Church Blog (Page 17)

The way that some talk, you would think that there is a small group of men who own and rule everything on earth. It might make an exciting tale to believe that we need to protect life and liberty against a network of underlings controlled by a few billionaire megalomaniacs, but, whoever they might be, they would have to deal with King Jesus first. Don’t get me wrong, there have been plenty of tyrants who have inflicted misery upon the…

When my children were small, one of them said, “Dad, it seems that the older you get, the more dead people you know.” My children were witnessing my growing realisation that life is brief and that even our lifespan of three score and ten can be cut short. In our youth we feel bulletproof and generally unaware of life’s finiteness; it is grief and loss that sobers us over time. Although death will come to us all, life is to…

Christians have every reason to greet each new day with hope. Too many of us slip in and out of a state of unhappiness and have no idea why. This, of course, need not be. For, as those indwelled by the Spirit of Christ, we are the blessed with blessings to share. Yes, Satan is up before we are, and, yes, he and his demons have plans already laid out to tempt and deceive us—but we need not let them.…

Too many in the brotherhood have forgotten the vital necessity of simply “showing up to everything!” “Considering how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds” — while being anywhere else but church — is a waste of time, if indeed it has ever been done. If we are not actively involved in the spiritual welfare of our brethren during our regular meeting times, it is doubtful that we are involved in the spiritual welfare of anyone (including ourselves)…

The mountains of sin piled up since Eden are beyond our comprehension. Except for the fervent love that Jesus demonstrated for us on the cross, our “multitudes of sin” would remain a personal mountain—laying uncovered and destined to be held against us. You know by experience that the more you love someone the faster you get over any offense they commit against you. In fact, the closer the relationship, the more likely you are to give the loved one the…

Blessing those who annoy you is hard enough, but being told to “bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:28), seems a little extreme. However, returning blessings when cursed, and prayers when meant harm, is the only way to drain hate from the heart; maybe not theirs, but definitely yours. This kind of love is at the centre of Jesus’ life and teachings. And because he loved us and blessed us while we were…

God has created us with differing bodies, personalities, and temperaments. Add to this our different talents, cultures, upbringings, experiences, and preferences, and it is obvious that being different is being human. When our congregations are full of brethren who look, talk, act, and think alike, we might want to ask why that is. Clearly, judging by the makeups of our communities, pews filled with clones is not a part of God’s plan. But not all sameness is anathema. At the…

When describing an ideal church, we think in terms of it having a reputation in some key areas: We would list good works done under difficult conditions, a spirit of endurance, an environment where the unrepentant do not feel welcome, where false teachers are exposed for what they are, and where brethren take persecutions in their stride. Given this profile, most Christians would feel that such a congregation is a good place to be. However, Jesus didn’t think so! This,…

In 2009 pictures of a 13-story apartment building in China flooded the internet. The building had literally fallen over on its side. It looked so surreal that people began to think it may have been a hoax. Few could believe that the concrete piles, there for the world to see, could really have snapped in half like toothpicks. Although there was talk of soil movement and the effects of a nearby river, it was obvious that they didn’t lay a…

Timothy’s mother and grandmother must have been the happiest souls of their time. The apostle Paul honours them for raising a young man who became a mighty man of God. But not all young men are surrounded by pillars of faith in their home. I met a brother years ago who might be surprised to know that I have always looked up to him as a man of courage. He told me of an intense spiritual struggle that took place…