We Need Church
We Need Church
“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
James 5:16
I got to say that I honestly do not know where my life would be if not for my church family. Now listen, we don’t confess our sins in church to anyone for the purpose of being absolved of them. We don’t go into detail about the sinful thoughts and actions that we commit. But we ought to be aware of the baggage we carry and the sins that beset us. We all have something that we struggle with every day, whether it be anger towards people, bitterness due to a lack of forgiveness, lustful thoughts about the opposite sex, a drive to be more successful than our friends so we can rub it in their face. No matter what your “fault” is, we should have the spiritual fortitude to be honest with our church family as we make our church support group is aware of what it is that we struggle with...it’s called transparency. I’m not a fan of stain glass windows in our church. Yes, they can be pretty and really make a place look nice. Imagine you’re on the outside of the church and it only has stain glass windows and while you’re on the outside it is beautiful and appealing, but then you open the doors and go in and find floors that are covered in filth, nowhere to sit as the seats are wet and muddy, and the bathrooms look like a construction site port-o-potty that is overused. You probably wouldn’t join that church and would be upset that you even went in. If they had had regular windows you can see through, at least you would have known to put on a hazmat suit! Transparency is so important in the lives of a church family. Repentance is so important in the life of every member of the church. We as individuals MUST allow God to keep us clean in our lives by repenting our sins to Him and allowing Him to “cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. This doesn’t mean we won’t have sin in our lives, as we all struggle, but if we live transparently with our church family, they can see in our lives and know when they can help clean things up, by praying with us and for us as they stay repentant and transparent too. We ought to be in this together and it is sad when close the blinds and sit down when there is some cleaning that needs to happen.
Let’s be the Church Christ left us here to be!
Pastor Larry Hof
“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
James 5:16
I got to say that I honestly do not know where my life would be if not for my church family. Now listen, we don’t confess our sins in church to anyone for the purpose of being absolved of them. We don’t go into detail about the sinful thoughts and actions that we commit. But we ought to be aware of the baggage we carry and the sins that beset us. We all have something that we struggle with every day, whether it be anger towards people, bitterness due to a lack of forgiveness, lustful thoughts about the opposite sex, a drive to be more successful than our friends so we can rub it in their face. No matter what your “fault” is, we should have the spiritual fortitude to be honest with our church family as we make our church support group is aware of what it is that we struggle with...it’s called transparency. I’m not a fan of stain glass windows in our church. Yes, they can be pretty and really make a place look nice. Imagine you’re on the outside of the church and it only has stain glass windows and while you’re on the outside it is beautiful and appealing, but then you open the doors and go in and find floors that are covered in filth, nowhere to sit as the seats are wet and muddy, and the bathrooms look like a construction site port-o-potty that is overused. You probably wouldn’t join that church and would be upset that you even went in. If they had had regular windows you can see through, at least you would have known to put on a hazmat suit! Transparency is so important in the lives of a church family. Repentance is so important in the life of every member of the church. We as individuals MUST allow God to keep us clean in our lives by repenting our sins to Him and allowing Him to “cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. This doesn’t mean we won’t have sin in our lives, as we all struggle, but if we live transparently with our church family, they can see in our lives and know when they can help clean things up, by praying with us and for us as they stay repentant and transparent too. We ought to be in this together and it is sad when close the blinds and sit down when there is some cleaning that needs to happen.
Let’s be the Church Christ left us here to be!
Pastor Larry Hof
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Loving When You CannotWalk This WaySing With Me!Planning AheadStop Playing DeadYou Can Because He IsIt's All On YouWhat I Think?A Simple LifeJust Like NewKeeping Things BrightGod's Work of ArtMy Easy TaskSelfish to SelflessMy ShepherdI Thought Mom Said That?Every DayAt Home TooBeloved, Be LovingWhy Am I Being Tested?Here's a Good ExampleWhat Do You Know?Get Humble or Get HumbledFor Your ConsiderationYou Have My WordWhat Never Fails?Hurting?
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Motives MatterPreparing to PraiseLeave the Light OnCan We Forgive?Where Do You Want Me To Stand?It's Not Over YetNo Means NoI'm Right HereBubble BustingWalk Much?I Don't Get It But I'm Glad I Got ItYou Never KnowLaws Are Meant to Be BrokenAm I Blessed?Let's Cry to Be ContentSeek to be MeekDo I Hunger & Thirst?Am I Merciful?Pure in Heart?Who's Your Father?From Hurting to HealingIt All Hangs Here
November
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