In this interview with Tim Mackie of The Bible Project, we discuss the origins of The Bible Project and how two friends threw some videos up on Youtube that have now become a full blown Christian animation studio that is impacting how people understand, read, and engage the bible. #technology #biblestudy #spirituality

Meet Brandon Redler from SIW ministries, who lived as a woman named Desiree, then found Jesus Christ. A powerful testimony, and much needed insight and education about the intersection of the Christian community and the "T" in LGBT. #culture #sexuality #LGBT

An introduction to 7 Big Questions that all people face. #7bigquestions

An interview with Dr. Douglas Jacoby where we discuss postmodernism and how it effects us as Christians, many times without us even knowing. #postmodernism #culture

In this interview with Jason Henderson, COO of Renew.org, discusses some of the Renew network goals and its mission to fuel disciple making across the globe, especially as it pertains to Restoration theology. #discipleship #disciple

This past weekend I enjoyed my time at the first ever National Disciple Making Forum held in Nashville, TN where 10 independent ministries/organizations that focus on disciple making efforts came to share insights and build unity amongst other disciple making movements and churches in the U.S. With over 600 pastors and Christian leaders in attendance, the conference included such speakers as Robert Coleman, Bill Hull, Jim Putman and many others from discipling ministries and movements. One pastor put it this way, "It was so encouraging to see 10 ministries and hundreds of believers gathered together in the pursuit of seeing life on life discipleship being brought back to the local church – a dream come true for many of us.” It was refreshing to see an ecumenical environment unifying around the principles of Jesus’ methods of disciple making. I heard of the conference from a friend, and I’m really glad that I went. A few take-a-ways that I left with from the time at the conference (other than strengthening existing relationship and spawning new ones): 1. Others are out there There are in fact other groups, ministries, and organizations out there that are trying to implement the principles of discipleship (the principle that making disciples is the core purpose of the church on earth) into their existing paradigms and cultures. And for at least some of these, this has been born out of a discontentment with the pervasive consumeristic Western Christianity that tends to consume religious goods and services on Sunday’s while lacking any real form of discipleship throughout the rest of the week. While the sexy hipster worship leader, massive budgets for audio-visual components (including smoke machines) will have you experiencing a full-on Christian rock concert every time you walk through your church’s doors on Sunday, these in and of themselves will not produce the disciples that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 28:18-20. And while I don’t believe this style of worship is inherently evil by any means, obviously it is not accomplishing what is most important if it is done at the exclusion of the great commission. Of course I don’t think anyone sets out to do these things at the exclusion of some fundamental scriptural mandate from our Lord, but alas, it happens … all too frequently I’m afraid. "Many times the modern Western church looks like a sporting event - with members as fans and pastors as paid weekend entertainers." Many times the modern Western church (which has ironically been exported to much of the world) looks like modern sports venues, where the church members are fans, the ministry staff and clergy are the paid players/entertainers putting on a show on the weekends, designed with one thing in mind: keep people coming back. While I hope this isn’t overstated and I certainly understand this isn’t universally true of all churches, I know that large crowds, massive budgets, and the praise of men are ferocious temptations even for the strongest of us (c.f. 1 Tim 6; Prov 27:21). 2. Working Definition of spiritual maturity I learned an incredibly useful working definition of spiritual maturity: that being spiritually mature is to love God and others well, and to participate in following Jesus (including his sufferings) and being changed by him. "Spiritual maturity = loving God and others well, and being changed by Jesus." 3. Who should you disciple? If you are looking to “disciple” someone in the Lord (c.f. 2 Tim 2:2) and you are not sure who the Lord is leading to you invest in, consider the question: “In who’s ears are your words big?” If this question is not applicable (as in your words aren’t big in anyone’s ears) perhaps you should consider the inverse; “Who’s words are big in your ears?” and go seek out disicpling from them. 4. The gospel you preach determines the type of disciples you make Perhaps the most meaningful thing I walked away from the conference with personally was from Bill Hull of The Bonhoeffer Project, which can be summed up in their slogan: “The gospel you preach determines the type of disciples you make.” This was expounded on and explained over 5 hours of teaching, so I cannot proliferate here, but in a nutshell the concept is that if we start with the wrong gospel with people, it will be shown in the way that they live out discipleship (or not). As an example, if someone fundamentally understands the gospel as a list of spiritual disciplines (prayer, Bible reading, evangelism, generosity, church attendance, etc.) that need to be adhered to in order to be close to God than they will constantly be trying to “get close to God”, and this is what they would replicate in others in any disciple making efforts. That gospel looks something like this: Spiritual disciplines + striving/effort = closeness to God This would be in opposition to the gospel that says you are as close to God as you can be already, because of your faith in the sacrificial atonement that Jesus provided on the cross and through his resurrection. That gospel looks something like this: Faith in Jesus + Jesus’ sacrifice = closeness to God (already as close as you can be – c.f. Eph 1) => which then yields spiritual disciplines (for the purpose of "otherness" - to love others more as God loves them, not for a sense or feeling of closeness to God) I try to make it a practice to attend a Christian conference that is outside my immediate spiritual context and heritage (i.e. not my fellowship/tribe) every year in order to continue to learn and grow, as well as to be exposed to what others (most importantly God) are doing outside my context ... I was thoroughly refreshed by attending this one. I'm excited to see what God is doing across the Christian landscape as a focus on biblical discipleship and disciple making is returning as the hallmark mission of the Church. #culture

One thing that many of us face is the difficulty of how to study the Bible in a way that is meaningful and effective in our lives. Many times we can also struggle with keeping it fresh, enjoyable, and exciting over the course of our Christian lives. Here are some tips to keep engaging the word of God that is living and active (Heb 4:12) in fresh and meaningful ways. Study One Book of the Bible Since the bible is a compilation work consisting of 66 books (in the Protestant bible) written by many authors over the course of about 1500 years, it can be helpful to focus on one book of the bible at a time so you can get to know the intent of the author to his audience for that particular time and occasion, and find meaningful (and accurate) ways to apply the Scriptures to your own life. (For good resources see NIV Study Bible and How To Read The Bible For All It's Worth) If you can, try to read the book at least once in one sitting (this may be difficult for longer books, especially in the Old Testament, but read it in as few sittings as possible as close together as possible). Write down a basic outline of the flow of the book, jot down the major characters, events and themes until the book starts to sink in as a whole. You can apply these same principles as you study smaller portions of the bible, such as a section of a book - something that represents a story or unified thought (for example, the Sermon on the Mount in Mat 5-7, or Paul's treaty on the Spirit in Rom 6-7, etc.), or one chapter of the Bible, or even a verse. Study One Topic or Theme ​Pick a topic, theme, or biblical subject that you want to understand better or gain mastery over, then research that throughout the Scriptures. A helpful tool for this is Bible Gateway, or my favorite Blue Letter Bible, because a good concordance is also helpful for this kind of study. Some possible topics and themes are; God's love, redemption, sin, forgivenness, mercy, patience, gentleness, courage, etc. Study One Character The Bible is a story about God interacting and intersecting with real people throughout history and as you study the characters of the Bible, you start to realize that they have many of the same strengths and weaknesses, relationships, difficulties, and victories that you and I have. You can study characters like Joseph, David, Jonathan, Peter, Timothy, Moses, Abraham, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Paul, John, Mary, Abigail, Steven, Caleb, Priscilla and Aquila ... just to name a few. Seven questions to ask when you read: (adapted from How To Give Your Faith Away by Paul Little) Is there a promise to claim? Is there a promise in this passage? If so, what is it? Can God lie about his promises? Are there any conditions or premises to the promise? Do I see this promise fulfilled or unfulfilled in my life? Is there a command to obey? Is there something that God expects me to do or obey? How have I been doing? Am I consistent? How can I get started if I am not obeying? Is there sin to avoid? Is there a sin God is telling me to forsake? Am I guilty of this sin? When? How? Who can help me with this and how can I avoid this in the future? Is there a teaching about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit or other bible subjects that I need to believe? Much of God's word is Him revealing himself to us, his nature, character, and personality. What do I need to change my thinking and belief on in order to accurately match what God reveals about himself? Is there an example to follow or avoid? We must be careful here in our hermeneutics (see How To Read The Bible For All It's Worth) but do you see an example to follow or to avoid? Is there a difficulty to explore? Sometimes we struggle to understand, and perhaps even find ourselves doubting the truth of what we read. First you must not let Bible difficulties throw you, but instead inspire you to think, study, read, and ask questions. It is okay to ask questions. Second, you must realize that there are some things that are difficult because the bible has not said much about them, or because of our limited human understanding we can have a difficult time grasping them (such as the timeless nature of God). Keep in mind Ps 139:6; Isa 55:9; etc. and remember to interpret obscure or difficult passages in light of clearer ones. Is there something in the passage I need to pray about today? God is speaking to you as you read through His word, this should help initiate and spark your conversation with him in return. #biblestudy #discipline

I come from a spiritual environment where the term disciple is used often, and is generally preferred over Christian. I understand where this comes from as it is the preferred nomenclature of the New Testament over "Christian", as well as the term "Christian" (especially in North America) becoming watered down to the point where it really doesn't mean much or signify anything. I wonder though, is "disciple" becoming just as watered down? Often I find that people's understanding of "discipleship", or being a "disciple", is thin. Many times it is essentially boiled down to a specific doctrinal understanding of conversion, and in particular baptismal regeneration, as though understanding that you are baptized for the forgiveness of your sins through your faith in Christ (c.f. Acts 2:38; Col 2:11; etc.) automatically makes you (and keeps you) a "disciple". In many ways this is a kin to a doctrinal understanding of "once saved always saved", but could be worded, "once baptized, always a disciple (and thus saved)". Most would obviously not state this outright, but in practice I have seen this become a common thread for many. And while yes, most would say that actually following Jesus and practicing his teachings (c.f. Jhn 8:31-32) is wrapped up in what it means to be his disciple, unfortunately I see too often that this is not a belief that is actually practiced, over time especially, and the default position is, "at least I was converted (ie. baptized) properly". This is not a sound biblical theology of discipleship. Biblical discipleship is not only an initial conversion to Jesus, but a continuation of following him and becoming like him. This is a consistent practice of sanctification (changing to become more like Jesus; holiness) and spiritual formation (walking with the Spirit through spiritual disciplines). It is also a continuing steadfastness to the great commission of being a disciple maker. One is never so spiritually mature that they are no longer called to be a disciple maker. Biblical discipleship is also a commitment not only to Christ's body, the church, but to one's community outside the church. In the West where the idea and practice of community is rapidly changing, dare I say fading away, this is perhaps one of the more important front lines of battle for Christ's disciples. Our understanding and practice of discipleship must not be limited to our life in the church, but our live's amongst those in the world as well (1 Pet 2:12). A full, biblical, theologically sound, and robust understanding of what it means to follow Jesus as his disciple, is one that not only starts at conversion, but continues to greater sanctification and formation as we walk with God's Spirit and impact the world around us for God's glory. A litmus test on whether we are still following Jesus as his disciple is to ask ourselves; are we still actively engaging in shaping the world around us, doing the work of continuing to usher in God's kingdom to the world around us, making disciples of Jesus as we go? #discipleship #theology #leadership #baptism

Question: This question comes from Bri: I have a very general and practical question: If Apollos from the book of Acts came to church today, what would he look like? Meaning, would there ever be a situation where a person would come to church, and need only to have "the way of God explained more accurately"? He only knew of the baptism of John, not a saving baptism in which a person partakes of Jesus' death burial and resurrection, yet Priscilla and Aquila did not "rebaptize" him. I am just curious if there could be a parallel situation in today's church, where someone is very knowledgeable of the scriptures, and was possibly baptized before (not for the forgiveness of sins) and lived a life according to the scriptures to the best of their ability. Or if this is a unique situation like that of the thief on the cross where it was a situation unique to the time in which it happened. For example, Jesus had authority on Earth to forgive sins, therefore the thief did not need to be baptized, and further, baptism for the forgiveness of sins had not yet been established since Jesus had not yet died. So would there be a similar situation in today's church where someone could come, not knowing fully about baptism for the forgiveness of sins, and not "need" to be "rebaptized", only be taught of God more accurately? Or was Apollos an exception like the thief on the cross? If it is possible, what would this person look like/what would constitute them not needing to be baptized [again]? ANSWER: Thanks for your question Bri, this is indeed a difficult question that many Christians have wrestled with and come out on different sides on for the history of the church.  In my ministry experience thus far I have encountered several people that I believe might fall under the category of what you are suggesting.  I will do my best to unpack your question: We cannot be completely sure what it was that Apollos was "inadequately taught" about in reference to baptism as it is not explicitly stated, although it was most likely the teaching of the Holy Spirit as it pertains to baptism in Jesus' name (c.f. Acts 2:38-39) and not necessarily forgiveness of sins, as you will remember that John's baptism was also for the forgiveness of sins (Mark 1:4) though not the gift of the Holy Spirit.  In addition to all of this the context of the following passage of Paul with the men in Ephesus and their lack of knowledge of the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-7) leads us to conclude this is most likely in view for Apollos in the passage just before, though to be fair it is not explicit.  We also glean that Paul actually baptized these men in Ephesus and laid his hands on them, so we cannot conclude definitively whether Apollos was baptized by Priscilla and Aquila, as the scripture is simply silent on this point. I believe that there is a "normative pattern" in the New Testament (and all early Christian literature) that shows baptism in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit accompanied by the message of repentance and discipleship to Jesus' lordship.  But we also see some "unique" instances where the pattern seems to be altered a bit (Acts 8, 10, 18, etc.).  Perhaps Apollos is one of these "unique" circumstances? It is difficult to say definitively. So to your question about people coming into the church today; I have run into this more than once (though it is not that common in my experience simply because many people in the west have been taught that baptism - historically a church sacrament - is "an outward sign of an inward grace", certainly an inaccurate notion all together). Personally (when I meet "Apollos") I teach that people must be willing to teach others the "normative pattern" of baptism as we join together to fish for men and carry out the great commission together, but that their own personal baptism must be sorted out in their own faith (1 Pet 3:21; Col 2:12; etc.).  (It would be good at this point to note that baptism in the N.T. is always accompanied with the concepts of repentance and the Lordship of Christ, teachings I find often missing for people, though not always).  This strikes at the heart of the concept of "baptismal cognizance" (how much must a person understand in order for baptism to be "effective"?).  This is indeed a tricky question, and I realize that perhaps many of my readers might disagree here on this point. I would encourage all of us to remain humble and open minded as we continue to plumb the richness of God and his wisdom, and that we beware of forcing the Scriptures into our own theological frameworks, but instead allow things to remain somewhat mysterious.  This is difficult for us as humans, but I believe this forces us to humbly submit to one greater than us and to have faith like that of a child. Which is the point. I find that the more I learn, the more I am forced to admit, "I don't know", and I have to learn how to be comfortable with that.  Hope this helps. **  I have several book recommendations that might be helpful on this topic, but perhaps a good place to start is Zondervan's counterpoint series: "Understanding Four Views on Baptism"

Previously we looked at a scenario with "Toni" and how as Christians we might help someone who is "stuck" in sexual sin, such as pornography and masturbation for instance.  "Toni" is of course a fictional character, but I know everyone can relate to this, if not personally, than you know someone who can. Toni was looking to you for help with their struggles against sexual sin, and their pattern of "falling in".  Thanks to the many people who responded with their thoughts on how to go about helping Toni (you can see the responses here).  Before I share my thoughts on how I would go about helping Toni, I want from the outset to state that this is a very difficult subject to discuss, and one that is very often difficult to understand, as we find ourselves as Christians in the dynamic tension of what the apostle Paul called the "war between the flesh and the Spirit who are always in conflict with one another" (Gal 5:17).  The dynamic tension that we feel and experience between grace and the law (Gal 3), faith and deeds (Jam 1), and our lives being ruled by the Spirit or by the Flesh (Rom 7-8; Gal 5) are very deep waters, so I don't want to offer any trite or overly simplistic responses to these difficult realities. I would want to offer a few thoughts to Toni about their struggle.  First, that the war is much longer than we tend to think, second that the war is much deeper than we think, third it's much wider than we think, and fourth is much more subtle than we think. 1.  It's a longer war A key to fighting the battle for sexual purity as a Christian can begin by lengthening your view of the battle.  If you think one week of "shock and awe" tactics and combat will win the war you are likely going to be disappointed.  I usually tell people that you didn't get to the state of brokenness with sexual sin overnight, and while Christ has come to set you free (Jn 8) it will not likely happen overnight.  If you're looking for some quick fix, magic wand to wave, easy answer one-and-done solution, then you will never really understand the nature of the fight, and likely all that it is that God is trying to teach you and show amidst the fight. The day when we are finally and truly free from sin will be the day of "completion" when Jesus return (Phil 1:6) and we will be like him perfectly (1 Jn 3:2) when all things are made new (Rev 21:5).  Much of the failure to fight well arises because we don't really understand and work well with this long truth of the battle.  Consider these two things: sanctification is a direction in which you are heading, not a destination (until Christ returns), and second that repentance is a lifestyle you are living (not a one time decision). Sanctification is a direction not a destination, repentance is a lifestyle not a one time decision. In your sanctification journey and in your ministry to others, you must operate on a scale that can envision a lifetime, even while communicating the urgency of today's significant choice.  The key to getting a long view of sanctification is to understand direction.  What matters most is not the distance you've covered, it's not the speed you're going, it's not how long you have been a Christian.  It's the direction you're heading. We love gazelles.  Graceful leaps make for a great testimony to God's wonder-working power. And we like steady and predictable.  It seems to vindicate our efforts at making the Christian life work in a businesslike manner.  But, in fact, there's no formula, no secret, no technique, no program, and no truth that guarantees the speed, distance, or time frame of our sanctification. On the day you die, you'll still be somewhere in the middle of your sanctification journey, but hopefully further along than when you started. 2.  It's a wider war Sexual sin in our culture in the Western church tends to grab everyone's attention more than a lot of other sins (though this is changing more and more in the secular culture around the church).  Take for instance gluttony or anger.  We don't tend to think of those sins as "bad" as sexual sin, although we assent to the mental truth of all sins being equal before God, we rarely live like that practically in community with one another.  Now obviously certain sins carry with them more weighty consequences than other sins, and Paul said that there is something unique about sexual sin (1 Cor 6:18), but we have a cultural influence as to what sins are more frowned upon than others, and it changes from culture to culture. It's very important to widen the battlefront and not let the "high-profile" sins blind us from seeing the whole picture.  Never should a person's entire Christian life defined and constructed around a struggle with a particular sin, such as sexual sin, though often times it can feel that this is what defines us. 3.  It's a deeper war The Bible is always about behavior, but it is never only about behavior.   God's indictment of human nature always gets below the surface, in the "heart".  Immoral behavior and sin result from a multitude of motives, many times as a result of a simultaneous combination of motives (c,f. Jam 1:14-15).  It's worth digging, both in order to understand yourself and to minister wisely to others.  As our understanding of our inner cravings deepens, our ability to know and appreciate the God of grace grows deeper still (c.f. Prov 20:5). Sexual sin is one expression of a deeper war for the heart's loyalty and primary love.  Learning to see more clearly is a crucial part of your sanctification journey.  Teaching others to have eyes open to the deeper battles is a crucial part of wise pastoral ministry.  Jesus Christ looks better and better the more we see what he is about.  He is not simply in the business of cleaning up a few embarrassing moral blots.  Deepening the battle deepens the significance of the Savior.  He alone sees your heart accurately.  He alone loves you well enough to make you love him (c.f. 1 Jn 4:19). 4.  It's a subtler war The last thing I would offer here is the idea that the battle for sexual purity is a subtle war.  Many times the obvious and more recognizable sexual sins (fornication, rape, adultery, homosexuality, Internet pornography, etc.) fade for many people as they become Christians and advance on their journey for sanctification, but the battle is never truly over, even if we might think it basically is. For example, have you ever used sexual attraction criteria in sizing up a person?  It can be a largely unconscious operation.  Subliminal radar explores, notices, registers on the wavelength of mildly sexualized desire.  You're subtly aware of a body's shape; of the cues communicated by posture and gesture; of the messages expressed through clothing, hairstyle, makeup, scent, tone of voice, etc.  This subtle attentiveness correlates to the heart's erotic attraction. When you see sin's subtlety, you realize how much our lives hang up on sheer mercy from God.  He is utterly aware of the thoughts and intentions of which we may be wholly unaware.  There is mercy here too (c.f. Ps 19:12-14).  Is it possible to alter the subtle tendencies that pattern how you look at people?  Yes.  The Holy Spirit is about this business.  But He takes time with us and works with us over time. When you personally understand your subtle sinfulness, you will never say of anyone else, "How could you do that?" or "Can you believe they did that!?"  You may never have been an adulterer, fornicator, homosexual, or consumer of pornography, but you know with all your heart that no temptation overtakes anyone that is not common to everyone (1 Co 10:13), and grasping the subtlety of the battle helps you grasp the true subtlety and scope of the work of our Savior. For a great chapter on this topic, in which excerpts here were taken, see: Making All Things New: Restoring Pure Joy to the Sexually Broken in Sex and the Supremacy of Christ #leadership #pornography #theology #sex #training #discipleship #ministry