Thats one of the big questions being touted around these days. Just about everyone who has some opportunity to speak from a secular platform these days is asking that question. Should we even bother to answer? Do we have the answer even? I know that we must be relevant because we are the fulfillment of that great declaration of Jesus, that He is the builder of the church, and that as the church advances against Satan's strongholds they will not be able to hold us back or stop our entrance. To occupy till He comes is to take over enemy territory. In our quest to justify our relevance though we need to be careful that we don't take our cues from the world or that we are willing to compromise the Holy standards.

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as for the church and color thing goes. that's not a question that i can answer easily.... each church established by Paul that we have an epistle for was nestled in its own socio-locality and Paul addressed them as such. For this reason many say Paul vascillated on some of his teachings. He didn't he just showed how the gospel was universal enough to permeate all cultures and how trivial social customs could be negotiated as needed. For that reason you get him abolishing slavery in Christ in one place and then advocating for it in another place, over hear women can prophesy as long as they rock a doo-rag (head covering) but over there they can't speak at all.

When I say the Black church I mean that section of the larger body of Christ. I am not an exclusivist, but I am a participant in the Black church. The Bible is explicit in it's understanding of color and nationality. So am I. I agree there is sooo much division in the church, but we can not just assimilate into a melting pot where we merge into one monolithic hodgepodge loosing all of our natural and God given identity. We are best left to be a salad where each ingredient keeps it's significant attributes while adding to the overall desireableness of the dish. No offense but there are cultural differences within the church and we must celebrate and embrace these differences, yet we must also not alienate our selves because of them. People are different and we gather in respect to our differences. Some folks huck and buck, others are silent contemplators. So what we are all precious in God's eyes. some folks are Black others are white others are Indigenous peoples, others are Oriental, so what we are all precious in God's eyes. I do however, acknowledge the differences of the Black church. We are different because of our history as oppressed people and our fusion of our native African religions which were not poytheistic or pagan but ran quite parralel to Christianity. What's more even in the Black church there is no monolithic form of spirituality
Understand this, Jesus was no political prisoner, he was a religious martyr, Paul did not take his message to them rather was delivered as was his master too them, You know Jesus did say they would deliver you before them.
Why would you assume that You are educated and i am not (wrong again0 rather I choose not too speak as others do, this is where we as Brothers and sisters fail, no matter the amount of time spent schooling, we need too stop fooling. My Education level just as that of others is of no significance to my being made by the craftsman. If we would yield/lay down the assumptions that many of us were/are taught we would definitely make a dent in this world and the next.
But don't let it fool you/ you are not the onlyone with Education.
Do not miss my point on the Black Church, I was raised in the A.M.E.C./ so black church means nothing too me.
The Apostle Paul also says " that there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. So my brother there is no broader sense of things. There are many members yet one body. I attend a predominantly black congregation, and at the same time a predominantly white one, my children attend the christian scool of the predominantly white one. One thing that I have come too know/ understand, though it took me a while, is that we are all the same no matter what aspect you could try and debate this from. Love has no color. When we get too heaven/hell no matter the race, all shall be gathered together. so why not here on earth. You say Dr. King and I have vastky different views and I still beg too differ. All of us must come together in order for this thing too work, and when some dissent into the norm of this world, we must continue too look for the world that is too come.

You say that we would lose our identity if we are one big melting pot. Well that is seperation, for we should all be one in Christ. On this past Sunday I had the honour too serve the homeless, standing along side of Whites Hispanics and others, and thought too myself this country is being duped into believing that it cannot be done. You must realize there are no certain attributes that one possesses and the other does not. People are different by the worlds eyes, but in God we are all looked at and treated the same.
One day I pray that my people will stop holding on too how we have treated and what was done to us for the last 400 years continues too hold us back, and realize as Joseph did (It was not you that sent me here, but God).
And in closing, Many of those so called paralels you speak of, did more harm than good. many lies look like the truth, yet and still there is only one.
God Bless you my brother, may the Lord watch between us while we are aabsent from one another......
Quite an interesting question. Let me put in my blessed two cents! LOL Things that are not relevant, we don't even talk about! One of the very many slick tricks of the enemy is to make the weak minded believe that the church may no longer be relevant. I say one thing to that, The Devil is and always will be a lie!

To say the church isn't relevant is like saying a home is relevant to a homeowner! Christ being the homeowner, of course his HOUSE is relevant. And since we are to take care of his house, it is our job to not allow the enemy to tear down this house.
His house is relevant because he is relevant. Let us as Christians let the world know that our Living God is the only true God! And His house shall stand!
I think the fact that there are 3 pages of conversation suggests that, as a church we need to do some real internal spiritual auditing. The question is a good one that we need to really answer. We must answer it not individually, but collectively, in other words while you may personally feed the hungry, visit the sick, school the youngings, and do prison ministry/corner ministries, etc., what about the WHOLE church. Where are we on issues of justice? In addition we lso need to adress this question truthfully and engage it with some degree of vulnerability. We can not hurl out comfortable answers and say because Jesus is relevant the church is relevant. For one we are not Jesus! We are His disciples, and just like the 12 we are dismal, and oft times dim-witted too, yet in all of this we are still divinely appointed and annointed and above all called to Him.

So to really adress this question, Are we still relevant: yes. However, we should be and could be so much better than what we are. We have some serious work to do. Perhaps the better question to ask is this, Is God pleased with the church?

I believe that we need to really reflect on our methodology and our means for getting the gospel out. We need to annalyze the barriers which satan uses as stronghold's and see how we can bust those bunkers, remembering that we can do all things through Christ.
it wasn't just Jeremiah! See many of us speak of social ills as if they are not the church's responsibility and all we are to do is save souls, NOT SO!
Almost all of the prophetic books which are aimed at social injustices. If you look at the law the Law was about how to treat others and worship God, the emphasis was on fair governance. Isreal's sinned by forsaking God and by tolerating social inequalities. The prophets warned of this and spoke out against this it costed them their lives, but they did it. We must do the same. We must like them envision a world of shalom or peace, or better translated a world where God's will is carried out a world in which justice rains down like waters, as Amos says.
The church of God from the very beginning has been relevant, because of the Lord Jesus. It continues to be relevant because of the Lord Jesus, It will continue to be relevant because of the Lord Jesus. I also will say, let them talk and let them try to figure it out and in the mean time, let them also watch God our father through Jesus Christ his son do an awesome work that mankind's intellect can not explain. We are the ones (God's Servants) that are being called on 24 hours A day because the intellectually inclined don't know which way to turn, but our God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above everything we can think or imagine and he is in control!!!
The church is still relevent or shall I say the original church is still relevant, today why the church does not flourish is probably due to "in house evangelism" not leaving the stained glass and catherdral ceilings of our on building confinement to go out and witness to others to share christ with others in the "WORLD" in the lost since. I fear that we have becomme aquarium keepers instead of fishermen. That weve allowed to much world in the church and not enough church in the world.
My co- laborers in the faith,
First of all I great in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, also in thinking of what you have to say, yes we have beautiful buildings and stain glass, also we have many social ills in our churches and around the churches, but if we get the complete teaching of the word of the Lord he will direct us in street evangelism as well as making sure we are equipping those he has placed in our care to do His will in every area of ministry. I would say show up for the work and GOD will direct you by the chosen vessel for the vineyard in which you serve.
well said Reverend! God Bless you!
A BLESSINGS TO COME ACROSS YOUR DISCUSSION QUESTION. TODAY IN THE CHURCH THERE ARE MANY WHO COME FOR THE WRONG REASON SOME COME TO SHOW OFF THEIR SUIT THEIR HAT THEIR SHOES ECT. BUT YET THEY HAVEN'T REALIZED IT IS NOT ABOUT A FASHION SHOW IT IS ALL ABOUT THE LORD. SOME COME TO CHURCH TO SEE IF THEY CAN FIND A WIFE OR A HUSBAND SOME COME JUST TO SEE WHO THEY CAN TALK ABOUT TRYING TO SEE WHO NAME NEXT THEY CAN SLANDER. I COME AGAINST THAT EVIL SPIRIT OF SELF PRIDE IN JESUS NAME. THEN WE HAVE THE SECULAR BEING PUSHED OUT OF THE CHURCH BECAUSE OF THOSE WHO THINK THEY ARE HOLIER AND THOU BUT THE LORD GAVE ME A WORD NOT TO LONG AGO MAYBE ABOUT 2-3 MONTHS AGO SAYING TELL MY PEOPLE TO NOT PUSH AWAY THOSE OF THE SECULAR BUT PULL THEM BACK IN THAT THEY WILL FOLLOW HIM SAITH THE LORD AND HE SAID WE DONT HAVE TO INDULGE IN WHAT THEY DO BUT WE ARE TO HELP PULL THEM IN THAT THEY WILL TAKE A CLOSER WALK WITH HIM AND DRAW CLOSER TO HIM SAITH THE LORD.... I PRAY THAT FOLK TODAY WILL GET OUT OF THE FLESH AND STOP OPERATING IN THE FLESH BECAUSE GOD IS IN THE BUSINESS OF EXPOSURE FOR THOSE OF EVIL AND THOSE WHO IS LIVING RIGHTEOUS. HE GAVE ME THIS SCRIPTURE AFTER HE GAVE ME THE WORD PROPHETICALLY JOHN CH 3:VRS19-21 I READ THE ENTIRE CHAPTER JUST AFTER READING THE SCRIPTURES THE LORD GAVE ME AND WOW WHAT AN AWESOME CHAPTER TO READ WHAT A BLESSING TO HAAVE IN HAND... PEACE N BLESSINGS EVERYONE... LET GO AND LET GOD HAVE HIS WAY....

PROPHETESS TERESA

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