The Christian church was born into an era of emperors. You ascended the imperial throne because of seniority, heredity or military glory. Then you could do whatever you liked until unseated by a coup. Before 1949 in Germany Fuhrer just meant Leader. Since the war it doesn’t get used. It’s tainted. Similarly such leaders tainted it for the church. Also for OT – God was king, kings were something to be wary of. For NT – Jesus is only Lord. (Acts 17:7, Rom 10:9, Col 1:18) – HE is the Leader. The head of the church. Supreme. We hear ‘Lead Like Jesus’ – but if that means he’s just an example of a good leadership tip source, that won’t do. He’s no leadership guru, he’s the Lord. BUT God is working for the flourishing of creation. (Eph 1:10) Richard Bauckham ‘God’s secret purpose at work in the whole creation took visible shape in Jesus Christ.’ God’s care for creation is exercised indirectly; he chooses a part for the good of all. He chooses […]
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Sheep and Shepherds
Preparing for next Sunday's Video talk, which we're filming later today, I found a great deal of interesting detail from this source, reproduced at www.baptistbiblebelievers.com Manner And Customs of Bible Lands by Fred H. Wight Copyright @ 1953 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - Shepherd ...
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Why Paul told Timothy he was so FOR women leading, and I want to be too!
Why would Paul name two men getting it wrong then apparently write ‘so the answer is don’t let women teach?’ Writing something which for 2000 years since has been used - by men - to clobber women into submission at ...
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Curses and Blessings, Balaam & Barak
It's not just the strange tale of a talking donkey. Numbers 22 has a lot to tell us about blessings and curses and how words work God's way.
GRIEVING and the Battle for HOPE – #LC14 Rick & Kay Warren at HTB Leadership Conference, Royal Albert Hall
NOTES FROM INTERVIEW AT HTB LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 2014 NG – How do you cope when your world is rocked- as it was when Matthew died? RW – I wish we could be as unified in evangelism as we are in grief. Because there was an outpouring from the Body of Christ. Why can’t we be as unified about the mission? KW – I will grieve for my son every day until I see him again. But we have to go through it together. This could tear us apart, though divorce is never an option for us. RW – So we decided to grieve differently, together. Because the stats are against you staying together when you’ve lost a child. So, whatever you’re feeling is okay. Enter into a deeper level of grief. Easiest death? Godly old people, ready to go Then death of spouse, death of child, you’re not meant to outlive your children Then suicide Some rejoiced and laughed that their son had killed himself. What do you do? And they are public figures, so they used social media to […]
Rick Warren leaders meeting, HTB leaders meeting #LC14
I was privileged to be invited with a small group of leaders to lunch with Pastor Rick Warren – afterwards there was an ‘Any Questions.’ Here are my notes on his responses. I couldn’t think of any questions so I gave him a hug instead 🙂 Rick Warren We can no longer lead with proclamation, we need to lead with activity ; in the public square. It’s important not to get alienated or partisan. The local church has to reclaim health care as part of its job. Christians took care of the sick & dying Why should we help those with mental illness? Jesus did it – health of spirit, mind and body. Practically, when the church gets called in to people’s troubles, we better be ready and trained to represent him. Where do you go for help? Small groups Everybody has to be in one: Meet in temple courts (large worship) And House to house Saddleback has more people in small groups than Sundays. The Pastor has to model this. Go through life together, I was there when they […]
Bobby Cheema at HTB leadership conference
3 most important things about leadership Clarity of thought -Jesus words are in red, he speaks with clarity Honour others Give others the credit. Mentor others. Believe in them, bring out the best. Courage Jesus laid down my life for me, now I have a life to lay down for him.
Michael Frost at New Thing Gathering #exponential – Aslan on the move!
Michael Frost at New Thing Gathering #exponential Only one Australian has ever won the Nobel prize for literature; Patrick White A brutal, critical hater of the church in his biography he wrote about how he was with his gay partner of 40 years when he went out on the farm to feed his dogs, He fell on his backside, covered in mud and dogfood he heard a voice say ‘who the hell do you think you are?’ He thought God was speaking to him. So he went to church next week with his partner He went to the Anglican Church and sat at the back, where the Rector was telling people off for entering the jelly bean counting contest and being gamblers. ‘I realised whatever faith I had needed to be a private matter’ And too many churches are putting people like that off or telling them off Rather than being with them. Being their friends I And saying ‘that God who was taking to you, he’s my friend and he wants to be yours too.’ Canada – Another […]
#exponential Rethinking Preaching
Andy Stanley People are not on a truth quest, but a happy quest. We know it’s bigger than that but if you tap into that, you find the tension – the cry of the human heart. Matt Chandler Preach the massiveness of the gospel, If all Christianity is ‘me as a better person’ then we end up as navel gazing spiritual types For the church to engage we have to see the greater pull and power of the gospel So we care about all suffering but especially eternal suffering. James Meeks You have to be yourself. If you’re trying to impress people, you’re going to blow it Be sure you know what you’re going to talk about. If you don’t – they won’t! Andy Stanley One of the mistakes we make is that if you spend all your time listening to a particular preacher you’ll sound like that guy, listen broadly! We all adopted a style, not on purpose What do I need to keep What do I need to change so communicating is FUN for me Even if I’m […]
Michael Frost #bgbg2 #Exponential. LIVE A QUESTIONABLE LIFE.
A church he visited with in USA, a guy came up after and said ‘Ever since we talked about being missional we’ve stopped doing evangelism.’ Uh oh Being missional is not just acts of kindness We have to announce that Jesus is Lord of all, we’re not being missional. David Bosch, ‘Of course words are necessary, unexplained deeds in themselves do not constitute the mission of God’s people.’ Yes the church that was once so attaraction only focused; Come to us has turned around to ‘Go.’ Colossians 4:2-6 Paul advocates 2 pronged approach; 1) Some people are gifted as evangelists, and he’s one of them, with a translocal call. There are also local evangelists in a particular place. (PRAY for opportunity for them, and that they’re BOLD to seize them and CLARITY in how they present Christ). But he doesn’t say ‘And I will pray the same for you… He says 2) YOU make the most of every opportunity with outsiders, love people, and answer them. This says not everyone is an evangelist. […]
#exponential Hugh Halter INCARNATIONAL EVANGELISM
Hugh got to know a tattooist called Sammy. He’d been in prison 15years. Tough guy. But one day he got quiet and said, ‘I have a gift for you.’ Why You’re one of my favourite people – I love your family You guys are making it hard not to believe. Then he gives him the gift; A bag of marijuana. (Nice!) We all crave those moments where we move people naturally toward Jesus. It doesn’t just happen. There’s a way of relating to people; INCARNATIONAL EVANGELISM As we incarnate in the world, we get a reputation in the worlds like Jesus And then the conversations end up happening It goes… INCARNATION – (deeply dive into humanity) don’t gasp when they swear etc., Why are we so afraid? God with us. So just be there. Learn about their life, when they want you to. Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world but to save it. Be good news. Be a peacemaker. Don’t isolate – incarnate. Get in there. If you do that you’ll get […]
#exponential Rethinking WITNESS. Danielle Strickland. Lifting The Veil.
#exponential Rethinking WITNESS. Acts 3:1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer – at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, ‘Look at us!’ 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, ‘Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.’ 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they […]
Larry Osborne ‘Come and See’ at #Exponential
Larry Osborne Evangelism was always easy for him because it was a passion for him and he was an extrovert. Gift projection= where I take that and make it the norm everyone else should be Who helped changed him? Thinking about two people he knows. Nancy, his wife. Introvert, mercy giver. Tom, a born salesman who has taught evangelism, knows all the answers, full of stories of people he led to ‘pray a prayer’ for Christ But looking around the church he saw more people had come to faith through Nancy’s love and invitation than Tom’s words. The drive by guilting wasn’t producing lasting fruit Instead they moved to ‘Come and See.’ This will be the primary way people come to Jesus and learn to be disciples unless they were born into a functional Christian family – not ‘Come and see our programs’ but ‘Come and see how we love God and each others’ 1) gives people time to consider the cost & call of Christ. ‘Right now’ decisions rarely stick. Check the Vegas marriages. It usually takes 5-7 encounters […]