Jesus is the true and better Adam who passed the test in the garden and whose obedience is imputed to us. Jesus is the true and better Abel who, though innocently slain, has blood now that cries out, not for our condemnation, but for acquittal. Jesus is the true and better Abraham who answered the [...]
Category Archives: Movement Characteristics
Sharing Isa
30 July, 2010 – 1:32 AM
It was around 4am. The second night in Malaysia and I was wide awake. I wandered down to the hotel lobby to see if I could pick up an internet connection and bumped into another insomniac—Abdul from Saudi Arabia. Malaysia is a great place to meet muslims. It’s a muslim state, and thousands of muslims [...]
Perplexed but not discouraged
9 July, 2010 – 1:05 AM
Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of [...]
The German football revolution
6 July, 2010 – 3:24 PM
So far Germany’s brilliance in attack has derailed the World Cup campaigns of Australia (4-0), England (4-1) and Argentina (4-0). Yet just six years ago the national team returned from 2004 European Championship in Portugal without winning a single game. Jurgen Klinsmann tells the story of how German football was rebuilt from the ground up. [...]
How Jesus gets the job done
30 June, 2010 – 2:25 AM
The main theme of Acts may be the spread of the word, but Jesus is the key player. Jesus is risen and he reigns. His primary agents in forming and growing his church are the word and the Spirit (David Peterson). The risen Lord sends the Spirit (2:33), inspires preachers (7:55-56), calls and commissions his [...]
Paul among the Nabateans
14 June, 2010 – 4:54 PM
According to conventional wisdom, Paul spent three years in the solitude of Arabia between his conversion and visiting Jerusalem. It’s assumed he spent the time in prayer and study preparing for his future ministry. There’s no evidence Paul spent the three years in quiet contemplation. We just assume he did. Here’s what we do know, [...]
What does a missionalary movement do?
7 June, 2010 – 11:09 PM
Eckhard Schnabel has helped clear the missional fog for me. He’s done an outstanding job of unpacking the mission of Jesus and the early church. Followed up by another volume on Paul the Missionary. Here’s how he defines mission from a thoroughly biblical framework. The term “mission” or “missions,” refers to the activity of a [...]
What does a missional missionary do?
5 June, 2010 – 12:31 AM
Paul established the Church in four provinces of the Empire, Galatia, Macedonia, Achaia and Asia. Before AD 47 there were no churches in these provinces; in AD 57 St. Paul could speak as if his work there was done, and could plan extensive tours into the far west without anxiety lest the churches which he [...]
Missional angst
3 June, 2010 – 9:44 AM
In 1997, Scott Adams the creator of the Dilbert cartoons, masqueraded as a management consultant to Logitech executives. He convinced the executives of the Logitech company to replace their existing mission statement with this one: to scout profitable growth opportunities in relationships, both internally and externally, in emerging, mission-inclusive markets, and explore new paradigms and [...]
Don’t solve problems. Copy success.
27 May, 2010 – 4:20 PM
I think we spend too much time analysing the problem of the decline of Christianity in the west. Too much time deconstructing and conceptualizing. It’s not a mind game. We should be asking: Where do we see the gospel advancing, disciples made and churches multiplied? How can we get more of that? How can we [...]
