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Closing With Christ: Rethinking What Has Become Sacrosanct
[This is an article written many years ago now, but still useful for many of us. My tone was fairly strong because of the urgency I felt. I still hope it stirs us up. Thank you for reading it.] When modern evangelical churches seek to bring the unregenerate to Christ (and they should do so with passion), they often fall prey to a formula which produces disappointing results. The pattern runs something like this: Extending a public altar call Praying…
The Spirit Moves Us Around—Some Reflections
“And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and…
The Negotiables: Must We Forever Do Things The Same Way?
I am a lover of the local church in any form I find it, provided we mean the same thing by “church.” I’ve had sixty years of ministry in all kinds of churches, internationally and here in the States. I have seen some great ones and some very sad, sickly ones—and that has little to do with size. If it is a true church, however, I’m for it and wish to see it flourish. I’ve not lost my enthusiasm for…
CCW: Receiving the Courage and Guidance to Begin: A Letter From Jim
Dear CCW family, Since we are celebrating 40 year anniversary of Christian Communicators Worldwide, I’m including a brief explanation of its inception. I hope you don’t mind a little nostalgia. Through CCW we have traveled to nearly forty countries to teach the Bible, along with every state but four. We have counseled and mentored pastors and leaders, written 1,500 articles and numbers of books in English and other languages that we distribute without cost, written in various publications of other…
The Guarantee of Holiness
“Say not that thou hast royal blood in thy veins and art born of God,” said puritan William Gurnall, “unless thou canst prove thy pedigree by daring to be holy.” There is no such thing as an unholy Christian (at least in any ongoing sense.) Can Christians commit any sort of sin? Yes. Can Christians repeatedly commit sin? Yes. Can Christians commit the worst of sins? Yes. But it is inconceivable that a person could be a Christian without holiness…
Christian Communicators Worldwide: The Impetus to Do It
This year Christian Communicators Worldwide is 40 years old. Before the inauguration of the CCW ministry, the elderly J. Oswald Sanders came into my life. I had read his writing, but Pam and I had the privilege of having him in our home in Little Rock, where I had asked him to address leaders in the area and our church. The timing was perfect because I was going through a decision process that would change my future dramatically. Dr. Sanders…
How My Congregation Worshiped and Edified One Another One Sunday in March
Tim Challies has occasionally written posts over the years that are titled, “How We Worshiped One Sunday,” followed by “in (name of the month).” I enjoy reading those and appreciate his church’s intentionality and love for the gospel. From what I can tell, it’s a wonderful body of believers. I thought it might be interesting to follow his example and share what happened in my church on a recent Sunday. Why? Though we believe the same gospel as Challies’ church…
Missionary or Missionary Worker?
Missionaries must have other workers, long and short term, to assist. Many of these will naturally come from among those who show promise as converts through the missionary’s efforts. Paul, though perhaps exceptional in his management skills, had 38 whose names appear as likely assistants at various times. He was always traveling and laboring with a coterie of faithful helpers. There could have been even more! Some of Paul’s workers were women (18%, according to Schnabel, p. 251), although no…
You Know This All: A Letter from Jim
Dear CCW family, When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, what were they thinking? If we could have interviewed them just before their sinful action, when their desire was still unfulfilled, what would that have revealed? More importantly, what did God know about their sin — and what does he know about our sin? Thinking this through can aid our endeavors to hate sin, a critical tool for rejecting it. Just the thought that God is not only aware…
The Foibles and Fallibility of Christian Leaders
The inconsistencies, unattended weaknesses, eccentricities, normalizations of subtle sinful habits, relational neglectfulness or awkwardness, sometimes grating quirks, phases of tiredness and even laziness, and susceptibility to pride — just to begin the list — illustrate what kinds of things can be found in almost every Christian leader at one time or another. They should remind us that we are all treated mercifully by God and cannot claim that any leadership position or recognition is fully “deserved” but strategically assigned by…
The Gospel and Divine Visitation—An Indivisible Union
It was spring in 1630. A few ladies were traveling through the Scottish countryside near Shotts when their carriage broke down. Thankfully the minister of the Kirk of Shotts, John Home, was able to assist them in their predicament. Struck with the poor condition of his manse, these wealthy Christian ladies determined to build another one for this kind man. Naturally, the grateful Home asked if he could do anything in exchange for their generosity. The ladies asked if they…
The Nod and the Pause: A Letter From Jim
Dear CCW family, For several reasons, not the least of which were serious discussions with various people recently about our battle with sin, I’m offering the short article below. The Christian is fully forgiven, and the cross is the one-time solution to the penalty and power of sin, and even its future existence for the Christian. We will live in “a new earth where righteousness dwells (2 Pe 3:13). But believers are also called to be aware of the “schemes”…
Seriousness In Children and Teens
It is increasingly obvious that children and young people in many evangelical churches are anything but serious about Christ. There are notable exceptions, but in many churches a cursory look at the behavioral signals put out by the young people reveal a profound disinterest. On the one hand there is a sort of giddiness and silliness by some who believe that church is there only to provide them a place for enjoying friends and impressing the opposite sex. On the…
Spiritual Inventory for Pastoral Visits
Name_______________________________ Date_____________ Spiritual Inventory for Pastoral Visits For systematic pastoral visitation of church members____________________“Warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all men.” 1 Thess. 5:14 “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly, nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the…
An Appeal for the Use of House Churches to Extend Sanctuary-Style Churches
This brief article is a plea. I’m not going to give an apologetic for the house church model. You may read some of this on our website (christfellowshipkc.org) or other places. I am only going to make an appeal for sanctuary-style churches to consider using the house church concept to advance their work for God. I am especially concerned that readers of our articles, most of whom have sound theology and practice, would pick up the burden for this now.…
An Encouraging Tale About Trepidatiously Reading Scripture Publicly
Jackson was a newly married young man who had been converted as a teenager and had eagerly participated in his local church ever since. One Saturday evening, as he and his wife were finishing a documentary, he got a call from one of his pastors. “Hi Jackson, this is Matt. How are you, brother?” “I’m great, Pastor Matt. What’s going on?” “Well, Lucas was going to read Scripture tomorrow in our meeting, but he has a fever and won’t make…