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| Disappointment in the air |
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| Preaching from a pick-up |
I couldn't disagree more!
The Church of Christ is the hope on Earth (Matthew 16:17-19). In fact, I don't know why else God would keep us here unless we weren't... unless he didn't want us to share his gospel to every nation (Matthew 28:19-20); unless he didn't want us to take care of widows and orphans (James 1:27); and unless he didn't want us to turn this whole world upside down (Acts 17:6).
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| Fabio praying for a drunk man |
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| Brothers in Christ |
The Church is a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that we may proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness and into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).
It's where Jesus' followers should grow in their faith, hope, and love; but primarily in their love (1 Corinthians 13)... Where God's worshipers should worship in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24); and where the Holy Spirit should manifest himself in such a way that whenever an unbeliever or outsider enters into the gathering, that person should be convicted by all, called to account by all, the secrets of his or her heart should be disclosed, and so, falling on his or her face, start to worship God and declare that he is truly among the people of that assembly (1 Corinthians 14:24-25).
...I'll also tell you what the church is not. The church is not a physical building or a denomination, and it's certainly not a lucrative business or a social club. The church is simply and wonderfully the whole population in times present, past, and future; of those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and have decided to follow him irregardless of what may happen to them, or what they may have to leave behind in the process (Matthew 16:24)... It's a group of two or more believers gathered in Jesus' name (Matthew 18:20) who devote themselves to the apostles teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer (Acts 2:42); and who are powerful, united, generous, devout, glad, worshipful, esteemed, and propagating (v.43-47).
The first and second churches God let me start (in San Jose and Bogota respectively)
I certainly would.
The Church is where Christ is the foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11), the Chief Cornerstone (1 Peter 2:7), and the Head (Ephesians 1:22); and it's where pastors are those who lead exemplary lives as they watch over the members of the congregation, not because of any money they may earn or out of obligation - but because they are eager to serve (1 Peter 5:2-3).
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| My exemplary commending elders and I |
...And so about that... It was kind of funny because the other day I was playing Ultimate Frisbee and afterwards I started talking with my friends and they asked me what I did. I said I had started a couple churches, and so then a young lady asked me if I was like a pastor? (as though not too many pastors play ultimate)... My response was, "yeah, that's what I try to be," and even though I may not always live up to that calling perfectly, or I may even at times try to shy away from that title - I truly do want to be about this noble task of caring for those within the Church.But at the same time, I want it to be clear that I don't want to be the only one doing it... I honestly believe that the very second people start putting me or anyone else on a pedestal as 'the' pastor of any given congregation, then by default they are dethroning Christ as the ultimate Head and Chief Shepherd thereof (Eph. 5:23, 1 Peter 5:4)... and so yeah, I may be a pastor, of course, but Jesus is the Pastor. I may be an overseer, yeah sure, but along with me I would hope that there be multiple qualified people overseeing and leading the various lives and ministries of those who have decided to follow Jesus, and thus, by no other rite or paper that they need to sign or anything - they have already become an official member of Christ's Church period. with no other conditions attached...
And so that's the point, right? As Christians we're ultimately disciples of Jesus even though there may be a few other people who God uses to teach us some really important things along the way...
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| Elkin, one of the first guys I got to disciple |
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| The leaders of Parkway Church for whom I would do just about anything |
The passage reads, "Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil"(1 Timothy 3:2-7).
...Man, in looking over those qualifications Donald Trump wouldn't even come close to being eligible for a leadership position within the Church... in fact Trump almost seems to be diametrically opposed to these qualifications on just about every account...
You see? that's simply another reason why being involved in the Church of Christ is a lot more of a fun and fulfilling and positive experience than politics - because we have leaders with a lot higher standards than that of the president of the United States for instance, who should not lord it over your faith, but work together with you for your joy (2 Corinthians 1:24; 1 Peter 5:3).
Amen. And I hope I can be one of those.
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Pictures Cited:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/america-thinking-day-election/http://www.businessinsider.com/celebrities-who-support-trump-2016-10
