What scriptural principles should shape how we view our committment to local congregations of the church? What passages in the Bible relate to membership vows, participation in the life of a local fellowship, and commitment to a particular congregation? How do these issues play out if there is more than one biblically faithful congregation close enough for involvement? Is there a biblical pattern for only being involved in depth in the life of one congregation, or could you be part of two congregations?
Does the Bible describe the formalized structures that we associate with the church? The New Testament speaks of pastor/elder and of deacon, but what of all our other positions: youth ministers, music ministers, directors of Christian education, teachers/instructors, counselors, etc.
To what extent is the organization of the church given in the Bible, and to what extent does it grow out of the church's missionary task within any given culture. In other words, what aspects of the church's ministry grow out of faithful response to our task of making disciples of all nations?
I almost called today to report a dinosaur in the middle of the highway today, and then I laughed at the thought of how that conversation might have gone:
"Hi, I'm calling to report a small dinosaur in the highway, and cars are having to swerve a bit to miss it."
"Did you say 'dinosaur'?"
"Yes, on the ramp from 75 N to 153 N. Between the two lanes."
"Sir, dinosaurs have been extinct for a very long time. Are you sure it was a dinosaur?"
"Yes. I'm not sure if it was a T-rex or some other kind, but I saw a red plastic dinosaur lying between the two lanes. It would have been standing 3 feet tall, but it had fallen down."
"I've sent someone out to clear the dinosaur from the roadway. Thanks for calling."
However, someone else had the joy of that conversation, because when I passed by that same spot about 10 minutes later three emergency vehicles had pulled over with flashing arrows to warn drivers to move left, and then a valiant emergency plastico-paleontologist (EPP) removed the red dinosaur from the roadway. The EPP probably had a fluorescent yellow class three reflective vest on--a really bright highway construction vest.
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On an unrelated note, I went to court for jury duty selection this morning, and was not selected. There were 30 of us as potential jurors, and they only needed 6.