When having found faith through the study of the Bible we do need to do works of faith

When we have found the Word of God and started reading the Bible with an open mind, letting the words come to us like they are written, it shall transform our inner self, if we allow it to do that.

When we do come into the faith, believing in One God and believing in His only begotten son, to be the sent one from God and the Messiah, our saviour, we shall have to take actions. We shall not be able to continue to live like we did before.

Faith demands action. Faith demands works.

We do know that there are lots of pastors who say contrary, but be aware that rabbi Jeshua taught his followers to be prudent and to be alert, doing the right things are otherwise they could miss the opportunity to enter God’s Kingdom.

It is true that we have received the free Gift of the Grace of God by the Blood of Christ. But it is not because we are giving a whitewashing of sins by the ransom offer of Christ Jesus, that we can do whatever we want. No. Once we come into the faith we shall have to do the works of faith. In case we do not do those works of the Law our faith shall be like a dead faith, not bringing us far.

When from our bible reading we got to see that Jesus is the Way and that we have to become one like he is one with God we shall have to work on ourselves to become like Jesus. It shall take many works to come in Christ and becoming “a new creation“. Than the old person has to be set aside and a new person has to take you over, like you are reborn in this system of things, you not any more being of the world but being of God.

Thanks to the sent one from God and God accepting Jesus his offering as a payment for sins, salvation has come over us. But when becoming a Christian we are at a new starting point, saved from the curse of death. This we have to keep so, which shall demand lots of works, keeping ourselves under control.

God reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. Given a free way now we have to keep our good relationship with This Divine Creator and with His son. That God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them does not give us now a free way to continue sinning.  God has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  Therefore we have to be Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us.  Jesus asked his disciples to go out into the world and to proclaim the Gospel message of the coming Kingdom of God. This is a very important work we do have to do. This we only can do properly when we live according to what we preach.

We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God and start doing the works of faith.

Let us have a look at what the Bible itself says about Faith and Works.

 


“17 Wherefore if any man is in Christ, {1} [he is] a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new. {1) Or, there is [a new creation]} 18 But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and gave unto us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not reckoning unto them their trespasses, and having {1} committed unto us the word of reconciliation. {1) Or [placed in us]}

20 We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beseech [you] on behalf of Christ, be ye reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-20 ASV)

 

“3 For this is the will of God, [even] your sanctification, that ye abstain from fornication; 4 that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who know not God; 6 that no man transgress, and wrong his brother in the matter: because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we forewarned you and testified.

7 For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification. 8 Therefore he that rejecteth, rejecteth not man, but God, who giveth his Holy Spirit unto you.

9  But concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another; 10 for indeed ye do it toward all the brethren that are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brethren, that ye abound more and more; 11 and that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your hands, even as we charged you; 12 that ye may walk becomingly toward them that are without, and may have need of nothing.” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-12 ASV)

“2  Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into manifold temptations; 3 Knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience. 4 And let patience have [its] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.

5 But if any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.

7 For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord; 8 a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways. 9 But let the brother of low degree glory in his high estate: 10 and the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.” (James 1:2-10 ASV)

“12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been approved, he shall receive the crown of life, which [the Lord] promised to them that love him.

13  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man: 14 but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.
15 Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is fullgrown, bringeth forth death.” (James 1:12-15 ASV)

“19  Ye know [this], my beloved brethren. But let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 21 Wherefore putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves. 23 For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror: 24 for he beholdeth himself, and goeth away, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But he that looketh into the perfect law, the [law] of liberty, and [so] continueth, being not a hearer that forgetteth but a doer that worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing. 26 If any man thinketh himself to be religious, while he bridleth not his tongue but deceiveth his heart, this man’s religion is vain. 27 Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:19-27 ASV)

“1  My brethren, hold not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, [the Lord] of glory, with respect of persons. 2 For if there come into your synagogue a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, and there come in also a poor man in vile clothing; 3 and ye have regard to him that weareth the fine clothing, and say, Sit thou here in a good place; and ye say to the poor man, Stand thou there, or sit under my footstool; 4 do ye not make distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?” (James 2:1-4 ASV)

“8  Howbeit if ye fulfil the royal law, according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well: 9 but if ye have respect of persons, ye commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one [point], he is become guilty of all.

11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou dost not commit adultery, but killest, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

12 So speak ye, and so do, as men that are to be judged by a law of liberty. 13 For judgment [is] without mercy to him that hath showed no mercy: mercy glorieth against judgment.

14  What doth it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith, but have not works? can that faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister be naked and in lack of daily food, 16 and one of you say unto them, Go in peace, be ye warmed and filled; and yet ye give them not the things needful to the body; what doth it profit?

17 Even so faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself.

18 Yea, a man will say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith apart from [thy] works, and I by my works will show thee [my] faith.

19 Thou believest that God is one; thou doest well: the demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith apart from works is barren?

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Thou seest that faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect; 23 and the scripture was fulfilled which saith, And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness; and he was called the friend of God.

24 Ye see that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith.

25 And in like manner was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works, in that she received the messengers, and sent them out another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.” (James 2:8-26 ASV)

“13  Who is wise and understanding among you? let him show by his good life his works in meekness of wisdom. 14 But if ye have bitter jealousy and faction in your heart, glory not and lie not against the truth. 15 This wisdom is not [a wisdom] that cometh down from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where jealousy and faction are, there is confusion and every vile deed. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without variance, without hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for them that make peace.” (James 3:13-18 ASV)

“1  Whence [come] wars and whence [come] fightings among you? [come they] not hence, [even] of your pleasures that war in your members?

2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and covet, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war; ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may spend [it] in your pleasures.

4 Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God.

5 Or think ye that the scripture speaketh in vain? Doth the spirit which he made to dwell in us long unto envying? 6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore [the scripture] saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.

7 Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.

9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you.

11  Speak not one against another, brethren. He that speaketh against a brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judgest the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. 12 One [only] is the lawgiver and judge, [even] he who is able to save and to destroy: but who art thou that judgest thy neighbor?” (James 4:1-12 ASV)

“7 Be patient therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receive the early and latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Murmur not, brethren, one against another, that ye be not judged: behold, the judge standeth before the doors. 10 Take, brethren, for an example of suffering and of patience, the prophets who spake in the name of the Lord.” (James 5:7-10 ASV)

“12  But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by the heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath: but let your yea be yea, and your nay, nay; that ye fall not under judgment.

13 Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise.

14 Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 and the prayer of faith shall save him that is sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, it shall be forgiven him. 16 Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working.” (James 5:12-16 ASV)

“19 My brethren, if any among you err from the truth, and one convert him; 20 let him know, that he who converteth a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of sins.” (James 5:19-20 ASV)

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Prestbury war memorial – northern face “God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ”. On 864428. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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  • Letter to the Romans, chapter 3
  • Letter to the Romans, chapter 4
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  • Additional comments to the Letter to the Romans 4
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  • James 2:14-23 — Justified Dynamic Faith & works
  • James 2:24 – You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
  • James 2:25. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
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    Word of God – Broeders in Christus

    Berichten over Word of God geschreven door Christadelphians

    Broeders in Christus

    The Big Conversation – Christadelphians in the United Kingdom

    In the United Kingdom people may find several villages and towns where there reside Christadelphians,  a body of Christians who try to base their beliefs and practices wholly on the Bible, which they regard as God’s word. They try therefore to rid themselves of the various ideas and rituals which have attached themselves to Christendom over the last 2,000 years and to return to the beliefs and practices of the first century apostles.

    Being a group of people who want to follow the Nazarene Jew Jeshua, who did not want to do his own will, but always did the Will of his heavenly Father, they as the man born in Bethlehem, are living in this world but not wanting to be of this world following human traditions and human dogmas. That does not make them so popular, because people may look strange at those people who do not want to celebrate Halloween and other pagan festivities.

    Because the Christadelphians are a community without the trappings of elaborate buildings, priests or icons, their institutions and fellowship-rooms not be seen straight away. The outer sights are not important for the Christadelphians who prefer to give honour to God and show a deep respect for God’s word and love to have a strong sense of family and fellowship.

    On the above map you can see some of the more than 300 ecclesiae in Great Britain and Ireland. They were taken under the loop by brother Jon Downes who on the 10th of October asked

    What is happening?

    For him the present size & growth or non-growth of UK ecclesiae show there isn’t a, ‘No Change’ option

    It’s not that we aren’t trying!

    he said to about 350 Christadelphians present at Dudley college.

    In this world of figures, comparisons and evaluations it is all about numbers in graphics which have to show an up-going trend and reach high peaks. this for sure can not be said about our very small community. Lots of people may think when it is not big it has no value and can not be good. But people should look at the intrinsic value and to see what a group or church is believing, following up, and how they keep to what they preach. It is true that minorities do not exert influence, and that they should have to contend on the culture or the systems around it.

    Christadelphians do not fall in the temptation to pretend to be a majority, even if one is not. They do know they are just a little grain of sand in our religious world. But that does not mean that many more little grains can be put together with water and with clay form a nice vase. Though sometimes it can look like we are coming to sit more in an urn. Especially in Belgium we are in distress and can do with some support form abroad. Though looking at other countries can show us also how important it is to make more work of the announcing or making known of our society.

    All over the world people may not forget that the church of Jesus Christ is never a majority, in any fallen culture, even if we happen to outnumber every[one] else around us. They should come to see that the real church of God is the church of Christ were people are willing to follow Jesus his words, his teachings, but also his manners and his aspirations. It is a place where people are willing to share the agapè love of Christ, who was even willing to give his life for others, even for those who turned against him. Would we do that?

    Where Christian churches have held fast to the truth that the Holy Scriptures have been given by God as an authoritative and infallible rule of faith and practice, they have never wandered very seriously out of the right way. But when, on the other hand, reason has been exalted above revelation, and made the the exponent of revelation, all kinds of errors and mischiefs have been the result, and got many sorts of denominations which have lots of rituals people may like very much but which are not according to God’s Law. And that part is the most important in our building community. We should all try to live according God’s Law and love His Words more than the words of man.

    Unfortunately, lots of Christians do not closely follow the Bible today and prefer to join churches in which they can keep up their human traditions. They have changed things to how they want them to be.
    Since the times of Jesus, there have been small groups of people who believed what the Bible said. Many of these people were cruelly treated in times past as a result of their beliefs. Such believers united in the North of America when in 1864 broke out the Civil War. Dr. Thomas thought up the word “Christadelphian“, a name combining the name “Christ” with the Greek word “adelphi” meaning “brother”. So the name “Christadelphian” means “brothers and sisters in Christ“.

    Christadelphians are grateful to John Thomas for his efforts in searching out the message of the Bible. John Thomas was not a prophet or someone special. He read the Bible, just as we try to do. Christadelphians follow Jesus Christ, not John Thomas. Not following just one man or just one human organisation gives that we may have different ideas about certain things, but that doe snot mean we would not have union with each other, though we must agree that there are certain Christadelphian groups who shamefully do not want to have contact with other Christadelphians.  According to the Belgian Free Christadelphians this is also part of the reasons why it is so difficult to show the world a bigger group of religious people under one name: Christadelphians.

    Being joined together by our common faith in the Bible, and the way we live, we all should try to meet each other and have contact with each other as loving siblings. All being brothers and sisters in Christ. Though each “ecclesia” has to look after its own affairs, and choose members who determine arrangements and organise activities on behalf of their members they should feel that unity with Christ with other Christadelphians world wide and show the outside world that Jesus Christ is their head of each ecclesia.

    Living in this world we do agree that “It’s not about the numbers” … …but the “numbers tell a story”. And those numbers in west Europe may be alarming. Therefore there was the call to come thereto in the UK to discuss that matter of dwindling ciphers.

    Like any other western capitalist country in the UK Bible ownership and Bible knowledge has slumped, some english people also do find it a form of indoctrination when parents in their home pray and talk about God in front of their children of that child.

    Jon Downes presented the anxious members a snapshot of our society in the UK.

    and showed those present how a typical ecclesia looks like.

    When we look at the adult baptisms in our community from related people (3,5) and from non related
    (1.0) plus counting the (0.5) refellowshipping members, comparing them with the average of 10 people falling asleep and 2 people leaving the fellowship, we might say that such numbers bring the graphic line downwards.

    What might happen to the Christadelphian community in the United Kingdom when they do not something to change the coarse.

    happened.

    Therefore lets look at the United Kingdom as an example.

    what might this give to that community, where we find, like everywhere in the world members becoming older and dying, whilst the world is getting less interested in God and commandment.

    In case we can bring the Gospel of the Good News to many more ears, we should be able by a co-effort of preaching to increase the interest in God again and get again some people interested in joining a community of lovers of Christ and lovers of God.

    We must see that

    The lost are our hope

    and that there is good reason to try to reach the lost. We as brothers and sisters in Christ should love the people in the world so much that we will be offering some of our spare time for preaching work.

    We are the hope of the lost

    Luckily it is not all ad  or sad news.

    Good News!

    tells brother Downes is that we can look at

    • 120 baptisms a year (4 average sized ecclesias)
    • In the last 40 years, 39 new ecclesias. (Although 96 have closed & some were renamed).
    • In the last 15 years,1/4 of all baptisms from non Christadelphian backgrounds were by just 16 ecclesias. (Although 1/3 didn’t baptise any)
    • While many ecclesias are shrinking many are growing.
    • Numbers in Africa are growing!
    • Bible Learning Centres & Learning English are having a big impact

    Instead of going for Plan A is it not better that we go for Plan B?

    Plan A discussed at the Big Conversation of 2015 October 10 at Dudley college, UK
    • Current UK Christadelphian population of 8-8500 is based on 223 2015 ALS Diary returns on households & 178 2015 CCH survey returns. 10 Ecclesias had neither return and were estimated on previous diary returns.
    • 1985 to 2015 data based on records kept from the back of the Christadelphian, clearly subject to some error, gaps and misreporting. The last 12 months of Magazine entries were analysed separately and yielded results consistent with the records obtained.
    • Net loss of 120 per annum and the 10, 5, 1 ratio derived from average of last 10 years data. Approx 240 out and 120 in. These do not include brothers and sisters movement in and out of the UK.
    • Forecast from 2015 based on a linear continuation which could easily be a) more dramatic because of rapid closure of small ecclesias, ageing population, reduced home pool to draw from, fewer people to witness, higher rates of leaving the community b) less dramatic as in a smaller community there are fewer people falling asleep each year.
    How to cope with small churches getting growing ecclesiae

    One of the deceases of this time is that too many people want to enjoy their own little cocoon and not getting out of their comfort zone to share life with the spiritually needy. Those who call themselves Christian may not forget that this means to be a follower of Jesus Christ and demands also doing what he required from his followers. Jesus asked us to go out in the world to proclaim the Kingdom of God. We are to make every effort to bring hope and healing in Jesus name to those in need.

    We are to see that the tangible goodness of God flows into every nook and cranny of our communities – especially in those places where darkness seems to prevail. {Walking With Intentionality}

    +

    Preceding articles:

    Religious Practices around the world

    Manifests for believers #3 Catholic versus Protestant

    Ecclesia to exist, grow and communities to have people communicating with each other

    The Ecclesia in the churchsystem

    Reasons to come together

    The Big Conversation

    The Big Conversation follow up

    Reasons why you may not miss the opportunity to go to a Small Church

    Engaging the culture without losing the gospel

    Evangelisation, local preaching opposite overseas evangelism

    Feeling-good, search for happiness and the church

    Members of the ecclesia uniting and seeking God’s help in tribulation

    Why we do not have our worship-services in a church building

    Belgian Christadelphians 2013 & 2014 in review

    Personal thoughts, communication, establishing ecclesia and guest writings

    ++

    Additional reading:

  • People are turning their back on Christianity
  • Looking on what is going on and not being of it
  • London an exaggerated microcosm of the UK at large
  • Parents forbidden to pray in front of their children or to take them to church
  • State and attitude of certain people to blame for radicalisation
  • More Muslim children than Christian children growing up in our cities
  • Will Islam conquer Europe
  • Christianity to be enshrined
  • Halloween custom of the nations
  • Wrong ideas about religious terrorism
  • A call easy to understand
  • Discipleship way of life on the narrow way to everlasting life
  • Many forgot how Christ should be our anchor and our focus
  • The meek one riding on an ass
  • Do not be afraid to learn or to speak
  • Reasons to come together
  • Congregate, to gather, to meet
  • Fellowship
  • Disciple of Christ counting lives and friends dear to them
  • The first on the list of the concerns of the saint
  • Holiness and expression of worship coming from inside
  • To find ways of Godly understanding
  • Perishable non theologians daring to go out to preach
  • Who are the honest ones?
  • Certain people trying to stem freedom of speech
  • Priority to form a loving brotherhood
  • Newsweek asks: How ignorant are you?
  • Religious Freedom in a Multicultural World
  • Some christians do have problems with the Christian connection with Jews
  • American atheists most religiously literate Americans
  • Determine the drive
  • Try driving forward instead of backwards
  • Campbell, Thomas and Bijbelvorsers
  • Looking at older articles series over Russell on the previous Bible-scholar Association
  • Wanting to know more about basic teachings of Christadelphianism
  • Christadelphians or Messianic Christians or Messianic Jews
  • Christadelphian people
  • Who are Christadelphians
  • What are Brothers in Christ
  • Two new encyclopaedic articles
  • Christadelphians today
  • Keeping an ecclesia in modern times
  • Small churches of the few Christadelphians
  • Christianity to be enshrined
  • Christianity is a love affair
  • Intentions of an Ecclesia
  • Character transformed by the influence of our fellowships
  • Love for each other attracting others
  • What makes a consecrated Christian
  • A call easy to understand
  • If you have integrity
  • Work with joy and pray with love
  • To know Christ is filling life with meaning
  • The truth is very plain to see and God can be clearly seen
  • +++

    Other articles of interest:

  • Walking in Total Dependence Upon God
  • What is God’s Will For Your Life?
  • On the Affirmation of Scripture
  • A Snapshot of the Church in America
  • a little church
  • Four Pressing Needs in Rural Communities, and How the Church Should Respond
  • If It’s All About Relationship…
  • Leading a church is not a hands free exercise
  • Walking With Intentionality
  • Living Our Faith in a New Way
  • What’s in It for Me?
  • Deacon Selection In the Small Church
  • Lord’s Day 10: God is in Control
  • Just Try a Few Things
  • “When Faith Goes, All Good Things Go”
  • Growing Deep
  • All the Wrong Reasons
  • Little Church
  • Leading Change
  • Small Groups & Grow A Small Church by Multiplying Its Small Groups
  • Living well
  • Blessed by His Hand
  • Encouragement for the Small
  • How Did You Get Here?
  • How to Impersonate a Big Church
  • What Do You Do Well?
  • Recognize the Facts
  • What are your top two struggles?
  • The Best Thing You Can Do
  • On the road to sainthood and not silent about it
  • Incognito Zone: Where the Church Is Booming
  • House Church Reaches Out to Atheists, Agnostics in California
  • The one religion that’s not part of my spiritual quest
  • Six Ways Not to Forsake the Assembly
  • Tent Making
  • Journey On The Narrow Path
  • +++

    Related articles

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    Engaging the culture without losing the gospel

    As the culture changes all around us, it is no longer possible to pretend that Christians are a Moral Majority. For the Christadelphian community it was already very clear that Christendom had gone astray and that not many people knew the essence of the Divine Creator and His Plan.

    Guestspeaker’s 1° article 2014 March 26 on “From Guestwriters”

    In certain parts of the world we may find mega churches, like in the United states of America. But what we also see in those countries is that there is a very strange discrepancy between the way of life and the way presented in the Holy Scriptures. In the talks about pro-life issues and arguments at our website From Guestwriters this is made clear in the different reactions where some readers point out at the huge amount of abortions been done every day. Such points of discussion as the abortion debate show how values and attitudes have changed over the years.

    Those people who call themselves Christian either are not so much interested in having an active faith or going to worship services or when they want to go to worship services they expect them to be relaxing and entertaining. For many the entertaining factor receives priority. This makes it understandable why certain churches in the States get full house whilst the churches really interested in and giving eye and ear for the Word of God do not have so many people coming to their service.

    In general people are very much influenced by the media and television and show business are not the instruments who, today,  bring the people to God. the television church services are full of show elements and short quoting form a few words taken from Scripture but also taken out of context. No time is given to sincerely listen and to sincerely study a full paragraph of a Bible chapter.

    Our very fast changing world can do with a sort of new reformation. What’s needed now, in shifting times, is neither a doubling-down on the status quo nor a pullback into isolation. Instead, we need a church that speaks to social and political issues with a bigger vision in mind: that of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Christianity seems increasingly strange, and even subversive, to our culture, we have the opportunity to reclaim the freakishness of the gospel, which is what gives it its power in the first place.

    We should seek the kingdom of God, before everything else and we should love to bring others to the entrance gate of that Kingdom. We connect that kingdom agenda to the culture around us, both by speaking it to the world and by showing it in our churches. As we do so, we remember our mission to oppose demons, not to demonise opponents. As we advocate for human dignity, for religious liberty, for family stability, let’s do so as those with a prophetic word that turns everything upside down.

    Today more than ever those who feel the connection with the Nazarene master teacher Jeshua should connect with each other as brothers and sisters in Christ and show their love for each other. Not staying in their small local cocoon, but also connecting to other brethren and sisters from all over. They should be welcoming any visiting brother or sister and when they receive mail from some brother or sister form somewhere in the world they should take time to answer that mail and to show their love to that correspondent by not ignoring him or her but letting those writers be feeling recognised as brothers and sisters of the body of Christ.

    Though that Body of Christ may be composed of different nationalities, different cultured races, they should all show that they have union in that body of Christ by the unity of spirit in Christ. Unity should be shown by their willingness to communicate with each other and to be respectful for the different characters and different opinions. Unity does not have to mean that all have to say exactly the same or have to use the same bible translation, read the same books, may not have different ways of civilian life, may not have different tastes. Those differences make the world coloured and not boring. We should be happy with such diversity and the differences between ecclesiae may provide different pastures for bible believers to find themselves at ease in one or the other ecclesia.

    Jubilant Joel Osteen Juice Megachurch

    In Jesus time the apostles were also of different character and different opinion or used not always the same words. We should neither. In our way of reaching people we should recognise that they should not know Christadelphianisms and may have a religious vocabulary closer to the denomination to which they belonged originally or still belong. By preaching to them we do have to be able to use different words and different Bible translations so that they can come to understand what the Word of God is saying. We are just some intermediaries who want to show them that Jesus is our mediator and the Way to God.

    The Lord’s Hall a Christian megachurch in the Philippines that is managed by the Day by Day Christian Ministries DBD since 2005 situated and leased from the CCP, due to numerous concerns at the time though the church is known as DBD’s flagship church, and is known for being a venue for massive Christian gatherings by Rev Gamaliel Alba and Sun Cruises, CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd.

    Those we want to attract to the Word of God we have to convince that it are not the megachurches or the churches with the most members that are really following the Word of God and would not have false teachings or wrong doctrines. Lots of people may also put their hope in such megachurches because they expect megachurch pastors to have all the answers and that those churches could grow so much because those pastors are personally successful as well as leaders of successful churches because they can offer the best for man.

    At conferences such preachers also may attract a lot of attention because many think they have the solution for today’s problem, a diminishing church.

    and so we come to see what crumbs of wisdom they might cast our way that will help us and our small churches be”successful” like they are.

    writes pastor Jim in his article “Is “Bigger Better” in Churches?“. Like many of us in the Christadelphian community is has seen Abraham and should have gathered enough experience to have some sound opinion. He believes that such leaders of mega churches may deliver good sermons. For sure they probably are good administrators, very good players with words or good speakers having a good deal of charisma. He correctly points out

    Their churches offer tons of programs for children and adults—from support groups for people with various problems to children’s ministry and everything in between. But are a variety of programs offered to attract large numbers of people to their church a measure of success as  Jesus defined success?  I’m not so sure of this… {Is “Bigger Better” in Churches?}

    He is leading a Home Fellowship Group in a Bible Study of the Gospel of Mark.  At their last session they discussed this question of “supersize” as Jesus seemed to see it.

    He accepted the large crowds he attracted—some so large along the Sea of Galilee that he acquired a boat to get in so he would not be crushed by the crowds seeking to touch him and be healed. But Jesus tends to see those crowds as no reason for gratification. He feels that many of them are there for the wrong reason, to be healed of their infirmities and to see the miraculous. Jesus heals them and has compassion for them, but proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God is his main mission. That proclamation is his main mission because it  has the power to transform people’s lives, and sometimes people who are only seeking physical healing and entertainment can get in the way of that proclamation. {Is “Bigger Better” in Churches?}

    In those days Jesus also had to get listening ears. In that age people were much more willing to listen and to go into discussion about religious and spiritual matters. There was much more interest in God than today. But Jesus knew that from the many that came around to hear him speak, there were also many who came out of curiosity or wanted to see miracles or hear controversial talks.

    Jesus saw the crowds to whom he sought to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God in the same way as a sower.

    Only a small portion of the crowd would actually be transformed by the good news of the Kingdom of God.  The rest would let other things choke it out of their lives and die unchanged. Thus I feel Jesus was not impressed with numbers but with changes in the lives of people who heard him. {Is “Bigger Better” in Churches?} {Please do read also Mark 4: 1-9}

    Too often people think it our the numbers that make it to be good. Perhaps the numbers show the popularity, but for sure they do not always show the integrity or the good value of a product or group.

    The pastor thinks the answer to his and our question “Is Bigger Better?” as it pertains to churches is this:

    it is not size alone that leads to success of any church, large or small, but it is  its ability to follow Jesus and in doing so  transform the lives of those who are a part of that church and those who that church reaches out to.   The measure of a church’s success is the number of lives that have been changed and transformed due to its proclamation both in word and in deed of the Kingdom of God.   The successful church  is the “good soil” in the Parable of the Sower” that brings forth transformation  of people’s lives and nurtures their growth in relationship to God and God’s Kingdom.

    A successful church, regardless of the names on the roster, changes people into devoted followers of Jesus and his teachings as they live their lives each day.   Small churches can be just as successful as large churches in changing people’s lives as they live the great commandment to love God and neighbor as yourself.”   Sometimes because small churches are more personal, they are able to live this better than those with thousands on their membership roster. {Is “Bigger Better” in Churches?}

    The Christadelphians are a very tiny community. We only can hope that all people in this small community bear their hearts on the right place. God knows the heart and it is for him that we should work and go out in the world getting people to know the Master works of God.

    We may not forget that by being such a small community we have the advantage that we can get together in small cosy groups and feel much more the unity of the small group than in such mega churches were everybody can sit next to each other without knowing the other. When sitting in a stadium, arena or in such a huge church were there are hundreds or thousands of people it can well be that the individual may be drowning in the numbers.

    We should be ready to throw out the lifeline and to pull those people who are looking for the Truth, to get to our meetings and let them feel that we are real followers of Jesus, keeping to his teachings and not adoring human doctrines, but keeping to Biblical doctrines, studying the infallible Word of God daily.

    +

    Preceding:

    Personal thoughts, communication, establishing ecclesia and guest writings

    The Big Conversation

    The Big Conversation follow up

    Evangelisation, local preaching opposite overseas evangelism

    The Right One to follow and to worship

    Wanting to live in Christ’s city

    A participation in the body of Christ

    Positive Preaching Day 2015

    Doubting and going astray

    Ecclesia to exist, grow and communities to have people communicating with each other

    ++

    Additional reading:

  • Who are the Christadelphians
  • What are Brothers in Christ
  • Christadelphian people
  • Small churches of the few Christadelphians
  • Strange Fire conference 2013
  • Bloggers for Christ and Bloggers for Peace
  • Being Missional
  • Atonement And Fellowship 4/8
  • Atonement And Fellowship 5/8
  • Good or bad preacher
  • Quibbling siblings united or allied children of an organisation or a church
  • Reflection for today: hating your brother
  • +++

    Further reading:

  • Lessons Learned at Strange Fire
  • A Vision of Holiness
  • Praying in Circles
  • In this Moment
  • Wanting to be Heard
  • truth nugget #66
  • Unite against their corruption, not our church’s
  • Prosperity Gospel – The Bane of The True Gospel
  • The Conference Every Mega-Church Pastor Should Attend
  • Millennials And Christianity!
  • In Delight of the Deca-Church
  • [TL;DR] In Defense of the Mega-Church
  • Agree to Disagree
  • Kingdom Building: The Large Church and the Small Church Working Together
  • Mega Churches: What’s the big deal?
  • 3 Reasons Why You Should Go To A Small Church
  • Missed Opportunities
  • Pastoral Environment and the Fight for Holiness
  • Welcome to the Club
  • 365 Day Photo Challenge 167/365 “Church on the Hill”
  • Extravaganza City
  • Instructed In God’s Ways
  • Why Black Mega Church Pastors Catch Such Heat
  • Book Review: The Blessed Church
  • My Two Cents… conderning a famous mega-church preacher
  • I don’t believe in mega churches
  • American Christian Idol
  • +++

    Related articles

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    Moral Majority - Wikipedia