Every church has an aroma about it. So, what your church’s: Is it a lingering scent of bitterness or indifference—or the aroma of love? In Romans 12:10, Paul gives us a blueprint on how to cultivate the latter, “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love.” This reveals that the church is not to function like a social club or a business meeting, but like a family where there’s genuine laughter, forgiveness, warmth, and even tears. Such a culture can’t be achieved through clever programs or simply “being busy,” but through showing quiet genuineness and personal love toward each another. So rather than lose affection for, and keep our distance from, those in our congregation, let’s be a church that’s “kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love” (Rom. 12:10).

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/684fb3af544d5fe98a8cdd8b

In a world that celebrates what God hates, how do Christians live a life that pleases God? Romans 12:9 gives a clear roadmap on how to answer this question: “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” These three commands tell us is that love is not blind; biblical love hates evil—it clings like glue to what is good. So, are there things in your life that God hates: music, movies, and conversations with corrupt people? If there are, then throw them out and cling to the truth. Don’t just tweak your playlists—transform your affections that create your playlist. Don’t just filter your entertainment—but feed your soul. Glue your life to the word of God, the people of God, and the holiness of God. In this way you’ll learn what true love is.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/684678fb8bcefa77a87b9bd8

In Romans 12:9, Paul gives this pivotal statement: “Let love be without hypocrisy.” This is a call for our love to be genuine. Hypocrisy, by contrast, is saying nice things when we don’t mean it, or doing good deeds just to get something in return. This sin problem extends to all our relationships, even within the church. So how do we know if our love is hypocritical? 1 John 3:20 gives us a simple guide, “For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and knows all things.” So we need not need despair: if we’re truly redeemed, God, through his Spirit and His Word, will cut through the confusion and show us our hypocrisy, so that we can genuinely love others as Christ loves us (John 13:34).

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/683d3eb8466c06ff70c715d4

The church is not a spectator sport. It is intentionally personal and requires every member to use their spiritual gifts to build each other up. The secret to this life together is our personal union with Christ. Close intimacy with Him is what leads to a thriving, loving, and relational church. This underground spring gives us inner strength and wisdom which flows forth and blesses others. So put your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, first, so that your hands will be productive as you minister to the body with love.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/682ac9b3c4eab1dd78874d6a

What should your attitude be about the local church? It should be to humbly acknowledge that you’re just one part of the body of Christ, and that you’re dependent on the other parts to function well. Consider the fact that there are 200 different types of cells in the human body—and all need each other, working together, for the body to thrive. So it is with the church. Even the weakest member is necessary. So rather than approach local church life causally, we should bring passion, purpose, and urgency to exercise our gifts to benefit the whole church body, remembering that we’re many members, but one body in Christ (Rom. 12:3-5).

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/6824321f981d11c30de4c400

A superior culture in a local church starts with humility. When members have a lowliness of mind—rather than thinking more highly of themselves then they ought (Rom. 12:3)—church body life is transformed, which builds up the oldest to the youngest. It was this virtue that ended the Māori tribe’s Utu culture of revenge, spreading literacy and transforming social structures in New Zealand—all through a wave of humility that recognized that it’s the grace of God that makes us who we are.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/681854abf78c68570332d30e

Throughout Scripture, God tells His people to sing, and as we raise our children, we’re to teach them to joyfully obey this command. Here are (8) tips to aid you in this effort. First, sing from the little ones all the way to the older ones. Second, don’t let your children mumble their way through the songs. Third, teach them to open their mouths to project their voices. Fourth, show them proper posture. Fifth, remind them to sing when they forget. Sixth, when your children are too young to know all a songs’ words, have them hum the tune. Seventh, sing the same songs at home, in the car. Eighth, make it fun. Ninth, sing on the way to church, so as you come with your children to the meeting, they’ll be ready to present their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God (Rom. 12:1).

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/67ce80846f987cfc0eba618f

David wrote more than 70 divinely-inspired psalms that directly spoke to the highs and lows he experienced as a man. This points to a vital truth—that God, in His kindness, has given us songs for every aspect of our life journey. Here are key singing lessons to draw from this truth. First, sing with your whole heart (Zeph. 3:14). Second, sing to be changed. Third, sing to do battle (Num. 21; Ps. 59; 104). Fourth, sing in every season of life. Fifth, sing to impact people around you (Ps. 95). Sixth, sing the Psalms. Seventh, sing songs of lamentation. And, eighth, sing manly songs as men. In all this, present your bodies as a living sacrifice as you sing praise to God (Rom. 12:1; Ps. 100:2).

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/67ce80846f987cfc0eba618f