Monday, October 15, 2018

October 15, 2018

"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;  and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection....." I Peter 1:5-6

I believe that healthy local churches are the hope for our world. No other organization has more potential to positively transform people who can then be used by God to change marriages and families that God can then use to change schools and neighborhoods and businesses.

The example of this would be the Church in the Book of Acts. First, they "turned Jerusalem upside down" and then they changed the world despite the fierce opposition of the  powerful Roman Empire.

If we ever needed healthy local churches it is now!

What do I mean by a healthy church? In short, I mean a church that is guided by "mutual affection". There is nothing more powerful than a community of Christ-followers who commit to each other, "I'm going to love you to life!"

Love you to life? 

What does that mean?

What it means to me is I care as much about your spiritual welfare and growth as I do my own. Not only will I - "make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love" - but I will make every effort to encourage that growth in you!

Wouldn't a place that loved like that be powerful?

Wouldn't you love to belong to a place that loves like that?

Would you begin to love like that?

Will you love someone to life?



October 14, 2018

"and to godliness, mutual affection........" II Peter 1:7

Peter has effectively and meticulously laid out the process of spiritual growth - "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature,having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, MUTUAL AFFECTION;"

Each of us must take responsibility for our own spiritual growth. After all, God has given us everything we need to live godly lives. He has given us great and precious promises. He has given us the Word and He has sent His Spirit. Everything He can do He has done!

It is up to us to "make every effort to add". Literally that means to give our full effort and attention to supporting the work God wants to do in us.

God has given us one other thing to help us - each other!

That is the essence of this virtue of "mutual affection". We each care for the other enough to give encouragement, accountability, and prayer support to nurture spiritual growth for the other. In the process of doing that, affection grows and faith grows and fellowship strengthens!

One of the reasons I harbor such a passion for local churches is because it is within the unity and fellowship of a local church we can literally love one another to life! It is within the safety of a grace-giving community we can call out the best in each other patiently, yet persistently. We can challenge each other when necessary but at the same time we cheer one another.

I have been blessed to devote my life to the church because the church has blessed my life beyond measure! I can't imagine where I would be or who I would be without all the mutual affection I have received from pastors, Sunday School teachers, youth pastors, college professors, and brothers and sisters in Christ! I love because of the love I have received. I offer the fruits of that love to help others add to their faith as I have been helped.

That is how God designed it! It is how God desires it!

Do you have a fellowship where you can find mutual love? Do you have a group of believers who are as committed to your spiritual maturity as they are their own?

That is mutual affection!

October 13, 2018

I get daily email articles from Outreach and they are always good. This one is especially good and timely for us. Thom Rainer is a former pastor who now does surveys and research to help strengthen local churches. I pray you will find it a bit challenging but mostly encouraging! You will notice I added several comments in the margins.

What Non-Christians Really Think about Christians

By
These surprising insights about what non-Christians think of Christians can profoundly impact your outreach.

One of my greatest joys in research is talking to and listening to those who clearly identify themselves as non-Christians. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not celebrating their absence of faith in Christ. My joy comes from listening to those who don’t believe as I do, so I might be better equipped to witness to them.

Over the past several years, my research teams and I have interviewed thousands of unchurched non-Christians. Among the more interesting insights I gleaned were those where the interviewees shared with me their perspectives of Christians.

In this article, I group the seven most common types of comments in order of frequency. I then follow that representative statement with a direct quote from a non-Christian.

Read these comments and see if you learn some of the lessons I learned.

1. Christians are against more things than         they are for.

“It just seems to me Christians are mad at the world and mad at each other. They are so negative, they seem unhappy. I have no desire to be like them and stay upset all the time.”   (OUCH!)

2. I would like to develop a friendship with a   Christian.

“I’m really interested in what they believe and how they carry out their beliefs. I wish I could find a Christian who would be willing to spend some time with me.”  (OUCH AGAIN!)

3. I would like to learn about the Bible from a   Christian.

“The Bible really fascinates me, but I don’t want to go to a stuffy and legalistic church to learn about it. I would be nice if a Christian invited me to study the Bible in his home or at a place like Starbucks.”

4. I don’t see much difference in the way       Christians live compared to others.

“I really can’t tell what a Christian believes because he doesn’t seem much different than other people I know. The only exception would be Mormons. They really seem to take their beliefs seriously.”  (GOD HELP US!)

5. I wish I could learn to be a better   husband/wife/dad/mom, etc., from a         Christian.

“My wife is threatening to divorce me, and I think she means it this time. My neighbor is a Christian, and he seems to have it together. I am swallowing my pride and asking him to help me.”  (SEE THE POWER OF GETTING IT RIGHT?)

6. Some Christians try to act like they have       no problems.

“Harriett works in my department. She is one of those Christians who seems to have a mask on. I would respect her more if she didn’t put on such an act. I know better.

7. I wish a Christian would take me to his or   her church.

“I really would like to visit a church, but I’m not particularly comfortable going by myself. What is weird is that I am 32 years old, and I’ve never had a Christian invite me to church in my entire life.”

Do you see the pattern? Non-Christians want to interact with Christians. They want to see Christians’ actions match their beliefs. They want Christians to be real.

In one study we conducted, we found only 5 percent of non-Christians are antagonistic toward Christians. It’s time to stop believing the lies we have been told. Jesus said it clearly: “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest” (Luke10:2, HCSB).