Be Thankful For “Self”
If there’s one thing we all can control is how to respond to whatever happens to us. In every situation we go through in life, we will always have the choice to decide how to respond. In other words, what we choose to do shapes our feelings and emotions about ourselves, others and our […]
Be Thankful For Others
You’ve probably heard, just like me, that gratitude is good for ourselves. But, the question, how so? And, when it comes to showing gratitude, does that also include the ones who have done harm to us? I understand how difficult that may be. At the same time though, being thankful for all people in […]
Church: A Community Built on Serving Others
Churches grow when they understand that they have to serve people. Of course, to get to that point, the Church has to lay down the foundation first, and which implies the following: prayer, the Word (Scripture), and committed leaders. I will be using Ephesians 4: 10-16 from the New International Version. Serving is about Jesus Christ, not us. […]
Christian Leaders Create Healthy Communities
For a Church to operate as a thriving Christian community, you need leaders. By leaders, I mean people who are true and faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. In other words, these are people who have Christian character: They follow Jesus and walk into His steps. They wait on God in prayer. They go with God. They […]
Church: A Life-Giving Community
God’s Word can help us build community, in addition to prayer, as we studied it in our last article. The following lines will help you first understand why we all need God’s Word and how powerful God’s Word is. Then, we’ll see how the Word of God can build community. Take a look at this […]
Church as a Community Grounded in Prayer
More people, according to a lot of research out there, claim to be spiritual rather than religious. Being religious means that you observe all that your established religion requires of you. For example, you show up for worship services and all other Church activities. All that isn’t bad! But, the struggle is whether you’re only doing […]
Healthy Churches Are Outward-Focused
Healthy Churches are outward-focused. They also have the other four markers I discussed in my previous articles: hospitality, inviting, generosity, and disciple-making. Our scriptural foundation is Acts 1: 8, But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea […]
Heathy Churches Are Disciple-Making
Healthy Churches are disciple-making, in addition to being hospitable, inviting, and generous. Let us read Matthew 28, 19-20, Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus told them to go. When they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted. Jesus came near and spoke to them, “I’ve received all authority […]
Healthy Churches Are Generous
Healthy Churches are generous, in addition to being hospitable, and inviting. They have members to whom giving is a part of who they are as a Church. Let’s start with this Scripture as the foundation for our short reflection, The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully […]
Healthy Churches Have Members Who Are Inviting
Healthy Churches have members who are inviting. Let’s look at Romans 15: 7-9. It’s a passage that you may have heard of a lot, especially these words: Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. ESV. Since the New Testament original texts were written in Greek, the original Greek word […]
