Citizen of Heaven?
Where you from? A big city lawyer is duck hunting in rural Arizona. He shoots a bird which falls over the fence into a field. As he’s climbing the fence, a farmer drives up on a tractor and asks him what he’s doing. The lawyer explains he’s retrieving the duck he shot, and the farmer […]
Igniting Disciple Making Movements in North America: Four Crucial Steps
There’s a question I get asked. A lot. The question church leaders ask me is, “Josh, why do you think disciple making movements are happening in places like China and India and Africa, but we’re really not seeing them in the West? And what do we need to do differently to start seeing more disciple making […]
Who’s on the Throne?
I’m going to be honest. I am hit—way more than I care to admit—with the realization that my agenda is my agenda and not God’s. I might have just preached a sermon about God’s will that Sunday, but my life is more about my will. Yes, I desire for God to be glorified, but too much of my heart […]
Bringing Our Expectations in Line with God’s Truth
“But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.” (Luke 7:30, NIV) What expectations have we placed on God that may not be consistent with who he has shown himself to be and with how he has shown himself to work in […]
Discipling Lost People into Salvation
“Metanoesein kai pistos emoi genesesthai!” These were the words of Flavius Josephus to a group of Jewish rebels in 66 A.D., commanding them to abandon their current course of action and to instead come under His command and direction. In English, we recognize His words as, “Repent and believe in me!” To the Christian, this is reminiscent […]
Preach and Normalize “King Jesus”
Christ is one of those words in the New Testament that I believe it is unfortunate that we transliterated instead of translated. Jesus Christ would have been understood in the early church to mean “Jesus the Anointed King.” Re-read Paul’s letters and notice how often he refers to Jesus as Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus, or […]
What Was Jesus’ Core Mission?
I’ve met many sincere Christians who spend considerable time wondering and praying, “What is God’s will for my life?” Maybe you have thought about that question in your quiet moments, too. Some believers have settled the issue and are pursuing what they believe to be God’s special calling. Others don’t think the subject is even […]
What Is the Gospel?
Let me start by stating the simplified answer to the question, “What is the gospel?” The “gospel” is an expression in Scripture that simply means “good news.” It is best to think of the gospel in three related parts. The Gospel – Jesus is the Messiah, the promised saving King described in Scripture. He came […]
