Let's talk about Hebrews 10:25. I don't know about you but in my experience, this verse has been used over and over again as a proof text to convince me that leaving institutional religion was more than just a bad idea. Leaving institutional religion, so the argument goes, is forbidden in the Bible and Hebrews 10:25 is proof of that. This verse clearly tells us, so the argument goes, that leaving institutional religion amounts to "forsaking the assembling of ourselves together" and is clearly forbidden and unhealthy.

But is it? Is that what Hebrews 10:25 means? When viewed in context the answer is a resounding "No!" Far from being a warning to not leave institutional religion, Hebrews 10:25 is a warning to not go back into institutional religion. Let's talk about it.

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In Galatians 3:1 Paul asked the Galatian believers, "Who has bewitched you?" This bewitching was a result of the Galatian's mixing of New Covenant grace with Old Covenant law. Or as Paul put it, "Having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh?" He described this thinking as "foolishness" with the result of having "fallen from grace."

We're no different today because we blur the lines between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant and we think everything in the Bible is meant for us so we mix law and grace together all the time. Look around. It's everywhere. Yes, we began in the Spirit, but it's up to us to finish strong in order to keep God happy with us. In other words, grace alone isn't enough. What's needed is a mixture of grace and rule-keeping. Having begun in the Spirit, we need to be made perfect by our own efforts and determination.

Add to that 2,000+ years of religious tradition that tells us we can never do enough and we have a recipe for disaster. That's the topic in this episode of the UnSunday Show. 

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This is part one of a two-part relaunch of the show. In this episode I talk about religion's failure to deliver and how our systems of religion diminish who we are in Jesus. Add to that, a misunderstanding of how the Old Covenant and the New Covenant relate to us today and how the Bible fits together. Thinking that Bible passages all apply to me, coupled with religion's message that I'm never doing enough, is a dangerous mix. Let's talk about that and some of the related topics I hope to address in The UnSunday Show.

You can find me online and reach out to me at The UnSunday Show.

-Enjoy!

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I'm checking in with you on this episode to let you know I'm still here and that the UnSunday Show is going to get a facelift soon. These last few months have kept me busy with things like launching a new business, developing a new podcast editor's course, and life in general. But all the while, I've had some ideas floating around in my brain for retooling the UnSunday Show ever so slightly. So look for that in a couple of weeks.

I recorded this episode on the front porch of our friend's cabin in the tall pines of Arizona, using the memo app on my phone. I wasn't sure how it would turn out but it's not bad. I was able to edit out most of the wind the annoying raven that wanted in on the action. We'll talk again soon.

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In this episode, I explore the question, Is the system of institutional church a help or a hindrance to the body of Christ and the exercising of spiritual gifts? This episode is also available in video format on the UnSunday Show YouTube Channel.

• The UnSunday Show YouTube Channel
• The UnSunday Show Website

-Mike

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Welcome to another edition of Morning Coffee on The UnSunday Show. Today, let's talk about some important distinctions between the system we call church and Christ's ekklesia. Jesus never said the system we call church would never be overcome or ultimately defeated. But he did say that about the ekklesia. That difference is monumental. Let's talk about the implications of that difference in this episode.

This episode of The UnSunday Show is also available in video format. The video version is available on my YouTube channel.

-Enjoy!

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Welcome to our second Morning Coffee together. Let's start a discussion about pastors and ask the question, what is a pastor? This is going to ultimately open up a plethora of related subjects on the topic which can serve as future editions of Morning Coffee. But this episode will serve to start us down that path as we talk about how we've institutionalized the pastor and made him or her the central figure in most of our institutional settings.

If this episode tweaks you, you might like my article, Rethinking Religion, Part 1: What is a Pastor? on the Grace Cafe Journal.

This episode of Morning Coffee is available in video as well and can be viewed on:

• The UnSunday Show YouTube Channel
• The UnSunday Website

-Enjoy

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This episode marks the beginning of what I'm calling Morning Coffee. Morning Coffee is an informal conversation with yours truly over coffee about different subjects pertinent to The UnSunday Show. In addition to the normal audio podcast format, this and future episodes of Morning Coffee are and will be available in video format on YouTube, Facebook, and the UnSunday Show website. The video links to this episode of Morning Coffee are below.

• YouTube Video Version

-Enjoy!

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This episode is a continuation of the topic of church discipline that I started in the last episode. I continue my look at Matthew 18:15-20, which is used as a proof text by church leaders for the practice of modern church discipline. I wrap up a couple of loose ends in this episode that I think need to be added to this discussion because I believe we've brought an Old Covenant practice into the New Covenant assembly. Here are the links I mentioned:

• Podcast: Rethinking Formal Church Membership

- Mike

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The topic of what we call church discipline has been on my mind the last couple of years. I've tried writing down my thoughts about it but writing just isn't my thing any more. At least not right now. It's easier to talk about it than to write about it. Here are some of my initial thoughts on church discipline in light of my understanding of the New Covenant.

Matthew 18:15-20 is the go to passage most often used as a proof text for the validity of church discipline. It's the one that I was trained to use and that I used. But what if this passage, like so many others in the first four books of the New Testament, belongs in the Old Covenant, not the New Covenant? What if we've incorrectly inserted ourselves into it?

I cover four main ideas in this episode concerning church discipline that have brought me to the conclusion that Matthew 18:15-20 belongs in the Old Covenant. 

1. The word 'church' isn't in this passage.
2. The passage is laced with Old Covenant language spoken to Old Covenant Jews.
3. Israel was under Roman rule and subject to Roman laws and control.
4. The process explained in this passage is not repeated in the New Covenant scriptures even though there were times it could have been.

I'm sure I'll be talking more about this in the future as I'm only scraping the surface of where my thoughts have taken me the last couple of years with this topic.

-Mike

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