To what extent may generative AI tools be appropriately used in the process of sermon preparation? Does this use eliminate the role of the Holy Spirit and the transformative process on the homiletician?
We’re All Debtors, Matthew 18:23-34
My first reaction towards someone who offends me is to take revenge, not to forgive— especially if the offense is serious or repeated. But when I consider what God has forgiven me, I understand the unpayable nature of my debt toward God, and I’m prompted to forgive.
The Prayer That Will Change Your Church
I know that, in my home church, we are all-in on making disciples. Kingdom growth. I spend a lot of time talking to church leaders about reaching lost people. That is the dream that I want to be real in my life and my church.
Loving Our Communities
In order to evangelize in a way that is responsive to our communities, we need to place ourselves in the role of learners, entering into a two-way dialogue. We need to practice both observation and active listening. We need to listen without judgement as we seek to understand what others are saying, feeling, and doing.
Do We Really?
We truly, sincerely, want to be more like Christ. But do we really? I ask this only because it seems our impatience and avoidance of others is truly impressive. We have perfected the art of being angry, passive-aggressive, inflammatory, and obnoxious gloaters when things go our way.
How To Do Intergenerational Ministry: Two Important Questions
Most congregations are already creating worship services, small-group experiences, and service opportunities that embody intergenerational ministry. However, many church leaders do not give language to these dynamics. Therefore, I always remind leaders to begin using language that describes for their church where intergenerational moments are happening.
Moving Toward a Place of Completeness
What does it look like to move from exclusion to representation to inclusion? It was a hard question to wrestle with because it meant that we had to acknowledge all of the ways that we were falling short.
Gifted
God didn’t just decide the color of my eyes or my hair or how tall I would be. He decided if I would be an introvert or an extrovert, if I would see the world through my thoughts or my feelings, if I would be funny or unusually perceptive. He chose my natural gifts and the gifts that would be developed with practice.
The Prayer That Will Change You
Take the opportunity. Tell the good news. Keep the main thing the main thing. Jesus died for our sins, he was buried, and God raised him from the dead. Ask God to keep you focused on the message. Ask to keep on task. Ask God to remind you of what you ought to do.
Fear is Just the Beginning
What is the problem with the wicked? Well, they have no fear of God! The lack of fear for God is reflected in a concomitant lack of restraint. Fear, at its best, can teach us how to control ourselves.
Why Does Your Church Exist?
Contextualization is at the very center of the church’s mission. Christian congregations must know their context as they live out the gospel of Jesus. In other words, church leaders should understand why their church exists and what their God-given mission really is. This is not some fringe part of a church’s existence but is central to its very purpose.
Humility over Pride
We should recall who God is and what He has done for us, remembering that our blessings are a result of His righteousness and not our own. Instead of puffing ourselves up pridefully and patting ourselves on the back for our good fortune in life as a result of being so honorable, we ought to stop comparing ourselves to others.
Speaking Truth to Power
In ministry, there are times when we have to speak truth to power. We see amazing examples of this throughout Scripture: Nathan confronting David on his sin with a story, the three telling Nebuchadnezzar they wouldn’t bow down, Jesus conversing with Pilate…. But we must do so knowing that we don’t always know what the outcome will be.
To Give Everything Up or Not, Matthew 13:44-46
Not that the kingdom of heaven is something we can literally buy, but its reception involves a renunciation, a personal sacrifice that not everyone is willing to make. So, are we willing to give everything up for the kingdom or not? That is the question.
The Way, The Truth and The Life
In the face of much trouble, we must stand firm as a people who have been given the Way, Truth and Life that sets us free and grants us peace. It is getting more and more tempting for us to be swept into believing that the way to more freedom, more truth or a better life is a way that politics or culture try to prepare. This is not the truth we believe in, and it will not settle the fear or confusion we may have in our present circumstance.
Why Intergenerational Ministry Matters
Intergenerational ministry is a vision of the church that takes seriously Paul’s vision of what it means to be “in Christ.” Those generational barriers that often divide or rank us are reconsidered in light of Christ. In the Body of Christ, every part is equal and matters to the collective whole. Every part offers something, and every other part is made better for that contribution.
Gospel: God’s Power for Life
In these days, the gospel matters. And it matters when churches listen for the gospel and choose to repent. Churches that declare the truth of the gospel to the world matter. Such work is the work of Christian leaders today. The challenge in our world is not that the world has gone crazy; the challenge in our world is whether leaders will truly embrace the powerful word of gospel news for themselves, for their congregations, and for the world.
“Connecting People”: Nokia or Spiritual Gifts?
Anna R. Morgan has written Growing Women in Ministry: Seven Aspects of Leadership Development, differentiating what women need from that which men typically receive in terms of support in actualizing their spiritual gifts.
The LORD as a Warrior… But Maybe Not in the Battles We Pick
I think we must also come to grips with two polarizing truths: God is a warrior, but one who fights on behalf of true justice, righteousness, and shalom, which often stands in sharp contradiction to what we call by the same name.
Hiding From God, Hidden In God
The game of hide-and-seek changes when we stop hiding and start seeking. God has already called out to us; He is waiting for us to answer. When we step into the light of His presence, we discover that He is never far away.