You Can Enjoy Life and Peace Now

I have a problem.

Although I am born-again -breathing the new life of the Spirit- I still struggle with temptation to live in the flesh.

I imagine you can identify with this problem as well. It’s just a part of the Christian life on earth.

Paul addresses the issue in Romans 8:5-6 when he says,

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”

Just to be clear, when Paul talks about living “according to the flesh,” he is referring to any way of living and thinking that does not honor God. Its more than just the “big sins” of adultery, murder, and theft.

More often, “living according to the flesh” takes place in issues like busyness, selfishness, anger, and bitterness. These are things we all battle daily.

Here’s what I think is interesting. Paul doesn’t say that those who live according to the flesh “have their minds set on the things of the flesh” but instead, they “set their minds on the things of the flesh.”

Do you see the difference? It’s subtle, but powerful.

Paul’s implication is that we consciously place our thinking upon things of the flesh. Its not a passive situation –its active.

In other words, believer, although you were born into sin, Christ has now given you the freedom to choose something better than the flesh. Before we came to Christ, we were “stuck” with the flesh. But now we have access to the Spirit!

That’s why he says, “but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.”

Every moment is an opportunity to choose where you will set your mind. In this sense, the “mind” is used to refer to the “control center” of your life. Whatever the “mind” chooses, your entire being follows.

The implications are massive. Paul explains, “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”

For the believer, it might seem strange to read that setting the mind on the flesh is death. After all, aren’t we guaranteed eternal life? Of course. I think, however, what Paul is referring to is a present state of being –on earth. That’s why he doesn’t say that setting the mind on the flesh leads to death –no, it is death.

In other words, living in the flesh is like dying a slow death. Haven’t you ever said something like, “This schedule is killing me”? Maybe what you are really saying is, “The sin of busyness is death to me.” Or what about, “I’m suffocating beneath this debt.” Maybe that could be translated to say, “The sin of greed is killing me.”

But -here is the good news- it doesn’t have to be that way! Because, “to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”

Wouldn’t that be nice? Life… Peace…. Wow, it’s right there at your fingertips –available to you in Christ.

You have the freedom to choose –where will you set your mind today?

The Who & The What

All of Jesus’ teachings are summed up in two passages of Scripture.  We call them the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. They are the “who” and the “what” of the disciple’s life.

The Great Commandment teaches who I am in Christ (Love God & Love Others).  The Great Commission teaches what I am supposed to do through Christ (Make disciples).

In both passages of Scripture, Jesus refrained from giving us a long list of tasks.  Instead, He gave us guiding principles to live our lives by.  When we live according to the principles of the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, we find ourselves obedient to all of scripture and living Christ-like lives.

The Great Commandment and Great Commission contain more than information, or content.  They are also embedded with strategy. Both content and strategy are necessary.

Many times we limit discipleship strictly to content. For some reason we tend to think that strategy is too practical and isn’t biblical. But the strategy found in the Great Commission is 100% biblical and comes directly from Christ!

The Content of the Great Commandment and Great Commission are what we need to know and do.  The strategy is how Jesus has planned for us to do it.

To teach content without strategy is like persuading someone to visit the Grand Canyon but never giving them a map to get there. Content and strategy go together.

What use is it, after all, if one generation stores up the gospel (content) without every sharing it (strategy)? If they take the gospel to the grave without a spiritual legacy, the vision of World-wide-worship is over.  Therefore, the real test of discipleship is not so much whether this generation grows, as it is whether this generation invests in the next generation.

The Great Commandment and Great Commission blend content and strategy together in a powerful vision of God’s global plan. That’s the “who” and the “what” of being a disciple!

To Build or Not to Build?

Building programs. Surely that phrase ranks somewhere on the top ten most polarizing issues in church life.

Having pastored a church through a building program, I know first-hand about the added stress and strain they can cause. At the same time, I recognize the benefits that new facilities offer.

Like any other major decision in the life of a church, the question of whether or not to build a new facility requires great amounts of prayer, discussion, deliberation, and wisdom. In my opinion, it is wise to start from a “no” position until it becomes a “must” situation. Here are several reasons why:

  • Building programs will compete for the attention of the congregation. It takes great planning and intentional communication to keep the church’s focus on mission.
  • Building programs cause stress on leaders. Sermon planning, outreach efforts, discipleship opportunities, and care ministries are often interrupted by a contractor’s immediate question, the architects’ urgent concerns, and the construction crew’s noise.
  • Building programs require great financial resources. Money given to the church belongs to Christ (actually, it already belonged to Christ). The church has a responsibility to steward God’s money in a way that reflects His priorities. That’s something that cannot be taken lightly.
  • Building programs set limits. This sound counterintuitive because we usually think the idea of building is to respond to the limits of current facilities. However, building a building that seats 400, 800, or 1,200 just sets another limit. What happens when you are at capacity in the new facility and yet you still owe a few million dollars on it?

For these reasons, I urge pastors and congregations to be very hesitant to jump into a building program. Of course, there are times when building is the right thing to do. Here are some circumstances that could cause you to move from a “no” to a “must:”

  • When the church has a legitimate need for a new facility. If you have run out of room or if your current building is unsafe or beyond repair, a new facility may be in order.
  • When renting costs more than building. This is typically an issue for new church plants. In many areas, renting is affordable and great facilities are available. In other locations, the selection of rental properties large enough for your congregation may be expensive or non-existent.
  • When the church has enough money in savings. There are differing perspectives on whether churches should borrow money. However, everyone must agree that good stewardship requires that major decisions avoid putting the congregation in financial danger.
  • When the new facility design can be used for multiple purposes. If you are going to spend a large sum of money on a building, don’t you want to make sure you get the most use out of it as possible? In other words, is it worth millions for a facility that is only utilized 2 hours per week?
  • When the building is viewed as a ministry tool. When people give money toward the construction of the facility –are they giving to a building, or a ministry? The purpose and design of the building must be a part of the overall mission of the church. People need to be able to speak of how they will reach the community, make disciples, launch missionaries, and exalt Christ through the facility. Otherwise, it will become an idol.

Finally, here are a few bad reasons to move your “no” to a “must:”

  • New buildings attract new people. That may be true, but consider this: the only people who are attracted to new church buildings are those who are already church people. Unbelievers typically don’t get excited about new church buildings.
  • Building projects excite people. Sure, but think about what they are getting excited about -a building. Sounds like a shallow replacement for revival, doesn’t it?
  • We’ve got the money. While that’s a great situation, it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to build. What else could the church do with that money to advance the Kingdom?

I admit this is not an exhaustive list. Would you please share factors you think are important when considering a building program? I’d love to collect your thoughts and share them with pastors and churches.

Is Discipleship a Starting-Line or a Finish-Line?

Some people think of planned discipleship as a finish line.  They think if they can just complete a discipleship program with someone, that will get the person across the spiritual finish line to a place where they are fully mature.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

First, discipleship is not a program with a graduation ceremony.  Discipleship lasts for life.  Although you may move on to invest in other people, your disciples should always know you are available to them for life.  Sometimes the biggest opportunity to impact a disciple is a late-night call from someone you haven’t seen in years.  Because you invested in their life in the past, they know you are willing to help now.

Instead of a finish line, discipleship is more like a starting line.  It’s a place where the process of growing in Christ can develop. He will take them to the finish line.

For most believers, God supplies us with multiple disciple-makers in our lives throughout the years. Just the right person, to teach us just the right thing, and just the right time.  Each person’s discipleship is like a new starting line to begin the rest of your life. And every piece of the discipleship puzzle points to the our ultimate place as disciples of Christ.

So don’t sweat it if your disciple can’t quote the entire genealogy of Christ, the ten plagues of Egypt, or the twelve tribes of Israel.  Instead, work hard to train them to keep running the race.

If Jesus really meant for disciple-makers to teach every detail to their disciples, then the Lord set a poor example for them.   By His own admission in John 14:25-26, Jesus explains that there are more things to learn that the Holy Spirit will teach them while reminding them of things they learned personally from Christ.  In other words, Christ did not “teach them everything” in the sense of exhaustive, literal facts while He was with them on Earth. So what did Jesus mean by “teach them to observe everything I have commanded?”

Christ meant for disciple-makers to live by His principle of teaching:  To make sure that His disciples were trained in such a way that they would learn all things.  In other words, He trained them in such a way that they would continue their education under the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This is just like the old saying, “Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime.”  Jesus was not satisfied to train His men to be dependent upon His physical presence with them—after all, he would only spend three years with them before ascending to Heaven.  Instead, He transformed them into self-feeders with “ears to hear” (Matthew 11:15), so that when He was gone, they would be able to learn for themselves from the Scripture through the illumination of the Holy Spirit. Disciple-makers must always emphasize Christ’s discipleship over his own.

Our goal must be to disciple men to be life-long disciples of Christ through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  He will shape them in ways that we are not able. In this way, if the disciple maker moves away, passes away, or fades away, the disciple is still growing.

John the Baptist is a great example. He gave His men a starting line. Then, when Christ came, He pointed and said, “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Many of John’s men started following Christ. It was a perfect hand-off! Like John, we must understand that our discipleship is meant to lead to a greater discipleship with Christ. Eventually, we must decrease and He must increase (John 3:30). Discipleship is a starting line that helps people move to the next step in their spiritual lives. Like John the Baptist, disciple-makers don’t get disciples across the finish line, we just keep pointing them to the One who does.

Not the Same Scott

“You’re just not the same Scott I used to know.”

Ouch. The words from my old friend pierced my heart.

He was right. I’m not the same Scott I was fifteen year ago –or even ten years ago or five years ago.

I went home that evening in a somber mood. I couldn’t shake the unnerving feeling that something had changed. Why am I not as spontaneous and happy-go-lucky as I used to be? Why does my voice speak softer and in more somber tones these days?

As I spent the evening contemplating what all of this meant, the most difficult questions came to mind: Does my son know the real me? For that matter, do I really know myself anymore?

You might chalk this up to mid-life crisis, getting older, or too much time on my hands. But, I couldn’t let it go. I had to figure out what was going on.

At first, I tried to map out my changes through life-events. I jotted down the following:

  • Marrying the love of my life, Jill Jarvis
  • Moving from College ministry to Pastoral ministry
  • Being diagnosed with Diabetes
  • Becoming a Father
  • The loss of my wife
  • Single parenting
  • New ministry position and responsibilities

At every turn I could see reasons for my changes. However, understanding those changes did not answer my most fundamental question: do I really know myself anymore? In other words, am I just a product of the circumstances of my life, or of something greater?

Here I came to my epiphany: To find my real identity, I must look to Christ, not my circumstances. (As a minister of the gospel, I am embarrassed that this was not my first instinct. However, ministers are people too. We struggle with the same issues as everyone else.)

Why must I look to Christ to “find myself?” Simple: I am not my own, I am bought with a price. I belong to Jesus. I am a new creation being transformed into His image. As my lord and master, He directs my life –including the circumstances that surround me- to shape me into who He wants me to be.

The short of it is this: As long as I am following Christ with all my heart, I can be confident in who I am TODAY in Christ, and be overjoyed in who I am becoming in the FUTURE in Christ. As for the PAST, celebrate the wonderful journey Christ has brought me through.

If it wasn’t for Christ, I would fret over the fact that I’m not the same-old-Scott. But because of Jesus, I praise God that I am the Scott He has created, and is creating, me to be!

Delightful

Over the years, I’m afraid many of us have tried to separate faith from feelings. Don’t get me wrong -there is a healthy balance here. For instance, I don’t love God merely when I feel like it, and my faith is much deeper than being swayed by feelings of peer pressure, shame or guilt. And, my understanding of God is based upon the facts He reveals in His Word, not what I feel like He should be. Even more, I make decisions based upon the facts of God’s word, not mere feelings about my situation.

But at the same time, my faith is not devoid of feelings altogether.

I think we would all agree that our faith is all encompassing. It affects our beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes. The problem is when we go off the deep end and make faith about only one of these aspects of our being.

Therefore, we must embrace a holistic approach in which faith is an integral part of our mind, body, soul, and strength.

I love the way Psalm 1 explains it.

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

The psalmist describes a man who is stable in his faith. He doesn’t walk in the way of sinners or the counsel of the wicked. He lives a life that is honoring to God -and he is blessed as a result.

Verse two gets to the heart of the man’s existence. Or, as some might say, “the secret of his success.” His delight is in the law of the Lord.

Two concepts stand out to me:

1) The man delights. His feelings are integral to his faith. In fact, they fuel his faith.

2) The man’s delight is in God’s Word. His feelings are grounded -not in his imagination, but in God’s solid Word.

Here is a healthy balance. The man has insatiable desires for God’s Word. He delights in God’s law. At the same time, God’s law continually directs his desires!

If you’ve ever thought, “reading God’s Word is the last thing I want to do,” or “faith is dry and boring,” consider the example of Psalm 1. You can delight to your hearts content.

And, if you say, “but that’s not what I delight in,” God’s Word will reshape your desires and direct you to delight in Him!

Verse three explains the results of such a delightful life:

He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.

So, go ahead -delight all you want! You won’t be disappointed.

 

5 Tips For Cultivating Discipleship In Your Church

1) Pastors should identify the disciple-making that is already happening within their Church.

Disciples are being made in every church -the only question is “disciples of what?” Although not all of the discipleship is intentional or profitable, the good news for pastors is that they do not have to create the momentum –it already exists. The challenge is to identify it, embrace it and help direct it.

 

2) Pastors should intentionally spend time with key disciple-makers and help them develop intention in their disciple-making.

After identifying and embracing the disciple-making that is already taking place within a congregation, the pastor’s ability to provide guidance to the discipleship depends upon the pastor’s willingness to disciple the disciple-makers by intentionally investing in their lives. In short, the strength of a church’s discipleship is directly related to the amount of the pastor’s time invested in discipleship relations.

 

3) Pastors must foster a discipleship community within the congregation.

Every disciple and disciple-maker needs the support of other disciples and disciple-makers to continue mutual edification over a lifetime. This takes place within the discipleship community, which, ideally, is the local church. Pastors have the opportunity to foster this community and bring it to the forefront of every disciple’s awareness. This may take place by introducing disciples to one another through fellowship gatherings, small group studies, or personal introductions.

 

4) Solicit testimonies from the discipleship community to share with the entire body.

Pastors might share the value of discipleship and the discipleship community from with non-disciples through personal testimonies identifying the community within the local church. In this way, the discipleship community might also become a natural place for new disciples to enter a discipleship relationship.

 

5) Preach about discipleship, but more importantly, make disciples.

Sermons regarding discipleship are crucial. They make the congregation aware of the biblical mandate and example for discipleship. However, preaching is only as effective as the discipleship that accompanies it. It is one thing to preach about discipleship, it is quite another to make disciples. If a pastor desires for a congregation to become disciple-makers, he must first be a disciple-maker. In many cases, the temperature of discipleship within the congregation corresponds to the nature of the pastor’s practice of discipleship.

What is Your Church Advertising?

I see a lot of church advertising these days. Many churches are utilizing billboards, print ads, and social media for the purpose of outreach. I love the concept of utilizing creative spaces to advance the kingdom. However, there is a something unsettling about public ads that advertise with slogans such as:

  • “In depth preaching,”
  • “Contemporary and traditional services,”
  • “Bible studies for the whole family.”

Don’t get me wrong. I love all of those things. Preaching, corporate worship, and Bible study are all high on my list. And no, I don’t think the church should hide what we are doing.

However, it strikes me odd when a church’s outreach efforts advertise elements that only believers would be interested in. That doesn’t mean unbelievers don’t need it –it just means they don’t know they need it –yet.

As I see it, this kind of advertising implies one of three things about the church:

  • The church assumes we live in culture familiar with Christianity. Churches must realize that we no longer have the luxury of living in a culture that is familiar and friendly to the church. Reaching unbelievers requires us to think like a missionary overseas attempting to reach a people group with no concept of church life. Certainly we would laugh if such a missionary posted a billboard in such a land that proclaimed, “In depth preaching,” “Contemporary and traditional services,” and “Bible studies for the whole family.” American churches must begin to look at their communities in the same way.
  • The church only wants to reach church people only. Of course there is nothing wrong with someone coming from another church to join your congregation. We expect no less when believers move to a new town. However, that does not mean it should be the sole focus of the church’s outreach. To the contrary, the church’s outreach should focus on non-believers!
  • The church has not thought through its outreach strategy. Churches often emulate other churches our peers without fully understanding the “why.” The reasoning may go like this: “If the church across town purchased billboard advertising, we should too. “ For the first church, the purpose of the billboard may be a part of a great commission strategy to reach unbelievers. But for the second church, the purpose shifts to following a trend. The next thing you know, a committee has been formed, and list of items to mention on the billboard grows into a laundry list of church programs, service times, facility pictures, and contact information. Why? Because when there is no “why,” anything (and everything) sounds like a good idea.

We all agree that our desire is to see unbelievers trust Christ, grow as disciples, and become faithfully involved in a local church. In the present culture, how then should we approach outreach? Here are a few thoughts:

  • Relationships are key. The gospel is meant to be shared through relationships. Otherwise, evangelism would be as simple as posting scripture on bulletin boards across the world. Now, more than ever, the greatest tool to reach non-believers is through genuine, authentic, relationships.
  • Love speaks loudly. We must follow Christ’s example to love unbelievers. This doesn’t mean we overlook sin or diminish the weight of God’s judgment. In fact, true love will be greatly concerned by the sin and the coming judgment faced by those without Christ. The gospel makes no sense without the message of God’s judgment. However, the message of God’s judgment without the gospel is not good news. Love shares the entire message.
  • The Church must meet people on their turf. Surely Christ exemplified this in His incarnation –leaving Heaven to walk the earth. Any outreach strategy must include dispersing from congregation to community.
  • Meet people where they are. In the same way that the church must be willing to enter unbelievers’ geographic turf, we must also be willing to enter their cultural turf. If your church advertising implies “only those who look, act, and dress like us are welcome,” that’s not gospel outreach -its legalist recruiting. However -when used to communicate a willingness to meet people in the midst of their broken, despair, chaos, and need -advertising can help a church open doors into people’s lives.

But be ready -when the door opens, it might not be “nice, neat, and clean.” Ministry is messy. Don’t even advertise if you aren’t willing to walk through the door, roll up your sleeves, and love on sinners. Because if that is the case, you’ve got bigger problems than determining what message will go on your billboard.

 

I’m Not a Real Farmer, But I Play One in Ministry…

I just had a fascinating conversation with my brother-in-law, Andy, about discipleship.

Andy farms and knows all about tractors (especially a certain green brand).

We were talking about how people respond better to teaching when someone has taken the time to work with them personally in their spiritual life. In the middle of the conversation, Andy said, “its just like preparing the soil.”

(Disclaimer –I know nothing about farming. So if I get this wrong, please remember, it’s the thought that counts!)

Andy explained that, in farming, there are several methods of soil preparation: No-till preparation, Minimal-till preparation, and Sub-soil-till preparation.

No-till preparation is just what it sounds like. You plant without tilling. It saves time and money (at least at first) because you don’t have to run your equipment (and fuel) over the land before planting.

Minimal-till preparation could be anything from “scratching the surface” of the ground to going 6-8 inches deep. This loosens the soil up and makes it easier to plant.

Sub-soil-till preparation goes even deeper. Andy shared that many times, ground that is only tilled 6-8 inches can still be hard underneath. This keep roots from being able to penetrate deep and blocks nutrients from being absorbed. Over time, the topsoil can wash away –along with the minerals, leaving shallow-rooted plants “high-and dry.”

Andy said that the more soil preparation you do, the better your crop will turn out in the long-run. Basically, he said, every farmer has to choose whether or not to make the investment on the front end. Sub-soil-till preparation, he explained, is more costly and harder work that no-till or minimal-till. But -Andy continued to share- the benefits outweigh the cost.

Isn’t this just like discipleship?

I hear a lot of ministers (after preaching or teaching) say they have “scattered their seed” and they hope someone “took it to heart.” Similarly, I hear church members say, “I brought a friend so that the preacher can plant a seed in them.”

Maybe, like a farmer (2 Timothy 2:6), the best work we can do is “soil preparation” before we teach or preach (Hosea 10:12). Yes, it’s harder work and costs more time and energy –but the benefits are worth it!

Here’s some practical ideas for “tilling up hearts” (for everyone –not just preachers)

1) Get involved in people’s real life & let them get involved in your real life.

You can’t break up a hard heart from a distance. It takes time and attention.  “People don’t care what you know until they know that you care.”

2) Have spiritual conversations around real life.

Spiritual conversations are most effective in the middle of real life circumstances. People are most receptive to Truth when they have questions driven by real life events. In the farming world, you’ve got to plant the seed at the right time –when the soil is ready.

3) Be prepared to exhort and rebuke.

Ouch. The “R” word… Seriously, a real friend will confront people with their sin out of love for their friend. Preparing soil also means ripping out weeds. It is tough, but necessary work.

The “E” word is much more pleasant, although I’m not sure we practice it nearly enough. Exhort means to “strongly encourage someone.” If someone has allowed you into his or her life, you’ve been given a great privilege. Don’t miss the opportunity to encourage them in living for Christ. Give them positive feedback in how to live a God-honoring life.

So, what will it be? No-till, minimal-till, or sub-soil till? The deeper you go, the greater the harvest.

For my pastor/preacher friends: This means we can’t just hide behind the pulpit or lectern and say, “I’ve done my part.” No, we must reach out into the real lives of our people and live among them as Christ took on flesh (Philippians 2:7-8) and lived among us (John 1:14).

If you aren’t a pastor/preacher, you have just as much responsibility to “till the soil” as your pastor. In fact, you are in partnership with your pastor. Instead of just bringing a friend to church so a “seed can be planted” by a pastor or teacher, why not “prepare the soil” so the seed has a place to take root?

MJ, Discipleship & Missions -Part Three

Recapping parts 1&2:

  • God has created us in His image to reflect His glory.
  • God’s glory is spread throughout the world when we are “fruitful and multiply.”
  • Multiplying God’s Image around the world is the heart of the Great Commission: to make disciples of all nations.

Nike makes use of vast resources to project Michael Jordan’s image around the world. But what kind of resources do believers have for projecting Christ’s image globally?

After commanding Adam and Eve to “be fruitful and multiply,” God continues saying, “have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:28).

There are two implicit truths here: 1) God created and owns everything. 2) God has given dominion over all things to humans.

Why would God do that? To resource the global effort to reflect His image to the world.

Here’s an example:

A friend of mine, Brittney, spent a year as a student in China. While there, she became friends with a lady from Kenya named Alice.

Alice shared with Brittney that she had a daughter who wanted to study at an American university. Brittney told Alice that if her daughter wanted to study at the University near Brittney’s home town, she could live with her parents.

Several months later, Alice’s daughter, Doris, showed up to live with Brittney’s parents.

One day, Brittney’s dad was taking Doris to an international student orientation. While listening to presentations, Brittney’s dad learned about a “friendship family” program where American families partnered with the local university to host students during holidays and weekends.

Through the “friendship family” program, Brittney’s family met a Chinese student named Xi Wu. Over the next few years, Doris and Xi Wu became a part of the family. And after countless gospel conversations, Xi Wu placed faith in Christ.

According to Genesis 1:28, God provided all of the resources to make this possible. God provided the airline transportation to bring together Brittney and Alice in China. He made the international department of the local university available to Brittney’s family to meet Xi Wu. And God provided the home for Brittney’s parents to host Doris and Xi Wu and share the gospel.

Most likely, Delta Airlines, Southern Arkansas University, and the Local Mortgage company have no idea that they were a part of God’s divine resourcing for this one gospel story. But they were -God owns them all, and God gives his children dominion over all things to accomplish his purposes.

So take a moment to look at your world a little differently today. Most likely God has provided a local park through your city government. I wonder how he wants you to use that resource to project his image to the world?

And what about the local apartment complexes? God owns them too. Could your church take advantage of such places where a large gathering of people live in community? I wonder how many of them haven’t heard the gospel? How many children at those complexes would love to participate in a Bible school if a local church would bring it to them for a week this summer?

What about your local schools? How many relationships is God providing for you to share the gospel through PTA meetings and field trips.

Nike has done amazing things with their marketing, but their funds are limited. God’s resource, however, are unlimited. We just have to open our eyes to all the wonderful opportunities!