Now, look at your bank account. Is there evidence of a heart devoted to Christ?

Think about your conversations this past week. Did your speech bring glory to God?

We know that we are not saved by our schedules or our spending; salvation is a gift of grace alone. Yet, the gospel never stays contained in the heart. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). If the Gospel has truly transformed our hearts, it will also transform our wallets, our weeks, our words, and our works.

Below is a list of diagnostic statements to help you assess if your walk with Christ is deepening. This is not a checklist of legalistic requirements to earn God’s love. It is a set of “spiritual thermometers” to test your faith. As Paul encourages us, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5). Hopefully, these common rhythms of a disciple’s life will help us assess where we could be missing the mark.

1. Am I Glorifying God? (Worship and Devotion)

These practices are focused on recognizing and exalting God’s worth through both individual and corporate actions.

Personal Practices

• I pray during scheduled and spontaneous times every day.
• I verbally express gratitude to God for daily blessings.
• I regularly give a percentage of my income as an act of worship and faith.

Communal Practices

• I worship with my church family every week.
• I use my spiritual gifts to serve in a specific ministry.
• I join in the church’s corporate prayer meeting or special times of worship.

2. Am I Growing as a Disciple? (Fellowship and Maturity)

These practices focus on personal and corporate transformation, growing in knowledge, faith, and Christ-like character.

Personal Practices

• I read and meditate on the Bible every day.
• I listen to a sermon, podcast, or teaching on a theological topic beyond the Sunday sermon.
• I practice self-control by denying a specific pleasure or comfort (e.g., extra screen time, certain foods) to focus on Christ.

Communal Practices

• I share at least one meal a week with a fellow church member.
• I regularly study the Bible in community with other believers.
• I actively work to reconcile conflict or misunderstandings with others as a demonstration of Christ-like forgiveness.

3. Am I Making Disciples? (Evangelism and Mission)

These practices focus on obeying the Great Commission by sharing the Gospel and leading others to faith and maturity in Christ.

Personal

• I pray daily for at least three non-believing friends, neighbors, or co-workers.
• I intentionally start Gospel conversations (gossiping about Jesus, sharing my testimony or explaining salvation).
• I make use of my time or resources to serve a person in need outside of my immediate family.

Communal

• I invite non-believing friends to my home or to a church service.
• I participate in a local church outreach or mission project at least once a year.
• I pledge financial support through my church or directly to a missionary or missions effort.

Feel free to write these down in the front of a journal. Spend a few minutes each day reflecting on them, asking yourself if busyness, distraction, or laziness are crowding out these basic disciplines of a disciple.

What else would you include? What is a habit you cultivate that helps you to better glorify God and grow as disciples who make disciples.

This piece was adapted from Nathan Creitz’s newsletter. Subscribe here.

Comfortable Christians can learn from the voices of the exiles in Daniel 1. They can also learn from our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world today. Their voices and experiences are pointing us to our Suffering Savior.

We can see how Daniel points us to Jesus in at least three ways. Daniel was sent. He was obedient. Daniel was exalted.

1. Daniel, like Jesus, was sent.

Daniel prefigures and prepares the way for the Messiah in several ways in Daniel 1. At a human level, King Nebuchadnezzar was responsible for the Jewish deportations into Babylon. But God was sovereign over the movements of His people.

In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it. The Lord handed King Jehoiakim of Judah over to him…”

Daniel 1:1-2a

The evil king of Babylon forcibly took Daniel into captivity. But the Sovereign Lord sent Daniel from the Promised Land into sinful Babylon to bring hope to His people. Jesus, too, was sent into a fallen world to bring everlasting hope and ultimate peace to His people.

My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work,” Jesus told them.

John 4:34

The Son of God was sent by the Father to finish a greater work than Daniel. Jesus was sent to bring eternal life. Towards the end of his earthly work, Jesus prayed to the Father,

This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent—Jesus Christ. I have glorified you on the earth by completing the work you gave me to do.”

John 17:3-4

Today, many of us are living in relative peace in our own homes. However, as Christians, we are called to live as exiles. We are sent to this fallen world. We have more in common with Daniel in Babylon than our neighbors in our cul-de-sac. Instead of seeking more comfort and security for ourselves, the risen Christ sends us as exiles. We are meant to bring His hope to the hopeless. Jesus tells his disciples “As the Father has sent me, I also send you.” (John 20:21).

Peter builds on Jesus’s calling. He writes, “Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and exiles to abstain from sinful desires that wage war against the soul. Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles…” (1 Peter 2:11-12a) Peter identifies us (even those of us who are relatively at ease in this world) as exiles who are sent. We are to “abstain” from sin and “conduct” ourselves honorably among the nations [Gentiles].

This is exactly what Daniel does next in Daniel 1…

2. Daniel, like Jesus, was obedient.

Daniel determined that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or with the wine he drank.”

Daniel 1:8

Though they had been forcibly taken from their homeland, Daniel and his friends committed to keep God’s laws. The Jews were handed over to Babylon due to their unfaithfulness. They failed to observe God’s laws. Daniel later confessed: “All Israel has broken your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. The promised curse written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, has been poured out on us because we have sinned against him” (Daniel 9:11).

Contrary to contemporary applications of Daniel 1, Daniel was not concerned about his health. He wasn’t going on a “Daniel Diet”.

Daniel was concerned about faithful Torah observance. When offered meat that had not been sacrificed according to God’s law, Daniel refused to eat it. He respectfully asked to abstain. God blessed Daniel and gave him favor with the Babylonian officials.

Though an exile, Daniel felt he had been sent for a purpose. Rather than assimilate into a worldly culture, Daniel chose to live a distinct, holy life in obedience to God.

Jesus, too, lived a life marked by faithful obedience to God’s laws. What Daniel attempted to do imperfectly, Jesus did with perfection. Daniel was unwilling to eat meat because it was not sacrificed and prepared according to God’s instructions. Daniel’s conviction was admirable, but Jesus’s perfect obedience made His life the only perfectly acceptable sacrifice for our sins.

As Paul writes,

He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

1 Corinthians 5:21

We could be forcibly displaced from our homelands. Or we could be living comfortably in our own homes. Regardless, Jesus’s followers are to live obedient and holy lives. Governments exert unjust power to force God’s people to do what is immoral. But we resist laws which conflict with God’s will. Even when that puts us at odds with unjust or immoral authorities (our boss, our government, etc.).

3. Daniel, like Jesus, was exalted.

God gave these four young men knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom. Daniel also understood visions and dreams of every kind…The king interviewed them, and among all of them, no one was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they began to attend the king…he found them ten times better than all the magicians and mediums in his entire kingdom. (Daniel 1:17-20)

Daniel and his friends didn’t rise to prominence because they ate vegetables. They were elevated to prominent positions because God gave them strength and wisdom.

Throughout this chapter, the power of God is on display even in the midst of suffering. God gave Judah to Babylon because He is just (Daniel 1:2). God gave Daniel favor with Babylonian officials because He is merciful (Daniel 1:9). God gave Daniel and his four friends wisdom because He is gracious (Daniel 1:17). God is the one working to accomplish His will for His own glory.

Ultimately, God gave His one and only Son. God gave Jesus the name above every other name because Jesus was obedient, even to the point of death.

For this reason God highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow—
in heaven and on earth
and under the earth—
and every tongue will confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:9-11

Jesus was sent into a fallen world. He was obedient to God’s will, even to the point of death. He was then crucified and died on the cross as the perfectly acceptable sacrifice for our sins. And for this reason, Jesus was exalted by God. Jesus was raised again on the third day and ascended to the right hand of God after forty days. He now offers eternal and abundant life to all who swear allegiance to King Jesus.

Conclusion

For suffering saints, Daniel 1 provides hope that God is sovereign even in our difficult circumstance. Daniel’s example for how to stay true to godly convictions and to “live sent” regardless of the cost is inspiring. But ultimately, Daniel reminds us of Jesus’s suffering. Jesus provides an eternal hope that enables us to endure our present sufferings.

For comfortable Christians, Daniel 1 provides a reminder that we are to be thankful to God for our circumstances. Rather than accumulate more luxuries and comforts for ourselves, we are encouraged to use our resources and position to help those who are weak or marginalized. Daniel ultimately gained wealth and prominence in Babylon which he used to strengthen the exiles by his example and writings. When we prioritize our comforts over the plight of refugees and the poor then we are out of alignment with the will of God.

Finally, Daniel 1 serves as a reminder to both comfortable and suffering Christians. We have been sent to a fallen world to introduce suffers to the Savior. When we meet an immigrant, do we think of them as our political enemies? Or do we consider that he or she may be a brother or sister in Christ? Or, if not a Christian, do we consider that he or she may be in need to be introduced to Him? When we see a hungry child or a homeless person, do we walk by thinking they aren’t my concern? Or do we give thanks that God did not pass us by? He gave and he gave and he gave. And as we are able, we now give out of the overflow of the grace we have received?

Daniel points us to Jesus. Like Jesus, Daniel was sent, he was obedient, and he was exalted. Will we allow the suffering of God’s people then and now to point us to the suffering and exaltation of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? Will we allow God to use His Word from Daniel 1 to shape how we live today?

1. UNHCR Mid-Year 2024 Global Trends Report ︎

Is it possible that Western Christians have now made an equally devastating mistake concerning the Great Commission? We memorize Jesus’s words but ignore His command. We live in a globalizing and urbanizing world. Nations are increasingly scattered all around us. Are we neglecting the stranger next door?

In my own church, I have often used the “pray, give, go” as a mantra for global missions. But has that emphasis come at the expense of “welcome, love, and serve” local migrants? I’m not suggesting that we slow down on reaching the unreached in hard-to-reach distant lands. But in many of our urban, suburban, and even rural neighborhoods of North America, the unreached are living within reach.

Bottom line: the Great Commission is for “over here” just as much as it is for “over there”. God cares deeply about how we treat our immigrant, widow, orphan, or impoverished neighbor. As we seek to rediscover the Great Commission, we need to be reminded of the Great Commandment. We must love God and love our neighbor. We start by asking, in our diverse and multicultural neighborhoods right here in North America: Then who is my neighbor?

How do we think King Jesus will answer?

Every Christian who reads that first paragraph probably agrees. But in practice, the vast majority of those who call themselves Christian do very little to live out their faith.

We’ve all read Jesus’ words:

If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.

Mark 8:34

Reading Jesus’ words and obeying them are two different things. Like the crowds, many will listen to Jesus words and revere him as a good teacher, but very few obey Jesus’ words and submit to him as King.

But then, that’s true Christianity. You aren’t a disciple of Jesus if you aren’t living in submission to His rule.

In practice, what does it look like to deny ourselves? What does it look like to take up our cross? What does it look like to follow Jesus?

For each person that will look different.

But there are some ways to discover what that will look like for you, your family, and your church. I don’t know what you specifically might need to give up or take up but I do know that if a disciple is going to grow spiritually there are some habits that we need to cultivate.

Here are four communal habits every disciple needs to grow spiritually:

1. Worship Corporately

This is the habit everyone expected to be first. But again, in practice, not every Christian prioritizes corporate worship. Even some pastors have capitulated to the culture and have come to define “regular attendance” as once or twice a month.

You can raise or lower the standard all you want, but the fact remains that disciples will not grow spiritually if they are not gathering with other disciples regularly.

Pastors will quote Hebrews 10:24-25 to encourage their people to make worship a priority. But it’s not even the frequency of attendance that is the most concerning. It’s our approach to worship that is most concerning. If you’ve lost a sense of expectation or reverential awe as you meet with God then you could gather three times a week and still be missing out.

Our heart motivation and approach to corporate worship is the most important but frequency does also matter. Showing up late and leaving early once a month is not worshiping corporately. If it can even be called worship, then it is merely worshiping privately in a crowd. Corporate worship is only corporate when we are in fellowship with other worshipers. If you are trying to remain anonymous then you might as well listen to a sermon online (which sadly, some people think is enough). There are better preachers and better musicians that you can listen to alone. Corporate worship is different. If you want to grow spiritually, you will need to worship with brothers and sisters in Christ.

2. Study Collaboratively

Many Christians only have time for a one hour service maybe once or twice a month. In the last point we saw that the standard should be higher if we are going to grow spiritually, but there’s another habit that we should cultivate on a weekly basis. That is, studying the Bible collaboratively.

Many churches offer a range of options for this practice. Some churches offer a Sunday School hour before corporate worship. Others encourage a mid-week Bible study. Still others encourage small groups to meet in homes for Bible study.

Of course, daily personal devotions are strongly encouraged, but our best context for studying the Bible is collaboratively with others. Ideally, this would be every week and there would be a mature believer who has prepared for the study so that the discussion doesn’t just become speculation. In other words, this isn’t a lecture but it also isn’t everyone’s opinions. A weekly communal Bible study should draw out the historical and canonical context, linguistics and grammar, and other hermeneutical disciplines. But not everyone can come prepared with all of that information. So, the teacher should guide the discussion with some explanation and observations regarding the text and encourage others to share their observations and personal applications.

The benefit of collaborative Bible study is that we hear how more mature and less mature brothers and sisters are processing what they are learning in real time and how they are applying it to their lives. Sometimes we will have wrong assumptions about what God is saying through His Word and that wrong assumption or distorted application can get corrected gently by the others.

But it’s not just the people in the room who are collaborating. Our modern translations from the Greek and Hebrew took entire committees to publish. Hopefully faithful commentators and theologians from diverse backgrounds were consulted. The basics of our faith can be understood by a child, but there have been so many distortions and deviations in the practice of our faith because most of us are barely getting a surface level reading in English and then speculating on the meaning.

Disciples grow spiritually as we study God’s Word collaboratively with other brothers and sisters in Christ. Reading the Bible privately may have some benefit (unless we are just checking it off a list). And hearing a sermon from the pastor every (other?) week will hopefully be edifying (unless we are hearing and not doing). But studying the Bible collaboratively goes even deeper. This practice allows our assumptions to be challenged and our applications to be encouraged or discouraged (when they are in error). This is a practice that is not optional for a growing Christian.

3. Pray Considerately

The third habit every disciple needs to grow spiritually is to pray considerately. Again, many churches offer a prayer service or encourage prayer in small groups. Additionally, we hear the pastor or song leaders pray in corporate worship. We pray with our children at home, before or after meals, and privately throughout the day. We know the importance of prayer in the life of a disciple (even if we are not in the habit of doing so regularly).

So, what does it mean to pray considerately? It means that there should be regular times in our life when we are joining together with others to consider the needs and concerns of others and in that moment to pray out loud for and with that person or group of people. Praying considerately means that there are brothers and sisters that I have a relationship with who know me and I know them. If three months goes by and I’ve had zero interaction with my church family, then how can I pray considerately?

The weekly prayer service might be a great place to start for this particular discipline. Or, if your church cultivates small groups in homes, that may be a great context to cultivate this practice. Praying out loud for someone who just shared a need with you is encouraging to them.

Do you regularly surface spiritual and practical needs in your own life and in others and do you immediately take those needs to God in prayer together? Or are you always saying, “I’ll pray for you!” and then forgetting do so because you don’t have a time set aside to intercede with your brothers and sisters in Christ?

If you want to grow spiritually, you need to be praying a) out loud b) in agreement c) with others d) on a regular basis. Pray continually but also pray considerately.

4. Eat Communally

You can pray alone, read your Bible alone, go bowling alone, and even eat alone, but a growing disciple will also intentionally look for opportunities to share meals with others. Sharing meals with coworkers or neighbors can be wonderful acts of hospitality that should be encouraged. But for the purpose of this post and for our spiritual growth, we need family meals with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

This may seem like the least spiritual of the habits that I’m recommending for spiritual growth. But it is extremely important. Sharing a meal with brothers and sisters as a spiritual discipline is extremely important. A meal is a basic need. Providing for that basic need is an act of service. And serving is at the heart of what it means to follow Jesus. More than that, the conversation that happens during the meal deepens our relationship and helps us to better understand one another. Even further, the tendency toward isolation in our lives and our guests is broken as we intentionally extend ourselves in this way.

Once again, many churches encourage this practice by offering a church-wide potluck or coordinating weekly small groups (or both). But even if those organized opportunities aren’t available to you, you can still open your home at least once a week for this purpose. Opening our home to a few guests each week or interrupting our schedule to go to someone else’s home doesn’t happen without planning and intentionality.

Forcing ourselves out of isolation and into community by serving and sharing a meal with our brothers and sisters will help us grow spiritually.

Conclusion

I didn’t feel the need to sprinkle this article with Scripture references because these practices are so foundational and well attested that it should be obvious. Just a quick glance at the book of Acts and we quickly see how the disciples “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. (Acts 2:42). We see how the disciples were in awe of God (2:43), how they served and cared for one another (Acts 2:44-45), and how they met corporately (in the temple complex) and in each other’s homes (2:46-47). The visibility of their spiritual life together was what was most attractive to the lost (2:48).

There are many other disciplines and habits that we can cultivate as we partner with the Holy Spirit for our sanctification. There are things we may do personally and privately. But our faith is meant to be lived out and strengthened communally. Our faith is meant to be enacted and visible. If your faith is invisible to your church, your family, and your neighbor, then it might not even exist. It will certainly be hard to grow spiritually if your faith isn’t regularly practiced in community with other disciples.

Brothers and sisters, let us worship corporately, study the Word of God collaboratively, pray considerately, and eat communally for our good and for God’s glory until Christ’s glorious appearing.

For futher reading:

• Four Crucial Habits to Help A New Disciple Form On Day One
• The Biblical Case for Life Groups in the Church
• Christian, Stop Reading Your Bible!

In part one, we saw how a healthy church is growing numerically (though we also discussed that there are some seasons in our churches today where that may not be occurring). The apostles were barely able to keep up with the rapid growth. So, in order to serve all of the disciples and specifically the Greek and Hebrew speaking widows without partiality, they began to organize. Part two explored the priority the apostles had to use their time in the ministry of the Word and prayer but not to the exclusion of practical ministry.

Now, we want to pick things up with the final two qualities of a healthy church revealed in Acts 6:1-7: reconciling and reproducing.

Quality #6 – Reconciling

This proposal pleased the whole company. So they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a convert from Antioch. 6 They had them stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

Acts 6:5-6

The Jerusalem church was unintentionally overlooking a group of people in the church. In fact, it almost look like partiality or favoritism was being shown to those who spoke the predominant language in the city. Specifically, the Hellenistic Jewish widows were being neglected while the Hebraic Jewish widows were being well cared for.

I don’t believe this was intentional but when two or more languages are spoken things can get a bit messy. Though the gospel had not crossed over to Gentiles, this was the church’s first opportunity to cross language and cultural barriers and be united as one church.

By this point, Paul was not even saved yet, so the letter to the Ephesians was not in circulation. But look at how Paul later develops the implications and the outcome of the gospel in Ephesians 2:13-16:

But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace. He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hostility to death.

Ephesians 2:13-16

Eventually, the gospel was going to spread from Jerusalem, to Samaria and Judea, and to the ends of the earth. Indeed, the “workmanship” or “masterpiece” that Paul highlights in Ephesians 2:10 that God is creating (by grace through faith) is not each individual Christian, but a blending and uniting of Jew and Gentile into one people. So, even though in Acts 6 the two groups are both Jewish, the need to remain unified across two distinct languages was crucial for the future expansion of the church. If they can’t show love and unity amongst Jewish believers, how will they ever have love and unity between Jews and Gentiles?

So, the apostles take action and along with the whole company of disciples seven names are put forward. The first thing that is remarkable about these names is that they are all Greek or Hellenistic names. Stephen is highlighted for his faith and eventually the narrative will follow him as he goes and speaks the gospel in the Freedman’s Synagogue (presumably speaking Greek!)

In Jerusalem, the Temple was the primary place of worship, but the presence of at least one and perhaps other synagogues for other languages reveals that the Jews had no problem dividing over cultural and linguistic preferences. Not so in a healthy church! The Seven who are chosen have a primary task of uniting the whole company of disciples whether they spoke Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic. Their secondary task was to serve.

Complaints can quickly lead to dysfunction and division. But members and leaders of a healthy church will find ways to reconcile differences and answer complaints with gospel integrity.

Quality #7 – Reproducing

So the word of God spread, the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly in number, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.

Acts 6:7

The final quality of a healthy church can be seen in verse 7 but also in chapter 7 and following. The unity of the church has been preserved. Reconciliation between the Hellenistic and Hebraic Jews has occurred. And Stephen, one of the Seven chosen to serve, is about to be the instrument the Lord uses to push the Jerusalem church out into Samaria and beyond.

The explosive growth of this one church may not be replicable in every local church, but the pattern of growing and then reproducing should be more common in healthy churches.

In verse 7 we see that the disciples “increased greatly in number” and that “a large group of priests became obedient to the faith”. This even greater influx of new disciples couldn’t be measured (at least in Luke’s telling of it). But now that this Jerusalem church has some practice in growing, serving, organizing, preaching, praying, and reconciling, it’s time to reproduce.

This reproduction came at a cost. We read later that the apostles stayed in Jerusalem but many fled the city because of the persecution that arose due to Stephen’s martyrdom. Philip is the first to be known as an “Evangelist” and his story of bringing the good news to Samaria is told in chapter 8.

The massive numbers of people in the Jerusalem church are eventually scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. We aren’t given any further updates about the growth of the church in Jerusalem. But the rest of Acts describes the expansion of the church according to the words of Jesus in Acts 1:8.

As we examine the essential qualities found in the early church it becomes obvious that healthy churches reproduce healthy disciples who start healthy churches. As we read these verses and look at the 7 qualities of a healthy church, where do you find areas of strength and areas of weakness in your church?

Let’s ask the following questions:

• Are we growing in numbers and/or in spiritual depth and in spiritual disciplines?
• Are we mobilizing our members to serve? Are they finding joy in serving?
• Are we designing helpful systems and processes in the church in order to better care for our members and our neighbors?
• Are we prioritizing the ministry of the Word in all forms? (preaching, evangelizing, teaching, and counseling)
• Are we praying personally and corporately?
• Are we seeking forgiveness and reconciliation with our brothers and sisters when complaints arise?
• Are we envisioning a day when we will reproduce and spill over into other neighborhoods and nations for the glory of God?

If you missed the other articles in this series, be sure to check out part one and part two. And please share your insights in the comments below before sharing this post with others. Thanks for reading!

In part one, we saw the first three qualities of the church in Jerusalem. They were growing, serving, and organizing. The next two qualities to explore are preaching and praying.

Quality #4 – Preaching

The Twelve summoned the whole company of the disciples and said, “It would not be right for us to give up preaching the word of God to wait on tables…But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

Acts 6:2-4

The prayer-saturated ministry of the Word is essential to the health of the church. In the first century, the apostles were alternating between the Temple and individual houses simply evangelizing and explaining the Scriptures. There were thousands of new disciples that needed to learn the basics. The convicting power of the Holy Spirit and hunger for truth and righteousness fueled the preaching ministry of the apostles. These new believers were “devoted to the apostles teaching”.

Today, many are demanding shorter sermons, pragmatic approaches to ministry, and Disney quality programs for kids and families. There’s a lot of room for creativity in our local churches but neglecting the ministry of the Word is detrimental to church health and growth.

If you polled the members of your local church, most would probably be okay with a shorter sermon and a shorter service. Some researchers today would tell you the same. Now, if you ramble on and don’t actually share anything biblical and helpful then they might be right.

But in our rush to please people with more Disney and less discipleship, we may be neglecting those who are truly desperate for a Word from God! We must endure a few yawns even while we are connecting with someone overcome with trials and tribulations. There are many who came hungry so feed them with the Word of God.

Of course, this isn’t just about the length of your sermon. You can tell there is a hunger for God’s Word when there are members asking questions beyond the Sunday service. They are showing up for a small group Bible study; they are asking to be discipled; they are coming in for counseling. The ministry of the Word must be in our main worship gatherings and in smaller settings.

The main preacher along with other Bible study leaders and teachers should always be evaluating the ministry of the Word. And in spite of what was said above, we must not assume that sermon length or service times are immune from evaluation. But generally speaking we need more biblical discussions, bolder proclamation, exegetical preaching, clear explanation, and practical application. Not less.

Quality #5 – Praying

But we will devote ourselves to prayer…They had them stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

Acts 6:4a, 6

There are three aspects of prayer that I believe the apostles had in mind: personal, preaching, and public prayer. A healthy church will have leaders and members who are actively pursuing these types of prayer.

1. Prayer for Personal Communion

Thus far, the Book of Acts has described a powerful movement of the Holy Spirit. The apostles are constantly addressing the crowds and exhorting the disciples. But the apostles had also been with Jesus. They remembered several times when Jesus had crowds in front of him but he withdrew to be alone. Jesus’ public ministry was fueled by his intimate communion with his Father. The Twelve apostles are now shepherding massive crowds. But they clearly knew that private communion with the Lord was absolutely essential.

2. Prayer for Preaching Effectiveness

Those early years of ministry in the Word were done exclusively with Old Testament texts. The death and resurrection of Jesus were being interpreted by the apostles through the grid of those ancient Scriptures. The apostles had the words of Jesus and the words of the prophets. They also had the Holy Spirit to remind them of all they had seen and heard. In order to accurately interpret the Word made flesh and the written Word, the apostles relied on the Holy Spirit.

3. Prayer for Public Edification

In the immediate context, the apostles lay their hands on the Seven and pray for their ministry. Earlier, the disciples had gathered and prayed for boldness to witness. These prayers were directed to God but they were also instructive and empowering for the people. As the Lord answered these public prayers the people were encouraged to see God at work in their midst.

Today, there is an even greater need for prayer for everyone involved in ministry (in Word and/or work). We pray to enjoy time with the Lord, to reflect on his Word, and to intercede for others. Pastors, specifically, cannot just prepare “talks” or “lectures” apart from prayer. We must prayerfully spend time in careful study privately so that we can boldly proclaim the Word of God. May we do so for the glory of God and the good of His people.

When a church is growing, it is important to organize so that we can better serve one another. But a healthy church must not neglect the preaching and praying ministry of the Word. We must prioritize spiritual needs without neglecting physical needs. When we do so, we will see the final two qualities of a healthy church: reconciling and reproducing. We will take up those qualities in the next post.

That first year saw challenges and opportunities for the church leaders and church members alike. In our own era, we face similar challenges. That’s why the simple, daily practices that are described in Acts chapter two are so essential for the health of the church today:

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.

(Acts 2:42)

Now all the believers were together and held all things in common.

(Acts 2:44)

Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together…they ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts…

(Acts 2:46)

These were practices that were evident from from the earliest days of the church as the apostles taught and led the people to serve Christ and one another. Over time, as the fellowship of disciples grew, other qualities became evident through adversity. These are qualities that I believe every healthy church will display to some extent.

Quality #1 – Growing

“In those days, as the disciples were increasing in number, there arose a complaint by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution.

(Acts 6:1)

In our holiest of moments, we pastors like to say we aren’t concerned about the numbers. We say it’s about spiritual growth and maturity.

But spiritual growth isn’t complete until replication occurs. An apple seed doesn’t come to church to become a better apple seed. (Stay with me here.) An apple seed is designed to produce a tree full of apples which will produce an orchard full of trees full of apples full of seeds. (Still with me?) Without a doubt disciples need to grow in maturity. But growing disciples become disciple makers. A seed doesn’t stay a seed, it becomes a tree filled with seed-producing fruit.

Let me hasten to add that it is God who sovereignly sends the fruit (both spiritual and numerical) in our hearts and in our churches. But our Lord Jesus is also the one who tells us to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest. We can’t do the Holy Spirit’s job, but the Holy Spirit graciously does his job through us. I don’t know if our church will grow numerically this year (or the year after) but God’s Word reveals what qualities must be present for growth to occur.

It is also important to remember that even in nature growth is seasonal. Dear pastor or ministry leader, don’t let this article heap further shame and embarrassment on you if your church or ministry is not currently bearing visible fruit. There are thousands of variables that may be contributing to a decline in attendance or a lack of maturity in your congregation.

Just like the Jerusalem Church, there were external and internal threats that had to be handled with wisdom. You most likely will not experience the explosive growth of the Jerusalem Church, but let this article serve to remind you the threats are real but the harvest is coming.

Remember Paul’s encouragement to the Corinthian Church:

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

(1 Corinthians 15:58)

Faithfulness results in fruitfulness but not always according to our timelines. I recently saw a friend post pictures on social media of his elderly mother’s baptism. He had prayed for her for decades. My friend’s faithfulness (praying, witnessing, exampling Christ, etc.) finally led to fruit.

So no, we can’t chart our own growth. But we should never doubt that growth will occur (even if it’s happening underground). And, as far as it depends on our leadership and faithfulness, there are some things that we can do to prepare for growth. On several occasions Luke summarizes the numerical growth that was occurring. Then, in Acts 6:7 we read that the church increased greatly in number.

What moved those first disciples from an increase to an even greater increase? Let’s move on to the next essential quality of a healthy church to discover the answer.

Quality #2 – Serving

“In those days, as the disciples were increasing in number, there arose a complaint by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution.

(Acts 6:1)

Acts 6:1 records that the early Christians had set up a daily distribution of food for impoverished widows. This was something God had told his people to do, but after hundreds of years of corruption and neglect, the Jewish leaders were not doing much mercy ministry in and through the Temple and the synagogues. But early on, the new Christians were serving one another and “there was not a needy person among them” (Acts 4:34).

Serving is at the heart of Jesus’ teachings so it comes as no surprise that Christians would be dedicated to serving one another and their community. Jesus said “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) Our salvation depends upon the ultimate act of kindness. Jesus’ physical body was broken so that our spiritual regeneration might occur.

Giving someone a cup of cold water or building a well or vacuuming a floor or repairing a wheelchair ramp can result in a spiritual benefit to the one who has been served. The Jerusalem Church was growing, partly because the church was serving. As Jews who neglected the care of widows, orphans, and strangers saw how Christians were picking up their slack it resulted in many wanting to be a part. Those who were being served were open to hearing the gospel through the acts of kindness that were occurring.

The church was growing and serving, but growth brought new challenges that had to be addressed wisely. And that leads us to our next essential quality of a healthy church: organization.

Quality #3 – Organizing

The Twelve summoned the whole company of the disciples and said, “It would not be right for us to give up preaching the word of God to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we can appoint to this duty.

(Acts 6:2-3)

Satan had been throwing everything against the Jerusalem Church: persecution, corruption, and now distraction. If the Adversary couldn’t derail Christ’s ambassadors through external pressure then maybe he could get the members to neglect and grumble against one another. The very unity of the church was at stake.

Imagine a scenario where the Twelve do nothing. The bitterness continues unabated. Ultimately, the Hellenistic Jews and the Hebraic Jews split over this issue. Culturally and linguistically they become two separate churches: First Jerusalem Church and Second Jerusalem Church.

This scenario might have made sense to the larger Jewish society. After all, the Greek-speaking Jews had their own synagogues and the Hebrew-speaking Jews had theirs. But there was a lot of corruption and disunity amongst the Jews that led to that kind of separation. And all that corruption and disunity had led them to care more about self-preservation than God’s purposes (like caring for widows and orphans and strangers).

Had the First Jerusalem Church allowed the rift to occur, then there would be very little that was different about Christians and Jews. Thankfully, the apostles recognized the severity of the problem. They knew that the very unity and mission of the church was at stake. Spirit-empowered preaching and praying had led to growth, but growth had brought with it new challenges. Something more was needed: administration.

In ministry, subtraction and division are always easier than addition and multiplication. Disgruntled members may find it easier to just leave the church than to have difficult but healthy conversations. In Acts 6 there was a legitimate complaint and the disciples addressed it head on before anyone even thought of dividing over the issue. In our local churches, all kinds of complaints arise and if we neglect them we will find members leaving and taking as many people as they can with them.

Many pastors are not good at administration. If you are always dealing with complaints and bad attitudes, it might be due to poor organization and systems. Thankfully, there are some basic skills that can be learned by any ministry leader. Reading a book or hiring a coach can get you on the right path. But organizing is absolutely essential to sustain growth.

The apostles knew they could not forsake prayer and preaching, but they also knew that something practical like administration was also required. So they appointed the Seven to serve in a practical way. The Twelve needed the Seven just as much as elders today need deacons. If we neglect practical matters, then spiritual matters will also be neglected.

Growing, serving, and organizing are essential qualities of a healthy church. Establishing systems and appointing leaders to meet tangible needs and physical challenges sets the table for spiritual food to be served. We will turn to those essential spiritual qualities next.

This article first appeared on my weekly newsletter. If you’d like to learn more about how to grow healthy churches that reproduce healthy disciples be sure to subscribe below. And be sure to share this article and leave a comment. Read part two and part three.

• “The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai” (Jonah 1:1) – a forgotten prophet, from an unknown family, from an unimportant place (see 2 Kings 14:25) – a prophet who would rather commit suicide than repent and do God’s will. Yet God gave him His word and gave him a purpose and graciously rescued him from the downward spiral of sin. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, God has given you even more than He gave Jonah! He has given you His written word (the Bible), and the Word made flesh (His own Son) who “paid the fare” with His own blood to rescue you from your downward spiral of sin. Don’t you think it’s time to dust off your copy of Scripture and stop running from God?

• The message of Jonah was lost on the Israelites and is often lost on us. Both Jonah and Jesus came from Galilee, but the Pharisees said: “Investigate and you will see that no prophet arises from Galilee” (John 7:52).

• We’d rather the message of Jonah be about a great fish and a great success in Nineveh because we don’t want to be confronted with the reality of a terrifying God who moves heaven and earth to expose and condemn evil in others’ hearts and in our own. Rather, we want a god who overlooks our evil and punishes the evil of our enemies.

• God won’t allow evil to go unchecked. If he won’t let Nineveh get away with it He’s not going to let you get away with it either.

• Jonah rebelled because his love for his own people was greater than his love for the Imago Dei in all people. His heart didn’t reflect the cross-cultural heart of God.

• Jonah didn’t rebel because he feared the Ninevites but because he didn’t fear Yahweh.

• Jonah thought he could cross a border and flee from God’s presence. But God sent Jonah across a border to reveal His presence.

• If you are running from God, you’re going to have to pay out of pocket. The longer you run, the more it will cost.

• The storms you are facing: Are they the judgment of God ON your life? Or the mercy of God IN your life? “Maybe” to the former. “ALWAYS” to the latter.

• The pagan sailors show the depressing futility of many false gods (they cried out to many gods, cast lots, threw stuff overboard, rowed harder). The captain said “MAYBE this god will consider us…” They soon realized that the God who causes and cancels storms is the ONLY God worthy of worship.

• The sailors said: “What should we DO TO YOU so that the sea will calm down FOR US?” Salvation DOES depend on works. But like the sailors, we are helpless to perform that work. Thankfully, “while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). Christ did the necessary work on the cross to calm the storm of God’s wrath against us. 

• “The men rowed harder…” In our depravity, we think we can save ourselves rather than accept the sacrifice God has already provided.

• With one storm, God reversed Jonah’s rebellious course (from Tarshish back to Nineveh) and set the sailors on a new course (false worship to true worship). 

• Jonah knew he was to blame so he reluctantly gave his life to rescue a few. Jesus knew He was blameless yet willingly gave his life as a ransom for many.

• Faith is what changes our fear of God from terror to reverential awe. Illustration: When you’re on the wrong side of the law, a policeman with a gun is your enemy. When you’re on the right side of the law, a policeman with a gun provides safety and security. Having faith that Jesus gave his life to clear us of all charges gives us assurance of salvation and invites authentic worship.

• Pagan Sailors: “Don’t charge us with innocent blood!” (Jonah 1:14)
  Jesus: “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). 
  The thief on the cross: “Don’t you even fear God, since you are undergoing the same punishment? We are punished justly, because we’re getting back what we deserve for the things we did, but this man has done nothing wrong.” (Luke 23:40-41)
  Pagan Sailors: The men were seized by great fear of the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. (Jonah 1:16)
  Conclusion: Whether you are a rebellious prophet, a pagan sailor, or a condemned thief, have faith in Jesus as Lord and you too can be with Him in paradise.

Add your personal observations, quotes, or questions in the comments below! You can find my sermons on our church YouTube Channel. Thanks for sharing this post!

At their best, books on small groups in the local church help us to understand and apply biblical practices. At their worst, some models for small group ministry have isolated one or two biblical practices and thrown out everything else, hoping that what’s lacking will be addressed by another ministry in the church.

For example, some books promote evangelistic groups, affinity groups, missional groups, Bible study groups, or community groups. One group might emphasize reaching the lost, while another may emphasize deep study of God’s Word. One group focuses on relationships with other believers, while another focuses on involvement in mission or ministry.

As I have studied Scripture (and these books) over the years, I’ve settled on what I think is a more wholistic approach to small groups. Our Life Groups are built on a simple weekly rhythm that can adapt to the unique needs of each group.

In many ways, our weekly group meeting will look similar to a lot of small groups out there. Like many others, our groups will probably be less than 15 adults. We aim for weekly gatherings. We eat together, pray together, and open God’s Word together each week.

Broad vs Narrow Group Focus

We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God…

Colossians 1:9ff

Where we are attempting something different has to do with how much or how little structure we lay underneath our groups. For example, are our Life Groups open or closed? The short answer is yes. Our members and regular attenders are signing up and committing to attending a particular group, but that group is also an ideal context to invite a newcomer at church or a neighbor down the street. So, our Life Groups are semi-closed in that the same people will meet together regularly for about 10-12 months (and then replicate). But they are semi-open in the sense that a lost person or a missionary or a visitor at church might be invited at any time to one of our groups.

On whether or not we have a particular focus on relational, missional, or instructional groups, again, yes! One or more of those may take the focus of any individual weekly meeting, but over the course of a year together, the hope is that a broader emphasis on being disciples together will result. We want to discuss the sermon text and apply truth to our lives, but we may also have the opportunity at times to welcome a stranger into our midst. At other times we may be highlighting a ministry or a cause that our whole group can engage in together.

As you can see, we are hoping to introduce a simple, reproducible structure that allows for a lot of flexibility and creativity. With that in mind, we ask our Life Group hosts to engage in three simple activities with their group each week: eat, pray, love.

Eat. Pray. Love

For the Christian family, our home is sacred space. Our marriage isn’t simply for the purpose of procreation but also to bear the image of God as male and female and to exemplify Christ and His Bride. Our home isn’t our castle, it is a mini-Eden where we dwell with God and He dwells with us.

Eating is the Bond That Unites Us

They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts

Acts 2:46b

When we open our home and invite brothers and sisters and strangers to eat with us, we are fulfilling the Missio Dei going all the way back to the original Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were charged with tending and expanding sacred space as priest-kings under the loving eye of their Creator who had given them that role. Instead, they selfishly abandoned God’s rule in exchange for personal autonomy and were then driven out of sacred space. Thankfully, God continually renewed His promise and purpose to dwell with humanity, first in a tabernacle, later in a temple, and ultimately by sending His own Son to “tabernacle” with us.

Even with that biblical vision of the use and purpose of our homes, it’s always easier to just sit at home and watch TV. But sin is bred in isolation. Sanctification, on the other hand, is fostered in community. By providing a simple meal every week we are able to practice hospitality, serve one another, and break bread together — all biblical practices that are hard to implement in our larger corporate worship setting. As image-bearers, we open our homes so that we can experience fellowship with God and with one another.

The meal can be simple, but the spiritual importance of being together on a regular basis is profound. By eating together regularly, we are practicing biblical living, connecting with the body, bearing God’s image together, and spending one less night of the week in isolation where the world, the flesh, and the devil would prefer us to be.

Prayer is the Fuel That Ignites Us

When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God boldly.

Acts 4:31

During our gatherings, we also spend time in prayer. In this way, we are able to “bear one another’s burdens” as Paul encourages us to do. There might even be opportunities for us to help in a practical way just as the believers did in the Book of Acts (see Acts 2:41-47; 4:31-37). It’s tragic that we narrow our focus and separate evangelistic groups from fellowship groups from study groups. But in Acts 2:42, for example, it was their devotion to the apostles’ teaching that brought them together in homes. In Acts 4:31, their prayer was for evangelistic zeal in the face of persecution. It was their sacrificial love for one another and “holding all things in common” that attracted so many to the faith. In short, the early small group ministry of the church was all-of-the-above.

So, we want our time together to include a fervent time of prayer for the needs of the body, for our witness in the world, and for God’s power to be obedient to His Word. Prayer truly fuels our fellowship in the Word.

Love is the Action That Identifies Us

But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from two, resulting in peace.

Ephesians 2:13-15

And that brings us to our sermon-based discussion. After we’ve eaten and prayed together, we spend time reflecting on and discussing the sermon text that we heard that week. The goal here is to discover through discussion how the text applies to each of us and how to begin putting that truth into action so that we can better love God and one another.

It’s through this discussion that we grow in our knowledge of God and our love for God. We demonstrate our love for Jesus by obeying His commands. Hearing and understanding Scripture isn’t the end goal. Doing and exampling Scripture is what counts. As James said, “faith without works is dead”. It’s in the discussion of the text with other brothers and sisters (and sometimes strangers) that we look at it from every angle and seek to understand it so that we can implement it.

This isn’t the kind of discussion that invites everyone to find their own meaning in the text. Not everyone’s viewpoint is spiritually mature and equally valid. But it is not until we are willing to voice our thoughts, true or false, get them out of our own heads and into the light of day that they can be scrutinized and refined in the context of community.

Have Things In Common Or Hold all Things In Common?

Now all the believers were together and held all things in common.

Acts 2:44

This chance to discuss God’s Word together brings us to a final difference between our Life Groups and many of the small group models being taught today: diversity. Some churches seek to find commonalities when starting new small groups. It’s easier to sell your small group program that way. We naturally gravitate to people who we like and who are like us. A commitment to diversity is much harder.

When a group is made up of singles, married, and retired who are from various ethnic and economic backgrounds, political perspectives, and spiritual maturity, the multi-faceted discussions that result are richer and transformative. When we group newlyweds or divorcées or senior adults or teenagers into their own groups we are creating additional silos that cut them off from the rest of the body. Diverse groups challenge our perspectives and lead us deeper into the truth of God’s Word while helping us to see the struggles and concerns of a wider variety of people.

We experience true fellowship when we are committed to holding all things in common even when we have nothing else in common.

How Life Groups Promote Unity Not Division

From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.

Ephesians 4:16

Some might say, well, don’t small groups already cut people off from the rest of the body? Isn’t a small group really a silo or an inner circle in the larger church that separates rather than unifies? Even further, in the case of our new Life Groups, we’ve attempted to serve those in our community who struggle with English by starting a Spanish-speaking Life Group so they can discuss in their primary language. Doesn’t that cut them off from the rest of us? Is that group formed around a specific language any different than a group exclusively for moms or a group for seekers?

These are the wrong questions. Every Christian can’t be in fellowship with all other Christians all the time. Instead, we must ask, “Are these smaller meetings in people’s homes biblical?” If so, then the second question every member of the local church should be asking is, “Am I obeying Scripture?”

Not only do we see hospitality, fellowship, and house meetings in Acts, but we even see similar patterns in Jesus’ earthly ministry for us to follow. Jesus wouldn’t apologize for having an inner circle of twelve disciples. That was part of His plan. But at the same time, Jesus wasn’t exclusively available only to those Twelve. He continued to love and serve others and simultaneously invited Twelve in closer to specifically learn from Him and begin to do as He did.

Throughout Acts, we see how the early church began putting Jesus and the Apostle’s teaching into practice. From Day One, they were devoted “to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). That’s what they did, but it’s where they did it and how often that’s instructive: “Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house…” (Acts 2:46)

We are hardly able to do all-of-the-above in a 60-70 minute service, once-a-week, in a church building (though I’m not denying the primary importance of such a gathering). So, the second question was, “Am I obeying Scripture?” The vast majority of “regular” churchgoers in America will attend church 2.5 times a month never to see or hear from one another the rest of the week. Does that look anything like what we read in the New Testament? Is that kind of involvement anything like those who walked with Jesus in the flesh or of those in the early church who sought to walk by the Spirit?

Returning to the earlier question: Does a small group isolate me from the other members of the church? Quite the opposite. Life Groups move us from nominal involvement to deeper involvement in the life of the church. If I showed up late every other week to church and only spoke to two people in my rush out the door, but now I’m attending service and a Life Group where I am weekly sharing a meal, prayer, and biblical discussion with 10-15 other brothers and sisters in Christ I’d say that’s a step in the right direction.

Ultimately, if you are my brother or sister in Christ, I need you to be in regular fellowship with other brothers and sisters, even if you’re not regularly meeting at my house. You and I need the Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters to meet regularly just as they need you to meet regularly. We all need each individual in the church to begin loving and caring for and watching out for one another.

Far from isolating ourselves from the rest of the body, it’s in our Life Groups that we learn what it means to be in fellowship with one another. Over time, our service and love for one another will spill out of that initial group and will touch other brothers and sisters and neighbors and co-workers. Rather than creating a clique, we are learning to engage in community.

If you read my blog or even attend our church plant, you may not have known that about me. Our denominational affiliation isn’t the first (or second or third) thing I talk about, but I am proud to be a part of the Southern Baptist Convention.

I felt the need to address some issues that are happening internally in the SBC because I feel these issues impact our society and the greater evangelical movement of Christianity. So, if you are not familiar with our polity or procedures in the SBC, that’s okay. (If you want to get caught up to speed, you can just read through my tweets from the past couple of weeks. You can also search the #sbc18 hashtag to see what people are talking about.)

The one thing I hope you’ll understand for the purpose of this blog post is that the SBC speaks through resolutions. Each year at our annual meeting we gather to elect officers, hear reports from our various SBC agencies, and adopt (or reject) resolutions. Through our resolutions, the SBC takes an official stance on any number of issues. Resolutions are the collective voice of our 46,000 member churches.

I haven’t seen a fraction of the more than 600 resolutions that have been submitted to be considered by our Resolutions Committee. But what follows is a short list of resolutions I have seen that I wholeheartedly endorse.

On the Dignity of Women

Jason Allen, president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary authored a strong resolution entitled “On the Dignity of Women and the Holiness of Ministers” but it has already been endorsed by dozens of national and state entity heads, seminary presidents, and local church pastors. Through a change.org petition it has also gleaned more than 800 additional signers.

You can read the full resolution on the Dignity of Women here.

Related: Since posting this article, I heard back from Kathy Litton that a resolution had been submitted On the 100th Anniversary of Women as Messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention. It should also be noted, that so far this is the only resolution I know of that was authored by women. Would love to see more!

On Gun Violence

Patrick Thompson, pastor of New City Church in Queens, NY authored this strong resolution on Gun Violence. Unlike major news outlets, this resolution does not approach the issue from a political standpoint. You won’t read NRA or CNN talking points in this resolution. Instead, this resolution is balanced and recognizes that something must be done in America. Patrick does a good job of approaching the topic of Gun Violence from a biblical perspective rather than an American or political perspective.

You can read the full resolution on Gun Violence here.

On Racial Unity

This SBC resolution on Racial Unity is co-authored by Danny Akin, Michael Turner, Dwight McKissic, and Cameron Triggs. There are something like 40 or 50 resolutions on Racial Unity that messengers have adopted over the years, but I think this resolution is worthy of our consideration in 2018 for several reasons:

1. Our cultural moment has intensified the debate on racial tensions in recent years. As a result, we must continue to think and speak to the issue. We need a renewed call to listen to our neighbors who are of a different race or ethnicity from ourselves.
2. This resolution is unique because it a) acknowledges the misuse of Scripture to justify the founding of the SBC b) acknowledges the recent 50th anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King Jr and encourages us to value MLK’s contributions even if we cannot agree with every particular part of his theology or life.
3. This resolution was a collaborative effort by four authors (named above) who are old and young, white and black. Again, this is a balanced and biblical resolution that doesn’t rely on talking points from conservative talk shows or mainstream media.

You can read the full resolution on Racial Unity here.

On Immigration

This resolution was submitted by Brent Epling, a deacon at FBC Charlotte and student at Midwestern Seminary. The full title is “On Immigration and the Global Refugee Crisis”. In the resolution, Epling encourages Southern Baptists to treat immigrants and refugees with dignity and to consider them as “people whom God loves and has given us an opportunity to reach with the gospel where otherwise they may never have heard.” I hope we can all agree that it is wrong to rip hundreds of children from their parents as a deterrent to refugees seeking asylum at our borders.

You can read the full resolution on Immigration here.

On Adoption

Brent Epling also authored a resolution “On Adoption, Foster Care, and Orphan Care”. According to the resolution, there are over 150 million orphans around the world. He recommends that we not only recognize the picture of the gospel that is evident in adoption, but also that we would preach, teach, and encourage couples and families to consider adoption and foster care. We value the sanctity of human life and strongly advocate for the life of the unborn, but we must also practice what we preach by caring for the fatherless.

You can read the full resolution on Adoption here.

On Opioid Abuse

This resolution submitted by Chad Keck and Peyton Hill addresses the Opioid Abuse and Addiction crisis we are facing in our communities. According to the resolution, 64,000 Americans died last year alone due to opioid abuse.

You can read the full resolution on Opioid Abuse here.

On the Plight of Arab Christians

This resolution is written by K.V. Paxton, Lead Pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Quinlan, Texas. Paxton writes, “As a Palestinian-American and a SBC pastor, my heart is with the plight of Arab Christians in hostile lands. My desire is for our denomination to consider the difficulties of being an Arab Christian, and to recognize them as family in Christ. My hope is that this will communicate to them that they have our prayers, that we are praying for them, and that they are not forgotten.”

You can read the full resolution on the Plight of Arab Christians here.

It is my hope and prayer that Southern Baptists will come together in Dallas to adopt these and other important resolutions. Again, this is how our convention speaks to the issues of the day from a biblical perspective. We don’t get everything right all of the time, but these are a few “no-brainers” that will enable our convention to speak against the abuse of women and minorities and other injustices facing our society and our evangelical culture. FoxNews and MSNBC can’t speak speak to these issues the same way Jesus’ Church speaks to them and I’m grateful to those who authored the above resolutions for our consideration.

I invite anyone who has authored an official resolution to link to it and comment on it below. I might even feature it above. If you are Southern Baptist and have a view on any of the resolutions linked here, feel free to share your thoughts, but please keep it respectful and gracious. If anyone goes off on a rant or an unrelated rabbit trail I reserve the right to delete your comment. I also invite those who are not Southern Baptist to speak constructively into our denomination. We welcome your input, but this is not the place for slander. Those types of comments will also get deleted.

Image credit: sbc.net