Christian living Archives - Unapologetically Inspirational

The Story Behind Walking in the Spirit

by Steve Ranni

Every book has a story behind it. For me, Walking in the Spirit: A 90-Day Journey to a Spirit-Led Life grew out of my desire to encourage believers, edify the Church, and, above all, glorify God.

As a pastor and student of God’s Word, I became convinced over time that one of the Church’s greatest needs today is not more information about God, but a deeper relationship with Him through the Holy Spirit. We can study the Scriptures, attend church services, listen to sermons online, and participate in Christian ministries, yet still fail to experience the Spirit-led life God desires for us.

The Apostle Paul gives us a simple command in Galatians 5:16: “Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves” (NLT). Paul’s words are not just good advice; they describe a way of life—a life where we are called to walk in the Spirit daily.

Every morning presents us with a choice: Will I walk according to my own fleshly desires, or allow the Holy Spirit to guide and direct my thoughts, attitudes, words, and actions?

Paul describes the conflict we experience in Galatians 5:17: “The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants” (NLT). Any Christian who has followed Christ for any length of time knows something about this struggle. We want to do what is right, but our flesh often pulls us in a different direction.

The answer to this battle is not trying harder. We must learn to walk closer with the Holy Spirit, and by surrendering our lives to His daily leadership, He will transform us from the inside out.

Transformation is vitally important because anyone can accumulate biblical knowledge without letting it change their life. But when God’s Word is combined with the work of the Holy Spirit, Scripture becomes more than just information—it becomes a means through which God can shape or reshape our character and draw us closer to Christ.

Romans 12:2 reminds us that transformation takes place as our minds are renewed. The Holy Spirit will use the Word of God to challenge our thinking, correct our attitudes, and strengthen our faith. This is my hope for every person who opens this book.

One of the important reasons we need to walk in the Spirit daily is found in Galatians 5:22–23, where Paul describes the fruit the Spirit produces in the life of a believer: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

The reason Paul calls it fruit is that fruit is evidence of life. You see, an apple tree does not struggle to produce apples by simply trying harder. When a tree is healthy and rooted properly, fruit will naturally appear. Similarly, when believers abide in Christ and walk in the Spirit, His character shows in their lives.

This is important because the goal of the Christian life is not merely to appear religious. It’s becoming more like Christ. That’s why I pray this devotional will help believers examine their lives and ask some important questions: Is the fruit of the Spirit becoming more evident in me? Am I becoming more loving? Am I more patient? More forgiving? More self-controlled? Am I responding to life’s circumstances in the power of the Spirit rather than in the flesh? These questions can be uncomfortable, but they’re necessary.

Another primary purpose of this book is to encourage individual Christians. Many believers love God but feel spiritually tired, discouraged, distracted, or uncertain about their walk with Him. Some may have been Christians for years but have lost the joy and passion they once experienced. Can you relate to this? I surely can because I’ve experienced this many times in my own life.

My prayer is that these 90 days will become an opportunity to slow down, open God’s Word, listen to the Holy Spirit, and over time, rediscover the joy of walking in a vibrant relationship with Jesus.

Each devotional is intended to encourage the reader to take another step—maybe not a giant step, but a faithful one—because one step at a time will eventually lead us to where we need to be.

I also wrote this book to edify the Church. The Church is strong when believers allow the Holy Spirit to work through their lives. Spirit-led believers become encouragers, servants, prayer warriors, peacemakers, witnesses, and faithful disciples.

When believers walk in the Spirit, families become stronger, marriages can be restored like mine was over twenty years ago, relationships can be healed, churches can experience unity, and our communities will see the love of Christ demonstrated in practical ways.

I hope this devotional will not just appeal to individual readers. I pray it will reach families, small groups, Bible studies, and churches, encouraging God’s people to pursue a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit and with one another.

Above all else, the purpose of this book is to glorify God. Jesus said in John 15:8, “When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father” (NLT).

That verse captures the heart of this devotional and why I wrote it. I did not write Walking in the Spirit so that my name would be remembered. I wrote it hoping God’s name would be glorified. That is why I am redirecting all royalties and proceeds from book sales back into ministry, so I can partner with my readers to reach more people with the soul-saving message of the gospel of Christ.

If one person draws closer to Jesus by the Spirit because of this devotional, if one discouraged believer finds hope, if one church is encouraged to pursue greater spiritual depth, then I will consider this work worthwhile.

My prayer is that every reader who completes these 90 days will be able to say, “I am not the same person I was when I began.”

In conclusion, may we become people who learn to walk in the Spirit. May we surrender our desires, follow His leading, obey His Word, and allow His presence to produce fruit in our lives.

Steve Ranni is a Canadian author, pastor, veteran, and speaker based in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He is the author of the new devotional book, “Walking in the Spirit.” Visit him at SteveRanni.com.

The Day I Smiled

Inspirational encouragement for your unsure moments

“God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.”
– Psalm 46:5

On the day I heard the words “You have breast cancer,” something unexpected happened — I smiled. It wasn’t forced. It wasn’t denial. It wasn’t shock. It was something deeper, something holy, something that didn’t make sense in the natural.

My smile wasn’t rooted in the diagnosis; it was rooted in the presence of God.

When the doctor spoke the words out loud, they seemed to float in the air for a moment, suspended between fear and faith. I remember looking at Danny, squeezing his hand, and feeling a stillness fall over the room. Not fear. Not panic. Just peace — fragile, yet undeniable.

It made no sense. Cancer is supposed to break you. It’s supposed to consume your thoughts, unravel your emotions, and steal your joy. But in that moment, joy rose up inside me like a quiet rebellion against fear.

That smile was more than an expression.

It was a declaration.

A statement.

A spiritual posture.

It was the whisper of my soul saying, “This will not move me.”

In that moment, I knew — not from my strength, but from God’s — that the cancer had not come to destroy me. It had come to reveal God’s glory in a way I had never experienced before.

My husband Danny looked at me, shocked. I think part of him wondered if I understood what the doctor said. But he also saw something shift in me — something strong, something anchored, something supernatural. And that strength wasn’t mine. It was God’s.

That day, my smile became a memorial stone — a moment I would carry with me through every biopsy, every appointment, every sleepless night. A reminder that fear doesn’t get to write my story.

Looking back, I understand why that smile came so naturally: God’s presence carries joy, even in the darkest valleys.

It wasn’t the kind of joy that comes from happiness or circumstances. It was the kind of joy that only comes from knowing who walks beside you. A joy that settles deep into your spirit and says: “Even here, even now, God is with you.”

In the days that followed, that moment in the doctor’s office became a reference point. When fear tried to sneak in, I remembered how God steadied me when I should have been falling apart. When doubt whispered, “What if…?” my spirit remembered, “But God…”

I realized something powerful: Joy isn’t the absence of a hard reality — it’s the presence of God in the middle of it.

My smile wasn’t strength; it was surrender. It was the Holy Spirit rising in me when my flesh didn’t have the ability to stand.

So many times, I returned to that moment, mentally reliving the peace that filled the room. It became evidence that God was not only with me — He was ahead of me, preparing each step.

Not one appointment surprised Him.

Not one biopsy worried Him.

Not one moment overwhelmed Him.

God was already working behind the scenes, aligning the right doctors, the right timing, and the right support system. And every time fear tried to overshadow that truth, God reminded me of the peace He gave me when I heard the diagnosis.

That peace didn’t come from understanding.

It came from trusting.

This is an excerpt from the book, “Faith over Fear: A Healing Journey” by Kimberly Allen, a devotional for women facing breast cancer or other hard battles of life.

Walking in Love and Holiness

The greatest power we will ever display is the ability to walk in the truth of God’s Word, living out the righteous life of His incorruptible seed within us and continually bearing the fruit of holiness. No wonder the Bible says in Romans 1:4:

“And declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”

I believe our greatest battle is the battle of living right. Satan and his cohorts know that once the incorruptible seed of God is properly nurtured within us, it increases our capacity to abide in God’s love — the canopy of protection beyond the enemy’s reach.

The enemy bombards us with all manner of vain, unedifying thoughts and negativities, making it seem impossible to live out God’s truth. But beloved of God, He has delivered us from sin and from the power of sin. Sin no longer has dominion over us. God has embedded His grace in His Word to empower us to live righteously, represent Him faithfully here on earth, and return home to Him when our time here is complete.

My dear sisters and brothers, I do not know which aspect of your life you may still be struggling with but know this: God loves you deeply all the same. Yet He hates the sin that seeks to interrupt your communion with Him. He has already given you the power to say “No.” You carry His divine nature and His DNA to resist sin.

“For sin shall not have dominion over you…” — Romans 6:14

Never see yourself as powerless. You have the Holy Spirit — your Helper — living within you to strengthen and sustain you. Ask Him daily for help and grace.

Our Christian journey has no meaning without His power at work within us, and we know that God’s manifest presence makes His power available. Holiness grants us access into all that God is. The Bible says:

“Without holiness no man shall see the Lord.” — Hebrews 12:14

Often, we think holiness is merely about abstaining from fornication or adultery, but holiness is far deeper than that. Holiness is the very nature of God, and Jesus Christ is the perfect epitome of holiness.

The closest expression of holiness is the love of God. Hallelujah!

1 Corinthians 13 beautifully reveals the nature of God’s love. Love is about God and everything that is righteous and true. That is why the Bible says that if we dwell in love, we dwell in God. Scripture also teaches us that love is the bond of perfection and the fulfillment of the law.

In 1 John 4:17, the Scriptures declare:

“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.”

Amen! Wow!

Love perfected in us gives us boldness in the day of judgment. Did we truly just read, “boldness in the day of judgment?”Yes, we did!

Many of us once believed that only holiness qualified a man to see God. But now we understand that LOVE and HOLINESS are inseparable. Without love, we cannot truly obey God’s commandments, because it is love that compels obedience and births the deep desire to become like Him.

As we daily abide in His love, we are transformed from glory to glory into His likeness. We not only gain victory over sin here on earth, but we also carry the glorious hope of being forever separated from sin when our heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, comes for His spotless Bride.

Hallelujah!

I call this:

“ETERNITY ON COURSE, ETERNITY SECURED.”

Thanks be to the God of our salvation, who has revealed these truths to us because He desires to prepare us as His worthy and spotless Bride.

May we continually abide in His love and holiness with the blessed assurance that when He appears, we shall rejoice and not be ashamed before Him.

Grace Ozioma Onotu
Author of Perfect Love

The Health Care Crisis: How Should Christians Respond?

By Darryl Mayes

The murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was a terrible tragedy and should be roundly condemned by every decent-hearted person on this planet.

News reports indicate that the suspect in this murder, Maryland native Luigi Mangione, had some unresolved healthcare issues that precipitated his anger toward the health insurance industry and, subsequently, his decision to allegedly kill an innocent family man in cold blood.

I myself have had some issues with the health insurance industry lately. And though my experiences certainly pale in comparison to others who have undergone much weightier and life-threatening issues, they caused me to identify with Luigi and those like him who believe there are deep problems with the health insurance industry and healthcare in general in the United States.

I recently left a long-time job in which I was receiving health insurance partially paid for by my employer. The total amount of my monthly health insurance deduction was $150.00 per month for one single person. However, several days after my last day on the job, I received a COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) letter offering me the opportunity to continue my health care coverage by paying the full amount of that coverage. Now, it is not surprising to many people, including me, that COBRA coverage is expensive. I expected $500 per month, maybe $600 at the most. Without that COBRA coverage, I would no longer have insurance.

To continue my coverage, the insurance company wanted to charge me $1300 per month. And that was just for one person. So, I can imagine how much it would cost for family coverage. The fact that I would be charged an amount that probably 2/3 of Americans cannot afford to pay is appalling. Is this how much it costs to be able to see a doctor a few times per year?

That wasn’t the end of it. I also needed a prescription refill which, prior to my insurance ending, cost me $10.00 for a 90-day supply. After my insurance ended, that cost went up to $460.00. The high cost was a culture shock for me but certainly not for many Americans who have to pay double, triple, maybe even more than that cost for their medications. To this date, I have not been able to get my medications. I still have a 30-day supply left, so I have some time to figure it out.

Both of these experiences happened before the murder of Thompson. And when I heard why the murder may have been committed, I began to understand the accused’s anger. I can understand his pain (mentally, not physically). His frustration became real to me. I began to identify with him. I am not alone. Many other Americans, perhaps even someone who is reading this, began to identify with him.

What I cannot identify with is his method of addressing the situation. Although it has certainly ignited a conversation about healthcare, killing an innocent man, no matter how much he may have profited from his business, is not the solution.

Yet as I write this, some Americans, rather than wanting the suspect to be vilified, want him to be vindicated. There are crowdfunding campaigns to help him pay for his legal fees. There are fan pages being set up. And social media is abuzz with “the end justifies the means” declarations, lionizing the accused and even going so far as to thank him.

What has our country come to?

As a Christian, sometimes I struggle with how to respond when our world seems to go batty. I want to find and adhere to a redemptive solution while not becoming part of the problem. The problem is not only the willingness to commit murder out of anger and frustration and the willingness of third parties to justify that kind of action but also the issues that drive people to such desperate actions. It is true that we have a big problem with healthcare in this country. Other countries, such as Brazil, South Korea, Canada, and Australia, among others, have free universal healthcare regardless of income. Though the implementation may vary from country to country, the fact is that these countries do not have healthcare systems that are profit driven. When it comes to the health of their citizens, the bottom line is not, and should never be, a driving concern.

We should pray for the family and friends of Brian Thompson. We should call on the Lord to touch the hearts of those who feel driven to commit such acts, and for those who support them. And we should pray for Luigi Mangione. His pain is deeper than that in his back. His pain is soul-deep, and a true encounter with Jesus can restore his soul and his sanity. The response should be neither to vilify nor vindicate him, but to intercede and ask the Lord to help him find his God-given purpose in life, even if it has to happen behind prison walls.

But that isn’t all. Well-meaning Christians and churches should support those institutions that are striving to provide free and/or reduced-price healthcare, especially those institutions where not only physical health, but mental and spiritual health are a priority, not the profit and loss statement. These institutions welcome not only donations but volunteers.

We can also embrace and assist those in our communities who have healthcare issues. We can, according to our ability:

Help pay for medicines for someone in our community who is struggling to afford them.
Be proactive in seeking professional assistance for those who are suffering from mental health and are open to such assistance.
Engage your faith community to provide wrap-around support to those with health issues.
Spend time with them if the illness is not communicable. Sometimes the lack of human contact and interaction can exacerbate some illnesses.
Regular prayer and anointing from the leaders of the church (James 5:14)

Those who are inclined to respond politically should contact their elected representatives and implore them to support and strengthen those initiatives to provide free or low-cost universal health care for all citizens. Profit-minded insurance companies should not be the healthcare gatekeepers in America. This is not a socialist effort but a saintly effort. Those who care about their citizens will not stand by and watch people die because they cannot afford medicine, or their insurance company will not pay for an operation that could save their lives. This is just plain common decency that everyone who worships Jesus should get behind.

But of course, our response should not only be treatment, but prevention. There are many opportunities for Christians and churches to be proactive by preaching and teaching practical and spiritual ways to maintain healthy lifestyles, reducing the chances of needing immediate or urgent healthcare.

I’m sure there are many other things that could be added to this list. But while we are and should condemn this senseless killing, we as Christians could further serve the Lord by turning the disdain we may feel about the healthcare industry into action that could help save lives.

“’I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25:36-40).

Addressing Church Shootings: Weapons against Weapons

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21, (NIV).

I have been around evangelical Christians for most of my life. In this community, particularly for those who are marginalized and disenfranchised, God is often viewed as a protector, a champion for the saints in the midst of evil. Scriptures such as 2 Thessalonians 3:3 and Psalm 59:1 underscore that point. To many of us who know and serve God, there is an expectation that God will keep us safe and will not let evil fall nigh our doorsteps. While mass murder was being committed at nightclubs, schools, and concert venues, some pastors and churches likely thought themselves exempt. They figured that a shooting of that type happening in a church was unlikely.

Therefore, it is difficult to come to grips with what happened in Sutherland Springs, Texas. On November 5, 2017, an unspeakable act of violence struck the First Baptist Church of Sutherland. In what was billed as the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history and the worst mass shooting at a house of worship in modern American history, a man, wielding a semi-automatic rifle, walked into the First Baptist Church during morning worship and shot 46 people. Twenty-six, including 14 children, were killed. Twenty others were injured.

Just a little more than a month before, a deranged gunman shot and killed 58 people and left 546 injured at a concert in Las Vegas. This shooting eclipsed the death toll of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida. In this shooting, 48 people were killed on June 12, 2016.

When these types of things happen, it is a natural human inclination to want to make sense out of them. Why did they happen? What went wrong? What could we have done to prevent them?

The answers do not come easily, except to ascribe them as pure evil. But that does not make them any easier to come to grips with. The church shooting at Sutherland Springs left many people struggling to understand. This was reminiscent of June 17, 2015 in Charleston, South Carolina, when nine people were killed in a historically black church.

A recent article by Christianity Today indicates that these are not the only deadly incidents that have occurred in faith institutions in this country. However, these recent church shootings shatter the purported safety net that many of us expect from having faith in God.

So, with such a loss of life as with what happened in Sutherland Springs, it begs the question: does God really protect us? If you cannot be safe inside a church during a worship service, then where can you be safe? Why didn’t God keep his redeemed people from experiencing such a tragedy? And what could possibly be God’s purpose in all of this?

Unfortunately, church shootings feed into the rhetoric of faith naysayers who use them as proof that God does not exist; or, if he exists, that he does not care much about us. Unfortunately, without quick intervention and support, some will fall away from the faith. They will believe that there is no point in worshipping God when you can be shot right in the middle of a worship service just before hearing the word of God.

Any intelligent, thinking Christian will struggle with how to interpret and process these church shootings and other mass shootings. It calls for more than simplistically saying “it’s the devil” and dismissing it from our minds. We do not have the luxury of dismissing the other non-church related events as something that happens in the world outside the church. The church has been stained by these events as well.

As I have thought and prayed about this, I cannot dismiss nor escape the reality. Faithful, God-fearing, innocent people have died at the hands of evil people. It has happened before Sutherland Springs and Charleston. We pray that it does not happen again. But we know that we live in a world in which the saints of God are not exempt from the same types of tragedies that can befall the rest of the world. Do we sit back passively and wait for them to come? Or do we, knowing that we are subject to church shootings, do everything we can to minimize or prevent encroaching danger?

Certainly, we can better secure our churches, and even go as far as to hire armed guards to patrol our worship services. Some churches have already taken that approach. Whether or not that approach is effective or even Scriptural is a subject for another article. But I believe there is another way that the saints of God can address mass church shootings.

The fact is that we live in a world replete with sin. Sin affects not only the person who commits it, but also others. Unfortunately, even innocent people are affected negatively by the sin of others. The mass shootings, whether in churches or elsewhere, are the result of the sin that has run rampant in this country. It is not more complicated than that. Gun control legislation, while important, will not solve the problem. Mental health treatment, while necessary, will not solve the problem. Having armed guards in our churches, while giving us a sense of security and safety, will not resolve the issue. Until we recognize the root of the problem, sin in the hearts of mankind, we will never gain any headway with reducing or stopping these tragedies.

We ask why God didn’t stop these things from happening without realizing that God has already given us the provisions and the authority to do so. God has given us the resources we need to address this issue, and the solutions are not political nor carnal. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 (KJV) reminds us that, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds).”

If the saints of God are in any way disgusted, concerned, and angry about the mass shootings that have occurred, we should be prompted to more than surface level responses that do not address the root issue of sin. We should recognize that in the hearts of men such as Devin Patrick Kelley, Stephen Paddock, Omar Mateen, Dylan Roof, and all the other perpetrators of mass murder, lies deep-rooted sin that likely remained unaddressed or inadequately addressed before they committed their crimes. Mark 7:21-22 tells us that it is from the heart that evil intentions come. And that can only be dealt with through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Mind you, I am not speaking of religion, but a relationship. Not a creed, but a culture driven by love for the Lord and obedience to the word of God. Our response should not be to question God’s commitment to us or effectively nullify the Scriptures which relate to God’s protection. We should have a renewed commitment to using the weapons God has given us to deal with the sin problem, not only in others but also in ourselves. Before we start a blame game with God, we should check ourselves with the following questions:

1) Do we wage intercessory prayer on behalf of the saints of God and for the country at large?

2) Are we actively involved with sharing the truth of Jesus Christ to those around us who do not know Christ?

3) Are we engaging and embracing in love those around us who are hurting or suffering?

4) Are we arming ourselves with Scripture so that we have an answer for all those who inquire about our hope, or for those who seek to understand God?

5) Are we inviting God’s presence into our lives daily through praise, worship, prayer, and meditation? Are we being bathed daily by the Holy Spirit, repenting of our own sin?

6) Are we educating and informing ourselves about what happened at Sutherland Springs and at Charleston? Are we ensuring that we understand the issues that cause church shootings (whether they be mental illness, domestic violence, someone with a grudge, etc)? Do we know how to address these issues before they turn tragic?

Even the above is not guaranteed to prevent evil acts from affecting us or others. Ultimately, it is up to the perpetrators to make the decision to draw near to God. But when it happens, we can take comfort in Romans 8:35 (ESV), which reads, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?” We can stand firm knowing that whatever befalls us, God has not left us or abandoned us. He is still there, looking after us.

The saints at First Baptist Church in Sutherland are smiling in the face of God, forever resting in His presence. Evil may have taken their bodies, but their souls live on eternally. In this sense, God did protect them from the evil one’s ultimate goal, which is to separate them from God. And separation from God is the evil one’s goal for us, by making a mockery of his word and to cause us to doubt God and cast Him by the wayside.

My experience with God is that He is not only reactive. He is proactive and omniscient. He knows everything that can happen and has provided us with the tools and resources to counteract it. Saints of God, through the Holy Spirit, have the power to, as 1 John 5:4 asserts, “…overcome the world.” God has placed in us, His beloved saints, a mandate to make a difference in the world. We do this through prayer and action. Anyone can pass a law or start a mental health clinic. The people of God are uniquely positioned, through Christ, to address the sin problem. Sin is the foundation of mass murder, church shootings, terrorism, domestic violence, and all other ills that affect this country. The true terrorism in this country is sin, and we should use every weapon which God has given us to war against it.

I believe the Sutherland and Charleston church shootings should be a wake-up call to Christians everywhere. We shouldn’t be relishing in a state of confusion and indifference about why God didn’t save those people. Instead, we should be asking ourselves, “Why didn’t we?”

Louis N Jones

Getting beyond “church as usual”

Many Protestant churches in D.C. follow the same mode: gather on Sundays for clergy-led worship, stay about two to three hours, and then go home. For most of the worshipers, church is finished for the week. Their religious obligation is complete. Back to their regular lives.

Rinse. Repeat.

However, I know of at least two congregations in the D.C. area that have taken enormous leaps and bounds away from the traditional, institutional church model (I may, with their permission, profile one of these congregations in a future blog). To the casual observer, these churches may appear to be strange, even heretical. In fact, they are far from heretical (although I admit they are strange, in the sense that they are unusual expressions of the church in the D.C. area), and are wholly committed to preaching the gospel of Jesus and affecting lives in the city.

These congregations gather for worship as a corporate body on Sundays, usually late in the afternoon. They own no building, and are likely not interested in owning one. They meet in rented school buildings or office buildings. Their services are usually short, between an hour and two. In addition, unlike many congregations in D.C., one would be hard-pressed to find anyone wearing a suit or a fancy church hat (a casual shirt and jeans are more commonplace).

What is most striking is that, for them, church does not end there. In fact, it is just the beginning. An essential part of their worship is community groups that gather weekly in various homes around the D.C. area. These gatherings are the continuation of worship that occurs on Sundays. In these meetings, they pray, they praise God, they sing, they eat, they study the Bible, they might even play a game or discuss an impactful movie or TV show. But they do not exist just to have meetings. Each group has a mission, unique depending on the neighborhood, to impact the community and the culture through the gospel. These meetings are the personification of fellowship and community, and closely mirror the model of church presented in the Acts of the Apostles.

No doubt, these congregations have broken from tradition and are hewing more closely to the New Testament model of church. And just what is that model? Pastor J. Todd Kingrea, in his new book, “Carrying on the Mission of Jesus: Rediscovering the mission, identity and purpose of the church,” takes the reader through a series of devotionals that cover the entire book of Acts. His premise is that the modern day church has been largely operating on the wrong model for 1,800 years and that God is calling the church back to the model and purpose of the New Testament church.

“I decided to write this book because I have seen too many churches merely existing for their own sake,” says Kingrea, an elder in the United Methodist Church. “They have lost their identity. The only mission they seem to have is institutional maintenance and the status quo. Churches are rapidly dying because they are not fulfilling their biblical mandate. I want to cause people to stop and think–seriously–about their own church when compared to what we see in Acts.”

Certainly Kingrea’s book is not the first-and likely not the last-book to challenge the modern-day church to excellence. But Kingrea has a unique message to share with readers in the United Methodist Church. “They have lost their identity. The only mission they seem to have is institutional maintenance and the status quo. Churches are rapidly dying because they are not fulfilling their biblical mandate. I want to cause people to stop and think–seriously–about their own church when compared to what we see in Acts.”

Cover of Carrying on the Mission of Jesus: Rediscovering the mission, identity and purpose of the church — Carrying on the Mission of Jesus, available on Amazon.com and B&N.

“I hope my readers will be challenged to evaluate their own church life and practice,” he says. “I would like to see more churches begin moving away from a social or cultural expression of Christianity, and reclaim the essence and biblical principles of the church in Acts. It’s time today’s church stopped being little more than a social gather with some religion sprinkled on top of it.”

The book and its message have been getting rave reviews from congregations Kingrea is connected to, as well as glowing reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, including one who proclaims the book as “one of the best Christian books I have read.” Although Kingrea has no direct connection with the churches mentioned above, his book is proof positive that God is calling churches to think deeply about their operations. It is poised to start a movement of churches who reject tradition and return to doing “church” the way God intended. As Kingrea points out in his book, he prays, “this book will enhance your spiritual growth, and that God will begin a revitalization movement within your church…that you may transform the world outside your doors, and bring glory to God the Father!”

Purchase Carrying on the Mission of Jesus

Tragedies in America – Understanding God when we don’t understand

Once again, tragedy has struck America.

On May 20, a category EF5 tornado ripped through Moore, Oklahoma, a town with a population of just over 55,000 people. The tornado killed at least 24 people, including 10 children, and injured more than 353 others. This happen just over a month after the bombings of the Boston marathon, and a little more than five months after the mass shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

As a Christian, I struggle with these tragedies. Like many others around the country, I watched with dismay the news coverage of these events. I witnessed the indescribable grief suffered by the families of those killed, and I prayed for them. But I also struggled to understand.

With the Boston Marathon bombings and the Sandy Hook shootings, there were people to blame. Human beings were directly responsible. Hatred, pity, disgust, and in some cases, prayers could be directed to them. We could reconcile these tragedies by attributing them to “crazy people.” We could, if we chose to do so, redirect our anger to the creation of more effective gun laws, or more accessible mental health treatment, or better security at schools and public events.

But who do we blame for a tornado tragedy? What legislation will satiate the effects of a natural disaster?

Many will blame God. Even I, as a devout, experienced Christian, found myself struggling to understand why God would allow the taking of so many lives, especially ten innocent children or, in the case of Sandy Hook, twenty innocent children. What justice or goodness could be achieved by allowing such disasters?

These questions represent a crossroads for many of us. At this point, some Christian believers, unable to reconcile their belief in a good and loving God with such horrible events, will move down the path toward agnosticism and atheism. If they continue to “believe” in Jesus, there is an overarching hostility toward Him, and a blatant refusal to acknowledge Him in devotion and worship. This is the point where our faith in God can be strenuously tested.

As I write this, I do not know why God allowed such events to happen. Maybe it is not for me to know. Mankind often has such an insatiable quest of knowledge that it discomforts us to realize that we cannot and do not know everything. Only God is omniscient. And my faith in Him demands that though I may not know or understand everything that God does, I still have to trust Him and believe that He has our best interest at heart. God has a purpose and a plan for us. Sometimes that is hard to swallow in the wake of such terrible events. We want to know. We want to understand. We want to make sense out of something that is senseless. But Romans 11:33 reminds us, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” In the spiritual realm is wisdom and purpose far beyond our limited and finite understanding.

I pray for the families of the victims of the tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, and for the families of all the tragedies that have occurred in this country over the past year. I don’t know the purpose behind which they grieve. Some will say that God is trying to get America’s attention. Others will say that it is the sign of the last days. But whatever it is, my faith is still undeterred. God is still in control. He is still a good and loving God. Even when it seems like He isn’t.

Louis N. Jones, Author and Publisher
Dove Christian Publishers
www.dovechristianpublishers.com