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Church

God really does want to bless you!

February 2, 2012

I know, some of my readers will have read a headline like that and panicked. Has Warnie slipped into “Health wealth and prosperity” or “Word of Faith” ? Nope, not at all. But I do feel that it is so easy for us to throw out the baby with the bathwater. I remember at one [...]

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The Church, a refuge for God’s people who are struggling

January 24, 2012

“The Lord has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people find refuge.” Isaiah 14:32 I have found myself thinking a lot about the church in the last day or so. This is no doubt prompted by Tope’s excellent sermon on Sunday. But what strikes me afresh is how easy it is to [...]

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The vital role of attending a church in softening your heart to receive God’s word a sermon by Tope Koleoso

January 23, 2012

Tope Koleoso was on fire yesterday as he preached this message. It will provoke you. It will encourage you to respect God’s word in a new way. It will thrill you again with the vital role that the church plays in opening our hearts to receive the life-giving power of God’s word. Here a few [...]

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Tall Skinny Kiwi reports on Practices of a new Jesus movement

January 10, 2012

I read a fascinating article about the Kiwis observations of some emerging Christian movements. Now, those of you that are regular readers will know that I am passionately committed to Sunday Services especially when a group of believers have grown enough to sustain one. Howeve, in light of my “I want it all” committmet you [...]

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How to help people realise they are in a burning building

December 9, 2011

I hope you will enjoy this challenging article as much as I did: “I have learned something in recent years. People come to cherish words like atonement and justification when you expose them to other words like bloodguilt and reckoning. I’ve tried to teach gospel-centric words effectively as stand-alone concepts. It has produced a few [...]

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The changing environment of the Church today – Keith Hazel

December 7, 2011

This is a fireside chat type of video with Keith sharing some of his thoughts about how the church is and needs to be changing today.

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The Three Constants of the Great Commission present in the first five books of the NT

November 30, 2011

Bob Roberts (one of our speakers at the next 300 leaders) has a great post today entitled The Three Constants of the Great Commission: “First – the coming of the Holy Spirit which is the power to fulfill the Great Commission. It is present in all passages from baptizing in the name of the “Father, [...]

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Roland Allen: predecessor of modern Missional and Apostolic ideals

November 23, 2011

It is almost 100 years since Roland Allen published his at the time intensely controversial book, Missionary Methods, ours or St Pauls? It is a book that has been strikingly influential with today both those from the “missional” wing of the church and is still cited and read both by those who advocate a return [...]

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Prophecy today: Hearing the Holy Spirit for Yourself – Keith Hazel

November 22, 2011

I had a fantastic weekend listening to the man I am officially nicknaming “the Gentle Prophet.” If you are intrigued as to what a non-freaky modern day prophetic ministry could look like, this video sermon is well worth a watch: Download options at Hearing the Holy Spirit for Yourself – Keith Hazel.

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300 Leaders – Dave Devenish and Mike Betts

November 18, 2011

Yesterday I promised to blog about the two other speakers at the next 300 Leaders conference. Dave Devenish should be no stranger to regular readers of this blog, as I have serialised a chapter of his outstanding book Fathering Leaders, Motivating Mission, and interviewed him. His is a remarkable man who gave up a successful [...]

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TOP 10 U.S. CHURCHES to learn from about CHURCH PLANTING

November 15, 2011

Great to see three real friends of the gospel topping this list. Thanks to Kent Shaffer for compiling this list and some other ways to define influential churches in the USA. These are the top churches to learn from about planting multiple churches: Redeemer Presbyterian Church (New York, NY) :: Tim Keller Mars Hill Church (Seattle, WA) :: [...]

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Should the Church be Led by Teachers and Scholars?

November 9, 2011

Donald Miller raises an interesting question in this blogpost: The church in America is led by scholars. Essentially, the church is a robust school system created around a framework of lectures and discussions and study. We assume this is the way its supposed to be because this is all we have ever known. I think [...]

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Persuasive prayer

November 3, 2011

The best prayers I have ever heard in our prayer meetings have been those, which have been fullest of argument. Sometimes my soul has been fairly melted down where I have listened to the brethren who have come before God feeling the mercy to be really needed, and that they must have it, for they [...]

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Free Martyn Lloyd-Jones sermon

October 27, 2011

The Martyn Lloyd-Jones Recordings Trust have made available another free sermon on their website. It is the one recording that they have of MLJ preaching from the Book of Judges – a sermon titled ‘A Right View of Life’. Click to listen to or download ‘A Right View of Life’ Also check out a previous [...]

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A thoughtful new rendition of the old classic hymn “And Can It Be”

October 17, 2011

There are few hymns with richer more meaningful words than “And Can It Be.” Words that celebrate the gospel and dispel our wretched sense of entitlement that bedevils us Western Christians. So how wonderful it was to hear this new music to such an old hymn. I sometimes don’t like new tunes for a hymn [...]

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Tech for the persecuted church

October 12, 2011

This article makes an interesting point about the unintended consequences of technology for the global church: Recently I met with members of the Digital Bible Society. DBS specializes in collecting and distributing Bibles and theological material in closed countries. They distributed Chinese language materials 10 years ago on tens of thousands of CDs.Today the team [...]

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When someone else must become greater

October 3, 2011

The following quote is speaking about John the Baptist’s willingness for Jesus to be greater. Often when we think of this aspect of John’s life we think of how we too must live in order that Christ be glorified. That is of course a major application for us. But have you ever considered that we [...]

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US Christian apologist William Lane Craig in the UK

September 24, 2011

My friend Justin Brierley is hosting an event with US Christian apologist William Lane Craig who is visiting the UK from 17-26 October for the Reasonable Faith Tour . Criag will include a debate on “Does God Exist” with atheist philosopher Stephen Law. Its Mon 17 October at Westminster Central Hall, London. Promises to be a great [...]

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China – a nation where the church is rapidly expanding

September 14, 2011

Yesterday, the BBC reported on the remarkable growth of the church in China. It is of course slightly bemused by the whole thing. Many of China’s churches are overflowing, as the number of Christians in the country multiplies. In the past, repression drove people to convert – is the cause now rampant capitalism? It is [...]

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The UK – a nation where the church is currently in decline

September 12, 2011

In Does the future have a church? from The Briefing we read some pretty shocking statistics about my nation that I thought were worth summarizing here: In 2010, 3.6 million attended church on an average Sunday (6% of the population). In the previous 10 years this represented a decline of 800,000 fewer attendees (-18%). 39% of churches [...]

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