Down through the eons of time, the Body of Christ has had the ability to forget the core mission of the gospel. God has commissioned us and set us apart to fulfill His plan on this planet. Although the Church gets involved in many activities and projects, like cleaning up the neighborhood, summer camps, visiting the shut-ins, what is the reason or purpose for our action. There are many organizations, which hold marriage conferences, feed the poor, build housing in third world countries, give comfort to the grieving, and such, but is this the primary mission of the church? “Without a clear understanding of mission, organizations, and churches alike suffer.” (p. 199)
The Gospel of Jesus Christ Jim Lynn uses 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 as his passage …show more content…
including is Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Mopsueste. During the fourth century some leaders became disillusioned with the “worldliness” of the Church and moved to the deserts of Egypt to recover what they felt had been lost. Emperor Constantine and the acceptance of Christianity was a major turning point in church history. The ruling class assumed their own form of Christianity which was to their own liking. “The purity of the teachings of the church were diluted. Heresies (false teaching) flourished, and the Church battled to retain its doctrinal equilibrium” (p. 211) During this time physical healing gave way to “spiritual” healing. This was taught by Jerome and Augustine, who later reversed his position. Other writers during this period were John Cassian and Gregory the Great. Gregory’s view as told by Morton Kelsey (quoted by Jim Lynn), “Sickness was no longer understood as the malicious work of demons or the Evil One, to be countered in every instance. Instead, it was a mark of god’s correction, sometimes inflicted by the negative powers with divine approval, to bring moral renewal.” If this is the case today, why do Christians seek medical treatment if the condition is from God for correction? Should not the condition be allowed to run its course so that the full benefit of correction is obtained from God? Would not such treatment then be looked upon as rebellion against God? Jim Lynn lays out
The Gospel of Jesus Christ Jim Lynn uses 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 as his passage …show more content…
including is Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Mopsueste. During the fourth century some leaders became disillusioned with the “worldliness” of the Church and moved to the deserts of Egypt to recover what they felt had been lost. Emperor Constantine and the acceptance of Christianity was a major turning point in church history. The ruling class assumed their own form of Christianity which was to their own liking. “The purity of the teachings of the church were diluted. Heresies (false teaching) flourished, and the Church battled to retain its doctrinal equilibrium” (p. 211) During this time physical healing gave way to “spiritual” healing. This was taught by Jerome and Augustine, who later reversed his position. Other writers during this period were John Cassian and Gregory the Great. Gregory’s view as told by Morton Kelsey (quoted by Jim Lynn), “Sickness was no longer understood as the malicious work of demons or the Evil One, to be countered in every instance. Instead, it was a mark of god’s correction, sometimes inflicted by the negative powers with divine approval, to bring moral renewal.” If this is the case today, why do Christians seek medical treatment if the condition is from God for correction? Should not the condition be allowed to run its course so that the full benefit of correction is obtained from God? Would not such treatment then be looked upon as rebellion against God? Jim Lynn lays out