Emergent Church, Holy Triage ArizonaEmergent Church, Holy Triage ArizonaEmergent Church pastor Joshua Guild writes about his issues with institutionalized religion.
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Articles
Spiritual Gifts and Why they are Necessary Defined
2007-12-10 04:59:00 Every person is made in the image of God whether His child or not. That image is corrupted in the unredeemed, but it still resides inside the unredeemed. As the scripture says all things good are from God. Even consider secular rock bands like Metallica with great skills in music. Metallica would not exist without God nor would their skills. People who are not God’s children will steal the glory for the gifts that God gave them. They will also abuse the gifts that God gave them and have to give an account for it on the Day of Judgment.This brings me to my point. Though people sin they still contain a spark of God in them (or they would not even be breathing). The unsaved are blind and dead to the existence of this spark of God inside them, but it still impacts them. A characteristic of hell could be defined as the permanent separation from this spark. If we seek to understand our gifts we will be driven to God and glorify Him. As Romans chapter 1 states evidence of God existence i... More About: Gifts , Spiritual , Defined , Define
God's Glory Defined
2007-12-10 04:41:00 The Glory of ChristmasA couple of years ago my son Noah’s coach told the kids that Christmas was not about them, but about the birth of Jesus. This offended my wife so much that she complained to me. To make a long story short I had a little chat with my son Noah to set things straight. I told my son that if He asked Jesus Himself what Christmas was about Jesus would say Christmas was about him. I also told him that God is surely going to enjoy the smile on His face as He watches him open his gifts from Heaven above. Then Noah asked me how I knew? I then told Noah that God is a better father then me so if I enjoy watching him open his gifts then God must enjoy watching even more.This first Christmas was about God coming for US. The very purpose and reason for the existence of the Messiah was MAN. We are God’s glory and the central figure of His existence. NOW THAT IS AMAZING LOVE! I am glad that my kids know that Christmas is about them. I am glad they are thankful of the gift t... More About: Defined , Define
Sabbath Day Rest, God's Purpose and Our Purpose
2007-12-08 16:20:00 The Value of Rest There is a rule called the 20/80 rule stating that 20% of employees produce 80% results, profits and productivity. I have met many of the successful that are producing high results and have noticed these people enjoy their jobs. How can a person in a company produce the highest results and not burn out? To top it off many successful people seem to be working at an 80% to 85% capacity. What's up with that? Could there be a line drawn at a specific working capacity where-in once crossed begins to decrease productivity?How does working at 80% capacity compare to working at 100% capacity?When a vehicle travels at a high speed it becomes increasing difficult to navigate corners. Have you ever tried to read a road sign at 100 MPH? How in touch are you with your surroundings traveling at 100 MPH? What if something unexpected happened on the road at 100 MPH like a dog running across the road or debris suddenly appearing? To be successful in life you have to have clarity an... More About: Purpose , Sabbath
Heaven and Hell Defined
2007-11-17 15:58:00 Descriptions in Biblical passages about Heaven and hell may be metaphorical, but they are literal dimensions. One metaphor describing hell mentions fire, but fire gives off light so if there is fire in hell there cannot be darkness. If we seek to understand more about Heaven we will understand it’s polar opposite hell.Heaven is unity. Hell is separation. If we live our life dead and blind to God then our hell begins now on earth. When Jesus said the gates of hell will not prevail He was talking to His disciples about their mission on earth. When we walk into the life of a Godless person and God uses us to awaken them to the truth, we have literally crossed over the gates of hell to rescue them. A better definition for sin is anything that separates us from God or each other is sin. Jesus literally came to create a way to bridge this separation. This is why before the Apostles were called Christians they were call people of "the way".The other interesting thing to me is t... More About: Defined , Heaven and Hell , Define
Sicko Movie Review
2007-11-11 18:33:00 I heard about the American health insurance documentary Sicko by Michael Moore a few months ago. Last night I finally watched Michael Moore's movie Sicko and loved it. No one has the right to make any judgments until they see this documentary for themselves.I thought I would summarize what this documentary proved below. Over 50 million Americans do not have medical insuranceEven insured Americans are denied coverage for sometime life threatening ailmentsOver 28,000 Americans die each year due to lack of medical insurance or poor medical insuranceEven insured Americans are paying huge co-pays and deductibles for medical proceduresOur politicians are getting large donations from drug manufacturers and insurance companiesA baby born in El Salvador has a better chance of surviving complications then in AmericaLife expectancies are longer in Britain, England, France and CanadaPeople get better faster free medical care in Britain, England, France and CanadaDoctors in Britain, England, Fr... More About: Movie , Movie Review , Review
Christians Say Sorry to the World
2007-11-10 21:43:00 If you can see this, your browser doesn't understand IFRAME. However, we'll still <A HREF="http://feeds.feedburner.com/so rry">link</A> you to the file. More About: World , Christians , The World , Sorry
Noah's Ark Story Lessons
2007-11-10 17:43:00 What can the Church learn from the story of Noah's Ark?My Clarke commentary states something interesting.Genesis 6:8 “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord”. This verse references the Hebrew word ish tsaddik a man who gave to all their due; for this is the ideal meaning of the original word. 2. He was perfect in his generation - he was in all things a consistent character, never departing from the truth in principle or practice. 3. He walked with God - he was not only righteous in his conduct, but he was pious, and had continual communion with God. The same word is used here as before in the case of Enoch. See Gen 5:22.Now I do understand that Noah went a little too far in celebrating the landing of the ark. I do see that Noah sinned as I sin. I lean toward a reformed spiritual view point in my consideration’s of God’s election. Due to the original Hebrew is Genesis 6:8 it amazes me when I consider how the faith that Noah carried actually manifested itself in Noah’s ch... More About: Story , Lessons
Teaching Children Violent Bible Stories
2007-11-10 17:39:00 All violent scripture taught to children (especially) must be balance with faith, hope and love.All children are different and some kids have amazing imaginations that get carried away by violent stories. I have two sons and one could handle the violence in story of Noah and the other could not. The one who could not watched the wizard of OZ last night and has not stopped talking about the witch ever since. His first comments to me this morning were daddy I want to watch cartoons, but not the show with the witch.Some supposed Bible scholars love to draw attention to the radical acts of God’s judgment in the scriptures. We must always remember that God’s mercies are new every morning and through Jesus a narrow path has been laid for us to follow. The gospel in itself is a non-violent plea made by Jesus in tears stating Jerusalem how I longed to gather you as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.Sure it is fun to provoke fear in Christians both adult and children toward God, b... More About: Children , Stories , Teaching , Violent
A Christian View on the Iraq War
2007-11-10 17:02:00 Before I speak I will say I am 100% against the war in Iraq .According to the Bible the decendants of Ishmael and Abraham will never get along.Two Bible verses that support this are:“He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and every ones hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all their brothers.” (Genesis 16:12)“His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the border of Egypt, as you go toward Asshur. And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.” (Genesis 25:18)From a secular standpoint we have conducted the war all wrong. Our government intentionally lied to Americans to justify this war. Iraq did not even have planes in the sky when we attacked with our planes. Iraq was actually a defenseless country. America proved nothing, but ignorance by attacking Iraq. In Iraq we are fighting an unrighteous war.Following an old testament biblical standpoint on war we could say we are supposed to kill every person ... More About: Christian , Iraq War , View
Christian Biblical View on Gossip
2007-11-10 16:57:00 The source of Gossip When we don’t speak what’s on our heart in the moment then we generate anxieties toward people that lead to gossip. Say what you need to in the moment to the person in front of you so you don’t say it behind their back. Bitterness and gossip are the best of friends because bitter people are gossipers. Often those who gossip are gutless individuals and remember God says in His word that cowards will not inherit the kingdom of God. Today people in our culture are very skeptical of others. Today we will often abandon relationships upon the first offense committed. Many people are subconsciously seeking a reason to not pursue a relationship. If it were not for s*x many people would sadly never get married. The same motivator that gets people married is the number one reason for divorce. Think about that one! We transfer this superficialness into most of our new relationships often destroying them before they have a chance to begin. SAD! More About: Christian , View , Biblical
Take up your cross, What does it mean?
2007-11-10 02:01:00 My first idea of taking up our cross is simply to deny our tendency to put ourselves first. A life of comfort is a real enemy. Taking up our cross reminds me of the story of Lazarus and the rich man. Lazarus carried his cross in this cursed world the rich man carried his in Abraham’s bosom. This story can be applied to a Christian who lives only concerned with his own comfort while the single mom next door is struggling to feed her kids. Living for comfort will blind us to the needs of our neighbors causing us to live like a pagan.My 2nd idea of the cross is when I watched my mom go through 18 months agony at 56 years old fighting cancer. Death is a result of sin, whether our death or Christ’s death after the fall in the garden of Eden both the world and our bodies became cursed. Adam and Eve were to live forever until sin entered the world. This is my answer to non-christians who ask me why God allows such suffering in the world. I simple tell them the world is cursed by sin an... More About: Cross
Church Critics and their Critics
2007-11-10 01:43:00 What I learn as a Church criticThe first major lesson is revealed by how defensive the institutional church gets when this generation brings righteous judgements. "Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies". Mainly what I see as the problem with the present church is arrogance. They cling to knowledge alone and seem to leave out love. The so-called great Bible scholars on the blogs like to be rude and call people names. According to the Bible, knowledge without love is a clanging cymbal. When the institutional church gets corrected it goes into a state of denial just like an alcoholic. We make excuses like it is not any worse then before and people are just crying wolf. We hatefully say "who cares what those the pagan think of us". We make these excuses while the water is rising around us. The church is failing at love miserably. Soon the American church will become like the churches in Europe EMPTY! Remember it was the sinners who loved Jesus the most and it was the ... More About: Critics , Critic
Senate member seeks financial records of Atlanta megachurches
2007-11-07 01:35:00 Senate member seeks financial records of Atlanta megachurchesNew Birth, World Changers asked to provide details of spending By CHRISTOPHER QUINNSource: The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionPublished on: 11/06/07 The gospel message that links God with dollars has been called to judgment before a powerful U.S. senator. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) sent letters requesting detailed financial documents to two metro Atlanta preachers and four other ministries nationwide whose leaders are known for opulent, or as the ministers would say, blessed, lifestyles.• Related: Bishop's charity generous to bishop• More Nation/World news• More Faith & Values news in Living Grassley is the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee and has developed a reputation for demanding financial transparency from non-profits. He wants to know how much Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia and the Rev. Creflo and Taffi Dollar of World Changers Church Intern... More About: Financial , Senate , Records , Senat
Stealing God's Glory
2007-11-03 19:47:00 I am praying for new wine, fresh bread, rain from Heaven and a new song. It is possible to loose touch with our 1st love as Revelation states. It seems every other spiritual generation learns this lesson the hard way dating back to Genesis. It is not just about loving God, but also loving each other. Churches are blowing it by not emphasizing the 2nd commandment about loving each other. Oh yes they claim to be great lovers of God yet they fail to teach the members of their congregations to love one another. The apostate church has failed miserably at teaching God’s children to love each other. The reason is simple. Most of today’s churches work to keep the focus on a few men who monopolize leadership positions. The focus of congregations is rarely encouraged toward each other as members. The focus is on generating man made movements, then branding them capitalizing upon them. History reveals man taking God’s movements creating new denominations out of them. God sta... More About: Stealing , Glory
We Christians Celebrate Halloween
2007-11-03 14:56:00 Dad and his 2 dressed up boys. Our trip to a local harvest festivity. Halloween night before a mad rush through the neighborhood collecting candy. The kid Halloween part we threw 2 day after Halloween. More About: Celebrate , Christians , Allo
Christians Celebrate Halloween
2007-11-03 14:56:00 Dad and his 2 dressed up boys. Our trip to a local harvest festivity. Halloween night before a mad rush through the neighborhood collecting candy. The kid Halloween party we threw 2 days after Halloween. More About: Celebrate , Christians , Allo
Emergent Church Defined
2007-10-27 14:48:00 The Emerge nt Church is the new wineskin holding the 21st century new wine (church).Mark 2:22 No one pours new wine into old wineskins. The wine would swell and burst the old skins. Then the wine would be lost, and the skins would be ruined. New wine must be put into new wineskins.George Barna ( www.barna.org ) is the most well known respected Christian researcher who conducts surveys on the state of Christianity and the church. Recent surveys conducted over the last 2 to 3 years have unveiled a mass exodus of Christians leaving their local churches. WHY? The answer simply put is they are desiring something real, something tangible, a relationship with God and others that is life changing. The institutional church has grown stale and is failing to meet the needs of God's people.I searched the NIV Bible and noticed that God's word speaks of new wine, new wineskins, new patch, new garment, new oil, new songs, new mercies, new creations, new minds, new moons, new covenant, new life, n... More About: Defined , Gent
Christians Persecuting Christians
2007-10-27 03:10:00 Why have I backed away from Christian blogs?People cannot speak such personal words to people they barely know. Misunderstandings within blogs unfold all to easily. This is the same mistake people make concerning God. Most of it has to do with the ears that hear. Jesus said let them who have ears hear. What did Jesus mean?I believe it has something to do with the attitude of the listener. Some people listen self-righteously and others listen with their heart. Some listen critically hunting down something with which they can disagree while others listen seeking the truth in what’s being said.I have been attacked unbelievably on blogs by people who simply misread what I am writing. I know for certain that some like to fight for the sake of the fight and can care less about the person on the other end of the debate. It is sad when being right and coming out on top become more important then love itself. More About: Christians
Psychology From A Christians Perspective
2007-10-27 03:07:00 Psychology from a true Christian standpoint should be embraced when conducted properly. Science when practiced with integrity points to a picture of God or what He was thinking when He was creating the world. Truth in itself is a pathway that leads to God. As Jesus said “You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free”. Truth is clarity and light. Lies are confusion and darkness. In a way Heaven and Hell are the result of embracing truth (light) or embracing darkness (lies). I am one who believes that it is God that must open our eyes to initiate the process of salvation. Before we were adopted we were dead as a result of a lie Adam and Eve believed. Many in the world who are suffering are suffering due to lies about who God is, lies about others and lies about themselves. Psychology when conducted properly should teach one the truth about them self, others and God. Adam and Eve were perfect and the enemy whispered in Eves ear telling her that she was not good enough as... More About: Christians , Psychology , Perspective , Holo
Building Self Respect In Your Kids
2007-10-13 16:07:00 A Good FatherYesterday at lunch with some co-workers one of the directors told a story about a teacher that disrespected his son. After noticing his child struggling in algebra the great father hired a tutor that successfully got his son up to speed. He noted the successful effort his son made to improve his grade. When his son recently attempted to turn in homework that was his best work yet, the teacher rejected it. She claimed it was not written in pencil dark enough and she could not read it. Great men shine in the face of opposition.This father then proceeded to contact the teacher to express his disagreement in defense of his son's honor. As the discussion started to become heated with the teacher the father knew he had successfully made his point and ended it diplomatically. It was at this point that my respect for this co-worker/father grew and my wheels started turning. This father was willing to fight for his son's honor and that touched my heart.An In Between Father (ME... More About: Building , Kids , Respect
Central Christian Church of the East Valley
2007-10-05 02:57:00 Central Christian Church of the East Valley in Gilbert, AZ is building a 100 million dollar church building the size of 4 Walmarts. What a waste of money that could be spent tending to the poor, widows and fatherless. This is a idolturous generation of people who worship the golden calf of comfort.See article here -> http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/98 752 More About: Central
Killing Emotions Through Over intellectualism
2007-09-29 17:30:00 In the past I have written about Church Hype.Today I want to write about the other extreme which is over intellectualizing God and the spiritual life. Lately I have grown tired of the overly critical blogs online. I am tired of reading articles about why this person or that person is theologically incorrect. I am tired of interacting with people who seem to believe any form of emotion is emotionalism. I am now ready for some spiritual hype and passion.Rev 2:2-4(2) I know your works and your labor and your patience, and how you cannot bear those who are evil. And you tried those pretending to be apostles, and are not, and have found them liars.(3) And you have borne, and have patience, and for My name's sake you have labored and have not fainted.(4) But I have against you that you left your first love.I remember attending Newsong Church in Irvine, CA and crying almost every Sunday. I remember being presented the beautiful side of God's heart and constantly being reminded of how in ... More About: Emotions , Killing
AUGUSTUS MOVIE REVIEW
2007-09-23 08:10:00 I just watched the movie “Augustus”. Normally, I am in bed by now, but I am too inspired to sleep. I will try to be straight to the point.Here is what I learned from the movie combined with what I already knew prior to watching it. Rome was more than a nation, Rome was an idol. Rome represented all the good things that people gave up in their quest for power, lust and money. The leaders of Rome eventually became as apathetical as the people of Rome. Life became very comfortable as a long period of peace entered the world. The people of Rome basically lived like the people in the days of Noah. They ate, drank and were merry. Lust was destroying families and Rome’s population growth began to slow. Homosexuality became very prevalent even amongst societies elites. Scandals became very common within the Roman government. The military became as weak as the people by making poor decisions and creating more enemies in the process. I guess the Roman government, the military and the p... More About: Movie , Movie Review , Review
What Is A New Testament Church?
2007-09-22 18:12:00 Part 4. "Within And Without"September 19, 2007Ron and Karen SchwartzTry asking a group of people: "What does `New Testament ' mean?" Some will tell you that it is the twenty-seven books of the Bible known as the New Testament . Others will tell you that it is the dispensation of grace in which we live. Still others will tell you that it was the time in which Jesus' original apostles lived. There will be some who will maintain that it is a church that operates in spiritual gifts, while others will define it as the manifestation of the five-fold ministry among God's people, or the format of house churches. The list is almost endless. There remains a great deal of confusion over this issue. People tend to define the New Testament in a way that supports their own goals and agendas. Is there a way to cut through the doctrinal antiquities to discover what God has in mind?Within And WithoutExodus 25:10-11 KJV10 And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and... More About: Church , Amen
A Picture of My Sons
2007-09-13 05:04:00 My dear friends went to India on their honeymoon and brought back some authentic Indian clothes for my sons.Click the picture to be taken to our family album. More About: Picture , Sons
What my children taught me about accusations
2007-09-11 03:43:00 As a parent how would I feel if someone came to me with harsh accusations against my children? I can say with all certainty that nothing could turn my heart away from my kids. I would not believe the accusations until I investigated for myself. If the accusations were true my first consideration would be their motives for committing these wrongs. Did my children mean well and things did not turn out how they intended? Did my children make an unintentional mistake? Was my children's wrong doing all out pure rebellion? As in the Bible story the prodigal son Luke 15 upon repentance I know I would love them and celebrate their return to reality. No matter what I would forgive them and I would want to teach them how their actions could hurt themselves or others. Remember when the prophet Nathan approached David about his affair and the murder of her husband in 2nd Samuel 12? The bottom line is that my heart belongs to my children. Do you believe God's heart belongs to you? I think some... More About: Children
God's Shadow
More articles from this author:2007-09-09 23:09:00 When I am out with my boys I always tell them to stay within my sight. I feel confident they will be safe if I can see them. God desires the same for His children. God's law is His shadow. As long as we stay within God's shadow we will be safe and live a long blessed existence. There is peace and safety in the shadow of His wings.Hell is separation from God. I once saw hell in my 7 year olds eyes and it is unforgettable. Our family went up to the mountains to play in the snow. We needed some gloves so we stopped at a Wal-Mart in the mountains. Noah was lagging behind me as we walked through the store and suddenly he lost sight of me. The moment Noah felt lost the tears immediately filled his eyes and he cried out in a way I will never forget. Man it broke my heart! I ran back to him to hug him and assure him that I had never lost sight of him. Life without God is the beginning of hell. Without God's light to show us the way we would be lost in darkness.Later that evening God used... More About: Shadow 1, 2 |
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