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I was at a confirmation service for my eldest son on Sunday night. A poignant moment in any parent's life. It's great to see your child committing themselves to the Lord in such a public way.
As all the candidates renewed their baptismal vows and confirmed what they believe in, it struck me that we all need to revisit those beliefs from time to time and just ground ourselves in the gospel truths we live by.
Rock Solid, is a book that helps us do just that. It explains and clarifies these important and powerful doctrines, or ‘themes’, of the Bible so that we might have the comfort and assurance that comes from them, and so that we can make our life decisions by them.
Read more HERE and get the ebook for just £2.49 using code rse0614 at the checkout.
Living the good life of the gospel is always a challenge when we live in a wider culture that defines the good life in other ways. It is particularly hard in a culture where newspapers cannot be trusted and politicians are corrupt; a harsh, selfish, racist culture in which there is a fear of crime; a culture where people are reluctant to do manual work, which is therefore left to migrant workers; a culture in which people routinely overeat.
And that was the culture of first-century Crete, where Titus led the church and to whom Paul wrote: “One of Crete’s own prophets has said it: ‘Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons,’” (Titus 1:12). The quote is from a Cretan philosopher, Epimenides. Epimenides was held in high honour by Cretans—so they could not readily ignore or deny his verdict. And yet, of course, this description of first-century Crete could just as easily be a description of twenty-first century western culture. How do we live as Christians in a dishonest, harsh, selfish culture? How can we survive without adopting those attitudes? How can we live the good life in this situation? These are the questions the letter of Titus addresses, and these are the questions we need help with each day as we seek to live a gospel-changed life in a society that seeks change and finds truth in many places, but so rarely in the gospel.... continue reading
With heads in the Gospel of Mark, hearts overflowing with passion to see more and more people come to Christ and hands clutching the Portuguese translation of Christianity Explored, these were some of the exciting scenes in Angola earlier this month as the first wave of young leaders were shown how to lead a Christianity Explored course.
A recent evangelistic mission in the south-western African nation resulted in 3,000 people expressing either a decision to follow Christ or a desire to find out more. Now the task of meeting up with these people is beginning and we're hugely excited that the Christianity Explored material is going to be part of the process of showing who Jesus really is and why he came to earth... A bookshop in Luanda (the capital of Angola) will soon be stocking the material, a group of Bible-centred guys are getting to grips with their newly acquired leaders' guides and course invitations are being sent out in readiness for the activity to come.
Please do pray for a nation where so many need to hear the gospel. Please do pray for leaders like Anselmo, Emanuel and Dines who will be starting Christianity Explored courses in the coming weeks (the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few - Matthew 9:38). And please do pray for increasing fruit from the Portuguese translation - that those who use the material will see Jesus in the pages of Scripture and join with the centurion in saying "Surely this man was the Son of God" (Mark 15:39).
We've been getting terrific responses to our new outreach resource Discovering Jesus through Asian eyes. To support its practical use in churches, we're pleased to announce the first of a series of training events run by our partners at the South Asia Forum of the Evangelical Alliance.
The course takes place at the Evangelical Alliance in London on Thursday 12 June 9:30am-1pm, lunch is included and the cost is ÂŁ10. For further information and to book click here.
And take a look at the resources themselves on our website here.
Suncream? Check. Swimwear? Check. Sturdy trainers for those early morning walks? Check. Phone charger to enable a constant flow of photos to Instagram? Check ...
Many of us will be packing in the coming weeks. And, if you're anything like me, there may be a list lurking somewhere in your home to help ensure nothing gets forgotten. If you've got yours to hand, it might be worth a glance, because I have a question to pose to us all: Amid the currency and the clothes, what are we each packing to help us keep Jesus at the centre of our rest and refreshment?... continue reading
In the development of the Discovering Jesus course, the material was extensively trialled among a wide variety of people and situations. Here is the story of one woman who took part in one of these trial courses:
I was invited to take part in a course called Discovering Jesus Through Asian Eyes. I am from a Muslim family, but there were two other girls from a Hindu background who were also interested in Christianity.
The course answered a lot of questions that the majority of Asians ask about Jesus and faith in God. It was very relaxed and enjoyable as we talked about these questions and looked at passages in the Bible. What amazed me was to discover that believing in Jesus is very different from the rules and beliefs that I had tried to follow.
It became evident that many of my “beliefs” were based more around culture and man-made rules. For me, having clear words from God from the Bible strengthened my belief that there is a living God.
As each session went by, I realised that I didn’t have to change who I was; my Bengali culture, my relationships, clothing, or the food I liked, to be a follower of Jesus Christ. All I needed to do was claim Jesus as my saviour, I could be the same person for my family and for myself.
I have never felt such peace in God. Now I know the Holy Spirit is guiding me, giving me peace, wisdom, courage—and I just feel so loved. I don’t feel lonely anymore.
This is an extract from the booklet Jesus through Asian eyes now available from The Good Book Company.
“If you are English, you must be a Christian, right? And if you are Pakistani, you can only be a Muslim? If you are Chinese, you must be…?”
It’s common to link different religious beliefs and practices with certain parts of the world. So a person born into a family of a particular culture may accept those religious beliefs and practices as part of their identity—something they did not choose, but which was handed down to them.
In the same way, many people automatically link Christianity with Europe, America, and countries like Australia. They assume that all white people are “Christian”. But the situation is actually much more complex.... continue reading
The Discovering Jesus course includes, many warm testimonies of Asian people who have found faith in Christ. Here is the testimony from Manoj Ratathaiata which opens the booklet. It showcases how the loving, prayerful concern of a Christian couple, the welcome of a church, and the sharing of the gospel in an appropriate way combined to bring the good news into his life.
In 2007 I was living the high life. I was a successful businessman, buying and selling blocks of apartments throughout the country.
However, as I entered the New Year, my good fortunes took a downturn. As the credit crunch set in, my property business began to wobble. But this paled into insignificance as my two-year-old son was suddenly taken severely ill with breathing difficulties.... continue reading
There are three components to this new resource, plus some promotional materials and a new website to back it up.
Discovering Jesus through Asian eyes is a full-colour booklet designed to be given to Asian people of any background. It asks and answers 16 of the most frequently asked questions that people have about Jesus, Christianity and faith in God, and is filled with warm testimonies from Asian people from different countries and faiths who have discovered the love of God in Christ. The questions are answered carefully from the Bible in a way that is culturally sensitive and gently leads the reader towards belief in Jesus. The booklet is designed to be given to anyone from an Asian background – a neighbour, friend or colleague from work.
How does the course work?
The Discovering Jesus through Asian eyes course is based on the booklet. If someone has read the booklet and wants to know more, you can invite them to join you to explore the questions in a little more depth. The course is split into eight sessions which each look at two questions from the booklet. The emphasis is on friendly, open discussions, which look at passages from the Bible. The studies have been extensively trialled and tested with a wide variety of Asian people.
The Leader’s Guide contains everything you need to know to run a course – extensive notes on the discussion questions, helpful advice on how to address issues unique to different people groups and religions, and ideas for promoting the course, and conducting outreach to Asian people in your local area.
The Discussion Guide is for giving to each person who takes part in a course. It contains all the questions and Bible passages, plus testimonies, and explanations of words and terms that may be unfamiliar to participants.
You can see the whole range, together with the invitation postcards and posters on The Good Book Company website here.
You can order a Starter pack to assess the course, which contains a sample copy of each of the resources.
There is also a dedicated website at www.discovering-jesus.com, with video testimonies and encouragement.
The project office at the Evangelical Alliance offers telephone support, and is organising a series of training days around the country during the rest of 2014. Call them for more information on 020 7520 3831.
