Series Details
God designed His church to be a reliable refuge . . . a steadfast pocket of resilience and charm . . . a welcoming place where people can rebuild broken relationships, share their grief, discover godly wisdom, and weather life’s fiercest storms.
Do you long to be a part of such a place?
God’s Word holds the key to believers’ becoming the light He intends us to be as we journey through life together!
In this two-message set, Chuck Swindoll looks to Scripture to help you diagnose problems and cultivate the essentials of worship, fellowship, and time in the Word. First, drawing warnings from Ezekiel, Chuck alerts us to the dangers of spiritual decay. Then he takes us to 1 Corinthians to discover the vital characteristics of a thriving church.
And the most important characteristic? “Do everything with love” (1 Corinthians 16:14).
The church was designed by God to be a reliable refuge—a place of resilience, charm, and wisdom where broken people can find healing and community. In this two-part series, Pastor Chuck Swindoll explores how to move away from spiritual decay toward a thriving, vibrant ministry. By diagnosing the signs of a “dying” ministry and highlighting the essentials of a “dynamic” one, this series provides a roadmap for any believer or church leader who longs for their spiritual community to be the light God intended.
1. Discouraging Signs of a Dying Ministry (Ezekiel 8)
- Overview: Drawing sobering warnings from the book of Ezekiel, Chuck identifies the internal symptoms of spiritual rot. Just as the temple in Ezekiel’s day became corrupted by secret idolatry and spiritual apathy, modern ministries can lose their life when they prioritize image over integrity.
- Key Fact: A dying ministry often looks successful on the outside, but is defined by a lack of genuine worship and the presence of “hidden” idols in the hearts of its people.
- Scripture: Ezekiel 8:12 – “Then He said to me, ‘Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are practicing in the dark, each man in his room of carved images?'”
2. Encouraging Essentials for a Dynamic Ministry (1 Corinthians 16)
- Overview: Shifts from warning to inspiration, using Paul’s closing instructions to the Corinthians to define a healthy church. A dynamic ministry is characterized by alertness, strength, and above all, a commitment to love.
- Key Fact: The “secret sauce” of a thriving ministry is not a better program or a bigger building, but the quality of love that permeates every action.
- Scripture: 1 Corinthians 16:13–14 – “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”
