Comments for Three Nails http://www.threenails.org connect, experience, live Sat, 17 May 2008 04:12:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 Comment on Multiplication? by Kristian Opat http://www.threenails.org/archives/49#comment-2193 Kristian Opat Wed, 21 Mar 2007 21:19:59 +0000 http://www.threenails.org/archives/49#comment-2193 To your first comment, I am not sure that it is a both/and situation becuase I was writing about where our focus was to be found, not about a distinction of terms. It is not an issue of community or worship. We are, by our very nature, a worshipping community who gathers on Sundays for what we term a worship gathering. The gathering is what is at issue in this post, not the worship itself. The ideal is for our lives to be worship to the Lord and with regard to community and worship, it is of course a both/and. The point of my initial post is that we do not have to worry as much about big changes that affect primarily Sunday gatherings that often cripple communities (such as a pastor leaving) because our focus is less on Sunday worship and more on being a worshipping community. In response to the second comment, I fear I must not have been clear (and this tends to be the frustration when trying to communicate who we are to those not physically living with us). Of course there is the Church. I do not feel we are trying to recreate that or be something separate from that. We have always held great value in remembering that we are part of something much larger than ourselves. That said, there is no way to get away from being a part of a community or church (small c) that is a subset (or fractal to use a more exact term) of the larger. And in being part of one such community, I was hoping to touch upon is how encouraging it is to have a community that is less restricted by distance and location. Nothing more. That said, I can certainly see where your concerns lie from what I wrote. I am sorry for being so loose with my words and not taking the time to craft them more carefully. Thank you for your comment and the motiviation to revisit something I wrote a while back. K To your first comment, I am not sure that it is a both/and situation becuase I was writing about where our focus was to be found, not about a distinction of terms. It is not an issue of community or worship. We are, by our very nature, a worshipping community who gathers on Sundays for what we term a worship gathering. The gathering is what is at issue in this post, not the worship itself. The ideal is for our lives to be worship to the Lord and with regard to community and worship, it is of course a both/and. The point of my initial post is that we do not have to worry as much about big changes that affect primarily Sunday gatherings that often cripple communities (such as a pastor leaving) because our focus is less on Sunday worship and more on being a worshipping community.

In response to the second comment, I fear I must not have been clear (and this tends to be the frustration when trying to communicate who we are to those not physically living with us). Of course there is the Church. I do not feel we are trying to recreate that or be something separate from that. We have always held great value in remembering that we are part of something much larger than ourselves. That said, there is no way to get away from being a part of a community or church (small c) that is a subset (or fractal to use a more exact term) of the larger. And in being part of one such community, I was hoping to touch upon is how encouraging it is to have a community that is less restricted by distance and location. Nothing more.

That said, I can certainly see where your concerns lie from what I wrote. I am sorry for being so loose with my words and not taking the time to craft them more carefully. Thank you for your comment and the motiviation to revisit something I wrote a while back.

K

]]> Comment on Multiplication? by Anonymizer http://www.threenails.org/archives/49#comment-1655 Anonymizer Fri, 16 Mar 2007 03:33:48 +0000 http://www.threenails.org/archives/49#comment-1655 "We at Three Nails don’t have to worry about that, we are always changing and always focused on our community, not on our worship." ---Herein lies your problem. It's not either/or, but both/and. (See Luke 10:27) "The idea of a non-geographical church is that it can go anywhere. If someone moves away, they can start a Three Nails cell wherever they go. There is nothing to stop the spread of a community like that." ---I really admire what you guys are trying to do here, but Jesus already founded His Church. Stop trying to reinvent the wheel. (See Nicene Creed - one, holy, catholic, apostolic) Use your gifts to build up the Church He founded. God bless all of you. “We at Three Nails don’t have to worry about that, we are always changing and always focused on our community, not on our worship.”

—Herein lies your problem. It’s not either/or, but both/and. (See Luke 10:27)

“The idea of a non-geographical church is that it can go anywhere. If someone moves away, they can start a Three Nails cell wherever they go. There is nothing to stop the spread of a community like that.”

—I really admire what you guys are trying to do here, but Jesus already founded His Church. Stop trying to reinvent the wheel. (See Nicene Creed - one, holy, catholic, apostolic) Use your gifts to build up the Church He founded. God bless all of you.

]]> Comment on Why did Jesus stay outside the city (Mk 1:45) by bodyelectric http://www.threenails.org/archives/52#comment-46 bodyelectric Mon, 19 Jun 2006 18:08:28 +0000 http://www.threenails.org/archives/52#comment-46 Did he break the law when he ate with tax collectors and prostitutes or when he called the pharisees white washed tombs? He was even crucified for breaking the Law and calling himself the Son of God, the Messiah. As far as I can tell, the Law is to be understood in a different light than the Pharisees would have understood it. It is to be understood in light of the person of Jesus, the Messiah. In that light, I do not think he broke the Law and ultimately, I don't care much if he did or not because following Jesus is not about whether we have lived up to the specifics of the Law, but rather whether or not we have fallen down and called him Lord. That's just my two cents. Kris Did he break the law when he ate with tax collectors and prostitutes or when he called the pharisees white washed tombs? He was even crucified for breaking the Law and calling himself the Son of God, the Messiah.

As far as I can tell, the Law is to be understood in a different light than the Pharisees would have understood it. It is to be understood in light of the person of Jesus, the Messiah. In that light, I do not think he broke the Law and ultimately, I don’t care much if he did or not because following Jesus is not about whether we have lived up to the specifics of the Law, but rather whether or not we have fallen down and called him Lord.

That’s just my two cents.

Kris

]]> Comment on Why did Jesus stay outside the city (Mk 1:45) by Thomas Cusack http://www.threenails.org/archives/52#comment-45 Thomas Cusack Mon, 29 May 2006 14:34:31 +0000 http://www.threenails.org/archives/52#comment-45 When Jesus touched for the purpose of healing, did he break the law, since the law said not to touch dead people directly? I dont believe he broke the law, but Im at a loss to explain why. Thanks When Jesus touched for the purpose of healing, did he break the law, since the law said not to touch dead people directly? I dont believe he broke the law, but Im at a loss to explain why. Thanks

]]> Comment on For Thereby Some Have Entertained Angels Unawares by teresa http://www.threenails.org/archives/54#comment-44 teresa Mon, 15 May 2006 20:24:51 +0000 http://www.threenails.org/archives/54#comment-44 Wow. What a great story! I'm so encouraged to hear about the ways God is moving in our community. I think it's hard to see what he's doing because our cell groups meet all over the place and therefore we have the tendancy to get a bit of tunnel vision. Thus, I suppose, this blog. Thanks for sharing this. Wow. What a great story! I’m so encouraged to hear about the ways God is moving in our community. I think it’s hard to see what he’s doing because our cell groups meet all over the place and therefore we have the tendancy to get a bit of tunnel vision. Thus, I suppose, this blog. Thanks for sharing this.

]]> Comment on “How are you doing today?” by Ruth Foy http://www.threenails.org/archives/32#comment-33 Ruth Foy Wed, 29 Mar 2006 08:20:39 +0000 http://www.threenails.org/archives/32#comment-33 Hi ive just found your website. Im from Northern Ireland desperately trying to make sense of church. Its superficiality etc. Love this idea of asking a different type of question. Can just imagne Jesus asking people this. It also gives the opportunity for honesty, and sharing and praying. Thankx for inspiration Hi ive just found your website. Im from Northern Ireland desperately trying to make sense of church. Its superficiality etc.
Love this idea of asking a different type of question. Can just imagne Jesus asking people this. It also gives the opportunity for honesty, and sharing and praying.

Thankx for inspiration

]]> Comment on Multiplication? by Katie Williford http://www.threenails.org/archives/49#comment-30 Katie Williford Thu, 02 Feb 2006 17:35:28 +0000 http://www.threenails.org/archives/49#comment-30 Hey Kris, Wow this post really got me thinking and excited. I have spoken with Amie somewhat about this also, but seeing it written down really hit me about the opportunities of spreading cells groups and community. The Three Nails community was and continues to be such a blessing to me (though I am far away) and I find myself deeply craving and praying daily for similar purposeful community. I would realy like to pray about and be in conversation with you about the possibility of starting a Three Nails cell in New Orleans. Peace, Katie Hey Kris,

Wow this post really got me thinking and excited. I have spoken with Amie somewhat about this also, but seeing it written down really hit me about the opportunities of spreading cells groups and community. The Three Nails community was and continues to be such a blessing to me (though I am far away) and I find myself deeply craving and praying daily for similar purposeful community. I would realy like to pray about and be in conversation with you about the possibility of starting a Three Nails cell in New Orleans.

Peace,
Katie

]]> Comment on Further Thoughts from 8/28 (Eph 5) by Marnee http://www.threenails.org/archives/37#comment-26 Marnee Thu, 15 Dec 2005 20:39:46 +0000 http://www.threenails.org/archives/37#comment-26 I've just been on the seeking an understanding of the emergent church. Stumbled on Three Nails and liked what I read. Anyway I happened upon this conversation and I must say both responses are in more agreement than you think. The law judges and condemns us. It judges by saying you shall or shall not do such and such, if you do then this is the punishment. We as sinners are judged and condemned by it. On Cheryl's response, the purpose of the law was to convict of sin. Paul taught this in Romans when he said: for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. (3:20) and to the Galatians he wrote: Therefore the law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.(3:24) Paul said to Timothy: But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully. I just share this in order to show that your two understandings of the law are not in conflict with each other. I think you are splitting hairs over wording and not truth. You both are stating truth about the law that the scriptures uphold. In Christ, Marnee I’ve just been on the seeking an understanding of the emergent church. Stumbled on Three Nails and liked what I read.
Anyway I happened upon this conversation and I must say both responses are in more agreement than you think.
The law judges and condemns us. It judges by saying you shall or shall not do such and such, if you do then this is the punishment.
We as sinners are judged and condemned by it.
On Cheryl’s response, the purpose of the law was to convict of sin. Paul taught this in Romans when he said: for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. (3:20) and to the Galatians he wrote: Therefore the law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.(3:24) Paul said to Timothy: But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully.
I just share this in order to show that your two understandings of the law are not in conflict with each other. I think you are splitting hairs over wording and not truth. You both are stating truth about the law that the scriptures uphold.
In Christ,
Marnee

]]> Comment on Further Thoughts from 8/28 (Eph 5) by bodyelectric http://www.threenails.org/archives/37#comment-25 bodyelectric Mon, 12 Dec 2005 17:38:17 +0000 http://www.threenails.org/archives/37#comment-25 Thanks for your comments Cheryl, but I must respectfully disagree with you. I would like to first point out that I do not view the law in a negative context. I believe the Law is the truest description of how we were meant to live. The problem is that the Law always accuses and through that accusation we are condemed. It is only through the grace that comes by faith in the Christ that we are saved from that terrible judgement. Just look at Paul's letter to the Galatians and make note of the ways he speaks about the Law. When I read Romans 7 (esp. v7-12), it is impossible for me to say that the Law does not condemn us. We do not need to agree on this point. In fact, there are many who will strongly disagree with me on this one point, but it is the most true reading of the Scriptures that I have found so far. Thanks for your comments Cheryl, but I must respectfully disagree with you. I would like to first point out that I do not view the law in a negative context. I believe the Law is the truest description of how we were meant to live. The problem is that the Law always accuses and through that accusation we are condemed. It is only through the grace that comes by faith in the Christ that we are saved from that terrible judgement. Just look at Paul’s letter to the Galatians and make note of the ways he speaks about the Law. When I read Romans 7 (esp. v7-12), it is impossible for me to say that the Law does not condemn us. We do not need to agree on this point. In fact, there are many who will strongly disagree with me on this one point, but it is the most true reading of the Scriptures that I have found so far.

]]> Comment on Further Thoughts from 8/28 (Eph 5) by cheryl burnett http://www.threenails.org/archives/37#comment-24 cheryl burnett Mon, 12 Dec 2005 00:36:53 +0000 http://www.threenails.org/archives/37#comment-24 A friend pointed out your website to me as we are a small church gathering in a home in Dallas, Texas. I would like to just share some thoughts that were discussed in our study today as we are looking at the book of James 2. "First, I dont think that the gospel condemns people. I think the law condemns people and it is the gospel that allows us to be reconciled God and enables us to live in harmony with the law in a way that was impossible before the cross". The law does not condemn us. The law was established as a "covenant" relationship b/t God and his people (Deut 4:13). The law instead CONVICTS US OF SIN and WE ARE JUDGED BY IT. God in His infinite wisdom as our Father gave us the law to show us what sin was so we could be convicted that we were sinners. This keeps us in check that God is perfect and we are ONLY made perfect through Him. The law is condemning ONLY to those who choose not to accept Him and obey His law. James is telling us in chapter 2 that if we love Him, we will obey Him. Works are carried out through faith. I think many times today's churches view God's chosen people before the cross as having a very different relationship with God than we have today. However, God still extending His grace and mercy to them over and over again, even through all of their mistakes and disobedience. Abraham was a friend of God, Enoch walked with God. We take for granted that we know more about God's character than even they did b/c we live after the cross. But, the only difference is they were living in the promise of what was to come and we are living after the Lamb of God was slain. Those that obeyed Him did so b/c they LOVED Him, not because they had to. I'm sure they carried the same baggage and had very similar problems as us living today. Many people will always view the LAW in a negative context just as many view JUDGEMENT in a negative comment. Yes, we will all sit before the judgement seat of Christ, but for many of us, this is a POSITIVE thing b/c JESUS himself will stand up as our counselor and say "He belongs to me" or "She belongs to me". At that point, Satan's hold on us will be forever released. That to me is the most positive thing that will ever take place!! (just something to think about) Thanks, Cheryl A friend pointed out your website to me as we are a small church gathering in a home in Dallas, Texas.

I would like to just share some thoughts that were discussed in our study today as we are looking at the book of James 2. “First, I dont think that the gospel condemns people. I think the law condemns people and it is the gospel that allows us to be reconciled God and enables us to live in harmony with the law in a way that was impossible before the cross”.

The law does not condemn us. The law was established as a “covenant” relationship b/t God and his people (Deut 4:13). The law instead CONVICTS US OF SIN and WE ARE JUDGED BY IT. God in His infinite wisdom as our Father gave us the law to show us what sin was so we could be convicted that we were sinners. This keeps us in check that God is perfect and we are ONLY made perfect through Him. The law is condemning ONLY to those who choose not to accept Him and obey His law. James is telling us in chapter 2 that if we love Him, we will obey Him. Works are carried out through faith.

I think many times today’s churches view God’s chosen people before the cross as having a very different relationship with God than we have today. However, God still extending His grace and mercy to them over and over again, even through all of their mistakes and disobedience. Abraham was a friend of God, Enoch walked with God. We take for granted that we know more about God’s character than even they did b/c we live after the cross. But, the only difference is they were living in the promise of what was to come and we are living after the Lamb of God was slain. Those that obeyed Him did so b/c they LOVED Him, not because they had to. I’m sure they carried the same baggage and had very similar problems as us living today. Many people will always view the LAW in a negative context just as many view JUDGEMENT in a negative comment. Yes, we will all sit before the judgement seat of Christ, but for many of us, this is a POSITIVE thing b/c JESUS himself will stand up as our counselor and say “He belongs to me” or “She belongs to me”. At that point, Satan’s hold on us will be forever released. That to me is the most positive thing that will ever take place!! (just something to think about)

Thanks,

Cheryl

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