Evangelism: made for a mission
by Rick Warren
God is at work in the world, and He wants you to join Him. This assignment is called your MISSION, and it is different from your ministry. Your ministry is your service to believers in the Body of Christ, while your mission is your service to unbelievers in the world. God created you for both. Fulfilling your mission in the world is the fifth purpose of your life (worship, fellowship, discipleship, evangelism, mission). [more]
|
Issue #56
6/19/2002 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Lord's Command For Diversity
by Paul Borthwick
We live in strange times. Our country's population grows numerically primarily because of immigrants, yet new ethnic groups often feel unwelcomed, even shunned. Our politicians strive for political correctness and the ability to accept diversity with open arms and bi-lingual greetings, but hate groups grow and racially motivated crimes appear in the daily news. The statue of liberty invites diversity, but our racially-sensitive country struggles to implelment it. What does Jesus say to this blending of cultures? [more]
| Celebration of Discipline (Harper San Francisco, 1998) |  |
| Richard Foster | |
|
Foster was a disciple of Dallas Willard. This book is an excellent primer of the spiritual disciplines that lead to a deeper life with God. |
A Grief Observed (Harper SanFrancisco, 2001) | |
| C. S. Lewis | |
|
A book written by Lewis when he lost his wife, it can help anyone understand the deep, grief process: “Your bid--for God or no God, for a good God or the Cosmic Sadist, for eternal life or nonentity--will not be serious if nothing much is staked on it. And you will never discover how serious it was until the stakes are raised horribly high..." |
The Wounded Minister |  |
| Guy Greenfield (Baker, 2001) | |
|
Healing from and Preventing Personal Attacks - Every church deals with personality conflicts and intermittent discord. But in some churches, what should be normal clashes has become a devastating form of abuse - pastoral abuse. A growing phenomenon that cuts across denominational lines and impacts every level of ministry, pastoral abuse leaves in its wake thousands of wounded clergymen with ruined ministries, broken relationships, damaged health, even shattered faith. This book examines the reality of evil in churches and the ways in which "pathological antagonists" emotionally and spiritually batter pastors. |
"Bill Bright founded Campus Crusade for Christ. Through Crusade staff around the world, the Four Spiritual Laws tract, and the Jesus film (seen by over one billion people), over one hundred fifty million people have come to Christ and will spend eternity in heaven.
I once asked Bill 'Why did God use and bless your life so much?' He said, 'When I was a young man I made a contract with God. I literally wrote it out and signed my name at the bottom. It said 'From this day forward, I am a slave of Jesus Christ.''
Have you signed a contract like that? Or are you still arguing and struggling with God over his right to do with your life as he pleases?"
- Rick Warren
"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor." - Isaiah 61:1-3 (NIV)
Findspot - This site brings together eight search engines, four meta-search engines, and three directories. It provides tips for using each search engine correctly and offers a review of each site.
Golden Gate Theological Seminary Library - Provided by Golden Gate Seminary, this site features a large selection of internet links. It includes everything from sites on Church Resources to sites on Cults, Sects & New Religious Movements.
Are You The Boss Or The Leader? - By Steve Sileo
Can a night out bowling be sacred? - Rick and Kay Warren
Does your church really need a bigger building? - Rick Warren
Weekly church attendees had an even more negative perspective about the nation’s moral climate - 52 percent of active church members ranked moral conditions as poor. Women held a more pessimistic viewpoint than men with 45 percent calling the situation poor, compared to 33 percent of men. Americans 18-to-29 years of age were less critical of the moral condition. Only 28 percent saw the situation as poor, while 24 percent said it was good or excellent. Some 67 percent of Americans said the nation’s values are deteriorating.
- Gallup Poll - May, 2002
About 40 percent of Americans characterize the nation’s moral values as "poor" and 41 percent say the state of moral values is "only fair." Only 18 percent rank the situation as "good" or "excellent."
The percentage of American adults who preferred no religion in 1991 was 7 percent and that figure doubled to 14 percent in 1998, say Michael Hout and Claude S. Fischer, professors of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley.
- American Sociological Review - April 2002
The probability of a person accepting Christ between the ages of 5 - 13 is 32 percent. There is a four percent probability of doing so within the ages of 14 - 18; and a six percent chance from age 19 to death.
- Mark Matlock, PlanetWisdom.com
|
Would you forward this free e-newsletter to others in ministry? The Ministry ToolBox™ is for ANYONE serving Jesus Christ. For a free subscription, you can sign up at www.saddlebackresources.com. Please help us get the word out by forwarding this issue to other Christians. Thanks! MinistryToolBox Archives | Pastors.com | Contact Us (c) 1996-2008
Pastors.com, a ministry of Saddleback Church |