Jeremiah 2:8   The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit

And even after Jesus and the apostles showed us the true way:

Revelation 2:1-5   To the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know your works, and your labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hasve found them liars: And have borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against you, because you have left your first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove your candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

Brothers and sisters, let us not be weary in well doing. Rather, let us exalt and obey our King in everything.

The darker the hour, the brighter the Light shines.

Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. 2 Thess. 3:6

Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. 2 Thess. 2:15

So, we must ask: Are these merely traditions of men, traditions of the elders, or did they originate with the Almighty? If the latter, we need not fear them but rather enjoy them to His glory.

If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who finds himself among those who do not
understand say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying? 1 Corinthians 14:16

“Amening” is an aspect of interactive meetings which usually gets overlooked but it is a meaningful addition to any Christian meeting.

It affirms both the speaker and hearer and obviously it’s a God-ordained element of worship.

If the mega-church is a failed model, then what is a better option? Recently the house church network (not affiliated with housechurch.org, thank you)  has become the new solution. Small groups trained on discipleship which are loosely connected into a church network are cropping up all over America. Ministries like the British company 3DM will virtually franchise you a house church network for around $10,000. Boasting high success rates, coaching, and curriculum, 3DM will teach you everything you need to know about how to start your own house church network. However, undergirding the house church movement are the very same assumptions which fund the mega-church model — only this time it isn’t Applebees, but the boutique restaurant which they are peddling. The house church network is the boutique mega-church model.

http://huffingtonpost.com/tim-suttle/the-failure-of-the-megachurch_b_954482.html

I thought momentarily of the dinner meeting in which someone was “leaning upon Jesus.” John 21:20.

I also remembered hearing of a study from awhile back which concluded that doodling, in its several forms, was actually beneficial in maintaining attention. I believe this to be so if not done in a way which might show disrespect of disinterest toward the person(s) speaking.

Sure enough, I found an account of this research in Time magazine from 2009. It highlights another plus for the informal house church format.

Why does doodling aid memory? Andrade offers several theories, but the most persuasive is that when you doodle, you don’t daydream. Daydreaming may seem absentminded and pointless, but it actually demands a lot of the brain’s processing power. You start daydreaming about a vacation, which leads you to think about potential destinations, how you would pay for the trip, whether you could get the flight upgraded, how you might score a bigger hotel room.

These cognitions require what psychologists call “executive functioning” — for example, planning for the future and comparing costs and benefits. Doodling, in contrast, requires very few executive resources but just enough cognitive effort to keep you from daydreaming, which — if unchecked — will jump-start activity in cortical networks that will keep you from remembering what’s going on.

Doodling forces your brain to expend just enough energy to stop it from daydreaming but not so much that you don’t pay attention. So the next time you’re doodling during a meeting — or twirling a pencil or checking the underside of the table for gum — and you hear that familiar admonition (“Are we bothering you?”), you can tell the boss with confidence that you’ve been paying attention to every word.

http://time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1882127,00.html

As for those who have never heard, I am confident that the holy and loving God Who Really Is will deal with them fairly.

But instead of writing endless articles and books against the the eternal destination of the lost why not use that same effort to direct these to Jesus Christ, the Savior?

If a place of torment is what we Christians were actually delivered from, how thankful and motivated we should be!

Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; 2 Cor. 5:11.

“Every large church I know is looking for ways to get small, to provide intimacy that may be missing,” says Kevin DeYoung, senior pastor at the 500-member University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Mich., and co-author of Why We Love the Church: In Praise of Institutions and Organized Religion.

Many of these small groups are actually called house churches, btw. I have a feeling that as much small grouping is happening among them as us. And yes, I may be wrong. God knows.

Regardless of the name, number, or terminology, let every man, woman, and child in every place join in prayer and in praise to the name of our Lord Jesus, the Christ.

This kind of persecution is old news for those concerned about the 60 million or so Christians in China’s “underground” churches. The crackdowns have become so common that they rarely inspire protests from human rights activists.

Bob Dylan, however, is another matter. His first-ever concert in China opened with an edgy gospel rocker that slipped past the Ministry of Culture officials who allegedly screened the April 6 set list to make sure it was safe.

“Change my way of thinking, make myself a different set of rules. … Gonna put my best foot forward, stop being influenced by fools,” sang Bob Dylan, performing a classic from the “Slow Train Coming” album that opened his “born again” era.

So who might the “fools” be in this context?

Seconds later, Dylan veered into alternative lyrics for “Gonna Change My Way of Thinkin’,” written for a duet with gospel star Mavis Staples. These lyrics added a clear reference to “end times” doctrines and the second coming of Jesus — subjects Chinese authorities have tried to curb in sermons, music and religious education.

“Jesus is calling,” he sang. “He’s coming back to gather his jewels.

… Well, we live by the golden rule, whoever’s got the gold rules.”

Many critics noted that the set list omitted Dylan’s most famous anthems of political protest, such as “The Times They Are A-Changin’ ” and “Blowin’ in the Wind.” The Washington Post coverage claimed that the set was “devoid of any numbers that might carry even the whiff of anti-government overtones.”

Then again, maybe the mainstream writers who voiced similar sentiments about this historic concert in the Worker’s Gymnasium in Beijing were only listening for messages about politics, as opposed to messages about religious freedom.

Many years ago, commentator Bill Moyers told me that the reason so many journalists struggle to cover religion news is that they are “tone deaf” to the music of faith in public life. That image still rings true for me, after 23 years of writing this column for the Scripps Howard News Service and more than three decades of research into life on the religion beat.

more here: http://therepublic.com/view/story/religion-faith041311/religion-faith041311/

Typically Dylanesque. Say, what about these house churches with 200 attendees?

George Washington, First Inaugural Address, April 30, 1789

The relationship of obedience and blessing is, I believe, eternally true concerning nations but also concerning individuals. If individuals ignore the “eternal rules of order and right” we do so at our own peril. And we will eventually hurt ourselves and others.

So, let us walk in love – which is itself a commandment or rule – and thereby bring honor to our heavenly King and, as God wills, blessings to our own selves and to our loved ones.

Do you see our Heavenly Father when you peer into the eyes of another person who is made in his image? How about your pets and even your houseplants? These things are from his loving hand of bounty and should direct us to thoughts of Him. Reader, may I inquire, is that the case with you?

About 500 years ago a Christian writer made the following observation:

“There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice.” John Calvin

May the creation lead us to the Creator and not become a substitute for Him. And may this perspective cause you to rejoice in this unhappy age.