Series: Featured

December 1, 2010

Christian Standard

God on a Mission in Salt Lake City

By Brent Storms Kyle Costello was born in Provo, Utah, while his parents were attending Brigham Young University. He was raised in a small town on the Utah/Nevada border. Because his family was Mormon, they made frequent trips to Salt Lake City. As a 19-year-old, Kyle prepared for his two-year “mission.” He began to anticipate some of the questions people might ask him when he knocked on doors. His quest for answers began innocently enough. He really wanted to know how to defend his faith. But the more he explored, and the more he raised questions with his father (now

November 27, 2010

Christian Standard

Within Our Reach

By Greg Pruett For the great majority of the world, if we and our partners continue at the current rate, all the remaining Bible translation projects will begin during the next 20 years. The Land Cruiser was bouncing to a halt when the sound wave poured into the vehicle. We thought we had arrived unannounced to speak with one of the few churches among the Kono people of West Africa. But this struggling flock had already heard of Pioneer Bible Translators” interest in their language, and somehow they knew we were coming. They rolled out the red carpet for us. Generator-powered

November 26, 2010

Christian Standard

The Jonathan Project

By Graydon Jessup The objective of The Jonathan Project is to plant multiplying churches among the least-reached people groups on the planet. These are people who live under oppressive regimes, in inaccessible locations, and in areas where Christianity and Christians are the “infidel.” Nearly 2 billion people fall into this “least-reached” category. They have never heard the name of Jesus. They don”t have the faintest concept what a church is about. This 10-year-old ministry was designed by missionaries on the field in East Asia. The original goal was to plant a church a year, but the magnitude of the task soon

November 24, 2010

Christian Standard

Teaching People to Pray One at a Time

By Paul Covert In July of 2003, I nervously made a call to Cal Jernigan, the senior pastor at Central Christian Church in Mesa, Arizona. I had known Cal for 25 years and had always respected him. I hoped he could point me to a church that might have some interest in my passion for prayer. Thirty days later I was leading the prayer ministry at Central. When I called Cal, I didn”t know Central had just gone through an extensive season of developing their core values. One of them was, “As a community of believers, we seek God”s guidance

November 24, 2010

Christian Standard

Increase Your Church”s Passion for Prayer

By Paul Covert Getting People Started in Prayer School of Prayer””Each School of Prayer offers topics designed to teach people to pray and time to practice what they”ve learned. At least one of the three sessions is for entry-level prayers. The SOP is held once a quarter. Prayer Garden””Central has its own Prayer Garden. The garden offers a quiet place on campus for staff, members, and their friends to take a break to pray. There are six stations in the garden with inspirational thoughts for prayer at each station. The meditations are changed regularly, so the experience is always fresh.

November 22, 2010

Christian Standard

Standing with Jesus in Urban Chaos

By Ash Barker On the morning of May 19, all hell broke loose across Bangkok. While more than 1,000 people were injured and over 50 died in the two months leading up to this day, May 19 was the most violent, bloody climax imaginable. Not far from our slum house””just a few-minutes walk away””a mob was using grenades, M-16s, and machetes to fight the army and loot convenience stores, luxury shopping malls, and banks. By midday, the crazed mob was inching ever closer to our slum. I looked up from the Klong Toey Community Centre and saw plumes of smoke

November 19, 2010

Christian Standard

A New Way to Train Workers

By Ron Holland As demographics and strategies for the mission of God change and shift, we find that old methods and ideas need to be rethought. The globalization and urbanization of the world”s populations present major challenges and opportunities in the church”s efforts to participate in the mission of God. Meanwhile, Christians today are realizing anew that God wants the church to be an instrument of social justice in the world. This sends us back to the drawing board in most of our endeavors. LivingStone International University (LIU), a joint project of Christian churches and churches of Christ, in Mbale,

November 18, 2010

Christian Standard

Let”s Get Busy!

By Doug Priest When I was in college, my grandparents moved from their small farm into the Senior Estates in nearby Woodburn, Oregon. You had to be 55 or older to live in Senior Estates. Back then, I thought 55 was getting along in years. Time flies, and I could have moved into those same Senior Estates some years ago. And I, like a growing corps of involved “seniors,” am fully involved in missions ministry. When we reflect on what”s happening in missions today, we can see how and why their number should increase. Several missions trends have implications for Christians

November 18, 2010

Christian Standard

These Seniors Served Overseas

By Doug Priest A few years ago men from Eastside Christian Church in Fullerton, California, made a two-week trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand, to work with Joni and Nangsar Morse at their rural training center called Eden Center. People from near and far go there for periodic training and to work on its rice farm. A dormitory was needed where people could stay when they came to Thailand from Burma, Tibet, and China, so the Men on a Mission group, as they were called, worked with the Morses to determine the materials needed for such a project. The items were

November 17, 2010

Christian Standard

The World at Our Doorstep

By Greg Swinney I sat expectantly in the worship service as the song leader read loud and clear, “May the nations be glad and sing for joy” (Psalm 67:4). My friend seated next to me must have noticed the puzzled look on my face. “How can the nations be glad, Rich?” I asked. “How can they be glad if we don”t tell them?” I felt deep regret over my negligence in reaching out to those of other nations. They are searching for truth and grace, but I”ve been preoccupied and distracted. I have good excuses. At least I thought I

November 17, 2010

Christian Standard

The 10/40 Window Is Open to You

By Greg Swinney Mission agencies continue to direct our focus at sharing the gospel in the 10/40 window. This geographical region sandwiched between 10 degrees north latitude and 40 degrees north latitude stretches from Africa to the Philippines and represents the majority of the unreached people groups of the world. More than 65 percent of international students come from nations within the 10/40 window. Prayers for unreached people groups are being answered. The 10/40 window is no longer 8,000 miles away; in some cases it is minutes from your home. Though you may not be able to speak a foreign language,

November 17, 2010

Christian Standard

The Whole Truth

By Jeff Faull It”s getting harder and harder to get the truth these days. We are constantly called to discern truth in every realm and at every level. We used to say, “Don”t believe everything you hear.” Then we said, “Just because it”s in print doesn”t make it true.” After that we said, “You found it on the Internet but that doesn”t mean you can trust it.” Now we have to say, “Seeing is not necessarily believing.” Have the photos been doctored? Am I looking at a computer-created image? There never has been such an obvious culture of spin and

November 13, 2010

Christian Standard

My Journey to Journey

By Darin Brown I can still remember taking notes from a breakout session at the Eastern Christian Convention more than 10 years ago. Gene Appel was describing the transformation that had occurred at the church he was leading in Las Vegas and was presenting a simple yet profound formula for change. I wrote down “Dissatisfaction + Vision + Next Steps = Change.” As I listened to Appel explain these concepts, I had no idea my life and ministry would be heading down the same path. It should not have happened so quickly. I was the senior minister of a new

November 12, 2010

Christian Standard

The Value of Justice

Karen Rees How valuable is justice? Few people in the United States give much thought to this question. But for many in the world, it”s a far different story. In the United States, justice is simply there, a part of the community. It looks like the local police officer or mayor or building inspector. We expect officials to do their jobs properly and treat us fairly. We expect the police to protect us to the best of their ability. Where I live, in Hong Kong, Britain”s 150-year colonial rule has left a similar legacy of justice. People expect to receive

November 10, 2010

Christian Standard

Stop Bashing the Bride!

Mike Baker It is very popular these days to write books, make statements, post blogs, and write articles that scold, criticize, and ridicule the church (especially the 21st-century American version). Is anyone but me getting just a little defensive? Honestly, these revelations don”t inspire me, they make me want to scream, “Hey, wait a minute, you”re talking about my church!” We are talking about Christ”s bride here. Shouldn”t we be a little more careful about how we flippantly describe Jesus” wife as irrelevant, corrupt, hypocritical, and ineffective? Indulge me just a little as I defend the church I have come

November 8, 2010

Christian Standard

Teams Function Like Teams

By Stephen Bond I played water polo in high school. Water polo is a team sport. Each player in the pool has a distinct role, and each one depends on the other if the team is to be successful. On my high school team we had Mike Moore, a scoring machine, “in the hole” on the offensive end of the pool and Guy Antley on the defensive end as our goalie. Both men received All-American awards but both played very different roles on our team. We needed both Mike and Guy (and several more of us non-All-American players) to win. The

November 5, 2010

Christian Standard

Smaller Groups, More Disciples

By Michael Mack How many people can you effectively lead, shepherd, and disciple? Eight? Ten? Twelve? Twenty? Let me ask the question another way: If you are to bear much fruit, fruit that will last . . . if you are to see true transformation of people”s lives . . . if you are to see people develop into leaders so that you are multiplying your leadership . . . into how many people can you invest your life? Jesus formed a small group that would eventually change the world. But first, he called two sets of brothers: Simon Peter and Andrew,

November 5, 2010

Christian Standard

Marks of a Successful Discipler

By Rick Lowry Personal Life “¢ Models servanthood before group members. “¢ Is in the Word daily, along with being in prayer and practicing other spiritual disciplines. “¢ Feels a sense of personal spiritual growth and passes on that challenge toward growth to members of group. “¢ A spiritual leader outside the group meeting. “¢ Accountable in life to another spiritual leader outside the group. Passing on the Faith “¢ Prays for individuals in the group. “¢ Places a high priority on the group and the people in it. “¢ Is spiritually, emotionally, and relationally open to group members. “¢

November 4, 2010

Christian Standard

It”s All About Change

By Bill Search We”ve called change different things through the years: discipleship, edification, sanctification, transformation, spiritual formation. These are really great terms, but they convey one simple idea: how people become more like Jesus. A healthy small group should help people change. But many of our groups get off track. Ironically, the love for Scripture can accidentally distract us from the ultimate goal of changing to become like Jesus. You Need to Know More Some groups take a materialistic approach to Bible study. They crave to know more. They may not have the same intense desire to become different people,

November 4, 2010

Christian Standard

Seven Hallmarks of a Healthy Small Group

By Michael Mack What makes a small group healthy? At Northeast Christian Church, we define small group health by seven biblical values and evaluate all groups annually to see how they are doing. Note that the first four deal with how a group is focused and organized, and the last three deal with what they do. 1. Christ-centered: Jesus is the real group leader. Groups meet in his presence and power and for his purposes. (Matthew 18:20) 2. Healthy, growing leaders: The small group leader is growing in his or her faith by being involved in daily disciplines such as Bible

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