At the end of Acts 2 (vv. 42-47) we see a new community forming among those who were baptized into Christ in response to the call to follow Christ (v. 41). The New Living Translation describes that event like this: 42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing … Continue reading The Church is Changing (and that’s a good thing)
Category: Church
1 Goal for 2020
As the new year approaches, many of us are thinking about the goals we want to pursue in 2020. Those goals are usually designed to improve the quality of our lives in a significant way, and one goal that will powerfully impact your life is attending the worship services of a local congregation weekly. One … Continue reading 1 Goal for 2020
The Devil and the Church
An excerpt from "The Devil and the Church" by E.M. Bounds... The young preacher has been taught to lay out all his strength on the form, style, and beauty of his sermon as an oratorical performance. We have thereby cultivated a worldly taste in the church and raised the clamor for... talent, instead of grace; … Continue reading The Devil and the Church
What Will You Regret?
I have long admired the work of Matt Dabbs, and he has become an important voice within the Church of Christ fellowship who humbly calls us back to the most important elements of the Christian's calling. In the following post from Matt, I think he is spot on with his diagnosis of our current situation. … Continue reading What Will You Regret?
What You Can’t Blame the Church For
Popular blogger and preacher Carey Nieuwhof recently wrote a blog post that caught my attention because of its sheer honesty. In it, Nieuwhof identifies a major problem in the church, which is the lack of responsibility that many Christians take for the condition of their own hearts, attitudes, and actions. Here's his post: There’s a … Continue reading What You Can’t Blame the Church For
Sabbatical, Bonus: My Church Visit Experiences
I know, I know, I know...I need to finish out this series on my sabbatical before the end of the year! Sorry for the delay between posts but I promised you two bonus segments, so here's the first one that deals with my church visit experiences. First, let's reset the series. In November, I went on … Continue reading Sabbatical, Bonus: My Church Visit Experiences
The Goal of Preaching
In the latest edition of The Christian Chronicle, there is a great interview about preaching that every preacher should read (especially you younger preachers out there). The interview is with David Wilson, who is the Senior Minister for Kings Church of Christ in Brooklyn, NY. Here's a portion of the interview: ____________________________________________________________________________________________ As a preacher, … Continue reading The Goal of Preaching
A Sober Warning to Christians
I found this article by Tim Challies to be an interesting and helpful read about Christians' relationship with today's world... When I was a kid, my family once watched a movie that included vivid scenes of persecution against the earliest Christians. I remember lying awake at night, terrified by these images of Christians burning in … Continue reading A Sober Warning to Christians
How to Filter Opinions
Leading change in any organization is difficult. It presents many challenges, obstacles, and complexities that have to be skillfully navigated. It also unearths a plethora of opinions from the people in the organization, including many that stand in opposition to the change that is being proposed. So, how do leaders make sense of all these … Continue reading How to Filter Opinions
How Hyper-Individualism is Killing the Church
In a series for Scot McKnight's blog, Todd Dildine examined several factors that have led to the decline of church membership in America. One of those factors is the hyper-individualism that has overtaken much of our society/culture: A shift has occurred. We have moved from a “we” culture to a “me” culture. Since the 1950s, … Continue reading How Hyper-Individualism is Killing the Church
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