Westside Family Church Blogs

Children have a special role to play in the church. They may be the ones running around the halls of the church while everyone is quiet, yet they fill the place with much joy. Jesus loves children; He had them come to Him, and even commanded His disciples not to prevent them from being near Him. Image source:   blog.memorycross.com  Kids never have the problem of believing that Jesus is their Lord and Savior. Christians who have accepted Jesus before they turn 18 stay in the church, and are more likely to stay. The stories parents and teachers tell kids about Jesus impact their lives, and they carry these with them, telling everyone they meet about how good Jesus is. It is harder for older children to accept Jesus. It must be the goal of every church that they win over children for Jesus.  When a person learns about something, he shares it with others. Kids are like this, too, only more enthusiastic. When they learn about Bible stories and Bible v...

When Jesus lived among mankind more than two thousand years ago, He went beyond social boundaries to minister to as many people as possible. In Mark 2, Jesus, along with His disciples, went to the house of a tax collector named Levi to dine with him. There were also a lot of people present, including many other tax men and sinners, causing religious leaders who saw what had happened to question Jesus’s decision to eat in the company of these men. Jesus’s answer was, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Image source : freebibleimages.org What Jesus did was to show that God’s kingdom belongs to everyone, including the outcasts, the hopeless, the marginalized, and the like. Present-day churches should imitate what Christ did by bringing people to Him, whether they are inside or outside the four walls of the church. Everyone should be welcome to the church, regardless of race, wealth, age, p...

Regrets and what-ifs can leave us staring at walls, obsessed with a past that can’t be changed, a mistake that wracks us with guilt. But how do these what-ifs affect the God-fearing person? And what can we do as Christians to deal with these thoughts?  Image source: wordpress.com Different philosophical thoughts suggest dealing with what-ifs by risking, taking chances, and living in the moment. But the Christian perspective is to practice focus and restraint. Indulging in each and every option presented to us does not mean we are confronting problems head on, as some of them are mere temptations. As Christians, we must take responsibility for our actions and learn to say no because our faith is strong.  And if a regret haunts us because it was indeed a mistake, we have to remember that everyone makes them, and our God is a forgiving one. We have to learn to forgive ourselves if we are to truly move on. Also, there are times when outcomes we blame oursel...

Joining a ministry should be a person’s loving response to God. Contrary to popular belief, a ministry is not always confined to serving inside the church. There are many types of ministries and in the course of his life a believer will find a place where his services, talents, skills, and resources will be valuable. Here are some of the reasons a believer should join a ministry:  Image source: lhim.org It is a manifestation of faith “Faith without deeds is dead.” Believing in Jesus is not the end of a person’s purpose on earth. It is the beginning. To live out that purpose and show the value of his faith, it is only fitting for a believer to give his life in service of God and the church. Joining a ministry is one of the platforms where one can profess faith. In reality, being in the ministry is not always easy but being in one will stretch a person’s trust and belief in God along with fellow servants.  It allows a person to grow in the knowledge of ...

Most people’s understanding of love is often skewed by the lovey-dovey feelings so commonly represented in fairy tales and rom-coms. It all sounds rather saccharine and plays into why many people are left disappointed by it. Falling in love is easy, as attested by dozens upon dozens of crushes and past relationships.  Image source: dailymail.co.uk In truth, the physical emotions felt whenever one is in love, that euphoria the person feels whenever they see “the one” is entirely superficial, a chemical reaction in the brain. To go beyond that physical aspect of love and understand it for what truly is, people need to see love as God sees it.  It should go without saying, but the point bears repeating: love isn’t all about you. In any loving relationship, there should be a lot of giving.  Love, as described in the Scripture, often refers to living for others and putting their needs and well-being of someone else above one’s own. It is not selfish. This do...

In every Gospel (i.e. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), Jesus’s commandment to “follow Me” recurs. This commission was, in most cases, handed out to the Twelve Disciples of Christ. But this commandment is also given to those who consider Him their Lord and Savior. However, what does it really mean to follow Jesus Christ? Image source: beliefnet.com John 8:31 says, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.” Thus, to follow Jesus, to be known as His disciple, one must learn to hear and obey everything that God – through the Scriptures – is telling him to do. How can one hear and obey without knowing first His Word? God speaks to individuals relationally and intentionally, thus, it is important to spend time with the Lord regularly in prayer and read the Bible to know Him more intimately and to seek His will. One can also study the Word of God more by attending fellowships where sermons, preaching, and teachings, are handed out. Image source: re...