Andy Stanley: The New Commandment

Reposted in entirety from http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/videos-for-pastors/152881-andy-stanley-the-new-commandment.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily-Update


Catalyst West 2010: Andy Stanley from Catalyst on Vimeo.

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Live holy, preach Jesus!

Restaurant Prayers - IHOP

I've said in the past that our family usually prays for those who serve us in restaurants. Tonight we took the camp staff out to say thank you and asked the waitress if there was anything she needed prayer for. She immediately said yes. She and her husband are watching a 1 year old and 2 year old who just lost their mother. She said she'd only have them for a while until they could get them to the father, but until then they could use prayer for themselves and the kids. This time instead of praying for her as we got our meal, I asked if she would mind if we prayed for her right then. She said she'd love it. I led a prayer for her with our staff and she was elated. She thanked us at least 3 times (and even went in the back and bragged to some of the other employees what we had just done for her and made her night). We left a track for her and I hope to be able to follow up in the days ahead when we stop back in for another meal. Again I don't think I'm as bold as I ought to be with the gospel, but asking someone if they'd like prayer is just too easy not to do. Leaving a tract is too easy not to do. Offering this to those who are in the service industry who can't possibly get mad at their customers leaves all of us without excuse. We in America still have the ability to share with risk to our lives (at least for now) so how can we not do more. Lord please grant me the boldness I ought to have for you.

If you are looking for a safe way to start getting out of your shell in approaching others with the gospel? If you say you don't have any non-believing friends? Why not try some restaurant prayers and drop me a line and let me know how it goes.

Live holy, preach Jesus!

Francis Chan on Erasing Hell. Let's warn someone today!

This video is a little long, nearly 30 minutes, and is taken in entirety from
http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/videos-for-pastors/152665-francis-chan-takes-on-hell.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily-Update

 Francis Chan talks about his life, ministry direction and why he wrote his new book, Erasing Hell, with Relevant Magazine's Josh Loveless.




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We as Salvationists believe in the eternal happiness of the righteous and the endless punishment of the wicked. We also believe that the only way to escape the realities of an eternity in Hell is an actively relationship with Jesus, a relationship based on repentance of our sins and the accepting of God's gracious gift of His Son Jesus Christ and the work He accomplished on the Cross.

If that is true, who must you share the truth of the gospel with today? If Hell and Heaven for eternity is at stake, what would keep you from telling everyone you meet?

Lord forgive me for my selfishness once again, and embolden me to love you enough that I am obedient to obey your command to preach the gospel to all creation, and embolden my love for everyone I ever meet, even in passing, that I would want them to know that you want know one to perish but all to come to salvation.

Live holy, preach Jesus!

What is Full Time Ministry? - www.MarkCahill.org

What is Full Time Ministry? "article from newsletter by" www.MarkCahill.org


So, we are about halfway through the summer now: How is your witnessing going? This is turning into a fascinating summer for me! I have been meeting so many people and have had amazing conversations about the Lord!

One atheist I met told me he was having his bachelor party in Las Vegas just to ‘sin’ for the weekend! Wasn’t that an interesting way to phrase it? Even he knew what he was going to be doing wasn’t right. He knew right from wrong! He told me he was a pretty hardcore atheist, but that he would read my book and get back in touch with me. I’m excited to hear his thoughts.

I went to a couple of baseball games in St. Louis to watch the Cardinals play, and one of my friends who plays for the team told me he was watching me in the stands witnessing! I had so many neat conversations in those stands. I have already gotten two emails from people that I met at the games! One of the conversations was with a Muslim man from Iraq who is a dentist here in the States now. We had the most interesting talk about religion that lasted for several innings. It was like the game didn’t exist. He was such a nice man. Actually, he was one of the nicest men I have ever met before. Friendly, kind, generous, loving towards all, and he has even been on medical mission trips with Christian organizations. But of course, we know that it is not by works that someone gets to heaven. That is why we talked about who the Biblical Jesus is. I want to make sure this man is born again and saved before he dies.

You see when I was at that baseball game, I was actually in full time ministry. But there is a common misperception that really needs to be corrected as we head toward the return of Jesus Christ. People always ask me, “How can I get into full time ministry?” What people are forgetting is that if you are breathing, and you are born again, you are already in full time ministry! Satan is just tricking you into thinking that you are not. Remember in Matthew 28:19, 20 when Jesus said,

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

People call that the Great Commission, and that is every Christian’s call into full time ministry! That is why I stand at my front door and pray each day before I walk out it. Because I know when I head out that door, I must be in full time ministry mode. Just today, I had this great talk with Joe, who grew up Catholic, but now doesn’t really believe in much at all. It was a great talk about our Lord. He even told me that there is another Christian man who has been witnessing to him! I get so excited when I get to water a seed that someone else has already planted! Praise the Lord for those folks who are in full time ministry everywhere they go!

Today I also met someone in the Atlanta airport who told me that I sat next to his dad a year or two ago on a plane flight!! Isn’t that an amazing “coincidence”? Kyle said he was so glad that we met, and he knew that it was meant to be. I am so glad that I was in full time ministry mode when I left the house both today and nearly two years ago when I met Kyle’s father!

Last night, I had this incredible talk with a waiter. Justin grew up Catholic, but his girlfriend is Christian. He told me that she is trying to ‘get him saved!’ So we talked about what that meant, and why you need to do it. He had so, so many good questions. Oh, by the way, he wasn’t even my waiter! I am so glad that I was in full time ministry mode at the restaurant last night.

Moms and Dads: You are in full time ministry all day, every day with your kids.

Students and Teachers: You are in full time ministry all of the time as you interact with fellow students and teachers. One football player I know reads his Bible at his locker. He told me that so many times another player has walked over and asked what he was reading and that it leads to the most amazing conversations! I know one teacher who talks about Jesus in her classroom. She tells the kids if they want to get in depth about it to come to her room at 3:31—one minute after the bell rings! She told me that many times she has had a line of students at her door at the end of school!

Businessmen and women: You are in full time ministry mode representing the Lord when you do business in a Christian manner versus doing it the world’s way.

I know a doctor who witnesses to every single one of his patients!! I can’t tell you the number of doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors and business folks who have my books in their waiting rooms or lobbies for their patients or customers. I have heard from folks who have picked up a book at one of those places, and God used it to impact their lives.

Workers: You are in full time ministry every day. It is your job to share your faith and act like a Christian should in the workplace. When I was teaching at a Christian school, I hired a former professional baseball player to speak at an athletic banquet. As we spoke before the event, he told me that he worked for a cable company and laid cable. Inside, I was wondering, why do you do that? I, of course, thought that he was a millionaire from his pro baseball days, but then I started wondering how he had lost all his money. I shouldn’t have made that assumption. He looked at me and said, “I lay cable, because it gets me into people’s homes, so that I can talk to them about Jesus!” I can’t even begin to tell you how humbled I was. Here was this amazing, faithful man of God who stood for the Lord every single day in his ‘regular’ life. Why? Because he was in full time ministry mode everywhere he went.

A lady emailed the ministry recently and said that she had been struggling a lot with things in life. God sent her a Christian dishwasher repairman who witnessed to her and encouraged her. I am so glad that man realizes that he is in full time ministry.

Do you remember the great story of Jesus and the woman at the well? In John 4:6-10, it says:

“Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.”

Jesus was tired from the journey. He stopped to sit and get a drink of water. But even when He was tired and thirsty, He was in full time ministry mode, and that allowed one of the greatest stories in all of Scripture to occur. Why? Because the soul of that woman was more important to Him than that drink of water!

The great story of Paul and Felix in the book of Acts has always fascinated me. When Paul got before Felix, he began to speak truth. Acts 24:24,25 states,

“And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.”

Paul was in full time ministry mode. He was going to speak truth to Felix no matter what. Of course, he wanted to be set free, but Felix and Drusilla’s souls were much, much more important to Paul at that point than his freedom.

As one of my friends puts it, ‘ministry is not an occupation but a commandment’! Remember that full time ministry isn’t working at a church or a seminary or traveling and speaking at conferences. I have known so many people who work at places like that who become completely stagnant. They lose their zeal; they lose their passion. Why? They are completely removed from lost people. They get away from the great thrill of planting seeds with the lost. Don’t let that happen to you! You do not want to be lukewarm. Remember that if you are born again and breathing, you are in full time ministry every day! It leads to a very fascinating and satisfying life.

Until the nets are full,

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Live holy, preach Jesus!

Francis Chan: We Need to Think Biblically

Is your life "Biblically wierd"?

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Live holy, preach Jesus!

Why Leaders Can't Afford to Be Easily Offended (from churchleaders.com)

This was a good article, especially for a few friends who endured quite a lot this past week, may God bless your faithfulness in the midst of criticism.

The next is a link is to the article in its entirety if you want to see the source.
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Why Leaders Can't Afford to Be Easily Offended: "Take the high road, give the offender the benefit of the doubt, and move on."

As a leader, you are going to draw fire. People will criticize you. Some will second-guess your decisions. Others will impute motives that aren't there. A few will falsely accuse you.

For example, just a few weeks ago, someone wrote a blog post, publicly calling me a hypocrite. I won't lie: it stung. I was tempted to respond in kind. Thankfully, I didn't. But that doesn't mean it was easy. It never is for me. I often have to remind myself of three great truths I have learned—and am still learning—about offenses.

1. Offenses are inevitable. Jesus Himself said,
Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! (Matthew 18:7)

According to the Dictionary.com, woe means, "grievous distress, affliction, or trouble." Anyone who has been offended understands woe. And, in my experience, it doesn't get much easier with age.

But as Jesus also notes, offenses must come. People offend us by what they do (sins of commission) and, sometimes, by what they don't do (sins of omission). Either way, life affords us daily opportunities to be offended.

Note that while offenses may be inevitable, Jesus doesn't let the offender off the hook. They, too, are accountable and will experience their own level of woe.

2. Offenses can be good for us.
This is a hard saying. In the midst of being offended, it is difficult to believe that any good could come out of it, let alone that God might have a bigger purpose in mind. But consider two examples from the Bible.

The patriarch Joseph was ridiculed, kidnapped, and then sold into slavery by his own brothers. He was later falsely accused of attempting to seduce the wife of a high-ranking, Egyptian official. He spent several years in prison, and it was years before he was vindicated.

He could have been very angry with his brothers. Years later, when he finally meets up with them again, he is in a position of tremendous power. He could easily have had his revenge. Instead, Joseph said to them, Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones. (Genesis 50:19–20)

Or consider King David. In the latter part of his life, he was chased out of Jerusalem by his treasonous son, Absalom. If that weren't bad enough, a character named Shimei meets him on the road and starts throwing rocks at him. He curses the king and reminds him of all his sins. He says, Come out! Come out! You bloodthirsty man, you rogue! The LORD has brought upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a bloodthirsty man! (2 Samuel 16:7, 8)

Abishai, one of King David's servants, said, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please, let me go over and take off his head!" But note how David responded: Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the LORD has ordered him. It may be that the LORD will look on my affliction, and that the LORD will repay me with good for his cursing this day. (2 Samuel 16:11, 12).

It's easy to resent those who offend us. But what if God has a deep and important purpose for sending them—something that He intends for our good because He truly loves us (see Romans 8:28).

3. Being offended is a choice. Every leader should memorize this verse:
The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression. (Proverbs 19:11)

There are certainly times when it is legitimate to be angry. The Apostle Paul says, "Be angry, and do not sin" (Ephesians 4:26). Anger can be a valid response to something that is wrong. But it can quickly become toxic—not only for those to whom we direct it but also for ourselves. This is why the Apostle James admonishes us to be "slow to anger" (James 1:19, 20).

Between the stimulus and the response is the power to chose. This is precisely what makes us human.

We don't have to respond in kind.

The greatest leaders I know are not easily offended. Instead, they practice the habit of overlooking offenses. They take the high road, give the offender the benefit of the doubt, and move on. What about you?
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Live holy, preach Jesus!