Don't Lose Your Balance

“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer”

Acts 2:42


It’s been well said that a healthy church is a balanced church. When the church was born we find four key components that distinguished the New Testament church from a religious church, you know the kind of church where the people gathered there are just going through the motions of what they believe is their spiritual duty for the week, their obligation. The New Testament church is a body of believers, alive and sharing life with God and one another. About as far as you can get from communism, the New Testament church is about “Commonism” sharing life and preferring each other in love, meeting each others needs as they arise. A healthy church is a balanced church, one where the gifts of the Holy Spirit are both taught and exercised.

You can easily identify a healthy church because it’s balanced in its approach to church. Church is evidenced by the peoples desire to learn the word of God, to gather together with other believers to stir up love and good works, and to break bread together which is two fold. Breaking bread is both sharing a meal and partaking in the Lords Supper together, remembering each time we do are to recall the sacrifice Jesus made for us. And lastly, prayer. A healthy church is a praying church. People who pray together stick together. So, if you want to be a healthy follower of Jesus find a church that helps you maintain your balance. And better still, commit yourself to living a balanced life that brings life to others.  

I like what one of my favorite pastors shared about why it’s so important to maintain balance in the church when it comes to the word of God and supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. Pastor Jon Courson said this, “All word and no spirit, we dry up; all Spirit and no Word, we blow up; both Word and Spirit, we grow up.” I love how the apostle Paul explains it in the book of Ephesians where he writes to explain why spiritual gifts are critical to the health and wealth and balance of a healthy church. Paul writes in Ephesians chapter 4, “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love”

So there you have it. A balanced church is made up of people whose lives are balanced by being in the word and in fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayer. The more we commit ourselves to being the church the more impactful our lives will become for Christ. As we seek the Lord, its Jesus who makes us fit together perfectly and as every member begins to walk in their gift committed to helping each other grow which also means other people are helping us grow too. The end result of a balanced church is the whole body of believers becomes healthy, and not just a select few. Everyone is growing and is full of love. I know you are like me in this, thats the kind of church we all want to be part of and the good news is we can! Don’t let your fears or your doubts or your prejudices keep you from what Jesus has for you. Join me today and pray with me this dangerous prayer, “All of you for all of me Jesus. I want my life to overflow with you. Have your way in me, amen!”

“All word and no spirit, we dry up; all Spirit and no Word, we blow up; both Word and Spirit, we grow up.”

Pastor Jon Courson


I LOVE YOU!