Articles for tag: Body of Christ

August 25, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Recognizing the Body

By Mark A. Taylor I first prepared the following as a Communion meditation for the church where I worship. It occurs to me that it considers a biblical challenge that Christians everywhere do well to remember. We don”t read far in Paul”s first letter to the Corinthians till we see this was a church with problems. “I appeal to you brothers,” he wrote, “in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and

August 10, 2015

Christian Standard

7 Things Singles Want Their Pastors to Know

By Jennifer Johnson “¢ Please acknowledge that our culture is couple-focused.  Many people still believe you”re incomplete””and you must be unhappy””if you”re not married. While many of us would like to be married, the fact that we aren”t doesn”t define who we are. We live in a culture that idealizes romantic love and feels sorry for those not in a relationship, but the church should have a richer perspective on each individual”s value in the body of Christ. It”s not your fault that our culture trends this way, but don”t let the church inadvertently reinforce it. “¢ We don”t mind

July 16, 2015

Christian Standard

Philip D. Kenneson’s Thought Leaders

We asked 35 Christian leaders, “Who is the influencer with the biggest impact on your life and ministry?” Most of these leaders listed several influential thinkers, writers, innovators, and leaders more of us should get to know. This response is from Philip D. Kenneson, professor of theology and philosophy at Milligan College, Tennessee. ________ Over the years, I have been consistently challenged, convicted, and unsettled by the work of Stanley Hauerwas, Miroslav Volf, and Rowan Williams, three of the leading theologians of our day. All three not only ground their theology unapologetically in a Trinitarian understanding of God, but each deeply loves

May 11, 2015

Christian Standard

Lesson for May 17, 2015: One Body; Many Members (1 Corinthians 12:12-31)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. It is published in the May 10 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Sam E. Stone  Last week we considered the first half of 1 Corinthians 12, and this week we will study the last half of the chapter. J. W. McGarvey wrote, “In the early church the Spirit of God . . . endowed certain members with miraculous gifts . . . As gifts were bestowed on different individuals, some of them became a source of

May 1, 2015

Christian Standard

Mystery

By Neal Windham When asked what”s missing when churches marginalize the Lord”s Supper by breaking bread casually and infrequently, Eugene Peterson replied, “Mystery.” He wasn”t talking about cheap novels or detective shows. No, he spoke of a mystery that runs so much deeper, a plot hatched in eternity, hidden for long ages, thoroughly misunderstood, often misrepresented, but, in the end, designed for our good, for our “glory,” as Paul put it. Peterson spoke of a narrative fit for God. The word mystery comes from muo, a Greek verb that means to close or shut. Our word mute shares this root.

February 20, 2015

Christian Standard

The Cup of Blessing

By C. Robert Wetzel “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16, King James Version). There are so many rich meanings and experiences in the Lord”s Supper! When the apostle Paul spoke of the “cup of blessing” he used a term that had a special meaning for those who understood Jewish dinner tradition. At the end of a Jewish meal the most honored guest at the table took the cup, lifted it up, and said the benediction. Today when we talk of the benediction we probably think of

February 6, 2015

Christian Standard

A Time to Reset

By C. Robert Wetzel “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1-3). As the technologically challenged among us fumble with our computers and related products, we often create problems with the very devices meant to help us. Rather than following prescribed procedures, we simply press buttons, as though the more commands we send, the more likely we will secure

November 30, 2014

Michael C. Mack

Seven Things a Facilitator or Teacher Should Never Do

By Michael C. Mack 1. Depend on any resource more than the Bible. 2. Lose sight of your goals. Your main goal is to make mature disciples, not to teach a great lesson. 3. Teach more than you shepherd. Don”t forget that knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 4. Try to lead using someone else”s gifts. Be yourself. God gave you specific gifts to use in building up the body of Christ. He gave others their gifts for the same reason. 5. Get into debates about little things. Check out 1 Timothy 6:4 and 2 Timothy 2:14 about this

October 31, 2014

Christian Standard

A Universal Language

By C. Robert Wetzel Have you ever found yourself worshipping in a congregation in a country where you did not know the language? Perhaps occasionally you recognized a melody of a hymn and tried to sing the words that you associated with that tune. Or saw Scripture was being read, but could only guess what it might be by looking to see how the Bible was opened. Was it about halfway? Then maybe it was a Psalm. Was it near the back? Probably a New Testament reading. But what? It becomes even worse during the sermon. Why is the preacher

October 24, 2014

Christian Standard

Why Satan Hates Communion

By Mark Atteberry   Toward the end of a lengthy prayer, shortly before his arrest, Jesus said, “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one””as you are in me, Father, and I am in you” (John 17:20, 21, New Living Translation). Jesus prayed for unity among his people because he understood that bickering Christians preaching love would be about as effective in spreading the gospel as a 300-pound man recommending a new

June 23, 2014

Christian Standard

Lesson for June 29, 2014: Pursue Unity in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:10-17; 3:1-17)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone For the next two months we will study passages from 1 and 2 Corinthians as we learn priorities for the people of God. Paul helped found the church in Corinth. A few years later (perhaps around AD 57), he sent a letter back to the congregation. After an introduction in which he reminded them of his apostolic role, Paul offered a prayer of thanksgiving. In today”s printed text he turns to one of the primary reasons

June 13, 2014

Christian Standard

What”s So Distinctive about the Christian Faith?

By Donald S. Tingle The world is full of religions. If Christianity is just one of many faith traditions, what makes it so special, so distinctive from all other religious claims? The answers Christian have given to that question often fit somewhere between two extremes. But somewhere in the middle lie the answers we need to show followers of other religions why Christianity alone truly leads us to God. On the extreme right some might say, “Christianity is true; therefore all non-Christian religions are false. Non-Christians are so thoroughly blinded by Satan that nothing worthwhile can be found among their

October 17, 2013

Christian Standard

Multisite Done Right

By Ed Stetzer Multisite appears to be the new big thing. Multisite churches have been regarded as the cure for all of the church”s ills, the most evil plague on the body of Christ, and everything in between. Opinions of multisite churches run rampant, but facts are often ignored in evaluating what has undoubtedly become the new normal for large and growing churches””and even for some small churches. The number of multisite churches is growing rapidly. In the 1950s, there were just a few. In 2012, there were more than 5,000 different churches with two or more geographic campuses. Sixty-two

June 14, 2013

Christian Standard

My Favorite Meal

By Tom Ellsworth I would be hard-pressed to list my favorite meal. Some days I long for the time when I ate at my grandparents” table and enjoyed a dinner of speckled butter beans, corn bread, and homemade apple pie. Simple fare, to be sure, but few meals ever tasted better. On the other side of the menu spectrum, I have occasionally dined in upscale restaurants on scrumptious treats that my grandparents never tasted. Those, too, were memorable meals. To say the least, there is considerable contrast between the simple and exquisite meals I”ve enjoyed through the years. However, I

January 28, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for February 3, 2013: Focused Solely on Christ (Colossians 1)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Although the apostle Paul himself did not plant the church in Colossae, some of his associates did (Colossians 1:7). When he learned of challenges facing the congregation while imprisoned in Rome, he wrote this memorable epistle to them. His letter focuses on Jesus Christ. Apparently the Colossian church was being challenged by heretical teaching, possibly from Jewish and Gnostic sources. Paul”s strong effort to establish the church”s faith solidly on the Lord should be replicated in

December 10, 2012

Christian Standard

Lesson for December 16, 2012: Part of One Body in Christ (Ephesians 4:1-16)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone When we become discouraged in today”s hostile religious environment, it helps to remember what it was like for the first-century Christians back when the church began. In pagan Ephesus, few people knew anything about Jesus Christ, even less about who or what a “Christian” was. There of all places, it was important for members of the church to stand together as one, representing their Lord to the world.   Called to Unity Ephesians 4:1-6 Paul challenged

December 3, 2012

Christian Standard

Lesson for December 9, 2012: One in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2, 3)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone In the book of Ephesians the apostle Paul tackles one of the great challenges facing believers in the first century: uniting all Christians in one body, following the one head, Jesus Christ. That challenge remains today! Two groups of people were living side by side in Ephesus””Jews and Gentiles. Each group had contempt for the other. Jewish Christians had been reluctant to admit Gentiles into the church, unless they first became Jews (Acts 15:1; Galatians 2:11-21).

May 25, 2012

Christian Standard

Beautiful

By Mark A. Taylor   “How beautiful is the body of Christ,” sang the children”s choir, standing in perfect rows on risers in the Sunday-morning worship service. The Twila Paris anthem pictures Christ”s perfect hands and feet and heart and eyes””all sacrificed with pain deeper than we fully understand to take care of sin greater than we fully grasp. And then it reminds us that his beautiful body is still alive and active today, whenever “humble hearts give the fruit of pure lives so that others may live.” As the melody echoed in my mind throughout the day, I remembered

October 15, 2011

Christian Standard

Swiss Army Knife or Sword of the Spirit?

By Jim Eichenberger One of the most “handy” passages for condemning behavior we do not like has to be 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body” (New International Version, 1984). In fact, this verse is like the proverbial Swiss Army knife. It is useful for a variety of occasions! Here is how it works. Are you looking for a way to condemn

August 27, 2011

Christian Standard

Let All of Us Examine Ourselves

By David L. Eubanks The major focus of Communion is the Lord Jesus Christ. When he inaugurated it, he said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” The Lord”s Supper is not primarily about us but about him, what he did for us, and the life he gives us when we feed on him. At the same time, there is a definite element of introspection that goes with this feast. That was true of the meal at which Jesus instituted it. When Jesus told his apostles that one of them would betray him, they immediately began to ask, “Surely you don”t

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