The power of Forgiveness

There have been a number of instances where the deep grace of forgiveness in Jesus name has made the public domain. Below is a short clip from the trial of Gary Ridgway in 2003  known as the green river killer. He plead guilty to 48 counts of murder and rightfully deserves the punishment for his actions.

But one man Robert Rule the father of sixteen year old Linda Rule expresses the depth of Jesus love for even the most broken of people. It is clearly a difficult thing for him to do, but how powerful!

Traditional vs Missional spirituality

Over the last year or so I have been preaching repeatedly about us taking the gospel into the world. That Sunday is a gathering where we corporately get equipped and prepared to spend all week worshipping Jesus on the mission field.

Missional is a modern buzzword for an ancient idea spawned by Jesus when he prays in John 20 "As the father has sent me so I am sending you". In their book Missional Spirituality: Embodying God’s Love from the Inside Out Roger Helland and Len Hjalmarson make the following comments that I think are helpful to reflect on:

Traditional vs. missional spirituality:

Traditional is contained in buildings - missional is not.
Traditional is dualistic in that only Sunday is sacred - missional hallows each day.
Traditional God is church-based whom we worship once a week - Jesus is the mobile Messiah.
Traditional builds around priests and rituals - missional commissions all to be priests.

Some good food for thought in those few lines...

Really worth reading

Click through on the link below. Great article by Dave Kraft author of Leaders Who Last.

THESE TWO WORDS ARE CHANGING MY LIFE AND LEADERSHIP

Some great conference talks

We do not have a great number of Christian conferences in South Africa, certainly not that many with high profile, biblical and gospel hearted teachers. But we do have the incredible gift technology and so much of what happens in other places is available within a short time span in electronic online formats.

Here are some talks that are worth watching (high bandwidth warning ). They will inspire, challenge and equip you to be better followers of Jesus and better at gospel mission for Jesus sake. This material was originally posted at the Resurgence.

“THE EXPLICIT GOSPEL” BY MATT CHANDLER

The Explicit Gospel Tour – April 2012, Bellevue, WA

“Let us be men and women who understand the difference between moralism and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let’s be careful to preach the dos and don’ts of Scripture in the shadow of the cross’s ‘Done!’”

“MINISTRY IDOLATRY,” MARK DRISCOLL

Advance ’09 – June 2009, Raleigh, NC

“Idols lie by telling you they will make you righteous.”

“WHY JESUS CREATES STORIES,” TIM CHADDICK

2011 College Conference – December 2011, Bellevue, WA

“God does not condone sin—he confronts it. Love that does not confront or correct is not love.”

“HOLY SPIRIT-EMPOWERED MINISTRY,” ERIC MASON

Our Fathers & Our Future – February 2011, Orlando, FL

“Paul actually liked people. He didn't use people.”

“LEADING THE MISSION,” DARRIN PATRICK

Text & Context – February 2008, Seattle, WA

“What keeps us from loving God and loving people is idolatry.” 

“MISSION IS GROUNDED IN THE WORD,” R.C. SPROUL

Our Fathers & Our Future – February 2011, Orlando, FL

“The gospel is not yours. It’s not mine. I have no ownership of it. I didn’t write it. I didn’t invent it . . . we have received it. It is the gospel, not about God . . . it is the gospel of God. It’s God’s gospel.”

“WHY I TRUST THE SCRIPTURES,” JOHN PIPER

Text & Context – February 2008, Seattle, WA

“There should be a why in your believing of everything. . . . God is not honored by leaps into the dark.”

“FOUR POINTS OF THE MOVEMENT,” MARK DRISCOLL

Our Fathers & Our Future – February 2011, Orlando, FL

“We worship a Jesus who himself fully identifies with your suffering in a way that no other religion offers or any other god.”