We hear passages like Matthew 18:15, “If your brother sins against you, go and rebuke him…”, and roiling questions rush into our minds: Who am I to judge? What will their response be? Isn’t this a pastor’s job? What if I do more harm than good? Whichever the case, it all reduces down to one …
Family missions can take on a number of variations, mainly falling into two categories - either the parental mission of discipling children toward Christ or going on a evangelistic/service missions trip together as a family. Both are right and good, but they are not the only ways a family can be missional. Home discipleship being …
Church is a blessing. The church, a local group of redeemed sinners worshipping God through loving Him and loving others, is a blessing to those who participate in it. Our goal is to help young adults and teens see and experience God’s blessing by participating in the church body. We first looked at the Sunday …
Continue reading Raising Teens into Church Life pt. 3: Fellowship
Church is a blessing. The church, a local group of redeemed sinners worshipping God through loving Him and loving others, is a blessing to those who participate in it. The center of the church’s worship is Sunday morning; through prayer, singing, giving, and responding to God’s Word in faith the church collectively blesses God and …
Continue reading Raising Teens into Church Life pt. 2: Serving Others
Church is a blessing. It nourishes the Christian through fellowship; a community devoted to loving God and loving others. The activity of the church’s loving fellowship is compelling. This is just as true for adults as it is for teens (and younger). As families and a church body, one of our goals in raising up …
Continue reading Raising Teens into Church Life pt. 1: Sunday Worship
As Christians we are to cherish what God cherishes. Amazingly God cherishes repentance. He doesn’t begrudge the repentant, rather He calls out to a perpetually adulterous Israel in Jeremiah 3:22, “Return, you faithless children.” He always desires the sinner to return to Him. Why? Jeremiah 3:22 continues, “…I will heal your unfaithfulness.” He cherishes repentance …
Some say "It takes a village to raise a child." I may not completely agree with this statement and it's common applications, but I do think it points to a basic developmental reality sometimes overlooked or under-appreciated by the Church: Community shapes youth. Community is powerful. It is powerful because it is partnership. A community …
COVID has brought many of us closer to death. This virus has made us think on mortality more – ours and our beloved. I pray this shouldn’t happen, but if a moment of loss comes, how will you react? Preparing to respond to loss biblically helps us process death’s sorrow with great joy. Mourning loss …
Continue reading Devos for A Strange, New World – Through Sorrow with Joy
God’s Design for Community God exists in community – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit - Gen 1:26 God did not design man to be alone, it is the only thing he calls “not good” during Creation - Gen 2:18 God designed believers to be united into one body, for …
God’s Created Order God designed humankind for his glory and blesses those who wisely live according to his ways As sinners, we reject God’s design and live foolishly, incurring God’s judgment and sin’s destruction As sinners, our foolish rejection of God’s design leads others into judgment and destruction Our sin negatively affects our relationship with …
Continue reading Designed for Purity 9 – Confession and Repentance (Notes)
Familyhood 