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The Lord Jesus Christ, who was the only truly “innocent” and “righteous” man in all history, nevertheless has suffered more than anyone else who ever lived. And this He did for us! “Christ died for our sins” (I Corinthians 15:3). He suffered and died, in order that ultimately He might deliver the world from the Curse, and that, even now, He can deliver from sin and its bondage anyone who will receive Him in faith as personal Lord and Savior. This great deliverance from the penalty of inherent sin, as well as of overt sins, very possibly also assures the salvation of those who have died before reaching an age of conscious choice of wrong over right. With our full faith in God’s goodness and in Christ’s redemption, we can recognize that our present sufferings can be turned to His glory and our good. The sufferings of unsaved men are often used by the Holy Spirit to cause them to realize their needs of salvation and to turn to Christ in repentance and faith. The sufferings of Christians should always be the means of developing a stronger dependence on God and a more Christ-like character, if they are properly “exercised thereby” (Hebrews 12:11). Thus, God is loving and merciful, even when, “for the present,” He allows trials and sufferings to come in our lives. “For we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Be very careful not to give the impression that God was punishing the person for his sins. Instead, speak about the fact that all around us we can see the evidence of a “fallen creation.” Explain how in the beginning there was no disease, pain, suffering, or death. But when sin entered the world, it brought suffering with it. Then gently turn the conversation away from the person who died to the person who is still living. Ask if he has been thinking about God, and if he has kept the Ten Commandments. Then take the opportunity to go through the spiritual nature of God's Law. Someone who has lost a loved one often begins to ask soul-searching questions about God, death, and eternity. Many people are so hard-hearted that it takes a tragedy to make them receptive to God.

many Christians fear the responsibility of being free. It's often easier to let others make the decisions or to rely exclusively on the letter of the law.

when we reduced Scripture to formula and a love story to theology, and finally morality to rules. It is a very different thing to break a rule than it is to cheat on a Lover.

What if the guy who sold everything he had to buy the incomparable pearl, was God and you were the incomparable pearl? What if? The context certainly allows for that interpretation, and that is in effect what Jesus did when he gave up everything he had so that we could become his - now and forever!

The local church many have come to cherish - the services, offices, programs, buildings, ceremonies - is neither biblical or unbiblical. It is abiblical - that is, such an organization is not addressed in the Bible

We humans are notorious for taking something Scripture describes as a reality, giving a term to it and thinking we've replicated the reality. Paul talked about the church that gathered in various homes, but he never called it 'house church'. Houses were just where they ended up in their life together. Jesus was the focus, not the location.

I have concluded at this point that the most dangerous enemy of Jesus-brand community is viewing community as an ideal to be achieved rather than as a gift to be received.

We value God's power over human effort, transformation over conformity, mutuality over hierarchy, authenticity over entertainment, modeling over celebrity, following Jesus rather than implementing models, and the presence of the Living Christ above all else!

When religion replaces the actual experience of the living Jesus, when we lose the authority of personal knowing and rely on the authority of books, institutions, and leaders, when we let religion interpose between us and the primary experience of Jesus as the Christ, we lose the very reality that religion itself describes as ultimate.

"Unless a definite step is demanded, the call vanishes into thin air, and if people imagine that they can follow Jesus without taking this step, they are deluding themselves like fanatics... Although Peter cannot achieve his own conversion, he can leave his nets." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"Brothers and sisters, break free from whatever ruts you have settled into! Whoever does not want to be set free - well, suit yourself, but don't say you are living in Christ's spirit. You can continue in the old ways and be a part of Christianity, but not of God's kingdom. You can live in Christianity but not in Christ; the gulf between the two is great."

Much Christian leadership is exercised by people who do not know how to develop healthy, intimate relationships and have opted for power and control instead. Many Christian empire builders have been people unable to give and receive love.

Even in its ruined condition a human being is regarded by God as something immensely worth saving. Sin does not make you worthless, but only lost.

You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.

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Jesus knew the worst and He loved me. What a relief to know the worst about yourself and at the same moment to be embraced by God. It's so liberating to reach the end of yourself.

put our intimate friendship with him above everything else we might want from God

real enemy of the cross-life? comes from the established religion of the day

The reward for conformity was that everyone liked you except yourself.

What we need very badly these days is a company of Christians who are prepared to trust God as completely now as they know they must do at the last day. For each of us the time is surely coming when we shall have nothing but God.

Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that amateurs built the Ark. Professionals built the Titanic."

That you may experience the powerlessness and poverty of a child and sing and dance in the love of God the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.

Ruthless trust comes down to this: faith in the person of Jesus and hope in his promise in spite of all disconcerting appearances.

The people you'll remember are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the biggest awards. They are the ones who care

Anyone God uses significantly is always deeply wounded... We are, each and every one of us, insignificant people who God has called and graced to use in a significant way

"Since Jesus went through everything you're going through and more, learn to think and act like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning away from the old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you'll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want." - I Peter 4:1-2

My true brothers are those who rejoice for me in their hearts when they find good in me, and grieve for me when they find sin. They are my true brothers, because whether they see good in me or evil, they love me still.

Why not go out on a limb? That's where the fruit is!

The Word of God is like a lion. You don't have to defend a lion. All you have to do is let the lion loose, and the lion will defend itself.

Well, I may not know much about God, but I have to say, we built a pretty nice cage for him

Expectations are resentment waiting to happen.

Religion vs Relational LifeReligion conforms people to a system; relational life frees them to trust God.Religion divides people by preference and perspective; relational life celebrates the incredible diversity in God's family.Religion bores people with routine; relational life is as fresh as a new conversation with an endearing friend.Religion rewards image and pretense; relational life demands honesty and reality.Religion provides substitutes for the active presence of Jesus in people's lives; relational life focuses on that presence alone.Religion sacrifices people for the good of the institution; relational life teaches people how to live together as Father's family.Religion uses what God says and does for its own agenda; relational life allows God to set the agenda and for us to simply follow him.Religion leaves us able to boast about how much we're doing or how hard we're working; relational life finds joy only in celebrating God's work among us.Religion finds love inefficient and cumbersome; relational life embraces love as the heart of God's working.

"Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible."

"So we went to Atari and said, 'Hey, we've got this amazing thing, even built with some of your parts, and what do you think about funding us? Or we'll give it to you. We just want to do it. Pay our salary, we'll come work for you.' And they said, 'No.'" - Apple Computer Inc. founder Steve Jobs on attempts to get Atari interested in his and Steve Wozniak's personal computer."We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out." - Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.Remember these next time someone tries to steal your dream.

Next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You can hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing."Feel His loving arms around you. Know that His strong hands are there helping you turn your feeble attempts into true masterpieces. Remember, God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called. And He'll always be there to love and guide you on to great things.

Scientists point out that administratium is known to be toxic at any level of concentration and can easily destroy any productive reaction where it is allowed to accumulate. Attempts are being made to determine how administratium can be controlled to prevent irreversible damage, but results to date are not promising.

pastor-teachers. We will make every effort to identify, encourage, train and support them in the preaching and teaching of God’s Word

evangelism at the centre of the fully-integrated scope of all our mission, inasmuch as the gospel itself is the source, content and authority of all biblically-valid mission

Oral cultures The majority of the world’s population are oral communicators, who cannot or do not learn through literate means, and more than half of them are among the unreached as defined above. Among these, there are an estimated 350 million people without a single verse of Scripture in their language. In addition to the ‘primary oral learners’ there are many ‘secondary oral learners’, that is those who are technically literate but prefer now to communicate in an oral manner, with the rise of visual learning and the dominance of images in communication.

Christ-centred leaders

only those whose lives already display basic qualities of mature discipleship should be appointed to leadership

Leaders must first be disciples of Christ himself

authentic Christian leaders must be like Christ in having a servant heart, humility, integrity, purity, lack of greed, prayerfulness, dependence on God’s Spirit, and a deep love for people

ability to teach God’s Word to God’s people

long-term work of teaching and nurturing new believers

long that God would multiply, protect and encourage leaders who are biblically faithful and obedient

accountability within the body of Christ

focus more on spiritual and character formation, not only on imparting knowledge or grading performance, and we heartily rejoice in those that already do so as part of comprehensive 'whole person' leadership development

Half the world now lives in cities. Cities are where four major kinds of people are most to be found: (i) the next generation of young people; (ii) the most unreached peoples who have migrated; (iii) the culture shapers; (iv) the poorest of the poor

All children are at risk. There are about two billion children in our world, and half of them are at risk from poverty. Millions are at risk from prosperity. Children of the wealthy and secure have everything to live with, but nothing to live for.

God can and does use children and young people - their prayers, their insights, their words, their initiatives - in changing hearts

For God to send labourers into every corner of the world, in the power of his Spirit; For the lost in every people and place to be drawn to God by his Spirit, through the declaration of the truth of the gospel and the demonstration of Christ’s love and power; For God’s glory to be revealed and Christ’s name to be known and praised because of the character, deeds and words of his people. We will cry out for our brothers and sisters who suffer for the name of Christ;  For God’s kingdom to come, that God’s will may be done on earth as in heaven, in the establishment of justice, the stewardship and care of creation, and the blessing of God’s peace in our communities. B)    We will continually give thanks as we see God’s work among the nations, looking forward to the day when the kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of our God and of his Christ.