The Called Out Cafe Podcast

With the passing of the Apostles, those left behind were left wondering where to go from there. Where they went was in different directions! Some advocated for following appointed humans, but that is not what Jesus said to do. 

Please join me as we check in with the Church of the end of the first century. Did they pay pastors? Who was in charge? Did they practice taking Communion? Were they big on missions? Did they "share all thin...

The earliest years of the Ekklesia was a unique time. Many Christians lived in isolation without apostles visiting them, and without a New Testament. This went on for several years. Believers relied on what they had been told by others about the gospel and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Yet, they had everything they needed to accomplish God's will in their lives and follow Jesus. There were no traditions or institutions necessary...

Christianity grew out of Judaism, but it should have never outgrown it! We have lost so much rich background that is important to understanding the entire context of both Jesus' first and second coming to this earth. 

The earliest Christians were and continued to be Jews. They simply accepted Jesus as their Messiah which their scriptures and religion told them to expect. Am I saying followers of Jesus should try to be more Jewish? ...

You may glaze over when someone starts talking about History. Maybe even more so when you think about Church History. Thats OK. Think about what the next episodes in this series will be about as a commentary on how we got from what the Ekklesia was during Jesus' day, to what the Church has become 2000 years later in our day. The two are clearly not the same. This will be a warts and all history that will leave you with little doubt...

This time we will take a look at what Jesus had to say directly to the Ekklesias, in the book of Revelation, regarding the purpose of gathering together, what their focus should be, and how they should function. 60 years after His ascension He certainly did not appear to be concerned with how the "Great Commision" was coming. He didn't bring up how much was being donated in the offering plates and didn't seem to care about church a...

In this episode of the Called-Out Cafe, we will look at what all of the other Apostles, besides Paul, had to say about "how to do church." As you will hear, not much. However, they all taught the three foundational principles of anything should be done in the Ekklesia: Faith in Jesus, Hope in what He said, and Love for others in the Ekklesia.  

Beyond this, James tells us there should be no favoratism within a body of believers, an...

As we continue to see what the New Testament has to say about the gathering together of those who are Called-Out of the world to follow Jesus, in this episode we are looking at Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. At least the first letter that was preserved and made a part of the Bible.  

We will see what Paul had to say about how to maintain the integrity of a local community of believers. While that may involve what we think ...

The Apostle Paul is the guy that churches all go to, to get church done right. The church loves using Paul's letters like they are a sort of a formulaic check list for making sure that church leaders color within the lines. But Paul's letters to the different Ekklesias (churches) were most often in response to some problem or issue those churches were having. Although Paul solved their problems by using the foundational principles ...

Many today attempt to use what happened in the early New Testament Church, as seen in the book of Acts, as a model for how to do church. In this episode of the Called-Out Cafe we will take a look at why that might not be the best use of the information contained in Acts.  What God accomplished at Pentecost and the days following was fantastic and unique. It was what we call a "one off." What took place there has never been successf...

Moving on from the book of Matthew in this latest episode of the Called-Out Cafe we talk about more extremely important components of the Biblical Ekklesia: like if it is not all about spreading the gospel, or service and works in the Church, what is it God expects us to be doing? Among other things, we will also talk about how the church's popularity in our communities is not a measure of success, and how loving one another within...

Many in the Evangelical Church today believe that the primary mission of the Church is to “make disciples,” and spread the gospel to the entire earth. Those things are found in the “mission statements” of countless churches. Yet, you will never find the words “great commission” in the New Testament. Nor will you find Jesus saying anywhere in the original Greek documents used to translate the English New Testament to “make disciples...

Warning: If you love church traditions and have high blood pressure, please consult your physician before listening to this episode of the Called-Out Cafe.

The Apostle Matthew, writer of the gospel by the same name, would have a large problem with what is taking place in most modern churches today. Among other things, in this episode we will talk about why money is given such prominence in todays churches given Jesus’ attitude to...

If you are a part of a church, what is it exactly that you think you are a part of?  In this episode of the Called-Out Café, we will look at a passage of scripture in which Jesus gives us His idea of what His Ekklesia is built on. Then in our survey of the Gospel of Matthew and what it says about gathering in the name of Jesus we will look at Jesus’s system of holding one another accountable within local bodies of Ekklesia. Then, w...