Category Archives: What Must be Preserved of the Churches of Christ?

Worship: The Assembly (the Lord’s Supper, Part 2)

We have this tendency to treat the assembly in a pagan way. Rather than seeing the Lord’s Supper as a gift and a blessing to be gratefully received from God, we see it as a magic spell. If we get … Continue reading

Posted in Lord's Supper, Renewing Our Worship, Uncategorized, What Must be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? | 22 Comments

Worship: The Assembly (the Lord’s Supper, Part 1)

In the NT, ekklēsia refers to the people in the church, not the assembly per se.  We are always the church, and so, in a sense, we Christians are always gathered to hear God’s word and to worship. But very occasionally, the … Continue reading

Posted in Lord's Supper, Renewing Our Worship, Uncategorized, What Must be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? | 14 Comments

Worship: The Assembly (the ekklēsia)

The scriptures often speak in term of “types” — antitypes, prototypes, that sort of thing. The idea is that certain NT concepts are often patterned (for want of a better term) on an OT practice or event. There are countless … Continue reading

Posted in Renewing Our Worship, Role of Women, Uncategorized, What Must be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? | 2 Comments

What Must Be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? (the Church, Part 2)

And so we need to discuss Jesus some more. John Howard Yoder, in The Politics of Jesus, points out that, when Jesus is held up as an example in the New Testament, it’s always about the cross. He’s never held … Continue reading

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What Must Be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? (the Church, Part 1)

Some readers appear to see no distinction between an individual Christian being like Jesus and a congregation of Christians being like Jesus, but teams of people working in concert can accomplish things that individuals cannot do. I have a son who … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized, What Must be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? | 11 Comments

What Must Be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? (The Assembly, Part 2)

When we read in the scriptures that we are to become like Jesus, we tend to interpret “like Jesus” based on our own personalities and religious upbringing. For example, many take “like Jesus” to mean “sinless,” which is true but … Continue reading

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What Must Be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? (The Assembly, Part 1)

Let’s see. We assemble to edify one another. (1Co 14:4 NIV) Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. (1Co 14:5 NIV) I would like every one of you to speak in … Continue reading

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What Must Be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? (Singing, Part 4)

There’s a pretty good argument from 1 Corinthians 14 that the purpose of the assembly is for us to “edify” one another. Paul also speaks in terms of encouragement, strengthening, and comfort, but edification is the recurring theme that holds … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized, What Must be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? | 11 Comments

What Must Be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? (Singing, Part 3)

Does God care at all about the quality of the singing during the Sunday morning assembly? I’ve often heard the platitude that God cares nothing about the quality of the singing, and so I wonder if that actually holds true on … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized, What Must be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? | 18 Comments

What Must Be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? (Singing, Part 2)

So in the last post I asked why God teaches us to sing as Christians. It’s not a test of our faithfulness. God teaches us to sing for a reason. And until we grasp the purpose of singing, we really … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized, What Must be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? | 48 Comments