There is an update to this post here: http://new.kendallharmon.net/wp-content/uploads/index.php/t19/article/4825/
All THREE talks are now available as Word Files for downloading.
Woohoo! This elf is very pleased and excited to see that Cherie Wetzel of Anglicans United has given a MARVELOUS gift to all of us orthodox Anglicans who did not spend the last 2 days in Bedford, Texas at the Network Council Meetings. She has got transcriptions of Abp. Venables Bible Teaching online. Thank you Cherie, what a wonderful service!
Now, time for this elf to be my sometimes very bossy self! Go read them!! Do more than read them. [b]Read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them![/b] And that’s an order đ
Archbishop Gregory Venables Bible Study Monday – transcription
Anglican Communion Network, Archbishop Venables Final Post
Here is an excerpt from ++Venables’ Tues. afternoon teaching:
I see people under incredible spiritual attack. I remember that moment in the end of the Screwtape Letters and the man the demons are trying to win is killed in the air raid in London. As he is departing this world, the man sees who has been dogging him for so long. He finally realizes what has been happening to him. It was a poignant moment.
We are not fighting flesh and blood. Read Ephesians 6. This battle is Big. Because it is about Godâs honor and Godâs name and Godâs Word. It is not your battle, dear people. It is Godâs battle. Let that comfort your hearts. Let that settle your mind.
I see people burdened and weighed down. Some of you are carrying very heavy burdens indeed. And I see people suffering grief. Grief in the sense of loss: bereavement. Something precious and that means so much to us is âgoing down the tubesâÂ. That creates grief. It is heart breaking. Donât go into denial. Donât be British. Stoicism is not good. Sometimes you just have to grit your teeth and carry on, but not for long. Recognize the grief and deal with it. Donât deny it.
Let me give you a few words from Scripture. 1 Peter 4:12: âBeloved do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you.âÂ
When you stand up for Jesus, this is what happens. At the end of the day, it isnât Anglicanism you are standing up for. It is Jesus. Thatâs why Anglicans do what we do. Rejoice that you have been thought worthy. You must be getting something right or you wouldnât be in this battle. […]
James 1:2 âCount it all JOY my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.âÂ
Be careful of fear. God will put you there again and again so you have to look at it and bring it up close and then you will see who He really is. Count it all joy. Read Paulâs account of what it was like to minister for Jesus. 2 Corinthians 11. Paul had a sense of humor, didnât he. Thatâs what Paul got for serving Jesus. Not a Harry Potter world, not Tolkien world; the real world.
Are you getting it? If you really want to follow Jesus and serve him, this is what happens. I know a lot of you here are not surprised. Count it all joy and a privilege to show that Jesus is still Lord. To be on this world stage – With your smile and your joy and your forgiveness of all of âthemâÂ. Show them that Jesus is still Lord.
Venables’ title is “Presiding Bishop”, not Archbishop.
Well, I guess Matt Kennedy+ isn’t the only one with super-fast typing fingers! đ Cherie’s transcript plus the video footage from KK w/Anglican TV almost makes one feel as if she were there in person! Thanks be to God for these two and their ministries! đ
2. ps
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/tour/diocese.cfm?Idind=531&view=alpha
I had not thought that I should live to see this level and type of total commitment to the Kingdom of God in my lifetime.
All Praise to God!
++Venables has got the Vision. He has the Spirit. He possesses in full measure that which separates the sheep from the goats.
He understands that our warfare is spiritual; it is against the principalities, the powers, the forces of wickedness in high places, against all who oppose the Name of Jesus.
Would that God leads all who read this blog to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest his remarks!
This is not going to be said as eloquently as it should be, but what Abp. Venables said to the gatheringââŹâand to us, were the words God needed to be spoken just then. Bless him.
For the two days, I didnââŹâ˘t hear much encouragement. Even in the instantaneous world we live in, this battle has been going on for a comparatively long time and has been very intense for the last four years. The warriors are tired. Mrs. Duncan spoke about the toll on families, but there are other people left behind to run things who are overburdened, too.
Bishop Duncan was not hopeful. He spoke plainly from his heart that he believes that TEC will be not be reformed. Remember when the AAC was asking for ââŹĹA Place to StandââŹÂ at the 2003 GC? ItââŹâ˘s become apparent that there is no place to standââŹâand that the battle will intensify. Like the Children of Israel, we have two choices: we can go back to a secure life in slavery and serve alien gods or we can go forward into the future with a God who shows us only one step at a time, but who will deliver usââŹâeventually.
As I listened to the archbishopââŹâ˘s words and looked at the tired assembly, I was struck with guilt. My own rector was there. What have I done lately to encourage him? Have I prayed with him? (For him, yes, but I havenââŹâ˘t said so, and I havenââŹâ˘t prayed enough; IââŹâ˘ve only added to his burden by complaining about parish woes.)
The members there have so much more at stake than I have. I may lose my church, but their livelihoods and maybe their homes (if theyââŹâ˘re in church-owned housing) are at stake. Unlike the reforming martyrs of Oxford, they will not lose their livesââŹâand they will certainly not lose their souls.
Yes, we are not fighting against humans, but against the powers of evil. The euphoria of Plano is just about gone, the outlook is bleak, and it looks like their work has been in vain. The leadership has been blindsided by attacks on health, on funding, by close friends, by legal setbacks, even by sexual immorality. Abp. Venables reminded us that the attacks should have been expected, but he told us that God has already won this war, the outcome is already decided, and He knows where weââŹâ˘re going. All we have to do is be obedientââŹâstep by step.
Sue, thanks for writing these words. God bless you, my dear sister in Christ. May the Holy Spirit renew you, your rector and people in your parish. May you mount up with wings as eagles!
Thank you, Alice. I have been strengthened by your words and lessons too, and I know how much you have sacrificed. We are safe temporarily under Uganda’s wing. However, we may have to turn over our property if our case is refused by the California Supreme Court. I wish you joy in your new church home.
(If anyone reading this wonders why we are fighting so hard for our property, think “precedent.” We’re not doing this just for ourselves.)
I do have a question.. Wasn’t there three (3) teachings by PB Venables? Or am I confused?
Gloria
Sue Martinez sez: “My own rector was there. What have I done lately to encourage him? Have I prayed with him? (For him, yes, but I havenââŹâ˘t said so, and I havenââŹâ˘t prayed enough; IââŹâ˘ve only added to his burden by complaining about parish woes.)”
Sue, I’m right there with you. Guilty as charged. đ We all need to encourage and pray for, and even with, our rectors. And, Lord help us, we say it, and mean to, but seldom actually do it. I think this month of August (why wait until Clergy Appreciation Month in October?) would be an opportune time to “support your local pastor.” Many of them who weren’t at the Network meeting would greatly benefit by listening to ++Venables’ presentations and reading a copy of the transcripts from Monday and Tuesday.
Grandmother, you are correct. There were three. The first was on Monday afternoon and is a little hard to find. His plane was delayed, so they rearranged the agenda. If you go to http://ustream.tv/channel/acn-council-meeting-2007 and scroll through the 15 segments, it’s the third from the far right and starts about 41 minutes in. He’s wearing a black suit coat over his purple shirt. The second is immediately to the left, and you can clearly see his purple shirt in the thumbnail. The third is at the end of Tuesday’s session. Click on the third thumbnail from the left to find it.
Sue, prayers continue for you and for your parish. There is only one prayer that never fails, you know. “Thy will be done!”
Alice, again, thank you for your prayers. As our chancellor prepares the materials for our appeal to the Supreme Court, we are holding a vigil today in our chapel with just that plea–“Thy will be done,” and not “Sway the justices’ hearts to accept our case.”
I think I’ve taken this thread off topic, so I will add how thankful we are for the active support of true giants of the Christian faith like ++Venables and ++Orombi. They have traveled almost constantly away from their provinces and families to give us comfort and to attend meetings. God speaks through their lips, especially with Bible studies like these. Whatever God has in store for us, we will never regret leaving our false shepherd, even if the this current relationship is only temporary. It has been quite a surprising adventure! (I keep thinking, “Wow, I’m not even a leader in my parish and my bishop and archbishop from half a world away know my name. They really care about us.) Our old bishop hardly ever visited, much less made an effort to meet the pew-sitters. God is indeed holding us in His palm and has made and will continue to make miraculous provision for us, even if it’s ultimately in a new location.
I’m also grateful to Kevin Kallsen, Cherie Wetzel, and Matt+ and the folks at Stand Firm for their reports, both video and in print. It’s been amazing and humbling to see (live!) all of these godly people of the ACN doing the hard but necessary work, sustained by ++Venables’s marvelous (and often humorous) teachings. The next time I feel overburdened, I will hear his words, “‘My yoke is easy and my burden is light,’ so if you’re struggling under a heavy burden, take your yoke off and look at it and see whose yoke it is.”
We’ve posted an updated version of this post here:
http://new.kendallharmon.net/wp-content/uploads/index.php/t19/article/4825/
All three teachings by Venables are now available online for downloading