Church purpose versus church growth

From Early Christianity to Islam and Back — 1. The Earliest Christianity

Ian Johnson July 13, 2020 6 Comments

This post is the first in a series of six outlining a broad view of how things in the Church and the world got to be as they are now, including contributions early Christianity and Islam made to each other. This post attempts to outline the basic positions of early Christianity. Comments are invited!

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The Underlying Cause of Division

Ian Johnson July 9, 2020 2 Comments

The underlying cause of all of the divisions in the Church is “sin:” our determination to ignore God and the needs of others to have our own way. This leads to greed, anger, envy, jealousy, gossip, slander, strife, unforgiveness, bitterness and even war–all of which perpetuate division.

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Rejection of Unity Makes Us Vulnerable to Divisive Leaders and their False Teachings

Ian Johnson July 5, 2020 2 Comments

Our disunity also leaves us vulnerable to exploitation by false teachers and their distorted religious teachings, with which they seek to win a personal following for their own gratification or profit. proper recognition of the oneness of the Body, and of the importance of living in oneness, protects against divisive people.

Divisions in the Church, Heresy, Our Oneness in Christ book revision, Religious violence and persecution, Restoration of our Relationships, Wars as consequences

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God Provides for Our Needs through Our Unity

Ian Johnson July 3, 2020 3 Comments

God’s pattern shown in the Early Church was to provide for the needs of its members through its unity. In unity, we regard ourselves and everything we own as God’s, and give unselfishly to the needs of others, as he directs us. This gives the world a picture of God himself.

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Unity and Answers to Prayer

Ian Johnson July 2, 2020 5 Comments

Jesus’ promises of answered prayer are directly tied to our unity. Answered prayer does not depend on our goodness or qualifications. The prayers God has promised to answer are those made under his authority, in love, for the good of the whole Church.

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“Greater Works than These” was a Promise to the Apostles Together and Victory is Promised to the Church Together

Ian Johnson June 29, 2020 5 Comments

The promises of victory, of spiritual gifts, and of works greater than those Jesus did, were not made to us individually, but as members of a functioning Body. They are given for the express purpose of building us up together, in unity, and so revealing Christ to the world. They only function properly in that context.

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Unforgiveness, the Breaking of Unity, can also Cause Physical Illness and Death

Ian Johnson June 28, 2020 2 Comments

The physical health of believers, the occurrence of healing in the Church, and the manifestation of oneness in the Church are also tied to one another. Living in disunity can lead to illness and premature death.

Church purpose versus church growth, Death of Members, Discipline or Correction, Divisions in the Church, Forgiveness and Unforgiveness, Illness as a Consequence, Our Oneness in Christ book revision, Salvation, To be in his image, To live in unity

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Do We Want the Peace and Restoration of Unity and Mutual Forgiveness, or the “Torturers” of Mental Illness?

Ian Johnson June 28, 2020 7 Comments

Our peace, joy and effectiveness are dependent on our unity as shown by forgiveness and the resolution of offenses between us, God takes division and unforgiveness so seriously because it damages all parties to the offense and limits the Body of Christ. When we neglect this, we are given over to the tormentors–guilt, fear, anxiety and mental illness.

Church purpose versus church growth, Divisions in the Church, Forgiveness and Unforgiveness, Illness as a Consequence, Our Oneness in Christ book revision, Purpose of the Church, Restoration of God's Image, Restoration of our Relationships, Sins versus sin, To live in unity, Uncategorized

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About Racism

Ian Johnson June 15, 2020 4 Comments

The ultimate solution to our national racisms lies in the Church, in who we are in Christ. We are not called to uncritically support the current social order, no matter how unjust. We are called to show how social divisions are overcome by the Holy Spirit among us.

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Leaving Our First Love to Fight Each Other as “Heretics”

Ian Johnson June 14, 2020 4 Comments

Christianity lost its true influence in the world when it pursued the power it could gain as a mass movement, stopped loving, and started fighting. One of the overlooked consequences of this was the rise of Islam.

Church purpose versus church growth, Divisions in the Church, Heresy, Islam and Christianity, Islam as a Consequence, Leaving Our First Love, Our Oneness in Christ book revision, Peril of Seeking Numbers, Peril of Seeking Power, Religious violence and persecution, Wars as consequences, What Islam borrowed from Christianity

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From Early Christianity to Islam and Back — 1. The Earliest Christianity

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The Underlying Cause of Division

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Rejection of Unity Makes Us Vulnerable to Divisive Leaders and their False Teachings

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God Provides for Our Needs through Our Unity

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Unity and Answers to Prayer

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“Greater Works than These” was a Promise to the Apostles Together and Victory is Promised to the Church Together

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Unforgiveness, the Breaking of Unity, can also Cause Physical Illness and Death

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Do We Want the Peace and Restoration of Unity and Mutual Forgiveness, or the “Torturers” of Mental Illness?

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Leaving Our First Love to Fight Each Other as “Heretics”

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Church purpose versus church growth

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