Church

The following article/parable was first published in 1979 in Ministry magazine. I came across it as I was working on an upcoming message on evangelism. It was written by John Drescher, who at that time was the pastor of the Scottdale Mennonite church in Scottdale, Pennsylvania. I'm passing it along to you in its entirety. ********** Now it came to pass that a group existed who called themselves fishermen. And lo, there were many fish in the waters all around. In fact the whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes filled with fish. And the fish were hungry. Week after week, month after month, and year after year these, who called themselves fishermen, met in meetings and talked about their call to fish, the abundance of fish, and how they might go about fishing. Year after year they carefully defined what fishing means, defended fishing as an occupation, and…

During the #iLoveMyChurch series, we are working our way through our mission as a church. That mission is to glorify God, grow in Jesus, and to go into the world. One basic reason Mountainview exists is to help you become spiritually mature -- to grow in Jesus. Let's be honest: It would be nice if the process of becoming more mature was simply a matter of aging. The older you get, the more mature you become. But you’ve probably lived long enough to know that gray hairs and spiritual maturity are not the same thing. Here is a simply test to see if you are mature or not: If you’re wondering if you’re mature, then you’re probably not mature. If your wife often tells you to grow up, then you’re probably not mature. If this is how you greet co-workers, then you’re probably not mature … You’ve probably heard of the idea of…

Many people probably didn't notice, but for me, this past weekend at Mountainview was a special weekend. What made it special? The fact that it seemed to be a regular weekend is your first clue. I have been in ministry for twenty-five years, not counting my four years of undergraduate education. In addition, I have been in and around churches my entire life. Counting Sunday evening services, I estimate I have been in approximately 4,000 regular worship assemblies. That's a lot of communion. On a personal level, I am friends with scores of pastors and ministers of all kinds. Nearly every week I am meeting or eating with a local pastor. Through prior work experiences as well as things such as blogs, Twitter, and Facebook, I'm literally connected to hundreds of other pastors on a regular basis. You already know this, but I'm odd. Not for all the (legitimate) reasons that come…

I’m sure at some point you’ve seen one of those “God is My Co-Pilot” bumper stickers. The idea sounds good … “Me and God, we’re in this together.” If bumper stickers aren't your thing, you can also get the same slogan on coffee cups, trucker hats, and baby outfits. I even found it on a Koosie for your beer can, but I'm not sure I could recommend that in good conscience. The idea of “God is My Co-Pilot” sounds good. But let me just say this: if God is your co-pilot, then we’re both in the trouble – because that plane is going to crash somewhere. And it’s not God I’m worried about – it’s you! And for good reason … Raise your hand if you have ever thought you had a situation or a relationship completely figured out only to find out you were wrong. Wives, you have to let your husband raise his…

I grew up in a denomination that had a high regard for what the Bible taught AND for what we thought the Bible should have taught. Author Phillip Yancey had a similar experience. He described his childhood church this way: “They wouldn’t go bowling because liquor was served in bowling alleys and they wouldn’t go roller skating because it looked like dancing.” The underlying message was this: If we get everything right, God will be pleased with us and will bless us. We even sang hymns that reinforced it … When we walk with the Lord, in the light of His Word What a glory he sheds on our way! While we do His good will, He abides with us still, And with all who will trust and obey Not a shadow can rise, Not a cloud in the skies, But His smile quickly drives it away; Not a doubt…