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Laborers Together – Teamwork in the Church and in Christian Ministry (Part II)

Laborers Together – Teamwork in the Church and in Christian Ministry (Part II)

A motivated and efficient team is an impressive sight to behold. To have the privilege of being a member of a highly dedicated and productive team is even more delightful. Unfortunately, highly rewarding and effective teams are not always the norm. Teams are formed by both necessity and by choice. Excellent teams are created when individual team members contribute with an exceptional level of intentionality and integrity. Teams are all around us. A husband and wife are a team. The…

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Laborers Together – Teamwork in the Church and in Christian Ministry (Part I)

Laborers Together – Teamwork in the Church and in Christian Ministry (Part I)

In the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church, he exposes the strife and division that plagued this group of believers. He identifies the source of the division as “carnality”. The end result of this carnal spirit was that Paul could only feed them milk and not meat spiritually, indicating that they lacked the maturity to hear some of the deeper issues of truth and of the Christian life that Paul desired to address. They were apparently caught up…

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A Letter to Our Youth

A Letter to Our Youth

Youth, you are not the center of the world. You are not even the center of the church. But you are very important to us. You are important to us as your fathers and mothers. You are important to us as your grandparents. You are important to us on whom leadership responsibilities have been placed. We were once young also. We had ideals, we had dreams and we had ideas. We would fix the problems we observed in families and…

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Walking In Wisdom

Walking In Wisdom

In my personal study of the concept of wisdom, I was surprised how often the Scriptures address wisdom and the wise and the foolish. I have not tried to count the references precisely, but there are several hundred. The Biblical books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes focus heavily on wisdom and living life wisely. But passages about wisdom are found throughout the entire Bible. How should we understand the concept of wisdom? Where does it fit in the framework of right…

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Examining the Issue of Group Uniformity In Practice (Part XV)

Examining the Issue of Group Uniformity In Practice (Part XV)

As I attempt to sort out the issues that I have have been writing about relating to group uniformity of practice, it seems to me that we must consider several principles and truths. No single proposition of truth will guide us to a sound position on group standards or group uniformity. We have probably all had “experiences” that have influenced our viewpoint on the matter of group standards. Feelings alone, based on our experiences, whether they were or good or…

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Examining the Issue of Group Uniformity In Practice (Part XIV)

Examining the Issue of Group Uniformity In Practice (Part XIV)

I am still thinking about the issue of church denominations. The question was raised earlier about the relationship of the church that Jesus said He would build and modern day denominations and the authority Jesus gives the church. It would seem likely that there was not even a concept of denominations in the New Testament church. When Paul talks about some saying, “I am of Paul” and others saying, “I am of Apollos”, it seems doubtful to me that he…

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Exploring the Issue of Group Uniformity In Practice (Part XIII)

Exploring the Issue of Group Uniformity In Practice (Part XIII)

I acknowledge that my exploration of the issue of group uniformity has been quite unorganized in presentation. My goal is, at the least, to find some direction on the issues by stirring our thinking. I do not have definitive answers to all the questions that could be asked. And I do value your input to the conversation. In this discussion on uniformity I am not addressing the core doctrinal issues of Scripture. The concept of uniformity within a church group,…

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Exploring the Issue of Group Uniformity In Practice (Part XII)

Exploring the Issue of Group Uniformity In Practice (Part XII)

What does the ideal church look like? How would it function in a sinful and broken world? Did you ever think within yourself, “If only Jesus could be here in person and give us some plain instructions.” I think I remember reading somewhere of someone commenting like this, “Doing church is hard.” We have all seen our share of church struggles. Obviously, there are many different visions in the hearts of church members and church leaders as to what the…

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Exploring the Issue of Group Uniformity In Practice (Part XI)

Exploring the Issue of Group Uniformity In Practice (Part XI)

Part XI Today I will return to examining John Coblentz’s thoughts in his pamphlet “Are Written Standards for the Church”? I will share a little of John’s thoughts on the “no written regulations” position that some would take. Coblentz says this, “But the assumptions that those who have written standards do not trust the Word and the Spirit, worse that they make additions to the Word, and that standards stifle spiritual life—these assumptions are unbiblical. As we noted in the…

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Exploring the Issue of Group Uniformity In Practice (Part X)

Exploring the Issue of Group Uniformity In Practice (Part X)

Part X One of the current struggles in many of the fellowships of the Anabaptist community is about coming to terms with the practice of church regulations for the individual members. I will not suggest that it is easy to find the Scriptural balance on this matter. My own observation would be that in fellowships where there has been extensive regulations on the lifestyle of members, at some point uncertainties will begin to develop in the fellowship. Questions will be…

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