Showing posts with label church life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label church life. Show all posts

Sunday, May 3, 2020

What First-Century Christians Could Teach Us Today – Michael Brown

What First-Century Christians Could Teach Us Today – Michael Brown

In the Line of Fire, by Michael Brown

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What First-Century Christians Could Teach Us Today

11:00AM EDT 4/27/2020 MICHAEL BROWN
(Photo by sergio souza from Pexels)
Growing up in a country like America where we get to vote and influence the government, it’s difficult to imagine what it would feel like to live under an absolute monarchy. Or a tyrannical dictatorship. Or an oppressive, all-controlling regime. Yet the early followers of Jesus not only lived in such environments, but they flourished and grew. What can we learn from these early believers? What would they each us today?
First, they would teach us that no matter who leads the nation, no one can stop the gospel. And no matter what form of government we have, the church can grow and thrive.
I do imagine that these Christians would be amazed at the liberties we enjoy. (Obviously, they would be amazed by a lot of other things too.) They would likely tell us to do our best to guard these liberties.
But they would remind us to put our trust in God not in government and not to confuse patriotism with the kingdom of God.
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Second, they would encourage us not to get caught up in partisan politics, a concept that would have been largely unknown to them.
You see, in the Roman Empire, there were not rival political parties, with your vote making a difference between which candidate would come into power. You did not have Democrat vs. Republican (or the equivalent). And while there were different social and philosophical factions, there was not a political divide. For the most part, the emperor was supreme.
For the early Christian, then, the divisions were more basic. There was light and darkness. There was the church and the world. There was the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. There was heaven and hell. And there were saved people and lost people.
That is how these early believers saw their world, and that is how they saw their mission. Put another way, although they brought about powerful cultural change through the gospel, their focus was not on reforming the Roman Empire. Their focus was the Great Commission.
They still had to deal with the distractions of the flesh and the world, just as we do today. But partisan politics did not vie for their attention. Or consume their emotions. Or divide them as believers.
That’s why I say that they would encourage us not to get caught up in partisan politics.
Again, they might well encourage us to exploit our democratic liberties to the full and even to run for office, if some of us were called to do so. But I believe they would help us to step above the political frenzy that so dominates and divides our nation.
Third, they would remind us that the church is not a building, especially at a time like this when our church buildings are shut during the COVID-19 crisis.
In my just-released book When the World Stops, I have an entire chapter devoted to this subject, titled, “What Is Church and How Do We Do It?” And I am convinced that this is one of the major lessons we must learn during this forced lockdown: The church is not a building, and Christianity is not a spectator sport.
I would think that these first believers would be stunned to see our large church buildings and cathedrals. But it would not be because they had never seen magnificent buildings. To the contrary, those who were alive to see the second temple (which was destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70) would have seen something far more spectacular than our largest megachurch facility. And the Romans themselves knew how to build.
It’s just that the believers met in homes back then. There was no such thing as a church building. Consequently, a greater emphasis was put on being the church more than on going to church (although they certainly emphasized the importance of meeting together).
In this context, they would remind us that the preacher is not a performer. And the body is not an audience. And, to say it again, Christianity is not a spectator sport.
This doesn’t mean they wouldn’t welcome church meetings of all sizes and buildings of all sizes. It’s just that their emphasis would be put on every member of the body being connected and activated. It would be on the priesthood of every believer.
Fourth, these early Christians would remind us of the need to rely on the power of the Spirit. While they would rejoice in the many ways the gospel can spread today, ways that would have been unimaginable to them, they would encourage us not to lean on technology. Or human personality. Or worldly techniques.
Instead they would urge us to remember the words of Jesus, who said, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8)
It is by the power of the Spirit that they rocked their world. It is by the power of the Spirit that we can rock ours.
What other lessons do you think these first believers could teach us today?
Dr. Michael Brown (www.askdrbrown.org) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. His latest book is His latest book is Jezebel ‘s War With America: The Plot to Destroy Our Country and What We Can Do to Turn the Tide. Connect with him on Facebook or Twitter, or YouTube.
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Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Sharing Love From Sweden - The Greatest Is Love - Eva Haglund


THE GREATEST IS LOVE
by Eva Haglund
Sweden

In Corinthians we can read, "And now abide faith, hope, love,these three, but the greatest of these is love". Sometimes knowledge is counted above love and some boast about knowledge.

What does is matter if anyone has all knowledge in the world but not have love we can see in 1 Cor.13:2. It is not wrong with good knowledge but if we have knowledge in anything it is not to boast before others but many things we can learn we can use in helping other people. A prophetic gift is not higher than love. Love is higher than prophetic gifts. 

Prophetic gifts is not to boast about. They are given for a person to be a giver with it and it is not more than when a child pick flowers to a parent - a present in love - because love is highest. We need prophets and we need also prophecies from different persons but one thing as the Body of Christ need is love.

In James it is written "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone say he has faith but does not have works?" The faith ought to be shown in love. I am surprised not to hear many preach or talk about love because God is love. To show love is like a sermon that God is love.

What Yeshua did at the cross is love. When He suffered so much for us before the cross was love to us. When He choose to come to the earth for our sake was love. When our heavenly Daddy sent His own precious Son to die for us it was love. Yeshua is love, lived love and gave all in love. 1 John 4:8 "God is love."



It is important to learn to know God as love. He loves us much more than we understand. Yeshua did not live a life without showing love. He came as a servant in love. He was humble and was willing to suffer because of love. He told us to wash each other`s feet. He showed us about taking care of each other in friendship in the Body of Christ.

Yeshua talks about love in John. It is written "This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you." Yeshua was willing to give His love for us. Yeshua say that "Greater love has no one than this than to lay down his life for his FRIENDS."

Yeshua talks here about friendship. We see here that it is important to take time for friendship.

The biggest Friend we need to take time with is God. Then we need friendship. I think it is a time for more friendship in the Body of Christ. God wants to restore more of this in the Body of Christ. We need each other. It is a new time and I think one of the things God wants to do is to restore this. It is too much as a club but it needs to more like a big family with more fellowship.

In Acts it is written how they had fellowship and ate together; not just in a church building as it is sometimes today.  I think it is easier to meet other Christians if we do not live so far from each other. Then it is also easier to help more practically and to do things together. You can know people who live far way too. We are also global as one big family.

When there is love in the Body of Christ - in friendship, fellowship and helping showing care - such as in washing each other`s feet - it also is a practical testimony to the world. In John 21 we see that Jesus showed a lot of care practical, even made the bread and had fellowship. He was eating breakfast with His friends. We can eat breakfast with our Friend Yeshua but also eat together with others.



We need each other in the Body of Christ  globally but you cannot know all well but show love. Bitterness towards anyone? We need to leave this behind. Yeshua said at the cross, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing."

In Cor.13 we can read about love. Yeshua was not selfish. He did not seek "His own". He saw people. He saw them and showed love and helped. Yeshua loves all and also died for the soldiers who hated Him. The world needs love and we need love in the Body.

Yeshua gave all in love. He gave all His Bread - His life.

As the bread was divided in pieces His heart was crushed in love and pain for us. He gave His heart.

I Cor.13 "And now abide faith,hope, love, these three, but the greatest of these is love."

Eva Haglund
Sweden



Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Properly Joined - The Great Commission - Rick Joyner

Rick Joyner


Properly Joined - The Great Commission, Part 13

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Week 13, 2014
        We have been covering how having koinonia is essential for the true New Covenant life for fulfilling The Great Commission to make disciples, not merely converts. In the New Testament, every new believer’s discipleship began with being “added to the church.” There simply is no other biblical way to walk with God that does not also include being connected to the body of Christ as a member of His church. We cannot be properly connected to the Head without also being properly connected to His body.
         Church life is required for discipleship in Christ. Books are now being written to try and justify not needing to be part of a local church. They say that one just needs to be a part of the “kingdom,” etc., but that is contrary to the testimony of the New Testament, regardless of how wise the rationale might seem. If we are disconnected from His body, we are also disconnected from the Head. He may still bless us as much as He can, and we can still learn about Him and be used by Him, but we will be drifting further from Him too.
         This may be the primary reason why many will come to Him on that day having done many works in His name, yet He tells them to depart from Him because He never “knew” them (see Matthew 7:23). The Greek word translated “knew” in that text is not implying that He did not know who they were, but that He did not know them in the context of an intimate relationship. The Scriptures are clear that we cannot really be joined to Him without also being joined to His body, the church.
         Granted, the church is far from what it is meant to be. Most people I have talked to about why they quit going to a local church say things like: they were not getting their needs met, were not being fed, got wounded or disappointed. No mature Christian or true disciple would ever base a decision on those kinds of things. A mature Christian or a maturing disciple lives to give not to get. If they are wounded or disappointed, they rejoice that they were given an opportunity to take up their cross and forgive others the way Jesus did, growing in love, patience, etc.
         If the local church we have been called to is far from what it should be, how do we know that it was not our presence and input to that church that would help them get to where they are called to be? If we abandon our post, our assignment in Christ, we are departing from His will. We may be abandoning many of His people when they need us most.
         This does not negate the fact that the Lord does, from time to time, call people to spend time alone with Him or send them on new assignments or to a different local church. However, I have never seen Him lead someone out of a situation in defeat. He “always leads us in His triumph” (see II Corinthians 2:14). We are not called to go from defeat to defeat, but from victory to victory, glory to glory. We should get a victory in one place before leaving it, so that we are leaving it in victory.
         We are told in Isaiah 48 that if we are walking in the light, the glory of the Lord will be our rear guard. This means that we will be leaving a trail of His glory behind us, not a trail of defeats. We should always leave something built, not torn down.
         What does the trail behind us look like?

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Worth The Price - The Great Commission, Part 12 - Rick Joyner


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       We now understand that having koinonia is essential for the true New Covenant life and for fulfilling The Great Commission. 
In the New Testament when someone believed in Christ, they were made disciples, not just converts, and their discipleship began with being “added to the church.” This was far more than just being added to the membership roll. Every part of the New Testament body of Christ is called to be a functioning part of the body to which they are connected. They have a role to play in the life of the body.
         It is hard for anyone to discover their gifts and callings in the typical church service, much less have a place to function. Again, these larger services can have an important part in the life of the body, but the real building of the church, which is the place where church life really happens, will be the smaller groups.        
         Many Christian leaders are fearful of special “clicks” forming from small groups. This can, and likely will happen. But it is part of the maturing process that they will grow beyond if they have a secure and healthy leadership. Our human bodies are formed this way. All of the cells that are meant to be heart cells need to be connected within the heart, and the heart must be connected to the rest of the body, if it is to live.
         If we are overly fearful of small groups separating themselves, then we are not mature or secure enough in the Lord to be in leadership. Without a leadership that walks in faith instead of fear, koinonia will not happen. Without the freedom present that enables some groups to separate, the control spirit will be too great for authentic koinonia. Therefore, a secure and mature leadership is crucial for church life.
         All relationships go through phases and challenges before becoming mature and stable. Churches do too. If we think that we will wait out the problems and jump in when things settle down, we will not fit in when we try to jump in. The process is essential. The more intense it is, the greater we can expect the purpose and koinonia to be. As we enter more deeply into the time when all of society is falling apart, the koinonia in the church is going to be a strong lifeline to many and become one of the most valuable treasures on earth. It will be well worth whatever price we have paid for it.