Why Go to Church? Audiobook by Denise Lorenz
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Title: Why Go to Church? Subtitle: Today's Church in America Compared to the Early Church Author: Denise Lorenz Narrator: Erik Sellin Format: Unabridged Length: 50 mins Language: English Release date: 02-07-13 Publisher: Denise Lorenz Genres: Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

Publisher's Summary: Church has become boring, religious, and/or irrelevant for many people; while God is none of the above. Why is there such a difference between the perceived church and the real God that the church proclaims? The early church was unscripted, alive, powerful, unpredictable, life-changing, and world-shaking. Our church services today are usually scripted, predictable, polished performances that seem to be making little impact in our society. Why? This book compares the early church that we know about in the book of Acts, and church as we know it in America today. Why was the early church powerful and life-changing? Why is it less so today? The answer may surprise you.

Members Reviews: Wake up All of us have to be doers of God's word instead of hearers fooling ourselves, time is running out, will we wake up?

Excellent! Biblical foundation. Traditional Church as we know it is not how God started the Church. It was small groups meeting together and praying, praising, fellowshiping and having communion. In the first 300 years of Church history this is how Church was conducted. Men, women and children all participated and everyone grew in stature and skill in walking in the Way. Relationships within the whole group were deep and committed. They were known for their love because everyone was honoured and valued for their contribution, not just a select few who held themselves above the rest. Those called to leadership considered themselves servants to those thought least in the world and newest born believers. Promotion was downward in service - not upward as in a political pyramid until the top man has all the say. Jesus calls Himself the Cornerstone and led by serving. He said we are not to lord it over each other as it is in the world. We are His family on earth. It is all about friendship, and fathering, and mothering within close, loving relationship to develop disciples. Church today is largely shallow relationships with many lonely people leaving because the connection is so little unless a special clique has formed, where most are left out. This same early Church framework is operational in China today and it is taking an average of 3 months from new-birth to maturity for each new convert - mature enough to go out and start their own house Church. The sick are being healed, miracles are seen and provision is made for the saints. The Holy Spirit is truly free to work and the Great Commission is being fulfilled. In about 330 AD Constantine declared Christianity politically correct' after all those years of terrible persecution. He cleared out the pagan temples and told the Christians to leave their homes and fill these temples instead for their meetings. Many more could gather in those temples than in a house and so this could be seen as a positive, but the whole structure of Church' changed because of the structure of the building they started to meet in. There was a platform that faced an audience and an anointed leader was set upon this platform to give a message. Slowly the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit died down because the people were no longer fully participating. They came as sheep merely to be fed by one who was thought to carry the Word of the Lord alone for that day. The power of the Church diminished as this took hold.