Enter the construction zone... The church building program. The church is PEOPLE. People building people. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. Let’s build up other people around us. If there’s something wrong with the church then be a “Bob the builder” – can we fix it? Can we build it? – Yes, we can! It’s up to you to build up the others around about you. If we, the church, need building up, we need to build it up together. One of the essential tools for building the church is love… BUILDING WITH LOVE 1 Corinthians 8:1 …Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. GOD places an emphasis on Love. Love is the cement that glues us together and strengthens us. Love is the hallmark of a Christian. Love shows God’s working in us. Love edifies... • Love builds others up. • Love is seen in action. • Love is evident. Give of your time. Build relationships in the church. This is not a pretended love, a sham… But real. 1 Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently. Another essential tool for building the church is Grace… BUILDING WITH GRACE. Acts 20:32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. As saved people we have the Word of God’s Grace. The saving news of the Gospel. God’s precious kindness and mercy - extended towards us in Christ. Will we be a church that is filled with grace? • That preaches grace • That lives grace • That talks grace • That walks grace His glorious grace accepts the weak and sinful. Will we be a church of God’s great grace? (Acts 4:33) Give grace to people. Like God does. Grace transforms us so much that we learn to speak a new language. Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Keep sweet. Keep praising. Keep that gentle spirit. Speak Grace. Are our words gracious words? Let all things be done unto edifying. Another essential tool for building is: Encouragement. BUILDING WITH ENCOURAGEMENT. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. The word comfort here has the meaning of encourage. Edifying and encouraging are mentioned together. Encouragement counteracts discouragement. The devil is a discourager. There was a time David was discouraged. 1 Samuel 30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the peop ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6JNGnhpD4E

Biblical principles for mental health - how to find peace of mind. Our mind processes our emotions and thoughts. It has awesome potential for reason and memory, learning, knowledge, and volition. Sadly, in this information age, there's a lack of wisdom and discernment. We can make unwise choices and our mind can be deceived. That's why we need a good kind of “mind control”. The lost have blinded minds - 2 Cor 4:4 - unbelief is a blindness. The devil would so blind people in their minds that the truth can't enter their thinking. The Bible tells of a warfare in our minds - a battle between truth and error. 2 Cor 10:4-5 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Obey the Lord, and pull down those things that block God, those imaginations. We all have this battle raging between our ears. It's our thought life. It's what we believe, our doubts and fears. Our hopes, affections and desires. Captivate those thoughts. We’re meant to have the Lordship of Christ over our lives, and that includes our minds. There’s much deception and error and we have to take deliberate steps to tear down such strongholds. Those faulty thinking patterns are the devil's lies. We are called to capture our thoughts, and seek to have the mind of Christ. Let us love the Lord our God, with all of our heart, soul, and mind. God doesn't exclude your mind. Christianity does not say stop thinking and reasoning. It's an intelligent belief. It makes sense. The Bible tells of our affections - set them heavenwards. Colossians 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. What takes our focus, and motivates our decision making? We can get so preoccupied that we forget Heaven and spiritual truth. Our Lord tells us, set our affection on things above - make decisions for life that bring glory to God. Let's care about what matters eternally. Let's determine to set our affection on God's truth. Set your focus there. As we renew our minds we may best discern the will of God. Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. It's life-giving. We can know the freshness of being made truly alive from the inside out. We can renew our minds, our devotion, through prayer, and feeding on God's Word. We can find out what God wants for us to do. What is God's will for my life? We can discern between truth and error – and know right from wrong. Our best decision is to submit to the will of God. His Word is our authority for living. Our life is shaped by our thoughts. Keep thy heart, guard it - with all diligence. Let us set a guard over our mind. Mr Conscience is a security guard who patrols the corridors of our mind. Here's a good kind of mind control. Be on guard against negative influences - be alert to, and filter out ungodly worldviews. Let’s seek to follow our Lord - that He will guide our hearts and our minds. May we consciously commit our ways unto God, and in all our ways acknowledge Him. Be not wise in thy own eyes. Fear the Lord and depart from evil. Make godly choices. There's health and wholeness here. It’s a good kind of mind control. God's spirit is a spirit of love, of power, and a spirit of a sound mind; a healthy mind. We can be healthy upstairs - we can have sound mental health. The Bible talks about a sound mind. God will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee. We can know an assured peace - a certain peace. Repentance is literally a change of mind. It effects a heart change, a worldview change, a Lord change, a direction change. God moves us from pride to humility, from rebellion to grace. This mind shift, this belief change, is faith. The blindness goes, and the light goes on. We can either be carnally minded - minded after this world and its fleshly, godless ways - or we can be spiritually minded. The Bible tells us about this mind focus. The carnal mind caters to the appetites and impulses of our carnal nature - it cannot please God. God wants us to be spiritually minded, which is life and peace. A rewiring that happens on the inside of us. His ways are higher than our ways, his thoughts are higher than our thoughts. “What would Jesus think?” He is the source of peace. The peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Go to God In prayer. Let your thinking be transformed. Think on these things (Philippians 4:6-8). May we love God with our whole, including with our heart, our soul, our mind. When the God of Peace is in control of our mind the peace of God takes over control. You can know the very Prince of Peace presiding over your life. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZvlsJ3cXz8