Category: Church Life
O Come, Let Us Ignore Him: Singing Carols About the Jesus You Won’t Love
There we are, sitting in the large public music hall listening to Handel’s “Messiah.” We’re feeling a bit claustrophobic before we start, our coats draped over our shoulders or chairs, and our bulky sweaters surrounding us like woolen nests. We’re heating up nicely as they sing,...
The Church on the Corner
They are everywhere. Some are picturesque brick or stone buildings with beautiful stained-glass windows. Others are white, wood-sided buildings with crosses on top of steeples. Many are big, but most are small. Some are in crowded cities, but most are in small towns. A sign out...
May I Participate in the Lord’s Supper?
Who should participate in Lord’s Supper when it is offered in the church meeting? Though there are some differences between churches on this question, many leaders agree on the following statements as requirements from the Bible on this important practice. Is not the cup of blessing...
Every Believer Not a Missionary
Several years ago, before Eastern European Communism was dismantled, I interviewed the leader for the Hungarian Baptists in his office in Budapest. He related the story of Johann Gerhard Oncken and his influence on workers in Hamburg after the great fire there in the 1800s. Oncken...
The Whisperer, The KJVer, and Other Types of Group Prayer Participants You Don’t Want to Be
My first opportunity to pray in a group came when some of my fellow students and I were standing in a circle, holding hands. The leader told us we could either pray or squeeze the hand of the person next to us. I was a squeezer...
Mixed-Up Churches: Aiming for Multi-Cultural Glory
Is it better to have Caucasian churches, Black churches, Korean churches, Farmer churches and Rock-driven churches, or to mix them up? Recently I read an unambiguous advertisement for a church in our city. It read, “We sing the old hymns.” That was it. Contrary to what...
Love Is Not Less than a Feeling
What does it mean to “love the brethren” (1 John 3:14)? It has been correctly said that to truly love someone is more than just having feelings for them. Actions, in addition to words and feelings, are the proof of genuine love. The husband who truly...
Do We Really Need the Local Church?
The down-the-street local church is not the only show in town anymore. We are able to enjoy faith-building messages, listen to the latest Christian music, and explore the rich diversity and variety found in the most noted Christian gatherings, all on our computer or mobile device....
Is Church Attendance Still Important?
“On one occasion, Faraday lectured to a distinguished panel of scientists. The Prince of Wales (after Edward VII) was present. For an hour Faraday held his audience spellbound as he demonstrated the nature and properties of the magnet. His lecture closed with a demonstration that...
Seriousness In Children and Teens
It is increasingly obvious that children and young people in many evangelical churches are anything but serious about Christ. There are notable exceptions, but in many churches a cursory look at the behavioral signals put out by the young people reveal a profound disinterest. On the...
