#lovers-of-god — Public Fediverse posts
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Everyone Welcome in our open Ecclesia
The Christadelphians or Brothers and Sisters in Christ are a community of lovers of God, who follow the teachings of the Nazarene Master Teacher Jeshua, better known as Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
As followers of the Jewish man from Nazareth, we are aware that Jesus him being a Jew, worshipped the God of Israel, and asked to do his followers to do so too. That God of Abraham is a Singular Eternal Spirit Being, no man can see. Jesus did not come to earth to undo the Law of God or the Torah. He came to explain it and to show the Way to God. Therefore, we take the words of Jesus seriously as an indication of how to continue our life on the path laid in front of us by this rabbi, and keep to the Law of God, God and His son their teachings and wishes, instead of keeping to human doctrines.
Jesus preached love for all creatures of God, and that is why we find it necessary not only to show and share that love for the whole of creation (earth, plants, animals and human beings), but also to come up for the weaker ones and to help and defend those in need.
In case you are looking for making your life easier or want to know more about the present and the future and our position in the whole picture or Plan of God, then you are right at our address.
Even when you are not sure about the existence of God, you are welcome to join us at our meetings and Bible Classes. We also provide printed material which you are welcome to read and to question us about. Any time of the day someone shall be willing to help you with your questions or solving your problems.
At our ecclesiae we have meetings for studying and worshipping but also moments of gathering and sharing good time and food. Also, at those events you are very welcome.
In Wintertime, we also provide shelter for the night, in certain towns, for the homeless people. Waifs and strays are also welcome at our food supplies.
But our main occupation in the ecclesia is the provision to glorify God and praise Him with a merger in prayer and Bible reading in the unity of spirit.
For those gatherings, where they may take place (Leuven, Leefdaal-Bertem, Tervuren, Brussels, Nivelles-Nijvel, Mons or Newbury), we invite you to join us and to feel the spirit of our brotherhood.
In Belgium, we are financially very limited and do have no building of our own. We have to rent spaces and also use private houses, making house-church. For that reason it is not possible to offer set days and hours for our meetings. In Newbury, it is different. There our brethren and sisters have their own hall and offer services on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with regular events on different days as well. Never be afraid to contact them or us to have further contact or to know about their and/our activities.For the Carelinks (like the Antwerp Ecclesia) and Old Paths Christadelphians you shall have to contact them. We as Free Christadelphians are not bounded to any person or organisation and could be considered being part of the more progressive branch of Christadelphianism, having liberated ourselves from all boundaries of this world, only to be bounded to the sent one from God, the son of God, Jeshua, Jesus Christ.
One of us might have a strength in one area and another might be strong in another. We believe that when we can join hands to make ourselves stronger. We are convinced that when we come together in union, we all benefit and are made into the image of Christ.
We believe that all can help each other to grow in the Body of Christ, becoming more like Christ, pure and set apart. Coming together we give each other the opportunity to learn more about the Word of God, by sharing and discussing that set apart or holy Word. Together we can help each individual around us, to become part of a bigger unit, able to be compassionate, gentle, and to have a great capacity for mercy and forgiveness.
When coming to our ecclesia you should not be afraid that people would look at you as a strange intruder, because nobody would. Nobody shall go to point to the faults of yourself or others. Instead, you may find we try to use the strengths the Lord has given us to build up the body of Christ. We all have faults, and we all have gifts, and they are meant to work together. We all go for the same primary goal, to grow in the spirit according to God His Wishes, and to form a strong unit in the Body of Christ. By the influence of our fellowships you and we can have our character transformed.
At our ecclesia or church, we are people who want to share the hope in a better world. To reach that goal we know we have to start by ourselves and our own surroundings. We hope to inspire each other in our community of believers in Only One True God, but also to encourage those outside our community, to work at a relationship with Jesus, because when we seek him and not this world, he will teach us, and we will grow in all good things. A lot of this process is done through our brethren and sisters, who are here also for you!
+
Please find also to read:
- Lovers of God, seekers and lovers of truth
- Words in the world
- Not all christians are followers of a Greco-Roman culture
- Who are the Christadelphians
- Who are Brothers in Christ and why do they call themselves Christadelphian?
- Christadelphians or Messianic Christians or Messianic Jews
- Brothers and sisters in Christ for you
- History of the Christadelphians
- John Thomas
- Forming a Christian bond
- About the Belgian Free Christadelphians
- Those who call the Christadelphians a cult
- What Christadelphians teach
- Differences between Christadelphians and other churches in Christianity
- Handbook to the Christadelphian Statement of Faith
- Living as a believer in Christ
- Disciple of Christ counting lives and friends dear to them
- My faith
- Becoming brothers and sisters in Christ
- Christadelphians children of God
- Gathering or meeting of believers
- What and why Christadelphian Ecclesia‘
- The Ecclesia
- The ecclesia or Christadelphian church
- The Ecclesia in the churchsystem
- Intentions of an Ecclesia
- Reasons to come together
- Congregate, to gather, to meet
- Character transformed by the influence of our fellowships
- What makes a consecrated Christian
- Small churches of the few Christadelphians
- Ecclesia to exist, grow and communities to have people communicating with each other
- A participation in the body of Christ
- Looking for Christadelphian in your neighbourhood
- C4U (Christ For You – Christadelphians For You)
- Guide to Christadelphian Ecclesias
- Adresses of Brothers in Christ Worldwide
Rate this:
#BecomeLikeChrist #BecomingLikeChrist #BeingAChristadelphian #BelgianChristadelphians #BodyOfChrist #BrotherInChrist #BrotherSOfChrist #BrothersAndSistersInChrist #BrothersInChrist #Brussels #Carelinks #Christadelphian #ChristadelphianCommunity #Christadelphianism #Christadelphians #Churchcommunity #Community #FollowerOfChrist #FollowerSOfGod #FollowersOfChrist #FollowingChrist #FollowingGod #FollowingGodSCommandments #FoodSupply #FreeChristadelphians #Gathering #GoalReaching #HavingSpiritOfChrist #HomelessPeople #HouseChurch #ImageOfChrist #Leefdaal #Leuven #LoversOfGod #Mons #NazareneManJeshua #Newbury #Nivelles #PathOfLife #PraiseGod #RelationshipWithJesusChrist #Sharing #SharingFaith #SharingFeedback #SharingFellowship #SharingGoodNews #SharingHope #Shelter #StudyingTheBible #Tervuren #TheWay #theWayToGod #toDefendWeakerOnes #toFollowGod #toGlorifyGod #toGrow #toGrowSpiritually #toHelpEachOther #toHelpThoseInNeed #toWorkTogether #Unity #UnityInChrist #UnityOfTheSpirit #WorkingTogether #WorshippingGod
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Everyone Welcome in our open Ecclesia
The Christadelphians or Brothers and Sisters in Christ are a community of lovers of God, who follow the teachings of the Nazarene Master Teacher Jeshua, better known as Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
As followers of the Jewish man from Nazareth, we are aware that Jesus him being a Jew, worshipped the God of Israel, and asked to do his followers to do so too. That God of Abraham is a Singular Eternal Spirit Being, no man can see. Jesus did not come to earth to undo the Law of God or the Torah. He came to explain it and to show the Way to God. Therefore, we take the words of Jesus seriously as an indication of how to continue our life on the path laid in front of us by this rabbi, and keep to the Law of God, God and His son their teachings and wishes, instead of keeping to human doctrines.
Jesus preached love for all creatures of God, and that is why we find it necessary not only to show and share that love for the whole of creation (earth, plants, animals and human beings), but also to come up for the weaker ones and to help and defend those in need.
In case you are looking for making your life easier or want to know more about the present and the future and our position in the whole picture or Plan of God, then you are right at our address.
Even when you are not sure about the existence of God, you are welcome to join us at our meetings and Bible Classes. We also provide printed material which you are welcome to read and to question us about. Any time of the day someone shall be willing to help you with your questions or solving your problems.
At our ecclesiae we have meetings for studying and worshipping but also moments of gathering and sharing good time and food. Also, at those events you are very welcome.
In Wintertime, we also provide shelter for the night, in certain towns, for the homeless people. Waifs and strays are also welcome at our food supplies.
But our main occupation in the ecclesia is the provision to glorify God and praise Him with a merger in prayer and Bible reading in the unity of spirit.
For those gatherings, where they may take place (Leuven, Leefdaal-Bertem, Tervuren, Brussels, Nivelles-Nijvel, Mons or Newbury), we invite you to join us and to feel the spirit of our brotherhood.
In Belgium, we are financially very limited and do have no building of our own. We have to rent spaces and also use private houses, making house-church. For that reason it is not possible to offer set days and hours for our meetings. In Newbury, it is different. There our brethren and sisters have their own hall and offer services on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with regular events on different days as well. Never be afraid to contact them or us to have further contact or to know about their and/our activities.For the Carelinks (like the Antwerp Ecclesia) and Old Paths Christadelphians you shall have to contact them. We as Free Christadelphians are not bounded to any person or organisation and could be considered being part of the more progressive branch of Christadelphianism, having liberated ourselves from all boundaries of this world, only to be bounded to the sent one from God, the son of God, Jeshua, Jesus Christ.
One of us might have a strength in one area and another might be strong in another. We believe that when we can join hands to make ourselves stronger. We are convinced that when we come together in union, we all benefit and are made into the image of Christ.
We believe that all can help each other to grow in the Body of Christ, becoming more like Christ, pure and set apart. Coming together we give each other the opportunity to learn more about the Word of God, by sharing and discussing that set apart or holy Word. Together we can help each individual around us, to become part of a bigger unit, able to be compassionate, gentle, and to have a great capacity for mercy and forgiveness.
When coming to our ecclesia you should not be afraid that people would look at you as a strange intruder, because nobody would. Nobody shall go to point to the faults of yourself or others. Instead, you may find we try to use the strengths the Lord has given us to build up the body of Christ. We all have faults, and we all have gifts, and they are meant to work together. We all go for the same primary goal, to grow in the spirit according to God His Wishes, and to form a strong unit in the Body of Christ. By the influence of our fellowships you and we can have our character transformed.
At our ecclesia or church, we are people who want to share the hope in a better world. To reach that goal we know we have to start by ourselves and our own surroundings. We hope to inspire each other in our community of believers in Only One True God, but also to encourage those outside our community, to work at a relationship with Jesus, because when we seek him and not this world, he will teach us, and we will grow in all good things. A lot of this process is done through our brethren and sisters, who are here also for you!
+
Please find also to read:
- Lovers of God, seekers and lovers of truth
- Words in the world
- Not all christians are followers of a Greco-Roman culture
- Who are the Christadelphians
- Who are Brothers in Christ and why do they call themselves Christadelphian?
- Christadelphians or Messianic Christians or Messianic Jews
- Brothers and sisters in Christ for you
- History of the Christadelphians
- John Thomas
- Forming a Christian bond
- About the Belgian Free Christadelphians
- Those who call the Christadelphians a cult
- What Christadelphians teach
- Differences between Christadelphians and other churches in Christianity
- Handbook to the Christadelphian Statement of Faith
- Living as a believer in Christ
- Disciple of Christ counting lives and friends dear to them
- My faith
- Becoming brothers and sisters in Christ
- Christadelphians children of God
- Gathering or meeting of believers
- What and why Christadelphian Ecclesia‘
- The Ecclesia
- The ecclesia or Christadelphian church
- The Ecclesia in the churchsystem
- Intentions of an Ecclesia
- Reasons to come together
- Congregate, to gather, to meet
- Character transformed by the influence of our fellowships
- What makes a consecrated Christian
- Small churches of the few Christadelphians
- Ecclesia to exist, grow and communities to have people communicating with each other
- A participation in the body of Christ
- Looking for Christadelphian in your neighbourhood
- C4U (Christ For You – Christadelphians For You)
- Guide to Christadelphian Ecclesias
- Adresses of Brothers in Christ Worldwide
Rate this:
#BecomeLikeChrist #BecomingLikeChrist #BeingAChristadelphian #BelgianChristadelphians #BodyOfChrist #BrotherInChrist #BrotherSOfChrist #BrothersAndSistersInChrist #BrothersInChrist #Brussels #Carelinks #Christadelphian #ChristadelphianCommunity #Christadelphianism #Christadelphians #Churchcommunity #Community #FollowerOfChrist #FollowerSOfGod #FollowersOfChrist #FollowingChrist #FollowingGod #FollowingGodSCommandments #FoodSupply #FreeChristadelphians #Gathering #GoalReaching #HavingSpiritOfChrist #HomelessPeople #HouseChurch #ImageOfChrist #Leefdaal #Leuven #LoversOfGod #Mons #NazareneManJeshua #Newbury #Nivelles #PathOfLife #PraiseGod #RelationshipWithJesusChrist #Sharing #SharingFaith #SharingFeedback #SharingFellowship #SharingGoodNews #SharingHope #Shelter #StudyingTheBible #Tervuren #TheWay #theWayToGod #toDefendWeakerOnes #toFollowGod #toGlorifyGod #toGrow #toGrowSpiritually #toHelpEachOther #toHelpThoseInNeed #toWorkTogether #Unity #UnityInChrist #UnityOfTheSpirit #WorkingTogether #WorshippingGod
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Everyone Welcome in our open Ecclesia
The Christadelphians or Brothers and Sisters in Christ are a community of lovers of God, who follow the teachings of the Nazarene Master Teacher Jeshua, better known as Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
As followers of the Jewish man from Nazareth, we are aware that Jesus him being a Jew, worshipped the God of Israel, and asked to do his followers to do so too. That God of Abraham is a Singular Eternal Spirit Being, no man can see. Jesus did not come to earth to undo the Law of God or the Torah. He came to explain it and to show the Way to God. Therefore, we take the words of Jesus seriously as an indication of how to continue our life on the path laid in front of us by this rabbi, and keep to the Law of God, God and His son their teachings and wishes, instead of keeping to human doctrines.
Jesus preached love for all creatures of God, and that is why we find it necessary not only to show and share that love for the whole of creation (earth, plants, animals and human beings), but also to come up for the weaker ones and to help and defend those in need.
In case you are looking for making your life easier or want to know more about the present and the future and our position in the whole picture or Plan of God, then you are right at our address.
Even when you are not sure about the existence of God, you are welcome to join us at our meetings and Bible Classes. We also provide printed material which you are welcome to read and to question us about. Any time of the day someone shall be willing to help you with your questions or solving your problems.
At our ecclesiae we have meetings for studying and worshipping but also moments of gathering and sharing good time and food. Also, at those events you are very welcome.
In Wintertime, we also provide shelter for the night, in certain towns, for the homeless people. Waifs and strays are also welcome at our food supplies.
But our main occupation in the ecclesia is the provision to glorify God and praise Him with a merger in prayer and Bible reading in the unity of spirit.
For those gatherings, where they may take place (Leuven, Leefdaal-Bertem, Tervuren, Brussels, Nivelles-Nijvel, Mons or Newbury), we invite you to join us and to feel the spirit of our brotherhood.
In Belgium, we are financially very limited and do have no building of our own. We have to rent spaces and also use private houses, making house-church. For that reason it is not possible to offer set days and hours for our meetings. In Newbury, it is different. There our brethren and sisters have their own hall and offer services on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with regular events on different days as well. Never be afraid to contact them or us to have further contact or to know about their and/our activities.For the Carelinks (like the Antwerp Ecclesia) and Old Paths Christadelphians you shall have to contact them. We as Free Christadelphians are not bounded to any person or organisation and could be considered being part of the more progressive branch of Christadelphianism, having liberated ourselves from all boundaries of this world, only to be bounded to the sent one from God, the son of God, Jeshua, Jesus Christ.
One of us might have a strength in one area and another might be strong in another. We believe that when we can join hands to make ourselves stronger. We are convinced that when we come together in union, we all benefit and are made into the image of Christ.
We believe that all can help each other to grow in the Body of Christ, becoming more like Christ, pure and set apart. Coming together we give each other the opportunity to learn more about the Word of God, by sharing and discussing that set apart or holy Word. Together we can help each individual around us, to become part of a bigger unit, able to be compassionate, gentle, and to have a great capacity for mercy and forgiveness.
When coming to our ecclesia you should not be afraid that people would look at you as a strange intruder, because nobody would. Nobody shall go to point to the faults of yourself or others. Instead, you may find we try to use the strengths the Lord has given us to build up the body of Christ. We all have faults, and we all have gifts, and they are meant to work together. We all go for the same primary goal, to grow in the spirit according to God His Wishes, and to form a strong unit in the Body of Christ. By the influence of our fellowships you and we can have our character transformed.
At our ecclesia or church, we are people who want to share the hope in a better world. To reach that goal we know we have to start by ourselves and our own surroundings. We hope to inspire each other in our community of believers in Only One True God, but also to encourage those outside our community, to work at a relationship with Jesus, because when we seek him and not this world, he will teach us, and we will grow in all good things. A lot of this process is done through our brethren and sisters, who are here also for you!
+
Please find also to read:
- Lovers of God, seekers and lovers of truth
- Words in the world
- Not all christians are followers of a Greco-Roman culture
- Who are the Christadelphians
- Who are Brothers in Christ and why do they call themselves Christadelphian?
- Christadelphians or Messianic Christians or Messianic Jews
- Brothers and sisters in Christ for you
- History of the Christadelphians
- John Thomas
- Forming a Christian bond
- About the Belgian Free Christadelphians
- Those who call the Christadelphians a cult
- What Christadelphians teach
- Differences between Christadelphians and other churches in Christianity
- Handbook to the Christadelphian Statement of Faith
- Living as a believer in Christ
- Disciple of Christ counting lives and friends dear to them
- My faith
- Becoming brothers and sisters in Christ
- Christadelphians children of God
- Gathering or meeting of believers
- What and why Christadelphian Ecclesia‘
- The Ecclesia
- The ecclesia or Christadelphian church
- The Ecclesia in the churchsystem
- Intentions of an Ecclesia
- Reasons to come together
- Congregate, to gather, to meet
- Character transformed by the influence of our fellowships
- What makes a consecrated Christian
- Small churches of the few Christadelphians
- Ecclesia to exist, grow and communities to have people communicating with each other
- A participation in the body of Christ
- Looking for Christadelphian in your neighbourhood
- C4U (Christ For You – Christadelphians For You)
- Guide to Christadelphian Ecclesias
- Adresses of Brothers in Christ Worldwide
Rate this:
#BecomeLikeChrist #BecomingLikeChrist #BeingAChristadelphian #BelgianChristadelphians #BodyOfChrist #BrotherInChrist #BrotherSOfChrist #BrothersAndSistersInChrist #BrothersInChrist #Brussels #Carelinks #Christadelphian #ChristadelphianCommunity #Christadelphianism #Christadelphians #Churchcommunity #Community #FollowerOfChrist #FollowerSOfGod #FollowersOfChrist #FollowingChrist #FollowingGod #FollowingGodSCommandments #FoodSupply #FreeChristadelphians #Gathering #GoalReaching #HavingSpiritOfChrist #HomelessPeople #HouseChurch #ImageOfChrist #Leefdaal #Leuven #LoversOfGod #Mons #NazareneManJeshua #Newbury #Nivelles #PathOfLife #PraiseGod #RelationshipWithJesusChrist #Sharing #SharingFaith #SharingFeedback #SharingFellowship #SharingGoodNews #SharingHope #Shelter #StudyingTheBible #Tervuren #TheWay #theWayToGod #toDefendWeakerOnes #toFollowGod #toGlorifyGod #toGrow #toGrowSpiritually #toHelpEachOther #toHelpThoseInNeed #toWorkTogether #Unity #UnityInChrist #UnityOfTheSpirit #WorkingTogether #WorshippingGod
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Everyone Welcome in our open Ecclesia
The Christadelphians or Brothers and Sisters in Christ are a community of lovers of God, who follow the teachings of the Nazarene Master Teacher Jeshua, better known as Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
As followers of the Jewish man from Nazareth, we are aware that Jesus him being a Jew, worshipped the God of Israel, and asked to do his followers to do so too. That God of Abraham is a Singular Eternal Spirit Being, no man can see. Jesus did not come to earth to undo the Law of God or the Torah. He came to explain it and to show the Way to God. Therefore, we take the words of Jesus seriously as an indication of how to continue our life on the path laid in front of us by this rabbi, and keep to the Law of God, God and His son their teachings and wishes, instead of keeping to human doctrines.
Jesus preached love for all creatures of God, and that is why we find it necessary not only to show and share that love for the whole of creation (earth, plants, animals and human beings), but also to come up for the weaker ones and to help and defend those in need.
In case you are looking for making your life easier or want to know more about the present and the future and our position in the whole picture or Plan of God, then you are right at our address.
Even when you are not sure about the existence of God, you are welcome to join us at our meetings and Bible Classes. We also provide printed material which you are welcome to read and to question us about. Any time of the day someone shall be willing to help you with your questions or solving your problems.
At our ecclesiae we have meetings for studying and worshipping but also moments of gathering and sharing good time and food. Also, at those events you are very welcome.
In Wintertime, we also provide shelter for the night, in certain towns, for the homeless people. Waifs and strays are also welcome at our food supplies.
But our main occupation in the ecclesia is the provision to glorify God and praise Him with a merger in prayer and Bible reading in the unity of spirit.
For those gatherings, where they may take place (Leuven, Leefdaal-Bertem, Tervuren, Brussels, Nivelles-Nijvel, Mons or Newbury), we invite you to join us and to feel the spirit of our brotherhood.
In Belgium, we are financially very limited and do have no building of our own. We have to rent spaces and also use private houses, making house-church. For that reason it is not possible to offer set days and hours for our meetings. In Newbury, it is different. There our brethren and sisters have their own hall and offer services on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with regular events on different days as well. Never be afraid to contact them or us to have further contact or to know about their and/our activities.For the Carelinks (like the Antwerp Ecclesia) and Old Paths Christadelphians you shall have to contact them. We as Free Christadelphians are not bounded to any person or organisation and could be considered being part of the more progressive branch of Christadelphianism, having liberated ourselves from all boundaries of this world, only to be bounded to the sent one from God, the son of God, Jeshua, Jesus Christ.
One of us might have a strength in one area and another might be strong in another. We believe that when we can join hands to make ourselves stronger. We are convinced that when we come together in union, we all benefit and are made into the image of Christ.
We believe that all can help each other to grow in the Body of Christ, becoming more like Christ, pure and set apart. Coming together we give each other the opportunity to learn more about the Word of God, by sharing and discussing that set apart or holy Word. Together we can help each individual around us, to become part of a bigger unit, able to be compassionate, gentle, and to have a great capacity for mercy and forgiveness.
When coming to our ecclesia you should not be afraid that people would look at you as a strange intruder, because nobody would. Nobody shall go to point to the faults of yourself or others. Instead, you may find we try to use the strengths the Lord has given us to build up the body of Christ. We all have faults, and we all have gifts, and they are meant to work together. We all go for the same primary goal, to grow in the spirit according to God His Wishes, and to form a strong unit in the Body of Christ. By the influence of our fellowships you and we can have our character transformed.
At our ecclesia or church, we are people who want to share the hope in a better world. To reach that goal we know we have to start by ourselves and our own surroundings. We hope to inspire each other in our community of believers in Only One True God, but also to encourage those outside our community, to work at a relationship with Jesus, because when we seek him and not this world, he will teach us, and we will grow in all good things. A lot of this process is done through our brethren and sisters, who are here also for you!
+
Please find also to read:
- Lovers of God, seekers and lovers of truth
- Words in the world
- Not all christians are followers of a Greco-Roman culture
- Who are the Christadelphians
- Who are Brothers in Christ and why do they call themselves Christadelphian?
- Christadelphians or Messianic Christians or Messianic Jews
- Brothers and sisters in Christ for you
- History of the Christadelphians
- John Thomas
- Forming a Christian bond
- About the Belgian Free Christadelphians
- Those who call the Christadelphians a cult
- What Christadelphians teach
- Differences between Christadelphians and other churches in Christianity
- Handbook to the Christadelphian Statement of Faith
- Living as a believer in Christ
- Disciple of Christ counting lives and friends dear to them
- My faith
- Becoming brothers and sisters in Christ
- Christadelphians children of God
- Gathering or meeting of believers
- What and why Christadelphian Ecclesia‘
- The Ecclesia
- The ecclesia or Christadelphian church
- The Ecclesia in the churchsystem
- Intentions of an Ecclesia
- Reasons to come together
- Congregate, to gather, to meet
- Character transformed by the influence of our fellowships
- What makes a consecrated Christian
- Small churches of the few Christadelphians
- Ecclesia to exist, grow and communities to have people communicating with each other
- A participation in the body of Christ
- Looking for Christadelphian in your neighbourhood
- C4U (Christ For You – Christadelphians For You)
- Guide to Christadelphian Ecclesias
- Adresses of Brothers in Christ Worldwide
Rate this:
#BecomeLikeChrist #BecomingLikeChrist #BeingAChristadelphian #BelgianChristadelphians #BodyOfChrist #BrotherInChrist #BrotherSOfChrist #BrothersAndSistersInChrist #BrothersInChrist #Brussels #Carelinks #Christadelphian #ChristadelphianCommunity #Christadelphianism #Christadelphians #Churchcommunity #Community #FollowerOfChrist #FollowerSOfGod #FollowersOfChrist #FollowingChrist #FollowingGod #FollowingGodSCommandments #FoodSupply #FreeChristadelphians #Gathering #GoalReaching #HavingSpiritOfChrist #HomelessPeople #HouseChurch #ImageOfChrist #Leefdaal #Leuven #LoversOfGod #Mons #NazareneManJeshua #Newbury #Nivelles #PathOfLife #PraiseGod #RelationshipWithJesusChrist #Sharing #SharingFaith #SharingFeedback #SharingFellowship #SharingGoodNews #SharingHope #Shelter #StudyingTheBible #Tervuren #TheWay #theWayToGod #toDefendWeakerOnes #toFollowGod #toGlorifyGod #toGrow #toGrowSpiritually #toHelpEachOther #toHelpThoseInNeed #toWorkTogether #Unity #UnityInChrist #UnityOfTheSpirit #WorkingTogether #WorshippingGod
-
The Christadelphians or Brothers and Sisters in Christ are a community of lovers of God, who follow the teachings of the Nazarene Master Teacher Jeshua, better known as Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
As followers of the Jewish man from Nazareth, we are aware that Jesus him being a Jew, worshipped the God of Israel, and asked to do his followers to do so too. That God of Abraham is a Singular Eternal Spirit Being, no man can see. Jesus did not come to earth to undo the Law of God or the Torah. He came to explain it and to show the Way to God. Therefore, we take the words of Jesus seriously as an indication of how to continue our life on the path laid in front of us by this rabbi, and keep to the Law of God, God and His son their teachings and wishes, instead of keeping to human doctrines.
Jesus preached love for all creatures of God, and that is why we find it necessary not only to show and share that love for the whole of creation (earth, plants, animals and human beings), but also to come up for the weaker ones and to help and defend those in need.
In case you are looking for making your life easier or want to know more about the present and the future and our position in the whole picture or Plan of God, then you are right at our address.
Even when you are not sure about the existence of God, you are welcome to join us at our meetings and Bible Classes. We also provide printed material which you are welcome to read and to question us about. Any time of the day someone shall be willing to help you with your questions or solving your problems.
At our ecclesiae we have meetings for studying and worshipping but also moments of gathering and sharing good time and food. Also, at those events you are very welcome.
In Wintertime, we also provide shelter for the night, in certain towns, for the homeless people. Waifs and strays are also welcome at our food supplies.
But our main occupation in the ecclesia is the provision to glorify God and praise Him with a merger in prayer and Bible reading in the unity of spirit.
For those gatherings, where they may take place (Leuven, Leefdaal-Bertem, Tervuren, Brussels, Nivelles-Nijvel, Mons or Newbury), we invite you to join us and to feel the spirit of our brotherhood.
In Belgium, we are financially very limited and do have no building of our own. We have to rent spaces and also use private houses, making house-church. For that reason it is not possible to offer set days and hours for our meetings. In Newbury, it is different. There our brethren and sisters have their own hall and offer services on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with regular events on different days as well. Never be afraid to contact them or us to have further contact or to know about their and/our activities.For the Carelinks (like the Antwerp Ecclesia) and Old Paths Christadelphians you shall have to contact them. We as Free Christadelphians are not bounded to any person or organisation and could be considered being part of the more progressive branch of Christadelphianism, having liberated ourselves from all boundaries of this world, only to be bounded to the sent one from God, the son of God, Jeshua, Jesus Christ.
One of us might have a strength in one area and another might be strong in another. We believe that when we can join hands to make ourselves stronger. We are convinced that when we come together in union, we all benefit and are made into the image of Christ.
We believe that all can help each other to grow in the Body of Christ, becoming more like Christ, pure and set apart. Coming together we give each other the opportunity to learn more about the Word of God, by sharing and discussing that set apart or holy Word. Together we can help each individual around us, to become part of a bigger unit, able to be compassionate, gentle, and to have a great capacity for mercy and forgiveness.
When coming to our ecclesia you should not be afraid that people would look at you as a strange intruder, because nobody would. Nobody shall go to point to the faults of yourself or others. Instead, you may find we try to use the strengths the Lord has given us to build up the body of Christ. We all have faults, and we all have gifts, and they are meant to work together. We all go for the same primary goal, to grow in the spirit according to God His Wishes, and to form a strong unit in the Body of Christ. By the influence of our fellowships you and we can have our character transformed.
At our ecclesia or church, we are people who want to share the hope in a better world. To reach that goal we know we have to start by ourselves and our own surroundings. We hope to inspire each other in our community of believers in Only One True God, but also to encourage those outside our community, to work at a relationship with Jesus, because when we seek him and not this world, he will teach us, and we will grow in all good things. A lot of this process is done through our brethren and sisters, who are here also for you!
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Please find also to read:
- Lovers of God, seekers and lovers of truth
- Words in the world
- Not all christians are followers of a Greco-Roman culture
- Who are the Christadelphians
- Who are Brothers in Christ and why do they call themselves Christadelphian?
- Christadelphians or Messianic Christians or Messianic Jews
- Brothers and sisters in Christ for you
- History of the Christadelphians
- John Thomas
- Forming a Christian bond
- About the Belgian Free Christadelphians
- Those who call the Christadelphians a cult
- What Christadelphians teach
- Differences between Christadelphians and other churches in Christianity
- Handbook to the Christadelphian Statement of Faith
- Living as a believer in Christ
- Disciple of Christ counting lives and friends dear to them
- My faith
- Becoming brothers and sisters in Christ
- Christadelphians children of God
- Gathering or meeting of believers
- What and why Christadelphian Ecclesia‘
- The Ecclesia
- The ecclesia or Christadelphian church
- The Ecclesia in the churchsystem
- Intentions of an Ecclesia
- Reasons to come together
- Congregate, to gather, to meet
- Character transformed by the influence of our fellowships
- What makes a consecrated Christian
- Small churches of the few Christadelphians
- Ecclesia to exist, grow and communities to have people communicating with each other
- A participation in the body of Christ
- Looking for Christadelphian in your neighbourhood
- C4U (Christ For You – Christadelphians For You)
- Guide to Christadelphian Ecclesias
- Adresses of Brothers in Christ Worldwide
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Today’s thought “Blessed people …” (July 27)
Today’s thought
“Blessed people who trust in God
and share the Good News”(July 27)
The day before yesterday we made a call for writers. Our Readers Digest and Lifestyle magazine From Guestwriters can do with some more writers on different subjects. We can still do with people who write about family matters, like how to build up a good family life or in present times how to cope with difficulties in the family, make the best our of a newly composed family. We also can do with writers who talk about aspects of environment and who let others also appreciate the wonders of nature. Even telling about what to do in the own garden is an interesting subject where we want to gave space for at From Guestwriters. Nature may receive much more attention, so if you are interested in it, why hesitate writing about it?
We should know that for those who carry God in their heart there are many blessings provided. Those who are willing to share their love for God may count on that God to be with them and to provide them with the means. God is willing to have His eyes on those who want to spread the Name of God and who want to show others that Jesus is the Way to God.
In today’s reading we can see that God is a forgiving God and takes into account that we have regret when we did something wrong and then when we want to do good, He shall be willing to be at our site like He was at the site of the family of David following his sin with Bathsheba and her husband, adultery and murder! God “put away” (2 Samuel 12:13). David’s sin, in the sense he did not suffer the penalty decreed under the law; but he suffered the consequences, his authority with his family had been undermined. What we do wrong we shall have to bear the consequences for, but what we do good shall also be taken into regard. Our good works also count and should be the proof of our faith, because faith without works is death.
The words of Paul come to mind,
“we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
We should be fully aware that we are placed on this world with a purpose. God has a Plan and we should come to fit in that Plan. It is up to us to decide if we want to fit in it or not. Each of us has to bear their own responsibility.
Down through the centuries we can see that there have be lots of people who, like the present generation, did not want to know much about the God of gods, and preferred to have their own worldly idols or gods. But we also can see in the past how there where men of God who did not mind to go against the maelstrom and who where willing to offer their soul for the Word of God (Jeremiah 17:5) .They did not stop to warn people around them about the Great Master Maker, the God of gods.
There where also people who where not afraid to warn people that they had not to be like a shrub in the desert, not to see any good come, dwelling in the parched places … salt land, but that there is a better place for those who trust the God of gods and who are willing to look for that spiritual food that can grow under His guidance.
If we are to survive in the “parched places” that surround us we should fix our eyes on the Higher Power and join hands with those who aim for the same treasure, not the treasures of the world but the treasures of the heavens.
Psalms 40:4 The Scriptures 1998+ (4) Blessed is that man who has made יהוה {Jehovah} his trust, And has not turned to the proud, And those turning aside to falsehood.
Psalms 15:4 The Scriptures 1998+ (4) In whose eyes a reprobate one is despised, But he esteems those who fear יהוה {Jehovah}; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
In the fear of יהוה , Jehovah the Most High God, we can go up to others and show them the marvels of our Only One True God. It is by letting others know the works of our Creator that they can open their eyes to God. By sharing our thoughts on the master-works of our God we give other people the opportunity to coming to learn our Master Maker.
We should let others know that we trust God more than we trust any person of this world. We should let many around us know that we are much better off to trust God and to build up a good relationship with him so that we can stand strong in this world, where so many hearts are deceitful above all things, and desperately sick.
Let us remain healthy in mind being fully conscious that Jehovah searches the heart and tests the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds. Let us be able to say like king David
Psalms 40:8-16 The Scriptures 1998+ (8) I have delighted to do Your pleasure, O my Elohim, And Your Torah is within my heart1.” Footnote: 1Ps. 37:31, Ps. 119:11, Isa. 51:7, Heb. 10:7-9. (9) I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness, In the great assembly; See, I do not restrain my lips, O יהוה {Jehovah}, You know. (10) I did not conceal Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your trustworthiness and Your deliverance; I did not hide Your kindness and Your truth From the great assembly. (11) Do not withhold Your compassion from me, O יהוה {Jehovah}; Let Your kindness and Your truth always watch over me. (12) For evils without number have surrounded me; My crookednesses have overtaken me, And I have been unable to see; They became more than the hairs of my head; And my heart has failed me. (13) Be pleased, O יהוה {Jehovah}, to deliver me; O יהוה {Jehovah}, hasten to help me! (14) Let those who seek to destroy my life Be ashamed and abashed altogether; Let those who are desiring my evil Be driven back and put to shame. (15) Let those who say to me, “Aha, aha!” Be appalled at their own shame. (16) Let all those who seek You Rejoice and be glad in You; Let those who love Your deliverance always say, “יהוה {Jehovah} be exalted!”
Let us help others to come to find the Way to יהוה {Jehovah} and let them understand that there is no reason at all to be ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written,
Romans 1:16-17 The Scriptures 1998+ (16) For I am not ashamed of the Good News of Messiah, for it is the power of Elohim for deliverance to everyone who believes, to the Yehuḏite first and also to the Greek. (17) For in it the righteousness of Elohim is revealed from belief to belief, as it has been written,
“But the righteous shall live by belief.”1 Footnote: 1Hab. 2:4.
We may trust that the just shall live by faith and that those who respond in the right way to the call of God shall be justified.
The promises of God might not automatically be at work in every life that hears them. Some respond correctly, while others respond improperly. Some enjoy the benefits of God’s promises, whereas others do not. In these two verses, we are given the fundamental response to all that pertains to the gospel of grace. That response is faith. This would certainly include living by the promises of God and following up the tasks given by His sent one, Jeshua (Jesus Christ).
Paul was unashamed of the gospel due to its effective character.
Loc Market Place, Norwich Streetpreacher(Photo credit: Wikipedia)Acts 20:24 The Scriptures 1998+ (24) “But I do not count my life of any value to me, so that I might accomplish my mission with joy, and the service which I received from the Master יהושע {Jeshua}, to bear witness to the Good News of the favour of Elohim.
We at all times should not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Every moment of the day we should make use to show others how that gospel is the power of God to salvation. In our daily activities we should show others how we are under Christ and how we love to share that Good News of the coming Kingdom. The good news about Jesus Christ is essentially the grace of God proclaimed to man:
“the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).
This grace is God’s Power poured out unto the saving of souls. This power is experienced by all who place their faith in the gospel, whether Jew or Gentile:
“for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”
It is getting high time that more people let others know that the gospel is really effective, because it holds forth God’s righteousness to sinful man, if he is willing to trust in the Most High Elohim.
“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.”
By coming to be a guest writer or author for From Guestwriters you too may help to show others the promises of God and how He gives so much beauty to all His creatures. Look at the birds and other animals around us and see all the beautiful plants. Also by showing others the beauty of nature you can show them the Hand of God.
In addition to initial salvation, the good news of God’s grace includes many other promises from God and it is the task of lovers of God to let them be known also to others who do not see God or do not want to believe in Him.
All of us can help to pave the way and can come a helping hand for constructing a strong church by people who fully want to trust in God by wanting to know and by sharing the truth.
and the truth shall make you free . . . When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth” (Matthew 16:18; John 8:32; and John 16:13).
We may count on it that all of these promises are experienced by faith as well, because “the just shall live by faith” – – continually, as well as initially.
Therefore let us respond to God His promises properly and let us not be afraid to take up the task Jesus asked his followers, to spread the Good News.
Please read “Do you have a writer or presenter in you?” and react to it, by giving your candidacy.
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Preceding articles
Sharing your big scriptures for tough times
Man’s own fault and the choice to flee from fear
Belgian Christadelphians 2013 & 2014 in review
Proclaiming shalom, bringing good news of good things, announcing salvation
Salvation, trust and action in Jesus #3 as a Christian
Engaging the culture without losing the gospel
The Big conversation – Antagonists
Being in isolation #7 Mission work
When having found faith through the study of the Bible we do need to do works of faith
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Additional reading
- Welcome to “From guestwriters”
- Guestwriters for you
- Looking for writers for two Lifestyle Magazines
- Do you have a writer or presenter in you?
- Broeders in Christus 2013 & 2014 in review
- Stepping Toes 2014 in review
- From Guestwriters 2015 in review
- Which is worse–works without faith, or faith without works?
- A Living Faith #3 Faith put into action
- Our openness to being approachable
- Daring to speak in multicultural environment
- Trying to get the youth inspired
- Preaching to an unbelieving world
- How do I know if I’m called to ministry?
- What Should I Preach ?
- Learn how to go out into the world and proclaim the Good News of the coming Kingdom
- How should we preach?
- Preaching by example
- A Christian has to have eyes and ears and a tongue to use in good ways
- Preaching Christ Is Not Enough
- Preachers should know and continue the task Jesus has given his followers
- Looking for True Spirituality 7 Preaching of the Good News
- Psst! Spread The Good Word!
- Missionary action paradigm for all endeavours of the church
- From Bibles and other religious writings and those who witness for Jehovah
- Helping websites to prepare for the last days
- Christians having the right heart to call others to go to God
- Ability (part 7) Thought about the ability to grow as a member of the Body of Christ
- Let us make sure we are not stiff-necked
- Jehovah’s Witnesses not only group that preach the good news
- When looking for God or wanting to relate to the Most High Divine God
- Jehovah steep rock and fortress, source of insight
- Summer holiday time to knock and ask, and time to share
- Reflections on Existence and Teaching
- To proclaim the day of vengeance
- Go and make disciples of people of all the nations
- Perishable non theologians daring to go out to preach
- Go! Proclaim! Testify!
- Beautiful feet of those who announce the good news
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Further reading
- Telling the Greatest Story
- 5 Lessons from the Mission Field
- Preaching, Prayer, and Danbo
- Ask these three questions before you preach
- Preaching as Public Speaking
- Good news!
- Do you want the good news or the bad news? — Whale Oil Beef Hooked | Whaleoil Media
- Top Ten Reasons It’s Cool to Be Christ-like
- Psalm 64:9 Pondering God’s Work
- Psalm 139:23
- Matthew 4:12-23 Follow me and I will make you fish for people
- “Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give”
- Proclaim
- The Wednesday Word: Making too much of Jesus?
- Proclaiming His Death
- Stirring the Pot with Grace…
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Related articles
- Jesus, Not Our Ministries, Is The Point
- His art is a way of ‘meeting with the divine,’ iconographer says
- Life-size replica of Tabernacle of Moses on display in Saline
- How a journalist’s journey to being a secular Muslim in India began at home and in school
- Do Facebook Debates Alienate People and Make More Atheists?
- Sermon: When the World Is Against You, Acts 24
- Give Us This Day Our DAILY Bread!
- The Character of God from the Book of Romans
- From the Explanations of the Psalms by Saint Ambros
- Dreisbach: Founders drew on Bible in quest for independence
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The Big Conversation – Christadelphians in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom people may find several villages and towns where there reside Christadelphians, a body of Christians who try to base their beliefs and practices wholly on the Bible, which they regard as God’s word. They try therefore to rid themselves of the various ideas and rituals which have attached themselves to Christendom over the last 2,000 years and to return to the beliefs and practices of the first century apostles.
Being a group of people who want to follow the Nazarene Jew Jeshua, who did not want to do his own will, but always did the Will of his heavenly Father, they as the man born in Bethlehem, are living in this world but not wanting to be of this world following human traditions and human dogmas. That does not make them so popular, because people may look strange at those people who do not want to celebrate Halloween and other pagan festivities.
Because the Christadelphians are a community without the trappings of elaborate buildings, priests or icons, their institutions and fellowship-rooms not be seen straight away. The outer sights are not important for the Christadelphians who prefer to give honour to God and show a deep respect for God’s word and love to have a strong sense of family and fellowship.
On the above map you can see some of the more than 300 ecclesiae in Great Britain and Ireland. They were taken under the loop by brother Jon Downes who on the 10th of October asked
What is happening?
For him the present size & growth or non-growth of UK ecclesiae show there isn’t a, ‘No Change’ option
It’s not that we aren’t trying!
he said to about 350 Christadelphians present at Dudley college.
In this world of figures, comparisons and evaluations it is all about numbers in graphics which have to show an up-going trend and reach high peaks. this for sure can not be said about our very small community. Lots of people may think when it is not big it has no value and can not be good. But people should look at the intrinsic value and to see what a group or church is believing, following up, and how they keep to what they preach. It is true that minorities do not exert influence, and that they should have to contend on the culture or the systems around it.
Christadelphians do not fall in the temptation to pretend to be a majority, even if one is not. They do know they are just a little grain of sand in our religious world. But that does not mean that many more little grains can be put together with water and with clay form a nice vase. Though sometimes it can look like we are coming to sit more in an urn. Especially in Belgium we are in distress and can do with some support form abroad. Though looking at other countries can show us also how important it is to make more work of the announcing or making known of our society.
All over the world people may not forget that the church of Jesus Christ is never a majority, in any fallen culture, even if we happen to outnumber every[one] else around us. They should come to see that the real church of God is the church of Christ were people are willing to follow Jesus his words, his teachings, but also his manners and his aspirations. It is a place where people are willing to share the agapè love of Christ, who was even willing to give his life for others, even for those who turned against him. Would we do that?
Where Christian churches have held fast to the truth that the Holy Scriptures have been given by God as an authoritative and infallible rule of faith and practice, they have never wandered very seriously out of the right way. But when, on the other hand, reason has been exalted above revelation, and made the the exponent of revelation, all kinds of errors and mischiefs have been the result, and got many sorts of denominations which have lots of rituals people may like very much but which are not according to God’s Law. And that part is the most important in our building community. We should all try to live according God’s Law and love His Words more than the words of man.
Unfortunately, lots of Christians do not closely follow the Bible today and prefer to join churches in which they can keep up their human traditions. They have changed things to how they want them to be.
Since the times of Jesus, there have been small groups of people who believed what the Bible said. Many of these people were cruelly treated in times past as a result of their beliefs. Such believers united in the North of America when in 1864 broke out the Civil War. Dr. Thomas thought up the word “Christadelphian“, a name combining the name “Christ” with the Greek word “adelphi” meaning “brother”. So the name “Christadelphian” means “brothers and sisters in Christ“.Christadelphians are grateful to John Thomas for his efforts in searching out the message of the Bible. John Thomas was not a prophet or someone special. He read the Bible, just as we try to do. Christadelphians follow Jesus Christ, not John Thomas. Not following just one man or just one human organisation gives that we may have different ideas about certain things, but that doe snot mean we would not have union with each other, though we must agree that there are certain Christadelphian groups who shamefully do not want to have contact with other Christadelphians. According to the Belgian Free Christadelphians this is also part of the reasons why it is so difficult to show the world a bigger group of religious people under one name: Christadelphians.
Being joined together by our common faith in the Bible, and the way we live, we all should try to meet each other and have contact with each other as loving siblings. All being brothers and sisters in Christ. Though each “ecclesia” has to look after its own affairs, and choose members who determine arrangements and organise activities on behalf of their members they should feel that unity with Christ with other Christadelphians world wide and show the outside world that Jesus Christ is their head of each ecclesia.
Living in this world we do agree that “It’s not about the numbers” … …but the “numbers tell a story”. And those numbers in west Europe may be alarming. Therefore there was the call to come thereto in the UK to discuss that matter of dwindling ciphers.
Like any other western capitalist country in the UK Bible ownership and Bible knowledge has slumped, some english people also do find it a form of indoctrination when parents in their home pray and talk about God in front of their children of that child.
Jon Downes presented the anxious members a snapshot of our society in the UK.
and showed those present how a typical ecclesia looks like.
When we look at the adult baptisms in our community from related people (3,5) and from non related
(1.0) plus counting the (0.5) refellowshipping members, comparing them with the average of 10 people falling asleep and 2 people leaving the fellowship, we might say that such numbers bring the graphic line downwards.What might happen to the Christadelphian community in the United Kingdom when they do not something to change the coarse.
happened.
Therefore lets look at the United Kingdom as an example.
what might this give to that community, where we find, like everywhere in the world members becoming older and dying, whilst the world is getting less interested in God and commandment.
In case we can bring the Gospel of the Good News to many more ears, we should be able by a co-effort of preaching to increase the interest in God again and get again some people interested in joining a community of lovers of Christ and lovers of God.
We must see that
The lost are our hope
and that there is good reason to try to reach the lost. We as brothers and sisters in Christ should love the people in the world so much that we will be offering some of our spare time for preaching work.
We are the hope of the lost
Luckily it is not all ad or sad news.
Good News!
tells brother Downes is that we can look at
- 120 baptisms a year (4 average sized ecclesias)
- In the last 40 years, 39 new ecclesias. (Although 96 have closed & some were renamed).
- In the last 15 years,1/4 of all baptisms from non Christadelphian backgrounds were by just 16 ecclesias. (Although 1/3 didn’t baptise any)
- While many ecclesias are shrinking many are growing.
- Numbers in Africa are growing!
- Bible Learning Centres & Learning English are having a big impact
Instead of going for Plan A is it not better that we go for Plan B?
Plan A discussed at the Big Conversation of 2015 October 10 at Dudley college, UK- Current UK Christadelphian population of 8-8500 is based on 223 2015 ALS Diary returns on households & 178 2015 CCH survey returns. 10 Ecclesias had neither return and were estimated on previous diary returns.
- 1985 to 2015 data based on records kept from the back of the Christadelphian, clearly subject to some error, gaps and misreporting. The last 12 months of Magazine entries were analysed separately and yielded results consistent with the records obtained.
- Net loss of 120 per annum and the 10, 5, 1 ratio derived from average of last 10 years data. Approx 240 out and 120 in. These do not include brothers and sisters movement in and out of the UK.
- Forecast from 2015 based on a linear continuation which could easily be a) more dramatic because of rapid closure of small ecclesias, ageing population, reduced home pool to draw from, fewer people to witness, higher rates of leaving the community b) less dramatic as in a smaller community there are fewer people falling asleep each year.
One of the deceases of this time is that too many people want to enjoy their own little cocoon and not getting out of their comfort zone to share life with the spiritually needy. Those who call themselves Christian may not forget that this means to be a follower of Jesus Christ and demands also doing what he required from his followers. Jesus asked us to go out in the world to proclaim the Kingdom of God. We are to make every effort to bring hope and healing in Jesus name to those in need.
We are to see that the tangible goodness of God flows into every nook and cranny of our communities – especially in those places where darkness seems to prevail. {Walking With Intentionality}
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Preceding articles:
Religious Practices around the world
Manifests for believers #3 Catholic versus Protestant
Ecclesia to exist, grow and communities to have people communicating with each other
The Ecclesia in the churchsystem
The Big Conversation follow up
Reasons why you may not miss the opportunity to go to a Small Church
Engaging the culture without losing the gospel
Evangelisation, local preaching opposite overseas evangelism
Feeling-good, search for happiness and the church
Members of the ecclesia uniting and seeking God’s help in tribulation
Why we do not have our worship-services in a church building
Belgian Christadelphians 2013 & 2014 in review
Personal thoughts, communication, establishing ecclesia and guest writings
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Additional reading:
- People are turning their back on Christianity
- Looking on what is going on and not being of it
- London an exaggerated microcosm of the UK at large
- Parents forbidden to pray in front of their children or to take them to church
- State and attitude of certain people to blame for radicalisation
- More Muslim children than Christian children growing up in our cities
- Will Islam conquer Europe
- Christianity to be enshrined
- Halloween custom of the nations
- Wrong ideas about religious terrorism
- A call easy to understand
- Discipleship way of life on the narrow way to everlasting life
- Many forgot how Christ should be our anchor and our focus
- The meek one riding on an ass
- Do not be afraid to learn or to speak
- Reasons to come together
- Congregate, to gather, to meet
- Fellowship
- Disciple of Christ counting lives and friends dear to them
- The first on the list of the concerns of the saint
- Holiness and expression of worship coming from inside
- To find ways of Godly understanding
- Perishable non theologians daring to go out to preach
- Who are the honest ones?
- Certain people trying to stem freedom of speech
- Priority to form a loving brotherhood
- Newsweek asks: How ignorant are you?
- Religious Freedom in a Multicultural World
- Some christians do have problems with the Christian connection with Jews
- American atheists most religiously literate Americans
- Determine the drive
- Try driving forward instead of backwards
- Campbell, Thomas and Bijbelvorsers
- Looking at older articles series over Russell on the previous Bible-scholar Association
- Wanting to know more about basic teachings of Christadelphianism
- Christadelphians or Messianic Christians or Messianic Jews
- Christadelphian people
- Who are Christadelphians
- What are Brothers in Christ
- Two new encyclopaedic articles
- Christadelphians today
- Keeping an ecclesia in modern times
- Small churches of the few Christadelphians
- Christianity to be enshrined
- Christianity is a love affair
- Intentions of an Ecclesia
- Character transformed by the influence of our fellowships
- Love for each other attracting others
- What makes a consecrated Christian
- A call easy to understand
- If you have integrity
- Work with joy and pray with love
- To know Christ is filling life with meaning
- The truth is very plain to see and God can be clearly seen
+++
Other articles of interest:
- Walking in Total Dependence Upon God
- What is God’s Will For Your Life?
- On the Affirmation of Scripture
- A Snapshot of the Church in America
- a little church
- Four Pressing Needs in Rural Communities, and How the Church Should Respond
- If It’s All About Relationship…
- Leading a church is not a hands free exercise
- Walking With Intentionality
- Living Our Faith in a New Way
- What’s in It for Me?
- Deacon Selection In the Small Church
- Lord’s Day 10: God is in Control
- Just Try a Few Things
- “When Faith Goes, All Good Things Go”
- Growing Deep
- All the Wrong Reasons
- Little Church
- Leading Change
- Small Groups & Grow A Small Church by Multiplying Its Small Groups
- Living well
- Blessed by His Hand
- Encouragement for the Small
- How Did You Get Here?
- How to Impersonate a Big Church
- What Do You Do Well?
- Recognize the Facts
- What are your top two struggles?
- The Best Thing You Can Do
- On the road to sainthood and not silent about it
- Incognito Zone: Where the Church Is Booming
- House Church Reaches Out to Atheists, Agnostics in California
- The one religion that’s not part of my spiritual quest
- Six Ways Not to Forsake the Assembly
- Tent Making
- Journey On The Narrow Path
+++
Related articles
- One in three people born in the UK this year will suffer from some form of dementia in their lifetime, the Alzheimer’s Research UK charity has warned. (grumpyelder.com)
- Israel Goldstein Youth Village looking for dates in Europe (christadelphianworld.blogspot.com)
- Looking for writers for two Lifestyle Magazines (christadelphianworld.blogspot.com)
- Change of name (christadelphianworld.blogspot.com)
Rate this:
#AdultBaptism #Agape #BeingInUnion #Belgium #BiblicalTruth #BrothersAndSistersInChrist #BrothersInChrist #CapitalistWorld #Christadelphian #ChristadelphianCommunity #Christadelphians #Christendom #ChristianChurches #ChristianTruth #Christians #ChurchOfJesusChrist #ComfortZone #DwindlingChurch #Ecclesia #Fellowship #FollowerOfChrist #FollowingJesusChrist #FollowingMan #GreatBritain #HopeOfEcclesia #Influence #InterestInGod #Ireland #JohnThomas #JonDownes #LeavingTheFellowship #LivingInThisWorld #LoversOfChrist #LoversOfGod #Minority #NorthOfAmerica #NumbersAmount_ #PaganFestivities #Preaching #PreachingWork #Proclaim #Proclaiming #ReachingTheLost #Refellowshipping #RuleOfPractice #SistersInChrist #SmallCommunity #TeachingsOfChrist #Temptation #Union #UnitedKingdom #Unity #UnityInChrist #UnityInDiversity #WayOfLiving #WordOfMan
-
The Big Conversation – Christadelphians in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom people may find several villages and towns where there reside Christadelphians, a body of Christians who try to base their beliefs and practices wholly on the Bible, which they regard as God’s word. They try therefore to rid themselves of the various ideas and rituals which have attached themselves to Christendom over the last 2,000 years and to return to the beliefs and practices of the first century apostles.
Being a group of people who want to follow the Nazarene Jew Jeshua, who did not want to do his own will, but always did the Will of his heavenly Father, they as the man born in Bethlehem, are living in this world but not wanting to be of this world following human traditions and human dogmas. That does not make them so popular, because people may look strange at those people who do not want to celebrate Halloween and other pagan festivities.
Because the Christadelphians are a community without the trappings of elaborate buildings, priests or icons, their institutions and fellowship-rooms not be seen straight away. The outer sights are not important for the Christadelphians who prefer to give honour to God and show a deep respect for God’s word and love to have a strong sense of family and fellowship.
On the above map you can see some of the more than 300 ecclesiae in Great Britain and Ireland. They were taken under the loop by brother Jon Downes who on the 10th of October asked
What is happening?
For him the present size & growth or non-growth of UK ecclesiae show there isn’t a, ‘No Change’ option
It’s not that we aren’t trying!
he said to about 350 Christadelphians present at Dudley college.
In this world of figures, comparisons and evaluations it is all about numbers in graphics which have to show an up-going trend and reach high peaks. this for sure can not be said about our very small community. Lots of people may think when it is not big it has no value and can not be good. But people should look at the intrinsic value and to see what a group or church is believing, following up, and how they keep to what they preach. It is true that minorities do not exert influence, and that they should have to contend on the culture or the systems around it.
Christadelphians do not fall in the temptation to pretend to be a majority, even if one is not. They do know they are just a little grain of sand in our religious world. But that does not mean that many more little grains can be put together with water and with clay form a nice vase. Though sometimes it can look like we are coming to sit more in an urn. Especially in Belgium we are in distress and can do with some support form abroad. Though looking at other countries can show us also how important it is to make more work of the announcing or making known of our society.
All over the world people may not forget that the church of Jesus Christ is never a majority, in any fallen culture, even if we happen to outnumber every[one] else around us. They should come to see that the real church of God is the church of Christ were people are willing to follow Jesus his words, his teachings, but also his manners and his aspirations. It is a place where people are willing to share the agapè love of Christ, who was even willing to give his life for others, even for those who turned against him. Would we do that?
Where Christian churches have held fast to the truth that the Holy Scriptures have been given by God as an authoritative and infallible rule of faith and practice, they have never wandered very seriously out of the right way. But when, on the other hand, reason has been exalted above revelation, and made the the exponent of revelation, all kinds of errors and mischiefs have been the result, and got many sorts of denominations which have lots of rituals people may like very much but which are not according to God’s Law. And that part is the most important in our building community. We should all try to live according God’s Law and love His Words more than the words of man.
Unfortunately, lots of Christians do not closely follow the Bible today and prefer to join churches in which they can keep up their human traditions. They have changed things to how they want them to be.
Since the times of Jesus, there have been small groups of people who believed what the Bible said. Many of these people were cruelly treated in times past as a result of their beliefs. Such believers united in the North of America when in 1864 broke out the Civil War. Dr. Thomas thought up the word “Christadelphian“, a name combining the name “Christ” with the Greek word “adelphi” meaning “brother”. So the name “Christadelphian” means “brothers and sisters in Christ“.Christadelphians are grateful to John Thomas for his efforts in searching out the message of the Bible. John Thomas was not a prophet or someone special. He read the Bible, just as we try to do. Christadelphians follow Jesus Christ, not John Thomas. Not following just one man or just one human organisation gives that we may have different ideas about certain things, but that doe snot mean we would not have union with each other, though we must agree that there are certain Christadelphian groups who shamefully do not want to have contact with other Christadelphians. According to the Belgian Free Christadelphians this is also part of the reasons why it is so difficult to show the world a bigger group of religious people under one name: Christadelphians.
Being joined together by our common faith in the Bible, and the way we live, we all should try to meet each other and have contact with each other as loving siblings. All being brothers and sisters in Christ. Though each “ecclesia” has to look after its own affairs, and choose members who determine arrangements and organise activities on behalf of their members they should feel that unity with Christ with other Christadelphians world wide and show the outside world that Jesus Christ is their head of each ecclesia.
Living in this world we do agree that “It’s not about the numbers” … …but the “numbers tell a story”. And those numbers in west Europe may be alarming. Therefore there was the call to come thereto in the UK to discuss that matter of dwindling ciphers.
Like any other western capitalist country in the UK Bible ownership and Bible knowledge has slumped, some english people also do find it a form of indoctrination when parents in their home pray and talk about God in front of their children of that child.
Jon Downes presented the anxious members a snapshot of our society in the UK.
and showed those present how a typical ecclesia looks like.
When we look at the adult baptisms in our community from related people (3,5) and from non related
(1.0) plus counting the (0.5) refellowshipping members, comparing them with the average of 10 people falling asleep and 2 people leaving the fellowship, we might say that such numbers bring the graphic line downwards.What might happen to the Christadelphian community in the United Kingdom when they do not something to change the coarse.
happened.
Therefore lets look at the United Kingdom as an example.
what might this give to that community, where we find, like everywhere in the world members becoming older and dying, whilst the world is getting less interested in God and commandment.
In case we can bring the Gospel of the Good News to many more ears, we should be able by a co-effort of preaching to increase the interest in God again and get again some people interested in joining a community of lovers of Christ and lovers of God.
We must see that
The lost are our hope
and that there is good reason to try to reach the lost. We as brothers and sisters in Christ should love the people in the world so much that we will be offering some of our spare time for preaching work.
We are the hope of the lost
Luckily it is not all ad or sad news.
Good News!
tells brother Downes is that we can look at
- 120 baptisms a year (4 average sized ecclesias)
- In the last 40 years, 39 new ecclesias. (Although 96 have closed & some were renamed).
- In the last 15 years,1/4 of all baptisms from non Christadelphian backgrounds were by just 16 ecclesias. (Although 1/3 didn’t baptise any)
- While many ecclesias are shrinking many are growing.
- Numbers in Africa are growing!
- Bible Learning Centres & Learning English are having a big impact
Instead of going for Plan A is it not better that we go for Plan B?
Plan A discussed at the Big Conversation of 2015 October 10 at Dudley college, UK- Current UK Christadelphian population of 8-8500 is based on 223 2015 ALS Diary returns on households & 178 2015 CCH survey returns. 10 Ecclesias had neither return and were estimated on previous diary returns.
- 1985 to 2015 data based on records kept from the back of the Christadelphian, clearly subject to some error, gaps and misreporting. The last 12 months of Magazine entries were analysed separately and yielded results consistent with the records obtained.
- Net loss of 120 per annum and the 10, 5, 1 ratio derived from average of last 10 years data. Approx 240 out and 120 in. These do not include brothers and sisters movement in and out of the UK.
- Forecast from 2015 based on a linear continuation which could easily be a) more dramatic because of rapid closure of small ecclesias, ageing population, reduced home pool to draw from, fewer people to witness, higher rates of leaving the community b) less dramatic as in a smaller community there are fewer people falling asleep each year.
One of the deceases of this time is that too many people want to enjoy their own little cocoon and not getting out of their comfort zone to share life with the spiritually needy. Those who call themselves Christian may not forget that this means to be a follower of Jesus Christ and demands also doing what he required from his followers. Jesus asked us to go out in the world to proclaim the Kingdom of God. We are to make every effort to bring hope and healing in Jesus name to those in need.
We are to see that the tangible goodness of God flows into every nook and cranny of our communities – especially in those places where darkness seems to prevail. {Walking With Intentionality}
+
Preceding articles:
Religious Practices around the world
Manifests for believers #3 Catholic versus Protestant
Ecclesia to exist, grow and communities to have people communicating with each other
The Ecclesia in the churchsystem
The Big Conversation follow up
Reasons why you may not miss the opportunity to go to a Small Church
Engaging the culture without losing the gospel
Evangelisation, local preaching opposite overseas evangelism
Feeling-good, search for happiness and the church
Members of the ecclesia uniting and seeking God’s help in tribulation
Why we do not have our worship-services in a church building
Belgian Christadelphians 2013 & 2014 in review
Personal thoughts, communication, establishing ecclesia and guest writings
++
Additional reading:
- People are turning their back on Christianity
- Looking on what is going on and not being of it
- London an exaggerated microcosm of the UK at large
- Parents forbidden to pray in front of their children or to take them to church
- State and attitude of certain people to blame for radicalisation
- More Muslim children than Christian children growing up in our cities
- Will Islam conquer Europe
- Christianity to be enshrined
- Halloween custom of the nations
- Wrong ideas about religious terrorism
- A call easy to understand
- Discipleship way of life on the narrow way to everlasting life
- Many forgot how Christ should be our anchor and our focus
- The meek one riding on an ass
- Do not be afraid to learn or to speak
- Reasons to come together
- Congregate, to gather, to meet
- Fellowship
- Disciple of Christ counting lives and friends dear to them
- The first on the list of the concerns of the saint
- Holiness and expression of worship coming from inside
- To find ways of Godly understanding
- Perishable non theologians daring to go out to preach
- Who are the honest ones?
- Certain people trying to stem freedom of speech
- Priority to form a loving brotherhood
- Newsweek asks: How ignorant are you?
- Religious Freedom in a Multicultural World
- Some christians do have problems with the Christian connection with Jews
- American atheists most religiously literate Americans
- Determine the drive
- Try driving forward instead of backwards
- Campbell, Thomas and Bijbelvorsers
- Looking at older articles series over Russell on the previous Bible-scholar Association
- Wanting to know more about basic teachings of Christadelphianism
- Christadelphians or Messianic Christians or Messianic Jews
- Christadelphian people
- Who are Christadelphians
- What are Brothers in Christ
- Two new encyclopaedic articles
- Christadelphians today
- Keeping an ecclesia in modern times
- Small churches of the few Christadelphians
- Christianity to be enshrined
- Christianity is a love affair
- Intentions of an Ecclesia
- Character transformed by the influence of our fellowships
- Love for each other attracting others
- What makes a consecrated Christian
- A call easy to understand
- If you have integrity
- Work with joy and pray with love
- To know Christ is filling life with meaning
- The truth is very plain to see and God can be clearly seen
+++
Other articles of interest:
- Walking in Total Dependence Upon God
- What is God’s Will For Your Life?
- On the Affirmation of Scripture
- A Snapshot of the Church in America
- a little church
- Four Pressing Needs in Rural Communities, and How the Church Should Respond
- If It’s All About Relationship…
- Leading a church is not a hands free exercise
- Walking With Intentionality
- Living Our Faith in a New Way
- What’s in It for Me?
- Deacon Selection In the Small Church
- Lord’s Day 10: God is in Control
- Just Try a Few Things
- “When Faith Goes, All Good Things Go”
- Growing Deep
- All the Wrong Reasons
- Little Church
- Leading Change
- Small Groups & Grow A Small Church by Multiplying Its Small Groups
- Living well
- Blessed by His Hand
- Encouragement for the Small
- How Did You Get Here?
- How to Impersonate a Big Church
- What Do You Do Well?
- Recognize the Facts
- What are your top two struggles?
- The Best Thing You Can Do
- On the road to sainthood and not silent about it
- Incognito Zone: Where the Church Is Booming
- House Church Reaches Out to Atheists, Agnostics in California
- The one religion that’s not part of my spiritual quest
- Six Ways Not to Forsake the Assembly
- Tent Making
- Journey On The Narrow Path
+++
Related articles
- One in three people born in the UK this year will suffer from some form of dementia in their lifetime, the Alzheimer’s Research UK charity has warned. (grumpyelder.com)
- Israel Goldstein Youth Village looking for dates in Europe (christadelphianworld.blogspot.com)
- Looking for writers for two Lifestyle Magazines (christadelphianworld.blogspot.com)
- Change of name (christadelphianworld.blogspot.com)
Rate this:
#AdultBaptism #Agape #BeingInUnion #Belgium #BiblicalTruth #BrothersAndSistersInChrist #BrothersInChrist #CapitalistWorld #Christadelphian #ChristadelphianCommunity #Christadelphians #Christendom #ChristianChurches #ChristianTruth #Christians #ChurchOfJesusChrist #ComfortZone #DwindlingChurch #Ecclesia #Fellowship #FollowerOfChrist #FollowingJesusChrist #FollowingMan #GreatBritain #HopeOfEcclesia #Influence #InterestInGod #Ireland #JohnThomas #JonDownes #LeavingTheFellowship #LivingInThisWorld #LoversOfChrist #LoversOfGod #Minority #NorthOfAmerica #NumbersAmount_ #PaganFestivities #Preaching #PreachingWork #Proclaim #Proclaiming #ReachingTheLost #Refellowshipping #RuleOfPractice #SistersInChrist #SmallCommunity #TeachingsOfChrist #Temptation #Union #UnitedKingdom #Unity #UnityInChrist #UnityInDiversity #WayOfLiving #WordOfMan
-
The Big Conversation – Christadelphians in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom people may find several villages and towns where there reside Christadelphians, a body of Christians who try to base their beliefs and practices wholly on the Bible, which they regard as God’s word. They try therefore to rid themselves of the various ideas and rituals which have attached themselves to Christendom over the last 2,000 years and to return to the beliefs and practices of the first century apostles.
Being a group of people who want to follow the Nazarene Jew Jeshua, who did not want to do his own will, but always did the Will of his heavenly Father, they as the man born in Bethlehem, are living in this world but not wanting to be of this world following human traditions and human dogmas. That does not make them so popular, because people may look strange at those people who do not want to celebrate Halloween and other pagan festivities.
Because the Christadelphians are a community without the trappings of elaborate buildings, priests or icons, their institutions and fellowship-rooms not be seen straight away. The outer sights are not important for the Christadelphians who prefer to give honour to God and show a deep respect for God’s word and love to have a strong sense of family and fellowship.
On the above map you can see some of the more than 300 ecclesiae in Great Britain and Ireland. They were taken under the loop by brother Jon Downes who on the 10th of October asked
What is happening?
For him the present size & growth or non-growth of UK ecclesiae show there isn’t a, ‘No Change’ option
It’s not that we aren’t trying!
he said to about 350 Christadelphians present at Dudley college.
In this world of figures, comparisons and evaluations it is all about numbers in graphics which have to show an up-going trend and reach high peaks. this for sure can not be said about our very small community. Lots of people may think when it is not big it has no value and can not be good. But people should look at the intrinsic value and to see what a group or church is believing, following up, and how they keep to what they preach. It is true that minorities do not exert influence, and that they should have to contend on the culture or the systems around it.
Christadelphians do not fall in the temptation to pretend to be a majority, even if one is not. They do know they are just a little grain of sand in our religious world. But that does not mean that many more little grains can be put together with water and with clay form a nice vase. Though sometimes it can look like we are coming to sit more in an urn. Especially in Belgium we are in distress and can do with some support form abroad. Though looking at other countries can show us also how important it is to make more work of the announcing or making known of our society.
All over the world people may not forget that the church of Jesus Christ is never a majority, in any fallen culture, even if we happen to outnumber every[one] else around us. They should come to see that the real church of God is the church of Christ were people are willing to follow Jesus his words, his teachings, but also his manners and his aspirations. It is a place where people are willing to share the agapè love of Christ, who was even willing to give his life for others, even for those who turned against him. Would we do that?
Where Christian churches have held fast to the truth that the Holy Scriptures have been given by God as an authoritative and infallible rule of faith and practice, they have never wandered very seriously out of the right way. But when, on the other hand, reason has been exalted above revelation, and made the the exponent of revelation, all kinds of errors and mischiefs have been the result, and got many sorts of denominations which have lots of rituals people may like very much but which are not according to God’s Law. And that part is the most important in our building community. We should all try to live according God’s Law and love His Words more than the words of man.
Unfortunately, lots of Christians do not closely follow the Bible today and prefer to join churches in which they can keep up their human traditions. They have changed things to how they want them to be.
Since the times of Jesus, there have been small groups of people who believed what the Bible said. Many of these people were cruelly treated in times past as a result of their beliefs. Such believers united in the North of America when in 1864 broke out the Civil War. Dr. Thomas thought up the word “Christadelphian“, a name combining the name “Christ” with the Greek word “adelphi” meaning “brother”. So the name “Christadelphian” means “brothers and sisters in Christ“.Christadelphians are grateful to John Thomas for his efforts in searching out the message of the Bible. John Thomas was not a prophet or someone special. He read the Bible, just as we try to do. Christadelphians follow Jesus Christ, not John Thomas. Not following just one man or just one human organisation gives that we may have different ideas about certain things, but that doe snot mean we would not have union with each other, though we must agree that there are certain Christadelphian groups who shamefully do not want to have contact with other Christadelphians. According to the Belgian Free Christadelphians this is also part of the reasons why it is so difficult to show the world a bigger group of religious people under one name: Christadelphians.
Being joined together by our common faith in the Bible, and the way we live, we all should try to meet each other and have contact with each other as loving siblings. All being brothers and sisters in Christ. Though each “ecclesia” has to look after its own affairs, and choose members who determine arrangements and organise activities on behalf of their members they should feel that unity with Christ with other Christadelphians world wide and show the outside world that Jesus Christ is their head of each ecclesia.
Living in this world we do agree that “It’s not about the numbers” … …but the “numbers tell a story”. And those numbers in west Europe may be alarming. Therefore there was the call to come thereto in the UK to discuss that matter of dwindling ciphers.
Like any other western capitalist country in the UK Bible ownership and Bible knowledge has slumped, some english people also do find it a form of indoctrination when parents in their home pray and talk about God in front of their children of that child.
Jon Downes presented the anxious members a snapshot of our society in the UK.
and showed those present how a typical ecclesia looks like.
When we look at the adult baptisms in our community from related people (3,5) and from non related
(1.0) plus counting the (0.5) refellowshipping members, comparing them with the average of 10 people falling asleep and 2 people leaving the fellowship, we might say that such numbers bring the graphic line downwards.What might happen to the Christadelphian community in the United Kingdom when they do not something to change the coarse.
happened.
Therefore lets look at the United Kingdom as an example.
what might this give to that community, where we find, like everywhere in the world members becoming older and dying, whilst the world is getting less interested in God and commandment.
In case we can bring the Gospel of the Good News to many more ears, we should be able by a co-effort of preaching to increase the interest in God again and get again some people interested in joining a community of lovers of Christ and lovers of God.
We must see that
The lost are our hope
and that there is good reason to try to reach the lost. We as brothers and sisters in Christ should love the people in the world so much that we will be offering some of our spare time for preaching work.
We are the hope of the lost
Luckily it is not all ad or sad news.
Good News!
tells brother Downes is that we can look at
- 120 baptisms a year (4 average sized ecclesias)
- In the last 40 years, 39 new ecclesias. (Although 96 have closed & some were renamed).
- In the last 15 years,1/4 of all baptisms from non Christadelphian backgrounds were by just 16 ecclesias. (Although 1/3 didn’t baptise any)
- While many ecclesias are shrinking many are growing.
- Numbers in Africa are growing!
- Bible Learning Centres & Learning English are having a big impact
Instead of going for Plan A is it not better that we go for Plan B?
Plan A discussed at the Big Conversation of 2015 October 10 at Dudley college, UK- Current UK Christadelphian population of 8-8500 is based on 223 2015 ALS Diary returns on households & 178 2015 CCH survey returns. 10 Ecclesias had neither return and were estimated on previous diary returns.
- 1985 to 2015 data based on records kept from the back of the Christadelphian, clearly subject to some error, gaps and misreporting. The last 12 months of Magazine entries were analysed separately and yielded results consistent with the records obtained.
- Net loss of 120 per annum and the 10, 5, 1 ratio derived from average of last 10 years data. Approx 240 out and 120 in. These do not include brothers and sisters movement in and out of the UK.
- Forecast from 2015 based on a linear continuation which could easily be a) more dramatic because of rapid closure of small ecclesias, ageing population, reduced home pool to draw from, fewer people to witness, higher rates of leaving the community b) less dramatic as in a smaller community there are fewer people falling asleep each year.
One of the deceases of this time is that too many people want to enjoy their own little cocoon and not getting out of their comfort zone to share life with the spiritually needy. Those who call themselves Christian may not forget that this means to be a follower of Jesus Christ and demands also doing what he required from his followers. Jesus asked us to go out in the world to proclaim the Kingdom of God. We are to make every effort to bring hope and healing in Jesus name to those in need.
We are to see that the tangible goodness of God flows into every nook and cranny of our communities – especially in those places where darkness seems to prevail. {Walking With Intentionality}
+
Preceding articles:
Religious Practices around the world
Manifests for believers #3 Catholic versus Protestant
Ecclesia to exist, grow and communities to have people communicating with each other
The Ecclesia in the churchsystem
The Big Conversation follow up
Reasons why you may not miss the opportunity to go to a Small Church
Engaging the culture without losing the gospel
Evangelisation, local preaching opposite overseas evangelism
Feeling-good, search for happiness and the church
Members of the ecclesia uniting and seeking God’s help in tribulation
Why we do not have our worship-services in a church building
Belgian Christadelphians 2013 & 2014 in review
Personal thoughts, communication, establishing ecclesia and guest writings
++
Additional reading:
- People are turning their back on Christianity
- Looking on what is going on and not being of it
- London an exaggerated microcosm of the UK at large
- Parents forbidden to pray in front of their children or to take them to church
- State and attitude of certain people to blame for radicalisation
- More Muslim children than Christian children growing up in our cities
- Will Islam conquer Europe
- Christianity to be enshrined
- Halloween custom of the nations
- Wrong ideas about religious terrorism
- A call easy to understand
- Discipleship way of life on the narrow way to everlasting life
- Many forgot how Christ should be our anchor and our focus
- The meek one riding on an ass
- Do not be afraid to learn or to speak
- Reasons to come together
- Congregate, to gather, to meet
- Fellowship
- Disciple of Christ counting lives and friends dear to them
- The first on the list of the concerns of the saint
- Holiness and expression of worship coming from inside
- To find ways of Godly understanding
- Perishable non theologians daring to go out to preach
- Who are the honest ones?
- Certain people trying to stem freedom of speech
- Priority to form a loving brotherhood
- Newsweek asks: How ignorant are you?
- Religious Freedom in a Multicultural World
- Some christians do have problems with the Christian connection with Jews
- American atheists most religiously literate Americans
- Determine the drive
- Try driving forward instead of backwards
- Campbell, Thomas and Bijbelvorsers
- Looking at older articles series over Russell on the previous Bible-scholar Association
- Wanting to know more about basic teachings of Christadelphianism
- Christadelphians or Messianic Christians or Messianic Jews
- Christadelphian people
- Who are Christadelphians
- What are Brothers in Christ
- Two new encyclopaedic articles
- Christadelphians today
- Keeping an ecclesia in modern times
- Small churches of the few Christadelphians
- Christianity to be enshrined
- Christianity is a love affair
- Intentions of an Ecclesia
- Character transformed by the influence of our fellowships
- Love for each other attracting others
- What makes a consecrated Christian
- A call easy to understand
- If you have integrity
- Work with joy and pray with love
- To know Christ is filling life with meaning
- The truth is very plain to see and God can be clearly seen
+++
Other articles of interest:
- Walking in Total Dependence Upon God
- What is God’s Will For Your Life?
- On the Affirmation of Scripture
- A Snapshot of the Church in America
- a little church
- Four Pressing Needs in Rural Communities, and How the Church Should Respond
- If It’s All About Relationship…
- Leading a church is not a hands free exercise
- Walking With Intentionality
- Living Our Faith in a New Way
- What’s in It for Me?
- Deacon Selection In the Small Church
- Lord’s Day 10: God is in Control
- Just Try a Few Things
- “When Faith Goes, All Good Things Go”
- Growing Deep
- All the Wrong Reasons
- Little Church
- Leading Change
- Small Groups & Grow A Small Church by Multiplying Its Small Groups
- Living well
- Blessed by His Hand
- Encouragement for the Small
- How Did You Get Here?
- How to Impersonate a Big Church
- What Do You Do Well?
- Recognize the Facts
- What are your top two struggles?
- The Best Thing You Can Do
- On the road to sainthood and not silent about it
- Incognito Zone: Where the Church Is Booming
- House Church Reaches Out to Atheists, Agnostics in California
- The one religion that’s not part of my spiritual quest
- Six Ways Not to Forsake the Assembly
- Tent Making
- Journey On The Narrow Path
+++
Related articles
- One in three people born in the UK this year will suffer from some form of dementia in their lifetime, the Alzheimer’s Research UK charity has warned. (grumpyelder.com)
- Israel Goldstein Youth Village looking for dates in Europe (christadelphianworld.blogspot.com)
- Looking for writers for two Lifestyle Magazines (christadelphianworld.blogspot.com)
- Change of name (christadelphianworld.blogspot.com)
Rate this:
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The Big Conversation – Christadelphians in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom people may find several villages and towns where there reside Christadelphians, a body of Christians who try to base their beliefs and practices wholly on the Bible, which they regard as God’s word. They try therefore to rid themselves of the various ideas and rituals which have attached themselves to Christendom over the last 2,000 years and to return to the beliefs and practices of the first century apostles.
Being a group of people who want to follow the Nazarene Jew Jeshua, who did not want to do his own will, but always did the Will of his heavenly Father, they as the man born in Bethlehem, are living in this world but not wanting to be of this world following human traditions and human dogmas. That does not make them so popular, because people may look strange at those people who do not want to celebrate Halloween and other pagan festivities.
Because the Christadelphians are a community without the trappings of elaborate buildings, priests or icons, their institutions and fellowship-rooms not be seen straight away. The outer sights are not important for the Christadelphians who prefer to give honour to God and show a deep respect for God’s word and love to have a strong sense of family and fellowship.
On the above map you can see some of the more than 300 ecclesiae in Great Britain and Ireland. They were taken under the loop by brother Jon Downes who on the 10th of October asked
What is happening?
For him the present size & growth or non-growth of UK ecclesiae show there isn’t a, ‘No Change’ option
It’s not that we aren’t trying!
he said to about 350 Christadelphians present at Dudley college.
In this world of figures, comparisons and evaluations it is all about numbers in graphics which have to show an up-going trend and reach high peaks. this for sure can not be said about our very small community. Lots of people may think when it is not big it has no value and can not be good. But people should look at the intrinsic value and to see what a group or church is believing, following up, and how they keep to what they preach. It is true that minorities do not exert influence, and that they should have to contend on the culture or the systems around it.
Christadelphians do not fall in the temptation to pretend to be a majority, even if one is not. They do know they are just a little grain of sand in our religious world. But that does not mean that many more little grains can be put together with water and with clay form a nice vase. Though sometimes it can look like we are coming to sit more in an urn. Especially in Belgium we are in distress and can do with some support form abroad. Though looking at other countries can show us also how important it is to make more work of the announcing or making known of our society.
All over the world people may not forget that the church of Jesus Christ is never a majority, in any fallen culture, even if we happen to outnumber every[one] else around us. They should come to see that the real church of God is the church of Christ were people are willing to follow Jesus his words, his teachings, but also his manners and his aspirations. It is a place where people are willing to share the agapè love of Christ, who was even willing to give his life for others, even for those who turned against him. Would we do that?
Where Christian churches have held fast to the truth that the Holy Scriptures have been given by God as an authoritative and infallible rule of faith and practice, they have never wandered very seriously out of the right way. But when, on the other hand, reason has been exalted above revelation, and made the the exponent of revelation, all kinds of errors and mischiefs have been the result, and got many sorts of denominations which have lots of rituals people may like very much but which are not according to God’s Law. And that part is the most important in our building community. We should all try to live according God’s Law and love His Words more than the words of man.
Unfortunately, lots of Christians do not closely follow the Bible today and prefer to join churches in which they can keep up their human traditions. They have changed things to how they want them to be.
Since the times of Jesus, there have been small groups of people who believed what the Bible said. Many of these people were cruelly treated in times past as a result of their beliefs. Such believers united in the North of America when in 1864 broke out the Civil War. Dr. Thomas thought up the word “Christadelphian“, a name combining the name “Christ” with the Greek word “adelphi” meaning “brother”. So the name “Christadelphian” means “brothers and sisters in Christ“.Christadelphians are grateful to John Thomas for his efforts in searching out the message of the Bible. John Thomas was not a prophet or someone special. He read the Bible, just as we try to do. Christadelphians follow Jesus Christ, not John Thomas. Not following just one man or just one human organisation gives that we may have different ideas about certain things, but that doe snot mean we would not have union with each other, though we must agree that there are certain Christadelphian groups who shamefully do not want to have contact with other Christadelphians. According to the Belgian Free Christadelphians this is also part of the reasons why it is so difficult to show the world a bigger group of religious people under one name: Christadelphians.
Being joined together by our common faith in the Bible, and the way we live, we all should try to meet each other and have contact with each other as loving siblings. All being brothers and sisters in Christ. Though each “ecclesia” has to look after its own affairs, and choose members who determine arrangements and organise activities on behalf of their members they should feel that unity with Christ with other Christadelphians world wide and show the outside world that Jesus Christ is their head of each ecclesia.
Living in this world we do agree that “It’s not about the numbers” … …but the “numbers tell a story”. And those numbers in west Europe may be alarming. Therefore there was the call to come thereto in the UK to discuss that matter of dwindling ciphers.
Like any other western capitalist country in the UK Bible ownership and Bible knowledge has slumped, some english people also do find it a form of indoctrination when parents in their home pray and talk about God in front of their children of that child.
Jon Downes presented the anxious members a snapshot of our society in the UK.
and showed those present how a typical ecclesia looks like.
When we look at the adult baptisms in our community from related people (3,5) and from non related
(1.0) plus counting the (0.5) refellowshipping members, comparing them with the average of 10 people falling asleep and 2 people leaving the fellowship, we might say that such numbers bring the graphic line downwards.What might happen to the Christadelphian community in the United Kingdom when they do not something to change the coarse.
happened.
Therefore lets look at the United Kingdom as an example.
what might this give to that community, where we find, like everywhere in the world members becoming older and dying, whilst the world is getting less interested in God and commandment.
In case we can bring the Gospel of the Good News to many more ears, we should be able by a co-effort of preaching to increase the interest in God again and get again some people interested in joining a community of lovers of Christ and lovers of God.
We must see that
The lost are our hope
and that there is good reason to try to reach the lost. We as brothers and sisters in Christ should love the people in the world so much that we will be offering some of our spare time for preaching work.
We are the hope of the lost
Luckily it is not all ad or sad news.
Good News!
tells brother Downes is that we can look at
- 120 baptisms a year (4 average sized ecclesias)
- In the last 40 years, 39 new ecclesias. (Although 96 have closed & some were renamed).
- In the last 15 years,1/4 of all baptisms from non Christadelphian backgrounds were by just 16 ecclesias. (Although 1/3 didn’t baptise any)
- While many ecclesias are shrinking many are growing.
- Numbers in Africa are growing!
- Bible Learning Centres & Learning English are having a big impact
Instead of going for Plan A is it not better that we go for Plan B?
Plan A discussed at the Big Conversation of 2015 October 10 at Dudley college, UK- Current UK Christadelphian population of 8-8500 is based on 223 2015 ALS Diary returns on households & 178 2015 CCH survey returns. 10 Ecclesias had neither return and were estimated on previous diary returns.
- 1985 to 2015 data based on records kept from the back of the Christadelphian, clearly subject to some error, gaps and misreporting. The last 12 months of Magazine entries were analysed separately and yielded results consistent with the records obtained.
- Net loss of 120 per annum and the 10, 5, 1 ratio derived from average of last 10 years data. Approx 240 out and 120 in. These do not include brothers and sisters movement in and out of the UK.
- Forecast from 2015 based on a linear continuation which could easily be a) more dramatic because of rapid closure of small ecclesias, ageing population, reduced home pool to draw from, fewer people to witness, higher rates of leaving the community b) less dramatic as in a smaller community there are fewer people falling asleep each year.
One of the deceases of this time is that too many people want to enjoy their own little cocoon and not getting out of their comfort zone to share life with the spiritually needy. Those who call themselves Christian may not forget that this means to be a follower of Jesus Christ and demands also doing what he required from his followers. Jesus asked us to go out in the world to proclaim the Kingdom of God. We are to make every effort to bring hope and healing in Jesus name to those in need.
We are to see that the tangible goodness of God flows into every nook and cranny of our communities – especially in those places where darkness seems to prevail. {Walking With Intentionality}
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Preceding articles:
Religious Practices around the world
Manifests for believers #3 Catholic versus Protestant
Ecclesia to exist, grow and communities to have people communicating with each other
The Ecclesia in the churchsystem
The Big Conversation follow up
Reasons why you may not miss the opportunity to go to a Small Church
Engaging the culture without losing the gospel
Evangelisation, local preaching opposite overseas evangelism
Feeling-good, search for happiness and the church
Members of the ecclesia uniting and seeking God’s help in tribulation
Why we do not have our worship-services in a church building
Belgian Christadelphians 2013 & 2014 in review
Personal thoughts, communication, establishing ecclesia and guest writings
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Additional reading:
- People are turning their back on Christianity
- Looking on what is going on and not being of it
- London an exaggerated microcosm of the UK at large
- Parents forbidden to pray in front of their children or to take them to church
- State and attitude of certain people to blame for radicalisation
- More Muslim children than Christian children growing up in our cities
- Will Islam conquer Europe
- Christianity to be enshrined
- Halloween custom of the nations
- Wrong ideas about religious terrorism
- A call easy to understand
- Discipleship way of life on the narrow way to everlasting life
- Many forgot how Christ should be our anchor and our focus
- The meek one riding on an ass
- Do not be afraid to learn or to speak
- Reasons to come together
- Congregate, to gather, to meet
- Fellowship
- Disciple of Christ counting lives and friends dear to them
- The first on the list of the concerns of the saint
- Holiness and expression of worship coming from inside
- To find ways of Godly understanding
- Perishable non theologians daring to go out to preach
- Who are the honest ones?
- Certain people trying to stem freedom of speech
- Priority to form a loving brotherhood
- Newsweek asks: How ignorant are you?
- Religious Freedom in a Multicultural World
- Some christians do have problems with the Christian connection with Jews
- American atheists most religiously literate Americans
- Determine the drive
- Try driving forward instead of backwards
- Campbell, Thomas and Bijbelvorsers
- Looking at older articles series over Russell on the previous Bible-scholar Association
- Wanting to know more about basic teachings of Christadelphianism
- Christadelphians or Messianic Christians or Messianic Jews
- Christadelphian people
- Who are Christadelphians
- What are Brothers in Christ
- Two new encyclopaedic articles
- Christadelphians today
- Keeping an ecclesia in modern times
- Small churches of the few Christadelphians
- Christianity to be enshrined
- Christianity is a love affair
- Intentions of an Ecclesia
- Character transformed by the influence of our fellowships
- Love for each other attracting others
- What makes a consecrated Christian
- A call easy to understand
- If you have integrity
- Work with joy and pray with love
- To know Christ is filling life with meaning
- The truth is very plain to see and God can be clearly seen
+++
Other articles of interest:
- Walking in Total Dependence Upon God
- What is God’s Will For Your Life?
- On the Affirmation of Scripture
- A Snapshot of the Church in America
- a little church
- Four Pressing Needs in Rural Communities, and How the Church Should Respond
- If It’s All About Relationship…
- Leading a church is not a hands free exercise
- Walking With Intentionality
- Living Our Faith in a New Way
- What’s in It for Me?
- Deacon Selection In the Small Church
- Lord’s Day 10: God is in Control
- Just Try a Few Things
- “When Faith Goes, All Good Things Go”
- Growing Deep
- All the Wrong Reasons
- Little Church
- Leading Change
- Small Groups & Grow A Small Church by Multiplying Its Small Groups
- Living well
- Blessed by His Hand
- Encouragement for the Small
- How Did You Get Here?
- How to Impersonate a Big Church
- What Do You Do Well?
- Recognize the Facts
- What are your top two struggles?
- The Best Thing You Can Do
- On the road to sainthood and not silent about it
- Incognito Zone: Where the Church Is Booming
- House Church Reaches Out to Atheists, Agnostics in California
- The one religion that’s not part of my spiritual quest
- Six Ways Not to Forsake the Assembly
- Tent Making
- Journey On The Narrow Path
+++
Related articles
- One in three people born in the UK this year will suffer from some form of dementia in their lifetime, the Alzheimer’s Research UK charity has warned. (grumpyelder.com)
- Israel Goldstein Youth Village looking for dates in Europe (christadelphianworld.blogspot.com)
- Looking for writers for two Lifestyle Magazines (christadelphianworld.blogspot.com)
- Change of name (christadelphianworld.blogspot.com)
Rate this:
#AdultBaptism #Agape #BeingInUnion #Belgium #BiblicalTruth #BrothersAndSistersInChrist #BrothersInChrist #CapitalistWorld #Christadelphian #ChristadelphianCommunity #Christadelphians #Christendom #ChristianChurches #ChristianTruth #Christians #ChurchOfJesusChrist #ComfortZone #DwindlingChurch #Ecclesia #Fellowship #FollowerOfChrist #FollowingJesusChrist #FollowingMan #GreatBritain #HopeOfEcclesia #Influence #InterestInGod #Ireland #JohnThomas #JonDownes #LeavingTheFellowship #LivingInThisWorld #LoversOfChrist #LoversOfGod #Minority #NorthOfAmerica #NumbersAmount_ #PaganFestivities #Preaching #PreachingWork #Proclaim #Proclaiming #ReachingTheLost #Refellowshipping #RuleOfPractice #SistersInChrist #SmallCommunity #TeachingsOfChrist #Temptation #Union #UnitedKingdom #Unity #UnityInChrist #UnityInDiversity #WayOfLiving #WordOfMan