Titus 1 tells us about a sound (that is, healthy) church. Such a church has a healthy leadership and members who submit to them. Such a church has healthy teaching and teaches it with their words and deeds. Such a church has healthy living that flows out of that teaching. Thus one thing all healthy churches have in common is the word of God publicly proclaimed and privately pondered. This message will improve your Spiritual health if you take the medicine it prescribes.

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Labels: health, leadership, submission, Sunday worship, teaching

Acts 6:1-7 is the beginning of a division of labor in the leadership of the church. Later there would be an even further division of labor among elders between the ruling elders and the teaching elders. Elders provide servant leadership with respect to word gifts and deacons provide servant leadership with respect to deed gifts. And most members major in one or the other: word or deed. What we must all realize is that serving with your hands (deed) can be Spirit-filled service just as prayer and the service of the Word. And we should all appreciate that just as serving with your hands can be hard work, so too is prayer and the service of the Word. And when everyone is contributing their gifts, we have the right conditions for growth.


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Labels: elders, leadership, ministry, prayer, serve, spirit, Spiritual gifts, Sunday worship

1 Cor 3:5-23 shows us not to form factions behind human leaders or boast in our leaders. Positively it teaches that Christians leaders are servants of God who will be held accountable for their work. If their work is done with the right building materials (the true preaching of the Word of God) then it is work that God will praise in the Day. We belong to God, we do not belong to His servants. We should not give to people allegiance that should be reserved for God, which is what forming factions does (even though people would not realize this is what they are doing).

Click here or title to listen.

Labels: leadership, servant

1 Cor 3:5-23 shows us not to form factions behind human leaders or boast in our leaders. Positively it teaches that Christians leaders are servants of God who will be held accountable for their work. If their work is done with the right building materials (the true preaching of the Word of God) then it is work that God will praise in the Day. We belong to God, we do not belong to His servants. We should not give to people allegiance that should be reserved for God, which is what forming factions does (even though people would not realize this is what they are doing).

Click here or title to listen.

Labels: leadership, servant