The kingdom mobility enjoyed by the church in the first century was far beyond any supernatural navigation found anywhere in the earth today.
The Ministry
A Transitional Dilemma
Carrots and Sticks
Someone came to me after attending a conference with 7,000 people where they were told that if they wanted "to move in signs and wonders they must pray three hours per day." Speaking against this proposition will seem to many like speaking against prayer, so although what I say may be spitting into the wind, here we go anyway.
The Changing of the Guard – And Unchanging Truth
A sad and recurrent truism observes, “The previous generation always rises up to attack and to condemn the next move of God.”
A holy cry is that the sins of self-importance and spiritual pride may be confronted and defeated in our generation, and that these “sins of the fathers”[1] should not be visited upon another generation.
One Man’s Journey into a Deep Ecclesiology
What follows is the afterword in From Eternity to Here. To my mind, it’s one of the most important parts of the book. So I’m publishing it here.. . . the summing up of all things in Christ. (Ephesians 1:10, NASB)
Redeeming Disillusionment
Disillusionment has always been a common malady for the Lord’s followers. The early church expected the literal return of the Lord in their lifetime. When it didn’t happen, they needed the encouragement that comes from a major adjustment in their expectation and understanding. Much of the NT was written to psychologically encourage and theologically adjust the saints. The book of Hebrews is a great example of a letter written to a people who were ready to “chuck it” because things had not panned out according to their expectations.The Intolerable Full Gospel (A Word for 1Q 2011)
The presence of evil and suffering has perplexed thinkers for millennia. I have read many wonderful efforts attempting to explain the existence of pain and evil in the presence of a good God (theodicy). Noble efforts as they are, they are adequate, not completely satisfying.The Afflictions of Love
Wounding is inevitable if we are following Christ. Jesus was both "marred" (Isa. 52:14) and "wounded" (Zech. 13:6), and if we are sincere in our pursuit of His nature, we will suffer as well. How else can love be perfected?
Walking the Plank for Jesus' sake
I have always loved pirate movies. There are many things about the pirate motif that call to me;
I love to win, I love the underdog, I love the sea, I love the chase and I love adventure. Of course, the movies don’t usually portray the hard life and the bad endings most pirates experienced.
So it is with ministry.
Discerning the Authentic from the Artificial
Some years ago as I was traveling through Hong Kong, I noticed the many sidewalk salesmen there hawking “Rolex” watches for twenty or thirty dollars. I knew that the price of any Rolex started in the thousands of dollars, but of course, these Asian versions of the Swiss timepiece were phonies, cheap knock-offs that would neither withstand normal use or a customs officer’s eye. I chose to pass on the opportunity to own an apparently reliable but functionally worthless watch.Page 1 of 4