Watchman Nee was only one of many players in the drama of the struggle for the heart of the Chinese people, but he was one of the most interesting. His Little Flock movement was more influential in planting house churches throughout China than many realize. His career also demonstrates some of the problems the church can inherit when patriotism is confused with Christianity.

Recreational marijuana use has been decisively rejected by Christians because of its psychoactive properties and tendency to perpetuate a lethargic and selfish lifestyle. But as cannabis is increasingly being legalized for medical use, a new discussion is emerging within the church about whether or under what conditions its use would be appropriate. This essay presents an overview of the key issues and suggests some practical guidelines for potential cannabis users and leaders who will need to provide a biblical response to them.

Repeatedly, the New Testament refers to Christians as being "in Christ" or "in him." This phrase, often tacked on to statements, is referring to our position in Christ-- a position we receive as a result of spiritual baptism into Christ (Romans 6:1-11). When considering the impact of the blessings promised in this connection, one must conclude that the doctrine of our standing in Christ is one of the most important in the New Testament.

We can describe leaders from several perspectives, each of which casts a different light on what goes into the complex task of leadership.

Cult groups have spread rapidly across the United States in recent years. Secular author Margaret Thaler Singer estimates that in the last two decades roughly 20 million Americans have been involved in a cult.1 Christian cult expert Ron Rhodes concurs with this estimate, claiming that this has been a 3,000 percent increase over the last 150 years.2 Rhodes writes, “It is for good reason that every book in the New Testament except Philemon has something to say about false teachers, false prophets, false gospels, or heresies.”3 While cults have certainly proliferated over the last century, many have had difficulty clearly defining what they mean when they use the term cult. Atheistic critics have grouped all religious groups together.

If it were not for the traditional use of the word 'worship' amongst Christians, substantial arguments could be raised against its continued use. For one thing, the denotative meaning of 'worship' is different from the related Greek and Hebrew terms. For another, the connotative meaning of 'worship' in the Christian community is substantially different from the biblical teaching on the topic. Since the evangelical Christian community is committed to the use of the term worship, it certainly bears careful examination so that we mean what God intends when we use it.

In the New Testament God used human leaders to bring blessing and feeding to the church. From the day of Pentecost, the apostles acted as de facto leaders. They preached, taught, (Acts 2:42) and ruled on issues that came up for debate (Acts 6:1,2). They were able to delegate leadership to others (Acts 6:3,4).