As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“It was announced on Sunday, July 13, that John MacArthur, 86, pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church (GCC) in Sun Valley, California, has contracted pneumonia and is expected to be in the presence of Jesus soon.” - C.Leaders
“When a local congregation creates a culture of church entertainment in an attempt to build a congregation, it will only be a matter of time before they begin to experience the negative consequences that emphasis will bring. Call it entertainment fatigue.” - C.Leaders
“God desires music to be sung in an intelligible and a distinct manner, enabled by His Spirit so that both the text and music can be understood for the intended response (1 Corinthians 14:15).” - P&D
Reposted from March, 2013.
Gathering with the Lord’s church to remember Christ and His work is a vital part of Christian worship and an edifying exercise for both the corporate body and the individual Christian. Yet, Scripture protects the Lord’s Table in 1 Corinthians 11:27, where we are warned not to partake “unworthily” (KJV) or “in an unworthy manner” (ESV). That’s important—so important that people can suffer illness or even death for doing it (v. 30). But what does it mean?
“According to a Lifeway Research study of U.S. Protestant pastors, almost 3 in 4 say their congregation collects physical offerings by passing something around at the worship service.” - Lifeway
“Although it was rarely enforced, bad faith actors have used the Johnson Amendment as a tool to intimidate churches into remaining silent on a whole host of biblically informed electoral issues—not just specific candidates” - Baptist Press
“According to research from Barna in 2024, U.S. pastors have varying levels of comfort with using AI based on the task: graphic design (88 percent), marketing (78 percent), communication (58 percent), sermon research (43 percent), creating study materials (39 percent), and sermon writing (12 percent), among other tasks.” - TGC
Like a diamond, the gospel glistens with a myriad of facets. The good news of salvation through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) not only saves from hell but also delivers from the power of sin in daily life (Romans 6:1-8:14). What’s more, the gospel is our hope for the future when salvation is complete. When Jesus returns, all who trust in Him alone for salvation become like Him, sinless forever (Romans 8:29-30). The depth and wonder of the gospel takes centuries to explore and fills entire libraries.
“A lawsuit filed in California state court accuses the church of violating a former member’s privacy and inflicting emotional harm.” - RNS
“While few public examples exist of the actual enforcement of these rules over the years by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), churches and church leaders still should understand the prohibitions and limitations, including any potential tax consequences triggered by them.” - C.Leaders
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