Posts with the tag “pride”

How does the local church remain on mission and handle the messes of ministry that direct engagement, discipleship, and discipline involve? A church on mission is a church in tension. We can desire it so clean we see none come to Christ or we can prefer it so permissive it becomes puffed up. We can do better as Bible-believers. (From 1 Cor. 5:6-10)  Read More

Engagement with the gospel locally is redemption made reachable. But we can get misaligned in our mission. The church that is growing is a church that is changing -in part because each new person, each family brings a diversity of history, expectations, culture, perspective, goals, hopes… sins. We all have them all. And we need to go there from time to time to stay healthy and cultivate an environment that fosters growth. It’s what the rest of 1 Corinthians is about.  Read More

If you could choose the greatest challenge to unity in the church, what would you pick? What stumbling-block or sin separates us the most? Is it an action or an attitude? 1 Corinthians deals with both. Winning people from our culture gets messy and problems manifest themselves at times within the church. We complicate it with our contentions. But he starts with arguably our greatest challenge: Self-will. (From 1 Cor. 1:10-18)  Read More

Have you ever found yourself pointing out the errors, defects, failings, or sins of another at church, even making demands upon them and yet failing to see or be honest about your own? Beam in eye meet mirror! What do you do when you look into the mirror and see the nakedness of your pride and harm you’ve done to others? Well, besides having a mess to clean up, first put some clothes on! Start with humility. (From 1 Peter 5:1-12)  Read More