church membership

Have you ever heard someone ask which church do you belong?  Has someone said "would you like to find out how to become a member, or what it means to be a member of this congregation? Reminded of this this morning as listening to an invite to a "New Friends" dinner.  Also, happens regularly at work when discussing what we did on the weekend. As we know from scripture, as believers in Christ, as his followers, we enter into...

Read More

prodigal

"And the buttons glow in the dark" It is great to revisit the parable of the prodigal son.  A story, amongst others, spoken by Jesus to the pharisees and teachers of religious law, and likely in the presence of the tax collectors and other notorious sinners who often came to listen to him. The one lost sheep among one hundred.  The one lost coin among the ten.  The lost son As I read this I see parts like the...

Read More

dysfunctional family

Church and Christian movements throughout history Anglican, Apostolic, Assemblies of God, Baptist, Catholic, Christian City Church, Christian Revival Crusade, Church of the Nazarene, Churches of Christ, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Reformed Churches, Salvation Army, Uniting, Vineyard, Wesleyan Methodist… »  Is the church, God's family healthy today? »  Is it mature in the likeness of Christ? (Ephesians...

Read More

beyond the 4 walls

GALILEO (Rome 1610) What did Jesus mean when he said people no longer need to go to the Temple of Jerusalem or the altars of the mountains to worship?  But instead the Father seeks people to worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4). Is it possible that church is something other than a building we go to on Sundays to listen to a message about God?  And if so, could church be something beyond Sunday itself? Have another read...

Read More

in or out?

It has come to my attention that some Christians filter who may and may not gather with them during such times as a home group or bible study. The reason  is the new person would change the dynamics (e,g, learning stlye, maturity, gender, age, personality, denominational background, etc) of the group or not cope with the existing dynamics.  Therefore their presence would be considered disruptive. Whether or not this sounds reasonable,...

Read More