Deuteronomy 11:16
16 “But be careful. Don’t let your heart be deceived so that you turn away from the Lord and serve and worship other gods.
Joshua 24:15
15 But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
Matthew 6:24
24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other.
Mark 10:45
45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Any thoughts how this may applies to you or I… less chatter and deeper self examination!
Most contemporary Christians mistakenly view the church building as a necessary part of worship. Therefore, they never question the need to financially support a building and its maintenance.
The church edifice demands a vast infusion of money. In the United States alone, real estate owned by institutional churches today is worth over $230 billion. Church building debt, service, and maintenance consumes about 18 percent of the $50 to $60 billion tithed to churches annually. Point: Contemporary Christians are spending astronomical amounts of money on their buildings.
All the traditional reasons put forth for “needing” a church building collapse under careful scrutiny. We so easily forget that the early Christians turned the world upside down without them (see Acts 17:6). They grew rapidly for….. continue reading
Please pray for the Laurie family
Statement on the Death of Christopher Laurie, Son of Pastor Greg Laurie
July 24, 2008
Christopher Laurie, son of Pastor Greg Laurie and Cathe Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., died this morning in a car accident in Riverside. A resident of Huntington Beach, Laurie, 33, served as the art director at Harvest Christian Fellowship for the past three years.
In addition to his parents, Christopher is survived by his wife, Brittany, and daughter, Stella, as well as his brother Jonathan. Christopher and his wife are expecting another daughter in November.
If you would like to send a word of comfort to the family click here
In the Todd Agnew song “My Jesus” he poses a dilemma that many proclaiming Christians ignore or try to refuse. He writes (sings), “I want to be like my Jesus but I’m not sure what that means to be like You Jesus. Cause You said to live like You, love like You, but then You died for me. Can I be like You Jesus?”
Try putting your arms around that statement. It’s in perfect tune with scripture, yet leaves an after taste that most rinse away quickly. So, Can I be like Jesus and do I have to accept it all or can I go à la carte?
Do I really need to die like You?
A thought from the far corner of my skull cap after a disturbing conversation with fellow believer…
