When setting out to try this, my mind was drawn to first meditating on the names of Jesus, the Son of God. Being a very visual person, to help with this I pulled together a list of names for Jesus in a text document.  This list did the trick for me if I had my laptop, but not so well if I did not.  So, what had to be the solution? You guessed it – a series of iPhone Wallpapers.

This is the first of the series.  My plan is to create one for each day of the week.   I hope this might help me take a few moments throughout the day to recalibrate by reflecting on the names and qualities of Christ. If you are a visual sort, perhaps it would be useful to you also.

See this wallpaper on an iPhone and get download instructions here.

He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive,  for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?

If you are called to oversee the local church, your ability to manage and lead your household is evidence of a potential ability to manage, lead and care for a body of believers.

The ability to lead your wife and children in daily prayer should translate into being able to lead the members of the local church in prayer.  One’s ability to be a wise steward of the resources gifted their family should carry over to task of being a wise steward of the resources gifted the church. Leading your family in the study of God’s word should be useful in leading the people of your local church in that same study.  And, the ability to make peace within your home should translate to your ability to make peace within a body of believers.

If we as Christians are pursuing the management of our households and church body in these ways, then we will be better prepared for the kingdom work entrusted to us.  We will be better prepared to glorify God in our community,  better prepared to love and serve others, and better prepared to share the hope of Christ with those placed in our life.

Instructions on how to get this image onto your iPhone:

1. Save the image to your laptop.
2. Email the image to yourself or at least an email account that you monitor on your iPhone.
3. View the email with the image attachment on your iPhone.
4. Save the image to your iPhone Photo Library.
5. Set the image as your wallpaper.

More Free iPhone Wallpaper

Here are the instructions on how to get this image onto your iPhone:

1. Save the image to your laptop.
2. Email the image to yourself or at least an email account that you monitor on your iPhone.
3. View the email with the image attachment on your iPhone.
4. Save the image to your iPhone Photo Library.
5. Set the image as your wallpaper.

… the most important reason why people stay at your church plant is relationships. Hopefully we hammered home the importance of you preparing and implementing strategies to build the relationships necessary to “earn the right” to keep serving these newcomers for our Lord. From David Jacksons Blog on “Five More Reasons Why People Will Stay at Your Church Plant”

At SK Church we break out into home based CE Groups during the week.  Another name for these meetings are Create & Engage Groups.  After SK services on Sunday morning, there is social interaction among the congregation.  However, this is usually not enough time to really find out what is going on in someones life.  This is where CE Groups come in.

Every two weeks, multiple CE Groups meet in homes around Garner, Clayton and Raleigh. The goals are simple – Create Community and Engage Community. What does this mean?

It means we create a community within our group that enjoys meals together, we talk about the highs and lows of the week together, we pray together, and we discuss the most recent message from our pastor together.  It also means that we engage community by planning events that try to put feet to our faith. Engage events range from serving the local Police and EMS families to caring for the needs of Battered Womens Shelters to hosting cookout events for local college students.

Whether its creating or engaging, the goal is to form deeper relationships. Relationships that will build trust that allows for the sharing of the hope that Christ has for us.

If this is the kind of community that interests you then I welcome you to email me at mike.askew@mindablaze.com or check out more information   here. You are always welcome to visit one of our groups.

Boiling this article down, the authors offers that theological issues can fall into 4 categories of relative importance.

Absolutes – Core beliefs of the Christian faith

Convictions – while not core beliefs, they may have significant impact of the health and effectiveness of the church.

Opinions –  less-clear issues that generally are not worth dividing over.

Questions – currently unsettled issues

The visual diagram for these categories resemble a target of concentric circles, with absolutes being the bull’s eye.

I find this a useful way to visualize the sorting of the various issues that come up in doctrinal debate.  But, the question is how to determine where the theological issue under consideration falls in the list. Will we be discussing Absolutes or Opinions? Are we pursuing issues of salvation or issues of cultural preference? Here are the guidelines that the ESV Study Bible Article offered for picking the category.

Where an issue falls within these categories should be determined by weighing the cumulative force of at least seven considerations:

(1) biblical clarity;

(2) relevance to the character of God;

(3) relevance to the essence of the gospel;

(4) biblical frequency and significance (how often in Scripture it is taught, and what weight Scripture places upon it);

(5) effect on other doctrines;

(6) consensus among Christians (past and present); and

(7) effect on personal and church life.

This guidance advises us to not  square-off with each other  over a particular issue of doctrine before weighing it with these seven considerations.  We want to be sure we know if we are risking unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ over an absolute or an opinion.  

My hope would be that we would be able to peacefully protect and defend the purity of God’s truth. It is a shame to me when followers of Christ break fellowship over issues surrounding the length of one’s hair, whether someone wears jeans or a suit to worship, or over what beat the worship music may have. The author of the ESV article expresses it this way -

The ability to rightly discern the difference between core doctrines and legitimately disputable matters will keep the church from either compromising important truth or needlessly dividing over peripheral issues.

Let us pray that we can have wisdom in these matters. That we can respectfully preserve the core beliefs of the Christian faith and recognize when we are having a disagreement of convictions.