Out of the best of motives, at the end of my evangelistic talk, I invited the young people who prayed the prayer of commitment, to raise their hands as they did so. I wanted them to make some definite movement to show that they had given their lives to Christ. Why? To encourage them. But
I was a young assistant minister, and I’d been left in charge. The minister was away on sabbatical, and I had been given the keys of the kingdom. It wasn’t my first day there – in fact, I’d been there for three years already, and he had been quite straight and trusting. I was in
Are your home groups in a rut? Needing something to shake them up? Here’s an interesting idea – stop meeting in each other’s homes. I heard recently of a church was pushing back on the idea of being pushed to the margins. They realised they were colluding with the idea of being invisible to a
Life as a leader will be tough, and will demand self-discipline. But while it’s realistic to admit that it’s tough, it’s downright stupid to make it impossible. How do we do that? By taking on a role we were never intended to play. For instance, I frequently meet Christian leaders who think that their role
If you’ve enjoyed the impact of Sovereign Grace music in the UK, you won’t want to miss this conference with Bob Kauflin in March. Nathan Smith, pastor of Grace Church, Bath, who’s the organiser, writes this:- The conference will be held on 5th-8th March 2014, at The Forum, in Bath and hosted by Bob Kauflin
If there’s something wrong with the shirt I’ve bought, I take back to the shop. If the mechanic hasn’t fixed the car, I take it back to the garage. I’m a customer, I have paid, and I expect the level of service. That model of thinking is so prevalent in a consumer society, that people
Jesus taught us that our fundamental role as ministers is to be servants. He has served us, we are to serve each other, and those of us who are pastors are to serve as we lead. But words come in particular cultures and contexts. In Jesus’ time the word ‘slave’ was demeaning and potentially violent
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