I discovered a website that will mail books and other literature to your address for free: http://www.gnmagazine.org/litreq/
I requested a booklet titled, The Church Jesus Built.
"This book will guide one to examine the modern christian church with all of the various branches and denominations. The book observes the fruits that Jesus and His apostles said would identify His Church. It also looks at the contrasting fruits that identify those who are influenced by a different spirit and preach a different gospel. It teaches us to learn, not from human tradition or opinion but directly from God's Word, how we can distinguish "the church of the living God" (1 Timothy 3:15) from those who follow "false prophets" in sheep's clothing."
Showing posts with label Church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Church. Show all posts
Finding Faith: A Search For What Makes Sense
I just started reading one of Brian McLaren's first books, Finding Faith. The book is for people who are searching for God, but find traditional Christian "apologetics" more an obstacle than a bridge. I will post more as I continue reading.
Seacoast Church in Greenville, South Carolina
The current order of the modern church service is linear
- announcements
- music
- offertory
- sermon
- insert whatever
--- all in a straight chronological line. Everyone is experiencing the same thing, together, simultaneously.
The postmodern mind is different. Think of a teenager listening to his iPod, doing homework and watching TRL [MTV's Total Request Live] all at the same time. This mindset can multitask, and in fact, would prefer to multitask. We live in an overstimulated age and a one-track mind can be boring.
While the Seacoast church service is mainly linear, there is a portion that isn't. During a portion of the service, a person can choose to do one, none, some or all of the following:
1. Participate in congregational singing.
2. Move to a station to receive Communion.
3. Move to a station to make an offering.
4. Move to a station and pray with leadership.
5. Move to a station, say a prayer and light a candle as a symbol of that prayer.
6. Move to a station, write a prayer concern [sin, healing, etc.] on a piece of paper and nail it to a cross.
Here's how the current service order looks:
>5 minute countdown video.
>2 upbeat worship songs.
>welcome, announcements.
>sermon.
>3-4 songs or hymns, during which you may participate in any or all of the 6 options above.
>benediction
Church. It's not just for sitting anymore. See pics of the Seacoast Greenville stations.. http://www.flickr.com/photos/worshipideas/sets/
- announcements
- music
- offertory
- sermon
- insert whatever
--- all in a straight chronological line. Everyone is experiencing the same thing, together, simultaneously.
The postmodern mind is different. Think of a teenager listening to his iPod, doing homework and watching TRL [MTV's Total Request Live] all at the same time. This mindset can multitask, and in fact, would prefer to multitask. We live in an overstimulated age and a one-track mind can be boring.
While the Seacoast church service is mainly linear, there is a portion that isn't. During a portion of the service, a person can choose to do one, none, some or all of the following:
1. Participate in congregational singing.
2. Move to a station to receive Communion.
3. Move to a station to make an offering.
4. Move to a station and pray with leadership.
5. Move to a station, say a prayer and light a candle as a symbol of that prayer.
6. Move to a station, write a prayer concern [sin, healing, etc.] on a piece of paper and nail it to a cross.
Here's how the current service order looks:
>5 minute countdown video.
>2 upbeat worship songs.
>welcome, announcements.
>sermon.
>3-4 songs or hymns, during which you may participate in any or all of the 6 options above.
>benediction
Church. It's not just for sitting anymore. See pics of the Seacoast Greenville stations.. http://www.flickr.com/photos/worshipideas/sets/
The Road To The Cross
This was a very uplifting service for me. We discussed the failures of life and the failures of sin. Each person received a candle when they entered the sanctuary. The candles were brought to the cross; we brought our failures to Jesus. What a powerful image.Sam Sanders
This act in the service was a profound invitation. Mark Shivers, a Ph.D. student at Vanderbilt and a personal friend of mine wrote:
"I am intentional about holistic invitations where our whole mind, heart and body are all involved in conversional acts. I think this connection is important and invitiation at its best gets at this..."
Sam Sanders
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