Spiritual Health Checks  PRO

Spiritual Health Checks

(True Devotions)

Rick Warren wrote, "The key for churches in the 21st Century will be church health, not growth." When a congregation is healthy, it will grow spiritually and enjoy the benefits of a live, vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ. A healthy Christian will not find his strength or determine his weakness in the size of the church he attends.

What are four signs that the child of God lives a life that is nourished by the Word of God and illuminated by the Holy Spirit? The Book of Acts 2:42 gives us the answer, "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." This Scripture should prick at the heart of the modern day church and serve as a key guide for examining ourselves. These are the life expressions of a Holy Spirit led child of God. Today's text gives us the first look at the early church and gives us a look at the results of a Holy Spirit revived heart. All healthy things show signs of life. If the child of God is not growing spiritually in any or all of these four areas, that Christian is dying. A church will only be as healthy as those who attend her. Therefore, it is a necessity that those who are part of the Body of Christ get a fair evaluation of their spiritual condition.

A healthy church begins with a consuming passion for the Lord Jesus Christ, and a key sign of a healthy Christian is that he devotes himself to these four truths. The New American Standard Bible says, "...they were continually devoting themselves to the apostle's teachings." Devoted...