As I begin writing, it’s day six of the national “15 Days to Slow the Spread” initiative (catchy, no?)—or at least, I think it is, but I’ll admit, the days are starting to blend together a bit. I’ll spare you the full list of activities our family has undertaken in these historic days, since our … Continue reading The Blessing of Pestilence
5 Ways to Pray Missionally
We restless North Americans struggle immensely to prevail in prayer. I struggle in prayer. I see impoverished, persecuted believers in other parts of the world praying with fervor, corporately and individually, and I marvel at my own ineptitude when it comes to conversation with God. Yet prayer is an inescapable concept. Desperation of any sort produces dependence … Continue reading 5 Ways to Pray Missionally
The Power of God in Missions
Don’t have time to read? Listen to the sermon as it was preached on March 1, 2020 at Mount Calvary Church. Note: The following is a sermon manuscript and may contain typographical errors. The church of Jesus Christ is commanded to disciple all the nations, proclaiming the good news and brining all the peoples to … Continue reading The Power of God in Missions
Fruit Salad Diversity
Human beings are obstinately visual creatures. By this statement, I am referring not to all the typical examples of our visual nature—our propensity for art, the male species’ hard-wired infatuation with the optics of the female form, the fact that Baptist churches split over the color of the drapes, or. I am speaking, rather, of … Continue reading Fruit Salad Diversity
A Brief Reflection on Judaizers
“But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so … Continue reading A Brief Reflection on Judaizers
The Indwelling Holy Spirit and Authority in Spiritual Conflict
Two years in a row now, my friend Neil Olcott, who runs our local chapter of the C.S. Lewis Institute discipleship program, has made the unfortunate blunder of inviting me to lecture on the topic of the Holy Spirit and spiritual warfare. You’d think the poor chap would have learned his lesson after the first … Continue reading The Indwelling Holy Spirit and Authority in Spiritual Conflict
Pray This Missions Prayer in 2020
Note: This article was originally posted on ABWE’s blog. Goals and resolutions are helpful tools in the discipleship toolbox. The Christian life demands self-discipline and an orientation towards the future (Philippians 3:12-16). But resolutions aren’t without their difficulties. Often, we, like Israel, pledge obedience and fail to deliver (see Joshua 24:24). The power of our … Continue reading Pray This Missions Prayer in 2020
Have Yourself a Merry, Apocalyptic Christmas
If someone were to pinch me ten years ago and tell me that, by the end of 2019, Kanye West would be producing gospel music, the host of The Apprentice would be president, and Joe Biden would be the most conservative name in the Democratic primary pool, I might have asked said person if whatever … Continue reading Have Yourself a Merry, Apocalyptic Christmas
Seven Christmas Carols That Are Undeniably Missiological
Note: This article was originally published on ABWE’s blog. One of the myriad reasons I cherish the Christmas season is that it is one of the few times when the songs on the lips of the people of God truly match the missional optimism Scriptures associates with the kingdom of Christ. In our day of spiritual, … Continue reading Seven Christmas Carols That Are Undeniably Missiological
Is ‘Obedience-Based Discipleship’ Biblical?
Note: This article was originally published on ABWE’s blog. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded … Continue reading Is ‘Obedience-Based Discipleship’ Biblical?
