As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“Should it pass, this motion would make clear that our ministers are free to perform the wedding of same-sex couples at our church in the same way we do couples of different sex. … First Baptist Church of Christ is part of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.” Telegraph
Read Part 1.
Why did God choose to use preaching and teaching in the life of the church? Having given us the Scriptures, why did He not simply command us to read them together? After all, the only words uttered in a church gathering that are guaranteed to be perfect every time are those read straight from Holy Writ.
The answer has multiple parts. For one, preaching and teaching ministry is—like all other ministries in the church—an opportunity to be part of what God is doing among His people. For another, the ministry of the Word communicates what is written through the vehicle of a person and a life. He is speaking in the context of that life and also in the context of his relationship to his hearers.
But one huge reason we preach and teach rather than simply read Scripture is application. God’s people are edified by the connections we teachers help them make between what is written and the choices they face in life every day.
“Coral Ridge broadcaster is first Christian group to take Southern Poverty Law Center to court over ‘anti-LGBT’ label.” CToday
A Sermon (No. 2330) Intended for Reading on Lord’s-Day, October 15th, 1893.
Delivered by C.H. Spurgeon, at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington on Thursday Evening, August 29th, 1889.
When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.—Acts 1:6-8.
“This is a Twitter service, where the congregation is encouraged to tweet about the liturgy and share their prayers online.” NPR
I was thinking of posting this in the thread about volunteering, since others had posted about the number of services a church has, but i decided a new thread would be better. When I was growing up, I attended four services each Sunday. We had Sunday School, then the morning service, and at 6 pm, we had Training Union, followed by the evening service at 7. We used Minnesota Baptist Association materials for Sunday School, and there was some sort of “eager beaver” character in the Training Union material.
“From the late 1980s, many churches made the decision to run like businesses and now, in a surprising twist, businesses in 2017 are running like churches.” CToday
Discussion