Upward Growth

Posted by Bill on April 12, 2013

Healthy small groups are committed to Upward growth – growing in relationship with God!

For balanced growth to take place in our lives we must first have a passion for intimacy with God. Out of this passion to grow in our knowledge, love, and service to God will flow refreshing streams of love, touching every member in our small groups and stimulating them to ministry within the life of our church. Without this flow of godly love we often feel the need to minister out of performance, guilt or compulsion.

Consider these words spoken by Jesus to His disciples: “If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Friends, a balanced and fruitful life results from our personal UPWARD growth.

The full extent of our love

Posted by Bill on September 13, 2012

Even though I love and appreciate you very much, I believe this love and appreciation has not yet gone far enough. As I continue to grow-up into the likeness of the Lord, I expect to draw closer and closer to showing you the full extent of my love.

John recorded in his Gospel account, “Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He now showed the disciples the full extent of his love” (John 13:1 ). Showing His disciples the “full extent of his love” was Jesus’ supreme demonstration of humility. He did this by taking “off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel he had around him” (John 13:1 4, 5).

There have been far too many times in my walk with the Lord where I have not shown the ‘full’ extent of my love to my wife, my children, and others in my life. Humility, I now confess, was lacking in my actions towards them. I can’t change the past, I’m sorry to say … but I can make good my mistakes in this matter by showing the full extent of my love with those I connect with today, and in all my tomorrows.

Cultivating the virtue of humility will enable us to love others as we should – making it possible for us to show them the full extent of our love.

“Lord, make me as humble as You … preferring all others before myself … loving them to the full extent of my love. Amen.”

How is your Holiness?

Posted by Nick on August 21, 2012

It doesn’t take much water in the fuel tanks of our cars to compromise the potential power of the fuel. At your filling station, fuel passes from the holding tanks in the ground through three or more filters, filtering out water and impurities, preventing contaminants from compromising the fuel that enters the tank in your vehicle.

In the heavily contaminated world in which we live, together with our contaminated nature, we need, daily, the filtering work of God’s Word, and His Holy Spirit, to save us from holiness contamination – We have been commanded: “You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, Am holy” (Leviticus 19:2).

If we are not careful, we will find ourselves living failed-lives through attempting to run our lives on human strength, not God’s power … because it doesn’t take much sin to contaminate the purity of His holiness within our lives. King Solomon wisely taught, “Dead flies will cause even a bottle of perfume to stink! Yes, an ounce of foolishness can outweigh a pound of wisdom and honour” (Ecclesiastes 10:1).

How is your holiness? Don’t try and fake your spiritual condition … you will only succeed at fooling yourself. Come-clean with every contaminant thought, attitude, and action. Come-clean right now through using the ‘spiritual soap’ the Lord has provided for you and me (1 John 1:9).

How is your holiness?

Reforming the Family

Posted by Bill on April 21, 2012

One of the devastating impacts of sin in life is the disintegration of the family as it once was. For many people today, ‘family’ is a meaningless name that does little to ‘add’ to their lives. For these people, life is better alone – away from so-called ‘family’. Sin has exchanged the desire for family in the human heart and psyche for a desire to be self-driven.

Authentic family is a God-created order – it’s something that is most attractive and satisfying. Family is about sharing our lives together in particular ways for the building of community – all sharing in oneness, for the benefit of the whole. Just merely speaking the word ‘family’ does not produce family-living. Jesus prayed to the Father for His disciples (that includes you and me) … “I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are – I in them and you in me, all being perfected into one …” (John 17:22, 23).

Although the meaning and experience of family was lost through sin, the reality of authentic family-living was regained through the grace of the Lord, Jesus Christ. The church as family is one of the central images of the Bible (1 Timothy 3:15), and the idea of the church as the household of God came out of the actual house churches.

Purposeful cell/small groups are about the work of reforming the family, through the power of the Holy Spirit, in the body of Christ.

Bill

Zero Unemployment

Posted by Bill on January 7, 2012

“Look around you! Vast fields are ripening all around us and are ready now for the harvest. The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life” (John 4:35b-36a).

Unemployment - not in God's economy Unemployment can be a debilitating experience. Several years ago in Poland, the nation’s unemployment was running high at an alarming 20%. Young college graduates were forced to leave home to search for employment in neighbouring countries. Unemployment hits some people very hard … robbing them of peace, satisfaction, fulfilment and joy.

Unemployment exists today in two realms; the material and the spiritual. Regardless of the circumstances in the world, the Lord promises to deliver every believer from material and spiritual poverty. Jesus promises, “Your Heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern” (Matthew 6:32b-33). If the Lord promises to deliver us from poverty, why are so many of His people living impoverished lives?

God’s promise to “give you all you need” is conditional upon … “if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.” Like a number of other promises the Lord has given for our well being, there are qualifying conditions that need to be satisfied before grace benefits can flow to us. Whilst material poverty may not be a choice, spiritual poverty is. If we choose to fulfil God’s conditional requirements, He will keep His promises – it’s as simple as that. And God has never reneged on a promise! He has an impeccable reputation of being a promise-keeping God.

Whilst it’s a tragic situation for people in life (in general) who are unemployed, it’s more tragic for those of God’s family (His Church). The church is the only institution on earth that can guarantee zero unemployment for its members. Reliable surveys show that in the church today, unemployment is running at around 90-95%! Scripture teaches that if believers are willing to step-up and serve, instead of sitting back to observe, they will be paid handsomely by the Lord. He says (above), “The harvesters are paid good wages.” Hundreds of years of political and traditional influences have kept spiritual harvesters from labouring in His field. Because many believers are not doing, many are not receiving.

Peter says, “God has given gifts to each of you from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you” (1 Peter 4:10). Many believers in the world either have no idea what their gifts are, or have chosen not to manage their gifts well. It’s no wonder many of God’s people are living in poverty when they could be enjoying His promised provisions.

Small Groups (or Home Groups, Cell Groups, Life Groups – whatever you chose to call them) are the ideal place for believers to discover, use and develop their gifts. Spiritual gifts are God’s special grace abilities, given to each of us at the time of conversion. Let’s lead others into the harvest field … where the harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life.

The harvest field is where God’s generosity flows freely, and it’s the place where there is zero unemployment.