God Is Still Waiting for Us to Obey Him and Minister to Others It’s interesting to connect the Old Testament with the New Testament, to see what changes and what remains the same. Let’s look at what God says about his people being a kingdom of priests. A Kingdom of Priests in The Old Testament […]
Discussing Church 16 This nondenominational church meets in a public school auditorium. Consider these four discussion questions about Church #16: 1. Renting space saves the church from purchasing and maintaining a facility. Whether you own your building or rent space, how can you maximize your outreach and better impact your community? 2. They use more […]
Discussing Church 8 This week we visit our third new church. It’s a grand experiment, one quite radical from their conservative denominational roots. Consider these four discussion questions about Church #8: 1. A greeter welcomes us and explains what to expect during our visit. How can you help visitors at your church know what will […]
Discussing Church 7 I suspect this church is only a couple years old. I later learn they’re an outgrowth of a small group. Consider these four discussion questions about Church #7: 1. Their meeting space looks abandoned. We approach with uncertainty. I hesitate to walk inside. It wouldn’t take much to make the entrance more […]
Through Jesus We Become His Priests and His Temple, Which Should Change Everything In the Old Testament the people go to the temple to encounter God. The priests help them in this. They act as a liaison between them and God. In many ways we still do this today. We go to church to encounter […]
The Bible Should Inform Our Actions, Not Justify Our Habits Christianity has its traditions and religious practices. We often persist in them with unexamined acceptance. And if we do question our behaviors, we can often find a verse in the Bible to justify them. But that doesn’t make them right. The Lens of Scripture We […]
Pastor Compensation For the most part, the church of today is an institution. Institutions require structure and leadership; self-perpetuation is essential—regardless of cost. For an institution to work, it needs paid staff. That’s why local pastors receive a salary: to keep the institution of church functioning and viable. To pay your minister follows the Old […]
Don’t Do Church Wrong I think we’re doing church wrong. At first I assumed it was just me, but today’s church is stuck in a rut, an Old Testament rut. We follow an Old Testament model for church. Moses’s Method: The Old Testament Model When God gave Moses the Law, he established some key expectations […]
A Lesson in Reacting to the Unexpected In college I heard an account about a struggling church who hired a minister to help them grow. He was full of energy, enthusiasm, and ideas. In no time he connected with the local community. They responded by showing up for church on Sunday morning and for the […]
Paul Affirms Tychicus as a Dear Friend, Faithful Minister, and Servant of God Tychicus is a character in the Bible who most people don’t know. His name occurs only five times, once in Acts and four times in Paul’s letters. The letter to the Colossian church is one example. Each time Tychicus’s name is mentioned, […]