Leaving Church Becoming Ekklesia

Leaving Church Becoming Ekklesia PDF Author: Tim Kurtz
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780998895208
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Church - the central identifying word that encompasses the entire religious spectrum. It is the buildings we go to, the sectarian ideology we adhere to, the core of our spiritual identity. Church - the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ, the called-out ones. Church - Evangelical, Pentecostal, Catholic, and Non-Denominational. Church - the guardian of doctrine, the ark for lost souls, the social bastion for the righteous. We have embraced and perpetuated a culture around this single word - church; a word that should have never existed.In this this book, Tim Kurtz challenges the use of the 'word' church found in most bibles by suggesting it is a willful mistranslation of the original Greek word ekklesia. This book does not 'beat up' the church world, but rather explores how powerful believers would be if they embraced their true identity as the ekklesia - the ruling council of God.

Leaving Church Becoming Ekklesia

Leaving Church Becoming Ekklesia PDF Author: Tim Kurtz
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780998895208
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Get Book Here

Book Description
Church - the central identifying word that encompasses the entire religious spectrum. It is the buildings we go to, the sectarian ideology we adhere to, the core of our spiritual identity. Church - the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ, the called-out ones. Church - Evangelical, Pentecostal, Catholic, and Non-Denominational. Church - the guardian of doctrine, the ark for lost souls, the social bastion for the righteous. We have embraced and perpetuated a culture around this single word - church; a word that should have never existed.In this this book, Tim Kurtz challenges the use of the 'word' church found in most bibles by suggesting it is a willful mistranslation of the original Greek word ekklesia. This book does not 'beat up' the church world, but rather explores how powerful believers would be if they embraced their true identity as the ekklesia - the ruling council of God.

Beyond Church

Beyond Church PDF Author: Steve Simms
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781518744563
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 218

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Book Description
Have you ever wanted something more from your faith? More than religion? More than church? One lost and forgotten biblical word, "ekklesia," holds the key to a more vibrant and life-changing Christianity. --Modern English language Bibles quote Jesus as saying, "I will build My church." However, the earliest Bibles have Jesus saying, "I will build my ekklesia." For hundreds of years, this Bible word-switch has misdirected the way the body of Christ meets for worship. --So what does ekklesia mean? Ekklesia was the name of the city council in ancient Greek city-states. It was a democratic, interactive, participatory body of equal citizens sharing their concerns and needs with one another. --In the Western world, traditional church is in decline. Religious categories now include millions who are "Dones" (done with church) and "Nones" (have no church affiliation). --Perhaps it is time for more than church. Steve Simms invites you to go "beyond church" and experience ekklesia, HEAVEN's CITY COUNCIL, not as a theological concept, but as a practical and living reality.

The Ultimate Intention

The Ultimate Intention PDF Author: DeVern F. Fromke
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
ISBN: 178720121X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 358

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Book Description
Scores of pastors and leaders testify: “THIS CHANGED MY LIFE AND MINISTRY.” The author considers these critical questions: In the beginning, before God created Adam (mankind), what was His original purpose and plan for him? What could have happened in the Garden of Eden if Adam had not sinned and God’s redemptive plan had not become necessary? We know that when God created Adam he received natural life, but how did God plan for Adam to receive Divine (uncreated life)? What is the difference between God’s creating and begetting work? It is evident that God has given the Cross a central place in His redemptive working; what is the difference between the work of the Cross and the way of the Cross? Since God, in the fullness of time, will put on display His Divine masterpiece before all the universe, how can we fully cooperate with him if we do not understand His Ultimate Intention?

Ekklesia

Ekklesia PDF Author: Ed Silvoso
Publisher: Chosen Books
ISBN: 1493411667
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 312

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Book Description
Dynamic New Teaching from Bestselling Author Ed Silvoso The word church has many connotations; we think of it as a specific building, as a group of people, even as a long service to sit through. We hardly ever think of it as world-changing--and neither does society. Yet this is exactly what the first-century ekklesia was. In these vital, eye-opening pages, bestselling author Ed Silvoso takes you back to the first days of the church. Digging into Scripture, he shows how the New Testament church--devoid of buildings, professional clergy, and religious freedom--was able to transform the hostile, pagan places into which it was born and set in motion a process that changed the world forever. Even more, Silvoso offers a roadmap back to becoming the ekklesia Jesus called his church to be. In the midst of the social, economic, political, and moral chaos in our world today, we possess the hope that people and nations so desperately need--and we can become the revolutionary, transformational, life-giving voice Jesus called us to be. A new, in-depth curriculum kit--which features a DVD with 12 brand-new teaching sessions, a group guide for both leaders and participants, and a copy of the book--is also available. Expounding on the book's dynamic teachings, each kit contains everything you need to equip your group to transform the world around them.

Jesus Unveiled: Forsaking Church as We Know It for Ekklesia as God Intended

Jesus Unveiled: Forsaking Church as We Know It for Ekklesia as God Intended PDF Author: Keith Giles
Publisher: Quoir
ISBN: 9781938480423
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 238

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Book Description
God called. He wants His Church back. Many Christians have begun to recognize that God desires His church to function as an organism rather than an organization. After over 11 years of experience founding and facilitating a house church, author Keith Giles shares the insights he developed in the trenches. Filled with practical, real-world examples of how to plant and nurture an organic gathering, readers will find a wealth of information to help them bring Jesus back to the forefront of every meeting. First published as This Is My Body: Ekklesia As God Intended, 2010 by Subversive Press, Orange, California. Additional material includes: "Anatomy of an Organic Church," "Pitfalls of Organic Church," and "What's Wrong With House Church," published online at www.subversive1.blogspot.com by Keith Giles. This edition is expanded, updated, and edited to reflect the transforming views of the author on this important subject.

Jesus > Religion

Jesus > Religion PDF Author: Jefferson Bethke
Publisher: HarperChristian + ORM
ISBN: 1400205409
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
Abandon dead, dry, religious rule-keeping and embrace the promise of being truly known and deeply loved. Jefferson Bethke burst into the cultural conversation with a passionate, provocative poem titled "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus." The 4-minute video became an overnight sensation, with 7 million YouTube views in its first 48 hours (and 23+ million in a year). Bethke's message clearly struck a chord with believers and nonbelievers alike, triggering an avalanche of responses running the gamut from encouraged to enraged. In his New York Times bestseller Jesus > Religion, Bethke unpacks similar contrasts that he drew in the poem--highlighting the difference between teeth gritting and grace, law and love, performance and peace, despair, and hope. With refreshing candor, he delves into the motivation behind his message, beginning with the unvarnished tale of his own plunge from the pinnacle of a works-based, fake-smile existence that sapped his strength and led him down a path of destructive behavior. Along the way, Bethke gives you the tools you need to: Humbly and prayerfully open your mind Understand Jesus for all that he is View the church from a brand-new perspective Bethke is quick to acknowledge that he's not a pastor or theologian, but simply an ordinary, twenty-something who cried out for a life greater than the one for which he had settled. On this journey, Bethke discovered the real Jesus, who beckoned him with love beyond the props of false religion. Praise for Jesus > Religion: "Jeff's book will make you stop and listen to a voice in your heart that may have been drowned out by the noise of religion. Listen to that voice, then follow it--right to the feet of Jesus." --Bob Goff, author of New York Times bestsellers Love Does and Everybody, Always "The book you hold in your hands is Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz meets C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity meets Augustine's Confessions. This book is going to awaken an entire generation to Jesus and His grace." --Derwin L. Gray, lead pastor of Transformation Church, author of Limitless Life: Breaking Free from the Labels That Hold You Back

So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore

So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore PDF Author: Wayne Jacobsen
Publisher: Windblown Media
ISBN: 1935170015
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 157

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Book Description
Jake Colsen, an overworked and disillusioned pastor, happens into a stranger who bears an uncanny resemblance (in manner) to the apostle John. A number of encounters with John as well as a family crisis lead Jake to a new understanding of what his life should be like: one filled with faith bolstered by a steady, close relationship with the God of the universe. Facing his own disappointment with Christianity, Jake must forsake the habits that have made his faith rote and rediscover the love that captured his heart when he first believed. Compelling and intensely personal, So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anything relates a man's rebirth from performance-based Christianity to a loving friendship with Christ that affects all he does, thinks, and says. As John tells Jake, "There is nothing the Father desires for you more than that you fall squarely in the lap of his love and never move from that place for the rest of your life."

Unchurching

Unchurching PDF Author: Richard Jacobson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780692749951
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 212

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Book Description
Millions of believers are currently leaving the organized church, without giving up their faith. Sadly, many are only defining themselves by what they don't do, as Christians who simply "don't go to church." It's time for these believers to catch a vision for genuine spiritual community, outside the walls of organized Christianity, a way of being the church without going to church. Unchurching: Christianity Without Churchianity will challenge everything you thought you knew about church. Unchurching boldly examines whether organized churches are even biblical. It thoroughly deconstructs the idea of special church buildings, paid pastors, weekly sermons, mandatory tithes and offerings, gender inequality in church leadership, and much more. Unchurching is intended to empower believers who are done with organized church but aren't ready to abandon their faith. It will give non-churchgoing Christians a vision for genuine spiritual community that simply functions like an extended spiritual family. And it will equip them with the language to finally articulate that vision to others. Here's what others are saying about Unchurching: "Lots of books that invite Christians to follow Jesus outside of the four walls of churchianity are filled with harsh judgment and criticism of how others 'do church.' But not this book! Unchurching by Richard Jacobson is full of love and grace. There is no judgment, condemnation, or guilt-casting of any kind. Beginning with the Trinity of God, Jacobson presents a grand vision of what the church can be and how we can truly have community as followers of Jesus. Read this book and be encouraged to take the next step of your journey!" Jeremy Myers, author and blogger at RedeemingGod.com "Unchurching: Christianity without Churchianity validates and empowers the rapidly growing number of people who are in the transition between traditional church and an informal community of disciples meeting outside the four walls of the church building. Richard Jacobson has been on both sides of this shift and is uniquely qualified to write about it-which he does well, with insight, humility, and scholarship. I especially valued his comments on the freedom that women have to do and be everything God is calling them to. Highly recommended." Felicity Dale: author, An Army of Ordinary People; co-author, Small is Big "Unchurching presents us with a picture of a church that is all about one person-Jesus. As I read this book I felt my pulse quicken and my heart leap for joy because everything Richard writes about is centered on, around, and in relation to the One who would rather die than live without us. Anyone who loves Jesus and who longs to take hold of Him in a gathering where He is the focal point will delight in this book. It's truly amazing what happens when we get out of the way and allow Jesus to take center stage. This book shows us what that can look like, if we are willing to let go of our traditions and embrace the living, breathing Christ who longs to share His life with us throughout eternity, starting right now!" Keith Giles, author of This Is My Body: Ekklesia As God Intended; author of Jesus Untangled

The Evangelical Universalist

The Evangelical Universalist PDF Author: Gregory MacDonald
Publisher: SPCK
ISBN: 0281068763
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 374

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Book Description
Can an orthodox Christian, committed to the historic faith of the Church and the authority of the Bible, be a universalist? Is it possible to believe that salvation is found only by grace, through faith in Christ, and yet to maintain that in the end all people will be saved? Can one believe passionately in mission if one does not think that anyone will be lost forever? Could universalism be consistent with the teachings of the Bible? In The Evangelical Universalist the author argues that the answer is ‘yes!’ to all of these questions. Weaving together philosophical, theological, and biblical considerations, he seeks to show that being a committed universalist is consistent with the central teachings of the biblical texts and of historic Christian theology.

Ekklesia Rising

Ekklesia Rising PDF Author: Dean Briggs
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780692339381
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
JESUS PROMISED TO BUILD SOMETHING. DO WE EVEN KNOW WHAT IT IS? Fill in the blank: "Upon this rock I will build My ________?" For generations, we have been taught that Jesus promised to build His "church" in Matthew 16:18, so we've dutifully tried to build the church with Him. But there's a big problem: that's not the word He used. Instead, He announced something far more potent: "I will build My ekklesia!" Have you ever wondered why the established church culture so often seems stuck in neutral? If Jesus gave His disciples authority and keys to bind and loose, why are so many churches either apathetic or chronically weak in prayer? The reason is because a motherlode of identity and mission separates those two words. In Ekklesia Rising, you'll learn: The DNA of ekklesia: how revelation produces dominion The "keys" Christ gives, and how to receive and use them Divine design: masculine authority with bridal love The role of the Divine Council in heaven and on earth The inner constitution of contending, covenantal communities Make no mistake, Jesus will build His ekklesia. His Father's house will be a "House of Prayer for All Nations." For hundreds of years, we have been the church. Finally, let us become His ruling ekklesia.