Dr. Milton Gay Valencia Mesoamerica Regional Evangelism Coordinator “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Did you know that God prepares us to share the good news... Continue Reading →
The Blessing of Babel
By: Scott Armstrong *The following is taken from Lisa Sharon Harper’s book The Very Good Gospel. The first uses of the Hebrew word goy (foreign ethnic group) in Genesis are instructive. The word is found in the list of Noah’s descendants, commonly called the Table of Nations (see Genesis 10). The word is found next... Continue Reading →
Quotes from The Very Good Gospel
By: Scott Armstrong I recently read Lisa Sharon Harper’s The Very Good Gospel: How Everything Wrong Can Be Made Right. I agree with Shane Claiborne, who says, “On these pages, the Garden of Eden meets the world we live in.” I encourage anyone to read the full book; in fact, my hope is to whet... Continue Reading →
A Way Back to Shalom
*The following serves as the conclusion of Lisa Sharon Harper’s important book The Very Good Gospel. Evidence of the presence of the Kingdom of God is thick wherever and whenever people stand on the promise of God that there is more to this world – more to this life – than what we see. There... Continue Reading →
January: A Month to Support Genesis
Many Nazarenes in the Mesoamerica Region know that the month of January has been designated for several years to promote and give offerings to the Genesis ministry. If every member in the Church of the Nazarene in our 32 countries gave just one dollar to this initiative, we could train and send out more than... Continue Reading →
Patterning to a Jesus Template Part II
By: Dr. Clark Armstrong Jesus’ teaching ministry primarily consisted of the use of parables. We should learn to use many stories and illustrations. He also taught the crowds or public groups such as the Pharisees with discourses. The book of Matthew can be outlined around five of these. His teaching of the disciples was peripatetic,... Continue Reading →
Patterning to a Jesus Template Part I
By: Dr. Clark Armstrong In previous articles highlighting the pastoral calling and ministry, we studied 17 New Testament scriptures in our endeavor to understand what God’s expectations are for an ordained elder or pastor. Our conclusion from God’s word was that God has called the pastor to do four simple things: to pray, to preach,... Continue Reading →
Job Description of a Pastor Part 1: Overview
By: Dr. Clark Armstrong In my denomination (the Church of the Nazarene), senior pastors and churches are required to provide a written job description at the time that they ask their district for permission to add any Associate Pastor (Manual, 159.3). Thus, generally speaking, Associate Pastors know what their area of specialization is supposed to... Continue Reading →
Minding the Gap (in Ministry)
By: Rev. Dr. Clark Armstrong There is an intricate subway system in London with many levels and sub-levels transporting hundreds of thousands of people every day in thousands of directions underneath the city. Not only can you get lost trying to get from place to place in The Tube (its nickname); danger lurks all around.... Continue Reading →
Glorification: The Overlooked Doctrine?
By: Dr. Clark Armstrong One idea stands prominent to describe Christ’s Transfiguration; in Greek, it is the doxa or glory of God (glorify, glorious, glorification). The most overlooked, underemphasized, least preached, and most taken-for-granted doctrine in the ordo salutis is by far the doctrine of glorification.[1] Yet the ordo salutis makes it the final and... Continue Reading →