There is an urgency in the callings of the first disciples. The Lord speaks and is heard; immediately, they leave and follow. What happened to that urgent immediacy? Why don’t we experience that same effect today? To be sure, many do. Around the world, each day the word speaks and does its work, bringing immediate […]

Here the ordained pastor is given his marching orders. He is to sink himself into equipping those God has given him to love as their shepherd to do the work of ministry. This is counter to the prevailing idea of ministry in many churches. Since the mid-20th Century, ministry has become the exclusive domain of […]

Paul writes with the conviction that God has given all Christians gifts and that they are to be used. The giftedness is not in question, but whether they are used or not is. But note first that the gifts are a result of the “grace given to us.” God, in his mercy, has shown you […]

What does it mean to be a disciple? Most would say it has to do with being a pupil, learner, or student – even noting the shared root with the word “discipline” as it relates to instruction. And surely these are right, inasmuch as they say what they say. Apprentices of a master are that […]

God cares about cities because God cares about people. As God moves among people, we find them moving into cities: more than half of the world’s population now lives in cities, and that trend will only continue. God cares about cities and about this city. As a church, as the Lord speaks to us about […]

The Christian faith calls a thing what it is. And often, determining what is good and what is evil is not as hard as we think. We know what is good because “he has told you.” The problem comes when our own hearts begin to cloud the word of God. We look for loopholes or […]

Jesus says – Go. This requires followers of Jesus to go out. The current model of churches is to put on programs that might attract people into their fellowship. This is not all bad, but it does mean that those you attract are likely to already be Christians. The command is to go, not wait […]

It seems so simple. Love your neighbor. Put their interests first. Think about other people more, and about yourself less. Do the right thing. Just do the right thing. It seems so simple. Why does it sometimes get so difficult then? I want to want to love my neighbor as myself, but I do not […]

How do you identify a Christian? By a fish on their car or a cross around their neck? No, they are identified by love. But what does it look like to love other believers? In the Old Testament we are told an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth (Exodus 21:24). In […]

A great line from the hymn Praise my Soul the King of Heaven says Jesus is “slow to chide and swift to bless.” May the church be marked by this biblical truth. All too often, the propensity of the church is to condemn – the opposite of what Jesus came to do. The church’s primary […]