Is Jesus the Only Way to God?

1. Jesus is a unique and special revelation of God to humankind. He loves all peoples and will reject no one who comes to him sincerely. God welcomes every person to seek him and to pray to him. He lovingly draws every person to His son, Jesus Christ.

2. Jesus did not come to start a religion called Christianity. He came to stop religion, not start it. Religion is what people do to gain God’s favor or approval in their own way. Jesus is God's way of seeking people, to offer His acceptance and forgiveness to them

3. There are many ways to God, but they all lead to Jesus...it's as if there are many roads to the top of a mountain, but when people arrive at the top of the mountain, they find Jesus waiting for them with open arms.

4. God will not judge people for rejecting a Jesus they have never heard of.

5. God judges people on the basis of what truth they know and what they do with it. God shines truth into every human heart, and then watches to see if people respond to that light. Those who follow the light they have, are given more.

6. God is loving and just. The Bible speaks of God as the judge of all the earth. Abraham said about God, “Shall not the judge of all the earth do what is right?” God knows the hearts of all people. We can trust him to judge people justly and truthfully.

7. God has revealed aspects of himself in every civilization and every culture. It is as if there is a shadow that falls on every religion and civilization, and when one follows that shadow, it leads to the person of Jesus Christ.

8. Jesus made claims about himself (recorded for us in the New Testament), claims that are so unique, that if they are not true, then Jesus cannot be dismissed as a good man gone wrong, but more like a deceiver or deranged mad man. Either he is the truth, or he is a liar or a myth created by others.

9. Jesus has revealed himself in such a way that no one is forced to believe him or obey him, but for those who sincerely want to know if he is who he claimed to be, there is sufficient evidence to know he is the Son of God.

10. If you want to know for yourself, the best way to be sure is to read about his life and teachings in the New Testament. If you seek to know him sincerely, and are willing to obey Him, God promises to reveal the truth to all those who seek Him.

America - Where do you go from here?

OUR DEAR AMERICA - Where do you go From Here?

by Wolfgang and Mercy Simson. From www.revivalschool.com

“Today, Obama has been re-elected; all the efforts of many Christian leaders, prayer movements, "prophets" and "concerned Americans" who have lobbied, written appeals, articles, books, letters - some have even done films - to warn not to vote for him have come to nothing. Many of them have behaved as if the future of the Kingdom of God is at stake. Well, it is not.

Can we, as foreigners who dearly love you as a people, say a few words into this situation? Because it is evident to us that God has a clear plan with your nation. But many don t seem to see it, and therefore run the danger of fighting the wrong fight, wasting precious time and resources, and even endlessly calling upon God to do what he just will not do.

The German weekly Der Spiegel, kind of a German Time Magazine, has a cover picture of Uncle Sam in bed, titled, The American Patient: The decline of a Great Nation. We think this is a prophetic picture. As your friends, we know, acknowledge and admire that America has had a great past. But how will your future look?

God chastises whom he loves because he knows: pride will come before the fall, and humbleness and brokenness is the only condition he responds to. We personally sense we need to tell you: the destiny of your nation is in God´s hands, not yours. It is not at all about Obama or Romney, it is about God using all the nations in the world according to his global and unchanging plans. Did you ever allow the thought that God in his sovereignty is using Obama like a pawn on his chessboard to humble the US as a nation because he wants to show his grace to a nation gone completely self-sufficient? A nation that is so full of independence, individualism, nationalism and trusting a greed and fear-based economy that there may be only one way open to heal it from its idolatry and re-align itself with the Kingdom of God: a crisis beyond anything that America has ever seen?

In 2008, God has been challenged by a man standing up in public, preaching to the cheers of a huge crowd: "Yes we can!" We watched it; we saw the tears of excitement in the eyes of the people; the statements were received as if coming from the Messiah himself, and the electoral rallies had all the flavor of a religious revival. "Yes, we can" is the exact opposite of the King of kings saying: "Without me, you can do nothing!"

If God is the one who "deposes kings and raises up others" (Dan 2:21), does it really matter what are the names of the current puppets set in place by God that advance both the New World Order and the Kingdom of God? Neither Herod, Pilate nor Caesar were truly important for the development of the Kingdom. That is exactly why Kingdom people do not play in the Second League, but the First, the one that matters. The one that puts the Kingdom first, and everything else - including their own nation - second.

The problem of the current commotion and insecurities arises when even the people that call themselves after God keep confusing the Kingdom of God with the United States of America. And when that happens, especially through Christians with a public voice, then we have truly lost all perspective of the coming Kingdom of Jesus Christ and the predictions he has made that will precede his coming.

America is being publicly humbled by God; and he is going to use Obama - and those after him - to further advance his agenda that will lead all nations to kneel before the one true King Jesus very soon. If any nation wants to become a tower that reaches up to high heaven, it will be humbled by a God who will not share his glory with people relying on their own strength.

America, where do you go from here? What does this mean for you? The future is going to be very, very rough. Your securities will vanish, the economy will go down, the education system will become even worse, the streets more dangerous, the churches even more divided, the youth even more disillusioned - unless there is a true movement that abandons all those idols mentioned above, and radically repents, makes a radical alignment with the King of the Kingdom of God and his constitution, live the Law of Christ in all areas of life, first and foremost in the areas of sex, money, power and how we "do church". This is a defining moment for you as a nation. You could go down, as the German journalist of `Der Spiegel´ predicted. Or, America could be literally re-invented by Kingdom people who are ready to implode the prevailing myths about America's greatness, and replace it by God´s greatness. The King has even greater things purposed and would fulfill those purposes IF those who call themselves after Jesus the King, would turn away from their self-made religion, self-made churches and religious factions, self-made visions of success, and their self-made, harmless God.

Can we lovingly but urgently call you back at this hour to begin and initiate a movement to reposition and repatriate yourselves into the eternal Kingdom, by submitting yourself not only in theory but also in practical deeds to Jesus the King, starting to obey the King and his liberating decrees in all the areas that count? You might even want to write a declaration of dependence on God and each other, because by idolizing anything else before and over God, you will become illegal aliens in the country that counts, where we all are called to have our home: the Kingdom, the one place where our true citizenship, nationality and allegiance lies (Phil 3:20). This is the only one country that will not be shaken, as it has an unchanging King.

If there is any way that we can help you in this great challenge and task - we want you to know we will.

PLEASE COMMENT on this article at the website below-

http://www.revivalschool.com/

A Positive Vision for Church

A Positive Vision for Church by Joe Miller

From ChurchPlanting.com

When I spoke at the 2011 House Church Conference in Florida, I met many wonderful people committed to living out their faith in a house church. But, when it comes to the discussion between House Church and Legacy Church people, I still pray for a more positive dialogue.  The name calling  along with the “spiritual” pretense that there is only one way to be a “New Testament” church is hackneyed and counterproductive. Books capitalizing on anger, hurts, and bitterness have made publishing houses and individual authors lots of money, but as brothers and sisters in Christ, we need to move toward a more positive vision for church.

Tim Chester is a house church guy who shares some of my concerns.  In one of his older posts, he shares reasons why he has not read a lot of books on house church.

“When I was first interested in household church I did read a range of material and I found most of it narrow, petty, reductionistic and reactionary. Either it defined itself in terms of what it was against. Or it was obsessed with debates over the minutiae of what may or may not have happened in New Testament churches. It all seemed a world away from the missiological engagement in which I was interested (I can’t say whether any of this is true of Pagan Christianity having not read the book!). Most of the groups involved seemed insular – more concerned with creating the perfect church than reaching the lost. Obviously I want to be biblical, but I believe there were a variety of church practices and models in the New Testament so that we can be flexible. We can adapt to our context (1 Corinthians 9).”

Chester’s observations are insightful and his advice is important for young church plant leaders. We must learn to be flexible in our methods of communal worship. That means instead of focusing energy on creating the most “biblical” worship environment, we should focus more on the mission of reaching the lost with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Let each church follow its own collective conscience on ‘how’, ‘when’, and ‘where’  to worship and invest more energy encouraging our congregations to live out the ‘who’, ‘what’, and ‘why’ of the Gospel.

This is Sin

"Take this rule: whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off your relish of spiritual things; in short, whatever increases the strength and authority of your body over your mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may be in itself." Susanna Wesley, 8 June 1725

Hell

"Hell then is the trajectory of a soul, living a self-absorbed, self-centered life, going on forever." Tim Keller

Hell is not a doctrine to debate, rather a sad state of existence to grieve, to weep over, to pray for, and to cause us to reflect gratefully on His great mercy.

Does God Have a Preference for Our Next President?

My wife asked me just a few minutes ago, "Does God have a preference for our next president?" I told her, "I don't know but I sure don't like it when some people act like they do".

I love these thoughts from Charliesays.It. Very thought provoking.

"Hope can be found in a human being – God’s children wanting to place their hope and trust in human form is nothing new. The desire to make a man king began in I Samuel 8 and hasn’t changed. It’s always easier to see and therefore believe a man will better protect and provide for us.

The other side of this belief produces fear: If “God’s man” is not in office, God’s plan and purpose can be hindered. Nothing is further from the truth. Matter of fact, from a national perspective, God has probably used more secular kings to bring about His will then sacred: Abimelech, Pharaoh, Hiram and Herod to name a few. God’s Word is clear:

He appoints kings and presidents – Romans 13:1

He appoints men that do not know and even oppose His way – Jeremiah 27:5-15

World rulers have always opposed God’s direction but cannot stop it – Psalm 2

Here’s another false notion:

God has an American agenda – Jesus is not an American. His agenda is not political but eternal. Remember His conversation with Pilate (John 18:36)? For this reason I am extremely careful when it comes to watching the news and listening to the radio. Republican, Democrate or libertarian: All argue for an earthly kingdom empowered by a seductive spirit of this world."

100 Tibetan Buddhists Come to Faith

Over 100 Tibetan Buddhists have come to faith in Jesus through a unique and culturally appropriate way of sharing the good news of Jesus. Thanka Art! Read about it below... awesome!

Thanka Art: a Bible for Tibetan Buddhists

All Nations has produced the only complete Biblical Thanka set known to be in existence.  A Thanka is a particular kind of Buddhist art form that tells stories. In the same way we use a written alphabet text to encode our sacred messages, the Tibetan Buddhists use this kind of art form to pass on values, stories, and information.  A Thanka story is "read" in a spiral from the center of the painting outwards, and is usually painted on a large canvas.

For three years, our missionaries worked with a local Tibetan artist to create a Thanka for every book of the Bible, so that Tibetan Buddhists could hear about Jesus in their own heart language:  not a "Western" Jesus but one native to their land and native to their people.

A Tibetan Buddhist nun became a Christian after seeing the Genesis Thanka.  She still lives in her reclusive Buddhist monastery to be a witness of Christ to her friends there. "Now when I get up," she says, "I put on my robe to signify the blood of Christ. And I'm staying here so that others might have a chance to hear about Jesus!"

It is our hope that ministries will make use of the Thankas to reach out to the 17 million Tibetan Buddhists worldwide.  To that end, we are making low resolution copies of all of the Thankas available for free. High resolution copies and canvas prints of the Thankas are also available for a suggested donation which will benefit church planting efforts.

Vision From God and Finishing Well

Paul

His vision helped him overcome his past. He was responsible for people's deaths and persecution. Philippians 3 - It Freed him from guilt and shame. He pressed into the vision the Lord gave him. You can't change your past, but you can pursue your vision.

Principle: keep your eyes on the vision.

Joseph

His vision allowed him to endure and overcome adversity. He experienced 20 years of adversity. God uses the events of today to prepare us for tomorrow. We interpret events through our eyes according to what we see right now and we like it or not.

Abraham

His vision allowed him to overcome comfort and material blessing. He was a prosperous man. Genesis 13 - He left his source of prosperity to follow your dream. His vision inspired faith to leave his place that provided security and comfort.

Esther

Her vision allowed her to overcome fear. She was in Iran, a Jewess, and her vision allowed her to overcome fear and rescue her people, at risk of her life. Esther 4:16 - Women are leaders used by God.

Gideon

His vision helped him overcome his insecurity. The angel said to him, "...mighty warrior..." Gideon responds, “you got the wrong Gideon! My family is the least in the nation, and I'm the least in the family.”

Joshua

His vision allowed him to overcome his own insecurities, unbelief and self-doubt. And the hindrances and unbelief of others. He had to wait 40 years to see his vision to come to pass. For 40 years he was surrounded by death - he had to wait for people to die off first! Think of AIDs in Africa. He was probably happy when they were gone! He held onto to the promise and he inherited the promise. When joshua acted he didn't ask for the people's opinions, he had seen that for 40 years.

Moses

His vision helped him overcome failure. He killed an Egyptian. He had to flee for 40 years. The problem he saw was accurate, but his response was wrong. Not 40 years at the spa! Living with guilt and failure for 40 years. When God spoke he was riddled with shame. I can't speak. Don't let past failures keep you from future successes.

David

His vision helped him overcome lack of formal training. He was a shepherd boy. He was not a trained warrior. He had a vision, a cause from God. See 1 Samuel 17 - The soldiers saw Goliath as a threat to them, but David saw him as a threat to God's purposes. He was trained by fighting a bear and a lion. Goliath was 9 feet tall, his armor weighted 125 pounds. David saw Goliath and started running toward Goliath! He had no training - he had a vision from God.

New Testament church

Their vision gave them courage to overcome the old ways, to step out in something new, to break out of established patterns of doing "church", to enter the new covenant.

Five Relationships to Help You Finish Well

I've been thinking a lot lately about relationships that help us finish well. There are five that I can think of right away that have been extremely meaningful to me.

1. Spiritual mentors - who develop us. We need people who are further along than us in the race of life, people who keep us on track, ask us pointed questions, and raise concerns with us. Our responsibility to our spiritual mentors is to come to mentoring times well prepared, to have a list of 3-4 questions that are well thought through, and to be transparent without expecting our mentors to be responsible for us. When you anticipate being with them, draw them out in the area of their strengths. Ask them what their expectations or desires are for your mentoring relationship with them. Tap into the books they are reading. If we are to finish well, one major reason is we paid attention to our mentors.

2. Not-yet followers of Jesus - who focus us outside ourselves.  The quickest way to get out of touch with real life is to have no discipling relationships with pre-believers. We never grow beyond sharing the good news of Jesus with people. We are never too busy and never too important and never "not-called” or “not-gifted" to be discipling not-yet followers of Jesus to faith. Those who engage the lost, grow. Those who don't, stagnate in their relationship with Jesus. If we are to finish well, a crucial reason we do is that we are engaged in the lives of people outside the "bubble" of Christian culture.

3. Friends - who stick by us.  Good friends are there in the hard times and the good times. They "cheer and tear" at the right moments of life. We don't need friends who always agree with us, or who go silent when we are in pain, and who don't ask us the hard questions. We do need friends who know how to take the "mickey" out of us, who can just hang and enjoy good music or a great pub or movie. Life-time friendships are rare and are to be treasured and invested in wisely.

4. Leaders - who guide us.  A wise man once asked me, "Who can say no to you and make it stick?" That's a leader. It sticks because you want it to, not because they are controlling. Leaders are leaders in our lives because they impact our futures, they go before us to model the way, they walk beside us to coach us, and they come behind us to cheer us on. Your leaders may not be your best buddies, but they can be your best friend - in the sense that they see what you cannot see and they ask what others will not ask. They believe in you, but loyalty does not trump honesty in their relationship with you.

5. Heroes - who inspire us.  Choose your heroes well, because they impact you more than you think. You may or may not know them. They may or may not be alive. But you know them in the sense that you have gotten into their story and it has impacted your values and what you aspire for. You want to be like them. You hang on when it is tough because they did. You make good choices when you face impossible circumstances - because they did. They showed courage, faith, and integrity and that has pointed the way forward to you and stoked your heart to believe you can do it, too.

Joe Paterno made one bad choice and it marred his reputation and caused him to finish life in a crisis of doubt and disrepute. It's not worth it, nothing is. Those who hang in there, who keep their eye on the goal, who persevere and don't give up, they get the reward, they win the prize at the end of life.

I want to be one of those people. So do you. We can do it with God's help. Hang on to Him - He will see you to the finish line with fire in your heart and victory in your end-of-life resume.

Discipleship is Intentional Relationship

As you know, I am passionate about discipleship. But it often happens that as soon as I speak my passion with some people they get a glazed look in their eye, and then start backing out the door! I think they feel some potential pressure and guilt coming their way, or maybe another program they need to give time to.

But, of course, those are things I don't believe in. I love relationship.

For me, discipleship is relationship. Not just hanging out relationship, but intentional relationship. I love investing in people, encouraging them, trying to discern what God is up to in their lives, and then intentionally identifying with what that is to encourage their walk with God.

In fact, I believe every relationship is a discipling relationship if I am intentional. Some are deep and involve lots of time, others are not so involved, but every relationship is a gift from God and an opportunity to invest in people's lives. What a privilege.

So how does it work? This thing called discipleship? How does "intentional relationship" work? First, a couple things it doesn't mean...

It doesn't mean getting ahead of where people are in their journey with God. It doesn't mean imposing an agenda on people. It doesn't mean pressuring people or controlling them. It doesn't mean I'm responsible for them...

Whew! That's a relief!!

God has put me and you in people's lives to serve them, and in some cases, to very deliberately invest in their journey with God. With that in mind, here a few suggestions of things I have found helpful:

1. Ask questions - find out where people are in their journey with God, and start there.

2. Try to discern through prayer and listening how you might encourage the person. That is intentionality - discerning, listening, and praying - then speaking encouragement. When you frame what you say with encouragement you will never be far off the mark.

3. Define the relationship. Figure what people want or expect, then define what you can give, and how, for how long and how often. Be positive, not demanding.

4. Always come back to Scripture - somehow, someway, involve the Word. With pre-Christians, I ask if they would like to discuss some of the teachings and sayings of Jesus. If not, that let's me know that they are not ready for spiritual input, so I will focus on the friendship, and set my expectations accordingly. Then I look for others that I can be more directly involved with spiritually. I keep the friendship with everyone, but search for those who are hungry to learn and grow.

5. Expect obedience. Discipleship is obedience to Jesus. Little obediences lead to big obediences. I suggest small things for people to put into practice or do, or ask what goals or what God is impressing them to do. Then I watch to see how the person does in obeying what God is saying to them.

6. I involve them with others at the same level of spiritual growth. I introduce them to others who are seeking to know Jesus, or others who are already on the journey, depending on where they are.

7. Celebrate weakness or failure if a person is honest about a mistake or need. Make your relationship a safe place for them to grow.

Okay, those are a few ideas. What has helped you be intentional about discipling people? Share with me so I can pass on your ideas. Thanks!!

Fifteen Signs of People Who Don't Finish Well

There are approximately 100 biographies in the Bible, and of those, only 30-35% of the people finished well. Why does it happen? To answer that question, we need to understand what it means to not finish well.  The 15 characteristics below explain why people don't finish well. If any one or a combination of the following traits describes your life - you are a candidate for not finishing well. I encourage you to press in to God that you might finish stronger and more passionate for Jesus than when you began your journey with him. Remember Caleb at the end of his life? He finished well!

 "Remember what God said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me back at Kadesh Barnea? I was forty years old when Moses the servant of God sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land. And I brought back an honest and encouraging report. My companions who went with me discouraged the people, but I stuck to my guns, totally with God, my God. That was the day that Moses solemnly promised, 'The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance, you and your children's, forever. Yes, you have lived totally for God.’ Now look at me:  God has kept me alive, as he promised. It is now forty-five years since God spoke this word to Moses, years in which Israel wandered in the wilderness. Here I am today, eighty-five years old! I'm as strong as I was the day Moses sent me out. I'm as strong as ever in battle, whether coming or going. So give me this hill country that God promised me. You yourself heard the report, that the Anakim were there with their great fortress cities. If God goes with me, I will drive them out, just as God said." Joshua 14 - The Message

Fifteen Characteristics of People Who Don't Finish Well

1. You have lost your spiritual passion for the things of God

2. You are backslidden and away from God

3. You are resentful toward those who hurt or betrayed you

4. You are not learning and growing spiritually

5. You are not discipling others and are not being discipled

6. You no longer share your faith with pre-Chrisitans

7. You are cynical and critical about church and spiritual leaders

8. You have plateaued spiritually – no longer growing

9. You are isolated and unaccountable in your walk with God

10. You have hidden sins and habits that grip your life

11. It has been years since you led someone to faith in Christ

12. You are not praying for the nations and the lost fervently

13. You are considering an affair with another person and/or would accept divorce as an easy "out"

14. Loss of stomach to fight spiritual battles

15. No faith for the impossible!

Leading Change

I have attempted to lead change and failed several times in my leadership journey. And I have successfully led change on other occasions. The article below is from an excellent site, churchplanting.com  

To the significant wisdom in this guest article, I would add, change has to be values based, and not for the sake of innovation or inspiration. When it is values based, then the sacrifices necessary to make change are worth enduring because they are made for something we believe in deeply. 

The first two points are the most crucial in making change: a genuine sense of urgency and forming a guiding coalition…

Like most of you, I’m sure; I read a fair amount of the classic as well as “new arrival” works in the field of leadership and management. If translated thoughtfully and processed with theological care, learnings from this body of work could enhance your ministry as a church planter. Consider, as an example, the eight-stage process developed in 1996 by Dr. John Kotter (then of the Harvard Business School www.johnkotter.com) as related to navigating a group, team, organization, or church through the challenging waters of change. Unlike many strategic leadership taxonomies, this one is best followed in sequential order.

1. Establish a sense of urgency

• Examine the contextual realities

• Identify and discuss crises, potential disruptions, or major opportunities

2. Create a guiding coalition

• Assemble a group with enough expertise and credibility to lead change

• Take time to build the group into a true team

3. Develop a vision and strategy for the change effort

• Focus on the “why” even more than the “how”

• Develop primary and contingency strategies for achieving the change

4. Communicate the change vision

• Use every means and occasion possible to consistently communicate the new vision and need for change

• Motivate the guiding coalition to model behaviors expected post-change

5. Empower broad-based action

• Strive to eliminate structural obstacles in your church to the change

• Adjust or change systems that could undermine the vision for change

• Encourage risk taking as well as “out of the box” thinking and action

6. Generate short-term wins

• Plan for and even “create” visible improvements in performance or “wins”

• Opening recognize and celebrate those “wins” no matter how small

7. Consolidate gains and produce more change

• Use growing credibility to make further changes that advance the transforming vision

Reinvigorate the change process with new themes, projects, and change agents

8. Anchor the new approaches in the church culture

• Articulate the connections between new behaviors and ministry effectiveness

• Proactively develop means to ensure leadership development, reproduction, and succession to minimize discontinuity

Read more here: Learning from the Business Gurus | ChurchPlanting.com

It's How You Finish That Counts

It's not how you start the race, nor what happens in the middle of the race, but it's how you finish the race of life that really counts. The Bible speaks of life as a race. There is no question about whether you will grow weary or falter along the way, it happens to us all, the question is how you will respond when that happens.

How do you want to be remembered after you die? Will others speak of you after you have gone with respect and admiration? Or will they remember that you failed morally, or abandoned your calling, or that you turned back on the Lord? Will they remember a person who never stopped growing spiritually, or someone who lost their spiritual passion and direction in life? Will they remember a man or a woman who burned with love for the Lord and the lost, or a person who burned out and faded from the scene?

Jesus has died for us to give us grace to be saved, and grace to live victoriously. He offers saving grace and living grace - it is our task to take hold of that grace. Paul the apostle wrote about "taking hold of that which has taken hold of us".

1 Corinthians 9:24-25:

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

Hebrews 12:1:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every weight that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

Can you imagine running a marathon with a heavy pack on your back? And bags of groceries in your hands? No way. Lay aside the 'weights' that hinder you running with freedom the race God has set before you.

There are weights that hinder us from running well:

1. Not sticking to the basics of loving Jesus, loving the lost, and loving others in our spiritual family.

2. Losing focus on glorifying God.

3. Not building deep discipling relationships.

4. If we stop learning.

5. Lack of humility over mistakes and sins.

6. Resentment and offense toward people who hurt and disappoint us.

7. Compromise of our personal integrity.

8. Spiritual plateau: not stirring our spiritual passion.

We all need five kinds of relationships to help us finish well:

1. Models - to inspire us

2. Mentors - to develop us

3. Prayer partners - to strengthen us

4. Life long friends - to stick with us

5. Spiritual leaders - to guide us

Has Satan defeated you? Have you compromised or sinned? Are you burned out? Had it with the church?

God's grace is there to restore you and bring you back to the race. Your part is to humble yourself to God, surrender your self to the Lord.

Changing the City

Changing the City with the Gospel Takes a Movement

When a church or a church network begins to grow rapidly in a city, it is only natural for the people within the ministry to feel that God is making a difference in that place. Often, however, what is really going on is "Christian reconfiguration." When churches grow, they typically do so by drawing believers out of less vital churches. This can be a good thing if the Christians in these growing churches are being better discipled and if their gifts are being effectively deployed. Nevertheless, if this is the key dynamic, then the overall body of Christ in the city is not growing; it is simply reconfiguring. Reaching an entire city, then, takes more than having some effective churches in it, or even having a burst of revival energy and new converts. Changing the city with the gospel takes a movement.

When a gospel city movement occurs, the whole body of Christ grows faster than the population so that the percentage of Christians in the city rises. We call this a movement because it consists of an energy that extends across multiple denominations and networks. It does not reside in a single church or set of leaders or in any particular command center, and its forward motion does not depend on any one organization. It is organic and self-propagating, the result of a set of forces that interact, support, sustain, and stimulate one another. We can also call it a gospel ecosystem. Just as a biological ecosystem is made of interdependent organisms, systems, and natural forces, a gospel ecosystem is made of interdependent organizations, individuals, ideas, and spiritual and human forces. When all the elements of an ecosystem are in place and in balance, the entire system produces health and growth as a whole for the elements themselves.

Can we produce a gospel city movement? No. A movement is the result of two sets of factors. Take for example, a garden. A garden flourishes because of the skill and diligence of the gardener and the condition of the soil and the weather. The first set of factors - gardening - is the way we humanly contribute to the movement. This encompasses a self-sustaining, naturally growing set of ministries and networks, which we will look at in more detail below.

But the second set of factors in a movement - the conditions - belong completely to God. He can open individual hearts ("soil") to the Word ("seed") in any numbers he sovereignly chooses. And he can also open a culture to the gospel as a whole ("weather"). How does God do this? Sometimes he brings about a crisis of belief within the dominant culture. Two of the great Christian movements (the early church of the second and third centuries and the church in China in the twentieth and twenty first centuries) were stimulated by crisis of confidence within their societies. The belief in the gods of Rome, and belief in orthodox Marxism in China, began falling apart as plausible worldviews. There was broad disaffection toward the older "faiths" among the population at large. This combination of cultural crisis and popular disillusionment with old ways of belief can supercharge a Christian movement and lift it to greater heights than it can reach in a culture that is indifferent (rather than hostile) to Christians. There can also be catastrophes that lead people of a culture to look to spiritual resources, as when the Japanese domination of Korea after 1905 became a context for the large number of conversions to Christianity that began around that time.

In short, we cannot produce a gospel movement without the providential work of the Holy Spirit. A movement is an ecosystem that is empowered and blessed by God's Spirit.

What is the ecosystem that the Holy Spirit uses to produce a gospel city movement? I picture it as three concentric circles:

First Ring - Contextual Theological Vision

At the very core of the ecosystem is a way of communicating and embodying the gospel that is contextualized to the city's culture and is fruitful in converting and discipling its people, a shared commitment to communicating the gospel to a particular place in a particular time. Churches that catalyze gospel movements in cities do not all share the same worship style, come from the same denomination, or reach the same demographic. They do, however, generally share much of the same basic "DNA": they are gospel centered, attentive to their culture, balanced, missional/evangelistic, growing, and self-replicating. In short, they have a relative consensus on the Center Church theological vision - a set of biblically grounded, contextual strategic stances and emphases that help bring sound doctrine to bear on the people who live in this particular moment.

Second Ring - Church Planting and Church Renewal Movements

The second layer is a number of church multiplication movements producing a set of new and growing churches, each using the effective means of ministry within their different denominations and traditions.

Many look at cities and see a number of existing churches, often occupying buildings that are nearly empty. It is natural to think, "The first thing we need to is to renew the existing churches with the gospel." Indeed, but the establishment of new churches in a city is a key to renewing the older churches. New churches introduce new ideas and win the unchurched and non-Christians to Christ at a generally higher rate than older churches. They provide spiritual oxygen to the communities and networks of Christians who do the heavy lifting over decades of time to reach and renew cities. They provide the primary venue for discipleship and the multiplication of believers, as well as serve as the indigenous financial engine for the ministry initiatives.

Third Ring - Specialized Ministries

Based in the churches, yet also stimulating and sustaining the churches, this third ring consists of a complex of specialty ministries, institutions, networks, and relationships. There are at least six types of elements in this third ring.

1. A prayer movement uniting churches across traditions in visionary intercession for the city. The history of revivals shows the vital importance of corporate, prevailing, visionary intercessory prayer for the city and the body of Christ. Praying for your city is a biblical directive (Jer 29:4-7). Coming together in prayer is something a wide variety of believers can do. It doesn't require a lot of negotiation and theological parsing to pray. Prayer brings people together. And this very activity is catalytic for creating friendships and relationships across denominational and organizational bounderies. Partnerships with Christians who are similar to and yet different from you stimulates growth and innovation.

2. A number of specialized evangelistic ministries, reaching particular groups (business people, mothers, ethnicities, and the like). Of particular importance are effective campus and youth ministries. Many of the city church's future members and leaders are best found in the city's colleges and schools. While students who graduate from colleges in university towns must leave the area to get jobs, graduates form urban universities do not. Students won to Christ and given a vision for living in the city can remain in the churches they joined during their school years and become emerging leaders in the urban body of Christ. Winning the youth of a city wins city natives who understand the culture well.

3. An array of justice and mercy ministries, addressing every possible social problem and neighborhood. As the evangelicals provided leadership in the 1830s, we need today an urban "benevolent empire" of Christians banding together in various nonprofits and other voluntary organizations to address the needs of the city. Christians of the city must become renowned for their care for their neighbors, for this is one of the key ways that Jesus will become renowned.

4. Faith and work initiatives and fellowships in which Christians from across the city gather with others in the same profession. Networks of Christians in business, the media, the arts, government, and the academy should come together to help each other work with accountability, excellence, and Christian distinctiveness.

5. Systems for attracting, developing, and training urban church and ministry leaders. The act of training usually entails good theological education, but a dynamic city leadership system will include additional components such as well-developed internship programs and connections to campus ministries.

6. An unusual unity of Christian city leaders. Church and movements leaders, heads of institutions, business leaders, academics, and others must know one another and provide vision and direction for the whole city. They must be more concerned about reaching the whole city and growing the whole body of Christ than about increasing their own tribe and kingdom.

When all of these ecosystems elements are strong and in place, they stimulate and increase one another and the movement becomes self-sustaining.

This article is an excerpt from Tim Keller's new book, Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City, released by Zondervan.

Tim Keller is the senior pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Manhattan, New York. He is also co-founder and vice president of The Gospel Coalition. To visit that site click here

God Returns to the City!

Many years ago my wife and I had the opportunity to live and work in the Red Light District of Amsterdam, Holland. The "Red Light District" was flourishing in those days, with thousands of prostitutes sitting behind windows and live sex shows running through the night. We prayed and ministered with faith and hope that the Red Light District would be closed down some day. Our workers decided, as an act of faith, to call the Red Light district the "promise land". We believed that the city belonged to the Lord, not to the devil. "The whole earth is the Lord's..." Recently I received a letter from Janneke Stuji, one of the leaders of the House of Prayer, located in the heart of the Red Light District. This is what she had to say about God at work in the city and in that neighborhood:

"The Lord has done many things: 51 windows were closed in 2008, 18 houses were sold with the brothels and windows.  But reality is……………That still many women are standing behind the window and people are ended up in slavery through human trafficking.

 I am one of the leaders of the House of Prayer, the Tabernacle of the Nations, in de Red Light District (building next to former Cleft) and every day we look out of our windows and see the ladies and the men.

 It is amazing what the Lord has done in all these years and we are all very excited about what He is going to do!

A few weeks ago there was an article in one of our neutral newspapers Het Parool and on the front page was written: “ God returns in the city” and this was an article of 3 pages about all the new Church plants in the city that many people go there and they are really impacting different neighborhoods".

If God can do this in one of the most notorious cities in the world, He can do it for you as well!

Tough Guys Discipling Tough Guys

I received this letter yesterday from a wonderful lady who is a world changer for Jesus. She is the founder and director of Siya Sebenza in Port Elizabeth, a job training and disciple making program. I have been coaching Ena in the 12 principles of obedience based discipleship that I like to call "discovery discipleship". Her letter below could be the beginning of something big!

Floyd,

I had a wonderful experience yesterday which had quite an impact on me. I have been teaching at a Christian Gap year school (a sort of adventure school) near Alicedale, a small town in the Karoo (South Africa).

They have about 70-90 students every year and for the past 4 years we have been running our WORK-4aLiving programme there. Every year some of the students can apply to be facilitators for the following year. I was pleased to see one young dynamic coloured guy this year, Jade, who had been in my classes last year and who had been VERY NAUGHTY. He was now a facilitator and had given his life to Christ in the meantime and was a changed man - harnessing all that potential now in the right direction!!!

We were chatting during the break. I was having a laugh because i saw him chew out a couple of guys in my class for misbehaving and i told him how funny it was considering that i had him sitting UNDER my nose last year!!

Then it happened. He was telling me how hectic some of the students were and how they misbehave. We started speaking about discipleship and i told him how i see the facilitators coralling the good ones in one corner and the bad ones into the other corner. Instead, i suggested, why doesnt he start identifying leaders (men of peace) amongst the 'bad' guys and start investing in them and discipling them instead of just 'guarding' them and just getting them thru the programme.

There are about half who are Christian but they are  NOT STRONG influencers. I told him that as a strong leader, he needed to find the STRONG man of peace amongst those guys, who are borderline but open - and they can change the whole group but that it will start by discipling these guys not rejecting or constantly punishing them with PT! He looked at me and went as red as a coloured guy can and he said, "But i've never done that!!! And neither have the other facilitators!! And that is right. It is what we are meant to do!!"  it was a lightbulb moment and it WAS SO AWESOME to see the lights go on...

Straight after my class there were about 10 guys who were called out to do hectic PT because of bad behaviour. There I saw Jade standing with his arms around them in a huddle praying or talking, not sure. Even the other facilitators were looking to see what was up!!  Normally PT would have started by now. This young man is VERY strong and it is exciting to see him hopefully take his place as a leader in the Kingdom.

Sorry so long and it may seem a bit insignificant but for me it highlighted the impact of having the right conversation, INTENTIONALLY at the right time, with the right person. I mean the impact of that place is great but it could be SO much greater if they get the tough guys discipled by tough guys themselves.

God Has Called You to Lead

The following article by Tony Spry is found on their website, along with many other great articles...

Check it out here

Your No Moses But God Has Called You to Lead

by Tony Spry

Moses was a reluctant leader, yet God used him mightily.  He dealt with fear, yet he went forward to do what God had called him to do.  He had: defection of staff, defection of family, weak and incompetent coworkers, nagging whining people & constant sin in the camp – to say nothing of the fact that they moved 41 times in 40yrs.  He was humble.  He was a friend of God.  Moses spoke to God and vice versa.  As I said above, you’re probably no Moses, but who is?  Even Moses started poorly, served 40 yrs. in Midian, wandered 40 yrs. & then at the summa of his leadership role, he died.

Leadership is a funny thing.  I once asked my husband, “How do you know if you’re a leader.”  He said, “Look behind you.  Is anyone following?”  This is so true.  When you read the lists of everything you’re supposed to be, it can be a little overwhelming. The only thing missing from most lists is “able to walk on water.”  It’s downright unattainable.  And, to compound the situation, we many times compare ourselves to others, try to emulate them and fall far short of the mark.

Leadership is so many things.  Leadership is saying no sometimes to ideas you know won’t work.  Leadership is not forgetting where you’ve come from and treating people with dignity.  Leadership is seeing the big picture but not forgetting it is made up of people, like pixels.  Leadership is flexibility. Leadership is keeping your eye on the goal.  Leadership is praying for discernment. Leadership is standing for truth when it’s not popular.  Leadership is being willing to try something new.

Church planting leadership is akin to test piloting.  Test pilots are an elite group of folks who are willing to try new things knowing it may mean losing their lives.  They constantly push past the edge of what’s normal.  Church planters are the test pilots of the pastorate.

We are all unique and minister in time and place.   It is so important to just understand who you are in Christ, where you are geographically, and to know your limitations.  What works in California may or may not work in rural Georgia, New England, or inner city Brooklyn.  A variety of programs offered in a large church must be pared down to make them workable in a new church plant, but they can work.  Does this mean that you never try anything new?  Of course not, vision is a part of leadership.

You may have limited leadership skills, but God doesn’t.  Pray that you may lead in the right path for the people God has given you.

According to the ancient Greek writer Pausanias the inscription, “Know thyself” was inscribed in the forecourt of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.  As far as I’m concerned, I think it’s more important to “know God.”

The God Story

Creation to Christ

Lesson One: Creation

There is one true God and He created all that is. He lives by His Holy Spirit in the hearts of true Christians who are born again.

• God created the heavens and earth - Genesis 1:1-24

• God created man and woman - Genesis 1:25-28

Truths to learn and obey from these Bible verses about creation:

• God is the creator not a spirit in the creation, He is personal and infinite.

• God created man and woman for three reasons: friendship with God, to love and care for each other, and to oversee creation and preach the good news of Jesus.

Lesson Two: Rebellion

We have all sinned against God through disobedience and rebellion. The penalty of our sin is death.

• Rebellion in Heaven - Revelation 12:7-9

• Rebellion in Heaven - Isaiah 14:12-15

• Every human being has sinned, death is penalty of sin - Romans 3:23, 6:23

• Our sin causes great sadness to God - Genesis 6:5-6

Truths to learn and obey from these Bible verses about rebellion:

• Satan is a liar and deceiver, he attacks with temptation, accusation and deception.

• Sin is rebellion/disobedience.

• God gave death as the punishment for sin.

Lesson Three: Sacrifice

The punishment for our sins requires a sacrifice for forgiveness.

• Sacrifices in the Old Testament as a picture of Jesus - Genesis 22:1-14

• The sin offering - Leviticus 4:1-3

• Jesus died so we can return to God - Luke 23:21-34

• Jesus’ sacrifice was made one time for all people - Hebrews 10:12

Truths to learn and obey from these Bible verses about sacrifice:

• The penalty for our sin is spiritual death.

• God has provided a way to escape the penalty of sin.

• Jesus is God’s sacrifice for our sins.

• There is no need for other sacrifices - Jesus is the sacrifice for all time for everyone.

Lesson Four: Return to God

God asks us to repent and return to Him.

• The lost son returns to his father - Luke 15:11-20

• There are two things we must do to return to God - John 1:12-13

• Our sins are forgiven when we return to God - 1 John 1:9

• We are born again and God’s spirit lives in us - John 3:6, Romans 8:14

Truths to learn and obey from these Bible verses about returning to God:

• Returning to God is a way of acknowledging our need for forgiveness.

• Returning to God is an act of godly sorrow for our sin.

• Returning to God releases God’s forgiveness.

• When we return to God we become the children of God.

Lesson Five: Commission/Fulfillment

Telling others about Jesus.

• When we return to God we receive new life - John 3:3-7, 15-17

• We become God’s friends and co-workers on earth - John 15:13-16

• We are sent to tell others about Jesus - Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:18-20

Truths to learn and obey from these Bible verses:

• We are all called to go and make disciples, to baptize them, to teach them.

• We should gather people in simple churches to grow in Christ.

10 Reasons Some Leaders Don’t Follow Paul’s Example of Church Planting

Because of the orderly fashion in which the book of Acts is written, and because of the missions and leadership truths Luke deals with, we can assume he intended Acts to serve as a training handbook for those committed to spreading the Gospel. Unfortunately, many Christian leaders don’t see it that way.

I am convinced if spiritual leaders spent just half their time doing what Paul did, the world would already have been evangelized several times over. And the churches they planted would have been born with multiplication in their genetic code. Church planting provokes us to train leaders and reach the lost more intentionally. 

So why don’t some missionaries and pastors follow the principles and practices Paul demonstrated in the book of Acts ? I asked that same question recently of a group of young missionaries in training with All Nations. Here are some of their answers:

1. Fear of Suffering and Sacrifice. Church planting is hard work. It means stress and in some cases, intense spiritual warfare. Paul’s methods for reaching the unreached and the unchurched are so radical that they guarantee opposition, even persecution and death, particularly when we plant churches where the gospel is least known.

2. Intimidation. Most of us don’t think we are a ‘Paul’. Pastors and missionaries excuse themselves by saying Paul was a ‘special person with a special anointing’. But Luke makes it clear that the whole church was moving out to spread the gospel . In fact, the powerful church of Antioch was started by anonymous laymen who moved from Jerusalem to Antioch to spread the good news of Jesus. Never under estimate what people will do when you believe in them and give them a chance to trust God!

3. Pride. Some leaders think they can improve on the way Paul did things, so they don’t take his methods and principles seriously. One missionary said to me rather flippantly, “If Paul were alive today he would change the way he did things.” When I asked him why he thought that way, he didn’t know. He just assumed Paul would learn from how we do things and make changes accordingly.

4. Unfocused Goals. Many spiritual leaders have unclear goals of what they want to accomplish. Staying busy in ministry can easily take the place of being effective in ministry. Being effective means planting churches. We won't reach lost people and disciple new leaders and plant more churches if we don't set goals to do so. In fact, I believe Satan loves to keep us busy doing 'good things', good church things, to keep us from doing the main thing: make disciples among the lost.

5. Unbelief. For some, the challenge to trust the Holy Spirit to break Satan’s strongholds over cities and nations requires steps of faith and obedience they are not willing to take. It takes faith to believe God for a new church to be planted, risk taking, daring faith. Church planters face the constant possibility of failure... but, they also see the greatest rewards in Christian ministry!

6. Ignorance. Few spiritual leaders have taken time to seriously study the church planting methods of Paul. Some even believe by planting churches Paul had not thought through the best way to advance the kingdom of God. Seriously, I have heard people say these things.

7. Confused Missiology. Another reason I see for the church not following Paul’s method of church planting is that people have changed, added to and amended how Paul did missions so much that he now gets blamed for all the slip-shod, unfocused, ineffective activity that is being done in the name of ‘missions’. This is especially true for short-term missions activities, where so much more could be done if the leaders of these outreaches would apply the principles and practices of the great apostle. It should be pointed out that many of the churches Paul started were established on ‘short term’ outreaches, but those were short term outreaches with long term goals.

8. Poor Interpretation of Scripture.  Some movements and churches have neglected the Pauline methodology because of misunderstanding about what Jesus meant when he instructed his disciples to “...make disciples of all nations.” There is a grave mistake in the thinking of some that missionaries and pastors are commissioned by Jesus to reform society rather than spreading the gospel. This approach to church and mission actually devalues the important ministry God has given to local churches. Christians are to be salt and light in society, but that is not the calling of a pastor, church planter and cross-cultural missionary. We are to join Jesus... he said, "I will build my church". We get to do that with Him!

9. Inconsistent Application of Paul’s Principles. According to Roland Allen (Missionary Methods: St. Paul’s or Ours?), some people have neglected Paul’s methods because they have “...adopted fragments of St. Paul’s method and have tried to incorporate them into alien systems...” The failure that has resulted from these hybrid methodologies has been used as an excuse to reject the apostle’s methods. To quote Allen again: “For example, people have baptized uninstructed converts and the converts have fallen away; but Paul did not baptize uninstructed converts apart from a system of mutual responsibility that insured their instruction.” Obedience based discipleship based on hearing and obeying the Spirit as He instructs new converts is a much surer way to prepare followers of Jesus for baptism.

10. Disrespect For the Apostolic Calling of the Church. The Pauline approach to missions has lost it’s stature in some circles because some spiritual leaders have borrowed the term ‘apostle’ to reinforce their position of authority or dominance over their followers. Others have wanted recognition or prestige in the Body of Christ. “We are apostles,” they claim, expecting that having the same title means they deserve the same respect those early apostles had. Those were men of great courage who opposed the Roman Empire, withstood the fierce persecution of the Jewish leaders, and suffered and sacrificed to spread the gospel all over the world. If so called apostles were truly ‘sent ones’ they would be giving their time and energy to pull down Satan’s strongholds in the 10/40 window, endure stoning and jail sentences, plant scores of churches among the unreached, and spreading the good news of Jesus with courage and passion.

The Power of Encouragement

Hello, I'm not sure if this is a true story, but it is certainly a story of "truth". I try to practice this simple truth with people I know, and people I meet for the first time, seeking to discern what God has put in a person and speak words of affirmation, hope and destiny to them. After all, if I am wrong, how bad can it be if I am trying to speak words of encouragement with the hope that it points people to Jesus?

Yours,

Floyd

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name.

Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down.

It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.

That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual.

On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. 'Really?' she heard whispered. 'I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!' and, 'I didn't know others liked me so much,' were most of the comments.

No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on.

Several years later, one of the students was killed in Vietnam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student. She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. He looked so handsome, so mature.

The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to bless the coffin.

As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. “Were you Mark's math teacher?” he asked. She nodded, “yes”. Then he said, “Mark talked about you a lot”. After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark's mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher. “We want to show you something” his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket, “They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it”. Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him. “Thank you so much for doing that”, Mark's mother said, “As you can see, Mark treasured it”.

All of Mark's former classmates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, “I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home”.

Chuck's wife said, “Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album”.

“I have mine too”, Marilyn said. “It's in my diary”.

Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. “I carry this with me at all times”, Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued, “I think we all saved our lists”.

That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.

The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will end one day. And we don't know when that one day will be.

So please, tell the people you love and care for, that they are special and important. Tell them, before it is too late, tell them while you have time. Tell them in carefully crafted but simple, heartfelt words of love why you appreciate them, the good you see in them, the love and hope you carry in your heart for them.