Don't forget to get together

[MrVersatile48]

Timely word from http://www.anchorlife.org

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Come Together With One Another


Let us not give up meeting together, as some
are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one
another (NIV) Hebrews 10:25a



I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you
yourselves are full of goodness, complete in
knowledge and competent to instruct one another.
(Romans 15:14)


Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and
spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to
the Lord, (Ephesians 5:19)


Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you
teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and
as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with
gratitude in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16)



Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in
the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-
- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
(Hebrews 10:25a)



Hebrews 10:24 says: "and let us consider how to
stimulate one another to love and good deeds." The
Greek text literally translates: "let us consider one
another to stimulate (incite, promote) to love and
good works."

The word "consider" is the Greek
word "katanoeo" which means "to consider
attentively, to perceive, to observe."

The author of Hebrews is calling us to take notice or pay attention
to people so that we might better understand each
other's needs and pain. That way we can minister to
those needs with a listening ear, an open caring
heart, an encouraging word, and loving actions.

But, to be able to do this we need to come together with
one another.



How about you? Are you coming together with other
Christians to stimulate other towards love and good
deed?


Written by Marji "Mike" Kruger

For more on a relationship with God. . . - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=lwkomzbab.0.ggg ... 4027&ts=S0
211&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anchorlife.org%2Fhtml%2Fwhy_bother.htm

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2/3 recent Christian TV shows have relayed reports that, though this generation is wired up & electronically connected like never before, it is also the most lonely one ever: folk surveyed have claimed less true friends than folk of previous generations

Praise God for this site & for Christian TV/radio etc

But there really is no substitute for face-to-face regular meet-ups with your local Body of Christ

"The eye can't say to the hand, 'I don't need you' "" - see 1 Corinthians 12

Many of God's blessings are only experienced corporately: the cross was to reconcile, not just sinful man to holy God, but the young to the old & vice versa, the male to the female & vice versa, the rich to the poor & vice versa, the black to the white & vice versa, etc

As God's garden & God's building - 1 Corinthians 3 - we are works in progress, so don't give up on each other, OK?

God bless!

Ian

 

[MrVersatile48]

Just in from http://www.crosswalk.com



LifeWay Explores Why Former Churchgoers Stopped Going
Allie Martin

A new survey conducted by the research division of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention looks at reasons why adults leave evangelical Christian churches.

This past summer LifeWay Research polled 469 adults who once attended church regularly in an effort to find out why they stopped going -- and also to discover what it would take to bring them back.

According to the study, 59 percent of formerly churched adults say they left because of changes in their life situation. The top two specific life situations cited were schedules that became too hectic to allow for church attendance, and family responsibilities at home that prevented church attendance.

Brad Waggoner, president of LifeWay Research, says the recent survey shows how radically American culture has changed. "It used to be that Sunday was protected as a day of worship," he notes. "It's not good news that people are finding lots of competition with the church."

On the other hand, Waggoner observes, "I guess there's a little bit of good news that at least people are being honest that it's their lives that are out of whack."

However, he points out, other reasons people gave for leaving church included feeling that other church members were hypocritical or judgmental, or the perception that their former church was run by a clique that discouraged involvement.

The director of LifeWay Research believes the exodus of many adults from church may be the result of certain church practices, or that certain practices may at least contribute to the problem.

"In some cases," he asserts, "we've done a poor job of grounding people in their faith and making sure that their own understanding of scripture and their own commitment to the local church is where it needs to be."

Waggoner feels many church members are vulnerable to attrition because of either a nonexistent or immature faith. "When individuals begin to seek out membership," he says, "they should be guided through a process whereby they are clearly taught the gospel and then following salvation, grounded in strong biblical truth."

Nevertheless, the LifeWay Research official does not discount the criticisms raised by some of the respondents in the survey. "On the other side there's this concern about [the fact that] some of our churches are unhealthy, and in some cases the environment is not what it should be," he admits.

Building affinity and fostering commitment in those who attend a church requires real investment on the part of that church, Waggoner suggests. That kind of affinity is something that "will never happen at a significant level without the church fostering a culture of concern, fellowship and involvement," he says.

According to LifeWay Research, the average formerly churched adult has not attended regularly for 14 years. However, last summer's survey found that more than two-thirds of these former churchgoers are open to the idea of attending services regularly again.

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What occurred to me, reading that, is like I ended the OP: churches, like their members, are living organisms who are ever growing & changing: sometimes, like last Sunday, after Saturday's momentous UK day of prayer at the NEC, you can see changes in just one day - as folk did after both 9/11 & 7/7

How many students, home from college/uni after 6 weeks away, saw changes in their hometown crowd & in their home church?

All churches I've been involved in during the 44 - nearly 45 - years that I've known the Lord, have always noticed the changes in their students each half term too

Jesus encouraged us to persist in prayer, just as Paul encouraged Timothy to persist in Bible study - 2 Tim 3:16-17

The Greek word translated as fellowship - koinonia - was the word for a business partnership, & the way the Bible usues it confirms that God wants us to mean business in building each other up in 'the faith once for all delivered to the saints'

That is the only basis for true unity too

& whatever the label over the door, all who truly love & serve the Lord ARE 'one new man in Christ'

& the Lord has given SOOOOO many folk the word, in the past year & more, that His Spirit is wooing back the Prodigals, so if that's you, come on back home to Father God & enjoy His unique welcome, OK?

God bless!

Ian :-D

 

[CrimsonCross]

sometimes encouragement is excacly what we don't need -,.-

as believers in christ, we need to break off the demons hindering the unbeliever. That is when they'll look to us for the answers.


Dont

"Hey Sally, even though your nose looks like a rotting pineapple, just simply believe there is a God out there who loves you. Its not whats on the outside but whats on the inside that counts anyway, hehehehehe."

yes, God may love me. But there are thousands of people I meet in my life and it's a little tough if I can't get any respect on this planet. I'd rather NOT go through a living hell on this planet earth.

The facts are simple, what we see is who we wanna be. High suicide rate? Better believe it. Plastic surgery? Go for it!
But I can't afford Plastic Surgery...
Then plan on spending most of your time alone in a smelly basement chatting on msn with your immature friendboys.