Back to the Basics

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We cannot neglect fundamental principles in ministry and expect to make a difference for eternity. We might put up some good appearances but in time what we do will suffer. We need to keep going back to the basics.

Why Remembering the Basics of the Christian Life Are So Important

How well we remember the basics can determine how well we stand and persevere. The basics form the foundation of all we do. A faulty foundation and eventually we crumble. A firm foundation and we can stand no matter how difficult life becomes. (Read Luke 6:46-49.)

How well we remember the basics can determine how well we flourish. Roots need good soil. Toxins, chemical imbalance, or excessive weeds can weaken or destroy what started as a good plant. Hard or rocky soil can keep things from growing. (Read Luke 8:12-15.)

Church Leaders May Need to Get Back to the Basics of God’s Purposes, Design, and Mission

Back to the Basics of Life in ChristEverything church leaders do needs to be firmly rooted in the basics of life in Christ like God’s purposes, design, mission, heart, and power for the Church. When leaders have a good grip on God’s intent for the Church, their own roles become more obvious, as well as the heart and means needed to fulfil that role.

Check out the church leadership training division of Ministry Tools Resource Center, TrainChurchLeaders.com, which devotes a section to getting leaders back to the basics.

Also check out the downloadable resources to help leaders steer the church in these directions.

All Believers Need to Remember and Live in Accordance with Who We are and What We Have in Christ

We all, regardless of ministry roles, need to get back to the basics in order to walk worthy of our calling in Christ Jesus (Eph. 4:1). We need to remember some key spiritual truths:

  • We are sinners saved by grace, cleansed from sin because of Jesus’ death on the cross. — Are you remembering that it is all about what He has done for you?
  • We were taken out of darkness to live in the light of His truth. — Are you living like a child of the light?
  • We are new creatures in Christ Jesus. — Are you growing more and more into the likeness of who you are in Christ Jesus?
  • We were placed into a Body of believers to be members of one another. — Are you taking time to fellowship with and serve other believers?
  • We are to be salt and light in this world. — Are you a testimony for Jesus in a bland and dark world?

Let’s guard against complicating the Christian life and what the Church is about. If we remember these basics we will be used by God to make a difference for eternity.

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Living an Abundant Life is Possible Because of Jesus

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In light of the hardships, dangers, sorrows, and trials of this world, we might question if the abundant life Jesus promised is possible. If it was up to us or dependent on our circumstances, we’d have reason to doubt. The possibility of us living the abundant life, however, rests on Jesus.

Living an Abundant Life Possible Because of Who Jesus Is

Abundant Life, to the Full, Possible Because of JesusJesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (Jn. 10:10). If Jesus merely came to earth as a man, albeit a good teacher and great example, then His claim of abundant life would probably just be an ideal to work toward. That, however, isn’t the case. Consider the One who made the claim and how that makes a full life possible right now.

  1. Jesus is our Creator. Having always existed, He knows the beginning from the end (Jn. 1:1-3; Rev. 21:6). He knows how we were made and what we truly need to have an abundant life and He has the power to give it to us.
  1. Jesus is Immanuel, God with us (Matt. 1:23). As God in the flesh, all the fullness and radiance of God resides in Him (Col. 2:9-10; Heb. 1:3). He possesses the kind of life He promised to give.
  1. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who cares for the sheep like none other can, ultimately laying down His life for the sheep (Jn. 10:11, 14-15). He has the love and compassion that drives Him to provide a full life for us.
  1. Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life, the firstborn from among the dead (Jn. 11:25-26; Col. 1:18). In being brought back to life, Jesus demonstrated that in Him there is power over death and sin so we can be overcomers.
  1. Jesus is the Living Water (Jn. 4:9-10; 7:37-38). He quenches our thirst like none other can. In Him we can be satisfied with little or much.
  1. Jesus is the Bread of Life (Jn. 6:35). He Himself is our daily sustenance. In Him we have what we truly need.
  1. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 17:14; 19:16), sovereign over all. He not only has the power to grant us the life He offers but also the authority to do so.

No matter what we experience in this life, we can still have a full life because of this One who came to give us that life. Remember, “neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:39).

Take time to further reflect on the abundant life Jesus came to give us.

Jesus’ Claim
The Difference It Makes
How to Have It

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We Need More?

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Need More? Learn to be Content
In this world of economic distress, we tend to want “more” — more money, more jobs, more physical security. In the church, we want “more” as well –- more attendance, more giving, more workers. All of that might sound good but is it what we need most? Maybe we need to shift from what we need more of to what we need most. Then, we can be content no matter what we have.

The Apostle Paul said, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Phil. 4:12-13)

Shifts From What We Need More Of to What We Need Most

Our perspective changes when we live like God has “blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Eph. 1:3). We already have what we truly need so let’s focus on what matters most.

  1. We need to shift from a focus on external needs to the internal.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. (Prov. 4:23)

Do we want to be “more” of who God wants us to be, “more” of the person or Church who will truly be used of God to make a difference in today’s world? Then we must walk in Spirit so He bears within us the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Gal. 5:13-26). These qualities enable us to act and react with truth and grace in times of both plenty and want

  1. We need to shift from a quest for fulfilling earthly needs to seeking first the kingdom.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matt. 6:33)

As His Church, are we more concerned about “being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” or about the physical structure in which we meet? This world isn’t our real home. Ultimately the perishable will be “clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality” (1 Cor. 15:53-54), so why do we give priority to our earthly needs? When it’s about His kingdom, we don’t need to engage in all the political maneuvering to get what we need. Rather, we cast our cares on the Lord knowing that He will sustain us (Ps. 55:22).

  1. We need a shift from being more concerned with “things” we need to the people around us.

Above all, love each other deeply … . (1 Pet. 4:8)

Do we see the crowds of people around us in need of Jesus’ love and compassion (Matt. 9:36) or are we more focused on our programs, activities, and personal needs? Without love anything else lacks real merit (1 Cor. 13:1-3). Jesus said that “all the Law and Prophet hang on” two commandments — loving God and loving people (Matt. 22:37-40). With love as our priority, people trump things.

No matter how difficult life might seem, we can find the psalmists experience to be true in our own lives when we make that shift from what we need more of to what we need most.

I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (Ps. 16:8-11)

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The Destructive Nature of Gossip

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Need Guard on Mouth as Gossip is Destructive
Gossip betrays people’s trust as information that should have been held confidential leaks out. It possibly ruins their reputation and harms relationships. In previous posts we considered how gossip can destroy the effectiveness of prayer chains. Due to the destructive nature of gossip, perhaps we should pray similar to the psalmist when he asked God, “Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.” (Ps. 141:3).

General Principles About Our Communication To Apply to Our Temptation to Gossip

Since “the tongue has the power of life and death” (Prov. 18:21), we need a biblical handle on the seriousness of gossip. Begin with broad guidance about our communication.

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Ps. 19:14)

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Eph. 4:29)

Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. (Eph. 4:24-25)

Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. (2 Tim. 2:16)

When tempted to gossip, let’s go back to these verses and ask if what we’re about to share is pleasing in God’s sight, helpful for building others up, righteous and holy. Or, does it fit under the category of unwholesome talk, falsehood, or godless chatter?

A Biblical View of the Destructiveness of Gossiping

Now look at how God gets specific about gossip:

  • Gossip is a cancerous condition, eating away at us from the inside out. “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts.” (Prov. 18:8)
  • Gossip is a break in integrity. “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.” (Prov. 11:13)
  • Gossip is a symptom of a depraved mind out of fellowship with God (Rom. 1:28-32). When we gossip, we are giving in to the old sin nature.
  • Gossip is a divisive activity. “A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.” (Prov. 16:28) — However, “Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down” (Prov. 26:20). Let’s not fuel the fire but rather “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3).
  • Gossip is a violation of love. When we gossip it’s like we’re secretly slandering a person. This is not the loving thing to do for “love does no harm to its neighbor” (Rom. 13:10).
  • Gossip is a tool in the devil’s hand. Gossip follows after the ways of Satan who is called an “accuser of the brethren” (Rev. 12:10). The word “devil” means prone to slander, slanderous. Remember the warning in Ephesians 4:27, “Do not give the devil a foothold.”

May these truths challenge us all to pray, “Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.” (Ps. 141:3)

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Compelled by Love?

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Compelled by the Love of Christ
Why do we do what we do as Christians? Certainly it shouldn’t be to earn favor with God since we began our relationship with God on the basis of grace (Eph. 2:8-9) and we continue our walk with Him by grace (Col. 2:6; Titus 2:11-12). Rather, Christ’s love should be that which compels us. He loves us so much that He took the punishment our sin deserves.

The more we “grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (Eph. 3:18), the more we’ll want to do that which aligns with Him. The more we’ll want to serve Him and others because of love, not out of duty.

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that … he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them, and was raised again. (2 Cor. 5:14-15)

What happens when we’re compelled by His love?

The love of Christ compels us to love in return. I remember my very first public testimony as a 13 year old after giving my life to Jesus. I said, “I love Him because He first loved me.” I don’t think I was familiar with 1 John 4:19 then but I was able to make the connection. When love compels us, we are never too young to worship, expressing adoration to Him because He first loved us.

When we truly grasp the love of Christ, we no longer want to live for ourselves, taking advantage of the freedom we have in Him. Rather, we “serve one another humbly in love” (Gal. 5:13-14). No matter what position we might hold in ministry, serving is all because of what He did for us so there’s no room for pride and self-ambition.

We want others to experience His love as well. And so, we’re compelled to witness to those not yet in a relationship with Him because of His love. We’re also moved to build up fellow believers, praying that their “love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight” (Phil. 1:9). As Jesus told Peter, if we love Him, we’ll feed His sheep (Jn. 21:15-17).

In addition, when compelled by His love, we’ll not only give willingly and cheerfully (2 Cor. 9:7) of our financial resources and time, but also sacrificially. — “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (Jn. 15:13)

All that we do should be affected by and driven by His love.

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What Kind of Bulletin Board Are You?

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Remember those church bulletin boards? If not, perhaps it’s because they lacked appeal. Our lives as believers can have a similar effect. People may not even take note that we’re followers of Jesus. — God’s intent, however, is that our lives make people want to stop and investigate further. We authenticate the message when we reflect His light around us (Matt. 5:14-16).

The Kind of Bulletin Boards that Barely Gets Noticed

It’s easy to pass by bulletin boards that are cluttered or outdated.

1) Cluttered bulletin boards make it hard to tell what really matters.

When our lives are filled with so much busyness, stress, or dysfunction, it’s hard to identify what really matters in our lives.

  • What is most important, or central, in your life?
  • Can people see Christ in the midst of all the clutter?

2) Outdated bulletin boards, with images and content that rarely change, lose their relevancy.

When our lives and churches get stuck in ruts and we keep repeating what we’ve always done even it it doesn’t work, it’s hard to imagine that being a Christian makes a difference.

  • What is Jesus doing in your life today?
  • Can people see the difference He makes in your life?

Just as it is easy for people to pass by these kinds of bulletin boards and barely notice their existence, so people might dismiss our lives in Christ if we live similarly.

What Makes People Stop and Want to Investigate

A document for Bible Teachers, Make Bulletin Boards Super, provides a number of tips for designing bulletin boards that have a greater potential of getting noticed. The following suggestions have parallels to our lives:

1) Have a central theme.

What a difference it makes when everything we do is because of, for, according to, and through the Lord, to show love to Him and bring glory to His name.

  • Does your life reflect Jesus in all you say and do? (Matt. 5:14-16)

2) Keep changing.

When people see the transformation Jesus makes in us, they can’t help but notice. They will be drawn to Christ in us. Our lives will make the message look attractive (Titus 2:10).

  • Are you yielding to the Spirit so you’re becoming more and more Christ-like? (Gal. 5:13-26)
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