Redeeming God

Liberating you from bad ideas about God

Learn the MOST ESSENTIAL truths for following Jesus.

Get FREE articles and audio teachings in my discipleship emails!


  • Join Us!
  • Scripture
  • Theology
  • My Books
  • About
  • Discipleship
  • Courses
    • What is Hell?
    • Skeleton Church
    • The Gospel According to Scripture
    • The Gospel Dictionary
    • The Re-Justification of God
    • What is Prayer?
    • Adventures in Fishing for Men
    • What are the Spiritual Gifts?
    • How to Study the Bible
    • Courses FAQ
  • Forum
    • Introduce Yourself
    • Old Testament
    • New Testament
    • Theology Questions
    • Life & Ministry

The Problem with Church Planters

By Jeremy Myers
11 Comments

I took a “church Planter’s Assessment” test a while back and failed. But I didn’t like the way some of the questions were worded, and so I decided the problem was with the test, not with me. So I took a different assessment, and failed that one too. But again, my complaint was that the questions seemed to be…weighted in a particular direction.

For example, on both “tests” many of the questions seemed to be geared toward leading lots of people, raising lots of funds, and getting lots of conversions. It seemed to me that the creators of the test were only testing for one certain kind of church – the rapidly growing megachurch.

So I did some research into how the tests were developed. It turns out they interviewed and sent personality inventories to some of the pastors of the fastest growing megachurches in the country. Then, based on the results, tests were created to help find people who had similar traits and characteristics as these megachurch pastors.

Does anyone else see a problem with this?

How about the fact that fewer and fewer people are finding spiritual fulfillment in the “megachurch experience”?

How about the fact that the megachurch model is, for the most part,ย does an incrediblyย poor job of helpingย people come to faith inย Jesus (most megachurchย numerical growth is transfer growth from smaller churches). ย 

How about the fact that the megachurch model generally does a rather poor job of helping people develop close, interpersonal relationships, and leading them down the path of discipleship?

How about the fact that the megachurch model is primarily a western, 20th century, logical-extreme c0nsequence of the “church growth movement” experiment, which was itself based on business models and Christendom-style thinking?

How about the fact that the vast majority of mega-church pastors have Type-A personalities, who–while good at leading large organizations, and generating a lot of excitement and publicity–are not so good at many of the “shepherding” aspects of pastoral ministry such as interpersonal relationships, tenderness, compassion, humility and patience?

I could go on (and on). I am not trying to bash megachurches or their pastors. I think that both are accomplishing some good things for the kingdom of God, and both have helped a lot of people. The only thing I am tired of is this idea that the megachurch mentality, structure, and systems areย the only right way to “do church” (whatever that means). I am tired of being told that unless I can raise $100,000 to blow through in a year on radio ads, billboards, and door hangers, I can’t plant a church.

Somebody needs to write a book called “How to Plant a Church on less thanย $100 a Month.” I know it can be done, because I am beginning to do it. Are you ever going to hear about this church? Probably not –ย I’m planning on not even naming it. (When and why did we start naming churches, anyway?) Willย I everย get a book deal out of it? If I did, who would read it?ย Will President Obama inviteย meย to the White House for a luncheon? Not a chance. Will I get asked to speak at a church growth conference? The idea is laughable.

But I think Jesus is pleased with the direction I am headed, and that’s all that matters–even if I did fail two “church Planter’s Assessments.”

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Discipleship

Advertisement

The Power of NORMAL

By Jeremy Myers
Leave a Comment

I read the following blog post on the Doable Evangelism blog today. I think in the past week or so, I have had this exact same conversation with various coworkers about a dozen times. None of them have “believed in Jesus” yet, but that’s okay. I’m just developing relationships and trying to show them that Christians – even former pastors – can be normal.

Itโ€™s been 3 months since I left my โ€œchurchโ€ job to take a โ€œsecularโ€ job.ย  Iโ€™ve developed a nice friendship with one of my coworkers, Joey (age 27). Joey and I have been sharing stories about our lives and past as we work side by side. I have lots of colorful stories since I am 25 years older than him.ย  We laugh a lot.ย  He cusses a lot. He is pretty honest with me about stuff.

The other day, another gal at work told him that I was a minister. You should have seen his face when he heard. He looked at me and said, โ€œAre you sh****** me? How could you be a minister?ย  You are so NORMAL!โ€ Then he had that look on his face. I could tell he was trying to remember everything he ever said to me.ย  He said, โ€œHow?ย  We talked sh**!ย  I donโ€™t know if I can ever talk to you again. I mean like I see you in an entirely different light. Are you going to try to convince me to go to church now?โ€ I felt bad and triedย to convince him that I really am normal, and the image he had of ministers is not who I am.

He didnโ€™t talk to me for the rest of the day, but I knew he had to work things out in his head.ย  The next day I was working next to him and he says, โ€œI told my dad about you last night.โ€ โ€œWhat did you tell him?โ€ I asked.ย  โ€œI told him about all the lies and deception,โ€ Joey replied. I asked, โ€œWhat lies and deception?โ€ย  He said, โ€œI told him how you act all cool and normal, but really you are a minister.โ€ย  I laughed, but I really knew that in the past Joey had probably experienced the super holy, judgmental Christians (and clergy) who feel the need to accomplish their goals rather than listen to the heart of God and love people.

The story gets better.ย  Two days later, Joey came to me first thing in the morning and told me that he โ€œgot saved last night.โ€ย  I thought someone put him up to itโ€ฆ.you knowโ€ฆ.tell me this so that he can have a laugh on me.ย  Well, it was true.ย  Joey said that a preacher showed up on his doorstep and told him about what Jesus did for him.ย  Joey said, โ€œI listened to him because I kept picturing your face and thinking that this must be what you do and what you tell people. I listened to him and then he made me pray.โ€ย  โ€œHe MADE you pray?โ€ I asked? โ€œWell, he didnโ€™t make me pray, I wanted to.โ€

I could hardly believe that Joey was telling me this story. I thought for sure that he was shi***** ME! I asked him if I could take my break with him and spend a few minutes summing up what the preacher said to him last night.ย  Joey and I went to break together and I got to explain the love of God to him.

I believe that my friendship with Joey and me being my normal self at work, somehow helped Joey to open his heart to the words of the preacher and the love and forgiveness of God.

I love being in on what God is doing in peoplesโ€™ lives.ย  I was created for this.

-Margaret

That last line is exactly what I told my wife last night after my latest conversation with a coworker: “I was created for this.” Thank you Margaret (and thank you Randy) for sharing this story.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Discipleship

Advertisement

Best Customer Complaint Letter of All time

By Jeremy Myers
Leave a Comment

I rarely laugh myself to tears, but this customer complaint letter is about the funniest thing I have ever read. So read this post if you need a good start to your weekend. I found this letter at one of the blogs I read: Parables of a Prodigal World

This letter wasย an email sent to Sir Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Atlantic Airways, by an unnamed comedy genius.

Dear Mr Branson:

REF: Mumbai to Heathrow 7th December 2008

I love the Virgin brand, I really do which is why I continue to use it despite a series of unfortunate incidents over the last few years. This latest incident takes the biscuit.

Ironically, by the end of the flight I would have gladly paid over a thousand rupees for a single biscuit following the culinary journey of hell I was subjected to at the hands of your corporation.

Look at this Richard. Just look at it: [link to image 1].

I imagine the same questions are racing through your brilliant mind as were racing through mine on that fateful day. What is this? Why have I been given it? What have I done to deserve this? And, which one is the starter, which one is the desert?

You donโ€™t get to a position like yours Richard with anything less than a generous sprinkling of observational power so I KNOW you will have spotted the tomato next to the two yellow shafts of sponge on the left. Yes, itโ€™s next to the sponge shaft without the green paste. Thatโ€™s got to be the clue hasnโ€™t it. No sane person would serve a desert with a tomato would they. Well answer me this Richard, what sort of animal would serve a desert with peas in: [link to image 2].

I know it looks like a baaji but itโ€™s in custard Richard, custard. It must be the pudding. Well youโ€™ll be fascinated to hear that it wasn’t custard. It was a sour gel with a clear oil on top. Itโ€™s only redeeming feature was that it managed to be so alien to my palette that it took away the taste of the curry emanating from our miscellaneous central cuboid of beige matter. Perhaps the meal on the left might be the desert after all.

Anyway, this is all irrelevant at the moment. I was raised strictly but neatly by my parents and if they knew I had started desert before the main course, a sponge shaft would be the least of my worries. So lets peel back the tin-foil on the main dish and see whatโ€™s on offer.

Iโ€™ll try and explain how this felt. Imagine being a twelve year old boy Richard. Now imagine itโ€™s Christmas morning and youโ€™re sat their with your final present to open. Itโ€™s a big one, and you know what it is. Itโ€™s that Goodmans stereo you picked out the catalogue and wrote to Santa about.

Only you open the present and itโ€™s not in there. Itโ€™s your hamster Richard. Itโ€™s your hamster in the box and itโ€™s not breathing. Thatโ€™s how I felt when I peeled back the foil and saw this: [link to image 3].

Now I know what youโ€™re thinking. Youโ€™re thinking itโ€™s more of that Baaji custard. I admit I thought the same too, but no. Itโ€™s mustard Richard. MUSTARD. More mustard than any man could consume in a month. On the left we have a piece of broccoli and some peppers in a brown glue-like oil and on the right the chef had prepared some mashed potato. The potato masher had obviously broken and so it was decided the next best thing would be to pass the potatoes through the digestive tract of a bird.

Once it was regurgitated it was clearly then blended and mixed with a bit of mustard. Everybody likes a bit of mustard Richard.

By now I was actually starting to feel a little hypoglycaemic. I needed a sugar hit. Luckily there was a small cookie provided. It had caught my eye earlier due to itโ€™s baffling presentation: [link to image 4].

It appears to be in an evidence bag from the scene of a crime. A CRIME AGAINST BLOODY COOKING. Either that or some sort of back-street underground cookie, purchased off a gun-toting maniac high on his own supply of yeast. You certainly wouldnโ€™t want to be caught carrying one of these through customs. Imagine biting into a piece of brass Richard. That would be softer on the teeth than the specimen above.

I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was relax but obviously I had to sit with that mess in front of me for half an hour. I swear the sponge shafts moved at one point.

Once cleared, I decided to relax with a bit of your world-famous onboard entertainment. I switched it on: [link to image 5].

I apologize for the quality of the photo, itโ€™s just it was incredibly hard to capture Boris Johnsonโ€™s face through the flickering white lines running up and down the screen. Perhaps it would be better on another channel: [link to image 6].

Is that Ray Liotta? A question I found myself asking over and over again throughout the gruelling half-hour I attempted to watch the film like this. After that I switched off. Iโ€™d had enough. I was the hungriest Iโ€™d been in my adult life and I had a splitting headache from squinting at a crackling screen.

My only option was to simply stare at the seat in front and wait for either food, or sleep. Neither came for an incredibly long time. But when it did it surpassed my wildest expectations: [link to image 7].

Yes! Itโ€™s another crime-scene cookie. Only this time you dunk it in the white stuff.

Richardโ€ฆ. What is that white stuff? It looked like it was going to be yoghurt. It finally dawned on me what it was after staring at it. It was a mixture between the Baaji custard and the Mustard sauce. It reminded me of my first week at university. I had overheard that you could make a drink by mixing vodka and refreshers. I lied to my new friends and told them Iโ€™d done it loads of times. When I attempted to make the drink in a big bowl it formed a cheese Richard, a cheese. That cheese looked a lot like your baaji-mustard.

So that was that Richard. I didnโ€™t eat a bloody thing. My only question is: How can you live like this? I canโ€™t imagine what dinner round your house is like, it must be like something out of a nature documentary.

As I said at the start I love your brand, I really do. Itโ€™s just a shame such a simple thing could bring it crashing to itโ€™s knees and begging for sustenance.

Yours Sincererly
XXXX

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Discipleship

Advertisement

“Jesus is Lord” is central to the Gospel

By Jeremy Myers
28 Comments

“Jesus is Lord” is central to the Gospel

evangelism is gospelismAs I continue this series of posts on gospelism (aka evangelism), I imagine this post will generate one of two reactions. Some will say “Duh! I’ve known that forever!” while others will say “Uhhhhh…I don’t like where you’re going with this as it could lead to compromising the simple message of faith alone in Christ alone.”

Anyway,ย here areย four premise statementsย that this post is based on:

  1. The gospel contains truths for all aspects of life, both temporal and eternal.
  2. These gospel truths are centered around the person and work of Jesus Christ.
  3. Evangelism comes from the same word for “gospel” and so might better be termed “gospelism.”
  4. Gospelism is aย way of living life under the truths of the gospel.

Based on these, I came to a startling conclusion (startling for me, anyway).

Since the gospel contains truths for BOTH temporal and eternal life, thenย a summary statement of the gospel must be related to BOTHย the temporal and eternalย truths of the gospel, and which focuses on Jesus. In Scripture, it appears that this summary statement of the gospel is this:

JESUS IS LORD.

Jesus is Lord

I know that for many of you, this isย a “Duh” statement, but for me, it was staggering. I have spent most of my adultย life arguing that the summary statement of the gospel was “Believe in Jesus for eternal life” and that believing in the Lordship of Jesus was not part of the Gospel.

But now I am seeing thatย the statement “Jesus is Lord” is actuallyย central to theย gospel!

To clarify, while I still believe that the only way to receive eternal life is to believe in Jesus for it,ย I do not believe that this is the summary of the gospel.

The gospel is good news for all aspects of life, not just good news about how to receive eternal life.

Therefore, the statement “Jesus is Lord” is the central claim of the gospel, because that claim alone touches all aspects ofย temporal and eternal life.

Jesus not only wants us to believe in Him for eternal life, but also to recognize His Lordship in all the other aspects of eternal and temporal life as well.

Only in this way can the gospel be fully believed and practiced.

The good news about Jesus is that He has come to set up His universal kingdom, by ruling and reigningย in our lives and in this world.ย While this will never fully happen until He returns, He does want us to be moving in these kingdom directions now. And we do so by confessing and living under the central gospel claim that “Jesus is Lord.”

Interestingly, this week I was reading the new book by Frost and Hirsch called reJesus (#AmazonLink), and they wrote about this idea as well. Here is what they said:

The church’s elemental confession that ‘Jesus is Lord’ captures all the meaning significance of the biblical teaching on the kingdom of God. …Our view of God is that Jesus is Lord, and the kingdom of God is the arena in which we respond to God’s sovereign rule over this world. All is included (and nothing is excluded) in this claim (p. 120).

The lordship of Jesus extends to our sexuality, our political life, our economic existence, our family, our play, and everything in between. There must be no limitation to the claim that Jesus makes over all of life. When we get this right, Jesus’ lordship takes on a missional edge. “Jesus is Lord” is more like a rallying war cry than a mere theological statement (p. 123).

I remember when I was a little ashamed to talk about the Lordship of Jesus because I didn’t want to be confused with people who taught “Lordship Salvation.”

I am now ashamed that I was ashamed. Who can be ashamed of the Lordship of Jesus?!?!

I now see that, ironically, it is only because of my belief that Jesus is Lord that I canย trust His claim that anyone who believes in Him will have eternal life.

So why do I believe that eternal life is through faith alone in Christ alone? Because Jesus is Lord.
Why do I study, pray, and worship? Because Jesus is Lord.
Why do I seek to love and serve others? Because Jesus is Lord.
Why do I try to live honestly and with integrity? Because Jesus is Lord.
Why do I seek to see others come to faith in Jesus? Because Jesus is Lord.
Why do I attempt to learn and live the gospel? Because Jesus is Lord.

The gospel is that Jesus has something to do with all of reality, both temporal and eternal. There is no sacred-secular divide. It is all under Jesus, and we ignore Him at our own peril.

See more on this gospelism series:

Evangelism is Gospelism (Part 1)
Evangelism is Gospelism (Part 2)
Evangelism is Gospelism (Part 3)
Evangelism is Gospelism (Part 4)
Evangelism is Gospelism (Part 5)
Evangelism is Gospelism (Part 6)

The Gospel According to ScriptureWant to learn more about the gospel? Take my new course, "The Gospel According to Scripture."

The entire course is free for those who join my online Discipleship group here on RedeemingGod.com. I can't wait to see you inside the course!

God is Redeeming Church, Redeeming Theology Bible & Theology Topics: Discipleship, evangelism, good news, gospel, gospelism, Jesus is Lord, Lordship salvation

Advertisement

A Gospelism Story to help you understand what it is

By Jeremy Myers
1 Comment

A Gospelism Story to help you understand what it is

evangelism is gospelismBelow is a story I read on Alan Knox’s blog. I think it is a good example of one possible way to “gospelize.” (You will also like the blog series about Being the Church or the one about Loving your Neighbor.)

In November I heard Dino Rizzo speak in a workshop at the National Outreach Convention in San Diego. Dino talked about ways to serve the community. He said that if he were new in a city he would buy some garbage bags and volunteer at a community event to help do cleanup. If there was no community event, he said he would just go up and down the streets in his neighborhood and pick up trash.

I told this story to our little group that is trying to learn how to serve an inner city neighborhood in our city. We decided that we should try it the following Sunday morning, the second Sunday in December, and then do it every other Sunday morning. Our first Sunday out was a cold, windy day, but we met, prayed and then picked up trash in the neighborhood for about eighty to ninety minutes.

We skipped the fourth Sunday in December, since everyone in the group was out of town or occupied with visiting relatives. However, we resumed our trash pickup last Sunday, the second Sunday of January.

We met, prayed and started picking up trash. About two minutes after I started a car pulled up near me.

(Him) โ€œWhat are you doing?โ€

(Me) โ€œWeโ€™re picking up trash to make the neighborhood look niceโ€.

(Him) โ€œWho are you people?โ€

(Me, while pointing to the yellow shirts we all wore that has our groupโ€™s name printed on it) โ€œWeโ€™re a little group of Christians just trying to help out the neighborhood.โ€

(Him) โ€œWhat church are you with?โ€

(Me) โ€œWeโ€™re just a small group that meets here in the neighborhood.โ€

(Him) โ€œI mean, whereโ€™s your church? The building?โ€

(Me) โ€œWe meet in cafes or the park. We donโ€™t use a church building. We try to be out around people.โ€

(Him) โ€œBut are you part of some church, like the Catholic church, or something like that?โ€

(Me) โ€œNo. Weโ€™re just followers of Jesus, and every other Sunday morning this is how we do church. We go out in the neighborhood and pick up trash.โ€

Suddenly I was his good friend.

(Him) โ€œMy name is xxxxxxxx. Iโ€™m on the planning commission here, and Iโ€™ve never seen anything like this. Iโ€™m church way back, but I donโ€™t go any more. (He gave me some reasons. He doesnโ€™t think much of โ€œreligious peopleโ€.) Now this is real religion.โ€

He told me about the dislike the churches in the neighborhood and the people in the neighborhood have for each other, a story that I have heard several times from the neighborhood. (Most of the churches in the area are attended by people who drive into the neighborhood. The churches and their neighbors regularly complain to the city, the police and whomever will listen about each other.)

As we continued picking up trash, people watched. When cars drove by, I looked up. Several people smiled and waved. Some people came out of their houses and thanked us, after watching us from their windows. When we reached the end of our time, and turned around to go back to our cars, picking up a few bits of trash that we had missed on the first pass, more people came out of their houses and thanked us.

Several weeks earlier I walked these same streets trying to see what I could see, and prayed for the neighborhood. No one stopped to talk to me. No one smiled and waved as they drove by. No one came out of their house to talk to me. A couple of gang members asked me for money. That was it.

Oh yes, we do not hand out tracts or invite people to church. Weโ€™re just getting to know them and theyโ€™re getting to know us. Theyโ€™re trying to figure out who we are. When theyโ€™ve got that figured out, perhaps, just perhaps, theyโ€™ll invite us into the spaces of their lives. That is where we will be allowed to hear each others stories. But for now, theyโ€™re just smiling, waving, coming out of their spaces to say hello or thank you or to ask who we are and what weโ€™re doing.

After writing this, I thought about a group that is trying to start a new church. Twice they have walked through our neighborhood, hanging invitations to the new church on peopleโ€™s doors. I watched them. No one smiled and waved at them as they drove by, no one stopped to talk to them, and no one came out of their house to talk to them. After the group had passed, I did see people open their doors to get the flyers, look at them a second or two and toss them in the trash. Hmmm!

I’m going to close out this series on gospelism with a post that might ruffle a few feathers.

See more on this gospelism series:

Evangelism is Gospelism (Part 1)
Evangelism is Gospelism (Part 2)
Evangelism is Gospelism (Part 3)
Evangelism is Gospelism (Part 4)
Evangelism is Gospelism (Part 5)
Evangelism is Gospelism (Part 6)

The Gospel According to ScriptureWant to learn more about the gospel? Take my new course, "The Gospel According to Scripture."

The entire course is free for those who join my online Discipleship group here on RedeemingGod.com. I can't wait to see you inside the course!

God is Redeeming Church, Redeeming Theology Bible & Theology Topics: alan knox, Discipleship, evangelism, good news, gospel, gospelism

Advertisement

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 127
  • 128
  • 129
  • 130
  • 131
  • …
  • 167
  • Next Page »
Join the discipleship group
Learn about the gospel and how to share it

Take my new course:

The Gospel According to Scripture
Best Books Every Christian Should Read
Study Scripture with me
Subscribe to my Podcast on iTunes
Subscribe to my Podcast on Amazon

Do you like my blog?
Try one of my books:

Click the image below to see what books are available.

Books by Jeremy Myers

Theological Study Archives

  • Theology – General
  • Theology Introduction
  • Theology of the Bible
  • Theology of God
  • Theology of Man
  • Theology of Sin
  • Theology of Jesus
  • Theology of Salvation
  • Theology of the Holy Spirit
  • Theology of the Church
  • Theology of Angels
  • Theology of the End Times
  • Theology Q&A

Bible Study Archives

  • Bible Studies on Genesis
  • Bible Studies on Esther
  • Bible Studies on Psalms
  • Bible Studies on Jonah
  • Bible Studies on Matthew
  • Bible Studies on Luke
  • Bible Studies on Romans
  • Bible Studies on Ephesians
  • Miscellaneous Bible Studies

Advertise or Donate

  • Advertise on RedeemingGod.com
  • Donate to Jeremy Myers

Search (and you Shall Find)

Get Books by Jeremy Myers

Books by Jeremy Myers

Schedule Jeremy for an interview

Click here to Contact Me!

© 2025 Redeeming God · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Knownhost and the Genesis Framework