Search the encyclopedia
1000 articles found for “Church calendar”
Seniors' Sunday
[Christian Life]Seniors' Sunday, also called Respect for the Aged Sunday, is a Sunday set apart to honor and bless the older members of a congregation and to reflect on life and faith in old age.
Philippians 3:13–14
[Bible Verses]In this passage the apostle Paul confesses that he has not yet been made perfect and says that, forgetting those things which are behind, he presses on toward the prize of God's high calling. Because of its image of "the mark," it is frequently quoted in connection with spiritual progress and new beginnings.
Acts 5
[Bible]Acts 5 recounts the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira, who lied about the price of their land; the signs performed by the apostles and their imprisonment; their examination before the council; Gamaliel's counsel; and the apostles' release.
Children's Sunday
[Feasts & Seasons]Children's Sunday is a Sunday set apart for blessing children and reflecting on the responsibility of passing the faith on to the next generation. It is also known as Flower Sunday. Korean churches usually observe it on the first Sunday of May, just before Korea's Children's Day.
Total Mobilization Sunday
[Worship & Rites]Total Mobilization Sunday is a Sunday on which the entire congregation joins in inviting unchurched neighbors to worship. Also called Evangelism Sunday or the New Life Festival, it is one of the best-known evangelistic events in Korean Protestant churches.
Philippians 4:19
[Bible Verses]"But my God shall supply all your need" is a promise of the apostle Paul. Cherished as a verse of comfort about God as provider, it has also been criticized for being used, contrary to its context, to speak of offerings and material blessing.
Colossians 3:3–4
[Bible Verses]A passage stating that Christians have already died, that their life is hidden with Christ in God, and that when Christ appears they will appear with him in glory. It is frequently cited in discussions of union with Christ, sanctification, and eschatological hope.
Ephesians 2:10
[Bible Verses]Ephesians 2:10 follows the preceding verses (Ephesians 2:8-9), which state that salvation comes by grace rather than by works, and declares that those who are saved were created for good works. It is frequently cited in discussions of the relationship between grace and good works.
Colossians 3:18–19
[Bible Verses]The opening of the household code in Colossians, this passage exhorts wives to submit to their husbands and husbands to love their wives and not treat them harshly. It is frequently used in exhortations on marriage and is often cited in interpretive debates over the marital relationship and gender roles.
1 John 4:2–3
[Bible Verses]This passage presents the confession that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh as the criterion distinguishing the Spirit of God from the spirit of antichrist. It is frequently cited as a basis for confessing the Incarnation and for discerning spirits.
Colossians 3:10
[Bible Verses]Colossians 3:10 is a verse stating that believers have put off the old man and put on the new man, which is continually being renewed after the image of the Creator. It is frequently cited in discussions of the restoration of the image of God and of sanctification.
1 Corinthians 8:4–6
[Bible Verses]In this passage, Paul addresses the question of food sacrificed to idols by affirming that an idol is nothing and that there is one God, and he confesses God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ together. It is frequently cited in discussions of early Christian Christology, the doctrine of the Trinity, and the question of food offered in ancestral rites.
Romans 13:3–4
[Bible Verses]A passage describing the ruler as "the minister of God," appointed to encourage good and punish evil. It is frequently cited in discussions of the legitimacy and limits of state power, Christian submission, and capital punishment.
Testing (Trial and Temptation)
[Christian Life]In Christian usage, testing refers both to a trial that refines faith and to a temptation that leads toward sin. In Korean Protestant churches, the corresponding term is also widely used in the expression *siheom deulda* ("to fall into testing"), which describes a person whose faith has been shaken or whose feelings have been hurt.
Immaculate Conception
[Doctrine & Theology]The Immaculate Conception is the Catholic doctrine that the Virgin Mary was preserved free from original sin from the first moment of her conception. It is distinct from the Virgin Birth, the teaching that Mary bore Jesus as a virgin.
Valentinus
[People]Valentinus (c. 100 – c. 160) was a second-century Christian teacher active in Rome, known as the founder of the Valentinians, one of the largest movements within early Christian Gnosticism.
Sirach
[Bible]Sirach is a book of wisdom literature generally attributed to Jesus ben Sira, a teacher of the law in Jerusalem in the early second century BC. The Catholic and Orthodox churches regard it as canonical, while most Protestants classify it among the Apocrypha.
Papal Infallibility
[Doctrine & Theology]Papal infallibility is the Roman Catholic doctrine that the pope is free from error when, under certain conditions, he formally defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals; Protestants do not accept it.
Suneung Prayer Meeting
[Christian Life]A Suneung prayer meeting is a prayer gathering held by churches in South Korea for students preparing to take the College Scholastic Ability Test (Suneung) and for their families. It is also called a senior-year prayer meeting.
Family Worship
[Worship & Rites]Family worship is worship that a family offers together at home, typically consisting of hymn singing, Scripture reading, and prayer. In Korean Protestant churches it is widely practiced, including on traditional holidays in connection with memorial services, and serves as a setting for faith education.