Christian Living

Faith is seldom developed in comfortable surroundings. As long as we maintain the familiar, predictable routines of life and ministry, we only maintain our faith. But when we choose to step outside our comfort zone—in obedience to the call of God—God increases our faith. And the further out we step, the more He increases it.

What can be done after a revival to maintain the sense of revival once we are back to our regular routine? If you sense that God did a work in your heart during revival, and you want to keep that place and not regress, here are some suggestions:

In every work of God, there comes a point when a leader must ask, “Am I content to move forward in maintenance mode, or will I continue to build?” In theory, this question sounds simple. Who wouldn’t want to continue building, especially when you are co-laboring with Christ in building that which He has promised to bless?

No building can be erected without tools. In fact, quality work depends largely on the right tools being available and in excellent condition. Several years ago I needed to saw some lumber for a drama set we were building.

Jesus Christ is our great example. As laborers together with God, we are on the same team and understand that if the team wins, we win.

So often, when those we lead and love are hurting, we hurt too. We hurt for them, and, in many cases, we also feel the loss they are experiencing. When we are hurting with others, how do we, as spiritual leaders, extend God’s grace to them?

When I pray, sometimes I feel sad when God does not answer the way I think He should, but God always has the best in mind for His child when He denies a prayer request.

From our earliest days of driver’s training, we quickly learn the importance of making sure that the gear shift is pointing at the right letter. We have learned that there is a tremendous difference between a car being in neutral, drive, or park. Personally and ministerially, it is wise to inspect whether we are in neutral, drive, or park.

I enjoy cooking, finding recipes, and sharing new meals with my family and guests who visit our home. Because of my love for cooking, I get especially excited when I have the opportunity to visit a restaurant that I have read about or seen advertised. And, if I happen to have the chance to eat at one of these restaurants, I always look to see what the critics have said about the food, décor, and overall dining experience.

The Lord has given me the privilege of having dear friends in ministry—friends who love me and my family, challenge me in my spiritual growth, rejoice with me in God’s blessings, and hold me accountable in my personal life.

“Revive” is a term used in the Old Testament to describe the work of God by which He brings His people back to the place spiritually where He can bless them. The prayer, “Wilt thou not revive us again, that thy people may rejoice in thee?” (Psalm 85:6—note also Habakkuk 3:2), assumes that the people of God have gone away from Him through disobedience and that they must be brought back.

You’ve heard it said: “Use the church to build people, not people to build the church.” Of course, building people and building a church are not mutually exclusive. Both require partnering with Christ, the Master Builder, as He builds His church and His people.

I’ve read 1 Peter 3:7 hundreds—if not thousands—of times. This verse is rich with marital counsel to husbands.

Some years ago, I attended a church retreat in which one of the sessions was a Q&A with the keynote speaker with the questions submitted anonymously. One of the questions in that particular retreat had to do with fighting a besetting sin.

Interestingly, the word “corruption” in this text speaks of rotting garbage. When we allow our flesh to dictate our life and allow sinful aspects to overrun us—mark it down—it is like stinking up a life, and nothing stinks worse than rotting garbage. The garbage dump is definitely not a place where I want to live.

You’ve read the testimony of the Macedonian Christians who gave sacrificially to the Apostle Paul. Paul used it to encourage the Corinthian churches to be faithful in giving, and two millennia later, it motivates us today. Why? The significance lies in their motive. In God’s economy, the motive is as important as the gift. In other words, why we give is as important as that we give.

The theme for 2015 at Liberty Baptist Church is “I Believe God.” I am speaking to our church on different ways we can show others that we believe God—not just believe in God. I recently spoke on the subject of how we can believe God through prayer. I handed out the content of this blog to our church because I wanted them to see what a life of prayer can do. I hope that this will be a blessing to you.

What spiritual leader hasn’t drawn encouragement from Nehemiah 2:18? But for that encouragement to be more than an emotional boost, we need specific ways to put it into practice.

Several months after we moved to Lancaster, some dear friends of our family made arrangements for us to move out of our tiny apartment into a real house. Our apartment did not have air conditioning (which makes for rough summers in the desert), and the previous occupants had animals that left the carpets soiled beyond repair. Needless to say, I was excited and thankful to have a home. It wasn’t long before I began decorating it room by room.

I’ve known for some years that the Sunday evening service in Baptist churches has been on the decline. But I read a recent statistic by researcher Thom Rainer stating that only 5 percent of churches have a Sunday evening service. That number startled me.