Church Leadership

The Epistle of Jeremiah the Prophet to the Modern Church – Sheep Stealing

It is considered the biggest offence a church/pastor can commit. Those accused of committing this offence often are unfazed while those behind the accusations feel wronged in ways that cannot be measured. Do some churches set out to steal sheep? Some. Do some churches have sheep go missing because they aren’t being good shepherds? Some. Do some sheep change sheep pens because the grass is always greener in some other sheep pen? Some. Do some sheep look for a new shepherd because the one they have isn’t shepherding at all? Some. Is the type of sheep stealing that the modern church concerns itself with actually something God is concerned about? Sometimes.

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The Epistle of Jeremiah the Prophet to the Modern Church – Historically Prodigal

I can remember it like it was yesterday. I think almost everyone who attended Sunday school during the sixties and seventies has a memory of the high tech presentation systems used to etch memories in the minds of the young people who never missed a week. In fairness to this generation, attendance was not high because of the quality of storytelling but rather the willingness of a parent to use soap or the back of their hand to quickly put an end to any attempt to present an alternate to the fast paced drama that would unfold on the felt board every Sunday morning. We were told they were parables but we cared more about pulling the hair of the girl in the row in front of us or throwing a paper airplane at the teacher’s head. The felt board was a marvel of modern artistry but the stories got old really quick.

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The Epistle of Jeremiah the Prophet to the Modern Church – We Did It to Ourselves

Search yourself. Be honest. Don’t be afraid. Don’t hold back. Shine the light into the darkest parts of yourself. Question what you have come to believe. Put to the test the foundations of your faith. Examine the way you live out God’s truth. Covered by the grace of God through the blood of His Son allow the Holy Spirit to guide you, to convict you as you contemplate the following statement…

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The Epistle of Jeremiah the Prophet to the Modern Church – Thirst

His title is The Most Interesting Man in the World (If you don’t know him click for videos) He is best known for his catchphrase, “Stay thirsty my friends.” He peddles beer, he doesn’t always drink beer but when he does, he has his brand. I don’t always drink beer. As a matter of fact I don’t drink much beer at all. I really don’t like beer although a few times a year on a hot day I have been known to have one and actually enjoy it. I know as a good Christian I should be a teetotaler, but I’m not a Christian at least not in the way we use it in North American, I am a Christ follower. I follow the guy who turned water into wine. By the way, I do like wine with a meal every now and then. Wait, how did I end up talking about alcohol? Oh yeah, I was talking about The Most Interesting Man in the World and his catchphrase, “Stay thirsty my friends.” I usually find advertising to be misleading but I must admit the product and the catch phrase are 100% on the mark…

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New Year’s Renovation

We all have things we want to change about ourselves, things that we believe would make life better. From the shape of our nose to the contents of our wardrobe, from our home to the car we drive, at some point every one of us has thought that external changes will make internal struggles subside. It is the basis of all marketing: do this and make life better. What if we changed what changes us? What if the eternal influenced the internal which in turn changed the external? What if you/your church made 2023 a year of renovation, not a makeover but instead strip everything back to the footings and rebuild stronger and better than ever before?

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The Epistle of Jeremiah the Prophet to the Modern Church

Before you start looking up this letter in the New Testament, let me save you time: it doesn’t exist. Before you order a copy of the Apocrypha, let me save you money: this letter isn’t in part of it. So where can you find this little known epistle? It’s in the Old Testament but before you open your Bible or conduct an internet search let me warn you: you won’t find it under that name.

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