Category Archives: What Must be Preserved of the Churches of Christ?

Worship: The Assembly (the Lord’s Supper, Part 2)

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Jay F Guin

We have this tendency to treat the assembly in a pagan way. Rather than seeing the Lord’s Supper as a gift and a blessing to be gratefully received from God, we see it as a magic spell. If we get … Continue reading →

Posted in Lord's Supper, Renewing Our Worship, Uncategorized, What Must be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? | 22 Comments

Worship: The Assembly (the Lord’s Supper, Part 1)

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Jay F Guin

In the NT, ekklēsia refers to the people in the church, not the assembly per se.  We are always the church, and so, in a sense, we Christians are always gathered to hear God’s word and to worship. But very occasionally, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Lord's Supper, Renewing Our Worship, Uncategorized, What Must be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? | 14 Comments

Worship: The Assembly (the ekklēsia)

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Jay F Guin

The scriptures often speak in term of “types” — antitypes, prototypes, that sort of thing. The idea is that certain NT concepts are often patterned (for want of a better term) on an OT practice or event. There are countless … Continue reading →

Posted in Renewing Our Worship, Role of Women, Uncategorized, What Must be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? | 2 Comments

What Must Be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? (the Church, Part 2)

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Jay F Guin

And so we need to discuss Jesus some more. John Howard Yoder, in The Politics of Jesus, points out that, when Jesus is held up as an example in the New Testament, it’s always about the cross. He’s never held … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, What Must be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? | 29 Comments

What Must Be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? (the Church, Part 1)

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Jay F Guin

Some readers appear to see no distinction between an individual Christian being like Jesus and a congregation of Christians being like Jesus, but teams of people working in concert can accomplish things that individuals cannot do. I have a son who … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, What Must be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? | 11 Comments

What Must Be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? (The Assembly, Part 2)

Posted on April 27, 2014 by Jay F Guin

When we read in the scriptures that we are to become like Jesus, we tend to interpret “like Jesus” based on our own personalities and religious upbringing. For example, many take “like Jesus” to mean “sinless,” which is true but … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, What Must be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? | 7 Comments

What Must Be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? (The Assembly, Part 1)

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Jay F Guin

Let’s see. We assemble to edify one another. (1Co 14:4 NIV) Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. (1Co 14:5 NIV) I would like every one of you to speak in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, What Must be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? | 9 Comments

What Must Be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? (Singing, Part 4)

Posted on April 24, 2014 by Jay F Guin

There’s a pretty good argument from 1 Corinthians 14 that the purpose of the assembly is for us to “edify” one another. Paul also speaks in terms of encouragement, strengthening, and comfort, but edification is the recurring theme that holds … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, What Must be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? | 11 Comments

What Must Be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? (Singing, Part 3)

Posted on April 24, 2014 by Jay F Guin

Does God care at all about the quality of the singing during the Sunday morning assembly? I’ve often heard the platitude that God cares nothing about the quality of the singing, and so I wonder if that actually holds true on … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, What Must be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? | 18 Comments

What Must Be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? (Singing, Part 2)

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Jay F Guin

So in the last post I asked why God teaches us to sing as Christians. It’s not a test of our faithfulness. God teaches us to sing for a reason. And until we grasp the purpose of singing, we really … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, What Must be Preserved of the Churches of Christ? | 48 Comments