Blog

This is the fourth of four blogs in which I have tried to outline my approach to “discipleship through the gospel.” (Check the archive under “Opening the Word” for the first three.) It is my conviction that Paul’s letter to the Romans offers a good outline of how he discipled the new believers in the various churches he would visit or write to. In the case of the church at Rome, he had to do “distance discipleship” because he had

Is there any relationship between discipleship and sound theology? In the understanding of many Christians, the answer would be “not much,” or even a feeling that theology gets in the way of a serious commitment to follow Jesus. There are certainly plenty of examples of theological study or discussion being a drag on true discipleship, but I would argue that sound theology must be foundational to discipleship, particularly when we study how Paul discipled the churches he wrote to. In

How do we grow in our faith, and just as importantly, how do we help others grow in the faith? That is a question I have wrestled with for years as a pastor and then as the head of World Harvest Mission (now Serge) and its renewal ministry called Sonship. Sonship was birthed here at New Life as one element of the Leadership Training Program that was so foundational to the early years of our church. “Are you living as

 A few years ago I had the privilege of writing a book with the help of several friends at our New Life church. My goal was to produce a manual for disciples that was essentially a “discipleship for ‘dummies’.” We started out using that as a title but quickly realized that the owners of the ‘dummies’ franchise would not let us get far, so instead the publishers (P&R Publishing) decided on the name, The Walk—Steps for New and Renewed Followers

One of the most unforgettable experiences that Sandy and I have had in our travels is watching the “processions” during Holy Week (Semana Santa) in Spain. These are ancient processions that take place all during Holy Week and move from local parish churches to the main cathedral in the larger cities. They are long parades of young people, women in lovely costumes, hooded penitents (who look like the prototype for the old Ku Klux Klan), bands playing dirges, and in