'discipleship' Tagged Posts (Page 3)
Men: Are you being lazy?
by Andy Constable One of the biggest struggles for Christian Men is the sin of laziness. It is a difficult term to pin down because it comes out in so many different forms. The dictionary gives us characteristics of laziness, such as ‘unwilling to work or use energy’. In the New Testament laziness is defined as a failure to use the gifts that God has given us…
Christian Men: Where is Your Vision?
By Andy Constable Last week we were thinking about the lack of biblical men in our churches. One of the biggest problems for men is that of apathy and I think much of it is caused by a lack of vision. Many men are being taken in by pornography, television and computer games because they have little vision for the gospel and the church. They have little direction and don’t…
Are we really feeding each others souls by how we speak to one another?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7R9CBk6AAf4]
Is The Sinners Prayer Helpful or Even Biblical?
I remember when I first became interested in the Christian faith and somebody gave me a little booklet which included something called, ‘The Sinners Prayer’ at the end. I had no real clue as to what it really meant but I viewed it as the way in to the Christian faith. There is an…
Why Confrontation is Crucial for the Christian
by Andy Constable One of my biggest struggles in ministry is having ‘confrontational’ conversations with people. I find it almost unnatural to broach difficult conversations and offer biblical rebuke. In particular I find it hard to confront people on their sin issues. This is an area…
How much does it really cost to follow Jesus?
Happy New Year to you all. I am preaching on Mark 8:34 to kick off 2012 at NCC. I found this little hardcore clip which some of you may like (and some of you definitely won’t!). 🙂 [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JQOBMi4QS8&feature=player_embedded#!]
Evangelism ‘On the Way!’
Isn’t it fascinating how the Lord Jesus used so many informal settings as teaching opportunities. Reading through Luke’s gospel offers us some revealing insights as to how Jesus used this style of teaching as he travelled from Galilee to Jerusalem. Luke contains all sorts of stories and questions and metaphors for how Jesus interacted outside of the pulpit, if…
How far should we go in living for Jesus?
What do we do with the words of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 10:39: Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. The context is sending out the 12 to proclaim the ‘kingdom of heaven’ (v7). They were sent out as ‘sheep amongst wolves’ (v16) but were encouraged to stay firm in Jesus and to…
Should the church help young people into work?
If any professional ever had a claim to the title ‘Jack of all trades’, it would surely be the church Youth Worker. What other profession can boast such diversity in roles as: counsellor, entertainer, artist, cleaner, cinematographer, people manager, taxi driver, web developer, teacher, caretaker,…
How Far Should We Go in Discipleship Making?
Isaiah 58:10: ‘… if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.’ What does Isaiah mean when he uses the phrase, ‘spend yourself’ on behalf of the poor? In other versions it is translated as ‘pouring yourself…