GOSPEL :: FAMILY :: MISSION
We are called to equip and build up the body of Christ (Eph. 4:12). The word, “equip” means to furnish or fit completely and the word “build” means to construct something. We are called to furnish or fit ourselves completely with the Word of God. We are to build up the body instead of tearing it down.
You may have heard the phrase that it takes a village to raise a kid. I know that’s certainly been true for me. I also think it’s true that it takes a village to establish a community where the presence of God lives visibly.
It is interesting to think about how our appetite affects our growth. If we have no appetite whatsoever then we shrivel up and die. If we have an appetite that is out of control then we eat everything in sight and blow up like blimps and might eventually die from gross health issues. But if we watch our diet and feed ourselves on healthy things our appetite changes and we begin to hunger for more healthy food and we grow physically healthier.
G.I.G.O. is an acronym that means garbage in garbage out. What you put into yourself comes out. What you fill your brain, your soul and your heart with, will eventually come out in the way you live your life. When you put garbage into yourself then your life will be full of garbage. When you put healthy things into yourself then you will have a healthy life.
Building a church is costly. It takes resources to build anything. You can’t build much for free. There will always be an element of personal sacrifice and costliness when you attempt to build something. And there is a price tag for building a community where the presence of God dwells. It was the same in Moses’ day too.
In difficult seasons the promises of God act like anchors in a storm. The promise in Matthew 18:20 is that “where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Spiritual growth is slow and it can be super agonizing. Sometimes, spiritual growth feels like I’m stumbling around in the dark trying to find the light switch so I can see where I’m going. Spiritual growth is similar to any other discipline in that most of it happens in the mundane, behind the scenes, along the roadside, in the nearly invisible places of life.
How do we grow spiritually? The process of spiritual growth can be slow and agonizing because it’s all about what’s happening inside our hearts as the Spirit of God shapes and molds us into the image of Christ.
What enables you to worship God through the giving of your time, talent and treasure with true joy? Why would you joyfully give yourself away for the kingdom of God? There never seems to be enough time, talent or treasure to go around anyway. So why would you joyfully give these things away instead of keeping it to yourself?
To forgive someone means to wipe the slate clean. Like a teacher wiping a chalkboard with a warm washcloth. In this way we are called to forgive people who hurt us.
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