Tag: Mystery
I have been trying to learn how to "be"—as in "Be still and know…" It is so hard to downshift, to stop my mind from doing NASCAR laps, to stop "doing" and truly disengage. So hard. Our 21st century American culture is not friendly toward such an attitude.
But here...
When Jesus declared the world-altering statement, ‘Go and make disciples of all nations,’ He arguably had in mind many different things, including planting new churches in all cultures. New churches, even when established in areas where the church already exists, have a unique ability to reach new groups of...
The mission of the church was given by Jesus in Matthew 28: go and make disciples of all nations. So it is always refreshing to be in a church where there is clear evidence that disciples are being made and that people are being brought to faith in Jesus....
The beauty and the glory of the gospel is that the offer of salvation is extended to everyone. Race or culture, language or skin color, wealthy or homeless, it matters not. “Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction…bestowing his riches...
The Bride of Christ is a multi-cultural and international outworking of God’s salvation work to all people. Revelation 5 tells us that Jesus "ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” So of course there are local churches in every culture where the gospel...
Why are we drawn to beautiful things? Why do 3.5 million people visit Yosemite National Park every year? Why do we plant flowers, paint our house, choose just the right car, have a closet full of clothes, go to art museums? We are drawn to beauty and to beautiful...
Everyone wants to be part of a church where they are somebody. They want to feel a sense of belonging, a part of the whole. We want our pastor to know us and love us and care for us. We don’t want to be a number on a stat...
It is always a struggle to make communion meaningful. I have taken communion my whole life. When I was a kid growing up in a Baptist church, communion Sunday simply meant that the service would go extra long. As a pastor, I always grappled with the texts and rituals...
In my previous post, which initiated this series on the mystery of the church, I opened up a potentially deep and painful wound about how the church seems to be dysfunctional. It seems best to explore this a bit more before we take our exploration tour of various expressions...
I am a pastor. My dad is a pastor. My brother-in-law is a pastor. My great-great-grandfather on my dad’s mother’s side was a pastor. I have gone to church my whole life—literally. I have attended a lot of churches, and been the pastor of a few more. Some of...