When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women. But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go. As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men. (Acts 17:1-12)

We are all basically self-centered people. We think we are smarter than others and that life is always about us. But going to church does not make us Christians. If God is not free to work in us, it is impossible to live this life as a true follower of Christ. Acts 17:6 tells us that Paul and his companions turned the world upside down. We need to follow their example and not be like those who accused them.

How did they do it? With commitment.

It is not about how you feel. We must commit to God and obey whether we want to or not. Our obedience to God should not be situational; it is a commitment that is inspired by the Holy Spirit in us.

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. (1 Peter 4:12-16)

When we are suffering for the name of Jesus, we share in His suffering. Christ warned us that suffering would be normal in a Christian’s life. Believers in the days of Peter and Paul were ostracized and tortured. No wonder the world was turned upside down by the inexplicable joy of the Early Church. We must learn to rejoice when we part take of God’s suffering (1 Peter 4:14).

Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:41-47)

The Early Church was a community. They experienced the mysterious unity of the body of Christ. The Church is also the bride of Christ and the army of God. Revival was a norm, and the Church was vibrantly alive.

How can this be true in us? We need the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised us the Holy Spirit, whom He called the Helper. You are not alone or an orphan; He lives inside of you and will give you passion and increase your faith as you seek and obey Him.

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18)

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

God always want to dwell with man, even more than we want to dwell with God.

My house is God’s home.

My body is God’s temple.

Our churches are God’s house.

God is omnipresent, but He does not necessarily abide everywhere. God dwells within us and our habits. Since the Bible tells us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, we must always be mindful of our life choices and behavior.

In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:21-22)

God is building a dwelling place.

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. (Acts 2:2)

The house filled with His presence.

“When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.” (Matthew 12:43-44)

The devil wants to fill your house with evil. How do you protect your house?

Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’” The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. (Matthew 21:12-14)

1. Clean it.

My house is not mere real estate because my God dwells in it. God wants to dwell in our relationships, our thoughts and our decisions. May our houses be known as houses of prayer.

He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house. (Hebrews 3:2)

God is faithful to us when we are faithful with His house. Our homes should be places of spiritual influence.

2. Fill it.

There are six ways to allow God to fill our houses.

Pray – Make your house a house of prayer. The family that prays together stays together.

“Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation: Instruction will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations.” (Isaiah 51:4)

Sing – Sing praises to the Lord no matter what the circumstances.

Testify – Give thanks every day for all that happens that day. Create an environment of gratitude.

Prophesy – Recite the promises of God every day to one another and in prayer.

Do not pollute the house with a bad attitude – Keep your mind free from all negative influences, and do not forsake the gathering of godly people.

Consecrate your house to the Lord – Declare that you and your household will only serve the Lord, just as Joshua did.

3. Hedge it in with supernatural protection.

In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.

“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. (Job 1:1-4, 9-10)

God puts a holy hedge around your home.

“On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. (Exodus 12:12-13)

The blood of Jesus will protect us from any plague or sickness.

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. (Psalm 34:7)

God’s angels encamp with us when we fear Him.

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up … (Ephesians 4:11-12)

We need to learn from those whom God has appointed to shepherd us on our journeys. They have spiritual authority over us. Love your pastors, for they are a gift from God.

A time of brokenness befalls everyone. Babylon is mentioned many times in the Old Testament, and the word Babylon means fragmentation. Every time the Babylonians attacked Israel, the nation was broken apart. Keep a watch for the Babylonian spirit in the churches.

There are four areas of healing:

Emotional healing.

Mental relief.

Spiritual restoration.

The confession of our trespasses to one another.

We need to engage with fellow believers for these things to happen.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)

God wants to preserve us or set us apart. In each of us He has made three dimensions: spirit, soul and body.

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

We must learn to rejoice in the Lord always like the Apostle Paul. Joy is evidence of healing. (Proverbs 17:22)

“Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding.” Yes, we will come to you, for you are the LORD our God. (Jeremiah 3:22)

Stop the backsliding and become faithful to God. Our waywardness is the reason for our pain.

Let us look at three key steps of the healing process:

1. Develop a heart that cares deeply for people.

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:35-36)

We need to share Christ’s compassionate heart. Focus on the needs of the people around you as Jesus did. When we focus on ourselves, we will never see the need of others, but life is not all about you.

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:1- 2)

Be gentle, and bear one another’s burdens.

2. Speak and stand on the truth.

Your words can bring life or death. Speak the truth that others may live.

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. (Ephesians 4:15-19)

Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up. (Proverbs 12:25)

The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit. (Proverbs 15:4)

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:21)

3. Confess your trespasses to one another.

Learn to say, “I’m sorry,” and, “Thank you.” Heal the hurting; otherwise, there is no point in making an offering of prayer to God; He will not accept it.

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23-24)

4. Release prayers of faith to God.

And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. (James 5:15)

We need faith.

The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?” Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.” Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.” (Exodus 18:13-23)

We can learn three lessons from the above verses. When Jethro, priest of the Medians and father-in-law of Moses, visited Moses, he made an observation which helped him to become a great leader of the Israelites in exile. In this encounter, Moses allowed the following to take place.

1. Allow yourself to be inspected.

People will do what you inspect rather than what you expect. Nobody likes to be told what to do, but we need to have open minds and humble hearts, willing to improve. We must allow godly people to, in business terms, evaluate our performance. Great companies are successful because they have audits to improve their areas of weakness.

2. Allow people to identify your faults.

Jethro identified Moses’ problem: He was getting burnt out in his management of the Israelites. Like Moses, we must learn to accept criticism.

3. Allow yourself to be investigated.

Jethro investigated Moses’ way of doing things and taught him the art of delegation. Moses was doing everything on his own. Delegation of responsibilities is difficult because you may not want to let go of your own authority and power.

There are four ways to build yourself and the Church:

Intercession

You need to intercede through prayer, praise and worship.

Instruction

Following Jethro’s advice, Moses instructed the people on what to do.

Invitation to Serve

Following Jethro’s advice, Moses delegated responsibility.

Implementation

Make sure that plans are implemented through delegation to dedicated people. Choosing the right people is just as important as the implementation itself.

With these four principles in place, you will definitely see the impact of all your hard work. A growing church is a happy church.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:80)

We live in a perverted world that needs healing in every segment of the society and in every area of life. Jesus came to teach, heal and restore. We need to develop genuine relationships with the people around us in order to heal and help our communities. We serve a communal God, the Holy Trinity. Even the mafia operates by this principle. Community living is about recognition and acceptance, and the Church must be founded on this principle. The Army of God is not a one-man army.

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Ephesians 4:11-16)

According to Ephesians 4, there are five dynamics in the Church:

1. We need to speak the truth with love (verse 15).

Christianity is all about communication, and there is power in the tongue. Lovingly speak the truth, which is based on the Word of God; do not quote God’s Word with a judgmental spirit as the Pharisees did. Freely you have received His love, so freely you are to love others.

2. We are joined together (verse 16).

The Church is a spiritual body; therefore, we need spiritual unity. Every part or person has a part to play to contribute towards the common goal, establishing God’s Kingdom on Earth. We are interdependent, each with our own function, just like the parts of the body. We must value unity and pursue it at any cost, thus revealing the relational heart of God. There is no room for a partisan spirit.

3. Every joint is important (verse 16).

Each one of us needs to participate; we all have a distinctive role to play. The Church needs pastors, teachers, apostles, evangelists and prophets – the full fivefold ministry – in order to function effectively. In other words, everyone is a minister. As you are given, you must give; God calls us to use our talents. Every joint supplies, and every joint receives from the others, creating a perfect support system.

4. The Power of God is released through each member.

We all need to be in position. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, and the apostles were there to remove his burial clothes. We need to follow God and do our part in the miracle.

5. We can be made whole.

There has to be restoration in the life of a believer, and we need to grow to edify the body. Spiritual growth is important.

Be devoted to one another in 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 the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. (Romans 12:10-14, 16)

What is the hallmark of a Christian?

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)

It is by your love that others will know you as a disciple of Christ, not by how frequently you attend church. You are defined by your unconditional love.

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)

The passage above is very clear on the true meaning of love. The Bible calls it greater than everything else. Neither wealth, nor possessions, nor position can bring us happiness, and if we do not love, we are nothing. The Bible also tells us that God is love, and if we do not have love, then we are not of God.

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:5-8)

God Himself died for us while we were powerless and sinful. Who are we to judge others and be selective about whom we love?

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:36-40)

Jesus said that all of the Ten Commandments can be summed up in two: Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. One of these cannot exist without the other, and although they sound simple, these principles are not easy to follow. We live in a very individualistic society, and we must break out of the selfish or self-centered life.

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Galatians 6:10)

We are called to love everyone, but especially the household of faith.

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” (Genesis 1:26)

God made us in His image. He is love, and He calls us to love so that we become mirrors of His image. Loving other people is not accomplished through mere tolerance. It is the total acceptance of who they are, regardless of their race, religion and behavior. Love has no conditions. Communal living is so important. When a herd is together, the animals are safe. They see in all directions and alert one another of any incoming danger. But if one strays away, it becomes prey for the predator. Similarly, the members of the Church must work together and protect one another.

All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:44-47)

The Early Church exemplified communal living. No wonder the Church grew in leaps and bounds in those days. Do we include others in our lifestyle, or are we individualistic? We are each but a part of the body.

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore. (Psalm 133:1-3)

We need to learn and express the five love languages:

Use words of affirmation, expressing love for others.

Spend quality time with people.

Give appropriate physical touch to express care.

Serve others.

Give gifts.