Archive for Blog

I hate being so weak!

Posted by Ron on January 24, 2018 in Blog , Christianity , Church Leadership , churches , Theology
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I hate being so weak!

I hate being so weak!  It’s the exact opposite of everything I want to be.  I want to always be strong, confident, and yes, I’d love to be better looking; however, the fact is, I’m weak and at every turn, desperately needing Jesus.  Though everything in our culture looks down on the weak and powerless, people who are unimpressive, the truth is we’re all much, much weaker than we may realize.  The funny thing is that we’re all in the weakness boat: we are all too weak to save ourselves or even hope to make the Christian life work for us at all! read more »

Supporting your church, even when you are gone

Posted by Ron on January 11, 2016 in Blog , Christianity , churches , financial
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give

Do you financially support your church, even when you are not there to attend a service?  Surprisingly, many people don’t, nor do they make up for it after the fact! So why is this such a big deal?

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Pastor looking for a church

Posted by Ron on May 23, 2015 in Blog , Christianity , Church Leadership
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Hire mePastor looking for a church.   I wonder how this would sell in today’s church climate?

As your potential new pastor…

I am committed to pray and prepare solid Biblical messages to feed and equip the flock, but that means I will not be available to attend everything else in the church.
I am committed to build a Biblical church culture that reflects Jesus Christ, but that means that I will not be obligated to fulfill your personal plans or agendas for the church.
I am committed to build Christ’s church, Christ’s way, in Christ’s timing, but that means that I will not let church fads, popular church culture or public opinion shape what I do in the church.

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Does the choice of a church name matter?

Posted by Ron on March 1, 2014 in Blog , Christianity , Church Leadership , churches
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church

The choice of a church name matters only in so far as we believe Colossians 1:18b, “…that in everything he [Jesus Christ] might be preeminent.”  In the Bible, the various names of God are a revelation of His essential nature and character.  Each name reveals what God is to the core and always corresponds perfectly with His actions.  read more »

Has a leader said no to you?

Posted by Ron on May 17, 2012 in Blog , Christianity , Church Leadership , churches
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Has a leader said no to you?  How do you react when a leader says no? Face it, most of us don’t take no to our ideas or agendas very well.  Our gut-level response to leaders telling us no is to feel slighted and rejected.  In other words, we tend to take no personally—way too personally!  Because we take it personally, the response is a mix of defensiveness, anger, offense, and even oppositional behavior—usually through some form of passive-resistance to leadership. read more »

Making disciples and water baptism

Posted by Ron on January 19, 2012 in Blog , Christianity , Salvation , Theology
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Making disciples of Jesus Christ is the goal of the Great Commission. Christ commands us to go into all of the world and make disciples of all nations and then goes on to declare that making disciples includes water baptism and teaching them to obey whatever Jesus says!  Most of us understand the importance of obeying Christ, but what is the big deal about water baptism as a part of making a disciple? read more »

New Creation and what it means to be in Christ!

Posted by Ron on January 16, 2012 in Blog , Christianity , Salvation
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2 Corinthians 5:17a, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation….”  “In Christ” is one of Paul’s favorite ways of understanding the New Creation and describing what it is to be a Christian. The best way to understand what it means to be in Christ is by comparing it to the phrase in Adam. 1 Corinthians 15:22, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”

Paul teaches that there really are two kinds of human beings on the earth now: the old people who are in Adam—and we all are born to this world in Adam—and the New Creation people who are in Christ.  Those who are born again of the Holy Spirit are now no longer in Adam, they are in Christ!  When you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ you are now “in” Christ. read more »

Consumer confidence, GDP, and the cause of Christ!

Posted by Ron on August 18, 2011 in Blog
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Economists tell us that the lion’s share of the fuel that drives our GDP is consumer spending, but the thing that moves consumers to spend is consumer confidence.  When the economic or political climate seems uncertain, consumers become fearful and hold onto their money.

Just as consumer confidence affects consumer spending, it is consumer confidence that influences giving in the local church! It might be better to say that the engine that enables the church to advance, is very much driven by the believer’s confidence and its affect on giving!

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It’s not about you!

Posted by Ron on May 10, 2011 in Blog , Christianity
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From the moment I received Christ Jesus as Lord, life ceased to be about me any more.  From now on, “For to me, to live is Christ…” (Philippians 1:21).  This is much more than just a life choice on my part (I’m now living for Christ) it is a statement of the strong spiritual reality of the Christian experience. When I received Christ as Lord of my life, I so completely identified with Christ and immersed my life into Christ that “I” simply am out of the equation!  Paul says it this way, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).  Paul goes on to say, “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again” (2 Corinthians 5:15).

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Getting refocused!

Posted by Ron on April 23, 2011 in Blog
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Hebrews 12:2, “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.” (NIV)

The idea that we are to “fix our eyes” on Jesus is a very intense and exclusive phrase in the language of the New Testament.  It means that we are to “strictly look away from something in order to give attention to one thing, at the exclusion of all else.”  It means, “to look with undivided attention” at Jesus.

In effect, the writer of Hebrews is telling us to get a ruthlessly narrow focus in our lives– to look away from all other things in order to give our undivided attention to Jesus Christ.  Since Jesus is the beginning and end of all things Christian, it only makes sense that He always remains the exclusive vision of our lives!  Look away from everything else…stop being distracted by lesser things!  Fix your undivided attention, affection, and devotion on to Jesus!  Let nothing take your eyes off of him for even a moment!

 

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