Why Your Marriage Needs a Healthy Church
We neglect real wisdom when we refuse to be intentional in learning from others. That’s why I cannot overstate the benefit of planting your marriage in a healthy church.
Tattered Bibles
Whenever someone mentions the need to know God’s Word better, most of us feel overrun with guilt. We know we should be more diligent, but we have numerous reasons why we never find the time or the desire.
VBS 2022
We are having a great week sharing Christ with some incredible children. Here are some updates and recaps as they come this week.
Progressive Sanctification
Sanctification is God’s work in our lives to make us holier gradually. We must understand God’s work in sanctification to understand our role in discipleship.
When Religious People Make Horrible Neighbors
Luke 10:25-37 – In The Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus challenged the stereotypes of religious people. Those who are people of the Kingdom show compassion to others.
Journey to the Field
It has been said that failing to prepare is preparing to fail. For short-term mission participants and trips, this is also true. Journey to the Field was developed as a tool for individuals to use as they walk toward the mission field, serve on the mission field and return from the mission field.
Subtle Restraints
As you attempt to follow Jesus, your motives and intentions may be exactly what they need to be, but they will be challenged by common yet successful opposition. Many disciples find themselves struggling due to these recurring issues.
Parables of Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth was a master storyteller, and many of his most well-known teachings were told as parables. But these stories were designed to do much more than simply “teach.”
Parables
When Jesus taught His disciples, He often used parables. They were Kingdom truths contained in memorable stories. His paradigm-shifting call within them is just as radical for us today. As we study these stories, they are guaranteed to alter our own.
Discipleship Reorientation
Most Christians can easily communicate the importance of making disciples, but few can articulate how they are personally engaging in the process. For all our numerous ministry activities, we must reorient to the task of personal discipleship.
Dull Spirituality
Matthew 13:1-23 – As Jesus often spoke in parables, it divided those who understood the truth and those who rejected it. When people’s hearts become dull, they cannot receive the blessings of God’s truth.
Your Kids Need an Intentional Home & Church
If I consider all the homes that have created a spiritually-flourishing environment, there are common characteristics. With the challenges of our society, I believe a partnered effort between the home and the church is essential for success.
Unrestricted Access
We often compartmentalize our lives. We have a section for faith. We have another area reserved for our family. We sort our hobbies over here and our entertainment over there. But what if our lives are not meant to be made up of isolated components?
The Convention Reckoning
It is a time of reckoning for the Southern Baptist Convention after the report of the Sexual Abuse Task Force. In light of all that has been done wrong in the past, it is time now to do what is right.
Waypoint (May 2022)
God is doing some amazing things among our church family. Hear about what has happened in recent months and some incredible opportunities that God has laid before us.
How to Be a Great Church Member
1 Thessalonians 5:25-28 – To be a part of a local church means that we give and we receive for the mutual benefit of all members. Discover what differentiates between a stagnate and supportive disciple within this church.
The Difference Between Dangerous Wolves and Misguided Sheep
How can you determine the difference between what Jesus would call a sheep and a wolf in a church? One hurts themselves; the other intends to endanger others.
Singular Ambition
If we are going to follow Jesus truly through the 2nd mile and beyond, we must ensure that we don’t wander off onto other paths. Making our pursuit of Jesus to be our singular ambition clarifies all other decisions during our lives.
Parables [Series Overview]
Parables were Jesus’ Kingdom truths contained in memorable stories. His paradigm-shifting call within them is just as radical for us today. As we study these stories, they are guaranteed to alter our own.
Biblical Expectation
The Great Commission was never “Plan B” according to God’s agenda. From the very beginning, God desired to create a community of people helping one another to follow Him.
God Hasn’t Given Up on You
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 – While we haven’t arrived at God’s destination for our lives, we should watch for signs to determine if we are getting there. God hasn’t given up on us, and He will continue to work on us until He finishes what He started.
Sermon Series Cannot Fix All Discipleship Problems
When we often see dangerous trends within our churches, we plan a sermon series to address them hoping that a six-week emphasis will do the trick. But what if people actually need more than that?
Studying the Word
You’ve made attempts to read different sections of the Bible with varying levels of success, but if you are going to be a lifelong student of the Word, you must show perseverance. Each of us needs a long-term plan for spiritual growth.
God Doesn’t Need You
The universe will continue the previously planned operational schedule with or without any of us. God doesn’t need us, but He wants us.
God Hasn’t Given Up On You (And So Neither Have We)
As a church, we have a central belief about God and about you that changes everything we do. That rallying hope is that God hasn’t given up on you, and so neither have we.
Practicing Spiritual Discernment
1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 – We live in a time where we have plentiful access to spiritual direction, but not all of it is from God. A disciple of Jesus needs to practice spiritual discernment in confusing religious times.
Discipleship [Entrust Institute]
Discipleship and disciple-making are a vital part of the believer’s sanctification. Once an individual has repented of their sin and trusted Christ for salvation, the process of growing and becoming more like Jesus is paramount.
The End
In the last few pages of the Bible, God delivers a dazzling picture of what is to come. Despite the coming or current conflict, we can look at what God has promised and trust that his plan will come to pass. The conclusion will be a good one.
There Isn’t a Perfect Church Formula
We often look at the successes of other ministries and attempt to copy and paste it into our own contexts. God doesn’t want you to replicate His work from another place; He has called your church to accomplish something specific.
Easter 2022 Baptism Recap
The Spirit worked among our church on Easter 2022, and we saw 30 people baptized that evening. He is still making all things new!
Distinctive Discipleship [Tennessee Conference]
Jesus called us to make disciples, but many of us don’t have a strategy to see that happen. Learn a pathway to help you start growing again and help another to do the same.
Coupled Companions
Your marriage needs healthy support around it in the form of consistent, Christlike friendships. If you want your marriage to strive, ensure that you have people around you who desire the same thing.
The Revelation
As persecution increased among the early followers of Jesus, God sought to encourage them through the words of the apostles. In addition to encouraging epistles, God gave a revelation to the Apostle John that showed what was to come.
Fulfill a Passion vs. Fill a Position
Within the many volunteer needs a church has, it is easy to fill a generic position, but it is better to fulfill a specific passion. Our churches need people serving in areas for which God has equipped them.
Thorough Theology
To embrace a biblical theology, we cannot pick and choose which doctrines to accept. By developing a thorough theology grounded in Scripture, we understand God as He truly is rather than who we think He ought to be.
Embracing Your Church as Family
1 Thessalonians 5:12-15 – If we learn to embrace a church as a family, we can navigate all relationships and situations within. Jesus did not leave us on our own to follow Him, so we need to learn how to encourage one another to continue.
Don’t Settle (When Considering a Spouse)
Many people have initial standards for dating and marriage, but when the candidate pool decreases, an urgency to find someone increases. Don’t settle for less than God’s best.
The Gospel
As the first church movement multiplied greatly and quickly, certain letters were sent to be distributed among these new believers. Within them, doctrine and practice were clarified to ensure that growth did not allow for dilution.
These Secondary Issues Are Hindering Your Primary Purpose
There are primary purposes in ministry which should be prioritized, but if the secondary issues are unaddressed, they will eventually cause you to neglect the most important ones. Make sure you address secondary issues so you can fulfill your primary purpose.
Jesus Died So We Can Live
1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 – Jesus absorbed the wrath of God so that we need not fear its consequences for our lives. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we can truly come to life.