The sprawling facility provides an impressive view from a distance. Their larger, new building suggests a thriving, dynamic community.
But our experience there does not align this this, but the teaching about church discipline really connects with me.
Consider these four discussion questions about Church #46:
1. Yet no one responds to Candy’s phone messages or emails, so she can’t confirm the service time listed on their website. As we pull up, doubt forms. Only a few cars sit in their large parking lot. Are we here at the wrong time?
How can you better respond to those who contact your church?
2. During worship, heavily orchestrated background tracks reverberate through the sanctuary. I can’t push past the overproduced, resounding boom. It distracts me from the words and blocks my worship.
How can you best help people worship God?
3. The pastor tells the congregation to open their Bibles and follow along as he reads. The verses don’t appear on the screens. With our version not matching his, it’s disconcerting. I feel marginalized and excluded.
What changes do you need to make to help guests feel included?
4. The minister is a gifted communicator. I appreciate his teaching about church discipline. He makes some great points. and he soon wins me over. He says that we cannot judge the lost, but we do need to judge ourselves.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
The Emergent Church Seeks to be Biblically Relevant for Postmodern People
Ten to fifteen years ago, it seemed that every time I turned around I heard something about the emergent church. I wrote about this in my dissertation, with one long chapter devoted to the topic.
It’s an effort to reclaim church practices from a biblical perspective to reform them to be relevant in a postmodern culture. The emergence movement seeks to reimagine church in fresh, new ways to connect with a disenfranchised society that is open to spirituality, albeit apart from the traditional church.
At the time I speculated it was easier to find a book on the emergent church then to actually find an one in real life. Though I don’t think this was true, it certainly seemed that way. After all, the very nature of the emergent church shunned structure, organization, and hierarchical leadership.
These traits made emergent churches hard to find.
Our Churches Must Emerge
When I write about the church in this blog, it’s usually from the perspective of emergence. I want to see our present-day church practices emerge from what they are to produce something more meaningful that abounds with relevance for today’s spiritual seekers.
When I talk this way, it often comes across as criticism, but I only want what’s best for the church—that is, for us as followers of Jesus—so that the church can become more than what she presently is. I write about the church because I love her and want to see her reach her potential.
I want to see the church emerge to become something grander. I long to see the emergent church and wish to be part of one.
A Fad or a Trend?
All this talk about the emergent church, however, was a decade ago. What about now? It’s been years since I’ve heard the phrase mentioned. Was the emerging church movement a fad that arrived for a moment and left just as quickly?
No. The impetus for the emergent church still exists. It’s just that we don’t hear that phrase anymore. Despite this, however, around the world people—who love Jesus but gave up on his church the way it’s currently practiced—are seeking out new expressions of faith community.
They are emerging to do something new and something fresh. But by their very nature, we don’t hear about them. This is because the philosophy of an emerging church shuns self-promotion and distrusts marketing.
The interest in emergent churches is still there, even if the label has slipped away. Perhaps instead of looking for an emergent church, the better path might be to start one.
Discover more about this idea in the post on micro-churches.
Read more about this in Peter’s thought-provoking book, Jesus’s Broken Church, available in e-book, audiobook, paperback, and hardcover.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
The sixth word picture is God as our father and we as his children.
Although not everyone had a good biological father—in fact all human fathers make mistakes in raising their children—our spiritual father, God, is without fault, raising us out of perfect love and without error.
With God as our spiritual father, that is our father in heaven, we see him as being wise, loving, disciplining, and patient. Also, as our father there is the hope of us one day receiving an inheritance from him.
For us as God’s children, we are loved, cared for, given generous gifts, and protected. We are also heirs, looking forward to an inheritance that we will one day receive from him—eternal life for all who follow him.
Lastly, just as adult children have the potential for friendship with their earthly parents, we too, are poised to become a friend with our heavenly parent, God.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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We Must Take Care What We Put in Our Minds for They Drive Our Attitudes and Actions
We talked about why we need to be careful with what we say. Then we shared some biblical tips to guard our thoughts, since what we think about often flows out of our mouth. Let’s consider some thoughts we should avoid.
Paul writes to the Philippian church, sharing with them eight things to give their attention to. They are to focus on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). So much of our present society doesn’t align with this.
Considering the opposite of Paul’s list, we can look at our world today to determine areas where we might want to control or at least limit our exposure to. Here are some things to contemplate that encourages to dwell on thoughts we should avoid:
News
I stopped listening to the news on June 15, 2020. Every broadcast specialized in negativity and was only partially correct. Yes, each news story began with an element of truth, but the coverage soon diverged into biases and falsehoods, many of which confronted the Word of God.
It mattered not which station I listen to or watched: liberal or conservative. I found none that met any of Paul’s eight characteristics.
So that I’m not completely out of touch, however, I’ve settled on one weekly newspaper as my source of current events.
Though I lack knowledge of what’s happening in our world on a day-to-day, minute-by-minute basis, not subjecting myself to this negativity has lifted a huge weight off my soul. I now move about my day with a lightness instead of the darkness their news sources promote.
Social Media
If the contents on all news broadcasts are negative and misaligned with Scripture, most posts on social media are an even worse source that promote spots we should avoid. Though I have a presence on several social media platforms, I checked them infrequently.
I’ve also disabled all notifications. I check one platform once a day for a few minutes as I wrap up my work. For the others I stop by once-a-week. That’s enough.
I’ve often wondered about shutting them all down and walking away. So far, I haven’t. My once-a-day and once-a-week plan works for me.
Music
I’ve also weaned myself away from most music. Mostly, the styles I like contain lyrics I don’t appreciate.
I’m also prone to earworms, that is, “stuck song syndrome.” I’m okay if it happens to be something I heard at church on Sunday. But I’m frustrated if it’s from a commercial or other secular source.
Entertainment
So much of the content in movies and TV shows directly opposes a biblical worldview.
With most people shoving several hours of visual entertainment into their minds each day compared with a few minutes of Bible study, at best, there’s little doubt about which perspective will win out.
If we continually see people doing things contrary to God’s will, we can easily begin to regard their behavior as acceptable and then to embrace it.
Books
Just as movies and TV shows can pump ungodly content into our minds, so can the written word. Some books are positive and uplifting. Most aren’t. The key is to select with care the books we read and skip the rest.
Other Items
Other areas we might want to limit our exposure to is relationships that are toxic, close friendships with people living immoral lives, and affinity with groups whose purpose misaligns with God’s. We should also be careful with where we go and how we spend our money.
I’m sure there are other things we could add.
We can think of these items as guardrails that help keep us on track with Jesus.
Not Isolation
These are sources that promote thoughts we should avoid.
In reviewing these items, we could conclude that we must remove ourselves from the world. Though various people have tried to do so in the past 2,000 years, their well-intended goal is off base.
Yes, Jesus said we are not of this world (John 17:16). And John later added that we are not of the things in the world. If we love the world, God’s love isn’t in us (1 John 2:15-16).
Yet Jesus also told us to go into the world and tell others about him (Matthew 28:18-20). How can we do this if we isolate ourselves from them? We can’t.
Therefore, as followers of Jesus, we must exercise care to the degree we immerse ourselves into our world. We must remain close enough to make a difference, well far enough away to not be pulled from our faith.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
40 Devotional Insights for Today’s Church from the Book of Acts
Discover how the Spirit of God moved through the early church, empowering Christians to have a personal, vibrant relationship with Jesus.
The book of Acts was a thrilling time for the early church. Now you can capture the excitement and passion of the first-century Christians in this devotional Bible study designed to take you through the book of Acts.
Discover how the Spirit moved through early believers’ lives, how the Gospel spread, and what we can learn as the body of Christ today. Through forty daily devotionals, you’ll gain insights that can help guide your faith and expand your spiritual practices as you uncover how this book influences Jesus’s followers two millennia later.
In this Bible study you’ll find:
Thought-provoking reflection prompts to engage more intimately with Scripture
Personal applications that will challenge you to live God’s truth everyday
Practical questions to bolster your faith
Transformational connections to your life and church
Life-changing themes to inspire you to live like the early church, ministering to others and sharing about Jesus.
Tongues of Fire challenges us to seek answers on what today’s church can learn from Jesus’s first followers and how they moved under the Holy Spirit’s power. This easy-to-read Bible study will give you forty days of devotional insights that can help you grow in your faith and discover how to celebrate the role of the Holy Spirit then and now. It will encourage you toward deeper community and an effective personal ministry. Perfect for women, men, or small groups.
Dive into Tongues of Fire for your next study and gain a new perspective on the teachings of Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Experiencing a Traditional Service and a Contemporary One
Today we’ll enjoy two services, another doubleheader: a traditional service followed by a contemporary one.
Consider these four discussion questions about Church #45:
1. As we wander inside, several people acknowledge our presence, thanking us for visiting. But beyond that no one says anything more, so we meander into the sanctuary.
Acknowledging a person is a great start, but what more can you do to connect with them and show you care?
2. At one point, the minister invites people to come forward to the altar. Doing this in the middle of the service is unusual, and I don’t catch the purpose.
When you do something people don’t expect, how can you make your intentions clear?
3. Between services is a pastor’s breakfast for guests. It’s a great chance to learn more and experience community. They say it’s in the library but fail to explain how to get there. Eventually someone gives us directions.
How can you help people better navigate your facility?
4. The crowd is lethargic at the contemporary service. It’s as though they just crawled out of bed and rolled into church—and many rolled in late.
What must you do to engage in worship? How can you help others in their worship?
The two services gave us completely different experiences.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Bigger isn’t always better and the micro church proves this
In another post we discussed the emergent church. Today we shift the discussion to micro church. Emergent church and micro church, are these alternate labels for the same thing or different? The answer is maybe.
The concept of a micro church can go by different labels. Other names, some of which might be more familiar, include simple church and organic church. Some micro churches are house churches, but not all of them. And some house churches are micro churches, but, again, not all.
It’s easiest to describe a micro church by looking at its characteristics:
Streamlined Structure
Micro churches have only a minimal amount of structure and just enough to allow them to function. Their organization tends to be flat as opposed to hierarchical, with a more egalitarian operation.
No Paid Staff
At micro churches people minister to one another and serve as priests to each other, as we find described in the New Testament. They don’t have a need for paid clergy or to maintain anyone on a payroll.
Priesthood of all Believers
Since micro churches have no paid staff, they have no clergy. This isn’t a problem since they embrace the priesthood of all believers. This means that the people in the community minister to one another, teach one another, and help one another.
They feel no need to subjugate this to professional ministers. Because of the nature of their faith they are automatically priests.
Deemphasized Sunday Service
The micro church doesn’t place as much emphasis on a Sunday morning service as traditional churches do. In fact, they may not meet on Sunday or even once a week. Their gatherings may not even resemble a church service.
Missional
The micro church has a vision to serve. They have a mission. This makes them missional. However, their mission is not inwardly focused but outwardly focused.
Their internal gatherings, be it like a Sunday service or something else, are to encourage and prepare the people present to go out into their community and serve. Therefore, many micro churches have at its core one particular vision, a mission, around which people gather.
Focused on Multiplication
The micro church isn’t concerned with growing its numbers, but it’s vitally interested in growing influence. Micro churches seek to do this by helping others start their own micro churches to address other needs in the community.
Their simple structure makes this easy and fast. This is why they view themselves as organic. They’re constantly growing, changing, and reproducing more of their kind.
Perhaps Emergent
In a previous post we defined the emergent church as an effort to reclaim church practices from a biblical perspective to reform them to be relevant in a postmodern culture.
In considering this definition and the above characteristics, it’s easy to see a connection between the emergent church and the micro church. This doesn’t mean they’re the same, however.
It just means they tap into a similar underlying angst of spiritual speakers to pursue community and help the world in new and unexpected ways, ways that the traditional church has missed.
I embrace both the emergent church and micro church concepts as practical and effective ways to be the hands and feet of Jesus to a world seeking relevance and purpose in a confusing existence.
Read more about this in Peter’s thought-provoking book, Jesus’s Broken Church, available in e-book, audiobook, paperback, and hardcover.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
David Models Bold Action and His Nephew Learns from It
Most people are familiar with the story of David and Goliath in the Bible. It tells of the young boy David, armed only with godly confidence and a sling, killing the warrior giant of a man Goliath.
David’s example an inspiring tale of courage and faith in the presence of improbable odds.
But this story isn’t in our text for today. It’s found in 1 Samuel 17 instead.
Though today’s passage is about David, it occurs much later when he is king. Squeezed among three chapters packed with battle stories of strategy and victory stands an incidental tale of David’s nephew Jonathan.
In this story Jonathan kills a huge man from Rapha. In addition to his ginormous size, he is noted for having six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot.
Like Goliath before him, this man from Rapha taunts the army of Israel. And like his uncle before him, Jonathan slays the cocky titan.
Why is this significant?
Jonathan, no doubt, heard of the exploits of Uncle David in confronting the jeering giant of a man Goliath.
Of how, in godly confidence David, though completely outmatched, fell the hulk with a small stone guided by his sling and then cut off the fallen warrior’s head using his own sword.
Talk about inspiring.
What bold action will we take in our lives that will inspire others in theirs? When we trust God with the outcome, it isn’t hard. David’s example proves that to be true.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
Our brain is our most powerful organ, which makes our mind a significant part of us. That’s how God created us. With our mind we can accomplish much, but through it is also the potential to lead us into wrong thinking, guide us into sin, and take us away from God. That’s why we must strive to take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Yet most people struggle to control their thoughts. Here are three encouragements from Scripture to guide us in how we can take every thought captive.
1. Set Our Hearts and Minds on Things Above
Jesus warns that from our heart can come evil thoughts. He lists murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander (Matthew 15:19). But this doesn’t mean our hearts are always set on evil, we can establish our attention on what is good too.
Paul says to focus on what is above—on heavenly things where Jesus resides with Father God—and not on earthly concerns (Colossians 3:1).
After telling us to set our hearts on heavenly things, Paul adds a parallel element. He also says the set our minds on things above (Colossians 3:2).
Our hearts and our minds connect, with the priority of our heart directing the focus of our mind. What our heart yearns for, our thoughts take us there.
2. Think About Right Things
To the church in Philippi, Paul tells them to think about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). These are 8 things we should think about.
If we’re contemplating these positive ideas, we’re not thinking about the opposite ones that Jesus listed and we already covered: murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander (Matthew 15:19).
3. Fix Our Hearts on Jesus
We’re best to follow the advice we find in the book of Hebrews, to fix our thoughts on Jesus (Hebrews 3:1). He is the ultimate of all heavenly things, of all things above. He exemplifies whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).
This Is How to Take Every Thought Captive
When we do these things—set our hearts and minds on things above, think about what is good, and fix our hearts on Jesus—we prepare ourselves to guard our tongue and control what we say.
In this way, we can watch our words and exercise caution over what we say. And it starts when we take every thought captive.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
