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James Nored's Posts - Missional Outreach Network for the Missional Church 2015-04-01T04:10:33Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored http://api.ning.com:80/files/9-DYVp0h-rkxii4DEI6fhitfMqHQlJti*v7DBKXL4LRM2mIcOOJlzlYp7fv0sqpZ21gtTLYX-dggPZfP*xIMAWkroiJ6fu7q/427774406.jpeg?xgip=0%3A0%3A183%3A183%3B183%3B&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1 http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=22wh655o6hjoq&xn_auth=no Praying for Our Community: This Week's Prayer - Single Moms tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2015-03-30:2422312:BlogPost:99932 2015-03-30T19:30:00.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

Our community is made up of those in a particular geographic region that we live, work, or inhabit, as well as the close and extended relational contacts that we have. Most people's communities in this day and age are wide and diverse, made up of many different demographics, social,…

Our community is made up of those in a particular geographic region that we live, work, or inhabit, as well as the close and extended relational contacts that we have. Most people's communities in this day and age are wide and diverse, made up of many different demographics, social, and religious backgrounds.

There are two passages that come most to mind when seeking to pray for our community.

"18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Ephesians 6:18).

"2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace . . . " (Colossians 4:2-6).

Taking these two passages combined, we see that prayer can be offered up for all kinds of different people in our community, that God may bless them and that they may come to know Christ more fully.

We should also pray that God helps us in our conversations with those in our community, that we may speak words of grace that bless them, and that God may help us to share a message about Christ.

So for this week, I have on my heart to pray for single mothers. I was blessed with a home with both a mother and a father, and I have a wonderful wife who is also a mother. Parenting is hard enough with two--I cannot imagine raising a family with only one parent.

And it seems that single moms have many additional challenges. Not only do they have to be nurturer and provider and disciplinarian. Women often are paid less than men, and are not always treated fairly. Children who grow up without fathers, like those without mothers, face many life challenges.

So my heart goes out to single mothers. We need to lift them up in prayer, that God may ease their burden and help them to find peace, love, and companionship.

We also want single mothers who are not practicing Christians, as with all people, to discover the life that is found in Christ. There are many blessings found in Christ, including the church, where fathers and mothers and grandparents, aunts and uncles, and brothers and sisters can be found.

We need to pray that God would bless our conversations with single mothers, that our words might be filled with love and grace, and that God would help us to share some message of our faith that might be a hope and blessings to single mothers.

I have always thought that churches that offered things such as parking spots for single moms, babysitting or oil changes for single moms, seminars for single moms, etc. were a good idea. Why? By doing this, we show single moms that we truly welcome them and want to bless and serve them--and be blessed by them. That can go a long way in helping someone desire to seek out Christ.

So this week, let us pray for, bless, and share Christ in simple ways with the single moms that God has placed in our paths!

"Father, may you bless all of the single moms this week and ease their burdens. May you help us in our conversations with single moms, that our words may be filled with grace and that you might use us to lift their spirits and their hearts. May you help us look for opportunities to bless single moms in simple ways this week. And may you help us to share Christ with single moms this week and invite them to the eternal life that he provides. Amen."

What should we pray for for the single moms in our community? How can we bless single mothers and share Christ with them in simple ways this week?
 Praying for the Lost: This Week's Prayer is for Muslims tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2015-03-27:2422312:BlogPost:99768 2015-03-27T19:30:00.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

Last week I spoke out at the Tulsa Workshop. I had two seminar sessions--one on "Reaching Out to Muslims," and another on "Reaching Out to Today's Postmodern Culture." In the study and preparation for this, I was very much convicted of the need for…

Last week I spoke out at the Tulsa Workshop. I had two seminar sessions--one on "Reaching Out to Muslims," and another on "Reaching Out to Today's Postmodern Culture." In the study and preparation for this, I was very much convicted of the need for us to have a consistent, intentional prayer ministry for Muslims and all other people who have not yet accepted Jesus Christ.

Why is this so important? Take for instance, reaching the Muslim population. Muslims who convert to Christianity can and have been killed for their faith. This happens especially in other countries, but also can happen here as well. In foreign countries it is difficult for Christians to share Christ openly. So reaching Muslims requires God making this possible.

 This past year, we had over twenty baptisms, the majority of which were adult converts. Four of these were Muslims--two young men and a young couple. God clearly brought them our way. The young couple, for instance, said that they had tried to go to a church in their [country in the Middle East], but that the Christians there told them that it was too dangerous. So they sought us out once they arrived. They said that they had been touched by the "authentic prayer" and "love" of Christians that they had visited. And they had been touched by Jesus.

 This should not cause us to not be proactive in reaching out. Our ESL/FriendSpeak ministry is a great draw for people from other countries, and many came our way last year from this ministry and others. But the lesson from the Muslim converts is that God is the one who touched hearts and lives and causes people to seek him out.

Furthermore, thousands of Muslims have reported having visions and dreams of Jesus, and this has led a great many to accept Christ. (See Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus) And they have nothing to gain and everything to lose, including their lives, by reporting a dream or vision of Christ. This is one of the things that puts credence to these dreams and visions. And we must remember that Jesus appeared to Paul in a vision some 15 years after the resurrection. Why? If you know Paul, he probably would not have been converted in any other way.

 So I have on my heart right now to pray specifically for Muslims, that God may send more our way who want to follow Jesus that we can baptize and teach to obey all of God's commandments. Our Muslim converts know others from primarily Islamic countries who are here in the US. However, they find it difficult to share their faith openly, as they have relatives back in their home country who would be killed if it were found out that they had converted to Christ. So, again, we need God to touch hearts and lives to bring more seekers our way.

 So, if you would please join me in praying for the lost. And if you can, join me this week in praying for Muslims.

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Prayer for Muslims to Know Christ

"Dear God, we thank you for the Muslim converts that you sent to us. It was such a joy to see them come to faith in your only son, Jesus Christ. May you safeguard their lives. We also pray that you will have more come our way, and that we might show them Jesus. We pray for Muslims around the world, that they may come to know you. We pray for Christians in Islamic countries who are risking their lives for the gospel, that you may safeguard them and help them reach many people for you. Amen."

 What role has prayer played in reaching the lost that you have witnessed? Have you had any experience with reaching Muslims for Christ? If so, what have you seen?

 Should we resign ourselves to a miserable, bitter life--or trust that God will change our situation? tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2015-02-26:2422312:BlogPost:99568 2015-02-26T18:13:22.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

The Book of Ruth

Today I would like to share some thoughts with you about…

The Book of Ruth

Today I would like to share some thoughts with you about finding redemption from a bitter life. Some things are naturally bitter, like tea or coffee or dark chocolate without sugar. Other things can become bitter due to the conditions of life, like lettuce. Good lettuce is fresh, explodes in your mouth, and is refreshing. Bitter lettuce is usually that brown part of the lettuce, and it tastes awful. Lettuce becomes bitter from three things—lack of water, lack of nutrients, and heat.

In the same way, the harsh conditions of life can make us bitter—things that ought not happen, should not happen, things that bitterly disappoint us. Bitterness comes ultimately from having something done to us or taken away from us, that we can do nothing about. It is that frustration, it is that ineptitude, that bring about bitterness. Bitterness comes from finding ourselves in a life or in a place which is miserable or terribly disappointing, which—and this is key--we have no hope of changing. It is the giving up of hope. It is the loss of hope. It is realizing that something has been taken, and we can do nothing about it.

In the book of Ruth, we come to a story of a bitter woman, named Noami, and her daughter-in-law, Ruth. Naomi and her husband Elimilech are Israelites, and there is a famine in the land, and so they go to Moab to find food. While there, her husband dies. Then her two sons marry Moabite women—which could not have been their mother's hope. The Moabites were the enemies of Israel. They were a people who came about from Lot's incestuous relationship with his daughter, and they worshiped evil gods. They were associated with sexual immorality, and their women often led Israelite men into idolatry. Naomi must have been concerned about the spiritual condition of her sons, just as all of us would be if one of our children married a witch or a Satan worshiper.

Then her two sons died. And she is left with no husband, no sons, and two Moabite daughters-in-law. No food. No income. No social security. No medicare. No family to take care of her.

But she hears that God had lifted the famine in Israel, and so she decides to return. She tells her Moabite daughters-in-law to stay there and go back to their gods. One of them does, but the other, Ruth, says that she is committed to Naomi, and she will follow her. Naomi's, Yahweh, will be her God. And so these two widows, one old, and one young, return to Israel. And when Naomi returns, she tells people, do not call me Naomi anyone. Call me Mara, which means, "bitter," for she says that God has made her life very bitter.

It is easy to understand why Naomi is bitter. Her life has been ripped away from her. All of her hopes. All of her dreams. This was not the life that she envisioned or deserved. Not for a follower of God. God, she believed, had abandoned her.

How many feel this way today? Bitter about their marriage, and how they have been treated. Bitter about their jobs. Bitter about being mistreated and abused. Bitter about the loss of a loved one. With no hope of their life situation changing or having what they lost given back to them. And the belief that God either cannot or will not do anything to change their situation I've been there—how about you?

What do you do in this situation? What is the message in Scripture? Some say just suck it up. Accept this new reality. Pretend it does not hurt and just move on. Be "content"—and give up trying to change your situation. Give up your hopes and dreams and settle for a mediocre, miserable, painful life of regret.

Paul does say that he found the secret of being content in every situation. But I don't know about you, but I am not Paul. And I need more hope than that. And Paul still did not want to be in a prison cell, I am sure. And the story of Ruth is not a story of resignation, but a story of hope and redemption.

And if we look closely in the story, we see God at work throughout. It says in chapter two that it "just so happens" that when Naomi and Ruth arrive back in Israel, it is harvest time—a good time to arrive if you are starving. Ruth goes to a field to pick up the wheat that the harvesters drop on the ground, which she was allowed to do under the law. And it "just so happens" that she picks the field of a kind and generous older man named Boaz who is part of the clan of Naomi's dead husband—an extended family member, when she desperately needs family. He tells the men to protect her and let her pick up as much grain as she wants.

Ruth and Naomi then have a plan for Ruth to go and pretty much sexually seduce Boaz to gain his favor. If you are a poor and desperate woman back then, offering yourself sexually was one of the few options that you had. But Boaz does not take advantage of her. He willingly takes her in, and agrees to marry her.

And furthermore, because he is a relative of her dead father-in-law, he is able to redeem the land that once belonged to Naomi's husband and provide Ruth with land. And after Boaz and Ruth marry, God blesses Ruth with a son. And it says that Naomi receives a son through this. While actually her grandson, God has given her a "son" to replace her sorrow and bitterness with joy.

And the story just gets better, because we find out that through this son down the line would be born David—who would become king of Israel! And from this line would eventually be born, hundreds of years later, Jesus—the redeemer of us all. And it is this Ruth who appears in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.

This story shows that the solution to a bitter life is not just resignation to a miserable condition, but having faith that God can and will bring about a different and better situation—that he is still alive and at work in our lives. It is about God restoring our fortunes. God changing the direction of our lives. God lifting us back to our former positions. God restoring and healing the relationships in our lives. And that, my friends, gives me hope. That is a great and glorious Story of Redemption. Today we affirmwthat was said by Job, a man who surely knew misery and bitterness--I know that my redeemer lives, and ever cares for me!

Say it with me, I know that my redeemer lives, and ever cares for me

Say it with me again, I know that my redeemer lives, and ever cares for me

May this message give you hope, that God is at work in your life, that he has not abandoned you, and that he will bring about something greater than you ever imagine.

How does this story encourage you? What do you think the solution to bitterness is?
 Redemption from a Bitter Life - A message from the book of Ruth tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2015-02-23:2422312:BlogPost:99343 2015-02-23T16:09:55.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

I am preparing a message from the book of Ruth on "Redemption from a Bitter Life." Naomi, an Israelite, moves to Moab due to a famine, and there her husband and her two sons die. She goes back to Israel, and she tells people to call her "Mara," which…

I am preparing a message from the book of Ruth on "Redemption from a Bitter Life." Naomi, an Israelite, moves to Moab due to a famine, and there her husband and her two sons die. She goes back to Israel, and she tells people to call her "Mara," which means "bitter" because she is very bitter about her life. Who would not struggle with this in her circumstance.

Bitterness is something that God warns us against. However, it is also something which God can see, emphathize with our hurting, and respond to it with redemption.

For instance, when Israel was in Egyptian bondage, it says, "They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly" (Gen. 1:14). God saw the people's misery, and he raised up Moses to redeem them.

There is another similar message of redemption in the book of Ruth . . .

What are your thoughts on bitterness and redemption? What causes us to have bitterness, and how do we overcome it? How do we share the gospel with bitter people?

 What Happens When We Break Our Promises to God? tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2015-02-19:2422312:BlogPost:99148 2015-02-19T16:00:00.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

This week I was reading the book of Judges. And if you are familiar with this book, you know that there is a common cycle that the people of Israel find themselves in.

1. They sin by following after other gods--the evil, false gods of the Canaanites.

2. God punishes them…

This week I was reading the book of Judges. And if you are familiar with this book, you know that there is a common cycle that the people of Israel find themselves in.

1. They sin by following after other gods--the evil, false gods of the Canaanites.

2. God punishes them by allowing or proactively sending their enemies in against them.

3. The people cry out to God for mercy.

4. God relents, and he raises up a judge to save them. This "judge" was a type of military leader as much as anything else (Samson, the mighty warrior, was a "judge" of Israel for 20 years). The people stay faithful to God as long as the judge lives.

5. After the judge dies, the people turn away from God, and the cycle begins once again.

This story resonates with me, as it does with most anyone who struggles with a cycle of sin, repentance, trouble, and asking God for help. When we fall upon tough times, we often examine our lives, telling God that we will change if he will only help us. Often God responds--but then we forget our promises and continue our previous lives and sins.

I have often wondered, does God write us off when we break our promises to him? Because I know that I have often failed to keep the promises that I have made to God.

In chapter 10 of Judges we find this story, which may shed light on the subject:

9 The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin and the house of Ephraim; and Israel was in great distress. 10 Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, "We have sinned against you, forsaking our God and serving the Baals."

 11 The LORD replied, "When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, 12 the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried to me for help, did I not save you from their hands? 13 But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. 14 Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!"

15 But the Israelites said to the LORD, "We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now." 16 Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the LORD. And he could bear Israel's misery no longer.

This story gives me hope, for it shows that while God initially dismisses the Israel's cries for help due to their past sin cycle, when they cry out to him, he relents. It says, in fact, that "he could bear Israel's misery no longer." In effect, God changes his mind, as he has did with Moses in his decision to destroy Israel. And he changes his mind based upon seeing the misery that the Israelites are experiencing.

So, while we ought not to purposefully presume on God's grace and forgiveness, and we ought to seek to keep our vows to him, it may be that God can still be moved to help us--again--when we are penitent and he sees our misery. And that, my friends, gives me hope.

Do you think God loses his patience with us? What about when we repeatedly break our promises to him? What do you think that this story teaches us?
 Remembering God's Promises - Lessons from Joshua tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2015-02-12:2422312:BlogPost:99029 2015-02-12T15:30:00.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored
One of our great fallacies as humans is that we forget. Our memories become faulty, and we may misremeber details.

 In college my wife and I became really close with a young couple that we knew from choir. We became such good friends that, though they were several years younger than us, it seemed like they had always been in choir with us. For instance, we kept inserting them back into our choir trip to New York, even though they could not possibly have been there then. We…

One of our great fallacies as humans is that we forget. Our memories become faulty, and we may misremeber details.

 In college my wife and I became really close with a young couple that we knew from choir. We became such good friends that, though they were several years younger than us, it seemed like they had always been in choir with us. For instance, we kept inserting them back into our choir trip to New York, even though they could not possibly have been there then. We continue to joke with them about the good New York trip that we took together.

Because of our faulty memories, we may forget something far more important--what God has done for us.

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In the book of Joshua, God directs Joshua to lead the Israelites across the Jordan River into the Promised Land of Canann, and as he does so, he embeds in his instructions things to make sure that Israel does not forget this great event. It is almost as if God knows that the people will forget.

That had been the case already for the previous generation, who, after witnessing God part the Red Sea and destroying the Egyptian armies, they quickly forgot God and bowed down to a golden calf.

 Now, God is going to have the Israelites carry the ark across the Jordan River, and as they do so, the waters will part at their feet--an act amazingly similar to that of the parting of the Red Sea with Moses. In this, God instructs Joshua to:

Have one person from each of the twelve tribes take a stone from the middle of the river bed where the ark has gone and take this to their camp and set it up as a lasting memory

Take another set of stones and set it up at the water's edge where the ark had crossed as another memorial

Set up stones in the city of Gilgal as a memorial

There are two more acts that God instructs Joshua to take that would have been memorable. First, each of the Israelite men is to be circumcised. The place that this happened was called Gibeath Haaraloth, which means, "hill of foreskins." Interesting name. The Israelites stayed there until everyone healed. That would have been a memorable event.

Second, they are to take the Passover. From this, God makes clear that he wants the generations following Joshua to remember this event as well. The stones are set up so that when their children see them and ask about them, they can tell the story of the crossing of the Jordan and entering into the Promised Land.

The crossing of the Jordan and entering into the Promised Land was an act of grace with God fulfilling his promise. The setting of the stones, circumcision, and taking of the Passover were acts of Israel in response to God's grace and promise keeping.

In a somewhat parallel way, baptism and the Lord's Supper are a response to God's ultimate gracious act of salvation of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection for us. They are to help us remember what GOD has done for us. (Do this in remembrance of me"--LUke 22:19) These acts should cause our children to ask why we are doing this--and we have a chance to tell our own story of God's gracious act towards us.

One more thing. We should remember that God's memory is perfect--except for our sins. He promises us that he will forgive us and remember our sins no more. That is part of the greatStory of Redemption!

How do you remember what God has done in your life? How can we better help one another remember? How can we better remember in our families?

 Outreach and Evangelism Tip/Idea #5 - Equip Teens to Start Evangelistic Bible Study at School tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2015-02-05:2422312:BlogPost:99201 2015-02-05T16:00:00.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

Story of Redemption 1.1. - "Intro and In the Beginning" (from Love and Creation) from James Nored on Vimeo.

In thinking about and planning for outreach, we often only focus on adults. And yet teens (and even those younger) can be incredible evangelists for…

Story of Redemption 1.1. - "Intro and In the Beginning" (from Love and Creation) from James Nored on Vimeo.

In thinking about and planning for outreach, we often only focus on adults. And yet teens (and even those younger) can be incredible evangelists for the Lord.

Here is an example and a proud father moment. My daughter, Gina, started a Bible club/outreach at her school yesterday called J.O.Y. --Jesus, Others, and You. She had eight students and four teachers attend! And it was just two years ago that she was baptized!

 In the meeting, they went through lesson one in the Story of Redemption. The question from the lesson that generated the most conversation was, Where do you see God in creation?

 Rather than merely bemoan the fact that school officials cannot lead prayers and the like, let's instead equip our teens to reach out in their schools and wherever else they may be.

You can check out the study that was used by the teens, as well as accompanying videos, at www.StoryofRedemption.com. It can be used by both teens and adults!

 3 Reasons to Connect Each of Your Core Values to a Biblical Narrative/Story tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2015-01-24:2422312:BlogPost:99004 2015-01-24T19:40:57.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

This weekend I have been blessed to participate in a "StratOp" retreat with Stan and Gena Granburg, directors of Kairos Church Planting, and the Richardson East Church of Christ. This type of retreat helps the church define their mission, vision, and values--and…

This weekend I have been blessed to participate in a "StratOp" retreat with Stan and Gena Granburg, directors of Kairos Church Planting, and the Richardson East Church of Christ. This type of retreat helps the church define their mission, vision, and values--and just as importantly, make plans to live these out.

I want to focus in this post on Core Values. Core values are beliefs and behaviors that are central or core to the church and its members. They are the convictions from which most everything else flows. Or at least, this it is what it is supposed to be. Unfortunately, these items simply become words on a page that do not impact the church and how it functions.

At the retreat, we took some possible core values and put them in the context of a narrative. For instance, how did the people of Israel realize their God given mission and vision of entering into the Promised Land of Canaan and claiming it as their inheritance?

One of the ways that Israel accomplished its mission and vision of receiving the Promised Land was by being willing to take risks. This "taking risks for God" could be thought of as a core value. This value is well exhibited at many times in the biblical story of Rahab and the two spies who came into Jericho. The spies had to trust that God would protect them as they went in, and that Rahab would not betray them. Rahab also had to take a risk in joining into the spies' and Israel's mission.

This narrative leads to a possible articulation of a core value of "taking risks" as the following: "Our bold God will lead us to take uncomfortable risks, partnering with those inside and outside our walls to accomplish the impossible [or to accomplish our mission and vision]"--and this core value is attached to the biblical story of Rahab.

Here are three reasons to attach a narrative like this to a core value:

1. Narratives make the core values memorable. It is often embarrassing how few people in a church, including its leaders, can articulate something like their core values. But narratives/stories are much harder to forget!

2. Narratives help define what the core value really means. Just using "taking risks" as a core value, without defining, might lead to all kinds of different understandings. Take, for instance, using "sharing" as a core value. Does this refer to sharing our faith, sharing our possessions, sharing our sins? A biblical narrative story, such as the woman at the well who shares her faith, could very much help define with "sharing" means. Attaching a biblical narrative/story to a core value is much better than simply attaching a single verse which may be ambiguous without context and little defined.

3. Narratives help us see ourselves in them. That is why, for instance, Israel repeatedly referred back to the Exodus as their defining story. This biblical story gave them hope, and they saw how God could, just like with Israel in Egyptian bondage, powerfully respond and save them. So as a church assigns biblical stories/narratives to their core values, they can begin to also add to this defining stories on this core value from TODAY.

What if every church and all of its members decided to make this idea of taking risks for God one of their core values and lived it out? Would not many more people be reached for God? If we want this to happen, we will attach defining biblical and modern day stories to each of these core values.

What are your church's core values, whether written or simply assumed? What biblical stories/narratives could you attach to these core values? What modern day stories could be added to these core values as well?
 Coffee Shop Conversation Manners - 7 Ways to Lovingly Talk with Seekers tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2014-11-25:2422312:BlogPost:98147 2014-11-25T16:47:55.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

In their book Coffee Shop Conversations, Dale and Jonalyn Fincher have a…

In their book Coffee Shop Conversations, Dale and Jonalyn Fincher have a section on how to talk in loving and grace-oriented ways with seekers. Whether these spiritual conversations happen in a coffee shop, at the workplace, or in a neighbor's house--or in a Bible study--their "Manners on Loving Discourse" are helpful.

Manner #1 - Respect One Another
This is common sense, right? Who would want to consider what someone has to say if they are not being respected by that person?

A good point made by the authors is that what we say about that person or people like them--i.e., Muslims, or atheists, for examples, or Republicans or Democrats--when they are not around often reveals our true feelings about that person or group of people. And if we do not show them respect in those settings, that attitude is going to spill over and be apparent when we do have conversations that person.

In addition the authors make excellent point that the other person is on a spiritual journey, and we have much to learn from them as well. These authors ground that perspective in the understanding that every person is made in the image of God. Missional authors would add that it is because the Spirit of God has been sent out into the world, and he is working in every person's life.

Manner #2 - Step Into Their Shoes
This one is difficult for us, particularly the more different that the person is or the further that they are from our belief system. Truly stepping into another's shoes means that we seek to think about, understand, and acknowledge what a person believes and why those beliefs have meaning and value for them.

For instance, for a person who is in a homosexual marriage, do we understand why that relationship might have meaning for them, why it might be difficult to set aside, and perhaps what in that person's story led them down this path--even though we do not agree with this lifestyle? (In reaching people for Christ, we share Christ first, then morality, not the other way around. But that is a whole other discussion.)

If we do not step into that person's shoes, then we will likely discount their feelings, minimize their struggles, and fail to emphatically talk with them about their lives, God, and faith.

Manner #3 - Wrestle On Your Own
Part of active listening is genuinely considering another person's point of view, without automatically jetisonning it. God can use the perspectives of seekers to prompt and prod us.

So we should take seriously the thoughts and questions of seekers, such as the hypocrisy of Christians, the problem of evil and suffering, spiritual abuse in the church, and the like, and pause before giving our pre-determined answer.

In the midst of the conversation we should show that we are genuinely considering their ideas, and maybe even spend the next week thinking about their questions before coming up with an answer. And not all questions have to be answered or can be fully answered by us!)

Manner #4 - Never Judge a Thing By Its Abuse
Who of us as Christians would want to be judged by the Crusades, or sexual abuse in clergy, or televangelists? And yet, we often pick out the worst thing or worst behavior of those in another religion and beat that down to prove our faith's superiority.

There is a time and place for comparative religion. But we should avoid stereotyping and only looking at the worst that a religion has to offer. Not all Muslims are terrorists and behead people. Not all atheists advocate hedonism or the lack of a moral system.

Manner #5 - Update Your Opinions of Others
Sometimes we may think that we have a person figured out. But as we actively listen and get to know people, we should allow our views of them to be updated to match where they currently are in their lives, belief system, and spiritual walk. Sometimes this is most difficult to do with family members or others with whom we have had a long association with.

Manner #6 - Share Your Personal Experiences
This is, as I have always said, the one thing in our postmodern culture that we have the right to do in regards to spirituality. Each person has the right to experience God on their own terms in our culture, and ostensibly each person's experience is to be respected.

Sometimes, of course, Christians and their experiences are the exception, and they and their views are automatically excluded from the public square. But if this is so, then it is due to the fact that for so long we owned the square and did not want anyone else sharing their viewpoint. The backlash on that is to be expected as the percentage of the US population that is Christian continues to decline.

But regardless of that, on a relational level, there are few things that can impact people more than hearing a personal, life-changing experience of God.

Manner #7 - Allow Others to Remain Unconvinced
The authors make the point that we should not expect people to change their viewpoints and come to faith in Christ in one conversation or overnight, so to speak. We should allow time for God and the Spirit to work on their hearts and minds and change their lives.

We should still at some point call on people--or, rather, invite--people to follow Christ. With most seeker interactions, this is the gap that is more common. But for the "pushy evangelist," this is a good thing to know, remember, and understand.

It is also the reason why almost no one today walks into a worship service and decides to be baptized in the course of a single sermon. Most seekers are just too far away from God or have had too many bad experiences or real questions that they must deal with in order to take that step. So the next time someone tells you that you need to preach more "gospel" sermons (by which they do not mean the gospel, but the response to the gospel), ask them if they understand how people come to faith today.

Many older generations who may have seen thousands of people be baptized in the 1940s or 50s may not understand that the world has changed, and people no longer are at the same place in their spiritual walk, nor do most of the methods and messages of the past resonate with people today.

This book is pretty quick read, and it gives some good insights into the types of things to say or not say in spiritual conversations, attitudes that are helpful or not, and that type of thing. I would have found the book much more helpful if the authors had shared more of the real live conversations that they have had with seekers to illustrate what to do or not to do. It is rather ironic that they had so few of these, and just went to the summaries of their experiences.

If people are struggling with how to interact with seekers, and have a very old-style, throwback type of method of talking with people about Christ/conversion, then this book could be of help. For those who are familiar with this approach, the book just serves as a reminder or summary of a better approach for today.

From your experiences, what should we do or not do/say in our spiritual conversations with seekers? Which of the above points seem most important/helpful to you?
 7 Simple Ways to Reach Out/Bless Someone this Thanksgiving - A Missional Thanksgiving! tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2014-11-21:2422312:BlogPost:98325 2014-11-21T14:59:02.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

Thanksgiving is a great time of food, family, and fun (the fun in our family includes watching the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving game!). But did you know that Thanksgiving is also a great time and opportunity to reach out.

Here are seven simple but powerful ways to reach…

Thanksgiving is a great time of food, family, and fun (the fun in our family includes watching the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving game!). But did you know that Thanksgiving is also a great time and opportunity to reach out.

Here are seven simple but powerful ways to reach out this Thanksgiving and have a "missional" Thanksgiving. (A thank you to ministry friends Tony Williams and Patrick Luse for sharing some of the ideas!)

Invite a FriendSpeak/ESL student or other Internationals over for Thanksgiving. (As this is an American holiday, they may not have experienced this before.)

Invite a neighbor or co-worker and their family over for Thanksgiving. (Many people have moved here and do not have family close by.)

Adopt a family in need and buy and bring them a Thanksgiving meal.

Take a Thanksgiving meal and/or toiletry items/socks down to a homeless ministry and share it with them, or take a meal to a nursing home. Write a card to them giving thanks to God.

Write Thanksgiving cards with a snack and personally deliver to co-workers/neighbors, writing in the card how you are thankful for that person and their families.

Make "Black Friday" shopping a day in which you take your kids to look and shop for others in need to give away.

Have unchurched friends, neighbors, or co-workers over for indoor or outdoor games, or go together to dinner and a movie. Build a relationship with them this holiday!

What other ideas do you have of how to reach out and bless people this Thanksgiving?
 Outreach & Evangelism Tip / Idea #3 - Pay to "Boost" Facebook Posts of Church Gatherings and Events tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2014-10-02:2422312:BlogPost:97716 2014-10-02T05:00:00.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

Tonight we had one of our "Coffee House" events at our church--a night of music (sung and played), art (painted by our members and displayed at our gathering), and spoken word (poetry, short readings--even a rap from our interns back in the summer). We are doing this…

Tonight we had one of our "Coffee House" events at our church--a night of music (sung and played), art (painted by our members and displayed at our gathering), and spoken word (poetry, short readings--even a rap from our interns back in the summer). We are doing this once a month on Wednesday nights, and it has been well received.

 Over the last year, we have been "boosting" our church's Facebook posts each week of church gatherings, events, service opportunities, videos, etc. This boosting places the post in the newsfeeds of those who are targeted for this advertisement/sponsored posts. There are two basic ways to boost Facebook posts: 1) send out the post to people for whom you specify their demographics (age, sex, city/town, interests, etc.); or 2) send out the post to those who like your Facebook page already, and their friends.

We have done a combination of both of these types of targeting. We have emphasized the demographic/area targeting to expand our church's potential reach and put us into contact with new people, but have also done the second type of targeting to reach friends of friends. Both are valuable and helpful in reaching people.

Over the past year, our church's Facebook page has gone from around 500-600 likes to nearly 8000. While Facebook has limited the number of people who have "liked" a page who can see a natural (non-boosted post), the increase in likes of a page is helpful, because when you pay to boost a post with the second type of targeting, you are reaching more and more people who have already shown a predisposition to your church by liking your church's Facebook page.

Also over the past year, we have had several new members and new Bible studies that have started through this Facebook targeting. This has included people, for instance, who saw and liked our Son of God movie outreach, people who saw and liked our seeker Bible study/Story of Redemption study, and this week, people who saw and liked our Coffee Shop gathering.

 As you can see from the above screen capture of our church's Facebook page, a family saw the Coffee Shop Facebook promotion and said, "Hi, we are the Gorman family. We recently moved and are looking for a good church to attend in the community. May we attend this event?" And we quickly replied, Of course you can! I followed up with introducing myself on Facebook and sending a friend request.

 Well, tonight, this family came and joined us for Coffee House! We were singing and playing when they came in, but I was greatly pleased to see that a number of our members had noticed them and were talking to them and making connections. When I came up to them, I did not recognize their faces. But because of our interaction on Facebook, I already knew their family name and remembered it!

 There were several work connections among our members. He was from Iowa (where my wife is from), and she is from Korea. She spoke English fairly well, but when she found out that we had an ESL program, she was very interested in this. We introduced her to the person who runs our ESL/FriendSpeak program, and this family talked to members and other ESL students and teachers well into the evening. In fact, they were still there talking when I left--which is very rare, as we are usually the last to leave.

 So, boosting Facebook posts can be an effective way to reach out, make new connections, and expand the church's relational circle. It really is an amazing tool that is a very cost effective means of advertising. Of course, as the above story relates, this advertising must be combined with personal interaction, monitoring the church's Facebook page for inquiries and likes, and a friendly church that is open and receptive to guests when they visit.

 I hope that this outreach and evangelism tip is helpful for you!

 How have you used Facebook to reach out and share the gospel?

 Outreach and Evangelism Tip / Idea #2 - Invite Unchurched Friends & Neighbors to Give to or Serve in Social Justice Ministries tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2014-09-25:2422312:BlogPost:97701 2014-09-25T18:00:00.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

Jesus calls us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick. And if we do this to even "The Least of These," we have done this unto Christ (Mt. 25:40). So there are so many reasons to reach out to the poor in those in need in our community. It meets a need. It shows kindness. It brings…

Jesus calls us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick. And if we do this to even "The Least of These," we have done this unto Christ (Mt. 25:40). So there are so many reasons to reach out to the poor in those in need in our community. It meets a need. It shows kindness. It brings glory to God. And as Mt. 25:40 shows, through this service, we encounter Christ.

 I have served in mainly upper middle class suburban congregations. Sometimes these congregations have still had a poorer population nearby the church, and we have helped those in financial need there. Sometimes, however, we have provided food, clothing, and financial help to people in an adjoining city.

While there are families and individuals who are served in this way who can be reached for Christ, sometimes the socio-economic differences between the church and those served can sometimes make those served feel uncomfortable in an affluent suburban church. There are ways to overcome this, but as a follow-up to Outreach & Evangelism Tip / Idea #1, I want to highlight the opportunity that for suburban congregations to also reach those in different socio-economic levels through "social justice" ministries.

Inviting people who are unchurched/seekers to serve alongside us is often an entry point for connecting with seekers. There are also many who have been blessed financially, had financial struggles growing up, or whole generations like the Millennials who may be particularly drawn towards social justice ministries. And when we minister to the poor in Christ's name, we encounter Christ himself--which can help people along in the conversion process.

Here is an example of this in work. At where I serve now, we have a homeless ministry called the "Least of These"--started by a group of Millennials on their own, and now adopted by our church. Besides going down and feeding and praying for the homeless in downtown D.C., those in this ministry have come up with a "Socktober"--a month in October where people can donate socks and toiletry items to the homeless through our church.

I posted the message below on our church's Facebook page, and on my personal page. I then posted this in a neighborhood Facebook page, and finally, share this directly on the page of some of our neighbors. I shared it and said, "I thought that you guys might be interested in this." I got almost an immediate response, asking, when do you need the items by? This is from a great family who gives to various causes, serves many people, but had a bad church experience and does not go anywhere to worship.

 Many people, if asked directly, are glad to be asked and are happy to serve and give in these simple ways. This helps draw people closer together, and draw us closer to God. And through this ministry, they encounter Christ.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Here is my post:

HAPPY SOCKTOBER! - Hi to my Virginia friends and neighbors! I wanted to share with you a service opportunity. We are part of a homeless ministry for downtown D.C. called The Least of These.

One way that we are seeking to help the homeless this time of year is through "SOCKTOBER." Socktober is a collection during the month of October of socks, as well as hygiene items, for the homeless. Last year we collected over 700 socks! This year, rather than just collect socks, we will be asking people to donate a hygiene bag which includes a pair of NEW socks and/or a winter hat and gloves. This is in response to frequent requests from our homeless friends for specific items.

If you can help us in this ministry, that would be great. The entire hygiene bag can be purchased for under $5 per bag at Dollar Tree (with new socks purchased from Target, Walmart, etc.). The hygiene bag would include:

Socks
 Deodorant
 Toothbrush/Toothpaste (combo in bag)
 Chapstick
 Lotion
 Soap
 Comb
 Tissues

We see mainly men on the streets, so hats/gloves for men would be appreciated as well. If you would like to donate towards this, then you can purchase these items, place in a bag, and either drop them off at our church, or give them to Becki Nored and I to bring to the church. Our church address is: Fairfax Church of Christ, 3901 Rugby Rd., Fairfax, VA, 22033. www.fxcc.org703-631-2100. Thank you!!

How have you seen people reached by inviting into social justice type of ministries?

 Outreach & Evangelism Tip / Idea #1 - Reach People by Inviting People--and Companies even!--to Serve the Community With You tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2014-09-22:2422312:BlogPost:97893 2014-09-22T00:12:41.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

Tonight was a fantastic night of service for those going to the Dominican Republic family trip this December. My girls, Gina and Emily, were able to serve alongside other families in checking the Magi boxes, making sure that they were ready for…

Tonight was a fantastic night of service for those going to the Dominican Republic family trip this December. My girls, Gina and Emily, were able to serve alongside other families in checking the Magi boxes, making sure that they were ready for shipment.

But what really made the night was that the person who leads this ministry had the great idea of inviting Kohl's department store employees to come out and help us assemble these boxes. Kohl's, like a growing number of companies, emcourages/requires their employees to do community service hours. So they sent out six employees to come tonight to serve alongside us.

I struck up a conversation with several of the Kohl's workers. One, Stephanie, moved here a year ago from Colorado (on October 7--the same day that I started officially at Fairfax!). Stephanie grew up in Cambodia and was adopted at age eleven. And she lives in South Riding, where we live! It appeared that some in the group had an Arabic background, with at least one dressing in typical Muslim garb. If so, it was great to be able to hopefully exhibit God's love as we interacted with them this evening.

Another great thing from this meeting is that we were able to get to know each other a bit because we shared a meal together in the middle of the service project. Food always brings people together and allows conversation to flow and connections to be found. With one of the workers living in South Riding, and--my wife being a frequent Kohl's shopper--there is an opportunity to make a longer term connection.

Also, I asked the group if they would be interested in letting us know of other service opportunities at the church, including our Backpack Food ministry for Kids (our partnership at Brookfield elementary school, in which we provide good over the weekends for students in need), they said, oh, yes, we should do that! So we will seek to schedule this with the Kohl's manager. Over time, who knows who we might get to know, serve alongside, and share our faith with.

Remember in reaching out, that for many people today, they are drawn to service, and that may even be the first point of contact with someone in reaching them Christ. So don't just serve people--call others to serve alongside you. It is easy to ask, and you don't have to be a Bible scholar. Praise God for a great night! I pray that God helps bless these connections over the coming weeks and months!!!

How have you seen unchurched or seekers reached by inviting them to serve alongside with Christians?
 Meet Jacinta, a Seeker from Mozambique, and Hear her Story of Redemption tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2014-09-15:2422312:BlogPost:97771 2014-09-15T04:00:00.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

Today we were blessed to have a study with a woman named Jacinta. She starting worshiping with us about three weeks ago, after being directed towards us by one of our church leaders who works for a local non-profit.

Jacinta checked on her connection card (member/guest card) that she was interested in a seeker Bible study. We have this listed as a prominent type of response that people can check on their card, which helps in setting up these studies. So we got…

Today we were blessed to have a study with a woman named Jacinta. She starting worshiping with us about three weeks ago, after being directed towards us by one of our church leaders who works for a local non-profit.

Jacinta checked on her connection card (member/guest card) that she was interested in a seeker Bible study. We have this listed as a prominent type of response that people can check on their card, which helps in setting up these studies. So we got together and went through lesson 1 of the Story of Redemption so that she could join the Tuesday night Story of Redemption seeker study that we started at our house last week.

As always happens when studying with seekers, I was moved by Jactina's story of God working in her life. Jacinta is from Mozambique--a country in Southeast Africa. As we went through the first lesson in the study, and then played the opening video (which was filmed out at a beach in Malibu), she remarked how she loved the ocean, having grown up in a country which opens to the Indian Ocean.

We went through some of the seeker questions that people often wrestle with God about, including why there is so much pain and suffering in the world. We also talked about what evidence points toward a Creator, and she cited the beauty of the world as well as inexplicable things happening to her that seemingly only God could bring about.

Jacinta had never dreamed that she would come to the US, but about ten years ago she fled an abusive situation. She noted that if she had not gone through this, she would never have come to the US. So she saw God at work in this, that God could bring good out of anything. This is, of course, the Christian story, that through the cross, God brought about our redemption. And resurrection follows death.

In going through the account of Adam and Eve, in which they were "naked and without shame," Jacinta had an interesting analogy from Africa. We all know little children--whom Adam and Eve most resembled before sin entered the world--also feel naked without shame. Jacinta said that in the neighboring country of Swaziland, children lack this sense of shame up all the way before adolescence sets in (12 or so). Then, after marrying at a young age of 13 or so, their awareness of themselves is suddenly awakened.

It is always interesting to hear the perspective and stories of seekers, but here in this area, there is the added dimension of meeting people who are from countries all around the world. I must meet a person from a different nation each and every week!

Just in this one study, I was already blessed by Jacinta and touched by her story of God. She said that when she was contacted about doing the seeker study, it was on a night that at that time she had a conflict on. They were both good things. So she prayed to God to have him decide for her. It turned out that God seemed to make very clear to her what she ought to dot. She is joining the study--the other event got canceled!

Jacinta said that she was glad to share her testimony of how God has been with her through her trials, especially if it would help someone else. So I share with you a bit of her story! Jacinta also has 2-3 friends that she said would be interested in being part of a seeker small group if it were closer to Centerville. We had another woman come and worship with us this morning who is also from Centerville (another DC suburb nearby). So we may soon get a study started in Centerville.

All that I can say is, God is at work! There is a fertile field here, and God is opening all kinds of doors to reach people for Christ.

What do you think that we can learn about God from seekers? What studies have you been a part of, and what are 2-3 three things that perhaps you learned from these types of studies?
 BEWARE-5 Ways that Satan Will Viciously Attack a Church that Reaches Out tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2014-09-06:2422312:BlogPost:97444 2014-09-06T20:05:03.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

I love sharing the gospel, seeing people come to faith, equipping others to reach out, starting missional movements within a congregation. I hope that, no matter your gifting, that is something that you want to see happen too.

While this is the church that God…

I love sharing the gospel, seeing people come to faith, equipping others to reach out, starting missional movements within a congregation. I hope that, no matter your gifting, that is something that you want to see happen too.

While this is the church that God calls us to be--we are fundamentally a church on mission--this is not the church that Satan wants us to be. And he will viciously attack any church that begins to reach out to the community, bring people to Christ and into the kingdom of God. Then his kingdom is threatened, and his attack is frighteningly fast and furious. I have seen this happen time and time again.

Even Jesus went through this. What happened immediately after Jesus' baptism? He was led out into the desert, and Satan through out temptation after temptation, mocking Christ, and seeking to thwart him from his mission. And he does the same when we begin to live on mission and reach out.

How does Satan attack? In many ways:

False Accusations - Satan literally means "the accuser." One way that Satan attacks is that he starts stirring up trouble and making false accusations against people. Motives are assumed and hearts are judged--despite God's clear warnings about doing such.

Lies, Dishonesty, and Distortion of the Truth - Satan is called the father of lies. He uses lies and distortions of the truth against churches and church leaders. People justify their lies and other sins

Gossip and Slander - As the book "Gossip and the Gospel" indicates, the Greek word for slander comes from the word diabolos. Gossip and slander is truly Satanic, as it destroys church leaders and churches and causes members and church leaders who get caught up in this to miss where God is at work, destroying the lives of others.

Robbing of Joy and Focus on the Wrong Things - Satan does not want churches to rejoice when lost people come to faith. The church is a social system, and like most social systems, what gets celebrates gets imitated. So the best way to cut that cycle is, rather than rejoicing at changed lives and conversions, have the church focus on the wrong thing. Financials, petty issues, personality differences-anything that Satan can use distract us and have us harm others and ourselves

Fear - Fear, we are told, is not of God. Satan uses fear to paralyze church leaders. All it takes is one or two people to make a complaint, and church leaders can imagine that there is a crisis--and then make decisions (or do not make decisions) out of this fear.

Fear prevents people from going to those that they need to talk with about some issue or sin that has been performed against them, allowing the relationship to continue to suffer, causing people to assume the worst about one another, and creating more division. Fear causes churches to not make tough decisions, tolerate bad behavior, and shrink back from decisions that can help churches grow and reach the lost. Fear prevents us from sharing the gospel.

Note these verses:
"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love" (1 John 4:18)

"... for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control" (2 Timothy 1:7).

"8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid" (Mark 16:8).

Let's not let Satan win. Let's not fall into his traps. Let's not unwittingly, like Peter when he rebuked Jesus about going to the cross, be used by Satan by evil. And let's certainly not do these things that we know are wrong. Let's encourage. Let's lift up, not tear down, let's not assume false motives, but believe the best of one another. Let's not run others down but build one another up. THAT is godly. The other behavior is Satanic. It really is.

How do you see that Satan attacks churches or individuals who seek to reach out and reach people for Christ? How do we defend ourselves, churches, and church leaders from these attacks?
 BEWARE-5 Ways that Satan Will Viciously Attack a Church that Reaches Out tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2014-09-06:2422312:BlogPost:97664 2014-09-06T20:00:00.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

I love sharing the gospel, seeing people come to faith, equipping others to reach out, starting missional movements within a congregation. I hope that, no matter your gifting, that is something that you want to see happen too.

While this is the church that God…

I love sharing the gospel, seeing people come to faith, equipping others to reach out, starting missional movements within a congregation. I hope that, no matter your gifting, that is something that you want to see happen too.

While this is the church that God calls us to be--we are fundamentally a church on mission--this is not the church that Satan wants us to be. And he will viciously attack any church that begins to reach out to the community, bring people to Christ and into the kingdom of God. Then his kingdom is threatened, and his attack is frighteningly fast and furious. I have seen this happen time and time again.

Even Jesus went through this. What happened immediately after Jesus' baptism? He was led out into the desert, and Satan through out temptation after temptation, mocking Christ, and seeking to thwart him from his mission. And he does the same when we begin to live on mission and reach out.

How does Satan attack? In many ways:

False Accusations - Satan literally means "the accuser." One way that Satan attacks is that he starts stirring up trouble and making false accusations against people. Motives are assumed and hearts are judged--despite God's clear warnings about doing such.

Lies, Dishonesty, and Distortion of the Truth - Satan is called the father of lies. He uses lies and distortions of the truth against churches and church leaders. People justify their lies and other sins

Gossip and Slander - As the book "Gossip and the Gospel" indicates, the Greek word for slander comes from the word diabolos. Gossip and slander is truly Satanic, as it destroys church leaders and churches and causes members and church leaders who get caught up in this to miss where God is at work, destroying the lives of others.

Robbing of Joy and Focus on the Wrong Things - Satan does not want churches to rejoice when lost people come to faith. The church is a social system, and like most social systems, what gets celebrated gets imitated. So the best way to cut that cycle is, rather than rejoicing at changed lives and conversions, have the church focus on the wrong thing. Financials, petty issues, personality differences-anything that Satan can use to distract us and have us harm others and ourselves.

Fear - Fear, we are told, is not of God. Satan uses fear to paralyze church leaders. All it takes is one or two people to make a complaint, and church leaders can imagine that there is a crisis--and then make decisions (or do not make decisions) out of this fear.

 Fear prevents people from going to those that they need to talk with about some issue or sin that has been performed against them, allowing the relationship to continue to suffer, causing people to assume the worst about one another, and creating more division. Fear causes churches to not make tough decisions, tolerate bad behavior, and shrink back from decisions that can help churches grow and reach the lost. Fear prevents us from sharing the gospel.

 Note these verses:
 "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love" (1 John 4:18)

 "... for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control" (2 Timothy 1:7).

 "8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid" (Mark 16:8).

 Let's not let Satan win. Let's not fall into his traps. Let's not unwittingly, like Peter when he rebuked Jesus about going to the cross, be used by Satan by evil. And let's certainly not do these things that we know are wrong. Let's encourage. Let's lift up, not tear down, let's not assume false motives, but believe the best of one another. Let's not run others down but build one another up. THAT is godly. The other behavior is Satanic. It really is.

How do you see that Satan attacks churches or individuals who seek to reach out and reach people for Christ? How do we defend ourselves, churches, and church leaders from these attacks?
 Is the Bible Really Intended to Be Read Individually--or in community? 5 Reasons Why Communal approaches are Best tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2014-09-02:2422312:BlogPost:97513 2014-09-02T07:30:00.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

As a good product of the Reformation movement, I applaud the fact that billions of people around the world have access to a Bible, should they choose to have one.

Historically, I realize that the translation of the Bible into the vernacular German, combined with the printing…

As a good product of the Reformation movement, I applaud the fact that billions of people around the world have access to a Bible, should they choose to have one.

Historically, I realize that the translation of the Bible into the vernacular German, combined with the printing press, helped put thousands of Bibles into the hands of non-clergy. As people began to read the Scriptures, they saw that many practices in the church at that time were contrary to Scripture. This very much fanned the flames of the Reformation, leading to Protestantism.

And it is through this historical lens and heritage, whether knowingly or unknowingly, that we uphold the value of individual Bible study and tell people not to trust what those church leaders (insert preachers, elders, pastors) think. Read and discover for yourself the truth. The assumption is that the church is ever on the precipice of being led wildly astray, with the only thing keeping that in check is the lone individual, studying on his or her own, to keep the church/church leaders honest.

Sound familiar? This view of Scripture, which was very much shaped by the Reformation movement, was only more intensified during the Restoration Movement. In fact, we (our fellowship) often assumed that "denominitions" and denominational leaders were just insincere people who did not really believe in the Bible, and who just threw Scripture away whenever it suited their purposes.

The stories that we seemed to love the most were of people who just picked up a Bible in isolation, read the Bible, and just came to conclusions based on "common sense" and the simple, "plain reading of the text." These conclusions, of course, led them straight to our fellowship, affirming both that they were "honest" in studying, and that we were the right church, the church found so clearly and obviously in Scripture. And they reached those decisions "on their own," not being influenced by bad church leaders.

Here is a favorite verse on this: "Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true" (Acts 17:11). If people in denominations would just read their Bibles more, then they too would see the "obvious truth" of Scripture. And if they had studied and came to different conclusions, well, then, something must have been wrong with their hearts.

Again, sound familiar? I have heard stories told of people in prison who did just the above, and concluded that we were the true church found in Scripture and none other. Stories of people who just read the Bible completely on their own, and showed up one day at a church in our fellowship saying that they wanted to be baptized.

But is this individual approach to Bible study uninfluenced by others what the Bible teaches us to do? Is it even possible--or desirable?

We must remember that the biblical world did not have a printing press, and scrolls were rare and exceedingly expensive. But yet we uncritically read into texts post-printing press, post-Reformation ideas--such as that the Berean Jews in Acts 17:11 were studying off on their own, individually, with their own Bibles, rather than studying communally. There are many other passages in the Bible in which we read into them individual study, where that was almost impossible for the average person to do in those times.

The biblical world was largely an oral culture, and Scripture was passed down from generation to generation with the vast majority of the people, orally. In fact, the New Testament was not written down for decades after Christ had lived, died, risen, and ascended into heaven.

Most of the letters of the New Testament were clearly intended to be read to the congregation, and were addressed to congregations and congregational leaders. This reading and hearing of the word in churches followed the pattern of the synagogues, in which the synagogue ruler would take out their "Bible" (the Old Testament)--a very rare and precious scroll--and read it aloud to the Jewish "congregants."

 Note these Scriptures:

 - "After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea" (Col. 4:16).

 - "I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters" (1 Thess. 5:27)

 - "Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near (Rev. 1:3).

 In referring to the Old Testament and synagogue, note Acts 15:21: "For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath."

When major decisions came up or points of doctrine needed to be decided in the New Testament, we see that they were done communally. The most expanded example of this is the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15, in which the apostles/missionaries and elders met to ponder the question of whether or not the Gentiles should be required to follow the Law of Moses. The gospel itself was at stake here!

 This is what was recorded about this decision making in Acts 15:28: "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following . . . . " It was not that someone went off on their own, discovered "the truth," and then came back called people back to the light. No, this was a communal practice, in which the church leaders, congregation, and the Spirit was involved.

Ironically, some of the few times in the Old Testament in which individual study was clearly intended--such as the requirement that the king of Israel write out his own copy of the Mosaic Law--points towards the importance still of leaders in discerning and upholding God's commands. This is why the bad elders are admonished in Ezekiel 34, and the elders are again warned in Ephesus in Acts 20 of wolves sneaking in among the sheep.

 - "When [the king] takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests.It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees (Deut. 17:18-19).

 " - 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God,which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock" Acts 20-20).

 Clearly in both the Old and New Testaments, there was still a great need for leadership. Other than the prophets, who directly heard from God, there is not painted the image of an untrained person, studying on his or her own, going down the true path and calling others back to this plain common sense reading.

I definitely acknowledge the power of the Scriptures. My mother read to me Bible stories every day--a practice I have sought to model in my own family with my own children. I preach from a text each week (which is a communal process). The Story of Redemption primarily followers the narrative of Scripture. As one of my former colleagues said, "Have you read this study? It is all Bible."

But it is simply not possible to read the Bible off on one's own and read it without any cultural lens or biases. Usually, as one of my professors put, when someone goes off on their own with Scripture and comes up with something completely new and unheard of before we can it heresy.

And in the first few centuries after Christ, there were people such as the Gnostics who would read into the Scriptures Gnostic thought. But it was the Christian community, who had passed down the oral sayings of Jesus and some who had heard him in person who said, no, you cannot read/hear the text that way. We were there with Jesus, and that is not what he meant. They had what came to be called a "rule of faith" in which they would compare whatever was being taught to the faith that Jesus and the apostles had taught. In other words, Christianity--both then and now--is a historical faith, passed down from generation to generation.

So, we should treasure the fact that we have Bibles so easily and readily available to us. But the strong evidence in Scripture is that the discernment of the Scriptures (and hearing it and following it) was and is a largely communal act. We need the interplay of the Spirit and Christians to best hear, listen to, and follow the word of God.

Where do you see the emphasis is in reading/listening to the Scriptures?

 REAL STORY - The Power of a Plan, an Invitation, and PRAYER in Starting a Seeker Bible Study! tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2014-09-02:2422312:BlogPost:97320 2014-09-02T01:00:00.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

Does prayer make a difference in reaching out to others for Christ--including starting seeker Bible studies? Does having a specific time and date and plan for a seeker study matter? Is there power in making a specific ask of people?

The answer to these questions is…

Does prayer make a difference in reaching out to others for Christ--including starting seeker Bible studies? Does having a specific time and date and plan for a seeker study matter? Is there power in making a specific ask of people?

The answer to these questions is YES!

1. A Plan

Recently, I began to plan starting a new seeker Bible study on Tuesday nights. Why Tuesdays? Well, one new friend that I made from the Son of God movie outreach that we had earlier this year said that Tuesday was the night that she could do a seeker study. Then, a few weeks ago, one of our guests at church checked on her "connection card" (member/visitor card) that she wanted to be a part of a seeker Bible study and place membership with us. And one of our members who had started a one on one Story of Redemption study with one of her friends indicated that she would be interested in helping with our Tuesday night study.

So I sent out a message to these three, telling them about our intent to start a new seeker study on Tuesday nights. I asked them to check with their friends and see if they would be interested in joining the study. And I sent this message out to some of our outreach people, and asked them to pray about this study:

"My wife and I are looking at starting a seeker small group study at our house on Tuesday nights, probably starting Tuesday, Sept. 9. Looking at perhaps a 7:00 or 7:30 start time (this can be adjusted), with some dessert and then about 45 minutes of study. If you or a friend of yours are seeking to draw closer to God and want to be a part of this, please let us know! We will try to match up different Christians and seekers with those that they might relationally connect to."

Notice that we planned a specific time and date around 2-3 people who we thought would be willing and interested in be a part of this study. Then we began asking those people, asking them to invite their friends, and asking others to pray for this study. Then we trust that God will begin to work to answer our prayers and a full group will form. You have to sometimes just pick a time and date and go with it. Being vague is not helpful, as people have busy lives and full schedules.

2. An Invitation

 I also sent out this message to some of our outreach people:

"We will go through an introductory seeker study called the Story of Redemption. It starts at the very beginning of the Bible, assumes no prior knowledge, and asks questions like who is God, why are we here, what purpose does God have for my life, why is there pain and suffering? We will look at love, grace, faith, and the life of Christ. We will pray for each and just help one another through life."

This helps tell our people know how to invite someone into a study in a seeker-friendly way--mentioning some of the questions that seekers tend to have, that people do not have to have previous Bible knowledge, etc. Letting people know that it is a short study lasting eight weeks (not indefinite) can also be helpful.

 People must be actually invited, specifically, into a study. There is great power in the ask, especially if you show people that you love and care for them. Then there is . . .

 3. The Power of Prayer!

 So now I want to tell you what is happening with the seeker Bible study that we are putting together for Tuesday nights at our house. Tonight I was outside talking to one of our neighbors, who is from India. I asked them if they spoke Telegu, which is the third most spoken language in India (spoken by millions), and they said that they did.

I told them that about the Story of Redemption seeker study, and that one of my native minister friends from India was working on a translation of this study into Telegu. I asked if they could look this over and see if everything translated well for them, as I am seeking to put together little translation teams for the study in different languages--and it would be a good way to introduce them to God's story. They said that they would be happy to do this!

Love and Creation (Intro, Part A) in Part 1 of the Story of Redemption

 Then I told them about the Tuesday night Story of Redemption seeker study that we were planning on having at our house, and I asked them if they would be interested in being a part of this study. And they said YES!

 God will work wonders, if we will but ask him and be willing to invite others. I would ask for your prayers for this study, that God may bring a wonderful group together, and that together we would learn to love God, one another, and the world more deeply. I am overjoyed at those who have said that they want to join us learning God's great story for our lives.

 What questions do you have in starting a seeker Bible study? If you have started one of these, how did you do this? How did you see God at work in this, answering your prayers and opening people's hearts?
 Applied Sociology: Is Making Community the Target of Small Groups a Mistake? tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2014-08-26:2422312:BlogPost:97303 2014-08-26T17:00:00.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

One of the areas that church leaders and seminaries would do well to read and train in the area of sociology, the study of how individuals and groups of people interact with one another, for three primary reasons:

The church is a social system, or community, and a…

One of the areas that church leaders and seminaries would do well to read and train in the area of sociology, the study of how individuals and groups of people interact with one another, for three primary reasons:

The church is a social system, or community, and a study of this field can provide valuable insights into how a church functions, how to build "social capital," how to recognize, evaluate, and provide solutions for social diseases, and how to bring about positive change.

In order to understand how to reach people for Christ in a particular area or people group, it is important to understand how that particular people/people group/community functions, what its areas of deficiency are in which the gospel can provide an entryway and healing, reaching people for Christ, and what is appropriate and inappropriate for said people group. Anyone interested in evangelism or missions would do well to understand this.

"Social Capital," the strong ties and good will of people towards one another/community has been on the decline for decades. Hence, lack of community is a major area of brokenness in our highly individualized, consumer-driven, mobile society.

 There are many implications for this. For instance, community often has to be created in order for the gospel to be spread widely in the US and other Western countries, unlike, say, in tribal societies, where chiefs can be converted and entire villages follow suit. Conversions of "whole households," as is seen in the first century world of the Bible, are more likely to happen in first generation immigrant communities in the US that are much more tight knit, than in urban settings.

 Furthermore, "group conversion" in suburban areas is only likely to happen in neighborhoods that structurally and culturally are intentionally built for community, or through common affinity groups such as sports teams. Even then, however, these "decisions for Christ" are often made individually, even if a conversion of one family in the group impacts another.

 Community is attractive, and its appeal in outreach and evangelism is often underestimated, causing Christians to place too much emphasis upon individual witnessing and not enough upon the witness of, say, small and mid-sized groups in evangelism. We are much more attractive to seekers collectively, where God's love can be witnessed, than merely on our own.

Ironically, however, community is most especially formed not by pursuing it on its own, but through the pursuit of profound common goals and experiences. Like happiness, community is a by product. In his book, The Sociology of Community Connections, author John G.Bruhn writes,

Jose y Gasset once pointed out that "people do not live together merely to be together. They live together to do something together" (Wrong, 1976, p. 78). The error, according to Wrong, lies in conceiving of community as an end in itself, apart from the activities and functions that bind people together, and apart from those values that constitute a shared vision of life. The achievement of community, he said, cannot come from pursuing it directly, but only as a by-product of the shared pursuit of more tangible goals and activities (Wrong, 1976). [bold added]

John G. Bruhn. The Sociology of Community Connections (Kindle Locations 324-327). Kindle Edition.

This is why making community the goal of, say, small groups, problematic. There is only so much of building a sense of community and closeness that can be achieved by sitting around and drinking coffee. Certainly, that is a step towards community, but after awhile, the conversations grow stale and people lose interest.

What binds a small group together? The pursuit of meaningful goals together. And there is probably nothing that binds a group together more than the pursuit and practice of mission as a group. There is no need to debate whether mission or community or spiritual formation or worship is "more important." Obviously, those with a missional theology definitely have a perspective on this. However, it can certainly be observed and experienced that mission may be the best catalyst of these other three. (See Alan Hirsch)

Think of this. When mission is pursued, and a small group begins reaching out to a particular people group or goes on a short term mission trip, the experience bonds the group together more than just about anything else that they might do. They become a type of community with strong relational bonds. The mission causes them to pray together, study about how to reach people for Christ, reflect and commune with God. And when they worship together, they have stories and experiences to share that bring praise and glory to God. God becomes the God of today, who is alive and active, not merely the God of history.

This example from small groups and how they bond and form community is hopefully helpful in illustrating the importance of understanding sociology for churches and church leaders.

What other applications of sociology do you see for churches? Do you agree or disagree that community is most strongly achieved as a by product, rather than as an end by itself? Why or why not?

 Top 10 Ways Churches of Christ in America Can Survive and Thrive in the "4th Great Awakening" tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2014-08-21:2422312:BlogPost:97561 2014-08-21T22:00:00.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

Today I received a call from a dear woman who has a sweet spirit and tender openness towards God. I had added her to one of our outreach groups, as I felt that she had a heart for reaching broken people with love and tenderness.

She mentioned that I had put her in…

Today I received a call from a dear woman who has a sweet spirit and tender openness towards God. I had added her to one of our outreach groups, as I felt that she had a heart for reaching broken people with love and tenderness.

She mentioned that I had put her in that group. I said, yes--but if she did not want to be in it, she could just drop out. She said, no, she was touched by this, that she had often wanted to have a valued role in ministry, but had had those desires squelched because she was a woman. But she was feeling a call, using language like, "born again." What she was describing was a spiritual awakening in her life.

And in something that surely is not coincidence, when she called, I was reading from a book called Christianity After Religion: The Death of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening by Diana Bass, with plans to write this blog post on this very topic.

Since our fellowship (Churches of Christ) chooses to be "ahistorical" (we don't care what Alexander Campbell believed, Martin Luther, or anyone else--we just follow the Bible--is our rather naive saying), many church leaders are unaware of or give little credence to the various Spiritual awakenings in American history.

But these historical events ought to be noted, for they give us insight into what is happening in our world today, and what will happen in the future. The comments below reflect insights and research from Christianity After Religion, with my own application to our fellowship.

There are three generally recognized "Great Awakenings" in American History:

1st Great Awakening (1730-1760) - This was the breaking away of churches from European styles of church government, freeing churches to be more indigenous in the US.

2nd Great Awakening (1800-1830) - This was a breaking away from the hold of Calvinism, with an emphasis on free will, "voluntary church membership," and "benevolence work. The leaders of the first generation of Churches of Christ in America grew up during this time, and were largely influenced by this movement in many ways.

3rd Great Awakening (1890-1920) - This involved a growing concern for the "social gospel" and the rise of Pentecostalism

Bass cites William McLouglin, who proposes that we are now in a 4th Great Awakening, a time which began in the 1960s. This awakening could be called many things--a shift from a modern worldview to a postmodern world, a shift from church to Jesus (for Christians), or a shift from institutional religion to spirituality.

These movements are a mixed bag, as they always have excesses. The current spiritual awakening, for instance, has seen the excesses of "religion" in 9/11, and now some 15-20% of the population are agnostic, atheistic, or simply not claiming any form of religion.

But in general, these awakenings have brought about spiritual renewal, as they have critiqued the religion of their age and sought to find a better or more complete answer to the longing in our souls. The pattern that bass identifies in these awakenings is the following:

There is a "crisis of legitimacy" in which religious adherents can no longer make sense of their religious heritage

There is "cultural distortion," in which people conclude that their crisis is due to the institution to which they belong.

"Significant individuals or communities begin to form a new vision"

As the vision starts to form, small groups of people/communities begin to form a new way

The larger institution eventually sees the validity of the awakening and adopts it

These Great Awakenings appear to be God initiated in many ways, or God at least used them, to end ineffective and out of step leadership models, show the importance of the Holy Spirit, value women, end slavery and begin the civil rights movement, and more.

In this book, Bass also goes through the three aspects of the psychology of religion--believing, behaving, and belonging, and she shows how the progression of religion and spirituality today is first, belonging (Jesus called the disciples together before he taught them), behaving (Jesus sent out the disciples to proclaim the kingdom and heal the sick, before they truly understood who he was), and believing (finally, Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ--but still does not fully understand this until the resurrection).

So what does this awakening mean for Churches of Christ? How can we look through this cultural maelstrom and not only survive, but thrive? Here are some predictions of how a small group of churches are or will seek to adapt and respond to the Spirit's leading and the culture's legitimate critiques.

Mission, with a strong emphasis upon both social justice and the message of and about Jesus, will become both the stated and in reality driver of the church's leadership, funding, energy, etc. People will be reached through invitation into community (belonging), and will both serve together (behaving) and be served in their areas of brokenness, and then will come to faith in Christ (believing) and with an active call towards believing/trusting in the one whom they have been following and to seal the relationship with the community that they have found.

Leadership will become decidedly about finding and empowering new leaders to fulfill the vision that God has put on their hearts. No longer will church leaders be the people to seek to control others and control the Spirit, but to empower others and let the Spirit lead them.

Churches will modify or change how they do Spiritual formation. Large Bible classes will be replaced or supplemented with groups that do life together, meet at many different times and locations, meet virtually, etc.

Worship will truly be seen as 24/7, breaking down the dichotomy between Sunday and the rest of the week, helping to curb the hypocrisy and the cynicism that it breeds today. This understanding of all of life and all that our body does being lifted up in worship to God will end many of the current arguments about worship. Worship will increasingly touch both the heart/emotion and the mind, the "right brain" and the "left brain," Artists and non-artists will both have things that speak to their soul. Men, women, children, teens, young adults--all will be seen and valued.

There will be a greater fellowship between Churches of Christ and Christian churches, Baptist churches, and many Bible and non-denominational churches, and a partnership with other fellowships on many social justice issues. In a rising cultural tide of non-religious, atheism and antagonism towards Christianity, increasingly we will see what we have in common with other fellowships and learn to value, support, and learn from one another.

Technology will be used to help people practice spiritual disciplines, and will supplement face-to-face interactions more and more. For those in certain fields such as health care or emergency response workers who must work on Sundays, they will find a form of community online.

Giving will be increasingly tied to local and global mission--seeking the lost, serving the community, and sharing the good news--because of the values of the huge Millennial population, and because of the increasing awareness that we simply must concentrate on mission in our post-Christian world.

Women will be increasingly valued, upheld, and commissioned as they were in the New Testament--as great servant-leaders, missionaries, and "prophetesses." Women will share their stories of God at work, tell of their missionary journeys, and lead others to Christ. They will not be seen as or feel like second class citizens.

These churches will be the first to serve the marginalized and come to their aid for healing. Like the good Samaritan, these churches will minister to homosexuals, prostitutes, and other marginalized groups first, showing their love. Then out of an extension of their love, they will share the gospel and its call upon our lives.

The freeing, life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ and the call to love God and others will be front and center in preaching, teaching, and daily life. This is what the church of Christ will be known for, as Jesus said that we would be. We no longer will be known primarily for what we don't do, for our worship controversies, or anything else that is of secondary importance. This will be a post-issue driven church, that does things in line with love, the gospel, and Christ's mission.

How do you think that churches and individuals should respond to this 4th Great Awakening? What should be kept or emphasized, and what should be jettisoned or de-emphasized?

 How Do We Reach People for Christ? - 5 Lessons From Colossians 4:2-6 tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2014-08-14:2422312:BlogPost:97102 2014-08-14T15:00:00.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

How Do We Reach People for Christ? - The Apostle Paul was one of the major writers of the New Testament and one of the greatest evangelists who ever lived. In the close to his letter to the church in Colossi, Paul wrote:

2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3…

How Do We Reach People for Christ? - The Apostle Paul was one of the major writers of the New Testament and one of the greatest evangelists who ever lived. In the close to his letter to the church in Colossi, Paul wrote:

2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone (Colossians 4:2-6).

From this passage, we can note five things to do to bring people to faith in Jesus.

Devoted Prayer - Nothing happens without God. Who are we praying for? A study of successful church planters indicated that they prayed for the lost three hours per day! Thom Rainer's book, Effective Evangelistic Churches, also show the linkage of these churches to prayers for the lost--prayers in worship, Bible classes, small groups, and individually. Who are you personally praying for every day to come to faith in Christ?

Clear Proclamation - Proclamation is about telling others about Christ and the kingdom of God. Who are we sharing our faith with? Our culture tells us not to talk about God in subtle and not so subtle ways. While pushy presentations are not effective today, the one thing that we do have the right to do is talk about our own experiences. And so we can "proclaim" the gospel by sharing what God, Christ, our church has done for us.

Wise Action - When around those who have not yet committed themselves to Christ, we ought to be very wise in what we say and do--do not be judgmental, for instance, or focus on morality at first, but Christ, who transforms.

Looking for Opportunity - If we pray, God will provide opportunities for us to reach people for Christ. Are we making the most of these opportunities? Or are we complacent?

Graceful Conversation - Paul says that our conversation should "be always full of grace." Is that how people perceive us? Do we gripe and complain, curse and belittle, or are kind words of encouragement and blessing upon our lips to those who do not yet know Christ?

Which of these five things do you thing are most missing from our lives/outreach ministry? What would happen if we did all five of these things consistently?
 Who do People Say Jesus Is? tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2014-08-14:2422312:BlogPost:97094 2014-08-14T06:00:00.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored
 In the events leading up the "Great Confession," Jesus had done amazing things. He had cast out demons, healed diseases, fed five thousand, and literally walked on the water.

To us today, it would seem clear that Jesus was doing things that only God could do. But for many, there was a confusion or…

In the events leading up the "Great Confession," Jesus had done amazing things. He had cast out demons, healed diseases, fed five thousand, and literally walked on the water.

To us today, it would seem clear that Jesus was doing things that only God could do. But for many, there was a confusion or blindness as to Jesus' true nature. In fact, throughout Mark's gospel,

Jesus repeatedly tells people to not reveal that he was the Son of God. This is what scholar's often refer to as the "Messianic Secret"--that Jesus purposefully withheld his identity early in his ministry.

But the time would come when Jesus would confirm his true identity:

27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?"

28 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets."

29 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

Peter answered, "You are the Messiah."

30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

Why would Jesus conceal his identity for so long? The likely reason is that the people of that time had a mistaken view of what the "Messiah" was to be. Some thought of him as a religious holy man, others as a military leader. The idea that he was God in human form was mind blowing.

Today, many misunderstand who Jesus is. Some see him as a good man, but not God. A great teacher, but one among many. A challenge to the authorities, but not the authority for their lives.

There are many reasons for this lack of understanding, from conscious rejection of Jesus as Lord to simple ignorance of the biblical message. Sadly, however, people often reject Jesus because of the lives of the Christians that they see.

This is why living an authentic life following Christ is important in reaching people today. We might be the only "Jesus" that our unchurched friends may ever see. But we must not simply live a moral life. We must serve as Jesus did, in his name. And even invite seekers to come and serve alongside us, for as we minister to the poor and do other ministry in Jesus' name, they will encounter Jesus--perhaps for the first time.

Who do your unchurched friends say that Jesus is? How do we help them to come to know Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God?
 7 Ways to Make VBS More Evangelistic and Reach People for Christ! tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2014-07-28:2422312:BlogPost:97165 2014-07-28T19:30:00.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

Vacation Bible School was once billed as an outreach event. And indeed it was at one time. Unfortunately, today it is often merely an event for our own children. So, how do we make VBS more evangelistic.

Pray for this event,…

Vacation Bible School was once billed as an outreach event. And indeed it was at one time. Unfortunately, today it is often merely an event for our own children. So, how do we make VBS more evangelistic.

Pray for this event, that God will send seekers the church's way. Evangelism does not happen without God!

Give Members Invite Flyers to Hand out to their Unchurched Family Members, Neighbors, and Friends.

Send out a Flyer to the church's visitor mailing list (a list of all visitors who have come to the church for worship or for an event), local pre-school the church may have a partnership with, other children's community groups that members might have a connection with (boy scouts, etc.)

Have a final VBS event night where parents come and watch a VBS video (of course they will be looking for their kids), share a meal or desert, and have members mill about and meet the visitors/guests.

Have something to drop off at the homes of those who visited that they will want to receive. For instance, take a picture of each child in his or her VBS T-Shirt, by a VBS set piece during VBS. Then, print these pictures and deliver them to family's home, along with a church brochure. Thank the family for coming, ask them if they have any prayer requests, and make a light invitation to worship. Also, create a follow-up team to send email, Facebook messages, and texts out to those who have attended, thanking them for coming, asking if they have questions, inviting to worship, telling of future children's ministry events, etc.

Have a follow-up event for children or an event that would be of interest to their parents (such as a parenting or child safety seminar). Invite those who came to VBS to come.

At all of these interaction points, have naturally friendly and evangelistic people at these events who are free to roam around the foyer and make connections with people, get contact information, and personally follow-up with an area of interest and need.

Let me give you a vivid example of how this works. Today I met a woman named Jenny in the foyer when she was waiting to pick up her kids from VBS. She said that she had recently moved here. I asked if it was for her job, and she said, It was because of divorce.

Immediately I felt that this was a "God moment," that God had deliberately brought the two of us together right then. Why? Two of our new members, Shannon and Jennifer, have been talking about having more ministries for single mothers and those going through a divorce. I am working to help facilitate/explore this.

When I told Jenny about this, and asked her if she was interested in getting together with them, she said yes! It is so great to see God at work in this way! Please be praying for our VBS and those being held around the US right now--that God will help us make these connections and impact people for Christ.

What do you think are some ways to make VBS more evangelistic?

 My Powerful God Encounter and "Blessing" Today with Karyn, a FedExOffice Worker tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2014-07-16:2422312:BlogPost:96895 2014-07-16T22:00:00.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

Wow. So each week, I and others in our seekers group commit to trying to bless three people each week (for both Christians and non-Christian/seekers) in simple ways that show them the love of God.

So we try to think of and look for and pray for opportunities to bless people. And the fact that we come back together each week and share our "God stories" that comes from this helps ensure that we follow through with this commitment.

So today I was looking and praying for someone to bless. I had to go to FedExOffice to overnight a package. The FedExOffice is right down the street a couple of blocks from the church in the Greenbriar shopping center. As it is nearby, I go to this FedExOffice quite often.

And I also note a woman that works at this FedExOffice named Karyn. She is one of the friendliest, kindest, most helpful workers at one of these stores that I have ever seen. I actually hate mailing things--standing in line, getting the right package/envelope, etc. It takes forever, and it is a real pain.

But when Karyn is there, she all of a sudden makes this trip a joy. She smiles, greets me and everyone else warmly, will go and grab the right envelope/box, package it up, and speak to you in a way that makes you believe that she really wants to help you and would deliver the package herself if needed.

 I have seen Karyn numerous times over the last many months. The first time that she served me when I came in she mentioned about she could not "be there" on Sunday. Having never seen her before, I assumed that she was a member or guest at the church where I minister. Since I was new, perhaps she had seen me some other time at church and knew me from that. For months I thought that she was a church member.

So today, when talking with her, she mentioned how she used to live in the Dallas area. I asked where in Dallas, and she said, "Mesquite, TX." I said, "I used to live in the Dallas area too--McKinney, TX."

So I asked her, "Did you go to a church down there?" This was a natural question if she was a church member here. But she said, "No, I'm not very religious. That is fine if others are, but I had a really bad experience with churches growing up." She went on to tell me that she had gone to funeral school down in Texas, had worked in a funeral home for many years, but that then her own family started dying, and she got really sad and depressed and could not handle it any more.

I empathized with her, apologized for the bad church experiences that she had had and the loss of her family members, and I told her that I would be praying that she had some better God and church experiences.

Then I left.

And I thought--wow, this kind, helpful woman just shared some pretty important parts of her life and past with me. Clearly she had hurts--and yet, still a tender and helpful heart. How could I bless her and help her in some way overcome these experiences and reconnect with God and perhaps his people?

So, I went to the Hallmark store, picked out a card that spoke of gratitude for kindness, and wrote the above note in the card. And I bought a gift certificate to a restaurant nearby to the FedExOffice. I simply wanted to thank her for her helpfulness and kindness, and to offer to pray and be of help to her in any way (our church is just two blocks away).

So I came back in and handed her the card and told her what it was for and why. And tears came to her eyes. She said, "Oh, thank you so much," as her eyes watered. "That means the world to me."

The world is a hard place. Life is tough, and filled with worries, stress, and disappointments. Filled with pain and loss. It can be a lonely world, in which people feel disconnected from God, and unfortunately, those who ought to be of most help to them--Christ-followers--sometimes cause them the most pain.

But sometimes the simplest act of kindness/blessing in the name of Christ, thoughtfully and genuinely given, can lead a person back to God. Even bring tears to their eyes.

Jesus came to seek and save the lost. But most everyone time he spoke and shared a message, he healed people. He touched people. He blessed them, humanized them, and showed that he cared. This, my friends, is the mission that we are called to. To bless others in the name of Christ, and to lead others to him.

Reggie McNeal, one of my teachers at Fuller, said, "We don't need an evangelism strategy. We need a blessing strategy." Start blessing people in the name of Christ--and the same people multiple times, out of genuine love and care, and see what God can do.

If we all just blessed three people like this every week, as a church, in every church across our country and in the world, how many people would change their view of Christ-followers, and of God, and come to know him? I suspect, millions. Let's do this. Let's bless people in the name of Christ and see what God will do!

What stories do you have of how God has used a simple blessing to help impact a person for Christ/lead them to Christ?
 Have you read any of these design magazines or gone to their websites? tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2014-07-14:2422312:BlogPost:96965 2014-07-14T20:30:01.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored
 I am reading a great book right now entitled "A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future." It is really about how certain global and cultural changes are moving us from a heavy left brain emphasis to a much more balanced left-right brain world.

 I will share later some of the…

I am reading a great book right now entitled "A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future." It is really about how certain global and cultural changes are moving us from a heavy left brain emphasis to a much more balanced left-right brain world.

 I will share later some of the great applications that this book has for ministry. However, I thought that this list from the book of design magazines and websites might be of interest. Here they are:

Ambidextrous—A project of Stanford University's d. school, this quirky magazine explores the craft of design and the nuances of design thinking. (More info: www.ambidextrousmag.com)

Dwell—One of the most respected shelter magazines, Dwell has an ethic of public service and environmental responsibility that helps it stand out. (More info: www.dwellmag.com)

HOW—This terrific magazine mostly focuses on graphic design. It also has lots of smart business advice, reading recommendations, and an annual design competition that's a great source of ideas. (More info: www.howdesign.com)

iD—This award-winning magazine is well known for its Annual Design Review, which singles out the year's best designs—and for the iD 40, which introduces readers to up-and-coming designers. (More info: www.idonline.com)

Metropolis—With a strong emphasis on construction and materials, this magazine offers tremendous insight into the built environment. I also like its coverage of sustainable design. (More info: www.metropolismag.com)

O Magazine—Oprah Winfrey's publication, which bears its creator's design sensibility, is one of my three favorite magazines of any kind. Period. Read it, know it, live it. (More info: www.oprah.com/omagazine)

Print—Another great graphic design magazine, this one is known for its voluminous Regional Design Annual. (More info: www.printmag.com)

Real Simple—One designer I know calls this magazine her bible. Its theology is straightforward: "to bring clarity to everyday tasks, so readers can focus on what really adds meaning to their lives." (More info: www.realsimple.com)

Pink, Daniel H. (2006-03-07). A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future (pp. 90-91). Penguin Group. Kindle Edition.
 The Hobby Lobby Case - Can We Count on the Supreme Court to Preserve Our Religious Freedom?? tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2014-07-03:2422312:BlogPost:96719 2014-07-03T15:00:00.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

This past week there was a landmark Supreme Court decision regarding Hobby Lobby--a privately held, family owned religious craft and bookstore company based in Oklahoma--and religious freedom. In a narrowly framed 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that companies of this nature could not be compelled to offer health care plans to their employees that covered contraceptives that cause abortion…

This past week there was a landmark Supreme Court decision regarding Hobby Lobby--a privately held, family owned religious craft and bookstore company based in Oklahoma--and religious freedom. In a narrowly framed 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that companies of this nature could not be compelled to offer health care plans to their employees that covered contraceptives that cause abortion post-conception if it violated their religious beliefs.

One of the senior counsels for this very public case happens to be a wonderful member at the Fairfax Church of Christ, where I worship and minister (Lori Windham, pictured at the podium above).

There are always people who see things differently on these types of issues, but many Christians in the US saw this case as a key test as to whether or not Americans would be able to continue to practice freedom of religion, a principal on which our nation was founded.

There is no direct comparison between religious freedom in the US and religious freedom in the first century time in which Jesus lived. The Jewish faith was a recognized religion by the Roman Empire during Jesus' time, and the Jews were afforded many religious accommodations.

There were, however, still many religious and legal debates, such as whether or not the Jews ought to pay taxes to Caesar, a pagan ruler. The Jews were prevented from unilaterally dealing out the death penalty, despite what the Torah (Old Testament) said. And the Romans would install and depose of high priests whenever they chose, rather than these high priests serving for life.

Jesus answered the question of taxes cleverly, saying "Pay to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." Other religious freedom questions/dilemmas, such as who was the legitimate high priest or whether the Jews should seek to carry out the death penalty without going through the Roman law system, as required by the Romans, Jesus seemed to have left unanswered.

Increasingly, however, Christians in the US must brace for a culture that is becoming hostile to Christians, a Christian worldview, and certainly, Christian morality. We will soon have to make choices between being true to God and facing at the least loss of income/job/tax breaks, or accommodating and not being true to our faith and principles. I have long advocated a positive approach to culture as much as possible, a la Paul in Acts 17, and that is still a wise choice whenever possible.

But if all that is upholding religious freedom in the US is Supreme Court decisions by a 5-4 vote, then we are only one vote away from this being taken away. We must brace for the inevitable move towards laws, ruling, and political leaders who are unsympathetic to our beliefs and religious rights.

As our culture is swiftly moving away from any kind of Christian worldview, we may soon find more kinship with Daniel and his friends under the Babylonian Empire. Even there, remember, the Israelites were told to seek the good of the city, as it would help both the city and them prosper. But despite their faithful service, they still faced the lions' den , , ,

And God saved them. And he continued to elevate them in the Empire. And the pagan king declared the praises of the true God of Israel.

Now, more than ever, we must place our faith in God to protect us, provide for us, and to re-convert our nation for Jesus Christ. This will be accomplished primarily through prayer, loving and firm stands, and by sharing Christ with those around us. If we ever were lackluster in sharing the gospel and teaching our own children, surely now we must wake up to a culture that is changing right before our very eyes. May God be with us, and may we be faithful and share Christ!

What cultural and legal changes in regards to Christianity and religious freedom do you anticipate happening in the next 5, 10, 15, or 20 years?
 5 Reasons You May Be Ineffective in Sharing the Gospel tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2014-07-02:2422312:BlogPost:96631 2014-07-02T04:00:00.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

I love sharing the gospel with people. And I love seeing people start following Jesus and be baptized into his name.

This past Sunday, Vololona (2nd from the left in picture above) and her nephew, Earnest (2nd from the right in picture above), were baptized into Christ! They…

I love sharing the gospel with people. And I love seeing people start following Jesus and be baptized into his name.

This past Sunday, Vololona (2nd from the left in picture above) and her nephew, Earnest (2nd from the right in picture above), were baptized into Christ! They are originally from Madagascar, and we came to know them through our ESL/FriendSpeak ministry. It brought such joy to our church to see them make this decision! We stood and clapped and praised God, and they cried tears of joy.

One of our church members said after this baptism, "Thank you for your (nice words here) . . . It has been a long time since we have seen this baptistery used like this." Of course, we had had a baptism the previous week of a young man from Liberia. But I got her point.

The church where I recently moved to is a wonderful church--it is loving and grace-oriented. There is good soil here! But it has not by and large been a church that has had many adult converts over the years, despite it being a rich mission field.

Throughout my various church tenures and through various outreach seminars and church consulting, I have always sought to help churches reach people for Christ. From out of this experience, I want to share five reasons why many churches may be ineffective in sharing the gospel and reaching people for Christ.

Lack of Effective Evangelistic Preaching.
 By this I do not mean preaching that is exclusively aimed at bringing people down the aisle to be baptized. Most unchurched seekers are simply too far away from this point to make a life changing decision in the course of a 25-30 minute sermon. We are not by and large speaking to people who know the basic gospel story, and simply need to be taught a little bit better about baptism.

 By "effective evangelistic preaching" I mean three things. First, preaching that impacts people's lives, is biblical, relevant, practical, and makes people want to come back and tell others of their experience. People will not invite their friends if they do not believe that they will have a good experience.

 Second, preaching that moves and motivates people to reach out to those around them, through Scripture, story, inspiration, etc. One of the most effective way to do this is to retell conversion stories or stories of those whom God used to reach others for Christ (video is a good format for this).

 Third, a preacher who models a life of mission and upholds others who do as well, changing the heroes of the congregation from mere Bible students to Jesus followers who "fish for people." Unless a church regularly sees and hears this modeled and upheld as being at the core of what the church is called to do, a church will not become evangelistic.

Lack of Training of Members in How to Reach Out.
 Are there members who care little about the lost? Sure. That is a heart problem--one to be tackled with #1 above and much prayer.

 But most members (and churches) simply do not know how to reach lost people. They may live in a church bubble and do not know many lost people. They may think that they have to be eloquent presenters or teachers (they do not) to reach people. They may be scared (this can be overcome).

 I have found giving people simple strategies, such as regularly blessing lost people/seekers in simple ways, sharing meals with them, and praying for them create all kinds of opportunities for God to help them reach their unchurched family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Telling people who do not know how to reach out to do so simply creates guilt or apathy. Show & tell!

Lack of Non-Threatening, Socially Appropriate Outreach Gatherings/Events.
 As Americans, we think far too individualistically in our reaching out. We fail to realize that people are drawn to community, and that we have a far greater witness in community. Many Christians just try to share their faith individually.

 While we do have an individual witness--and this is where we often must start--we should seek to do outreach communally and invite people to experience Christian community as soon as possible. That means inviting a Christian friend to go with you to meet up with a seeker, having dinners and social events where Christians and seekers can meet, and yes, inviting them to experience Christian community in worship.

 Here is an example. For years our church has had a great ESL/FriendSpeak ministry which helps the many internationals here improve their English and "overhear" the gospel. However, one key element of this ministry that has been missing in order to be effective evangelistically has been the social aspect of reaching out.

 One of the first things that I did upon moving here is to have a party for the students and English teachers in this group over at our house. And I started encouraging the Christian teachers to start doing things socially with their readers--sharing meals, doing fun things together, etc. These relationships that develop from this--and the witness of the Christian community--was key in helping Vololona and Earnest coming to faith. Without the love and friendship of Don and Jerri Harrington, pictured above, that they showed Vololona and Earnest, this conversion would not have happened. They have truly become friends with these wonderful seekers!

 We will have another party this 4th of July weekend for this ESL/FriendSpeak group, as well as some of our international neighbors. Vololona and Earnest are inviting five of their relatives to come--two of whom came to witness their baptisms. And some of these relatives have already indicated interest in going through the Story of Redemption. Vololona and Earnest are what is referred to in Scripture as "people of peace"--those who are receptive to the gospel, and who have a large social network and influence through which the gospel spreads.

 Holiday parties, movie outreaches, the joining of social clubs and groups, attending and inviting to birthday parties, invitations to worship, baptisms, etc. all play a major role in people coming to faith. If people are reaching out in their daily lives, then they need that "next step"--which is culturally appropriate social outings/events to invite their friends to.

Lack of Visitor Welcoming, Follow-up, and Prayer
 Once a person takes the step to come to worship, there needs to be good and effective visitor welcoming and follow-up. This includes having not only "greeters" (who usually just hand out bulletins), but naturally friendly people who "float" in the lobby and have good social awareness to meet and greet people. Good sign-age is important. First impressions are important. The music, the message, the people, all determine whether or not someone wants to come back.

 Then there must be well designed visitor/guest cards, with good strategies for encouraging visitors to fill these out (like having both members and visitors fill out cards) and helpful and relevant information collected on the cards (like ages, any former church, why they came).

 The preacher and staff should take the lead in making initial follow-up visits, along with a team of members, and of course, the person who invited them (if there was one). Follow-up should be by email, phone, text, Facebook message, etc., depending upon the generation of the visitor and the cultural context.

 Follow-up includes taking people out to lunch, meeting them for coffee, inviting them to serve, inviting to a small group, praying with and for them, invitation to a New Members class, etc. People must make connections and friends quickly or they will stop coming. It is amazing how many churches fail to promptly and effectively follow-up with their visitors. These are incredible missed opportunities.

Lack of An Effective Evangelistic Bible Study/Seekers Group.
 I am also continually amazed at how many churches have no plan for how to actively share the gospel with people. I often find that there are people who have been attending for years, and no one has invited them into an evangelistic Bible study.

 As noted above, most seekers are too far away to make a decision to follow Christ and be baptized in one sermon/lesson. They need to understand the basic gospel story--and it is a story that needs to be told! Telling people the "steps to salvation" without people knowing the gospel story is not helpful.

 The Bible is primarily narrative, and yet we tend to skip the narrative, which robs the gospel of its powerful story. Christine Dillon writes, "If God chose to pack his divine book full of stories, and trusted the power of those stories to change people's worldview, then why do we insist on reducing the gospel and Christian teaching to sets of propositional truth statements?"'

 Christine Dillon. Telling the Gospel Through Story: Evangelism That Keeps Hearers Wanting More (Kindle Locations 410-411). Kindle Edition.

 When I first started encountering unchurched seekers years ago, I looked around for a good evangelistic Bible study that could lead people who knew very little to nothing about the Bible to faith in Jesus Christ. What I found was outdated, skipped all over the place (which is confusing and breeds distrust in seekers), stripped out the gospel story, and did not deal with current seeker questions and themes.

 So in response, I wrote the Story of Redemption (you can download FREE .pdfs of this study and learn more about it at www.StoryofRedemption.com). This can be studied with people individually, but over the years, I have learned that studying this in seeker small groups, with at least 25-50% of the group seekers and 50% Christians who journey with them, helps people experience Christian community (which is part of the gospel) and gives them new seeker and Christian friends.

 If you do not have an evangelistic Bible study that is effective in sharing the gospel for today's postmodern culture, this study might save you some time. This is the study that Vololona and Earnest went through, as have so many others. It is God's story, and when properly told for today, it is powerful and effective.

 But in order for people to come to faith, they must be invited into this type of study that intentionally shares the gospel and calls people to follow Jesus, be baptized, and take up his mission. No study will bring people to faith if no one is intentionally invited to be a part of it! And no "outreach ministry" will bring people to faith if the people that are being served--whether through marriage enrichment, benevolence, helping people's English, etc.--are not connected relationally and invited into Christian community and evangelistic study.

 I could write all day on each of these five points. These are the major gaps that I see time and time again in churches that have a heart for reaching out, but have been ineffective in reaching people for Christ. If I can be of help to you or your church, please let me know. People can be reached for Christ! I have seen it time and time again, and there are few things that bring more joy to a church than seeing this happen. I pray that more and more churches will decide to prioritize Christ's mission and be effective in reaching the lost!

What do you think prevents churches from being effective in reaching people for Christ today?
 Defusing a Near Gas Station Rumble - Blessed to Be a Blessing! tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2014-06-23:2422312:BlogPost:96622 2014-06-23T21:00:00.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

Some of you know that I encourage our seeker groups as they are going through the Story of Redemption (www.StoryofRedemption.com - an evangelistic Bible study for postmodern culture) to start living out the life of Jesus.…

Some of you know that I encourage our seeker groups as they are going through the Story of Redemption (www.StoryofRedemption.com - an evangelistic Bible study for postmodern culture) to start living out the life of Jesus. Introduced in part 5 of the series, we use a set of missional lifestyles or practices called "BELLS," adapted from Michael Frost. These are the practices for those of you who have not seen them before:

B - Bless x3 - Find ways to bless 3 people this week, both Christians and non-Christians/seekers

E - Eat x3 - Share 3 meals this week with others, again both Christians and non-Christans/seekers

L - Learn x1 - Read part of the Bible, the gospels, learn something about Jesus, etc. this week; you can always go back and do the extra study on the back on the Story of Redemption lessons

L - Listen x1 - Find a quiet time to think and reflect, spend time with God and maybe nature, to try to discern what God is seeking to tell you in your life--who to reach out to, how to grow, etc.

S - Share x 1-2 - Look for opportunities to share with someone what God is doing in your life, invite them to worship, or serve together, etc., and come back on Wednesday ready to share your BELLS experiences!

When we start practicing these BELLS in our group, people always come back with amazing stories. So, I wanted to share this story with you of something that happened to me.

Today, I got in one my "BLESS"ings. I was at the gas station, and there were two Asian-American men--the store clerk, and one of the customers--going at one another. Apparently the customer had swiped his card to get gas, drove off without getting the gas, and someone came behind him and filled up with gas using his card.

There was a lot of yelling, as the customer was demanding to get his gas paid for, and the clerk/owner? said that that would be money he would personally have to pay for, so he was not going to do it.

It was getting out of hand--kind of like the opening scene to the movie "Family Guy" in the convenience store with Don Chealde.

So I asked how much the gas was, and the clerk said, "$38.10." So I said, "I will pay for it." They both looked a bit shocked. The customer said, "Are you sure?" I said, "Yes. God has been generous to me, and I'm a Christian. Just pass it on."

The store clerk said, "If I had let him have the gas, I would have had to have paid." The look on his face was an implied thank-you.

Probably one of the best $38.10 I could have spent, as it brought immediate peace to the relationship and situation. And hopefully God will use this in some way to touch these men's hearts and think about God and Christ.

Just wanted to share! Keep up your BELLS! They are as much of a blessing to you as to others!

What are some ways that you have seen God at work through simple blessings?
 Two More Decide to Be Baptized in Seeker Bible Study, Group Takes Up "BELLS"! tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2014-06-12:2422312:BlogPost:96774 2014-06-12T13:30:00.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

Last night was an awesome night with our seeker Bible study (part 8 in the www.StoryofRedemption). Two more made the decision to be baptized in a few weeks! And what is more, our group came back this week sharing their…

Last night was an awesome night with our seeker Bible study (part 8 in the www.StoryofRedemption). Two more made the decision to be baptized in a few weeks! And what is more, our group came back this week sharing their "BELLS"--churched and unchurched people they sought to BLESS, EAT together with, LEARN from Scripture, LISTEN to God's voice, and SHARE their faith/invite others. They each had powerful stories of God at work through these Jesus/missional practices (these BELLS practices can be found in part 5 of the Story of Redemption).

We will continue meeting each week, coming together to share our BELLS experiences for the week, and going through another study--perhaps Francis Chan's Crazy Love. It is so exciting to see people not only learning, but Committing to Christ and living out their lives modeled after Christ!

 What experiences do you have with seeker Bible studies and/or the BELLS missional practices?
 Have We Had the Great Commission All Wrong?? tag:www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com,2014-06-04:2422312:BlogPost:96594 2014-06-04T18:00:00.000Z James Nored http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/profile/JamesNored

The Great Commission, as it is called, in Matthew's gospel is "Therefore, go, and make disciples . . . " (Mt. 28:19). Literally, the text reads, "Make disciples as you are going." Yet despite the clear outward focus from…

The Great Commission, as it is called, in Matthew's gospel is "Therefore, go, and make disciples . . . " (Mt. 28:19). Literally, the text reads, "Make disciples as you are going." Yet despite the clear outward focus from the word "go" and "make disciples", somehow this verse is sometimes turned on its head and made to be an inward focus.

The command that Jesus has here is to make disciples of other people, not inward spiritual growth or the "discipling of one's self." It doesn't say "be a disciple," but "make disciples." While passages of inward spiritual growth can be found, and this is needed in the Christian walk, this passage must be read as written. Furthermore, it must be taken in the context of the whole gospel(s).

What was the original call of the disciples in Matthew? What were they following Jesus for? It is clear that Jesus' original call was a call with a purpose in mind: it was a call to mission. Note the following.

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people." 20 At once they left their nets and followed him (Matthew 4:18-19).

 Following Jesus is about taking up the mission of Jesus, being "sent out to fish for people"--not about personal Spiritual growth. Jesus didn't say in this passage, follow me, so that you will grow Spiritually. Follow me so that you will be happy. Follow me so that you become a Bible scholar.

Jesus could have said to follow him for a lot of different purposes. But it is clear from this passage that the call to follow Jesus in this passage is a call to reach others for Christ. And if we do this, we will grow spiritually, grow in our biblical knowledge, and find happiness (or joy), for nothing helps us grow more than taking the focus off of ourselves and seeking to reach and serve others.

May we take up the call of Jesus, being sent out to fish for people!

How do you read the Great Commission? How do you think this fits into the context of Matthew? What do you think that the relationship is between "disipleship" or "spiritual formation" and "mission"?