Love Wins*

When you hear the phrase “love wins,” what comes to mind? It’s a nice-sounding phrase, and several different groups of people have tried to stake a claim to it, including some in the church. Is it a true statement? The answer is all in how you define, and then apply, the word “love.”

Unity in Christ

In the churches around Ephesus, there was a wall between the Jews and the Gentiles. Paul points out that the wall separating them from one another was actually a wall separating them from God. Since Christ has torn down the wall separating them from Him, they should no longer have a wall between one another; He had made them (and has made us) one.

The Functioning Body of Christ

Today’s passage begins with Paul telling us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, then compares the church to a body, with all the various parts working in harmony. Each part has unique abilities, and the body as a whole functions best when each part is actually performing their part.

The Great Bond of Christian Love

People love* 1 Corinthians 13, but we’re often less enthusiastic about actually living it. When we grasp this type of love, though, we will become the people God wants us to be; it will help us build up one another within the church, as well as reach out to others outside of it.

* Pun totally intended…

Unity in the Body of Christ

When the body of Christ is functioning as a body, there are certain characteristics that are present. Paul lists several of these, and as we look at them, we can get an idea of what a healthy church looks like, and the unity that is present there.

Then and Now

Taken all together, believers have a new identity; we are more than just a random assemblage of individuals. We should remember what we used to be, remember what we are now, and let both of those motivate us as we stay connected to others.

Friends of Faith

All three synoptic gospels record the story of the friends letting their paralyzed friend down through the roof of a house where Jesus was teaching, because they could not get to Him any other way. These friends’ actions got him to a place where he could experience a life-changing impact. What made these friends such good friends?

A True Friend

How many friends do you have? If you have a Facebook account, you may think of your number there, but that’s not really friendship. A true friend can be the difference between a great life and a miserable one. What makes a true friend? How can we be a true friend to others?

Koinonia: More Than "Just" Fellowship

If you look at how Christians are to interact with one another, you won’t get very far in your studies without encountering the Greek word koinonia. It is typically translated “fellowship,” and certainly that is an important part of it; however, it goes deeper than the typical understanding that one English word conveys.

A Place to Belong

The second tenet of our church motto is “Connecting People to One Another.” While some people hold that Christianity can be a private thing, but the Bible is clear that we can only flourish when we connect ourselves with others.