If the congregation you meet with were to meet in a way that resembled what Paul seemed to be writing about in what we call his first letter to the congregations that were meeting in Corinth (chapters 11-14), there might be people prophesying and other people testifying and others teaching. Imagine just the one probable improvement, if the person leading […]
Some lessons we might learn about our ministries from Jesus during the last Passover meal (John 13-17): You are a servant to the people you are called to influence and help (washing feet). Do not fear the people who are intent on controlling or destroying you or your work (Judas was invited to the meal and the foot washing). Expect […]
Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Based on the gift they have received, everyone should use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God. (1 Peter 4:9-11 from Holman Christian Standard Bible ®©) If it is true that Spiritual gifts are given not for the good of the gifted persons, but for the good of […]
Teachers interpret the past, prophets interpret the present and the future. Why would we doubt what the Scriptures clearly state as normal, simply because some other people doubt? Why wouldn’t our default type of decision be that we would agree with the Scriptures rather than with people who say “those times are over…”? If you do not find in the […]
There is no condemnation now for those of us who are in Christ. We have had all of our failures, stupidities, and rebellion judged and paid for by Jesus on the cross. We are free to live under the influence of the Spirit of Life in Jesus. (Romans 8) We are now responsible for administering the same freedom to those […]
We have many instructors, but not many fathers. One of our most effective instructors is named Failure. He leads us into places where we make mistakes in judgement or action. Since he really has no desire to see us succeed, he then tries to lead us into a place of condemnation and self-hatred that keeps us under his influence. Often […]
How far are we from learning that we each need the gifts of other parts of the Body of Jesus, and that we are responsible for living in a way that other parts gain access to part of His life through our contributions? How devoted are we to doing whatever we can to enable and encourage the rest of the […]
In Acts 3:16, Luke quoted Peter as saying that it was the name of Jesus that healed the lame man who was begging at the Beautiful Gate and made him able to walk. That means that the name has power. Paul, writing to the congregations in Colossae, instructed them to do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus (Colossians […]
I am convinced that the Holy Spirit has a difference of opinion with religious leaders regarding the concepts of clergy and laity being valid categories of church membership. Luke recorded the apostles’ reaction to a controversy about a ministry of feeding widows as not being important enough for them to do the work of fixing it (Acts 6 and Acts 8). […]
He entered Jericho and was passing through. There was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he was not able because of the crowd, since he was a short man. So running ahead, he climbed up a sycamore tree to see Jesus, since He […]