From time to time, I have a conversation with someone via email that gets at ideas that I think will be helpful for the broader High Point body. In this exchange, I was asked about the Bible’s teachings on matters of the Holy Spirit and his gifting of us, and how we should think about and prepare for spiritual opposition.
I hope this will serve as a helpful addition to your personal study of the Bible as you try to understand this critical aspect of life in Christ.
Hi Nic!
What does the Bible teach on speaking in tongues? And what does the Bible teach on deliverance? I have looked for answers myself, but I’m still not 100% sure what the answers are.
From time to time, I have a conversation with someone via email that gets at ideas that I think will be helpful for the broader High Point body. A High Point member recently came to me for advice about how to respond to a very difficult situation involving a family member’s homosexual wedding.
In other posts, I’ve discussed homosexuality and the specific dilemma of deciding whether or not to attend a friend’s or family member’s gay wedding. This post deals more with how to dialogue with love and candor with those who object to our objections.
I’m sharing this discussion with you, with the member’s permission, in the hope that it will help you as you think through a loving, Biblical response to issues like this which will inevitably become more and more a part of our normal experience. Continue reading Questions: On attending a homosexual wedding→
The offering is a specific part of worship that is not like any other act of corporate worship. This is the main reason we haven’t taken it out of the worship service in order to communicate “we are not about money” to skeptics who would presume that. I believe it would diminish our worship not to make financial giving part of it. Giving is one of the most worshipful things we do, because when we give money, the opportunity cost is not just a few minutes of singing, it is the very life, labor and future that our liquid capital represents. It is a “show me don’t tell me” moment of worship, where we let go of the security or pleasure our money can purchase in order to demonstrate our worship of God and our love of his mission. And so I believe giving belongs in the worship service as much as any other component.
And yet there are many skeptics and nominally religious people who believe that the church, and especially larger churches like ours in nice buildings, are all about money. Therefore the way we approach the offering is of particular importance.
A recent, intense elder discussion has led me to seek to clarify what I think it means to be a “nondenominational” evangelical church.
Why were “non-denom” churches created?
Independent nondenominational churches—or as the young people say, “Non-denom”—tend to be those that are not connected to a denominational superstructure and that cannot be easily identified by denominational criteria.
Telling stories of how we see God at work in our lives and the lives of others both expresses adoration of God and brings glory to God — it is an act of worship. As your pastor, here is evidence that I see of God moving in our church — things to foster and protect.
I want you to know how much our church loves you and wants to support you in following Jesus. We are so glad you are at High Point Church. We want to make sure that you grow as a disciple, a disciple maker, and in learning to obey everything Jesus commanded.
Let me explain how I have tried to lead High Point Church to love you, because it might be somewhat counter-intuitive: We don’t offer ministries for your demographic. We don’t have a college student ministry — and we aren’t going to start one. Probably ever.
Engage & Equip 