Posts Tagged with "Identity"

“You’re constantly interpreting your world…You are an incessant interpreter. That is a significant and important function. You never leave your life alone.”...

In April, our MC leaders will explore the doctrine of union with Christ and how that defines them as his disciples. As a supplement to that, here are some thoughts from John Owen inCommunion with the Triune God on the loveliness and graciousness of our Lord and Savior. Jesus is... Lovely in hisperson---in the glorious all-sufficiency of his Deity, gracious purity and h...

So very grateful for the men and messages given at the 2014 Desiring God Pastor's ConferenceentitledThe Pastor, the Vine, and the Branches: The Remarkable Reality of Union with Christ. Here are my favorite messages, and it's worth the time to work through them all...enjoy! ...

Here's D.A. Carson on why we read the Bible...we read the Word to meet with the Living God. The question then becomes do you want to meet with him? Check out the original post at Desiring God....

Note: this is the first post in a series looking at being a disciple, part of a family, and missionaries to our city. The goal is to clarify and give depth to each aspect of our identity in Christ by looking at the theological basis, the example of Christ, and the empowerment of the Spirit. I attended Concordia South (Luther College, Decorah, IA). Imagine our beloved pr...

Note: this post is second in a series focusing on the disciple, family, and missionary aspects of our identity in Christ. This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for so many years to come to you, I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and ...

Last night, we launched our 16th Missional Community! It's located in the Robert Asp neighborhood of North Moorhead, which is the 14th neighborhood in which we have a presence. This group is led by Richard Traci Anderson, hosted by Michael Allison Vetter. Their mission is to make disciples of Jesus who make disciples of Jesus where God has placed them. This is truly ge...

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to youunless you believed in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:1-2) As Paul tells the Corinthian church what's up, he points them back to the gospel. He uses the word 8 times in the book, either in...

Drawing from Acts 4, David Platt and Francis Chan discuss specific prayer for boldness and courage in our disciple-making. ...

"Small groups. Growth groups. Mini-churches. Community groups. Cell groups. Accountability groups. Home groups. Missional communities. Mini-flocks. No matter what you call them, most churches of any size highlight the importance of meeting together in smaller communities within the local church. How do I cultivate meaningful relationships in my small group?"...

"When it comes to the Great Commission, there are basically three responses a church can have. A church can do nothing, something, or one thing."...

Who you are influences what you do. What you believe influences how you live. In our fallenness, we are great at getting this wrong and placing more emphasis on what you're to do rather than living out of who you are. Therefore, we must highlight our "gospel identities" as the basis for and the motivation of shared mission. ...

A few years ago, I found myself leaning on Akon's Lamborghini....

The most valuable resource for the missional journey is real-life examples and real-time conversations. ...

My prayer is that as we develop our concise mission statements group-by-group, we can look at our MC's and see them "standing firm in one spirit, striving side-by-side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything" by those hostile toward the faith (Phil. 1:27-28)....