Tag Archives: church

Jesus’ Involvement in Starting the Christian Church

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jesus_teaching If we began a study of the first century church, 9 times out of 10 we would begin with Acts chapter 2.  The Holy Spirit comes as promised, and Peter preaches a fiery message proclaiming Jesus is the Christ.  Certainly by the end of Acts 2, we see the first Christian believers come together in an organized way.  But if we back up a just a few chapters, Jesus gives the disciples instructions on what will happen next, going beyond his death, burial and resurrection.

Critics of Christianity, as an organized religion (the Church), even claim that Jesus had no intention of starting a new church or movement of any kind, but rather his followers started one in his name.  To put it mildly, these critics have not studied the Bible.  Continue reading →

On the Lighter Side (3)

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It’s been a long time since I tried to spread the laughter here on The Master’s Table.  Have a Coke and smile!

One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little Alex standing in the foyer of the church staring up at a large plaque. It was covered with names and small American flags mounted on either side of it.
The six-year old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the pastor walked up,
stood beside the little boy, and said quietly, ‘Good morning Alex.’
‘Good morning Pastor,’ he replied, still focused on the plaque. ‘Pastor, what is this?’
The pastor said, ‘Well son, it’s a memorial to all the young men and women who died in the service.’
Soberly, they just stood together, staring at the large plaque. Finally, little Alex’s voice, barely audible and trembling with fear asked, ‘Which service, the 8:30 or the 10:45?’

Tithing Rap

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There is no denying that these are tough economic times. Large corporations and banks are failing, so you can imagine what’s happening to charities and ministries that rely on the generosity of the giver to fund their operations. You do what you gotta’ do, right?

People can’t give what they don’t have. But what if we could make tithing cool? Maybe like with a rap or something? Thanks to Bob’s Occasional Musings, I give you Tithing Rap!

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Seeker Sensitive

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willow-creekI’m debating whether I should explain what is meant by the Seeker Sensitive movement, or just assume my readers know what that is. In short, Seeker Sensitive churches take care not to offend with the gospel message, but make sure they are warm and inviting. In the name of being Seeker Sensitive, the pulpit has been done away with, the band plays for half the service, the preacher has been all but replaced by the “worship leader”, and the cross and anything resembling it are gone. Continue reading →

Catholics, Protestants, and 400 denominations

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When you meet a person on the street and say that you are a Christian, what you mean by that and what a stranger thinks may be galaxies apart from each other.  Bill Maher has commented on how ridiculous it is to believe that a cracker turns into the body of a guy that’s been dead for 2,000 years, and your salvation depends on eating it.  That’s one way in which the outside world views Christianity.  And when other people hear that, that’s what they think of all Christians.  The reference is to the Roman Catholic teaching of transubstantiation, and most Protestants find it ridiculous also; yet they break the bread and take the cup.  That’s just one example of thousands where Christians disagree.

I wrote an article in April called Roman Catholic Christians  in which I listed several things that Baptists and Catholics agree on, all having to do with the work and divinity of Jesus Christ.  Recently there have been some new comments, and I’ve responded to those, but that’s so far back I decided to bring it up again.  Continue reading →

My “Spiritual” Birthday

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I didn’t forget about it. It’s been a busy week, and I just didn’t have a chance to share it with you. On June 19, 1988, I knelt at the alter and was adopted into the family of God. That was 20 years ago. Continue reading →

Do you like church?

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There are many books out right now about the dislike of church, why it has lost appeal, what should be done to reform worship, why men hate church, etc. etc.  One blogger has generated some stir on this subject, and if you like/ dislike church attendence then you should weigh in.  You’ll notice I have already.  Check out Why I Don’t Blame You for Not Liking Chruch.  Rich will appreciate it, and I think we all need to be aware of this problem if we plan to do anything about it.  The president of the SBC predicts that 20% of Southern Baptist Churches will die in the next 20 years.  (Thanks iMonk.)  It’s time to recognize.