Sunday School Review #1 October 5

Hello all -

I hope everyone had a good weekend. Yesterday we discussed the first chapter of Pagan Christianity. The theme of the discussion came from a quote by George Barna. Barna's quote came from his part of the book's introduction (pg xxviii) and will serve as our primary theme as we discuss the remainder of the book.

His quote: The way we practice our faith can, indeed, affect the faith itself.

Obviously, the thesis of the book is that modern church practice is radically different in almost every way from the first century New Testament Church. These differences, the book argues, are the result of pagan influence, and are present in almost every modern church regardless of denomination, regardless of liberalism or fundamentalism, and regardless of philosophy of ministry.

To test the notion that the way we practice our faith affects our faith, we took a look at the Lord's Supper. The modern church usually partakes of the Lord's Supper once per month in most cases. At Fellowship, we might do it once or twice a year, or quarterly when we are doing it with any kind of frequency.

But the first century church -- the one you read about in the New Testament -- they practiced it:

• weekly
• their weekly church meeting was centered around it
• it was a full, formal meal
• it was possible that unbelievers might be present

How might the way we practice the Lord's Supper today affect our faith, and our relationships with other Christians -- or with the lost?

For those of you who want to reinforce what we've talked about, here are some links for some brief supplemental reading. Read this piece from NTRF.

Introduction to the Lord's Supper from Real Clear Theology Blog -- At this link you will see a column on the right of the page titled "Notable Series." Scroll down until you see "Lord's Supper," under that, there will be a list of topics discussed regarding various aspects of the Lord's Supper and how it is practiced today.

As always, study your bible, and remember that the above authors (like me) are human beings, so rely on them as commentary.

I hope to see everyone Sunday. Of course, you may email me with any questions that you might have.

Oh, and can someone forward this to Gary. I don't have his email address and I don't want him left out.

Mike Hosey