Weekly words of encouragement

God Is Bringing Us To Completion – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Phil 1:6 (NLT) In this passage the Apostle Paul expresses his confidence that God will continue to transform the Philippian  believers because Paul has seen that they have been faithful in following Jesus. They have spread the gospel (1:5) and defended and confirmed the truth of Jesus (1:7). This encourages us who are following Jesus. Whether we feel it or not God will continue to work in us. Even when our circumstances are bad God is working in us. But the best news is that when Jesus returns and we see him then God will finish his work in us. (I John 3:2 expresses the same idea.) In other words, he will make us fully Christlike. We will finally be what Continue Reading →

spiritual growth

Four Stages Of Christian Maturity – Considering Where We Are

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Over the centuries many Christian teachers have outlined what it looks like to become a mature Christian. These outlines, or guides, are helpful because they help us see what we are “aiming” for in our Christian life. In other words, they tell us what it means to become a mature Christian. The New Testament speaks many times about what it means to be “mature” or “complete” (sometimes the word “perfect” is used but it means complete in the Greek.) This idea that Christians grow spiritually and that we can describe what this looks like along the way is referred to as “stages of growth”. We could also refer to these stages as phases or processes. These stages are supposed to encourage us because they describe the good that is ahead for us. In other words, we know what to look forward to. The clearest descriptions in Scripture of some stages Continue Reading →

spiritual friend

Spiritual Friendship And Spiritual Advisers – Should We Admonish?

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Bruce and Tom (or Linda and Rachel) are spiritual friends and have edifying conversations on a regular basis. They encourage one another and each one feels stronger because of the friendship. Bruce starts to notice that Tom makes little joking putdowns of others in his conversations with people. Of course, this isn’t a cardinal sin but it is definitely not godly speech. What should Bruce do? Being a spiritual friend to someone is a huge blessing, for you as well as them. Believers are recognizing they need spiritual help and so life coaching and spiritual direction are more popular now than in the past. But how can we be a spiritual friend who actually makes a difference in someone’s life? How can we be God’s channel for transformation? One of the keys to being a good spiritual friend is saying the hard things that you don’t want to say. In Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

God Can Do More Than We Imagine – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“[He] is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” Eph. 3:20 (NIV) Remember that God can do even more than we ask. He can do more than we can imagine – and I can imagine a lot! Sometimes He does more and sometimes He doesn’t but the point is that there is no limit to what He can do and we can rely on that. And we don’t have to worry that we have prayed about every possible thing He might give us because sometimes He will do more than we ask. He is not limited by our prayers; He is only limited by His love and His love has no limits. See The Salvation Of God In Your Life – Weekly Words Of EncouragementOctober 26, 2026God Will Deliver You – Weekly Words Of EncouragementOctober 19, Continue Reading →

rejected by society

It’s OK To Be Rejected By Society – Part 2

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Last week we saw that it is normal for society to consider Christians intolerant or antisocial and that historically people turn to Jesus when Christians are outcasts and lights for Jesus. So isn’t it best to let go of our need to be viewed as tolerant and progressive and inclusive? Is it possible that our unwillingness to be considered irrelevant and morally narrow is really a desire for worldly approval, even though we say it is for Jesus’ sake? Are some of us avoiding the idea of Christians being separate from the mainstream of society? If we let go of these things we will find peace as well as greater effectiveness for Jesus. Instead, we should remember that we do not need to think of ourselves as being on the defensive. Rather, we are always on the offensive because we are bringing “goodness and light” to the world. Thus, we Continue Reading →