The eighth characteristic of an outward focused Christian, according to Thom Rainer, states: I will avoid the traps of churchianity. Rainer defines the term ‘churchianity’ as, “practicing our church and religious beliefs according to human standards rather than Biblical guidelines.” There are five basic symptoms of churchianity that we must all avoid. (1) Church is…
In the over 15 years that I have served in full-time ministry, I have seen numbers of people who have dropped out of church. In order to be an outward focused Christian, we must declare, as Thom Rainer says, I will not be a church dropout. There are several reasons why people drop…
Psalm 64 speaks concerning those who seek to destroy us with their tongues. Words can certainly do a lot of damage. Gossip, slander, rumors; all are very destructive. How do we respond when we are the subject of such attacks? Do we intervene? Do we attempt to defend ourselves? Do we go on the offensive…
Money is a topic that many people do not like to talk about. It is often thought of as a personal matter and, therefore, should be kept quiet. However, the Bible teaches us a lot about money. In fact, Jesus Himself spoke a great deal about money. Many church members do not like to hear…
One of the primary purposes of the church is evangelism. As a matter of fact, that is what the church is elected to do. We have been chosen by God to be His ambassadors to this earth. Everything we do as a church must have as its purpose to reach people with the Gospel of…
We live in a consumer based society where it is all about what I can get and how much I can get for myself. Unfortunately, this mentality has found its way in the church. We tend to think that the local church is there to serve us. However, this is not how God intended the…
Next to worship and evangelism, helping each other to grow in our walk with God is one of the main purposes of the church. An outwardly focused Christian is one who will declare: ‘I will grow together with others.’ Thom Rainer points out the importance of small groups in the local church when he says,…
The first of Thom Rainer’s nine traits of an outward focused Christian. The first trait was: I will move from an ‘I am’ to an ‘I will’ church member. The second trait is ‘I will worship with others.’ There should be a certain level of excitement when it comes to gathering with God’s people…
From the Pastor’s Heart Thom Rainer (President and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources) recently wrote a book entitled, “I could, I might, I can, I should, I will!” The book focuses on 9 traits of the outwardly focused Christian life. It actually focuses on the attitudes that every church member should have. Too many…
Numbers 20:3-5 says, “The people quarreled with Moses and said, if only we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord. Why have you brought the Lord’s assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here? Why have you led us up from Egypt to bring us to this evil…
Pastor Chris Noland 