I am rarely satisfied with “ordinary.” I consider this a gift from God. I could care less about fame and wealth. But God has not created me to be ordinary. I found a renewed inspiration this weekend from an extraordinary place- a book. I read books, but it is not my nature to curl up […]
We may argue about church stuff. We can disagree about methods and practice. But we must be clear on one thing. Jesus came to this earth on a rescue mission: “to seek and save the lost.” (Jesus, Luke 19:10) Of all the great debates within Christ’s Church, none is more important and divisive that the question, “How […]
If non-Christians are not knocking down your door to get into the church, maybe your focus is wrong. I am not suggesting a seeker-friendly service or gimmicks to get people in. According to Rick Risaw and Eric Swanson, getting people into church means we must first get out of church. In their book, The Externally […]
Cookie cutters are great tools for chocolate chip dough. This mentality, however, is a real detriment to volunteer ministry. Trying to fit every member of your church into the same ministry mold will only cause frustration- for the leaders and the volunteers. This is not God’s design for any category of ministry, especially outreach. Of […]
There she goes. The Lone “Reacher.” Riding off into the sunset after a long, but eventful day of sharing the Gospel. She is a seasoned evangelist who can take down almost any argument against God. There are few who are like her. Maybe that is a good thing. While some people enjoy the solitude of […]
Outreach is not easy, but it is simple. The message and the task are clear. “I am sending you as sheep among wolves.” When Jesus wanted to get the attention of the disciples about the dangers of outreach, He went all out. When they preached the good news of Christ, they rarely experienced a warm […]
How did Jesus train His disciples in outreach? Here’s a hint, it did not include a seminary education or a 16 week DVD series. His technique was simple and powerful. It was so basic than every church leader today can follow. As Jesus began His public ministry, He called people to follow Him. Those who […]
“We stand and fall on our definitions.” I believe this is true and critical to our understanding of the issues of faith. Our society has become a master of hijacking words, changing their meanings, and making something grey from that which was clearly black and white. However, other instances of distorting the meanings of words […]
Some things are just a requirement in life. Drinking water, eating, adequate oxygen, sleep, and NFL football are a few that come to mind. For the life of me, I cannot imagine how a person could be a genuine follower of Christ and choose not to share the Gospel. Maybe it is possible, but it […]
Outreach does not come natural for most people in our society. There are some people who are “social butterflies” and will talk with anyone, anywhere, about anything. Most individuals have a more introverted personality or have been culturally trained to keep to themselves. So when church leaders mention the opportunity to “share the Gospel,” there […]
Follower of Jesus, husband, father, pastor, Bible teacher, doctor who has yet to do surgery.
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