Coffee Kills
Posted by Todd Engstrom in personal on March 3, 2009
Ever wondered how much caffeine it would take to kill you?
Below are my results:
Coffee Kills
Scriptural Election: The Third Way
Posted by Todd Engstrom in theology on March 2, 2009
I found this article as I was preparing for my teaching on the doctrines of salvation, and particularly on election. The quote below is very insightful
Thesis 23: We must affirm that God creates what he elects rather than that he selects out of what exists.
Israel is called into existence. Election is tied to promise and the seed of Israel is not the product of selection but of creation. God created what he elected. Election is the creation of something out of its opposite—possibility out of impossibility. It is a matter of creation rather than a parallel to rejection.
The focus in our doctrine of election, therefore, must not be on selection. Election is a creative act. In biblical thought Israel, Christ, and the Church are not “existing realities that God selectively chooses out of a number of extant Israels, Christs, or churches. . . . They are created by the dynamics of election, for they are what they are only by virtue of their election.”
The thought that election is out of God’s creative, life-giving power is an excellent one, and a great demonstration of why I cherish the doctrine. In election, He is calling the dead to life, not sifting based on some selection criteria. This helped me to articulate a good defense to those who see election as mechanical and deterministic, and ultimately cold and unfair.
Touchpoint » Blog Archive » An Encouraging Mega Church View
Posted by Todd Engstrom in austin stone, megachurch, missional on February 28, 2009
A great viewpoint from David Watson on mega church involvement in church planting movements.
From my perspective as a champion for rapidly multiplying small church planting, I do see a need for and appreciate mega churches. Mega churches could be the nexus for information, training, networking/connecting, strategy, and resourcing of all kinds, including human, vocational, business, educational, and financial. Please do not hear me say that mega churches should drive all this. They should be facilitators and servants who connect God’s people with the needs of those who work very hard to serve and reach the lost, wherever they may be found.
We must never forget that a church with 10,000 members is as much the Bride of Christ as a church with 10 members. Both are highly valued by God. Both have calls from God. Both have the same purposes and functions defined by the Word of God. All are needed if we are going to reach the +5 billion lost people on our planet. When we criticize any church, we criticize the Bride of Christ. As a husband, I am not too happy when someone criticizes my bride. How do you think Christ feels when we criticize His Bride?
via Touchpoint » Blog Archive » An Encouraging Mega Church View.
I love the externally focused mentality that this man has, and his vision for seeing all kinds of churches reaching all kinds of people. Secondly, I love his passionate defense of the bride of Christ, no matter the form. I pray that David’s vision will be caught by many throughout the church planting strategy spectrum.
When Planning Fails Churches
Posted by Todd Engstrom in austin stone, church on February 27, 2009
This quote from an article in Church Solutions Magazine adds some fuel to the fire from our conversations as a staff and implementing our strategy as a church.
The statistics tell the unfortunate truth. Eighty-seven percent of American churches have either plauteaued or are declining in attendance. We can and should innovate until we are blue in the face. We can Twitter and blog and connect through social networks. We can have conferences and cheer each other on. We can do multisite and plant churches. But the fact remains that of the 13 percent of churches actually growing, less than 3 percent are growing by conversion growth. That means 10 percent are just doing a better weekend that attracts more Christians. Jesus didn’t come to reorganize, he came to simply seek and save lost people. He came to reconcile us with the undeserved and unthinkable love of God.
I pray that God would use The Austin Stone to not only impact the lives of those in the church, but to change the face of the city of Austin for the glory of God.
What motivates you to mission? | shawblog
Posted by Todd Engstrom in christianity, discipleship on February 26, 2009
My friend and colleague has written some fantastic thoughts on ministry to Muslims, which have broad applications for motivations for ministry. Below is the concluding quip from a great post:
Passion for obedience to the basic commands of Jesus in response to His love for you. The 2 greatest commands of Jesus are very clear and simple: love God and love your neighbor. God has, in fact, fulfilled these commands already in Jesus (He loves God and He loves you). Is that enough to motivate you to passionate sacrifice for the Muslim world, ~87% of which has never met a follower of Jesus?
Litmus question: Do you require more motivation than the basic commands of Jesus to live sacrificially and missionally among Muslims? Can you articulate in your life how your understanding of the Gospel has motivated you to love Muslims more?
Although the post deals specifically with ministry to Muslims, it is a fantastic question to ask for every Christian as they engage in ministry. Are my motivations driven by obedience to King Jesus, or something altogether different?
Connect
Comments