October 31, 2017
The Power of the Gospel Since people move from the lost side of “God’s and-yet bridge” to the right side, the power of the gospel to change a life is the result of salvation. Their biblical status, and even their existential situation, is changed in the exchange. For example, “guilty” is not only a divine verdict but also a personal feeling. When unbelievers embrace the gospel, both the theological verdict and personal feeling of guilt are changed to “forgiven.” Yes, they are theologically forgiven by God, but they also sense being forgiven by God. “To us who are being saved […]
October 30, 2017
Please note: this article appeared originally in the Missio Nexxus publication, an organization attempting to return the North American missions community to the basics of evangelism, discipleship and church planting at its 100th anniversary year. The Christian Faith experiences weakness, even rapid waning when evangelism is lost in the heart, mind, and activity of its adherents. Christianity on both sides of the North Atlantic arc provides empirical proof of evangelistic neglect leading to missional collapse, and dare I remark, civilizational decline. First, then a confession, and then some convictions for your personal and agency considerations toward spiritual and organizational restructure.[1] “Uncorrected […]
October 30, 2017
“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines” 1 Corinthians 12:7, 11 The Bible says that each Christian is given a spiritual gift(s) for use in building the Body of Christ. But what exactly are spiritual gifts? Are they the same as our skills and talents? How do we know what spiritual gift(s) we have? Why are they important? And how do we know when and how to use them? These […]
October 25, 2017
In this episode, Dr. Darrell L. Bock and Tom Nelson discuss work and the pastorate, focusing on the church’s relationship to the business world. 00:15 Nelson’s background integrating a theology of work with ministry 03:30 How the concept of faith and work entered Nelson’s ministry 06:30 The importance of Genesis to biblical theology of work 11:45 How did understanding a biblical theology of work affect your ministry? EXCERPT FROM TRANSCRIPT: Tom Nelson: But yeah, I was committed to teaching the word, to helping people walk closer to Jesus in their own private walk with God, and helping them with their […]
October 23, 2017
Perhaps one peculiar challenge on pastoral couples or couples in ministry is that most people assume that they have it all together in both life and marriage…especially in marriage. There seems to be a general understanding among those around them that a pastor and his wife are always okay and that they are not prone to problems of any kind or in any form. For others, it is normal for other married couples to have to deal with numerous tensions and conflicts in their marriages, but not the pastor and his wife! This is not true, of course. Pastors and […]
October 19, 2017
Preaching the content of the Bible is not enough. Content must lead to intent. The Scriptures are purposeful…they were written to a particular group of people with the intention of bringing about a necessary (from God’s perspective) change. Our noble task, as teachers and preachers of God’s Word, is to discern the original aim of the text. Of course, this requires a careful reading of both the text and the context. Once grasped, the original aim or the shepherding intent of the text leads us to a biblically-driven application for today. God’s aim then fuels our application. Unfortunately, we might miss God’s aim […]
October 17, 2017
Editor’s Note: Enjoy this read on micromanaging by author Aaron Burr. We did! Reposted with kind permission of Breeze. If there is one thing none of us wants to be called it’s a micromanager. We hate being micromanaged and can’t stand the idea of being identified as one. And yet, because we care deeply about the work that we’ve been called to do, most of us are at least somewhat guilty of micromanaging. I know I have my moments. So, how do you know if you’re a micromanager? Here are three signs: “Only I Can Do This” There have been […]
