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Answer Upon - And Now, the Great Wineskin Awakening
The Secret is No Secret- It's Just Kabbalah that meets at their house.")When I watched the DVD of the bestselling book The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, I had to smile. Not because I thought the principles taught were funny, but because I had known about them for years. Not only that, they come right out of the Jewish mystical tradition called Kabbalah - although people rarely talk about this fact. The people featured on the The Secret discuss how to manifest what we want and how to create what we desire, by combining thought and feeling. They don't talk too much about the need for action as well, but it is somewhat implied. This technology for conscious manifestation can be found clearly Jewish mystical teachings.First, the Kabbalistic creation story involves God manifesting the world with a series of 10 utterances. In other words, God spoke the world into existence. What precedes words? Thoughts. What precedes thoughts? Letters. The Kabbalists believed that the foundation of the world consists of the Aleph Bet, or Hebrew alphabet. Why? Because letters create thoughts that are expressed in words, and when words are spoken (ie. God said, "Let there be light, and there was light.") they have an effect. In other words (excuse the pun), letters have a creative energy, and when combined into words , those words create worlds.Second, if you look just beyond this creation story, you will find the Kabbalistic description of the Four Worlds of Creation. The Four Worlds, simply translated as Being, Thinking, Feeling, and Doing, provide a pathway for manifestation in the physical plane. We begin with the world of connection with Divine energy from which the will to create something - inspiration - comes. Moving that energy into thoughts of what we want, we then take that thought into a feeling place - we experience what it would be like to have what we want. Finally, in the fourth world we take action towards what we want. It's also possible to use the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, with its 10 sefirot, or emanations, and follow a similar path to conscious creation.And then, if you want the physical manifestations of your desires to seem really magical, try using an incantation when you visualize or speak what you want into existence. The Aramaic word "abracadabra" literally means "He has created as he has spoken" – manifestation according to the power of words. Abracadabra comes from the verb "daber," which refers to organizing "speech." Our speech orders things - as in creating order o Colossians 4:15 ("Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.") Philemon verse 2, ("...to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home."). Based on a regular series of national surveys conducted by his company, the Barna Research Group, during the past 25 years, George Barna discovered that discontent with congregational churches, changes in lifestyles, and even a desire to get closer to God, have caused many people to seek new ways of being in relationship with God and other God-seeking people. In 2000, most of the nation’s organized religious activity took place at or through local churches. Barna’s research reveals that, today, the action is shifting to different forms of corporate religious commitment. Different, yes, but by no means are they new. Barna found that, in a typical week, 9% of all American adults participate in a house church. An even greater proportion – 22% - engages in spiritual encounters that take place in the marketplace (e.g., with groups of people while they are at their place of work or play, or in other typical daily contexts). Even the Internet serves as the foundation for interactive faith experiences for more than one out of every ten adults, usually in tandem with other forms of religious group experiences. Jon Zens, editor of the quarterly publication, "Searching Together," and an advocate of New T Debt Consolidation Counseling There's one method of Christian fellowship that, although quite common in some corners of the Vineyard, is quite foreign in others.Debt consolidation counseling can be a great resource to those who are willing to take advantage of it. Often debt consolidation counseling can be acquired at no charge. Many of the credit and lending institutions are paying for the counseling companies to help those who want to learn more about personal finances. Counseling services are offered through many of the online lending companies, especially those who advertise consolidation services.Credit card debt consolidation is a process of taking all your bills and consolidating them in one lower monthly payment. Debt consolidation simplifies things because you no longer need to manage each individual payment. It also cuts down your interest payments, fewer late fees and miscellaneous charges. This process can also improve your credit rating. Your household budget also becomes a lot easier to manage. Credit card debt consolidation is definitely helpful if you know how to do it the right way.For those who have never consolidated debt there are some tips that may save your time and money. The tips can be used as guidelines for credit card debt consolidation.The first thing to start with is there are two types of credit card debt consolidation. One type is through a credit-counseling firm. These firms will help you by adding up all your monthly payments, then they have you pay this one payment to them. They then separate this money and pay it to creditors until you are debt free. When choosing you a credit counseling service you must be careful. They are companies in this field that will charge fees that are not necessary and you will end up in worse shape than before Let's talk about House Church! Though quite a few American churches are willing to establish "cell groups" or "home groups," for the most part, the typical church tends to include these gatherings merely as some sort of "bolt-on program" to what most perceive as the REAL church. As with any other program of the church, members can choose to attend or ignore this one, too. With us being as busy as we are, the majority of church-attenders will choose to ignore their church's "home group" ministry and focus their attention on what they see as the REAL ministry that takes place on Sunday morning, maybe Wednesday night and, occasionally, Sunday nights. If you will, look for a moment at Acts Chapter 16 along with my thought-provoking comments: TIMOTHY JOINS PAUL AND SILAS 4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. COMMENT: Churches? Who was going around building these buildings? Did they have pastors, secretaries, janitors, steeples, padded pews, a children's ministry? A playground? Did Paul and his companions stick around and "pastor" these churches? Of course not! Paul has Vision of the Man of Macedonia. Read this: Lydia's Conversion in Philippi 13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. COMMENT: What...no synagogues in the area? No temples? No "churches" on every street corner? Where else would they possibly go to pray? Having failed at their attempt to find a "place" to pray, they stopped to chat with some ladies. WHAT?!! C'mon guys, stay focused! Let me get this straight...God wouldn't allow you to preach in Asia or Mysia but He WILL let you talk to the ladies down by the river... this is WAY too unorthodox! 14 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us. COMMENT: Was there a "Sinner's Prayer"? A "Four Spiritual Laws"? A "Roman Road"? Any kind of profession of faith? Did they not have a "Salvation System" in place? No, the Scripture merely says "the Lord opened her heart." How did they know THAT? Where was Lydia's husband during all this? Was she a single woman inviting these men over to her house? What ever happened to "avoiding the appearance of evil"? What were Paul and his posse thinking? Most importantly...where did Lydia and her household go to continue their discipleship process? Church? Sunday school? Did they watch TBN or listen to Pastor Michael's "Your Town for Jesus" broadcast on radio or listen to tapes or read eMail's? Beginning with verse 16, Paul casts a demon out of a slave girl who was earning money for her owners. They make a fuss and Paul and Silas wind up in jail. The pair were singing hymns to God when an earthquake struck and shook the jail, opening its gates and lossening all the chains on the prisoners. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family. COMMENT: Then what? How did the jailer and HIS household continue to grow in their faith? Did they read Bibles? there were none. Did they go to conferences or seminars? There were none. Did the jailer attend a seminary? There were none. They were eventually released. Now, get ready for this! 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left. COMMENT: O.K.! Back to Lydia's place...at least for awhile. THEN, they left! Again, who continued the discipleship process for Lydia and family? Where did they attend "Church." BIBLICAL MEETINGS IN THE HOME Today, when most of us refer to "the church," our tendency is to refer to the church building, what goes on there, or our particular denomination. In New Testament Scripture, it's apparent that erecting and maintaining a building, hiring a ministerial, clerical and janitorial staff was simply NOT on anybody's to-do list. When they DID pool their monetary resources, they were soon involved in expending all available funds in the service of widows and orphans. Charity was not an incidental, fractional portion of the budget. No, caring for the needs of widows and orphans WAS the budget. No buildings, no church staff, no paid preacher. Take a look: Romans 16:5 ("Likewise greet the church that is in their house") 1 Corinthians 16:19 ("The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.") Colossians 4:15 ("Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.") Philemon verse 2, ("...to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home."). Based on a regular series of national surveys conducted by his company, the Barna Research Group, during the past 25 years, George Barna discovered that discontent with congregational churches, changes in lifestyles, and even a desire to get closer to God, have caused many people to seek new ways of being in relationship with God and other God-seeking people. In 2000, most of the nation’s organized religious activity took place at or through local churches. Barna’s research reveals that, today, the action is shifting to different forms of corporate religious commitment. Different, yes, but by no means are they new. Barna found that, in a typical week, 9% of all American adults participate in a house church. An even greater proportion – 22% - engages in spiritual encounters that take place in the marketplace (e.g., with groups of people while they are at their place of work or play, or in other typical daily contexts). Even the Internet serves as the foundation for interactive faith experiences for more than one out of every ten adults, usually in tandem with other forms of religious group experiences. Jon Zens, editor of the quarterly publication, "Searching Together," and an advocate of New T Personal Loans – The First Resort to Availing Finances Lydia's Conversion in Philippi
13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.Personal loans are either secured or unsecured. With secured loans, the amount is tied to collateral. In other words, the collateral can be repossessed by the lender, if the repayments are not made on time.Unsecured loans, on the other hand, do not require any collateral. A defaulter could be blacklisted if he does not pay back the amount in time. This label can be damaging for the borrower. In other words, he may not be able to avail credit cards etc.Personal loans are the traditional way of borrowing money. A British citizen can take either the unsecured or the secured loan, depending on his finances.There are several avenues to avail a personal loan from. Traditional banking institutions and building societies offer personal loans. There are private lenders too. However, the best option nowadays looks like being the Internet. The web portal offers more choice and expediency.The borrower should ideally shop around to get the best deal. Typically, interest rates go down with the raise in the amount borrowed. Rates vary between 7% up to 20%.Personal loans are repaid in monthly installments. The time period is generally fixed, and early repayment of the loan induces a penalty. Then there are flexible loans. With these loans, there is no less rigidity concerning repayment terms. These loans are more common, but the interest rate charged is often higher.The borrower should keep in mind the time of the repayments. Longer repayment means more interest. Thus, it is feasible to go for a short repayment term. If the lender does not approve of the loan, he is required to give reasons for his actions.While choosing a personal loan, research becomes mandatory. There are many who make the mistake of taking the first loan offer that comes along. More often than not, they end up with the wrong loan deal. Compare the quotes on offer and make a judicious decision. COMMENT: What...no synagogues in the area? No temples? No "churches" on every street corner? Where else would they possibly go to pray? Having failed at their attempt to find a "place" to pray, they stopped to chat with some ladies. WHAT?!! C'mon guys, stay focused! Let me get this straight...God wouldn't allow you to preach in Asia or Mysia but He WILL let you talk to the ladies down by the river... this is WAY too unorthodox! 14 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us. COMMENT: Was there a "Sinner's Prayer"? A "Four Spiritual Laws"? A "Roman Road"? Any kind of profession of faith? Did they not have a "Salvation System" in place? No, the Scripture merely says "the Lord opened her heart." How did they know THAT? Where was Lydia's husband during all this? Was she a single woman inviting these men over to her house? What ever happened to "avoiding the appearance of evil"? What were Paul and his posse thinking? Most importantly...where did Lydia and her household go to continue their discipleship process? Church? Sunday school? Did they watch TBN or listen to Pastor Michael's "Your Town for Jesus" broadcast on radio or listen to tapes or read eMail's? Beginning with verse 16, Paul casts a demon out of a slave girl who was earning money for her owners. They make a fuss and Paul and Silas wind up in jail. The pair were singing hymns to God when an earthquake struck and shook the jail, opening its gates and lossening all the chains on the prisoners. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family. COMMENT: Then what? How did the jailer and HIS household continue to grow in their faith? Did they read Bibles? there were none. Did they go to conferences or seminars? There were none. Did the jailer attend a seminary? There were none. They were eventually released. Now, get ready for this! 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left. COMMENT: O.K.! Back to Lydia's place...at least for awhile. THEN, they left! Again, who continued the discipleship process for Lydia and family? Where did they attend "Church." BIBLICAL MEETINGS IN THE HOME Today, when most of us refer to "the church," our tendency is to refer to the church building, what goes on there, or our particular denomination. In New Testament Scripture, it's apparent that erecting and maintaining a building, hiring a ministerial, clerical and janitorial staff was simply NOT on anybody's to-do list. When they DID pool their monetary resources, they were soon involved in expending all available funds in the service of widows and orphans. Charity was not an incidental, fractional portion of the budget. No, caring for the needs of widows and orphans WAS the budget. No buildings, no church staff, no paid preacher. Take a look: Romans 16:5 ("Likewise greet the church that is in their house") 1 Corinthians 16:19 ("The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.") Colossians 4:15 ("Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.") Philemon verse 2, ("...to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home."). Based on a regular series of national surveys conducted by his company, the Barna Research Group, during the past 25 years, George Barna discovered that discontent with congregational churches, changes in lifestyles, and even a desire to get closer to God, have caused many people to seek new ways of being in relationship with God and other God-seeking people. In 2000, most of the nation’s organized religious activity took place at or through local churches. Barna’s research reveals that, today, the action is shifting to different forms of corporate religious commitment. Different, yes, but by no means are they new. Barna found that, in a typical week, 9% of all American adults participate in a house church. An even greater proportion – 22% - engages in spiritual encounters that take place in the marketplace (e.g., with groups of people while they are at their place of work or play, or in other typical daily contexts). Even the Internet serves as the foundation for interactive faith experiences for more than one out of every ten adults, usually in tandem with other forms of religious group experiences. Jon Zens, editor of the quarterly publication, "Searching Together," and an advocate of New T You Can Handle Bad Credit Management ng? Most importantly...where did Lydia and her household go to continue their discipleship process? Church? Sunday school? Did they watch TBN or listen to Pastor Michael's "Your Town for Jesus" broadcast on radio or listen to tapes or read eMail's?In today's modern world, you are greatly limited if you have a poor credit rating. You may not realize it, but many companies may require you to have a high Beacon score before they will even consider you for any kind of position with them. You may be denied car or homeowner's insurance coverage due to your credit rating. With the economy and unemployment rates, it is hard to have perfect credit, and everyone may slip once in a while.It is important to understand the proper steps you need to take to repair your credit. Many companies advertise that they can help raise your credit score and erase bad credit, for an extraordinary fee, but the sad reality is that most of them are only looking for a quick buck, and do nothing to help you at all. You are better handling your own bad credit management.If you decide you cannot handle your own bad debt management, then one of these companies may possibly help you, they are not all bad, but you need to be careful. Do thorough research by looking for customer complaints, and check with the Better Business Bureau to make sure they are legitimate. In addition, there are some warning signs that may help clue you in to a potential bad debt management scam.Any company that wants you to pay them for bad debt management services up front may not be totally on the up and up. Inform them that according to the Credit Repair Organizations Act, no company providing a credit repair service are allowed to require you to pay for services until they have actually been rendered. If the company does not inform you of your legal rights in regards to debt management, or if they fail to tell you that you can handle it yourself if you choose, you may want to do some research before dealing with them any further. A company which tells you that you need to contact the credit bureau yourself, especially since they are supposed to be doing all of the legwork for you, should make you suspicious. That's what you're paying them for, after all. Be leery of any company that tells you that they can give you a new identity, allowing you to use an Employer Identification Number, instead of your own social security number.If you take any illegal action, even at the recommendation of one of these companies, you will be the one who is held liable, not the company or it's representatives. You could be looking at fraud charges, and would have to face whatever penalty allowed by law in your state. Any fraud Beginning with verse 16, Paul casts a demon out of a slave girl who was earning money for her owners. They make a fuss and Paul and Silas wind up in jail. The pair were singing hymns to God when an earthquake struck and shook the jail, opening its gates and lossening all the chains on the prisoners. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family. COMMENT: Then what? How did the jailer and HIS household continue to grow in their faith? Did they read Bibles? there were none. Did they go to conferences or seminars? There were none. Did the jailer attend a seminary? There were none. They were eventually released. Now, get ready for this! 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left. COMMENT: O.K.! Back to Lydia's place...at least for awhile. THEN, they left! Again, who continued the discipleship process for Lydia and family? Where did they attend "Church." BIBLICAL MEETINGS IN THE HOME Today, when most of us refer to "the church," our tendency is to refer to the church building, what goes on there, or our particular denomination. In New Testament Scripture, it's apparent that erecting and maintaining a building, hiring a ministerial, clerical and janitorial staff was simply NOT on anybody's to-do list. When they DID pool their monetary resources, they were soon involved in expending all available funds in the service of widows and orphans. Charity was not an incidental, fractional portion of the budget. No, caring for the needs of widows and orphans WAS the budget. No buildings, no church staff, no paid preacher. Take a look: Romans 16:5 ("Likewise greet the church that is in their house") 1 Corinthians 16:19 ("The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.") Colossians 4:15 ("Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.") Philemon verse 2, ("...to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home."). Based on a regular series of national surveys conducted by his company, the Barna Research Group, during the past 25 years, George Barna discovered that discontent with congregational churches, changes in lifestyles, and even a desire to get closer to God, have caused many people to seek new ways of being in relationship with God and other God-seeking people. In 2000, most of the nation’s organized religious activity took place at or through local churches. Barna’s research reveals that, today, the action is shifting to different forms of corporate religious commitment. Different, yes, but by no means are they new. Barna found that, in a typical week, 9% of all American adults participate in a house church. An even greater proportion – 22% - engages in spiritual encounters that take place in the marketplace (e.g., with groups of people while they are at their place of work or play, or in other typical daily contexts). Even the Internet serves as the foundation for interactive faith experiences for more than one out of every ten adults, usually in tandem with other forms of religious group experiences. Jon Zens, editor of the quarterly publication, "Searching Together," and an advocate of New T Graceful Withdrawal their faith? Did they read Bibles? there were none. Did they go to conferences or seminars? There were none. Did the jailer attend a seminary? There were none. They were eventually released. Now, get ready for this!WASHINGTON - "We have not failed in Iraq," said Stephen Hadley, The National Security Adviser. "We will fail in Iraq if we pull out our troops before we're in a position to help the Iraqis succeed." While President Bush acknowledges the need for changes in Iraq, he will not use the Iraq Study Group report as cover for bringing troops home. "That isn't graceful withdrawal, that's cut and run. And, of course, as the president's said, cut and run is not his cup of tea.""George, would you explain what the heck is a graceful withdrawal as opposed to cut and run? Also, throw some light on that sentence about not having failed in Iraq and explain the meaning of helping the Iraqis succeed"With his usual good humor the President smiled, put his hands together in prayer fashion and bowing to the smiling First Lady, said:"Anyone knows what a graceful withdrawal is. Even Napoleon employed the phrase after Wellington erased his infantry, his cavalry and his artillery. In other words, he cut and ran. Do not tell anyone that I said this, please: they are both the same except that graceful withdrawal implies order, disciplined columns of brave soldiers marching away toward the sunset while the military bands play martial songs and flags wave in the distance. Which connotation is easier to feed the American public?""Who cares, George? When one is drowning and gets cramps in both legs, gets an arm bitten by a shark and has dizzy spells, he either becomes deeply religious or paddles like hell!" She laughed and delicately took another bite of that slice of Panettone di Parma. Then, she added:'What is so secret about one or the other? Everyone knows that in the case of Napoleon, like in the case of most dictators that refuse to listen to reason and make stubbornness a political virtue, a rapid retreat is often the only solution. There was no graceful withdrawal and all Napoleon could do was to get on his bicycle and pedal like hell. That is where the phrase meeting your Waterloo originated""Great scholarship, First Lady. But forget about Napoleon. He did enough damage not only to his own country but also to many other countries.""Glad you told me, President. Now, what about that story about not having failed? How about that Iraqi success?""Failure is an ugly word, dear. Save it for the baseball season. Iraqi success means that they get their country back if we leave and will have to rebuild it from sc 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left. COMMENT: O.K.! Back to Lydia's place...at least for awhile. THEN, they left! Again, who continued the discipleship process for Lydia and family? Where did they attend "Church." BIBLICAL MEETINGS IN THE HOME Today, when most of us refer to "the church," our tendency is to refer to the church building, what goes on there, or our particular denomination. In New Testament Scripture, it's apparent that erecting and maintaining a building, hiring a ministerial, clerical and janitorial staff was simply NOT on anybody's to-do list. When they DID pool their monetary resources, they were soon involved in expending all available funds in the service of widows and orphans. Charity was not an incidental, fractional portion of the budget. No, caring for the needs of widows and orphans WAS the budget. No buildings, no church staff, no paid preacher. Take a look: Romans 16:5 ("Likewise greet the church that is in their house") 1 Corinthians 16:19 ("The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.") Colossians 4:15 ("Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.") Philemon verse 2, ("...to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home."). Based on a regular series of national surveys conducted by his company, the Barna Research Group, during the past 25 years, George Barna discovered that discontent with congregational churches, changes in lifestyles, and even a desire to get closer to God, have caused many people to seek new ways of being in relationship with God and other God-seeking people. In 2000, most of the nation’s organized religious activity took place at or through local churches. Barna’s research reveals that, today, the action is shifting to different forms of corporate religious commitment. Different, yes, but by no means are they new. Barna found that, in a typical week, 9% of all American adults participate in a house church. An even greater proportion – 22% - engages in spiritual encounters that take place in the marketplace (e.g., with groups of people while they are at their place of work or play, or in other typical daily contexts). Even the Internet serves as the foundation for interactive faith experiences for more than one out of every ten adults, usually in tandem with other forms of religious group experiences. Jon Zens, editor of the quarterly publication, "Searching Together," and an advocate of New T Iran's Nuclear Blackmail that meets at their house.")Although not particularly superstitious by nature, I have come to the realization that kissing, in the world of politics, is a foretelling sign of ominous things to come.For instance, think at what happened after Vyacheslav Molotov (1890 – 1986) and Joachim von Ribbentrop (1893 – 1946) kissed in the wake of the Nazi-Soviet Non Aggression Pact of 1939. How about when Leonid Brezhnev (1906 – 1982) kissed Mao Tse-tung (1893 – 1976) a few months before the international incident on the Ussuri River in 1969, which signed the end of the ‘intellectual’ alliance between Soviet Russia and Red China, and that almost catapulted the world into WWIII. Or even the famous kiss between Mikhail Gorbachev (1931) and Ronald Reagan (1911 – 2004) in 1988, right before the collapse of the Soviet Union, although this could hardly be described as a foreboding sign of omen – unless, of course, one is a Bolshevik communist.And why is it that only male politicians kiss, and never female politicians, is yet another mystery of life. No one ever dared kissing the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher of Britain, or Madeleine Albright. And when the present US Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice – herself otherwise a very kissable lady - trots around the globe, all foreign dignitaries are kept a safe distance away, just in case. This is the reason why I personally would fire all the male politicians and support replacing them only with females: at least if they kiss, the ladies would have the decency not to show me on TV - but I digress.So therefore, if history teaches anything at all, what are we to make of the latest quasi-amorous engagement and great effort of getting a taste of each other of Hugo Ch?vez of Venezuela and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran? Seen from the cameraman’s angle, that was not just a kiss. Those two went very close to a lip-to-lip encounter of the third kind, something to make a Frenchman green with envy. All of which makes any prediction of future events even more ominous.Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a civil engineer by profession and the Sixth President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a confirmed believer in the coming apocalypse. Like Judaism and Christianity, Shiite Islam has its own version of the messianic return - the reappearance of the Twelfth Imam. And as in some versions of fundamentalist Christianity, the second coming will be accompanied by the usual trials and tribulations, death and destruction. The Iranian p Colossians 4:15 ("Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.") Philemon verse 2, ("...to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home."). Based on a regular series of national surveys conducted by his company, the Barna Research Group, during the past 25 years, George Barna discovered that discontent with congregational churches, changes in lifestyles, and even a desire to get closer to God, have caused many people to seek new ways of being in relationship with God and other God-seeking people. In 2000, most of the nation’s organized religious activity took place at or through local churches. Barna’s research reveals that, today, the action is shifting to different forms of corporate religious commitment. Different, yes, but by no means are they new. Barna found that, in a typical week, 9% of all American adults participate in a house church. An even greater proportion – 22% - engages in spiritual encounters that take place in the marketplace (e.g., with groups of people while they are at their place of work or play, or in other typical daily contexts). Even the Internet serves as the foundation for interactive faith experiences for more than one out of every ten adults, usually in tandem with other forms of religious group experiences. Jon Zens, editor of the quarterly publication, "Searching Together," and an advocate of New Testament church life being lived-out today, has observed a growing exodus of people from institutional churches across America. "I see three basic phenomena as to why people are exiting the institutional church," he explains. "After years of starving in the institutional church, they leave to find New Testament realities. People study their Bibles and come to perceive a huge chasm between the New Testament and the traditional church and often they leave after the institutional church disregards their pleas for change." GOING TO vs BEING THE CHURCH The New Testament writers referred to the PEOPLE of God as God's building (1 Corinthians 3:9, Ephesians 2:19-22), God's temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17), God's house (1 Timothy 3:15, Hebrews 3:6, 10:21, 1 Peter 2:17), God's household (Ephesians 2:19, Galatians 6:10) and Christ's body (Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 12:12, Ephesians 3:6, 5:23, 30). Though most Christians - even ministers - would say 'Amen" to that, such a response is generally little more than mere lip service. I can recall an "emergency meeting" years ago when I was on-staff at a huge metropolitan church. The elders got wind of an associate pastor who had held a meeting at his home and, without him being present, ordered a meeting of the entire staff, from deacons to janitors - some 35 strong - to call their friends and "warn" them about the associate pastor's "evil" actions. I spoke up, unable to contain myself any longer amidst the accusations and escalating concerns. "We can all see the call of God on this couple's lives to lead people. Why can't we simply bless them and move on...or is this fear-motivated...is this all about losing tithers?" Needless to say, no one spoke to me again after that and I was asked to step down within two days. I immediately joined the ranks of the former associate pastor as HIS associate pastor. Did Christians in the New Testament GO to church. No, the thought never entered their minds. They WERE the church! They understood that they WERE God's dwelling place. They were His temple! As Howard Snyder writes in "The Problem of Wineskins Today," "A church building cannot properly be "the Lord's house" because, in the new covenant, this title is reserved for the church as people. So, if church buildings have any justification, it can only be practical; simply a place to meet and carry on essential functions, as necessary." The Book of Acts is STILL being written, my friends. RUNNING THE CHURCH LIKE A BUSINESS What we in the West typically refer to as "The Church" is taking its toll on the people we hire to run these organizations. Zens said, "Divorce, suicide, nervous breakdown, burnout, etc. abound among clergy. The average pastorate in the Southern Baptist Convention is under 18 months. The high-pressure altar call tactics have proven to produce "converts" that rarely last. Even with all the empirical evidence that many things are amuck in the traditional model, the real issue is 'what does the New Testament teach?' If any model contradicts or stifles the New Testament pattern, it should be jettisoned for such reasons alone. The early church had no clergy and no sacred buildings, and in this regard was radically different from all other religions, including Judaism. The proliferation of expensive church buildings constitutes a fundamental compromise of what Christ intended to build. Thus, believers gathering in informal settings [in] homes, rented store-fronts, outdoors and apartments apparently provides the best context for the 58 "one anothers" [in the Bible] to be fleshed out." In his article entitled "Four Tragic Shifts in the Visible Church, 180-400 A.D.," Zens writes. " I think the primary theological point of the New Testament in this regard is that under the New Covenant there are no holy places. Contemporary Christianity has almost no grasp of this significant point. Taking a cue from the Old Covenant, people are still lead to believe that a church building is 'the house of God.' Believers are free to meet any place in which they can foster, cultivate and attain the goals set before them by Christ. The problem today is that many church structures neither promote nor accomplish Christ's desires for His body. Homes are a neutral place for believers to meet, and the early church flourished well into the first and second centuries without erecting any temple-like edifices. But the issue is still not in what type of place believers gather, but what shape their committed life together takes as they wrestle with the many duties and privileges flowing out of the priesthood of all believers." Christian Smith, writing in the journal "Voices In The Wilderness," adds, "God intends church to be a community of believers in which each member contributes their special gift, talent, or ability to the whole, so that, through the active participation and contribution of all, the needs of the community are met. In other words, what we ought to see in our churches is 'the ministry of the people,' not 'the ministry of the professional.' The role of the clergy is essentially the centralization and professionalization of the gifts of the whole body into one person. The problem is that, regardless of what our theologies tell us about the purpose of clergy, the actual effect of the clergy profession is to make the body of Christ lame. This happens not because clergy intend it (they usually intend the opposite) but because the objective nature of the profession inevitably turns the laity into passive receivers." THE CORPORATE PYRAMID IN THE CHURCH Passive laity? Pew potatoes? Their existence is borne out in such passages as Romans 12:4-8, 1 Corinthians 12, and in 1 Corinthians 14:26, the latter stating: "What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or a
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