The way the Bible describes how relationships within the local church are supposed to work is beautiful.Listen to Paul.In Ephesians 4:1.“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called…

Before we talk about what you are supposed to do for Christ in serving His church, it’s important we just stop and think about what Jesus has done in serving you.Our motivation to serve others increases as we consider the way Jesus has served us…

We sometimes use the busyness of life as an excuse for not serving Jesus in the local church. And, over the previous posts we have been looking at why that is such a serious mistake. One of the biggest reason being as a believer God has gifted you to serve the church…

I really want to be the kind of local church that God wants us to be.But is it really, actually possible? I guess if we just looked at ourselves and thought it were up to us, we would have every right to wonder…

Getting involved in a church takes work. With all the different things you have going on in your life, why should you make sacrifices to really be a vital part of the church? One reason is because Jesus has given you a gift…

I thought we could look at 1 Timothy 3:8-13 in a series of posts and answer four questions about the office of deacon.First, what is a deacon? It’s a funny word, actually.Deacon. It’s not technically an English word…

Both elders and deacons are servants.They are servant leaders.They have that in common. The difference comes down to where exactly God’s called them to FOCUS when it comes to serving and leading the church…

Deacons are servant leaders. That’s what the word means. They help us make the gospel we’re proclaiming look beautiful by freeing up the elders and by leading us in loving sacrificial service. That’s why we have deacons…

I want to take a little time to talk about the church.Specifically, we are going to be looking to the Bible for guidance about what we are supposed to be doing as a church. But, I guess, as we start…

Why is the local church so important?In Timothy 3:15 Paul gives us two reasons why.The first reason is because of what it is.Paul uses two phrases to describe the church in verse 15…

A second reason the local church is so important is because of what the church does. Obviously as a local church we can be involved in lots of things. Even at our church, we are just beginning as a church, but we have got all kinds of activities that are constantly taking place…

It would be strange to be asked to be part of a group and not have anyone tell you exactly why or what was expected of you once you joined. It certainly wouldn’t be fair, for example, if you were hired for a certain job with specific responsibilities and yet your employer never told you what those responsibilities were…

The church gathers.We get together week after week. That seems obvious. But, why? Why is gathering as a church so important? It’s a command. We see that in Hebrews 10:19-25. But, it’s not just a command…

We are to get together as a church on a regular basis.But what for?After reminding us why we gather in chapter 10, verses 19 through 21, the writer of Hebrews, draws out three implications for our life together as a church in verses 22 through 25…

Christians get together. Over and over and over and over again.Week after week we meet as a church. Why? We are looking at Hebrews 10 and we’ve seen that one reason has to do with God. A second reason for our gathering together is found in verse 23, and it has to do with you…

It seems so ordinary.Get in your car. Gather with a big group. Sing some songs. Listen to someone talk. Spend time with other people.Week after week after week.Why is gathering as a church so important…

If you were going to take all the responsibilities we have as church members, and pick just one word that summarizes them, the word the Bible would pick most often, is love. For example, Ephesians 5…

"The power of God alone is sufficient to preserve the Church, and there is no need of other helps. For he (in Zechariah 4) sets the Spirit of God in opposition to all earthly aids; and thus he proves that God borrows no help for the preservation of his Church, because he abounds in all blessings to enrich it…

It takes a work of God for someone to love Jesus.But it does not take a saving work of God for a person to enjoy coming to church and singing and being with other people and listening to someone speak about God's Word…

"Jesus pitied sinners, pleaded with them, sighed over them, warned them, and wept over them; but never sought to amuse them. When the evening shadows of his consecrated life were deepening into the night of death…