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Sunday, May 29, 2005

Friday, May 27, 2005

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

"Pentecost is derived from the Greek "pente", meaning fifty. The followers of "Christ", being devout followers of the Hebrew faith, had come to Jerusalem for the Festival of Shavuos: the fiftieth day after Passover (or Festival of Matzoh). Shavuos was a day to remember the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai and a harvest festival of first fruits. Devout Jews would spend the night before Shavuos studying the laws and attending morning prayers before breaking their fast with Kiddush: a meal of bread and wine. Knowing this, it is small wonder that the followers in their seemingly drunken state were accused of having imbibed in too much new wine!"

Saturday, May 14, 2005

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

10. We must allow time for people to process both intellectually and emotionally what they have heard and experienced.
Rather than pursuing a hot-sell, one-shot, close-the-deal approach, those seeking to share the gospel must be prepared to establish long-term friendships. Donald Posterski comments, "Too many over-zealous evangelists believe in microwave evangelism." We have to learn to become good "neighbours." Our neighbours are not simply, or even, the people next door. "Our neighbours are the people who normally intersect our lives in the natural flow of our days and nights." In evangelizing we have to distinguish between those who are culturally near, who will be affirmed in their commitment to Christ by family and friends, and among whom much of the message is already familiar, and those who come to Christ with little prior knowledge and in the face of opposition or ridicule from family and friends. The latter, especially, will need to be helped through the process of "post-decision re-evaluation," in which they become aware of the lifestyle implications of the commitment they have made.
In conclusion, as we evaluate the points addressed in this article, we must always remain open to the surprises of the Holy Spirit, while resisting a tendency to create a strategy out of a single "conversion" incident. We must never lose sight of the fact that the Holy Spirit can and does short-circuit procedures and act contrary to our presuppositions and sense of the right order of things.

Labels: mission, reinventing evangelism

A group of ordinary men take part in a unique experiment when they spend 40 days and 40 nights living with monks for a new three part series for BBC TWO called The Monastery.

The series follows five laymen on a spiritual journey in a Benedictine monastery to discover if the 1,500-year-old monastic tradition has anything to offer a new generation.

Although from very different backgrounds, all five participants share a desire to see if life holds any greater meaning.

What's Driving Today's Innovations

Leonard Sweet noticed how superstar band U2 (and lead singer Bono) changed their act in response to this. "U2 used to use big screens and technology to create an extravaganza. But they repented. Now Bono's stage pierces into the middle of the audience, and he draws from a palette of 45 songs by interacting with the crowd. A U2 concert is not about performance any more, but about relationships, about people there helping to shape the event itself.

"For churches, this means no more pew potatoes. It's not about a Sunday morning spectacular, but about relationships, creating, and connecting."

Many modern churches make "doing ministry with excellence" a core value ... but "excellence" is not a core value in emerging churches. If it lacks authenticity or is too perfect and polished, "excellence" can actually go against teh grain of emerging churches values.

Our worship gatherings are not meant to be shows or concerts. They are designed as interactive experiences. We invite participants to join in, share what they have, and take a piece of what those around have to give.

Monday, May 09, 2005

Big Conversation

Friday, May 06, 2005

Scholars working through fragments of Greek papyri believe the number of the Beast in Revelation is 616, not 666, as traditionally translated and quoted in much popular end-of-the-world Christian literature. The calculation has been made by giving numerical value to Greek letters found in a scrap of Revelation dating from about AD 300. Until now, most translators have followed the text of later manuscripts. Revd Prof David Parker, a New Testament professor at the University of Birmingham, said the newly studied text "adds weight to those who believe it is a reference to Caligula’s attempt to desecrate the Temple in Jerusalem by having his statue erected there as part of the cult of emperor worship."

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Monday, May 02, 2005

9. We must be open to the possibility that God has something significant to teach through the person(s) with whom we are sharing the good news.
If God has already begun to work in the life of the seeker-after-truth, then that person will bring insights, questions, and challenges that will cause the evangelist to reexamine his or her own lifestyle, depth of spirituality, ability to explain the good news of Jesus Christ, and demonstrate its relevance in meeting their needs and in reordering their priorities. Authentic evangelism requires the one communicating the message of Christ to be open to change. The encounter will deepen our own understanding of the wonder and depth of the gospel message and renew our confidence in the power of the message to transform the lives of those among whom we are privileged to share it. I often ask my students, when the apostle Peter shared the gospel with the Roman centurion Cornelius and his house full of invited guests, who was converted? Peter was changed, as Luke makes clear in his recounting of the incident to the Jerusalem church leaders (Acts 10, 11).

Authentic evangelism requires the one communicating the message of Christ to be open to change.

Labels: mission, reinventing evangelism