Imagine walking into a home where you are immediately greeted with warmth, a genuine smile, and a sense of belonging. This is the essence of unreasonable hospitality—going above and beyond to make others feel valued and loved. You might wonder how you can create such an environment in your own life, especially when juggling work, family, and social commitments. The answer lies in serving others, just as Jesus did.
Read MoreYou might wonder why hospitality is such a big deal in the church. Ever walked into a place and felt completely ignored? It’s not a great feeling, right? Imagine if that place was a church. Today, we’re diving into the heart of what it means to be unreasonably hospitable and why it’s crucial for our faith and community.
Read MoreFasting isn't just an optional discipline for the Christian on rare occasions, nor is it reserved for the "super-spiritual," though that is what we may often feel.
Why would we only want that on rare occasions?
Read MoreThe mission is identity, not just action; we are ambassadors of Jesus' mission. An ambassador, in geopolitics, is sent with the authority of their sender to declare the words of the one who sent them. Suppose we are ambassadors of reconciliation between the Creator and the creation, exactly as Christ was first God's ambassador to us. In that case, we must be joyfully diligent in sharing His will and word in His world.
Read MoreMost people see Church as one of the balls they keep in the air amid a busy life. God, though, desires something different for His church. Life in covenant with God's family (the Church) is central to reality. Thus, all of life, and its many components, flows through the reality of being in God's family.
The Church was not an afterthought in God's plan. At the centre of God's eternal purpose is His desire to create a people for Himself. It is His unfolding plan of redemption and where history is headed. We are not reconciled to God as individuals and then choose to join the Church at some point as if it were a social club, country club, gang, support group or activist organization.
Read MoreGod's mission has a church! If you have been around church circles for any time, you may have heard the term "mission" or "missionary." Generally, what we have learned is the Church has a mission or sends missionaries for its mission. It is not wrong but backward and incomplete. You see, the Church does not have a mission. God has a mission, and His mission has a church. The Church is the vehicle for God's mission.
God is a missionary God, and the whole of Scripture is the unfolding of His story as He engages His world through His people. He has one goal—to form a family for himself from all people.
Read MoreIf you’re like most people, you’ve lived through enough mediocre-at-best team experiences that you’ve come to accept and even expect more of the same. Perhaps without realizing it, you’ve lost vision for a high-performance team to lead or contribute to a thriving organization. Maybe you also lack both the imagination of how your team could be better as well as the inspiration to even try. But renewed hope and momentum await! As you begin your journey toward building a resilient team, this chapter will help you reflect on your situation; seek God for His perspective, vision, and call; look deeply into the challenges you’ve faced; and set the stage for your team’s transformation.
Read More“Free is always better.” People often use this phrase to describe something we gain unexpectedly and at no cost—a cup of coffee, a meal, and sometimes a vacation!
We know what free means in concept, indeed. But do we know what it means beyond unexpectedly obtaining something material? I am sure what comes to mind for most of us is also some version of being free from obligation, free to exercise our will, or free from tyranny or exploitation.
But what if true freedom ran much deeper? The church father and Apostle Paul wrote to the ancient church in Corinth: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
When Paul writes this, He equates the power of the Holy Spirit with the power of God. The Holy Spirit is equal to Yahweh in every way. Whenever anyone follows the Way of Jesus through repentance and faith, his or her condition changes completely. Followers of the Way of Jesus possess renewed hearts and minds, enabling them to see the revelation of God more fully, and the Spirit becomes the prime mover in the lives of God's people.
