 9:50 a.m. and he had sent the email at 9:41. I hadn’t, and joked that I was set free from email. Of course, as soon as I left his office, I checked my iPhone to read what he sent.

Are we that dependent on God? Are we so connected to Him that we go through withdrawal if we don’t communicate with the Holy Spirit?

I think we struggle with everything getting in the way of our quiet time with God. Media is coming at us from all angles and we allow it to drown out His voice. We spend little time thinking and pondering about the wonder of God. Little time just being.

Try it. Get alone one day without your laptop, iPod and cell phone and just listen. Go for a walk. Read a book. Spend time, a long time, just thinking and enjoying life.

PJH

Holy Spirit Controversy

Thu, 8 May 2008 11:39:24 -0500

Once, after preaching to a group of pastors about the Full Gospel, a leader in that organization called me controversial. I was controversial because I said that one of the leading evangelists of the day we not preaching all that God had for us and that we were called to preach the Gospel with signs following.

Each year, between Easter and Pentecost, I do a series of messages on the person, work and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Unlike some preachers, I believe that the charisms and miracles of the Holy Spirit are for us today. One of the factors leading to these manifestations of God’s glory is the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. This doctrine, clearly spelled out in the New Testament, shows us that there is more for the believer than just being born again and going to heaven. After becoming a Christian a person can be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Accompanying the experience is the manifestation of the prayer language (speaking in tongues). Every year I preach this series of messages, many people receive this new power; but also many doubt that everyone can have this gift.

Preachers will have to give an account of their faithless teaching, denying that God does the work of healing or that people can have the gifts of the Spirit today. I blame them for hindering people from entering into the fullness of the Spirit. Jesus said it like this; “you do not enter the kingdom of God and those who would, you hinder.”

Last week, after preaching the second part on how to receive the Baptism in the Spirit, a little girl and her mother came up for prayer. The little girl wanted to receive the Baptism in the Spirit and speak in tongues. After a short prayer this little girl, full of faith, received the Baptism and began to pray in the most beautiful tongues. The faith of a child can receive something that adults like to debate and get confused about.

You can listen to some of my most recent messages on the subject here http://podcast.churchintheword.com/
PJH

A Favorite

Fri, 4 Apr 2008 23:04:58 -0500

I love the haunting tone of the Uilleann pipes. Uillean is the Gaelic for elbow. During the long occupation of Ireland by the British the English government tried their hardest to quash any Irish identity. Their greatest fear where the constant uprisings that occurred. Like the Scottish, the Irish were led in to battle by pipers. These pipers used war pipes similar to the bagpipes used in Scotland, but with two drones instead of three. It was said that on hearing the pipes, the Irish would rally to battle, so the British banned the playing of the war pipes in Ireland. Being clever, the Irish invented the Uillean pipe that used wind created by deflating a bag at the elbow.

This tune is by Seamus Ennis, who is the father of modern Uillean piping. I believe it is called “Where you at the rock?” Truly amazing!

PJH

Fetus

Wed, 2 Apr 2008 14:07:39 -0500

I hate the word “fetus”. In most cases when you hear or see the word fetus, it is in regards to an unborn child. Right up to the moment of birth, the social engineers like to call babies fetuses because the liberal, hedonistic, evolutionary world we live in likes to promulgate the infanticide called abortion.

In wartime, often, soldiers will call their enemies derogatory names so as to dehumanize them. It makes it easier to kill someone if they are seen as some sort of monster or nonhuman. This strategy is being used in the dehumanizing of babies.

Killing a fetus is not nearly as bad as killing a baby. Who would kill a baby? So the logic goes.

Carefully crafted words change the perception of those who hear them. The atheistic thinking that is comparing humans to just another species is leading many down the path of destruction. Every day we now hear of parents killing their own children. At first it seemed horrific, and made big news, but now our senses seem numb to it.

We even hear that scientists are now experimenting with combining human DNA with that of animals. What for? It is only to satisfy their own perverted lust of inquiry. This is not science, but madness.

God is the author of life, and we are made in His image. We are unlike animals, as we have an eternal conscience. At the moment of conception, we are created. The outer shell that we call the body is formed over the period of nine months in our mother’s womb. We have no right to destroy those created in the image of God.

Like the word fetus, society has taught people to say birth-control instead of contraception. Contraception is to prevent the fertilization of the egg and thus prevent pro-creation. It is a legitimate form of family planning. Birth-control is a wholly different thing. It goes beyond the conception stage and includes the time up to birth. By lumping abortion with contraception, it diminishes the magnitude of abortion.

We are not fetuses and never were. We are humans, made in the image of God.

PJH

Luther

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:39:46 -0500

Luther

Every so often in the history of the Church, God raises up a person to lead her into renewed truth. Renewed truth, because it is not new, but was lost and now is found. Ignatius of Alexandria was one who defended the doctrine of the Trinity in the fourth century. William Tyndale promoted the Bible to be read in the native tongue in the sixteenth century.

Luther was one of those whom God used to bring truth to the earth. Luther revealed the lost truth of “justification by grace through faith alone.” This was the truth preached by the Apostle Paul and Augustine of Hippo but which was lost through the ingorance of the dark ages. We need men like this today.

Currently I’m reading his TREATISE ON GOOD WORKS. His depth of understand was truly astonishing. Unlike many modern writers, his writing brought light and understading of theological truths. Here are a few quotes:

On Dead Works
“We find many who pray, fast, establish endowments, do this or that, lead a good life before men, and yet if you should ask them whether they are sure that what they do pleases God, they say, “No”; they do not know, or they doubt. And there are some very learned men, who mislead them, and say that it is not necessary to be sure of this; and yet, on the other hand, these same men do nothing else but teach good works. Now all these works are done outside of faith, therefore they are nothing and altogether dead.

In this faith all works become equal, and one is like the other; all
distinctions between works fall away, whether they be great, small, short, long, few or many. For the works are acceptable not for their own sake, but because of the faith which alone is.”

Pleasing God
“‘Whatsoever is not done of or in faith is sin.’ Faith, as the chief work, and no other work, has given us the name of ‘believers on Christ.’ For all other works a heathen, a Jew, a Turk, a sinner, may also do; but to trust firmly that he pleases God, is possible only for a Christian who is enlightened and strengthened by grace.”

Faith and Love
“This we may see in a common human example. When a man and a
woman love and are pleased with each other, and thoroughly believe in their love, who teaches them how they are to behave, what they are to do, leave undone, say, not say, think?”

Faith and Justification
“This is what St. Paul means in many places, where he ascribes so
much to faith, that he says: Justus ex fide sua vivit, ‘the righteous man draws his life out of his faith,’ and faith is that because of which he is counted righteous before God. If righteousness consists of faith, it is clear that faith fulfills all commandments and makes all works righteous, since no one is justified except he keep all the commands of God.”

Faith and Works
“Therefore, when some say that good works are forbidden when we preach faith alone, it is as if I said to a sick man: ‘If you had health, you would have the use of all your limbs; but without health, the works of all your limbs are nothing’; and he wanted to infer that I had forbidden the works of all his limbs; whereas, on the contrary, I meant that he must first have health, which will work all the works of all the members. So faith also must be in all works the master-workman and captain, or they are nothing at all.”

Simple but powerful stuff.

PJH

Who is killing the Children?

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:28:19 -0600

If you are like me you get very disturbed when you hear of the senseless killing of children by their parents. Over the past year the news media have reported many such stories. Just recently a man threw his four young children off a bridge into a river, drowning all four. A doctor suffocated her autistic child because she couldn’t bear to see that her child wasn’t like other kids. It seems that these horrific acts are happening more and more frequently.

I remember when the first such story hit the national news. A mother strapped her children into the seats of the family car and let it roll into a lake. All the children were killed and the nation was astonished. But was this really the first instance of parents killing their children?

“You have sown the wind and reaped the whirlwind.”

Since the legalization of abortion in America, millions of unborn children have been killed by their parents. Instead of giving and protecting life, parents have gone the way of heathen nations and sacrifice their children on the altar of materialism. What is worse is that many condone it and some encourage it. The result: a culture of death.

Everything starts as a seed. We are now seeing the fruit of a nation that doesn’t respect life. The blame for this culture of death must squarely rest upon those who don’t defend life at all stages, including the unborn.

PJH

Fun in the Snow

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:21:24 -0600

Sean, Liam and I had a great time last Sunday afternoon. There is a park just around the corner from us with a great hill. During the Summer we fly kites there but in winter it’s the best place around Cary to sled. These are the things that good memories are made of. Good clean fun!

Good Preaching

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 13:12:34 -0600

Good Preaching

Willow Creek, the “seeker sensitive” mega-church in Barrington, Illinois, came out with the results recently of a survey of their congregation’s spiritual health. Through it they found that many, if not most, of their people were not becoming disciples. Their method of preaching and way of doing church was not developing mature spirituality.

Those of us in the Pentecostal/Word churches might say “We told you so,” and we did. But that is not the point of this blog. The question is “What is good preaching?” What kind of preaching would Jesus have done, or the Apostle Paul? What is the heartbeat of the Holy Spirit for His people?

The Church has always grappled with the task of bringing the truths of the Faith to its people. Whole liturgies and feast-days were developed to communicate the most important aspects of Christian belief. We are about to celebrate the Epiphany, also known as Christmas. Epiphany means the appearing or revelation of God to man through the incarnate Christ. Most people see Christmas as the birth of the baby Jesus, but it is much more than that. Many sermons this Christmas will focus on what it means for us personally, and may give us some practical applications for our lives. Messages should do this and more. Preaching and presentations should not only inspire us to do good, but reveal to us the full mystery of Christ’s appearing in the flesh. The God-man, the Word made flesh.

For Christmas we had an appreciation bowling party for our leaders. During the party we had a little fun quiz of about twenty questions concerning the Christmas story. The quiz was to test how much of our knowledge comes from tradition and how much comes from the Bible. Admittedly the test was a difficult one and I expected some mistakes. But it was an eye-opening experience for our leaders to find out how much they didn’t know and how they based their knowledge on common misconceptions rather than on the Bible. Only about five of the forty-five leaders got eleven or more answers out of twenty right, and we are a Word church that prides itself on our focus on the Bible. Wow!

So what’s the problem? Maybe I need to preach better, but it really is down to personal study of the Bible.

The preacher must be constantly conscious that for the people of God to fully mature they need to understand that Faith was once delivered to the Church. Even while giving practical tools for living, they must have a foundation of the truths of God Himself. This is a difficult task. Messages need to be inspiring, and good theology can sometimes come across as dry.

So how can we bring forth the truths of the Incarnation, the Trinity, the priesthood of all believers, communion of the saints, the plan of redemption, etc? We need the Holy Spirit’s help.

In the old days of the Pentecostal churches, the preacher was known by the anointing on his life. The anointing (the power and presence of the Holy Spirit) moved on the preacher as he brought forth the Word. The people could recognize the Spirit on the message. This kind of preaching brought life and renewal. We need it again. We need the Holy Spirit to help us to communicate these truths to this generation. If we listen and are led, it will be powerful, relevant, and practical, but will also infuse our people with the marvelous mysteries of the Gospel.

Will people receive it? That is another question. I don’t know, but God says there is a remnant that seeks after Him. There are some pastors who are not mentioning the Blood of Christ, the Cross or sin anymore. They fear that people will turn away. These churches are growing, but is the Kingdom growing? Eternity will tell how many actually got it, and preachers will have to give an account for what they preach.

PJH