'Called out' Tagged Posts
The Resurrection Gospel
Resurrection. Gospel. We hear these terms a lot in gospel churches, and rightfully so. But do you really understand the full impact of both of those words—resurrection and gospel? One is an event that happened at Easter, and the other is a message we have. We are coming to the end of our third Wall (the Ekklesia—the set-apart and called-out ones) of theological understanding on how we are BUILDING HIS CHURCH. Let’s remind ourselves again: what is the Church? The…
Watching Out for the Wolves
READ AHEAD: Acts 20:13-38 As you prepare for this coming Sunday, read the above Acts passage ahead of time as your homework. In this narrative, you will find that the Apostle Paul gets very personal. It reads like a love letter written from someone on a distant battlefield, writing heartfelt words home to loved ones. You see here how much Paul had poured his soul into these people and how much love he had for the people in the churches—the…
Yes, That Unholy Behavior
Three years ago, I bought my wife a Christmas present: an unlimited car wash membership. We had just bought one of the few new vehicles that we had ever purchased, and she had always wanted an efficient way to keep a brand-new vehicle as new as possible for as long as possible. With this unlimited membership, not only she could go through the exterior wash as often as she wanted, but she could then have the interior vacuumed as often…
Crossing the Line
What bad behavior will send me to hell? Where’s the line in the sand? Wow…what a blunt question. But this is a fairly common question in church family circles. It’s actually something that was brought up when I was in youth group back in the ’70s. It comes up in youth group now, too! Some things never change. We all want to know where the line in the sand is drawn regarding “unholy” behavior. What can we do and not do in…
Prestigious Christianity?
Have you ever met someone prestigious, someone with name power and recognition? I like playing the game where you name three famous people, two of whom you have met and one you have not—two truths and a lie. Let me play the game now. I, Billy Arnold… …have shaken the hand of a U.S. President—before he was president, though. He was running for state governor at the time (now that narrows down which president I am speaking of). …drank coffee…
Should Your Toddler Drive Your Car?
Dealing With the Erosion of Shallowness in Our Church One of my favorite things to do with really young kids is to ask them how old they are. The answers are proudly shouted out: “I AM FIVE YEARS OLD!” Then I ask a follow-up question. “Do you drive a car yet? Do you have a driver’s license?” They seem a little confused and disoriented at that point, because they are trying to find a logical answer for why they don’t…
We Shall Be Holy
On Sunday, Billy introduced us to the third wall of the church, the ekklesia. In the most general form, the word means, “gathering”. But when the word is used in the Bible, it almost always refers to a “called out” gathering, a “holy” gathering, or a gathering that is “set apart”. The Bible has much to say about being holy. In the middle of 1 Peter, the Apostle Peter wrote that we must be holy in all our behavior. 1…
Ekklesia: The Third Wall
As we begin the new year, we start this coming Sunday with the third wall to building the Church: the Ekklesia Wall. What in the world does Ekklesia mean? And why is it so important for us to know this? I believe that this term, and this wall, is where the rubber meets the road. I believe this wall is the hardest to live out. I believe this is the most challenging wall to us. I am using this coming…