God’s house is to be a house of prayer (Matthew 21:13). So, in church services we try to follow that instruction by having intermittent prayer around preaching and singing and by having entire gathering times dedicated to only prayer. What place does prayer actually have in the gathering? This will be an important topic for... Continue Reading →
The Lord’s Supper, or the Eucharist, is a regular part of Christian worship. As a reminder of my goal in this leadership series, I am not considering all of the theological implications of the practice. Concerning the Lord’s Supper, I am making these presuppositions: The proper view of the Lord’s Supper is at least memorial... Continue Reading →
As we saw when we considered God’s eternal mission, God’s purpose is His own glory in His creation through the exaltation of Christ and in the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. We will always have the mandate to multiply in creation and steward creation according to the first and second chapters in Genesis. God... Continue Reading →
Read Acts 13:2-52 The local congregation was dedicated to fasting and ministering to the Lord. This was a regular part of their worship. The Holy Spirit directed, not only the elders but the whole of the congregation, to set apart Barnabas and Saul do the work they were called to (planting churches just as the... Continue Reading →
Read Acts 13:1 Barnabas and Saul did not spend all of their time at the church in Antioch, what had now become their home church. They were called specifically to missions work and were doing that work under the commission of the church in Antioch. When they returned from a trip on which they were... Continue Reading →
Considering God’s mission, which is both eternal and timeless, we are drawn to think about how we get to participate in that mission while the world is in this temporary state of wretchedness. We think about church-planting, outreach, and even evangelism, and we recognize that these are all momentary works. When Christ’s work of redemption... Continue Reading →
What if one local church could plant 200 churches, start 100 non-profits, reach thousands of people every year and still have too small of a vision? Introduction Western business has had quite a toll on the church. Simply consider the way a corporation works and expands. That is precisely what has taken root with the... Continue Reading →
Submit your questions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or using the contact form on this blog. There are several reasons you may be looking for a local church home. Maybe you’ve moved to a new location. Maybe you’ve just come to know Jesus (Welcome to the family) and need to get plugged into the family of... Continue Reading →
What is evangelism and why do we practice it? If God draws people to Himself and if He is the one delivering people and sustaining them, it doesn’t make much sense that we would need to practice evangelism in order to win people for the kingdom. Yet, that is often the phraseology we use, and... Continue Reading →
