The pastor is supposed to use his authority over the flock to build up the flock. Like a shepherd, a pastor should want his flock to be strong and in good health. He wants the flock to prosper and grow spiritually. He wants to promote the best interests and well-being of the flock. He wants the church to be mature, stable, and strong. Read More ...
We must use the weapons God gives us—the word, prayer, truth, love, goodness, beauty, and godly behavior. We don’t use fleshly, carnal, worldly methods in this battle. We try to solve the problem with Christlike humility and gentleness if we can, but if we need to be assertive and stern, we know how to do that as well. Read More ...
The Christian life is a battle or a struggle. We have spiritual enemies—primarily, the world, the flesh, and the devil. In Paul’s case, his enemies were the false teachers who had infiltrated the church and were leading people astray. Paul is ready to go to war with these spiritual adversaries. He’s not going to tolerate them or allow them to have any influence in the church. His intent is to destroy their false ideas. Read More ...
Paul says nothing here about the amount anyone gave. He’s not really concerned about the size of the gift; he’s concerned about the attitude of giving. Those who have experienced the grace of God are joyfully generous in their giving. They give voluntarily, without having to be prodded, coerced, or reminded. They give sacrificially at times, even beyond what would be a reasonable amount, beyond what they can normally afford. They give because they want to participate in serving God’s people. Richly generous people appreciate the grace that they have received, and they want to give richly to support those in need and those serving God. Read More ...
Often, when conflicts arise, the solution is for one side of the conflict to appeal to the other side to pursue reconciliation. Sometimes the best thing you can do is to say something like “Let’s be friends. Let’s try to restore our friendship.” Someone has to start this process by reaching out to the other side. Read More ...