The primary relationship must be with the Lord. It must be in Jesus who has a steadfast love for you. Jesus who by the gospel proved His love for you. Jesus watches over you and keeps you. Jesus loves you perfectly. It is from a relationship with Jesus that you then can love others in their imperfections and sin. 

Gospel ministry focuses on relationships. In ministry, we proclaim the truth of Christ’s gospel that restores our vertical relationship with God and transforms how we live with others in the church and the world. You must have more than a head knowledge of the gospel. The gospel should transform your life from the inside out. The gospel causes you to love God and love man.

The Lord is faithful in upholding His end of our relationship. He has a steadfast love for His People. He is always working for their good. He never slumbers and His eye never blinks in His watching over them. We may stray away due to sin and weakness, but He always brings us back. The Lord is good and can be trusted not to fail us.

We expect people in the world to fail us. They are slaves to sin and self-focused. However, one of the greatest pains we experience is when Christians fail us. This can happen at many levels. Unthinking remarks that are sharp and cut, being left out of the group or having an exchange with someone having a bad day. We face these things every day even with Christians. Most of the time we can let these roll off in love. Yet there are other times when those in the church hurt us deeply.

Many know the pain of pouring into fellow believers in our church, only to have them leave over something petty. What you thought to be a strong relationship was broken in an instant. These actions sting us.  When leaders fail it is even worse. Here are the men who are called to lead the church. Yet they choose their sin over the gospel and they abandon the church and their vows.

There is a great dilemma in loving as a Christian. You are called to love the church and to love others as yourself.

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