Too Many Ineffectual Leaders

Leaders living in a different city than the congregation, who are available only on Sundays, who cannot participate in social occasions and meetings of the congregation, who do not promote classes like ladies' or men's Bible classes, who do not suggest, champion, promote or participate in evangelistic activities, who do not lead the effort to prepare men to be elders and deacons, inhibit those same activities and become a detriment to the growth numerically and spiritually.

Microcredit

In 2006 the Brookings Institution documented what they called the "ghetto tax" or higher cost of living in low-income urban neighborhoods. A few examples:

·          Poor people are less likely to have bank accounts so they tend to cash their pay checks at check-cashing businesses which in cities surveyed charge $500 to $50 for a $500 check.

·          Low-income car buyers pay 2 percentage points more for a car loan than the more affluent buyers.

·          Low-income drivers pay more for car insurance. In New York, Baltimore, and Hartford, they pay an average $400 more a year to insure the exact same car and driver risk as wealthier drivers.

·          Poorer people pay an average of 1 percentage point more in mortgage interest.

·          Low-income folks are more likely to buy their furniture and appliances through pricey rent-to-own businesses. In Wisconsin, the study reports, a $200 rent-to-own TV set can cost $700 with interest included.

·          They are less likely to have access to large supermarkets and hence to rely on the more expensive and lower quality offerings of small grocery and convenience stores.

·          Without health insurance they use the emergency room which we all pay for.

·          Lacking the $1,000 for the first month's rent and security deposit for an apartment puts some in places like Days Inn for $40 a night.

·          If you are starting out it will cost about $40 capital investment to get your kitchenette up to speed.

·          Living in a motel, lacking a refrigerator and microwave the poor among us get their food at convenience stores or Wendy's or KFC. Expensive no matter where.

·          With lousy credit the poor pay a higher deposit for a phone.

·          Without health insurance the ER is where you take your children with an average visit of $1000 ten times more that a clinic pediatrician. Or you ignore the hypertension, mystery lump, diabetes until the bill exceeds $100,000.

·          $50 fee for check cashing services

Imagine how microcredit could help move families from motels and shelters to apartments.

If the term microcredit is not familiar to you the concept the extension of very small loans (microloans) to those in poverty. Individuals lacking collateral, steady employment and a verifiable credit history and therefore cannot meet even the most minimal qualifications to gain access to traditional credit. Microcredit is a part of microfinance, which is the provision of a wider range of financial services to the very poor.

Microcredit is a financial innovation that is generally considered to have originated with the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. In that country, it has enabled extremely impoverished people to engage in self-employment projects that allow them to generate an income and, in many cases, begin to build wealth and exit poverty. Due to the success of microcredit, many in the traditional banking industry have begun to realize that these microcredit borrowers should more correctly be categorized as pre-bankable; thus, microcredit is increasingly gaining credibility in the mainstream finance industry, and many traditional large finance organizations are contemplating microcredit projects as a source of future growth, even though almost everyone in larger development organizations discounted the likelihood of success of microcredit when it was begun.

God gave instructions for loaning money to the poor among His people while prohibiting charging interest: Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:36-37; Deuteronomy 23:19-20. How could it possibly be wrong for the church to do the same thing or for its members to provide the service?

 Talk about having an affect on the community.

Reference your article "Templates for Prayer" Gospel Advocate, July 2009

Drew Kizer:

 

 

Nice article.

 

We are often hesitant to recognize empty phrases out of respect to the person reciting them. But, too many prayers of our congregations go unanswered or are apparently answered with a 'No" for us not to take a critical look at our practice of public prayer. We must have scriptural support for what we are asking our Father to do and we do not. 

 

Is there evidence in the Bible for our "Opening" prayers? Is there support for a general purpose prayer that covers everything from the preacher's ready recollection up-to and including "if we have been found faithful allow us to enter Heaven?" I do not find such support. Most of our public prayers are time fillers. Where the person, many times caught by surprise, feels duty bound to say something, anything to fill the time allocated. Some use it to preach to the assembled. And, we must understand "in Jesus's name" is not the scriptural way to end a prayer and that saying it does not make it so.

 

Again, nice article, do it again. How about addressing more empty phrases?

--
Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Website: http://www.greenbriersolutions.com  
Blog: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/

Infinity: There's always room for one more!  

The Law of Moses was a Success

Many people claim the Law given through Moses did not work so Jehovah came up with a replacement plan, Jesus. That is not correct.

The Law of Moses was never intended for any people other than the descendants of Abraham/Isaac. And while governing the lives of Abraham/Isaac's descendants everyone else, the descendants of Ishmael and others not descended from Abraham, were acceptable to God when they did "naturally" the moral teachings of the Law.

The purpose of the Law was to keep Abraham/Isaac's descendants together long enough to bring forth Messiah. Once that happened there was no further purpose for the Law.

Once God chose Abraham/Isaac he had to work with them. At anytime the creator of every thing visible and not visible could have done away with them or could have eliminated "free-will.' Either would have left humankind separated from God without Messiah.

While the Law of Moses stopped at the cross the Gentiles continued to be pleasing to God when they did naturally the things of the Law (moral teachings) at least up to Cornelius.

The Law of Moses did not fail. It was not a mistake. It fulfilled Jehovah's purpose. In the fullness of time Messiah was born and the world changed for everyone.

Gospel or Doctrine? Good News or Divine Instruction / Edward Fudge

The Bible does not separate doctrine from gospel, but it certainly distinguishes between them (1 Tim. 1:10-11). The gospel is the good news of what God has done for us in Christ. Doctrine is divine instruction on how to live in response to what God has done. The English words "doctor" and "doctrine" share the same root. In earlier English, a "doctor" was a teacher and "doctrine" was the content taught. Even today, doctor's degrees (Ph.D., Ed.D., M.D., J.D. and others) presumably equip one to teach aspiring professionals. The King James expression "sound doctrine" means "healthy teaching" -- instruction that produces spiritual health and wholeness, as opposed to teaching that results in spiritual sickness, weakness and retardation.
Healthy doctrine grows out of the gospel and is consistent with it. It produces pure love, a good conscience and sincere faith (1 Tim. 1:5). Unhealthy teaching produces conceit, a morbid interest in controversy and disputes about words. It results in envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions and constant friction (1 Tim. 6:3-5). The "sound" teacher does not need to be rude or frantic -- healthy teaching engenders calmness and respect.

Unfortunately, much of what passes as "sound doctrine" among quarrelsome and sectarian religionists is neither healthy teaching, nor is it any part of the good news. The true gospel frees us from the power of such teachers, and invites us to learn from Jesus -- who is the way, the truth and the life. The gospel is the good news of our salvation. Godly doctrine is instruction in righteous living for those who have heard and believed the gospel.

What Occurs When One is Biblically Baptized?

Matthew records that Jesus told his disciples "at the close of the age, the Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers…" Being in the kingdom does not guarantee one of being saved. I suggest this tells us that once in the kingdom always in the kingdom, at least until the close of the age.

When we talk with others concerning what it takes to be in the kingdom we ask the wrong questions. We talk about salvation. When were you saved? Were you saved before or after you were baptized? Those are vague questions? They are the wrong questions. The question of baptism is not one of joining the church or becoming a Christian it is the only way to have one's sins removed. Being baptized because one is saved is the same as being baptized because one's sins have been forgiven. How were they forgiven? Why were they forgiven?

On Pentecost when the people had become convinced they had killed the Messiah Luke writes they were cut to the heart and wanted to know what they should do. The inference might be they believed killing the Messiah put them on God's black-list and they wanted to know how to get back into a good relationship with Jehovah.

Peter told them change their ways, (they were already sorrowful) and be immersed in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. God would then give them the gift of the Holy Spirit. Peter continued to exhort them to "save themselves from that crooked generation." Those that received Peter's words we baptized. Luke recorded that day about three thousand souls were added. Added to what? Those who were being saved were added to the number being saved.

Ananias told Paul to be baptized and wash away his sins.

Salvation does not occur at the time of biblical baptism it occurs at the close of the age. Forgiveness of previous sins occurs at the time of biblical baptism. Anyone biblically baptized must be considered in the kingdom because we do not know otherwise. Anyone not biblically baptized does not have their sins forgiven.

Forgiveness of sins occurs at the time of biblical baptism. Salvation occurs at the end of the age.

Atheism is not Logical

Have you ever considered that what atheists think is irrelevant. If they are right their thoughts are accidents and how can anyone consider an accident to be reliable? How serious can you take a human being who actually believes they are descended from a monkey?