Searching for Truth

My life has been in a state of flux for awhile now, and I have not given attention to my blog. I hope everyone understands. Moving is traumatic, especially when it happens the way we have decided on. As I get acclimated and get into more of a routine, I'll continue the blog. I have much I'm excited about that I hope to share and discuss with you. Remember me in prayer.

In our last segment, we looked at worship as a lifestyle. While it is true that worship is something that every Christian offers to God daily, there clearly are times where worship is a corporate experience. The importance of Christians assembling together is underscored by the fact that the word of God tells us to not forsake our habit of assembling together (Hebrews 10:25). A major point of emphasis in the passage is often overlooked as people generally are focused on the command: do not forsake the assembly. The point is that when Christians assemble they are to receive encouragement from one another (Hebrews 10:23-25). The idea of mutually encouraging one another necessarily involves community within the body of believers. Encouragement in spiritual formation and discipleship is accomplished within the body of believers, the family of God. As Christians, we are members of the body of Christ. Every aspect of our life as a Christian is a body issue. Being a part of the body necessit...

Worship is perhaps the single most important activity that Christians participate in. Yet the New Testament teaching about worship is sometimes misunderstood. Worship is not simply an event that one attends or participates in, but rather it is essentially offering one’s life to God. Paul implores in Romans 12:1, “I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” Jesus has said that God seeks a certain kind of worship. Paul speaks in this text of worship that God accepts. Notice some translations of Romans 12:1: •I beg you to offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him. Your offering must be only for God and pleasing to him, which is the spiritual way for you to worship. NCV •Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer. GNT •…this is your spiritual...

Our Father in heaven is without equal. He is matchless, unique, and unrivalled in glory, splendor, and power. God is amazingly unfathomable, confoundingly immeasurable, and utterly inexhaustible. The brightest most brilliant stars in the universe pale in comparison to His glory. God cannot be fully grasped by finite human minds. He is at the same time both transcendent yet immanent; He is infinite yet intimate; His anger lasts for only a moment, but His favor lasts for a lifetime; He is all knowing yet capable of forgetting our sins He forgives; and He is both the One who executes justice and the One who pardons by grace. God is loving, merciful, holy, pure, righteous, gracious, kind, good, patient, compassionate and wonderful. He, and He alone is God. A. W. Tozer once said, “What the church needs today is a restoration of the vision of the Most High God.” As we come to understand His more, we are drawn closer to Him. As we behold His glory, we fall down and worship. As He becomes more...

Worship is simply responding to God. As we come to know God, we cannot help but worship Him. To experience the presence and power of God moves us to fall down before Him in thanksgiving and praise to proclaim His worth. 1. What about God’s nature and character causes you to want to worship Him? 2. What are some things that God has done that make you want to worship Him? 3. How might worship and celebration transform your spirit?

Is there anything specific you would like to discuss? Please let me know by posting or emailing me. If you do not have anything in mind, I'll continue to post things I'm interested in. Thanks, Terry

Developing community is sometimes messy. Eugene Peterson writes: Community is intricate and complex. Living in community as a people of God is inherently messy. A congregation consists of many people of various moods, ideas, needs, experiences, gifts and injuries, desires and disappointments, blessing and losses, intelligence and stupidity, living in proximity and in respect for one another, and believingly in worship of God. It is not easy and it is not simple. Not every situation can be anticipated. This is why it is so critical to learn to love. If we are serious about loving God, then we must love people, especially those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Love sincerely desires and acts to promote the best spiritual interests of the other person. We must devote ourselves to each other. Paul explained that this was Jesus’ attitude toward others, and that we should emulate it (Philippians 2:1-4). To love one another is simply ...

Developing community is not simple or easy. It takes first of all, the grace of God. We should ask God continuously and fervently for help and wisdom from above that we might grow into what He wants us to be as a church. Community is a terrific challenge in our culture. Some churches almost become a group of anonymous worshipers. The pervading selfishness, preoccupations with the urgent, chaotic lifestyles, and increasing detachment of intimate relationships in our society destroys community in the body of Christ. One of the most important aspects of community is growing in our relationship with Christ through knowing and being known by others within the body. Nearly everyone seems to have an inherent need to know and be known. The body of Christ supplies the environment for transparency, honesty, and intimacy. In Christ, we should be able to share our deepest needs, struggles, concerns, problems, joys, victories, and dreams. We need to learn to pour out ourselves to one another, ...

Community or fellowship is further enhanced by working together for a common purpose or goal. In the New Testament, such fellowship was sometimes expressed through financial contributions to brethren in need, or enabling preachers to tell the good news of Jesus. Working together necessarily creates community. When churches have projects, works, or ministries that allow them to work side by side in spreading the love of Jesus to others, they are building community. A church might participate in the Angel Food Ministry program or volunteer at local food banks or soup kitchens to help feed the hungry in their community. Habitat for Humanity allows churches to help in building houses for those who can’t afford them. There are a number of ways of getting involved to help the elderly, whether it is singing in nursing homes, participating in Meals on Wheels, or just finding odd jobs to help the elderly who still live at home. The Celebrate Recovery program is another way to reach out to those...

As the body of Christ, we must learn to understand each person’s giftedness from the Spirit of God. Each person in a community should understand the various roles, functions, and works of the body, and how every individual works within that framework, coordinated and networked within the body to accomplish the overall purposes of the community. We must remember that God has gifted His church for her own well being and growth. Sadly, many do not recognize their gifts in the body of Christ, nor do they know what their role is in the body. We might begin by studying together the purpose of the church in light of the gospel, and evaluating the various gifts of each body part within the realm of that purpose. In doing so, we learn to appreciate the unity that is inherent in the diversity of a community. After discovering one’s gifts, and identifying their role in the community, each one must be taught how and where to administer their gifts and carry out their role within the community...

Below is a comment from Ryan Connor that I cut and pasted from an early blog entry. I think his comments may provide for some exciting discussion, and so I've re-entered them. Terry I agree that those methods that proved effective for the early church (first century and forward) should not be dismissed. Since the question is about effectiveness, it may be that we need to avoid reinventing the wheel is unnecessary and less effective than using tested and tried methods of the past, even the ancient past. But, it may also mean that what worked so effectively in the past does not work as effectively today. For example, the house church system of the New Testament era is gaining a bit of a resurgence (i.e., George Barna). And, maybe, it is time for such a resurgence? But, the last 200 years of American Religious History have shown that house churches typically disband after a few years, or they grow into a church that buys property for a meeting place. What seems to be effective in tod...

Before considering some practical ways that congregations might develop and express community, it is important that we understand some of the different levels of co-participation that produce different degrees of community. The most general level of co-participation found in churches is when they assemble together for worship, and they meet and greet one another. They typically discuss events of the past week, recent news events, family matters, work related issues, sports and recreational activities, or weather conditions. This level of community is very basic yet important to the social aspects of community. Unfortunately some people never get past this level of community, and therefore, never experience the degree of community God intends for His church. When assembled for worship the participants sing together and often think together on whatever the leader or speaker focuses their attention on, yet there is little if any interaction during their time of worship. They have experien...

After having discussed the biblical principles describing what a Jesus community looks like, we must ask, “How do we develop and express community/fellowship in our churches today?” Is the biblical model a pattern for all times? Not necessarily, otherwise we would all have to meet in private homes, share a common meal in our gatherings, and eat the Lord’s Supper in the context of that fellowship meal. Yet, it is important that we follow the principles discussed above. We must be careful not to make every action of the early church an authoritative precedent to be rigorously copied without regard to time and place. The New Testament is not a second Levitical Code. It is our responsibility, guided by ancient precedent and wisdom from above, to adapt to the current and future needs of our world. Whatever forms, projects, programs, or activities we use today, they must be guided by the fundamental truths that Jesus is Lord, the Holy Spirit is present, the gospel must be lived out, and...

The church of Christ is a community of the Holy Spirit. The community of believers “live by the Spirit,” reflect the “fruit of the Spirit,” and “keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16-26). As disciples of Christ we are Spirit filled, Spirit led, and function according to the Spirit’s gifts (1 Corinthians 12; Romans 12). The presence and power of the Holy Spirit characterized the early church. The Holy Spirit is the life principle who animates, enlivens, and empowers the body of Christ. Without the Spirit the church is dead. As the Spirit’s love is poured into us (Romans 5:5), we are identifiable by our love for one another as the Jesus community (John 13:34-35). A community characterized by love for one another is a wonderful thing indeed, and it will be attractive to others. A community of love will bring healing, help, and hope as it lives out the gospel in the world in which it resides. Such a community brings Jesus into the lives it touches, as it is the body of Christ ...

The challenge for God’s people today is to recognize the effects of their present culture on their church communities and adopt a model or structure that best supports the level of fellowship that is true to biblical principles and directives. When discussing “the biblical model of the church,” we must be careful to understand that cultural and societal differences are normal and acceptable to the extent that they respect the scriptural concepts and principles of what a church is and why it exists. It is doubtful that a first century church in Jerusalem was an exact representation of a first century church in Philippi, Corinth, or Rome. We are very naïve to assume all the churches throughout the world were cookie cutter churches. It is also unlikely that churches in the first century were identical to churches of the second, third, or other centuries that followed. History bears this out. The important thing for us is to grasp the vital elements that matter to God regarding...

It is also true that community is formed and determined in social, historical, and cultural contexts. Christianity was born in Palestine in the first century under the reign of the Roman Empire. It was formed in a place and time when Greek, Roman, Jewish, and other diverse cultures collided. Some communities form by establishing and maintaining a distinction separating them from certain cultures, while other communities form by integrating two or more different cultures. There were many societal and cultural boundaries and distinctions in first century Palestine. One common factor that was prominent in every culture represented in that time was the various “associations” that existed. These associations were communities formed either by philosophical, religious, or professional interests. Examples would be an actor’s guild, a carpenter’s union, or a group that studied Plato. All of the different associations had a common structure about them. Most all of them had regular meetings...

Any community is based on commonality among its participants. In the case of a community of Christians, the common thread binding them together is the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Jesus is Lord! He is the only begotten Son of God who died on the cross as a perfect, sinless, atoning sacrifice for the sins of all mankind in order to reconcile a fallen world to God. It is a community of people who have accepted and trust in the message of reconciliation through Jesus’ death, resurrection, and coronation. It is a community based on faith in the love and grace of God who has enabled sinful man to have a relationship with Him because of and through the work of Jesus. It is a community of those who rightfully sing, “His blood has made us one.” As Christians, we are members of the body of Christ. Every aspect of our life as a Christian is a body issue. Being a part of the body necessitates community. We are a society of believers in Jesus Christ: the Jesus society. The community of people ar...