14 July, 2010
Mick
Christianity
church planting, cincinnati, Christianity, Religion, Jesus, church, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, Denominations, Acts 2:42 Network, Newthing Network, Acts 29 Network, Catholicism
If you were to ask me about denominations, I’d have to tell you that I think they are a dying breed. Don’t get me wrong, there is still plenty of denominationalism among the Church, but as time progresses the divide is lessening (or so it seems).
The new generation of leaders are no longer concerned with your background. I come into contact with people who claim to be Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, etc, and we can see eye-to-eye on so many levels. I first started to realize this while listening to Catholic radio in Cincinnati. Even though we are not even close on some practices and beliefs, our overall mission is identical.
With the state of our society’s faith, I think Christ-followers are realizing that separation is damaging not only to the Church, but the perception of the Church. This realization is helping Christians to re-unite.
Our community needs Jesus. Our country needs Jesus. Our world needs Jesus. And if we really want to make a global impact, then we can no longer be divided because one person wants to sprinkle and another wants to immerse. This is a valid argument, but not one that should cause denominational division.
So which direction is the Church moving? I think we have seen a huge increase in church-planting over the last decade, so much that networks are being developed (Acts 2:42, NewThing, and The Acts 29 to name a few). These networks are trying to work together to start new churches around the world because we are discovering that new churches are the best way to spread the Gospel.
The future will see less and less concern about denominations and doctrines, but focus on which network you are a part of and what is being done to tell people about Jesus. After all, this is more important.
6 July, 2010
Mick
Book Review
Andrew Farley, Book Review, Jesus, Naked Gospel, Religion
Andrew Farley’s book, The Naked Gospel, was an enjoyable read. In a nut shell he pretty much says that all you need in this Christian life is Jesus. And he is correct.
One of the things I have said many times over is that we cannot expect to change people. Too many times religion is used to shape someone into some kind of moral elitist, but that is not what following Christ is about. Religion, though it can be a good thing, can be harmful and unnecessary. Farley hits on this point, and I’m glad he did.
For the first half of the book, Farley explains some of the issues that have developed over the past 2000 years since Jesus was around. The second half then goes into some of his theology and such.
I like the idea, but am not completely akin to his theological views. But then again, do any of us have the same theology?
When all is said and done, only one thing will really matter; your relationship with Jesus. This is what is really at the heart of The Naked Gospel, and I couldn’t agree more.
29 June, 2010
Mick
Christianity
Christianity, communion, Jesus, Mighty to Save, Music, Religion
Mighty to Save is such a great song. Wouldn’t you agree? Not only is the chorus just an anthem to God, but the lyrics have such depth. Take the first line, for example:
“Everyone needs compassion, a love that’s never failing.”
Everyone needs the love of God. Why? Because we are all sinners. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Just because we are here at church this morning doesn’t mean that we are any better than the person who is still sleeping as I speak. We are all sinners.
So we’re faced with this problem. All of man has sinned, and therefore does not deserve to go to heaven. I don’t know about you, but the thought of not going to heaven is something I’d rather not think about. This is a serious issue, and we don’t even have the ability to fix it.
And that is exactly why we take communion. It’s to remind us that even though we can’t do anything about this sin problem, God has given us a way out, a scape goat if you will. Jesus Christ, God’s only son, died by means of a Roman Crucifixion so that we no longer have to face punishment for our sin. We don’t even deserve this, but it’s because of God’s grace that we can be forgiven.
“Everyone needs forgiveness, the kindness of a Savior.”
The Savior that we sing about is Jesus Christ.
25 May, 2010
Mick
Christianity
Christianity, Disciple, Exponential, Jesus, Neil Cole, Religion
The last two years, I have been able to sit in on a work shop from Neil Cole during the Exponential Conference. In both, he talked about being a disciple of Jesus and what that meant. I really liked what he had to say, and his words have been proven true by Scripture.
Pretty much what he said is that we cannot expect people to follow us. Even though one of the goals with Twitter is to amass an army of followers, as Christians we should not expect people to really follow us. We all need to be followers (or disciples) of Jesus. That sounds really obvious, but do teachers really think that way?
“But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” -Matthew 23:8-12 (ESV)
Think of a copy machine. What happens when you make a copy of a copy of a copy? It starts to fade and all the imperfections become more noticable. They will never be as good as the master copy.
The same would go for us as Christ-followers as well. If Jesus is the master copy, we need to go to Him. As teachers, we should not point people to what we have to say, but point people to Scripture and what Jesus says.
3 May, 2010
Mick
Christianity, My Thoughts
Change, Christianity, Health Bill, Healthcare, Jesus, Religion
How much change can you take? The world around us is changing at lightning-fast pace, and many of us are not ready.
Just recently, the leaders in our country passed a very controversial health bill. The country has been split on this issue ever since it came out. Some are violently opposed to the bill, while others will do whatever it takes to make sure it will live up to its full potential.
Ignoring all politics, it’s hard to deny the changes that are happening. And will we ever get used to it? I’m not sure.
What about our children?
You may think that this new generation will lose something; but will they? Maybe from our perspective, but they don’t know anything different. They have hope for the future, and probably do not dwell on the past and ‘how it used to be.’
How does this relate to our situation? With all the changes that are being made our country will adapt. It may take a couple generations to see it as normal, but it will happen. That is inevitable.
So now you’re saying, “Okay, what are you getting at, Mick?” As Jack Johnson once put it, ‘losing hope is easy.’ I think people can start analyzing all that is happening and lose hope. But for the Christ-follower it may seem peculiar and unnecessary as our hope is put into something that transcends culture. Too often we put our faith in men, and that will inevitably leave us unsatisfied and disappointed.
This is why when things are rapidly changing, I focus on what really matters. You should do the same.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)
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