{"id":55539,"date":"2009-11-05T21:46:00","date_gmt":"2009-11-06T03:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=55539"},"modified":"2022-11-05T21:47:58","modified_gmt":"2022-11-06T02:47:58","slug":"church-recreation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/church-recreation\/","title":{"rendered":"Church Recreation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t<p>by Keith Camp<\/p>\n<p>Recently I received an invitation to a facility that provided &#8220;ping pong, walking track, concerts, basketball, weights, pool table, board games, banquets, refreshments, etc.&#8221; No, the invitation did not come from the local Boy&#8217;s club. It came from a local church.<\/p>\n<p>Increasingly churches have begun to take on the atmosphere of social clubs; some do rival local health spas. Yet, I do\u00a0<strong>not<\/strong>\u00a0read in the Bible where &#8220;<em>the churches of Christ<\/em>&#8221; (Romans 16:16), in their life and death struggle to preach the gospel to a lost world, ever made such social or recreational provisions for that world (or themselves). Do you?<\/p>\n<p>According to the New Testament the\u00a0<strong>only<\/strong>\u00a0work God ordained the local church to do consists of:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>preaching the gospel (I Thessalonians 1:8),<\/li>\n<li>assembling for worship and edification (Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:24-25), and<\/li>\n<li>meeting the physical needs of destitute Christians (Acts 4:34-35; 6:1ff).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The work of the local church was spiritual,\u00a0<strong>not<\/strong>\u00a0recreational.<\/p>\n<p>And it certainly was not for lack of public interest that kept churches in the Bible out of athletics and entertainment. The world into which the gospel was first preached\u00a0<strong>loved<\/strong> the sports arena. Their children played five different games of ball and the Roman emperors were masters at building public baths, theaters, and stadiums and using them to &#8216;politic&#8217; the people. The world back then had its superstar athletes, actors, and actresses too. In fact, it is safe to say that America&#8217;s enjoyment and pursuit of recreation and entertainment are equal to the people of New Testament times. But again, the New Testament is <strong>silent\u00a0<\/strong>about local churches making\u00a0<strong>any<\/strong>\u00a0provision for the fulfillment of such interests. And get this! The hope of the gospel was still &#8220;<em>proclaimed in all creation under heaven<\/em>&#8221; (Colossians 1:23). Churches in the New Testament understood that the world needed the gospel and its eternal benefits, not temporary distractions.<\/p>\n<p>Are you disheartened, tired, or fed-up with watching the church where you worship spend her time and resources in recreation and entertain herself and the world? Then, worship with a church that believes the gospel is <strong>still<\/strong> God&#8217;s power to motivate all men to faith, obedience, and salvation (Romans 1:16).<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Keith Camp Recently I received an invitation to a facility that provided &#8220;ping pong, walking track, concerts, basketball, weights, pool table, board games, banquets, refreshments, etc.&#8221; No, the invitation did not come from the local Boy&#8217;s club. It came from a local church. Increasingly churches have begun to take on the atmosphere of social&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[448,152],"class_list":["post-55539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-church","tag-social-activities"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":60598,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/voices-from-the-past\/","url_meta":{"origin":55539,"position":0},"title":"Voices from the Past","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 30, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"by Keith Sharp Mainstream Churches of Christ are far along in a falling away that began around the time I was born, and I'll soon be eligible for Medicare! The drift has taken place so slowly that most brethren think the modern innovations from the divine pattern for the church\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2005\/04\/Goodpasture_BC_grave-300x99.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":25801,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-autonomy-of-the-local-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":55539,"position":1},"title":"The Autonomy of the Local Church (Sharp)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 8, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"by Keith Sharp Introduction Several years ago I spoke by phone to a preacher who works with a large congregation in South Texas. As we conversed he asked if I was \"anti-cooperation.\" I told him I knew what he was talking about, but that I advocated scriptural cooperation between churches\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/sharp1-300x150.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":46060,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-sponsoring-church-arrangement\/","url_meta":{"origin":55539,"position":2},"title":"The Sponsoring Church Arrangement (Longhenry)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"by Ethan R. Longhenry God wills for all people to be saved in Christ Jesus (I Timothy 2:4; II Peter 3:9); Christians must go out and proclaim the Word of the Gospel to their fellow human beings (Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 10:14-17). The local church, as the Body of Christ manifests\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":21623,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-the-social-gospel\/","url_meta":{"origin":55539,"position":3},"title":"What is the Social Gospel?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 17, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by Richard Thetford Have you ever asked yourself \"what is the social gospel?\" Most individuals that have been raised in the Lord's church have come to know and understand what the social gospel is. There are many, many individuals in churches of Christ around the country today that are actively\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/Street_Arabs_and_gutter_snipes._The_pathetic_and_humorous_side_of_young_vagabond_life_in_the_great_cities_with_records_of_work_for_their_reclamation_1884_14579159707-193x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":29355,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/denominationalizing-the-work-of-the-lord\/","url_meta":{"origin":55539,"position":4},"title":"Denominationalizing the Work of the Lord","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 3, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jerry F. Bassett Sentry Magazine, March 2003 To denominate is \"to give a name to: designate,\" according to Miriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. This same source defines a religious denomination as \"a religious organization uniting local congregations in a single legal and administrative body -- denominational\" being the adjectival form\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":29780,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/identifying-a-new-testament-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":55539,"position":5},"title":"Identifying a New Testament Church","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Steve Dewhirst Sentry Magazine, December 2002 Traditionally, we gospel preachers have spoken of \"identifying the New Testament church\" in an effort to distinguish it from the sects roundabout. But in so doing, we have sometimes obscured the true nature of the body of Christ. We begin to preach about\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Magnifying_glass_with_focus_on_paper-300x169.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55539"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55539\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}