Articles for tag: Evangelism

March 23, 2013

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Community Outreach

Neighboring Churches

By Brian Mavis “From the city”s perspective, there is not a lot of difference between the way Christians neighbor and non-Christians neighbor.” The assistant city manager of Arvada, Colorado, made that statement to a group of church leaders. It left them embarrassed and convicted. But it wasn”t the first time they had heard something like that from a city leader. A month earlier a group of church leaders was meeting with Bob Frie, the mayor of Arvada. He explained that even though Arvada (population 106,000) is a great city, it has many problems typical of a city its size””delinquency, elderly

March 22, 2013

Christian Standard

Culture & Public Square

The Rise of the “˜Nones”

By Tim Harlow The front page of USA Today said, “Protestants lose majority status in the US” (October 9, 2012). It just happened to catch my eye as I walked past a newsstand. I thought to myself, OK, but what could have taken its place? CatholicismÂ is dying””is this aboutÂ Mormonism? The article explained that Protestant numbers are down from 53 percent in 2007 to 48 percent today. But these Protestants didn”t switch to a new religious brand. They just let go of any faith affiliation or label. According to the Pew Forum, one in five Americans now claims no religious identity.

March 12, 2013

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Leadership Development

Time to Change

By Mark A. Taylor I”ve been thinking this week about change. Not the pennies and nickels in my pocket, but the change that most of the country observed SundayÂ at 2:00 a.m. That”s when Daylight Savings Time kicked in, leaving many of us yawning the next morning. Even though 49 of 50 U.S. states observe Daylight Savings Time (somehow most of Arizona has stayed exempt), some of us still chafe under the mandate to lose an hour of sleep each March. “The change in the spring is always hard for me,” a friend said Saturday night. We had been trying

December 31, 2012

Christian Standard

Discipleship & Spiritual Formation

Closed for Renovations

When we talk about makeovers, we”re usually focusing on externals: a newÂ hairdo, new makeup, or maybe a new kitchen or paint job for our house.Â What would happen if Christians took time for a spiritual “inside” makeover? By Danny R. Von Kanel As we prepare to face a new year, maybe this is the time to consider a spiritual makeover. The following steps can help make it happen. Take a spiritual inventory of your relationship with Christ. A spiritual inventory reveals your spiritual condition. Such honest grappling with your spiritual state includes addressing sin, character flaws, relationships, spiritual disciplines,

December 30, 2012

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

Great Open Doors

By Brian Mavis Where do you think God is asking us to join him? What great doors of effective work has God opened in the United States? It”s a question based on a biblical concept. In John 5, Jesus said the Father is always at work, and he, Jesus, looks to see where God is working and joins him in that work. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul said he would stay longer at Ephesus because a great door of effective work had opened up (16:9). In Jesus” instructions to the church in Philadelphia, he said he had

December 22, 2012

Christian Standard

A Clap-Clap-Clap-Clappity Christmas

By Elaine L. Schulte In early December, my husband and I packed for a small-ship adventure in the South Pacific. I phoned our friends and neighbors, Judy and Andy, who would travel with us. “Will there be a pastor for Christmas on such a small ship?” I asked them. “What if God wants us to conduct the Christmas service?” “I”ll bring songbooks, just in case,” Judy replied. “I could do my Christmas reading. . . .” We were willing. On December 17, we flew to Guam, a United States protectorate. Our bus”s guide said, “Don”t expect too much. Guam is

December 18, 2012

Christian Standard

Merry Christmas

By Boyce Mouton Merry Christmas! This is among the most familiar phrases in the English language. It brightens the eyes of little children, brings cheer to those imprisoned on beds of suffering, and gives hope to those in dungeons of despair. In spite of political correctness, these precious words still echo throughout every city and village in America. Even those who do not read, speak, or understand the English language, can say these words with a smile and find blessed relief from the difficulties of life. Merry Christmas! These words are music to the ears of our brave men and

October 29, 2012

Christian Standard

A Building for ‘Outsiders’

By Patrick Furgerson The prophets of the missional church movement tell us it”s a great thing to get out of our buildings and quit spending money to build new ones. “Brick and mortar””bad. Spend your money serving people””good.” Is this a legitimate dichotomy? What if a building serves people? Not your people, but people who are far from God. Imagine a church of 1,000 completing an $11 million building that doesn”t even include an auditorium for worship. New Life Christian Church in Chantilly, Virginia, did. Here”s how. Here”s why. Here”s what has happened as a result. Last year New Life

October 22, 2012

Christian Standard

Bible Study Theology & Bible

Lesson for October 28, 2012: Philip Baptizes a Man from Ethiopia (Acts 8:26-39)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Someone has said the book known as “The Acts of the Apostles” could more accurately be titled, “Some of the Acts of Some of the Apostles.” Philip was not an apostle, yet he was a key figure in the early days of the church. He first appears in Acts as one of the “seven men” called to “wait on tables” in the Jerusalem church (Acts 6:1-6). When next seen, he is preaching powerfully in Samaria (8:4-8).

September 15, 2012

Michael C. Mack

Church & Ministry Small Groups

Facilitate so Your Group can Participate

By Michael C. Mack Question: Last year, I struggled to get my group involved in discussion, serving together, or doing much of anything else outside meeting times. As we restart our group this fall, what advice would you give me as a leader to help my group participate more? Answer: Great question! Here are 10 ideas from my experience to help get your group more involved. 1. Plan. Before getting started, decide on some plans and goals for the group for this fall and beyond. People want a purpose for being together, a sense that the group is striving

September 9, 2012

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

Spreading the Gospel, Unleashing Compassion

By Justin Horey This summer, as Eastside Christian Church celebrated five decades of dynamic ministry in Southern California, senior pastor Gene Appel emphasized “Eastside”s second 50 years” as much as its first. Later this year, Eastside is scheduled to complete one of the largest, most expensive, and most ambitious relocation projects ever undertaken by a Christian church””with a total project cost of more than $50 million. The church”s leaders believe the project will “carry forward the congregation”s spiritual passion by positioning Eastside for exponential impact in its second 50 years.” Shortly after Eastside Christian Church began meeting in 1962, the

August 23, 2012

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Preaching

Interview with John Craycraft

By Paul Boatman John Craycraft is executive director of the ChaplaincyÂ Endorsement Commission (CEC) for the Christian churches/churches of Christ. Prior to his 2006 appointment, he servedÂ 16 years in local church ministries, and 26 years as a NavyÂ chaplain, retiring as a captain. How does chaplaincy differ from ministry in the local church? In the congregational ministry you may see children born, grow up, get married . . . you live a life cycle with them. In any chaplaincy you are with people for only a limited time and then you may lose track. Ministry may be really intense, but the

August 20, 2012

Christian Standard

Campus Ministry Church & Ministry

Here They Come . . . and There They Go

By Mike Armstrong College campuses across the country will soon be flooded with the next class of new students. Also arriving will be thousands of the most promising students from around the world, with more than half of these coming from the world”s least-reached nations. Both American and international students will arrive with dreams and plans for their college careers and their futures. But what most will not realize is that when they arrive on campus, God is already there. Many of these students will encounter God in ways that will change their lives. Saying “hello” to these new students

August 11, 2012

Christian Standard

Addiction Ethics & Moral Issues

To Drink or Not to Drink?

By John Caldwell I decided many years ago totally to abstain from alcohol, and it is my opinion that all Christians would do well to make the same decision. I believe this issue is important because it relates to a broader, and thus even more significant subject””that of the modern church”s ongoing move toward becoming more and more like the world. My Bias In the interest of full disclosure, I am biased. I hate alcohol””not the taste (although to be honest, I hate that too), but what it does to people. The first funeral of a teenager that I

August 5, 2012

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Small Groups

Hanging with Naughty Matt

By Tim Harlow Imagine the party when the tax collector got some friends together to meet Jesus. Matthew was a tax collector. The Jews hated tax collectors because they were usually swindlers and “sellouts” who worked for the Romans. You couldn”t get any lower than a tax collector. They even had their own category: there were “sinners,” and there were “tax collectors.” Jesus and the disciples came upon Matthew one day and Jesus said, “Why don”t you quit your job and follow me?” Matthew said “yes,” and the next thing you know Jesus was at a party at Matthew”s house.

July 26, 2012

Christian Standard

Baptism Theology & Bible

What Our Websites Say about Baptism

By Daniel Overdorf I baptized my younger son on New Year”s Day. On a day of new beginnings, we celebrated his new birth. My voice cracked when I asked him to confess what he believes about Jesus. He responded, “I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.” These words rang sweeter in my ears than the first words he spoke as a toddler. My tears mixed with the baptismal water when I lowered him into the burial of his old self, and raised him as a new creation in Jesus. I experienced the same joy

July 26, 2012

Christian Standard

Baptism Theology & Bible

What Are They Saying about Baptism? (Samples from Church Websites We Visited)

By Daniel Overdorf An extended discussion that presents a solid biblical argument with a positive tone: “¢ Hazelwood Christian Church, Clayton, Indiana; See downloadable three-page document about the church”s view of baptism at www.hazelwoodchristian.org/hcc/about_us. An exemplary medium-length discussion: “¢ Westerfield (Ohio) Christian Church; www.westerville-christian.org/about-us/what-we-believe.aspx In the New Testament church, once people believed in Jesus were willing to turn from sin (repentance) and publicly confess Christ as Lord, they were then baptized for the forgiveness of their sins and the indwelling gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38, 41; 22:16). In the original Greek language, baptize meant to dip, plunge,

July 25, 2012

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Growth

Is Your Church Bloated?

By Brian Jones In all my years of following Christ, there are only two prayers I really regret praying. The first was a prayer asking God to direct me where he wanted me to serve as a missionary. “OK God,” I remember praying. “I”m going to lean back, close my eyes, and the first country that pops into my head””I promise you that I will move there and spend the rest of my life trying to reach those people.” With all the impulsive recklessness a newly converted 18-year-old with the gift of evangelism could muster, I leaned back, cleared my

July 25, 2012

Christian Standard

Culture & Public Square Politics & Government

Too Much Is at Stake to Forget

By Fred Liggin We are shaken by mourning as we hurt for those suffering due to the horrific events in Aurora, Colorado, on July 20. Yet even in our mourning, the political and social debates haveÂ already begun to light up the airwaves. And I am reminded of a most sobering reality. No government, regardless of how strong or well-meaning, can thoroughly legislate morality. To be sure, it can create laws that limit behaviors destructive to society (“You shall not steal”). But as a Christ follower, I am led to believe that only Jesus will bring lasting and systemic change (“You

July 17, 2012

Christian Standard

Apologetics & Worldview

Why Are Christians SO Intolerant?

From the new book by David Faust Natalie started attending the church I led in New York. A quiet, pleasant person, she seemed to appreciate the biblical teaching and friendly atmosphere she found in our church. After some time, she dropped by my office one day. She said, “I like this church very much, but from listening to the messages each week, I get the impression that you think it”s necessary to believe in Jesus Christ in order to go to Heaven. That sounds awfully intolerant to me.” “We do believe it”s necessary to trust and obey Jesus,” I replied,