Friday, September 18, 2009
Last week, we had three families in our church who had loved ones go home to be with the Lord. All three of these families were in church last Sunday. Two of these families had lost their family member just the day before. It was so wonderful to see God’s people gather around these grieving families and pray for God’s comforting and healing presence on their lives. Many people commented to me how good it is to have a church family. I agree. We can all pick out things that are wrong with the church, but there are a lot of things right with it as well. For those things we thank God.
There are three qualities in the New Testament that are repeated over and over that seem to be the yardstick by which a great church is measured. Let me give you sampling of some of these verses.
Paul wrote to the Ephesians: “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you remembering you in my prayers… I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you.” Eph. 1: 15-18.
1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
1 Thessalonians 1:3 says, “We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 5: 1-5 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”
Galatians 5:5-6: “We eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus… the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”
Faith, Hope and Love – that is what makes a church great. I saw all three of those virtues in our church family last Sunday and that’s why I am thankful. To God be the glory.
Pastor Tim
There are three qualities in the New Testament that are repeated over and over that seem to be the yardstick by which a great church is measured. Let me give you sampling of some of these verses.
Paul wrote to the Ephesians: “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you remembering you in my prayers… I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you.” Eph. 1: 15-18.
1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
1 Thessalonians 1:3 says, “We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 5: 1-5 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”
Galatians 5:5-6: “We eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus… the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”
Faith, Hope and Love – that is what makes a church great. I saw all three of those virtues in our church family last Sunday and that’s why I am thankful. To God be the glory.
Pastor Tim
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