Virtue #8 – Flourishing Churches Work Well with Others – 8 Short Verses

Virtue #8 – Flourishing Churches Work Well with Others – 8 Short Verses

Working well with others is part of what gives people, organizations, and entire communities the resilience needed to get through tough times. Lord knows we’ve all needed extra resilience these past two years. Locally, we’ve endured massive wildfires, prolonged power outages, and a prison closing. Nationally, we’ve dealt with bitter politics, Covid’s persistence, and now a war involving a nuclear super-power.

We need each other to survive and thrive in every aspect of our lives – mentally, physically, socially, and spiritually. We need to worship together, serve together, eat and drink together, laugh and cry together – just like Jesus did with His friends and His enemies. As we aspire to be a church that flourishes in our community, we must continue working well with others. And by doing so, we will demonstrate and experience what it means to be part of the Kingdom of God.

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Virtue #7 – Ask Questions & Love Skeptics – 8 Short Verses

Virtue #7 – Ask Questions & Love Skeptics – 8 Short Verses

Curiosity and skepticism are closely related. God is fine with skepticism in the sense of genuine, sincere questioning.

Here’s the great news: God is fine with skepticism in the sense of genuine, sincere questioning. When Thomas doubted Jesus was really back from the dead, Jesus neither rejected nor berated Thomas. Instead, Jesus said intimately welcomed him, “Thomas, I understand why you have doubts. Put your hands in my wounds (wow!) so your experience with Me will transform your relationship with Me in a way that you can never doubt.” God welcomes our wonders and our worries and invites us into life-changing, faith-changing experiences.

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Virtue #5 – Giving Generously – 10 Short Scripture Readings

Virtue #5 – Giving Generously – 10 Short Scripture Readings

As Christians, we commit to “faithfully participate in the ministries of the Church by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness, that in everything God may be glorified” (Methodist membership vows).

Elevating the practice of giving means we live into the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1–12): We will give our time, our talents, and our treasures so that the hungry will have food, the naked will have clothes, the homeless will have shelter, the lonely will have friends, the sick will have care, and so on.

As we co-labor with God to love and serve others, let’s keep asking, “How can we elevate our giving – in all its many forms – so that more people can experience the joy, the peace, and the excitement of God’s Kingdom?”

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