What is a healthy church? What is a dead church? What is a failing church? How do we measure the success of a church? As we continue our series studying the New Testament letter, Colossians, Paul shares two practices that mark a healthy church. Turn to Colossians 4:2. We are reading verses 2-6. Pause thisContinue reading “Two Marks of a Healthy Church – Colossians 4:2-6, Part 1”
Tag Archives: Prayer
How to overcome “Some people never change” – Colossians 3:1-4, Part 4
“They will never change.” Have you ever said that? Maybe you thought it? Or maybe it was declared about you. Is it true that people never change? Perhaps it has been true for some people. But for the vast majority, change is always happening in our lives, even if incrementally. As we have been studyingContinue reading “How to overcome “Some people never change” – Colossians 3:1-4, Part 4″
How to be a good friend to God- Colossians 1:24-2:5, Part 10
In the previous post, I mentioned that I had to confess and repent, “Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit in me, I am sorry I haven’t been a good friend, I’m sorry I haven’t given much effort to get to know you.” Of course, that is not totally true, as we can get to know God inContinue reading “How to be a good friend to God- Colossians 1:24-2:5, Part 10”
A prayer for spiritual wisdom and understanding – Colossians 1:9-14, Part 2
Have you ever been so confused and so frustrated about a situation in life, that you had no idea what to do? Most of us have been there. It could be that you are getting near the end of high school, and you really don’t know what you want to do with your life. ShouldContinue reading “A prayer for spiritual wisdom and understanding – Colossians 1:9-14, Part 2”
What happened when I submitted a regular quarterly report, and my boss and my boss’s boss both responded – Colossians 1:9-14, Part 1
What does God expect of us? Does he expect a lot? A little? Is there some way we can measure it? And does he expect us to accomplish it on our own? There are so many different expressions of Christianity that it can be confusing to know what God wants. Take gathered, corporate worship onContinue reading “What happened when I submitted a regular quarterly report, and my boss and my boss’s boss both responded – Colossians 1:9-14, Part 1”
Finding grace and peace – Colossians 1:1-8, Part 3
What are so many people in the world looking for, deep down inside? They are looking for things to be right. They want their lives to feel right. They want to feel wholeness. But where do we find it? I would suggest Paul gives us a clue in the greeting he writes in his letterContinue reading “Finding grace and peace – Colossians 1:1-8, Part 3”
How to find power when you feel powerless – Honest Advent Week 1, Part 3
Being powerless is a terrible feeling, isn’t it? Do you know what I mean? It’s that helpless feeling when life is bulldozing you and there’s nothing you can do about it. In today’s post we find out a very powerful man became powerless in order to access true power, and how we can learn fromContinue reading “How to find power when you feel powerless – Honest Advent Week 1, Part 3”
How God really wants us to worship – Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, Part 5
What is awe-inspiring to you? I have never seen the Northern Lights, but I can imagine how the guy in the photo above would find them awe-inspiring. How about you? What causes you to have wonder and amazement? It is very common for us to declare that all manner of things are “awesome.” This weekContinue reading “How God really wants us to worship – Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, Part 5”
Are you praying the wrong way (especially during worship services)?- Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, Part 2
Do you know how to pray? Have you ever thought about how God wants you to pray? What we are going to learn from the Teacher today is that there is a right way and a wrong way to pray, especially during worship services. In this week’s five-part series on Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, the central passageContinue reading “Are you praying the wrong way (especially during worship services)?- Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, Part 2”
Make the choice to rejoice – Acts 16, Part 5
Our study through Acts 16 has been filled with drama, and in the final verses, 35-40, there’s one more dramatic loose end to tie up. Though the local magistrates give Paul and Silas their freedom, Paul says, “No. We’re staying.” What? He voluntarily stays in prison? Why? Paul is making a point, letting the magistratesContinue reading “Make the choice to rejoice – Acts 16, Part 5”
Engaging Scripture 