Share Decline of Christianity By Martin Schmaltz / a couple of weeks ago Decline of Christianity The cover story for the April 9th issue of Newsweek magazine is entitled “The Decline of Christian America,” and presents a bleak picture of the church’s future of impacting society. Based on the 2009 American Religious Identification Survey, the article quotes the following statistics: The “number of Americans claiming no religious affiliation […]
Share Amway By Martin Schmaltz / last month Years ago when my wife and I were newlyweds, we got involved in the Amway craze. I see your head nodding – you did too! Well, one of their encouragements was that you did not have to sell the products; they sold themselves, as you demonstrated their effectiveness. I remember removing shoe polish, waterproofing handkerchiefs […]
Share Image By Martin Schmaltz / a couple of months ago Image Representative: One that serves as a delegate or agent for another. – American Heritage Dictionary Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion… This scripture gives us wonderful insight into God’s purpose for mankind. Adam was created in the image and […]
Share Plates By Martin Schmaltz / a couple of months ago Plates As a kid growing up, I remember seeing the juggler who would spin plates. They would place an individual plate on a thin stick and spin it; then repeat this process over and over. Periodically they had to return to a previous plate and give it an extra spin to keep them from falling […]
Share Tradition By Martin Schmaltz / a few months ago Tradition In a previous article, we presented the idea that the proof of being apostolic was not in our doctrine or structure, but it was obediently going and doing what we have been sent to do. The challenge we face is that in many (if not most) believers lives and churches we are not going. […]
Share Possessing Our Inheritance By Martin Schmaltz / a few months ago It seems there was this man that for all of his life lived in need. No matter what he attempted, it seems he could never get ahead. One day he received notification that a distant relative had died and left to him their mansion. Obviously, this man was elated. Finally, something had gone right for […]
Share Sandwich By Martin Schmaltz / a few months ago Suppose it is lunchtime and you are starving: you enter your favorite sandwich shop and place your order for that super deluxe dagwood special. As your sandwich arrives, you immediately realize something is wrong: the first clue – you are looking down at a pile of lettuce, no apparent bread. Upon closer examination you notice […]
Share Apostolic By Martin Schmaltz / 7 months ago Much is being said today about “the apostolic.” There are those who believe a restoration of “the apostolic” is necessary. Various views of what apostolic means include: a succession of leadership traceable back to Peter, a particular doctrine instructed by the apostles or a particular church organizational structure with an individual in leadership, calling themselves […]
Share Expecting By Martin Schmaltz / 8 months ago Do We Have Expectations or Are We Expecting? In our previous article “Why We Don’t See The Power,” we defined how tradition is one of the greatest hindrances to the operation of the apostolic authority. One of the dangers of these traditions is that they form our expectations, which in turn, affects our faith and […]
Share The Real Church By Martin Schmaltz / 9 months ago In today’s society, if you were to ask “What is a church?” you would receive a myriad of responses. Many will define it in the context of a denomination. Some will speak about a purpose of “saving” the “lost” and preparing ourselves for an eternity in heaven. Still, others view the church as a social […]
