Should Christians Be Allowed In Scripture?

God loves his Church and Jesus is the one who builds the Church. Then, it goes without saying that God loves the local church and Jesus builds the local church. Unfortunately, there are many factors that come into play, causing churches to become complacent or stagnate before entering into a season of decline. Yet this can be avoided through the process of revitalization.

I am as guilty as everyone else when I think why change ‘this is the way we like it’; ‘isn’t it our church’?

Years later in this process of growth, I was blessed with a summer internship at a larger congregation in Dallas, Texas. Although I grew from my relationships and from the mentorship I received, I also observed that the bulk of the ministry meetings focused on changing and adapting our church’s corporate worship to be more and more “seeker sensitive.” The thought was that corporate worship was something malleable that could be altered into something more like the culture of the surrounding neighborhood, so people would want to come. “After all,” so the thinking went, “scripture provided only a rough guideline as to what the church is to do when coming together and there is little-to-no reason to keep intact what past generations did or passed down.” In essence, we sought to form our corporate worship for the purpose of evangelism. I believed that the important thing to focus on is love of God, love of neighbor, and piety. Something in the line of reasoning that insisted on changing the community worship ritual to reflect the world didn’t feel right to me, yet I could not articulate what it was. Several months later I visited an Eastern Orthodox Church as part of a course on Christian spiritual development and after a didactic

We are obligated to Biblically uphold what God has clearly explained in the Bible about homosexuality. In doing so, churches are faced with hard questions that only God’s word can give direction in. The main question is where do you draw the line with homosexuals in the church? When does it become appropriate for a church that openly accepts homosexuals to come in and repent of their sin to a church that is looking to honor God and do what is best for the well being of their entire church body by asking the homosexual to leave. This is a very touchy subject among heterosexuals and homosexuals alike in the church.

we find it difficult to get along with people in the church, perhaps it is because

Church, temple, sanctuary, or the Lords’s house, these are just a few names that your average person might call the place you come to worship God, I have always called it home. The Church I have been attending, Memorial Baptist Church, which is also where I attend high school, I have been attending since I was the age of three years old. Moving to the area that my family lives in now, I do not believe is any accident. At the age of two years old, my father was stationed in Tennessee for the military. After passing away from brain cancer, my Mother moved my two older sisters and me to Killeen Texas, to be closer to her family. Memorial Baptist Church was the only church we have ever been members of since moving to Texas, it has always felt like

Certain physical locations take on important meanings in the world’s religions. Religions consider various geographic elements such as different cities, regions, mountains, and rivers to be sacred. For example, Hindus travel to the Ganges River to cleanse themselves from their sins (Momen 157). One of the requirements of all Muslims is that they make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca (Eastman 398). Judeo-Christian religions also have certain places that are held sacred to their followers. The concept of sacred space is important to Judeo-Christian religions, because it helps to explain the questions of existence. Sacred space provides something tangible to represent

For Paul warns in 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, "I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment." In my opinion, avoidable disjunctions over trivial matters harm the church and interrupt the fellowship of believers. For example, my former pastor caused worthless and unloving disunity in our church because he fervently adhered to his Reformed theology at the expense of others, despite no decisive evidence regarding this doctrine existing in the Bible. Sadly, several strong Christians left our Church and never returned. Nonsensical divisions such as this lead to the innumerable formations of denominations and alienation of believers. Instead of initiating these fruitless arguments, Christians need to focus on living lives holy and pleasing to

Living in Christian Community brings an incomparable joy. Bonhoeffer declares that “The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer.” (Life Together Chpt. 1, pg. 19) The Scriptures affirm this notion time and again. “I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy.” (2 Timothy 1:3-4 NASB) In his second letter to Timothy, Paul is obviously longing to see his brother in Christ, but by just recalling the thought of the time they had previously spent together in community he is filled with joy. From the joy Paul has at the thought of community, it is obvious he did not take any of the time he spent with others in community.

Paul audience could follow his thoughts on building because of the many building that was built in their cities (Green, 2013, p.544, p.552) After Paul preaching the gospel in Athens, he continues to Corinth, the provincial capital of Achaia. The Jews in Acts who ended up in Corinth were known by their Latin names and some Greek families in city took Roman names. Paul was very familiar with the landscape of his audience. Paul was humble, but was uplifting God’s grace. Paul is careful not to think too highly of himself, but it was due to God’s grace he’s a wise builder. He told them he planted the seed when he preached and Apollo helped watered and God gives the growth. Paul stated the foundation is the

I am part of Grace Covenant Church, which is part of an organization called, Every Nation. Every Nation has churches in Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania, and America. Some folkways that I practice are going to church every Sunday and talking about the message with my family afterwards. For me, church has never been about meeting with people who think like me, it was my time to spend with God. I always preferred one on one time with God, rather than group discussion. Our church holds yearly mission trips, and frequently holds

Lack of community – Happens when leaders allow a church to become one that does not invite fellow believers to speak truth and love into our lives.

Furthermore, another barrier that could potentially arise for someone who wanted to attend this group is the fact that it was located in a church. Someone who does not identify as religious may not feel comfortable enough to attend a meeting in a church.

My personal philosophy of small groups is scriptural based. Acts 2:46 says, “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.” As the original church began, it is obvious from Acts chapter two and particularly from verse 46 that the church met in unity in large groups. They actually used a two-fold approach of meeting in large-group meetings and then in the homes for more intimate small-group gatherings. Acts 2:46 clearly shows the church gathering in homes, eating together, and continuing the work of the ministry.

If our vertical relationship is not maintained and kept healthy then it only points to one major problem and that is we are out of fellowship with God. Jesus knew that people could see the difference whether people were sincere or not. That’s why he stressed the importance of a right relationship with God so that when we do good works or witness people will know we are sincere. Wheeler and Whaley write; “Our daily actions toward all people, believers and non-believer should reflect a commitment to life style worship evangelism.” The size of our churches and budgets due not matter in winning souls for Christ. We must understand that if people know that we love God and love them we then can have a great opportunity to share the gospel. The authors write; “worship and witness are best demonstrated in how we react to, reach out to, treat, manage, talk with and pray for people.”