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Month: April 2015

The Church Is Growing!

Published by Jeff Kennon on April 7, 2015

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The International Bulletin for Missionary Research has once again produced its global report on religious statistics. Krish Kandiah has noticed five trends of this year’s report that are quite interesting.

1. The Church is growing slowest in Europe and North America

The Church is still growing in Europe and North America, but the increase is small.

2. The Church is growing dramatically in the rest of the world.

Explosive growth has been seen in Asia, Africa, and South America. The growth of the African Church is particularly significant. In 1990 there were fewer than 9 million Christians in Africa. Now there are more than 541 million.

3. Christianity is easily the world’s largest religion.

There are more than 2.4 billion Christians worldwide which is just over a third of the world’s total population.

4. Christianity is ridiculously divided.

There are more than 45,000 different Christian denominations in the world today. In 1900 there were 1600 denominations.

5. How many atheists?

There are 136.4 million atheists in the world, which is about 1.8 percent of the population. Though info on atheists is hard to determine, atheists are the only grouping to see a downturn, though very small.

I encourage you to read the entire article. 

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The Crown Of Thorns

Published by Jeff Kennon on April 3, 2015

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Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands.      –John 19:1-2

Frederick Leahy writes:

There he stood, his face bruised, swollen and bleeding, and that thorny crown upon his head. He was so alone, ‘friendless, forsaken, betrayed by all’. That crown symbolized what sinful man thinks of Christ. He was not to be taken seriously. He was only fit for a stage-play! They made him a carnival king and placed on him the stamp of derision. With this mock robe, reed sceptre and crown of thorns, he was made to look like a theatrical figure. Luther says that Christ was ‘numbered with the transgressors, crucified as a rebel, killed by His own people in supreme disgrace, and as the most abandoned of men’. Ah yes! ‘supreme disgrace’, the shameful crown of thorns woven by the hands of men and placed on the Saviour’s brow – man’s estimate of Christ. 

Certainly behind that crown of thorns worn for us we see invincible patience and invincible love–a love that we can never understand, but which, by God’s grace, we may experience. Only unspeakable love, unquenchable love, divine love could wear that crown of thorns; and that is the wonder of it. 

But now the brow that once wore the cruel crown of thorns is now adorned with the diadem of the universe, for all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Christ. ‘We see Jesus…crowned’ (Heb. 2:9). ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’ (John 1:29).

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Around The Web

Published by Jeff Kennon on April 2, 2015

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The Power Of Consistency – When we lead people in the way of discipleship, one of the issues we must deal with is the boring nature of it all. I mean, there’s only so many ways you can “spice up” the habits that characterize consistent growth in Christ.

How To Wake Up – In a sermon on How to Begin Every Day with God, based on the text, “My voice you shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to you, and I will look up” (Psalm 5:3), Matthew Henry gives eight reasons why we should wake up with prayer.

5 Resurrection Realities That Reorient Our Evangelism – Evangelism rises or falls based upon the reality of the resurrection. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, there is no good news to share: sin and death still reign, we worship a dead and decomposing deity, and Christians should be pitied because we are deceived and pathetic. On the other hand, if the resurrection is true, every Christian should be compelled to share this good news liberally and with great joy.

Increasing Humility – A clear indication of maturing in Christ is increasing humility. The closer we draw to Him the more we see our need for Him, because the closer we draw to Him the more we grasp His holiness and our sinfulness.

Some Unlikely Heroes – This is not the first time the garbage men have spread cheer through the Kroner home. It’s been ongoing. Every week, the garbage men show up. Quincy runs to the window, pulls up a chair, and looks through the window. They dump the garbage can, set it down, turn around and wave at Quincy. Sometimes they’ll honk, too.

A Clean House And A Wasted Life – If you do the things God tells you to do, messes will inevitably follow. But take heart: According to the wisest man who ever lived, these messes are not proof of a wasted life, but of a productive one.

Could This Be The Greatest Shot In March Madness History?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3_IT622Sbc

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A Hymn We Need To Recover

Published by Jeff Kennon on April 1, 2015

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Written by Henry F. Lyte in 1824, Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken is a hymn that we would do well to recover.

Jesus, I my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow Thee.
Destitute, despised, forsaken,
Thou from hence my all shall be.
Perish every fond ambition,
All I’ve sought or hoped or known.
Yet how rich is my condition!
God and heaven are still my own.

Let the world despise and leave me,
They have left my Savior, too.
Human hearts and looks deceive me;
Thou art not, like them, untrue.
O while Thou dost smile upon me,
God of wisdom, love, and might,
Foes may hate and friends disown me,
Show Thy face and all is bright.

Man may trouble and distress me,
’Twill but drive me to Thy breast.
Life with trials hard may press me;
Heaven will bring me sweeter rest.
Oh, ’tis not in grief to harm me
While Thy love is left to me;
Oh, ’twere not in joy to charm me,
Were that joy unmixed with Thee.

Go, then, earthly fame and treasure,
Come disaster, scorn and pain
In Thy service, pain is pleasure,
With Thy favor, loss is gain
I have called Thee Abba Father,
I have stayed my heart on Thee
Storms may howl, and clouds may gather;
All must work for good to me.

Soul, then know thy full salvation
Rise o’er sin and fear and care
Joy to find in every station,
Something still to do or bear.
Think what Spirit dwells within thee,
Think what Father’s smiles are thine,
Think that Jesus died to win thee,
Child of heaven, canst thou repine.

Haste thee on from grace to glory,
Armed by faith, and winged by prayer.
Heaven’s eternal days before thee,
God’s own hand shall guide us there.
Soon shall close thy earthly mission,
Soon shall pass thy pilgrim days,
Hope shall change to glad fruition,
Faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

(Check out Indelible Grace for an updated musical version of this hymn.)

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