Business Class Pride

Posted by Ryan Tindall on June 28, 2009 under New Sermons | Be the First to Comment

Today’s sermon, on James 4:13-17, available here.

Judging Judgmentalism

Posted by Ryan Tindall on under New Sermons | Be the First to Comment

From June 21, Fathers’ Day, on James 4:10-12, available here.

Finding Your Way Back to God

Posted by Ryan Tindall on under New Sermons | Be the First to Comment

From June 14, on James 4:7-9, available here.

News from Indonesia (Lindsey’s group)

Posted by Tom Welch on June 26, 2009 under Pray! | Be the First to Comment

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Update from SE Asia Hello Everyone! Disclaimer: some of the vocab has been changed for safety purposes, if the spelling is butchered- use your imagination! I know this letter has taken forever, sorry! Internet access is rare, and even now that we’ve found it its impossibly slow! Ok, so I’ve been here for two weeks and I’ve already experienced so much. I’ve been to an Indonesian fellowship, eaten a ton of spicy food including a chicken foot, stayed in a Mussalem home alone one night, hiked to a waterfall, hiked to what used to be a volcano and swam in its massive crater lake, been on a pig hunt!, taken a lot of dipper baths as showers, and have seen a lot of lost people. It’s hot here, and the work is hard. The fruit of our labor here will never been known about until we get to heaven. We’ve driven all over the island of Sumatra not without car sickness, and all of us have been suffering in the intestinal region as our bodies adjust to the crazy diet. I’m already a little sick of rice! haha. Ok I wish I had time to say more, but we’ve got a 10 hour bus ride today, and it’s time to go. But I’m having so much fun and I love you all!! Ashley (on behalf of the Kantoli Team) What is an unreached people group? An unreached people group is a group of people who have little or no access to the gospel. The population of Christ-followers is 2% or less of the population. In a number of locations, there are still no known believers in the entire area or island. One Edger writes about her experience: “As I went prayer walking through cities with zero believers out of populations of hundreds of thousands of people. Walking through the center of the city and realinz that out of the 100 or 200 people there might be one believer among them tugged at my heart.” “Looking at those faces around me, I realized that these were unreached people, right next to me, around me, beside me. I remember one city that was particularly dark, and just wanting to run through the city streets shouting the name of Jesus as I walked past storefronts with red lights signifying prostitution. I had never experienced such an unreached place before, and it simply didn’t make any sense for me to live away from those people any longer. It was that summer I knew that the redemption of the world didn’t just require short term commitment – God didn’t just want two months of my summer; He wanted my entire life.” “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel… Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” ~ Ephesians 6:19 In this issue Update from SE Asia What is an unreached people group? Forward Know someone who might be interested in this email? Forward it . Unsubscribe Not interested in this email? Unsubscribe .

© 2008 PIONEERS The Edge, a short term ministry of Pioneers, is mobilizing and mentoring this generation to passionately follow Jesus and discover their role in God’s mission. For more information, please visit www.pioneers.org/edge. Also, we invite you to check out our core values at www.pioneers.org.

Humble Christians

Posted by Tom Welch on June 25, 2009 under Essay | Be the First to Comment

“Forgiven souls are humble. They cannot forget that they owe all they have and hope for to free grace, and this keeps them lowly. They are brands plucked from the fire – debtors who could not pay for themselves – captives who must have remained in prison for ever, but for underserved mercy – wandering sheep who were ready to perish when the Shepherd found them; and what right then have they to be proud? I do not deny that they are proud saints. But this I do say – they are of all God’s creatures the most inconsistent, and of all God’s children the most likely to stumble and pierce themselves with many sorrows.”

- J.C. Ryle

New e-news!

Posted by Tom Welch on June 24, 2009 under News | Be the First to Comment

::truth::

Judging Judgmentalism

Few attitudes derail spiritual awakening more than judgmentalism.  We hear the prophetic call to humble ourselves and draw near to God. We feel the conviction and sorrow for having spurned the god who loves us to pursue the idols of the world. We passionately pursue repentance. We resolve to live for the glory of God.

But then we lose focus. Our eyes shift from the God who calls us to spiritual awakening to those around us. Why aren’t they passionate pursuing God like we are? Why haven’t they repented of _____ (insert personal conviction here) like we have? “Harrumph”, we say, “they must not be as spiritual as we are!”  Judgment sets in. Spiritual Pride emerges. Heartfelt repentance and renewal is derailed!

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From Ed Stetzer - Small Churches Can Thrive

Posted by Tom Welch on June 22, 2009 under Essay | Be the First to Comment

The July/August issue of Outreach Magazine features my article on small churches. Yep, small churches - I love ‘em! Especially when they are thriving on gospel and mission.

As a speaker at a number of conferences each year, I continue to see pastors and leaders going from one workshop to another searching for “THE” answer. They show up and hear amazing stories about implausibly happy people who willingly follow a new vision for their lives and their church.
They have heard all the strategies and promises, but for many small-church leaders, the conferences, led by rock star celebrity pastors, are like “ministry pornography”– an unrealistic depiction of an experience they’ll never have that distracts them from the real and wonderful thing. In other words, the lust of the megachurch distracts them from the mission of their church. (I’m not anti-big church–I preach at a megachurch every week– but I am also pro-small church.)

The reality is that smaller churches can thrive, too. More than 65 percent of the churches that participated in the research survey for Comeback Churches (B&H)–the book I co-wrote with Mike Dodson– had under 200 regular attendees. Smaller churches are not always unhealthy churches; it depends largely on their mindset. In our research, we found that the small churches which experienced revitalization often did so around prayer and outreach.

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Hot - Fresh!

Posted by Tom Welch on June 9, 2009 under News | Be the First to Comment

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Getting to the Heart of Conflicts

Posted by Ryan Tindall on June 7, 2009 under New Sermons | Be the First to Comment

Today’s sermon on James 4:1-6, available here.

New e-news online

Posted by Tom Welch on June 4, 2009 under News | Be the First to Comment

(You know where to click!)