Missional Church
There is a lot of talk today about “missional” vs. “attractional” church. This short video gives a bit of a synopsis as to the difference. Not that attractional ministry is wrong or ineffective overall, but evidence does seem to indicate that, the attractional model is struggling amongst younger generations who are looking for something authentic and relational. If anything it demonstrates that attractional event driven ministry is not the only way to do church.
After the Rapture Pet Care
No matter what your beliefs regarding eschatology this should make you laugh and then cry…this is absolutely crazy on so many different levels. After the Rapture Pet Care…seriously? This is precisely the kind of stuff that makes all of us look bad – we are now enlisting non-believers to care for our animals after we get seized off the earth. If dispensational eschatology is correct our pets will have much bigger problems after the rapture than who is going to dole out the kibbles and bits and fancy feast.
At first I thought this was a Lark News joke, and if it wasn’t so sad it would be hilarious…well one thing is for sure, somebody is laughing all the way to the bank.
What say you?
Theology Pub – Can a Christian Smoke Pot?
The embedded video is part 1 of a series of videos that can be accessed here.
Earlier this month Missio Dei hosted an event, as part of our monthly Theology Pub, where we discussed the Biblical position on marijuana. It was a fascinating discussion that was not only provocative but challenging and fruitful. There were over 50 people at the event, many of whom did not share our worldview, but left pleasantly surprised as to how the discussion was led. If you weren’t able to attend the event we have provided some video footage of the discussion that can be accessed here.
Join us next month for Theology Pub as we discuss the Biblical position on homosexuality.
Was Jesus Macho?
There is a lot of talk in Christian circles today about how the Church has emasculated (in the figurative sense of course) the men. And while I absolutely agree with that assessment, I’m not sure our idea of masculinity is all that accurate either.
Cole NeSmith wrote an excellent article for Relevant Magazine that I would like to share here. (more…)
Matt Chandler Suffers Well
Pastor Matt Chandler was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor back in December…since then he has had opportunities to bring glory to God and advance His kingdom in ways that he would have never imagined. He wouldn’t have wished this trial upon himself but He has embraced God’s sovereign plan and in so doing he stands as a great example to us all.
The AP ran an article on Matt and his family and it’s being published around the world – pray that God uses it well.
Building a Missional Workplace
Jim Tyson who blogs at Redeemer’s City to City blog wrote this article about living missionally at work – it’s worth your read. (more…)
How Can a Loving God Allow Suffering?
With the recent events in Haiti and with the intense suffering that takes place in so many of our lives it leads one to ask…why?
Scott Thomas, director of the Acts 29 church planting network, answers this question in an article found here.
How Can a Loving God Allow Devastation in Haiti (and in my life)?
Pat Robertson doesn’t get it: (more…)
Can a Christian Smoke Pot?
Each month Missio Dei hosts an event called Theology Pub at Mulligan’s Pub (a local Irish Pub).
If that wasn’t controversial enough, we’ve chosen one of the more polarizing topics facing the Church presently for next month’s discussion:
Or maybe a better question is, “should a Christian smoke pot?”
Many Christians will immediately declare, “absolutely not, it’s illegal!” Which is a great point, for the Bible is clear that we should honor the governing authorities because those authorities have been placed there by God (Romans 13:1).
But what about the 13 states (including Colorado) that have now legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes? What about cities like Breckenridge, CO. that have legalized the use and possession of small amounts of marijuana for recreational use?
In those cases, which will quickly become the norm rather than exception, it’s not illegal and therefore the only grounds for prohibition would be the mind altering effects that follow marijuana consumption – God’s Word commands us to be sober minded (1 Peter 1:13) and to abstain from drunkeness (Ephesians 5:18) which would certainly apply to the use of drugs. But what about marijuana use in the case of treating various illnesses and chronic pain? How is that treatment any different than mainstream prescription medications like Vicodin and Oxy-Contin? Certainly those drugs produce serious mind altering effects and carry with them debilitating side effects and result in tragic addictions, as was the case for famous radio talk show personality Rush Limbaugh.
The Church (at least in large part) does not prohibit the use of prescription pain killers, but without blinking an eye Christians forbid the use of marijuana in any instance.
Is it really that cut and dry?
It’s our desire at Missio Dei to think through difficult issues like this from a Biblical perspective, divorcing ourselves from tradition or preconceived notions.
As people who view life through a Christian worldview and a gospel grid – what should our position be on this topic?
The gospel of Avatar
Director James Cameron had this to say about his new movie, Avatar,
“When people have an experience that’s very powerful in the movie theatre, they want to go share it. They want to grab their friend and bring them, so that they can enjoy it. They want to be the person to bring them the news that this is something worth having in their life.” (Quote is via Luke Simmons of Second Mile Church in Gilbert, AZ.)
This tells me a few things…
1. We are passionate about things that capture our heart. Has Jesus truly captured our hearts? Why do movies and fiction books move us in a way that the gospel and the Bible rarely do?
2. We talk about what we’re passionate about. I’m not trying to be legalistic here, just simply stating a fact. If I’m passionate about football, I talk about it, If I’m passionate about the environment, I talk about it…you get the point. And we don’t just talk to others who share our passions, we find ways to weave those things into everyday conversations. Shouldn’t this be equally true of Jesus and gospel?
The Avatar movie has taken our world by storm – I actually haven’t seen the movie yet so I’m clueless as to what all the hype is about. However I do know this. No movie, or book, or experience of any kind is greater than Jesus, and so my reluctance to to speak of Him at every opportunity only further reveals my idolatrous heart.
A Worldly Christianity?
I wanted to pass along the latest entry in The Spurgeon Fellowship Journal, written by Dr. Art Azurdia
It’s called “A Worldly Christianity?” and it’s very good.
“The title of this issue of The Spurgeon Fellowship Journal—even posed as a question—may arouse a bit of consternation in some. In truth, it is not my intention to be provocative. It is my intention to capture a dialectic that defines the essence of authentic Christianity.
What do I mean? On the one hand, as followers of Jesus Christ we are exhorted to keep ourselves “unstained from the world” (Ja 1:27). Moreover, we are informed that “friendship with the world is enmity with God” (Ja 4:4). On the other hand, none of us can deny that God Himself loves the world (Jn 3:16). Nor can we ignore Jesus’ repeated self-identification as the one whom the Father has “sent into the world” (Jn 10:36, et al).
Do these statements seem a bit antithetical? Contradictory, perhaps? The apparent contradiction becomes even more glaring when one considers the various expressions of the Great Commission (each of which—it would do us well to remember—was uttered by the resurrected Christ):
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations (Ma 28:19)
Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation (Mar 16:15)
. . . the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations . . . you are witnesses of these things (Lu 24:46-48)
As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you (Jn 20:21)
. . . you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8)
At the risk of seeming pedantic, I draw these obvious references to your attention to establish the basis for a clear and simple assertion: the commission of Jesus Christ is to a worldly Christianity. In His mind, at least, these are not mutually exclusive concepts. To the contrary, as His followers we cannot hope to be authentically Christian without being meaningfully worldly. Acknowledging this, however, requires us to recognize that evangelicals in nearly every generation (including ours!) have repeatedly succumbed to two practical distortions that have severely undercut our influence in the world.
The first distortion is cultural gluttony. It is sinful compromise with the world—the consequence of being missional without being theological. Often masked in the guise of desiring to win the world, we rabidly pursue likeness to the world. Over time, unfortunately, the world’s values, objectives, and desires, become our values, objectives, and desires. Cultural gluttony is the act of consuming the culture until it forms us. The present condition of American evangelicalism serves to handily prove our susceptibility to this distortion.
The second distortion is cultural anorexia. It takes the form of a radical and decided withdrawal from the world—the consequence of being theological without being missional. Since we are determined not to let the world shape us, we isolate, insulate, and withdraw. Before long the Church evolves into a kind of enclave, a ghetto, an island of irrelevant piety, and eventually we lose the ability to speak to non-Christians. Worse yet, our hearts become filled with a compassionless indifference toward such people. Arrogance eventually emerges. Missionary endeavor finally disappears.
Can you identify with this experience? To succumb to such a distortion is an amazingly simple and subtle phenomenon. It often occurs unintentionally in the life of a pastor who, over time, becomes consumed exclusively with church ministry. The tyrannous demands of the pastorate allow him no time for meaningful engagement with unbelievers. Not uncommonly, this replicates itself in his congregation, which sadly comes to exist as a haven from the world rather than as leaven within the world.
Allow me to remind you, dear brothers, just as I must remind myself: The sphere of our mission is the world. At the very least this must mean that our reaction to cultural gluttony must never take the form of cultural anorexia, precisely because Jesus Himself commissions us for the world. It is, then, our great task as pastors to persuade our people away from fear; to convince them that it is a great day to be a Christian. We are alive at a time when people are being destroyed by sin as never before, and the truth belongs to us—the truth that can conquer any perplexity modernity or postmodernity may set before us. We have the gospel. We have the promise God made to Abraham that in his seed all the families of the earth would be blessed. We have the fulfillment of that promise in Revelation 5, where we read that Jesus purchased human beings for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. Consequently, we must seek to inculcate into our people the biblically-informed confidence of the hymn-writer:
This is my Father’s world;
O let me ne’er forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world;
The battle is not done;
Jesus who died shall be satisfied,
and heaven and earth be one.1
At this critical moment in history we must not allow our congregations to lose their nerve and flee the culture, justifying themselves in expressions of pseudo-piety. We must convince them that it is Jesus Himself who sends us into the culture; not in service to the culture—in the sense of helping it achieve its own ends—but in a divinely subversive way, infiltrating the culture with the kingdom of God and the gospel.
As you are about to discover, all the features contained in this issue of TSFJ (articles, sermon, interview, historical reflection, quotes, book reviews) seek in some way to address this exceedingly complicated responsibility facing the church of Jesus Christ. Its conclusions/suggestions may not prove comprehensively satisfying. It is my prayerful hope, however, that they will stimulate your own critical thinking regarding this important matter . . . for the glory of God, the reformation of the church, and the good of the world.
So bear with the title—“Worldly Christianity.” Why? To imitate Jesus means a commitment to be authentically Christian and meaningfully worldly.”
You can read more of the Spurgeon Fellowship Journal here.
For a more developed look at this topic I recommend the book Unfashionable by Tullian Tchividjian
Bringing Masculinity Back
I was reading an article on The Resurgence and had to share an excert from the article here.
“Dr D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones was asked publicly why the churches of his day had so few young men in the pews. He instantly shot back, “Because there are so many old women in the pulpits.” Preaching should either send men away angry or turn them in heartfelt repentance. The one thing it must not do, but too often does, is dull them.”
Love it…
Speaking of masculinity…you can download Mark Driscoll’s e-book called “Pastor Dad” here for free.
The Joy of the Lord
Have you ever noticed how quickly your joy can be taken from you? In light of that here is something to think about.
Joy by it’s very definition (at least biblically) is rooted in an unchanging God and the promises that He’s given to us. It’s why Paul could exhort the Philippians toward joy while sitting in a Roman prison simply for serving God. Therefore when my joy comes and goes like the UPS man then the source of my joy must be rooted in something other than Jesus because He and His promises never change (James 1:17; 2 Cor. 1:20).
Lord help us to find our joy in You and Your promises…not allowing the ever changing circumstances of our life to steal our joy. May our joy be rooted in Your unchanging character and when we sense that we our losing our joy help us to run to the cross where we learn that no matter what anyone says about us, or what people may think of us, we have favor with You.
“Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10)
Practical Ways to be on Mission
Over the last four weeks we have been looking at Luke chapters 9 and 10 and looking at the theme of being on mission with God.
I ran across this article written by Jonathan Dodson of The Resurgence; it so dovetails with what I’ve been teaching and preaching that I wanted to pass it along.
I’ve included the text here as well…
Eat with Non-Christians
We all eat three meals a day. Why not make a habit of sharing one of those meals with a non-Christian or with a family of non-Christians? Go to lunch with a co-worker, not by yourself. Invite the neighbors over for family dinner. If it’s too much work to cook a big dinner, just order pizza and put the focus on conversation. When you go out for a meal, invite a non-Christian friend. Or take your family to family-style restaurants where you can sit at the table with strangers and strike up conversations. Have cookouts and invite Christians and non-Christians. Flee the Christian subculture.
Walk, Don’t Drive
If you live in a walkable area, make a practice of getting out and walking around your neighborhood, apartment complex, or campus. Instead of driving to the mailbox or convenience store, walk to get mail or groceries. Be deliberate in your walk. Say hello to people you don’t know. Strike up conversations. Attract attention by walking the dog, carrying along a 6-pack to share, bringing the kids. Make friends. Get out of your house! Last night I spent an hour outside gardening with my family. We had good conversations with about four of our neighbors. Take interest in your neighbors. Ask questions. Engage. Pray as you go. Save some gas, the planet, and some people.
Be a Regular
Instead of hopping all over the city for gas, groceries, haircuts, eating out, and coffee, go to the same places at the same times. Get to know the staff. Smile. Ask questions. Be a regular. I have friends at coffee shops all over the city. My friends at Starbucks donate a ton of leftover pastries to our church 2-3 times a week. We use them for church gatherings and occasionally give them to the homeless. Build relationships. Be a regular.
Hobby with Non-Christians
Pick a hobby that you can share. Get out and do something you enjoy with others. Try city league sports or local rowing and cycling teams. Share your hobby by teaching lessons, such as sewing, piano, knitting, or tennis lessons. Be prayerful. Be intentional. Be winsome. Have fun. Be yourself.
Talk to Your Co-workers
How hard is that? Take your breaks with intentionality. Go out with your team or task force after work. Show interest in your co-workers. Pick four and pray for them. Form moms’ groups in your neighborhood and don’t make them exclusively non-Christian. Schedule play dates with the neighbors’ kids. Work on mission.
Volunteer with Non-Profits
Find a non-profit in your part of the city and take a Saturday a month to serve your city. Bring your neighbors, your friends, or your small group. Spend time with your church serving your city. Once a month. You can do it!
Participate in City Events
Instead of playing XBox, watching TV, or surfing the net, participate in city events. Go to fundraisers, festivals, cleanups, summer shows, and concerts. Participate missionally. Strike up conversation. Study the culture. Reflect on what you see and hear. Pray for the city. Love the city. Participate with the city.
Serve Your Neighbors
Help a neighbor by weeding, mowing, building a cabinet, or fixing a car. Stop by the neighborhood association or apartment office and ask if there is anything you can do to help improve things. Ask your local Police and Fire Stations if there is anything you can do to help them. Get creative. Just serve!
Gospel Coalition: Tim Keller
Tim Keller is one of the most brilliant preachers of our day. He understands the gospel…He understands our culture and he understands how to engage our culture with the gospel.
If you haven’t read his books Reason for God or Prodigal God…you are really missing out.
Tim opened the Gospel Coalition Conference in Chicago yesterday. The Resurgence blog is making all of the speakers notes available and Tim’s were so rich I wanted to share them with you.
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“The Grand Demythologizer: The Gospel and Idolatry”
Paul’s preaching was effective: it changed people’s lives to such an extent that it even changed the culture. The reason for this is that Paul confronted idols.
Confront Idols
You can’t preach the gospel effectively if you don’t challenge idols. Paul always challenged people’s idols in his preaching. In Acts 17, Paul went to the Agora, the marketplace, which is where the idols of that culture were formed. In our culture, the marketplace is not shops and busy streets, because that’s no longer where culture is formed. For us, challenging idols in the marketplace means going to Hollywood, Harvard, and the New York Times—the places where ideas and beliefs are shaped.
Every culture, gender, class, city, field of work, etc., has its own idols. Idolatry is anything I look at and say, “If I have that, my life has value.” Anything that is so central to your life that you feel you can’t live without it is an idol. Idolatry is making a good thing an ultimate thing. Because Paul saw idols everywhere, he was a really effective preacher. Like Paul, we need to discern, expose, and destroy idols in order to preach the gospel.
3 Kinds of Idols You Have to Expose to Preach the Gospel:
- Personal Idols
- Religious Idols
- Cultural Idols
Personal Idols
- Money can be an idol, especially in the business world. Everyone recognizes this as the idol of Wall Street. (All over New York City, child sacrifice is going on. If you want to succeed, you have to sacrifice your family. If you’re going to get the money and power, you must sacrifice your children. Jobs are set up that way.) How do you do your job without bowing down to it—how do you demythologize money? Only by living in the gospel.
- Romance is another idol. This is when you look to your lover or spouse for worth. Only they can make you feel valuable. You cannot lose this person. People who have a good marriage must constantly fight this idol, constantly looking to Jesus and finding their satisfaction in Jesus more than their spouse.
- Self-expression is an idol of the artistic community.
- Children can be idolized when you find your significance and meaning in your children. You know you’re worth something if your children turn out well.
Unless you understand personal idols, your counseling, pastoring, and mentoring is going to be superficial. You won’t really be able to help people. As Luther said, there’s a reason the first of the Ten Commandments is about idolatry. You never break commandments 2-10 without first breaking number 1. You cannot understand moral failings or psychological problems without understanding idolatry.
Religious Idols
- Those who worship religious idols think they are devoted to God, but they’re not.
- Truth can be made an idol. Are you resting in the rightness of your doctrine rather than the work of Jesus? If so, the Bible calls you a fool. In Proverbs, “the scoffer” is a person like this. The scoffer is always sure he is right, and always disrespectful, disdainful, and mocking toward his opponents. The internet breeds scoffers, because if you’re a scoffer you get more traffic to your blog.
- Gifts can be an idol. You can mistake spiritual gifts for spiritual fruit. Especially if you are successful in ministry, you can begin believing in justification by ministry: “I know I’m in God’s will because my ministry is going well.” Many of us in the Reformed world make an idol out of being a great preacher: “If I could just be a great preacher, then my life would have significance.”
- Morality is a religious idol. It’s typical for Christians to feel like that God loves them and will bless them because of their moral record.
Cultural Idols
Evangelicals love to talk about cultural idols. We look back at the idols of the Enlightenment: the elevation of human reason, the belief that reason/science will solve all the world’s problems. Today we see the idol of individualism. We attack Western individualism, but in many traditional cultures family is an idol—so you have honor killings, women treated as property, etc. In individualistic cultures like our own, the individual is an idol. No one can tell anyone else they’re wrong, no one can impose their beliefs about God on anyone else.
Any ideology can be an idol: free-market economics, communism, socialism, democracy, liberalism, etc.
Confronting Idols Is Dangerous
When idols are opposed, it’s dangerous. Idols are violent. Through idols, the powers and principalities control us. If you oppose them, you take your life in your hands. Paul risked his life to oppose them; he rested in Jesus, who had already given his life to defeat the principalities and powers. Jesus defeated the idols both objectively and subjectively through the cross:
- Objectively: Punishment for our adultery and reconciliation with God were fulfilled in Jesus.
- Subjectively: We remember that none of our idols can die for our sins. Our idols will always crumble under the weight of our expectations. Only by living in the power of the cross, exulting in the cross, and proclaiming the cross can we be fearless and free from the power of idols. You must learn how to take the gospel to the idols.
You can watch or listen to the sessions from the Gospel Coalition the next day here. You can also watch today’s sessions live here.
Jesus and Martial Arts
Scott Knight who writes for The Resurgence wrote a provocative article about discipleship that I thought I would share with you.
Here is a little snippet…
“As far as I know, only two groups of people use the word “disciple” with any frequency in our culture: the church and the martial arts. Recently a close friend of mine, who is a professional fighter, committed his life to following Christ, and it became painfully clear to me that this word—disciple—may not mean the same thing to both groups.”
You can read the rest of the article here.
Staying on Mission
Over the last several weeks, in our series in the gospel of Luke (9:1-26 “Our Mission” and 9:27-62 “Things that Derail our Mission”), I have been preaching about our mission as believers. The theme of the gospel of Luke is found in 19:10,
“for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Jesus, the first missionary, humbled himself and condescended to our culture filled with sin and all its repurcussions (Phil. 2:1-11). Unfortunately many churches that claim to follow Jesus are not on His mission but have settled for a pseudo-mission of moralism and isolationism which has resulted in an impotent Church that cares more about picketing, the anti-Christ, the timing of Jesus’ return, and conspiracy theories than it does about the lost people Jesus’ explicitly called us to convert into disciples (Matthew 28:18-20).
Because Jesus knows we’re not that smart He made our mission pretty simple,
“Go make disciples…”
In standard fashion we have convoluted this command and in the process we have veered off of our mission of taking the gospel to everyone who is living in separation from God.
As Mark Driscoll so often says, it’s about “taking the timeless truth of the gospel to the lost using timely methods.”
Jesus, Paul, and every effective missionary since has understood contextualization. In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 Paul makes it clear that he was willing to do anything apart from sin to bring the gospel to his context in a way that resonates with them.
“Contextualization is about making the church as culturally accessible as possible without compromising the truth of Christian belief. In this, what is sought is timeless truth and timely methods. In other words, contextualization is not making the gospel relevant, but showing the relevance of the gospel.” (Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears ,Vintage Church, p. 228)
Why is it that certain segments of Christianity are so afraid of this concept? Why are so many churches, pastors, and Christians content to isolate themselves in their Bible bubbles when we know full well that Jesus engaged His culture? Why do we insist on hanging on to our tried and true “methods” of ministry when we can clearly see they are failing?
Oh and why are those “methods” acceptable but anything that doesn’t fit into our little box labeled “philosophy of ministry” aren’t?
Piper on Death
I read this blog post from John Piper and I thought I would pass it along.
“CHRISTIAN:
Hello, Death, my old enemy. My old slave-master. Have you come to talk to me again? To frighten me?
I am not the person you think I am. I am not the one you used to talk to. Something has happened. Let me ask you a question, Death.
Where is your sting?
DEATH, sneeringly:
My sting is your sin.
CHRISTIAN:
I know that, Death. But that’s not what I asked you. I asked, where is your sting? I know what it is. But tell me where it is.
Why are you fidgeting, Death? Why are you looking away? Why are you turning to go? Wait, Death, you have not answered my question. Where is your sting?
Where is, my sin?
What? You have no answer? But, Death, why do you have no answer? How will you terrify me, if you have no answer?
O Death, I will tell you the answer. Where is your sting? Where is my sin? It is hanging on that tree. God made Christ to be sin—my sin. When he died, the penalty of my sin was paid. The power of it was broken. I bear it no more.
Farewell, Death. You need not show up here again to frighten me. God will tell you when to come next time. And when you come, you will be his servant. For me, you will have no sting.
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)”
Jesus Wants the Rose
Matt Chandler is the lead pastor of Village Church in Dallas, TX. He is one of the hottest pastors going right now…not hot as in good looking (well maybe he is but that isn’t for me to say because that would be weird) but hot as in everybody and their brother is podcasting his sermons. His church is blowing up and he has a lot to offer the Church at large.
This video is a snippet from a larger message he gave at the most recent Desiring God Conference.
You can also blog about it here at the Phoenix Preacher.
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Evangelical Untouchables 2: Seeker Sensitivity
I have been doing some writing for the Internet Monk, a very well read Christian blog ran by Michael Spencer. The series of articles that I was asked to write for is called the “Evangelical Untouchables.” It’s basically a group of pastors from a cross section of Christianity that are answering a common question posed by Michael 3 or 4 days ahead of time. He then posts the answers on his blog and you can read 6 or 7 different guys giving their responses to a question that is relevant to modern Church life.
The second of this series of questions was…
“How has the “seeker” emphasis affected your perception of your congregation’s worship services? Are there changes you have made to accommodate and bring back seekers? Are there changes you would never consider, even if it would put more non-Christians in your service?”.
Check out the answers and the subsequent readers comments here.
Also Mark Driscoll blogs about Easter preaching here.
Our Mission
This past Sunday I taught Luke 9:1-27, and I spoke about “Our Mission” as Christians. Our mission is not new or something we have to cook up…in fact it’s the very same mission that motivated God to become a man and die in our place. Therefore in order to find our mission we simply have to align ourselves with the mission of God and allow Him to fulfill His purposes through us (Ephesians 2:10).
In this video Ed Stetzer and David Fitch dialogue about our mission and what it means for churches to be “missional” (a buzz word that has made it’s way into the vernacular of many church leaders today).
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Dwight on Theology
Why are we so afraid of questions?
Well it’s really not the questions so much as the possibility that we may not have the answers that really scares the crap out of Christians. Maybe it’s because we know Jesus is the truth (John 14:6) and that brings us to the conclusion that any lack of knowledge or doubt is an affront to our faith. Therefore we avoid any skepticism at all costs…including taking the gospel to the lost.
I personally think this refusal to wrestle with tough questions and admit our ignorance about some issues of Scripture or theology has lead unbelievers to tune us out.
I was reading Joe Thorn’s blog and he was talking about a ministry they’ve begun called Theology Pub. He meets with people at a local pub and they discuss matters of theology and faith. It’s an open forum where people can ask questions and he answers them in a loving and engaging manner.
I really like that idea. It’s time for us to lay down our need to have all the answers and to embrace the concept of dialoging with people instead shouting at them with a bull horn.
Plus Dwight from The Office thinks it’s a good idea and anything he says goes.
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Is Satan Real? ABC Nightline Debate
Here is a link to an ABC Nightline debate with Pastor Mark Driscoll and Annie Lobert (hookers for Jesus) versus Deepak Chopra and Bishop Carlton Pearson. The debate is regarding the existence of Satan.
America: The New Mission Field
I think it’s time the Church begins to rethink Missions.
It is no surprise that we are living in a post-Christian America. But the figures and stats compiled in this Navigators article are astounding.
“According to George Barna: “With its 195 million unchurched people, America has become the new mission field. America has more unchurched people than the entire populations of all but 11 of the world’s 194 nations.”*
According to Lost in America, by Tom Clegg and Warren Bird, 2001: “The unchurched population in the United States is so extensive that, were it a nation, it would be the fifth-largest on the planet. . . . Researchers and analysts describe North America as the world’s third-largest mission field.”
According to Os Guiness, in World Evangelization, Vol. 18, No 65, 1993: “The three strongest national challenges to the Gospel in the modern world are Japan, Western Europe, and the United States.”
According to George Gallup in 1997, only ten years ago: “More than 44% of American adults 18 and over are unchurched; 120 million Americans have no substantial Christian memory.”
Barna affirms Gallup. Consider: “America’s secularization has gone from only 15% in the 1950s up to 40% in 2001; and headed for 60% percent by 2010!” (Secularization means basing the decisions of one’s life on a secular humanist, relativist moral world view. Judeo-Christian values and the Bible are no longer the moral foundation of decision making in life for the vast majority of Americans.)
According to America: An Emerging Mission Field in World Christian Encyclopedia, Second Edition p.27: “In 2000, the United States sent out 118,200 missionaries, but it also received 33,200. Ironically, the world’s largest missionary-sending country has now become the world’s largest missionary-receiving country.” Not to mention:
o The world’s largest Buddhist temple is located in Boulder, CO, USA!
o The world’s largest Muslim training center is in New York City, USA!
o The world’s largest training center for transcendental meditation is in Fairfield, Iowa, USA!
According to Leighthon Ford, evangelist and Christian leader, “North America is now the largest mission field in the English-speaking world” (Cities’ and surrounding areas’ concentrated populations make them obvious targets for sharing the Gospel).
The number of churches in Chicago has decreased by 900 in the last 10 years! In many cases what were once churches are now condominiums.
England, the once great Christian missionary-sending nation for centuries, before America, now has more mosques than churches, and must itself be reached all over again with the Gospel! We are on this same path.
Did you realize that less than one in ten people who make a decision to follow Jesus do so in the context of a church setting?* Most people will enter into a relationship with Jesus by seeing His life and Kingdom lived out in the lives of family members or friends.
As part of the Navigators Metro Mission team, it is our passion to not only reach and disciple the lost for the Kingdom, but to encourage and help others in our New York City Tri-State area to do the same-right where God has placed them in life. The job, the neighborhood, the family, and the friends where He has planted you is absolutely no accident.
Scripture tells us that this is your mission field, and it is as significant to God as any in the world! He ordained and planned, in eternity past, to reach it through you. We find this indicated, among other places, in Ephesians 1:3-10 and 2:10. Jesus said in Acts 1:8, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.”
Your world is as much on His heart as any part of the whole world, for which He died. “Come follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” We have also found what Jesus said in Matthew 9:37 to be so very true: “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.”"
For more information on this subject you can read this article at the Internet Monk.
How Great is our God
On Wednesday night we watched a great dvd called “How Great is our God”. The video, taught by Louie Giglio, is about how amazingly BIG God is and transversely how pathetically small we are. But despite the vast distinction between God and man He chose to become like us and die in our place giving us the opportunity to have right relationship with Him.
Many of you from Calvary Crook County have been asking about how to obtain the video we watched on Wednesday Night. Here is a link to a pre-release of all 4 of Louie Giglio’s talks on dvd. It’s only $35 and will be available on March 24th.