If there is a move of God and if it is genuine resisting a genuine work of God could be a grievous error.  This will grieve the Holy Spirit in our own lives.  It is my opinion that we must remain open until we can better understand what is happening.  This may impact us positively but there is always a negative side to be careful of or watchful for.  Bishops, Pastors and Elders originally have the same office; they are the gate-keepers of the Church.  They watch our for our souls.  They must also be consulted when there is a question.  Now is time for the spiritual leaders to begin to pray and dialogue about what constitutes renewal in our Province. 

If I may, I would like to influence the reading audience a little.  When the Spirit of God is poured out upon us, it seems we must be more humble and submissive to the Will of our Lord Jesus.  If there is an outpouring it seems we must study the scriptures more, pray more, and seek the Holy Spirit more.  This way we may be given wisdom to move ahead in His will. 

I think one of the ways of renewal is that the spiritual leaders are always looking out for new ways to better serve our Lord and Savior.  And in the act of obedient service as we strive to learn more, we will be enabled to serve Him better.  That’s why I am a big supported and contributer to the ongoing work of the Alaska Bible Seminary located in Bethel, Alaska.

The Alaska Bible Seminary should be the heartbeat of the Alaska Moravian community.  Here theology is formed for the new spiritual leaders of tomorrow.  Last spring of 2007, I believe several students graduated and now are serving the Lord Jesus full-time.  God is working mightily through our young leadership.  One big way God is working mightily is through the small believer type cell groups that some of the recent graduates of the Alaska Bible Seminary are implementing in the villages. 

As has been shown at Alaska Bible and through the teaching provided by the Seminary Dean, God indeed wants to equip Spirit-led individuals.  They disciple others on the Holy Scriptures.  They grow the local church and by using their spiritual gifts will do their part to reach the entire world for Christ!  I am certain there is an unspoken desire for Pentecost without which we cannot reach the entire world . It is not an accident that God is now working stronger in small groups.  It may start with one man or women inspired of God to begin a work of winning others to the Lord and in turn discipling them.  Recently, I spoke with one young lay pastor.  In shared that in his small group, he is teaching on the spiritual gifts.  He says that they are answering questions and his group membership is excited!  I am glad study is being done on the spiritual gifts.  I have always believed that the local Church is handicapped if the believers are not using their spiritual gifts.  Praise God!  There are individuals that want to make a difference for Christ by being open to the spiritual gifts.

Small groups of believers similar to the Choirs that Zinzendorf implemented after Moravian Pentecost in 1727 in America was a key to renewal.  History shows this renewal impacted the four corners of the earth for Christ.  While the Choir group system is  not practical for the 21^st century, the idea that small groups of committed believers can still make a difference is a good one!  It is my understanding that Manokotak may have accidently revived the idea, since it happened on its own.  Almost three years ago many home bible studies and bible studies in the Church developed and are flourishing today.  These small groups that are praying and studying together may be a helpful key to further produce spiritual renewal in our Church.  Then proper spiritual maturity love, unity and harmony among believers based on God’s Word will evolve further strengthening the Church.

The small Bible study groups in Manokotak have produced three annual Spiritual Feasts, the third one in November 2009, where they gather corporatively to worship.  I know that the Spiritual Feasts have created controversy because the leaders are allowing a more open and free worship opportunity through testimony and song.  As I have observed first-hand, this open worship by “believer priests” has resulted in an especially significant outpouring as I reported in an earlier commentary.  If this outpouring continues and results in winning souls, strengthening those that are vulnerable, and growing Christians in balanced and spiritual maturity and then manifesting a big desire to reach the world for Christ, then I think a legitimate work of God is happening! 

Someone says the Spiritual Feast began because of one man.  It’s his fault.  Please, we cannot put the blame on any one man!  My estimation is that it appears that something is happening and it is not happening because of one man.  It is happening because a great hurt in the community before the Spiritual Feast and the fact that many believers are hungry for God and want to experience His blessings and to be part of His work in this age.  Certainly it may have taken one man to spark an interest in God’s power and glory, but it really is about every member of the Body of Christ wanting a personal renewal of relationship with Christ and His Holy Spirit. 

I don’t think we have ever had a renewal of the Alaska Moravian Church that has impacted the entire Church.  It has not happened.  It may not happen if the Church is not ready for it or the Alaska leadership resist it whole-heartedly.  However from my own understanding of Moravian history, most of what our church at large reflects on and truly understands is the Moravian renewal of Pentecost at Herrnhut in 1727.  Nationally in the Moravian Church there is a desire for renewal, growing and planting churches.  I notice in our new 2009 Moravian daily text that new Moravian fellowships are sprouting up in America.

According to my understanding, the Spiritual Feast renewal has not impacted all of our Moravian villages.  What may be happening now is a contemporary form of Moravian Pentecost occurring in individuals and in a couple of Churches that have believers who have pentecost as a reality in their hearts and minds.  Certainly I think it is important to question what is happening and where this new renewal type experience will go!  One of the important building blocks for renewal is that it is not genuine unless it gives everyone a renewed sense of worship, inspires growth for the individual believer for mature understanding of God’s Word, a strengthening of the local church, and a genuine desire to reach out to the world with the message of God’s love as shown through Christ.  More Moravians it should produce a strengthening of the church and unity!

It seems in order to make sense of the present renewal efforts started by the Manokotak young people leadership it is important to watch and see if there is going to be duration or permanency of this type of experience.  If it is a genuine outpouring of the Holy Spirit it will last.  A fruit of this will be a deeply felt need for prayer, study of the scriptures regarding renewal, dialogue, and desire to maintain love and unity in the midst of this.  The biggest red flag is that there is always a danger of fear, ignorance and pride which can create disunity and disharmony in our midst. 

The Moravian Church is known for it unity!  If unity is taken away, it is not good!  My understanding is that a couple of individuals have come out of the Spiritual Feasts, gone home to the village and have caused disunity, maybe unintentionally.  I have heard they returned to their villages saying that some of their leaders don’t have the Spirit of God and that the village worship services are dead.  The enemy can use this.  It creates hurt.  I believe this kind of talk is not good and is based upon pride which Paul in the Book of Corinthians talks about.  We should not judge other believers (Matthew 7:7).  It is God’s business; our business is to pray for our pastors and elders and other church leaders.  The Holy Spirit is a gentleman and never pushes us.  We should not push others, but instead allow God to transform them and bring renewal for them in a way that brings blessing upon them and their community of faith. 

When renewal happens it is a work of the Holy Spirit!  Since November 2007 in Anchorage, Alaska, I have seen a number of individuals that have been renewed and transformed through Salvation.  They have been saved, experienced baptism (become Church members), and are now enjoying a new pentecost in their lives.  When this happens there is a renewed dedication to Jesus and desire to glorify him in every area of life.  There is also a big desire to share this life with others.

As I speak with different people and observe what is happening around me, it is my understanding that there are young people and older people alike that are open to a work of the Holy Spirit.  This is new for me.  There is also a general mood and recognition that a bigger work of God is afoot just before Christ comes again.

If indeed there is a movement of the Holy Spirit and renewal going on in our midst, we must use our minds; not only our hearts.  We will need to have a correct interpretation of scripture and doctrine.  Essential to our mission is the centrality of Christ and His Work.  But we recognize in the accomplishment of this mission is the powerful ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  The Holy Spirit is at work enabling our service and endows us with gifts fit for the task we have been called to perform. 

My wife, Barbara Nicholson, told me that "she is glad that many young people are being fired up.  They are leaving alcohol and drugs.  They are being transformed.  No other church or church speaker could have done it.  The Holy Spirit did it.  If the Spiritual Feast did not happen, some of the kids would have committed sucide".  Barbara says "God is doing something good; more and more of our kids are happy!"

Indeed I must listen to my wife, my God given partner.  God's Spirit works through her to touch me.  As we pray and talk about what God is doing in our midst, and indeed as we seek renewal, especially to meet the needs of the young people of our church, we must become acquainted with the spiritual gifts of the Spirit shown in Romans, Ephesians and I Corinthians.  

What it takes 20 years for a mental health worker to do in a sinners heart, only takes the Holy Spirit a second or two.  What takes marriage counselors years to teach, the Holy Spirit can teach couples in an instant; they will forgive and commit in fidelity to one another.  I've seen the gifts of the Holy Spirit in operation at the November 2008 feast in Manokotak.  Many believers functioned as a unity and edified one another with great peace and joy.  It is true that the Holy Spirit distributes special and supernatural abilities to believers so that they may serve others in the Body of Christ. These gifts are not only essential in enabling a powerful and effective ministry to others, but help to remind us that all true service of God is “ ‘not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).     

Renewal in my mind is every Christian growing and using their giftedness.  It is not only the pastor or the lay pastor or elder in the church.  It’s every believer fulfilling their role as “believer priests” (I Peter 4).  1 Corinthians 12 shows us that  believers do not have the same gifts, and that everyone’s giftedness is essential to the health of the whole. Verses 29-30 of I Corinthians 12 asks rhetorically, “All are not apostles are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?” The expected answer is “No!” 

The clear biblical teaching is that believers possess gifts that differ, gifts that are all necessary for the edification of the Body of Christ and certainly Paul has taken pains to say, we are “not to be ignorant” of them.   Paul says that we are to desire the “greater gifts”, those gifts that most edify and build up the body (1 Corinthians 12:31), and to minister our individual gifts in love toward one another (1 Corinthians 13).  This is a key.  If indeed the Spiritual Feast’s is a true manifestation of usage of the gifts, then the Body of Christ must indeed show unity and love and not judge others unfairly, even as they live and work in their own Moravian villages.  

Our own Spiritual gifts differ among us and when used they are very powerful.  We are not to become proud and look down on others who do not have our own giftedness or who do not like the way we worship.  We must show love and continue to show that we need each other as members of the Body of Christ. 

In 1 Corinthians 12:14-25, Paul shared a couple of dangers which individual members of the Body of Christ might fall into regarding using of spiritual gifts. The first is pride.   This may be the single biggest problem hurting the Spiritual Feast concept in Alaska.  This is a sin; it must stop immediately!  If individuals have pride they must confess this sin to our crucified & risen Savior.  Something that will help those who have a problem with spiritual pride is to remember that any ability we have in ministry, and anything good we may accomplish in the name of Christ, comes solely through the power of God alone.  Christ alone is to receive all the credit and glory for our spiritual successes.  A true Moravian pastor wears the white surplus every day, not just at baptism or communion.  We want Christ to be seen in us.

For those that fear the gifts of the Spirit.  Study them.  Ask God to give you a gift to use.  Every believer is promised a gift which should be used.  A second danger is that of putting yourself down.  You do have a gift that can be used.  Be patient and pray that God will give you an understanding and power to use your ability to serve Jesus Christ in His Body which is the Church.  Remember that not using your gift handicaps the Body of Christ.  If you put yourself down or have self pity you will not serve Christ and the rest of us suffer.    

Recently I read of the Southern Bishop Herbert Spaugh, who influenced me heavily when I was at Moravian Theological Seminary in 1976 at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  This bishop was a celebrated man who mentored Billy Graham before his raise to fame.  According to Bishop Spaugh’s biography entitled - “The Boy, the man, and The Bishop”, published in 1970 (with a foreword by Billy Graham) says “Bishop Spaugh pioneered not only in spiritual healing, but in other spiritual matters.  His experience led him to believe that the Holy Spirit leads people in many ways – some even being granted a glimpse of “the other side”. 

When Brother Spaugh spoke at Comenius Hall at the Seminary Chapel when I was a student, he said – “The problem with you young pastors in training; you are becoming more like doctors or lawyers.  You need more enthusiasm.”  And he went on to say, “if you have enthusiasm, it is “God in You!”  

What I have learned since Moravian Seminary over 30 years ago, it is ok to have emotion in ministry and in worship.  We experience this especially in our non-denominational services on Sunday night in Anchorage.  We invite you to come and visit us and share your spiritual gifts with us.

Usually the Moravian Church traditional services in most of our Alaskan villages are very predicable.  Maybe that’s why more people stay away or for those that attend Church, it is a task.  As the Spirit of God moves in our midst there will be activity and things will never be the same.  I believe God wants us to learn to express and enjoy our emotions much more than we do, especially in regards to our fellowship and worship with God.  Remember this, what can be more wonderful or more emotionally stirring than feeling in the presence of God? 

I know that Pentecostalism for Moravians is a negative.  But the reality is that God’s Spirit is moving in a strong way in the traditional and more main-line denominations throughout the world, in America and even Alaska.  We should be excited about this second Reformation happening in our midst.  A true Moravian will have a desire for salvation, for baptism and pentecost in their own lives.  As the Spirit of God touches in renewal there will be a manifestation of the fruits of the Spirit.  One of the fruits I have been experiencing is great joy.  I hope I can express it better because I am such a serious person.  Emotions expressed as a result of Christ and His Word and what He is doing is wonderful! 

However for and in the life of the church emotionalism for the sake of emotionalism is wrong when it is emotionalism expressed for its own sake, without any roots or reason.  I have heard again and again that we need to not seek the experience, but seek Christ and when he touches a person, that one will be full of joy which, again, is one of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galations 5. 

Emotion in my mind is a response to God the Holy Spirit working; it is an expression of joy!  We should seek Christ and Him crucified, our hope of glory!  Like Moravian Bishop Spaugh shared over 30 years ago, “if you have enthusiasm, it is “God in You!”  This is what will attract others to Christ and help grow the Church in Anchorage and the villages of Alaska.

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