When people hear the word “church,” they will likely have many different ideas about what a church should look like, how it should be organized, and what it should be doing. However, we need to understand the description of the church that is given in the New Testament. This is how we can find the Lord’s church today.
So what is the church? Let us notice four points.Continue Reading
This book is about restoring a sense of community in the local church. While many churches do a good job at engaging in Scriptural worship and following the New Testament pattern for their organization and work, the sense of community is missing in many places. Being part of a local church ought to mean being a bigger part in one another’s lives.
The author asked, “How many ‘every time the doors are open’ Christians know little about their fellow Christians? How many have perfect attendance yet don’t see anybody else outside the building?” (p. 148). Elsewhere he posed the question: “What if we realized that passively listening to lessons three to four hours per week and ‘being there every time the doors are open’ does not constitute being an active member of the church?” (p. 22).Continue Reading
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This week we’re talking about the diminishing number of people in the U.S. who claim to be Christians. This is nothing new and we’ve discussed this before on the podcast. However, a recent study suggested the possibility that “Christianity” could become a minority religion in the U.S. as early as 2045. What does this mean for us? We’ll consider that in our episode today.Continue Reading
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This week we’re talking about the number of churchgoers who support or oppose same-sex marriage. We might expect that there would be less support from church members than those who are in the world. However, there is a significant difference among churchgoers depending on how often they attend. We’re going to consider that in our episode today.Continue Reading
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This week we’re talking about women in leadership roles in the church. Can a woman fill any role in the church? Religious people have different opinions on this, but what does the New Testament teach? We’re going to consider that today.Continue Reading
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This week we’re going to be talking about two things that can help keep us from unhappiness even when we face difficulties and challenges in life – marriage and the church. This is based upon research and it is not a coincidence; rather, it reflects God’s design for these two institutions.Continue Reading
In this lesson,* we are going to be looking ahead into the future and trying to determine how our local congregation fits into it. My purpose is not to make any predictions or prophecies. Like Amos would say, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet” (Amos 7:14). Instead, the purpose for this lesson is to examine the direction we are going so we can plan, prepare, and adapt as best we can.
The future has always been uncertain, yet it seems as though there is even more uncertainty now than ever. There are a few reasons for this.
As we go through this lesson, we are going to break it up into three parts:
So let us begin our consideration of this question: Where will your church be in twenty years?Continue Reading
What does “propitiation” mean? How is “justification” connected to salvation? What does “sanctification” look like in our day-to-day lives? The Bible uses some powerful words to describe God’s plan to save mankind. However, these words are not always easy to understand, especially when they are not part of our everyday vocabulary. This book explores key Bible terms that unlock the message of the gospel.
Big Words in the Bible examines five important words – Propitiation, Reconciliation, Sanctification, Justification, and Resurrection – using plain language to see how the Scriptures describe these concepts and how the apostle Paul employs them in his letter to the Romans. This book also contains an appendix with eleven additional articles to explore these topics further.
Whether you are new to the Bible and want to grow in your understanding or want a simple way to explain these core gospel doctrines to others, this book will be helpful. With a focus on the Scriptures, Big Words in the Bible helps break down these fundamental topics to shed light on the life-changing message of the gospel and the salvation found in it.
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