graceTALK, September 2009
Sunday, September 6th, 2009 : By Leadership Team
The Leadership Team answers your questions.
Q1 (2:35). This question was prompted by the “Jesus is” sermon series on other religions. I would like some thoughts, experiences, advice, and resources to help me think through evangelism as it relates to culture. Specifically, how can we deal with the problem that, when we evangelize people from other cultures and religions, we are not only asking them to accept or reject propositional truths, but we are also asking them to abandon much of their culture, heritage, and family? What can we do to overcome this strong obstacle to the gospel? (I know truth is not culturally relative, but humans comprehend it as such. I’m asking about …
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Tim Tebow, Quarterback or Preacher?
Friday, July 24th, 2009 : By Dan Miller
The July 27th issue of Sports Illustrated features the two-time national champion and Heisman Trophy winner, Tim Tebow. The following is an excerpt from the whole story.
At a time when Americans are leaving organized religion in large numbers, according to a 2008 Pew Research poll, Tebow is leading his own personal counterinsurgency.
“Every Sunday we have a service for our players and their families,” says Meyer, who remembers when “three or four kids would show up. Now the room’s full.”
Since Tebow’s arrival on campus, and in large part because of him, Florida has launched a series of community-service initiatives. Even as the football program has suffered an embarrassing string of arrests, the number of hours players …
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Does Faith Produce Good Works?
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009 : By Dan Miller
On Sunday (05.10.09) I did not have time to cite all of the resources related to James 1:14:
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?”
The point that I was undertaking was this: Has the Church always viewed a person’s profession of faith as a personal act between them and God or is this a modern phenomenon? Is it possible for a person to have true faith and yet never had a sustained and distinct desire to please God with their whole life? The following is evidence that helps us better realize how far the modern church has leaned away from evaluating genuine faith …
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How To Express Your Faith Without Losing Your Friend
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009 : By Dan Miller
It’s one of the hardest things to do – explain your faith without losing a friend. I want you to consider something; the gut reaction you had as you read this statement placed you on a particular side of the issue I want to address. Allow me to explain, if you felt immediate concern for how this statement sounds – a prelude to compromising the Gospel, I would label you a “red” christian. If you’re first gut-reaction was a feeling of excitement or curiosity to know how to express the Gospel without offending someone; I would label you a “blue” christian.
This is where it gets tricky. Both “red” and “blue” Christians have valid feelings …
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graceTALK, January 2009
Sunday, January 4th, 2009 : By Leadership Team
The Leadership Team answers your questions.
Q1 (00:29). I recently visited another church with a friend who wanted to start going to church again. They (husband and wife) wanted a church that was big so that they could “ease” into the whole church thing. So, I went along to encourage them. We went to a “mega” church in the area and I was blown away. It was like a rock concert! The message was good (in a creative sense) but seemed very shallow. I didn’t even need to use my Bible. So, now I am in a pickle. I want my friend to go to church, but I …
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Jesus Is… Part 4, Hinduism
Sunday, December 7th, 2008 : By Ken Rutherford
Hinduism is the third largest religion after Christianity and Islam. While its roots are in India, where still 90% of its adherants live, the prevelance of Hindu followers in the U.S. has increased dramatically since immigration changes in 1965. Hindu concepts may be found in many places in our entertainment industry where terms such as karma, reincarnation, and dharma are encountered with greater frequency. What are the tenants of Hindu belief? How do these concepts square with what the Bible teaches? What will you say the next time you have an encounter with a follower of Hinduism that could best lead them to the truth of the Gospel? Here in our final week of …
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Gospel Conversations: An Introduction
Sunday, September 7th, 2008 : By Hugh Williams
In today’s introductory “Gospel Conversations” class, I outline our approach.
What is the Gospel?
How do I explain it to others?
How do I answer their challenges, objections, and questions?
Next week, we’ll dig into the first question by getting a clear picture of the nature of God and the nature of man. This will set the stage for a discussion of sin and the Fall, and from there, the nature of Christ and His unique role as reconciler.
Gospel Conversations: The Home Game
If you’d like to play along at home, you can do the homework assignment I handed out yesterday. (I’m looking into what it will take to get the audio online as there have been numerous requests.) First, answer for yourself whether you agree or …
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ChurchWorks: How You Function, Part 9
Sunday, August 10th, 2008 : By Dan Miller
In segment one of this series we took three weeks to examine the marks of a God-owned Church – “Knowing Who You Are.” Now we are into segment two – “Knowing How You Function.” In this segment we are seeing how every Christian is gifted by the Holy Spirit to display the character and priorities of Jesus Christ in a particular way to strengthen His Church.
Today we will look at the gifting of evangelists, pastors, and teachers. MP3 download.
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Hello from West Virginia!
Wednesday, June 11th, 2008 : By Dan Miller
As you probably know, we have a team “on mission” with Mustard Seeds and Mountains in McDowell County, West Virginia. We have set up this blog to serve as a message board since “up in the hollers” there is practically no cell phone coverage.
The first two entries come from my wife, Vicki, who happens to have three of our kids with her – Ben, David, and Alexa.
Special Thanks to Will “LEGS” Bowman (team member and hill climbing extraordinaire) for making this connection possible!
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ChurchWorks: Who You Are, Part 3
Sunday, May 25th, 2008 : By Dan Miller
What do you picture when I say the word “identity?” Most often we think about a person in terms of their characteristics, a type of mental snapshot like tall, short, loud, quiet, harsh, gentle, etc. There are times we lump the identity of people together, and they form a type of group identity. Over the last two weeks, we have been working through characteristics that form the identity of a true Church. Today, we will discuss two more features in a God-owned church from I Thessalonians 1:8-10.
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