You will receive your salvation with joy as you would draw water from a well (Isaiah 12.3 NCV).
What a beautiful verse, which reminds us of the refreshing nature of the transformed soul! And yet, there is something very personal about comparing salvation to water from a well that each of us should consider—something that speaks of our own identity.
Through the New Testament, and especially in the narrative in Acts, we see the Kingdom of God expand exponentially. We see disciples multiply from just a few to twelve, to 120 gathered in the upper room, to 3,000 more on Pentecost, and an ever-expanding number beyond that day. We also see the multiplication of churches, beginning with one in Jerusalem to over 30 mentioned specifically. We see the multiplication of leaders and faithful workers as the movement expands throughout the land.
He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?
It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of one of our faithful trainers, Carlos Cruz. Carlos passed away on Monday, January 23.
Carlos gave his life to Christ in mid-August 2011 (on his birthday) through the witness of Frank Cole, pastor of Church With No Walls in Hobart, Tasmania. After his conversion, I asked pastor Frank if I could train him and his Josephine; Frank readily consented, and we began right away.
Reading through the New Testament, we may be so enthralled with the wonder of Jesus and His miraculous ways that we miss the very practical nature of His work. If we look at Luke 8, 9, and 10, we see a very interesting sequence.
Was Hezekiah a great man of God? Indeed, he was one of the most godly of all of the kings of Judah. He sought the Lord and obeyed Him in many ways, and he cleansed the nation of the abominable idols of his forebears. He was such a man of God, in fact, that the Lord miraculously healed him of a terminal illness and extended his life by 15 years (2 Kings 20).
Every once in a while something comes along that changes your life completely. Ten years ago this week, that happened to me.
The word 'multiplication' is being used more and more by churches and organizations, but until these groups actually multiply, it's nothing more than a trendy word. Generational growth is without a doubt part of the Jesus' grand plan for reaching the world, so it's essential that we learn how to put multiplication into action.
How does generational growth begin? Let me share a story that may help.
“I shouldn’t be hearing that file!” The shout came across the room to me from our high school industrial arts teacher. Our class was working on a metal project, and my file was making the metal “sing.” My immediate reaction was to use the file more carefully, ensuring that it would not make so much noise. A few minutes later, I realized why my shop teacher was shouting about the noise. It wasn’t because I was using the file incorrectly. I wasn’t supposed to be using it at all—class was over and it was time to clean up!
Sometimes I get discouraged thinking about how little influence Christianity has today. It seems that, not only have we lost a lot of ground in recent decades, but that the darkness has such an overwhelming majority among the peoples of the earth. I remember driving in Australia a few years ago, going past hundreds of homes and seeing people walking along the streets, and becoming quite irate at the fact that the ruler of the darkness has such an overwhelming following!