Have you ever heard of the Ephrata Cloister? The Cloister was a group of Christians who practiced communal living from 1732–1934. They viewed themselves as a kind of monastic (celibate) community, with noncelibate “householders.” Because I live about 20 minutes from the Cloister, I have toured it, and I find it an eerie experience, cult-like.Continue reading “Christians are to “live…with each other” – 1 Thessalonians 5:13–15, 26, Part 2″
Tag Archives: church building
God doesn’t really want us to go to church services – 1st Samuel 15, Part 5
I recently heard the story of a man is a follower of Jesus, but he allowed his life to go down a pathway that was not in line with the heart of God. This guy started drinking heavily. And it showed. You could drive by his house and over time you could see just fromContinue reading “God doesn’t really want us to go to church services – 1st Samuel 15, Part 5”
How solo can a person’s relationship with God be and still be faithful? – Meeting together, Preview
It’s been in the news, so I suspect many of you have heard the dire reports. Christian worship service attendance across our nation is down. Way down. One report notes that in the past 30 years, 40 million people have stopped participating in the life and worship of their houses of worship. That decline isContinue reading “How solo can a person’s relationship with God be and still be faithful? – Meeting together, Preview”
Are church buildings God’s houses? – John 4:1-26, Part 4
Sometimes Christians call church buildings, “God’s house.” I hear adults from time to time say, “Kids, stop running in God’s house.” I cringe when I hear that. I cringe because it reminds me of something Jesus said when he and the Samaritan woman were having a conversation around the well. You can read about theirContinue reading “Are church buildings God’s houses? – John 4:1-26, Part 4”
Should Christians practice rituals in worship? – Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, Part 1
How should we go to church? You might answer, “Isn’t it pretty obvious? You get in a car and you drive to the building, and you walk inside the building, and you sit down on a pew.” Maybe if you live nearby, you walk. You might take a bus. Maybe your church is in aContinue reading “Should Christians practice rituals in worship? – Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, Part 1”
What churches need to be devoted to (and a building is not one of them) – Acts 2, Part 5
What would your church do if God brought revival to your church and in a relatively short time period thousands of new people started coming to your church? What we have seen in the first church was that 3000 people were added to their number that day in Acts 2. If that happened to us,Continue reading “What churches need to be devoted to (and a building is not one of them) – Acts 2, Part 5”
Credit Card Statement, Thank you note, Check, Letter from England – The Monday Messy Office Report – March 17, 2014
My Friday, tidy office is mysteriously messy by Monday. Here’s what I found today: 1. Credit Card Statement – This came in the mail over the weekend. Four of us staff have church credit cards, and we use them for church ministry expenses. When we make a purchase, we keep the receipts, so that whenContinue reading “Credit Card Statement, Thank you note, Check, Letter from England – The Monday Messy Office Report – March 17, 2014”
Engaging Scripture 