The audiobook for Shopping for Church is now available. In addition to audio, it’s also available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover formats. The audiobook is auto-narrated by Maxwell.
Shopping for Church is an entertaining, poignant memoir for Christians and spiritual seekers to give fresh insight into the state of today’s churches in an ever-changing world.
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.
In addition to these three remaining churches on my spreadsheet is my mental list of four more. The first of these churches is the Salvation Army. Most people know the Salvation Army for their red donation kettles at Christmastime.
Consider these three discussion questions about Church 72.
1. The Salvation Army addresses the needs of the homeless and provides disaster relief and humanitarian aid. They’re also a church. Few people know this.
What would we think about being known as a service organization first and a church second?
2. I think highly of the Salvation Army. I suspect most everyone does. Though I’m sure they aren’t perfect, I’ve yet to hear anyone say a critical word.
What do people think about us? Our church? The Savior we represent?
3. The Salvation Army positively impacts their community and world. Helping one person at a time, they make a difference, serving as the hands and feet of Jesus.
If you feel it’s time to move from the sidelines and get into the game, The More Than 52 Churches Workbook provides the plan to get you there.
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.
Segregating Attendees into Members and Nonmembers Divides Jesus’s Church
In our look at things the church must change, we’ve already considered our buildings and facility, our paid clergy and staff, and our tithes and offerings, that is our charitable giving. Now we’ll turn our attention to some secondary issues, starting with church membership.
Membership is something that most everyone in church accepts without question. But we should question it.
Church membership is not biblical. Nowhere does Jesus tell us to go out and find members, make members, or sign up members. Increasing membership is simply not a biblical mandate. Jesus doesn’t command this, and biblical writers don’t order it.
In fact, the word membership doesn’t even occur in the Bible. It’s something well-meaning religious leaders made up. It may seem like a wise idea, but it’s not.
Membership establishes two levels within Jesus’s church. We must repent of making this distinction. Membership causes division among Jesus’s followers, segregating attendees into two classes of people, the insiders who are members from those on the periphery, the nonmembers.
Alternatives to Church Membership?
Some churches, attempting to correct the fallacy of membership, have come up with new labels. I’ve heard them use the term missionaries, and I’ve also heard of partners. I’m sure there are more.
But these perspectives, though well intended, are merely different names for the same membership problem. The result is that church membership still creates two classes of people in Jesus’s church: insiders and outsiders.
At some churches, baptism makes this membership distinction, as in a baptized member. Once a person undergoes the rite, or sacrament, of baptism—often by emersion—they automatically become a member. Though if they are underage at the time, they might not become a voting member until they reach adulthood.
This makes a third class of attendees, a third division in Jesus’s church: nonvoting members.
Instead, Jesus welcomes all (Romans 15:7,Galatians 3:28, and James 2:1–4). We should do the same, ditching membership as an ill-conceived, manmade tradition that has no scriptural basis.
We must resist the human tendency toward membership, which segregates people, and instead embrace God’s perspective of inclusion. Instead of encouraging church membership, we should promote Christian unity.
Read more about this in Peter’s new 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.
Discover More about the Remarkable Woman of Proverbs 31
The book of Proverbs ends with a poem about a woman of noble character. People often call her the Proverbs 31 Woman. Though she may be a real person, this passage reads more like an idealized ode to a wife of mythical proportions.
One Busy Lady
Regardless, she is one busy lady, and I get tired just reading about all she does.
She cares for her husband and provides for her family, she works hard with her hands and stays up late, she is an entrepreneur who turns a profit, and she even has time to help the poor. Because of her, her husband enjoys respect.
Her children bless her, and her husband praises her. She’s esteemed for her character, dignity, strength, and wisdom. She receives honor and praise. Besides all this, she’s beautiful and charming, but she doesn’t concern herself with these temporary traits.
Her Main Focus
Instead, she focuses on something lasting: her relationship with God. She reverences him, having a holy respect for who he is. Today we might understand this as a genuine love for God.
Despite being busier than I can imagine, she still has time for her Lord. Think about it.
While many people look in disbelief at what this woman does, they miss the main point. Our focus should be on who she is: a godly woman who makes God a priority.
Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in e-book, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.
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.
Focus verse: So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him. (John 12:10–11)
Let’s recap. Lazarus gets sick. Lazarus dies. Jesus raises him from the dead in front of a host of witnesses. As a result, many believe in Jesus.
This repeats in the book of Acts, where supernatural acts—healings, miracles, exorcisms, and resurrections—open the door for people to hear about and receive Jesus.
Lazarus is living proof that Jesus has the power to bring people from death back to life. Though Jesus draws some people to him by what he says, even more give him their attention because of what he does.
To make sure we don’t dismiss this as a mere resuscitation or misunderstanding of what happened, recall that people had preserved Lazarus’s corpse for burial. Once shrouded, they placed his physical shell in a tomb and sealed the entrance. He is four days dead. It’s final.
But when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, he becomes the poster boy for Jesus’s healing power.
As for Jesus, he’s again hanging out with Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Martha’s serving a dinner to honor Jesus. We can assume she does this because he brought her brother back to life.
For sister Mary, she shows her appreciation to Jesus by pouring a pint of expensive perfume on his feet. This anoints him for his own death and burial, which will soon happen.
When the people hear Jesus is nearby, they flock to see him. They also want to see the once-dead-but-now-alive Lazarus.
The religious leaders are jealous of the attention Jesus receives from the people who used to give them their attention. They also blame Lazarus for rising from the dead and adding to the problem. Their solution? Kill Lazarus too.
They have agreed that Jesus must die—one man for the entire nation. Now they add Lazarus to their hit list. We don’t know if they follow through and end Lazarus’s life, but they do succeed in ending Jesus’s—at least for three days.
This happens with organized religions throughout history. Believers kill other believers in the name of God. Their disagreements over theology and doctrine result in persecution and death.
But before we point an accusing finger at the religious leaders two millennia ago or in the 2,000 years since, we must remind ourselves that attacking what opposes our religious comforts is a common action.
We must be sure not to repeat this error, this sin. Though we wouldn’t kill in Jesus’s name, we sometimes do wrong in an ill-advised attempt to preserve practices that we think are important.
The Pharisees conclude they’re not making progress in defending their religious traditions. They’re losing ground. More people flock to Jesus. The Pharisees’ base is slipping away.
They must do something before it’s too late.
Questions:
How are people drawn to Jesus by what you say?
How are people drawn to Jesus by what you do?
What can you do to honor Jesus, like Martha? Like Mary?
When something confronts your religious practices, do you oppose it or consider it with an open mind?
When have you hurt, or wanted to hurt, another person because of your religious fervor?
Discover more in a comparable story, albeit with a different outcome, in Acts 5:17–39. What insights can you glean from this passage?
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.
On Pentecost God Gives Us the Holy Spirit as Our Guide to Replace
the Law
Pentecost occurs fifty days after Resurrection Sunday (Easter). It’s a significant event in the early church. That’s when the Holy Spirit comes upon Jesus’s followers in an extraordinary way.
The Holy Spirit empowers team Jesus to share his good news with others with amazing power. This is the gift Jesus promised to give them, which he told them to wait for in Jerusalem.
Pentecost is a Greek word. It means fifty days. Pentecost first occurred fifty days after Jesus’s death (Good Friday)—and after Jesus instituted the first Communion, which occurred on Passover.
Festival of Weeks (Shavuot)
Let’s go back to the Old Testament and look at the Festival of Weeks (Leviticus 23:15-22). This occurs fifty days after Passover. Interestingly, the Festival of Weeks is an Old Testament term and doesn’t show up in the New Testament.
Though I prefer to use the Bible to study the Bible, in this case I needed to consult nonbiblical sources. Here’s what I learned:
The Festival of Weeks in the Bible is now known as the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Fifty Days. This may be better known as Shavuot, the day cited as when Moses descended from the mountain with the Ten Commandments and the Law of God, the Torah.
Connecting the Old and New Testaments
Think about it. In the Old Testament, fifty days
after the first Passover, God gives his people the Law—the rules he expects
them to follow.
In the New Testament, fifty days after the first
Communion (which occurred on Passover), God gives his people the Holy Spirit—his
indwelling presence to guide them in following him.
In the Old Testament, God gives his people the Law through Moses. In the New Testament, God gives his people the Holy Spirit through Jesus. So amazing! Thank you, Father, Son, and 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.
Who would have thought finding a church home could be so hard?
Peter and his wife have a strong marriage. But when it comes time to find a new church after they move, their differences couldn’t be more pronounced.
At first, their aim is straightforward. He’ll write a book about the churches they visit. She’ll choose the one they’ll embrace as their new spiritual family.
It sounds like a simple plan, but this Christian couple soon discovers their quest for a home church is far more difficult.
An entertaining, poignant memoir for Christian believers, Shopping for Church, will give you fresh insight into the state of today’s churches in an ever-changing world.
This authentic read is part of the Visiting Churches Series by acclaimed Christian author Peter DeHaan. These books take you behind the scenes into congregations that are far different than your own … and some that feel just like the church you grew up in.
If you’re a spiritual lurker curious about what goes on beneath the steeples of America’s churches, a seasoned church member looking for some fresh insight, or a pastor trying to engage newcomers, this book is for you.
Buy Shopping for Church, today for an impactful spiritual read that is guaranteed to make you reflect on the places, people, and gatherings we call church.
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.
In addition to these three remaining churches on my spreadsheet is my mental list of four more.
The first of these churches is the Salvation Army. Most people know the Salvation Army for their red donation kettles at Christmastime.
Beyond that, they focus on the needs of the homeless and provide disaster relief and humanitarian aid throughout the year. But they’re also a church. Few people know this. I’d like to experience one of their services.
The Salvation Army is an organization I think highly of. I suspect everyone does.
Though I’ve heard people complain about various streams of Christianity and even more so Protestant denominations and specific churches, I’ve yet to hear any negativity about the Salvation Army.
The closest thing I’ve heard to a complaint is people who wish they wouldn’t ring their bells quite so much at their donation kettles during Christmas. But that’s hardly a criticism of their organization.
Instead, people respect the Salvation Army for the positive impact they make in their community and around the world. Their practical service to those in need earns the esteem of both the faithful and the faithless.
Helping one person at a time, they make a difference in our world, serving as the hands and feet of Jesus.
Someday I’ll visit this church. Their closest location is thirty minutes away, but for now I’ll put going there on hold.
Get your copy ofMore Than 52 Churches today, available in e-book, 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.
We Must Be Good Stewards of All That God Blesses Us With
The Old Testament church required a lot of financial support to keep it going. There was a tabernacle to build and transport. The temple later replaced the tabernacle, but it required regular maintenance. The priests and Levites received support too.
This huge need required the people to give their tithes and various offerings, some mandatory and others voluntary. In today’s church, facility costs and payroll expenses make up most of the church’s budget, sometimes all of it.
Yet if we were to do away with these two elements, there’s not so much need for money.
After building and staffing costs, what small amount remains in the budget falls into two categories. First is benevolence, that is, taking care of our own just like the early church did.
Second is outreach, sending missionaries out to tell others the good news about Jesus (Matthew 28:19–20, Mark 16:15–16, and Luke 14:23). Think of all the good a church could do with its money if it directed 100 percent of its funds on these two activities and not needing to pay for facility and staff.
New Testament Church Finances
In the New Testament church, people share what they have to help those within their spiritual community, that is, those within their church. They seldom take offerings and when they do it’s to help other Jesus followers who suffer in poverty.
The third thing they do with their money is to fund missionary efforts. Instead of building buildings and paying staff, they help people and tell others about Jesus. It’s that simple.
Rather than focusing on 10 percent as the Old Testament prescribes, we should reframe our thinking to embrace the reality that all we have, 100 percent, belongs to God.
We are to be his stewards to use the full amount wisely for his honor, his glory, and his kingdom—not our honor, glory, and kingdom.
Paul writes that the love of money is the source of all manner of evil. An unhealthy preoccupation with wealth is especially risky for followers of Jesus, as our pursuit of accumulating wealth can distract us from our faith and pile on all kinds of grief (1 Timothy 6:10).
For anyone who has accumulated financial resources, this serves as a solemn warning to make sure we have a God-honoring understanding of wealth and what its purpose is.
When it comes to the pursuit of possessions—our love of money—we risk having it pull us away from God.
Three Uses of Money
We need money to live, but we shouldn’t live for the pursuit of wealth. We should use money to supply our needs, help others, and serve God. Consider these three areas:
First, we should use our financial resources to help fund the things that matter to God. This means we need to understand his perspective. With the wise use of our money, we can serve God and honor him. We must remember that we can’t serve two masters: God and money (Matthew 6:24).
Second, we need God’s provisions to take care of ourselves (2 Thessalonians 3:10). We must focus on what we need, not what we want.
Third we should consider the needs of others. What do they need? How can we help them? Again, as with our own balancing of needs versus wants, we must guard against supplying someone with what they want, instead of focusing on what they truly need.
God especially desires that we help widows and orphans (James 1:27). He also has a heart for us to help foreigners and the poor (Zechariah 7:10).
Therefore, we should give to God first (Exodus 23:19). Then we should concern ourselves with our needs and helping others with theirs. God wants our best, not what’s left over. This applies to our possessions and our actions.
Where Does Giving to the Church Fit In?
Does this mean we need to give to the local church? Maybe. But it’s much more than that. We must direct our money as wise stewards to where it can have the most kingdom impact.
I question if this means supporting an organization where most—or all—of its budget goes to paying for buildings and staff.
We must reform our perspective on money, realizing that 100 percent of it belongs to God, and we are merely stewards of his gifts. We must use God’s financial provisions wisely in a way that will honor him and have the greatest kingdom impact.
Read more about this in Peter’s new 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 word sluggard occurs 14 times in Proverbs, but is nowhere to be found in the other 65 books of the Bible. This is curious.
First, what is a sluggard? It’s a slothful person; an idler; a person who is habitually lazy. Consider then, Proverbs’ 14 mentions of the word:
How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep?
As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is a sluggard to those who send him.
The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.
The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.
The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth!
A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.
The sluggard’s craving will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work.
The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside!” or, “I will be murdered in the streets!”
I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment;
The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets!”
As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed.
The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.
The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly.
It is clear that Solomon does not think much of sluggards, of lazy, idle, slothful people. According to his proverbs, sluggards do not plan or take initiative; they procrastinate and delude themselves about their own wisdom. Does this describe you?
While few would say yes, the preceding sluggardly characteristics are something that most of us struggle with upon occasion.
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.
