In the book “Preaching with Cultural Intelligence: Understanding the People Who Hear Our Sermons,”[1] Matthew D. Kim leads preachers to understand how to effectively communicate across many various boundaries including cultural and ethnic boundaries, gender and denominational boundaries, the boundaries of varying locations, and even the boundaries of various religions. Central to his work is …
Introduction: The Problem of God Apostle Paul writes to the Church of Rome that the existence and majesty of God is common knowledge among all people, and that these truths of God are, “manifest in them,” being displayed by creation (Rom 1).[1] In other words, God does not believe that atheists exist. At the most …
Main Takeaways Chapter 1: Basics of Church Planting 1. Planting a church should have a missional goal to reach the field around it and to addapt it's approaches while maintaining its theology. 2. Church planters can often be energetic entrepeneurs but should not lose touch with the fact that their jobs are one of spiritual …
One of the most surprising mistakes mentioned in Griffith and Easum’s book, Ten Most Common Mistakes Made by New Church Starts, concerned church planters having “no plan for the other six days of the week.”[1] The authors explain how churches that are built around a model based on codependency to the pastor will only have …
Continue reading Reflections on Common Church Planting Mistakes
Chapter One: "Mistake Number One: In pursuit of the Great Commission, church planters neglect the Great(est) Commandment." (Griffith and Easum, 8) "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love." (Revelation 2:4) The church of Ephesus had remarkable works, labor, and patience. They hated evil and loved good. They were able to …
Chapter 1: A "Theology" of the Spirit? The Spirit in Pauline Theology The Holy Spirit is an essential person of the Godhead in the fulfillment of Old Testament promises. The Old Covenant was discontinued and the Spirit, the presence of God, left the Temple. On the other hand, the New Covenant was continued and fulfilled …
Whereas Romans chapters one through four deal with man’s universal need for salvation and God’s provided righteousness through faith, chapters five through eight reveal the levels of freedom now available for the believer. In Christ, the believer is free from the wrath of God, sin, the Law, and death itself. These four worked together to …
Continue reading Alive to Christ: A Summary of the Book of Romans, Chapters 7-8, 12-16
Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Revelation 11:15) Ephesians 4:1-23 describes the character the members of the church are to walk in towards one another, in light of the previously …
...and in his temple all cry, “Glory!” 