| A church family is a laboratory for love by Rick Warren |
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| All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 1 Corinthians 12:27 (NLT)
You are not the Body of Christ on your own. You need others to express that. Together, not separated, we are his Body. A church family moves you out of self-centered isolation. The local church is the classroom for learning how to get along in God’s family. It is a lab for practicing unselfish, sympathetic love. As a participating member you learn to care about others and share the experiences of others: “If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it. Or if one part of our body is honored, all the other parts share its honor.” (1 Corinthians 12:26 NCV) Only in regular contact with ordinary, imperfect believers can we learn real fellowship and experience the New Testament truth of being connected and dependent on each other. (Ephesians 4:16, Romans 12:4-5, Colossians 2:19, 1 Corinthians 12:25) Biblical fellowship is being as committed to each other as we are to Jesus Christ. God expects us to give our lives for each other. Many Christians who know John 3:16 are unaware of 1 John 3:16: “Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” (NIV) This is the kind of sacrificial love God expects you to show other believers—a willingness to love them in the same way Jesus loves you. |
Archive for the ‘Fellowship’ Category
The Church Family
Posted: March 22, 2010 in Acceptance, Daily Motivation, Encourgement, Fellowship, Inspiration, Personal Growth, winningTags: Bible Study, Daily Motivation, Encourgment, Fellowship, Inspiration, Job Opportunity, power, Spiritual Food for the Day
Show you believe by belonging
Posted: March 22, 2010 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Fellowship, Happiness, InspirationTags: Daily Motivation, Encourgment, Job Opportunity, Motivation, power, Spiritual Food for the Day
| Show you believe by belonging by Rick Warren |
| Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. John 13:35 (NLT)
The Bible says a Christian without a church home is like an organ without a body, a sheep without a flock, or a child without a family. It is an unnatural state. The Bible says, “You belong in God’s household with every other Christian.” (Ephesians 2:19b LB) Today’s culture of independent individualism has created many spiritual orphans—”bunny believers” who hop around from one church to another without any identity, accountability, or commitment. Many believe it is possible to be a “good Christian” without joining (or even attending) a local church, but God would strongly disagree. The church is so significant that Jesus died on the cross for it. “Christ loved the church and gave his life for it.” (Ephesians 5:25 GW) Except for a few important exceptions referring to all believers throughout history, almost every time the word church is used in the Bible it refers to a local, visible congregation. The New Testament assumes membership in a local congregation. The only Christians not members of a local fellowship were those under church discipline who had been removed from the fellowship because of gross public sin. (1 Corinthians 5:1-13; Galatians 6:1-5) The Bible offers many compelling reasons why you need to be committed and active in a local fellowship. A church family identifies you as a genuine believer. I can’t claim to be following Christ if I’m not committed to any specific group of disciples. Jesus said, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:35 NLT) When we come together in love as a church family from different backgrounds, race, and social status, it is a witness to the world. (Galatians 3:28 MSG; see also John 17:21) |
Love your spiritual family
Posted: March 22, 2010 in Beliefs, Daily Motivation, Encourgement, Fellowship, Inspiration, Personal Growth, UncategorizedTags: Bible Study, Daily Motivation, Encourgment, Fellowship, Inspiration, Spiritual Food for the Day
| Love your spiritual family by Rick Warren |
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Love your spiritual family. 1 Peter 2:17b (MSG)
As I mentioned yesterday, the church is a body, not a building; an organism, not an organization. For the organs of your body to fulfill their purpose, they must be connected to your body. The same is true for you as a part of Christ’s Body. You were created for a specific role, but you will miss out on this if you’re not attached to a living, local church. You discover your role in life though your relationships with others. The Bible tells us, “Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we?” (Romans 12:4-5 MSG) If an organ is somehow severed from its body, it will shrivel and die. It cannot exist on its own, and neither can you. Disconnected and cut off from the lifeblood of a local body, your spiritual life will wither and eventually cease to exist. (Ephesians 4:16) This is why the first symptom of spiritual decline is usually inconsistent attendance at worship services and other gatherings of believers. Whenever we become careless about fellowship, everything else begins to slide, too. The Bible says, “Love your spiritual family.” (1 Peter 2:17b MSG) Membership in the family of God is neither inconsequential nor something to be casually ignored. The church is God’s agenda for the world. Jesus said, “I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” (Matthew 16:18 NLT) |
Trusting God when I don’t understand
Posted: March 22, 2010 in Acceptance, Daily Motivation, Encourgement, Fellowship, Inspiration, Personal Growth, UncategorizedTags: Encourgment, Fellowship, Inspiration, power, Spiritual Food for the Day
| Trusting God when I don’t understand by Rick Warren |
| “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
When the children of Israel were finally set free from Egypt after 400 years of slavery, they started marching out to freedom and the first thing they came to was the Red Sea. There were impassable mountain ranges on two sides of them, the sea in front of them. Behind them, in hot pursuit, was the Egyptian army because the Pharaoh had changed his mind about letting them go. The path before the Israelites looked like a dead end. But God knew exactly what He wanted to do. He had not made a mistake. He could see what they could not see. He opened the Red Sea and they walked through to safety. Years later, the Israelites looked back and sang, “Your road led by a pathway through the sea—a pathway no one knew was there!” (Psalm 77:19 LB). You may be facing a dead end right now—financial, emotional, relational—but God can see a path that you don’t know about. If you will trust God and keep on moving in faith, even when you don’t see a way, He will make a way. It will become more understandable as you head down the path he sets before you, but understanding is not a requirement for you to start down the path. Proverbs 4:18 says, “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter till the full light of day” (NIV). One day you will stand in the full light of eternity and view the big picture. You’ll see God’s purpose behind the path He specifically chose for you. What do I do in the meantime? You do what Proverbs 3 says: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” What does He mean “don’t lean on your own understanding”? You don’t need to try to figure it out. In truth, you’re not going to understand most of the things that happen in your life until you get to heaven. Be patient. God knows what He’s doing. God knows what’s best for you. He can see the end result. You can’t. All those problems, heartaches, difficulties and delays — all the things that make you ask “why” — one day it will all be clear in the light of God’s love. But for now, we’re learning to trust God. |
Tuning in to God
Posted: March 22, 2010 in Bible Study, Daily Motivation, Encourgement, Fellowship, Personal Growth, UncategorizedTags: Encourgment, Fellowship, Inspiration, power, Spiritual Food for the Day
| Tuning in to God by Rick Warren |
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“God does speak—sometimes one way and sometimes another—even though people may not understand it.” Job 33:14 (NCV)
After we ask in faith for God’s guidance, we need to listen for God’s response! Did you know that the room you are in right now is filled with radio waves? You can’t see them but if you had the right type of receiver – like a radio – to tune them in, you’d be able to hear them. God designed you to hear His voice. There is a receiver in you that allows you to get guidance from God. Job 33:14 says, “God does speak—sometimes one way and sometimes another—even though people may not understand it.” We don’t understand when we’re not tuned in. What channels does God use? The primary way that God speaks is through the Bible. The Bible is God’s guide book. It’s like a road map to guide us along the way. It helps you negotiate the mazes you face in life, giving you the directions you need. This is why we need to read the Bible very day. God’s will is found in God’s Word. God also speaks through godly Bible teachers. Have you ever been in church or at a Bible study and you feel like the teacher is speaking directly to you? In that moment, God is speaking directly to you. God not only speaks through teachers, he also speaks through every Christian. He even speaks through you. If you’ll stay in tune to Him and learn His Word, sometimes God will use you to say things to people that He wants to say to them. It’s not something special reserved only for pastors; God speaks through every believer at different times. God also speaks through your circumstances and your pain. God whispers to us in our pleasure, but He shouts to us in our pain. God is speaking all the time. But we must listen. Tune in to God and He will lead you on the right path. |
Just Ask
Posted: March 22, 2010 in Encourgement, Fellowship, Inspiration, Personal Growth, UncategorizedTags: Daily Motivation, Fellowship, Inspiration
| Just ask! by Rick Warren |
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| “If you want to know what God really wants you to do, ask him . . . but if you don’t ask in faith, don’t expect the Lord to give you any solid answer.” James 1:5-6 (LB)
The Bible says when we ask God for guidance, we need to believe he will give us that guidance. Jesus said, “Ask and it shall be given, seek and ye shall find, knock and the door will be opened” (Luke 11:9 NIV). Ask, seek, knock—ASK. God wants you to learn to ask. God is willing to give wisdom: “If you want to know what God really wants you to do, ask him, and he will gladly tell you, for he is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask him; but . . . if you don’t ask in faith, don’t expect the Lord to give you any solid answer” (James 1: 5-6 LB). God wants to direct you in life, but two things need to line up: You have to ask the right person—God, and you have to ask with the right attitude—in faith, expecting an answer. Have you ever asked God for something and didn’t expect to get it? That’s why you didn’t get it. God works in our lives according to faith. So many times we say, “God, please guide me!” and we walk away not even waiting for guidance. We just immediately start to work. We say, “God, I want you to give me wisdom, help me make the right decision.” But we don’t really expect Him to do that. We think it all depends on us. God has promised to give us wisdom, if we will ask. Wisdom is seeing life from God’s point of view. Wisdom is the ability to make decisions the way God makes decisions. Think about this: God never makes a bad decision. He never makes a mistake. He says if we trust Him and listen to Him, He will guide us. But we must ask in faith. |
Under Gods command 