Dr Paul Allen

Orthodoxy means the right doctrine or belief. In one essential sense, it is critical to salvation. Although we are saved entirely by the grace of God, not based on the correctness of our thinking, the right views of God promote wonder, reverence, and love. Moreover, for future generations to believe in Christ, we must guard the gospel, without which no one can be saved (2 Tim. 1:14).  Hosea bemoaned the fact that “my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hos. 4:6). Israel’s idolatry had affected its whole national existence. False worship bred sinful practice. God is faithful; allegiance to him requires attention to what is true and right. Ideas have consequences.  Truth is healthy for both body and soul (1 Tim. 6:3). Worship is to be in truth, which is embodied in Jesus Christ (John 4:21–24; cf. John 1:9, 14, 17–18; John 14:6). True biblical orthodoxy leads to orthopraxy (right practice), which should promote healthy living and relationships. Not All Orthodox Doctrine ...

These past two years of the pandemic have undoubtedly been the most difficult of my 15+ years in pastoral ministry here in India. I became the lead pastor of our small urban church in 2009, and since then by God’s grace, we have become a cluster of four churches with about 600 members—many of whom come from different faith backgrounds. In May 2021, our church family was shattered by the deaths of four highly active and beloved church members in just over three weeks. In addition to this, almost all of our people lost at least one relative due to COVID, several of our members lost jobs or experienced pay cuts, many have struggled with post-COVID anxiety and panic attacks, and our children did their schooling online for 23 months straight. Every person in our church has been affected negatively by this pandemic in some way or another, and many have been devastated. As a church, it’s also been challenging to navigate the unchartered territory the pandemic led us into: not being able to me...

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” ( Revelation 2:29 ) In Revelation, the Lord Jesus dictated seven poignant letters to seven different churches. Two letters contain praise and commendation. Two give grave warnings. Three are mixed. Smyrna ( Revelation 2:8-11 ) was faithful in the midst of terrible persecution and was promised a “crown of life” for its steadfast testimony. Philadelphia ( Revelation 3:7-13 ) was commended because of its attention to the Word that was given as an “open door.” These served with favor and were given a promise for victory. Ephesus ( Revelation 2:1-7 ) was doctrinally sound but had a love that had grown cold and was in danger of losing the “lamp stand”—the very church relationship that kept them tied to service in the Kingdom. Laodicea ( Revelation 3:14-22 ) was oblivious to its danger of expulsion. It was neither “cold nor hot” (neutral) and had assumed that being successful and well thought of by the world was ...

Image via Wikipedia What we have failed to understand is that Christians in the twenty-first century are being thrown into a world in which just a little bit of Bible knowledge is simply not going to be enough.  Simply having positive fellowship and nurturing experiences in the church and in the Christian family will not be enough. The church must prepare people to be able to think Christianly in a world where the intellectual rules have fundamentally changed. Related articles Lent Meditation '12; Interdependence Characterizes Christian Fellowship. (michielovesthesun.wordpress.com) TRUE CHURCH FELLOWSHIP by Dr Daniel H. Smith (ioan17.wordpress.com) Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church Part 4 (richwendling.wordpress.com) Liberals vs. Sola Scriptura (anotherchristianblog.org) Constatine's Edict of Milan: Blessing or Curse of Christianity? (factorysense.wordpress.com) Discussion notes (maddiehayes1224.wordpress.com) The Year Of The Bible (truelogic.wordpres...

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