A brother jogging

Questions about church

Last night, I spent some time meeting with some church leaders here in Chicago. The focus was about churches being a place that focuses first and foremost on making disciples. Some interesting questions were posed. Here are a few:

• Where in the Bible do you find the idea of a "senior pastor"?
• Does the Bible teach that people need to be "ordained"?
• Why do we transliterate the Greek word and make the office of deacon rather than just translate and get the natural translation of servant?
• Why do we assume that most of the churches financial resources should be spent on facilities and salaries?
• How do we best reach the unchurched and not just steal sheep from other churches?

These are just a sampling. It seems that so much of how we practice church is based on traditions. Some of those traditions can actually distract us from our ultimate goal of making disciples who make disciples. I think that it is good to question how we now do church and make sure that it is best geared at our goal.

Any responses to some of the questions?

Any other questions that are good to ask in evaluating church as we know it?

Learning about the city

A friend of mine, Scott Lundeen, is producing video and other materials to introduce people who are unfamiliar with the issues that exist in our urban centers to ways that they can be involved. The website states that "Urban Entry is designed to generate conversation that leads to action around a variety of what have been considered “urban” issues: poverty, race relations, justice, etc."

If you are a Christian who cares about the problems that exist in the cities of America but are not sure how to get involved, I would suggest URBAN ENTRY as a first step in learning. Take the time to peruse the website and even watch the videos.

Are you looking to show the love of Christ to the problems of our inner cities?

What are some other resources that others might use to learn about how to be helpful?

The Chop Chop

The Ambassador drops his new album today: The Chop Chop - From Milk To Meat.

I have listened to a few of the tracks on the web and I am looking forward to checking this project out. It is encouraging to have brothers who are bring a meaty message in the language of the street.

Abortion

This is not meant to be a political endorsement of any person or political party.

I have to admit that abortion is a big issue for me. I am utterly opposed to it. For me, it is an issue of justice. If we are not a just society to those who have the least control then it will be difficult to be just at all.

For me, it is also a race issue. This website gives the best details that I have found to show that abortions are being specifically targeted at the black community. The website states:

The purpose of this website is to reveal the disproportionate number of black babies exterminated by the abortion industry in America.
Although black women constitute only 6% of the population, they comprise 36% of the abortion industry’s clientele. The leading abortion providers have chosen to exploit blacks by locating 94% of their abortuaries in urban neighborhoods with high black populations.
This high rate of abortion has decimated the black family and destroyed black neighborhoods to the detriment of society at large.

The founder of Planned Parenthood, Margaret Sanger, had roots in racism and aimed her organization in that direction. An organization that had from its very inception had a group of leaders who used abortion as an attack on a race.

The whole thing idea of abortion is appalling to me. To consider that it is legal in our society causes me to question the idea that we are in any way a civilized nation.

Most of all, abortion is an issue of the image of God. The taking of human life is an attack on God himself. What God "knit together" man destroys.

I pray that God will awaken our nation's conscience to this sin and we will repent.

How do you feel about abortion?

Reaching the unreached

Yesterday in our church, we had the privilege of hearing from this young man Samuel Weber. He has a sincere heart from the unreached people of the world and is seeking prayer support along with financial support. I have enjoyed meeting and getting to know Sammy a bit over the past month.

It was also a reminder of the many people in the world who have never heard the name of Jesus.

Contact me if you would like to pray for Sammy regularly and I will put you in touch with him.

Do you think that the church is focused enough on taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth?

What is the kingdom?

Another word that I hear thrown around a lot is "kingdom". Kingdom values. Kingdom living. Establishing His kingdom. This word is used by Christians to promote a lot of different political views, social responses, and even theological positions. Often opposing views are formed using this same word is the evidence that their view is correct.

My friend Aaron asks some questions about this.

I think that our understanding of the kingdom will have a great deal of affect on how we live and what we believe.

So what is Jesus talking about when he refers to the kingdom?

What does our understanding of the kingdom tell us about how we should live?

What is justice?

There is a lot of talk in Christian circles now a days about justice. But justice is rarely defined.

So how would you define justice?

Jesus Christ crucified

I Corinthians 2:1-5
When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

How often do we focus on the wrong things and the wrong methods?

The spread of Christianity

"Christianity was born in the Middle East as a religion, moved to Greece and became a philosophy, journeyed to Rome and became a legal system, spread through Europe as a culture- and when it migrated to America, Christianity became big business."

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