This week, we continue to answer the following question:

How does God’s enemy come after His people and His leaders for the sole purpose of distracting, disrupting, and derailing them from being involved in God's great mission?

This week, we continue to answer the following question:

How does God’s enemy come after His people and His leaders for the sole purpose of distracting, disrupting, and derailing them from being involved in God's great mission?

This week, we continue to answer the following question:

How does God’s enemy come after His people and His leaders for the sole purpose of distracting, disrupting, and derailing them from being involved in God's great mission?

This week, we continue to answer the following question:

How does God’s enemy come after His people and His leaders for the sole purpose of distracting, disrupting, and derailing them from being involved in God's great mission?

This week we continue to answer the following question:

How does God’s enemy come after His people and His leaders for the sole purpose of distracting, disrupting, and derailing them from being involved in God's great mission?

This week, we continue to explore the following question:

How does God’s enemy come after His people and His leaders for the sole purpose of distracting, disrupting, and derailing them from being involved in God's great mission?

This week, we continue to answer the critical question:

How does God’s enemy come after His people and His leaders for the sole purpose of distracting, disrupting, and derailing them from being involved in God’s great mission?

Over the next couple of months, we are setting out to answer the following question:

How does God’s enemy come after His people and His leaders with the sole purpose of distracting, disrupting, and derailing them from being involved in God's great mission?

Missional advancement always engages missional resistance (Matthew 16:18–19). My prayer is that we, as spiritual leaders, would engage these truths, strengthen our spiritual muscles, and walk in Spirit-empowered discernment. Let’s refuse to be caught off guard, and let’s equip the church for battle—not for a parade, but for victory in Christ.

“God never estimates what we give from impulse. We are given credit for what we determine in our hearts to give—for the giving that is governed by a fixed determination.” -Oswald Chambers

Helping our people experience the timeless truth of moving from impulsive, haphazard giving to systematic and joyful giving is a continuous process.

The Apostle Paul, in his letter (a field manual) to Titus—who was serving as a regional leader on the island of Crete—charged him with the task of strengthening the churches there. He writes, "The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished..." (Titus 1:5). Some commentators say that Titus was working with 100 churches or more on the island of Crete during his time there.

Every church has a First Impressions Team. Those who welcome greet and serve all who attend your public gatherings. But how many churches have a Second Touch Team: those who are responsible for following up and seeking to connect those new attendees into the life of the church?

One way to encourage your congregation to attend and invite a friend on Easter Sunday is to write a personal letter to every member of the church concerning your upcoming Easter Service(s).

Leaders lead! In sending a letter to your congregation, you’re showing initiative and leadership. Make a heartfelt appeal to your people to make this the best Easter ever in the life of your church. Here are 5 questions the letter should address.

I have been concerned lately that pastors and church leaders are putting very little evangelistic energy into their Easter Services. Here are a few reasons we are hearing:

• “All our key people go on vacation at that time.”

• “We don't want to be an attractional church.”

• “We are having staffing issues and can’t handle a big workload right now.”

• “We have not had fruitful Easter Outreaches in the past.”

There is an old adage, “Speed of the leader, speed of the team.”  The evangelistic temperature of any church can be measured by one person – the pastor.  If the pastor has a heart that is broken and continues to be broken for the lost in their community, it will spread like a virus through the board, staff, lay leaders and members. 

Two weeks after I received Christ, I was invited by my new Christians friends to attend a Saturday seminar on evangelism. To be honest, at that time, I didn’t even know what evangelism was or even meant. I was just excited to be with my new friends.  By the end of the day I discovered that evangelism was just sharing what Jesus has done for me with the people who come into my life.

“Helping to fulfill the Great Commission is the single most important task of the Church. Therefore, developing evangelistic leadership to carry out that mission should be a top priority.” – Bill Bright

Are your board meetings filled with a burning passion to see every man, women and child reached with the gospel in your community?

When it comes to equipping your church to be actively engaged in evangelism many start with a class or a seminar because that is the way we were taught. It is not that I am against classroom education or equipping seminars, I just believe that these trainings should come after one's heart has been captured through positive experiences.  Providing your people with positive, low risk experiences that build on each other is one of the best ways to design your equipping strategy.

“Evangelism was the prerogative and duty of every church member… The ordinary people of the first century church saw it as their job: Christianity was supremely a lay movement, spread by informal missionaries.” – Michael Green

We will not advance the gospel through the church without the serious training for every member in how to share the gospel winsomely and accurately.  The Apostle Peter makes in very clear that every follower of Jesus must be prepared to articulate the hope they have experienced in Christ.

Over thirty years ago I saw my first Christian movie it was about the life of J. Hudson Taylor. That movie and his books laid a spiritual foundation in my life on what it means to abide in Christ. Here is short bio and some of his faith stretching thoughts.  May God inspire you through this man’s humble faith and precious insights in walking with Jesus.