John Armstrong: Talks about Maj Ian Thomas

It is funny who I am finding to have been influenced by Maj Ian Thomas... but yet... as I read these people's blogs, I am not surprised as I have a connection with them.

John Armstrong shares some memories about Maj Ian Thomas in this post.

Thanks for sharing John....

From Eternity to Here by Frank Viola

From Eternity to Here by Frank Viola

Once again I get the privilege to review a book. This book was originally published as God’s Ultimate Passion but has been revamped into a very readable book. I really enjoyed the original so it was interesting to see the updated version.

The book is actually three volumes in one broken up into different themes. The first is the Bride of Christ which is a wonderful walk through creation and the relationship of Adam and Eve. Frank Viola brings out nuances that I believe many miss as they simply read though the narrative. Frank Viola points out how the original bride Eve is the prototype of another Bride, the Church.

Frank then begins the second section where the Homeless God is on a quest to make a new home for Himself. The narrative takes one from Genesis through Revelation where he shows God’s intention was to have a New Home in those who believe in Him through Jesus.

The Third Section brings us to The Family, or Body what we are becoming as believers in Jesus. God seeks to make each person who comes to Him in faith through Jesus a New Creation of His passion and expression of His Glory.

If you are in a book store and have a few minutes, I suggest reading the last bit which I think is one of the most important parts of the book, Frank Viola’s micro-biography. It is a short read yet in it one will find Frank Viola’s walk through various movements of the church and what he gained through them… and what he found was lacking in them. To me this gives the read understanding where Frank is coming from and in a sense where one will go as they read the book. It is a bit funny that I am saying to read the end of the book to get the rest of the book, yet if one does take the time I will guarantee they will be buying the book to see how Frank puts all this together.

On a personal note, I enjoyed that Frank quoted both Brian McLaren and Major Ian Thomas which was fascinating to see the two fit together as I have seen they do. This book was to me a wonderful read. In a sense I feel that where I am on my own journey is where many are going and Frank Viola is going. To me the core of both Brian McLaren and Major Ian Thomas as well as Frank Viola’s book is Grace. To gain more insight into the great and wonderful grace of God to me will aid anyone who believes in Jesus.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to dig deeper into who you are in Christ Jesus. This is one author I will be reading more from.

I am having the privilege to be part of a circuit of Blogger who are reviewing From Eternity to Here. If you want to read what others are saying here is a list. Many may even have interview questions.

Out of Ur

Shapevine

Brian Eberly

DashHouse.com

Greg Boyd

Vision Advance

David Flowers

Kingdom Grace

Captain's Blog

Christine Sine

Darin Hufford - The Free Believers Network

Zoecarnate

Church Planting Novice

Staying Focused

Take Your Vitamin Z

Jeff Goins

Bunny Trails

Matt Cleaver

Jason T. Berggren

Simple Church

Parable Life

Consuming Worship

West Coast Witness

Oikos Australia

Tasha Via

Andrew Courtright

Keith Giles

ShowMeTheMooneys!

Leaving Salem, Blog of Ronnie McBrayer

Jason Coker

From Knowledge to Wisdom

Home Brewed Christianity

Dispossessed

Dandelion Seed

David Brodsky's Blog- "Flip the tape Deck"

Chaordic Journey

Renee Martin

Bob Kuhn

Living with Freaks

Real Worship

Fervent Worship

Julie Ferwerda Blog

www.OneMillionArrows.com

What's With Christina?!

Irreligious Canuck

This day on the journey

Live and Move: Thoughts on Authentic Christianity

Spiritual Journey With God

Dries Conje

http://www.thejesusfeed.com

http://www.bookdisciple.com.

Journey with Others

On Now to the Third Level

Christine Moers

Breaking Point

Hand to the Plough

Jon Reid

Weblight

D. L. Webster

Searching for the Whole-Hearted Life

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A Grain of Wheat - Major Ian Thomas

Devotional: Exchanged Life

EXCHANGED LIFE
By: Major W. Ian Thomas

Christian living is not a method or technique; it is an entirely different, revolutionary principle of life. It is the principle of an exchanged life" not I, but Christ liveth in me" (Galatians 2:20).

This is all part of our Gospel - it is not the Gospel plus! We must not get our terminology wrong. To divorce the behavior of the Christian from the Gospel is entirely false and is not true to the Word of God, yet all too often such is the characteristic of gospel preaching.

I would like to explore with you what is the true spiritual content of our Gospel ­ not just heaven one day, but Christ right now! Christ in you, on the grounds of redemption ­ this is the Gospel! To preach anything less than this must inevitably produce "Evan-jellyfish" ­ folk with no spiritual vertebrae, whose faith docs not "behave!"

Do you remember what James says in his epistle? "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead" (chapter 2:26). The "spirit" there means breath, and a body without breath is dead. Stop breathing ­ and folk will bury you! In other words, a living body breathes, and a living faith breathes, and a living faith breaths with divine action. A living faith breathes with the activity of Jesus Christ. That is why the Lord Jesus, in John 6:29, said, "This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent."

That is the work of God. It is your living faith in the adequacy of the One who is in you, which releases His divine action through you. It is the kind of activity that the Bible calls "good works," as opposed to "dead works."

"Good works" are those works that have their origin in Jesus Christ - - whose activity is released through your body, presented to Him as a living sacrifice by a faith that expresses total dependence, as opposed to the Adamic independence (Romans 12: 1,2).

It is only the life of the Lord Jesus -- His activity, clothed with you and displayed through you, that ultimately will find the approval of God.

From: The Saving Life of Christ. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House. ©1961.

Goodbye Major...

I just found out that Maj Ian Thomas passed on to be with the Lord last August 1st... somehow I missed this.

Major Ian has been a major influence on me for a few years now. I wish I had had the chance to meet him in person to thank him.

My condolences to his family both imediate family and extended famliy. To read more of what happened click here.

I know Jesus greated Him with open arms...

Goodbye Major... you have blessed me greatly.

iggy

Great Quotes: Maj Ian Thomas

YOU MUST HAVE WHAT HE IS (LIFE)
TO BE WHAT HE WAS (PERFECT)
By: Major W. Ian Thomas

For godliness is not the consequence of your capacity to imitate God, but the consequence of His capacity to reproduce Himself in you; not self-righteousness, but Christ-righteousness; the righteousness which is by faith ­ a faith which by renewed dependence upon God releases His divine action, to restore the marred image of the Invisible God. It is not inactivity, but Christ-activity; God in action accomplishing the divine end through human personality - never reducing man to the status of a cabbage, but exalting man to the stature of king! "For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:17).

At first sight this might seem to offer to you the possibility of sinless perfection as the result of spiritual regeneration, but this is far from being the case; for it is only your faith and your obedience which allow Him to be in you now what He was then (perfect) - and you will be what He was then only to the degree in which you allow Him to be in you what He is now (perfect)!

All of the Father was available to all of the Son, because by His faith-love relationship, all of the Son was available to all of the Father, and this constituted His perfect manhood; and the availability of the Son to you will be in the degree of your availability to the Son, because of your faith-love relationship to Him!

From: The Mystery of Godliness. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House. ©1964.

Maj Ian Thomas: The Power of His Resurrection

This is well worth the time to listen...

have a Blessed Resurrection Day!

Blessings,
iggy



The Power Of His Resurrection by Major Ian Thomas