The Dirty Secret of the Mission Field
I got on the airplane ready to take on the world. I was moving to India to be a missionary. I couldn’t wait to save as many lost people as possible in India. About seventeen hours later we landed in New Delhi and I…discovered the dirty secret of the mission field. The same guy you […]
A Christian’s Four Mission Fields
Global missionaries often use the term “mission field” to describe where they have been called by God to take the gospel. Yet there are actually four “mission fields” followers of Jesus are commanded by God to work in. Each of these fields needs reintegrating into both our individual and church lives. The Bible indicates that […]
4 Tracks in American Christianity: A Tool for Cutting Through the Smoke and Heat
Christianity in America seems more confusing than ever. Imagine American Christianity as a vehicle that seems to be breaking down on a long road trip. The check engine light is illuminated. The engine is sputtering. The flashers are engaged. The vehicle is pulled to the side of the road. Then, when concerned Christians pop and […]
Connecting Our Church’s Vision to God’s Global Mission
How do we and our churches awaken to the vision of God’s global mission to save people from every nation, tribe, and people? It starts with being a disciple of Jesus, with our heart beating in step with his compassion for people and his passion for seeing God’s glory restored on the earth as it […]
Discipling the Next Generation by Inviting Them into God’s Mission
Discipling the next generation may seem daunting. But it’s in the church’s DNA. We see Jesus disciple and launch young men who changed the world with his gospel. We see Paul mentor a young Timothy, who would continue ministering in Paul’s footsteps long after Paul’s death. How do we disciple the next generation in our […]
Five Reasons Every Church Should Love Their Community
If you drive down the street in just about any town, you are sure to see a church or two or thirty. As you pass each of these buildings marked by stained glass, steeples reaching up to the sky, and a sign out front with Sunday service times, you wonder to yourself, “I wonder who […]
How Then Should We Live: Models of Christian Engagement of Culture
How should a Christian live his or her life in this world? We rightly assume that our Christian faith is not merely abstract belief. Our faith means something. It has consequences. It weighs upon and informs our decisions, our relationships, and our values. Or at least it should. After we have found the answer to […]
Lessons from Christians in Egypt
Christians in Egypt teach us to care about what’s on the Lord’s heart, as well as to take heart when there is pressure to give up the faith. The woman had been trapped inside the apartment for several months. And as she stood at the window of the third-story apartment, she gazed incredulously at the […]