church
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The church was never meant to be a religious service provider. But in today’s culture, that’s what it’s become — a vendor of spiritual goods for individual consumers. This post explores how we got here, why it distorts the gospel, and what it means to recover the church as a Spirit-shaped covenant community.
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The words of Paul in Colossians 1:24, “I rejoice in my sufferings for you,” present a seemingly paradoxical truth: joy found in suffering. This seemingly impossible equation is at the heart of Paul’s ministry and, indeed, of the Christian faith itself. It’s a truth that challenges our natural instincts and requires a radical shift in…
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3We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; 5because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel 6which…
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The apostle Paul urges believers to rid themselves of negative traits like bitterness and anger, allowing the Spirit to transform their lives, while also demonstrating kindness, tender-heartedness, and forgiveness. This behavior is motivated by God’s forgiveness through Christ, and believers are called to share the message of reconciliation and forgiveness with others, reflecting the character…
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Paul’s letter to the Ephesians emphasizes God’s grace and believers’ responsibilities. It highlights the complexity of grace as both a gift and a duty.
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“and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; ” – Ephesians 2:16-17 (NASB) In Ephesians 2:16-17, Paul speaks about the reconciliation and unity brought about…
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(cf. 1 Thess. 4:11) What do you think should be the ambition of Christians? The Apostle Paul answers this question quite succinctly when he says to the believers in Thessalonica, “…make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands,…so that you will behave properly…
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(cf. Eph. 6:10-18) Christians are on a spiritual conflict. We struggle against the evil one as much as we struggle against our own selves. Disunity, apathy, false teachers are the schemes satan employs to make the church look in a bad light to the unbelieving world. The apostle Paul says we’ve got to be prepared…
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We have used the word ‘backsliding’ loosely to define someone who has been active in the church and then gotten away, and we usually say he is a ‘backslider’. I think that’s a rather inappropriate use of the term; i think ‘immature’ is a more proper description. Because the truth of the matter is that…