Ten Marks of a Strong Church
1 Strong in faith - Word of God
2 Strong Leadership
3 Worship
4 People want to pray
5 Passion for Holiness
6 Personal and Community Transformation - people are change
7 Gifting of the Holy Spirit on display - prophetic element
8 Spiritual Fruits manifestation
9 Worship and Music life of church comes alive
10 Extra-ordinary things become ordinary - suffering, criticism,
1 Corinthians 3:6
6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care.11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”[a]; 20 and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”[b] 21 So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours,22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas[c] or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.
Three truths:-
- Source of life is not us - it is God
- As carnal nature, we have to be careful
- We must be inter-dependent
Three Lessons:-
- What survived ? - Build to last. If everyday of week is our age, some of us are living in the weekends. Beyond Sunday - it is beyond grace period. What have we done to last. Whatever we do, we must do it consciously and intentionally. When we are near to God, we hear Him and we will have the Fruits that last.
- Lay your life down on the foundation of Christ. V 10 (Acts 18 - laid the foundation of Corinth) - foundation laid by Jesus Christ, we just build upon that foundation. Jeremiah 9:23-24 - Let not the wise men boast about his knowledge, let him boast that he understands and knows me - Phi 4:8. Architect / Builder - we are master builders. We must aim to do what we do excellently. Build skillfully. Know when to contribute and when to withdraw from services unto the Lord. Methodist's Advises: Avoid all evils. Do goods mercilfully. Live out God's ordinances. Evaluate our thoughts and speech, what must we give up or avoid in order to make GB better.
- We must build together, inter-dependently. To live a well-focused life. Being and doing must come together. We are to build excellently.
Jeremiah 9:23-24 New International Version (NIV)23 This is what the Lord says:
“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
or the strong boast of their strength
or the rich boast of their riches,
24 but let the one who boasts boast about this:
that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord.
or the strong boast of their strength
or the rich boast of their riches,
24 but let the one who boasts boast about this:
that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord.
Philippians 4:8 New International Version (NIV)
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things
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