How many churches are there in Midland, Michigan, USA?
At the beginning of the Book of Revelation, how many churches were in each of the seven cities in the province of Asia?
One?
Does this imply there is just one church in Midland?
What does this mean? Think about it.
All glory to God.
----------------------
UPDATE, July 28, 2022...
I discuss this in more detail in a subsequent post (Contradiction).
UPDATE, July 31, 2022...
Colin Thompson says it well...
This is written in love to all those who have been born from above, not of the will of man, nor of the flesh, but of the Spirit. To those who have heard the good message of repentance and remission of sins through the name of Jesus the Christ. Who have repented, been baptised in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins and sealed with the Holy Spirit; who have tasted the powers of the coming age. To those called to be the sons of God through faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus, the Christ. To all who would lay aside their own lives, that they might know Him, and the fellowship of His sufferings, and His resurrection life.
Nothing written here is intended for anyone else, nor to offend.
This was my second post after my Dear Wife died. The first one was about her, of course. With her death, I realized I was being activated to begin what the Father has called me to do, and what Jesus will help me do.
My job is to find and recognize those who have been "born from above" where I live. When I find them, I am to come along side them and walk with them so we can mutually build each other up as Jesus leads us. Jesus is building His 'Church,' his assembly of brothers and sisters who are collectively Jesus in the place where we live.
As Colin says in his article, Why Go To Church?, most people "go to church" because that is all they see.
...unless and until one is born of water and of the Holy Spirit one cannot see the Kingdom of God. It is not apparent in any way. (John 3.) We remain in the dark and the going to church alternative will seem the obvious way to go.
He continues...
Going to Church ... has always endured as the state approved mode of religion, even if it has been ‘tweaked’ from time to time. The prince of this world loves to have it so. And so ‘Going to church’ is always there as a stumbling block to those who desire to follow the Lord Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and the Truth. It presents itself as harmless, indeed, as beneficial. It can also appear as a relatively convenient, quick and easy way to ‘worship’ God or to ‘fellowship’ with brothers. The lack of a clear visible Holy Spirit anointed alternative is also a major challenge to us all at this present time.
God used my wife to shelter and nurture me while He prepared me to do this work. I believe she did a great job. After spending eleven (11) months in solitude, I was led to begin my work, and I believe I have found some of those I am meant to find. The parable of the mustard seed comes to mind...
Midland is a real challenge. There are some really dark things here, but the Father has me right where He wants me. It's going to be amazing.......
UPDATE, August 14, 2022...
In volleyball, the setter runs the offense. The team gets three contacts to get the ball back over the net to the other side. They pass the ball to the setter and he puts it into a position where a teammate can hit the ball so the other team cannot return it. That is usually done by "spiking" the ball hard to the floor.
There can't be any freelancing. There can't be any showboating. No selfishness. We must all work together as a team.
There is one game plan here. Jesus is the coach. He puts certain people into the game at certain times. I am out on the floor of the volleyball court. Who is with me? Who wants a set? Pass me the ball and I'll try to give you a good one. To quote my friend and former teammate, "Let's GO!!!!"
UPDATE, September 11, 2022...
1 Added the diagram of different kinds of sets.
UPDATE, September 12, 2022...
Oh, yeah! Crushed it! 😉
