You have probably heard of St. Patrick of Ireland and St. Patrick's Day. But Patrick is a lot more importantthan the color green. He and his "Celtic Way of Evangelism" are very instructive for us in how to be missional today.
Patrick was English, and when he was 16, Celtic pirates captured him and carried him over to Ireland…
Okay--did that title get your attention? I thought so. Sex usually does.
Yes, there is too much sexual promiscuity in society today. But unfortunately, the world thinks that Christians hate sex and have nothing to offer on the subject. Movies always portray the "hot sex" as sex outside of marriage. Of course, the reality is that surveys show that married couples consistently have both more sex and…
If you understand missional theology, you know that the Spirit of God has already been sent out into the world ahead of us. Therefore, God is at work in our culture in big and profound ways.
This has to mean that God is at work in technology. Yes, technology can be used for evil. But it can be used for great good, and that is certainly how God will (and is) using…
You can use Facebook as a broadcast medium, shouting out messages about your church, telling them about upcoming activities, etc.
But in reality, these are somewhat limited in value. I am reminded of what my Twitter friend, @MarketerMikeE said on this. Take a look at your last 20 tweets. Would you want to follow you? Does it scream me, me, me? Or are you being truly helpful to others. The same is true for Facebook.
You see, what people are really looking for in a… Continue
Added by James Nored on October 10, 2010 at 10:00pm —
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Suburbia is centered around safety, security, and kids, among other things. People move to the suburbs so that their kids can have a better life, get away from the drugs and violence of the city.
Of course, this fails to recognize that there are all kinds of drugs in suburbs, because that is where the money is. And if violence is lower in the suburbs, materialism is rampant there and a far greater threat to the soul.
But the love of kids, while often genuine,… Continue
Added by James Nored on October 8, 2010 at 12:30pm —
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Being missional goes far beyond ministries and programs. It is about a way of life for individuals, as well as what the church does together. And yet, to tell people to go out "be missional" may just create guilt, as most people do not know how to live this out.
This is why helping people develop "missional rhythms" or a set of…
The Great Commission as it is found in Matthew 28:19-20 is this: "Therefore go and m
ake disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Mt.…
Last Wednesday night we started a new Story of Redemption small group study in Melissa, TX. I used to do most of these studies with just the seeker and their Christian friend who introduced them to us. And the conversion rate from this has been about 90%. It is still a good way to share faith.
However, I have discovered the multiplying power of sharing the…
in his new book, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream, author David Platt exposes many ways in which the American dream and American ideals are contrary to the gospel. One American myth that he exposes is that we can do anything on our own through hard work and American ingenuity. He…
In his new book, Planting Churches in the 21st Century, Stuart Murray begins by talking about the move that some have tried to make away from the term "church planting," as for some, this has seemed too human planned and even imperialistic. This came from the observation that…
John Piper begins his book, Let the Nations Be Glad, with the statement, "Missions exists because worship doesn't."
In his new book, The Mission of God's People, Christopher Wright has a chapter on worship and its relation to mission. He echoes Piper, stating that "the goal of all our mission is the worship and glory of the one true living God." He then defines both God's mission and our…
Just now I was sitting down, eating a bowl of cereal, when the doorbell rang. I got up to see who it was, and I saw a very formally dressed family. Interesting, it was a white wife and an African-American husband, with a cute little 6 or 7 year old son. I could read the word "Watchtower" on the top of one of their materials, and so I knew that they were Jehovah's Witnesses.…
In his book, The Multiplying Church, Bob Roberts says this:
"I have a vision and a dream. Let's start a thousand churches over the next ten years, each one running a minimum of two thousand members, and in just ten years we will turn America upside down with the gospel! That woudl work, right? Wrong--that scenario just happened over the past ten years, and…
Matthew's gospel has the most extensive teaching on the kingdom of God, which he refers to primarily as the kingdom of (the) heaven(s). The central message of Jesus, of course, was that the kingdom of God, or kingdom of the heaven(s), was near-at hand--all around--in your midst. by using the plural form of heaven, the heavens, Matthew emphasized this… Continue
Added by James Nored on June 24, 2010 at 2:00pm —
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"Father in the name of Jesus Christ restore mobility back too her life restore ordor back and finally This will make a Differance in her hold life Give her you father for my sister Kishinev Davis and my sister tanksley Dovie. Amen"
