Talk:Home church
He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. (Ephesians 1:5)
If we were all God's children by virtue of being His creation, then adoption wouldn't be necessary. Ask any parents of adopted children and they'll tell you the process is long, hard and painful! Why would God choose adoption if we were already His children? Because God longs to have you as His child, He sacrificed Himself, in the person of Jesus Christ, on the cross in order to purchase your salvation.
So if you've received Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, congratulations! You are now a member of God's family. Christian Fellowship - Like-minded Communion After adoption, Christian fellowship grows naturally. Because it's natural for us to want to be around people like ourselves, in time you'll find yourself desiring the companionship of people who think like you do. As a Christian, depending on where you live on this planet, your beliefs may now be in stark contrast to the society around you. That desire for fellowship with "like-thinkers" is God-given.
If you ignore it, or think that by hanging around with "Christians" your non-believing friends will think you're not "cool," you deny yourself the companionship of your new family members, stunt your Christian growth - and worse, you open yourself to risk.
One phenomena common to all believers is the recognition that without Christ, our spiritual understanding was dark. Some even say, "It's as if I stumbled in the darkness, and then God threw on the light switch." Unbelievers are still living in spiritual darkness. While God desires that we live among them and share what we have learned with them, we are called to be separate in our choice of close companions, and for a very good reason! Paul tells us why:
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? And what fellowship can light have with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14) If you seek out fellowship with other believers, you will find yourself surrounded by new friends who'll think you're very "cool" - because God thinks so, too! And through that new friendship, you'll discover that the light only gets brighter. Christian Fellowship - Where Do I Find It? Christian fellowship is critical! Being in the company of people who think like you do is very important to your growth and survival as a Christian. If you live in a church-wealthy community, you are likely to find that companionship. Most churches offer some kind of small group experience that you can become a part of. If you can't find satisfying fellowship at your church, it's possible God wants to move you somewhere else. Consider that option and pray! God will direct your heart.
But what if you don't have great churches around you? Where then do you go to find Christian fellowship?
Read Christian Fellowship Page 2 Now!
4 ways to provide for the welfare off society. But only two systems
The none system ways is that people who have randomly help people in need
or the people who are in need randomly take from people who have.
The two systems are
People collectively force people who have give through government what the government needs to help the needy
Or
The people systematically give charitably to the wisest and most charitable people of society who gather in an intimate network providing a practical daily ministration to the worthy poor.
The latter is both peculiar and free.
We are losing sight of civility in government and politics. Debate and dialogue is taking a back seat to the politics of destruction and anger and control. Dogma has replaced thoughtful discussion between people of differing views. James McGreevey
A government can give you nothing but what it takes from somebody else. A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you’ve got, including your freedom.— I was unable to identify the source as Ezra Taft Benson, although he might have ][A version of part of this is attributed to Gerald R. Ford. Reagan said the same thing basically and others
If men were angels, no government would be necessary. James Madison
The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next. Abraham Lincoln
Letters conflates form and substance in much of its critique of American church culture. Chan relates this story:
- There is a simple exercise I walk through with church leaders. First, I have them list all the things that people expect from their church. They usually list obvious things like a really good service, strong age-specific ministries, a certain style/volume/length of singing, a well-communicated sermon, conveniences such as parking, a clean church building, coffee, childcare, etc. Then I have them list the commands God gave the church in Scripture. . . . .
Letters to the Church, Francis Chan,
- Far too often we are more concerned with how well the sermon was communicated, whether the youth group is relevant enough, or how to make the music better. Honestly, what is it that gets people in your church stirred up for change? Is it disobedience toward commands from God? Or is it falling short of expectations that we have made up? The answer to these questions might just show us whether our church exists to please God or please people. (46–47, emphasis mine)
Many of the concerns Chan lists (sermons, music, programs) fall into the form category, about which the Bible says remarkably little. Surprisingly, it’s this lack of instruction that has helped Christianity to endure thousands of years and cross countless cultures. In fact, much of the book of Acts is about the church recognizing the cultural elasticity of their religious practices (think Acts 15:1–32).
"Can your church be unapologetically attractional in form and robustly biblical in substance?"
Letters to the Church FRANCIS CHAN David C. Cook (2018). 224 pp. $16.99.