Front Pagechurch without walls
Submitted by reido on Wed, 01/05/2005 - 21:44. church church without walls churchless
In this thread I hope to share a journey with those who, like myself, have sensed and felt removal by religious exclusion and have come to find a resting place in Christ alone. Literally millions have been scorned by human institutions and have fled to the wilderness -- they are labelled "unchurched."
But imagine that those who are the downtrodden might in actuality be no different from the rabble of Jesus' day...drawn to the wilderness where the unfit recieved great comfort in a Message.
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Chapter One: Borders of Belie
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 01/28/2005 - 18:39.
Chapter One: Borders of Belief
At its simplest level, what prompted Jesus to enter the inner sanctum of the common man? There were boundaries established -- there still are. A benevolent kind of Santa Claus might be a popular image, but the real Jesus painted a different picture. "Son of man", he called himself. Literally, the Hebrew translation was "son of Adam." Not denying his own distinctive marks of individuality, in many ways the picture in the life he lived befit the unpolished, unsophisticated crowd that he spent most of his days with.
Why is it that the really great words of Jesus were spoken to the unfit? It was no accident. This penchant for the ordinary was, in essence, his chosen ministry. By that I do not mean that he was pious and condescending. "A winebibber and friend of sinners" doesn't get offered a chief seat in the temple -- he doesn't even get invited in. Didn't the inscription say, "He said he was King of the Jews"? That was one side of the message of the cross. It was the same as saying keep out!
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Chapter Two: The Christocentric View
Submitted by reido on Fri, 01/14/2005 - 17:11.
A new pair of eyes...
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Chapter Three: The Kingdom Within
Submitted by reido on Fri, 01/14/2005 - 17:18.
Inside or Outside?
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Chapter Four: It Is What It Is
Submitted by reido on Fri, 01/14/2005 - 17:21.
The existentialist litmus test: What if you went to heaven and nobody knew you?
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Chapter Five: Kelal -- The Timeless Truth
Submitted by reido on Fri, 01/14/2005 - 17:25.
Chapter five...
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Chapter Six: A People Who Are Not a People
Submitted by reido on Fri, 01/14/2005 - 17:29.
The really great words of Jesus were spoken to the unfit. Adulteress. Thief.
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Chapter Seven: The Place Where Jesus Could Not Heal
Submitted by reido on Fri, 01/14/2005 - 17:30.
Deaf, Blind, and no heart.
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Chapter Eight: A Lamp Shines for All
Submitted by reido on Fri, 01/14/2005 - 17:32.
"Neither do men light a candle and set it under a bushel, but on a lampstand and it shines for all that are in the house."
Menorah: Each of the seven lamps stood for something, but meant nothing without the flame. The flame symbolized the illumination of God.
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Chapter Nine: Alive, Not Dead
Submitted by reido on Mon, 01/17/2005 - 12:49.
Three kinds of Life in the Gospel according to John.
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Chapter Ten: Kerygma -- Meaning in Message
Submitted by reido on Mon, 01/17/2005 - 12:51.
A study of what it meant to "preach Christ" in Scripture.
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Chapter 11: Orthodox or Heterodox?
Submitted by reido on Mon, 01/17/2005 - 12:52.
An exploration of the late first century writings of John the beloved.
The difficult part about unity is something has to give in order to have it.
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Chapter Twelve: The Hard Part
Submitted by reido on Mon, 01/17/2005 - 12:53.
A study in the difference between what gets done inside a building and what gets authenticated in life.
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Chapter One: Borders of Belief
Samaritan Woman -- living water. Why did John mention her?
Walls keep people out. Zacchaeus couldn't enter the Temple, so the Temple came to him.
Finding Christ in the Wilderness.