Lori, I truly enjoyed your interview response on Reverend Jennifer Beagle. I can agree with her statement on developing a ministry, “It’s a battle worth fighting, suit-up, buckle-up, and don’t doubt that God is in everything. Find God in every circumstance and view people as creations”. (Beagle, 2015) Just as the varying parts of the human body need each other to best accomplish its work, so the Body of Christ needs to function interdependently, like a team. (Rom. 12:4-8; 1 Cor. 12:12-27) God so designed the Church that it "grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work". (Eph. 4:16) Christian leaders are servants. Jesus specifically addresses servant leadership…
The authors present their work of Churches as the way to help congregations live out their understanding of the gospel and their call to ministry by “reaching your community with the whole gospel for the whole person through whole churches” (59). By helping church leaders develop a vision of how the church should exist as the agent that drives transforming change within society, Churches succeeds as a practical guide for laity and clergy alike. One of the greatest strengths of this work is how the authors present 15 examples of real-life U.S. churches that they studied, all of which adapted holistic approaches and witnessed transformational results within their uniquely diverse communities.…
A great chasm exists that separates unbelievers from believers1. An example of this chasm is presented in the Gospel of Luke, “And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom.”2 The chasm is presented in the “afar off” statement. This chasm, as pointed out by David Wheeler and Richard Leach, is what makes evangelism necessary. Essentially, every Christian is to seek a way to bridge these chasms bringing the unbeliever face-to-face with their Creator3. In order to perform this great task, and the task was as great in the Apostles’ day as today, “Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest”4 the Christian servant today must rely on the Lord in every aspect and seek out opportunities to present Christ to those around him. Seeing then that there is such great work ahead, and the laborers have been assigned their task, “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him”5, the only success to be found is through sharing the faith by the Word of God through the Spirit…
Jesus said Luke 4:18–19 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord (NASB).” Because of our love, a healthy church will minister to those who cannot repay.…
I really enjoyed this article. It has been one of my favorites thus far. Kimball had many quality arguments and opinions on what needs to change within the church. His main point of this article is stated on page 86, "I believe true emerging churches must go deep within, and form the inside out, rethink. reshape, and revalue how we are about everything as culture changes. We must rethink leadership, church structure, the role of a pastor, spiritual formation, how community is lived out, how evangelism is done, how we express our worship, etc. It is not about what we do in the worship service, but about everything". I agree with Kimball that the Church still has a lot of growing to do, and trough that growing there must be some changes made along the way. Over the years we have lost our way, and need help guiding us back on the right path.…
church, as a separated community, is meant to be God’s example in and to the…
In John Wesley’s fourth sermon on the Sermon of the Mount, he makes the point that Christianity is a social religion. Christianity is not practiced in a vacuum. As Christians, he says, we gather as a community, holding one another accountable to the faith and being with one another as we grow in relationship with God. Beyond that, as a social religion, Christianity calls us to have an impact on our communities, to care about others, and to be involved in making social changes for the betterment of the world. The church should foster these Christian communities, providing space in which Christians and those exploring Christianity can live their faith with one another. Wesley’s two-part understanding of the social nature of Christianity and the church leads us to the stated mission of the United Methodist Church – “to make and mature disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” This mission matters because our world needs transformation, and our call as the church is to work in concert with God to bring about the Kingdom of God – on earth, and within and through our lives.…
There are many non-believers that are discouraged by its local churches. Many members of a church act one way when inside of the church building and another as soon as they walk out of the door. For a non-believer, this is just confirmation that they do not want any part of a religion that is hypocritical. Also, many leaders of the church live a lavish lifestyle while citizens of its community struggles to provide food for their families. Why would I want to join an organization that takes my money every week so that they can drive nice cars and live in big houses while I can’t even pay my rent? These are common circumstances that we see and as Christians, it’s our job to eliminate this type of view of our faith.…
One of the greatest privileges of the Christian life is to go and proclaim the gospel to every nation, tribe, and tongue (Rev. 7:9). It is the task and duty of every believer to share Christ. When Jesus gave the Great Commission to the disciples, He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matt. 28:19). The task of sharing the gospel can be done in one’s own community, workplace, or with family. However, in order to fulfill the Great Commission, Christians must go to every nation, tribe, and tongue to fulfill the task of reaching the world for Christ.…
The Christian church’s mission on a more global front is to bring together believers from…
Robert M. Franklin states that the purpose of his book is not simply to state facts, but to raise an urgent set of questions whose answers will put our feet in motion to solve the crisis. In chapter two “A Crisis of Mission” Franklin sets the stage for his readers for what the crisis is in the church. The Reverend Henry Lyons became the president of the largest denomination in the Untied States of America.…
Throughout the years men and women have suffered persecution for their witness of Christ. Bearing Witness is a look at 36 men and women ready to give their all, including their very lives to witness for Christ. Most tragic are the stories of brave souls standing for Christ only to be slain by others claiming to be Christians.…
In contemporary society loyalty to a particular community has to be earned. With the contemporary ethos of individualism people focus on their personal needs rather than the needs of their traditional communities. People are looking around for the 'right' congregation in which to get involved - one that meets their needs, expresses their faith in culturally appropriate ways and addresses their concerns in meaningful…
I think that all of us would say that the main purpose for small groups in a church is to make disciples.…
Jesus never wanted His Church to be divided. He prayed specifically for unity in John 17:21 “That they all may be one…” (KJV) Paul preaches against divisions in the church in Ephesians 4 and speaks of being like-minded and of one mind in Philippians 2:2 (Sizemore 39). What would unity in Christianity look like today? A unified Church would be not be associated with any denomination. It would be focused on loving others, putting aside differences, and the relationship with Christ. Church would have to come together in order to achieve this by shutting down church buildings in areas and making a different use of them, while all the churches in the area coming together as one body and worshipping as one. It would also involve helping each other and reaching out to the community to help others know Christ. As a result of coming together as one, Jesus says in John 17:21 “…that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” (KJV) Christians will begin reaching more people than ever before and ever imagined. Paul also states in Ephesians 4 that unity of the faith results in bringing the Body of Christ to the measure of the fullness of Christ. So much would be obtainable once unity is achieved in…