Why? Because Christ can be seen clearer through these Bible teachings! And these practical teachings are relevant to everyday life!
But what are we doing? Why are we hiding the precious message we've been asked to share?
- Lyle Schaller - Methodist Church Growth Guru, author of many books, in an interview in his home, personally challenged our leaders that this is our hour to shine! Adventists are to advance, was his encouragement! We have a theology based on the Bible only, conservative lifestyle, with our health message is extremely relevant, but what are we doing?
- Tony Campolo at the National Pastor's Conference in CA during 2005 publicly stated before over 2,500 pastors from across the nation, "The Adventists have it right on the view of hell, and the state of the dead."
- George Barna, in a survey of pastors published on May 30, 2005, was "surprised" to see that pastors across the nation, under the age of 40, were reading books by Ellen White. http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/178-survey-reveals-the-books-and-authors-that-have-most-influenced-pastors?q=pastoral+reading+survey
Labels: advent movement
¶ 1:49 AM 1 comments
Here are a few topics that God's Word speaks to . . .
You can go to www.bibleinfo.com to look up these and other topics of interest . . .
Adultery
Ambition
Anger
Anger toward God
Atonement
Authenticity
Baptism
Being Salt and Light - incarnational ministry
The Bible
Bondage to the Past
Boundaries
Broken Families
Calling
Care for the poor
Changed Life
Christian life
Christmas
The Church
Codependency
The Coming Collapse of the Corporate Church - Rev. 14
Comforting Others
Commitment to Christ
Communication
Communion
Community
Compassion
Conflict Resolution
Consequences of sin
Contentment
Control Issues
Controlling our emotions
Conviction of sin/Conscience
Courage
Dating
Death
Decay of the family
Decision Making
Destructive parenting
Disappointment
Discipleship
Discouragement
Disillusionment
Divorce
Doubting
Draining Relationships
Dysfunctional families
Effects of sin
End times
Endurance
Enthusiasm
Envy
Evangelism
Evidence for Christianity
Evolution vs. Creation
Existence of God
Failure
Faith
Fame
Family conflict
Family relationships
Father’s Day
Fear
Forgiveness
Freedom in Christ
Friendship
Fulfillment/God-shaped void
General Apologetics
Generation Gap
Generosity
Glorifying God
God as a Father
God as a Refuge
God the Creator/Creation
God’s acceptance of us
God’s anger
God’s character
God’s faithfulness
God’s forgiveness of us
God’s goodness
God’s Holiness
God’s Justice
God’s Laws
God’s love
God’s Majesty
God’s Mercy
God’s Power
God’s Presence
God’s Promises
God’s Tenderness
God’s Wisdom
Good Friday
Gossip/Slander
Grace
Grace vs. Works/Legalism
Grief
Guilt
Hardship
Healing
Health
Hearing God’s Voice
Heaven
Heroes
Holy Spirit
Homosexuality
Honesty / Lying
Hope
Humility
Hypocrisy
Instrumental Music
Intimacy
Jesus
Job Satisfaction
Joy of Christian Life
Kindness
Leadership
Letting Go of Adult Children
Life Foundation
Living Together
Loneliness
Lordship of Christ
Love
Male/Female Differences
Marketplace Pressures
Mark of the Beast
Marriage
Marriage Communication
Materialism/Greed
Men’s Issues
Misconceptions of Christianity
Money Management
Moral Issues
Mother’s Day
New Christian
Obeying God
Other Religions
Our Need for Christ
Our Value to God
Pace of Life/Balance
Parent/Child Relationships
Parenting
Patience
Peace making
Persecution
Personality Differences
Physical Health
Politics
Power
Power of the Media
Praise and Worship
Prayer
Priorities
Procrastination
Prodigal Son
Promises of God
Protection
Provision
Purity
Quitting
Racism
Reasons People Don’t Believe
Redemption
Regret
Relational Conflict
Relationship with God
Relationships
Religious Liberty
Resurrection and Easter
Risk-Taking
Romance
Salvation
Sabbath rest
Sabbath, who changed it anyway?
Sanctification
Self-Control
Self-Esteem
Selfishness/Pride
Separation of church & state
Servanthood
Serving God
Sexuality - what the Bible says
Sin
Single Parenting
Small Groups
Spiritual Gifts
Spiritual Seeking
State of the World
Success
Suffering
Surrender
Temptation
Testimonial
The rise & fall of the Papacy
Thankfulness
Thanksgiving
Tithing
Trustworthiness
Truth-telling
Unemployment
Unity
Values
Women’s Issues
Work/Marketplace Issues
Workaholism
Worry
Here's a health ministry resource to help people have the best life now! You and your church can bring real help to families in your community! Dr. Neil Nedley, MD has developed this program based on his medical practice, the latest scientific findings. Dr. Nedley gives practical advice to have the best lifestyle for optimum mental health.
You can learn more about this by exploring these websites:
- Depression Recovery Program (DRP) Materials www.drnedley.com/mm5/merchant.mvc
- A church plant uses this program to serve its community read more at http://www.community-worship.com/node/10
- Article about Dr. Nedley's DRP training www.gleaneronline.org/101/4/28378.html
Let's Uplift Christ as the Only Hope for Humanity!
Doug
¶ 2:19 AM 2 comments
What can your church planting team do to harness all the creativity, arts, and energy to creatively share the Gospel to this generation?
As a busy church planting pastor, I'm always looking for tools I can use to sharpen me, and to inspire my team to do all we can to creatively share the Message of Hope.
Here's the latest sermon & media resources you can use, at a price we can all afford!
(Thanks to a fellow blogger Pastor Bobby Gruenewald, Innovation Pastor with LifeChurch.tv for the heads up on these other churches who are advancing the Gospel in compelling, and relevant ways.)
- All Access:
Help me keep an eye out for others who are sharing their God-given creativity with the rest of us so we together can Uplift Christ higher!
Doug
Labels: sermon resources
¶ 8:09 AM 2 comments
- Why is this?
- How have we as Christ followers transformed the greatest News for every human into the legal proceedings from Yawnsville, Texas? (Is there such a place? . . .)
Thanks to Chris Drake and the team at the Dayton Adventist Church who introduced me to this, I share this resource with you. We all can tell the Old Old Story in fresh new ways with our lives! Using modern day parables, the team from 36 Parables is "arresting the attention" by retelling the parables of Christ.
(For more on arresting the attention, click here to learn how one church plant refuses to bore!l).
Check it out for yourself by going to their website at www.36parables.com.
God bless, and may we each be submitted humble servants of Christ to audaciously share the Hope of His Soon Return with the Globe!
Your Brother in Arms,
Doug
Labels: video resources
¶ 2:30 AM 0 comments
Many ask searching questions about baptism, and what it means to a Christian. Some common questions that are frequently asked include:
Why should I be baptized?
What does baptism mean?
I’ll never be good enough, so why bother?
Why can’t I just be baptized into Christ, without joining your church?
Baptism is full of deep meaning. Like Christ, who was buried in the tomb after his complete surrender in His death on the cross, so in baptism, we too join Christ in dying to our attempts at being “good enough”. We die to self. We die to religion. We die to every human attempt to reach God, by being better. We die, and Christ lives through us, and in us. This is the New Birth!
NKJ Ephesians 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
NIV 1 Peter 3:21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also-- not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand-- with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.
Galatians 2:19-20 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. 20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Marriage to Christ
Baptism is a public celebration of your love relationship with Jesus Christ! You are "walking down the aisle" showing your allegiance to the One who loves you so much - Jesus! Baptism is an outward & public display, or "ceremony" of what God is doing inside your heart, and in your life. Baptism means that you are accepting Christ as the one who forgives you. In baptism you accept Christ as your leader, joining in His death by dying to selfishness, pride, sin, thus allowing our past mistakes and regrets to be entombed. We experience His resurrection power in our lives!
2 Corinthians 11:2
Accepting the Calling of God's Last Day Search & Rescue Team
Baptism means that you have an understanding of the teachings, doctrines, and mission of the Adventist Movement. This worldwide prophetic movement of God transcends every human boundary - cultural, ethic, etc. As we humbly accept God's call, we are transformed by His Spirit, and thus we share what difference Christ makes in our everyday life.
Revelation 14:6-12, Matthew 28:17-20
"Joining the Army" in the Battle against sin
Baptism is a public testimony of your decision to join the Adventist Movement as it shares the Gospel to the world in these last days. We are at war – the war against sin, pride, and selfishness. As we are changed by God’s power, we can invite others to experience God’s life changing presence.
2 Timothy 2:3-4
Living Real Life
Only through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit can we practice what you believe, victory over addictions, witnessing how Christ changes your life with those around you. Christians are often accused of being hypocrites. Yet this is only half true. When we make mistakes, Christians don't have to cover them up, because Christ has forgiven us, and His grace empowers us to overcome.
John 14:16, Philippians 4:13
Equipped for God's Calling for My Ministry
Christ received the baptism of the Holy Spirit at his baptism, and thus he was equipped for his ministry here on earth. Through the Holy Spirit's ministry of giving us spiritual gifts, abilities, and skills, we are to to build up the Body of Christ, His Church. This is done most commonly through the various ministries of the local church.
Ephesians 4:12
Fellowship of Suffering with Christ
Baptism for the Christ follower is a reminder that we won't have an easy life. But we are promised that Christ will never leave us, and He will be with us though it all.
2 Corinthians 1:5, 8-9, Philippians 3:10
Labels: Baptism
¶ 8:28 PM 3 comments
Here's a powerful story (modern day parable) that demonstrates our utter and complete dependence upon our Heavenly Father! It is only through the strong grace of our Heavenly Father that we are able to finish & win the faith race of life!
Labels: video resources
¶ 5:00 PM 0 comments
