Leading the Church
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. We are called to learn and develop faith because faith is essential and of the utmost importance for every aspect of the Christian life. Without faith, we can do nothing! As Christians, especially those who are responsible for the education and care of others, we are called to build our spiritual formation from...
Shortly after the Reformation began, in the first few years after Martin Luther posted the Ninety-Five Theses on the church door at Wittenburg, he issued some short booklets on a variety of subjects. One of the most provocative was titled The Babylonian Captivity of the Church. In this book Luther was looking back to that period of Old Testament history when Jerusalem was destroyed by the invading armies of Babylon and the elite of the people were carried off into captivity.
What is predestination? The key words of chosen, elect, foreknew, and predestined have been topics of hot debate amongst many Christian groups over the centuries. The principle theme is agreed upon, that God does choose us and makes us holy-to which our eternal destination is preordained.
The Passion of Jesus! Jesus' Crucifixion From A Medical Point of View! The one thing that kept going through my mind as I researched, wrote, and taught on this subject. Jesus did this for me! He hung on that cross, and went through all this heinous, physical agony of the worst and most intense pain ever devised as torture that a human could conceive and be subjected to. He did this all for me; He took my place; He endured, as an innocent Person, what I deserved as a sinner!
Jesus Christ is Lord and God!
"Who is SATAN and what does he do?" Many do not believe that Satan exists; they think he is just the figment of an over-worked, bygone imagination. Such thinking greatly pleases Satan. The more covert he can be, the more successful he is.
"The role and Person and work of the Holy Spirit"
How to rebuild after a pastor leaves, even in a fall from grace.
To rebuild any church, whether it is from the retirement of a great pastor, the fall of another, a history of spiritual neglect from its leaders, or the slow backslide of apathy or liberalism, we have to be willing to reset. If there is no reset, the congregation will die off. A reset is relatively simple, though. It is a call to us found in the midst of Hebrews 13.
To rebuild any church, whether it is from the retirement of a great pastor, the fall of another, a history of spiritual neglect from its leaders, or the slow backslide of apathy or liberalism, we have to be willing to reset. If there is no reset, the congregation will die off. A reset is relatively simple, though. It is a call to us found in the midst of Hebrews 13.
How to recover your church after a pastor leaves, even in a fall
The statistics for pastors who fall is about 20%. Nearly 50% of pastors starting out will not last beyond five years in ministry for reasons of burnout and frustration. Just 1 out of every 10 pastors will actually retire as a minister in some form. Now, compare that to that 4,000 new churches beginning each year, while 7,000 churches close. We have some rebooting and rebuilding to do!
The statistics for pastors who fall is about 20%. Nearly 50% of pastors starting out will not last beyond five years in ministry for reasons of burnout and frustration. Just 1 out of every 10 pastors will actually retire as a minister in some form. Now, compare that to that 4,000 new churches beginning each year, while 7,000 churches close. We have some rebooting and rebuilding to do!
The main names for the Holy Spirit: Counselor; Comforter; Baptizer; Advocate; Strengthener; Sanctifier; Spirit of Christ; Seven-Fold Spirit; Spirit of Truth; Spirit of Grace...
