The Kingdom: Who’s in charge?
As we in the United States observe President’s Day today, authority can be a challenging concept to understand. Who has it and why? Does it come from position? From character? From earning trust? How we answer these questions depends on our identity. If we are first...
Obedience and knowledge
The essence of discipleship is “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matt 28:20a). It’s not just about teaching knowledge, but about teaching obedience so people can live into what Jesus taught and how he lived. That’s the...
The seven commands of Jesus
Below is a list of the seven commands of Jesus taught to the people of Honduras. They follow a Spanish acronym that isn’t present in the English translation. 1. Repent and believe 2. Be baptized 3. Love the people 4. Receive communion 5. Give 6. Pray 7. Teach Notice...
If you don’t learn, you don’t teach
When I was in Honduras, I discovered that they define “learning” as something you actually put into practice, not as knowledge. That’s how they structure their training: 75% is practice, while only 25% is input. They figure– rightly, I think– that it’s...
Loving obedience
Often the term obedience connotes drudgery, lack of freedom, and having to do things we re-ally don’t want to do. That’s not what Jesus has in mind. When you love someone, it’s easy to do what pleases them. My wife loves Christmas lights. Is putting up Christmas...