The Perfecting Church

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth…” In the polarizing times in which we live, one could not only choose the wrong side, but the wrong fight, and therefore, the wrong weapon. As followers of Christ, we must remember that our greatest power doesn’t reside in a weapon, but a message… the gospel, not only because it lea...

We are reminded that we’re a family at war, as we close our series Family Matters from the book of Ephesians. God’s family is an eternal, adopted family; each one of us has a cape - gifts, abilities and passions woven into our design; we carry the family name of Jesus, a name above every name that can be named; we are a family diverse in culture, ethnicity, and tongue, all made one in Christ; we a...

God is a God of covenant and His family is a family of covenant. The only way God enters into a relationship is through covenant. Our understanding of covenant shapes the way we relate to God and the way we relate to God shapes us. We can not truly understand what it means to be in the family of God apart from understanding God’s covenant love.

Some of the great families that shaped our history have a clear common mission. Families like the Kennedys are known for their commitment to public service in government and the Jacksons are known for their influence in musical entertainment. However, the family of God has been called to a much broader mission – to reconcile ALL things to God. This is not a religious statement but a call for His s...

Prayer is the place where we, as the Family of God in the earth, come to commune with our Heavenly Father. When we pursue the heart and presence of God in prayer, we begin to see what He sees and what He longs for. Communing in prayer with our Father takes us beyond the natural realm, bringing us into a greater and greater awareness of His profound power and love towards us. In prayer is where we...

God’s family in the earth is made up entirely with adopted people. He has chosen us, we have not chosen Him. Our last name is no longer our most significant name. The name that gives us our greatest identity, belonging and resource, both now and forever, is the name of Jesus. In Him we’ve all been given abilities, gifts, passions and unique parts to play in reconciling humanity, causing it to flou...

What a beautiful family name we’ve been given in the name of Jesus. For the Christian our last name is no longer our most significant name. The name that gives us our greatest identity, belonging and resource, both now and forever, is the name of Jesus. His, is the only name given under heaven by which we can be saved — being adopted and redeemed into the eternal family of God. In the name of Jesu...

The top grossing movies of 2018 were all based on superheroes with superpowers — Black Panther was the 3rd highest grossing movie of all-time; Avengers: Infinity War was the 4th highest grossing movie of all time; and Incredibles 2 was the highest grossing animated movie of all time. It’s fair to say we have an obsession with superheroes, superpowers and capes. Hollywood, and the comics these movi...

Our lives are shaped by how and where we get our sense of acceptance and belonging. God’s family is unlike any other family, organization or affiliation we can have in this world. God’s family is not based on what we’ve done or can do, but what He has done and chosen to do. God adopted us. God chose us. This truth of being chosen/adopted before, is the foundation of our existence in God’s family....

In God We Trust was a clarion call to return to God with our whole hearts. It’s was a bright, redeeming light shining into the depths of our souls to awaken, renew and deepen our trust in God. In God We Trust was the resurrection of our faith and trust in the God who has power over the nations, nature, and the details of our lives. In God We Trust is the confidence that even when life hurts — God...

Our understanding of faithfulness is incomplete if we see it only as God's commitment to us or as our devotion to Him. Ultimately, faithfulness is a defining characteristic of God's relationship to Himself. We can be encouraged to rest in this faithfulness, as we discover our identity in Christ and God's commitment to see His eternal purposes demonstrated in our lives.

God has total control of all things past, present and future. Nothing happens that is outside of His knowledge and control. All things are either caused by Him or allowed by Him for His eternal purposes and plans. God is the only absolute, all powerful ruler of the universe and is sovereign in creation, providence and redemption. We’re all free, but we’re all in God’s hands, because He is sovereig...

In 2008, to the astonishment of the world, the U.S. economy was plunged into a recession because we trusted in the leaders of our government and financial institutions to behave ethically and morally for the good of its people. The hopes and dreams, the savings and security of millions, were erased within a matter of days. Only by trusting in God can we obtain true peace, love and joy. Everything...

God, the creator and sustainer of all, is a God of justice. Psalm 89:14 declares, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face.” From an early age this sense of justice can be seen woven into the fabric of humanity. We’ve all seen and been, small children looking for an adult to judge between us and a friend, and when the verdict was rendered cr...

The Church has been redefined by modern culture, but it has never been changed in its role or power by God. God has established the Church as the epicenter of life, society and blessing. She is the steward of God’s revelation truth and miraculous power to transform humanity. There is no corporation, organization or institution more powerful and significant than the Church in all of creation. The C...

The “fear of the Lord” is not one of His attributes. It’s the effect He has on all who truly encounter His holy presence. Holiness is the quality of God’s character that makes Him higher and superior to everything in the created realm. God’s holiness makes Him other, different, high and lifted up, set apart from all others. It’s the distinction of His holiness, that leaves us drawn to God — in awe...

God is the creator and sustainer of all creation. Nothing exists whether seen or unseen that originated apart from God. God is love. His love is an all-knowing love. His love is an all-consuming love. His love is a fully committed love. God is good. God defines good. God is the standard for good. If we took all of God’s attributes and rolled them into one word — the one word that would embody all...

Looking back at the top news making events of 2011, seven years seems like a lifetime ago. Arab Spring. Protests spread throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa fueled by unemployed young people, frustration with longtime leaders and corrupt police — leading to the overthrow of government leaders, in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. Osama bin Laden. The mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks that kill...

God the Father is the source and giver of all the goodness that fills this earth, both seen and unseen. There’s never been one thing good in this earth or any where else in creation at any time in the past, present or future that didn’t originate in God the Father. Apart from God, there wouldn't be anything good. God alone is the source of all good things. “God is good” means — God defines good; G...

The millennial generation has grown weary of organized religion but their zeal for God can be ignited if they have a proper view of Jesus.

God is good. This simple statement is going to take us weeks to unpack and even longer to work into the depths of our soul. On the surface, every follower of Jesus believes God is good. But if we pull back the curtain, there are times and sometimes extended periods of time, when we struggle to see and embrace God’s goodness. But temporary struggles do not change the unwavering, eternal truth — God...

As of the1st quarter of 2018, Facebook had 2.19 billion active users. YouTube just reported 1 billion, and Instagram says it has 800 million active users. That’s nearly 4 billion people active on social media, as a regular part of their daily lives! What is it that drives us to publish our lives for the world to view? We all have an insatiable desire to be known. We all have an insatiable desire t...

Two questions are at the heart of what it means to be human: Who are you Lord? Who am I? While there’s arguably more than one answer to these questions, none is more fundamentally true than — God is love and we are loved. Sadly, it’s possible to be so shaped and affected by the “love of man” that it keeps us from ever truly knowing and experiencing the love of God. God is love and His love is unli...

There are two questions that everyone on the face of this planet has asked and continues to ask at different times and in different ways, throughout the course of life. “Who are you God?” and “Who am I?” In fact, these questions are at the heart of what it means to be human. We fully become who we are as we come to know who God is. We are made in His image and we bear His likeness.

Today, we recognize Pentecost and celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit that was given to the Church. When this was done in Acts 2, the Church also received the ability to prophesy, but many of us don't realize the power we have in the Spirit to do this. The first step is to pursue love.