Search Results for: church

It’s easy to go through the motions, pretending to be devoted to Jesus. People can use religious words, attend church, and sing worship songs, but still never allow Christ to sit on the throne of their lives. Honoring Jesus as the central figure of your life, putting Him first in every decision and choice, and…

Jesus came to accomplish two things. First, he came to make redemption possible for every person, in every nation, and in every generation. His birth, life, death, and resurrection made redemption possible. Jesus, and Jesus alone, is the only one that could make it possible for a person to experience true redemption.    Christ’s priority of…

“So, I was reading this book by Michael Foster and Dominic Bnonn Tennant called, It’s Good to Be a Man. It was interesting. He said that in Christianity there are something like two generations of literal or functional “clueless bastards.” I said this quickly because I knew the term I used sounded incredibly derogatory, but…

When I began in youth ministry over thirty years ago, the statistics were compelling. I don’t think they’ve changed much. Here’s what was true then. Roughly 90% of those who trust Christ as their Savior in the US will make that decision by the age of 21, before they graduate from college.  About 85% of…

After Jesus invited His first followers to become “fishers of men” Matthew 4.19ESV, He took them on six “fishing trips” to show them what He meant. These six encounters are recorded in Luke 4 and 5. Start fishing where you are. It’s important to see that all six of these encounters happened in the areas where Jesus’ disciples actually lived….

Why did Jesus stand on Mount Arbel? The sun was bright, and the sky was clear as I climbed on top of Mount Arbel. This mountain is a special one in the life of Jesus and special to those who follow Him. It stands today, as it did over two thousand years ago, as one…

I just returned from a twelve-day trip to the African country of Zambia. This was my second trip to this wonderful country, where I trained leaders and pastors, along with other members of our Impact team, in disciple-making. It was a fantastic experience, and I pray it will produce much fruit for the kingdom. As…

Shallow discipleship has worsened and deepened over the years. When I first came to faith forty-five years ago, a popular phrase used to describe the church was that we were one mile wide and one inch deep. Now, I would adjust it to say we are one mile wide and less than half an inch…

How does the priority of preaching fit in a disciple-making church? Great question, and one that you will rarely hear addressed. Very few people ever consider the question of what the role of preaching is in a church committed to making disciples. In this blog, let me unpack what I’ve discovered about the role of…

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first (Revelation 2:4 NIV 2011) What does it look like when someone has “forsaken the love you had at first”? How would you know it?  Many of us have served the Lord for a long time. We enjoy ministry. We find ministry…

To accelerate church planting efforts among pioneer people groups who are either illiterate or oral preferred cultures, New Generations has launched a major Bible translation effort that we refer to as, “Ending Scripture Poverty 300.” The plan is to provide heart-language audio translations for 300 people groups who have never heard the Word of God…

Saturday morning coffee has become a rhythm of life for my daughters and me. The tradition started with my oldest daughter and has now passed to my third and youngest daughter. These dates give my daughters an opportunity to speak, and our time together gives me the valuable privilege to listen. One recent morning my…