There was a very wealthy businessman who was brought up in a very cultured and educated environment. He felt like he was not connecting emotionally with his twelve year-old son. He knew that his son loved the rugged outdoors—getting dirty and playing sports.
In the nineteenth century higher critical views of Scripture (as opposed to lower critical views that concern biblical exegesis involving the study of historical context and culture, the author’s intent, and so on) came on the scene when German scholars questioned the authenticity of Scripture with a reductionistic approach. This approach meant treating the Bible like any other document, instead of starting with the assumption of divine inspiration. The following are some of the common challenges to the widely held Evangelical belief of the divine inspiration of Scripture.
After being in the pastorate for more than three decades, I am convinced that in every church there are prototype leaders that best express the heart, intentions, and characteristics of the overseeing visionary of a church and/or organization. This prototype is able to think like the visionary leader and be trusted when it comes to representing them in most situations. These are also the most loyal, faithful and trustworthy of all leaders. In some churches, there is more than one prototype; however, in most cases there is one person above all who embodies and carries the DNA of the main leader. (It is also possible that a married couple may embody a prototype – and/or that one spouse does and not the other.)
In this covenant-breaking society and culture it is very common when those involved in a conflict or disagreement respond in ways that are not conducive for healthy relationships. Unity is so fragile that Jesus had to pray that His glory would be revealed in it (John 17:21-23).
The Bible teaches us in Exodus 20:5-6 that God promises either generational blessings or curses depending on how we decide to live our lives.
Galatians 3:13 is a key passage that all Christians need to understand in order to bring the blessings of God upon their family line for generations to come.
Jesus said, “I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out,” because He is always worthy of praise. This is an important truth. A week before the crowd was crying out for Him to be crucified, they were worshipping Him. This shows us how fickle human beings can be regarding worship.
The Church of the Lord Jesus has been the greatest force in the world for the past 2,000 years because it has the most motivated volunteers in the world.
The following points are ten things pastors wish their congregations understood about them:
I. Pastors wish the congregation understood that their work involves far more than just Sunday preaching
Today there are many people in the independent Evangelical and Pentecostal movements who start churches merely because they feel led to do so.
If there were a way to statistically track the outcomes of these self-ordained pastors, my educated guess, based on years of experience, is that most of these churches and/or ministries fail to last more than a few years.
During the days of Nazi Germany there arose a Confessing Church movement that rose against the German Church movement, which became the religious arm of the Fascist Nazi Socialist movement. Of the 18,000 pastors in Germany during that time (from 1933 to 1945) less than 5,000 were aligned with the Confessing Church. Hence, only a remnant held fast to the biblical position with about half of the churches conforming due to political and societal pressure. Unfortunately, this demonstrates that when push comes to shove, a large percentage of pastors, churches, and so-called Christians will probably bow to pressure and allow the norms of culture to become their credo for Christianity.
