Immanuel means ‘God with us.’ And not in the sense that God just showed up or arrived on the scene. A thousand times no. In spite of the fact it changed everything, the birth of Jesus didn’t technically create a new reality for God or us; rather, it was simply and...
A strong inward focus in many churches creates a security blanket from a frightening world. Seems many prefer security over being salt, light, and leaven in the world. I think this reality grieves the heart of God and warms the hearts of many members of secure churches.
The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.
My biggest problem with the focus in Christianity on getting people saved for the afterlife is how often it results in arrested development. It falls prey to the same mistake Adam and Eve made: assuming we can skip the hard work of growing up and just go straight to...
We believe that in a world of political, economic, and personal disintegrations, music is not a luxury but a necessity…because it is the persistent focus of intelligence, aspiration and good will.
Since Christ is the central figure of the new covenant, he is also the central focus of all authentic Christian worship. Christ is both the one whom we worship and the one through whom we worship, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ is also the one whom we...
Worship often includes words and actions, but it goes beyond them to the FOCUS of the mind and heart. Worship is the God-centered focus and response of the inner man; it is being preoccupied with God. So no matter what you are saying or singing or doing at any moment,...
Since worship is focusing on and responding to God, regardless of what else we are doing we are not worshiping if we are not thinking about God. You may be listening to a sermon, but without thinking of how God’s truth applies to your life and affects your...
If believers worship with gladness and passion, anyone not yet a part of the community certainly will be attracted to the One who is the object of their worship. But to focus the worship on evangelistic introduction deprives believers of deeper nurturing toward Church...
Serving is the opposite of our natural inclination. Most of the time we’re more interested in “serve us” than service. We say, “I’m looking for a church that meets my needs and blesses me,” not “I’m looking for a place to serve and be a blessing.” We expect others to...