Tag: 2016

What I Believe About Salvation

By Asher Witmer Spiritual Formation
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God does not have a reverse economy. Satan does, and we chose to settle for his perversion of God’s economy, God’s perfect creation.

Nothing exists that God did not create. No creature, no desire, no ability, and no pleasure. He made it all and it is good. The normal way life functions is the way God designed it to. We are the ones who reversed the economy of life. We are upside-down from what God created.

Lust is not our longing of something Satan created, but our settling for his perversions as a way of fulfilling our longing for what God created. In order to live a life that truly matters, life as God intended, we need a supernatural salvation.

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What I Believe About Creation

By Asher Witmer Spiritual Formation
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I announced earlier that I am starting a study on church: its purpose, how it should function, and the relationships therein. As I study, I’ll write at least one post a month about what I’m learning. To kick everything off, I felt it valuable to go back to the very beginning of that which makes up the church—mankind.

Over the next five posts I will be doing a series on what it means to live a life that matters. This series is not an in-depth exposition, rather a basic understanding of why man was made and God’s plan for him throughout his life. We’re going to start with creation, then look at salvation, then discuss the church, and end the series with two posts focused on ourselves individually and how we find our place in God’s eternal story.

In order to live a life that truly matters, you and I must first understand a few things about our creation.

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What This Generation of Anabaptists Really Needs

By Asher Witmer Church Life, Spiritual Formation
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I’m speaking specifically to Anabaptist churches. Not because they are worse than others and not because they are better. I speak to Anabaptists because I am one. I understand this denomination the most. I feel the frustrations others feel as they work with their Anabaptist brothers and sisters. I value the upbringing and heritage I have been given, as many Anabaptists do.

This generation of Anabaptists wants to know we won’t be written off when we verbalize the frustrations we feel. We want people to care, to invest in us and help us chart an even better course—no matter how good or bad the current one is. But in our ambition for the change we want, I fear we may neglect what we really need.

We don’t need everyone to stay “Anabaptist,” neither do we need everyone to leave. I see at least seven things this generation of Anabaptist really needs.

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What This Generation of Anabaptists Really Want

By Asher Witmer Popular Posts, Spiritual Formation
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There is a lot of uncertainty in Christianity today, especially among the younger generation. Church is frustrating, whether you come from a more traditional background or a progressive one. Either it’s full of ritual and stringent practice or obsessed with growth and modern advances.

People want more; but they’re scared. Unless you’re willing to come under suspicion, it’s best to keep your questions and desire for change secret.

So what do you do when things feel remarkably out of order? How are you supposed to handle it when church is not as you are studying about in the Bible? Do you sit passively by and accept the status quo? Do you campaign for reform, start a radical movement, and subject yourself to critical suspicion? Or do you simply walk away?

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The New Conservative

By Asher Witmer Spiritual Formation
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We like to throw around the labels conservative and liberal as if they’re two different camps of people. But what does it actually mean to be conservative or liberal? Can I accurately assume what someone stands for just because they’re labeled conservative?

Labels are often vague and worthless. What does it actually mean to be CEO of a company? What does a Coaching Consultant do? Pastor how does one know a good pastor from a bad pastor or a good Dad from a bad Dad?

I’m not sure we can ever rid this world of labels—that’s really not the point. Too often, however, we stop at them, as if being conservative completely describes who we are and what we stand for.

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We Have a Courtship Dilemma

By Asher Witmer Romance & Family
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As I listen to other people in my generation I hear an increasing frustration with our courtship model. This seems to be true regardless of background. Is courtship as we know it today the way it should be?

Here’s how I’m approaching this post: I’m going to offer my perspective and then I want to hear yours. I love discussions, so let’s have one. I want to hear from other married people, but I also want to hear from singles. I want to hear your frustrations and desires.

Something has to change, and in order to influence change we must first have a conversation about it. So let’s talk. Let’s not argue or try to get everyone to understand ourselves, but instead let’s try to understand everyone else.

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Why You Don’t Talk about Your Problem with Porn

By Asher Witmer Personal Wholeness
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A recent study reveals that 54% of born again Christian men confess to viewing porn monthly. More than half. It also showed that 97% of all men have seen pornography at some point in their life.

The interesting thing is that 1 in 3 women also struggle with pornography. It’s not a just a male issue. But in general, we keep it hidden to ourselves. We don’t really talk about it with anyone, which causes us to further struggle.

There is a reason you don’t talk about your problem with porn. It doesn’t mean you are bad or ungodly, it means you’re normal. But don’t let it hold you back from finding freedom.

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A Word to the Wise about Finding God’s Will for Your Life

By Asher Witmer Christian Spirituality
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Discovering God’s plan, His unique will for you and I, our destiny—whatever you want to call it—is a journey. One just like sports teams take to mature and become championship quality. It’s not as basic as whispering a few prayers and poof! Now we know what to do.

So what can we learn about this journey in discovering God’s will for our lives?

By the very fact that it’s a journey, I’m sure it takes a lifetime to learn. But following are a few thoughts I have about the journey thus far.

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When Nothing Satisfies

By Asher Witmer Motivation & Inspiration
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We’re currently in the middle of Presidential election campaigns. The problem is, few people feel that either of the candidates left are fit for the job. People are frustrated. No, infuriated! And they are making decisions about who to vote for based on their heated emotions.

But in the middle of all the hullabaloo about racism, gun control, immigration, the economy, emails, and spelling, we’re missing the fact that politics can’t solve the problems causing us to feel so emotional.

If electing the right leader won’t solve our issues, what will?

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What to Focus on When You Feel Held Back by Your Church

By Asher Witmer Popular Posts, Spiritual Formation
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What if it is possible to move through frustrations with church and live vibrantly for Christ? What if there was a way to align our focus so that no matter what church situation we are dealing with, we can respond in loving, Christ-exalting, God-honoring ways? What if we could be free of the bondage of feeling held back? Free to live as Christ calls us to while not needlessly fracturing relationships?

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3 Kinds of Millennial Christians

By Asher Witmer Church Life, Spiritual Formation
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In the past number of years, I have noticed there are primarily three kinds of millennial Christians who discover weaknesses in their upbringing and strengths in other denominations, and struggle to know how to reconcile them.

Is it wrong? Is it right? What do we do if we see ourselves in one of these?

In this post, I introduce an eBook where I address the three kinds of millennial Christians in the church today, and give a few words for each as to what I believe we can do to grow personally, as well as corporately, in maturity in Christ.

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How the Emergent Movement Impacts Us

By Asher Witmer Church Issues
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Has the emergent church movement impacted Anabaptist young people? Does it matter if it has?

In recent years, I have noticed an increasing amount of people who struggle with faith, God, confusion in their walk with Him, or disillusionment with the church. Is this the result of the emergent church?

While I don’t like naming specific people in criticism, I was recently asked about my take on the emergent church movement and how I thought it is impacting Anabaptist youth and decided to write about my concerns with Rob Bell and Brian McLaren’s teaching.

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