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Inclusion does not mean that the subject endorses the site.
The Perfect Church
It is presently under construction at a few places that are
attempting the impossible.
To make it happen, read 1 Cor 12 and also 1 Cor 13 and
follow the simple instructions and watch your church grow.
You will be known by the love that you have for one another.
That’s what Jesus said. Surely it can’t be that simple,
otherwise the establishment intelligentsia would by now be
patting themselves on the back because of their overflowing
churches, wouldn’t they?
The truth is that love overcomes everything, even those who
preach it, but do not live it. Love does not ignore, or subvert,
or suppress the God given gifts in the people who attend a
church and love does not allow it to happen. We are a city
on a hill and our light is for others and must not be hidden.
Even Ghandi said that if Christianity was practised it would
spread across the world like a fire. Jesus has made it plain in
the Holy Scriptures, what it is that we have to do.
It isn’t rocket science. Love is the answer. Not your own way,
but ‘the way’. That doesn’t mean giving in and letting every
fool, or megalomaniac have what they want.
Persevere, in love. If you are right then perseverance
will enable the truth to prevail. If you are wrong,then
perseverance will allow you to encounter the truth
and change.
You have probably heard that you could never find the
perfect church because when you did it would become imperfect when you arrived. In other words, we are all imperfect.
Ok, perhaps perfection is out. How about the best kind of church any imperfect person could create?
The good news is that you don’t have to settle for the best kind of imperfect church.
You can have the Church that Jesus would attend. Think about it!
The Apostle Paul said that of faith, hope and charity/love, the greatest was love.
What do you mean by charity/love? Well, there are all kinds of love. The Holy Scriptures have a number of words to describe the different kinds of love. For instance, love for you mother isn’t the same as love for your spouse. There are all kinds of love, but they all come under the common understanding of what love is.
From my kitchen window I can see my neighbours garage roof where jackdaws, pigeons and and doves, rest for a while. It is easy to tell the ‘couples’. They like to be close to one another and they groom each other.
What does God observe when He looks at us? Is our care for one another obvious by our behaviour to one another?
Back to the real world -
The writer of Hebrews talked about preferring the other. Not winning the argument and losing a friend. Caring.
The church as it exists today is about hierarchy, real estate and ceremonies. Even the modern house churches where I have heard speakers deride the traditional churches and their ‘religious’ traditions, end up having their own (often inferior) rituals.
Man finds it impossible to love unconditionally and so he wraps his own vulnerability with religious do’s and don’ts and constitutions and basis of faiths and intellectualises his belief.
Love unconditionally and your church will grow. Prefer each other and your church will grow. Listen, consider, care and find a way to accommodate one another and your church will grow.
In most churches the congregations do not have any meaningful relationship with one another . Of course there are handshakes and some people are actually friends, but the fact is that most church attenders would not confide, or expect help from one another in a difficult situation. They might hope for help, but they do not expect it and they don’t usually get it.
If you belong to a loving church please contact us so that we can include it on our list of churches in our evangelistic issue of Bound Together
Simple Essentials
Sunday can be made more special, for those who want it to be. Presently, most churches have a rigid procedure. It involves getting people in and out over a two hour period. The truth will set you free. Here are some simple ways to make the Sunday church experience, more of an experience.
The Welcoming persons -
Singer/singers with guitars at the entrance with happy welcoming tunes
The Sermon leaflet with other church information, given at the entrance -
Before the sermon of the following week, the preacher could recap upon the previous message and ask if anyone has something to share about how that message was put into practise, or has had an affect.
The Gift leaving Pack -
The Structure -
Comfortable seats,
Correct temperature
Music and praise leading up to the ‘service’ to help create an ‘atmosphere’.
A prayer session half an hour before the service to prepare ‘the way’.
After service discussion group on the sermon, optional
After service refreshments to include edibles, not just biscuits
Signs -
Advertising and promotion -
The Deeper Stuff
Evangelism -
How soul destroying it must be for many paid and pensioned Christian leaders to be ground down by Church management, committees and meetings that leaves them precious little time to do evangelism. Of course someone is thinking, ‘everything we do, is and should be evangelistic’.
Get real. It isn’t happening. Most of the church’s good works are not directly married to the risen Christ. Others are getting the glory. Trouble with man made glory is that it fades and withers like most churches are fading and withering.
List of Perfect Churches in Cumbria
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List of Churches in Cumbria that are nearly perfect
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List of Churches in Cumbria where the people are truly repentant of their lack of love for one another and are genuinely trying to become more Christ like
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List of Churches in Cumbria where you will find ‘good’ people doing their best given the inadequacy of teaching and example