Giving up on the Great Commission God?

Blog, Discipleship, Evangelism, General, Great Commission, Missions

Sep 1 2010

The Great Commission demands that we share the gospel with family and friends, but rarely do people turn to Christ as quickly as we would like. Have you ever prayed for somebody so long that you wondered if God were still listening? Are you now praying for someone, but your faith is wavering because God seemingly does not care about your loved one? 

It is easy to give up when we have prayed for others for many years.  Our prayers are passionate and focused at the beginning, but they often become repetitious and wandering as the years go by.  We speak the right language - we are “just trusting God to save our loved ones in his time” - but these words are more religious jargon than heartfelt belief.  Truth be known, we come dangerously close to giving up on the God who gave us the Great Commission.  Read More →

The Great Commission and Time Magazine’s Top 100 Influencers

Blog, Evangelism, General, Great Commission, Leadership, Missions, Southern Baptist Convention

May 10 2010

Time magazine’s recent cover article, “The 100 Most Influential People in the World,” is a fascinating look at people—male and female, young and old, North American and international, recognized and unrecognized—who are making significant contributions to their respective fields.  Time editors and readers voted on the 100 honorees, and the recipients are arbitrarily categorized as leaders, artists, thinkers and heroes.

Recipients vary from singer Lady Gaga to U.S. President Barack Obama to Chinese blogger Han Han to golfer Phil Mickelson. In the list are politicians, businesspersons, soldiers, musicians/singers, economists, TV and stage personalities, humanitarians, comedians, writers, designers, restaurateurs, scientists, physicians, philanthropists, educators, philosophers, lawyers, sports personalities, and a firefighter.  The article does not often list religious affiliation, but I suspect that among the list are those who claim Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Atheism, or any number of other belief systems as their faith. 

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OBSERVATIONS ON THE GCR TASK FORCE REPORT

Academic, Blog, Church Membership, Discipleship, Evangelism, General, Leadership, Mentoring, Missions, Southern Baptist Convention

Mar 10 2010

In my current roles, I have had the privilege of educating young SBC ministers, assisting state conventions in conferences, working alongside the North American Mission Board (NAMB) in training leaders, and consulting with the International Mission Board (IMB) in theological education.  Our denomination has much room for improvement, but I am more excited today about Southern Baptists than I have ever been - and the GCR Task Force progress report is one reason for my excitement.  Southern Baptists must still address a final report when meeting in Orlando in June 2010, but this progress report is filled with possibility and hope. 

First, the report begins with a call to repentance over our disunity, arrogance, selfishness, and caustic rhetoric.  Southern Baptists have unfortunately assumed that our size is evidence of God’s blessings on us, and seldom have we been accused of humility.  The GCRTF report is a jolting call to repent of our belief that the evangelical world somehow revolves around us. We have no right to think such about ourselves, especially when our own denomination is in decline.    

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Chuck Lawless

Dr. Chuck Lawless is Dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism, and President of the Lawless Group, a church consulting firm.

My Books

Putting on the Armor

Putting on the Armor: Equipped and Deployed for Spiritual Warfare. Lifeway, 2007.

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Great Commission Prayer Moment

Kluet of Indonesia

Please pray for the ... Kluet of Indonesia

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