Year: 2013

Apostolic Movements are Multi-Ethnic Movements

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About 30 Area Directors got together this Fall to talk about apostolic movements.

About 30 Area Directors got together this Fall to talk about apostolic movements.

By Chris Nichols

“Lord, at this time are you going to restore the kingdom of Israel?”

It was sometime during the forty days after Jesus had risen from the dead.  Acts says Jesus was giving them convincing proofs he was alive, teaching his disciples about his kingdom, and the coming Holy Spirit.

It’s hard to imagine what the experience was like.  In the presence of the back from the dead Jesus, his kingdom was taking on new meaning on daily basis. Yet even in the midst of that life-altering experience, the disciples could not keep themselves from focusing on their own self-interest.  They felt compelled to interpret Jesus’ return as being about restoring the nation of Israel.  They must have thought, “Finally, our people will get our due.  We will take our place as God’s people, above all others in the world.”

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Ask “why” not “what”

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By Beau Crosetto

Not all things modeled should be copied.

My wife and I were laughing about this as we watched our daughter who is 20 months trying to pee standing up because our 3 year old is now doing that.

Great idea for Noah, bad idea for Sophie.

But this funny example got us thinking about the church today and many organizations for that matter.

Many of us tend to copy straight across the board what we see modeled.

We are asking “What” are you doing instead of “Why” are you doing that?

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Water Into Wine: Are You on Empty?

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I have started writing on another blog that my friend Noah runs. It is called Purpose City. He is a good friend from Grad school and I am glad he has invited me into this project with him. Here is a recent post I did aimed at helping a seeking person.

When was there a time you ran out of something you really needed? Was it money for rent? Perhaps gas while driving over a bridge? Maybe love for a spouse?

We have all run out of important things at the wrong time – right when we need them the most, they escape us.

It brings up feelings of shame, failure, despair and even frustration.

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Is Evangelism Going Out of Style?

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I just read a great article by David Kinnaman talking about evangelism and if it is going out of style. Here is a great excerpt from the post

The Most Evangelistic Generation
They’ve been called “the social justice generation,” and for good reason—Millennials are actively taking up the cause of the poor, the oppressed, the orphan and the widow. Yet the most common critique leveled at this surge in social compassion is that it comes at a great expense. Sure, skeptics argue, they might feed the hungry and free the captives in this life, but what about the next? According to this view, Millennials are elevating physical needs over spiritual needs and forgoing evangelism altogether.

Yet the latest Barna research reveals this is not the case.

You can read the whole post here...it is great!

Are We On The Same Team?

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cpac3This is a guest post by Bex Barton. Her day job is a rockin’ stay-at-home-mum (three crazy kiddos!) She is passionate about writing, tattoos, upcycling (Google it!) and all things artsy! She believes everyone has a role to play in this beautiful, messy life (yes, even *you*!) and seeks to help them find their way back to God.

“Apostle. Prophet. Evangelist. Shepherd. Teacher. Such power in those five simple words. Such passion. Such controversy, as well.

It never ceases to amaze me how the very thing Christ was using to create harmony among us, has been such a tool for dissension.

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Would We Admire Him Today?

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Traditional Christmas Nativity Scene

[This post is part of a series called Rooted. Find the other posts here]

By Steve Stuckey

He Did Not Get on Beau’s Party Bus

You will not find his name on the APE mailing list. He would not have stormed out the door last week to be the first one on Beau’s party bus` to El Camino College. He founded no organizations or churches; never wrote a book or gave a speech (though those are excellent things). The mechanics of leadership, a topic that preoccupies many of us, did not exist as a subject in his mind.  He was not good with words, a prerequisite for all of us who write and read this blog. In fact, no words are ever attributed to him in the Scriptures. He was probably a humble, quiet man who worked with his hands and lived much of his life in the shadows of his world. When his mission in life was complete, he silently faded into the mist of history without fanfare or applause. He must have been a fellow easy to overlook, even by God. When his young fiancée was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit, a highly unusual and suspicious story, he was left to find out her situation through second hand sources.

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Do Women Have An Elevated Standing Within The Christian Community?

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By James Choung

A few weekends ago, I spoke at a conference titled “Renewing Gender Relations.” It was an honor to be speaking alongside other plenary speakers such as Dr. Mimi Haddad, the president of Christians for Biblical Equality, and Rev. Dr. Grace May, president of Women of Wonder.

I spoke on the synergy of men and women in partnership, and was led to offer a history lesson.

My main question came from the subtitle of Rodney Stark’s The Rise of Christianity: how does the obscure, marginal Jesus movement become the dominant religious force in the Western world?

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Party Bus, Planting, & Praying…Reaching Unreached Campuses

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Jon Wong, an intern at USC working with fraternity students, is sharing on the bus ride down about why he chose to go start something new for God.

Jon Wong, an intern at USC working with fraternity students, is sharing on the bus ride about why he chose to start something new for God.

Last night as a response to my talk on Acts 8 and the story of Philip and the Ethiopian, I a gave a surprising and spontaneous response to the students. I asked them if God was to invite them to “Go South” now, who would be down?

I then told them that I had a bus parked outside and I had 20 tickets for the most eager people that wanted to go to an unreached campus right now and pray.

It was 10pm and we would be back at 1am.

20 students quickly ran down and we were off.

The goals of the night were these:

  1. To see which students were the most open and spontaneous…who had the planting spirit
  2. To encourage students to care about not only their own campus but the 70 in Los Angeles. 50 of which have very little to know witness.
  3. To learn about planting and hear stories and preaching to encourage them to go “where God is wanting to work next”
  4. To pray for an unreached place and call down the Kingdom of God there.
  5. To Have fun! Planting should be fun and the most fun…I think 🙂

Check out the video and see how the driver responded! Incredible

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