Category: Level: Intermediate

congregation unity community

7 Novel Ideas For Becoming A Transforming Community

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Following are some suggestions for helping congregations develop opportunities for members to connect with, or help, each other while at the same time fostering growth. Suggestions for Promoting Growth and Biblical Fellowship in Congregations Find an app that lets a congregation develop a social network just for members so that members can learn about each other and build friendships. Members could post personal information, occupation, hobbies, services they would offer to other members, financial needs, employment needs or opportunities, other assorted life needs, prayer requests, updates on the progress they are making with issues in their lives, and blessings that God has given to them. A ministry to help people break habits. Instead of being a “recovery” ministry, this ministry could teach people how to break all bad habits in their lives. The openness should also help improve bonding between members. Provide an economical way for members to have a Continue Reading →

union marriage

Our Blissful Union With God In Christ

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Our union with God began when we believed, and God wants this union or oneness to grow throughout our lives. We are “engaged” now and God will complete our full union at the marriage supper of the Lamb. The idea that we are united in this mortal life is based on the many passages in the New Testament about our present oneness with God or Christ which includes the passages about God or Christ being in us and us being in God or Christ, as well as the Old Testament passages referring to God’s people as his bride. We will quote only two of them. In 2 Corinthians 11:2 Paul tells the Corinthians that “I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ” (ESV) and in 1 Corinthians 6:17 he states that “he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him” Continue Reading →

contemplation

How To Benefit From Contemplation

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Contemplation may be defined as quiet receptivity. Contemplation allows the object of our contemplation to impact us. As we focus on Christ we receive his influence. He envelopes us and infuses his peace into us. Teresa of Avila (d. 1582) defined contemplation as loving attentiveness, which is also a helpful definition, though we do not need to feel love for God when we do contemplation. Contemplation teaches us to listen. If God was waiting for you to be still long enough to communicate something important to you, how long would he have to wait? Many of us have busy lives or at least busy minds. God can shout to us if he wants, but he prefers a quieter, deeper connection with us. Contemplation is essentially extended surrendering and listening. A daily habit of several minutes of contemplation will train us to listen to, and receive from, God. Below is a Continue Reading →

motives

Are You Free From Harmful Motives?

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Motivation is a monumental issue in our spiritual lives. We will be constantly tempted to embrace motives that damage our spiritual growth. Many of them are disguised. The supreme motive for everything in our life should be our desire for the community of love with God and his followers. It may sound simple to consistently choose this motivation, but it is not. In fact, we will be learning to choose this for our whole lives. When we are young in Christformation we learn to recognize obvious impure motives such as sensual gratification, materialism, retaliation and preoccupation with our image. But after you overcome these there is a whole other set of hidden motives waiting to torpedo your spiritual life. If you are willing to pursue self-knowledge with God (so that you can “put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature” (Col. 3:5, NIV)) then you will discover deeply Continue Reading →

Garden of Eden

Focusing On The Restoration Of Eden

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The story of our destiny begins in the book of Genesis. There we learn that God originally placed humans in a garden in a land named Eden. In the Garden of Eden God told Adam and Eve “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals” (Gen. 1:28 NLT). He also “put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (Gen. 2:15, ESV). Then God gave Adam and Eve to each other so Adam (and obviously Eve) would not be alone (Gen. 2:18); Adam was to “hold fast” to Eve and they would be “one flesh” (2:24) and she was to be his “helper” (2:20). Thus, God gave Adam and Eve eight callings (we count reigning over the animals as one calling.) Adam and Eve were to fulfill these Continue Reading →