Saturday, 18 May 2024

Fellowship

Back to Church? (Michelle Van Loon)

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By Michelle Van Loon at www.MomentsAndDays.org
and www.MichelleVanLoon.com
I’ve been blogging for more than a decade,and I’ve written often about spiritual abuse by church leaders – sharing both my own experience and referencing the struggles of others. I’m just one voice in a large crowd: there are numerous blogs, books, and worthwhile organizations telling the stories of spiritual and/or clergy sexual abuse survivors. The internet has been a tool for good in this struggle as it has facilitated..

The Early Symptoms of Spiritual Danger

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Yes, apostasy happens. Sometimes the catalyst is flagrant sin. The pain of conviction and repentance is refused, and the only alternative to it is wholesale rejection of Christ. But sometimes the catalyst is a thorn growing quietly in the heart, an indifference to the way of the Cross, a drifting that is not reversed by the knowledge of biblical warnings.

I can still recall the conversation although it took place more than three decades ago. A shocked friend asked, “Have you heard that Sarah is..

Grace 101

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There are multiple ways I’ve heard grace misused and misunderstood. Sometimes it is nuanced in a way that leads to misunderstanding. Sometimes people emphasize grace in one area of faith but not in others. Sometimes they use it interchangeably with words like patience or forbearance. But the definition that concerns me the most is when it is used to mean overlooking something (most often sin) as in “This is who I am and God accepts me that way. He gives me grace to be myself.”

I started bloggi..

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“Whether you know it or not, you just are in a position of power.”

This was Eugene Peterson’s response to our inquiry concerning the unique challenge pastors face in relation to power. Our conversation with Eugene was part of a long journey to discover what it meant to embrace power in weakness. He was, of course, correct. Those of us in ministry are all in a position of power. As such, we’ve all embraced a certain form of power. The question is not if we’ve embraced power, but what kind of pow..

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“What sermon had the most impact on your life?”

That question was asked by my friend Jeff Purswell at a recent dinner with some friends. We all paused and began to recount our histories of hearing sermons. We all reflected upon the difference the preaching of God’s word has made in our lives. This question provoked a wonderful review of each man’s experience of grace through preaching.

Something happens in the preaching of God’s word that doesn’t happen in our private devotions or small groups..

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Verse”Martha was cumbered about much serving.” — lu 10:40
ThoughtHer fault was not that she served: the condition of a servant well becomes every Christian. “I serve,” should be the motto of all the princes of the royal family of heaven. Nor was it her fault that she had “much serving.” We cannot do too much. Let us do all that we possibly can; let head, and heart, and hands, be engaged in the Master's service. It was no fault of hers that she was busy preparing a feast for the Master. Happ..

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REVELATION 3:20 NKJ
20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My
voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with
him, and he with Me.

Most people think this verse is directed to non-believers. Not
so. Jesus was talking to those already in the church.

How sad!

This is the Lord, the Head of the church, speaking to His own
people. “If you will open up to Me, we will enjoy times of
fellowship.”

God desires your fellowship. He wants you to spend time with
Him. But H..

The Myth of Influence

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The only way to dispel the myth of influence is to commit ourselves anew to the importance of biblical theology as the foundation for Christian action. We must allow the Bible in its fullness to direct our thinking and our doing. We must remember that Paul did not preach an abbreviated gospel, but declared the whole counsel of God.

In the March 7, 1998, issue of the Los Angeles Times, the Religion section featured an article entitled, “L.A.-Area Seminary Teachers Gather to Ponder the Truth.” Fo..

How Much Blood Will Save My Soul?

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The High Priest came out from his once-a-year visit to the Most Holy Place and said, “That’s it, you don’t need to come back next year or ever again!” No, he came out and all that could be said was “See you again next year.” The sacrifices were a powerful reminder of sin, but, in and of themselves, they were powerless to save. If any Israelite ever asked a godly priest, “How many animals will it take to save my soul?” the answer would have been: “It is not possible for the blood of bulls and goa..

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