Help Me Strengthen the Global Church
My name is Ken Nichols. I pastor a local church in Georgia, and I want to see God glorified among the nations. I have been given the tremendous opportunity to travel to South Asia in January, 2012 for the privilege of teaching and training pastors and leadership of a burgeoning Church Planting Movement among Hindu and Muslim background believers. Our goal is to train pastors, and thereby affecting the hundreds of new local churches that have sprung up in the last 18 months. The impact of our ministry to them will be hard to quantify, but the potential for great Kingdom impact in an area where God is moving is tremendous. I will be travelling with three other men from our local Baptist Association and we will be joining forces with a local IMB missionary. The...
Read MoreNow, Now, O Fellow-Sinners
Sanctification is anything but passive. Though it does not occur without God, both by His calling and by His power, we have a part to play. It is in the continual yielding to His grace, day by day, moment by moment (a la Francis Schaeffer). Sanctification is either hindered or helped by our decisions and actions. We can choose whether to grow in sanctification, or not, even though it is God alone who enables it. Make sure you are availing yourself of every means possible to be sanctified by God. Make sure you are yielding all, body, mind and spirit, to God. Though you cannot produce sanctification, you take great responsibility for it in your life. Your salvation has been purchased by Christ on the cross. Believers are saved from the penalty and power of sin....
Read MoreWhat Hangover 2 and American Idol say about us
It’s Memorial Day 2011 and I just read a headline that says, “Biggest Memorial Day Weekend Box Office Ever! Hangover 2 Shatters Comedy Records” Link to article quoted I know little of this movie. I didn’t see the first one. But, I know alot of this movie from seeing commercials on TV, and the preview trailer that was shown as I waited to see “Soul Surfer.” I know enough from those few glimpses that immorality is celebrated and humor hides the dark underbelly of a life lived in pursuit of fleshly desires. I know enough from those few glimpses that in this movie the beauty and significance of sex is perverted, that women are objectified. In the article some interesting demographic info was posted. Of those who attended this...
Read MoreREVIEW: Radical Together
REVIEW: Radical Together Author: David Platt “How can we in the church best unleash the people of God in the Spirit of God with the Word of God for the glory of God in the world?“ That’s the question David Platt confronts us with in Radical Together. It is a serious question which every pastor, church leader, and Christian should be concerned with. It is a question that has no easy answers. But, it is a question we should seek to answer in every area of our personal lives and in our lives together in the local church. What I enjoyed most about this book is the fact that David Platt never claims to have the answer to “the question,” but he invites us to join him and his church as they are seeking to find it. I found his arguments compelling, and...
Read MoreREVIEW: The Greener Grass Conspiracy
REVIEW: The Greener Grass Conspiracy: Finding Contentment on You Side of the Fence Author: Stephen Altrogge "Greener Grass Conspiracy" Trailer - Stephen Altrogge from Crossway on Vimeo. What can a self-professed “raging discontent” teach others about contentment? Turns out, quite a bit. Altrogge reminds us that the desire for contentment is part of the spiritual war in which we are constantly embroiled in (p. 18). The image of the “Greener Grass Conspiracy” is quite helpful in helping us see the things that fight against our contentment. Altrogge reminds us of the Scriptures’ teaching that the world, our hearts, and our enemy Satan are all working against our true and greatest happiness, joy in God (p. 12). It’s a theme and a point he makes clear...
Read MoreSometimes I Get In the Way
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My 5 year old daughter has a problem. She likes to be in control. There are times when she wants to do everything for herself, usually in the most inconvenient times. There are times when she claims to be unable to do anything for herself. In both of these scenarios she is bucking for control, of me, of my wife, and of the situation. I have a problem, too. I do the same with God. Sometimes I relegate God to co-pilot status. Sometimes I take the lead instead of being a follower. Sure there are times in my life when I am the leader. I am a husband, a father, and a pastor. I was created to, and gifted for, leadership. But, I’m talking about times I try to lead God. You know what I mean. I try to assert my authority, rather than submit to God’s. I try to...
Read MoreWhen Should You Leave Your Church?
While it may be necessary at times to leave your church, the reasons should be grave, and the occasion rare. They should be well thought out, prayed over, and by all means discussed with your pastor(s). Unfortunately, many people take this decision lightly, and/or fail to handle the departure in a way that honors God. Here, Mark Dever gives good advice on thinking through when to leave, and turns the table a little, explaining that God uses long-term relationships to help grow us into Christ’s likeness. It may be that your sticking it out, i.e. continuing to serve, attend and give, during times when you are displeased is exactly what God uses to show you to be less concerned about your own preferences and desires, and be more concerned about His! How do...
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