Lucas Murillo

“It is rather revealing that we feel the need to offer special programs (and hire special staff) for single adult ministry in our churches. We struggle somehow to fit single adults into a kingdom plan that we have designed primarily for married folks. Perhaps the problem is with how we have framed the plan. Paul's concern in 1 Corinthians 7 was not to ask how singleness fits into God's kingdom plan. Paul was addressing the issue of how marriage fits into His kingdom plan. Single people are already with the program. They are "concerned about the things of the Lord" (v. 32). Married people are the ones who need help sorting out their priorities.”
― Joseph H. Hellerman, When the Church Was a Family: Recapturing Jesus' Vision for Authentic Christian Community

“Neither Paul nor Jesus can be cited in support of a life-priority list that generates a false dichotomy between commitment to God and commitment to His group in order to stick natural family relations somewhere in between: (1st) God — (2nd) Family — (3rd) Church — (4th) Others For both Jesus and Paul, commitment to God was commitment to God's group. Such an outlook generates a rather different list of priorities, one that more accurately reflects the strong-group perspective of the early Christians: (1st) God's Family — (2nd) My Family — (3rd) Others”
― Joseph H. Hellerman, When the Church Was a Family: Recapturing Jesus' Vision for Authentic Christian Community

“As a young person I was taught that becoming a Christian meant
that I had arrived. But trusting Christ as Savior is only the beginning of a lifelong process of spiritual transformation and training in discipleship. We begin the journey as spiritual infants, but God intends that we advance to spiritual adulthood.”
― Bruce Demarest, Seasons of the Soul: Stages of Spiritual Development

“But when it comes to life’s hardships and difficulties, we should be prepared to receive more than we can handle so that we learn to rely on God and not ourselves. Either way, whether it is in great trials or in moments of great temptation, looking to and leaning on God is the answer. He is faithful.”
― Eric J. Bargerhuff, The Most Misused Verses in the Bible: Surprising Ways God's Word Is Misunderstood