In 1995, Rick Warren, who was then Senior Pastor of Saddleback Church in Orange County, California, wrote a book entitled The Purpose Driven Church. The book became one of the most influential books in the history of the American Church. Over one million church leaders have read the book. I was one of the one […]
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We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it (Hebrews 2:1, ESV). The first known discipleship book of the church was written during the latter part of the first century or first part of the second century. Then it was lost. This discipleship book was mentioned by
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And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them (Romans 8:28, NLT). During one of my first trips to Russia, the team that I was leading visited a Russian prison. Only obedience to God’s calling would cause anyone
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Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations (Matthew 28:19, NASB1995). Would you take 30 seconds and read the above verse several times? Thank you. Now, let’s be Bible scholars. Which of the following sentences best interprets the above statement of Jesus? The command of Jesus is “all nations.” While discussing the importance of discipleship, I’ve
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The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2, NASB1995). After 49 years of being the Senior Pastor in one church, I’m often asked, “How is retirement?” I don’t like the question, as I’m spiritually and emotionally allergic to
Cheap grace is grace without discipleship. I collect quotes about discipleship. The one above is from Richard Foster in his book Celebration of Discipline. I went to a conference this year attended by over 1,500 people, with everyone talking about discipleship. There is a huge focus on discipleship in publishing, blogs, and podcasts throughout Christianity
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That you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10, NASB1995). Following Jesus should keep us on a path of deepening spirituality. There are ups and downs in our walk, but we should be maturing in Christ. I asked a
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Eighty percent of those who decide to follow Jesus walk away from the faith, mostly within three months after their decision. Years back, I wrote a book on discipleship entitled Swimming Lessons. My point of the book is that it’s best if someone teaches you to swim. I taught children to swim at inner-city elementary
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Then Jesus said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:38, NASB1995). I just heard from my pastor friend who has been working in Ukraine. The title of his e-news was “Revival Amongst War.” He writes… The
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How are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!” (Romans 10:15, ESV) During a recent trip to the Philippines, I was talking to Pastor Philip Lim, and he said, “Yeah, the village that we visited was 11 river crossings away.” In
Not Miles Or Kilometers But River Crossings! Read More »