Introduction
How many times have you heard someone say, ‘I’m going to church!’ Seems to me that many people, especially some Christians, have lost the meaning of who and what the ‘church’ is, which is really sad.
It’s also sad that many Christians believe they can remain a part of the church no matter how they live and conduct themselves and they come to the conclusion that the church doesn’t have any right to discipline them.
The bringing together of God’s people into one institution called the church was in the eternal purpose of God.
Through these people which the Holy Spirit chose to call the church, God would reveal His great scheme of redemption to the entire world. What Is The Church?
In a world where there are many who would wish to say ‘yes’ to Jesus but ‘no’ to the church, we ask the question what is God’s view of the church.
Anachronism or answer to man’s needs, addendum or essential aspect of the eternal plan of God. Salvation And The Church
Many people won’t or fail to acknowledge that there are actually terms and conditions based upon our relationship with Christ today.
Just like Balaam in the Old Testament, they come to the conclusion that a Christian can never lose their salvation. Can Christians Lose Their Salvation
There are numerous reasons why people leave the ‘church’, some don’t like the preacher, some don’t like the décor, some don’t like the hymn books, although some may seem to have legitimate reasons. Ultimately when you get down to the crux of the matter, if those people who do leave are honest with themselves, they will see that most of the time, it comes down to their choice. Some Reasons Why Christians Leave The Church!
Church Organisation
Since Christ who is the only head of the church, and is seated at the right hand of the Father, we may conclude that the headquarters of His church is with Him in heaven.
The organisation of His church should always be in line with what the Scriptures teach. Church Organisation And Work
The Bible teaching about the nature of Christian leadership is unique and valuable. There is a part in which God selects, calls, and equips His chosen leaders. There is also the practical side where people can learn specific leadership skills. but unlike what we see happening in many religious groups today, there are qualifications which must be met! Elders And Deacons
In Christianity today, it seems that anyone who preaches or teaches is now classed as a ‘pastor’, even though they don’t have the qualifications to be a pastor. And let me say this too, in light of our topic, the Bible knows no such thing as a women pastor, if you look at the qualifications to become a pastor/elder, we see that an elder, needs to be male. Women Pastors
The word ‘deacon’ in Greek is the word ‘diakonos’ and it simply means, a servant and it can be translated as servant, minister, deacon, or waiter.
The word deacon is used in a special way and a general way. Deaconesses
When you hear the word, ‘evangelist’, some of you think of a guy a shiny coat, big bushy hair, carries a 10-pound Bible and talks like every word weighs 50 pounds. Others may think of them as someone who does nothing but point his fingers at you and tells you everything that needs to be fixed in your life. The Evangelist
It is said that Jesus, ‘Came to seek and save that which was lost’. Luke 19:20. Before we can teach, we must first seek. This should be a mind-set, a part of our thinking. We should be constantly looking, observing, seeking out people that we can teach. We must go to them, since few will ever be coming to us. Thus, we must become seekers because we don’t seek, we eliminate abundant opportunities to reach the lost. Evangelism
Every relationship in life involves benefits and responsibilities. Living in an earthly family means that we enjoy certain benefits of care, love and protection.
But it also involves responsibilities of care and love also. Membership Matters
If the Christian life were the easiest that there is, men would flock to the banner of the cross by the millions, but it isn’t. Yet, the Christian journey is filled with joys which more than compensate for all of our self-denial. Still, we should be fully aware of the duties which must be performed if we are to be saved. We would be ingrates indeed if we refused to bear the responsibilities God has given us while accepting his divine blessings. Our Christian Responsibilities
The Bible explains why women are to keep silent and why they are not permitted to speak in the worship of the church. It was because ‘Adam was formed first, then Eve.’ God could have created woman first or He could have created the man and woman simultaneously. But God’s creation of the man first was to show the authority of the man and the submission of the woman. This is the way God has specified that it will be. The Role Of Women In The Church
Church Unity
In our state of religious confusion, the nature of the church mentioned in the New Testament is apt to be obscured. In this lesson we shall work to discover what the primitive church was like. Our concern is not with present day denominations, but with the divine body described in the Bible. Church Unity
It’s never easy settling disputes between Christians, usually pride and self-righteousness or the pain of being hurt gets in the way but here Jesus reminds us of the consequences of harbouring sinful attitudes towards each other. Church unity is paramount to Jesus and should be for all Christians. A Brother Or Sister Who Remembers That Someone Has Something Against Them!
Unity between believers has always been paramount in Jesus’ teachings, because it speaks so much about our own relationship with God Himself, in terms of obedience to Him. The way we act not only with outsiders but also with our brethren should reflect the love of God and the unity we have with each other and Him.
As Christians we must deal with situations the way Jesus asks us to, how else will the world know we are different from them? A Brother Or Sister Who Sins Against You
I don’t believe there’s a Christian anywhere in the world who doesn’t struggle with sin from time to time. Yes, we’ve all sinned, but I don’t think that Christians deliberately go out of their way to sin.
But what happens when we do sin? Are we to publicly confess our sins? Are we to confess our sins to each other? Should Christians Confess Their Sins To each Other?
Church Discipline
Church discipline is one of those topics which isn’t spoken about or even taught very often within churches, simply because either people don’t understand the reason for it, or don’t know how to enforce it but in most cases church discipline is mainly neglected and not practiced because the leaders feel they don’t want to confront anyone and upset the flock. This sadly is the downfall of many a congregation. Church Discipline
Worship
The purpose of our worship is to glorify honour, praise, exalt, and please God. Our worship must show our adoration and loyalty to God for His grace in providing us with the way to escape the bondage of sin, so we can have the salvation He so much wants to give us. The nature of the worship God demands is the prostration of our souls before Him in humble and contrite submission. The Purpose Of Our Worship
Man is a worshipful creature. He has an innate desire to pay homage to a higher power.
Yet, without knowledge of the one true God and the worship desired by that God, his worship will not be accepted. We must remember that worship is all about God. Worship
If we believe can fully obey the commands to continually love, serve, be kind, have fellowship, offer hospitality, confess our sins and pray, carry one another’s burdens, encourage, rejoice and mourn with one another, ‘ONLY’ on the Lord’s Day, maybe we need to think again! Are Christians Commanded To Come Together ‘Outside’ Of Worship?
The Jews worshipped on the Sabbath, or seventh day. Since it was easy to get a crowd to which he might speak, we find Paul teaching these non-Christians on this day. However, when the church assembled for the purpose of worship it was on the first day, not the seventh, that they met. The Church, Its Worship And Finances
The way the church receives and uses its finances are really important to God and should be important to Christians too. It’s sad today that many religious groups abuse God’s command to give to line their own pockets.
In this page we will be answering the questions, what do the Scriptures teach about giving? Is the Old Testament practice of tithing still required of Christians today? Can the ‘church’s finances’ be used to help non-Christians? Should the church pay for a ‘full-time worker’? Is gambling sinful? Money Matters
Is it a time of celebration or mourning? Well, possibly both, it saddens us when we remember what we did to cause Jesus to have to go to the cross but it’s also a time of celebration because Jesus has conquered death and dealt with our sins and promises to come back again, whilst we remember what He did for us. Should we use one cup or many? is the Supper a common meal? The Lord’s Supper
When it comes to worshipping our God, many people choose their worship based upon something that sounds or looks good, rather than something that teaches the truth. Now we must remember that worship isn’t about making us feel good or for our benefit but our worship is supposed to bring glory to God. Singing
Now unlike us today who don’t live in Corinth or were around during this time, we can safely know that the people in Corinth knew exactly what Paul was talking about, as far as this ‘practice’ was concerned.
At the same time, Paul makes it clear that there are some clear principles that are involved which are unchanged regarding the Christian being pleasing to the will of God. Women And The Head Covering!
In the Corinthians church we see a picture of people singing solos, speaking tongues, prophesying, and women speaking up and preaching all at the same time, this was an ultra-liberal church. Paul admonishes the women to ‘keep silent in the churches’ in the same context that he told the tongue speaker and prophet.
Their silence was in relation to teaching out of turn for order’s sake. The women, however, had zero time for preaching, exhorting, consolation, and edification to the assembly of saints and thus Paul commands total silence in this area. Should Women Be ‘Silent’ In Church?