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Matt Chandler - Inoculated to Jesus? Contrast the Gospel and Religion

Converts to What?

Converts to What? - EdStetzer.com.  Writes Stetzer:

I continue to see movements gaining traction among Christians that do not seem to have many converts. In other words, they have recruits to their cause, but few converts to Christ. And, I am concerned. I am concerned that in the name of "fixing the Church" we are not proclaiming the Church's gospel.

... So, my Reformed friends, let's not only read 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John (that is, John Calvin, John MacArthur, and John Piper), let's go plant some more churches. My emerging church friends, let's take a pause from the theological rethink and head into the neighborhood and to tell someone about Jesus. My missional friends, let's speak of justice, but always tell others how God can be both "just and justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." My house church friends, let's have community, but let's be sure it is one focused on redemption. My Baptist friends, let's focus more on convincing pagans than Presbyterians. And, my charismatic friends, let's focus less on getting existing believers to speak in tongues and more on using our tongue to tell others about Jesus ...

If you want to convince me (and the body of Christ) to your cause, you must show me it is a better way. You must tell and show something different. You must not just protest what is, but you must show me what should be.

Evangelism | TheResurgence

Evangelism | TheResurgence. - Mark Driscoll:

Evangelism is the speaking and showing of the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ to people who do not yet know Him. Evangelism is the natural overflow of a life lived in joy as a worshiper of God. Sadly, evangelism is often portrayed as something that Christians must do as a duty, rather than something that they get to do as a delight.

Jesus Is Not a Brand | Christianity Today

Why it is dangerous to make evangelism another form of marketing.

Jesus Is Not a Brand | Christianity Today

Suffering, Non-American Style

Suffering.  Not a word I hear much when I stop on "Christian" TV networks these days.  We like to focus on more upbeat topics here in America.  Suffering is not something that most Americans under the age of 75 or so have experienced and we don't want to believe it could ever happen here.  But it can.  And, one day, in your lifetime or that of your kids, it will likely happen here.

Suffering.  If you grew up in the Christian Bubble, you probably think it's when someone laughs at the fish decal on your car or dismisses your Sunday morning schedule.

Or, maybe you're like me and you think you've suffered because you endured summer football two-a-day practices in the hot August sun under the direction of an old-school former SEC football coach before the word "hydration" was in football vocabulary; three days of no air-conditioning on a summer day; a long hike on a humid day with inadequate water intake; 2 hours of tv sitcoms and Oprah while waiting at the car repair shop; sitting, stuck in a business meeting in a trendy tofu restaurant when a great steak place is across the street; or 245 seconds in the awfully annoying "It's a Small World" ride at Disney World.

Nah.

Unless you have suffered from a debilitating disease, or live in a third world country where Christians are truly persecuted, you likely haven't suffered much if you're reading these words.

Want to know what suffering is?  Here are just a few horrifying examples, which like the Bible, are not rated G.

Test Yourself: Are You In The Faith?

John Piper discusses the Biblical directive to test our faith to see if it is indeed real.

unChristian: CNN looks at the book

Gabe Lyons, coauthor with David Kinnaman of the book unChristian, discusses the volume on CNN.  UnChristian is a look at the "image" of Christianity among young people from 16-29.  The book includes contributions from Andy Stanley, Chuck Colson, Jim Wallis, Louie Giglio, Sarah Cunningham, Andy Crouch, Rick Warren, Gary Haugen, Margaret Feinberg, Mark Batterson, Jim White, Brian McLaren, and others.

What Do You Do When Your Child Is a Prodigal?

Over at Decision Magazine, the publication of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, John Piper's son Abraham Piper remembers his prodigal years and tells how God brought him to salvation despite having been raised in a Christian home.  He then offers 12 suggestions to parents who have wayward children walking in the shoes he once wore.  John Piper offers some thoughts in the sidebar.

From the intro:

At first I pretended that my reasoning was high-minded and philosophical. But really I just wanted to drink gallons of cheap sangria and sleep around. Four years of this and I was strung out, stupefied and generally pretty low. Especially when I was sober or alone.

My parents, who are strong believers and who raised their kids as well as any parents I’ve ever seen, were brokenhearted and baffled. (See sidebar.) I’m sure they were wondering why the child they tried to raise right was such a ridiculous screw-up now. But God was in control.

One Tuesday morning, before 8 o’clock, I went to the library to check my e-mail. I had a message from a girl I’d met a few weeks before, and her e-mail mentioned a verse in Romans. I went down to the Circle K and bought a 40-ounce can of Miller High Life for $1.29. Then I went back to where I was staying, rolled a few cigarettes, cracked open my drink, and started reading Romans. I wanted to read the verse from the e-mail, but I couldn’t remember what it was, so I started at the beginning of the book. By the time I got to chapter 10, the beer was gone, the ashtray needed emptying and I was a Christian.

The best way I know to describe what happened to me that morning is that God made it possible for me to love Jesus. When He makes this possible and at the same time gives you a glimpse of the true wonder of Jesus, it is impossible to resist His call.

Looking back on my years of rejecting Christ, I offer these suggestions to help you reach out to your wayward child so that they, too, would wake up to Christ’s amazing power to save even the worst of us.

1. Point them to Christ.
Your rebellious child’s real problem is not drugs or sex or cigarettes or porn or laziness or crime or cussing or slovenliness or homosexuality or being in a punk band. The real problem is that your child doesn’t see Jesus clearly. The best thing you can do for rebellious children—and the only reason to follow any of these suggestions—is to show them Christ. It won’t be simple or immediate, but the sins in their life that distress you and destroy them will begin to disappear only when they see Jesus more as He actually is.

Continue reading at Decision Magazine to get the other 11 suggestions.

Where your treasure is...there your heart is also

Money Challenge

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Hat Tip: Dan Miller at ForGodsFame

More than worship pastors

This past week I had a break -through in my ministry here at Fellowship Church. And here's the catch...it has nothing to do with our worship/music ministry. For the last year I have been studying at the Philadelphia School of Arts in order to improve my guitar skills. At almost every class my professor and I would end up talking about life's problems and how God fits into all of it. I think I invited Joel to attend Fellowship the first or second week of classes. I even came from the angle of "I really could use some professional critiquing." It never did work. To this day he has never come to church.

This week I had a member of our church bring a pair of Philadelphia Phillies tickets to my office. It was for a day game so I told them that I wouldn't be able to attend but that I would find someone who could use them. Now don't laugh but as I was thinking of people who could use them, I know I heard the Holy Spirit whispering to me that I should take the afternoon off and take Joel, my guitar teacher. So on a whim I called him up and asked him if he would want to go with me. (In my head I knew he would say no). To my surprise, he said he would love to go. So I picked him up and we headed downtown to watch the Phillies.

It must have been around the third inning when he made a comment that opened the door. By the fourth inning Joel asked me "What exactly does it mean to have a relationship with God? What's that look like?" Wouldn't you know we spoke talked about that the entire rest of the game as well as the ride home. When I dropped him off he turned to me and said "I would love for you to give me a call so we can talk some more about this." WOW!! A breakthrough with Joel! You see, some people may never respond to a church invite. But they will respond to a baseball game, or coffee, or a movie or something else that they are interested in.

What is my point with all this? If you are a worship pastor, or a lead pastor, or an associate pastor, your ministry does not end when you walk of that stage. It is only the starting point. Ninety-nine percent of your ministry will take place off the stage, out of the limelight. We are more than worship pastors. We are Christ-followers.