Archive for March, 2010

h1

The Bookends of the Gospel: Society & Salvation

March 28, 2010

Like bookends, Jesus begins His ministry with an explanation of the Gospel, and ends His ministry with an explanation of the Gospel.  What is “Gospel?”  Simply put, it’s God’s “good news.”  So what are the bookends?

Luke 4:18-19: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Mark 16:15-16: “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

At the beginning of His ministry, Gospel is clearly defined in “social” terms.  At the end of His ministry, Gospel is defined in “salvation” terms.  Are these mutually exclusive?  Why must progressive Christians embrace only the first part of the Gospel, and why must conservative Christians embrace only the second part of the Gospel?  Both are part and partial to the whole Gospel!

Posted in church, culture, Politics, religion | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment »

h1

Excerpt from “Blue Like Jazz”

March 26, 2010

“A friend of mine, a young pastor who recently started a church, talks to me from time to time about the new face of the church in America–about the postmodern church.  He says the new church will be different from the old one, that we will be relevant to culture and the human struggle.  I don’t think any church has ever been relevant to the culture, to the human struggle, unless it believed in Jesus and the power of His gospel.  If the supposed new church believes in trendy music and cool Web pages, then it is not relevant to culture either.  It is another tool of Satan to get people to be passionate about nothing.” (Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003, p. 111.)

Posted in church, culture | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

h1

DNA of a Dangerous Church, Part II; Mike Breaux, Synergy 2010

March 3, 2010

Breaux’s Personal Mission Statement from Micah 6:8

(1) Act Justly; (2) Love Mercy; (3) Walk Humbly

Do you know who you are?

#1–Gotta know who I am

-The “me” I pretend to be…

-The “me” I think I should be…

-The “me” others want me to be…

-The “me” I’m afraid to be…

-The “me” I fail to be…

-The “me” I am MEANT to be…

Ephesians 2:10; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6

#2–Gotta know why I do what I do

“Search me O God”

John 5:30; 1 Thessalonians 2:4

#3–Gotta know what I want to accomplish

Luke 9:51

#4–Gotta get alone with God

Luke 5:15-16

#5–Gotta Share the Load

Mark 3:14 (1) with Him (2) Send them Out

#6–Gotta Take Time to Enjoy Life

“When your strength is gone, your joy is gone.”

“The Joy of the Lord is my strength” –Nehemiah

(1) Divert Daily; (2) W/Draw Weekly; (3) Abandon Annually

#7–Gotta Never Stop learning

Proverbs 18:15; Ecclesiastes 10:10

Posted in church, culture, religion | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

h1

DNA of a Dangerous Church, Part I, Mike Breaux, Synergy 2010

March 3, 2010

“The worship of safety emasculates greatness.”  –Max Lucado

“What if faith, not fear, was your response to whatever you are facing?”  –Mike Breaux

DNA #1: Passionately Love Jesus

DNA #2: Ruthlessly Eliminate Ego

DNA #3: Courageously Go Against the Flow

DNA #4: Selflessly Extend Compassion

DNA #5: Unconditionally Trust God

“Will we “Unconditionally Trust God?”

John 14:1, Revelation 3:7-13; Joshua 1:9; Ephesians 6:12; 1 John 4:16-18

“To TRUST is to be absolutely convinced in the reliability of God.”

Posted in church, culture, religion, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.