Deep Fry

Five Ways to Grow Faith in 2010-11 1) Expand your world. Expand your territory. Psalms 119:32 - “I run in the path of your commands for you have set my heart free.” (NIV) - “I will pursue your commands, for you expand my understanding.” (NLT) - “I will run the course of your commandments, for you shall enlarge my heart.” (NKJV) Chasing God’s heart and yielding to His authority produces true freedom, which ultimately leads to a divine broadening of our understanding/thinking. By submitting to His boundaries, fixed in love, yet abounding in purpose, our hearts can encounter holy development. A stagnant heart suggests either an embracing of obduracy or a false contentment in merely walking the course. Satan desires us to remain content on merely “wanting to go” – the reciprocal of an Isaiah 6:8 heart. Territory in the Bible often refers to land, nations, physical measures of influence, etc. We see this in numerous occasions, including Job 12:23, Exodus 34:24, and Deute...

Draft for Pentecostal Ecclesiology thesis (Footnotes not included) INTRODUCTION Across denominational lines, the dynamic relationship between discipleship and evangelism has generated much debate. Most Pentecostal groups have recognized the connection, only to partially bridge the gap between the two emphases. Spiritual leadership in the Western Church has understood the Scriptural significance of discipleship and evangelism, but through misinterpretations and skewed application, she has failed to penetrate cultural gates by balancing these mandates. One of the critical problems of the missional church has been the muddling of discipleship and evangelism priorities. On the other hand, we see the tendency for certain Pentecostal circles to place greater incentive on evangelism over discipleship. All churches should deliberately examine the question of how the relationship between discipleship and evangelism is supposed to work, concerning its eschatological purpose and its orderly...

Whether within a church, business, or at the epicenter of one's personal life, understanding the difference between mission and vision is imperative. Today's Gate leader/staff retreat touched a bit on the comparison, thus signaling the research guru to come out of the shell temporarily. Vision , in essence, is not measured by what is achieved as compared to what is eternal. V. Vision "always is." It's the happy place, a source of refuge and firm foundation. The vision should NEVER change. Contrarily, the mission is the means the vision is carried out. A mission should be allowed breathing room to transform according to newness of vision, as it certifies to what is real by God's standards. The mission WILL often change. So attempting to find permanent criteria to a mission statement could open the door to future discouragement. The reality is often times the methods of carrying out vision require tweaking or refining down the road; however, this does not...

Today's generation of young adults have slackened in their passion and faith, having strayed from God's calling as true disciples. Discipleship, as well as mentoring, have been negatively impacted by the distractive influence of a materialistic culture fueled by media and peer pressure. Passion has been replaced by passivity. Students, teenagers, and young adults alike have forgotten what a hunger for God looks like, and why it's essential to the Spirit-filled life. Young adults are spiritually starving but have lost the sense to recognize the urgency for Jesus. And ultimately, even in the case for most Christians, the idea of an active, passionate, and vertical relationship with the Lord has been abandoned - forgetting a love relationship with Christ is the only aspect of life where one can both be filled and hungry simultaneously. Christians are struggling to define and live out hunger - an unbinding, unshakable desire to experience and connect with God. Hunger is an ...

Effective leadership calls for a collection of certain active qualities, either developing or fixed, that are rooted in the Word. Whether in an entry, training or mature ministry stage, successful leadership must have a face with select features. In analyzing its facets, leadership can be boiled down to four main principles and characteristics: 1) An understanding and knowledge of authority and submissiveness illustrated by the walk and life of Jesus 2) Consistency in complete obedience 3) Faithfulness and devoted drive in light of challenging circumstances 4) Daily repentance as a lifestyle. The following is not merely a set of instructions on how a leader should act and behave; it is a God-centered outline in keeping a vertical relationship with the Lord alive and animate. Whether by dominant leading or influence by example (following), a leader must live out an understanding of biblical authority. In ministry, Jesus modeled authority by humility, submission and integrity, weaved...