(Over the weekend I preached on "The Devoted Church," from the text Acts 2:36-47. A few have asked to hear it, and I’m humbled by the request. Find the audio here .) We are all devoted to something. In fact, we are each devoted to many things. It’s what we talk about, think about, give time and money to. We will sacrifice anything and everything for what we consider most valuable, what we are devoted to. Acts 2:42-47 shows us what the early Christian church was devoted to: 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking...

(Below is the main portion of the small group questions sent out for this week’s message "Believe in Him." This section is more teaching than questions, but the link between receiving and believe is key. Is Jesus a Comcast cable technician to you? Read on and check yourself.) John 3:16 gives us a short-hand version of the Gospel. The Good News is made ours to experience and live in when we believe in Jesus. Consider these four observations about “believing in Him.” Not everyone will be saved Not everybody will benefit from what Jesus came to do. But “whoever believes in...

God loves those others don’t love. He is attracted to the weak because of His gracious nature and He wants the ones no one else wants. Listen to "That Whosoever" SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "God wants the unclean ones", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2009/05/16/god-wants-the-unclean-ones/" });

"My dear friends, most churches make the mistake of selecting as leaders the confident, the competent, and the successful. But what you most need in a leader is someone who has been broken by the knowledge of his or her sin, and even greater knowledge of Jesus’ costly grace. The number one leaders in every church ought to be the people who repent the most fully without excuses, because you don’t need any now; the most easily without bitterness; the most publicly and the most joyfully. They know their standing isn’t based on their performance." - Tim Keller (emphasis...

Below is my response to a parent who left our church (or is visiting other churches) in part because we do not offer a high school program on Sunday mornings. The email from the parent was gracious, while I could tell it was something they needed to "get off" their chest. I hope the dialog will continue. Here is most of my email, kept generic here to protect their identity. Thank you for your email. Sorry for the slow response, as I wanted to give thought and prayer before replying. I appreciate you taking the initiative to contact me directly. I know from experience it is an easy route...

"this is the only continent in the world where the church is not growing" … "We need less mission statements, we need to join God on His mission." - Ed Stetzer at subtext forum [#subtext ] SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "a weak spot", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2009/03/12/a-weak-spot/" });

Jonathan Dodson seems to always hit the nail on the head with his insights. Here’s an excerpt (okay, almost every word) from his recent post, "Are we community-centered or Gospel-centered? " In asking whether his church could get too mature for community , he notes: "The level of authentic confession of sin, persistent belief in the gospel, love for one another, and sharing of life and mission is remarkable. This is not naive community; it is redemptive community, a community of grace that holds in common brokenness and belief, failure and success, repentance and faith. As...

"Imagine a church filled with believers who are spiritually alive, hungry for God, filled with wisdom, and living lives of impeccable character. Imagine a local community seasoned with Christians like this who truly desire to live as salt and light in the midst of their neighbors, coworkers, and friends. Wouldn’t it be encouraging to know that the watching world would see a collective witness that reflected the truths of the gospel? Consider what it would be like if the majority of Christians shared the good news of Jesus regularly with those in their sphere of influence. What if your walk...

This morning our junior high students had a unique church experience. We met in a coffee shop (Bullseye Coffee ), as there was not room in our facility for the morning. We had to get creative for the third week in a row, due to weather. (God is in control, we are not.) We ended the Advent season by considering The Incarnation of the Son God — the Word dwelt among us (John 1:1-18). Briefly seeking to establish the infinite worth and amazing creativity of Jesus as the One true Creator, I pointed the students to some images from outer space (see here ). The Word — the One who displays...

Missional is more than a buzzword (see here for some humor about it, some serious reflection here ). Missional is missionary used as an adverb — an adjective-verb. I believe it aims to connote the what, why and how of being the Church in our culture. (I like the word, although I don’t want to overuse it. Much like "love," we want to be wise with our words, for we should not "love" a hamburger as much as our child. Although, come to think of it, enjoying Burgerville with my son makes us both happy.) (grin) The Scriptures are replete with God’s commands and enablements...