God’s Design

When we move away from God’s design for the church, we drift into control as a response to fear of chaos on the one hand or, on the other hand, the chaos we don’t want.

Chaos produces: confusion, division, and unstable teaching. The problem is not freedom. The problem is not leadership. The problem is not divine revelation.

The problem is removing leadership and revelation from God’s order. The problem is freedom without the Holy Spirit in control. The problem is leadership without the Holy Spirit in control. The problem is divine revelation without spending time in God’s presence seeking His correction. The problem is fleshly leadership, fleshly freedom, and fleshly false revelation.

FREE Books:
“The Nuts and Bolts of Being Rational”
“How God Will Transform You”
“Encyclopedia of Logical Fallacies”
“Real Faith & Reason”
“How to Walk in God’s Glory”
“Your Metamorphosis”
“Exposing the Real Creation-Evolution Debate”
https://realreality.org/downloads/

FREE: One semester spiritual transformation for children, young people, & adults
https://freegospelmusic.org/by-grace-through-faith-homeschool-course/

Coming Soon: The Quest for Truth Journey, a whiteboard animation exploring the intersection of reason, revelation, & transformation.

Danger: Moving Away From God’s Design

When we move away from God’s design for the church, we drift into control as a response to fear of chaos on the one hand or, on the other hand, the chaos we don’t want.

Control is often what we reach for when we don’t trust God with the outcome. It’s likely that this fear and lack of trust is what caused the church to begin moving away from God’s order within the first hundred years of its existence. Later, other fleshly drives may have been behind other changes that were inserted into the church. When control is a response to fear of chaos, it produces these results: passive members, centralized power, and fear.

FREE Books:
“The Nuts and Bolts of Being Rational”
“How God Will Transform You”
“Encyclopedia of Logical Fallacies”
“Real Faith & Reason”
“How to Walk in God’s Glory”
“Your Metamorphosis”
“Exposing the Real Creation-Evolution Debate”
https://realreality.org/downloads/

FREE: One semester spiritual transformation for children, young people, & adults
https://freegospelmusic.org/by-grace-through-faith-homeschool-course/

Coming Soon: The Quest for Truth Journey, a whiteboard animation exploring the intersection of reason, revelation, & transformation.

Test All Things in the Church

Testing is part of revelation. God didn’t just give freedom. He built in protection. Plural leadership prevents domination. God gives discernment to His body on earth if they seek His will and wisdom to the exclusion of their own will and other voices. Shared participation prevents passivity. Testing prevents deception. In 1 Thessalonians 5:21 it says, “Test all things.” Humility prevents pride. This is unity without pride.

FREE Books:
“The Nuts and Bolts of Being Rational”
“How God Will Transform You”
“Encyclopedia of Logical Fallacies”
“Real Faith & Reason”
“How to Walk in God’s Glory”
“Your Metamorphosis”
“Exposing the Real Creation-Evolution Debate”
https://realreality.org/downloads/

FREE: One semester spiritual transformation for children, young people, & adults
https://freegospelmusic.org/by-grace-through-faith-homeschool-course/

Coming Soon: The Quest for Truth Journey, a whiteboard animation exploring the intersection of reason, revelation, & transformation.

Not Scientific Peer Review

Notice the difference between how the church functions as opposed to scientific peer review. Peer review ends up in groupthink, confirmation bias, politics, persuasion, and censorship. Acts 15 shows a supernatural meeting. Peter, Paul, and Barnabas told how God moved supernaturally and how that indicated the answer. James had a word of wisdom and the matter was settled. It was not by human rationalizing but by divine revelation. There was plenty of discussion. With the pattern that everything must be tested, every word was tested. Testing is part of revelation.

FREE Books:
“The Nuts and Bolts of Being Rational”
“How God Will Transform You”
“Encyclopedia of Logical Fallacies”
“Real Faith & Reason”
“How to Walk in God’s Glory”
“Your Metamorphosis”
“Exposing the Real Creation-Evolution Debate”
https://realreality.org/downloads/

FREE: One semester spiritual transformation for children, young people, & adults
https://freegospelmusic.org/by-grace-through-faith-homeschool-course/

Coming Soon: The Quest for Truth Journey, a whiteboard animation exploring the intersection of reason, revelation, & transformation.

Churches in Isolation

During the time the New Testament was being written, local churches were not meant to function in isolation. In the New Testament order, there are those who are sent by God. Apostles. They move between churches. Not as kings. Not as isolated individuals. But working together. When major issues arose, they didn’t compete. they came together.

In Acts 15, we see a pattern of multiple leaders seeking God together and recognizing what the Spirit was saying This created something essential: stability based on Holy Spirit leading and authority rather than fear-based oppression and repression. Because without this kind of unity: ministries begin to compete, personalities take over, and the church fragments. But God’s pattern was never independent voices or competing leaders. It was a united people with those sent by God working together in humility. And that kind of unity cannot be organized by man. It must be brought about by the Holy Spirit.

FREE Books:
“The Nuts and Bolts of Being Rational”
“How God Will Transform You”
“Encyclopedia of Logical Fallacies”
“Real Faith & Reason”
“How to Walk in God’s Glory”
“Your Metamorphosis”
“Exposing the Real Creation-Evolution Debate”
https://realreality.org/downloads/

FREE: One semester spiritual transformation for children, young people, & adults
https://freegospelmusic.org/by-grace-through-faith-homeschool-course/

Coming Soon: The Quest for Truth Journey, a whiteboard animation exploring the intersection of reason, revelation, & transformation.

THERE’S ONLY ONE CHURCH

There’s one thing that’s easy to miss.

There’s only one church. Most denominations recognize that there is one universal church. Across nearly all historic Christian traditions, there is a shared belief that all true believers in Christ belong to one universal Body of Christ, even if they are separated institutionally. This is why so many churches recite the Nicene Creed’s phrase: “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. The Bible teaches that all Christians will eventually come to unity.

Local churches were not meant to function in isolation. In the New Testament order, there are those who are sent by God. Apostles. They move between churches. Not as rulers. Not as isolated individuals. But working together. When major issues arose, they didn’t compete. they came together.
In Acts 15, we see a pattern of multiple leaders seeking God together and recognizing what the Spirit was saying This created something essential: stability based on Holy Spirit leading and authority rather than fear-based oppression and repression. Because without this kind of unity: ministries begin to compete, personalities take over, and the church fragments. But God’s pattern was never independent voices or competing leaders. It was a united people with those sent by God working together in humility. And that kind of unity cannot be organized by man. It must be brought about by the Holy Spirit.

This may seem impossible right now, but it’s clear from Scripture that God will do this.

FREE Books:
“The Nuts and Bolts of Being Rational”
“How God Will Transform You”
“Encyclopedia of Logical Fallacies”
“Real Faith & Reason”
“How to Walk in God’s Glory”
“Your Metamorphosis”
“Exposing the Real Creation-Evolution Debate”
https://realreality.org/downloads/

FREE: One semester spiritual transformation for children, young people, & adults
https://freegospelmusic.org/by-grace-through-faith-homeschool-course/

Coming Soon: The Quest for Truth Journey, a whiteboard animation exploring the intersection of reason, revelation, & transformation.

Agrippa’s Trilemma: The Human Mind Can’t Reason To Truth

The human mind can’t reason to truth, but rational thought is impossible without truth. However, Jesus Christ is the truth. He’s a Person, not a religion. He’s alive and knowable. All wisdom and knowledge of the truth are hidden in Him. All who sincerely and persistently seek Him find HIm. He leads, teaches, and corrects all who follow Him.

FREE Books:
“The Nuts and Bolts of Being Rational”
“How God Will Transform You”
“Encyclopedia of Logical Fallacies”
“Real Faith & Reason”
“How to Walk in God’s Glory”
“Your Metamorphosis”
“Exposing the Real Creation-Evolution Debate”
https://realreality.org/downloads/

FREE: One semester spiritual transformation for children, young people, & adults
https://freegospelmusic.org/by-grace-through-faith-homeschool-course/

Coming Soon: The Quest for Truth Journey, a whiteboard animation exploring the intersection of reason, revelation, & transformation.

Who Are You?

Ministry from every member of the body of Christ it doesn’t consist of some carefully planned form or ritual. One definition for a ministry is a corporation or business. That’s not the definition we’re using here. This ministry we’re talking about here is Christ in the person. That ministry is the new person, Christ in you, the hope of glory. In this sense, every member has and is a ministry. Ministry is not held by leadership alone. Ministry is Christ in every member.

Acts 13:1 mentions multiple prophets and teachers in one church.

First Corinthians 12 and 14 describe many functioning members, not a single dominant speaker.

FREE Books:
“The Nuts and Bolts of Being Rational”
“How God Will Transform You”
“Encyclopedia of Logical Fallacies”
“Real Faith & Reason”
“How to Walk in God’s Glory”
“Your Metamorphosis”
“Exposing the Real Creation-Evolution Debate”
https://realreality.org/downloads/

FREE: One semester spiritual transformation for children, young people, & adults
https://freegospelmusic.org/by-grace-through-faith-homeschool-course/

Coming Soon: The Quest for Truth Journey, a whiteboard animation exploring the intersection of reason, revelation, & transformation.

What Is A Church Service?

Scripture repeatedly tells us that there is safety when working together rather than one person working alone or one person leading and controlling.

Now look at the gathering itself. Today, church often looks like a presentation: One speaks. Everyone else listens.

But Scripture describes something very different. In First Corinthians 14:26 it says “When you come together, each one has…” Each one. It says you all may prophesy one by one. This is not chaos. Because the same chapter gives order: Two or three speak. Others weigh what is said. Everything builds up the body. This is not a performance. It’s not a show.

Ephesians 4:15-16 says “but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

Notice it’s by that which every joint supplies. It’s according to the effective working by which every part does its share. This causes spiritual growth as the body builds itself up in love.

FREE Books:
“The Nuts and Bolts of Being Rational”
“How God Will Transform You”
“Encyclopedia of Logical Fallacies”
“Real Faith & Reason”
“How to Walk in God’s Glory”
“Your Metamorphosis”
“Exposing the Real Creation-Evolution Debate”
https://realreality.org/downloads/

FREE: One semester spiritual transformation for children, young people, & adults
https://freegospelmusic.org/by-grace-through-faith-homeschool-course/

Coming Soon: The Quest for Truth Journey, a whiteboard animation exploring the intersection of reason, revelation, & transformation.

God’s Way

In the Scriptural order, churches had elders—plural—in every city. Co-equal elders provided leadership that also provided safety. No one person could take control and run with his own ideas. The elders were the pastors or shepherds. Money was not an incentive for them. They acted more like a father in a home. Not one dominant voice. No chief elder. No church board. Plural leadership. And these leaders weren’t chosen for talent or charisma.

In 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, the focus is on: character. Maturity, proven life,

Most importantly in Acts 20:28, it says: “The Holy Spirit has made you overseers.”

Leadership is not self-appointed. Nor is leadership appointed by human decision-making. It is recognized and appointed by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indicates gifts, ministries, and offices in the church. These gifts, ministries, and offices were also imparted not by an individual but by a group of elders. 1 Timothy 4:14 specifically mentions a group of elders imparting gifts through prophecy and the laying on of hands. 2 Timothy 1:6 lets us know that at least one apostle was among that group of elders.

FREE Books:
“The Nuts and Bolts of Being Rational”
“How God Will Transform You”
“Encyclopedia of Logical Fallacies”
“Real Faith & Reason”
“How to Walk in God’s Glory”
“Your Metamorphosis”
“Exposing the Real Creation-Evolution Debate”
https://realreality.org/downloads/

FREE: One semester spiritual transformation for children, young people, & adults
https://freegospelmusic.org/by-grace-through-faith-homeschool-course/

Coming Soon: The Quest for Truth Journey, exploring the intersection of reason, revelation, & transformation.