Tag: love

What Should the Church look like?

When you hear the word, “church,” what do you think of?  How do you picture it?  We don’t “go to church.”  We are the church.  Why do we often associate the word “church” with a place and time…or a building?  Even though it is symbolized as a building, that is not what the church, “eklesia,” is.  In a study we did this week, we found that eklesia, the word Jesus uses when he talked about building His church, actually means “gathering.”  But it is more than that.  It is the body of Christ.  It is a group of believers gathered together in unity, to worship God, to lift each other up, to pray together, to meet each other’s need, to live life together, to go out and share the love of Christ to others.  One of the churches I was a part of had a simple mission statement:  To love God and to love others, pursue Christ’s character, serve the world.  To follow Christ and invite others to follow Him.  That is what church is all about.

So what should it look like?  What do you look for in a church?

These are my personal desires in a church.  First, small groups (not necessarily in a particular order).  Having a small group Bible study in a home each week is the most important to me.  That is where you get to really know others, where you can dig deep into the scriptures, where you can grow together.  Along with that, and most importantly is Biblical teaching.  Does the church follow the Bible and teach the truth without sugar-coating or avoiding certain scriptural truths?  Does it have sound Biblical teaching?  What is most important to a church, God’s truth or attendance or something else? Christ should be the foundation.  Then, is the church welcoming?  Are the people loving and friendly?  Of course, we must remember that they are human.  Expect flaws and imperfections.  People are people.  We all have issues.  What kind of ministries do they have and how can I get involved and serve?  Church is not just a service to attend.  We all have a part.  Then, it is a matter of personal preference.  music, style of preaching, etc.  I like contemporary Christian music.  I love to see musical talent (of which I have none), I love a good dynamic speaker.  But we shouldn’t get bogged down on some of these things.  We are there to worship God, not be entertained.

What do the scriptures say about what a church should be?  What is God’s desire in a church? Continue reading “What Should the Church look like?”

Confidence in Eternal Life

I was having a conversation the other day about someone we knew who had cancer.  I mentioned that this person said that they were ready and knew where they were going.  The reply was that we never know until the time comes.  I was taken aback by that knowing what both of us were taught.  I wish I had spoken up at the time to say what the gospel says about it, so i thought I would write about it here.  I will have to pick it up with him again.  After all, that is one of the most important questions to ask yourself.  Do you know where you are going after this life?  The Bible says, “yes!” Continue reading “Confidence in Eternal Life”

Are You Rich or Poor?

How do you define poverty?  Is it just about economics?  Is it perspective?  Is it something within?  Perhaps it is about what we do with what we have.  What do you consider rich? Continue reading “Are You Rich or Poor?”

Forgive You, Forgive Me

I was thinking about talking about forgiveness and as I was the line from the movie, Jerry Maguire, “Help Me Help you!” kept coming into my head.  That is sort of where this title came from.  In order to forgive others, I think one must learn how to forgive one’s self.  And, when being forgiven, one must learn to forgive.  “Help me Help you.”  God has shown us mercy through His Son, who loved us so much that He gave His life in order that we may be forgiven.  Nothing we do can earn forgiveness, it is God’s act of love.  We don’t deserve His forgiveness, but He forgives us anyways.  We just need to accept it.  In the same way, those who have hurt us do not deserve forgiveness but if we remember what Jesus did on the cross, we can forgive them too. Continue reading “Forgive You, Forgive Me”

New Covenant Living

I was debating on the title for this study between “New Covenant Living” and “Practical Christianity.”  There is a lot in Hebrews 13 about how we are to conduct ourselves as Christians.  It’s kind of a “now that I am saved, what do I do now?” instruction manual.  Of course, it is not the only one.  The New Testament is full of letters on how we are to live as a child of God.  There have been a couple good studies on Hebrews that I went through that taught me a lot on this book, one by J.D. Graeer and one by Pete Briscoe.  You can probably find both on YouTube or just google them.  Anyways, some of this comes from notes I have from watching their studies.  I hope this will strengthen you, encourage you and help you to grow in your walk with the Lord.  May God bless you always! Continue reading “New Covenant Living”