Christian Relationship Paper

The beginning of church is said to have risen from the resurrection of Jesus. In fact after the Pentecost, the disciples were celebrating the blessing given to Moses at Mount Sinai in which he experienced the presence of God. After this experience, the disciples were believed to be bold, understanding and Courageous. These characteristics till this day are still celebrated on Pentecost Sunday and are used for the sacrament of Confirmation, which is receiving the responsibility of a Christian and accepting the Holy Spirit. Church has been the backbone of people's faith. It has given them a comforting home to pray and be one with God. Today, however, more people are practicing faith outside the church. The majority of followers believe in God and life after death, however, many have lack of interest in the church. Church must be looked as a community of disciples. The book uses a suggestion from a Roman Catholic theologian Avery Dulles. He suggests, "that most appropriate image of the church for our times is the church as a community of disciples"(pp. 157). I totally agree with his suggestion. In order for Christians to find fulfillment in ones faith, one must help others understand their faith. We need to be grounded in grace; by being a Christian community your focus on believing is responding freely to a personal call and

Dulles states, “It picks up the biblical theme that God has fashioned for himself a people feely communicating his spirit and his gifts” (50). The Body of Christ as stated in Dulles is, “the main point of mutual union, concern and dependence of the members of the local community upon one another,” (43). The body of Christ will only function is the whole community is willing to work together to reach a personal growth in their relationship with God. Now that we have an idea of what Church as mystical communion consists of I will discuss the strengths and weakness of this model. The strength of this model is that emphasizes a shared life with the community instead of shutting them off. This is a strength because when people come together as a whole everything holds so much more meaning and people can form a stronger bond with God, now that it is much more personal and voluntary. Another strength is that this model improves people spirituality and prayer life now that they feel that personal connection that they formed. A weakness of this model is that it creates unsure relationship between the visible and invisible, since Grace allows people to get closer to God through the invisible such as communion while the visible structure like institutionalism tries to emphasize their power over the whole people. I have discussed what the models mean, their strength and weakness of each so now I will note the difference and

Author Dan Yarnell suggested seven characteristics of a Christ-honoring church in the 21st century: worship, fellowship, interaction with Scripture, discipleship, community, living sacrificially, and living missionally. However, Yarnell contradicted himself when he stated that the church originated at Pentecost (Acts 2) and proceeded to provide examples of the effects of cultural development and new missional opportunities on the church prior to Pentecost. While the term “church” or “” is unique to Acts and the following New Testament writings, its concept and precepts existed from the time of Genesis. In fact, Yarnell did not reference any Old Testament passages or practices. Therefore, Yarnell contradicted himself and ignored Old

During this week, I read an interesting book “Big four” wrote by Dr kidder. This reading assignment helps me see how the ministry can be fruitful when you are willing to commit your life to Christ completely.in the beginning of this book he point out the two things that every members desired about church. The thought church is an exciting place to do ministry and experience the grace of God in community.in addition, the want their church to be a place where people can find they love of Jesus Christ.

A Christian couple were barred from adopting their two foster children because they suggested that a child needs both mother and father for a stable upbringing, and were apprehensive of children being adopted by gay parents.

Over the years, many models have been developed and implemented to endeavor to make disciples. Some of the models have been effective and others have not. Among some of the most biblical and efficient models are the ones that involve small groups. Within the small groups models, they can be broken down into further detail, such as pastoral involvement, the church’s goal, missions mindedness, etc. In this paper, I will explain my philosophy of small groups in a church and the importance of the relational group in authentic disciple making. I will also explain how missional groups can help the body of Christ move out into the community. Finally, I will summarize my status in regards to living in community with other believers and being missional with that community.

The Letter to the Ephesians is most well-known for its description of Christ and the Church. Paul speaks of the Father's plan for salvation, the Church as the Body of Christ, unity of the Church in Christ, along with the acknowledgment of Jesus as One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, and One God. Paul outlines the five-fold ministry and details the purpose of each leader’s role. He calls for ministry leaders to lead by example, in other words, shepherd those under them. Christians are expected to exemplify living holy through their daily conduct, as children of the light.

During my time at USD I have taken a few classes pertaining to the Christian community. While they all stressed the importance of Jesus; it never really explained in detail his influence upon the Christian church. I was born and raised in Atlanta, which you know is the bible belt. Growing up in rural Atlanta I attended a Baptist Church at least three times a week. While I learned about God through my personal reading and interpretation, my pastor taught a different explanation. He constructed a God that was feared in both the Old and New Testament beside a Jesus that was loving and caring. Pastors in my community would talk about Gods purposeful mishaps and mistakes while highlighting Jesus’s perfection. Even as an adult you see the Church

This paper is based on my personal philosophy concerning Christian ethics as it pertains to the community and within church organizations. A Christian is (or should be defined as one who humbles himself or herself and chooses to enter into discipleship, to follow Jesus’ path, to build his or her life upon his teaching and his practices even at great cost, to pass those teachings and practices on to others, and thus enjoy the unspeakable privilege of participating in the advance of God’s reign (Sassen & Gushee, Kingdom Ethics, 30-31).

Larry Newman once said, “I don’t know how people can easily remain Christian if they get no fellowship. They may be able to do it intellectually, but part of the body of man is composed of spirit and parts of soul and flesh” (Julian 91). Biblical community is important to a Christian’s spiritual formation, emphasized in the 21st century through several methods, and is even mentioned in the Old and New Testament.

the Body of Christ is the one religious institution that adheres to the most important weapon that if used correctly, could truly turn this otherwise lost world around, and that’s the Bible. The Bible was, is, and will forever be the most influential tool that mankind has ever been privy to. However, the implementation of its principles (which of course derived from the Holy Spirit) have become almost a thing of the past. Nevertheless, the Lord’s church still stands strong, and if there was any avenue whose usability is unparalleled it would no doubt be the avenue to the body of Christ, which proceeds one’s total adherence to the gospel. The New Testament church could help with that. The world’s condemned state could be truly rectified, and the domino-effect of influence would carry on for years to come (lest the Lord comes back

Simon Chan, in his book Liturgical Theology: The Church as Worshiping Community, challenges the Evangelical Pentecostal worldview through the lens of liturgy and sacrament. As a theologian in the Assemblies of God denomination, Chan poses the question, of whether the church is an instrument to accomplish God’s purpose in creation or an expression of God’s ultimate purpose itself. This is expressed through the term “divine-humanity,” each chapter slowly begins to unravel how the church should strive to be the object-Christ to the world, thus becoming its identity. The focus of the book began to combine such an expression of liturgical theology in the Pentecostal mindset. Chan engages the reader to critically analyze why church progressions are made in certain ways, as well as why we believe what we believe in the Pentecostal view.

The church or 'ekklesia ' in Greek is the central part of the Christian worship and where the believers of Christ pray and understand the Bible’s teachings. For Christians, attending the church or being a part of the local congregation gives them a sense of social belonging or a way of expanding their religious circle (Morrison, no date). The church can also be a haven for those individuals who are searching for spiritual safety where their beliefs are not being ridiculed or questioned by those who are around them. The church although considered by those who are not religious as a building of worship or just a building itself is a fundamental part of Christianity and has a special meaning because it tells individuals that they believe in the teachings and words of Jesus Christ (Morrison, no date).

It is very powerful and helpful that the authors open the first chapter building the foundation on the theological understanding of Jesus purpose, in which the church is called to live through. Jesus came to earth to bring fourth repentance and reconciliation, in the midst of ciaos. “The mission of Jesus was and is to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God, to say to one and all, I am the King of kings and Lord of lords, and I am using My power to fix everything that sin has ruined.” I believe that this argument of presenting Jesus’ ministry at the front of this presentation is paramount. Without a solid foundational understanding of Jesus’ purpose on earth, being an effective helper cannot happen.

In his hardback titled The Church: Contours of Christian Theology, Edmund P. Clowney writes a systematic presentation about concerning the doctrine of the church. In chapter eight of his book, he describes the Marks of the Church. Clowney writes about the marks of a true church of Christ, which include the true preaching of the Word of God; the proper observation of the sacraments; and the faithful exercise of church discipline.