Category: Growing up spiritually

Fellowship with other Christians (Why it is important) Objectives Get church members to realize the importance of being connected to home cells. Teach members how they can contribute when they come to home cell meetings. What are cell groups? Cell groups are small groups that meet on a regular basis outside the church setting. Biblical basis of cell groups It was the practice of the early church (Acts 2:44-46 NIV)  All the believers were together and had everything in common. {45} Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. {46} Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts… The early believers met in the temple courts very much…

How to have fellowship with God (A study of 1,2,3 John) Live a life of purity (1 John 1:5-9 NIV)  This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. {6} If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. {7} But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. {8} If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. {9} If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will…

(Psalms 100:4-5 NIV) Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. {5} For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. What happens when we praise God? We become mindful that we are dependent on Him and that He alone is responsible for our success. (Deuteronomy 8:10-11 NIV) When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. {11} Be careful that you do not forget the LORD…. When we do not praise God for His goodness, after a while, it is easy to start to think that our success is totally due to our own efforts. (Deuteronomy 8:13-18 NIV) and when your…

Surrendering is not easy The word surrender evokes the images of defeat and we naturally dislike to surrender. Surrendering makes us a loser and nobody wants to be a loser. In today’s culture where we are taught to strive to win, surrendering is unthinkable. That is why Christianity runs so counter to our societal norms. People think that Christians are stupid or weak because we aim to surrender to God. But actually the reverse is true. It is so much easier to insist on having our own way. It is surrendering that is more difficult. When Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, it took all of the Son of God to be able to surrender to His Father. He struggled with it so much that He was sweating like…

What is the meaning of "tithe"? Hebrews 7:2 (NIV) and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. The word "tenth" is also translated "tithe" in other places. Why tithe? Giving to God is an expression of our love to Him (John 3:16 NIV)  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave… Giving is an expression of love. God loved us so much He was willing to give us His best – His only Son. When we give to God, we do so also because we love Him. Tithe belongs to God Leviticus 27:30 (NIV) "'A tithe (i.e. tenth) of everything from the land,…

Get rid of distractions in life 2Ti 2:4  A soldier on active duty wants to please his commanding officer and so does not get mixed up in the affairs of civilian life. Many people say that they are too busy to serve God because they have too many things to do in life. We are created to serve God. If we are too busy, we are TOO busy. We need to cut down on our activities so that we can concentrate on one of our main objectives in life – to serve God. Look for opportunities to serve God Gal 6:10  So then, as often as we have the chance, we should do good to everyone, and especially to those who belong to our family in the faith. We serve…

https://youtu.be/ICOeeua-TTQ   The Bible is actually a collection of books written by people who were inspired by God to write. 2 Tim 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, (NIV) While there were many books that claimed to be written through inspiration by God, the church was careful to choose only those which were found to be reliable in its teachings. Why study God's word?1) Keep us from sinning Ps 119:9­11 9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. (NIV) How…