Tag: Ministry

By micoots
07/02/2017 0

The Greatest Hurdle Most Missionaries Face

In my experience, Christians parents are the greatest hurdle most missionaries face.

When we think of letting kindred go or forsaking family for the gospel, we typically think of how this demand applies to us personally. Our thoughts center on our own commitments. But what about those affected who never asked for such a burden? There’s a hidden cost to those who release their children to the Lord’s global service. It’s one reason so many pastors live within 90 miles of their mother-in-law. The ..

By micoots
07/02/2017 0

The Headache and Hope of Multi-Ethnic Ministry

Recently my denomination of churches, Every Nation, gathered for our global get-together in Cape Town, South Africa. There was a tangible buzz in the air among the 5,000 or so delegates. Most striking was the diversity of the room. As the conference opened, a funny story was told.

A young American man was introducing himself to the woman who would later become his wife. In meeting her, he broke almost every rule of polite Japanese society. As she began to bow, he went in for the handshake. Thei..

By micoots
07/02/2017 0

The Embodiment of Israel’s God? (RJS)

Richard Hays explores the ways in which the Gospel writers draw the Old Testament to narrate the identity of Jesus. In Reading Backwards: Figural Christology and the Fourfold Gospel Witness he focuses on Jesus as the embodiment of Israel’s God. In Echoes of Scripture in the Gospels he goes beyond this to look at other aspects of the identity of Jesus, as well as the re-narration of Israel’s story in light of Jesus and the role of the church (the gathering of Christ-followers) in the world. I am ..

By micoots
07/02/2017 0

Turkey Detains Nearly 750 ISIS Suspects in Nationwide Raids

Photo Credit: Burak SuANKARA, Turkey (Associated Press)– Turkey has now detained nearly 750 suspects in a police operation against the Islamic State group, authorities said Monday.

Anti-terrorism police launched the security operation against people with alleged links to IS early Sunday, conducting simultaneous raids in 29 provinces, including Istanbul, Ankara and the border provinces of Gaziantep and Sanliurfa.

The Interior Ministry released a statement Monday saying that 748 people have been..

By micoots
07/02/2017 0

Jesus Loves the Rich

“The Jesus of Scripture never showed partiality to the poor as over agains the rich. The Jesus of Scripture came into the world to redeem rich and poor. A brief survey of the Gospel record teaches us this important lesson–a lesson that we so desperately need to learn if we are to be faithful witnesses to the saving grace of God in Christ to all in in a day in which the rich are vilified by the poor.”

Many people have a conception of Jesus that is–to put it as bluntly as possible–substantively d..

By micoots
07/02/2017 0

They Devoted Themselves to Prayer

“Prayer continued to mark apostolic ministry. Burdened with administering relief for widows, the apostles declared they must not leave the ministry of the word and prayer to serve tables. They asked the church to choose seven men. They appointed them to lead this mercy ministry and ordained them in prayer.”

From the Mount of Olives, where Jesus ascended to heaven, the disciples went to a prayer meeting. They met in a familiar upstairs room in Jerusalem. All 11 apostles and the women who had bee..

By micoots
06/02/2017 0

10 Principles for Planting a Multiplying, Purpose Driven Church

When Kay and I arrived in Orange County, it wasn’t our mission to plant a mega church. We wanted to plant a mission church.

That is, we wanted to plant a church that would plant other churches.

We wanted to plant at least one daughter church per year, and we’ve gone beyond that.
We wanted to send out at least 200 career missionaries, and we’ve sent out hundreds more than that.
We wanted to send thousands to the mission field, and we’ve sent tens of thousands.
I’ve been saying for thirty years ..

By micoots
06/02/2017 0

Pastor, Are You Okay?

Through the year, names get checked off as families and individuals are visited in homes and cafes. Burdens and cares are shared; plans are made for private reformation and encouragement. Without scientific specificity, I have come to the conclusion that most congregations are like my own. The closer you get to the end of the year, elder visits increase. If there is time, ruling elders’ families will be visited before the end of the year, or at least before the congregational meeting. And if one..

By micoots
05/02/2017 0

Campus Ministries Race to Keep Up with Record Number of International Students

In 2005, flush with revenue from $100-plus barrels of oil, the Saudi Arabian government set up a $6 billion scholarship fund.

The program covers full tuition, medical insurance, living expenses, and airfare for both undergraduate and graduate students. The only catch: students are required to study at one of the world’s top 100 universities, or enroll in a top-50 program.

Ever since, the number of Saudi students coming to study in the United States has steadily risen, from about 3,400 in 2005–..

By micoots
05/02/2017 0

One Church’s Story of Resettling a Syrian Refugee Family

In December 2015, a group from Grace Toronto Church gathered together to help global refugees. Like the rest of the world, they had been horrified by the image of 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi, who had washed up on Turkish shores as his family tried reaching Canada. The small group researched the process of sponsoring a Syrian refugee family in Canada. On June 7, 2016, after months of waiting (and raising the legally required $30,000 for settlement), they received an email that a Syrian mother and fath..