Looking Deeper Into Our Church
What makes a church different than a lecture hall? Chuck Swindoll addresses that question in this message.
What makes a church different than a lecture hall? Chuck Swindoll addresses that question in this message.
Caring for others should always be the basis of any confrontation. When you have another’s best interests at heart you’re motivated by love instead of anger.
Others may see you as someone you’re not but God is never fooled. He notices everything and knows if you’re a fake. When you stop trying to be someone else, you free yourself up to be who you are.
Being genuinely happy for the good fortune of others doesn’t come to us naturally. Often it’s easier to commiserate with friends rather than celebrate with them. But when you rejoice with those who rejoice, you’re modelling Christ.
Christians are unwise when they remain out of touch and live in secrecy. Being responsible includes being accountable, not just to God but also to one another. If carried out in the power and under the control of the Holy Spirit, accountability can be one of the most secure and reassuring facets of our Christian experience.
Ever heard of the cookie jar syndrome? It’s when there is a set of beliefs very carefully in place but there isn’t the behaviour to give it authenticity. Belief and behaviour always go hand-in-hand. And they go in that order.
Allowing grace to flow freely means we let others be. You look different? We let you look different. You don’t dress like others? That’s fine, dress like you want to. That’s what grace is all about. Here are some traps we can fall into if we’re not careful.
Comparison can be lethal. What others drive, or wear, or how others look is no one’s business but theirs. Living in harmony means letting others be—and cutting each other some slack.
It’s so easy to focus on the non-essentials. We can become so preoccupied with the details we completely miss the big picture. Relationships become fractured when we only focus on the small stuff.
Because of the weak believer’s human tendency to judge those who don’t embrace his or her customs and convictions and also because of the strong believer’s decision to discount judgments passed by those who find fault in his or her expressions of freedom, conflict emerges and persists. The solution? Put grace into action.