Author Archives: Tree of Life Church

The Christians that win are the Christians who focus on the invisible. The Christians who focus on the visible are those who fail and lose. The Christian who focuses on the invisible has a different world, different peace, different ministry from the Christian who focuses on the visible. This is so important. This is theContinue reading “Principles of Local Church 14 Focus on the Invisible”

One of the nine Tree of Life Churches that I have planted in the UK in the last decade once had what I wrongly called a church split. We had raised the church up to about forty people, and it was thriving. We saw cancers disappear, broken bones healed in the middle of the service,Continue reading “A Church Split? Or Maybe Not.”

When God called Moses into his ministry, Moses did not respond “Great choice God. Good move choosing me. I am not really sure how you managed without me the past few years…” No. He said… Who am I to do this. He wasn’t cocky or arrogant, he was humble. One of my leaders said toContinue reading “Principles of Local Church 13: Be a Bit Less Cocky”

Several times in my life I have had someone in our church that is awesome, kind, servant-hearted, always looking out for others, reliable, faithful. Then when because of those attributes I promote them to a position of leadership, they stop loving. They become bossy, they become territorial, they keep asking for their ministry to beContinue reading “Principles of Local Church 12 Love When You Are Winning”

I don’t want to speak negative ever, but life can be seasonal. Sometimes you are in a great season of growth and peace and abundance, and sadly in that place you are vulnerable to be deceived. You are vulnerable to what John Wesley called the temptations of success. Jesus called it the deceitfulness of riches.Continue reading “Principles of Local Church 11 Handling the Skinny Cows”

Israel loved Joseph more than all his children (Genesis 37.3). There is a real culture in most workplaces that no one wants to be the boss’s favourite, no one wants to be the office creep. But if an organization is functioning properly, being the favourite means you are treating the most important people as theContinue reading “Principles of Local Church 10: Be the Best”

Sometimes it is hard to use your gift. That is a fact of life, a fact of ministry, and definitely a fact of local church. Joseph was in jail, falsely accused of rape, when he only did the right thing. That’s a tough environment. Sometimes we go to church and we feel accused, we feelContinue reading “Principles for Local Church 09 Serve Even When it is Tough”

Joseph was working for Potiphar when Potiphar’s wife started making advances on him. He wisely refused her advances, saying that to accept her offer would be to “sin against God” (Genesis 39.9). You cannot live in this world long without encountering the fact that our world is very sexually immoral. It is filled with lustContinue reading “Principles for Local Church 08 Avoid Sexual Immorality”

Joseph was a big dreamer, and he told his dream to his brothers and rather than rejoice in his dream, they hated him yet the more (Genesis 37.5). I have found that if you really want to achieve your dreams, if you really want to walk in victor, if you really want to win inContinue reading “Principles for Local Church 07 Learn to Handle Being Hated”

Being in a local church is absolutely awesome. Besides salvation, the baptism of the Holy Spirit and your spouse, local church is the best gift Jesus has given you. You should not be a church-hopper. But sometimes there is a season to shift lanes in a local church. You might have been a deacon forContinue reading “Principles for Local Church 06 Know When to Shift Lanes”