We are intimidated by the communal approach to life displayed by the early church in Acts 2. We are terrified of being defrauded, of suffering wrong. We skim right over having “glad and generous hearts”.
The original Swedish Bible Study Method was introduced into the Church of Sweden in the Swedish city of Västerås in the 1940`s by David Berglund.
If anybody was regarded as a little bit crazy in his time, a bit of a round peg in a square hole but who ultimately changed the world, it was Paul.
When I glance around my church during the sermon, I don’t see many moving pens or pencils. I do see lots of open Bibles, and a couple of people furiously typing with their thumbs.
We are saved from God’s wrath and the consequences of disobedience, but for good works. In Ephesians these works include: works of ministry, avoiding unfruitful works of darkness; and serving others in a Christlike manner in family, marriage, work and church.
The most common mistake people make in working with volunteers is thinking that a low bar is the best way to get people onto a ministry team. “You only have to…” “It’s just once every…” “There’s not much preparation…”
Can you imagine what it might have been like to see Jesus emerge from the tomb? As a matter of fact, the Gospel writers do not record that moment.
Growing up in the church, I held the misconception that evangelism was leading someone through a sinner’s prayer—if I hadn’t done that, I’d failed. But as we read through the New Testament and see evangelism occurring, God paints a very different picture of evangelism.
Just as it is completely normal to call for justice when we are the victims, so also is it completely normal to want to avoid justice when we are guilty.