Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Dated Essay - Still Germane Today":
"Pastors and lay persons trained in Church Growth are leading Christians to discover their spiritual gifts. They are looking into the Scripture and discovering those verses in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4 where some of the gifts are listed." [See C. Peter Wagner, Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow, 1979, "a discussion of gifts which relates specifically to the potential of mobilizing God's people for church growth," p. 33.]
Kent R. Hunter, Launching Growth in the Local Congregation, A Workbook for Focusing Church Growth Eyes, Detroit: Church Growth Analysis and Learning Center, 1980, p. 26.
WELS - Discovering My Spiritual Gifts, "Do you know what a spiritual gift is? Do you know what your spiritual gifts are? Do you know what God wants you to do with them? This tool will help you discover what your spiritual gifts are and how you can use them to serve the Lord. "
http://www.wels.net/cad/sgt/sgdt-1.html
WELS - St. Paul Lutheran Church, "Spiritual Gifts, Please fill out the following form according to your interests and your spiritual gifts."
http://stpaulappletonwi.com/site/cpage.asp?cpage_id=4469&sec_id=2608
WELS Women's Ministry, "Identify and teach spiritual gifts in appropriate ways, starting young."
http://www.welswomen.net/site/cpage.asp?cpage_id=180006131&sec_id=180002756
WELS.NET Living Bold, "Spiritual Gifts Inventory...not sure about how you can best serve God? Take this quick inventory provided by WELS Adult Discipleship.
http://www.livingbold.net/welsspace/links
WELS Prayer Institute, "Holy Spirit, we honor you for distributing specific spiritual gifts to the part of the body of Christ we call the WELS …" and , "Dear Savior, motivate our parish pastors in the WELS to be in the Word and prayer today. Give them quiet moments (!) at the beginning of their day to receive spiritual energy (!) from you so they are able to properly love and serve their flocks…"
http://www.welsprayerinstitute.com/samples2.htm
(!) are my emphasis as to why is the WELS Prayer Institute asking WELS members and pastors to pray for "quiet moments - to receive spiritual energy"?!? Spiritual energy doesn't come from quiet moments but from the Means of Grace. This is New Age anti-Christian occultism. - Brett Meyer
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GJ - WELS and the Little Sect on the Prairie have not yet faced the Pentecostalism they imported from Fuller Seminary and their Schwaermer teachers.
Doubtless the doctrinal boards of both synods will jump on this like a hobo on a hotdog.
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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Discover Your Pentecostal Gifts - Another Program ...":
For an immediate flash back to a Robert Tilton broadcast here are additional sample prayers recommended by the WELS Prayer Institute:
- Holy Spirit, bring back 1000 people to the fold around the WELS this week. Motivate pastors and elders to make phone calls and visits. Renew them by your Holy Word. Help them to know your love in a new and better way.
- Holy Spirit, give individuals in our Synod great hunger for your Word. Move 1000 people in the WELS right now, today, to begin reading their Bible again. Remove their spiritual laziness, and build them up as they read your life-giving message.
http://www.welsprayerinstitute.com/samples1.htm
- Great Triune God, give strength to our WELS teachers as they meet with parents before school begins. Help our WELS pastors and teachers to be very specific with the law and the gospel as they seek to change sinful attitudes and behaviors in their parent-teacher visits…
http://www.welsprayerinstitute.com/samples2.htm
WELS Prayer Conference August 14, 15, 2009 at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary
Bruce Becker: Keynote Speaker
