20 Exhortations to Maintain a Healthy Church

Just finished our board meeting for April! It's a privilege to minister and work with such amazing people. I shared a basic list of exhortations from the Apostle Paul. Thought I might blog about them here:

This list of exhortations from the Apostle Paul describes powerfully how a healthy church should operate. The church is not primarily a building or an organization but people. It is the community of believers in Jesus Christ sharing one heart and mind, wholeheartedly pursuing the mission of Jesus here on earth.

For the mission to be fulfilled in its greatest capacity there are certain characteristics that it must embody. Here in Romans 12:9-21, the Apostle Paul gives a straightforward list of exhortations that need to define the way the church relates to itself and to the world.

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice;mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him;if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

1). Love sincerely
2). Hate evil
3). Be devoted to one another
4). Keep spiritual fervor serving the Lord
5). Be joyful in hope
6). Be patient in affliction
7). Be faithful in prayer
8). Share with the needy
9). Demonstrate hospitality
10). Bless persecutors
11). Rejoice with those who rejoice
12). Weep with those who weep
13). Live in harmony with one another
14). Do not be proud, associate with the lowly
15). Do not repay evil back with evil
16). Do what is right before others
17). Live at peace with everyone
18). Do not seek revenge
19). Bless enemies
20). Do not be overcome by evil, overcome it with good

I love how straightforward Paul is on all this. You can't go wrong working these characteristics into the heart of your church. This is definitely the kind of church I want to be a part of!