There have been some fascinating and insightful responses to this series of posts on having a social impact. Here are some of them. Gary said: Jesus wasn't going around thinking "How can I have social impact in this town today?" Being about His Father's business included that aspect as well. My point was that if… Read More
Tag: Kingdom
Here is how Jesus characterized his own ministry in Luke 4: 17-21: And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT… Read More
What does it mean to demonstrate the Kingdom? In the last post I gave three examples of networks of organic/house churches (and one slightly more traditional church) that are changing lives, making disciples, but more than that, they are having a social impact. They are changing their communities, so much so that their cities are… Read More
I'm posting this article (which I originally wrote for Shapevine) as a response to the excellent discussion you all initiated from the last post on the difference between "getting saved" and becoming a follower of Jesus. On May 23rd 2008, I became an American citizen. In a large gymnasium hastily converted into a courtroom, before… Read More
Why it is that very capable people do not take more initiative when it comes to things of the Kingdom? Check out this brief video. Within simple/organic church we can be like those fleas. If we are from a traditional church background, we may have become accustomed to passivity. We have become conditioned not… Read More
The Mission Impossible series follows the exploits of the Impossible Missions Force, a small team of secret agents used for covert missions against evil organizations, dictators or crime lords. Most episodes begin with the leader getting orders from a hidden tape recorder and an envelope of photos and information which explains the mission. It ends with… Read More
A few years ago, it was rare to hear anyone speak about the Kingdom of God. Now, people are writing and speaking about it everywhere. Jesus spoke about the Kingdom all the time. When Jesus was on earth, the main theme of his teaching was the Kingdom of God (Matthew 4:23). Many of his parables… Read More
This post is a follow up on trend number 4 from the last post, that we will see an increasing acceptance of simple/organic church principles across the legacy church spectrum. Back in the UK, in the 1970s and 80's, we were involved in what was then known as the "British House Church Movement." It was… Read More
The fourth reproducible element from Acts 2:42 in our times together is prayer. Prayer is foundational. It takes many forms. It includes praise, supplication, intercession for unbelievers, prayer for each other, warfare and so on. Again, the Holy Spirit is very creative and as we listen to him and follow his leading, we will find… Read More
Jesus spoke far more about the Kingdom than he did about the church. He demonstrated the Kingdom, taught about it, lived its principles. Between his resurrection and his ascension, he spent 40 days speaking to his disciples about the Kingdom (Acts 1:3). Then came the Day of Pentecost, when 3,000 became disciples. What did… Read More