Soli Deo Gloria: To the Glory of God Alone!
Would you like to spend eternity with a group of dour, self-righteous, ritual bound, judgmental people? Would you even want to be around them? Probably not! Then why would God? Often so much of what we can know and love about God seems obscured or absent in the religious people who end up doing more to harm our perception of him than reflecting his true character. Even when so much information is at our fingertips, we know and communicate alarmingly little
Sola Scriptura: Is What You Believe the Gospel Truth?
What if you discovered that much of what you believe about God, Jesus, and salvation has very little to do with the Bible and a lot more to do with popular trends, modern culture, and ancient pagan philosophy? Would you be alarmed? If you’re anything like most of us believers, then, normally, we tend to believe what we’re taught by spiritually sincere and well-meaning family, friends, pastors, and Sunday school teachers. The pastor who influenced you was a great guy, he
The Church of Irresistible Influence
by Philipp Meinecke A city set on a hill. Visible even to the untrained eye. A lamp bringing light even into the darkest of rooms. A beautiful bride, made ready for her husband. A house in which even those far off find a home. Jesus used many compelling and vivid metaphors to describe the church and its intended influence on the world. Through the power and work of the Holy Spirit, the Early Church presented such a transformative force on its culture that even persecution
How God Guides Us and a Quiz on the Book of Acts
This Sunday’s Bible study will be on Chapter 16 of Acts. The three points we’ll be focusing on are: 1. How God guides us and “God-incidences.” 2. How he cares for the unbeliever. How he draws them to himself. 3. How the first church in the history of Europe was founded. Not every coincidence in life comes from heaven, but it’s true that God loves coincidences, or "God-incidences." He seems to thrive on creating circumstances that cause people to say, “That was
Dwelling in the Shelter of God
The idea that we can call out to God and he’ll hear us is so much a part of our Christian culture. We cling to this promise, and the Bible affirms this truth. It is our understanding of God's nearness that transforms our lives. When Jesus began his teaching ministry, one of the first things he wanted his followers to know was that God desired to be understood as the heavenly Father, who was accessible to his creatures. Through Jesus, God
Should a Christian Even Go to Church at All?
This might sound like an odd question, particularly from a pastor who’s trying to grow a new church, but it was one I was asked: Where does a Christian go to worship and serve God in Starnberg, or even Munich? It’s not easy to find a church that fits with what we were raised with, our style, or our schedule. This is true. If we were to choose a church of a mainline denomination, we might not understand the language or we
Wait for God
Dear Friends, Many of us went to sleep last night or woke up this morning to the horrific news of another terror attack. This time in Nice, our hearts and prayers are with the people there—for those who have lost their loved ones, those injured, and for the people of Nice and France. This Sunday’s sermon will be Wait for God, and the Scriptures we’ll be considering are 1 Samuel 16:1; 10-13. If ever there was some tough advice to swallow, it is:
Christian Community: It Ain’t Supposed to Be Shallow
By Chaplain Chris Linzey, Blogger and contributing author at Theology Mix, a theology and culture blog on church life, culture, and theological debate. We live in an increasingly fragmented and shallow society. I believe people are really desiring a new way of life that is more connected with others. Genesis has a vivid picture of God creating. There is great chaos in the Cosmos as God is creating merely from the power of his words. Matter is neither created or destroyed, it
From the Pastor: Would You Want To Do That?
Would you like to spend eternity with a group of dour, self-righteous, ritual-bound, judgmental people? Would you even want to be around them? Probably not! Then why would God? Often so much of what we can know and love about God seems absent in the religious people who end up doing more to harm our perception of him than reflecting his true character. Even in our information-saturated, hi-tech culture, we know alarmingly little about God’s personality and his true character. Above
From the Pastor: Happy New Year!
Dear Friends, Happy New Year from our home to yours! Many thanks for your Christmas and New Year's cards, notes, and gifts. We are very touched by your loving gestures. It is a tremendous blessing to our family to be celebrating our first New Year’s Day in Munich as part of the ministry of Starnberg Fellowship. We are excited about what God has done in the past few months we’ve been here, and we look forward to his plans for 2016! Last night,
