2009-11-05T15:39:40-05:00 GCI info@gospel.com http://www.gospel.com/feeds/topics/church http://gospel.com/blog/index.php/2009/10/29/whats-the-difference-between-church-discipline-and-punishment/ 2009-11-05T15:39:40-05:00 Have you ever witnessed, or experienced firsthand, “church discipline” administered by your church community? If the point of church discipline is to correct, not just to punish, what elements must be present in the act of discipline to ensure that it’s not just punitive? http://gospel.com/blog/index.php/2009/11/02/how-has-seasonal-and-swine-flu-affected-your-church/ 2009-11-05T15:37:20-05:00 How has seasonal and swine flu affected your church? http://gospel.com/blog/index.php/2009/11/02/when-is-it-time-for-a-church-to-call-it-quits/ 2009-11-05T15:36:40-05:00 Have you experienced a church shutdown, and if so, was it graceful and prayerful… or was it characterized by denial? How do you tell the difference between obstacles that the church can and should work to overcome, and signs that it’s time to close down the church? http://gospel.com/blog/index.php/2009/10/26/faces-of-the-abandoned-church/ 2009-10-28T10:49:41-05:00 Have you ever seen an abandoned church? How did it make you feel? Some thoughts on abandoned "sacred space." http://gospel.com/blog/index.php/2009/10/27/worshiping-when-its-not-easy/ 2009-10-28T10:48:02-05:00 It’s easy to worship God when the mood and setting are pitch perfect, but what about when things aren’t quite right? How do you worship when you just don't feel like it? http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2012:12&version=NIV 2009-10-01T21:17:27-05:00 Just as the human body is made up of many different parts, each of which has a unique function but which contributes to the whole, so individual Christians are joined together to form the church--the body of Christ on earth. http://delveintojesus.com/Devotionals/39/Loving-the-Sinner.aspx 2009-09-20T18:40:23-05:00 As Christians, what should our response be when we discover that someone in our congregation has an ongoing problem with sin? Perhaps they're having an affair, or they've been arrested numerous times for drug possession. What is the appropriate course to take? This devotional takes a close look at Jesus' teaching on the subject, and explains what every Christian should do when a fellow believer is struggling with sin. http://hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/your-mission/the-mias-2714 2009-09-16T12:31:48-05:00 Most of us are so busy in our personal rat race - and sometimes so comfy in our Christian cocoon - that we do forget the ones who aren't home yet. But listen to the heart of Jesus - He's aching for those who are still out there lost. How much do the MIAs bother you? http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%205:29&version=KJV 2009-09-11T11:30:42-05:00 Jesus' love for his church is compared to our love for our own bodies. We take good care of our bodies; Jesus takes good care of his church, which is in a sense his "body" on earth. http://hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/your-personal-power/level-ground-5808 2009-09-10T11:56:59-05:00 The culture of money and power and fashion and social groupings is supposed to stop at the door of the Church of Jesus Christ. I hope it does at yours. None of that stuff matters to Jesus. The world has its "power elite" and its "insiders and outsiders." Don't let that cancer infect your church.