Watchout For WOLVES: Keys To Discerning Authentic Ministries & Evaluating Doctrinal Trends

of this. Balance is important for functional success in nearly every realm. If something or someone gets out of balance it is easy for them to stumble and fall. There are many areas of life where balance is important. We need balance in our natural diet. This involves the right combination of protein, fat and carbohydrates. Too much or too little of any of these can result in physical problems. In addition, we need all of the essential vitamins and minerals that our body demands. Too much or too little of any of these can result in physical problems as well. We need balance in our personal lives. Our schedules of work, exercise, rest need to be in proper proportion if we are to live a long and productive life. We need balance in our family lives. This means allowing the right time for ourselves, our families, our spouse and our church or ministry involvements. All of these areas are important and any one of them can get out of balance to the point where we start experiencing problems. The same is true of our social lives and the cultivation of friendships. Balance is especially important in the life of the church. There are several aspect of this as it pertains to how a church functions. For our purposes here, I will highlight three main areas where balance is needed. We often need to find that narrow way that leads to life.

1. We need balance in our church life.

• Congregational ministry/Personal ministry • Corporate activity/Individual activity • Inreach/Outreach • Preaching/Teaching • Worship/Word • Freedom/Order

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