Why the Local Church Is the Key Instrument of the Great Commission

Podcast Episode #592

SUBSCRIBE:
iTunesRSSStitcherTuneIn RadioGoogle Play • iHeart Radio • Spotify

Today Thom and Sam discuss the purpose of the local church as a key instrument of the Great Commission. Discipleship is the primary tool the church uses to fulfill the Great Commission. The conversation today covers the importance of making disciples and characteristics of discipleship.

    • The difference between decisions and disciples
    • The biblical path of the early Church
    • Accountability is difficult outside of the local church
    • Fighting perceptions about the local church

Other highlights:

    • In the Great Commission, the decision to follow Christ is the decision to be a disciple.
    • The instrument God uses to make disciples is the local church.
    • If you become a member of the local church, then you are expressing a willingness to be held accountable. 
    • The church doesn’t exist for itself, but as a representative of the gospel in the community.

Resources:


Episode Sponsors

The mission at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission. The school offers more than 40 different degree programs, including the new Master of Arts in Church Revitalization in partnership with Church Answers and the Revitalization Network. This 37-hour degree is designed to help students move established churches from flatlining to flourishing.

Learn about this program and more by visiting sebts.edu….

… Read More



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

قالب وردپرس

‘I’m Healed … Jesus Loves Me’ – Boy Tossed off Mall Balcony Is Back in School

‘I’m Healed … Jesus Loves Me’ – Boy Tossed off Mall Balcony Is Back in School



The 5-year-old boy who faced life-threatening injuries in April after being thrown off a Mall of America balcony is now back in school and “walking perfectly,” according to an update from a family friend.


He’s also crediting Jesus for his recovery.


The boy, known only by his first name, Landen, was nearly killed in April when a stranger picked him up and tossed him 40 feet from the third-floor balcony to the first floor below at the Minnesota mall. The stranger said he had gone to the mall “looking for someone to kill.”


Family friend Noah Hanneman posted an update Nov. 22 on the family’s GoFundMe page, saying Landen is doing much better after returning home from the hospital with a “limp and uneven legs” from a broken femur. Landen also came home with “an open wound on his belly we were taking care of every night.”


“He is now walking PERFECTLY with even legs AMEN,” the update said. “The wound has finally scabbed over and new skin is growing, and we are still optimistic he will be off some of his medications soon.


“He loves being back [in] school and going to kindergarten at the same school his twin brother and sister go to,” the update said. “He gets out of the car every morning happy and blows kisses all the way in! He’s a strong, happy boy. When his mommy asks him if she can look at his wound or asks how he’s…

… Read More

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

قالب وردپرس

‘Your Family Will Die’: Hong Kong Christian Protestors Receive Threatening Messages

‘Your Family Will Die’: Hong Kong Christian Protestors Receive Threatening Messages



Christian protestors fighting for democracy in Hong Kong are feeling the pressure of persecution. According to Faithwire, over 40 Christian leaders from churches, seminaries, and faith-based organizations have received threatening messages from anonymous sources.


Dr. John Chan of the Alliance Bible Seminary received one message that told him to stop expressing his opinion or “all the members of your family will die; your limbs will be chopped off.”


Senders of the messages also have a frightening amount of personal information on each of the leaders. “For instance, when Flow Church live-streamed a service recently, the sender watched it,” said Chan. “If a certain preacher would be speaking this week, he also knows…He even knows who has a younger sister and where she works at.”


International Christian Concern has reported that these leaders have decided to make their story public but not file a police report since the public has lost trust in the Hong Kong police.


Over the weekend, protests continued to rage across the country while an all-time record high of voters—4.1 million people, which is more than half of the population—turned up for district council elections. Pro-democracy candidates won in sweeping measure, but China has remained stalwart in its resolve to govern the region.


“No matter how the situation in Hong Kong…

… Read More

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

قالب وردپرس

Atheist Group Says Kanye West's Jail House Performance Violated the Constitution

Kayne West’s recent performance in a Texas county jail has gotten a lot of attention, including from one group that claims the performance violated the separation of church and state.… Read More

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

قالب وردپرس

'Demonic Power' May Be behind Opposition to Trump, Says Franklin Graham

Franklin Graham said in a recent interview that the political division across the country and the impeachment proceedings into President Donald Trump may be a result of a “demonic power.”… Read More

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

قالب وردپرس

Democrat Claims Case against Trump Is ‘Ironclad’ but Says Impeachment Is Still Undecided

Democrat Adam Schiff said in an interview that the impeachment inquiry yielded a solid case against the president, but there is no promise that the president will be impeached.… Read More

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

قالب وردپرس

Pennsylvania Governor Vetoes Bill Forbidding Abortions of Down Syndrome Babies

Pennsylvania Governor Vetoes Bill Forbidding Abortions of Down Syndrome Babies



Women in Pennsylvania will continue to be permitted to abort children who test positive for Down syndrome. 


According to Faithwire, Democratic governor Tom Wolf vetoed the Republican-backed legislation that had just cleared the Senate that would have made it illegal for women to have abortions because their babies tested positive for Down Syndrome.


“There is no evidence that the bill is needed in Pennsylvania,” Wolf said in a statement. “I have significant concerns that enforcement of this legislation would upend the doctor-patient relationship and impede on patient confidentiality.”


He continued to state his support both for people with disabilities and women with “complex pregnancies” but that this bill would not help either of these groups. Currently, women in Pennsylvania may abort their children up until 24 weeks of gestation in all cases except to select gender.


Planned Parenthood of Pennsylvania agreed with the governor’s ruling, stating that it would impede on a woman’s right to privacy and would be difficult to enforce.


However, President of March for Life Jeanne Mancini called the news “disturbing” and an example of eugenics.


The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference agreed with Mancini, releasing a statement that condemned the vetoed bill.


“Gov. Wolf’s veto will prevent all children with Down syndrome from going on to…

… Read More

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

قالب وردپرس

‘Demonic Power’ May Be behind Opposition to Trump, Says Franklin Graham

‘Demonic Power’ May Be behind Opposition to Trump, Says Franklin Graham



Franklin Graham, the son of the late Billy Graham, says the political divide in the U.S., including the impeachment proceedings into President Donald Trump, may be a result of “demonic power.”


In an interview with author and radio show host Eric Metaxas, Graham talked about the current state of politics in the country, the Washinton Examiner reports.


“Well, I believe it’s almost a demonic power that is trying,” Graham started to say before Metaxas interrupted, saying “I would disagree. It’s not almost demonic. You know and I know, at the heart, it’s a spiritual battle.”


Metaxas called the situation in the country “bizarre,” where people “exist to undermine the president of the United States. It’s just a bizarre time for most Americans.”


Much of the political turmoil has stemmed from Trump’s presidency, but Graham said Trump’s administration has actually been successful.


“If you look at what the president, just for our country, regardless of whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, unemployment is at the lowest in 70 years. More African Americans are working, more Latinos are working, more Asians are working, more everybody is working. We have an economy that is just screaming forward. It’s incredible.”


Previously, Graham has been criticized for supporting Trump, but Graham told Metaxas that he believes Trump is a…

… Read More

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

قالب وردپرس

70% people believe in a moral framework regardless of religion

The poll, conducted by ComRes for the BBC’s Year of Beliefs, suggests that while 70 per cent of adults agree it’s important for people to have a moral framework in their lives, what people believe to be right or wrong differs greatly.

Age is most likely to define people’s morality with notable differences in attitudes to the issues across the generations.

Topics included lying, taking illegal drugs, consent, suicide, pornography, the environment, choosing a baby’s genes and carrying weapons, with specific results on individual issues here

 

 

Although 57 per cent had a strong sense of right and wrong, three in five of the adults who said they have been unfaithful to their partner also said it was never acceptable to cheat.

Those who were members of a religion were more likely to stick to their morals.

Graham Nicholls, director of the evangelical group Affinity, told Premier: “There are two reasons why we do what God commands us to do. One is because God commands it but the second is that I think we would argue for every single commandment and exhortation that it’s good and it’s good for us and it’s good for society.

“I think it’s good and reasonable for Christians to argue for the goodness of what God commands in terms of morality, I think there is an argument to be made, but I think ultimately, people will judge that based on their own experiences and all sorts of…

… Read More



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

قالب وردپرس