The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

AllanStanglin.com

Category: Evangelism (Page 17 of 20)

What Does God Want To Do?

April 30, 2009 / / 0 Comments

VisionI know what you want to do at your church. Your shepherds know what they want to do. Your preacher also has some great ideas. The leaders at your church attend seminars and retreats, they plan and they pray, they know what their vision is.

Probably.

But what does God want to do with your church? What do you think God sees at your church for the next 20, 30, or even 50 years? What’s his vision? When God “calls things that are not as though they are,” what is he seeing for your congregation?

Well…what would be really huge? What would seem nearly impossible?

How about a Body of Believers that really reflects the message of the Gospel? A church that brings together and unites all colors, all social classes, all economic groups, all ethnic peoples in one congregation? Impossible?

How about a church that has a 24-hour presence of people praying and ministering at your local hospital? How about a church that operates a 24-hour soup kitchen or homeless shelter? How about a church that establishes congregations at apartment complexes? More than we can ask or imagine?

How about a church that holds annual revivals and baptizes hundreds? How about a church that offers free oil changes in the parking lot every month? How about a church that buys TV time or sponsors a community-wide dodgeball tournament to raise money for an at-risk school or sends Christian missionaries to every nation on the planet?

Is that too big? It it too much? Is it outside the box?

Good! Because those are exactly the kinds of areas where our God really likes to operate!

We can’t out-think our God. We can’t over-shoot him. We can’t out-imagine, out-dream, or out-vision our mighty and sovereign Lord.

Just try.

Peace,

Allan

At God's Right Hand

April 17, 2009 / / 0 Comments

At God’s Right Hand

“The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead!” ~Acts 5:30

When Peter and the apostles are questioned about their teachings, when they’re asked about their motivations, when they’re given an opportunity to share their beliefs, please notice where they start.

They start the Gospel story not with Jesus’ birth, not with his ministry, not with his teachings or healings, they don’t begin with his crucifixion. They start with his Resurrection. The God of our fathers, they say — our God, your God — raised Jesus from the dead and exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior!

All of salvation history hangs on the Resurrection of Jesus; the fact that God brought him out of the tomb in a physical, bodily way; and the fact that God seated him in the position of honor and power and authority at his right hand.

This is where the Gospel gets its power. Jesus reigns! Jesus is Lord! Jesus is King! He is sovereign! He rules! He controls! He directs! All power and all authority and all dominion belong to the resurrected and exalted Christ who reigns at the right hand of God!

The whole world receives new life in the Resurrection of Jesus. And courage. And confidence. And power. And that’s a message worth telling. In fact, the angel of the Lord tells these apostles in Acts 5, don’t hold anything back. Tell the people the full message of this new life.

And they do.

“Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ!” ~Acts 5:42

 Peace,

Allan

His Glorious Riches

March 30, 2009 / / 0 Comments

“My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” ~Philippians 4:19

I suppose in every single church family in America — maybe the world, but definitely America — there are naysayers. There are people who say it can’t be done. There are others who say it shouldn’t be done. They rarely smile or compliment. They see a negative behind every action. They detect a problem behind every word. They perceive a wrong motive or a false agenda behind every move that’s made.

And I sometimes take that personally. I sometimes try too hard and spend too much time and energy trying to soothe the feelings of this one-percent who are never happy and don’t act like they want to be happy. Sometimes those negative things bog me down. Sometimes they weigh on me. They burden me. Too much, I’m afraid, most of the time.

I suppose, unfortunately, that will always be the case.

And then yesterdays happen.

Yesterday. Wow.

You know, you pray and pray that prayer that Terry Rush teaches: “God, please just do that thing you do.” And God answers in amazing ways that prove he’s already doing that thing he does, he’s been doing it every day since the beginning of time, and he’s going to keep doing it until time ceases to tick.

$251,318 generously given to fund our local and foreign missions budget for 2009, far surpassing our set goal of $200,000. Unprecedented at this place. Two years in a row, now, we’ve blown our goal out of the water.

1,067 men, women, and children came together to praise God and encourage one another. Largest crowd since August. So much energy. So much excitement.

Robert and Angela Brooks gave their lives to our Lord by being baptized into his death, burial, and resurrection. Two hearts convicted by the love of God. Two lives changed — re-created — right before our eyes. An answer to so many prayers.

Six more families placed their membership with Legacy: 15 total newcomers to bless our church family, to impact our dynamic, to serve and sacrifice with us, together, as we work in the Kingdom.

A cross-cultural communion service at our Master’s table. Christ as our gracious host. Two peoples. Two cultures. Two languages. United in salvation through the blood of Jesus.

Nearly 600 shared dinner together Sunday night, worshiped together, and encouraged our LTC participants together. Loud. Chaotic. Tons of smiles. Lots of laughter. Tables and tables of food. Fellowship. Sharing. Koinonia.

Another $383.50 given for the Academy at Carrie F. Thomas, reaching our stated goal of $6,000 to purchase much-needed document cameras for this under-funded elementary school in our community.

All of this within a nine-hour time frame yesterday at Legacy. Undeniable proof that our God is alive and working with his people. Indisputable testimony to our God’s faithfulness to his children. Crystal clear evidence that his Holy Spirit is transforming his Church.

As blessings pile on top of blessings we are increasingly convinced that our Father is keeping his covenant promises to Legacy and to all of his creation.  It’s increasingly obvious that our God is blessing Legacy and planning to bless all of North East Tarrant County and every corner of this globe through this body of believers.

The ministers and staff and every last one of our shepherds and everybody who stopped by the church building today are still riding the wave of energy and enthusiasm and blessing generated by our God’s clear actions with his people here yesterday.

And we intend to ride it for quite some time.

I certainly do. 

I intend to smile at the naysayers and love them and hug them and do my Christ-like best to develop relationships with them. But I will not be deterred. We won’t be slowed down. I can point to yesterday and I can point to a dozen things that happen in the life of this congregation every single day. Every day! Stuff like yesterday is happening all around this place. In our Small Groups. In our Morning Prayers. In our Bible studies. In our lunches together. In our conversations in the parking lot. In hospital rooms and high school gyms. In your kitchen and in my office.

God is doing that thing he does at Legacy!

“To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” ~Philippians 4:20

Peace,

Allan

A Time To Give

March 27, 2009 / / 0 Comments

“The Church has nothing to do but to save souls. Therefore, spend and be spent in this work.” ~John Wesley

God saves people. That’s his work. It’s what he does.

God rescues from slavery. He delivers from exile. He provides food and water in the desert. He opposes the oppressor. He champions the weak and defenseless. He stills the storms. He gives sight to the blind and causes the lame to walk again. He protects and defends. He’s our Shield and our very great Reward. He’s the Rock. He’s the Refuge. He provides shelter. He turns turmoil into peace. He transfers sickness into health. He shines light into the darkness and brings life out of death.

That’s God’s work. It’s what he does. And it never stops. God is out there in his world right now today doing these works with his children. He’s out there loving and blessing people, redeeming and reconciling people, and defeating the enemies of his people.

And we join him in that work.

Every time the Gospel is preached, every time a sick person is cured, every time a church is planted, every time a hungry child is fed, every time a woman is baptized, every time a homeless man is given a bed, we are joining God in his work.

Sunday is Missions Sunday at Legacy.

The goal is $200,000 to fund the entire local and foreign missions budget for 2009.

As a church family we’ve studied and preached and prayed and sung about it. We’ve done the math. We’ve read the brochures and pamphlets, hung banners and worn buttons, studied pledge cards and learned a new song. We’ve heard from MITS, LST, BandS, and Fortress. We’ve seen David Nelson’s new haircut and Corey and Emily Mullins’ pajamas. We’ve seen pictures of neglected children, lost souls, and pregnant goats. We’ve been inspired by our missionaries and challenged by our shepherds.

And now it’s time to give.

Legacy to the World!

Allan

Surrounded

March 26, 2009 / / 0 Comments

I love Missions Month here at Legacy. For 31 days we zero in and focus on God’s call to seek and to save the lost, in our own neighborhoods and in Ukraine and the Philippines, in our own subdivisions and on the streets of downtown Fort Worth and Nairobi. We get to meet and hear our missionaries who are doing Kingdom work all over the globe. We get to see pictures and hear stories about the salvation work of God through Christ. We get to witness the ongoing reconciliation of the world back to its gracious Creator.

And it energizes me. It’s strong. It fills me with a renewed sense of purpose and mission. (It also fills me, in some ways, with envy. These missionaries are on the front lines of the Lord’s battle with Satan. They’re making a real difference in people’s lives, having a genuine eternal impact on the Kingdom. Meanwhile, I sometimes feel like a “religious shopkeeper,” to borrow a Eugene Peterson term. Sometimes I feel like I’m just a chaplain for a local congregation. But that’s a different post for another day. Stay on task! Stay on task!)

David&OliviaNelsonThis past week, through the miracle of the internet skype, our wonderful young missionaries in Kharkov, Ukraine, David & Olivia Nelson, were able to join us live from their bedroom for our Sunday morning worship assembly. There they were, up on the big screens in the worship center, talking to us about life in Eastern Europe. And David kind of poured his heart out to us.

It was unexpected. It was unscripted. It was open and honest and real.

David looked right into the camera, right into our eyes, and thanked us for the prayers and the money and the cards and the calls and the letters. He praised God for our partnership in spreading the great news. And then he told us, point-blank, that the honeymoon’s over. Life as a missionary in Ukraine isn’t nearly as glamorous now as it was when they got there six months ago. It’s hard. Nobody speaks English. It’s dark and cold. It hasn’t stopped snowing. Different language. Different culture. Different habits. Lonliness. Rejection. It’s tough. And David told us. It’s difficult.

And our hearts broke.

David read the passage I had selected from 1 Timothy about being rich in good deeds. And he led us in a beautiful prayer from nearly six-thousand miles away. But I think we were still processing the things David had said earlier.

We were all deeply touched by their honest confession. And divinely inspired and encouraged by their Christ-like resolve. All of us. I know that because apparently most of our church family bombarded the Nelsons with phone calls and emails as soon as our service was over.

Olivia sent out their weekly prayer list on Tuesday and started with this:

“Surrounded. That’s how I feel today as I’m sitting here writing you all. I feel surrounded by so many of you, and most of you are really far away right now! How God can use his Body to give us hugs that seem to reach across oceans is beyond me, but he does and I’m grateful. Yesterday David and I were able to worship with Legacy from our bedroom. David briefly shared with the congregation about how things were going here, then read a scripture and prayed for us all. We spent the next hour sitting on our bed, singing, praying, and glorifying our Lord with our family in Fort Worth. Since then, emails have been popping into our inbox, encouraging us and spurring us on, each one of them touching us in different ways. He is using you all — your prayers, your notes, your emails, your phone calls — to remind us of his love. Thank you! In Him Always, David and Olivia.”

How does God work on both sides of the world at the same time to inspire a thousand people in North Texas and to encourage a lonely missionary couple in Ukraine? I have no idea. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Peace,

Allan

Missionaries At The Table

March 19, 2009 / / 0 Comments

Missionaries at the TableMarch is Missions Month here at Legacy. One hundred percent of our foreign and local missions budget for 2009 is funded by a special offering on March 29. And we’re spending the entire month gearing up for that. Talking about it. Preaching about it. Praying about it. Studying it. The mission of our God and the call of his Church: to take up the mission to seek and save the lost. We’re bringing up our own missionaries to speak to us on Sunday morninings. We’re hooking up via the miracle of the internet skype with David and Olivia Nelson in Ukraine and Corey and Emily Mullins in Australia to be with us in our assemblies. This past week 22 individuals and families from Legacy have signed up to take short-term missions trips with the Let’s Start Talking program.

 While considering the proclamation aspect of what we do together at the Lord’s Supper each Sunday (see yesterday’s post, “Proclaim the Lord’s Death”), it seems that communion time is also a missionary event.

The death of Christ concerns many more than just a few chosen and believing people. Jesus died for all. He died for all those who are weak, all those who are sinners, all those who are right now enemies of God. Christ does not delay his death for us and for all until the moment when we and others are converted and added to his flock. The Lamb of God carries all the sins of the whole world.

This is another thing we proclaim together at the table. In sharing the communion meal that celebrates the Christ, we testify to the promises of God that he loves all creatures, not just those now present at the table. We declare that Jesus died for all and that all are invited to answer his call to repentance and salvation and a restored relationship with the Creator through him. So the Lord’s table is a missionary event. A missionary action.

Markus Barth, again, from Rediscovering the Lord’s Supper:

“Proclaiming the death of Christ forbids an individual and egotistic, antisocial and particularistic celebration of the eucharist. The Lord’s table is an occasion for and a center of evangelism rather than a selfish search for peace of the soul or joyful private satisfaction.”

Communion time is not primarily a time for God to speak to us or for the clergy — preachers, elders, presiders, etc., — to speak to us. At Christ’s table it is the congregation of believers that is authorized and enabled to speak. We are all together heralds of the Good News. During communion we’re all gospel preachers. At the table we declare to all the world that God’s work embraces all of humanity and that the number of God’s people is not yet complete.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Carrie-Anne’s picks are in. She’s taking Duke. Aggies and Horns are one-and-done. If you want to watch them play, you have to watch today.

Peace,

Allan

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2026 The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑