Ever heard the phrase, "No pain, no gain"? It's easily applied to unity. We're all one body, joined in Christ, and unity is beyond essential. It's commanded. It's part of the defition of Church. But what makes it so hard? Pride. Unforgiveness. Theological differences. Prejudices. Selfishness. ... read more
One Body
Church is a singular noun. Despite the schisms, fractions, and multiple expressions of the institutional church, the driving image for the Church in the New Testament is one body. “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it ... read more
A Quick Distinction: The Visible and Invisible Church
The Church is the people of God, the body of Christ. All who trust in Christ for salvation automatically become part of the Church, whether they like it or not. However, not all who go to church services, who become members of a church, are part of the Church. This is an important distinction. John ... read more
The Church’s One Foundation
My senior year of college I did an internship with the pastor of visitation at my church. We served communion to elderly members who could not leave their homes. We visited those in the hospital. We conducted services in nursing homes and visited those there whose families were far away. And all the ... read more
The American Church – Up Close
When I say "American Church", what comes to mind? Materialistic? Afraid to suffer? Intellectual? Luke-warm? Unfortunately, you're probably thinking something negative. Perhaps it's just me, but I've noticed it's in vogue for Christians to criticize the American church as a means of spurring it on to ... read more