Thursday, October 04, 2018
What I tell churches in trouble...
When Marsha and talk to couples in trouble, we often spend some time "re-digging" the foundation of their faith. It is hard to build a stable house on a shaky foundation. I do the same thing when I talk to churches in trouble. There are five fundamental passages I think churches should buy-in to. I think if I were planting a church, these would be my foundation principles. If I were looking for a church home, these are the things I would look for.
So I thought I would share these over several posts.
I Corinthians 15:1-4 I use this passage because Paul makes the concepts found here so important. He says this is gospel (good news). It is what he preached and they accepted. It forms the basis for their world view. If they hold onto this, it will save them. If not, it invalidates their belief. And Paul says it is of first importance.
This is critical for the health of any church. Essential.
Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
He was buried.
And he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
Jesus. Jesus. Jesus.
A church must believe that Jesus died for our sins. That is the good news we live and the good news we share.
God raised him from the dead. That changes everything. This world is not the end. It is the beginning of life.
When asked about our doctrine/beliefs/theology, this better be the first thing we say: Jesus died for our sins and God raised him from the dead.
And a church needs to know that is Scripture. That is where this truth is found. Scripture.
Healthy churches use Scripture. They read it, study it, and preach from it.
And the fundamental truth from Scripture is this: Jesus died for our sins. He was buried. And God raised him from the dead.
Healthy churches are all about Jesus.
Live Jesus. Share Jesus.
Because his death for our sins gave us the way back to God. The God who will also raise us from the dead. Just like he did Jesus.
Jesus. Jesus. Jesus.
Always.
So I thought I would share these over several posts.
I Corinthians 15:1-4 I use this passage because Paul makes the concepts found here so important. He says this is gospel (good news). It is what he preached and they accepted. It forms the basis for their world view. If they hold onto this, it will save them. If not, it invalidates their belief. And Paul says it is of first importance.
This is critical for the health of any church. Essential.
Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
He was buried.
And he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
Jesus. Jesus. Jesus.
A church must believe that Jesus died for our sins. That is the good news we live and the good news we share.
God raised him from the dead. That changes everything. This world is not the end. It is the beginning of life.
When asked about our doctrine/beliefs/theology, this better be the first thing we say: Jesus died for our sins and God raised him from the dead.
And a church needs to know that is Scripture. That is where this truth is found. Scripture.
Healthy churches use Scripture. They read it, study it, and preach from it.
And the fundamental truth from Scripture is this: Jesus died for our sins. He was buried. And God raised him from the dead.
Healthy churches are all about Jesus.
Live Jesus. Share Jesus.
Because his death for our sins gave us the way back to God. The God who will also raise us from the dead. Just like he did Jesus.
Jesus. Jesus. Jesus.
Always.
