Why We Need to Stop Telling People They’re Commanded to Give
If God doesn’t want Christians giving out of compulsion, then we should probably stop telling people they should give because they are commanded to give. That shouldn’t be the reason anyone gives. No one should be made to feel like putting money in the collection plate is their duty to fulfill whether they want to or not.
6 Members Who Build Up the Church
- The member who attends.
- The member who encourages.
- The member who confronts without indulging gossip.
- The member who prays.
- The member who serves.
- The member who shows patience.
My son, the harvest was you! In that dry and barren place where you thought no life could be produced from the ground, in that place, you were my garden of delight. Your life produced an aroma that still fills the courts of my dwelling place. Your faithfulness in the midst of barrenness brought an abundance that cannot be contained in the storehouses you build, an abundance that has spilled over into the songs of generations of farmers who have gone before you.
Where Does Evangelism Fit on Sunday Morning?
- Our language must be understandable.
- The worship service must be understandable.
- You must be appropriately transparent.
- Assume nonbeliever participation.
- Present Word and deed clearly.
John Wesley’s Rules for Singing
- Learn these tunes before you learn any others; afterwards learn as many as you please.
- Sing them exactly as they are printed here, without altering or mending them at all.
- Sing all.
- Sing lustily and with a good courage.
- Sing modestly.
- Sing in tune.
- Above all sing spiritually.
Preaching is Worship, Not Performance
So, let’s fix our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, and boldly declare the good news. Tell your audience—whether it’s two or 2,000—of the joy that led Jesus to endure the cross, despising its shame, and sit down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Pastor, Don’t Imply That Church Is Optional
But I wonder if, in the decades that followed, the truth that going to church doesn’t make you a Christian morphed into a different idea—that being a Christian doesn’t necessarily include going to church. I wonder if people started thinking that personal, individual faith in Jesus is the only important thing, and if the church can help with that, fine, but if not, that’s fine, too. Here’s where the problem shows up. The idea that belonging to a church is an optional add-on to one’s Christian life is far from the biblical picture. The idea of an unchurched Christian wouldn’t have made sense to the writers of the New Testament.
Marriage and Cohabitation in the U.S.
As more U.S. adults are delaying marriage – or forgoing it altogether – the share who have ever lived with an unmarried partner has been on the rise. Amid these changes, most Americans find cohabitation acceptable, even for couples who don’t plan to get married, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Even so, a narrow majority says society is better off if couples in long-term relationships eventually get married.
Senior dorm: college students move into assisted living home
Senior Living at Watkins, as it’s officially known, is not actually a nursing home. The residence, operated by Winona Health, offers assisted living in modern housing attached to a century-old mansion. Yet, within those walls, old and new, seniors (the white-haired variety) now share space with seniors (the college variety.)
Canadian man told his curb, damaged 26 years ago, to be repaired in 2037
Calvin Hawley reported damage done to the curb outside his home by a snow removal machine in 1993. Years of calls and complaints went unanswered until the city finally gave him a target date for the repairs: June 26, 2037.