It's popular today to meet with friends at a coffee shop and call it "church." Popular, but wrong.
It’s difficult to stand in defense of the church when there are so many examples of dysfunctional churches around us. But sometimes, as preachers, we need to remind our own congregations that the Church is vitally important. We were designed for community, but also something beyond mere community — we were designed for the church.
Many people will object, and nearly everyone has gruesome tales of hypocrites, self-righteous blowhards and sexual predators. I get it. Some parts of the North American church are desperately sick, and in many cases the church hinders the spiritual growth of believers. But before we allow our people to have coffee and croissants at Starbucks and call it church, I’d like to suggest that God has given us a few clues about what He thinks makes up a church. The bottom line is this: Church is God’s idea, and we ignore it at our peril.
These points could be the start of a series, or they could be rolled into one powerful message. Perhaps you have other observations, but here is one man’s list of at least six vital parts of a real church.... Read More
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Forget it. I'm Going to the Pub.
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