Church Issues

Resisting the Temptation to Sideline the Lord’s Supper

Resisting the Temptation to Side-line the Lord’s Supper by Michael J. Penfold Church, in many parts of the world, has developed into a competitive, consumer-facing

Is “One Man Ministry” Scriptural?

Is “One Man Ministry” Scriptural? by Michael J Penfold A young man feels ‘called to the ministry’. His pastor recommends him to go to Bible

Why is Biblical Church Leadership Male?

Why is Biblical Church Leadership Male? by David K. Vallance God’s Word entrusts authority and leadership in human relationships to males. Thus, in local assembly

Is The Local Church Meant to Be Autonomous?

Is the Local Church Meant to be Autonomous? by Thomas Bentley No subject has provoked so much thought over the years of testimony, as the

“New Testament Church Basics” – Available in Portuguese

“New Testament Church Basics” – Available in Portuguese The book New Testament Church Basics (see here for the English edition), published by John Richie

Are Women to be Silent in Local Church Meetings?

Are Women to be Silent in Local Church Meetings? by Dan Shutt (MI, USA) In our secular, western world, any restrictions upon women suggests the

Does “Outward Appearance” Really Matter?

Do Appearances Really Matter? by Eugene Higgins (NJ, USA) We seem to be incurable creatures of extremes. Apogee and perigee have a strange appeal to

The Value of the Assembly’s Gospel Meeting

The Value of the Assembly’s Gospel Meeting by Norman Crawford (1927-2013) The gospel pioneers, who came to my home country of North America with a

Isn’t Everyone Gathered to His Name?

Isn’t Everyone Gathered to His Name? by Dr. A.J. Higgins (New Jersey, USA) Isn’t everyone gathered to the Name of the Lord Jesus? If you

The Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren (a critique)

The Purpose Driven Church (a critique) by Michael J. Penfold It’s a depressing statistic. A majority of Western churches do not see a single addition

My Reasons for not Being Free to Engage in Inter-denominational Service

My Reasons for not Being Free to Engage in Inter-denominational Service by William Trew (1902-1971) This is a transcript of a powerful and persuasive message

Can Musical Accompaniment in Church be Defended from the Greek Verb “Psallo”?

Can Musical Accompaniment in Church be Defended from the Greek Verb “Psallo”? by Vine, Fereday, Rodgers and Baillie Is the New Testament’s use of the

7 Reasons Not to Have A Church Movie Night (A.W. Tozer)

7 Reasons Not to Have A Church Movie Night by A.W. Tozer (1897-1963) Passion of the Christ, The Shack, War Room, Ben Hur, Noah, The

How to Have a Profitable Assembly “Bible Reading”

How to Have a Profitable Assembly “Bible Reading” by Michael J. Penfold A feature of many congregations of God’s people around the world for the

Are “Bible Readings” Scriptural?

Are “Bible Readings” Scriptural? by Sinclair Banks (Scotland) A feature of many assemblies of God’s people around the world for over a century has been

Arriving in Good Time for Meetings

Arriving in Good Time for Meetings by Michael J. Penfold I’ll never forget the sight of an exasperated British Airways stewardess shouting across JFK airport

The Emergent Church Examined

The Emergent Church Examined by Mervyn Hall PART 1 – Introduction to the Emergent Church In May 2007, an unknown Canadian author by the name

What makes a meeting “an assembly gathering”?

What makes a meeting an “assembly gathering”? by Michael J. Penfold A survey of the Acts of the Apostles and the Pauline epistles reveals that

All That Generation Died

All That Generation Died by Michael J. Penfold “And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation” (Exod 1.6) It was the end

Contributing to Your Local Assembly Bible Reading

Contributing to Your Local Assembly Bible Reading by Jack Coleman (Hatboro, New Jersey, USA) Understanding the importance of the assembly Bible reading should cause us

NT Church Basics – Ch 1 – The Local Assembly Exists for Divine Glory

New Testament Church Basics Introduction It’s common nowadays to ‘choose a church’ based on personal preference. If the kids’ programme is cool, the Pastor is

NT Church Basics – Ch 2 – The Local Assembly Manifests the Divine Presence

New Testament Church Basics Chapter 2 – The Local Assembly Manifests the Divine Presence Our thoughts now turn to a second fundamental purpose of a

NT Church Basics – Ch 3 – The Local Assembly Exhibits Divine Design

New Testament Church Basics Chapter 3 – The Local Assembly Exhibits Divine Design We have seen that the Lord both owns the assembly and dwells

NT Church Basics – Ch 4 – The Local Assembly Administers Divine Authority

New Testament Church Basics Chapter 4 – The Local Assembly Administers Divine Authority In previous articles we have examined a number of basic truths about

NT Church Basics – Ch 5 – The Local Assembly Displays Divine Order

New Testament Church Basics Chapter 5 – The Local Assembly Displays Divine Order We take our leave of the subject of “lordship” to look now

NT Church Basics – Ch 6 – The Local Assembly Provides Divine Care

New Testament Church Basics Chapter 6 – The Local Assembly Provides Divine Care What a place the assembly is! – where God’s glory is preeminent;

NT Church Basics – Ch 7 – The Local Assembly Proclaims Divine Truth

New Testament Church Basics Chapter 7 – The Local Assembly Proclaims Divine Truth Before looking, in this chapter, at the local assembly’s role as a

NT Church Basics – Ch 8 – The Local Assembly Fulfils the Divine Commission

New Testament Church Basics Chapter 8 – The Local Assembly Fulfils the Divine Commission Our thoughts now turn to “the great commission” in which the