A time of leadership transition is a good time to ask: How did God intend the church to be led? What character qualities and gifts should the leaders of the church have? What are their primary roles? Ephesians 4 is one of the most straightforward Biblical passages on the last question. God provides the church with leaders who have various gifts and callings for the purpose of equipping the people of the church for works of service.

Town Hall Meeting with Brad Smith

Despite the commonplace and over-used nature of the word "Love" is the absolute center of the Christian life. The love of God poured out in Christ (Rom 5:5) is the "best" that God can and will do for us. By this love, we "live through Him" (verse 9) and we are spared the wrath of God (verse 10). But the uncompromising implication is that we are to love one another, not just "as" we have been loved or "like" we have been loved, but rather "with" the very love with which we have been loved. Such love transforms the Christian's life and that of the church, where we do not merely imitate Christ's love but we are the extensions of it. This changes the nature of our Christian fellowship and ministry so that the measure of both is not mutual care, but mutual cruciformity.

To grow spiritually, followers of Christ must incorporate into their lives activities that open their hearts to God for His healing, cleansing, and strengthening. These activities are the spiritual disciplines, including prayer, scripture memory and meditation, fasting, silence and solitude, etc. The five guidelines below will help you embrace a lifestyle of spiritual training.

America is a melting pot of different cultures, generations, and people. On top of that, being a Christian automatically means that you prescribe to a different worldview and a different set of beliefs. If we're to effectively communicate the gospel, we have to hammer down some absolute Gospel truths without attaching our own culture and worldview to it. In doing so, we build bridges for the gospel over perceived barriers.. And as we build bridges we  demonstrate that Christ's love for all people.

America is a melting pot of different cultures, generations, and people. On top of that, being a Christian automatically means that you prescribe to a different worldview and a different set of beliefs. If we're to effectively communicate the gospel, we have to hammer down some absolute Gospel truths without attaching our own culture and worldview to it. In doing so, we build bridges for the gospel over perceived barriers.. And as we build bridges we  demonstrate that Christ's love for all people.

One of the great British theologians of the 19th Century was a man named J. C. Ryle who was appointed the first bishop of Liverpool, England in 1880. His book entitled Holiness has been considered a classic for over a century. In his book, Ryle speaks of how God uses spiritual disciplines as a means of sanctification:

"Sanctification is a thing which depends greatly on a diligent use of scriptural means. When I speak of means, I have in view Bible reading, private prayer, ...public worship. I lay it down as a simple matter of fact that no one who is careless about such things must ever expect to make such progress in sanctification."

We often look at Evangelism as a separate action or step in our calling to salvation. But that simply isn't the case. Matthew's gospel demonstrates that Jesus had always intended to transform his disciples from mere followers to fishers of men. Evangelism isn't just a task that we've been given, it is the key to embracing the mission of God for the salvation of the nations. In sharing the gospel, we are actively participating in God's redemptive plan; we are actively on mission with God. When Christ picked his disciples, he always intended for them to reproduce his teaching; they were called and saved to proclaim his glory to the lost. Yes, evangelism can be scary but we must cannot look at it as a burden or let our fear shackle us into apathy. To quell our fears, Christ promised to be with us and he promised the empowering of his Holy Spirit. We get to engage in the King's mission with the presence of our King.

A POEM by Lewis Sperry Chafer

[Founder of Dallas Theological Seminary]

Thou art calling me, Lord Jesus,

As Thy living witness here.

Only by Thy life within me

Can I any witness bear.

Thou art calling me, Lord Jesus,

To be working one with Thee.

Only by Thy life within me

Can there any service be.

Thou art calling me, Lord Jesus,

To prevailing power in prayer.

Only by Thy life within me

Can I intercession share.

Thou art calling me, Lord Jesus,

To a victor’s holy life.

Only by Thy life within me

Is there conquest in the strife.

Fill me, Holy Spirit, fill me,

All Thy filling would I know.

I am smallest of Thy vessels,

Yet I much can overflow.

January is the beginning of a new year -- and 2012 lies before us with the potential to be a life-changing experience as we walk with Christ and grow in Him. An important part of our walk and spiritual growth involves our ministry in the lives of those whom Christ brings to us. We must embrace a vision of a personal ministry -- indeed, we have been redeemed, gifted and engrafted into the lives of others to make a difference in their lives for Jesus' sake. What a remarkable opportunity! Christ desires to use us to make an eternal difference in another's life.