Welcome to 40 Days of Holiness!

Welcome to the 40 Days of Holiness Journey!  

I'm so excited to have you along!  My name is Darrell Stetler II, and I've pastored a Bible Methodist church in Oklahoma City for 17 years.  My passion is teaching people the Bible and helping them find JOY in what God can do in their life.  

 

So I'm going to teach on what I think is a very important and highly neglected topic... the topic of holiness. 

 

Holiness is a mega-theme of Scripture

The Bible's teaching about God's holiness runs from very early in the story to the final pages of the Scripture, and soaking into every book of the Bible in some way.  So clearly, it's important -- God wants us to know something about it. 

 

Holiness is a very neglected topic.  

Kevin Deyoung wrote a book recently called "The Hole in our Holiness" -- he's seeing the same thing that I am.  A lot of times, the Gospel is treated as the Good News, and holiness, sanctification, growing in Christlikeness is treated as the irrelevant news... like it barely matters.  

 

It can be a bit controversial at times, because it touches every part of your life.  I want to warn you -- don't do this unless you're willing to let theology get uncomfortable.  If you're just wanting to be one of those Christians who goes to church, occasionally shares "I can do all things through Christ" memes on Facebook and your closest relationship with your Bible is when you're taking a picture of it with a great filter on Instagram.  🙂  then this probably isn't for you. 

 

Seriously, only do this if you're serious about your walk with God, if you want it to blow up into something that may be uncomfortable at times, but results in greater joy, greater intimacy with Jesus, greater amounts of the potential of God's grace being real in your life – greater levels of holiness.

 

I think we all know that there's a gap in our lives -- a gap between what God provided and what we experience... between what Jesus accomplished, and what we actually bring into real life experience.  We all know there's more victory, more joy, more love for God, more committed following of him... more holiness leading to more happiness.  

 

This program is about what God can do to close that gap. 

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Holiness isn't a new teaching.

Holiness not new teaching, or something I came up with.  I'm taking truths that have been taught by millions for centuries... that are found in the pages of God's Word, and just shining new light on them. 

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If you're just watching this on the website, you can click the link to download a Pursuing Holiness printable workbook that you can print out.  

 

Now, I know there are two kinds of people reading this: 

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1. People who have heard of holiness churches, but aren't sure what that means.

Some have maybe heard of "holiness churches" and you're not sure what that is, or if it's some kind of cult or something. 

 

You're wondering if this really Gospel, or if it's some fringe teaching... is it Pentecostal?  Do I have to handle snakes? Do I have to become a Methodist?  Or maybe you're wondering if you have to leave your church or something in order to learn about holiness and see it grow in your life. 

 

What holiness REALLY is:

Relax.  I'm interested in you being holy no matter where you are, and growing in that holiness for the rest of your life. I just want you to be as much like Jesus as you can possibly be. That's what holiness really is. 

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Holiness is not a Pentecostal concern, or one for the Holiness Movement, the Methodist Church or Wesleyan/Arminian followers of John Wesley. It isn’t just for holiness churches! It is for all serious Christians, all students of God's Word, regardless of denomination or background. If you’re wondering what Methodists believe, or what John Wesley’s theology was, you can certainly find out a lot about it in this video series. But holiness isn’t just a theological exercise, it’s a pursuit of God’s heart, and a replication of his character in the human spirit.

 

This isn't about a denomination, it's about a quality of life with God.  That's what I want for you. Everything else is details.

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2. People who are FROM holiness churches, and are a bit confused.

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Maybe you've heard different things about the doctrine of holiness. Sometimes it's been confusing & frustrating. Some people have been around you who lived it, but didn't teach how very well.  Other people around you may have taught it, but when it came to their life, they really didn't live it. Sometimes people preached it in ways that really didn't connect with you, and you're kind of wandering theologically, trying to figure out where you’re going to land. This 40 day journey is going to be helpful to you, as well. 

 

To really pursue holiness, here's what you need to do:

Put aside your pre-suppositions for a minute... all I want is for you to be as much like Jesus as possible. That's it. That's what holiness means. So if you're up for that journey, stick with me. 

 

We'll build a biblical theology of what it means to be holy, and how Jesus grows our holiness, and we'll chase it together for these 40 days. I think what you'll discover is, that this isn't as complicated as you thought, it's a way full of joy and passion for God and his Gospel and his character in our lives.

 

If you've been raised in a holiness church and you're wondering whether or not to give it another shot, stick with me. For the next 40 days, set aside your assumptions and what you thought you know, and what you've been taught and confused about... and just flow with this.  

 

A word about holiness theology & terms:

Theology is amazing. It’s the study of the greatest, most ultimate Being, the most all-satisfying Reality in the universe. But sometimes, theology can be frustrating or confusing, especially if it doesn’t seem to match up to the Scripture. This is my attempt to teach what is possible for God to do in your heart by using Scripture and its words, with as few theological and category words as I can. As much as possible, I'm going to just let the scripture shape both the container and the holiness content that we're going to put in it.

 

This is a 40 day journey... watch your daily video, pray over it, meditate on the question of the day, and let's pursue holiness together.

 

I'm excited to get started!

 

Blessings,

 

Darrell L. Stetler II

NewStart Discipleship
Oklahoma City, OK

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