Where is Your Focus?

Last week I quoted Reggie McNeal as saying that people outside the church don't think church is for them.   On the other hand--HOW DO THE MAJORITY OF YOUR RELIGIOUS FRIENDS VIEW THOSE OUTSIDE THE CHURCH?

Is it possible, as Reggie McNeal writes in his book, "The Present Future," that we have the mentality that the world outside the church is the enemy?

With this view, the goal of outreach becomes churching the unchurched, rather than connecting people to Jesus. Outreach can then become focused on cleaning people up and changing their behavior so that they fit into the church culture and not make us too uncomfortable. This shifts the focus of outreach from the lost to the saved.

HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR OUTREACH FOCUSED ON HELPING LOST PEOPLE FIND JESUS?

 No matter what...the future will depend upon our times of prayer. 

Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire.



Attracting People to Church

In The Present Future, Reggie McNeal writes:  People are not looking for a great church.  People outside the church think church is for church people, not for them.

Abandoning Safety

In Charles Stanley’s book, The Ultimate Conversation, he makes a challenging observation about how we live out our faith:

We may be tempted to choose safe acts of devotion over unpredictable lives of service to Almighty God.



A Sad State of Affairs

Marriage in America is on shaky ground.


HERE IS A QUESTION TO CONSIDER:
What do you think is the one thing researchers have found that can help married couples lower their chance for divorce from 1 out of 2 to more than 1 out of 10,000?