Dave Di Sabatino
Everyone of us has said a few things that they regret saying. Others have made statements that have influenced us in positive ways. The Bible records Jesus, as he was faced with death, with His famous last words. This series examines the depth and practical application of the final words Jesus uttered before giving His life.
Dave Di Sabatino
Everyone of us has said a few things that they regret saying. Others have made statements that have influenced us in positive ways. The Bible records Jesus, as he was faced with death, with His famous last words. This series examines the depth and practical application of the final words Jesus uttered before giving His life.
So last week I was reading my some blogs on my blogroll and came across this interesting post by Bobby Gruenewald. Apparently in the UK people are getting de-baptized and paying for certificates for this accomplishment.
In some ways I’m not sure if this is a bad thing. For too long there have been millions of people who have been Christians in name only. This has given Christianity a watered down reality. When people bear the name of Jesus and yet don’t really live like he is alive - they nullify the power of Jesus in their lives.
The Bible tells us that before Jesus returns there will be a great falling away. So in some ways this is not a surprise. But I do know that not all of these de-baptisms are happening because of a prophetic mandate. I am sure that there are a lot of hurt people who have had Christians do mean and un-excusable things to them.
And although I am not responsible for the church at large - I want to make sure that I am not responsible for anyone deciding that they are not that into Jesus.
What do you think? Do you think the church could be responsible for some of these de-baptisms?
jess
This week we started a new series on Sundays entitled, “The Essentials”. And what we really want to talk about over the next couple of weeks is the core DNA of what we are all about at Liberty.
This week we started with the essential of justice and talked about how we MUST be about the poor, the marginalized and the outcast - even if we ourselves fit into one of these categories.
Today I was re-reading many of the reports of poverty that the United Way put together for Toronto. As I looked at the maps and read about the poverty and lack of opportunity I was sad, but something inside of me knows that we can make a difference.
All of my life I have heard people quote the words of Jesus saying, “the poor you will always have amongst you.”. And as they quoted this verse I knew it was an excuse to leave those who were less fortunate to their own devices. The truth is however as you read the rest of the Bible you understand that Jesus was not making a doctrinal statement, he was merely stating that He would not be on earth in bodily form for long. If anything this verse acknowledges that we ARE to care for the poor. We are to notice them and we are to care for them.
Last month, Anne Jackson (a prolific blogger) wrote about the quest to make social justice sellable and sexy. My heart would love to believe that people will be altruistic and do things for others out of the goodness of their souls, but in reality I am a pragmatist. So yes, I am looking for ways to introduce people to social justice that will peak their interest and somehow paint a picture that makes social justice come alive in people’s minds.
At the end of our service on Sunday we all put our hands in paint and plastered them to various white canvasses that will someday soon be the artwork that adorns our new building. Every time I walk by those hands I will remember that God uses our hands to bring justice to the world and that if we will partner with him - we will see God change the very fabric of our city!
Jess
Okay - so a few hours ago I read this article from CNN on churches and security measures. Now hear me - I am all about security and making sure that there is an adequate amount of thought given to risk management, but I am also of the opinion that this can go too far.
In reading this article a few thoughts went through my mind:
1) In a culture of fear how should the church respond? My initial thought is that by locking the doors and hiring security companies - we only promote fear - which the Bible is clear- doesn’t come from God.
2) It’s obvious from this article that lots of people don’t feel very safe at church. How can we make sure that people feel secure without the prison atmosphere?
3) I wonder how someone totally foreign to church would feel if we took on security detail like this? Would they really feel safer - or would it just confirm the belief that a lot of nuts are attracted to church?
Jessica
Thoughts?
Tonight I stayed up quite late – It was after 1:00am and I couldn’t sleep. My brain was still racing and I was mentally going over the list of things I needed to do before the next day.
After tossing and turning, I decided to turn on the T.V. and see what was on. I flicked past a church show, and for a moment I thought about whether or not I should stop and watch – I decided not to – Sports Highlights seemed like a more engaging show. (more…)
