Several years ago, I had the privilege of translating for Dr. Nina Gunter in the Holiness Summit held in San José, Costa Rica. Her message, as many of hers do, had to do with holiness. As I was reflecting on her words anew just days ago, I decided to reproduce her sermon this week, with... Continue Reading →
Christ-Centered Discipleship
A few months ago, Dr. Rubén Fernández published in the Didache theological resource website an essay on discipleship within the context of the Mesoamerica Region. I found it to be a bold, insightful rebuke of our current Church leadership and methodology (I include myself in that distinction). Below I have provided an extract of this article... Continue Reading →
A Swift and Radical Change
In one of the neighborhoods in the city, two missionaries were doing door to door evangelism, knocking on doors to present the gospel using the “Wordless Book.” They knocked on the door insistently, but no one would open. When they were about to leave, a woman about 40 years old leaned out of a small... Continue Reading →
Four Quotes from Billy Graham that I Can’t Get Away From
By Scott Armstrong In the three weeks since Billy Graham died at the age of 99, I have been reflecting on his life and his legacy. Four of his quotes have stuck with me and I would like to offer them to you here. “Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion –... Continue Reading →
Learning from Mary
By Charles W. Christian I once heard a Catholic priest tell a joke about a scene in Heaven. Jesus walks up to a Protestant and a Catholic and says to them, “I am glad to see you two getting along so well.” Then Jesus turns to the Protestant and says, “I would like to introduce... Continue Reading →
Why We Wait
By Charles W. Christian “They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength…” (Isaiah 40:31, KJV) The Season of Advent is about waiting; not a passive waiting, but the kind of waiting we see in this passage from Isaiah: an expectant waiting. If there is a “fun” kind of waiting, it is this kind! As Christians,... Continue Reading →
What do You do With The Robber?
Dr. Donald M. Joy writes in his book, The Holy Spirit and You, about sin being a thief. His analogy equates the principle of sin to an armed robber in one's home, an outlaw in the heart. This is not far-fetched: John 10:10 tells us “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” Imagine... Continue Reading →
Towards Missional Effectiveness: The Message of God’s Mission – Part 2 of 7
By Ed Stetzer God is on mission to glorify Himself. In the first post I explained that missional effectiveness is embracing the totality of the missio Dei—including its message, movement, and marks—and enacting it in the life of a local church. I don’t know about you, but I have been on many honey-do runs in the... Continue Reading →
Compassion for the Lost
Rev. Ken Childress Isaiah chapter 6, verse 8: "I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said, here am I! Send me." Is it possible, after we have been baptized with the Holy Spirit, to be satisfied with what we see? What made... Continue Reading →