Monday, July 25, 2016

On the Net: "Two Statistics Every Church Planter Needs to Know" and Much More


Two Statistics Every Church Planter Needs to Know

With these two statistics in mind, church planters can start and grow healthy, Great Commission churches. Read More

The burning issue: Why the Church has got to start talking about hell

I'm not sure when I last heard any teaching about hell in church, never mind a good old fashioned hell-fire sermon. Isn't that a wonderful thing? Isn't the rejection of hell a sign we've grown up, matured and finally come into the 21st century? Isn't this a much nicer picture of God? Indeed it is. There is only one slight problem. Its not what Jesus taught. Which is a big problem for those who profess to be Christians – followers of Christ. Read More

3 Things Sin Can't Do To the Christian

Below are three things to remember about sin to remind yourself that it has ultimately lost its power in your life. These reminders help us eliminate the shame we feel after disobedience and push us to repent of our sin even when we're tempted to wallow in it. Read More

Don’t Be the Bottleneck

Effective lead pastors must learn how to lead larger. Read More

How People-Pleasing Crushes Your Leadership Potential

Ever wonder how your leadership potential gets crushed? How you end up stalling out as a leader with your dreams stifled and your future looking far less exciting than you hoped for? Read More

Eight Common Mistakes Rookie Pastors Make

As I have worked with hundreds of rookie pastors over the years, I see a pattern of mistakes many of them make. I pray my highlighting of these eight common mistakes will be helpful to some of you. Read More

7 Ways to Find Joy Today if Yesterday's Ministry Was Hard

I’ve been involved in the local church as a pastor long enough to know that some Sundays are really hard. If that’s the case for you, I hope these ideas will help you find some joy today. Read More

Political Speeches and Four Characteristics of a Great Message

There are common characteristics to a great presentation. Whether delivering a message to a leadership team, a group of employees, a congregation, or a large audience, effective messages contain the following four characteristics. Read More

You Have Enough Time to Study the Bible

Among Christians, I suspect busyness is the top excuse for not studying the Bible. Read More

Doin’ the Wonky with Words: 4 Word Study Missteps (Part 1)

The words of the Bible are your friends. Some are extroverted, linking arms with the words around them they communicate fairly clearly and openly. Other words are complex introverts, shying away from speaking the obvious. Still others seem clear but reward the time spent getting to know them. Suddenly you see that they are not who you thought they were at first blush. But all of the Bible’s words are your friends. Be kind to them. In this and the next post I will line out 4 common word study missteps we need to avoid. This will be fun. Here we go. Read More

Doin’ the Wonky with Words: 4 Word Study Missteps (Part 2)

In my last post I discussed briefly two wonky things we do with words: the root fallacy and the time-frame fallacy. In this post let’s discuss two other ways we throw Bible terms under the linguistic bus. Read More

Why Christians Should End Their Search for 'Relevance'

In a culture hell-bent on undermining traditional institutions, including the church, Christian witness will look neither conservative nor liberal but resilient. Read More

(Perhaps) The Most Insightful Interview You'll Read This Election Year

I have been convicted of late that I have not worked very hard to understand the appeal of Donald Trump to his working class white poor constituency. One helpful thing for me has been reading this interview with J.D. Vance, a graduate of Yale Law School graduate who grew up in dysfunctional Appalachian poverty and is the author of the new book, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and a Culture in Crisis. Read More

Dems need to reverse moral misstep on abortion: Column

First-time call to make taxpayers fund abortions leads nation and democracy in wrong direction. Read More

Looking Ahead to the Likelihood of Increased Persecution in America

Several months ago I was asked by World Magazine some questions about religious persecution. Here are my responses. Read More

Bangladesh: Islamists step up persecution of Christians after rapid rise in conversions

Islamist terrorists are stepping up their persecution of Christians in Bangladesh after a rapid rise in converts. Read More

Muslim attacks on Christians in Egypt spiraling out of control

A senior bishop has issued a warning of an exponential spiralling of attacks on Christians in Egypt, home to three-quarters of all Christians in the Middle East. Read More

Massive increase in persecution against Christians in India

Persecution against Christians in India is increasing at an unprecedented rate but Christians are urging love and forgiveness for their Hindu neighbours, according to the charity Open Doors. Read More

No comments: