Why Poor Discipleship Is Such a Big Issue in Many Churches – Rainer on Leadership #465

Podcast Episode #465

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Discipleship is something churches say they do, but also something they don’t always really understand. Today we explain why.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

  • Too many church leaders either don’t under stand discipleship or don’t understand how to make it effective in the local church.
  • How we do discipleship is often more confusing that what we do for discipleship.
  • Discipleship is an ongoing process, not something that is finished when we complete a study.
  • Church membership does not equal discipleship, but church attendance sure does affect it.
  • Just because you are going to church, doesn’t mean you are growing at church.

The seven reasons that we discuss today are:

  1. Lack of clear definition of discipleship
  2. Failure to see discipleship as a process
  3. Amount of time invested in the worship services
  4. The wide-open back door
  5. Failure to connect groups to discipleship
  6. Creating the false dichotomy of evangelism and discipleship
  7. Failure to emphasize daily Bible reading

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Thom Rainer.

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Where Did the Trash in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch Come From & How Do We Stop It? – Urban Christian News

The water bottle could be from Los Angeles, the food container from Manila, and the plastic bag from Shanghai.

But whatever its specific source, almost all of the trash in the infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patchcomes from countries around the Pacific Rim.

Concerned about the millions of tons of garbage in the patch – a floating blob of trash halfway between California and Hawaii that’s twice the size of Texas – the Ocean Cleanup project is sending out a giant floating trash collector to try to scoop it up. The first of its cleanup systems launches Saturday near San Francisco.

It’s a daunting task: The patch includes about 1.8 trillion pieces of trash and weighs 88,000 tons – the equivalent of 500 jumbo jets.

And while many scientists say it’s great that people are trying to clean up the patch, others say most of our efforts should instead go towards stopping the out-of-control flow of plastic garbage into the ocean.

How much more? Try putting 95 percent of our efforts on stopping plastic from entering the ocean, and only 5 percent on cleanup, says Richard Thompson, head of the International Marine Litter Research Unit at the University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom.

Thompson said a massive, global-scale effort is needed to combat the problem, one that includes contributions from individuals, policymakers and industry. “The way we use plastics – from design, to use to disposal – must be done more efficiently and in a more environmentally friendly manner.”

George Leonard, chief scientist with the Ocean Conservatory, said that “the clock is…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Urban Christian News

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Why did The New York Times run an anonymous op-ed?

I’ve never seen this much furor caused by an op-ed, much less one whose author we don’t know. But that’s partly the point.

The New York Times chose on Wednesday to publish an op-ed from what it called a “senior official” in the White House who makes extremely disparaging claims against President Trump. Speculation regarding the identity of the writer has escalated in the days since.

Some think Vice President Mike Pence is the writer. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had to deny authorship. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called on the “coward” who wrote the piece to “do the right thing and resign.”

Many are focusing on the truth or falsity of the writer’s defamatory descriptions of the Trump White House. Others are working to identify the author. Here’s a question I’ve not seen debated: Why did the Times choose to publish the op-ed in the first place?

The Times editor who made the decision has said, “We felt it was a very strong piece written by someone who had something important to say and who’s speaking from a place of their own sense of personal ethics and conscience. That was our main focus.”

But it’s worth asking whether the liberal New York Times would have made the same decision if the op-ed had been written about Barack Obama when he was in the Oval Office. Or whether Fox News would have published last Wednesday’s op-ed, given the opportunity.

The danger of confirmation bias

According to one psychologist, “confirmation bias” occurs when we have formed a view and then “embrace information that confirms that view while ignoring, or rejecting, information that casts doubt on it.” Such bias is obvious every day in the media. We should not be surprised that liberal and conservative commentators are reacting according to their previous opinions of the president.

Our divided media reflects our divided nation. When Judge Kavanaugh’s Senate hearings began this week, 38 percent of…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Denison Forum.

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Billy Graham’s daughter, Anne Graham Lotz, diagnosed with cancer

Anne Graham Lotz, 70, revealed the news on her website this week in a post entitled “My Cancer: Fuel for the Fire”.

She said that she received the news of her diagnosis on 17th August between 3:00pm and 3​:30pm, which was three years to the day and at the same time she found her husband unresponsive in their pool. He died two days later.

 

“When I realised the strange ‘coincidence’ of the timing, I came to the chilling conclusion that it was an assignment from the enemy,” she said.

“But just as that thought was forming, I heard the soft, gentle whisper of the Spirit, reminding me that it was on a Friday, during that very same time…between 3:00 and 3:30 in the afternoon…that God’s Passover Lamb was sacrificed.

“Jesus died on the very same day of the week, at the very same time of the day, crushing the head of the serpent, forever defeating the devil and death.”

 

Lotz said she will worship and trust God “who is ultimately in control of everything”.

She has asked for prayers ahead of her surgery scheduled for 18th September.

“Pray for God to heal me in whichever way He deems would bring Him the most glory,” she added.

Lotz’s father, Rev Billy Graham, died at the age of 99 in February.

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

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Japanese Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 18 as Rescuers Dig Through Landslides – Urban Christian News

The toll from an earthquake that rocked Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido rose to 18 on Friday, and in one small town two dozen people remained unaccounted for after an entire mountainside collapsed on their homes.

The region was slowly restoring transport links and power, with lights back in about half of the homes on the island after a day of region-wide blackouts. Officials said they hoped to have the generating capacity close to normal by the weekend, though full repairs to Hokkaido’s main power plant could take up to a week.

Rescuers were using search dogs, backhoes and shovels as they dug through tons of mud and debris from the landslides triggered by the magnitude 6.7 quake that struck before dawn Thursday.

After more than a day of digging there were no reports of survivors being pulled from their crushed homes in the outskirts of the town of Atsuma, not far from the quake’s epicenter.

There were scant signs of damage inside Atsuma itself, a seaside community of about 4,600 that advertises itself as a destination for surfing and a great lifestyle. But by late Friday, the power still had not been restored and stores were closed.

A powerful earthquake Thursday on Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido triggered dozens of landslides that crushed houses under torrents of dirt, rocks and timber, prompting frantic efforts to unearth any survivors. (Sept. 6)

“There are no supplies, so the shop simply cannot function. It’s tough,” said Yasuhiro Kurosaki, a young father whose wife was cradling their infant son outside the small supermarket owned by…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Urban Christian News

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Former minister claims he was attacked for his Christian faith

Jonathan Bell said  he was labelled a “monster” who had to be put to sleep over a green energy scheme which was plunging into chaos in Northern Ireland.

He claimed he was the victim of a massive smear campaign and was framed by members of his own party.

 

The senior figure who he claimed briefed against him was David Gordon, who led the communications strategy of the Executive Office department in 2016.

Mr Bell made a series of explosive claims as he gave evidence to a public inquiry in Belfast into why the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme costs spiralled under his Enterprise Department’s watch.

He blamed the DUP for “fitting him up”, his former special adviser Timothy Cairns and officials for not making him aware what was happening, and claimed Mr Gordon briefed that he was a “monster who had to be put to sleep”.

“I fear I have been the victim of a massive smear campaign,” he said.

Niall Carson/PA Wire

Former DUP minister Jonathan Bell arrives at the RHI inquiry at Stormont Parliament buildings in Belfast.

 

Mr Bell was minister at the Enterprise Department, which oversaw the RHI scheme, from 2015 to 2016.

He told the inquiry: “I have to say to you, I am just one boy, I can’t operate against the Executive Office.”

He alleged that Sky News Ireland correspondent David Blevins gave the DUP advice on how to discredit him…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

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New York Catholic dioceses subpoenaed in sex abuse probe

A law enforcement source told The Associated Press the subpoenas went out on Thursday.

The subpoenas seek documents relating to abuse allegations, payments to victims or findings from internal church investigations.

 

Ms Underwood’s office is pursuing a civil investigation into the church’s response to abuse reports and has also reached out to local prosecutors authorised to convene grand juries or pursue criminal investigations.

Church officials say they will cooperate.

The announcement comes three weeks after a grand jury investigation found rampant sexual abuse of more than 1,000 children by about 300 priests in Pennsylvania.

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

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‘Faith is not a leap into the unknown, but an evidence-based commitment’, claims Oxford professor

The Northern Ireland-born Christian thinker and speaker was debating as part of an recorded conversation released today with high profile atheist and Florida State professor of philosophy of science, Michael Ruse (pictured below, left).

Lennox said: “Faith is part and parcel of my life as an intellectual and a scientist.

 

“I believe in the theory of gravitational attraction, why? Because I have evidence for it.

“I believe my wife loves me, why? Because I have evidence for it.

“And, my Christian faith consists, not in faith as a leap into the unknown, it is evidencebased commitment – otherwise, I wouldn’t be remotely interested in Christianity.”

The debate, which has been released as part of The Big Conversation series, was recorded in front of a live audience at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers in London and hosted by Premier Christian Radio presenter, Justin Brierley (pictured below, centre).

It pitched Lennox, who has authored books such as ‘God’s Undertaker: Has science buried God?’ and ‘Gunning for God: Why the New Atheists are missing the target’ against Ruse, who although an atheist himself has nevertheless been critical of the New Atheist movement represented by figures such as Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, believing that a better conversation between faith and science is possible.

 

In response to Lennox’s claims, Michael Ruse replied: “If I am taught,…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

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Watch LIVE: RCCG September 2018 Holy Ghost Service – Silencing Mockers

RCCG September 2018 Holy Ghost Service – Silencing Mockers

You are watching the RCCG September 2018 Holy Ghost Service tagged “Silencing Mockers”. With Pastor E.A. Adeboye ministering LIVE from the Redemption Camp, KM 46-48, Lagos/Ibadan Expressway.

Theme: Silencing Mockers

Time: 5:00 PM [16 HRS GMT]

Date: Friday September 7th, 2018

Venue: Redemption Camp, KM 46 Lagos Ibadan Expressway, Mowe, Ogun State Nigeria.

RCCG September 2018 Holy Ghost Service – Silencing Mockers

The post Watch LIVE: RCCG September 2018 Holy Ghost Service – Silencing Mockers appeared first on Flatimes.

Church of England numbers at record low, survey finds

Since 2002, the proportion of Britons who identify as Church of England has more than halved, falling from 31 per cent to 14 per cent.

The sharpest decline happened among 45 to 54-year-olds – 35 per cent in 2002 compared with eleven per cent in 2017, according to data from the National Centre for Social Research’s (NatCen) British social attitudes survey.

 

The proportion of people who describe themselves as Roman Catholic (eight per cent) belonging to “other Christian affiliations” (ten per cent) and “of non-Christian faiths” (eight per cent) have remained fairly stable.

Fifty two per cent of people now say they have no religion, compared with 41% in 2002, and men are more inclined to say they follow no religion than women (57 per cent compared with 48 per cent), the survey found.

Seventy per cent of those aged 18-24 say they have no religion – an increase from 56 per cent in 2002, while two per cent of this group view themselves as Anglicans, down from nine per cent in 2002.

The number of Scots who say they belong to the Church of Scotland has fallen overall, from 31 per cent in 2002 to 18 per cent in 2017.

Roger Harding, head of public attitudes at the NatCen, said: “Our figures show an unrelenting decline in Church of England and Church of Scotland numbers.

“This is especially true for young people, where less than one in 20 now belong to their established church.