…and is the essence of God, for His expression to us is love. Signs and miracles were meant to authenticate the authority and message of Christ and His Apostles at that time. Coming out of Pentecost, I believe people are misusing the gifts and that is why they are so emotional in their presentation of their gospel.

There is a movement that believes that the original authority of the Apostles has come back to the Church. I have not seen anyone who exercises that authority. If we love God and love people and are genuine about our faith, then yes, love covers all. We come to Christ because we love Him and want to follow Him. We desire to love Him for who He is not because we want healing or want to prosper.

Christianity is not living our best life now as some say. We are baptised into His death and resurrection, taking up our cross and following after Him. In doing so we count everything else as rubbish as Paul mentions. Essentially then, as we mature we discover who we are in Christ and do our part to honour Him and to know Him intimately and to express that amongst ourselves. I certainly have found people who use their gifting to exhibit immaturity, selfishness and pride. However can you blame them in amongst the culture that has been set in a big part of the modern church. Many masquerade as healers or prophets or apostles but should know better.

Can God heal? Absolutely! Can God do miracles? Absolutely! However, in my experience many of these people are frauds and should know it, as their prophecies do not come true and people are not being healed. Now some say the perfect has come with the canon of scripture or with the reign of Christ. However you interpret it, it is love that outweighs everything else as without it there is nothing.

Do we exhibit this at Border Church? Absolutely! We live in a family environment that cares for one another. We mature and share life together and all are given the opportunity to thrive and to be equipped for the purposes of Christ in each of our lives. We share the load and are healthier so we do not burn out. We are not weird and we present the Bible, reflecting the Father and teach the full Gospel message. Personally I have not found a church like ours and am so grateful that I came across it. We do not need a big wig or a stage or entertainment. We simply preach Christ and Him Crucified.

This is a Church that I feel comfortable inviting people to. This is a church that exemplifies the love of Christ with a sound theology. Church is a pleasure to go to and something I always look forward to.

© 2023 James Black