Tune and Prepare!

F   or two millennia a battle has raged for the soul of the church. And still the conflict rages. It is the contest between: The life of God, as he moves unpredictably and powerfully saving and transforming lives and creating Spirit-filled communities, and... The desire of man, to own, control and contain the work of God through traditions, programs and human authority structures. From from Duncan Kellard's book: "Grassroots Christianity" Grassroots...

{A Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon} In this powerful sermon on the nature of the church, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones examines what truly constitutes the church according to New Testament teaching. He argues that the church is not merely a confession of faith on paper, but a living gathering of people who have been separated from the world and united together in Christ. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that the church is made up of those who have undergone a radical spiritual transformation - experiencing conviction of sin, repentance, and new birth in Christ. This shared spiritual life creates an organic unity among believers that transcends all other earthly distinctions. ... He warns against dead orthodoxy and urges his listeners to examine whether they truly possess the life of God within. He highlights how the early church was characterized by a love for sound doctrine, genuine fellowship, joyful worship, and Spirit-empowered witness. ... This sermon challenges listene...

..and their restoration This article is part of the "Vitalize" pack Pre Protestantism have seen many changes, variations, (and ramifications) since Martin Luther. Even in the early days, Calvin himself modified (theologically developed) Luther's original prophetic vision. Meanwhile, the ever-ubiquitous Catholic culture continues to "keep pace with the world" and with its needs in various human activities. I think We, faithful folks are not to be like them... We can see many strong, portfolio building trend: "come as you are" we hear "and do not change for the purse sake!" is the reason why. The result? Growth-centered mindset and technique, aiming quantity at the expense of quality. We have seen this before and although we repeat the warnings, this is a thriving practice for the sake of the church budget. The Portfolians are on the threshold, brothers! New strength and vitality In the following note, I would like to highligh...

"Catholicism" in the Protestantism pre When we talk about the "Catholic person" we should see the original definition which refers to a diverse spirituality, not some religious tradition and trend contrary to Protestantism but the attitude of a person, based on his culture, family and community. Definition of the Catholic Catholicism is a rich and diverse reality... The word Catholic is derived from the Greek adjective, katholikos , meaning "universal," and from the adverbial phrase, kath' holou, meaning "on the whole." The term was first used by St. Ignatius of Antioch (d.c. 107) in his Letter to the Smyrneans.. Ever since the Reformation, the word has commonly been used in opposition to Protestant, but its real opposite is sectarian, which pertains to a part of the Church that has separated itself off from the worldwide Church.. {Catholicism. ©1994 by HarperCollins Publishers.} From the non-religious, Bible centered sta...

­thoughts of József Farkas We started from the premise that Jesus was heretic — heretical in a different way! He thinks differently, acts differently than the world around him.  And, there is something more about this “otherness”. Something about salvation.  Even in this great and beautiful cause, Jesus was different from his early theologians, believers. The public perception was that " the man has fallen, guilty: worthy of judgment, of death, of condemnation !" And some help must be given to one's sins, that the one can be forgiven. Salvation is to somehow settle the matter, a person's sin case. Jesus was far more radical in this respect than the others. Because others have said that 'man has sins and has good qualities. For example, religiosity is the opposite of sin. It is in religiosity that the case of sin can be settled. When one prays, murmurs the Torah to himself, he is in a state of salvation, unlike when ... and here, they listed their s...

­ Foreword   The church that changes the world. . . will not look impressive. It will not possess great buildings, nor its leaders hold high social standing. It will shun wealth and political acceptance, and run shy from the world of brands, image and sound bite.   The world-changing church, will be powerful in the things that matter, a simple dependence on the power of the gospel, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the authority of God’s Word; a people who love their God, love each other, and live salty lives as Christ’s disciples thus provoking both conversion and persecution. What was the New Testament experience? The Book of Acts records three striking examples of regional impact issuing from centers of numerical and spiritual strength. Jerusalem, Antioch and Ephesus. Jerusalem—The “Scatter Gun” example God allowed a wave of fierce persecution to scatter the believers, numbering probably between five and ten thousand, across the Roman Empire. It seems the me...

Foreword   The church that changes the world.. will not look impressive. It will not possess great buildings, nor its leaders hold high social standing. It will shun wealth and political acceptance, and run shy from the world of brands, image and sound bite.   The world-changing church, will be powerful in the things that matter, a simple dependence on the power of the gospel, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the authority of God’s Word; a people who love their God, love each other, and live salty lives as Christ’s disciples thus provoking both conversion and persecution. What does inspirational church life look like? What does a forest look like? What does a river look like? The point is that life is unique, every snowflake different and every human being distinct. So is every church that is born of God. ... Sadly, for many of us in church life, especially leaders, we are often looking for what “works” elsewhere so we can distil it, bottle it or...

­ Foreword  The church that changes the world. . . will not look impressive. It will not possess great buildings, nor its leaders hold high social standing. It will shun wealth and political acceptance, and run shy from the world of brands, image and sound bite.   The world-changing church, will be powerful in the things that matter, a simple dependence on the power of the gospel, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the authority of God’s Word; a people who love their God, love each other, and live salty lives as Christ’s disciples thus provoking both conversion and persecution. Recent Striking Example  In 1982 a Soviet backed communist coup took place in Ethiopia. Churches were “closed,” their meetings banned, their buildings confiscated and their senior leaders imprisoned.   At that time the Mesorite Church in the capital (Addis Ababa) numbered 5,000 members. Overnight it vanished. Unaware of each other, many tiny local groups began to gather inconspicuo...

Foreword   The church that changes the world. . . will not look impressive. It will not possess great buildings, nor its leaders hold high social standing. It will shun wealth and political acceptance, and run shy from the world of brands, image and sound bite. The world-changing church, will be powerful in the things that matter, a simple dependence on the power of the gospel, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the authority of God’s Word; a people who love their God, love each other, and live salty lives as Christ’s disciples thus provoking both conversion and persecution.  The Grassroots Understanding A minister was asked to look after another church for a few weeks at very short notice. He began his first talk “As I have had no opportunity to prepare for today, I shall have to speak only the words which God puts in my mouth” ; before adding “Next week I shall prepare something much better!” Oh Man! It was Groucho Marx who claimed to have sent a telegr...