I’ve read books about emergent churches, but I’ve never been to one. At this church, the church leaders want to serve this underserved neighborhood: the poorest and least safe, crime-laden and hopeless. Consider these four discussion questions about Church 54. 1. They meet at 5:30 p.m. The plan is to share a meal, offer a […]
Contrary to the Law of Moses King David Reassigns the Duties of the Levites In the book of Numbers, Moses details the assignments and responsibilities of the tribe of Levi, mentioning them over fifty times. Though the priests, descendants of Aaron, are from this tribe, the rest of the Levites have God-assigned responsibilities too. Chief […]
Someone once quipped, “There are more books about emergent churches than there are emergent churches.” That seems like hyperbole, but my experience confirms it. I’ve read several books about the emergent church, but I’ve never actually been to one. Tonight’s experience may change that, but I’m not sure. My wife, Candy, and I have an […]
As a reference, I share attending our home church on Easter Sunday. This marks the end of 52 Churches and the start of More Than 52 Churches. Though I strive to remain objective in visiting churches, our home church forms the lens I look through. Consider these seven discussion questions about Church #53. 1. I […]
Discover How to Reframe Worship from a Biblical Perspective What do you think of when you hear the word worship? How do we worship God? What does worshiping our Lord mean? Worship Service Many churches refer to their Sunday morning meeting time as “worship” or “worship service.” This is how they list it on their […]
Consider How We Honor and Worship God The first five books of the Bible talk a lot about God’s expectations of his people, about what God desires. He gives Moses his laws to guide them in right behavior, both what they’re supposed to do and what they’re to avoid. The Bible also discusses—sometimes in excruciating […]
In Jesus We Are the Same Paul writes that when we follow Jesus there’s no real difference between being Jewish or Greek, slave or free, male or female, circumcised, uncircumcised, barbarian, or uncivilized (Colossians 3:11). He’s advocating Christian unity. Stop to think about this, to really contemplate the ramifications. He tells us to break down […]
Make Spending Time with the Almighty a Priority God deserves our best, not whatever’s left over at the end of the day—if anything. This may be why he told the Israelites to give to him their first fruits, the first of their harvest (Exodus 23:16). That’s why we should start each day with God, with […]
We Must Examine Our Church Meetings to Make Sure They Are Truly Beneficial In Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, he talks about worshiping God and then he talks about celebrating the Lord’s Supper. In between these two topics he slips in a condemning one-liner. He says that their meetings are more likely […]
Walking in our Parents’ Footsteps The books of 1 and 2 Kings are filled with the accounts of many rulers who reigned over the nations of Israel and Judah. Most of them were bad kings, with varying degrees of disobedience to God’s laws and exhibiting evil. A few, however, were good rulers, mostly following God […]