Sharing is Caring

The disciples of Jesus?       [Acts 8:26-40]     The self-portrait of American pastors today, what is it?   The Barna Group, an organization focused on church, ministry, and faith-related research, conducted a telephone survey of 627 pastors nationwide on their self-perception.   The survey results summarized the pastors' self-perception on various aspects, including their ministry and interpersonal relationships, into seven categories.   Among them, the second category is most relevant to today's passage: As educators, disciple trainers, and leaders, they showed high self-confidence.   98% of pastors responded 'I am a competent Bible teacher.'   9 out of 10 responded 'I am a competent leader,' saying they have a clear vision.   8 out of 10 responded 'I am a competent disciple trainer.'   7 out of 10 responded positively to 'I am closely involved in the local community.'   Indeed, are our pastors as competen...

  A man whose faith comes through Jesus       [Acts 3:11-16]     Scottish pastor Samuel Rutherford once said, ‘Christ carries the wind.   God has placed you beside Christ, facing the same direction as Christ.   Therefore, you cannot expect a sheltered, windless spot on the mountainside.’   In this statement, it implies that just as we walk in the same direction as Christ, we too must live carrying the wind. In other words, we cannot move forward without facing resistance (Tozer).   However, human instinct longs for the sheltered, windless spot on the mountainside.   Pastor Tozer stated in his book "That Incredible Christian" regarding 'true faith' and 'false faith': ‘A person with genuine faith does not shy away from any suffering in order to partake in Christ's victory.   On the other hand, a person with counterfeit faith is only certain of wanting no part of the wind, but desiring the sheltered, windless spot o...

  ‘What I have I give you’     [Acts 3:1-10]   The article titled ‘True Gospel Evangelism [Sitting at the Lord's Feet Every Day]’ (Christigreen) questions what the best method of gospel evangelism is, one that can be consistently effective across all eras.   It raises queries such as ‘Is it through reform movements?   Short-term or long-term missions?   Turning the globe into a mission field?   Is it through life as a form of evangelism?   Is it through radio or television?’   It acknowledges that God has used all of these methods, sometimes employing quite dramatic means, to proclaim the gospel to the world.   However, the Bible does not particularly emphasize any of these methods as crucial in spreading the message that Jesus is the Son of God.   It goes on to suggest that the most powerful method of evangelism, one that can be consistently effective across all eras, is when the church comes together with one heart...