Growing up in Christ

As I reviewed this blog I grew to like it a lot. This topic, helping people grow in maturity and use their God given gifts more effectively, has been my focus for decades. I think we did a very good job of it back at College Hill Presbyterian Church in the late Seventies and all the Eighties.

I am biased, of course, but there are many people who were never at CHPC who agree with my assessment because they have seen the fruit of our ministry all over Greater Cincinnati and the the world. In fact, just this morning I heard from another Seasoned Believer that CHPC was unique in training and releasing lay men and women into all kind of ministries. They went on to say that we were still a model for a lot of churches today.

What was it we did that worked? First, we had a balanced ministry of preaching, teaching and practicing the ministry of Jesus. Before the Ascension, Jesus told His followers to "Go into the world and teach everything He taught and do everything He did. Well, we tried.

There are four things that every successful congregation covers if it wants to have balanced ministry.

1. God's truth in scripture and in the world

2. Practice and teach the fruit of the Spirit

3. Facilitate understanding of and the universal practice of the gifts of the Spirit

4. Promote the understanding and release of God's power in every way possible

We clearly attempted to not only practice these four aspects of Christianity but we also told our members what we were attempting to do. We made our intentions clear. We did not skip the "hard teachings" or water down the controversial aspects of our approach. Additionally, we asked people to go to another church if they disagreed with our stands.

Go to my other active blog

Brave Heart

http://garysweetenblogspotcom.blogspot.com for additional information on my ideas.