No Matter How Bad it Gets . . .

Posted on March 10, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

The prophet Habakkuk questioned God about the turmoil he was experiencing in his culture. In the opening verses of the book that bears his name, Habakkuk lists the problems he saw around him. Iniquity, injustice, destruction and violence are listed in his complaint. Do these complaints sound familiar? A brief survey of the news will […]

Checklist for Christian Service

Posted on February 21, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre 1 Comment

What qualities must be present in the believer to be used by God to build His Church? Here is the list as I see it: Complete surrender to God That’s it. One item. Everything else follows nicely after surrender. Paul gives us a description of what this kind of surrender looks like in Philippians 3:8–11 […]

Feedback is scary – but you need it

This is a repost of an article at theresurgence.com. Every leader should develop a culture that encourages feedback. Feedback is essential in eliminating blind spots and making sure that you are achieving the goal.

Selective grace in the church

We all want grace, but sometimes struggle to give it when it is most needed. We are in constant danger of offering selective grace by offering it to some and withholding it from others.

One flesh and inseparable – does your church view marriage this way?

When the divorce rate in the church is little different than in society in general, we must be honest about how well we support marriage. Church leadership has the responsibility to not allow ministry to be a cause of division in a marriage.

Kicked out for our own good

Growing up, when I read in Genesis Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden, I always viewed this as a punitive action. I thought that our first parents were being punished for their sin. This morning, as I read this passage, I noticed that the goal in expelling them from the Garden was to […]

Dr. Luke Investigates

Our pastor is preaching through the Gospel of Luke on Sunday Mornings. During the sermon yesterday a thought struck me. Luke was a physician which is why he sometimes gives very detailed descriptions of the infirmities of those who came to Jesus for healing. The “aha” moment for me yesterday was when I realized that […]

On the source of your passion

Our passion cannot come from love of correct doctrine. We are not to be motivated by obligation. A desire for societal reform (however necessary) is not to control us. Our actions cannot be fueled by a desire to be seen doing the right thing. The one and only correct source of passion for ministry is the love of God.