The Better Ministry

Introduction Many Christians already belong to a church, attend on Sundays, and serve in ways that feel helpful. For them, this rhythm feels sufficient—and they assume that’s what being part of the Church means: attending, being kind, and following Jesus the best they can. But is that really what the Bible says? If you have a sense there's more to it, you may be asking: Is this what Jesus really meant by "follow Me"? Am I giving God enough—or does He require everything? Does my church exist to help me become like Christ in every area of life—or just in the spiritual parts? Most churches are faithfully sharing the gospel, teaching God’s Word, worshipping Him in praise and offering opportunities to serve within the church. This article praises all of that, but invites us to see more—not to add more burden to faithful staff and volunteers, but to recognize more fully what God has been asking of the Church all along : to love the Lord your God with all  your heart, with  all...

  Introduction Understanding Scripture can be difficult for anyone—and nearly impossible for first-time readers. That’s because the Bible often runs counter to the way the world works, and quite honestly, the way we’ve been trained to think. It requires us to see with God's eyes , not our own. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17, when we place our full faith in Christ, we become a new creation—and with that new life comes a Helper, the Holy Spirit, who begins to illuminate what God has already made true in His Word. That’s not speculation—that’s illumination. When God shows something through His Spirit, it’s because it’s already there. But when we imagine, assume, or even reason something into the text that isn’t revealed, that’s speculation . And no matter how sensible it feels, if it’s not illuminated by the Spirit and grounded in the text, it is not what Scripture says. Speculation is natural—we all do it , especially when we’re trying to fill in the gaps. But when it comes to ...

Introduction If there is only one God speaking to all believers around the world with one voice, then how can the Church have as many as 45,000 distinct denominations and even more doctrines leading them in different directions? Unity is unquestionably one of the primary objectives of the New Testament—so, what does that mean in light of such division? Perhaps the most pervasive problem with the Church's unity is related to scripture--not it's inerrancy or the truths within, but our interpretation of it.  A hundred people can look into the same sky and experience a hundred things, but does that change the sky?  It is one thing for the Holy Spirit to lead us through scripture relative to our unique needs, but would He lead us apart from one another?  Would He teach us conflicting truths? If only there were a way we could all read Scripture differently in personal and communal context, yet consistently arrive at one unchanging truth—God’s truth—with no differences in who G...