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Is Greatness Contagious?

August 3, 2018January 13, 2017 by Mark Ballenger

how to be a great Christian — –Proverbs 13:20

Is greatness contagious? I think so, along with weakness. Both the splendor and sin of the human spirit are cultivated through the companions with which one invests his time. Who you spend time with is not the only variable in our development, but it is a very crucial one.

Always, when you do a little digging, you will find that those truly admirable were inspired by and (to some degree) sculpted by other great men and women surrounding them. Children whose parents are professional athletes or gifted academically seem to have a greater knack for similar accolades. Sure, one can make a case that it’s all in the genes, but surely this is not the main variable in the equation of greatness.

24 Tips To Be a Great Small Group Leader

January 12, 2017January 12, 2017 by Mark Ballenger

Small group Bible studies are not just a great idea. They are a biblical idea. From the moment the New Testament church was founded, core to its identity was small bands of Christians meeting together and studying God’s word (Acts 2:42-47, Acts 17:11, Colossians 3:16, Colossians 4:15).

Of course small group Bible studies are not as important as the actual church and what happens Sunday morning. And there are certainly other effective formats that fulfill the church’s obligation to teach its members outside of Sunday morning (classes, support groups, one-on-one discipleship, etc.). But one of the clearest signs of a healthy church is a healthy small group Bible study ministry.

I believe if you want a healthy small group ministry, it all starts with having great small group leaders. So how can you be a great small group leader? Or if you’re in church leadership and are looking for great small group leaders, what are some signs to consider?

What follows is not an exhaustive list or one ranked by importance. It is simply a list of 24 keys to being a great small group leader.

Gomer, Hosea, & What They Show Us About Our Relationship With Christ

January 7, 2017 by Mark Ballenger

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. But the more they were called, the more they went away from me.-Hosea 11:1,2

I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.-Hosea 14:4

Christ is like Hosea and we are like Gomer. God told Hosea to marry a prostitute, Gomer. Hosea gave her sons, provided for her, and was the only man in her life who sought to love her and not selfishly take from her. He was the best man she ever knew.

And yet despite all of this, she entered back into a life of prostitution. Doesn’t something inside of you want to scream when you read this?

Dying With Joy As A Witness To Christ

January 3, 2017 by Mark Ballenger

5 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. – 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Should the Church Send the Pastor on a Nice Vacation?

December 29, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

Question: “I attend a church which is a part of the Assemblies of God. I am a Christian. My pastor and his family have taken a trip to Hawaii, Disneyland, Arizona, and to other places. The church and the AOG pay for these. We have people in our church who are struggling financially and there are families in our community who need help. Is it right for the pastor to take these trips? I am confused. Peace and Love and God`s Blessings to you.”

How Does Hell Glorify God?

December 27, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

If we don’t have tears in our eyes and a deep grief in our hearts when we talk about hell, we are not truly grasping even the smallest percent of its terror.

In my human limitedness, I despise the idea of people going to hell for eternity. But as Augustine said, “If you believe what you like in the Gospel, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself.”

The Bible clearly states that heaven and hell are both real and eternal (Deuteronomy 32:22, Psalm 9:17, Matthew 10:28, John 3:16, 14:2, Revelation 20:10, 15). Therefore if I choose to believe the Bible, I must also believe in hell, no matter how disturbing it may be to me.

As Christians, most of us accept the truth about hell and yet still struggle with the emotions triggered by this biblical reality. “Why, God? Why did you create such a horrible place? This seems so cruel, so unnecessary. An eternity of torture? I thought you were a God of love?”

Anytime you ask a question that starts with “Why does God . . .” you can always answer with, “For his glory.” Everything God does, he always does for his honor and fame. Therefore to answer “Why does God send people to hell?” we must actually ask, “How does hell glorify God?”

Why Is the Virgin Birth So Important?

December 25, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

Why was the virgin birth so important — Matthew 1:20

Christmas is not a word you will find in the Bible. But Christmas is all about the essential, core message of the Bible, which is that God sent Jesus to save humans.

You may not think “theology” when you hear the word “Christmas,” but taking a closer look at the theological implications of what we celebrate during Christmas will reveal how important the virgin birth of Christ really is to the whole of Christianity.

Gifts, trees, spending time with family, going to church, and singing certain songs are all things we love about the Christmas season. But when we look at what God accomplished through Christmas, especially in relationship to the virgin birth, we will not only love Christmas more but we will love Christ more for all that he’s done for us.

The Sabbath Symbolizes the True Savior

December 20, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

Sabbath symbolizes the Savior — For a New Testament list of Bible verses on the “Sabbath” by BibleGateway.com, click here.

So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.-Hebrews 4:9-10

Have you ever been burned out? Just over done from the grilling flames of the day-to-day grind we all endure? The natural remedy, we think, to being overworked is to get time away from work. Isn’t this one of the main reasons we look forward to the holiday seasons so much?

True rest is not the absence of responsibility; real rest is being in the intimate presence of the Lord. Therefore, if we seek to rejuvenate ourselves simply through the absence of responsibility, this is a quick fix that will not last because it is based in a works theology. We think we can gain our own rest through our actions, or in this case, our lack of actions.

Labels, Christianity, and God’s Absolute Truth

December 14, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.-1 John 2:23

We all have labels. Some are taken on by ourselves while some are given to us. You can be Republican, Democrat, Liberal, Buddhist, Hindu, Mormon, American, Chinese, and even Christian. What happens, though, is that no one, on their own, is a pure spirit. We are all a mixed breed. A man may be a conservative, but he may also have a few liberal exceptions to his political ideologies.

Man’s Responsibility and God’s Sovereignty

December 12, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

Man’s responsibility and God’s sovereignty are often seen as opponents. But within the Bible, these two go hand in hand. The Bible does not try to explain how these two can coexist without violating one another. The Bible simply explains how man’s responsibility is directly tied to God’s sovereignty.

Problems arise amongst Christians as we discuss the relationship between man’s responsibility and God’s sovereignty when we begin to put emphasis on truths that the Bible does not place emphasis on.