August 2007
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Does It Matter Where I Go to Church?
by Rusty Miller
Does it matter where I go to worship God? Does God care which church I attend and make myself a part of?
First, we should consider whether or not God accepts all who call themselves Christians. Clearly, from the teachings of Jesus we can see that there will be religious people-many of them, in fact - who will not be accepted by God. Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21). He goes on to say there will be those who do many great works in His name, but they will be dismissed from His presence.
Leading In Prayer
by Pat Farish
To be called on to “lead in prayer” imposes a real and significant responsibility. It is not a matter of performing before humans; but of recognition of what is going on: a Christian is speaking to God the Heavenly Father; he is making requests and petitions on behalf not only of himself, but also of those he is “leading” in prayer; and those being led are endorsing those requests and petitions with their “amen.” There are considerations that seem to be overlooked, in some cases.
The Institutional Mindset
Jason Moore
I used to hear in my teens sermons on the subjects of “Institutionalism,” “The Work of the Church,” “The Sponsoring Church Arrangement,” and such. I thought when the lessons were finished: “Why can't everyone see that? It's so simple.”