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Hub You - And Now, the Great Wineskin Awakening
Mortgage Loan – Your Mortgage Lender and Their Dirty Little Secrets ee basic phenomena as to why people are exiting the institutional church," he explains. "After years of starving in the institutional church, they leave to find New Testament realities. People study their Bibles and come to perceive a huge chasm between the New Testament and the traditional church and often they leave after the institutional church disregards their pleas for change."If you are in the market for a mortgage or a home equity loan, you need to do your homework before signing on the dotted line. There are a number of common mortgage mistakes that can cost you thousands. Many mortgage lenders rely on you making mistakes so they can charge you more. There are a number of gimmicks mortgage lenders use to trick unsuspecting homeowners into paying more.Here are tips to help you avoid being taken advantage of by your mortgage broker or lender.Prepayment PenaltiesA prepayment penalty is a fee your lender charges if you refinance the mortgage or sell your home. This penalty usually only applies for the first five years of the mortgage; however, some lenders try and slip more stringent conditions in their loan contracts. The actual penalty varies by lender; however, you may be required to pay as much as six months interest on 85% of the original loan balance if you refinance or sell before the penalty expires.Don’t accept a mortgage with a prepayment penalty. If you have good credit there is no reason to choose a lender that uses this penalty. The mortgage industry is extremely competitive and your credit rating is an excellent bargaining chip for any mortgage company to have your business. If the lender refuses to remove the prepayment penalty from the contract, take your business elsewhere.If you have bad credit you may be stuck with the prepayment penalty. You should negotiate with the lender for less stringent terms on the contract. If you can get the lender to lower the duration of the penalty to one year or set the amount to a lesser value you will be better of when you refinance to a better mortgage.Discount Interest RatesIf you see a lender advertising a mortgage with an abnormally low interest rate, say three percent for example, this is a “discount interest rate.” Discount rates are used to lure in homeowners that don’t know any better.Discount interest rates are only good for an introductory period. At the end of the introductory period the lender will adjust the discount interest rate to the actual rate; this actual interest rate is usually buried somewhere in the fine print. When the lender adjusts the interest rate at the end of the introductory period the monthly payment goes up dramatically. These gimmicky types of mortgage loans often come with variable interest rates which may or may not have interest rate caps. GOING TO vs BEING THE CHURCH The New Testament writers referred to the PEOPLE of God as God's building (1 Corinthians 3:9, Ephesians 2:19-22), God's temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17), God's house (1 Timothy 3:15, Hebrews 3:6, 10:21, 1 Peter 2:17), God's household (Ephesians 2:19, Galatians 6:10) and Christ's body (Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 12:12, Ephesians 3:6, 5:23, 30). Though most Christians - even ministers - would say 'Amen" to that, such a response is generally little more than mere lip service. I can recall an "emergency meeting" years ago when I was on-staff at a huge metropolitan church. The elders got wind of an associate pastor who had held a meeting at his home and, without him being present, ordered a meeting of the entire staff, from deacons to janitors - some 35 strong - to call their friends and "warn" them about the associate pastor's "evil" actions. I spoke up, unable to contain myself any longer amidst the accusations and escalating concerns. "We can all see the call of God on this couple's lives to lead people. Why can't we simply bless them and move on...or is this fear-motivated...is this all about losing tithers?" Needless to say, no one spoke to me again after that and I was asked to step down within two days. I immediately joined the ranks of the former associate pastor as HIS associate pastor. Did Christians in the New Testament GO to church. No, the thought never entered their minds. They WERE the church! They understood that Making Heros and Heroines Real There's one method of Christian fellowship that, although quite common in some corners of the Vineyard, is quite foreign in others.All stories and novels, even many poems, need to have a hero or heroine. More and more heroines fill the bookshelves, too. What characteristics do we want in our heroes (or heroines)? For what do we search when we read, use when we write? Let’s examine creating a hero (I’ll just use the term hero for the rest of the editorial, but everything applies to a heroine, too).A hero needs to be believable."Okay, fine," someone says. "How does a writer make a hero believable?"One way is to pay attention to the small stuff, the details. That doesn’t mean as writers we have to include everything possible in the story or novel, but we should have the hero so developed, in our minds, that he or she lives.Natashya Wilson, www.aresix.blogspot.com, as well as numerous composition books and my notes from writing classes, workshops, and clinics include the following information when examining the components of a hero:1. The hero should be appealing and should inspire.Reading about him/her should give readers a feelings that they, the readers, too can achieve their goals. The hero should help readers to find courage and the will to continue. Any hero needs to be strong and intelligent, as well as be human with flaws that readers can understand but with the ability needed to succeed.No matter what, the reader must be able to relate to the hero on some level.2. The writer needs to develop the hero completely.I noted earlier that the heroes should be developed in our minds until they are real. We should have a background, childhood, friends, family, home, and likes and dislikes all in our mental files. We need to note his motivations, phobias, the people he respects. Not all the information will go into our stories or novels, but the details are there, making our hero real. If we made our heroes live for us, they are more likely to live for readers.3. Every hero needs a special skill or quality.We should ask ourselves what gives him an advantage over the bad guy or guys, and why he doesn’t give up? Then we use those answers to enhance our hero.4. The characters around the hero need to be interesting and fully developed, too.Those around our hero should be worthy of him. The love interest and the villains should have depth, be realistic and believable. The hero should have a reason to love the other person; the heroine should be in love with someone worth loving. The vi Let's talk about House Church! Though quite a few American churches are willing to establish "cell groups" or "home groups," for the most part, the typical church tends to include these gatherings merely as some sort of "bolt-on program" to what most perceive as the REAL church. As with any other program of the church, members can choose to attend or ignore this one, too. With us being as busy as we are, the majority of church-attenders will choose to ignore their church's "home group" ministry and focus their attention on what they see as the REAL ministry that takes place on Sunday morning, maybe Wednesday night and, occasionally, Sunday nights. If you will, look for a moment at Acts Chapter 16 along with my thought-provoking comments: TIMOTHY JOINS PAUL AND SILAS 4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. COMMENT: Churches? Who was going around building these buildings? Did they have pastors, secretaries, janitors, steeples, padded pews, a children's ministry? A playground? Did Paul and his companions stick around and "pastor" these churches? Of course not! Paul has Vision of the Man of Macedonia. Read this: Lydia's Conversion in Philippi 13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. COMMENT: What...no synagogues in the area? No temples? No "churches" on every street corner? Where else would they possibly go to pray? Having failed at their attempt to find a "place" to pray, they stopped to chat with some ladies. WHAT?!! C'mon guys, stay focused! Let me get this straight...God wouldn't allow you to preach in Asia or Mysia but He WILL let you talk to the ladies down by the river... this is WAY too unorthodox! 14 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us. COMMENT: Was there a "Sinner's Prayer"? A "Four Spiritual Laws"? A "Roman Road"? Any kind of profession of faith? Did they not have a "Salvation System" in place? No, the Scripture merely says "the Lord opened her heart." How did they know THAT? Where was Lydia's husband during all this? Was she a single woman inviting these men over to her house? What ever happened to "avoiding the appearance of evil"? What were Paul and his posse thinking? Most importantly...where did Lydia and her household go to continue their discipleship process? Church? Sunday school? Did they watch TBN or listen to Pastor Michael's "Your Town for Jesus" broadcast on radio or listen to tapes or read eMail's? Beginning with verse 16, Paul casts a demon out of a slave girl who was earning money for her owners. They make a fuss and Paul and Silas wind up in jail. The pair were singing hymns to God when an earthquake struck and shook the jail, opening its gates and lossening all the chains on the prisoners. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family. COMMENT: Then what? How did the jailer and HIS household continue to grow in their faith? Did they read Bibles? there were none. Did they go to conferences or seminars? There were none. Did the jailer attend a seminary? There were none. They were eventually released. Now, get ready for this! 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left. COMMENT: O.K.! Back to Lydia's place...at least for awhile. THEN, they left! Again, who continued the discipleship process for Lydia and family? Where did they attend "Church." BIBLICAL MEETINGS IN THE HOME Today, when most of us refer to "the church," our tendency is to refer to the church building, what goes on there, or our particular denomination. In New Testament Scripture, it's apparent that erecting and maintaining a building, hiring a ministerial, clerical and janitorial staff was simply NOT on anybody's to-do list. When they DID pool their monetary resources, they were soon involved in expending all available funds in the service of widows and orphans. Charity was not an incidental, fractional portion of the budget. No, caring for the needs of widows and orphans WAS the budget. No buildings, no church staff, no paid preacher. Take a look: Romans 16:5 ("Likewise greet the church that is in their house") 1 Corinthians 16:19 ("The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.") Colossians 4:15 ("Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.") Philemon verse 2, ("...to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home."). Based on a regular series of national surveys conducted by his company, the Barna Research Group, during the past 25 years, George Barna discovered that discontent with congregational churches, changes in lifestyles, and even a desire to get closer to God, have caused many people to seek new ways of being in relationship with God and other God-seeking people. In 2000, most of the nation’s organized religious activity took place at or through local churches. Barna’s research reveals that, today, the action is shifting to different forms of corporate religious commitment. Different, yes, but by no means are they new. Barna found that, in a typical week, 9% of all American adults participate in a house church. An even greater proportion – 22% - engages in spiritual encounters that take place in the marketplace (e.g., with groups of people while they are at their place of work or play, or in other typical daily contexts). Even the Internet serves as the foundation for interactive faith experiences for more than one out of every ten adults, usually in tandem with other forms of religious group experiences. Jon Zens, editor of the quarterly publication, "Searching Together," and an advocate of New Testament church life being lived-out today, has observed a growing exodus of people from institutional churches across America. "I see three basic phenomena as to why people are exiting the institutional church," he explains. "After years of starving in the institutional church, they leave to find New Testament realities. People study their Bibles and come to perceive a huge chasm between the New Testament and the traditional church and often they leave after the institutional church disregards their pleas for change." GOING TO vs BEING THE CHURCH The New Testament writers referred to the PEOPLE of God as God's building (1 Corinthians 3:9, Ephesians 2:19-22), God's temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17), God's house (1 Timothy 3:15, Hebrews 3:6, 10:21, 1 Peter 2:17), God's household (Ephesians 2:19, Galatians 6:10) and Christ's body (Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 12:12, Ephesians 3:6, 5:23, 30). Though most Christians - even ministers - would say 'Amen" to that, such a response is generally little more than mere lip service. I can recall an "emergency meeting" years ago when I was on-staff at a huge metropolitan church. The elders got wind of an associate pastor who had held a meeting at his home and, without him being present, ordered a meeting of the entire staff, from deacons to janitors - some 35 strong - to call their friends and "warn" them about the associate pastor's "evil" actions. I spoke up, unable to contain myself any longer amidst the accusations and escalating concerns. "We can all see the call of God on this couple's lives to lead people. Why can't we simply bless them and move on...or is this fear-motivated...is this all about losing tithers?" Needless to say, no one spoke to me again after that and I was asked to step down within two days. I immediately joined the ranks of the former associate pastor as HIS associate pastor. Did Christians in the New Testament GO to church. No, the thought never entered their minds. They WERE the church! They understood that What Are Your Words Worth? y, they stopped to chat with some ladies. WHAT?!! C'mon guys, stay focused! Let me get this straight...God wouldn't allow you to preach in Asia or Mysia but He WILL let you talk to the ladies down by the river... this is WAY too unorthodox!Word choice can change the perception and value of your business communications. Each piece of correspondence, promotional, marketing and advertising material your company produces is an investment in your success. Are you investing wisely?Think about the words “old” and “experienced”. They have similar meanings. However if you advertised that you are the most “experienced” business as opposed to the “oldest” you’d probably receive a better response.Let’s look at the definitions.Old by definition means one of specified age or from an earlier time.Experienced by definition means made skillful or wise through experience (also practiced).By definition the words are similar and can be interchanged, yet what do you visualize when you think of each word?Would you rather do business with an “old” or “experienced” business? It depends on personal perception and you need to know the perceptions of your customers.This is only one example of why what you say is just as important as how you say it. When considering word choice, think about what motivates and what will move your customers closer to the desired action.Surprisingly, many businesses fail to recognize the importance of strong content for marketing, advertising, promotional materials and even basic business correspondence.Often design or format of such materials is given first consideration. It’s true that a visually pleasing layout helps form image and is an important part of the branding process. However, content is king and your materials will be more effective with a balanced marriage of content and design.Here’s why.Copy (that’s the written part of documents) should move your customers through a process. A well designed brochure may catch the eye but if the content doesn’t pique interest, clearly describe the “what’s in it for me” factor, answer commonly asked questions or ask for action, customers won’t respond as favorably as they could. Plus, your return on investment will be not be as strong as it should be.Your customers should do more than merely glance at your materials because they look good. You want your customers to be engaged and interested in what you have to say about your product or service. Most importantly, you want them to take action. What are your marketing and advertising materials saying? Are you getting the response you desire? 14 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us. COMMENT: Was there a "Sinner's Prayer"? A "Four Spiritual Laws"? A "Roman Road"? Any kind of profession of faith? Did they not have a "Salvation System" in place? No, the Scripture merely says "the Lord opened her heart." How did they know THAT? Where was Lydia's husband during all this? Was she a single woman inviting these men over to her house? What ever happened to "avoiding the appearance of evil"? What were Paul and his posse thinking? Most importantly...where did Lydia and her household go to continue their discipleship process? Church? Sunday school? Did they watch TBN or listen to Pastor Michael's "Your Town for Jesus" broadcast on radio or listen to tapes or read eMail's? Beginning with verse 16, Paul casts a demon out of a slave girl who was earning money for her owners. They make a fuss and Paul and Silas wind up in jail. The pair were singing hymns to God when an earthquake struck and shook the jail, opening its gates and lossening all the chains on the prisoners. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family. COMMENT: Then what? How did the jailer and HIS household continue to grow in their faith? Did they read Bibles? there were none. Did they go to conferences or seminars? There were none. Did the jailer attend a seminary? There were none. They were eventually released. Now, get ready for this! 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left. COMMENT: O.K.! Back to Lydia's place...at least for awhile. THEN, they left! Again, who continued the discipleship process for Lydia and family? Where did they attend "Church." BIBLICAL MEETINGS IN THE HOME Today, when most of us refer to "the church," our tendency is to refer to the church building, what goes on there, or our particular denomination. In New Testament Scripture, it's apparent that erecting and maintaining a building, hiring a ministerial, clerical and janitorial staff was simply NOT on anybody's to-do list. When they DID pool their monetary resources, they were soon involved in expending all available funds in the service of widows and orphans. Charity was not an incidental, fractional portion of the budget. No, caring for the needs of widows and orphans WAS the budget. No buildings, no church staff, no paid preacher. Take a look: Romans 16:5 ("Likewise greet the church that is in their house") 1 Corinthians 16:19 ("The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.") Colossians 4:15 ("Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.") Philemon verse 2, ("...to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home."). Based on a regular series of national surveys conducted by his company, the Barna Research Group, during the past 25 years, George Barna discovered that discontent with congregational churches, changes in lifestyles, and even a desire to get closer to God, have caused many people to seek new ways of being in relationship with God and other God-seeking people. In 2000, most of the nation’s organized religious activity took place at or through local churches. Barna’s research reveals that, today, the action is shifting to different forms of corporate religious commitment. Different, yes, but by no means are they new. Barna found that, in a typical week, 9% of all American adults participate in a house church. An even greater proportion – 22% - engages in spiritual encounters that take place in the marketplace (e.g., with groups of people while they are at their place of work or play, or in other typical daily contexts). Even the Internet serves as the foundation for interactive faith experiences for more than one out of every ten adults, usually in tandem with other forms of religious group experiences. Jon Zens, editor of the quarterly publication, "Searching Together," and an advocate of New Testament church life being lived-out today, has observed a growing exodus of people from institutional churches across America. "I see three basic phenomena as to why people are exiting the institutional church," he explains. "After years of starving in the institutional church, they leave to find New Testament realities. People study their Bibles and come to perceive a huge chasm between the New Testament and the traditional church and often they leave after the institutional church disregards their pleas for change." GOING TO vs BEING THE CHURCH The New Testament writers referred to the PEOPLE of God as God's building (1 Corinthians 3:9, Ephesians 2:19-22), God's temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17), God's house (1 Timothy 3:15, Hebrews 3:6, 10:21, 1 Peter 2:17), God's household (Ephesians 2:19, Galatians 6:10) and Christ's body (Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 12:12, Ephesians 3:6, 5:23, 30). Though most Christians - even ministers - would say 'Amen" to that, such a response is generally little more than mere lip service. I can recall an "emergency meeting" years ago when I was on-staff at a huge metropolitan church. The elders got wind of an associate pastor who had held a meeting at his home and, without him being present, ordered a meeting of the entire staff, from deacons to janitors - some 35 strong - to call their friends and "warn" them about the associate pastor's "evil" actions. I spoke up, unable to contain myself any longer amidst the accusations and escalating concerns. "We can all see the call of God on this couple's lives to lead people. Why can't we simply bless them and move on...or is this fear-motivated...is this all about losing tithers?" Needless to say, no one spoke to me again after that and I was asked to step down within two days. I immediately joined the ranks of the former associate pastor as HIS associate pastor. Did Christians in the New Testament GO to church. No, the thought never entered their minds. They WERE the church! They understood that The British Virgin Islands (BVI) as an Offshore Jurisdiction , rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family.The British Virgin Islands, like other British so called 'dependent territories', was forced to apply the EU's Savings Tax Directive starting on 1st July, 2005, and chose to apply a withholding tax (initially of 15%) to the returns on savings paid to residents of EU Member States. The Directive does not apply to corporate entities. So now we have the BVI banks doing income tax reporting and withholding taxes. Does that make you feel good about this jurisdiction?British Virgin Islands Incorporation used to allow bearer share companies until 2005. The existing bearer share companies can continue as such until 2010 when they must comply with the new rules and thus will no longer be anonymous bearer share companies.The British Virgin Islands signed a broad tax treaty with the US allowing for generous and liberal exchange of information, see text of treaty here:http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/docs/kingdom.pdfThis allows for wholesale fishing expeditions and erodes privacy to an unacceptable level.British Virgin Islands Incorporation used to offer bearer share anonymous corporations. They stopped doing so in 2005.We can think of no good reason to use the British Virgin Islands for asset protection since privacy has been seriously eroded. COMMENT: Then what? How did the jailer and HIS household continue to grow in their faith? Did they read Bibles? there were none. Did they go to conferences or seminars? There were none. Did the jailer attend a seminary? There were none. They were eventually released. Now, get ready for this! 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left. COMMENT: O.K.! Back to Lydia's place...at least for awhile. THEN, they left! Again, who continued the discipleship process for Lydia and family? Where did they attend "Church." BIBLICAL MEETINGS IN THE HOME Today, when most of us refer to "the church," our tendency is to refer to the church building, what goes on there, or our particular denomination. In New Testament Scripture, it's apparent that erecting and maintaining a building, hiring a ministerial, clerical and janitorial staff was simply NOT on anybody's to-do list. When they DID pool their monetary resources, they were soon involved in expending all available funds in the service of widows and orphans. Charity was not an incidental, fractional portion of the budget. No, caring for the needs of widows and orphans WAS the budget. No buildings, no church staff, no paid preacher. Take a look: Romans 16:5 ("Likewise greet the church that is in their house") 1 Corinthians 16:19 ("The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.") Colossians 4:15 ("Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.") Philemon verse 2, ("...to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home."). Based on a regular series of national surveys conducted by his company, the Barna Research Group, during the past 25 years, George Barna discovered that discontent with congregational churches, changes in lifestyles, and even a desire to get closer to God, have caused many people to seek new ways of being in relationship with God and other God-seeking people. In 2000, most of the nation’s organized religious activity took place at or through local churches. Barna’s research reveals that, today, the action is shifting to different forms of corporate religious commitment. Different, yes, but by no means are they new. Barna found that, in a typical week, 9% of all American adults participate in a house church. An even greater proportion – 22% - engages in spiritual encounters that take place in the marketplace (e.g., with groups of people while they are at their place of work or play, or in other typical daily contexts). Even the Internet serves as the foundation for interactive faith experiences for more than one out of every ten adults, usually in tandem with other forms of religious group experiences. Jon Zens, editor of the quarterly publication, "Searching Together," and an advocate of New Testament church life being lived-out today, has observed a growing exodus of people from institutional churches across America. "I see three basic phenomena as to why people are exiting the institutional church," he explains. "After years of starving in the institutional church, they leave to find New Testament realities. People study their Bibles and come to perceive a huge chasm between the New Testament and the traditional church and often they leave after the institutional church disregards their pleas for change." GOING TO vs BEING THE CHURCH The New Testament writers referred to the PEOPLE of God as God's building (1 Corinthians 3:9, Ephesians 2:19-22), God's temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17), God's house (1 Timothy 3:15, Hebrews 3:6, 10:21, 1 Peter 2:17), God's household (Ephesians 2:19, Galatians 6:10) and Christ's body (Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 12:12, Ephesians 3:6, 5:23, 30). Though most Christians - even ministers - would say 'Amen" to that, such a response is generally little more than mere lip service. I can recall an "emergency meeting" years ago when I was on-staff at a huge metropolitan church. The elders got wind of an associate pastor who had held a meeting at his home and, without him being present, ordered a meeting of the entire staff, from deacons to janitors - some 35 strong - to call their friends and "warn" them about the associate pastor's "evil" actions. I spoke up, unable to contain myself any longer amidst the accusations and escalating concerns. "We can all see the call of God on this couple's lives to lead people. Why can't we simply bless them and move on...or is this fear-motivated...is this all about losing tithers?" Needless to say, no one spoke to me again after that and I was asked to step down within two days. I immediately joined the ranks of the former associate pastor as HIS associate pastor. Did Christians in the New Testament GO to church. No, the thought never entered their minds. They WERE the church! They understood that Business Administration Websites taff, no paid preacher. Take a look:Taking the initiative to start your own business is both a risk and an adventure. It is a risk because a person cannot actually predict the future of a business. Will it fail? Will it become a success? Will my product or service eventually become a household name? One can never say.Starting a business is also an adventure because, along the way, a person gets to try his hand at things in completely new territory. He meets new people, faces new challenges and gets hands-on experience while playing the field. More often than not, one of the important factors that make or break a business is management.Management is also known as business administration. Oftentimes, when a person refers to management, he is actually referring to the governing body that makes the business run. This governing body could be composed of just one person or it could be a group of people.Business administration has five functions: planning, organizing, leading, coordinating and controlling. These five functions are also the five essential roles that management assumes to successfully operate a business.So how does a person manage his own business? There are many ways. Business experts and gurus have created helpful websites for people who would like to know more about business administration. These business administration websites may simply provide you with written data on the basics of management. On the other hand, some information can come to you via impressive ways, like a thoughtfully designed PowerPoint presentation.Using business administration websites to learn more about the efficient management of businesses is a fairly good deal for you. The information is available right at your fingertips. Also, access to such information becomes inexpensive because you do not have to invest in a variety of business administration books.If you are planning to start your own business or are in the dark regarding how you can maintain the good performance of your business, try searching the Internet. There are a number of business administration websites where you will find a trove of useful information. These websites offer different approaches on the how-to's of the whole business scheme. Romans 16:5 ("Likewise greet the church that is in their house") 1 Corinthians 16:19 ("The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.") Colossians 4:15 ("Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.") Philemon verse 2, ("...to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home."). Based on a regular series of national surveys conducted by his company, the Barna Research Group, during the past 25 years, George Barna discovered that discontent with congregational churches, changes in lifestyles, and even a desire to get closer to God, have caused many people to seek new ways of being in relationship with God and other God-seeking people. In 2000, most of the nation’s organized religious activity took place at or through local churches. Barna’s research reveals that, today, the action is shifting to different forms of corporate religious commitment. Different, yes, but by no means are they new. Barna found that, in a typical week, 9% of all American adults participate in a house church. An even greater proportion – 22% - engages in spiritual encounters that take place in the marketplace (e.g., with groups of people while they are at their place of work or play, or in other typical daily contexts). Even the Internet serves as the foundation for interactive faith experiences for more than one out of every ten adults, usually in tandem with other forms of religious group experiences. Jon Zens, editor of the quarterly publication, "Searching Together," and an advocate of New Testament church life being lived-out today, has observed a growing exodus of people from institutional churches across America. "I see three basic phenomena as to why people are exiting the institutional church," he explains. "After years of starving in the institutional church, they leave to find New Testament realities. People study their Bibles and come to perceive a huge chasm between the New Testament and the traditional church and often they leave after the institutional church disregards their pleas for change." GOING TO vs BEING THE CHURCH The New Testament writers referred to the PEOPLE of God as God's building (1 Corinthians 3:9, Ephesians 2:19-22), God's temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17), God's house (1 Timothy 3:15, Hebrews 3:6, 10:21, 1 Peter 2:17), God's household (Ephesians 2:19, Galatians 6:10) and Christ's body (Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 12:12, Ephesians 3:6, 5:23, 30). Though most Christians - even ministers - would say 'Amen" to that, such a response is generally little more than mere lip service. I can recall an "emergency meeting" years ago when I was on-staff at a huge metropolitan church. The elders got wind of an associate pastor who had held a meeting at his home and, without him being present, ordered a meeting of the entire staff, from deacons to janitors - some 35 strong - to call their friends and "warn" them about the associate pastor's "evil" actions. I spoke up, unable to contain myself any longer amidst the accusations and escalating concerns. "We can all see the call of God on this couple's lives to lead people. Why can't we simply bless them and move on...or is this fear-motivated...is this all about losing tithers?" Needless to say, no one spoke to me again after that and I was asked to step down within two days. I immediately joined the ranks of the former associate pastor as HIS associate pastor. Did Christians in the New Testament GO to church. No, the thought never entered their minds. They WERE the church! They understood that How to Make More Money from the Google Adsense Ads on Your Blog ee basic phenomena as to why people are exiting the institutional church," he explains. "After years of starving in the institutional church, they leave to find New Testament realities. People study their Bibles and come to perceive a huge chasm between the New Testament and the traditional church and often they leave after the institutional church disregards their pleas for change."Numerous bloggers these days are looking to earn extra cash through the google adsense ads that they post at their sites. Actually the spreading of pay-per-click ads by leading search engines in recent times to smaller sites and blogs has had a major impact on the net. Firstly it has helped to improve on the quality of content on sites as webmasters pay much closer attention to their content so as to attract the right kind of high value google adsense ads that will earn them more revenue.Still one needs to know how to maximize on their google ads revenue. There are a number of things that you will need to do regularly to ensure that you keep earning a good regular income from google.Check the value of keywords before posting new contentIt is not too difficult to insert most keywords in your area of specialization into your article while leaving your article attractive and useful to readers. You may require the services of a writer, but this should not be a problem as online writers are very affordable.Do not spend money buying a list of valuable keywords, this information is available for free online. What’s more in your initial experimental stage with keywords buying a list will not be a prudent thing to do. One of the reason is that there is no guarantee that your using certain keywords will automatically and quickly attract the desired high value click ads. There is no certainty in these things. However by consistently using high value keywords you will ultimately enjoy a much higher income than somebody who does not.Here is a useful link for checking keyword values. It is an overture tool but will also give you a very good idea of what their competitors Google charge for the same keywords.http://uv.bidtool.overture.com/d/search/tools/bidtool/Write interesting relevant contentWriting interesting, relevant and captivating content for your website or blog will yield many useful benefits that will ultimately impact on your google adsense earnings. To start with, it is a well know fact that the longer you can keep your visitors in your site, the higher the chances of you selling them something. The same is true with clicks the longer you can keep them wandering around your site the higher the chances that they will end up clicking at some of your google ads and thus earn you something. Well written, relevant content will also make cause your visitors to return again, another vital a GOING TO vs BEING THE CHURCH The New Testament writers referred to the PEOPLE of God as God's building (1 Corinthians 3:9, Ephesians 2:19-22), God's temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17), God's house (1 Timothy 3:15, Hebrews 3:6, 10:21, 1 Peter 2:17), God's household (Ephesians 2:19, Galatians 6:10) and Christ's body (Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 12:12, Ephesians 3:6, 5:23, 30). Though most Christians - even ministers - would say 'Amen" to that, such a response is generally little more than mere lip service. I can recall an "emergency meeting" years ago when I was on-staff at a huge metropolitan church. The elders got wind of an associate pastor who had held a meeting at his home and, without him being present, ordered a meeting of the entire staff, from deacons to janitors - some 35 strong - to call their friends and "warn" them about the associate pastor's "evil" actions. I spoke up, unable to contain myself any longer amidst the accusations and escalating concerns. "We can all see the call of God on this couple's lives to lead people. Why can't we simply bless them and move on...or is this fear-motivated...is this all about losing tithers?" Needless to say, no one spoke to me again after that and I was asked to step down within two days. I immediately joined the ranks of the former associate pastor as HIS associate pastor. Did Christians in the New Testament GO to church. No, the thought never entered their minds. They WERE the church! They understood that they WERE God's dwelling place. They were His temple! As Howard Snyder writes in "The Problem of Wineskins Today," "A church building cannot properly be "the Lord's house" because, in the new covenant, this title is reserved for the church as people. So, if church buildings have any justification, it can only be practical; simply a place to meet and carry on essential functions, as necessary." The Book of Acts is STILL being written, my friends. RUNNING THE CHURCH LIKE A BUSINESS What we in the West typically refer to as "The Church" is taking its toll on the people we hire to run these organizations. Zens said, "Divorce, suicide, nervous breakdown, burnout, etc. abound among clergy. The average pastorate in the Southern Baptist Convention is under 18 months. The high-pressure altar call tactics have proven to produce "converts" that rarely last. Even with all the empirical evidence that many things are amuck in the traditional model, the real issue is 'what does the New Testament teach?' If any model contradicts or stifles the New Testament pattern, it should be jettisoned for such reasons alone. The early church had no clergy and no sacred buildings, and in this regard was radically different from all other religions, including Judaism. The proliferation of expensive church buildings constitutes a fundamental compromise of what Christ intended to build. Thus, believers gathering in informal settings [in] homes, rented store-fronts, outdoors and apartments apparently provides the best context for the 58 "one anothers" [in the Bible] to be fleshed out." In his article entitled "Four Tragic Shifts in the Visible Church, 180-400 A.D.," Zens writes. " I think the primary theological point of the New Testament in this regard is that under the New Covenant there are no holy places. Contemporary Christianity has almost no grasp of this significant point. Taking a cue from the Old Covenant, people are still lead to believe that a church building is 'the house of God.' Believers are free to meet any place in which they can foster, cultivate and attain the goals set before them by Christ. The problem today is that many church structures neither promote nor accomplish Christ's desires for His body. Homes are a neutral place for believers to meet, and the early church flourished well into the first and second centuries without erecting any temple-like edifices. But the issue is still not in what type of place believers gather, but what shape their committed life together takes as they wrestle with the many duties and privileges flowing out of the priesthood of all believers." Christian Smith, writing in the journal "Voices In The Wilderness," adds, "God intends church to be a community of believers in which each member contributes their special gift, talent, or ability to the whole, so that, through the active participation and contribution of all, the needs of the community are met. In other words, what we ought to see in our churches is 'the ministry of the people,' not 'the ministry of the professional.' The role of the clergy is essentially the centralization and professionalization of the gifts of the whole body into one person. The problem is that, regardless of what our theologies tell us about the purpose of clergy, the actual effect of the clergy profession is to make the body of Christ lame. This happens not because clergy intend it (they usually intend the opposite) but because the objective nature of the profession inevitably turns the laity into passive receivers." THE CORPORATE PYRAMID IN THE CHURCH Passive laity? Pew potatoes? Their existence is borne out in such passages as Romans 12:4-8, 1 Corinthians 12, and in 1 Corinthians 14:26, the latter stating: "What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church." Ministry in the New Testament church was not centered on one individual, but involved each member of the "ekklesia" (that's you and me, "the called out ones") as a functioning "priest" (1 Peter 2: 5, 9) under the headship of Christ and directed by the Holy Spirit exercising his/her gift for the mutual strengthening of the body. The New Testament refers to no spiritual hierarchy, but calls all Believers 'saints.' Neither does it recognize a special priesthood in distinction from the people, as mediating between God and the laity. Clearly, there is only one high-Priest, Jesus Christ, and the New Testament clearly designates a universal royal priesthood, as well as universal kingship of believers (1 Peter 2:5,9; Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 20:6). So, what are we afraid of? Most Christians react more out of fear and a sense of loyalty to tradition than a commitment to Biblical truth as they poo-poo any such notions as being nearly heretical. Craig S. Keener points out in "The IVP Bible Background Commentary-New Testament," "Believers met in homes rather than church buildings for the first three centuries of the church." This eventually changed in 312 AD when the Emperor Constantine was dubbed Pontifex Maximus, head of all things spiritual, including paganism and Christianity simultaneously. When he made institutional Christianity the state religion in Rome, he converted pagan temples into Christian "churches" and used state funds to support the clergy making ministry another elite "job" to which many would aspire. In this atmosphere, politics reared its ugly head in a supposedly Christian context as wealthy people would lobby to get "junior" a coveted post in the church world. Howard Snyder, in his book "Radical Renewal: The Problem of Wineskins Today," writes, "A Biblical conception of the church will make it clear that the church is essential to the gospel, for it is the body of Christ...At the same time, it will be clear that human institutions and structures are not themselves the church; they are not hallowed. These are days when Christians must be clear about what the church is and what it is not. Just as many false Christs will come in the last days, so many counterfeit and apostate "churches" will litter the spiritual landscape. The church must be prepared, both as persons and as the Christian community, for the lash of persecution and the lure of the antichrist. This means the necessity for doctrinal clarity and authentic community - for both orthodoxy of belief and orthodoxy of community. Under the threat of persecution, life in community becomes both more difficult and more essential. Thus the priorities of structures which are flexible, mobile, inconspicuous, and not building-centered." A THING OF THE PAST RESURRECTED What we are so committed to here in the Western Church is simply not working. That should be our first clue. Anyone can read the facts regarding the church: Most modern conversions are in third-world nations. Our churches close at a rate of 3800 annually. Eighty percent of what we refer to as "church growth" is little more than "transfer growth" as people leave one organization for another like we change political parties, sports teams and spouses. 53,000 Christians are walking out weekly, many claiming they had to leave the traditional church in order to find God. Is this "house Church" thing just a fad? No, it's been around a long time. A significant home church movement began in Australia in 1968. For decades, home meetings have been the norm in
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