Posts with the tag “seventh”

For years, we have taught that Christians should be contributors, not consumers, and participating members of a team rather than spectators in the stands. We have encouraged believers to use their spiritual gifts and take part in the mission Jesus has given His church. Yet we must also admit that some of our systems have not always reinforced what we teach. We have unintentionally made Christianity easy to consume. The church plans the events, prepares the lessons, organizes the outreach, recruits the volunteers, and provides the ministry, while everyone else can simply show up. A person can sit in worship services and Bible classes for years, accumulate an impressive amount of biblical knowledge, and still have little experience sharing the gospel, discipling another person, or accepting responsibility for someone’s spiritual growth. We can become well-informed Christians who are not actively making disciples.  Read More

The Biblical Wisdom of Stopping For many Ohio State fans, September 12 was a frustrating and painful night.The Buckeyes entered halftime leading Texas 20–3. By the beginning of the fourth quarter, the lead had grown to 23–3. The game appeared to be over.Then everything changed.Texas scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and won 24–23, completing the largest fourth-quarter comeback ever...  Read More

When the Method Becomes the MissionFor much of the twentieth century, the name Kodak was nearly synonymous with photography. Families captured birthdays, vacations, graduations, weddings, and ordinary moments on Kodak film. The phrase “a Kodak moment” became part of our vocabulary.Kodak’s success, however, created a serious challenge. The company became deeply invested in producing film and proces...  Read More