Rocky Creek

 While it is encouraging to take mission trips to multiple places, focusing more on fewer initiatives can be more effective. Moving missions from sporadic to strategic creates pipelines to engage the unreached.

As individual local churches seek to increase their membership, it becomes easy to overlook the larger context. We need intentional people mobilized for church planting and replanting to reach our city and beyond.

In recent decades, churches have created programs to do what God has called parents to do. We must align the efforts between the home and the church to disciple the next generation well.

While guilt or pressure can be successful motivators to get us to serve, we ought to minister to others in line with our giftings and passions. In those meaningful positions, those obligations turn into opportunities.

Being involved in the life of a church requires more than having your name on the roster of a group. Discover how to move from being a name on a list to developing relationships that further your discipleship.

If we simplify discipleship to mere information transfer, we miss much of what is necessary for transformation. We all need mentoring relationships worth imitating as we seek to follow Jesus.

We often minimize Christianity to a momentary decision, but if we are following Jesus, we should still be moving. A disciple of Jesus continues to pursue thorough spiritual maturity.

God does not intend us to navigate the challenging paths of this life alone. If we are to endure, we must commit to standing firm but doing so together.

Just as humanity awaited a Savior to come once before, we now anticipate the return of Christ to usher in His eternal glory. God and sinners will finally and completely be reconciled.

God has a plan to lift us up, but Satan has another plan to take us down. We must learn the path of humility to continue firm in the faith, undeterred by our enemy’s plans.

God gathers His people together because He knows sheep need a shepherd. In His wisdom, He calls leaders to imitate the chief Shepherd so they can serve as examples to the entire flock.

While the tendency is to respond to suffering with complaints, Scripture encourages us to rejoice instead. Suffering is unavoidable, but our response is supposed to be unusually hopeful.

None of us know when Jesus will return, but we know the time is approaching. As it draws near, discover the proactive priorities Christians should keep.

Our culture seems shocked and annoyed if Christians don’t join or support expressions of wild living. It is better to suffer for refusing temptation than it will be for those who embrace defiance.

In one of the most unique biblical passages, Peter explains that the Spirit of Christ has warned generations to repent. Only through Jesus’ sacrifice can we be saved beneath the cleansing flood.   

In a super-charged political society, our confidence is not in parties, platforms, or persons, but our hope is in Jesus. Prioritize your gospel witness in a hostile culture as you keep a clear conscience.

The immoral culture of today’s world puts pressure on us to put our selfish desires first. Scripture gives us clear instructions to respond to what is right and righteous if we desire to see better days.

When marital expectations are unmet, we often blame our spouses instead of looking to ourselves for any needed changes. Discover who your spouse needs you to be and make any adjustments necessary for a healthier marriage.

Our jobs will be difficult, but we don’t have to make them extra complex by misaligned behavior. Look to Christ as the guide for responding to challenging work environments.

No matter how a government treats Christians, Scripture commands us to respond in God-honoring ways. God has made His will very clear regarding how we should respond to civil authorities.

If this world is not our home, we cannot give ourselves to every available temptation. The war against hypocrisy is important so that we don’t hinder others from seeing Jesus.

Our culture recently debated if a church’s services should be deemed essential during times of emergency. We realize a church’s necessity through the Scripture and our experiences. 

To see consistent spiritual growth, we must be careful to avoid interpersonal drama and pursue biblical truth. A failure to do either will cause spiritual stagnation.

Many people stifle their discipleship due to complex relationships in a church or mounting questions regarding the Bible. Discover how you can handle both and not wander away from the faith.

Since the gospel has transformed us, our lifestyles should alter significantly. God’s perfect holiness empowers and expects our personal holiness.