When Paul wrote, “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works,” the first example that came to his mind was "to gather." There was no other way to love (agape). You can do “faith" alone. You might be able to do “hope" alone. But you can’t do "love" alone. You can, but that’s called narcissism. Pastor Joe address this current phenomenon: Believing in God, and reading His word, with no need for the physical, local church.  

For centuries we have commended her...but hardly ever imitated her. Why? Maybe because we shouldn’t. What is the reason that someone, who’s been cheated out of everything by the Church, feels compelled to give all that she has to the Church? Something is wrong here. Let’s find out what it could be.

Entrance into the kingdom is not by answering wisely. Entrance into the kingdom is by faith in the Savior, who is ‘the Way.’ If one wants to know God’s word and what it requires, but not be brought to the consciousness of our own sin, then one can be "not far but not in" the Kingdom of God.

Again the loving kindness of God is witnessed by Job. God after rebuking Job’s friends tells him to pray for them. Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. What is Job, a priest?

In our journey towards new opportunities of influence and leadership, Christ invites us into deeper levels of servanthood and suffering. Not for our own merit but for the expansion of the Kingdom and to make Christ known to those that we love and serve.

But when believers are convicted by the Holy Spirit of the wrongness of their condition, stuck in partial and temporal inadequacies they will begin to long for a more personal relationship with God, a more direct experience of His presence and power. Enough will not be enough anymore. This is when our walk needs to move beyond words, thoughts and feelings, beyond Christian one-liners, churchy rhetoric and catch phrases, beyond acronyms and into the second blessing.

“We told him to stop because he wasn’t in our group” (The Apostle John). This “Us Vs. Them” is an ancient problem. But Jesus’ response is as shocking today as it was then.

Those who delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on it day and night will be like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves will never wither, and they will prosper in all they do.

Christ invites us to exchange our life for His and to pick up our cross and follow Him. Exchanging our worst and our best for all of Him.

What ever profession you’re involved with will be secondary to your reputation. Just being nice, is not good enough. Is your word reliable? Are you trustworthy?