Church Archives | Page 8 of 13

Does a long history give a church validity?

April 16, 2007 1 Comment

One of the most plausible arguments in favor of traditional churches like the Roman Catholic church is that they have a long history. They argue that they can trace their roots back right to the apostles. They argue that the bishops received special grace and authority from the original apostles. Before these bishops died, they ordained other bishops and so on. This process continued to the present day. It is argued that only those in this chain of succession have true authority in God’s church.

While these doctrine has a certain appeal, it is not directly taught in the Scriptures.

Does the Church Speak for God?

April 12, 2007 5 Comments

Some people believe that their church speaks for God – that if the church has spoken, God has spoken. Others reject organised religion totally and trust more in their own inner spirituality for guidance. How can we know what God is really saying? In this article I give my own perspective on some of the very important questions people must look at if they seek to find God’s will in the midst of the spiritual confusion that exists today.

Does the Church Speak for God?

By God, I mean the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth. If atheists are right, the question itself is foolish.

Praise and Worship

March 29, 2007 No Comments

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” (John 4:23)

God is seeking something. The Bible says in another place that the eyes of the Lord run over the earth, looking for someone whose heart is completely devoted to Him. God wants to work strongly in that man or woman’s life. And God is seeking worshipers. Are they so hard to find? Men and women everywhere are worshiping. There are billions of religious people on the earth.

Church Politics

March 10, 2007 10 Comments

By Church politics I mean the way church leaders relate to one another
and to others in exercising authority and determining the way things will
be done in church life. The term “church politics” often has a negative
connotation – however I am using the term in a broader sense. The policies
and ways of church leadership may be godly or they may be ungodly. The
way leadership is exercised is tremendously important to the Lord, so for
this reason I believe it is worth writing about this and opening up the
subject.

Identifying a True Church

March 10, 2007 No Comments

Church – What is it and who is true?

Jesus said he would build His church, and the gates of hell would not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). The true church is built on the revelation and acknowledgment that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus Himself is the foundation for the church. Paul the apostle was one of those through whom Christ built His church. In speaking about the church and the building of it, Paul said, “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus” (1 Corinthians 3:12).

Are you Hurting Inside?

March 10, 2007 No Comments

Advice for those hurt by ambitious and proud church leaders – by Randy Tan

Losing our Lives for the Gospel

March 10, 2007 No Comments

When he had called the people to Himself, with his disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”

“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” (Mark 8:34,35)

We can see here plainly enough that the recommendations of Jesus Christ fly in the face of everything that our natural instincts tell us.

For Christians Out of Church

March 9, 2007 2 Comments

I write this article (in May 2003) as a Christian of around 19 years experience in the Lord, who is currently very happy where God has placed me in the Body of Christ. I have a lot to be thankful for, but I am also aware of some trends which I think could at least be discussed in a forum like this.

The Limitations of Apologetics

March 8, 2007 No Comments

There are huge apologetics sites out there on the net. For example search for apologetics on Yahoo or google. Its a lot of hard work to patiently demolish the arguments and lies that have been built up over many years in people’s minds concerning Christianity and especially the core message of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately I don’t have enough time to write comprehensively on the subject – there’s enough work in this area to fill many lifetimes.

It is good though that you can get directly to the truth by calling upon the name of Jesus.