You’ve probably heard the old saying “the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing”. When it comes to ministry, it’s a useful adage that helps us review and stay on track with what we are doing.
So you want to reach the lost with the gospel? Fantastic! Evangelistic courses are an effective method of doing so—particularly in a post-Christian culture. The following are small but crucial steps you can take to ensure you maximize the effectiveness of your evangelistic course.
How would you assess the maturity of your church? If you were designing a maturity survey for your members, what questions would you ask?
Sandy Grant's links on mental health, sacrifice, comfort/suffering, Proverbs 22:6, and religious radicalisation.
¿Quieres leer la Biblia con alguien? Intentá con el método sueco, dice Pedro Blowes.
“So... how did you find the passage? Any initial thoughts?” An eerie silence follows, accompanied by the awkward shifting of people in their chairs, as it becomes apparent that no-one has prepared. It will be a dry old night of trying to wring out some answers from people whose sudden pangs of guilt have distracted them from the possibility of thinking up a response by reading the passage right now.
This week Sandy Grant shares good reads on religious freedom in Australia, why God is not a narcissist, the New Perspective, James, and his favourite recent GoThereFor articles.
How do we disagree with each other? If you’ve been around any church for more than 12 months you’ll know that there are many disagreements. Sometimes these are fairly small and trivial. In every church I’ve ever been in there’s been an argument about the colour or type of the furnishings. And the carpet is a small issue compared with some of the wider ones that impact on life, like who Jesus is, how God saves, and other major doctrinal truths.
Prayer from God’s children to our heavenly Father is never wasted. Every prayer is heard, and we “ought always to pray” (Luke 18:1-8). Throughout Scripture, though, I have noticed that, whilst individual prayer is vital and significant in the life of each believer, it’s when Christians gather together to pray that God chooses to intervene.
Whether biblically mandated or not, there are benefits in having a day of rest and of setting Sunday apart as special.