The Pros and Cons of Greeting Guests at Church Services

I need to take a page from Paul because I sometimes have a tendency to be people pleaser and not a God pleaser. Paul’s mindset was all about building the kingdom of God. Paul was not moved by people’s emotions and threats that were made towards his life. Having a made-up mind really helps one to be focused on his task. Paul was task driven and motivated to build, exhort, and correct churches to ensure people’s souls were in the right standing with God.

Paul’s messages to the Corinthians was that the spirit brings life but the letter of the law kills. While Roman law made a significant contribution to our modern culture, their rejection God’s truth and the security of his absolute values would place them on a path to destruction. History shows the vast success

We’ve heard it said before that we are products of our environment or culture. The culture of Rome in biblical times was much like the culture of a large city today. They had not only accepted the wicked lifestyles that were being practiced, but they were also approving the practice of such things (Rom 1:32). We can see a lot of the same things going on in our time and our world that was going on in Rome when Paul wrote this epistle. We are quickly heading down a path towards the same destruction

Paul’s writings on social issues were just as influential on the life and beliefs of the Christian culture, and are still considered part and parcel of the broader Christian doctrine by the more conservative Christians.

My classmate and I sat in the back and settled in. We didn’t introduce ourselves. Who would we even begin to introduce ourselves to? We were just a face in the crowd. People starting sitting down and at 8PM the meeting started. “Hi, my name is Paul, and I’m an alcoholic”. To this all replied, “Hi Paul”. We were all welcomed to the Wednesday night meeting of the Auburn Serenity Group. Some group business was taken care of quickly and we headed into the Serenity Prayer. It was easy to fall into the rhythm of this meeting and I found myself saying the prayer too. After all, this was

After reading Harvey Nowlan’s blog post on stewardship as a Christian I have to agree with many of the points he was making about everything we own and consider our possessions in the material world, we own them to God. Our house, cars, bank account a many other things we treasure do not truly belong to us. Many lose site to this and take God’s grace out of the equation and forget who is really in charge. It is our duty, as Christians to be biblical stewards in everything we do and live in a way that Christ would want use to. We are like managers in a business and our resources should be used to exalt God and his kingdom. “ Our stewardship of the Christian faith is prior to and more important than any of the other things entrusted to our care.

Christianity over the course of history has a vast influence on individuals, society and the way believers conduct themselves. It provides morals, practices and ethics that every Christian attempts to live by. Throughout the many denominations in the Christian church, Paul of Tarsus had a significant influence on the faith. His contribution to the development and expression of Christianity is immense and can be seen to stem from his writing and missionary journeys which have implemented his ideas and interpretations onto the development of Christianity. After Jesus, Paul was arguably the most significant figure in Christianity as his teachings form a significant part of the New Testament. Like may other Pharisees of that time in history, Paul sought to suppress the early Christian movement. He accused early Christians of blaspheming against God and breaking Mosaic Law. However, Paul had a life-changing experience when he had a vision of Jesus, and he spent the remainder of his life as a missionary for the early church. Centuries after his ministry, his teachings still influence Christian theology.

Paul expresses an equality of human beings as those he equally owes a duty and a debt to preach the gospel. As mentioned before, some cultures of mankind arose from the refusal to glorify and acknowledge God with purity and righteousness. As a result, they developed cultures of darkness, shamefulness, and foolishness. Furthermore, such cultures of humanity caused their people to lose moral attributes and to grow wicked, selfish, and cruel (Romans 1).

USHERS: Greeting people as they come in and taking up the offering. We greet with a smile, a kind word and handshake welcoming people in.

On a particular Sunday, several months ago, I was making my anxious rounds through the sanctuary, checking on the two thousand minuet details that go unnoticed by everyone but the Pastor and a few influential widows. There I introduced myself to an obvious visitor, a professional looking women in her mid 50’s. I asked if she was visiting, knowing the answer, and was pleasantly surprised to learn she was a Truett Professor doing what she described as a field trip, observing churches her students attend. As I walked her to a seat that hadn’t belonged to an elderly member for five decades, I went back to my duty, working the room and politicking the old crowd.

Today marks my third week in Greece so far. I am finally getting used to the culture and customs of the people here, but it is very different from home. Each and every day I struggle to express myself through my religion, but it proves to be difficult. Many people here are opposed to Christianity, and it is easy to fall into the beliefs and practices of others. I just recently converted to Christianity, after hearing on the missionary Paul. Christianity and God bring so much joy to my life, but I feel as if I am unable to share that joy with the people here in Corinth. You see, Paul has taught us to worship God and God alone. Worshipping and valuing humans is not what God wants. The social class distinction here is very evident, and elitism is based on worldly views of wealth and power, not based on God. The most well respected people here are the most intelligent, or possess items of ultimate luxury. The women here care more about their expensive jewelry than they do about expressing their beliefs in God. It is hard to not be jealous of the women who have everything they want. I know that God does not want us to be tempted by the world of materialism, but to follow in his path.

According to Paul in this early Christian document, the only appropriate response to the costly

This teaching has impacted Christianity in history through the lives of individuals but most significantly through the Reformation of the 16th Century. Martin Luther was strongly convicted on this issue, seeing it as the epitome of Paul’s teachings. Because Luther stood for this issue unfalteringly, he was persecuted and excommunicated. He and his followers formed the Protestant Church, turning away from Catholicism in disgust at their practices of indulgences to gain salvation, making his mantra, “the just shall live by faith.” (Hab. 2:4, Rom. 1:17) This was scripture that Paul had restated in his most famous and complete theological epistle, Romans. This influence of Paul brought about conflict, but also good and freedom, and a new expression of Christianity.

Paul tells us of the culture that God expects of humans, he says God wants humans to live happy and righteous lives in honor of Jesus Christ. Humans should live in the culture of Christ. Treating others well in our deeds. Living a Non-Judgmental life, we are not to judge others. We are to help

Paul's letter to the Galatians describes (in part) how to maintain Christian liberty and how to walk in the Spirit.