A holy covenant in a modern world. While the culture around us may no longer view marriage as sacred, God still views marriage as a holy covenant. It is a picture of His relationship with His own Bride: the church. He hates divorce, not only because it breaks the holy bond between husband and wife, but because it also destroys the glory of His covenant with the church. Divorce is painful, but where there is repentance, God is faithful to forgive and even restore. A question that sometimes arises is whether (and in which circumstances) a divorced person may remarry without it being sin. In this regard, it is important to consider the direction of the Scriptures on this issue and work the situation through with your elders. Please be aware that this message contains content aimed at an adult audience. Caution is advised to parents and facilitators regarding the presence of children.

God disciplines those He loves. God’s intent is for all of us to grow in holiness and Christ-likeness. This does not happen overnight, but is an ongoing process of saying ‘no’ to sin and ‘yes’ to obeying God. Just as parents, out of love and because they only want what is best for them, discipline their children when they are disobedient, God disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6). His desire is for us to respond with soft hearts that will allow His image to be formed in us. Sometimes, however, a person’s heart becomes so calloused through habitual or unconfessed sin that they turn away from God and need to be challenged to return to Him. If the person remains unrepentant, the Bible is clear that they must be put out of the church – not to punish them, but in the hope that they will come to their senses and that their soul will be saved.

What does the Bible say about money and the church? Money is essential – without it, not much happens. But what does the Bible say about the attitude we are to have towards money and how money works in the church? God is not a spiritual slot machine whereby we give Him a certain amount of money in the hope that He will give us more back. The Bible does, however, lay down certain basic principles that, if applied, attract the blessing and favour of God. One of these principles is the giving of our money to advance the Kingdom. God expects us to give at least a tenth of our income (a tithe) to our local church as provision for the elders and workers in God’s house. Over and above the tithe, the Bible also refers to offerings, alms for the poor and needy, and other kinds of giving to further the Kingdom.

What should worship look like? When we think of what God did for us, there is no doubt that He deserves radical praise and worship. What does this look like? The Bible is quite clear on what God wants and what He enjoys. It is not about what we find comfortable or enjoyable but what pleases Him. Likewise, we must learn not to worry about what others think about how we express ourselves in worship but what God thinks. Worship is a key part of our relationship with God and an expression of our love for Him. As we learn to express our love for Him in a manner that pleases Him, we find He responds with great affection and rejoicing over us.

Opening our lives to leaders and allowing them to speak the truth in love. God’s desire is for us to grow up to look more and more like Jesus. This is an ongoing process, from the day we get saved until the day we go to be with Jesus. Every part of our lives needs to come into maturity and perfection. All of us have brokenness and blind spots (areas we do not see). All of us get stuck along the way. God’s design is for us to have people around us to give us perspective, help us find freedom, and disciple us to become more like Him. Accountability means opening our lives to leaders and allowing them to speak the truth in love, and it is key to growing up in the fullness of Jesus. By bringing our brokenness into the light, we have true fellowship with each other and grow up to look like Jesus (1 John 1:7).

God's government for churches. The Bible is clear on how God wants the local church to be governed, and sets two offices in place, namely elders and deacons. Elders are faithful men qualified for this office by their mature, Christ-like character. They are chosen by God and appointed by apostles to govern the local church with authority to teach, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to pray for the sick, and to exercise church discipline. As saints, God expects us to respect our elders, obey and submit to them, remain teachable, imitate their faith, support them financially, and believe the best of them. Deacons are men and women full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom (Acts 6:3). They are responsible for administering certain areas in local church life and serving the people of God.

Building church according to Scripture. God has a specific way of building His church. Nowhere in the New Testament do we see God building His church through denominations, networks, or independent churches. Rather, we see local churches working together in apostolic partnership to disciple certain areas of influence (“fields”) God has assigned to them. The role of apostles is to make sure that every church is built on the foundation of Jesus Christ and that everything is aligned with Him and His blueprint (1 Corinthians 3:10-11). In addition, apostles supply what is lacking in faith (1 Thessalonians 3:10), making sure that the church teaches and holds to all truth and does not drift from truth. Apostles also gather and work with other Ephesians 4 gifts (“the fivefold”) to prepare the saints for the work of the ministry so that the Body is built up and comes to unity and maturity in Christ.

Seeing God's Kingdom come to the nations. The church is God’s primary vehicle to bring His Kingdom to earth (Ephesians 3:10). It is His Bride for whom He died and for whom He will return. As Jesus laid down His life for her, so should we. The church isn’t a building, an individual, or the people of God in a broad sense. It is a community of people gathered around the Father, in Christ, by His Spirit, working together as one to disciple nations. This requires each member to sacrifice and give of themselves so that others can enjoy what we have. Each member is to play its part so that, together, we can reflect the fullness of Christ. Church is not about filling pews but about working together as one to see God’s Kingdom come to the nations.

God's plan for impacting the world. While Jesus is the means of our salvation, God's plan has always involved the church (Ephesians 3:10). Scripture shows that churches have different degrees of health – some are healthy, some sick, and some even dead. The early church (in Acts 2:42) is one of the strongest illustrations of a healthy church – a church that turned the ancient world upside down. What does God think about the church in our generation? Does she reflect His original plan? God is still looking for churches that will turn the world upside down, but this will only happen as we build our churches around what He likes rather than what we like. She is God's church, not ours.