Biblical Christianity from Peter DeHaan

Exploring Church Staff from a Biblical Perspective

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date May 17, 2023

Stop Paying Clergy and Ministry Staff to Do What We’re Supposed to Do Ourselves

In part one of Embrace a Fresh Perspective about Church we looked at adopting a new, biblically enlightened view on the role that a church building should play for our spiritual community. Now we’ll continue that theme by looking at church staff, along with the related topics of missionaries, local ministers, and payroll.

Church Staff

In 7 Things the Church Is Not, we mentioned that the church should not be an institution. Yet most churches today move in that direction after about ten years of operation, and they become an institution a couple of decades after that.

For an institution to work, it needs paid church staff (and money). That’s why local pastors receive a salary: to keep the institution of church functioning and viable.

As we’ve already covered, this thinking follows the Old Testament model of church. But we don’t live in the Old Testament or under its covenant. We live in the New Testament and under its covenant—at least in theory. In the New Testament, we—that is, those who follow Jesus—are his church.

Each one of us is a priest—that is, a minister—to care for one another. We shouldn’t pay someone to do what we’re supposed to do. As part of the body of Christ, we each do our part to advance the kingdom of God and shouldn’t expect to receive payment for our labor.

Missionaries

There is, however, one exception to this idea of no compensation. In his letter to the people in Corinth, Paul builds a case to pay missionaries. This doesn’t apply to the folks who run local churches. Paul refers to those who go around telling others about Jesus.

Today, we might call these people evangelists. Based on Paul’s teaching it’s right to pay them.

Yet once Paul builds his case to appropriately pay missionaries, he points to an even better way: for missionaries to earn their own money and not require outside support. Paul often covers his expenses and those who travel with him by plying his trade. He works as a tentmaker.

Springing from this is the idea of a tentmaker-missionary, someone who pays their own way as they tell others about Jesus (1 Corinthians 9:7–18).

Local Ministers

But what about the local church? Shouldn’t we reward our clergy, out church staff, by paying them? Doesn’t the Bible say that workers deserve compensation (1 Timothy 5:18)? Not quite.

The context of this is for traveling missionaries to be content with the food and lodging provided to them as they journey about telling others about Jesus (Luke 10:5–7).

But don’t we need a minister to teach us about God each Sunday? No. The Bible expects us to feed ourselves spiritually. And we are to teach one another.

What about a clergy member to address our spiritual needs as they arise? No. We are to care for one another.

No Payroll

In short, through Jesus the institution of church is over—at least in theory. Without a physical building or an institution to maintain, there is no need to pay church staff to run the whole show.

So if you are part of an institution and want to perpetuate it, then buy a building, hire church staff, and pay them their due.

However, if you want to pursue a different path as seen in the New Testament, then take the church with you wherever you go and help others however you can, paying your own way as you do.

We must reform our thinking of paying church staff to do what the Bible calls us to do ourselves as priests who serve one another.

Next week we’ll look at the church and money.

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.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags church, Jesus's Broken Church, minister, missionary, money, priest

Bible Insights

His Love Endures Forever

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date May 16, 2023

We Should Praise God for the Many Ways He Loves Us

Love is a recurring theme in Scripture (686 verses). It shows up in most every book of the Bible (60 out of 66). The word is most common in Psalms (157 verses). Psalm 136 leads the way with 26 mentions of love, all in the repeating refrain “His love endures forever.”

This Psalm is a song of praise to God. It affirms who he is and what he’s done. In response to each phrase of thanks and appreciation, the singers repeatedly chant, “His love endures forever.”

What are these characteristics of God? Read Psalm 136 to find out all the details. Here’s a summary:

God is good.
He is God of all gods and Lord of all lords.
He does amazing feats.
He created everything.
He guided his people, protected them, and brought them to his promised land.
He remembers us when we’re down, frees us from our enemies, and feeds us when we’re hungry.

And for each one of these, our response is to praise him, for “his love endures forever.” Forever is a long time. It’s eternal. Just as God is eternal—living forever with no beginning or end—so too is his love for us.

Paul says that three things will last forever. These are faith, hope, and love. Of this amazing trio, love stands in first place. Love is the greatest (1 Corinthians 13:13).

John writes that the highest, most excellent, expression of love is to die so another may live (John 15:13). John is quoting Jesus. In this passage, Jesus obliquely references God’s plan to save us.

To do so, Jesus will offer himself as the once-and-for-all, ultimate sacrifice to make payment for the sins (mistakes) of all humanity, for all time. This will reconcile us with Papa.

Jesus died so that we may live. You, me, everyone. That’s true love. His love endures forever.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Psalms 135-139, and today’s post is on Psalms 136:2.]

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags God is love, Jesus, love, sacrifice

Bible Study

John Bible Study, Day 19: Resurrection and Life

Post author By Admin
Post date May 15, 2023

Online Bible study for the gospel of John

Today’s passage: John 11:1–44

Focus verse: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” (John 11:25)

Here we have a story of Jesus and three siblings. They are Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Jesus has great affection for them and sometimes hangs out at their house. Word reaches Jesus that Lazarus is sick, deathly ill.

Yet, Jesus doesn’t head out right away to heal his ailing friend. He waits, saying, “Don’t worry. Lazarus’s sickness won’t lead to death but is to glorify me.”

Jesus delays his departure for two days before he heads out. His disciples are apprehensive, noting that this will take Jesus back to where his Jewish opponents tried to stone him. Jesus insists on returning. He says, “Lazarus is sleeping, and I’m going to wake him.”

This encourages the disciples, who assume that sleep is a sign that Lazarus is getting better.

Jesus clarifies. “Lazarus is dead. Let us go to where he is.” He also makes a vague statement to his disciples that it was good for them he wasn’t present when Lazarus was sick. This will somehow help them believe. How confusing.

As Jesus and his band of followers approach the city where Lazarus once lived, sister Martha hears of his arrival and runs out to meet him. “If you had been here,” Martha says, “he wouldn’t have died. But even now I know God will answer your prayers.”

Jesus promises Martha that Lazarus will rise again. She agrees. But she assumes Jesus means her brother will rise to life on the last day.

Again, Jesus clarifies what he means. “I am the resurrection. I am the life. If you believe in me, you will never die.” Martha confirms she believes and goes to fetch sister Mary.

When Mary reaches Jesus, with the throng of mourners in tow, she falls at his feet. “If you had been here,” Mary says, “he wouldn’t have died.”

Jesus asks, “Where is he buried?”

They take him to Lazarus’s tomb, and Jesus weeps. Then he commands them to roll away the stone that seals the grave’s entrance.

After a debate about how much a four-day-old corpse will stink, Jesus tells them they must believe. Then he thanks Papa for hearing his prayer and the miracle that’s about to happen.

“Lazarus,” Jesus commands, “come out.”

At that, the once-dead Lazarus staggers out of his tomb, burial linens still wrapped around his body. What a shocking sight to watch the dead man lumbering forward.

Jesus says the obvious. “Remove his burial clothes, and let him go.”

As we might wake someone from their sleep, Jesus wakes someone from the dead with equal ease.

This isn’t the first time he raises a dead person, and it won’t be the last. The ultimate resurrection comes when Jesus defeats death through his once-and-for-all sacrifice by raising himself from the dead.

His resurrection gives us life.

Questions:

Why do you think Jesus has so much affection for Martha, Mary, and Lazarus?
What should your attitude be if Jesus doesn’t respond right away to your requests?
What do you think will happen to you when you die?
How willing are you to worship Jesus and fall at his feet when you feel he let you down?
How does Jesus’s resurrection give you life?

Discover more about the power and promise of Jesus’s resurrection in Acts 2:29–32, Romans 6:5, 1 Corinthians 15:20–22, 1 Corinthians 15:42–44, Philippians 3:10–11, and 1 Peter 1:3–5. What insights can you glean from these passages?

Read the next lesson or start at the beginning of this study.

Read more in Peter’s new book, Living Water: 40 Reflections on Jesus’s Life and Love from the Gospel of John, available everywhere in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Tags John Bible study

Christian Living

Happy Mother’s Day

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date May 14, 2023

Be Sure to Celebrate Your Mom Today and Every Day

May we wish our moms, a happy Mother’s Day!

In my book Women of the Bible, I explore the lives of biblical women, celebrating their lives and their contribution to the world. Their example can inform our faith journey.

I conclude the book with the chapter “Everyone Has a Mom.”

Here is what I wrote:

Though the men in the Bible far outnumber the women, this isn’t a reflection of God’s priorities but of man’s perversion of God’s created order.

Without these women, the biblical narrative would be much shorter and far less significant. Because of their lives and their actions, we are inspired, encouraged, motivated, and in a few cases, warned.

Beyond them and their example, we know that everyone in the Bible, both male and female, has a mom. These moms give birth to their children, nurture them, and usher them into adulthood. They mostly do this in obscurity.

Nevertheless, without these moms giving life to their kids, we would not have their children to read about and learn from. Without these moms our understanding of God would be much different.

Last, you and I have a mom too. Along with our dad, we have her to thank for giving us life. She played a huge role in who we are today.

Have you thanked your mom for the gift of life? If she’s no longer alive, perhaps you can write her a love letter of appreciation.

Thank you, Mom!

[Discover more about moms in Ephesians 6:2–3 and 1 Thessalonians 2:7–8.]

May we celebrate our moms today—and every day.

We wouldn’t be here without them, and we wouldn’t be who we are without their influence in our lives.

To my mom and all mothers everywhere, I salute you.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in e-book, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags holiday, Mother’s Day, Women of the Bible

Visiting Churches

A Messianic Jewish Congregation: Church #71

Post author By Admin
Post date May 11, 2023

Before 52 Churches, we visited a Messianic Jewish church: Jews who believe in Jesus as their Jewish savior, mixing Jewish tradition with Christian faith.

They met on Saturday nights. The service involved a time of worship and a time of teaching. They concluded with a shared meal.

Most of the service was in English, but a few parts of worship were in Hebrew. I mumbled the words the best I could, but I had no idea if my fellow worshipers pronounced their Hebrew words correctly or not.

Their hymnals were in both Hebrew and English. As I recall, page one was at the back. For their meal, shared potluck style, they provided food with a Jewish flair. I don’t know how authentic or Americanized these dishes were, but they were tasty.

The friendly people there embraced us. They welcomed us. We felt like family from the beginning.

Worshiping God in an unfamiliar way brought a freshness, an authenticity to our efforts. Their unfamiliar traditions occasionally confused me, but I also felt strangely invigorated by what we did.

They didn’t have their own building, but they did have their own worship space. It was in the basement of a Protestant church. This was ideal, since neither group used the facility at the same time.

There were two interesting things about this congregation. First, everyone there was Gentile. That is, they weren’t Jewish. It seems strange to me that a Messianic Jewish church wouldn’t have some Jewish people attending it.

When I asked about this, someone explained that sometimes a Jewish family did drive from another city to meet with them, but this didn’t occur every week.

The other interesting thing is most of the people present at this Saturday evening Messianic Jewish gathering also attend a Protestant service on Sunday morning. This perplexed me. This is, however, exactly what Candy and I did.

That was many years ago, but the experience stayed with me, and I want to encounter it again. When we embarked upon our 52 Churches journey, I desired to include this church and make a repeat visit. Unfortunately, they no longer met at the same place.

Instead their location rotated between the homes of their regular attendees. Revisiting them wasn’t going to work for 52 Churches. And though I would’ve liked to have returned later, we never got around to it.

There’s another Messianic Jewish congregation near where we live. It’s a thirty-five-minute drive, not close but not insurmountable either. I want to visit them and compare their practices with my recollection of the first Messianic Jewish congregation.

I want to go. We could go. But we don’t.

I guess I’m tired of visiting churches.

[See the discussion questions for Church 71, read about Church 70 or start at the beginning of our journey.]

Get your copy of More Than 52 Churches today, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags community, food, Messianic, More Than 52 Churches

Christian Living

Embrace a Fresh Perspective about Having a Church Building

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date May 10, 2023

We Don’t Need a Church Building to Encounter God or Enjoy Spiritual Community

So far, we’ve looked at the Old Testament model for church—of building, paid clergy, and tithes—which we still follow today.

Then we considered how Jesus fulfills the Old Testament and looked at how the early church functions in the New Testament, considering their practices and detailing what church shouldn’t be today. Last, we looked at the essential components for a New Testament-style church.

Let’s now consider what must change in our churches today to better align with the New Testament narrative and early church practices.

We’ve already touched on this when we said that through Jesus, we have a new perspective on the temple (church building), priests (ministers and staff), and tithes and offerings (church finances).

Do We Need a Church Building?

Let’s look deeper into this idea of a church building.

Who needs a building? The early church met in people’s homes and public places. Why can’t we do the same today? Think of all the money we’d save and hassles we could avoid if we removed the shackles of owning and maintaining a church facility.

Not only are our church structures exorbitantly expensive, they’re also underutilized most of the time.

At best, one of today’s churches enjoys full usage for only two hours of each week. That’s 1.2 percent of the time. This means that for 98.8 percent of each week the building is underutilized.

Yes, the office staff uses a tiny part of the space during the workweek, and smaller meetings occur some evenings. But these activities occupy only a small portion of the church building. That’s a lot of wasted space.

The prime motivation for these large, but underused, facilities is for a one-hour church meeting each Sunday.

A Wrong Perspective

At one church I visited, the pastor in his pre-sermon prayer pleaded with God to supply a facility for them. “You know God, how much we need a building,” he begged. “Please provide it for us.”

Although their rented space offered what they needed on Sunday morning and other options provided office space and accommodated their weekly meetings, it appeared that his perspective was that to be a real church they had to have a building.

In a later discussion with one of their church elders I said, “You don’t need a building. You may want one, but you don’t have to have one.”

In most all cases, it costs a church much less to rent space than to own and maintain a building. But even better then renting space for Sunday morning service is to decentralize the church to meet in people’s homes.

Despite this, most every church thinks they need a building.

While owning a building may be convenient and may be a preference, it isn’t a necessity. And sinking mass quantities of money into a church building that goes unused most of the week certainly isn’t being good stewards of God’s resources.

In today’s developed countries churches routinely spend millions of dollars for worship space for people to go to on Sunday morning. The cost of the facility is disproportionately large in comparison to the lifestyle and homes of the congregation.

Building Campaigns

In another instance, a large, growing suburban church had frequent building fund drives to expand its facility. Though the people enthusiastically supported each expansion plan, one effort met with opposition.

They wanted to raise $1 million to build a ring road around the campus to ease the flow of traffic. One million dollars for a road. It was a hard ask for the people to accept.

Even in developing countries, where the expectations of the church edifice are much more modest, it’s still disproportionate to the lifestyle of the people who will go there. In one developing country, a church constructed the concrete shell for its church building and ran out of money.

For several years, they’ve worshiped in their half-finished space and continually asked for donations to complete its construction. Since the members are poor, they can’t finance the construction themselves.

They look to the generosity of those outside their community to complete the building.

Instead of focusing all his attention on his congregation and local community, the pastor diverts some of his time to solicit donations from those abroad.

Church Buildings are Expensive

Regardless of where we live in the world, our church buildings are expensive compared to the lifestyles of most of the people who go there. To have a building, we must either buy or build.

This often requires borrowing money and paying off a mortgage. And if a church falls behind in their monthly payments, the lender may have no choice but to foreclose on the facility. In this instance, no one wins, and the reputation of Jesus’s church is tarnished.

But expenses don’t stop with the acquisition of a building, whether bought or built. The ongoing costs add up. For starters, there are utilities, maintenance, and insurance. And we do all this so we can go to a place to have a one-hour encounter with God on Sunday morning.

Maintaining a church building is costly and does little to advance the kingdom of God. Remember, through Jesus, our bodies are God’s temple.

We don’t need to go to a building to go to church so we can connect with God. We take church with us wherever we go—or at least we should.

We must rethink the importance we put on our church buildings and replace it with a people-first perspective.

Next week we’ll look at church staff.

Read more about this in Peter’s new book, Jesus’s Broken Church, available in e-book, audiobook, paperback, and hardcover.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags church, Jesus's Broken Church, offering

Bible Insights

Should We Pray Against Our Enemies or Pray for Them?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date May 9, 2023

Some Psalms Ask God to Punish Our Enemies and Those Who Do Evil

Many people enjoy reading the Psalms. They appreciate the poetic nature of its words. They find encouragement to persevere and inspiration to strengthen their faith. Many Psalms also lead us into our worship of God. These are some of the best.

However, other Psalms carry a negative focus. These Psalms request that God punish people for the wrong things they have done to him, society, and to us. This presents a challenge to my view of God and my theology of faith.

Is it okay for us to ask God to favor us, while we beg him to hurt our enemies? After all, Jesus tells us to love our enemies, do good to them, and pray for them (Luke 6:27-28).

Yet David, a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22), does just the opposite. He asks God to vindicate him by destroying his enemies.

David’s Prayer of Retribution

Consider some of the key points from David’s petition of retaliation in Psalms 109:6-15:

Send someone to fight my enemy.
Find him guilty.
Let his prayers condemn him.
Cut his life short so that his children become orphans and his wife, a widow.
Make his children homeless and beg for food.
Have his creditors repossess everything he owns.
Don’t let anyone be nice to him or pity his poor, orphaned kids.
Let his family line die out.
Hold him accountable for all the sins of his ancestors.
Don’t forgive him for the wrong things he’s done.

Wow! That’s quite a prayer. It’s one that I would never dare say. Yet, I must admit, there are times I wish God would do bad things to bad people.

Though the Old Testament of the Bible records David’s harsh, revengeful prayer against his oppressors, we must remember Jesus’s command to love our enemies and pray for those who hate us (Luke 6:27-28).

Both of these appear in the Bible, and it’s left to us to determine which one should guide our prayers. May we choose wisely.

[Read through the Bible this year. Today’s reading is Psalms 106-109, and today’s post is on Psalms 109:6-15.]

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags love, pray for others, psalm

Bible Study

John Bible Study, Day 18: Jesus’s Sheep

Post author By Admin
Post date May 8, 2023

Today’s passage: John 10:22–42

Focus verse: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28)

Jews, whom I suspect are Pharisees, ask Jesus if he is the expected Messiah, the Christ they’ve been awaiting. They want a direct yes or no answer.

“I already told you,” Jesus responds, “but you didn’t believe me.” He says the works he does—miracles, healings, and exorcisms—give testimony to who he is because he does them in his Father’s name.

“But you don’t believe me because you’re not my sheep.” Note that Jesus doesn’t say they are not sheep, just that they’re not his sheep.

We are his sheep. Try not to take offense at this because actual sheep aren’t too bright and often need help. Yet don’t lose sight of the truth that we are error prone and need Jesus to guide our daily lives—our very existence.

Jesus says his sheep listen for the sound of his voice. As good sheep, we obey what Jesus tells us to do. As our Shepherd, he only suggests what’s in our best interest. We should do what he says.

Not only do Jesus’s sheep listen to his voice, but Jesus knows his sheep. He knows each of us by name. We’re not part of any flock, but we are each known as unique individuals by our Savior.

As his sheep, Jesus knows us. We follow him. Where he goes, we’re right behind him. He says, “Come on, little sheep, this path is a better one. It will keep you from danger.” Then we fall into step behind him—or at least we should.

As Jesus’s sheep, he gives us eternal life. Because of him, we will live forever. Though our physical bodies will one day wind down, our spiritual being will never perish. We’ll live forever with Jesus, our Good Shepherd, in heaven.

Jesus gives us a promise that no one will ever take us—his sheep—away from him. Nobody will snatch us from his safe embrace and protective grasp.

It seems too good to be true: overwhelming and wonderful. Through Jesus we will have life forever, and no one can stop that from happening.

Questions:

What might you have in common with the Pharisees?
How disappointed do you get when Jesus doesn’t give you a yes or no answer?
How can you better listen for Jesus’s voice as your shepherd?
How can knowing that no one can ever take us from Jesus’s protection change your actions and attitudes?
How can his promise that we’ll be with him forever affect what you do today?

Discover more about eternal life in John 3:15–16, John 3:36, John 17:3, Romans 6:23, and 1 John 5:11–13. What insights can you glean from these passages?

Read the next lesson or start at the beginning of this study.

Read more in Peter’s new book, Living Water: 40 Reflections on Jesus’s Life and Love from the Gospel of John, available everywhere in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Tags John Bible study

Christian Living

Church Distractions

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date May 7, 2023

What Do You Focus on When You Should Be Focusing on God?

This is a post I’m hesitant to share. Yet I’ve always been forthright when I talk about my spiritual journey. So there’s no point in holding back now. The disconcerting truth is I often struggle with church distractions during the service. I wrestle to keep my focus solely on God.

Though not often, sometimes my thoughts go elsewhere. I may fixate on something that occurred before church or be preoccupied with what will happen afterward. Though my body is present, my mind isn’t always there.

Yet these types of church distractions don’t happen to me too much—anymore. My pre-church prayer usually removes these mental interruptions.

My struggle with church distractions usually relates to what happens at church during my time there. This can occur throughout the entire service.

Church Distractions during the Music

Here’s a list of some things that threatened to take my attention away from God in the first part of the church service:

Edit song lyrics: As a writer, I fixate on words. Whenever I see something written—and even sometimes when I hear words—I’m mentally edit them. This happens often with song lyrics at church.

Irritated by false rhymes: Though I don’t often write rhyming poetry, I appreciate a smart rhyme. But whenever I encounter a false rhyme in a song—or a contrived twist to force a rhyme—I’m taken out of the text.

Add punctuation: Another occupational hazard of being a writer is that I edit too. This means I often mentally insert commas, periods, and ellipses into the song lyrics displayed overhead. This would make them easier to sing, especially for songs with odd timing.

Consider biblical support: The purpose of the songs we sing at church (at least I think so) is to draw our attention to God.

It’s not altogether bad if our focus shifts to the Bible, but too often a lyric captivates my attention as I mentally seek biblical support for it. I can easily miss the rest of the song when I go down this path.

Critique the audio: Early in my life I was an audio engineer at a TV station. I ran the sound board and mixed the audio feeds for broadcast. I sometimes slip back into this mindset with the sound and sound system at church.

Consider cameras: In my work in TV, I sat next to the director. This allowed me to hear his instructions to the camera operators and technical crew, as well as to watch him switch between video feeds.

Because of this, I sometimes slip back into focusing on the technical aspects of producing the service.

Watch the worship team: Another early job of mine was working as an electronics technician at a music store. Though not musically inclined, everyone I worked with was. Their job at the music store was merely to pay the bills so they could pursue their passion to play music.

They mesmerized me with accounts of their concerts and performances. As such, I watch musicians from a perspective different than most people.

Church Distractions during the Message

My list of distractions is shorter for the second part of the service, but it exists nonetheless.

Technical aspects: During the sermon I’m less likely for the audio, video, and camera work to divert my attention, but it still happens.

Biblical support: I’m more likely, however, to be sidetracked in considering the scriptural support for the minister’s words. Though this is a laudable effort (Acts 17:11), I may sometimes go too far.

Delivery: I consume many hours listening to podcasts each week, normally at twice the normal speed, at 2x. This requires me to focus if I am to catch every word.

The downside is when I hear a minister speak live, the slower, real-time delivery (effectively at 1x) provides much opportunity for my mind to go elsewhere. Taking notes helps keep my focus on the message.

Writing and research ideas: During the sermon—as well as the rest of the service—ideas pop into my mind.

Often these turn into blog posts. Occasionally it’s a book title or concept. Sometimes it’s a topic to research in the Bible or contemplate more fully under Holy Spirit direction.

I jot these items in my notebook so I can shove them out of my mind at the time and return to what’s happening in front of me.

How to Stay Focused at Church

My lengthy list of church distractions may have some elements that resonate with you. Or perhaps you’ve come up with your own list. Everyone struggles in this area, although some much more than others.

The issue in all this, however, is to combat it. Though we may make some progress on our own volition, as an effort of self-control, the real solution comes from God.

When I remember to seek him in prayer—both before the service and when distraction threatens—this is the best way to remove the disruption and return my focus to where it belongs: on God and my relationship with him.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags church services, music, prayer, sermon

Visiting Churches

Unplanned and Spontaneous: Church #70

Post author By Admin
Post date May 4, 2023

An unplanned and spontaneous church meeting.

I once stumbled upon a group of Young Quakers online. Their faith, passion for community, and desire to make a difference in their world drew me in. I was intrigued and curious, but they had no gathering close by, so I searched for similar meetings in my area.

The More Than 52 Churches Workbook: Pursue Christian Community and Grow in Our Faith

Consider these three discussion questions about Church 70.

1. Casting a wider net for Quakers in general, I found a meeting nearby. They get together the first, third, and fifth Sundays of each month.

How open are we to not go to church every week?

2. Another interesting difference is they have no minister. With no clergy to lead them, everyone can participate in an egalitarian manner.

How well would we function in a leaderless faith community as true equals?

3. According to their website, their meetings are unplanned and spontaneous. I suspect they spend a lot of time listening to the Holy Spirit, reacting as appropriate.

How open are we to listen to the Holy Spirit?

Be willing to consider an unplanned and spontaneous church service.

[Read about Church 70 or start at the beginning of our journey.]

Get your copy of More Than 52 Churches today, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags The More Than 52 Churches Workbook