Category: Featured
Damaging Detachment
What does it look like to co-create New Creation? It does not look like clinically undermining a suffering part of the global Church from a detached distance that’s for sure. This post argues that healthy contextualisation and intercultural intelligence is required to co-create New Creation.
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Nil By Force
This post tackles a tendency for some to get aggressive in our evangelism and missions approach. A triumphalist mindset remains prevalent in global missions circles but the posture encouraged in Scripture is that of quiet humility, gentleness, and honouring others’ dignity.
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Whose Side Are You On?
In a world marked by conflicts, it is appropriate to ask “whose side are you on?” as we start a new year. The question arises from Joshua 5 and this post is a prelude to a longer 2023 Leader’s Missions Forecast essay distributed to the World Evangelical Alliance Mission Commission network.
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Antichrist
Death is associated with separation, so too the antichrist/s. Anger is associated with separation which can lead to death if it is not well processed. It is transformational if it is well processed. Protest can be a legitimate expression of anger, but ultimately our aim should always be to process toward reconciliation.
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Toxic Goodness
In a world being ripped apart before our very eyes we could all use a bit of love, faith, and peace right now. But there’s a reason for the dysfunction we see around us and it is called Sin. That’s not a popular opinion these days, but what if Sin was simply the imposition of good upon others? This post explores that very question.
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Generating New Energy
We do not like to talk about it, but we cannot keep our head in the sand. The energy required for church and missions in the West to flourish is depleting, but there is good news: it is thriving elsewhere! This post reflects on these hard facts and concludes that Western Christians still have much to contribute alongside the global Church.
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Tidal Adaptations
When it comes to effective outreach ministry, context is crucial. The gospel seed sprouts best in well prepared soil. As formerly Christianised nations became more secular, individualistic, and drift from traditional moralities there is an urgent need for us to adapt well to the changed tide, but rarely are we doing it well.
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Corrupted Directions
“If you pee in the water you’ll never reach your goals” will make perfect sense when you read the explanation of this modern-day whakataukī! In an era of great fluidity and ambiguity, we need to prioritise what will help us reach our ‘New Creation’ destination. Spoiler alert: it has everything to do with relationships.
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Our Destination Comes
Evangelicals are coming under increasing public scrutiny. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Increasing exposure can create healthy accountability. But we’re also being judged by the moral standards of liberal secularism. These are atmospheric changes we need to account for as we fix our eyes on our ultimate destination.
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I Need You Need Me
More than a few social commentators reckon that we are seeing the dissolution of the neo-liberal globalisation project in the wake of the global pandemic, increasing inflation and a Russia-Ukraine war. Opinions are fracturing and hostilities rising, but it should not be so for those us in-Christ – and this is an opportunity for missions.
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Let Love Lead
Our English-language concepts of love can be woefully inadequate, but we need strong concepts of ‘merciful loving kindness’ to lead us into effective Kindgom witness. God’s mission is always accomplished through loving sacrifice and there is no better time to remember that than through the Lenten season.
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Hope Deferred
We live in an era of missions when, if we don’t consistently and persistently shift our expectations to match reality, we will suffer great harm. The triumphalism of yesteryear will not carry us forward. In humility we must surrender our grand plans and yield to the new and wonderfully fruitful thing God is doing in our day.
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