Category: Worship

‘catholicity’ – Institutional, Incarnational, or Impossible


‘catholicity’ – Institutional, Incarnational, or Impossible

‘catholicity ‘(small ‘c’) is used in at least two ways among non-Roman Catholics: 1) the spiritual unity of the universal church, i.e. the unity of all believers in the gospel of Jesus Christ; 2) the continuity of a particular church group with the apostolic church. Wikipedia offers this explanation of the second definition of catholicity:

The Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglicans, Lutherans and some Methodists believe that their churches are catholic in the sense that they are in continuity with the original universal church founded by the Apostles. The Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox churches all believe that their church is the only original and universal church. In “Catholic Christendom” (including the Anglican Communion), bishops are considered the highest order of ministers within the Christian religion, as shepherds of unity in communion with the whole church and one another (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholicity). Continue reading “‘catholicity’ – Institutional, Incarnational, or Impossible”

Growing Up Into Salvation

 

Growing Up into Salvation

1 Peter 2:1-3

Through faith in Christ, we are brought into union with Christ and into this wonderful experience called ‘salvation.’ 1 Peter tells us that salvation is something we possess in Christ; we anticipate more fully in Christ, and we ‘grow up into’ in Christ. This is how he says it in 1 Peter 2:2: “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—.“ 

Growing up into salvation is like walking through the caverns of Jeita Grotto. Once inside, you move from wonder to wonder, from awe to awe, from beauty to beauty. Growing up into salvation is a journey of moving through the unfathomable depths and breadths of God’s love and grace, from wonder to wonder, from awe to awe, and from beauty to beauty. The caverns come to an end but the wonders of salvation are infinite because they reside in an infinite God.  Continue reading “Growing Up Into Salvation”