The church building has over the years evolved to become an important part of religious practice. This has been the place where rituals, sermons, communion, funeral services, matrimonial services, prayer, religious music, baptism, and various aspects of religion find their expression. As a liturgical church, Adventists have a special relationship w
Dealing with Death “But I do not want you to be ignorant brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.”[1] For most people, death is not an easy thing to swallow. And for good reason, because we were not created to die. God created humanity with the intent that we would always live life to the fulles
Mentoring in Christianity—specifically in Christian ministry leadership—is important because your mentees may be gifted by God, but they are inexperienced in life and ministry and need your help in hearing and interpreting God’s voice, His call, and His will, and effectively living the Christian life, to have them mature—not just as a leader, but—a
The greatest among you will be your servant. - Jesus In the previous two articles, we explored the ritual of the Lord's Supper with a focus on transplanting its timeless themes to the present age. The conclusion of this journey was a simple reclaiming of the biblical communion expression—an expression rooted in Hebraic materiality which cele
The Focal Point of God’s End-Time Message “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people.”[1] The 3 Angels’ Messages come at a climactic point in the book of Revelation. In chapters 13 and 14 of this apocalyptic book,
Soon after I became a pastor, I started wrestling with the phenomenon of cults: wondering what separates my religion from a cult. I do not mean cult as in a church that diverges from orthodox Christian teachings like the trinity. Nor do I mean merely a new religious movement (value-neutral term of art used in academic religion research instead of c
God creates everything out of nothing. And everything which God is to use, he first reduces to nothing. - Soren Kierkegaard In the previous article, we explored three interconnected themes. The first is that emerging generations find value in the ancient. Therefore, in seeking to connect with contemporary seekers, the church should not be driven by
A West Virginia woman faked her death to avoid a potential 10-year prison term — but was found hiding in a closet at home after a massive three-day search. The woman was reported missing Sunday by her husband and teenage son, who said she fell over the main overlook at the New River Gorge National River. It led to a huge, multi-agency search-and-re
The Sanctuary and Judgment “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”[1] Putting Christ in the center of the sanctuary services of the Old Testament is not a hard thing to do. John the Baptist made it pretty clear that Jesus was the antitypical Lamb to which all o
“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”[1] This scripture has often been used to try to prove that now that we are under a new covenant the law of God is no longer something that we need to follow. I was watching a debate recently where the 10 Commandments were being discussed, and a Christian man who believed
