As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
One of the greatest privileges that I enjoy as a church ministries representative for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry is that I get to preach in—and be in—lots of churches.
For the most part, these churches are quite similar in terms of their understanding and interpretation of Biblical truth and, of course, they find common ground with our ministry when it comes to the core issue of the importance of God’s plan for Israel.
“It was forty years ago that I began serving a small rural church in southern Indiana. I was so incredibly green then; I’m glad I didn’t always realize it. I loved those people in that church, and for some reason, they loved me, too.” - Thom Rainer
“Where did the idea of going to church originate? Some of the typical culprits suggested are Constantine, American business models, old people, or pastors desperately in need of jobs. But whose idea is it, really?” - 9 Marks
“None of this means that church strategy or mission statements are necessarily wrong-headed. But it does mean that if yours is to be faithful to Scripture, it will look pretty much the same as the strategy that every other gospel-preaching church in your city also has.” - 9 Marks
Read the series.
There’s one more thing we ought to take a look at in this series. Sometimes you need to change churches. The census bureau tells us that on average, 1 in 10 Americans change residences in any given year, and many of those moves will necessitate changing churches. Sometimes a church closes. Sometimes an opportunity arises, one you feel compelled to take. Sometimes you just have to leave.
“Out of 160 covenant members, more than half live within a couple miles of the church building. Here are three reasons why I would encourage every pastor to teach his congregation the value of proximity.” - 9 Marks
Read the series.
We’ve looked at the need for you be an active part of your local assembly. We’ve toyed with some ideas, based on your gifts and abilities. Now we could use some help in thinking of things we haven’t thought of yet, and in evaluating the thoroughness of what we’re doing.
Read the series.
I’ve suggested that you ought to be part of a local church assembly, and that you ought to be active, not passive, in your membership there. So what does that look like?
Read the series.
I’ve suggested in the earlier posts in this series that you ought to be part of a local church, an assembly of (admittedly broken) believers—that reasons for not doing that are invalid, and that those same reasons actually call for serious commitment, for becoming an active, registered member.
Why?
Why do you go to church?
Because it’s Sunday, and that’s what we do on Sundays?
Or maybe because you need something to hang onto if you’re going to make it through another week? A Bible verse, a thought from a sermon, an encouraging line in a song?
I’d like to suggest that you may be doing it wrong. Bear with me here.
Let’s get back to the beginning. God has graciously gathered his people into a body he calls the Church.
Why did he pick that name?
Discussion