The Church Needs to Get Back to Basics

"While many churches acknowledge that they are in trouble, they too frequently come up with the wrong solutions. Some are chasing fads. Others are asking how to modernize biblical words, worship services, or even our theology so it will be more to the liking of the potential consumers. I believe that in the end, all these solutions will only end up dooming the church to the steady decline it is already on. Don't get me wrong: I am not against using words that people can understand or having music that appeals to a younger crowd. However, whenever we stray from God's Word, we will not have God's blessing, and without that blessing, the forces of hell will prevail against the church (see Matthew 16:18). Jesus said that the gates of hell will not prevail against His church; He did not say any church. If the church is no longer His church, it has no protection from the Enemy. It cannot crash through the walls that protect the lost from the light. Walking away from the church is not an option either, particularly if we want to be a part of the Lord's plan to rescue the world. The church is God's idea, and we must seek to restore it to its purpose and blessing. Rather than swing the pendulum too far, let's get back to basics."

Jim Putman. Real-Life Discipleship: Building Churches That Make Disciples (Kindle Locations 46-51). Kindle Edition.

We Can Help the People of the Philippines

See here. Above all, please keep the Philippines in your prayers.

Alive in Christ!

This is the sermon shared during the second morning worship service of Living Water Lutheran Church in Springboro, Ohio, this past Sunday, November 10, 2013. It's based on Luke 20:27-38.