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Jul23WEEK30
As I travel, I continually hear about a basic conflict between "seeker-friendly" churches and those who feel they are leading Christians to a deeper or more substantial discipleship. I am personally thankful for both types. I believe both certainly have merit and are even necessary. However, I do not think that it is best for them to be separate, and certainly they should not be in conflict with each other. In fact, they need each other.
Seekers or new believers will usually feel uncomfortable in a mature church, especially those churches which are committed to deeper life or...
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Jul16WEEK29
In continuing our study of the coming kingdom of God and how we are called to build a highway for the kingdom, we will look at how we can expect the church to rise up to its purpose in these times. The church is the Lord's body, and what He does He will do through His church. If we want to be a part of what God is doing, it is fundamental that we find our part in His body and begin functioning in it.
We must also acknowledge that there are many ways in which the contemporary...
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Jul09WEEK28
A few weeks ago, I had two of the most powerful visions I have had in years. I was basically shown the Lord's heart at the beginning of creation and what the main desire of His heart is now. It was His bride, the church. From these visions, I understood profoundly that the love He has for His bride is so impacting that the church does not exist for the kingdom, but the kingdom exists for the church. This was a reorientation of my thinking, and I am therefore sharing this with those who have been with me in...
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Jul02WEEK27
Reinventing became the rage in industry a couple of decades ago. This included reinventing everything from basic organizational structure, to how the process of making a product was done, to how it was marketed and delivered. This was helpful to many industries and businesses, but for others it only helped them to make and distribute the wrong product better, and of course they still failed.
Reinventing then became the rage in much of the church. Likewise many churches really needed a makeover, and this helped them. Others may have changed their style and even their basic organization, but...
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Jun26WEEK0
The real strength of any church will be seen through how strong the people are, not how great the preacher or pastor is. One of the greatest weaknesses in the modern church is that the people are rarely being equipped and released to do the work of the ministry as is mandated in Ephesians 4:11-16. We can therefore also expect its fulfillment to produce the strongest churches. Because the following Scriptures are the most concise and articulate of the purpose of true ministry in the church and its result, let's read it again before proceeding.
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