What church should be

Posted on September 3, 2013 Written by Mark McIntyre 9 Comments

I know what hurt has come from some of my own church experience. I have seen the damage done to others by inappropriate treatment within a church. Quite frankly sometimes it makes me want to find the reset button and see if we can begin again with this whole thing we call church.

The blessing of mourning – Matthew 5:4

#5 in the Sermon on the Mount Series Jesus said this about mourning: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 (NIV) In the introduction to his book The Problem of Pain, C. S. Lewis writes: “When Mr. Ashley Sampson suggested to me the writing of this book, I asked leave […]

Pastor as CEO?

How many moral, ethical or pastoral failures do we need to witness before we are willing to admit that copying the organizational architecture of an American corporation is not a good plan for the church?

Another prayer from the Psalms

Yesterday’s post was a prayer from the Psalms asking God for revival or renewal. That prayer begs the question, “what does that look like?” The very next Psalm provides at least part of the answer. The Psalmist writes: “Give me an undivided mind to fear your name.” Psalm 86:11, CSB A knowledge of the Gospel […]

Between the hammer and the anvil

The iron goes into the fire to be heated and then is moved to the anvil to be hammered into the desire form. The process is repeated until the smith is satisfied with the result.

With humility comes wisdom

The lack of humility that we see displayed might be blamed on the nature of the process. One does not win debates, and sadly, perhaps does not win votes by deferring to others. The whole process is dependent upon self-promotion and defamation of one’s opponent.

When Church Becomes a Battle Ground – James 4:1-3

Put two humans together and there is bound to be conflict. As a result of the Fall, conflict is in our DNA. If you put a whole bunch of humans together in a local church the potential for conflict greatly increases. If the conflict escalates, the church can experience an internal battle that should not […]