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Words for Today, Christian Conduct

1 Thessalonians 5

 

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Day of the Lord

5 Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. ² For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord ^[a]will come just like a thief in the night. ³ While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then^[b]destruction ^[c]will come upon them suddenly like labour pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. ⁴ But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you ^[d]like a thief; ⁵ for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; ⁶ so then let us not sleep as ^[e]others do, but let us be alert and^[f]sober. ⁷ For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. ⁸ But since we are of the day, let us be ^[g]sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. ⁹ For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰ who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.^{11  h}Therefore ^]encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.

Christian Conduct

¹² But we request of you, brethren, that you ^[i]appreciate those who diligently labour among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you ^[j]instruction, ¹³ and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. ¹⁴ We urge you, brethren, admonish the ^[k]unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. ¹⁵ See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. 16 Rejoice always   ¹⁷ pray without ceasing; ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit; ²⁰ do not despise prophetic ^[l]utterances. ²¹ But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; ²² abstain from every ^[m]form of evil.

²³ Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.²⁴ Faithful is He who calls you calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.

²⁵ Brethren, pray for us^[n].

²⁶ Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss. ²⁷ I adjure you by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brethren.

²⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

The Bible Panorama

1 Thessalonians 5

V 1–3: SUDDEN SURPRISE When the world least expects Christ, and when it is said that peace and safety has come, Jesus will return ‘as a thief in the night’. This is as sure to happen as the labour of a pregnant woman will bring forth birth.

 V 4–11: WAKEFUL WATCH The world is not prepared for that. Christians should be ready and waiting for the coming of the Lord. Preparation for this event involves living a sober life characterised by faith, love, assurance of salvation, comforting one another, and building one another up in the faith. Christians, whether sleeping the sleep of death or awake at Christ’s coming, rejoice that He died for them and that they will be together with Him. Salvation, not wrath, awaits them. This knowledge comforts those worried about the salvation of Christians who have died.

 V 12–22: WISE WORDS Paul then exhorts the Thessalonians in different practical matters. We see in these that true spirituality is always translated into practical living, working on good relationships with others, turning from evil, rejoicing, prayer, honouring God’s Spirit, Christian discernment, and submitting to God with thankfulness for who He is and what He has done. 

V 23–24: COMPLETE CONSECRATION Paul prays that God will sanctify the Christians completely in spirit, soul and body, so that they are ready for the coming of the Lord Jesus who is faithful to them. 

V 25–28: GRACIOUS GREETINGS Paul’s greetings include a request for prayer, a holy kiss for them all, an instruction to read the letter to everyone, and the desire that they will know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ with them.

The Bible Panorama. Copyright © 2005 Day One Publications.

Words for the Wise, Christian Leadership

1 Timothy 6

English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

6 Let all who are under a yoke as slaves[a] regard their own masters as worthy of all honour, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. 2 Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved.

False Teachers and True Contentment

Teach and urge these things. 3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound[b] words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, 4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. 6 Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and[c] we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Fight the Good Fight of Faith

11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before[d] Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honour and eternal dominion. Amen.

17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

20 O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge”, 21 for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.

Grace be with you.[e]

The IVP New Testament Commentary Series

Opposing False Teachers (6:2-5)

The Christian leader must not forget the responsibility to protect the faith. Those of Paul's readers who fell into this category, including Timothy, were to discharge this duty by teaching and urging the true faith (v. 2). The command that sets Timothy in this mode again (see also 3:14; 4:6, 11; 5:7, 21) also reminds them that in this operation the Christian leader is not unarmed. Paul has given specific teaching (these . . . things) for confrontation with the false teachers.

Having repeated the command, Paul issues a kind of "wanted poster." It is the counterpart to the "job description" given in chapter 3. Notably, each begins with the general if anyone (compare 5:4, 16; Tit 1:6). Here, verses 3-6 consist of one long sentence in the Greek, beginning with the "criminal" and the "crime" and going on to give identifying characteristics in a list of vices. By using the list (compare 1:9-10; 2 Tim 3:2-4; Tit 3:3) Paul meant to create a strong stereotype or caricature of the false teacher that would communicate primarily two things: an authoritative denunciation and a solemn warning. Readers, after seeing this "poster," would not be likely to form or maintain casual attitudes about the false teachers or their doctrine.

The IVP New Testament Commentary Series

Timothy, Fight the Good Fight (6:12-15)

The servant of God must also fulfill the calling of ministry. The charge issued in 1:18 is repeated here. Paul has changed the metaphor, however, from ministry in terms of a military struggle to ministry in terms of an athletic contest (see also 2 Tim 4:7). Thus the need for perseverance, sustained effort and training dominate in this charge (compare 1 Cor 9:24-27; 2 Tim 2:5). Like a skillful coach, Paul supplies ample motivation for maintaining the struggle.

1. Eternal reward (6:12). Especially for the minister, to "finish the race" is no mere option. The command tone (take hold) reminds us of the real element of human responsibility in the salvation process, as it also implies the real possibility of success. Though the cost is great, the Christian leader can arrive at the goal of personal salvation, eternal life.

But while the athletic imagery emphasizes the human side, it is the prior action of "calling" that establishes the believer's future success. In the passive, the verb refers clearly to God's call to eternal life. Yet as we have just seen, divine sovereignty does not preclude human responsibility. Timothy had an obligation to participate in his salvation. We too must view faithful Christian living and service, in whatever context God places us, as our necessary responsibility to God.

2. Past promises (6:12). The Greek sentence continues without a break, and attention shifts to Timothy's past commitment to God. It may be (as the NIV interprets it) that the phrase good confession in the presence of many witnesses relates directly to God's calling (to eternal life), indicating the time when realization of this occurred. In this case, the event in mind would probably be Timothy's baptism. However, the phrase may be linked more directly to the parallel commands to fight and to take hold, making the event grounds for obedience to those ministerial commands. In this case, the allusion would be to a commissioning ceremony of some sort. The two ceremonies would have been similar in tone, each including a confession of faith, a charge and a vow of commitment.

To judge from the ministry context here and probable allusions to the event elsewhere (1:18; 4:14), Paul may have had in mind Timothy's commissioning (similar to the more modern ordination). Then his reasoning is that the two commands of verse 12 are in keeping with the promises of God's selection of one for ministry. The ceremony that bound the congregation to acknowledge the authority of the new minister also bound the minister to faithful service.

Today the binding force of one's word is often questioned, but before God that is not so. The minister's pledge to serve must not be taken lightly. But it takes discipline as well as forceful reminders from coworkers or from God's Spirit to bring us back to first promises that bind. Yet what the servant must recall are not only human commitments to God but also God's commitments to his servants.

3. Present promises (6:13). This comes more clearly into view as Paul reminds Timothy of his present situation. Christian service is not something God initiates, like the christening of a ship, then leaves to run its own course. It begins with God's choice and continues in his presence and fellowship. So when Paul repeats the solemn charge, which begins in verse 13 and ends in verse 14, he emphasizes Timothy's continuing fellowship with God and Christ.

In this fellowship, too, obligation and promise are combined. To be in the sight of God (5:21; 2 Tim 4:1) is cause for reverent fear. The Hebrews were terrified of God's presence, which, as Moses explained, was to keep them from sinning (Ex 20:20). But God's presence meant for them also his faithful care—guidance, food, clothing (Deut 8:1-5). And the description of God as life-giver means the same for Paul's readers. God's constant presence should spur the Christian on to excellent service. Equally, this truth provides encouragement and strength, for the ever-present God is the one who gives and sustains life.

At the same time Timothy is reminded of his fellowship with Christ. He is our ever-present Lord (compare Mt 28:20). This comforting promise of continual fellowship, however, ought to compel us to the heights of faithfulness, for our Lord is also our judge (2 Tim 4:8; Rev 3:15-16).

Christian leaders in difficult situations have always found encouragement in Christ's experience. In fact, God has called us to participate in the very ministry Christ initiated. He made the good confession first, before Pontius Pilate. Paul's allusion is difficult to ascertain. Probably the reference is to Jesus' trial and to the supreme testimony he gave in his death. He authenticated his calling and commitment to serve God before the representative of this world, despite great danger and temptations to denial (see Jn 18:28-37). The one called to serve God makes a confession and commitment to continue Christ's own mission at any personal cost. Christ's commitment to his servants is continual fellowship.

4. Future promises (6:14). It is equally important for Timothy to concentrate on the promise of Christ's return, for two reasons. First is the promise of relief. The term Paul chose to describe the Second Coming here (the appearing) pictures the event as a glorious intervention to bring help. In fact, Paul uses the same term to refer to Christ's first advent (2 Tim 1:10; Tit 2:11; 3:4); this shows how the present age is to be understood in relation to Christ's two "appearances"—what began with Christ will end with Christ. When God's appointed time arrives, relief will come to the minister. A Christian's earthly duties will cease.

Second is a note of urgency. The obligations connected with the call to service (the command, vv. 11-12, to lead an exemplary Christian life) must be kept, the course must be finished in all faithfulness (without spot or blame), for Christ comes to judge (2 Tim 4:1, 8). In light of the certainty of this future event, without spot or blame stresses the need for a life that expresses godliness consistently and in all respects. The early Christians lived as if Christ's return would occur during their lifetime. We for the most part do not, and we are the weaker for it. This confident hope of consummation and evaluation can sustain us when days are long, bodies grow weary and results seem few.

5. Sovereign God (6:15-16). Last of all in the charge to Timothy, Paul calls to mind the sovereign and majestic God. A clear vision of the true nature of God is a strong motivation for holy living and service for all Christians. Paul declares that God has ordered all events (v. 15), including the appearance of Christ. But what a God! The Greek makes it clear that Paul has actually inserted a doxology, which celebrates the majesty and mystery of God, to describe the subject of the verb of execution (bring about) in verse 15. The force of Paul's artistry is to close the charge to God's servant in adoration and worship (compare 1:17).

The God whom Christians serve is the blessed and only Ruler. This description comes out of intertestamental Judaism. God's oneness and sovereignty (Ruler means "sovereign"), which might suggest transcendence and "otherness," are balanced by the blessing he intimately bestows on his people. The phrases King of kings and Lord of lords ascribe to God absolute sovereignty. This powerful combination appears in Revelation 17:14 and 19:16 in reference to Christ.

Majesty gives way to mystery in verse 16 as the doxology next declares God to be "the only one having immortality" (1:17). The meaning is that God is the source of eternal life, that life which is proper to him alone, which he has chosen to bestow on others. His dwelling place is unapproachable light (Ex 24:15-17; 34:29-35; 1 Jn 1:5-7), which speaks symbolically of his absolute holiness. The mystery becomes complete in the reference to his "invisibility" (1:17). The actual phrase, whom no one has seen or can see, recalls God's response to Moses, who in preparation for leading God's people requested to see God: "no one may see me and live" (Ex 33:20). Still, enough was shown to Moses to carry him through in confidence.

Finally, the doxology closes in praise, ascribing honor and might forever to the sovereign God (Rev 5:13). In the end, God's servants must set their concentration upon the invincible God. Turning the thought to praise, Paul reminds his readers that Christian life and ministry together form the appropriate response to the blessing of God.

IVP New Testament Commentaries are made available by the generosity of InterVarsity Press.

The Bible Panorama

1 Timothy 6

V 1–2: SLAVES The word ‘bond servants’ means ‘slaves’. They are told to honour their masters so that God will be glorified. They must not take unfair advantage of Christian masters who bestow great benefits coming from their Christian character. Timothy is to insist on this. (Some slaves became more privileged and better supported than many free people.)

 V 3–5: SEPARATION Timothy is to separate himself from those who have selfish, corrupt and ungodly attitudes and lifestyles which cause them to seek gain rather than godliness.

 V 6–10: STRAYING Carrying on with the thought of gain, Paul tells Timothy that some have strayed from the faith, and injured themselves, because of a love of money. Godliness brings its own contentment. Paul advocates a simple lifestyle with gratitude for needs being met, and a desire to glorify God.

 V 11–16: SPOTLESS Timothy, as a man of God, is to flee all spiritually harmful influences and seek the qualities and characteristics which are consistent with the ‘good fight of faith’. He is to seek to be kept spotless and blameless in the view of Christ’s appearing. He is to remember the coming appearing, the holiness and the greatness of his ‘King of kings and Lord of lords’.

V 17–19: SHARING Timothy is to tell the rich Christians, for whom all their riches have come from God, that they should be willing to share with others and invest in eternal life.

 V 20–21: STEWARD That which has been committed to the stewardship trust of Timothy is to be protected from any teaching that would pollute it. Some have strayed through those polluted teachings and Paul prays for God’s grace for his protégé.

The country where death is now just a lifestyle choice. Holland, Daily Mail, Euthanasia v The Sanctity of Life

The country where death is now just a lifestyle choice: A mum with ringing ears. Babies whose parents don't want them to suffer. They've all been allowed to die by assisted suicide in Holland

·        Andre Verhoeven planned to retire at 65 to travel the world with wife Dora

·        He was diagnosed with acute leukaemia and was told there was no cure

·        He chose to end his life at 64 and died in January last year

·        Gaby Olthuis suffered ‘24-hour noise’ in her head, ‘like a train screeching'

·        To end her suffering, she was given a lethal potion to drink at her home

·        She left behind two teenage children, a boy of 13 and a girl aged 15

No one would have predicted that such a devoted husband and family man would one day choose to die by a lethal injection administered by his own GP.

Andre Verhoeven married in his local Catholic church, lived in an unpretentious town south of Amsterdam, and worked as a respected teacher at the nearby secondary school.

He had planned to retire at 65 to travel the world with his wife, Dora.

Instead, he was diagnosed with acute leukaemia, a cancer of the blood, for which he was told there was no cure. Because of complications from the cruel illness, he became paralysed from the neck down.

You might be entitled to think that what people do in Holland is their business and nothing to do with us in Britain. But you could not be more wrong.

If campaigners have their way, the law will be changed here, too, to allow those who wish to end their life to do so at a time of their choosing. For opponents of euthanasia, this raises grave moral questions, as well as concerns that unscrupulous relatives might take advantage of elderly family members — whose estates they might covet — by encouraging them to end their lives.

One of the most vociferous and courageous voices in the campaign to legalise assisted dying was Debbie Purdy, who passed away last week at the age of 51 after refusing food for a year. She had said her hunger strike was painful and difficult, but that her life with progressive multiple sclerosis was ‘unacceptable’.

News of her death came as 80 prominent public figures in the UK called for the legalising of euthanasia here, warning that already one Briton travels abroad every fortnight to euthanasia clinics even as the issue continues to be passionately debated.

Read more here:

What does the Bible say about Euthanasia? Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry

by Matt Slick

The Bible does not specifically mention euthanasia, but it does address issues closely related to it.  Euthanasia is known by different terms such as mercy killing, assisted suicide, etc.  It is the act of assisting someone in his or her own death who is terminally ill, suffering, and in great pain.  The goal of the assisted suicide is to prevent the continuation of pain.

The Bible tells us that we are not to murder (Exodus 20:13).  Murder is the unlawful taking of life, and killing is the lawful taking of life.  Technically speaking, if a nation said that euthanasia was legal, then on a human level it would not be murder.  But as societies often legislate moral issues in contradiction to the Bible, just because a society might say that euthanasia is good does not mean that it is.  We are to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29).

We are made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26), and it is the Lord God who gives us life (Job 33:4) and who has numbered our days (Job 14:5).  This means that God is the sovereign Lord who determines the day that we die.  Therefore, we are not to usurp God's authority.

In the Bible . . .

In the book of Job, when Job is under great distress and in great pain, his wife says to him “'Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!' 10 But he said to her, 'You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?' In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” (Job 2:9-10).  Basically, Job's wife wanted him to euthanize himself to avoid the pain of his life, but Job refused to do so, and in this he did not sin.

Heb. 9:27, “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.”

The Bible tells us that it is God who appoints people to die.  Essentially, assisted suicide is an attempt to deny God his sovereign right to appoint who dies when.  We must be careful not to take into our own hands the right that belongs to God.

There is nothing in the Bible that tells us we must do everything we can to keep someone alive for as long as possible.  So, we are not under obligation to prolong the life of someone who is suffering.  If someone is terminally ill and in great pain, we should make the person as comfortable as possible during this process of dying.  We should not hasten his death. Instead, we should let death take its natural course but make every effort to comfort those who are suffering.

Finally, like so many things in the world, when a small compromise is made, many injustices are eventually allowed. If euthanasia is permitted under the emotional and moral claim that it is best for the individual, what is to prevent the government from eventually stepping in and determining who else needs to be terminated?  Might the definition of euthanasia be expanded to include those who are suffering from chronic depression or just don’t like living--or are not productive in society?  We must ask that if the door to killing people in their old age is opened, can it ever be closed again?

Think about it.  The beginning of life is now open to destruction in abortion, and the end of life is now being considered for destruction as well.  Like a vise that closes from either end, how many of those in the middle will fall prey to the depravity of man's moral relativism and love affair with sin that always brings death?

Read more from  the Christian Institute on Euthanasia

Britain warned, as euthanasia rate in the Netherlands soars

The sanctity of life

Christians believe that there is something special about human beings.  Being human is not the same as being anything else in the cosmos - different in nature from being a rock, a tree, a spider or a chimpanzee.  Humans are 'in the image of God'.  That means we share something of the nature of God - we know the difference between good and evil, we have the ability to be creative, we have a capacity to love and seek justice, we have a responsibility toward everything with which we share the planet, and we have a nature which is in some way eternal (some people call this a soul).

Everything Christians believe about the sanctity of life follows on from this.  And the most wonderful of those facts is a belief that God knows every human individually - from the life in a womb that ends tragically early to the great-grandmother who celebrates her hundredth birthday.  Christians also believe that God has a total and unconditional love for every human.  (This is exhilarating but also challenging, because it means he must have loved Hitler as much as he loved Saint Francis of Assisi).  It means that God loves you, wherever in the world you are reading this right now.

Several things follow logically from this:

Human life has a purpose

Evolution has not just led us to an existence in which we are what we are because we were the species that is best at surviving, but because God willed it to be this way and wants us to do something with life.

Human life is very precious

In Christian ethics all humans should treat all humans with honour.  It is utterly unacceptable when people are abused mentally, physically or tyrannically.  It is all too clear that Christians (even Christian leaders) fail in this on some occasions.  This is shameful.

Humans need to respect themselves

That means Christians try to do something worthwhile with their lives.  For almost all Christians it means they try not to throw their one beautiful life away by viciously abusing drugs, alcohol, tobacco and so on.

Humans need to respect others

Out of this has come the laws that have made the UK civilized - about the death penalty, abortion, euthanasia, contraception, embryo experimentation and so on.  All these are controversial and Christians have differing views.  However, they try to have their debates about it in the context of seeking God's best for humankind.

Human life has absolute dignity

Perhaps the most important belief of all is that God himself has lived on earth in human form, and so he has conferred utter dignity on human flesh.  Christians believe that in Jesus God himself was walking and talking on this planet.

From Christianity.org

Ten ways to grow your church in 2015

Ten ways to grow your church in 2015

We’re all familiar with statistics that decry the declining UK Church, but many local churches are bucking the trend. Justin Brierley investigates what has made the difference for those whose churches are bursting at the seams.

Let’s be clear: there is no miracle formula for growing your church. If the magic ingredients could be bottled and sold, someone somewhere would be very rich by now. Nor is numerical growth the only mark of success. Discipleship, local engagement and longevity of commitment are also important. Megachurches in the US account for more than half of all church attendance, but critics point out that such congregations can often be a ‘mile wide and an inch deep’.

Equally, popular new churches that see ‘transfer growth’ from other local congregations (aka ‘sheep stealing’) could be accused of simply rearranging the deckchairs while the Titanic sinks. Planted in ‘hard soil’, some churches may be doing well to simply maintain their present numbers.

Even churches growing at a healthy rate have no cause to be complacent. Congregations that increase to a certain size and then 'plateau', failing to break a glass ceiling of 200 to 300 attendees, are a frequent phenomenon.

The Rise of the ‘Done With Church’ Population by Thom Schultz

 John is every pastor’s dream member. He’s a life-long believer, well-studied in the Bible, gives generously and leads others passionately.

But last year he dropped out of church. He didn’t switch to the other church down the road. He dropped out completely. His departure wasn’t the result of an ugly encounter with a staff person or another member. It wasn’t triggered by any single event.

John had come to a long-considered, thoughtful decision. He said, “I’m just done. I’m done with church.”

John is one in a growing multitude of ex-members. They’re sometimes called the de-churched. They have not abandoned their faith. They have not joined the also-growing legion of those with no religious affiliation—often called the Nones. Rather, John has joined the Dones.

At Group’s recent Future of the Church conference, sociologist Josh Packard shared some of his groundbreaking research on the Dones. He explained these de-churched were among the most dedicated and active people in their congregations. To an increasing degree, the church is losing its best.

For the church, this phenomenon sets up a growing danger. The very people on whom a church relies for lay leadership, service and financial support are going away. And the problem is compounded by the fact that younger people in the next generation, the Millennials, are not lining up to refill the emptying pews.

Why are the Dones done? Packard describes several factors in his upcoming book Church Refugees (Group). Among the reasons: After sitting through countless sermons and Bible studies, they feel they’ve heard it all. One of Packard’s interviewees said, “I’m tired of being lectured to. I’m just done with having some guy tell me what to do.”

The Dones are fatigued with the Sunday routine of plop, pray and pay. They want to play. They want to participate. But they feel spurned at every turn.

Will the Dones return? Not likely, according to the research. They’re done. Packard says it would be more fruitful if churches would focus on not losing these people in the first place. Preventing an exodus is far easier than attempting to convince refugees to return.

Read more here:

10 Ways to Release God's Healing Power, Charisma Magazine

Healing is one of the most controversial subjects we can raise in the church. Yet there is no doubt that the Bible is filled with accounts of Jesus' healing miracles. It seems clear as well from the following three Scriptures that healing is a by-product of the stripes Jesus endured before going to the cross:

"But He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed" (Is. 53:5);

"They brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 'He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses'" (Matt. 8:16-17);

"Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed" (1 Pet. 2:24).

Furthermore, the Christians in the early church experienced miracles of healing as well. In fact, health and prosperity were objects of prayer for the believers: "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers," the apostle John wrote in 3 John 1:2.

When we look at the healing ministry of Jesus, we must also recognize the vital connection we have with it: We are His body on earth today (1 Cor. 3:16). Therefore, we must exhibit the same passion for healing that we have observed in Him.

Read more here: