Articles About God, Church, Religion, the Bible and Spirituality

The word church and churches appears in the Bible 114 times. There is a word of similar meaning in the Old Testament as well. The meaning of Greek word ecclesia and the Hebrew word Qahal from the Old Testament is essentially the same meaning - an assembly. The word ecclesia in the New Testament was translated as ‘church’ or ‘churches’ all but 3 times when it was translated as ‘assembly’.

There was no reference in the Old or New Testament to these words meaning a building or a structure - simply a body or group of believers.

If you like to study the Bible in depth you will find that the word ecclesia for church in the New Testament is word number Greek 1577. The Old Testament word Qahal is Hebrew 6950. The Old Testament also has 10 or more other words and word numbers for an assembly.

One of my favorite ...

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The Bible has become the modern day foundation of teaching for most Christian religions today. Just about all religions have a book that is said to be the 'word of God' that they teach from. So for this article let's take something from the Book of James in the New Testament. This is what James had to say about religion.

James 1:27

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Now here is a great topic for a church sermon. What is James referring to? Doing good and helping the less fortunate? What does James mean by being unspotted from the world? Do you know?

The Churches Need for Revelation

Most every religion teaches from books written by people. Each one believing that they have some monopoly on ...

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People are looking for a church. The numbers are immense! Here is just a quick example. I know that Dallas, Texas is a big example and I will start there. On the internet last month approximately 110,000 people searched for church Dallas, churches Dallas about 18,000 and about 70,000 more searched for churches by a particular denomination. The total was close to 200,000, for the month!

Let's try a smaller example, how about Palm Springs, California. Palm Springs has a population of approximately 50,000 people. Last month there were about 5,000 searches for a church in Palm Springs. Would you agree that these numbers are significant? I hope so, because they are.

The numbers of searches for churches are more than just statistical data, they are people. In some cases they may be people that are traveling and looking for a local church ...

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There are several days a year when people who don't attend church any other time will attend. It sure would be nice if those people found something at the church service that made them want to come back. But what would it be?

There are many churches with great worship music, that may bring a small percentage of people back again. Some churches have pastors that are great speakers and that will bring back a few. But there must be something that people are looking for, even longing for - and if the people found that many of them would come back. Below are a few things that people are searching for.

• Love - People want to feel wanted, needed and loved. If they experience a place or group that offers that they will keep coming back.
• Peace - People want to feel peace. This world is filled with deadlines, stress, uncertainties ...

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Do you think that the Church is ready for a spiritual awakening? I sure hope so, because I believe that without spiritual awakening there is no revelation. In the Gospels Jesus said that he would sent the Comforter that would lead you into all truth. He also said that God seeks those that will worship Him in spirit and in truth.

Both of these statements treat the knowledge of God as being much more than memorizing scripture verses or acting holy. The first statement about being led into "all truth" has to do with our ability to discern the truth with the help of God's spirit talking to our own. Interestingly enough, Jesus never mentioned reading a book to find the truth. I am not against reading the Bible, but I firmly believe that our faith is to be in God.

The second statement about God seeking people that ...

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Is your church a safe haven in these troubled times? I sincerely hope so... Each and every day we see so many senseless and troubling things happen. It is easy to become stressed out about all the events taking place. Add to that the many economic uncertainties and it would be difficult not to ask God what in the world are you doing?

The church should be a place of fellowship, joy and peace. A place of unconditional love with no fear of judgment. I said that's what it should be... not always what it is. Once upon a time I attended a home church meeting of about 10 people. This particular night the leader thought it would be a good idea to have each person share about what is going on in their life now. As I listened to each person talk their lives seemed to be all ...

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If you have been looking for a new church the big question is what are you looking for? There are almost as many churches in America as there are fast food restaurants. So there must be a good one out there waiting for you. Once again, the question is what do you want from your church?

I have been to many different churches. Some were fanatical about the Bible, some had great music, some had inspirational speakers and ... I could go on. If you feel that God is reaching out to you right now He probably is. He is an old master in wireless communications. He is just a few thousand years ahead of His time. Say a little prayer and ask God to direct you to the right place FOR YOU. He has many people that He is reaching out to today. God gave each of us unique talents ...

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Will The Church in America Survive?

Not so long ago this question would have seemed ridiculous, but not so today. There are factions within our nation and our government that seem to be hell bent on eradicating God, church and religion from the American landscape. Will they win? The simple answer is NO. Why am I so confident that they will not win? The answer is YOU!

Over 80% of Americans believe in God. Many say that they are Christians regardless of whether or not they attend church regularly. America is about religious freedom. The right to choose to believe in God or not believe in God. The right to be Catholic, Protestant, Mormon or any other religion of your choice. The right to choose to worship God in whatever manner you choose. There are many today that want to do away with this. They want to wipe out all ...

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For those of you who attend a church I ask this question - What should church be like? What is the purpose for it? Many would say that church is to worship, others might say it is to learn about God but the question is what do you say?

I wonder what God would say? If He were here in a human body living in this day and age what would He say church should be like? God loves fellowship, that's why He created people to begin with so I think that /he would really like churches that are friendly. You know, where people smile and say hi to each other and when they ask "how are you" they actually want to know.

Another thing that I think that God would like is to have regular people participate a little. I attended certain churches for years and many of the ...

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If you were God what religion would you choose? Would you choose one church over another? What about the races, would you prefer one over the other? These are deep questions that many seem to think are answered by the writings in books. The only trouble is that as you read the different books they all seem to say that God prefers them...

I am sure that the questions outlined above are even difficult for God. If God created mankind that means that all people are descendants. As far as churches go could you choose one? If you say that He will choose the Christian church which one would it be. There are so many denominations with so many different doctrines and beliefs which one would you choose? The sad truth is that many of the denominations don't even like each. So if you are God and chose only ...

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