Wednesday is for Prayer At Philippi, Paul and Silas had been arrested, stripped, beaten with rods, thrown into an inner dungeon, immobilized by stocks on their feet, all for preaching the gospel (Acts 15:16-24). After an earthquake-miracle, they led their jailer and his family to faith in Christ, visited Lydia and the new church meeting … More Our Suffering is Not Wasted
Monday is for Discussion Great day yesterday as New Song Church in Bolingbrook, IL celebrated its 20th anniversary as a church planting church. It was great to go back, three years after I resigned to invest my remaining years in training and mentoring church planters. We saw old friends, heard some great testimonies, witnessed some … More Why Don’t More Churches Build Church Planting into Their DNA?
Sunday Musings on the Gospel Our time, our churches, our flocks need the strong word’s of Paul. I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and … More The Desertion of the Gospel in the Modern Church
Missional Living Thought Primer: Is it likely that in any church service, there are many present who have not had a life-changing conversion experience?* They may carry Bibles; they may call themselves Christ followers; they may believe they are ‘saved’; they may speak fluent “Christianese”; but they have never truly placed their trust in Christ as their atoning … More Speaking Fluent Christianese Isn’t a Substitute for Knowing Christ
Tuesday is for Preaching I had the fortune to attend a church this week with a pastor who has a deep value of preaching the word of God in all of its authority and relevance for the lives of 21st century people. The text was Matthew 5:13-16, the “You are the salt and light of … More Four Things to Do in Your Message This Week
Tuesday is for Preaching You attended worship last Sunday. Perhaps you led worship last Sunday. In either case, you heard or gave a message from the word of God. Either you or someone else, spent between 10-25 hours the week previous, studying a text, praying over a text. brooding over a text, asking God for … More Did You Hear What You Preached Last Sunday?
Thursday Discussion I am becoming more and more convinced that there is a tidal wave coming to the American Church. It is doctrinal in nature and unless pastors and church leaders are released from their bondage to the therapeutic concerns of people in their pulpits and teaching, the American Church is going to see tidal-wave-like … More The Tidal Wave Coming to the American Church
Wednesday is for Prayer Is it not overwhelming to contemplate that our God has worn a body? He knows our frame (Psalm 103:14). He knows the heartache of loss, the panting need of thirst, the pangs of hunger that an empty stomach send out. I have little doubt that he experienced the illnesses that his … More The Savior has Worn a Body
Monday is for Discussion A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to sit down with a Catholic priest, a friend, and discuss the gospel. We had lunch at a local Olive Garden and after a wide ranging discussion I moved the conversation to the gospel itself. “Pastor,” I said, “my understanding of the … More Conversing with a Catholic Priest about the Gospel
Thursday is for Discipleship In the book Follow Me: Experiencing the Loving Leadership of Jesus, Jan David Hettinga, writes: “Jesus did not call the cross or His death and resurrection the good news. For Jesus, the kingdom was the good news. The magnificent work of the cross is the beginning. Atonement, reconciliation, redemption, justification, and … More Do Good, But Start with and Never Forget the Priority of Proclamation
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