As I thought about that idea--that what we learn in our own setting can have implications and application to other believers in other cultural contexts around the globe, I was reminded of something the Apostle Paul wrote to his son-in-the-faith, Timothy:

...what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

While this is traditionally applied to training up young men in the content of the Christian faith, I think it sometimes is treated too academically.

As if the only thing Timothy "heard" from Paul was, say, sermons.

Ask yourself this question: what do you remember from your dad? (Click below to read more.)

For those who do not yet believe the Gospel, their new faith enables them to align with God for the first time in their lives.

This is something like discovering an owner’s manual to a fancy machine that previously, because of ignorance, was unusable. Or, if useful, not fully functional.

Once I was given an electronic light switch that turns on and off according to a digital timer. But I didn't know how to program it. Basically it was useless.

However, I was able to find a copy of the directions on line, and all of the sudden, what was nothing more than a simple $1.99 toggle switch turned into a sophisticated piece of electronic equipment.

Being enlightened by the Gospel works this way too.

Now, knowing the Good News that Jesus died and rose again to justify a people for Himself “zealous for good works,” someone who was once “lost” is now “found.” (Click below to read more.)

1. Discipleship means providing the equipment a person needs to hear, follow, and obey Jesus' call on their lives.
2. Believers are called to be reformed and reshaped to fit back into the original charter of Jesus in the Gospel: living a sent life in all aspects of life as God’s partner in the world.
3. Too many of us have become functional gluttons and, so far from being on mission with God, have become obsessed with our own.

But that was not the reason for which Jesus died and rose again. (Click to read more.)

This is why recent missional thinkers and pastors have called on Christians to live "sent lives"--missionaries, on mission with God, partnering with Him in His mission in the world.

I love how one pastor analyzed the current situation in too many churches:

Many churches are serving "almost like containers" and holding people in rather than sending them out to spread the Gospel. "It's almost as if we're extracting people from the world instead of equipping them and sending them into the world."

Holding them in. It reminds me of the feeling of being too full after a huge meal. Can you remember how that feels?

Some have noticed that Western, American material prosperity leads, too often, to a kind of inebriation of blessing, such that this "being full" image is true on a society-wide scale. (Click below to read more.)

I ended my essay by asking a metaphor question: is the church more like a container to be filled or a tool to be sharpened for use?

The answer should be both. Let me explain. (Click to read more.)

One answer I often give is this: we are planting a church for people who don't go to church.

Studies show that new church starts are more effective in connecting, building relationships with, and ingathering non-Christians and non-church goers than established churches are. There are many factors in that dynamic, but one relates to the way new churches engage people who already profess faith.

What does this mean? Click below to read more.

Lots of people responded to this survey--more than almost any other communication we've sent. Some of the top choices people liked included, "Fields of Grace," "Sojourn," and "Grace Vineyard."

But the name most people liked, more than any other--and the one Polly and the kids liked best, too--was Mercy Hill. (Click below to read more.)

My answer, in deference to the subtlety, sometimes goes along the lines of "We're on a mission from God. You know, Blues Brothers?"

Seriously, its a great question, whose answer has many aspects:

Why is this important? From my point of view, it relates to having faith in God's power and in His plan. He is at work in the world building His church and...this may shock some of my friends: he hasn't told me all the details yet.

As a result, I believe that every person I meet has some role to play (even if its small) in the work of the Gospel ministry God has called me to do.

First of all, the Bible is a story of redemption--it is more than this, but it is not less.

Second, my life is a story written by the "author and perfector of my salvation," Jesus Christ, who is Himself, the Word Made Flesh (John 1:1, 14).

Third, because of Jesus' perfect life, death, and resurrection, my story has miraculously changed from one with a tragic ending (for me) to one that ends with rejoicing: he took my place as condemned on the cross that I might have eternal life.

All these elements combine to show the importance--and danger of neglecting, I think--the form of "story" in thinking about theology.

This is an extension of what I've come to appreciate from a pastor in grad school, and seminary professor, John Frame, taught about triperspectivalism.