Spiritual Health

One of the privileges that God has given me is to interact with about a score of small churches in New England. I try to visit each one several times annually, and maintain contact via phone, email, one on one visits and large scale gatherings in the interim. Much of my focus is to encourage them in their faith and spiritual growth. Some churches seem healthier than others. What are some of the characteristics of a healthy group? One is an outward focus in which the people of the group are ministering Christ to others, and particularly to those that don't have a personal relationship with him. Another is the love of the people in the group for one another. A third is a willingness to take the Word of God seriously. Earlier this week I was talking with a brother whom God has raised up to lead one of the healthiest groups that I know. We were discussing the scene in Acts 8:24ff when Philip meets the Ethiopian eunuch. The man is reading the Scripture (in Isaiah), seeking to understand, and willing to be teachable by allowing Philip to explain it to him. This humility is key. Sanford's humble consistent focus on responding to life by asking "What does the Word of God say?" has resulted in ongoing conversions, baptisms, evangelism, and a genuine willingness on the part of the brethren to submit to the Lordship of Christ through obeying His Word. So often we are derailed in our growth in the faith by our unwillingness to do this basic thing.