{"id":1058,"date":"2014-08-05T21:46:37","date_gmt":"2014-08-06T04:46:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobart-community-church.org\/?page_id=1058"},"modified":"2014-08-05T21:46:37","modified_gmt":"2014-08-06T04:46:37","slug":"voice-magazine-april-may-with-links","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/hobart-community-church.org\/?page_id=1058","title":{"rendered":"Voice Magazine – April May – with links"},"content":{"rendered":"

Voice Magazine <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0= = = = = = =<\/span><\/span>\n<\/div>\n
The Importance of the Local Church<\/span><\/a>\u00a0– Les Lofquist<\/span><\/div>\n
Let\u2019s face it\u2026American pastors are constantly being asked questions about whether the local church is important and why church attendance is necessary. There are those who advocate that the modern American church is broken: why not fix it with a Starbucks-style makeover?<\/p>\n

Some people are saying \u201cthe typical Sunday morning service of half lecture and half sing-along isn\u2019t a useful way for me to connect with God. What if, instead of the church being like a theater, a police station, or a seminary, it was more like a coffee-house?”<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

De-Churching Trends<\/span><\/a>\u00a0– Paul Tautges<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the least obvious – and yet most tragic – changes that American Evangelicalism has experienced in the past fifty years is the diminishment of the centrality of the local church in the life of many Christians. The Lord\u2019s Day, once considered a special day dedicated to the worship and service of God, is now treated like any other day by many professing believers. And local church life, once considered the center of indispensable relationships within our spiritual family whom we love, encourage, and to whom we remain accountable, is now treated like an extra-curricular activity rather than an essential ingredient of the Christian life.<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n

How Healthy is Your Church … Really?<\/span><\/a>\u00a0– Dan Nave<\/span><\/p>\n

For nearly a decade, I\u2019ve served in a church planting ministry and have worked hard to see growth, but the right kind of growth: that which comes from good health. I know, I know, everyone talks about church health: a simple Google search will identify the \u201cNine Marks of a Healthy Church\u201d and \u201cThe Twelve Characteristics of the Healthy Church\u201d and the \u201cEight Essential Qualities of a Healthy Church\u201d and the \u201cThree Core Characteristics of a Healthy Ministry.\u201d And we at IFCA International have twenty-one Vital Signs of Healthy IFCA Churches.<\/p>\n

But, as a church planter, I was interested in process. How do all these very good ideas fit together? Is there a process that\u2019s identifiable for a church to follow to implement these concepts? I think the answer is yes.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Is There a Word from God?<\/span><\/a>\u00a0– Daniel J. Hornok<\/span><\/div>\n

During the final days of Israel\u2019s Kingdom, King Zedekiah sought the counsel of the only true Prophet he knew. To Jeremiah he asked: \u201cis there a word from God?\u201d And Jeremiah\u2019s answer was: \u201cthere is\u201d (Jeremiah 37:17).<\/p>\n

It is my settled conviction that this exchange illustrates the primary role of a military chaplain. I can easily see a Commander turning to a chaplain and asking the same question. What troubles me is that I know too many chaplains who will not respond with the same answer.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Biblical Reformation that Leads to Revival<\/span><\/a>\u00a0– Richard Bargas<\/span><\/div>\n

There is no doubt that the church today needs revival. But not revival as it is sometimes defined: evangelistic tent meetings in which the Holy Spirit is scheduled to arrive on our set dates. Revivals or \u201cawakenings\u201d as they used to be called, mark a special time when God moves upon God\u2019s people and there is evidence of the Spirit\u2019s powerful work among his people and those he draws to salvation through the proclamation of the gospel message.<\/p>\n

Today there is a lot of activity in the evangelical church\u2013 lots of money being spent, books printed, and conferences held, churches planted and sermons preached. With the technology of our day, there is more access to the Bible, sermons, and the gospel worldwide than ever before. We have in our country a majority of the world\u2019s largest churches.<\/p>\n

But would we say that there is revival happening in our nation or our churches? Most of us would say no, and I would heartily agree.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Wrestling with God<\/span><\/a>\u00a0–\u00a0Michael Coffey<\/span><\/div>\n

Some people seem to come into this world just to irritate and take advantage of others. They\u2019re \u201ctakers\u201d rather than \u201cgivers.\u201d Jacob was be one of those types.<\/p>\n

Jacob\u2019s name, which means \u201cDeceiver,\u201d seemed apt since he was born holding the heel of his brother Esau. His later conspiracy with his mother Rebekah to steal Isaac\u2019s firstborn blessing from Esau demonstrates his nature. His struggles with his uncle Laban and his twenty year labor for his wives, children and their physical wealth further validate his basic tendency to depend upon his own wits, wiles and wishes to get through life.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Restoring the Lost Grace of Hospitality<\/span><\/a>\u00a0– Rob Heijermans<\/span><\/div>\n

You have to eat the brain with your fingers. It\u2019s tradition.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve been looking forward to trying pacha. Our hosts, young refugees who have become nearly as precious to us as our own children, promised to prepare this special Iraqi dish for us weeks ago. Now it is on the table in front of us and our Zimbabwean friend.<\/p>\n

Two lambs\u2019 heads stare vacantly from a serving dish lined with slabs of sheep\u2019s stomach. It has all been boiled for seven hours, with garlic and onion and salt, on the veranda of our friends\u2019 urban apartment. A heap of fresh Iraqi flatbread, which our host has gone to some length to acquire, lies steaming in a bowl of aromatic broth. A simple salad completes the meal, one of many we have shared with this delightful Muslim couple in the last six months.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

And Lord, Bless the Missionaries<\/span><\/a>\u00a0– Osborne Buchanan<\/span><\/div>\n

And, Lord, bless the missionaries.\u201d It is likely that you have heard this request at a prayer meeting. After praying for healing for Aunt Susie\u2019s serious health problems, recovery from a heart attack for John and encouragement for the multifaceted ministries of the local church, plus possible prayer for the pastor, the missionary family of the church is \u201ccovered\u201d almost as a post script with the prayer: \u201cand, Lord, bless the missionaries.\u201d<\/p>\n

What do we really mean by that prayer? How do we want the Lord to bring a special blessing to the missionary family of the church? And, how would we know that our prayer was really answered?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Building Relationships for Global Ministry<\/span><\/a>\u00a0–\u00a0Paul Williamson<\/span><\/span>
\nAs Vision World churches begin to identify those within their congregation who are called out by God to missionary ministry, the concept of interdependence can be realized in a powerful way.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Diligence for Church and Home<\/span><\/a>\u00a0– Mark Steiner<\/span>
\nTeaching children is an absolutely essential part of discipling children. But teaching children is not easy.\u00a0\u00a0Here are my top ten tips for teaching children.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Fellowship News<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

Death of His Saints<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Voice Magazine \u00a0= = = = = = = The Importance of the Local Church\u00a0– Les Lofquist Let\u2019s face it\u2026American pastors are constantly being asked questions about whether the local church is important and why church attendance is necessary. There …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":450,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/hobart-community-church.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1058"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/hobart-community-church.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/hobart-community-church.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/hobart-community-church.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/hobart-community-church.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1058"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/hobart-community-church.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1058\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1059,"href":"http:\/\/hobart-community-church.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1058\/revisions\/1059"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/hobart-community-church.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/hobart-community-church.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}