Blog Collections
Through this trip, God showed me how connected our Living Faith Fellowship churches are! Ministry runs on the rails of relationships. Our personal church history matters. I encourage you to take time out of your busy schedules to visit some of our sister churches of Living Faith Fellowship!
From the one mention of Judas speaking, we see that Thaddaeus had a desire to see others have the same opportunity that he had. He wanted people to know Jesus Christ because he had a heart for those who were without a relationship with the Savior.
The zeal that Simon, called Zelotes, had was useful. We aren’t told what exactly he was zealous for, but we can assume that it was for the things that Jesus taught and commanded, otherwise he wouldn’t have been of much use to Jesus. What about us? What should we be zealous about?
We can protect ourselves and others from disillusionment and faithlessness by drawing near to one another as we wait on the Lord.
His physical posture is changed from sitting in the receipt of custom, to standing and following Jesus. His identity is changed from Levi, “joined” to this world and sin, to Matthew, a “gift of God.” His mindset is changed from self-indulgent to self-denying. And his purpose is changed from living for himself to living for God.
Philip’s life is quite relatable to a modern-day disciple of Christ. He was a believer and earnestly wanted to follow Jesus. But he wasn’t perfect. He lacked faith at moments and failed to understand spiritual truths at other times. He was corrected, and chose to submit, rather than walk away.
When John was in a room, he had no personal objectives or agenda. His purpose was whatever Jesus was pursuing. And when no clear purpose was presented, John’s priority was what Jesus wanted. And when we see in scripture the group simply fellowshipping together, John’s place was as close to Christ as he could be.
The discipler is the elder brother/sister that the disciple can personally know, follow, and emulate.
In that moment it required that they believe in something and someone that they had not yet had the chance to fully understand. But their faith allowed for that process to come to fruition. And that process is something that we all know and believe in, which is biblical discipleship.
Christlike disciplers embody this same heart. They possess an intense Christlike burden for the disciple. They are willing to go the distance and then some, to minister to the disciple that they might be conformed more into the image of Christ.
Zeal in the life of a disciple recognizes that what God has said must be true, and it creates a passion in the disciples’ life to see it become reality.
To safeguard against this, it is worth our time and effort to ensure that our approach to making disciples in the local church is biblically, not academically, sound.
Mentorship isn’t temporary, and it isn’t some lesser investment before getting to “real discipleship”. It is discipleship.
If the mission of the church is to make disciples, the discipleship team within the church cannot afford failed stewardship in overseeing the discipleship ministry. It would most certainly cripple the church for years to come.
As a newbie to Mission Focus, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The reality is that it was exactly what I needed as a pastor to bring the totality of the Mission into clear Focus. I was able to witness firsthand the culmination of evangelism, discipleship, ministry training, and church planting. I heard personal testimonies of people who were won to Christ through evangelistic Bible studies. People were open and excited about being involved in discipleship. We celebrated those graduating from LFBI. Andew Ong was ordained into the pastoral ministry. Missionaries from all over the world were prayed over and supported. And many surrendered their lives completely to the Mission.
Jesus is always leading his disciples to listen, learn, and live his word, and he is always leading the multitudes to a point of decision. Are they going to choose to count the cost to become a disciple or not?
While the Cost of Discipleship process at MBT has improved our overall discipleship quality, it’s not fail proof by any means. With enough ministry experience, we all learn that some people hear what they want to hear, not what is actually being taught. In COD, we try to paint a very clear biblical picture of discipleship and what people should expect. Despite doing that as clearly as we know how, some will move forward into a formal discipleship relationship to only struggle with the biblical expectations of discipleship.
Earthly happiness is temporary, fleeting, and often dependent on other people and events outside our control… A life lived for earthly riches ends in emptiness. Fulfillment, however, is forever. When we Christians invest in others eternally, we will never lose that joy.
When we think about Job solely as a story of suffering, we fail to see the bigger picture: this whole life and ministry thing isn’t about us. God wants to do something bigger and better in and through us by the refining fires we endure.
Unfortunately, there are many believers who are caught up in a similar cycle. Instead of focusing on what God has literally said through his word, they choose to focus on what they assume God really meant. And their lives reflect their private interpretation through the immaturity of their relationships and the drama that seems to follow them wherever they go in life.
While there are certainly nuances to which pagan deity or deities God was attacking with each plague, it is clear from the context of scripture that God was indeed taking aim at the pagan deities of Egypt with each successive plague. However, it is important to keep in mind that these plagues were not only a judgment on Egypt, but a sign to God’s chosen people Israel that proved the veracity of Moses’ ministry and their call to leave Egypt.
“In our thinking, repentance is the business of the sinner or the carnal believer. So, if that is true, if the LORD repented of something, was it because He sinned? God forbid… the LORD’s repentance is not identical to that of mankind.”
Inclusivism suggests that since Christ is the solution it would not be fair for God to condemn those who never knew they had a problem, and, since we know he is good and fair, surely God would never condemn those who never had a chance to receive Christ. It would feel nice if this were the case, and we could assume most people are heaven-bound with a right relationship with God through their best efforts; however, those who preach the gospel would be pretty deplorable, the worst enemies of mankind—spreading the “good news” would be sending people to hell! But what does the Bible say about this inclusive logic?
When John Calvin lines up with the Bible, I am a Calvinist. When Jacob Arminius lines up with the Bible, I am an Arminian. When they do not, which is usually the case, I am neither.
The clear truth is that we have a biblical foundation of morality that we all must be held to account for. There are right and wrong decisions, and we have the ability to make them or miss them.
Although Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, we can have real, meaningful fellowship with Him — spirit, soul, and body — because He replaced all three parts of Himself.
There is perhaps no doctrine of the Bible that has been attacked with greater subtlety yet vehemence than the doctrine of the deity of Christ—the indisputable fact that Jesus Christ is God and very God.
The reality of hell is that God loves all of us, but not all of us love God back. Not all of us accept his love, and God will not force that love upon us, because love is not love if it is coerced.
If you really think the local church is that bad, that hurtful, and that harmful to the cause of Christ (and some churches truly are), then love the Lord Jesus Christ enough to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem.
Since the Spirit of God told us that “evil men and seducers” would “wax worse and worse,” we have to ask ourselves: just how many false teachers and seducers must there be in the world 20 centuries later?
When we understand that Satan’s purpose is to oppose God and assert himself as god in the place of God, then we clearly see his opposition and adversarial nature in everything in our world.
The last century of American history is a story of contradiction that resulted in a false sense of holiness within Christian culture. How do we transcend those models and come back to true holiness, the holiness described is scripture?
The problem with the post-tribulation rapture teaching. is that it causes us to look at the mountain rather than the Mountain Mover…. I’m not looking for the tribulation; I’m looking for my Saviour
Culturally, the office of deacon is often misapplied and mispracticed in churches today. The qualifications to hold the office of deacon convey that this is an office of great significance. The question to be answered is, “What is the role of the deacon?”
The more that you understand the ins and outs of English grammar, the more you’re going to be able to understand the ins and outs of the preserved word of God in English. Yes, you can understand great doctrines without being able to identify a prepositional phrase. But you can also get yourself into doctrinal trouble by misunderstanding how words in a sentence fit together.
If you are looking for material for your personal reading or the benefit of others, take a look at the lists below and grab a copy of something appealing.
But ultimately God used my failures to produce a healthy respect in me for what I didn’t yet know, and he gave me an even greater desire to learn from those who did. This is the blessing of learning from the experience of others, or, as we might call it, gaining wisdom.
What is far more vitally essential than denominational labeling is the core doctrine of the need for man to be born again by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the authority of the plain words of the living God in our Bible.
As a newbie to Mission Focus, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The reality is that it was exactly what I needed as a pastor to bring the totality of the Mission into clear Focus. I was able to witness firsthand the culmination of evangelism, discipleship, ministry training, and church planting. I heard personal testimonies of people who were won to Christ through evangelistic Bible studies. People were open and excited about being involved in discipleship. We celebrated those graduating from LFBI. Andew Ong was ordained into the pastoral ministry. Missionaries from all over the world were prayed over and supported. And many surrendered their lives completely to the Mission.
Whether your church implements an explicit directory of members or not, God calls you to the highest devotion to your local church body and its individual members. Implementing a definitive church membership appears to be both biblically sound in light of scripture’s teachings for the church and practically effective to the needs of our people.
Studying the Bible with others is one of the greatest gifts we have as believers. It is a privilege that we get to open God’s Word together, speak and cry out to the Father together, grow in love together, and look for ways to seek out the lost together. But we can only do this rightly if our groups are biblically healthy and mature.
There is nothing of greater eternal value than the precious investment of the word of God into the souls of men. If youth ministry is meeting any other end than this, I would argue it is straying from legitimate biblical ministry.
While the Cost of Discipleship process at MBT has improved our overall discipleship quality, it’s not fail proof by any means. With enough ministry experience, we all learn that some people hear what they want to hear, not what is actually being taught. In COD, we try to paint a very clear biblical picture of discipleship and what people should expect. Despite doing that as clearly as we know how, some will move forward into a formal discipleship relationship to only struggle with the biblical expectations of discipleship.
Much more could be said about the impact of Emperor Constantine on the world from his day to the present. Totalitarian church-state societies and false bibles have plagued Christianity from his time onward. So, if we are going to learn from history, we must examine this man’s life and what he brought to the world.
In the first part of the 4th century, under the newly installed Emperor Constantine, the Tower of Babel religion simply changed into a new, mysterious garment. This was when PAGAN Rome became PAPAL Rome, the Roman Empire became the so-called Holy Roman Empire, and the Tower of Babel religion simply took on a new name and a new form.
I expected everything about my life to change for the better after I got saved. I wasn’t expecting sunbeams or warm and fuzzy feelings… But I wanted my life to matter. I wanted a girlfriend. I wanted a reason to smile. I wanted to have confidence in myself. I wanted to move somewhere exciting. I wanted to be rock star. I wanted to know what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted Jesus to give me everything I wanted.
Shepherds should spend their time focusing on what God places a priority on. How much time is wasted because pastors and ministry leaders spend the majority of their time chasing money, power, and fame? None of it matters nor lasts.
Many Christians know very little of the history of their faith. In this article, the third of a four part series, Pastor Greg Axe summarizes the third century of Christianity, highlighting how the enemy infiltrated the church from both without and within.
Many Christians know very little of the history of their faith. In this article, the second of a four part series, Pastor Greg Axe summarizes the second century of Christianity, highlighting how the enemy infiltrated the church from both without and within.
Many Christians know very little of the history of their faith. In this article, the first of a four part series, Pastor Greg Axe gives a foundation for understanding history from a faith perspective as well as summarizes the first 100 years of Christianity.
Storms come in all different shapes and sizes, and they happen to all different kinds of people. They aren’t fun to go through, and often, we are much more interested in the destination than the journey. But what matters most is, when you come out on the other side, are you the same person you were when you stepped on the boat, or did you allow Christ to further mold you into his image?
More of God is available to those who are willing to press in and go further and deeper in prayer. I was one that wanted to go deeper but didn’t know how. This blog post by Worship Director Eric Phillips is meant to help you with the “how” part!
“I wanted so desperately to be involved that, as I got older, I became overextended without even noticing it. But I want to be laser-focused on making disciples that make disciples.”
Youth Director Mason Wilson writes about his earliest years in ministry.
Sadly, like Israel, believers and local churches alike, are tempted to ditch God after He has so richly blessed. While His blessings should reciprocate in praise and obedience to Him, instead, memory loss and confusion about how and why these blessings came about sets in. Subliminally, certain leaders in the ministry will conclude that their genius and efforts were and are the reason for the success being experienced.
If we are to trust what God’s word says, we will trust that he has preserved his word for us in our language. Every nation, tribe, and tongue after all. With this view of biblical authority we can reject Wright's subversive hermeneutic, where he twists the promises of God, the people of God, and the kingdom of God.
You and I are not called to redeem the world by atoning for its sin; we are called to take the next right and obedient step as a follower of Christ and proclaim and demonstrate the victory we have in Christ. That is what is divine about our new nature in Christ! You can make the decision to obey just like you did when you played Simon Says.
Accountability is not comfortable or easy, but to remove it from the discipleship process would be like removing the wings from an airplane and expecting it fly. In this post Pastor Kenny Morgan addresses the issue of transparency and sharpening in the the discipleship relationship.
People are always spouting off their reasons why they can’t submit to the word of God. They express their caveats, saying, “The word of God can’t have total authority in my life because I’m a democrat/republican/libertarian/this/that first.” In this post Pastor Sam Miles responds by addressing who we really are, who we have been made to be…in spite of all our excuses.
The world can never have peace in their lives until they have peace with God through salvation. The scripture is not giving us a suggestion to seek peace with “some men”, but rather with “all men”. I was making excuses based on my situations, but the scripture was crashing into my world because I was not sharing my peace—Jesus—with all men. I was saved, but I was afraid to declare Jesus, as it would separate me from the world.
Believe it or not, the Lord isn’t as concerned with how many people you are influencing as he is with your willingness to obey Him with all your heart. Pastor Beau Green discusses the perceived expectations verses the true expectations of leadership in God’s economy.
For 2,000 years, growing Christians have been looking to Timothy as a model for what their own personal faithfulness should look like. His testimony is particularly significant to young people because of his age as well as the manner in which his spiritual growth is displayed. We see the pattern of his life from one faith proposition to another, growing from a spiritual child to a developed pastor and leader at a young age.
For young adults, it is important to recognize the challenges the age with the intent that we choose to pursue the great commission regardless of culture’s obstacles. While notions about your generation may be pervasive, it is important to recognize that the Christian isn’t obligated to be in bondage to them. Because of biblical truth, the millennial Christian can live without being controlled by other people's thoughts.
This article is part of a three part series that discusses the need for our leaders to invest in the lives of future generations. Making Missionaries of Millennials pt 1: The Prejudice calls us to be aware of our own generational bigotry and points to a biblical philosophy to combat it.
Over the years the Lord has been gracious to mature me to a place where I can recognize the things I struggled to understand as a young man. Wisdom isn't limited by age but by your willingness to obey God's Word and be sensitive to the work of his Spirit. I pray all of the young people in our church learn to recognize their own spiritual blind spots and weaknesses and pray God lead them to mortify those things in light of his leading.
I would increasingly become curious about what God was doing and who we were like-minded with in Saint Louis, our Samaria. Surely, of all our churches in Kansas City, we are connected with someone in Saint Louis, right? The silence was always louder than I expected. So, I simply began to pray about the city and the many souls that dwell there; I had no interest in being sent.
I just graduated from the University of Missouri Kansas City with a bachelor's degree in finance. Like most 23-year-olds, my plan was to begin a career, find a wife, and start a family. I had plans for my future and I was content with how everything was playing out. But then God opened up the opportunity to go to Kenya for a year.
The military will get chaplains but how many that enter will serve God and allow for the Bible to be their ultimate authority? The military is in need of godly men prepared, ready, and willing to share the gospel. Ezekiel issued a challenge to the men of Israel to stand in the gap in Ezekiel 22:30 saying, “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” I hope and pray that other men will join me to stand in the gap while Jesus delays his return.
If you don’t realize that you are to bring forth truth in the midst of hostility, then you have most likely already been rendered ineffective by the enemy. The invitation into a walk with the Lord is to take up your cross and follow (Mat 16:24), to join in the fellowship of his sufferings (Php 3:10). Hostility is promised from the outset.
Much of the work to spread the gospel at home happens before one ever returns there: learning to own the great commission, getting equipped, and allowing the Lord to fitly join you to your local church that can continue to be a support when you return home.
It is legitimately strange (as in not common) for someone today to be truly interested in Christ. Not religion, not companionship, not understanding the universe, but Christ. That is the most beautiful kind of strange that exists, and I live to find these people.
The best thing you can do with true rejectors is to leave them in your dust and focus your obedience upon those who are glad to hear. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted with vain questions and rejections or to be derailed by harsh words and hurt feelings. All you can do is leave them behind and aim your interest at those who are interested.
As a newbie to Mission Focus, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The reality is that it was exactly what I needed as a pastor to bring the totality of the Mission into clear Focus. I was able to witness firsthand the culmination of evangelism, discipleship, ministry training, and church planting. I heard personal testimonies of people who were won to Christ through evangelistic Bible studies. People were open and excited about being involved in discipleship. We celebrated those graduating from LFBI. Andew Ong was ordained into the pastoral ministry. Missionaries from all over the world were prayed over and supported. And many surrendered their lives completely to the Mission.
God loves the nation of Israel, and he has been working for thousands of years to draw her into a holy and loving relationship with himself. He is by no means finished with the Jewish people. What God promises, he fulfills.
In a word, it is the work of local churches to reproduce local churches all over the world. Anything short of that is a compromise.
“Teachers are trained and seasoned to lead people and teach people, to guide people and to counsel people, to minister to people,” Jeff says. “You’re learning skills that translate from spiritual truths, like go make disciples.”
If God calls them someplace else, they will make disciples there too. Wherever they are in the world, they are ready and willing to give everything away, to give everything away now.
We are in need of a Mission Focus, not because we have forgotten the Great Commission or because we don’t know what discipleship is. We need a Mission Focus Conference because we need our faith to be bolstered. The Living Faith Fellowship needs their sabers rattled by being brought into remembrance of how God does great things with “small people”.
I believe Satan knows that if our leadership will not stand united, then we will never accomplish the Great Commission. And so because of that, I would rather choose to be defrauded; I would rather choose to take the wrong with my brother or sister if it means God’s kingdom is expanded by one soul.
What is it in men that causes them to feel so insecure in ministry? They love the Lord, and they love the mission, and their desire to lead feels sincere and right. Yet many quietly wrestle with disappointment: Why am I not being used the way I hoped? Why do I feel passed over?
…If you find yourself struggling with these questions, consider these truths:
The pastor said, “Jesus loves you.” Our friend replied, "How come he loves me, even though I persecuted you personally?” The pastor then shared the story of Saul, who later became the apostle Paul.
This is very much a personal narrative, not a guidebook for what all families should do, but the process by which we got there is. “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” is a promise we all must utilize (Prov 3:6), to ask God about his views on our decisions, because some things are non-negotiable.
We must acknowledge that Christ is not seeking men and women who are worthy of Him, but rather offering himself to all, and thus receiving worthship from all who accept Him. Christ seeks the labourer, not the thinker. Christ uses the Goat-herder, not the High Priest. God uses both Paul and Apollos to plant and water and spread his seeds.
Matthew 16:24-26 shows us how we can be rich towards God and it is by not saving our lives and hoarding possessions, but instead by losing our lives for His sake. For what do we profit if we gain the whole world, but do not gain Him?
In such a time, our ministries are being tested. If we yield to the philosophies and innovations of this age without question or spiritual discernment, we risk trading costly truth for cheap knowledge, and real power for empty forms.
Two men volunteered and their story is told in this book, “On the Missionary Trail” by Tom Hiney. Pastor Daniel Tyerman and Christian businessman George Bennett were sent out on a boat. They didn't know how long they would be gone to visit all the mission fields. It ended up taking 8 years! That's why this is literally the most important, exciting, and fruitful short term missions trip ever taken.
Through these valleys, God is simply saying to us again and again “Trust Me. Will you trust Me?” Each storm, every valley, every suffering is an opportunity for a deeper level of trust and growth in our God, our Lord and Savior, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and His word!
I would increasingly become curious about what God was doing and who we were like-minded with in Saint Louis, our Samaria. Surely, of all our churches in Kansas City, we are connected with someone in Saint Louis, right? The silence was always louder than I expected. So, I simply began to pray about the city and the many souls that dwell there; I had no interest in being sent.
Putting on Christ, however, is more than just making sure you proudly display an LFBI or Postscript logo on your clothing. Putting on Christ goes deeper; it is manifest in the sum total of our actions and overall countenance. Paul, in the book of Romans 13, clearly associates putting on Christ with the actions of the flesh. (Rom 13:14 - “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”) In this way, our “identity” in Christ is evidenced through outward manifestations.
Through this trip, God showed me how connected our Living Faith Fellowship churches are! Ministry runs on the rails of relationships. Our personal church history matters. I encourage you to take time out of your busy schedules to visit some of our sister churches of Living Faith Fellowship!
Earthly happiness is temporary, fleeting, and often dependent on other people and events outside our control… A life lived for earthly riches ends in emptiness. Fulfillment, however, is forever. When we Christians invest in others eternally, we will never lose that joy.
I just graduated from the University of Missouri Kansas City with a bachelor's degree in finance. Like most 23-year-olds, my plan was to begin a career, find a wife, and start a family. I had plans for my future and I was content with how everything was playing out. But then God opened up the opportunity to go to Kenya for a year.
Some churches could be strictly adhering to the traditional, costly model of training and sending missionaries overseas, while overlooking the Middle Eastern community in their own backyard. There is no contradiction in doing both, but unfortunately many churches are likely to be neglecting the Arabs and other Middle Easterners right around the corner. It looks like God has brought the mission field to us! The question is, “How do we reach the Middle Easterners here in the US with the gospel?”
When we think about Job solely as a story of suffering, we fail to see the bigger picture: this whole life and ministry thing isn’t about us. God wants to do something bigger and better in and through us by the refining fires we endure.
First, do we have a plan? Second, and just as important, is our plan flexible enough to allow God to participate and make changes as he sees fit? Finally, when he speaks, how long do we wait before responding in obedience?
…if we allow ourselves to be consumed by our devices, then we will undoubtedly be ineffective in the mission we have been given. If we are to make disciples of all nations, then we cannot be obsessed with ourselves. If we are to reach the nations, then we must live in victory over stress and anxiety. How are we to be workmen in the word, how are we to delight in and meditate on the book if we cannot give attention to it? We are barely scratching the surface on the effects of the internet on our hearts and minds.
Unfortunately, there are many believers who are caught up in a similar cycle. Instead of focusing on what God has literally said through his word, they choose to focus on what they assume God really meant. And their lives reflect their private interpretation through the immaturity of their relationships and the drama that seems to follow them wherever they go in life.
And that’s the beauty of pursuing righteousness—because preventative measures were taken, you never have to find out the consequences of a passive, wicked decision. Diligently and intentionally pursuing righteousness in our marriages is essential to fulfill our responsibilities to one another as husband and wife, and it will keep us from having to dig ourselves out of a hole that could have been avoided altogether.
The Christian is not promised exemption from suffering or sorrow; instead, Scripture guarantees persecution for the godly person. Furthermore, for the great heroes of the faith, Scripture records even greater amounts of hardship… But the greatest suffering was endured by the greatest one – Christ Jesus.
My liberty is not a liberty that says I can make a life for myself, make a name for myself, be whatever I want to be, have whatever I want to have, or change whatever I want to change. My freedom is meant for one thing and one thing only: to let Christ live through me, and that means I am to extend the love of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world, to selflessly lay down my flesh, my desires, and my hopes and dreams to love others, to fulfill the law of Christ!
What I can say is that it is of the utmost importance for every church to have a plan for training godly men and women to take the gospel to the world. This isn't a tertiary or passive endeavor, it’s a central and urgent endeavor.
Putting on Christ, however, is more than just making sure you proudly display an LFBI or Postscript logo on your clothing. Putting on Christ goes deeper; it is manifest in the sum total of our actions and overall countenance. Paul, in the book of Romans 13, clearly associates putting on Christ with the actions of the flesh. (Rom 13:14 - “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”) In this way, our “identity” in Christ is evidenced through outward manifestations.