By Greg Gibson
Six-Word, Evangelism Opener
“Over and over I’ve seen one simple question open people’s hearts to hear the gospel. Until I asked this question, they showed no interest in spiritual matters. But then after six words-only seventeen letters in English-I’ve seen people suddenly begin to weep and their resistance fall. The question is, “How can I pray for you?” Six Words as an Opener to the Gospel by Don Whitney
Four-Point, Evangelism Outline
“Everyone has their own version of the вЂ?gospel’ story:
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1. Creation – who I am or who I should be
2. Fall – what’s wrong with me and the world
3. Redemption – what’s the solution
4. Consummation – what I hope for”
(GG: If you need an outline for Christ’s redemption, try 2 M’s + 6 R’s:
Messiah, miracles, righteous, Redeemer, risen, reigning, returning, and repent.) Everyone Has a Gospel Story) by Tim Chester
Imperatives – Indicatives = Impossibilities
“The dominant mode of evangelical preaching on sanctification, the main way to motivate for godly living, sounds something like this:
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You are not _____;
You should be _________;
Therefore, do or be ________!
Fill in the blank with anything good and biblical (holy; salt and light; feed the poor; walk humbly; give generously; etc.).” (GG: To preserve balance, see the helpful comments by Andrew Faris and Andy Naselli.) Imperatives – Indicatives = Impossibilities by Justin Taylor
Living in Constant Guilt?
“I’m convinced most serious Christians live their lives with an almost constant low-level sense of guilt. How do we feel guilty? Let me count the ways.
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We could pray more.
We aren’t bold enough in evangelism.
We like sports too much.
We watch movies and television too often.
Our quiet times are too short or too sporadic.
We don’t give enough.
We bought a new couch.
We don’t read to our kids enough.
Our kids eat Cheetos and french fries.
We don’t recycle enough.
We need to lost 20 pounds.
We could use our time better.
We could live some place harder or in something smaller.”
Are Christians Meant to Feel Guilty All the Time? by Kevin DeYoung
Christ-Centered Preaching: A 2nd-Century Example
In the 2nd century, Bishop Mileto of Sardis preached, “This is he who made the heavens and the earth, and formed humanity in the beginning, who is announced by the Law and the Prophets…” This Is He by Trevin Wax
Jonah’s Sectarianism vs. God’s Gracious Heart
“We can’t escape a stark contrast in this story—the tribal mindset of Jonah versus the missional mindset of God…A tribal mindset is antithetical to the gospel. The gospel demands that we be missional, because the gospel is the story of God sacrificing himself for his enemies. Both these approaches are robustly present in Jonah’s story. Jonah represents the best of a tribal mindset, the absolute best. He’s like the trophy for the tribal person. And God—ever-gracious, ever-pursuing, ever-compassionate—serves as the trophy for the mission-minded. Jonah runs from his enemies; God runs toward his enemies. Jonah serves himself; God serves the world.” Are You Tribal or Missional? by Trevin Wax
Giving: Tithing, Guilt, or Generosity?
“He begins by identifying two different extremes that Christians often hold with regard to possessions. Either: 1. God wants you to give 10%, and after that you can do whatever you want with your money. 2. Whatever you give, you should be giving more.” The Generosity Matrix by J.D. Greear
How to Write an Awful Worship Song
The top-7 tips…
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3. Be Vague About Your Theology.
4. Make the Song All About You.
How to Write an Awful Worship Song by Stephen Altrogge
Fruitless: Fifty Years of Christian, Political Activism
“Over the past 50 years, conservatives have spent tens of billions of dollars lobbying, trying to elect candidates, trying to organize in various ways…And what has it gained? Are we any better off…What have all those conservatives and libertarians done with those billions of dollars that has shown any improvement in the political or the moral climate of the country? Now, if that money had been put into the preaching of the gospel…perhaps there would be something completely different to show for it…And I learned a very good lesson on Capitol Hill – that what happens there is of little consequence. That if one is interested in changing society, you don’t go to Capitol Hill, you preach the gospel. If anybody is operating under the illusion that political action is going to make a significant change in society apart from a sea change in the beliefs in the American people, then they’re condemned to futility. They will waste their lives.” (GG: Spend more of your time and money evangelizing than politicizing, changing hearts than changing laws, and working for the kingdom that is eternal rather than temporary.) Co-Belligerency by John Thomson
193 Scientists Who Believe in Creation
Biologists, Chemists, Geologists, Physicists, etc. Some modern scientists who have accepted the biblical account of creation by Answers in Genesis
C.S. Lewis: Not a Christian Leader
“A recent article in Christianity Today admits, ‘Though he shared basic Christian beliefs with evangelicals, he didn’t subscribe to biblical inerrancy or penal substitution. He believed in purgatory and baptismal regeneration.’” C.S. Lewis by Gary Gilley
Should a Calvinist Marry a Pentecostal?
“If you’ve counted the costs laid out above, if you’re able to receive one another in the gospel, if you’re able to be unified in your church life and your child-rearing, if Aimee’s willing to follow cheerfully, if Calvin’s willing to lead self-sacrificially, then I now pronounce you husband and wife.” Should We Marry if We’re Theologically Divided? by Russell Moore
13-Year Old Divorced 5 Times
Date and divorce, marry and divorce. Date, Divorce, Date, Divorce, Date, Divorce, Marry, Divorce, Marry. – 5.0 by Rick Thomas
Joel Osteen or Fortune Cookies: Guess These Quotes?
“I thought ‘This fortune sounds like something Joel Osteen would say.’ And then it struck me–there is very little difference between Joel and those fortune cookies (except that the cookies are delicious, of course). And now, to prove it, I will give you these twelve quotes. You tell me which are from the fortune cookies and which are from Joel Osteen.” Joel Osteen or Fortune Cookies by Tim Challies
Edited 6/01/10
