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Before You Plant a Church, Clarify Your Calling

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The work of planting a new church will probably kill you. On my first day in Greek Grammar class in Bible college, Dr. Jesse Thomas walked in and stood at the podium to offer a brief welcome, "Welcome to boot camp." Serious students survived, some even thrived, but some fell by the wayside because of their …

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Enjoying the Favor of God

Favor of God

Yesterday, I talked about defining the favor of God, and I defined it as enjoying the undeserved kindness of God. I also said you can spot the favor of God when you see that He has sovereignly chosen to bless something or someone for the purpose of bringing Himself glory. His favor is never for our enjoyment …

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I Desire to Be a Pastor

Paul's first epistle to Timothy is like a guidebook for structuring a local church, and it includes a handy guide for sizing up a potential Pastor. One of the points that jumps off the page at me is Paul's statement, "if someone wants to be an elder, he desires a noble responsibility." (1 Timothy 3:1 NLT) …

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The Pastoral Calling and Role

I love being a Pastor. I'm passionate about preaching. I am humbled that God has called me to shepherd a flock of His choosing. And I especially love the fuel that fires me up - the Word of God and what it has to say about whom I am. One of my favorite passages on the subject is Paul's gut-wrenching goodbye …

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Walking In the Confidence of God’s Calling

Gideon is one of my favorite Bible heroes. In my wife's Bible class curriculum, he's known as "G. I. Deon!" I especially love the way he's introduced... The way Gideon sees himself: Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. ~Judges 6:11 His further questioning of God's choice …

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I Know My Purpose… Now What?

I have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I'm saved and secure. I'm on my way to heaven someday. But I still live here and I know that my purpose is to glorify Jesus Christ in all of the life that I have left. But how? A common plight Christians suffer is this wrestling between getting ready to do something, …

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The Endless Chase

Life is a pursuit. That's true for all of us - no escaping it. You chase something, you know it, and you can't quit - that would be crazy. So what do we chase? Money Pleasure Popularity Success Peace Beauty Acceptance Love That list could probably go on for days. The endless chase, whatever it …

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