Read the series.

Biblical fellowship is a two-sided coin, or a two-edged sword, or a two-way street, or something. (The title of this post strongly implies that I don’t know anything at all about baseball.)

I’d like to close this series, and the larger metaseries about the means of grace, by noting that fellowship, our reciprocal care for one another in the body of Christ, is a comprehensive task that involves complex people. It’s not enough to just try to be positive and encouraging.

Biblical Encouragement

In the vicinity of Kokomo, Indiana, several former United Methodist churches are now “community churches” or members of the Global Methodists. We recently read of a number of Florida churches leaving the denomination.

So are these done? What percentage do current United Methodists retain compared to what they had a few years ago? Do you have an idea/projection as to where this is all going.

Some nondenominational fellowships were hoping to pick up some of these churches and add them to their group, but the longstanding Methodist tradition of ordaining woman has generally negated such hopes. Are the more conservative formerly UM churches still too liberal for many of us? Comment freely.

“The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a national hotline that provides 24/7, free, and confidential mental health support to anyone in need. Within the first year, 5 million contacts were responded to.” - Breakpoint

“A big team of book lovers puts in a lot of work behind the scenes. We receive nominations from publishers in 12 categories.” - TGC

“approximately 7,400 congregations have left the denomination since 2019 under the provisions of Paragraph 2553, including 192 churches in the Florida Conference.” - CPost

“It’s not easy to admit that the Inklings—Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and their friends who met weekly to share their writings—weren’t the perfect heroes revered in Christian homeschool guides.” - Mere Orthodoxy

“The majority of movers utilized in-person visits to churches (69%) and recommendations from family, friends, neighbors, and/or colleagues (54%) when looking for a new church….movers also use church websites (40%)” - Lifeway

Read Part 1 and Part 2.

Eternal Death

There is one more dimension of death that we must consider before we move on to address the nature and purpose of human death in the Bible. This is what theologians often refer to as “eternal death,” or to use the phrase employed by the apostle John in the book of Revelation, “the Second Death [ὁ δεύτερος θάνατος]” (2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8). This is the ultimate form of death—eternal separation from God and His blessings.

“Critics of Federal Vision…. claim that FV teachers, in arguing for a return to the Reformed tradition, have actually offered a return to Rome…. FV proponents have countered that they have simply been misunderstood and misinterpreted.” - DBTS Blog

“Republicans (71%), men (59%), adults 55 and older (63%) and White adults (61%) approve of Israel’s military actions in Gaza…. more than six in 10 Democrats (63%), adults younger than 35 (67%)… disapprove, as do the slight majority of women (52%).” - Gallup

“Our findings reveal that music is not merely a source of entertainment or aesthetic pleasure; it is also a powerful medium that reflects and shapes our moral sensibilities” - Phys.org

“seven years after he was fired from NewSpring Church in South Carolina for alcohol abuse and other ‘unfortunate choices and decisions,’ Perry Noble is thanking God for allowing him back into the megachurch space” - CPost

“a collection of essays written by leading scholars in the field of dispensational theology…. a festschrift in honor of Charles A. Hauser, Jr.” - Central Seminary

On a gushing Facebook post, a parent proudly proclaims with an abundance of heart emojis, “I love my kids to the moon and back!” Do you, really?

Scrolling through Facebook, I sometimes see a Christian friend whose wife does not look the same as I remember her, or else she has mysteriously disappeared from all of his pictures. I then realize that his old wife is gone. Divorce has struck another home! It breaks my heart to see so many marriages dissolving within the body of Christ.

At the end of the day, the adults will give an account to God for their choices. However, what bothers me the most is the blank, hurt looks on the faces of their children.

“If the gospel we preach isn’t about happiness, then it contradicts God’s words in Isaiah 52:7. The gospel offers an exchange of misery-generating sin for happiness-giving righteousness provided by Jesus Himself.” - Randy Alcorn

“A collection of essays by New Right thinkers has a lot to say about what is wrong with the ‘establishment Right’….their solutions ironically reflect a neglect of constitutional order that got us in our current state to begin with.” - Acton

“Why don’t my brothers who prefer the TR use the NKJV or MEV? And if they don’t like these options, why not create one that fits in that quadrant? [‘right’ text, easy words]” - Mark Ward

“Kepler’s work was motivated by his Christian faith. He believed that since God is rational, the universe must be as well. Because humans are made in God’s image, we can, as he said, ‘think God’s thoughts after Him.’” - Breakpoint

“The EEOC’s definition remained unchanged for 43 years – until this October when the agency proposed new enforcement guidance that raises concerns regarding religious liberty” - BPNews

Orthodox Christians have confessed throughout the centuries of church history that God exists eternally in three co-equal Persons—each possessing one glorious nature, essence, substance, being or “form” (Phil. 2:6). Each of the three, while distinct from the other two, fully possesses all of the attributes (sometimes called perfections) of the “Godhead” (Rom. 1:20).

“The Jewish menorah—especially the Temple menorah, a seven-branched candelabra that stood in the Temple—is the most enduring and iconic Jewish symbol. But what did the Temple menorah actually look like?” - Biblical Archaeology Society

ROSARIA BUTTERFIELD: I'm late to reading her books but have found them encouraging and convicting. First, I'm fairly sure she would have intimidated a lot of us in her condition before she was converted to Christ.......and possibly after...she is intelligent. I'm also somewhat certain many of us would not have had the patience and love that marked those Christians who were part of her conversion. Finally, I think I have downplayed the importance of hospitality (love of strangers) and bridge building in sharing the Gospel. (And yes! I know that after I build a bridge, I have to cross it! )

“David Schrock…recently conducted twelve interviews about Christian nationalism for Christ Over All….After listening to the twelve interviews and reading the transcripts, I offer the following twelve reflections or observations” - Andy Naselli

“As a counselor, I’ve found value in the increasing awareness of how trauma can affect a person. But I’ve wondered if trauma-directed narratives can skew our understanding of ourselves and others.” - TGC

“For the first time since 1920, leaders of the Jehovah’s Witnesses have removed the hours-reporting requirement for rank-and-file adherents.” - RNS

“if he drops out now, Trump will also be remembered as the ex-president who, with commendable humility, put the good of the country ahead of his own personal ambition and withdrew from the race” - Current

The Grudem article: PJ Media

Read the series.

(Isaiah 42:1-4, Matthew 12:15-21, and John 4:1-42)

“’We have found him of whom Moses … and also the prophets wrote’ (John 1:45). He didn’t say, ‘Surprise! God sent a Savior.’” - TGC

“In 2008, 62% of never attenders were Democrats and 20% were Republicans…. in 2016, it dropped to only 31 points (56% vs 25%)…. in 2022 the gap was just 29 points (53% vs 24%)…. The Democrats are losing their advantage with never attenders.” - Ryan Burge

“Years later, after I had come to Christ and was by then reading every book by C. S. Lewis I could find, I discovered that Lewis had died the same day as Kennedy.” - Randy Alcorn