Don’t Be Merely Human Paul reprimands the church in Corinth for many things. One time he points out that they envy one another and argue a lot. There is jealousy and quarreling in their church. It happened then and it’s still happening now. We want what others have. Although this often relates to money, possessions, […]
Beware of Slacking Shepherds, Godless Pastors, and Misleading Ministers The prophet Jeremiah doesn’t just warn the people about judgment for their sins, he also warns their religious leaders too. The twenty-third chapter of the book of Jeremiah details three leadership failures. Most troublesome is the third item about misleading ministers. Everyone in leadership should heed […]
Discover What We Can Learn from the Final Words of Jesus We’ve talked about the Bible’s first recorded words of Jesus and his last words before he ascends into heaven. But what people focus on most is what he says as he hangs on the cross, dying in our place for the wrongs we have […]
Stating generalities is risky, but it is a way of processing information. Here are two areas to discuss: 1. In our experiences, churches with older congregations and traditional services tended to be friendlier than contemporary services with younger people. Does your church match this observation or break from it? What must change? 2. I’m dismayed […]
Jeremiah Compares the People’s Relationship with God to a Cheating Spouse The prophet Jeremiah, along with many other writers in the Bible, accuse God’s people of spiritual adultery. They are unfaithful to their Lord. They cheat on him. They run around with other, lesser gods. Marital Adultery Cheating on a spouse is a situation most […]
Consider What Jesus Says Just Before He Ascends into Heaven Jesus’s first recorded words in the Bible are when he’s twelve years old and disappears. His parents eventually find him in the temple. His perplexing answer explains he belongs in his Father’s house (Luke 2:49). With these as his first words, now let’s look at […]
My wife went with me to every church we visited. “What an adventure!” she said. “We had the honor of worshipping with friends, old and new.” Here are two key considerations to discuss: 1. The most important thing she learned from this trek was how to—and how not to—make someone feel welcome. How can you […]
Don’t Place Ministers on a Pedestal It’s sad when it happens, but we don’t need to wait long before another prominent Christian leader falls from his pedestal. Yes, it is usually men. While their moral failings are the reason, we, too, are to blame. With ungodly fervor, we elevate our cherished leaders, hoisting them to […]
Consider How We Honor and Worship God The first five books of the Bible talk a lot about God’s expectations of his people, about what God desires. He gives Moses his laws to guide them in right behavior, both what they’re supposed to do and what they’re to avoid. The Bible also discusses—sometimes in excruciating […]
In general, we found smaller churches offered more opportunity to make connections. We also discovered that most liturgical churches weren’t very friendly. Consider these two discussion questions about church format and size: 1. Churches have characteristics that often relate to their size. How can you tap the strengths of your church’s size and counter its […]