Dr Paul Allen

In his letter to the church in Thessalonica , Paul instructs believers concerning the return of Christ , the resurrection of deceased believers, and the reunion of all believers with the King. He concludes, “Therefore encourage one another with these words” ( 1 Thessalonians 4:18). Christians ought to encourage each other with words and songs about Christ ’s return. One easy way to be encouraged by the reality of Christ’s return is found at the end of the Bible . It is a four-word prayer in Revelation22:20 that ought to regularly be on the lips of every follower of Jesus — and a theme to restore to its rightful place in our corporate worship: “ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus .” Our Final Hope “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” All believers ought to remember that the church’s final hope is a person. It is neither a political party nor is it a pragmatic paradigm. It is not a popular program. It’s a person. And what a person he is. Jesus is the greatest person who has ever lived, because he is God h

I remember when most people described themselves as “ Christian ”, even though that meant “confused theist” at best. I remember when almost all businesses were closed on Sunday because it was “the Lord’s day ”. I also remember when most people were at least affiliated with a church. None of those things are true anymore but for the most part, that’s not because too much has actually changed. The people who pretended to be Christians are no longer pretending, on multiple fronts. Still, a whole lot of my personal friends have abandoned the faith over the years and I’ve watched hundreds leave the church and several even go from “ Bible geek” to “raging atheist”.  A while ago, I ran across an article that talked about the importance of Christians being part of a church and it brought this topic to mind. The writer listed several reason why people mightbe part of a church and several reasons why people might remove themselves from a church, and didn’t cast any judgment on thei

Image via Wikipedia "Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy." ( 1 Chronicles 29:9 ) As the people brought gifts for the construction of the temple in Jerusalem , it is mentioned no less than six times in this chapter that their offerings were willing offerings (once in verses  6  and  14 , twice each in verses  9  and  17 ). In fact, they were not only willing, but also joyful in their giving. Joyful giving is not the usual response to a fundraising effort for a religious cause. The great proliferation of causes today--not only for churches but for multi-church or para-church projects, usually associated with high-pressure solicitations by professional money-raisers--has developed a growing cynicism in Christians toward all such appeals. That is not the way it should be, "for God loveth a cheerful giver" ( 2 Corinthians 9:7 )

McKinley-Theodore Roosevelt "Prosperity" Metal Elephant Coin Bank, ca. 1900 (Photo credit: Cornell University Library ) Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God , who gives us richly all things to enjoy.— 1 Timothy 6:17 We in the churches seem unable to rise above the fiscal philosophy which rules the business world; so we introduce into our church finances the psychology of the great secular institutions so familiar to us all and judge a church by its financial report much as we judge a bank or a department store . A look into history will quickly convince any interested person that the true church has almost always suffered more from prosperity than from poverty. Her times of greatest spiritual power have usually coincided with her periods of indigence and rejection; with wealth came weakness and backsliding. If this cannot be explained, neither apparently can it be escaped. . . . The poi

Ministry of the Apostles, a complex multi-figure icon with a full-height image of Jesus Christ, surrounded by sectors with scenes of His disciples' calling, ministry and martyrdom. Icon from the Yaroslavl Museum Preserve. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Have you ever considered why there are so many diverse spiritual gifts in the body of Christ ? In the various lists provided for us in Scripture (Rom. 12:3-8, 1 Cor. 12:4-11, 27-31; Eph. 4:7-12; 1 Pet. 4:10-11), you discover the wide scope of the Spirit's sovereign administration of gifts for the encouragement and edification of the local church. Agreeing with most theologians, these lists are not to be considered comprehensive in description, but they are descriptive in the sense that they show all the various ways the Spirit of God enables members for service in the kingdom of God . As I've reflected on this diversity of gifts, it comes to my mind how significant they are to the promise of Christ to build His church ( M

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia I am grieved that New York City is planning to take the unwise step of removing 68 churches from the spaces that they rent in public schools. It is my conviction that those churches housed in schools are invaluable assets to the neighborhoods that they serve. Churches have long been seen as positive additions to communities. Family stability, resources for those in need, and compassion for the marginalized are all positive influences that neighborhood churches provide. There are many with first-hand experience who will claim that the presence of churches in a neighborhood can lead to a drop in crime. The great diversity of our city means that we will never all agree completely on anything. And we cherish our city’s reputation for tolerance of differing opinions and beliefs. Therefore, we should all mourn if disagreement with certain beliefs of the church is allowed to unduly influence the formation of just policy and practi

In 2010, 3.6 million attended church on an average Sunday (6% of the population ). In the previous 10 years this represented a decline of 800,000 fewer attendees (-18%). 39% of churches have no-one attending under 11 years of age 49% of churches have no-one attending between the ages of 11 and 14 59% of churches have no-one attending between the ages of 15 and 19. THE BRIEFING MAGAZINE The general scene: overall decline In 2010, for all of those claiming the name Christian in the UK, there were: 48,000 churches 36,000 ministers Out of a total population of 62 million people: 5.5 million are church members (i.e. people who say they are definitely attached to a Christian church , equivalent to 9% of the population) 3.6 million attend church on an average Sunday (6% of the population). But when we compare this with general population trends, we discover that in the last ten years, along with a population increase of 2 million people (+3%), there are now: 400 fewer churches (-1%

Image via Wikipedia "To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God ." ( Ephesians 3:10 )   There is "an innumerable company of angels" in heaven ( Hebrews 12:22 ) who serve as "ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation" ( Hebrews 1:14 ).   At the same time, it is instructive to realize we also have a ministry to the angels. Despite their great power and knowledge, angels are not the "heirs of salvation" themselves, and so will never personally experience that peculiar type of love and fellowship which we share with our Lord and Savior. Nevertheless, as personal beings with the free will to reject their role as God's servants if they choose, they are intensely interested in our salvation. "Which things the angels desire to look into" ( 1 Peter 1:12 ).   In addition to serving for the protection and guidan

Image via Wikipedia "To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God ." ( Ephesians 3:10 )   There is "an innumerable company of angels" in heaven ( Hebrews 12:22 ) who serve as "ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation" ( Hebrews 1:14 ).   At the same time, it is instructive to realize we also have a ministry to the angels. Despite their great power and knowledge, angels are not the "heirs of salvation" themselves, and so will never personally experience that peculiar type of love and fellowship which we share with our Lord and Savior. Nevertheless, as personal beings with the free will to reject their role as God's servants if they choose, they are intensely interested in our salvation. "Which things the angels desire to look into" ( 1 Peter 1:12 ).   In addition to serving for the protection and guidan

Image via Wikipedia Marks of Transition What happens to a church as it goes through a leadership transition? There are a number of characteristics that emerge at points throughout the transitional process. These can vary greatly depending on the unique circumstances that have precipitated a leadership transtion. Here are some of the common marks of transition we observe at various stages of the transitional process: A sense of loss and need to grieve. Most churches feel a sense of loss when their Senior Pastor leaves. This is even common in churches where they wanted the pastor to move on. To a greater or lesser degree churches tend to take on the characteristics of their leaders. A familiarity, even predicatability takes place through the leader’s tenure, and when he or she leaves something changes. The familiar patterns, styles, stories, and particular focal points of a pastor’s ministry start to die. It is a fact that many people’s sense of history about their church