Articles for tag: Baptism

September 2, 2013

Christian Standard

A Conversation with Matt Proctor

Meet Our Contributing Editors: This month we talk with Ozark Christian College President Matt Proctor about the impact of a convention theme, the health of the churches in our fellowship, and the genius of the Restoration Movement. Interview By Jennifer Johnson Well, two big things have been part of your life this past year: the North American Christian Convention and your wife”s cancer. Of course, that”s in addition to your work leading Ozark Christian College. I want to talk about all of it””let”s start with the NACC. What have you discovered about our churches this past year? It”s been an honor to

July 19, 2013

Christian Standard

40 Under 40: Chris Travis

CHRIS TRAVIS Pastor and teacher, Everyday Church, New York, New York Chris Travis is a leader people follow. He”s passionate, funny, and insightful””but it goes deeper. It”s not just charisma or image. There”s something deep inside that spills out, and it”s something magnetic to people with an interest in God. Part of it is genuineness of conviction. When Chris came to Christ as a senior in university, he never looked back. Without the benefit of a church background, he bought a Bible, read it, and acted on it. Reading the New Testament prompted him to seek out a church. His

July 12, 2013

Christian Standard

40 Under 40: T.D. Oakes

T.D. OAKES Worship arts pastor, Mission Church, Ventura, California Patient. Friend. Servant. Kind. Caring. Creative. Generous. Consistent. Shepherd. Humble. Developer. Fully present. Party waiting to happen. Super talented. Jack-of-all-trades. Includer. I have known T.D. since I was 18 years old, and have been privileged to call him friend for more than 16 years. And each of the above words fits him perfectly. We”ve worked together, laughed together, cried together, prayed together, served together, given together, sacrificed together, dreamed together, learned about parenting together, baptized friends together, tried to become better husbands together, moved together, planted a church together . .

June 28, 2013

Christian Standard

From the Trivial (but Interesting) to the Eternal (and Compelling)

By LeRoy Lawson At Home: A Short History of Private Life Bill Bryson New York: Doubleday, 2010 The Divine Embrace: Recovering the Passionate Spiritual Life Robert E. Webber Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2006 Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009 Some authors are hard to resist. I”d already read several Bill Bryson books (Mother Tongue, Notes from a Small Island, A Walk in the Woods, A Short History of Nearly Everything), so when I came across At Home: A Short History of

June 20, 2013

Christian Standard

A Conversation with Jeff Faull

Meet Our Contributing Editors: This month we begin a series of interviews with CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s contributing editors. What they have to say about the church, the ministry, our fellowship of churches, and anything else on their minds will challenge and interest our readers. Their insights and questions amply illustrate why each of these volunteers is such a valuable part of the CHRISTIAN STANDARD team.   Interview by Jennifer Johnson QUESTION: You and I both sit in on these conversations about the future of the Restoration Movement, and it seems many times they rehash the same topics and complaints. Let”s go

June 11, 2013

Christian Standard

From Fad to Phenomenon

By Mark A. Taylor Is “missional” just a fad? Will church leaders and seminar speakers still be talking about “missional” a decade from now? We can hope the answer to both questions is no. As churches everywhere begin to believe the missional approach is basic, natural, necessary, and biblical, the need to define and discuss it may fade away. Maybe someday church leaders everywhere will see “missional”””just like “evangelistic” or “loving” or “Christ-centered”””as central to the very definition of church. Matt Smay and Alan Hirsch express some concern about overuse and misuse of the word. Just like “externally focused” or

June 6, 2013

Christian Standard

Missional Plant

By Chris Travis “I think this is what church is supposed to be like,” a young actor said to me. Between us were two empty bowls of chili. I smiled. We cracked jokes about the diversity of our group of 20 people. It looked like we had hired models to make our group look as perfectly diverse as possible. There was a white couple with three daughters; a Dominican single mother with two young children; a couple in their 60s who had been married for decades; an African-American woman; a Korean woman and her New York-native husband who was a

May 20, 2013

Christian Standard

Interview with George Ross

By Paul Boatman George Ross is in his 13th year as senior pastor of Northside Christian Church in New Albany, Indiana. The church has grown from 1,200 to 5,000 during his ministry. His previous ministries have been directed to children, youth, small groups, music, and preaching. We spoke with him about reaching sinners, watching repentance, and creating a culture of redemption. We would like to hear you reflect on how you minister in the face of cultural challenges. Why me?   I”ve watched your ministry. In both Las Vegas and metropolitan Louisville, you have focused on leading non-Christians to be

May 13, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for May 19, 2013: Active Hope (1 Peter 4)

By Sam E. Stone Persecution was common for the church of Peter”s day. His two letters address both what had happened already and what lay ahead. Christians need not fear, remembering the example of their Lord. In today”s text, Peter returns to his main theme found in 1 Peter 3:14-18, after some parenthetical remarks (vv. 19-22). Once again he focuses on being willing to suffer for Christ. Distinctive Life 1 Peter 4:1-6 Jesus” suffering brought us salvation. His obedient spirit must be ours as well. He died once for all (Hebrews 7:27; 9:28). Since we have the assurance of life

April 22, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for April 28, 2013: The Lord Will Triumph (2 Thessalonians 2)

By Sam E. Stone Paul wrote his first letter to the church in Thessalonica to encourage the new converts and give additional teaching. Last week”s lesson from that letter focused on the certainty of the Lord”s return and the need to be ready for it at all times. A short time later””perhaps six months or so””he wrote them again. In this second letter he corrects their misunderstanding about the return of Jesus (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12) and offers additional encouragement and guidance.   Unshaken Believers 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 People in the church at Thessalonica were upset. Paul urged them not to

April 8, 2013

Christian Standard

Downloads

CHRISTIAN STANDARD offers a growing library of downloads that are inexpensive, easy to order, and valuable for teaching, preaching, or personal study. Students are using these in their classes. Local church leaders distribute them as handouts or file them for study. To order, click on the links below, or go towww.standardpub.com and search for them by the item numbers provided. Please note: These items are downloads only; no product will be shipped. _________________________               2012 Christian Church Report–Deluxe Edition A thorough listing and analysis of a wide range of data from 344 congregations associated with

March 25, 2013

Michael C. Mack

A Great Group Is More than a Huddle

By Michael C. Mack The best college football game ever (in my humble opinion) was the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. It pitted the favored Oklahoma Sooners (the winningest football program in the nation since World War II) against my favorite team, the Boise State Broncos. It was touted as David versus Goliath. The game was full of spectacular plays and trick plays, an 18-point comeback by Oklahoma, many dramatic game-on-the-line moments, several unbelievable fourth-down conversions, and a sensational overtime. Boise State won when Ian Johnson ran in a two-point conversion on a Statue of Liberty play. Then, if that wasn”t enough,

March 1, 2013

Christian Standard

Wordless Groans at the Lord”s Table

By C. Robert Wetzel “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (Romans 8:26). We often find our congregations preparing for the Lord”s Supper with an appropriate Communion hymn followed by a meditation that enables us to focus on the meaning of this sacred event. This is followed by what some call the “words of institution,” such as the words of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. The presiding elder then offers a prayer of blessing over the bread and cup. As we partake, we focus our

February 12, 2013

Christian Standard

What We’re Learning on Our Walk (Part 2)

By Mike Baker I am unashamed to tell you I want my church to grow! I want it to grow numerically because every person counted on a Sunday morning is a life that matters, a story of redemption, and a person in need of a Savior. But numeric growth is not the only growth God desires for his church. With increased attendance and baptisms come the responsibility of encouraging spiritual growth in those God has entrusted to our care. Early in my ministry, I was easily impressed. I often thought, Cool, our numbers are growing, naively believing our work was

February 11, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for February 17, 2013: Clothed with Christ (Colossians 3)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone In the first two chapters of Colossians the apostle Paul demonstrated the fact that Jesus is superior to any person or god. In the last half of the epistle, he calls on believers to understand and obey all that the Lord is expecting of them. He contrasts what they are to put off and what they are to put on.   What to Put Off Colossians 3:5-11 Paul emphasized the role baptism plays in a person”s

February 4, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for February 10, 2013: Raised with Christ (Colossians 2)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone If you had lived in first-century Colossae, you would have seen much similarity to today”s world. Competing pagan religions and philosophies battled for the souls of the residents. A Christian should stand out in such a society. For this reason Paul wrote them this letter of encouragement and guidance. Be Faithful! Colossians 2:6-7 Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him. Paul here combines two early confessions”””Jesus is the

January 26, 2013

Christian Standard

Sticky Conversations: Homosexuality

THIS IS THE FOURTH IN A SERIES OF FIVE “STICKY CONVERSATIONS”   By Casey Tygrett The kingdom of God has an open invitation. Paul talks about it freely, saying that in Christ the distinctions that set up boundaries between us melt into a mist and simply fade away (see Galatians 3:28). The brilliance of Jesus shines brighter than the different tones of our culture, gender, and reputation. I was thinking about this as I talked with a man who had recently started attending our church and had taken all the preliminary steps to get to know us as a church.

January 14, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for January 20, 2013: Knowing Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:1-11)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone This month”s lessons are all taken from Paul”s letter to the Philippians. His message to them centered in Jesus Christ, just as his other letters did. Evidently some false teachers were afoot in Philippi, as well as in Galatia (Galatians 3:1-5). They were causing some believers to have misplaced confidence. They taught that salvation could come from what they could do””not by depending on God. We see similar errors today. Paul reaffirmed his previous message to

December 9, 2012

Christian Standard

The Passion of Barton Stone

By Jim Tune Barton Warren Stone was one of the foremost leaders for religious freedom on the western frontier during the first half of the 19th century. He led a movement with goals many—including me—are still pursuing today. Barton Stone was born in Maryland in 1772 and as a boy decided to become a preacher. At age 19 he was ordained a minister in the Presbyterian church. In 1801, Stone moved to Cane Ridge, Kentucky. As he took up his preaching ministry, he discovered that some of the things he read in his Bible seemed inconsistent with the strong Calvinist

November 6, 2012

Christian Standard

Unreached People Groups

By Doug Lucas In spite of tremendous strides forward in Bible translations, religious satellite broadcasts, and Internet-based evangelism, God”s good news still has not yet penetrated numerous pockets of the planet”s population. To make matters more complex, these pockets sometimes do not follow political boundaries. Rather, they often follow ethnic and/or linguistic boundaries that are much harder to document. Ralph Winter was among the first to articulate the concept of people groups back in 1974 at the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization. (See Stephen Burris”s article for more on the origin, biblical roots, and history of the development of this

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