Nuggets #14

Just a side note about my frozen shoulder. I have two more physical therapy appointments for stretching, then I think I'll be on my own. She thought all the adhesions were broken now, and I just have to stretch the muscles. I'm making more progress and hope in a month or two everything will be back to normal.

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
Chapter Seven: Spirit Design Theory

Only in recent years has the church reawakened to the importance of spiritual gifts. One of the great renewals in the last forty years has been the moving away from programs and methods to an emphasis on spiritual gifts. And every one of us who has sought to discover and use our spiritual gifts has begun to experience a more vibrant and fulfilling life. Certainly a program-based church and gift-based church are dramatically different, yet Paul says some things are far more important than spiritual gifts, and those are faith, hope, and love.

The Fuel of a Movement
The Thessalonian church had become a model to all the believers in the region. In many ways it was the first church-growth model to be commended. The Thessalonians' faith in God had become known everywhere, and their growth and impact on the city was not built on letters of transfer but on radical conversions.

They were a church that was ignited and fueled by faith, love, and hope. They would be best described as having a work produced by faith, a labor prompted by love, and a perseverance inspired by hope in Jesus Christ.

Could it be that while we've been searching for innovations and new strategies to effectively engage this radically changing world, the secret to seeing first-century results lies in the first-century church?

Obey Away!
What does it really mean to live by faith? The response of faith is nothing more than obedience. Faith begins with God speaking and materializes when we respond. Somehow we've come to believe that faith removes ambiguity rather than calls us to live in it. The Church tends to live by "the faith" more than it lives by faith. The goal has become to make sure beliefs are doctrinally sound and people have a growing knowledge of the Bible, rather than to live in a dynamic, fluid relationship with God through which we learn to hear the voice of God and move in response to him.

The starting point of living by faith is recognizing that God has revealed so much of his will that we have plenty to live by without ever hearing another word. Some things you simply do not need to pray about. When God has spoken and commanded his people, praying sometimes becomes a way of resiting God's will rather than a way of responding to it.

A Church begins to live by faith when its people move the things God has clearly said into the non optional category.

Faith on the Increase
What took faith yesterday is sight today. When we live by faith, we allow God to take us into new experiences of who he is and how he works. The church cannot live on the faith of the past. The church is called to be the living expression of faith. When a church lives by faith, its people prove that God can be trusted. Faith is the triangle for the cultural architect. It's angles are committed to sharp turns, jagged edges, and extreme redirection.

If you're a faithful reader of this blog, and you enjoy these nuggets that have struck me, I encourage you to go out and get this book. It has become my favorite book of all time. If your heart is also for church leadership or ministry or discipleship, this is an excellent resource for you and your team. I highly recommend it!!!!!