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Sunday, November 17, 2013

Signs of a "healthy church"...


"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. " (Heb 10:24-25)

Do walls then make Christians? - Victorinus

By Todd Lockwood: A healthy church is a believers dream come true. It is a place where believers exhort other believers. Where jealousy and pride have no dwelling place but rather people are provoked to love. Such a place is full of people who only care about God receiving all the glory, not themselves. It is where a vision to glorify God in everything reigns in the hearts of every member. Members of a healthy church are eager to live out the individual responsibility to study and to live a sanctified life to show themselves approved unto God. Not only that, but it is where believers are encouraged to share their thoughts, concerns, and wisdom. It is where believers are restored after they fall and where sinners can be reconciled to God through the sharing of the gospel. Its a place where members are of one heart to evangelize the world and to stand for the truth. Such a church takes care of their own as well as the needy. It is a church that strives to build strong families and friendships. Leaders of a healthy church, including leaders of the household and church, receive their position with gladness and enjoy being an example and encouragement to others. It is where living peaceably with all men is welcomed and where violence is avoided. It’s also a place where there is tolerance for diversity within the body, where members strive to be unified as one body giving equal respect to every member. Finally, it is a place where God is praised even in the hardest of times and where believers overcome the world through Jesus Christ, looking forward to the day of His return!