Posts by Sharon Beekmann Blog

John L Nevius was a Presbyterian missionary in China from the mid to late 1800s. In one village he met Mr. Kwo who was controlled by a demon. The demon first appeared to Mr. Kwo in a dream and then took over the man’s life. Mr. Kwo became violent, irrational, and generally not himself. He…

I lived in Wisconsin as a girl, and on exceptionally cold winter nights, thick frost covered the inside of my bedroom window. I carved stick figures with a spoon, and moonlight filtering through tree branches created a host of dancing figures on the wall behind me. During a powerful gust, the figures disappeared altogether and…

In this blog I continue the discussion of mysticism, the spiritual disciplines, and Reformed faith. I introduce Antony, the father of the monastic movement, critique the teachings of Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline, share my experiences with meditation before Christ saved me, and present the key elements of biblical faith. Christians who adhere to Foster’s teachings…

I am not the first to address the influences of Roman Catholic mysticism, Eastern religions, and the New Age on evangelical churches. Bloggers and writers have cautioned evangelical Christians about blurring theological boundaries and adopting practices incompatible with Reformed faith.[i] Read along as I wade into these deep waters. Mysticism Mystics believe they can communicate directly…

Fueled with religious zeal, Saul witnessed the stoning of Stephen and uttered murderous threats against the Apostles. He traveled to Damascus to round up the people of the Way and send them to Jerusalem to stand trial (Ac 9:1–2). Jesus stopped him. Lights flashed and Saul fell to the ground. The Hand of God blinded…

A number of years ago I taught a class at a local church on Jesus’s rescue of us from sin and Satan. Midway I paused and invited comments and questions. A man stood up, read Genesis 6:1–4, and said, “This passage teaches that angels and women had sex and produced the Nephilim who were giants.…

Thirty-four year old Michael landed at Newark International Airport on September 10, 2001. He came to conduct business for his company that specialized in Internet technology and mergers and acquisitions. He checked into a room on the 24th floor of the Marriott World Trade Center, midway between the two towers. He set the wake-up call for…

Christians understand that God’s love and power come from above, for the Kingdom of God is not of this world (Jn 18:36). God the Father and Son send the Holy Spirit to unite believers in holy love as he advances his Kingdom on earth. Unsurprisingly, the Enemy of God takes aim at believers’ love and…

As the deer pants for streams of water,So my soul pants for you, my God.My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.When can I go and meet with God? (Ps 42:1-2). God created us to worship him, and we are most at peace when drinking from the fount of holy God. In worship Jesus,…

Honing Skills in Discernment Christians affirm that God communicates with his people through Word and Spirit. He inspired men to write the Bible. He spoke directly to particular people, and also communicated through prophets, theophanies, angels, dreams, and visions. God ordains events, and the pinnacle of God’s revelation of himself was the Son Jesus Christ…