Posts filed under ‘emergent church’
A Warning for ALL Evangelical Churches
If you see that your church is starting to slide in modern music, reducing the number of hymns, be wary. It often starts like that and pretty soon, the hymns are shunted off to the side and the modern music is given the spotlight. Older folks are encouraged to “come along with the Spirit” so that more young people will come to church.
Grumbling and Complaining
Miracles do not make mature Christians. I’ll say that again. Miracles do not make mature Christians. We see proof of that with the Hebrews. In spite of the many miracles God did on their behalf, they constantly spit in God’s face. The actual miracles often impressed them as they happened but they soon forgot all about them when their next problem came up.
Too many of today’s Christians are the exact same way. They chase after the supernatural, the miraculous because they think that in those things, they will find God. They don’t find God at all. They are never satisfied. They fail to mature. They live in a constant state of carnality and fleshly desires. They are not well-grounded at all.
Continue Reading January 22, 2018 at 11:16 AM Leave a comment
Is It Okay If I Hold a “Little” Grudge?
Can you imagine the tremendous emotion Joseph felt? The text says he “could not control himself,” so he ushered everyone out except his brothers. Then he tells them who he is and weeps! His brothers were stunned. They were beside themselves with fear. What would Joseph do to them? They feared imprisonment or death. They did not understand and it took them until even after their father had died to realize that Joseph meant them no harm (Genesis 50:15-21).
So Let Me Get This Straight…
No, all of these things are actually bad because they corrupt justice. Please don’t tell me this nation, like many others, is not heading toward judgment. We have essentially turned justice on its head and deserve what we have caused or allowed. It is in vogue to blame victims, censor truth, and applaud evil. The nation that does that cannot hope to stand long.
Continue Reading January 13, 2018 at 7:51 AM Leave a comment
Loving God Equals Obedience…
John makes several statements at the end of 1 John 2 that we need to focus on. The first one deals with our reaction to Jesus when we ultimately and physically see Him. If we lived our days as Christians until we die striving to be in obedience to Jesus (from the heart), we will not be ashamed when we see Him. However, if we lived in a way that feeds and glorifies self, giving into the temptations around us, we will be ashamed when we come into Jesus’ Presence.
Continue Reading December 28, 2017 at 11:19 AM Leave a comment
NAR’s Call for Restoration of the Church
I clearly recall the new worship leader inviting people to clap and even dance in the aisles of the sanctuary during morning service. He wanted people to worship God in the way he thought was appropriate, through emotional displays. Where is the self-control? Where is the decorum that is so often spoken of in Scripture? Too often today, love for God is relegated to our emotions. While we certainly should be glad for what God has done for us, with hearts filled with genuine praise, the reality is that love is best seen in our quiet, submissive obedience to every aspect of His will. Anyone can dance in the aisles and shout “hallelujah!” However, it means nothing if our lives do not conform to His will in obedience.
Continue Reading December 27, 2017 at 7:21 AM Leave a comment
When Christian Leaders Fail
The church does no good by allowing fallen leaders to remain in their positions of authority. They’re actions have brought disrepute on the Name of Christ. Their hypocrisy is what they then become known for and while this has nothing to do with a need to forgive, it is clear that according to Scriptures, they have lost the ability to oversee and manage people because they failed to oversee and manage their own lives.
Continue Reading December 16, 2017 at 10:37 AM Leave a comment
Knowing God’s Will: Context Means a Great Deal
Taking this verse out of its natural context, it’s not difficult to see how it can be twisted to mean something it does not mean. The idea here is that meditating on God’s Word will pave the way to success and prosperity, so we’re told. But is this what Joshua meant when he spoke those words? Hardly. The context fleshes out the full meaning.
Knowing God’s Will: Focusing on God or Satan?
The best way to face temptations is with the Sword of the Lord, God’s Word, but our focus is to be on God, not ourselves, and certainly not on Satan. Demons will attack Christians wherever they are weakest, as previously noted, and only as God allows. What is your specific weakness or Achilles’ heel? Demons will attempt to cause a Christian to become angry, to lust, to want to murder someone, or something else entirely because of the weakness that is already inherent within that particular Christian. It is not because that particular demon specializes in one particular sin and goes by that name.
Knowing God’s Will: Living It!
God’s clearly wants Christians to be loving, especially to one another. How often is the exact opposite of this on display to the world? God wants us to refrain from all forms of sexual immorality. God wants us to no longer lie, cheat, steal, or commit other crimes. If we are not faithful in obeying these things, how can anyone think God would be willing to live other aspects of His will in and through us? It won’t happen.
StudyGrowKnow 