Prayer and The Church

 Bible, Church, Faith, Missional  2 Responses »
Jul 222008
 

I am re-reading a book on prayer that had a huge impact on my prayer life a number of years ago.  It is Don’t Just Stand there, Pray Something, by Ronald Dunn.  Check out what Dunn writes about prayer in the early church:

“The book of Acts is filled with prayer meetings; every forward thrust the first church made was immersed in prayer.  Take another look at the church at Pentecost.  They prayed ten days and preached ten minutes and three thousand people were saved.  Today we pray ten minutes and preach ten days and are ecstatic if anyone is saved.” (Pg. 38) (Emphasis mine)

This is significant, especially in light of our current series on “The Church”, and as we teach through the book of Acts. 

 Posted by at 7:59 am

Generational Discipleship

 Bible, Family  No Responses »
May 122008
 

Our family is reading the Bible through this year together and this week we are reading in the Hebrew scriptures in the book of Judges.

We came to this passage and I can’t get it out of my mind.

Judges 2:10-13 (NIV)
10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel.
11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals.
12 They forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the LORD to anger
13 because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.

I believe one of the imperatives of the missional church in our culture is motivating and equipping parents to disciple their children in the home.  One of the keys to halting the decline of influence of the church in our culture is to implement generational discipleship that begins in the home.  As we reach out to the unchurched and disconnected, we must continue to raise up our believer families through generational discipleship.  As we disciple new followers of Jesus, we must emphasize and equip them to disciple their own families. 

What are you doing that has been fruitful in seeing people and families discipled? 

 Posted by at 9:05 am

“NO REGRETS” New Teaching series starts this Sunday!

 Bible, Church at the Grove  No Responses »
May 082008
 

We begin a new teaching series called “No Regrets” this Sunday and we will be taking a look at the life of King David!  Don’t miss this week as we celebrate Mother’s Day and talk about “Ridiculous Faith”. 

No Regrets

 Posted by at 2:44 pm

2nd Mile Living

 Bible, Church at the Grove, Jesus  1 Response »
Apr 032008
 

Matthew 5:41 (NIV)
41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.

When Jesus taught the sermon on the Mount that we read in Matthew 5, 6, and 7, it was accepted by law that a Roman Soldier could force a Jewish person to carry his gear for one mile.  The Romans were oppressive to the Jews and it probably wasn’t received well when Jesus made this outlandish statement regarding the 2nd mile. 

What do you think the Roman soldier did when the Jewish 2nd miler offered to carry his gear for an additional mile?  He most certainly would have been surprised and would likely have asked “WHY?”  When this soldier asked “Why?”, it created a conversation opportunity that would surely lead to sharing about the Jewish carpenter named Jesus and what He was teaching. 

When we go the second mile with people in our circle of influence, especially when it may be with unlikely people, it creates conversation opportunities that lead to sharing the hope found in Jesus. 

This past Sunday I challenged CATGrovers to do a “second mile act of kindness” for someone in our circle of influence.  Have you completed your “second mile act of kindness” this week?  Have you made plans?  Have you thought about it?  Go ahead, make some plans and carry out a “second mile act of kindness” with someone and create a conversation opportunity.  You never know where it might lead. 

 Posted by at 6:04 pm
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