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Written by Pastor Paul
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Friday, 11 May 2012 09:36 |
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If the idea of a one-person wedding seems bizarre, so too does the idea of personal Communion. There are many things in the Christian life you can do on your own. You can study, pray, fast, sing, worship, and serve all by yourself.
But why is there not even a hint in Scripture about taking the Lord’s Supper alone?
When Christ initiated Communion, it was in a group (Matthew 26). When Communion is described in the book of Acts, it is in a group (Acts 2:42). The same is true in 1 Corinthians. A study of Scripture indicates that Christians
partook of the Lord’s Supper when the church came together as a body. Why this togetherness at the Lord’s table?
Perhaps it is because the Lord’s Supper has more to do with an emphasis on the us than the me. Could it be participation in the Lord’s Supper centers on the atonement and grace that brought me into his community . . . an atonement that placed me among his people, more than simply centering on my own personal atonement with Christ?
“Hush everyone, don’t distract me, I am having my time with Jesus and taking my Communion,” has often been the unspoken pattern in some churches.
Is it possible that the biblical pattern is just the opposite? “Hey, I would like to see your faces and know your names, for I am taking Communion, and I celebrate the grace of God that forgave me and gave you to me as my family!”
The largest windows we are given to the first-century church and its practice of the Lord’s table are two passages in 1 Corinthians. In chapters 10 and 11, Paul reminds the Communion participants of the “us-ness” taking place during this meal. “We, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf ” (1 Corinthians 10:17).
You and I, both saved by Christ, have been made one family, and we sit at the same table. Not too much later, Paul again speaks of the us, and warns not to take the Lord’s meal without recognizing or comprehending the Lord’s body around us (1 Corinthians 11:29). It isn’t just Christ who is to be on my mind, but you as well. I don’t take Communion by myself; I take it with you. And today, I will thank God that he has made us a family, a community, a kingdom . . . his church.
By paul leavens - minister - christian church in lindsay |
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Easter what a difference i cor. 15:1-11 |
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Written by Pastor Paul
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Monday, 09 April 2012 13:03 |
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EASTER - WHAT A DIFFERENCE! 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Today is Easter Sunday &, as Christians, we have gathered to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior & Lord. But even as we celebrate, our hearts are heavy with the realization that much is wrong with our world. Unrelenting hatred seems to rule supreme in the hearts & lives of so many & the fruits of terror are all too evident.
ILL. It was on Feb. 27, 1991, at the height of Desert Storm, that Ruth Dillow received a very sad message from the Pentagon. It stated that her son, Clayton Carpenter, Private 1st Class, had stepped on a mine in Kuwait & was dead
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Lindsay Christian Church will be hosting a Preschool Day Camp |
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Written by Pastor Paul
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Friday, 20 April 2012 13:34 |
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Lindsay Christian Church will be hosting a Preschool Day Camp, May 21- 25, from 9:00 am to 12:00pm. We would like to invite any child age 4 or 5 who did not get the opportunity to attend preschool to join us for fun activities that will help prepare them to enter kindergarten. The program is free and snacks are provided. This 5 day program will introduce the child to a variety of activities they will encounter in the classroom. The children will get to practice communication skills, social skills and following instruction as they enjoy story time, bible time, games, crafts and other pre-k activities, from experienced kindergarten teachers. There are 15 openings, filled on a first come, first serve basis. Please pick up and drop off registration forms at the church located at 120 E. Frazier, in Lindsay, Tuesday 10:00am-
11:OOam or Friday 10:00am - 12:00pm.
Or call Pastor Paul Leavens at the church office 562-3743. You can e-mail me at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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Remember the program is free and snacks provide. It is our gift to you and your preschool child.
Dr. Paul H. Leavens
Lindsay Christian Church
562-3743 |
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Written by Pastor Paul
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Monday, 06 February 2012 11:03 |
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Recovering Your Life Mark 1:32-1:38
Do you spend your time, or do you invest it?
Okay, not a fair question.
How do you use MOST of your time?
Would you say you spend or invest most of your time?
What’s the difference?
When you use time in a way that aligns with your deepest values and aspirations for who you want to be and what you want your life to accomplish in this world, you have invested it.
When you use time in a way that does not, you have spent it.
Example: Most of us value our children and have dreams for how they will grow up.
Thus time with our children is never spent,
it is invested.
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