What is worship? I so often get asked this question. We often use that word of singing. But is worship simply singing? Is worship the music in the background? Or is it something we do only Sunday morning? Yes, that is a form of worship or part of it. However, worship is so much more than just singing on Sunday morning. Here are a few thoughts on how we ought NOT to worship in church. 1. “I worshiped God because somehow, when I raised my hands, God blessed me!” Now, don’t get me … [Read more...]
Three things I wish I knew before becoming a pastor
My first year of ministry was insane. I was 20, single, and was still in Bible college. I had taken a homiletics class and was thinking, “This is awesome!” But I butchered my first sermon big time. Now, I have been in ministry for 10 years, and some may get the idea that it has been an easy-breezy journey that led to the place I am today. But that was not the case. As each year went by, ministry did get better, but the first year was a real struggle. There were many hurdles I needed to … [Read more...]
Don’t ditch the church
Too often, people try to accomplish the task of discipleship apart from the local church. I believe this is impossible because God’s work of personal transformation is intended to take place within the community of God’s people. Discipleship doesn’t happen apart from the context of the local church because God has chosen the local church as His instrument to fulfill the Great Commission. There is no such thing as a solo discipleship. In the book of Ephesians, the apostle Paul says that … [Read more...]
Five ways to cultivate a culture of discipleship
American churches are in crisis. Nearly 4,000 churches close every year in North America. Ed Stetzer estimates that 70 percent to 80 percent of all evangelical churches in the U.S. have either stopped growing or are in decline! We are in a crisis of discipleship. I believe with all my heart, a return to transformational leadership and biblical disciple-making will enact a 21st- century Reformation. If disciple-making is our focus, then it ought to be one of our highest priories in every … [Read more...]
Three marks of true biblical manhood
America is in a crisis. I weep so often as I look around and see the staggering confusion of masculinity and manhood identity crisis. As we look at sociological data and statistics, analysts often point out the root problem in the failure of men. In our fatherless culture, many guys struggle with their identity as men to live as faithful husbands and responsible fathers; as a result, they feel alienated from God. While the world seems increasingly confused about matters as basic as … [Read more...]
Ordinary radicals
A few summers ago, I woke up one morning and sensed the Lord pressing my heart with a great burden. I got up and did the usual—poured my coffee, grabbed my bag, hopped into my vehicle, and drove to the office. It was early, and I was the only one in the office, so I opened my Bible and read as I normally did each day. Although God’s word often brings me peace, this day my mind was spinning and stirring. As I looked out the window of my office, I couldn’t help but think that somewhere … [Read more...]
Three lies Christians believe
We live in a fast-paced world. We only have 52 Sundays a year; we have time that requires urgency and there are things we believe that are with great urgency and priority. The latest data from Pew shows a decline in religious affiliation and belief in God among U.S. adults between 2007 and 2017. A growing portion of young, religiously unaffiliated individuals calling themselves “nones” are driving changes in Americans’ religious attitudes, reshaping the nation’s religious composition. And … [Read more...]
Want to start discipling but don’t know how?
In this fallen world—even in this very complex, post-modern world—people are desperately hungry to hear the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. “The typical churched believer will die without leading a single person to a life-saving relationship with Jesus Christ,” said Jim Putman from Real Life Ministries. Yes, there are many willing Christians who have no plan for discipleship because it is work for them. But before we go there, we must acknowledge that Christians don’t practice … [Read more...]
Follow the biblical model of multiplication
I love history. I love it because it teaches us so much about our current state and how to move forward. Let’s take a quick look at the explosion of the early church. At the time of Jesus’s crucifixion, there were 120 believers (Acts 1:14–15). The book of Acts is a record of how Acts 1:8 became reality in the first 40 years of the church’s existence. At the close of Acts, disciples had been made and churches established from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria (Acts 1:8) and then throughout … [Read more...]
The radical cost of following Jesus
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” Bonhoeffer’s definition of cheap grace is churches preaching a Christianity without the cost involved. Cheap grace is grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ. As a result, churches are crowded with a whole lot of confused people. We have set the bar too low. We do not expect growth, and we certainly don’t expect reproduction. An indication of growth in Christ-likeness is bearing fruit. The … [Read more...]
Evangelism not enough to fulfill Great Commission
News flash: American churches are in crisis. According to stats at the 2017 SBC annual meeting in Phoenix, SBC churches have seen a decline in membership, baptisms, average worship attendance, and total giving. Nearly 4,000 churches close every year in North America. I am grieved that churches are clearly losing the effectiveness of discipleship. It’s no mystery at all to say that the world we live in is in trouble. That’s an understatement. What has gone wrong with the harvest? What is … [Read more...]
Asking the right leadership questions
This article is an excerpt from Jonathan Hayashi’s book, Ordinary Radicals. How Can We Know If We Are Developing? To answer this, we must ask the right question: Did we build these people, or did we buy these people? If we have bought most of the staff, then we have an issue. Sometimes, it’s necessary to hire staff to start the discipleship process. However, if the church is healthy, it should be reproducing from within, so the people will thrive in that context. (Note: Taking a … [Read more...]