Packing 45,000 Meals for Kids in Haiti this Saturday

Northwest is partnering with Feeding Children Everywhere to pack 45k meals for kids in Haiti this Saturday from 10:00 – Noon. FCE brings the food and we set up assembly lines and pack. We attended one of their events last year and packed 55k meals in a little over an hour. If you don’t know about FCE I would encourage you to have a look at their website. It would make a great service event/outreach for your congregation. Their meals cost 25 cents/meal and they ship to a variety of countries where there is great need. They were recently featured on Time Magazine’s website for their low cost meals aimed at fighting world hunger. One their website you can read about:

The Need

How to Make a Difference

Donate to FCE

Event at Northwest May 19th

Mark Love Gives Some Preaching Advice Worth Taking

I just read Mark Love’s post entitled, “A Word (or two) to Young Preachers” where he gives five and one half things young preachers should consider in regard to their preaching. If you preach you should read this whether you are young or old. The first two were his best. It boils down to don’t skim over the text and remember that there is more than one volume (loud) and more than one speed (fast) with which to preach. Can you imagine if you had a conversation with someone where you yelled while speaking extremely fast the whole time? I doubt you would have many friends. Anyway, have a read of his thoughts on preaching.

I have had a question about preaching rattling around in my head for some time that I am going to go ahead and ask. So many young people are opting for para-church ministries rather than being on staff at a church. For those who are choosing to be on church staff fewer and fewer are preaching. It used to be that if you were going to be a minister you were going to be a preacher. It was pretty much a given. That is no longer the case. Young people seem to want to avoid preaching. So here it is…for those of you who have preached for some years give your best shot at how you would try to motivate or encourage a young person to preach? What is it about preaching that keeps you coming back to it or keeps you from doing anything else? That is something we rarely get insight into so here is your chance!

HT: Darin Campbell

Writing Material So Others Can Use It – 10 Suggestions

I am always in pursuit of new Bible curriculum to post in the Small Group Lessons and Bible Class Archive here on the blog. I have approached quite a few people trying to get them to submit something. Most people don’t write lessons so that they can be used by others. Some of you guys probably even just scratch everything down on a notepad and go and do an excellent job that way. Others write it in a way that it only makes sense to them. No one else can just pick it up and go. That is natural. It is important to write your lessons (if you do that sort of thing) in a way that you can teach it to the best of your ability.

It is important to consider the good that can come from formatting your lessons and their flow in a way that others can pick it up and use it as well. I no longer write a lesson for it to get taught once. I write them with other teachers in mind because I don’t want it to get used one time. One reason I do that is because I have to. Some of the lessons I write are for our small groups so I am forced to write it in a way they can all teach it with ease. In addition to that though, it is important to me that if I am going to spend all that time studying that my class is not the only one to benefit from it. It is like multiplication…you write it once and it gets used hundreds or in some cases even thousands of times. That is good stewardship. I don’t say that in any judgment of those who do otherwise whatsoever.

Here are some thing to consider when writing lessons so others can use them:

1. Give suggested answers on tough questions. Nothing worse than teaching a lesson and get silence and not know the answer yourself because you are teaching someone else’s material. Give them a few suggestions under the tough questions in bullet points.
2. Likewise, give definitions for words that are more difficult so that people aren’t missing the point because they don’t understand what is being said. What is more someone may ask what the word means and the teacher is equipped to answer.
3. Use bold headings when you start a new topic/subtopic in your lesson. If the lesson makes a turn, make it obvious to the teacher.
4. Bold all scriptures so they stand out. If I want something to be read out loud I will put Read John 3:16-19
5. Italicize discussion questions. This makes them stand out so that the teacher easily recognizes they are reading a question. Your intonation is different with a question and it gets kind of weird if the teacher starts of reading it as a statement rather than a question.
6. End with application questions. I will typically put the heading Application at the end followed by a few questions for the group to discuss. It is vitally important that every lesson have clear application.
7. If there is an exercise you want them to do I either use that instead of an application section or in addition to it.
8. Put relevant prayer needs that are specific to the lesson at the end if needed or if it fits well
9. If you are writing it for people you know, encourage them to see it as a guide, not a concrete outline. They know their class best and can make the lesson fit better than anyone else. Give them freedom to adjust the lesson as they see fit.
10. Send the lessons to me so I can share them with the world here on this blog

Finished A New Evangelistic Bible Study – Jesus 101

Update – I just posted the pdf in this post – Download Jesus 101

I just wrapped up writing an evangelistic Bible study that works through the Gospel of Mark called Jesus 101. The reason I wrote this was to promote more Bible study with non-Christians at Northwest. We realize on the front end that one major hang up people have in studying with others is figuring out where to start. This book is simple and non-confrontational. Instead of blasting people with facts this study has them read Mark chapter by chapter and just asks questions that helps them open up their eyes to who Jesus is. Also, this study follows the pace of Mark. They aren’t asked who they think Jesus is until Jesus asks that same questions to his disciples in Mark 8. They are asked again at the end of the study where the study turns to a discussion of what God wants from us/what is our response to the Gospel. A few other nice features of this study include a Glossary of more difficult terms and further evidence in the back of the study.

We gave out 250 copies on Sunday and hope to give out hundreds more. I am curious to find out what studies you guys use when studying with non-Christians? What have you seen work and what doesn’t work so well?

Q & A With A Faith of Our Own Author Jonathan Merritt

Jonathan Merritt has been kind enough to address a couple of questions about his book A Faith of Our Own that was reviewed in the previous post. I appreciate his openness and willingness to take time to respond.

You mentioned how refreshing it is to have participated in the Cross Pointe church plant. The vast majority of churches are like the one that Cross Pointe came out of…around for 125 years “and steeped in tradition”. It is a shame that we have to start something entirely new to embrace the Gospel as fully as we would like. What do you do with those “left behind” in those churches that will remain in their tradition and yet are still seeking to please God just as much as any of the rest of us?

I don’t think you have to start something new in order to fully embrace the Gospel. A church plant was the calling on our lives, but there is a need for communities to reform themselves too. My advice to pastors and church leaders is to begin cultivating in their people an extravagant love for the Gospel that loosens their grip on tradition. It’s often easier to just take off and start something new, but God hasn’t called us to the easy. Without a distinct calling to plant a church, we need to do the hard work of enacting change right where we are.

In chapter 8 you tell a story about going on a mission trip to Kolkata working with Mother Teresa’s people. In what was probably the most powerful chapter in the book you talk about ministering to the sick. There was a line in that chapter that said, “It is your hands that do the changing”. Do you feel the church has tied hands rather than equipped our hands to minister to the hurting? It seems even when we plant churches we still fall back into traditional and institutional means for “doing church”. We collect money, get a building, have a staff…is this too stuffy? How do we get more people in the trenches to actually do the difficult work of changing the world rather than just talk about changing the world?

We have a few problems with regard to this point, I think. First, we’ve professionalized church ministry rather than “equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry.” This has created both a sense of entitlement to withdraw and also a sense of accomplishment for throwing a couple of bucks in the offering basket each week. Second, we’ve been guilty of reductionism. So, as I argue in the book, we often think that our commitment to an issue can be reduced to how we vote. If you’re pro-life, you just vote pro-life. Never mind having to get your hands dirty and actually care for unwed mothers or adopt children into our own families. Both of these problems need to be fixed. We must learn to embody our faith.

There are several negative statements and critiques in the book of the older generation. What good qualities and perspective do you think the older generation has to offer the younger in order to give them a healthier perspective on life, ministry and even politics?

The last generation has many positive qualities that cannot be overlooked. First, they were protectors of Biblical orthodoxy in a time when it was fading. Second, they committed to fulfilling the great commission, spawning and expanding all sorts of global missions organizations. And third, we have to admit that their political witness was not all negative. During most of the twentieth century, evangelicals were noticeably absent in the public square. They felt like they shouldn’t be involved in politics in any concerted way because it distracted from their true task of evangelism. But beginning with Carl Henry’s Uneasy Conscience that changed. Evangelicals began to recognize that we have an obligation to be good citizens and even advocate for good public policy. This was a good turn. But they took it too far. And rather than just engage the public square, they bit into the poisonous apple of partisanship. And they placed their hopes and dreams into elections and legislation and such. This was the bad turn that accompanied their good one.

If you want to read more from Jonathan you can read his blog here or order A Faith of Our Own here. Also, here is a trailer for the book

A Faith of Our Own: Following Jesus Beyond the Culture Wars by Jonathan Merritt

Let’s start with the unique value of this book, A Faith of Our Own. The big question of this book is how should Christians’ faith influence our political views and how we engage in political discourse? More importantly, how do we as Christianity instigate meaningful change in this world in a way that is in tune with the kingdom over worldly political processes? What makes these questions so important is that they are questions more and more young people are asking. What makes Jonathan Merritt’s perspective unique is that he grew up in a family that was entrenched in Christian conservatism. Just to give you an idea he starts the book with a story as a senior in high school having lunch with Jerry Faldwell trying to get him to come to Liberty University. His family has connections with the Religious Right.

By reading Merritt’s thoughts you gain insight into the struggles and questions of many young adults today in regard to faith and politics (I am still wondering how the word politics didn’t make it into the title of this book). The biggest concern is trying to find consistency in faith and politics by wading past all the junk to the core of what is really most important. Reading Jonathan’s perspective will help you understand where many young adults are coming from, what they have had to wrestle with and will make you, no matter what your political leaning, consider your own approach to faith and politics.

As has already been mentioned, Jonathan Merritt grew up in the inner sanctum of conservative Christianity. He has seen the inner workings of how previous generations have tried to put faith and politics together and reflects on how there can be a better fit than what he experienced growing up. He saw inconsistencies (and plenty of them) in how Christians of previous generations seemed to seamlessly and effortlessly interweave faith and politics in a way that seemed to be more about politics than it was about faith. That incongruity didn’t sit well with Jonathan and it doesn’t sit well with many today.

One of the issues I have with the book is that in dealing with these inconsistencies Merritt has a tendency to overgeneralize various demographics to a particular view. It is all very black and white. You get the feeling that all older people have problems buying into conservative politics and put politics over faith and young people have found the difficult balance. Here is another example. When talking about the perspective of young Christians he says,

“More than being central to their theology, the gospel has become integrated into their entire lives.” Well, has it? That is an overgeneralization. Is there some truth in that statement? Sure but you could say the same thing about older Christians as well. Taking faith seriously is not exclusive to young people.

Jonathan believes Christianity has bought into the game of politics hook, line and sinker rather than mapping out a more biblical approach to how Christians engage their lives in what really matters. Merritt argues that for far too long Christians have allowed the political parties to use us as a voting block to move their agendas through while we mistook our partnership with politicians as a means to advance and engage in God’s mission. His contention in this book is that our identity as Christians must shape our politics and not the other way around. He also believes that our identity as Christians overcomes the dividing lines between parties as the commonality we find in Christ can bring those who disagree on the issues together worshipping the same God.

Do you think the church has bought into political agendas (his conclusion is usually right wing ones) at the expense of God’s mission and our identity in Christ?

Starting in chapter five there is a turn in the tone of the book. The gist is that there are more important things in life than politics. There are needs and hurts in the world that need healed that the church must be a part of and cannot let anyone or anything (including politics and culture wars) distract us from being involved in those things. These issues transcend politics and political parties. These issues bring Christians of various political views together in harmony. When you help the poor, serve the hurting, and reach out to the lost there is a unity those things bring to those who practice them together. Politics get put aside.

So how do we make this change? Merritt argues the change will never come from the top down (we have tried that over and over and failed). The change must come from the bottom up and the inside out (p.123). In other words, if we are going to change this world, we cannot depend on the tools of the world to get the job done. The primary way the world tries to get big things done is through politics. Leveraging politics to the advantage of Christianity is too small. There is a greater power at work in people of faith that can and will bring about significant and eternal change to this world.

One of the ways Merritt attempts to give a solution is through a discussion of their church plant, Cross Pointe Church. He talks about their unity in diversity and how they are attempting to be the church God wants them to be. They are trying to make a difference in the world. This all led me to wonder if it really takes church plants in order to make the necessary changes. He makes a big point out of having to split off of their 125 year old church that was “steeped in tradition” (p.156). What do you do with those who are left behind? How does that congregation go about doing the work of making the transition to being more mission minded? There are many churches in that situation and I would like someone to share some thoughts on how to bring them hope without having to split off to make the necessary changes. I am not being critical of church planting at all. We need more of it but we also need to help existing churches grow to a healthy place as well.

These are difficult waters to navigate and I am grateful Merritt wrote this book to start the conversation. I believe both young and old are starting to see the inconsistencies that have been in the church for years when it comes to these issues and that more and more people have a burning desire to be in the mission, making a difference. We have much to learn and much room to grow.

Holding Warnings and Encouragements in Tension With Each Other – The Example of Hebrews

In the book of Hebrews, warnings and encouragements crop up all over the place. Those two things are the tools the writer uses to admonish the readers to remain faithful. As a parent that makes complete sense. Discipline itself is not just punishment. The two sides of the discipline coin are rewards and punishments. You can’t have just one or the other. If you want healthy kids you have to have both. As I am studying through Hebrews I see the writer interweaving these two pieces over and over to make a healthy call to steadfast discipleship, following Jesus even when the whole world seems to be against you. (What made it even more difficult for Jewish Christians that Hebrews seems was written to was Judiasm was more widely accepted by the Romans than the new upstart religion, Christianity. So there was a temptation to go back to Judaism, still worship God, but not face the persecutions and threats of death).

I just mentioned that as parents we can’t have just one or the other. The same is true in how we present the Gospel and also how we encourage God’s people to persevere. Encouragement without warning makes people complacent and makes Jesus our buddy. Warning without encouragement makes people afraid and makes God a fearsome monster. Teaching both helps us find the balance we need that reminds us how serious life really is and how the pioneer of our faith, Jesus Christ (Heb 12:2) has already blazed a trail for us to follow in his footsteps. So keep on fighting. Keep on walking. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. Don’t look away because the alternative is serious and deadly. I honestly believe there are times each one of us needs one of those more than the other but we will always need both. So read them if you have time and maybe there is something in there you need to hear to make your walk with God closer.

Here are all the warnings and encouragements in Hebrews. What is interesting is this is almost every single verse in the whole book of Hebrews that is directed at having the reader make application.

Warnings and Encouragements in Hebrews:

“We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?” – Heb 2:1-3

“Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.” – Heb 3:1

“See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.  But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.  We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. As has just been said:
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion.”
- Heb 3:12-15

“Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.” – Heb 4:1-2

“For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day.  There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.  Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.” – Heb 4:8-11

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens,Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. ” – Heb 4:14-16

“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn.  In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!  Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity…” – Heb 5:11-6:1

“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit,  who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age,  if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, becauseto their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.” – Heb 6:4-6

“Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.  God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.  We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.” – Heb 6:17-20

“The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.” – Heb 8:1-2

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while,

“He who is coming will come and will not delay.
But my righteous one will live by faith.
And if he shrinks back,
I will not be pleased with him.”

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.” – Heb 10:19-39

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.

You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.”The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” – Heb 12

“Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”

So we say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?” – Heb 13:4-6

“Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. ” – Heb 13:9

“The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. ” – Heb 13:11-14

“May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, ²¹equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

“Brothers, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written you only a short letter.” – Heb 13:22

Interview with Mike Cope and His Ministry at What Really Matters

I am deeply appreciative that Mike Cope was willing to field some questions about his ministry with What Really Matters. God has really equipped Mike for kingdom work and it is a blessing to be able to learn from his perspective. He is a great thinker, communicator and is humble about how God has been able to use him for the kingdom. I was curious about Mike’s transition from preaching at Highland to working with and ministering with young adults through the What Really Matters ministry. Here is what Mike had to say:

After years of preaching, what motivated you to make the change to para-church ministry with What Really Matters:

The main motivation was a vision cast by Landon Saunders, one of my closest friends—and a man whom I’ve looked up to since I was 19 (and a student at Harding).  Landon’s great concern is for a young generation—especially those who are farthest away from faith and faith communities.  So often in ministry, I’ve found myself isolated from those very people.  I wish I knew during my decades of preaching what I know now after a couple years of sitting down with so many of these young adults.

Your new ministry focuses on growing faith in young adults, how has this generation of young people given you hope for the future?

Even those who are so far from Christian faith have a deep interest in community and in helping the world.  And it isn’t that they’ve said “no” to everything spiritual.  Many of them are at a great place for faith discussions to begin.

What challenges do you believe lie ahead for churches in reaching this generation of young adults?

For the most part, churches will have more luck with those who are already Christians but who have “taken a break.”  But for those who are truly outside, I’m guessing that creative, organic church plants are going to be a much better option.  The young adults I know will have little interest in churches trying to get big or trying to perfect a worship service.  They are, however, interested in sharing lives, understanding others, the needs of the world, and prayer.

What is the biggest lesson they have taught you while ministering to them with What Really Matters?

The church needs to leave the building.

What is one lesson you believe young people today need to hear and embrace?

For starters, they need to know that their life must be lived in community with others who will share beyond “what happened today.”  Then they need a vision of the good news and the kingdom that is broader and fuller than saving myself from hell.  (For more detail, see Scot McKnight’s King Jesus Gospel or N. T. Wright’s Simply Jesus.)

How can churches tap into the resources you are producing with What Really Matters or partner with your ministry?

I’m working on what the future of the nonprofit ministry will be, now that I’m about to start working full-time for Pepperdine, but I’m anxious to continue connecting with these young adults.  Some resources are available at www.reallymatters.net

How To Reach a Lost Generation 8: Effects of the Young Adult Exodus from Christianity are Bigger Than You Think

The most optimistic estimate is that at least 60% of Christians leave Christianity between the ages of 18-25. That is a big hole. But there could be something even more troubling that we have noticed in our ministry that is going to take us some time to address. There was a long time at Northwest where we had a vibrant youth group but nothing after that. So when people graduated they pretty much fell off in line with the statistics.

That is problematic in and of itself but it gets worse. What happened 7-14 years ago, the drop off of young adults and young families means the congregation had an extremely small number of children being born for a 7 year stretch. We are now six years into our ministry to young adults at Northwest and we have had a baby boom.  We now have a ton of kids ages 6 and younger but those who are 7-14 are few and far between and what is more, we don’t have as many families in that age range who are involved in the spiritual well being and maturation of this children as we once did. That gap will move up through the youth group, college group, 20s & 30s group over time and it is a noticeably large hole.

So we are experiencing the exodus of our young adults but what will effect will that have on the church 10-20 years down the road? The effects we have seen are substantial. I am convinced that the mass exodus of young adults from the church is one the most serious problems we are currently facing in Christianity. I am glad to see more and more people aware of it and doing something about it. I am also glad to see guys like Wes Woodell teaching on this at Pepperdine in a few weeks.

Lack of evangelism multiplies this problem. If you aren’t reaching new people and are dependent upon your kids to age in order to fill these holes the problem gets even worse. Over the last few months I have become convinced that one of the big keys to Christianity moving forward is evangelism…purposefully reaching out to those who need Jesus, studying with them, connecting them with other Christians, etc. That sounds like a no brainer and it should be but somehow we have lost our gumption and don’t invest in others like we used to. This has to change.

Has your congregation experienced this? It is not to say that this makes me feel hopeless. God can work good out of any situation. It is a reminder that the young adult exodus has repercussions we might not yet have noticed but will also need to be addressed.

David Platt: The Sinner’s Prayer is Superstitious and Unbiblical

A friend of mine just pointed me to this video from David Platt on the sinner’s prayer.

I have always had a problem with the sinners prayer. It is not that I have a problem with faith. It is not that I have a problem with responding to God through faith and even prayer (I can’t imagine turning my life over to Christ without prayer). What bothers me about the sinners prayer is that it offers up a different response to a very biblical question than the answer an inspired apostles gave to the question of convicted sinners, “What shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). Honestly, the sinners prayer ignores the response of the apostles to the question of those who asked in response to the Gospel, “What shall we do?” and replaces the answer with something that is abiblical.

So we have two different answers being offered in response to the what shall we do question. You have Peter’s answer, repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38) and you have pastor Steve or pastor Billy or sister Susie’s answer…pray this prayer. Who are you going to trust has a better answer to the same question? Sorry if that sounds snarky. I don’t mean to be disrespectful to well meaning people but it is entirely possible to be well meaning and still be wrong on this subject. I don’t mean to sound arrogant. I do want to be biblical.

The question of the 3000 in Acts 2:37 is the same question every single person asks who is convicted by the truth of the Gospel and the identity of Jesus as the Christ/Messiah…since these things are true, what response does God call me to? (Biblically…”what shall we do?”). I will go with Peter over any preacher or teacher today who has not personally been in Jesus’ inner circle, not personally inspired in their teaching by the Holy Spirit, and who has not written books recorded in the New Testament as Peter has. If you ask me what to do, let me point you to Peter, Jesus, and Paul rather than the opinions that are floating around today.

Thanks to Eric for pointing me toward the video.