Thoughtful Reflections on Faith and Life
Matthew 10:24-39 Introduction There are certain biblical phrases that have entered common speech. You have heard the phrase “reap the whirlwind” meaning you will face the consequences for your actions. That comes from Hosea 8:7. There is “by the skin of your teeth” which comes from Job 19:20. There is “the writing is on the … Read More “Taking Up the Cross” »
Luke 10:38-42 Introduction What does Jesus want from us? We have seen that Jesus wants us follow him. We have seen that Jesus wants us to live a life of love, love toward God, love toward our neighbours, and love toward each other in the church. Then, related to that, we saw that Jesus wants … Read More “Growing as Disciples” »
Matthew 23:23-24 Introduction Last week, as we looked at the activity of Christian disciples, we focused on the topic of prayer. That was pretty uncontroversial. I know Christians from many different traditions, from different ends of the theological spectrum, and none of them would push back against the idea that we as disciples should be … Read More “Fighting For Justice” »
Mark 1:16-20 Introduction One of the themes that repeatedly comes up in both personal reflection and my preaching is the question of: What is a Christian? For some people, being a Christian simply means belonging to a specific religion, the one we call Christianity. Others may specify that a Christian is one who holds to … Read More “Defining Discipleship” »
Matthew 22:34-40 Introduction Have you ever attempted a New Year’s resolution? How successful were you at it? Do you think these things are generally helpful? I have had mixed results in the past. There have been many that I have quickly forgotten about but there are some resolutions I have made that have actually had … Read More “Discipleship Resolutions” »
Deconstruction is one of the most widely discussed topics within the church today. People have widely varied views on deconstruction, seeing it as the greatest danger to the church to seeing it as the greatest hope for the church. Part of what needs to be discussed is what we mean by deconstruction. I think some … Read More “Have I Deconstructed My Faith?” »
There has been a lot of pushback on the once popular practice of churches sending teams on short-term mission trips. While this was once a respected act of ministry, many see it as at best, church vacations and at worst, damaging activity toward that are supposed to be helped. Part of the narrative is the … Read More “Why I am Glad I Participated in Short-Term Mission Trips” »
Ephesians 4:14-16 Introduction Too often churches are short sighted as to what their goals are. Some have a focus on evangelism and that is good. But what they sometimes mean is that they want to just get people to a point of salvation. They want people to pray a certain prayer, get baptized and identify … Read More “Growing Spiritually” »
What is the gospel? For many people, the gospel is the message by which one gets to heaven. But the Bible presents a much fuller concept of good news. It is a gospel that is supposed to affect our entire existence. Darryl Dash, thankfully presents to us a vision of how the gospel can help … Read More “How to Grow – Review” »
There are many concerns about short-term missions trips. Some argue that they are more harm than good. Many of the concerns are quite valid. But I will argue that such experiences are good when done right. I understand the concerns. They include sending rich westerners to build something that takes away much needed work from … Read More “Should Churches Participate in Short-Term Mission Trips?” »
One of the things that I have noticed about contemporary Christian ministry is there is disagreement over the purpose and aim of Sunday worship services. The two options for the focus are: Christians who are part of that Christian community. Non-Christians who will hopefully visit the church, either as an invited guest or their own … Read More “Who Should Sunday Worship Services Be Aimed At?” »
A sermon based on Luke 9:23-27 and preached at Queen Street Baptist Church. Introduction Why do we exist? Why is there a church? I mean both, why is there a Queen Street Baptist Church and why is there a Christian Church? What is our purpose and what is God’s will for us? The Great Commission … Read More “What is Discipleship?” »
My brother-in-law sent us a copy of Peter Scazzero’s Emotionally Healthy Spirituality some time ago. To be honest, I am given/lent/recommended so many books that I don’t often get around to reading them. I have enough trouble reading the books that I am given in exchange for agreeing to review them on my blog. So … Read More “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality” »
A sermon based on Philippians 1:3-11 preached at Queen Street Baptist Church. Introduction As a child, I was usually the smallest of any of the students in my class. This sometimes made me a bit of a target, so I was quite happy when I shot up about six inches in a year (despite the … Read More “What is a Growing Church?” »
Last words are extremely important. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus gives his disciples his standing orders. We call this the Great Commission. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the … Read More “8 Things We Learn From the Great Commission” »
It is all about discipleship. It really is. I firmly believe that the Church needs to focus on discipleship more than anything else, including evangelism. Of course evangelism is important, but if the people in our churches were strong disciples, there would be more people to do evangelism and we would be prepared to disciple the … Read More “3 Ways Pastors Can Promote Discipleship” »
The Great Commission commands us to make disciples, not just converts. But how we make disciples is going to be influenced by how we do evangelism. How do we try to bring people into the kingdom? We present all the benefits of being a Christian. We talk about the quality of the fellowship, the joy … Read More “Cheap Discipleship” »
In this episode of my video blog, I look at some of the concerns that some people have about apologetics. Should we be involved in apologetics, either on the evangelism or the discipleship side? I look at two of the objections that I often encounter. For more episodes of my video blog, go to this … Read More “An Apologetic for Apologetics” »
Discipleship is key My ministry has been moving lately toward more of a discipleship focus. That is not to say that I am moving away from apologetics. The type of apologetics I am interested in is really a subset of discipleship. I have more of a desire to create confident Christians than to find atheists to … Read More “What is Discipleship?” »
I have been teaching a class at North Burlington Baptist Church on “Sects Education.” It has been a lot of fun, both in my own research and the interaction with the class. However, I think the highlight for me is that their pastor, Merv Budd, understands the importance of discipleship. He has started a program … Read More “A Pastor Who Gets It” »
My biggest concern about the Church today is the lack of discipleship. From what I read about Christian ministry, the focus is on getting people into the church. Whether it is seeker sensitive or emerging church or mega-church programs, the hope seems to be if we can get church desirable enough, people will want to … Read More “Get Disciplined About Discipleship” »
I believe that apologetics is important but not because of some book that I read or a speaker that I heard. I believe that apologetics is important from experience. Let me share a bit of my story. I was raised as a child in the Anglican Church. My faith was very nominal. In my mid-teens … Read More “Why Apologetics is Important” »
I know that you have a lot on your plate. You need to prepare sermons, organize a worship service, visit the sick and shut-ins and attend meetings. As society moves farther into the post-Christian era, it is harder to get people into the church. As many have noted, the attractional model no longer works and … Read More “Dear Pastor” »
This quote from Dallas Willard’s The Divine Conspiracy really expresses my vision for discipleship and the role that apologetics plays in discipleship. “After times of study and teaching, we will pay most attention precisely to the puzzles and ambiguities in our own minds and in the minds of our hearers. What makes no sense? What … Read More “Dallas Willard on Discipleship” »
