Author: S&P
10 Things Any Church Can Do to Grow
Here are 10 things that ANY church – no matter its size or budget, worship style or denomination – can do to help ensure it will grow numerically. I honestly can’t envision a scenario where any of these 10 could not be pursued and, if they haven’t yet been pursued, wouldn’t result in increased growth. 1. Prioritize Children. Your children’s ministry is arguably the greatest growth engine you can i...
The Power of a Discerning Spirit – In Touch – November 18
November 18 The Power of a Discerning Spirit Hebrews 5:11-14 In a world filled with endless sources of information and opinions, believers need to develop a discerning spirit. Otherwise, how will we know what is true? Much of what we see and hear is based on a worldly perspective that is influenced by Satan, the Father of Lies. Deception is found even in the religious realm: cults mix lies with en...
Church Planting And Why Basic Training Is Very Important
An assessment of the Hispanic Church Planting Report reveals the necessity of training. Brendan Jones Earlier this year, the Send Institute at the Billy Graham Center commissioned a study on Hispanic Church Planting. It was a joint sponsored project between 12 denominations with an advisory team of 8 Hispanic church planting leaders. Members of the Church Planting Leadership Fellowship provided li...
What Does God Love? – Crosswalk the Devotional – November 17
What Does God Love? by Debbie Holloway I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave (Psalms 86:12). There is a very famous passage in Proverbs detailing what God hates. Indeed, throughout the Bible God never shows reluctance to speak against behaviors h...
Ethnic Tensions Rises as Ethiopians Protest Church Burnings
After a dramatic October, some say Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed must earn his Nobel Peace Prize. Last month, Abiy Ahmed won the Nobel Peace Prize for his “efforts to achieve peace and reconciliation” as prime minister of Ethiopia. Today, he announced that the unusual unrest and ethnic violence which also marked last month had killed nearly 90 of his citizens. A reformer and a reconciler, the 43-year-...
What Does it Look Like to ‘Worship While You Wait?’
When we struggle, one of the first things the enemy will attack is our desire to worship. Why? Because he understands its potential for his absolute defeat even better than we do. So, we must force ourselves at times, past our flesh, to worship the Lord in all seasons, and for all reasons! In any season, worship is one thing: Ministry to Him. Yet worship has many functions in the life of the worsh...
Taking Up the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17b)
In the book of Nehemiah we read about how the Israelites returned from captivity to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. They came with the blessing of King Artaxerxes, but not everyone was glad that Israel was returning to their land to rebuild Jerusalem and its walls. There were enemies in the land of Israel who sought to destroy and kill the Israelites, and keep them from returning to the land God h...
3 Reasons to Meet with God in Secret – Your Daily Bible Verse – November 16
BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: “But you, when you pray, go into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” – Matthew 6:6 3 Reasons to Meet with God in Secret by Shane Heilman, The Psalms Project Jesus is clear that we are to set aside time for God to privately communicate with him. Here a...
Parrot praising God
This parrot lives beside a church… Listen and be blessed.
American Pastor Still Detained in India
…Awaiting December Trial Bryan Nerren Bryan Nerren “always knew the danger” of missions in South Asia but longed to see revival in Nepal. Each year, when Tennessee pastor Bryan Nerren delivered the closing message at a conference for Nepali Christian leaders in South Asia, he called them to persist in ministry despite the associated risk in a Hindu-dominated region sometimes hostile to...
Father’s Love Letter – Almighty God
A Love Letter from our Heavenly Father. Father’s Love Letter – Almighty God
Mommy Guilt – iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women – November 15
Mommy Guilt By: Julie Zine Coleman “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.” – Romans 8:1-2 When you are a mother, guilt is a state of being. I am personally plagued with guilt every time I stop and think about my effectiveness as a mother. There are a thou...
