June 29, 2015
Mark Taylor interviewed Caleb Kaltenbach at the 2015 NACC in Cincinnati. Hear Caleb talk about his new book, Messy Grace, and give his answers to “Will your church baptize a homosexual?” “Is the gay issue the biggest issue facing the church today?” and “How do we maintain our theological convictions while still loving the practicing homosexual?”
June 5, 2015
By Rubel Shelly No irreverence intended, so please don”t hear it as anything other than what is intended. Jesus of Nazareth is the ideal middleman. As proof of my thesis, I quote Paul: “There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity””the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone” (1 Timothy 2:5, 6, New Living Translation). The notion of mediation involves standing between parties for the sake of communication. The ultimate hope in most of these situations is for more than communication; the mediator seeks understanding and reconciliation. A mediator seeks
By Jennifer Johnson A look at how some growing churches are growing in ways difficult to measure but vital to achieve. ____ Jason Yeatts Executive minister, adults The Creek, Indianapolis, Indiana In our movement, I think the habits of the early 19th century are ingrained””that discipleship means giving people the right material or sermon. At The Creek, we have made an intentional shift from “informational discipleship” to a relational model. Four years ago we started a series of four classes called “Life on Life.” The idea was you”d move through them””from Belong to Grow to Serve to Engage””and be ready
April 21, 2015
By Mark A. Taylor When you go to a conference for church leaders, you expect to come home with a folder full of methods, strategies, and tactics for growing your church. This is especially true when a megachurch minister is the keynote speaker. What secrets does he know about growing a church? What”s working in today”s culture? What approaches are guaranteed to bring success? What techniques have been most effective where he serves? But when Aaron Brockett kicked off the Intentional Church Conference at First Christian Church, Decatur, Illinois, last week, he didn”t talk about methods at all. Or numbers.
April 19, 2015
By T.R. Robertson In the summer of 2012, Nathan and Amy Tuley publicly announced they felt God was calling them to full-time ministry. Over the preceding months, all the details had begun falling into place for Nathan to put his information technology training to work for Pioneer Bible Translators. And then, that September, they heard the words that rearranged their lives, “Your son has a brain tumor.” The Tuleys were taking back-to-school pictures, with all four of their kids lined up. Looking at the photos, they noticed 10-month-old Josiah was always tilting his head slightly and looking up at an
April 10, 2015
By Robert F. Hull Jr. Sometimes we do not see the wealth of our own church practices until we worship with people whose practices differ from ours. From Easter to Pentecost you will hear in many churches, especially those in the Anglican, Lutheran, and Catholic traditions, the words “remember your baptism.” If you were to worship in some of these churches, you would even see a large vessel of water brought in as a visual reminder of baptism. It is especially during the season when we focus on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus that the baptistery and the table
April 5, 2015
By Victor Knowles Faith in the resurrection of Christ has been called the keystone of the arch of Christianity. How much do you know about the resurrection of Jesus? 1. Who prophesied the following in regard to the resurrection of Christ? “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; . . . because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.” a. Moses b. David c. Isaiah d. Daniel 2. Jesus predicted he would be raised on: a. The first day of the week
April 4, 2015
By David Faust I once had the opportunity to share the gospel with a young Hindu woman. A native of India, she was a university medical student preparing to become a physician. She was unfamiliar with the Bible and curious about what Christians believe. In response to her questions, I explained about Jesus” life and teachings, and how he was crucified. “A few days after that,” I continued, “Jesus came back to life again.” Stunned, she stopped me and said, “You know, that”s medically impossible.” I don”t remember my exact response. I wish I had said, “Yes, but without God,
March 16, 2015
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. It is published in the March 15 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Sam E. Stone This month”s study in the Gospel of John comes full circle today. In the first text we considered, the apostle John introduced John the Baptist to his readers (John 1). Authorities from Jerusalem found him baptizing in the Jordan. He pointed them to the Messiah, Jesus, who would one day baptize people in the Holy Spirit. Today”s text focuses on the
Baptism Weekend, a New Tradition By Drew Sherman, lead pastor, Compass Christian Church, Colleyville, Texas We started a new tradition last Easter by having a baptism weekend. It was awesome. We had a large pool just outside the front of the church. One hundred eighteen people were baptized that weekend, including a biker dude named Fred who was watching online in the area. He got so excited he jumped on his Harley and came down to get baptized!
February 23, 2015
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. It is published in the February 22 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Sam E. Stone This month”s lessons highlight “The Pledge of God”s Presence,” as seen in the Gospels of John and Mark. The quarter”s overall theme is, “The Spirit Comes.” The preparatory ministry of John the Baptist is recounted early in John”s Gospel. It had been almost 400 years since the last Old Testament prophet appeared on the stage of Scripture. Malachi concluded his message
February 7, 2015
By Brian Jones On an episode of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart defined “the gay agenda” as . . . “Gay marriage, civil rights protection, Fleet Week expanded to Fleet Year, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance for when it”s raining men, Kathy Griffin to host everything, and a nationwide ban on pleated pants.” I would add one more: to simply be treated with respect by Christians. Last year I did a series of blog posts on the topic of homosexuality. It was the most read, discussed, and shared topic I”ve blogged about in recent memory. What surprised me, however,
February 6, 2015
By C. Robert Wetzel “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1-3). As the technologically challenged among us fumble with our computers and related products, we often create problems with the very devices meant to help us. Rather than following prescribed procedures, we simply press buttons, as though the more commands we send, the more likely we will secure
January 22, 2015
By Brad Walden A longtime friend reported on the latest developments in the church where he had invested years of service. He seemed excited, but also concerned about the changes. So I asked, “Do you think your church is healthy?” He answered, “Oh, yes. We are healthy. We have the largest bank balance in our history.” So that”s it? A healthy church has a healthy cash reserve? That got me to thinking. How would I define a healthy church? Is your church healthy? Can you invite new neighbors to attend your church with total confidence they will find a healthy environment? Will involvement
January 12, 2015
By Jeff Faull I know what you”re thinking: OK, here comes the obligatory “doctrine” article. I think I”ll pass””or else””I”ll hold my nose and take the medicine in one quick gulp and wash it down with something good and be done with it. Please don”t. Doctrine was never intended to be dry, rigid, sterile, lifeless rules and syllogisms, but rather, the stuff of life itself. So I”m asking you to consider healthy church doctrine from some refreshing and positive vantage points. Consider Doctrine as a Framework for Story I hear a lot of people nowadays saying Christianity is a
December 27, 2014
By Daniel Schantz I rose from my chair and shuffled over to the pulpit. My hands were shaking and my voice wavered. “I”m sorry,” I said to the congregation, “but I have nothing for you today. I just couldn”t come up with a sermon.” Members of the audience stared at each other in bewilderment. Then I awoke, relieved to find I was just having a nightmare, one that I have had on and off all my life””that I am stepping into the pulpit unprepared, the ultimate disgrace. Writing sermons is the hardest writing I ever do; it is exquisite agony,
December 12, 2014
By Neal Windham When I grow weary with the poverty that surrounds us, I remember one fact about the One whose birth we celebrate: When Jesus came to earth, he chose to be poor. Defining moments often arrive without warning. Back in my college days, somewhere around 1977, I was returning from work during a pelting thunderstorm when I came across a man who was wandering around in a ditch near the road. He had no raincoat or umbrella, and his hat and clothes were drenched, head to toe. I pulled over, invited him into the car, and asked what
November 22, 2014
By Gary Armes We trained for five Saturdays to spend four days behind bars with prisoners who discovered new ways to reconnect with God. Seven men from Hickory Valley Christian Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee, joined 40 men from other area churches March 6, 2014, all of them seeking to be obedient to Jesus” call in Matthew 25 to visit those in prison. Our ministry was sponsored by Kairos, an ecumenical, faith-based prison ministry. We trained for five Saturdays, previewing various talks and reviewing practical suggestions about how we should deal with the prisoners (whom we called “residents”). After many hours
By Teresa Schantz Williams Robert Stanfill is a slight, unassuming man with a weak heart that doctors thought would have failed him years ago. So he was as surprised as anyone to find himself launching a ministry to international college students. Robert Stanfill and his wife, Linda, both in their 60s, had no special aptitude for work with college students from distant lands. No cross-cultural experience. And though Avila University”s campus was just a mile from their south Kansas City home, college students weren”t exactly their “crowd.” They were veteran Christians, faithful members of the Red Bridge Church of Christ,
July 26, 2014
By Steve Reeves (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) I have been very fortunate to have Max Hickerson as my mentor in ministry. He has given me much practical advice over the years. While in seminary, he gave these “Notes to Help You Immerse Others into Christ: If you are ever called on to baptize in a creek or river, always have the candidate lie back in the water against the current. Let the current help raise the candidate from the water. Always go into the water of rivers, creeks, or lakes by yourself first
Sponsored
Sponsored
Sponsored
June 2, 2026
Christian Standard
Christian Standard
June 1, 2026
David Faust