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Visiting Churches

Enthusiastic Faith (Visiting Church #30)

As people drift in, excitement mounts. Anticipation surrounds us. The church seats about 150, with perhaps seventy present, although their milling about makes it seem fuller.

Most of the men wear coats and ties, with most women in dresses. All age groups are present.

A choir opens the service, singing with enthusiasm. We sing old-time hymns with piano accompaniment. They sing with vigor and draw me in. Our collective volume makes our number seem larger.

These folks certainly enjoy their hymns, singing with more gusto than I can ever recall.

52 Churches: A Yearlong Journey Encountering God, His Church, and Our Common Faith

We stand for the scripture and read it in unison. My wife scrambles for the lone pew Bible in our row so we can follow along using their King James Version. We read Hebrews 12:12-17 about bitterness.

The minister likens the root of bitterness to the tenacity of a yucca plant, for which he has great disdain. He’s a gifted speaker, dynamic and entertaining.

He shares four characteristics of bitterness and concludes with steps to rid ourselves of this destructive trait, ending with Paul’s instruction to forgive one another (Ephesians 4:31-32).

He leaves us with the parting reminder that “forgiveness removes transgression, but doesn’t automatically restore fellowship.”

When the service ends, people shake our hands and invite us back.

Each time, I simply respond with “thank you.” To me this means, “I hear you and appreciate the invitation” without making a promise I won’t keep. But I’m not sure what they hear when I say it.

Today we heard a powerful message, one the best in the past thirty weeks.

We worshiped God with people who are passionate about singing to him and who enjoy each other’s company. They sure are enthusiastic about their faith.

[Read about Church #29 and Church #31, start at the beginning of our journey, or learn more about Church #30.]

My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, 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.

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

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Christian Living

Is Our Faith About Talk or About Power?

The Kingdom of God Is About Power, Not Words

When Paul writes to his friends in the city of Corinth, he encourages them to change their behavior. In the middle of this, he slips in a curious line about the kingdom of God.

He says that God’s kingdom isn’t about talk but about power (1 Corinthians 4:20).

Jesus Showed the Power of the Kingdom of God

Jesus ushered in the kingdom of God. The Bible records some of the things he talked about, but more importantly it talks about things he did.

With God’s power he healed people and perform miracles. He exorcised demons and supernaturally fed thousands.

After demonstrating the power of the kingdom of God, then he talked. After seeing God’s power, the people were willing to listen.

The Early Church Moved in God’s Kingdom Power

In the book of Acts, we frequently see the power of God’s kingdom through the work of Jesus’s followers. They heal people, raise the dead, and cast out evil spirits. Usually this precedes them talking about Jesus.

Only after people see God’s supernatural power are their ears open to hear more about him.

Where Is God’s Kingdom Power Today?

Yet today many of Jesus’s followers don’t move in the power of the kingdom of God. They resort to words. They talk about it, but they don’t demonstrate its power. Is it any wonder that few people bother to listen to their message?

Our church services, at least most of them, are about words. But we don’t see much of God’s power when we go to church on Sunday. Yes, some churches are an exception, but too many have pushed aside the power of God and resort to mere talk.

Our sermons, which often comprise most of a church service are words.

For those of us on the inside, who follow Jesus, these words tickle our ears, fill us with knowledge, or give us something to chuckle about, but they do little to demonstrate what the kingdom of God is truly about. It’s about power.

We need to reclaim the power of the kingdom of God. Then, the world who needs to know Jesus and experience the kingdom of God will be ready to hear what we have to say.

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.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

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Christian Living

Why Do We Listen to a Sunday Sermon at Church Each Week?

The Bible Offers Little Support for a Minister to Preach a Sermon to Us at Church

Many changes occurred in church practices because of the Protestant Reformation some 500 years ago. One of those changes adjusted the emphasis of the Sunday service.

The reformers had concern over the focus of Sunday gatherings being on the altar and the celebration of the Eucharist. They intentionally shifted the focus away from that and to the sermon. I understand why they did it, but I think they were wrong.

When Jesus said, “do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19, NIV), he provided the basis for us to celebrate communion.

This gives biblical support for us to periodically observe the Lord’s Supper as part of our gatherings, be it on Sundays or at other times.

However, I don’t see any biblical command to have a paid minister preach a sermon to a local congregation each Sunday. In fact, I see little biblical support for this. Here’s what I do see in the Bible:

Preach to Those Outside the Church

Jesus told his followers to go around and tell others about him. He said to “preach the Gospel” (Mark 16:15, NIV).

Here’s a direct command from Jesus to preach, but the setting isn’t inside the church walls, it’s outside the confines of the church, in the real world.

Although this gives a command to preach, we miss the point. The teaching Jesus talks about isn’t to those who are already on his team, it’s to those who aren’t.

Teach New Converts

In Acts we see the apostles holding regular classes to teach about what it means to follow Jesus (Acts 2:42). Since back then almost everyone was new to the faith, think of this as a new members class.

Note that this is an example of what the church did, not a command to do it.

This teaching is optional, but if we do it the focus is likely on new converts.

Give Updates

Another example in the New Testament of people speaking to local congregations is when traveling missionaries or church delegations visited local churches.

They spoke to the people to update them on what was happening elsewhere and to share stories of God at work.

The purpose of these talks seems to be to offer status reports and provide encouragement. Again we see this as an example of what the early church did, but there’s no command for us to do likewise.

In these three scenarios we see people speaking either in the church or outside it. But nowhere do we see a command for clergy to preach to a local congregation in church each Sunday. So why, then, do we have a weekly sermon?

What should we do differently?

Paul answers this in his letter to the church in Corinth. He says when we gather together each person should be ready to share a song, teaching, revelation, tongue, or interpretation. The purpose of this is to build up the church (1 Corinthians 14:26).

Paul’s instruction, his command, is that the people in the church should minister to one another, not have paid clergy preach them a sermon.

With such little biblical support to have a professional minister deliver a sermon on Sunday mornings, maybe it’s time for us to abandon the practice.

Instead let us begin ministering to one another as the Bible instructs.

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.

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

Categories
Visiting Churches

Do We Need to Listen to a Lecture Each Sunday at Church?

Can You Have a Church Service Without Hearing a Preacher Speak?

My wife and I recently visited a church. Though we didn’t know it before we walked in, their service would be different that week. There was no sermon.

The church used the normal sermon time to talk about the missionaries their church supported.

They explained each missionary’s focus and updated us on their status. They shared the joys and concerns of their missionaries.

52 Churches: A Yearlong Journey Encountering God, His Church, and Our Common Faith

People on the mission’s committee prayed. Then the service ended. The lead pastor didn’t say a word.

Several people apologized for there being no sermon and invited us back to hear their minister speak.

I shook my head. “Don’t apologize. This was better than a sermon.”

But they didn’t get it.

From my perspective it was a profound, meaningful service. We need more like this.

As I understand it, the Reformation removed the communion table (The Lord’s Supper, Holy Communion, the Eucharist) as the focus of the Sunday service and replaced it with the sermon.

I get why they did it, but it was a mistake – a grave one.

Frankly I see more biblical support for celebrating communion every Sunday than I do for giving a lecture (that is, delivering a sermon) as part of our Sunday meetings.

Though the New Testament does talk about giving messages to local congregations, I think it is always a traveling missionary who speaks on his way through town.

I don’t recall an instance in the New Testament where a local pastor (an elder) gives a talk every Sunday.

I can’t remember any commands to preach a sermon to the believers during each weekly meeting.

Yet we view sermons today with the conviction that it must happen. We select ministers for their public speaking ability. And we expect to listen to a lecture each Sunday as we sit passively in our pews.

Most people feel cheated if they go to church and don’t hear a sermon. Never mind that few can remember it by the time they reach home.

This fixation on the sermon is wrong.

Though instruction has its place, teaching doesn’t facilitate community. It doesn’t allow us to minister to one another (as we should), and it doesn’t serve the world around us (as we ought).

While listening to an overly educated person detail the minutia of scripture every week may have intellectual appeal, it does little in a practical sense to deepen our community and advance our faith in action.

Let us dare to envision a church service without a sermon. Let us reimagine our weekly gatherings as a place to foster spiritual community and promote the love of Jesus to those outside the church.

It starts when we kill the sermon. Will you dare to do it?

My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, 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.

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

Categories
Christian Living

How to Work Out Your Salvation

Don’t Work to Earn Your Salvation

Now, back to my original thought from last week: The teaching pastor at the church I attend is good at what he does. He communicates effectively, digs deep into the biblical text, and provides new information. He prepares well, and it shows.

His passage was Philippians 2:12-13 where Paul tells the church in Philippi to “work out your salvation.” It’s a challenging text.

You’ve got to work out what God works in,” he says by way of introduction. He talks about grace, integrity, accountability, and obedience.

As he speaks, another person comes up front and begins kneading some dough to make bread. He talks; she kneads. The dough takes shape, beginning to resemble a loaf.

“Before she started, all the ingredients were there,” he says. “But she had to work with them to make it become all that it could be.” Of course he was more elegant than my simple paraphrase in my notes.

The point is that from now on, every time I read the command to “work out your salvation,” I’ll recall the visual of my friend kneading bread, working it out to produce something good. And I will remember what that verse means.

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.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

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.

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Christian Living

Do You Remember the Last Sermon You Heard?

I’ve heard several thousand sermons in my life. I can remember parts from about six of them. Not the whole thing, just parts. Seldom does the recollection of one message even make it to the next Sunday.

More likely I’ve forgotten it by the time I make it home—or even to the parking lot. That’s bad news for preachers.

I remember someone once asking, “What has God been teaching you lately?”

“Well,” I reply, “I heard a really great sermon on Sunday.”

“Cool! What was it about?”

I’m silent for a while. “Gee, I can’t remember—but I know it was good.”

I guess that’s why preachers often review last week’s sermon before they launch into a new one.

Some sermons are long and others are short. Some are shallow and others, deep. Some contain clever sound bites and others spew dry theology. Some preachers are accomplished communicators and others have trouble stringing two coherent thoughts together.

Their common trait is that the words are largely forgettable. Though I can usually walk out of church with one key thought, it is fleeting. I don’t gain new knowledge, no lasting change occurs, I don’t connect with God in a deeper way.

Even though the sermon is the focus at most all Protestant churches, it falls short of significance most every week—at least for me. That’s why I don’t go to church to hear the sermon or even for the music.

I go for the community. That’s why I’m going today.

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.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

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.

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Christian Living

I’m Glad I Missed the Sermon

Last Sunday I only made it halfway through the church service. I completely missed the sermon—and it was the best church experience I’ve had in a long, long time.

That’s not to imply I didn’t like the speaker (I do) or that his words lacked substance (my bride gave me a recap, so I know it was good), it’s just that I ended up doing something far better.

Unplanned and unexpected, I spent that time in our church’s prayer room.

I sat with a stranger as she cried incoherent tears, then listening while she shared her anguish, and finally praying for her and giving her a father’s blessing—one she will not likely receive from her own dad but deeply desires to hear.

The service ended, but our time together didn’t. As most people left, we remained. Thirty minutes after the scheduled end to the official church service, we finally stood to leave, my heart breaking for her, but not nearly as much as our heavenly father’s.

I’m neither counselor or clergy. I lack the training to handle things like this. I had no idea what to do, but the Holy Spirit set all this in motion and then whispered instructions each step of the way.

His directions didn’t arrive all at once, but one at a time.

Listen, do, and then wait for his next prompt to arrive—at just the right time.

I wonder how often we miss the best church can offer because we’re content to receive something good. Bound by schedule and status quo, we place song and sermon above hurting people who need someone to listen and pray.

I helped someone last Sunday—and that’s what church should be.

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.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

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.

Categories
Visiting Churches

Why is Community Important at Church?

For the past 19 weeks, my bride and I have been visiting different churches to expand our understanding of how others worship and understand God.

We call this initiative “52 Churches” and I blog about the experience each Monday morning.

52 Churches: A Yearlong Journey Encountering God, His Church, and Our Common Faith

However, friends frequently ask for more: “What are you learning,” “Is your journey changing,” or “Have you found any churches you want to revisit?” The short answers are

  1. We’re learning a great deal,
  2. the vision for our sojourn is unchanged, and
  3. there are several churches we’d like to revisit.

A key realization at this point is that it’s not about the teaching or the music; it’s about the community.

We’ve heard messages from gifted speakers and not so gifted. We’ve been taught by the formally trained and the self-trained. We’ve been presented with deep thoughts and entertaining anecdotes.

In all cases, we’ve received a worthwhile word from God. I suspect as long as we’re open to hear and expectantly pray for that to happen, it will.

Similarly, we’ve sung traditional hymns, contemporary songs, and modern praise choruses. We’ve been led by accomplished vocalists and struggling crooners.

There have been worship bands, pipe organs, and pianos, accompaniment tracks, and even a capella.

In all cases, as long as we’re willing to focus on the words, God is there.

Message and music, I’m sad to report, are not important.

The big variable is the community. Community is that time of interaction with others (aside from that awkward official greeting time). This is when connections are made and God is shared.

God seems more present in these informal interactions before and after the service than in the planned and carefully prepped moments during the service.

In a few churches, there is no community. People come, people sit, and people leave, with nary a word exchanged.

Fortunately, most churches have community and some excel at it. These are the churches I want to return to; these are the experiences that excite me; these are the moments when God is most powerfully present.

Community is church at its best.

My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, 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.

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