In the first eighty years of his life, Moses comes across as two completely different men. And it’s important for us to understand which version of Moses, God chose to use.
Moses Didn’t Pursue Greatness
Tag: church life
Does The Bible Endorse Pastors Leading The Church?
Most churches today are led by a pastor. And this person is the defining influence on that church. Their leadership will shape what that church believes and what it does. The very personality of the church will reflect the pastor who leads it. This person will also be the face of that church, being the most visible representation of that church to the community.
If we’re doing this right, if the preeminence of pastors is the biblical way for churches to be governed, then pastors should be as prominent in the Bible as they are in today’s church. But instead of having a pronounced presence in the New Testament revelation of the church, pastors are only mentioned once in the Bible, and some translations don’t mention them at all. Instead of having a strong presence in the scriptures, pastors are strangely absent. It’s as if they don’t exist.
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God Says “Don’t Be A Mule”
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV)
What a remarkable declaration of the authority of the scriptures, and the power they have to make us righteous, to make us complete, and to equip us to do God’s work. But it’s imperative that we approach the Bible with the right attitude if we are to fully benefit from all that God has to say to us.
Jesus Commends Patient Endurance
In Revelation chapters 2-3, Jesus writes to seven churches. Several of these churches receive sharp rebukes and a command to repent or suffer serious consequences if they do not. The church at Philadelphia (3:7-13) is one of only two churches that Jesus doesn’t rebuke and call to repent.
In verse 8, Jesus tells these people, I know that you have but little power. This is not a rebuke. Jesus is simply acknowledging their condition. And even though they have little power he goes on to say, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
God’s Ways Accomplish God’s Goals
When reading through the New Testament it jumps out how passionately the early church engaged in prayer and teaching the word. In the book of Acts, it says they devoted themselves to teaching and to prayer. The word devoted means to persevere, to be constantly diligent and steadfastly attentive to. Prayer and teaching weren’t things they occasionally squeezed in among a variety of other activities. Prayer and teaching were front and center, and they constantly engaged in these spiritual activities.
Jesus Outlined End Time Events
(A study of Matthew 24:1-14)
While visiting the temple in Jerusalem, Jesus’ disciples pointed out how grand the buildings of the temple were, and Jesus responded that there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down (vs 2). Later, the disciples asked him about the destruction of the temple and what would be the signs of the end (vs 3).
What They’re Not Telling You About Tithing
While listening to sermons on tithing, I’ve heard preachers say that the way people spend their money is one of the best indicators of their true values, and I believe there’s a lot of truth in this statement. But let’s switch it around and apply this statement to the church instead of the individual. I don’t think anything reveals the true values of the institutional church quite like the way it spends money.
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Open Gatherings Are Now Closed
Every Sunday morning, lots of people head out their door to “go to church”, or as some people put it, to attend a “church service”. The vast majority of these services will have a remarkable similarity, no matter what brand, denomination, or non-denomination the church is. Everyone will sit shoulder-to-shoulder, facing a stage on which a select few people will be actively involved in “ministering” to everyone else. There will probably be a greeting, a time of singing, some form of announcements, a sermon, and possibly an altar call. The style may vary to some degree but the format will be pretty much the same in every church; so much so that you would think there must be some place in the Bible that clearly outlines this particular format that everyone is following. But the reality is that nowhere in the scriptures does the Bible give any kind of support for an order of service at all, much less the particular order of service that most churches follow so religiously.
Do Sunday Sermons Fulfill God’s Plan?
Most Christians consider preaching to be a fundamental requirement of the church, and the Sunday morning sermon is commonly revered as the most important event that takes place in the church each week. While it’s clear that the Bible strongly endorses the ministry of God’s word, is the church’s traditional notion of preaching consistent with the way preaching is presented in the Bible?
Sent By God (part 2) – the Apostle Paul
The apostle Paul had a dramatic and unique conversion to faith in Christ. As a young man, he was zealously persecuting Christians and was on his way to Damascus to arrest any believers he found there. On the way, he was blinded by a light from heaven that was brighter than the sun, and he heard the audible voice of Jesus speaking to him 1. Jesus told Paul he was his chosen instrument, and he was appointed to carry his name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel 2. Paul’s calling occurred at his initial encounter with Christ, and this calling set the course for his entire life. Many years later, Paul would proclaim he was not disobedient to the heavenly vision 3.
Test Everything 