Category: Local Church

NUGGETS: Pastors and Churches

Posted on October 5, 2020October 6, 2020 by Paul Tautges

It’s Okay to Be a Pastor – Head down, chin up, one foot in front of the other. The world is broken, but what’s new about that? The Word still needs to be proclaimed, the darkness still needs the light,

What Does the Bible Teach about the Poor and Oppressed?

Posted on September 10, 2020September 11, 2020 by Paul Tautges

In the Bible, God speaks often of the poor and needy and how He cares for them. One example is His provision for the poor through “gleanings” from the corners of the field (Lev. 23:22). The Bible also contains stern

Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another

Posted on June 3, 2020June 8, 2020 by Paul Tautges

As congregations of Christians begin to regather, there are challenges and even threats that local churches will face. Here’s an appeal that I wrote to my own congregation, along with a brief teaching from Romans 14. Perhaps you will find

WEEK 2: Congregational Singing Is an Act of Heartfelt Obedience

Posted on April 11, 2020April 25, 2020 by Paul Tautges

This week, the subject of our reading revolved around the fact that the Scriptures clearly teach us that congregational singing is commanded by God. But, as the Gettys rightly point out, our obedience to this command is “not a clinical obedience, without warmth of conviction or joy of relationship.”

WEEK 1: Singing Is From God, and For God

Posted on March 28, 2020April 25, 2020 by Paul Tautges

I hope you enjoyed the reading for the first of our seven weeks together, as much as we did. One evening, I took out our copy of SING! How Worship Transforms Your Life, Family, and Church and read the Prelude

Will You Read a Little Book about Worship with Me?

Posted on March 19, 2020March 21, 2020 by Paul Tautges

It’s only been one Lord’s Day that we’ve been unable to gather together as a church family, but I’m already aching for the day we can come together again to sing praises to the Lord as a congregation. So, I

Bearing the Fruit of Love

Posted on February 26, 2020March 2, 2020 by Paul Tautges

Surely the apostle Paul’s description, or definition, of love in 1 Corinthians 13 is the most well-known of all. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogantor rude. It does not insist on

Pastoral Prayer Is an Important Part of Corporate Worship

Posted on February 14, 2020February 14, 2020 by Paul Tautges

As evangelical churches become increasingly user-friendly in an attempt to reach their world for Christ, one of the aspects of corporate worship that has fallen on hard times is what is customarily known as the pastoral prayer. This longer time

The Family of God Is Everything

Posted on February 3, 2020February 3, 2020 by Paul Tautges

The family of God is the only family that will last forever. For this reason, the Scriptures exhort us to do good to the household of faith. The “household of faith” is a phrase that is used in the Bible

A Rehab Center for Weak and Broken Sinners

Posted on January 30, 2020January 31, 2020 by Paul Tautges

One of my dreams and goals for our church is that we become a hospital and rehabilitation center for sinners—a place where sinners like each of us may live in an atmosphere of grace, where we love and worship Jesus

Making the Church a Safe Place for Sorrow

Posted on December 11, 2019February 10, 2020 by Paul Tautges

Sometimes worship comes by way of weeping in the pew. When the broken enter the sanctuary of God on Sunday mornings, they do so, perhaps, with every fiber of their being tempting them to withdrawal. They drag their grief, depression,

Nuggets

Posted on November 16, 2019November 15, 2019 by Paul Tautges

Having a Meaningful Christmas on a Tight Budget – “The key to celebrating well is to plan early and ignore the world’s take on Christmas. The example we, as parents, set for our children is enormous. Many of my sweetest

Nuggets

Posted on November 7, 2019November 8, 2019 by Paul Tautges

Here are two articles and two podcast episodes that are filled with sound counsel: Manage Your Household Well – “One of the greatest needs wives and children have, and all the more in our relentlessly distracting age, is dad’s attentiveness.”

Nuggets

Posted on November 6, 2019November 8, 2019 by Paul Tautges

Insufficient Evidence that Cannabinoids Improve Mental Health – “The most comprehensive analysis of medicinal cannabinoids and their impact on six mental health disorders — combining 83 studies including 3,000 people — suggests that the use of cannabinoids for mental health