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Church Buildings

12/10/2014

Many contemporary Christians have a love affair with brick and mortar. THe edifice complex is so ingrained in our thinking that if a group of believers begins to meet together, their first thought are toward securing a building. For how can a group of Christians rightfully claim to be a church without a building? (So the thinking goes."

Frank Viola -

Viola, Frank and George Barna. Pagan Christianity. Tyndale. 2008

Pure Christianity: Free of Idols

12/10/2014

"When Christianity was born, it was the only religion on the planet that had no sacred objects, no sacred persons, and no sacred places."

- Frank Viola

Inadequate Messianic Titles

12/4/2014

None of the recognized Messianic titles of his day was remotely adequate to express what he had come to do, just as we find that, if we try to confine him within one of our own modern Messianic titles (freedom fighter, social reformer, avant-grade theologian, guru, or whatever), we only make it more obvious that he is a unique figure. Some of the titles may be correct; none can be adequate.

France, R. T. A Portrait of Jesus. Inter-Varsity Press. London. 1975. p.78-79.

Feeling God's Will?

12/4/2014

The evangelistic method of Jesus and the apostles was not to urge people to seek direct experiences with God; instead they went about preaching and teaching the Scriptures (see, for instance, Mark 1:14-15). And Jesus did not say that once we have spiritual life we live by direct mystical experience with God; rather, we 'live ... on every word that comes from the mouth of God' (Matthew 4:4). 'All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every food work' (2 Timothy 3:16-17). That includes the 'good work' of growing in the knowledge of God and likeness of Christ. So in Scripture the normative method of meeting God is through Scripture.

Donald S. Whitney, 'Unity of Doctrine and Devotion', in The Compromised Church, ed. John H. Armstrong (Wheaton, IL.: Crossway Books, 1993), p.95

Church Buildings

Pure Christianity: Free of Idols

Inadequate Messianic Titles

Feeling God's Will?

Nathan Battey

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