The Basics 7d – The Diverse Unity of the Church
There is an inherent tension in the church between unity and uniqueness. This tension reveals the church’s greatest strengths and its greatest challenges. We’ll explore both in turn before examining…
Category: Encouragment
The Basics 7c – The Fellowship of Church
Growth in the early church was not an accident. All the members were intentionally and persistently perusing these things. This was not like a five-minute daily devotion but a consuming…
The Basics 7b – The Church’s Celebration
As we dive deeper into the church, it is incumbent to recognize and, at least for a moment, set aside the traditions we and others hold dear. Not to throw…
The Basics 7a – The Community of Church
The word “church” may be understood in many different ways. For some, it is the building, whether the grand masonry of a cathedral, the wooden clapboard of a country church,…
Dale’s Rules for Life – Learning from Failure
I have these rules… So far, we’ve covered twenty of them. The twenty-first rule may seem a tad fatalistic. Perhaps lacking faith and a bit pessimistic. The rule, you see,…
The Basics 6g – The Holy Spirit and Us
The Holy Spirit is a gentleman. What I mean by that is He doesn’t just show up and force us to do something. He moves in our lives only to…
The Holy Spirit and Fruit
On my property are several kinds of trees. Most of them produce some kind of seed or fruit, the oak trees produce acorns, the black walnuts produce walnuts, the maples…
The Basics 6e – The Holy Spirit and Gifts
A gift is a wonderful thing. Ideally, it is something we don’t have, could really use, and didn’t cost us any money, labor, or time to obtain. A gift is…
Pray It Out
Let’s talk about prayer for a moment. How does God really want us to pray? What expectations are we to gain from practicing prayer? Before we go too far, let’s…
The Basics 6d – Holy Spirit and Power
One word commonly linked with the Holy Spirit is power. Jesus promised His disciples, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall…
The Basics 6c – The Holy Spirit Helps
One of the many mysteries concerning the Holy Spirit goes to identity. His name is not revealed in scripture. God the Father revealed His own name to Moses at the…
The Basics 6b – The Holy Spirit Convicts
Sometimes there are moments in life when two unassociated events coincidentally collide. Call them serendipity or call the God-incidences, either of which recognizes a spark of unique timing. The first…