By prioritising growth, profitability, and efficiency over spiritual growth and community building, churches run the risk of becoming shallow, insular, and authoritarian. Instead, leaders should strive to follow the example of Jesus, who emphasised the importance of love, service, and humility in all aspects of life.
From I Do to I Don\’t in Troubled Marriages
Marriage is a sacred union between two imperfect individuals, and it is no surprise that troubled marriages are becoming increasingly common in today\’s society. However, as Christians, we have access to the guidance of God\’s word and the work of the Holy Spirit to help us navigate these challenges.
Church Leader, how is your spiritual relationship with Jesus?
So now, you are in God’s work but lost, no feelings and you can’t feel your faith so what do you do? You have to depend on gimmicks and amusements to keep your “employers” (the church board) believing in you, for many of them are using you like Micah from the book of Judges – replacing the works of Christ as the mediator.
The Lie of Loving Yourself!
The person who grovels in depression and says he hates himself for having wasted his life would actually be glad that he had wasted his life if he really hated himself. In fact, he is unhappy about having wasted his life because he loves himself. The apparently remorseful criminal, who says he hates himself because of the crimes he has committed, should then be glad to see himself suffer in prison. Yet he hopes to escape that fate, which proves he loves himself in spite of his protestations of self-loathing.
“The wicked who borrow money but then fail to repay it”
Jesus took these notions another radical step when he challenged his followers to examine their way of living: “And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back” (Luke 6:34–35).
Self-Love
Our self-love keeps us from surrendering to the guidance of the will of God, and eliminates the sense of gratitude we should have toward God for all the blessings God lavishes upon us. By calling upon us to deny ourselves, bear our cross and hope for eternal life, even as we thank God for the blessings of this life, we are to abandon once for all the image of ourselves we have created through our blind self-love, in order to be conformed to the image of selfless and self-giving love that is revealed in Jesus Christ.