Answering Basic Questions (Part 11): What Is the Work of the Church?

Answering Basic Questions

Earlier in this series, we discussed the question: What is the church? A related question, and one that will come up from time to time, is about what local churches are to be doing. If you ask various people, you will likely get many different answers. This is the reason why there is an almost limitless number of activities and “ministries” offered by churches today. Is it necessary – or even good – for churches to do all of these things?

What is the work of the church? There are four points for us to consider here.Continue Reading

Answering Basic Questions (Part 6): What Is the Church?

Answering Basic Questions

When people hear the word “church,” they will likely have many different ideas about what a church should look like, how it should be organized, and what it should be doing. However, we need to understand the description of the church that is given in the New Testament. This is how we can find the Lord’s church today.

So what is the church? Let us notice four points.Continue Reading

Book Review: Church Reset

Church Reset (cover)This book is about restoring a sense of community in the local church. While many churches do a good job at engaging in Scriptural worship and following the New Testament pattern for their organization and work, the sense of community is missing in many places. Being part of a local church ought to mean being a bigger part in one another’s lives.

The author asked, “How many ‘every time the doors are open’ Christians know little about their fellow Christians? How many have perfect attendance yet don’t see anybody else outside the building?” (p. 148). Elsewhere he posed the question: “What if we realized that passively listening to lessons three to four hours per week and ‘being there every time the doors are open’ does not constitute being an active member of the church?” (p. 22).Continue Reading

“Christianity” on Pace to Become Minority Religion (09.22.22)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS

Plain Bible Teaching Podcast

This week we’re talking about the diminishing number of people in the U.S. who claim to be Christians. This is nothing new and we’ve discussed this before on the podcast. However, a recent study suggested the possibility that “Christianity” could become a minority religion in the U.S. as early as 2045. What does this mean for us? We’ll consider that in our episode today.Continue Reading

The Connection between Church Attendance and Support for Same-Sex Marriage (09.15.22)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS

Plain Bible Teaching Podcast

This week we’re talking about the number of churchgoers who support or oppose same-sex marriage. We might expect that there would be less support from church members than those who are in the world. However, there is a significant difference among churchgoers depending on how often they attend. We’re going to consider that in our episode today.Continue Reading

Women as “Pastors” in the Church (09.08.22)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS

Plain Bible Teaching Podcast

This week we’re talking about women in leadership roles in the church. Can a woman fill any role in the church? Religious people have different opinions on this, but what does the New Testament teach? We’re going to consider that today.Continue Reading

Marriage and Church Help Buffer People from Unhappiness (08.04.22)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS

Plain Bible Teaching Podcast

This week we’re going to be talking about two things that can help keep us from unhappiness even when we face difficulties and challenges in life – marriage and the church. This is based upon research and it is not a coincidence; rather, it reflects God’s design for these two institutions.Continue Reading