The One Minute Christian (Church Renewal Series Book 1)

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The seed of the truth that a baptized Christian family IS a Church in the home is found in the sacred Scriptures, in the great fathers, the Councils, and in the tradition. However, the trajectory of teaching from the Second Vatican Council, this encyclical letter and all that is contained in the body of wisdom given by John Paul leads us along this development of doctrine concerning the baptized Christian family as a domestic church. This understanding and its application will provide the material needed for the reconstruction of the devastated vineyard of the "domestic Church" of the family.

Through the renewal of authentic Christian family life we will also find the path and the insights needed for the authentic renewal of the Universal Church.

The Christian Family and the Renewal of the Church

After all, it is a family of families! Only through this kind of organic, substantial, and relational renewal can the Church have the real influence on the culture that the task of the "New Evangelization" will require by proclaiming, demonstrating and living the Truth. A Recession Antidote Randy Hain. The Why of Jesus' Death: A Pauline Perspective Jerom Paul. Catholic Monaco Liberalizes Abortion Dna. Catherine De Grace Sharpe, t.

Embrace every moment as sacred time Mary Regina Morrell. My Dad JoMarie Grinkiewicz. Letting go is simple wisdom with divine potential Mary Regina Morrell. Genetics Needs a Conscience Catholic Online. State Aid for Catholic Schools: Franchising to Evangelize Catholic Online.

See a Problem?

Full Circle Robert Gieb. Three words to a deeper faith Paul Sposite.

Relections for Lent chris anthony. Wisdom lies beyond the surface of life Mary Regina Morrell. Pope's Lenten Message for Catholic Online. A Prayer for Monaco: Keeping a Lid on Permissiveness Sally Connolly. Glimpse of Me Sarah Reinhard. The 3 stages of life Michele Szekely. Sex and the Married Woman Cheryl Dickow. Just a Minute Sarah Reinhard. Edging God Out Paul Sposite. Joseph Statue Cheryl Dickow. Sometimes moving forward means moving the canoe Mary Regina Morrell. A Way of Life Paul Spoisite.

Books of the Bible that Will Rejuvenate Your Faith Journey

Proclaim the mysteries of the Resurrection! Reading 1, First Corinthians Genesis, the first book of the Bible, is one of the most famous. It describes how God created heaven, Earth, and man. Almost every Christian can quote at least one line of Genesis, but a great many have never actually read the book. Genesis describes the Creation, and the story of Adam and Eve chapters 1—3. It includes the well-known description of the Fall, or Eve eating an apple from the forbidden Tree of Wisdom, as well as the story of Noah and the Ark chapters 6—8.

Genesis is often one of the first — and only — books Christians read. However, it is not only for newcomers to the faith or for people reading the Bible for the first time. Reading Genesis from beginning to end can give you fresh perspective on familiar teachings. The Gospels include four books: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They are not biographies, per se, but rather stories that serve to evoke images of Jesus.

The Gospels of Matthew and Luke are based on the Gospel of Mark, with all three being easily understood together. The Gospel of John, however, is a departure. The Gospels are great books to read from start to finish, instilling the sense that Jesus is alive in everything we do, and not just a historical figure. The Gospels help readers discover Jesus, learn of his miracles, and see how he lived his life.

(1) First, the people of God must be UNIFIED.

Read the Gospels as a newcomer to the Christian faith, to gain a basic understanding of what Jesus teaches, or as a seasoned veteran to further expand your faith. There is only one word for this — namely, accommodation: Instead of real being real, virtual reality has taken charge. And since the reality is now distorted and viewed as distasteful, the younger generation prefers virtual reality. We have changed our thinking based on objective instruction from the truth of Holy Scripture to the subjective, secular thinking based squarely on a horizontal, humanistic perception, where self is always predominant.

Tozer Webster defines eroded in simple terms: To eat into or away by slow destruction of substance …. To cause to deteriorate or disappear. Rather than occurring rapidly, erosion is always slow. Instead of drawing attention to itself, erosion is always silent. And in place of being obvious, erosion is always subtle. Because a church without milestones will drift. In this one verse we have the lowest common denominator of a church. This is a ground zero.

Learn to Preach Like Jesus!

When the first body of believers gathered together, they devoted themselves to four essentials. Did you notice them? Here are the four essentials: This verse is not only descriptive of what the early church did; it is also prescriptive of what all churches must do. However well organized our churches become, we must give priority to Biblical, rather than secular, thinking. A true, spiritual mind-set comes from meditation on the Scriptures. So the imperative would be: The Word of God ought to be central to every worship service.

Tozer Wise, essential changes must occur to counteract any sign of erosion. Please note I did not use the word easy.

Steps to Spiritual Renewal - Redland Baptist Church - Redland Baptist Church

Change is not easy when erosion has occurred, but it is essential. She needs men whom the Holy Spirit can use — men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Spirit does not flow through methods, but through men …. He does not anoint plans, but men — men of prayer! What is the binding authority on the church? What determines how it thinks, what it wants, and how it is going to go about its business? Will it be what is current, edgy, and with-it?

Banish professionalism from our midst, Oh God, and in its place put passionate prayer, poverty of spirit, hunger for God, rigorous study of holy things, white-hot devotion to Jesus Christ, utter indifference to all material gain, and unremitting labor to rescue the perishing, perfect the saints, and glorify our sovereign Lord. We are ever working to provide and stimulate growth and efficiency for the gospel. This trend of the day has a tendency to lose sight of man. Or else he is lost in the workings of the plan or organization. The church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men ….

What the church needs today is not more or better machinery, not new organizations or more novel methods. The Holy Spirit does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. I have lived to realize that, while a strong pulpit is essential, a contagious church also requires a context of other distinctives. There must be more than preaching.

More than one gift at work. More than the conviction of one person. A contagious church has a number of individuals living out clear, Biblical principles with the result that people pause in the midst of their busy lives. They realize this is a place worth their coming and participating. Otherwise, we may be attracting a crowd for the wrong reasons. They could, in fact, reveal error.

(2) The Word of God must be RESPECTED.

They could reflect an ear-tickling ministry that panders to people and tells the crowds what they want to hear, instead of what they need to hear. A growing number of churches and denominations today have found the four essentials teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer — Acts 2: Archaic traditions of a bygone era. From political candidates to polyester carpet, how people perceive things is, to them, more convincing than a truckload of evidence.

Unfortunately, most people draw their opinions from the shallow stream of perception instead of the deep reservoir of truth. I find that strange and disappointing. Not if the glory of God is the goal. Rather, the church needs Biblical truth taught correctly and clearly … and lived out in authenticity. The money pours in.

The church of Jesus Christ is a spiritual entity, guided by the Lord through the precepts of His Word. We should build on these essentials, not attempt to replace them. That sounds simple, but it will be one of the most difficult principles to apply in a consumerist culture. As he put it, they are no more alike than saying a taxidermist is like a veterinarian. Christians suffer when we do that.

Our congregations need pastors who study hard, play hard, and prepare well-balanced meals, then open the Scriptures and teach people how to study the Word for themselves. I repeat it only to underscore: Rather, grace motivates our behavior. Grace frees us to obey. Being strong in grace goes hand in hand with being committed to living the truth. There is no contradiction in those two commitments.

Truth equips our minds and shapes up our lives. Truth therefore must be taught! As a result, their meanings and values are distorted. Their relationships disintegrate faster then they can keep in repair, and their lifestyles resemble a cast of characters in search of a plot.

But it leaves us feeling flat and empty. Furthermore, it smacks of the secularized world in which we work.

Who knows how many people have been turned away from Christianity, longing for the true, living God but encountering at their church a secularized substitute? Chesterton says it well: Tolerance will get you elected. Tolerance keeps you popular with a voting congregation.

But tolerance makes no impact for the kingdom of God. They looked and sounded egregiously pious.

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