Posts with the category “community”

As disciples of Christ, we're called to live lives of radical generosity. This doesn't mean we give recklessly, but rather that we trust God to guide us in our giving and to provide for our needs.  Read More

So how do we make our love for Christ put skin on bones and be a living example of it? One way is through our giving.   Read More

Let's get real for a second. Unity isn't always easy. We all have our quirks and differences, and sometimes those can lead to misunderstandings or conflicts. We can have the best intentions, yet our follow-through can be lacking.  Read More

We are incapable of taking on the forces of evil without the support of the big "C" church. The Church is a force for the Kingdom of God. We exist to take on the forces of evil, and we aren't supposed to do that alone.  Read More

God isn’t Santa Clause, a genie in a bottle, or a wishing stone. God doesn’t exist for our benefit. God is God. We need to stop acting like He has to obey our every whim and understand that His ways are better than our ways.  Read More

Love isn’t easy, and it isn’t cheap. Truly loving one another only comes through time and connection.  Read More

You’ve probably heard, “You are what you eat.” I’d take it a step further and say, “You become what you worship.”  Read More

When God calls us to something, we need to respond with only one answer, “Yes Lord.” When we avoid our calling, we are avoiding the best possible life God could offer us. Remember, his wisdom trumps ours every time.  Read More

Our service has an end goal. We are to make disciples. Our service has one source. That is Christ Jesus. Our service comes from one place, worship. When the day comes that we finally get to receive the very thing we have lived our lives for and our hope is made complete, worship will still be there.  Read More

A disciple is easily broken down as someone who is following Jesus, being changed by Jesus and is committed to the mission of Jesus. Notice, that there are no Bible College degrees in there. There’s nothing about putting in years of service. It doesn’t say that you have to have half the Bible memorized. Instead, we are to go, share, and do life.  Read More

One of the biggest reasons why we serve in the Church is because we are to care for Christ’s bride. He’s now preparing a place for her and will return to take her with Him. It’s our responsibility to get her ready.  Read More

Each of us has a place in the church where we can serve, but not everyone has the same giftedness. While some have the “out front” gifts; public speaking, musical talent, and the ability to teach and preach, most will serve behind the scenes. That’s what really makes the Church thrive.  Read More

Christ served right up until death. He knew His life would be short-lived. He knew His ministry wouldn’t last even half a decade. That didn’t sway Him from giving every ounce of everything He had to serve His Father. In just a few short years, Jesus started a revolution that became a movement that became the Church.  Read More

A passion that is led by sin though; perverted sexuality, greed, power, and jealousy can also attract us to what we think is warmth, but those fires burn out of control. We suddenly find ourselves burning up with our sin and it’s killing us spiritually.  Read More

It’s not a suggestion to love. It’s a command. If we are to love like Jesus did, we will find ourselves in some very unenviable situations. There will be times of discomfort. Awkwardness will happen often. Yet, despite all of that, when we learn to love like Christ, we see people differently.   Read More

Our testimony is a powerful thing. People who do not read the Bible will rarely be impressed by your knowledge of scripture. They definitely won’t be moved by it. Your testimony, however, the story of how God rescued you and brought you out of death and into life, that story will move them.  Read More

The cost of discipleship is great. If you’ve been a believer for any significant time, you know this. To ask someone to be willing to give up their life as they know it and follow after Christ is a huge decision, and it’s one that each person needs to make for themselves. Unfortunately, many people will never get that chance, because someone makes that decision for them without them even knowing.   Read More

It’s obvious that Jesus wanted us to tell the world about Him and His Father, but what does that look like for us today? I would dare say if we took Matthew 28:19-20 and Acts 1:8 to heart, we would get a very clear picture of what God has called us to do.  Read More

We try to keep such a breakneck pace going that we eventually crash and burn. We tell ourselves we can handle it, but we know that’s not true. We start to get short with the ones we love out of frustration. We drop the ball on things that we can’t keep up with. We begin losing relationships with people we care about because we don’t have the time to invest in the relationship. We’re a bunch of control freaks who want to have control of our time but find ourselves losing control because of it.  Read More

We allow ourselves to be led by our stomachs, our eyes, and our desires far too much, and we lose focus on what is right in front of us. God sees a much bigger picture than we do, and He’s leading us by His Holy Spirit to greater things than what we see ourselves doing.  Read More

As fellow believers, we need to urge each other on to a holier way of living and build each other up.  Read More

Without the blood of the Lamb, we cannot be saved. The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, is the only way to the Father. Because we have sinned, we need a savior. God sends His only Son to be that Savior. If we believe in Him, we are saved. Is there a more simple message?  Read More

God will provide for our needs. When we place our full trust in God, he will take care of us. We shouldn’t fear whether or not our daily needs are being provided. God is very clear about this.  Read More

As we go about our lives, we are to continually seek out opportunities to tell people about the Gospel. He wanted them to help people recognize the sin in their life, and realize the need for a Savior. The kicker is, they were not expected to do this alone.  Read More

Jesus Christ Himself is there with us when we gather in His name. When we are praying together, the Son of God joins in with us. How amazing is that?  Read More

The people we spend the most time with tend to be the people who affect WHO we are the most. It’s no wonder that God would want us around each other in the Church as much as possible.  Read More

One of the best ways to grow in community with others is to get into the word with a close-knit group of people who will hold each other accountable. The early Church understood this, and that’s why they were growing so rapidly. People are not made to be alone, and there’s an innate need and desire to be in community with others.  Read More

Before there was sin, there was community. Before there was worship, there was community. Before a single song was ever sung to God, before cities, countries, and empires, there was community. God had a plan and community was at the front of it.  Read More

In order to be good stewards of what we have, we have to understand that it was never ours to begin with. We are only managing our Father’s property. Everything we have, everything we are, everything we do belongs to God.   Read More

We won’t always just walk up on opportunities. Many times, we need to be searching them out. Look for places to fill needs. Ask someone what’s out there. We should always be willing to be good stewards of our blessings when the moment arrives, but we should also be diligent in looking for ways that God can use our resources.  Read More

So we need to decide, “How do I take what God has given me and glorify Him?” Is it through my gifting? Is it through my finances? Is it through my time? What has God given you that is unique to you? There may be a reason why you have that gift.  Read More

There was an artistic hand involved in the creation of everything around me. There was an intrinsic beauty that couldn't be explained by a big bang or random evolution. I was in the midst of a masterpiece created by the Master Himself.  Read More

One of my favorite movie trilogies growing up was the Karate Kid. I always loved watching Daniel Larusso overcome the odds. He was the epitome of the underdog. He was gangly, awkward, and had a short fuse. He always doubted himself, and it was always Mr. Miyagi that would bring Daniel around to what he was actually capable of. In the Karate Kid 2, Daniel had traveled to Okinawa to help Mr. Miyagi ...  Read More

It’s a way to get clarity when seeking Wisdom from God. We remove all other needs and place them in God’s hands so that we can better discern what His will is for us.   Read More

The Sabbath is probably the most ignored commandment in the Bible. That in itself is crazy when you consider that this command (notice, it’s not a suggestion) comes BEFORE honoring your father and mother, murder, stealing, committing adultery, coveting, and bearing false witness.  Read More