The Local Church

Known, Loved and Cared for in the Local Church

No Comments

Our pastor recently walked us through the value of covenant membership, he used three words to describe the experience of being a part of the local church. He suggested that, within covenant membership, the local church can be a place where we are known, loved and cared for.

Let me repeat those words…. 

Known, loved and cared for…. 

Isn’t that the longing of every human heart? 

Of course, that longing is only fulfilled perfectly in Christ. While we are on this earth, however, the Lord has given us the church, a place where we get to experience this type of belonging – a belonging that allows us to be known, loved and cared for. 

To Be Known – So what does it mean to be known in the church? At the most basic level, it simply means the ability to be ourselves without fear of rejection. 

We say that our church is a home for the broken…..and we’re all broken. Jesus, himself, showed us the necessity of our brokenness in the Sermon on the Mount when He said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3. 

Christ’s church is filled with people who are poor in spirit. We are, by definition, a people who know that we are flawed, powerless and weak. It is from a recognition of our own poverty of spirit that we can experience His grace and mercy and it is here that we can walk in the ways that the Lord has called us. 

He calls us to live in humility – “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Philippians 2:3 

He calls us to weakness – “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 

He calls us to repentance. “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” James 5:16 

When we live this way, we open ourselves up to being known by our brothers and sisters in Christ and by our elders. We stop trying to look like we have it all together because we recognize our finitude and weakness and we live in repentance. It is only from this place that we can truly be known.

As long as we walk in pride, cover up our weakness and deny our sin, we hide behind a mask. In the context of a healthy, loving church, being known begins with being vulnerable, trusting that others will not reject us for our weakness because they recognize their own. And, it is from this place that we will also truly know others as we offer them the same grace they show us. 

In the context of a healthy, loving church, being known begins with being vulnerable, trusting that others will not reject us for our weakness because they recognize their own. 

To Be Loved –  Next, let’s consider what it means to be loved. We know that the world has completely distorted the idea of love. Love, by worldly standards, is largely about emotions – we love because we feel like loving and we feel loved because someone makes us feel good or gives us their approval. This superficial view of love often denies truth and is rooted in feelings. 

But the Bible shows us a perfect love in 1 Corinthians…. 

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 

This love is different. It is rooted in truth, it is sacrificial, patient and kind. It is shown through actions that are humble and gracious. It considers others first, it is generous, patient and hopeful and it reflects the heart of Christ and points others to the Gospel. 

This is the love we strive for in the church and here are a few ways you might experience this love in the church… 

  • When a pastor reminds you of a Biblical truth that exposes your wrong thinking or takes you out of your comfort zone 
  • When a sister approaches you to clear up a misunderstanding or a wrongdoing that has put a wedge in your relationship 
  • When a brother shows grace for the mistake you know must have caused him frustration and extra work 
  • When an elder or deacon shows patience as they walk alongside your fight against sin, never condoning but praying, correcting and counseling with God’s word as you grow in holiness 
  • When a member with vast differences from you (perhaps politically or socioeconomically) worships and walks with you, united in Christ 

In each example (and so many more!) we experience Biblical love when our brothers and sisters have the courage to walk alongside us in a love that is rooted in truth and grounded in a humble heart that considers the eternal well being of others. When we observe and experience this kind of love, we are driven, by God’s grace, to show it to others. Finally, let’s look at what it means to be cared for. The idea of being cared for makes me think of the words of Paul to the Galatians, 

To Be Cared For – “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:9-10 

These words always remind of the ordinary faithfulness I see in so many godly friends the Lord has placed around me in my local church.. This “doing good” includes intentional actions that flow from a heart that loves well. They often involve the giving of our time, our resources and ourselves. 

There are countless ways that the Lord calls us to care for one another  through His church. First and foremost, we are to be cared for in prayer. There is no better act of “doing good” than to pray for another. I’m so grateful for our praying church and for our prayerful pastors who “do good” in prayer every day. 

There is no better act of “doing good” than to pray for another. 

And, there are many other intentional acts of service that I have seen churches engage in to serve the body:

There are phone calls made to encourage. 

There are homes opened for hospitality. 

There are special days remembered and honored. 

There are burdens shared and loads lightened. 

There are hospital visits, ears that listen and life-giving words that are spoken. 

There are those who pour into children who are not their own, those who reach out to have coffee to catch up on life and there are simple texts or phone calls just to say, “I notice that you haven’t been around.” 

In all these things (and more) the Lord is at work. As we are cared for, our trust in the Lord grows. Our love for our sisters and brothers grows and the Lord gives us a greater desire and an increased capacity to care for others. 

As we are cared for, our trust in the Lord grows. Our love for our sisters and brothers grows and the Lord gives us a greater desire and an increased capacity to care for others. 

The Lord really does have it rigged. And, this may be most evident in His church. When the love of Christ fills our heart, we are willing to be known and we strive to know others deeply. As we understand His love and experience it through others, we begin to love like Christ. And, when we know the care of Christ through His church, we grow in our care for others. 

Our God is good. We can know His goodness through His people. We can show His goodness to His people. And we can trust that He is working in it all as He builds His church. So, let us be a people who know each other deeply, who love one another with grace and truth and who show intentional, mutual care for the body of Christ. 



Continue Reading

The Gospel, The Word & Work of God

The Most Glorious Work of God 

No Comments

In July of 2023, I vacationed in Banff National Park in Canada. It was indeed the most beautiful place I’ve ever visited as it boldly declares God’s magnificent glory in Creation. With its rocky, mountainous terrains, majestic valleys, turquoise waters and massive glaciers, it is a spectacular sight to behold.

Yet, as I reflect upon the glory of God seen in the beauty of this place, I realize how much greater, how much more beautiful and glorious is the work of God as He redeems and restores lives through His gospel-spreading, disciple-making vessel here on earth – the local church.

This extraordinary work that God does – the work of taking those who are dead in their sins and making them alive in Christ is all done through the ordinary means of grace, through ordinary people simply following Christ in obedience to His word.

Case in point: The story of Kristin…..

Just a few months before my trip to Canada, I, along with my husband and my pastor, was in downtown Sanford at a local park with the sole purpose of meeting people so that we could pray for them, share the gospel with them and invite them to our weekly outreach service.

That night, the Lord brought us to Kristin. She had moved to Sanford the previous week and was sitting at a picnic table drinking a beer. Months later she would tell us that, at that time,  she imagined she would be sitting there drinking a beer every day for the rest of her life.

But God!

He had a better plan for Kristin and He chose to use His church to do the awe-inspiring work of redemption and restoration in her life. She was cautiously friendly as we approached her. I sat down and we began to talk, about life and a little about the Lord. I asked how I could pray for her.

Her response, “I have a drinking problem.”

Kristin was an alcoholic. She had been abusing alcohol since the age of 12. This, as you might imagine, led to much brokenness  – in her own life and in her relationships.

She let me pray. We talked a little more. She mentioned that she didn’t have any friends in Sanford. We let her know that she did now. We invited her to our outreach service and to church and she began joining us for both services every week.

She thought that drinking was her biggest problem, but there was more going on. The Lord was at work in her heart. There were many steps forward and a few back in those first couple of months.

At first she was quiet, keeping mostly to herself but taking it all in during our services.

She listened to the theologically rich songs that proclaimed God’s Word. She took notes as she paid close attention to solid expositional preaching from the book of Romans every Sunday morning. A few more of our women befriended her, shared a meal with her, called and sent her texts and cards. She began to pray with us in small groups of 2 to 3 during our “pray for your neighbor” time at church.

Occasionally, when we would ask, “How are you?”

She would answer quickly, “I drank yesterday.”

Her humble and forthright confessions were shocking at times – her desire for sobriety was strong but, some days, the craving was stronger.

But, it was obvious that the Lord was at work. Kristin seemed to be changing before our eyes. She was opening up, asking questions and, by this time, was meeting regularly to learn more about the fundamentals of our faith.

And, then, on May 11, 2023 the Lord brought the Gospel to life in her heart. For the first time she began to understand her own sin and her need for a Savior. She confessed Christ and she knew that she was now a new creation.

The battle of her addiction was not quite over. She continued with occasional struggles  in her sobriety until June 14, 2023. Since that day, she has remained clean and sober and we are eager to celebrate her one year anniversary this June!

Kristin has continued to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. She was baptized in November of 2023 and, the following January, she covenanted with our church in membership.

She is working hard to rebuild trust in her family relationships. She is learning to extend grace to others. She is understanding what it means to have, and to be, a true friend. She is eager to read her Bible and to grow in her understanding of the truth contained in God’s Word. And, she he has a desire to serve every week with our church.

But, perhaps the greatest change in Kristin is that she now has hope.

As she often says, “I never had hope before God.”

Kristin’s hope is in the person and work of Jesus Christ. She knows that He is with her. She knows that He has done a great work for her and in her. And she knows that He has a good and glorious plan for her…for now and for eternity.

It is simply extraordinary to see what God has done.

And, it’s even more extraordinary when we consider just how shockingly ordinary the actions of the church were as the body of Christ discipled and ministered to Kristin.

There were no complex programs. No special evangelistic events. No “outside the box” seeker-sensitive strategies that were employed.

Just simple obedience to the word of God. God has ordained for His church to engage in simple obedience to His word….

He has told us to go and make disciples.

He has commanded us to know Him through His word.

He has raised up elders to preach His Word in season and out of season.

He has commanded us to pray.

He has told us to engage in the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

And, he has given His church the responsibility to practice discipline and care for souls.

God does glorious and extraordinary things through simple obedience to His ordained and ordinary means of grace.

I praise God for Kristin who is a sweet testament to that grace.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21



Continue Reading

Growing in Grace

Trusting in the Sovereign Providence of God

No Comments

While God’s Sovereignty and His Providence can be spoken of separately, these realities are actually woven together (like all attributes of God) and have massive implications for the way we live. Let’s look at each one of these characteristics of the Lord and then see how they impact our lives. 

What is the Sovereignty of God? John Piper defines God’s Sovereignty like this: “His right and power to do all that he decides to do.” In other words, God has the right and power to do as He pleases. And, as the Author and Creator of all things, that makes Him Sovereign over all of Creation. 

God’s Providence could be defined as His wise, good and purposeful Sovereignty. It includes the idea of a “seeing to” of all things that will ultimately accomplish His purpose. 

So, the Sovereign Providence of God is the intersection of His Sovereign power and will over all things and His wise goodness as He carries out that power through His Providence. 

We see this Sovereign goodness in the beloved verse, Romans 8:28. 

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 

God is the One who is working in “all things” but more than that, He is working “all things” for the good of the elect, whom He loves. 

So, what happens when we actually take God at His word and believe in His Sovereign Providence? 

There’s much to be said in answering this question but we will focus on three things. 

First, when we hold to a strong belief in the Sovereign Providence of God, we are empowered to fight temptation. 

We see in James 1:13-18 the following words, 

“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” James 1:13-18 

This passage is all about fighting temptation but there is a connection here to the goodness of God that we often miss. In the midst of telling us about the temptations that we all face, we have this verse that is so often ripped from this context. James tells us not to be deceived and then he reminds us of the everlasting, consistent and pure goodness of God. 

Isn’t that what we need to face temptation and fight sin in our lives. IF we truly believe in the Sovereign Providence of God, we know that His ways are always wise and always good. Might this knowledge make us more inclined to flee temptation the moment it strikes? I think so! 

In fact, I believe that the secret to fighting the temptation to sin is to be more and more convinced of the goodness of God – that is, convinced of His Good and Wise Sovereign Providence. 

Not only does belief in the Sovereign Providence of God help us fight temptation, it actually encourages our obedience. 

See what the Psalmist and the Apostle Paul have to say. 

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!” Psalm 84:11-12 

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:32 

For those walking with Christ, we need to know that God is for us. He bestows favor and honor upon us. He does not withhold good. In fact, He even uses trials and suffering for our good. 

And, beyond that, He has given us His son – what more could He give? 

Well, here He promises to graciously give us “all things.” Note that these verses do not support any type of material-focused prosperity Gospel. But, they do support the idea that “God has it rigged.’ What does that mean? It means a life lived His way and for His glory is associated with our spiritual well-being and great hope for the future. 

So, what does this mean in our daily lives? These words encourage our obedience to God’s ways and this obedience can show up in the daily trials of life. 

We show our trust in His Sovereign Providence…. 

….when we resist the urge to gossip about others. 

….when we admit our wrongdoing when we are confronted with the truth of our actions. 

….when, instead of falling into worry and anxiety, we live with an understanding that there is purpose in our suffering and that God is building endurance and hope in us as He prepares us for future glory. 

….or when we choose kind words or humble servitude over sarcasm or isolation in response to a moody spouse. 

In these everyday moments, we can see that we have the opportunity to trust in the Sovereign Providence of our God and to bring glory to His name. 

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 

Every moment is an opportunity to glorify God and nothing we do out of a heart of obedience to His will is ever in vain. 

And, that brings us to our third point. 

A belief in the Sovereign Providence of God drives us to our knees in prayer. 

Let’s consider the Lord’s Prayer: 

“Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9-10 

As we ask God for His Kingdom to come and for His will to be done on earth, we are, among other things, asking God to unite our desires to His Kingdom work on earth. We are asking that He keep us from our own plans and desires and that, instead, we would embrace what He wants us to do as He continues to bring His Kingly rule to full fruition. We want to rightly participate in His Sovereign rule and we know that we need Him to empower us so, we seek Him in prayer. 

Our belief in the Sovereign Providence of God changes the way we pray and the way we participate in the Kingdom of God. We are eager to be a part. We find purpose in all that we do as we trust in and live for our Good and Sovereign King. 

And so we see that our belief in the Sovereign Providence of God empowers us to fight temptation, to pursue obedience and to seek the Lord in prayer and we find that, ultimately, that this belief gives us the courage to live boldly for the King. 

We know, all too well, what life looks like without confidence in the Sovereign Providence of God. We know that, although we have placed our faith in the One who has come to redeem and restore and we know that He has called us to be a part of this mission, we often live our lives consumed with lesser things. 

A growing belief in the Sovereign Providence of God changes this. As we fight sin and temptation, as we pursue holiness through obedience to God’s Word, and as we pray for His will in our lives, the Holy Spirit changes us, conforming us to the image of Christ. And, the more we take hold of the beauty and security of resting in God’s Sovereign Providence, the more we will embrace opportunities to be a part of His mission. 

And, we will live courageously for His Kingdom and His glory! 



Continue Reading