Results 1 - 9 of 9
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | One Pastor and one assembly? | Acts 2:42 | Hank | 175062 | ||
Bereaniam - No and no. But there is strong evidence from Acts and the Pauline letters that the composition of the apostolic churches was stable, i.e., that the members didn't tend to hop from Ephesus to Corinth to Galatia to Rome. Neither does the New Testament teach that each congregation is limited to one human leader, but it clearly does teach that Christ is head of the church. I believe that the corpus of New Testament evidence weighs heavily against the practice of "church hopping" unless you, like Paul, are engaging in plowing new soil by establishing new congregations, called "church planting" in the modern vernacular -- a colorful term indeed that evokes images reminiscent of 1 Corinthians 3:6: "I have planted, Apollos watered: but God gave the increase." ..... I believe that God expects us to use the brain He gave us, don't you? So let's use it to think through this church-hopping scene, and I'll supply the questions. How can we expect to be effective by flitting from one church to another? Do you not feel it is the Christian's obligation to support the work, worship and mission of the local church by his presence, his talents, and yes, his financial resources? Christian friendship and fellowship are important adjuncts to the Christian walk, are they not? And are these aspects of one's Christian life not compromised by having no church roots? Finally, let's draw an analogy from the work place. How effective would an employee be who worked at a different firm in a different location every week? ....... A "church hopper" is not altogether unlike a ship without a rudder. Ihop as descriptive of the place where one dines on pancakes is fine, but "I hop" as descriptive of where one worships is not fine. --Hank | ||||||
2 | One Pastor and one assembly? | Acts 2:42 | Bereaniam | 175078 | ||
Hank, As usual, you are very insightful...and this time very funny (the IHOP example,ha ha). I love reading your posts (even when you are not responding to mine). Yes the apostolic churches were stable because there were only a few Christians per city. And even at that, they went from house to house (Church-hopping). Where I live, there is almost a church on every corner, with more on the way. So my "flitting" could be compared to the early church going from house to house, couldn't it? Many people are aspiring to be like the "TV mega-million dollar preachers". I am not planning to church-hop forever. But, until I feel the Lord is "calling" me to settle in one place, I will be visiting different assemblies. As to your questions...I can support the work, worship, and mission of each assembly I visit with my presence, my talents, and finances. Just this past Wednesday, the assembly I visited allowed members of the congregation to contribute to the bible study. After the service, people thanked me for my contributions. Do fellowship and friendship have to only be with believers where you assemble twice a week? Can it be with Christians on your job or in your neighborhood, etc.? They are the church too! I think sometimes we get too hung up on calling the buildings the "church". How much time does the average Christian spend with other believers where they assemble? Most of the people at a local assemble go in, leave out, and never see each other until the next meeting time. What do you mean when you say "having no church roots"? I (we) are the church. My roots are as deep as I desire to apprehend that (Jesus) for which I was apprehended...or for me to say "for me to live is Christ"...or to study to show myself approved...or to be a light to this dark, crooked, perverse generation. Concerning your analogy about the workplace, I know someone who is a very effective consultant...travels all over the USA. How effective are the "pew warmers" at most local assemblies? I think someone said only 20 percent of the people do the "work" at houses of worship. Do you believe that fellowship and friendship are priorities , or fringe benefits of the church life? Don't we mainly go to worship God corporately and to be edified by the Word? What did Jesus mean when He said to the Samarian woman that the time was coming when people would not worship in this mountain or in Jerusalem, but true worshippers would worship in Spirit and truth? What did Stephen mean when he said God does not dwell in temples made with hands? Thanks again for your answer, and agree with me in prayer that God will quickly intervene and direct my path so that His perfect will be done concerning this matter. Bereaniam |
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3 | One Pastor and one assembly? | Acts 2:42 | Hank | 175081 | ||
Bereaniam - It seems fitting enough to draw a distinction between the professional church hopper who, like a rabbit, has no intention of ceasing to hop; and the temporarily displaced soul who, like a weary fly, is buzzing around earnestly looking for some place to land. The trick is not to become so enamored by hopping that one turns into a rabbit! The unsettling scourge of our time is that there are too many splinter groups, too many unorthodox groups who call themselves churches. Time was when you could buy a Chevrolet, Ford or Dodge car and pretty well know what you were getting. And time was when you could join a Baptist, Methodist or Presbyterian church and pretty well know what you were joining. But today, to paraphrase Forrest Gump, its like eating a box of assorted chocolates, and you never know just which ones have all the nuts in them until you've "inquired within." ..... It takes a certain amount of effort and a great deal of soul searching and prayer, but finding a church that adheres to sound doctrine is not an insurmountable task. Having a church on every corner in your community should, all things considered, make the job easier. ..... And, no, Berean, I do not believe that the practice of "flitting" in today's vernacular is in any way comparable to the Christians who, in the dawn of church history, went from house to house. In all probability it was for two reasons: (1) a way to elude detection and escape consequent persecution, or simply (2) a custom of rotating meeting places whereby various families would take turns being hosts. In any event, I don't believe the analogy of the practices of the ancients to modern "flitting" or "church hopping" holds up. I do pray that you will find a church home, and of course by church -- this was one of your questions -- I don't mean a building. The church never has been and never will be a buiding, no matter how many structures, whether renovated cow sheds or ornate cathedrals, are called churches. --Hank | ||||||
4 | One Pastor and one assembly? | Acts 2:42 | Bereaniam | 175095 | ||
Tanks again Hank. Are you a professional writer? I love your similes, metaphors, descriptive language, and imagery. But most of all, the Godly wisdom. His, Bereaniam |
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5 | One Pastor and one assembly? | Acts 2:42 | Hank | 175127 | ||
Dear Bereaniam (Margaret) - Me a professional writer? Oh, seeing as how I'm one of a handful of settlers here in the Ozarks what can write, I've writ a bit for the Muscadine Holler Weekly Gazette and Funny Paper. Once when the paper was really booming, we had a circulation of 23, but we lost a few subscribers along the way. Two families moved up to the big-city life of Bentonville and got jobs with Wal-Mart, and old Uncle Caleb, he quit taking the Gazette on account of his eyes went bad on him, and his wife Maud she cain't reed, so it warn't no use for them to keep prescribing to the paper I reckon. I've writ lots of artickles for our church paper for many years. And I up and wrote a novel once which my friends sorta liked, but the publisher he wanted me to change a few things and I told him no. Then I've writ a few posts for this here Study Bible Farm and shore do like sharing the good news of our blessed Savior with precious souls like you. Somebody just the other day said to me, he said, "Hank, why don't you write professionally?" I told him I couldn't commence to do something like till I looked up what 'professionally' meant, and it may be a while before I can do that. You see, we ain't got but one dictionary in the Holler and Cousin Lemuel he axidentally dropped it in Muddy Creek the other day and ain't been able to fish it out yet. Cousin Lemuel ain't the brightest star in the Galaxy. Nobody with any smarts would take a dictionary with him when he goes fishing in Muddy Creek. --Hank | ||||||
6 | One Pastor and one assembly? | Acts 2:42 | azurelaw | 175140 | ||
Dear Hank, I have noticed in some of your recent posts, you have used some strange language or spelling (it looks like so to me) in reply to one or two specific writers, say Bereaniam (Margaret)?. Was it your intention to communicate with them this way? I always enjoy reading your comments and some others' too, say Doc, Kalos, Steve, to name a few. Since I am not a native English speaker, your new approach will add to me some difficulties in understanding your message. I would appreciate it if you could make your language plain (I am not sure if I used the proper wordings here). However, if you think this is the most comfortable or best way for you to communicate with these brothers or sisters, certainly I sincerely respect your choice. Then I have to tune myself to comprehend better :-) In Christ Azure |
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7 | One Pastor and one assembly? | Acts 2:42 | Hank | 175156 | ||
Dear Azure - The "strange language" you mentioned that has characterized a very small percentage of my posts is not my usual way of writing, as you can judge by the overwhelming majority of posts I've made to Study Bible Forum. I use this occasional departure from my usual writing style as a change of pace and, not infrequently, to make a point that I feel needs making but which in all probability would be considered harsh or vitriolic if it were not softened by the cominc relief of the "strange" language, as you call it. And, I may as well confess, the use of "hillbilly" dialect is at least in part the unabashed indulgence of an old man (I am 71 years old) in nostalgia ..... This "strange" language, by the way, is a more or less authentic reproduction of some of the regional dialects I heard spoken as I was growing up in the southern part of the United States in the 1940's and 1950's. It was a colorful variation of standard English, and even now out in some of the rural areas of the South, one who has a keen ear for language can detect still a certain amount of the old dialects mixed in with more standard English than was the case when I was a boy. If you care to broaden your knowledge of this "strange" language, I suggest you read some of our stellar writers from the South and the Mississippi River Valley -- Mark Twain, Joel Chandler Harris, Harper Lee, Marjorie Kennan Rawlings, William Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor, and many others. ..... By the way, Azure, I congratulate you on your ability to handle yourself well in the English language. You do it far better than some people whose native tongue is English! What is your native language, if you'd care to tell us? We appreciate your presence on SBF and encourage you to continue to break the bread of life with us as we attempt to dig deeper into the riches of God's eternal word. And a parting word aimed at being an encouraging one: Don't despair that you have difficulty with some of the posts, not only my few dialectic ones, but others as well. While most of the users of this Forum express themselves clearly, a few do not, and it is therefore very hard for all the rest of us to understand what those few are trying to communicate. So, Azure, as you did with me, it is perfectly all right to ask for a clarification from those who have not made themselves clear. Agape. --Hank | ||||||
8 | One Pastor and one assembly? | Acts 2:42 | DocTrinsograce | 175157 | ||
Whew, brother Hank! Good news! All this time I thought you were typing in tongues! :-) | ||||||
9 | One Pastor and one assembly? | Acts 2:42 | azurelaw | 175222 | ||
Dear Doc, :-) Azure |
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