“I don’t know how the church has grown. All I’ve done is teach the Bible.” The wise old Christian leader looked genuine enough, but I’m sure he was harbouring a secret. But because he’s a model for younger church leaders, they are going to think that he’s telling them the truth, and start to think
A wise pastor friend pointed out to me, “You get what you teach.” Which means that if we preach that evangelism is important, but don’t do anything about it, then what we actually teach is that Christians are people who talk a lot about evangelism but don’t do anything about it. Which makes a lot
Molten metal, not sprayed all over the foundry, but poured, deliberately, carefully into each individual mould. That’s the logic for what different groups call discipling, or one-to-one, or personal work. A life-changing gospel directed into an individual life. The wider world uses a similar idea with ‘coaching’, which is good, but often has the idea
There are nearly sixty New Testament verses which are about what are to do for ‘one-another’. That’s sixty verses we cannot obey if we don’t do church properly. Our problem has often been in seeing church as an event, which runs for an hour and a half with precious little room for most people present
Someone recently decided not to join a particular church. When he was asked why, he said it was a ‘Mary Poppins church – every Christian was practically perfect in every way.’ True story. That’s a church where no-one is wounded, and where no-one applies the medicine of the gospel to those wounds. There is no
I have honestly wondered about putting preaching so high on this list. Because it is such a biblically valid expression of Ministry of the Word, that some people act as if it is the only sort there is. Which suffocates the church. But it is vital. It’s rather like oxygen: I need oxygen in order
Ever since the church growth movement highlighted that we need Celebrations, Congregations and Cells, and the historians pointed out that revivals in the church frequently accompany the rediscovery of small groups, churches have become used to having small group bible studies as part of their life. Here’s a secret: put pastors on a platform, and
A young conference speaker was once asked how he found time to do all his studying. The clear, loud voice of John Stott replied from the other side of the room, ‘He doesn’t find time; he makes it!’ The first time the apostles would have realised that their decision to delegate in Acts 6 had
What is the heartbeat of our ministry? And what does that look like in daily life and planning? In a short series, we’re going to consider the central element, and what that means. Acts 6:1-7 was a clarifying moment for the early church. Burdened by the demands of spiritual growth and physical need, their structures
Evangelicals, of all people, are thought to be grace-less and hard, where the people who have gone soft or even abandoned the doctrine of ‘grace alone’ are thought to be loving, kind and accepting.
Seeing the world upside down is helpful. Australians are warm, friendly people, but above all they are direct. They tell you the truth and expect you to respond with the same candour. Here are five truths that I received between the eyes: 1. Sometimes standing still is success. A man who runs a major Christian
Available here
My final Moore lecture is here: ThePointoftheSword
The Point of the Sword 4
This morning’s lecture here The Point of the Sword 4
Point of the Sword 2
In today’s lecture. point of the sword 3
The first of my Moore College lectures is available here
Several times now I have sat with a group of leaders from a church as they have tried to thrash out, from the basics, what their church was about. Fundamentally. Sometimes it was driven by gospel passion, or the vision of a new leader. Once, frankly, it was driven by despair. It was a church
‘Pastor’ – it is an odd word that needs first translating as ‘shepherd’, and then explaining and clarifying every time we use it. But it has stood the test of time as one of the fundamental metaphors of Christian ministry. No other word seems to capture the idea of gentle leadership, modelled on Jesus. But
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