John 15:16, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”
In his Systematic Theology, Charles Ryrie writes concerning this verse, “Believers have been chosen to bear fruit; not to do so would be contrary to God’s purposes.” Ryrie considers fruitlessness a sin. This is an important point to understand. While Ryrie points out the negative aspect of fruitlessness, namely that it is sinful, Jesus states the truth in the positive, namely that the Christian life was designed by Him to be fruitful. He states that we are chosen, that we “should go bear fruit.” The Christian life was meant to be fruitful. Or stated another way,
Hebrews 10:26-27, “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.”
We are called to live a life of faith. For many people, however, belief is equated with faith. In other words, they assume that if you “believe” in Jesus, then you have faith. However, saving faith is not just intellectual belief expressed through verbal consent. Saving faith is expressed as a life lived for Christ on his terms (cf. Mark 8:34-38; Luke 14:25-33). James echoes the same truth (cf. James 2:14-18).
We live in a day, however, where false assurances of “belief” abound. People are commonly called to make decisions for Christ. Churches that lead many people to make decisions for Christ are heralded as models to emulate. If those decisions are translated into an active life of discipleship through intentional training and equipping, they are worthy of emulation. If no discipleship takes place and people are told they can now have assurance of eternal life while they continue to live life on their terms, then such a church is not to be emulated.
The author of Hebrews sends a strong warning to those who fail
Psalm 99:8, “LORD our God, you answered them. You were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their sinful actions.”
We serve an amazing God. It is hard to comprehend what it means to be truly holy. As a result, it is easy, sometimes too easy, to think that because God loves us, he is okay with our sin. After all, we are covered by grace. Such a view, unfortunately, is a perversion of grace. Grace is not given so sinners can continue in sin. Grace is given so sinners can overcome sin.
It is reported that churches are in rapid decline and in poor health. In addition, there is high pastor turnover. Many see a lack of leadership as a major contributing factor. This paper argues that an intentional refocusing of discipleship, grounded on the doctrine of the imago Dei, can lead a church to recover the mission Christ gave his church. To that end, this paper argues that a fivefold process is needed to lead the church in recovering its mission of making disciples. Leaders must help believers be intentional about spiritual growth, lead them to commit to the vision Christ gave his church, surrender to God’s will, be active participants in the mission, and, in turn, invest in others and help them grow as disciples.
The Problem
Today, many churches are struggling to grow. According to Rainer (2019), 70% of churches are declining or plateauing, while only 30% are growing by reaching new people. The same study found that only 7% of churches are reproducing via church plants. Elsewhere, Rainer (2014) states plainly that, “many of our congregations, plain and simple, are not in good health.” In addition to experiencing decline, many are experiencing
The greatest force that exists in the universe is not the strong nuclear force (the force that holds atoms together), but the love that binds two hearts together. The term “lovesick” has been used to describe people who are desperately in love but are prevented from being together. It is well expressed by Juliet longing for her lover Romeo, “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? By any other word would smell as sweet. Parting is such
Parenting can be a challenging occupation. Not the least of which is because children are curious. However, their curiosity can get them into trouble. They want to explore and may find themselves engaged in foolish activities that could harm them. As Solomon addresses his children, and by extension, as God addresses His children, he wants them to understand that the
I was reading the news this morning and saw where Kanye West and Kim Kardashian came to faith in Christ. Praise the Lord! It was not too long ago that their names were synonymous with everything fake and superficial in the world. Now, they are children of the King and members of His kingdom. Besides their conversion, something that stood out in the article was that Kanye West is turning from rap to gospel. He has not been saved for a year, and he has already produced an album praising Jesus. The title of the album is “Jesus is King.” When he announced the record, he said,
What is education, and what is its end goal? Throughout the centuries, different cultures have given different answers. However, there is one culture that has been the repository of divine revelation. The Hebrew people were chosen by God and given the oracles of God that were meant to be a light to all nations (Gen. 12:1-3; Isa. 49:6). Unfortunately, the light God gave through his Word has not been embraced as God intended – even to this day God’s people struggle to teach their children in a way that results in a life-long commitment to God. The result is that people sit in darkness (Isa. 9:2). For that darkness to be dispelled, people must come to know the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Ultimately, the light of God came to full expression in Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Christ – the promised Messiah. However, early in their history, God revealed how a people (and individuals) come to know him. God gave a command, known as the Shema, that became central to the Hebrew identity. This paper will argue that
I was thinking lately about the power of language. As I thought about how God used the spoken word to create the universe, I was struck by the power of our language. It is something we often take for granted. God said, “Let there be…” and the world and all that is in it came bursting forth into existence.
We cannot create a universe, but we can create divergent realities with our language. Think about the power words have over children when they are still learning. What is said to that child can determine the course of his or her entire life. Think about how criticism can break a person emotionally and psychologically. Conversely, think of how a word timely spoken can redirect the course of a person’s entire life in positive ways. Words are more than just ideas verbalized. They are a form of power that we wield every time we open our mouths. As such, we are to use our speech in ways that honor God and direct people to the path of life.
Thought of the Day:Criticism is the easiest form of analysis
“Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing” (Proverbs 12:18).
The other day I was watching the trailer for a movie. I think it was about King Arthur and Merlin. One scene depicted a young Merlin waving his hand over a dead flower and bringing it back to life. Wouldn’t it be great to have that kind of power! The reality is that in a certain sense, we do. And it’s a power we often overlook. While waving my hand over something broken will not fix it or bring it back to life, we all have the ability to speak life into a broken person or a broken situation.
We live in a world with many broken things. There are broken relationships, marriages, and homes. There are broken nations and communities. And all around us, there are broken people. And while we cannot fix all the problems people face, we can do two things:
We can make sure we do not contribute to their brokenness by being critical faultfinders who are looking for ways to show others what they are doing wrong.
And we can use our words to build others up. With our words, we have the power to heal and fix things that are truly broken.
I am reminded that when God created this amazing world and universe we live in, He did so by speaking it into existence. When God speaks, life is created, and life blossoms.
Picking apart and finding fault in others is not an admirable attribute. There are times when we all need correction. But the people we admire are those who correct in ways that improve who we are as people. The word encourage literally means, “To cause another to be confident.”
The prefix “en” means “to cause”
The word “courage” means “confidence”
When we encourage someone, we build their confidence. A Leader (to be distinguished from one who is simply in charge) has the unique ability to make people confident in such a way that it causes them to improve, to do what they need to do to change, or to just be a better person.
Faith Formation Ministries 