My colleague Paul Carter says: “Faithfulness is a team sport.”*That’s an important reminder, especially for Christians in the modern west. Our society is highly individualistic. We can get sucked into the thinking that faith is only about “me and Jesus.”Don’t get me wrong. It is definitely about you and Jesus. But it is also more … Continue reading Faithfulness is a team sport
fellowship
Picture yourself as a literal sponge
In 1 Corinthians 15:33 Paul quotes the poet Menander: “Bad company corrupts good character.” The ESV translation says: “Bad company ruins good morals.” The NKJV puts it like this: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” You get the point.How are Christians to understand this?In Paul’s letter he is, in part, issuing a warning. If the Corinthians associate … Continue reading Picture yourself as a literal sponge
Play your part
The Apollo 13 spacecraft launched into orbit in 1970. Many of us know the general parameters of the story because we’ve seen the moving starring Tom Hanks.In short, things go sideways. Stuff starts breaking and the lives of the astronauts are in danger. At home, everyone watches their TV screens in suspense and send up … Continue reading Play your part
Does having faith mean I’ll get rich?—no and yes
In Mark 10:29-31 Jesus said: “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and … Continue reading Does having faith mean I’ll get rich?—no and yes
When faith costs you
Jesus did a lot of incredible and mind-blowing things. Because of that, I think it’s easy to forget that he had human emotions too. He wasn’t immune to many of the feelings we experience on a daily basis. For example, he experienced hunger (Mark 11:12), tears (John 11:35), and fatigue (John 4:6). Mark 6 … Continue reading When faith costs you
Building muscle together
There are many biblical descriptions for the church. It is called the bride of Christ, the people of the Way, and a family. It is also called the body of Christ. This is captured in 1 Corinthians 12:27: “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” … Continue reading Building muscle together
People grow better together
Acts 2:42 provides a snapshot of the early Christians who were living in Jerusalem after the resurrection. Here it is: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Let’s focus on the word “fellowship.” What does it really mean? The Louw-Nida lexicon defines it like … Continue reading People grow better together
Body. Team. Army.
As Christians we often talk about being the hands and feet of Christ. This is based on passages like 1 Corinthians 12:27 where Paul says this: “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.” He also says that Christ is the … Continue reading Body. Team. Army.
Cooperating with God’s forward motion
In yesterday’s devotional I shared an anonymous saying: “God meets you where you’re at, not where you should be at.” It’s a reminder that God doesn’t require you to be in tip-top moral shape or a top-notch theologian to come to you and intervene in your life. But when that happens, what happens next? Cooperate … Continue reading Cooperating with God’s forward motion
Maturity is meant to be shared
In yesterday’s devotional I spoke about spiritual maturity. There are times when someone who is new to the faith and has limited knowledge and experience needs to seek out some help from someone who is more spiritually mature than they are. There are also times when the person who is more spiritually mature needs to … Continue reading Maturity is meant to be shared
