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5 “And when you pray, do not be as the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, so they may… Read More

“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly,… Read More

  The apostle Paul was no stranger to prison. As he famously declared, “The Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. However, I… Read More

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew… Read More

“You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).     On the previous topic, “Enemies:” Jesus, Paul, and the early church spoke clearly and definitively about the… Read More

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may… Read More

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps… Read More

Sharing one’s faith—evangelizing—is a core practice among many religions. For Christians, it’s viewed as a mandate from Jesus himself before he departed earth: commanding his disciples to “spread the good… Read More

33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take… Read More

“It was said, ‘Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce’; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the… Read More

www.washingtontimes.com 5 mins read Religious conservative leaders at the national level see the fight over gender issues as make-or-break. (Associated Press/File) U.S. church attendance is dropping, but Hope Church in Memphis, Tennessee, is… Read More

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in… Read More

Registered to date: 3 WALKING WHERE JESUS WALKED We hear a good deal of talk about doing what Jesus would do (WWJD?), but how about walking where Jesus walked? We… Read More

You have heard that it was said by those of old, you will not kill; and whoever kills will be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you… Read More

Renew.org If you had the opportunity to sit down and talk with a world traveling disciple maker, what questions would you ask? As for me, I was curious about what… Read More

“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20).   Jesus’ words would probably have… Read More

Non-members can listen to several of the podcasts (the Jesus N.T. Character Podcast, A Christian Response to Global Financial Crisis; Serving the Poor: Second Thoughts; 2012 & the End of… Read More

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to… Read More

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do men light a lamp and put it under a basket, but… Read More

      Everyday Disciple Maker: Debbra Stephens CLICK HERE TO LISTEN Whether you work in sales or in a school, whether a preacher or a plumber, there is one… Read More

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt becomes foolish, how will it be salted? It is thereafter good for nothing but to be thrown out and… Read More

     “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.      Blessed are you when men speak abusively of you, persecute… Read More

“Blessed are the peacemakers,    for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9).  “If most of us are honest with ourselves, we know that there are many… Read More

In Matthew 5:13 we read, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for… Read More

“Blessed are the pure in heart,      for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).   (1) PURITY: A constant theme in Jesus’ teaching is that God looks not only at… Read More

Douglas Jacoby,  Washington DC (1993) (recommended by Russ Ewell, San Francisco) Prejudice is ugly and widespread, knowing no borders. Yet even more detestable is the use of biblical authority to justify… Read More

We are changing the dates of the 2020 Renew.org Gathering in Nashville.   Please be aware the new dates of the 2020 Renew.org Gathering are October 16 & 17.  … Read More

      The 5th beatitude: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7). My friend David Berçot is producing an Early Christian Study Bible—taking us through… Read More

      “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst, for they will be satisfied.” What does this mean? Consider such passages as: “Man does not live by bread alone,… Read More

      “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5) “Meek” is a word we seldom use. It does not mean “weak.” It derives from the Old Norse mjúkr,… Read More

On January 1, Netflix released its latest über-bingeable series, Messiah, telling an all-too-believable story about the rise of a contemporary messianic figure known as Al-Masih (played by Mehdi Dehbi). Appearing out… Read More

11 Nigerian Christians Executed in ISIS Christmas Video…… | News & Reporting | Christianity Today In another filmed massacre, 11 Nigerian Christians were executed by the Islamic State West African… Read More

Something You Can Never Be CLICK HERE TO LISTEN   Have you ever been told an expression by somebody older than you which makes absolutely no sense to your generation?… Read More

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). In the background there are well over 100 scriptural passages on mourning, like this one, where Jesus identifies himself… Read More

By John Ortberg on January 1, 2020 This piece has been adapted from the transcript of a sermon delivered by John Ortberg at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church on January 5, 2014, and has… Read More

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). There are at least 20 beatitudes uttered by Jesus in the N.T. (8 in Matthew,… Read More

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. (Matt 5:1-2 ESV) Mountains in the Bible are associated with Moses (Exod 19-20),… Read More

I like New Year’s resolutions. About 60% of Americans will join with me and make them over the next few days as we head into 2020. Here is the most… Read More

The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is the section of the New Testament widely agreed to contain the very heart of Jesus’ kingdom message. The teachings were and still are… Read More

The Overlooked Nativity Character by Rob Kranz An old girlfriend once told me that the groom was just “a prop” at the wedding. The focus of the entire ceremony is supposed to… Read More

Take the test (without going online or looking up the answers).   Which was Jesus’s birthplace: Nazareth, Bethlehem, Egypt, or Capernaum? What is a manger: baby crib, food trough, soft container, or Christmas cradle?… Read More

What does the bibble [sic] say about marijuana? After all, it is just a plant. Have you smoked it? Have you read about the effects it has on you? This is… Read More

Please, you claim to be the only Christians that are right, so tell me have you ever seen Jesus in the flesh, and if so what colour is he? —R.B…. Read More

​ Dear Discipleship-First Tribe, One of the major developments coming for disciple makers moving into 2020 is the proliferation of digital apps and mobile sites (that function like apps) to… Read More

Are the Crusades the Ultimate Black Mark Against Christianity? by Rob Kranz “How could anyone defend a religion that would sanction the Crusades?” Having spent a year living in Jerusalem in the… Read More

By Dan Armstrong • In the summer of 2019, two-time NBA champion, Olympic medalist, and reality TV star Lamar Odom announced he was giving up porn. But, he didn’t have a… Read More

Discipleship-First Friends, Thanksgiving is an important day on many levels. We are committed to helping you be a disciple who makes disciples, so we know it’s important to “give thanks in… Read More

Sermon given by Doug on 11-24-19 at the North River Church of Christ in Atlanta, GA.

Since I am a professor at a seminary, it is not unusual (indeed, it is very common) for students to come to me for advice about whether they should enter… Read More

Church experts and those who have been there discuss what not to do when firing a minister. Talking with ministers who have lost their jobs can feel repetitive.  And depressing…. Read More

Discipleship-First Friends, We just finished our fourth National Disciple Making Forum in Nashville! We are grateful for our disciple-making partners and thankful to God for giving us the opportunity to… Read More

We believe discipleship is the core mission of the church. That is why fueling discipleship is our mission. We can only do this with your prayers and support. Would you prayerfully consider joining… Read More

Do you have a friend who needs good dating advice? Send this to him or her! Click here for more.

News about terrorist attacks may teach us about some Muslims, but not about most Muslims — and probably not about the Muslims down the street. Continue reading here. www.desiringgod.org

Muscle and a Shovel | The Christian Chronicle Muscle and a Shovel is a raw and gritty true story about a pair of young newly-weds who move to the city… Read More

New Common Question: Why should Christians care for creation? As bearers of God’s image, all people have the responsibility and privilege of caring for God’s creation. How can we move… Read More

Something doesn’t smell right in Lynchburg, Virginia, home of Liberty University and its controversial president, Jerry Falwell Jr. According to a September report in Politico: “Everybody is scared for their… Read More

Our very own cofounder, David Young, was recently on The Eric Metaxas Show!  Leaders are talking about A Grand Illusion, you can join the conversation. Friends, In case you don’t know, Eric Metaxas… Read More

Recently I caught up with one of the workshop presenters at our November 6th Gathering, Christian Ray Flores. Christian is a Renew.org co-founder and has an interesting perspective on culture and… Read More

Q: Thanks for sharing about your personal spiritual retreat in Canada [October 2019]. This is making me curious (and I suspect that others might be wondering also) about what is… Read More

Adapted with permission from Evidenceforchristianity.org I [John Oakes] have been serving as a teacher in one way or another for more than thirty years.  It is my career, as a professor… Read More

Guy Hammond’s Strength in Weakness ministry will be at the Cornerstone Church in Duluth, GA the weekend of Oct. 25-27, 2019. Here are links for more details: https://www.strengthinweakness.org/ 678.957.4715 info@cornerstoneduluth.org

Greg explains how 2 Chronicles 7:14 is used incorrectly by Christians thinking it’s speaking to them. Click here to play. Transcript: I want to speak for a moment about the danger of… Read More

Bookmark the list for Bible study, reference, and sharing with others. Top 100 Bible Verses on Money and Wealth Also see the Topical Index of Money and Wealth Scriptures The latest… Read More

Assyriologist George Heath-Whyte explains the errors in Richard Dawkins’ new book Richard Dawkins was asked by journalist Krishnan Guru-Murthy in an interview recently, “If you could change the world, how would you change… Read More

We are delighted to announce, in partnership with Crossway publishers, that the Tyndale House Greek New Testament (THGNT), edited by Tyndale House Academic Vice Principal Dr Dirk Jongkind and Principal Dr Peter J Williams, is… Read More

Discipleship Friends, Join us for a free webinar with James Forlines of Final Command Ministries on Thursday, October 17rd at 4:30 pm CST. “The 5 Principles of Disciple Making Movements” Disciple Making… Read More

Church experts and those who have been there offer five key recommendations for leaders. Cheryl Mann Bacon Columnist Somewhere in the unwritten but badly needed handbook for elders are three… Read More

SBC President J. D. Greear speaks at the ERLC’s Caring Well Conference on October 3. Southern Baptist Convention President J. D. Greear acknowledged that while sexual abuse survivors have pleaded… Read More

Debate – Tawheed or Trinity: Is God One or Three Divine Persons? Event in Atlanta, GA by Why Should I Believe at Georgia Tech on Wednesday, November 13 2019 6:30-9pm… Read More

What should we think of DNA experiments and developments? Jim Stump ponders the most recent developments in the realm of gene editing, including CRISPR babies, the problem of chimeras, and more,… Read More

My sermon at the North River Church of Christ on Sunday 22 September 2019 (9 am service). Principal texts: Luke 23:34 and Matt 5:38-48.

How well do we know God’s Word? Here’s a tool to evaluate our level of Bible knowledge. The diagnostic test at 3 levels has been constructed with the help of many around… Read More

This is part 1 of a 2 part series. Written by:  Darby Strickland, Counselor Read part 1 here.

“. . . members together of one body and sharers together . . .”  (Eph. 3:6) Shared Church aims to encourage Christians and churches to practice participatory body life—the one-anothering… Read More

One of the key ingredients that is missing in many approaches to disciple making is emotional health. To put it bluntly, many people have a difficult time making disciples because… Read More

Ask the tech-savvy youth in your church: How relevant and compelling is our communication? Are we truly engaging the information revolution to communicate the gospel to as many people as… Read More

Kidogo – Christian Practicals 2.67K subscribers Guy Hammond used to live a gay life before he became a Christian. Now, as Christian minister, he runs an international ministry dedicated to… Read More

Decoding the New Testament is a sort of journey. We’re sending a drone back in time, taking us into the world of the first century. What we seek is the… Read More

Social Media – A powerful tool https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k_G_h41ZaQ  

(Scroll down for the actual classes) (1) The Big Picture AQOB 1-2, 16 The Structure of the N.T. (51 minutes) The Faith Unfurled: New Testament Survey—book (2) Who, When, Where?… Read More

By CSN on Sep 05, 2019 01:00 pm There are many ways you can assess the spiritual health of your church members. Faith, regular church attendance, and engagement in community… Read More

“Just let the Bible be whatever it is.” … But just what is the Bible? What is the Bible? This is a vitally important question. Rob Bell is a famous… Read More

ARE MOST SCIENTISTS ATHEISTS? Baruch Aba Shalev wrote a book titled 100 Years of Nobel Prizes. That book contains a report on Nobel prizes awarded between 1901 and 2000. During that period, when 423… Read More

CHICK-FIL-A GIVING. San Antonio, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, have kicked Chick-fil-A out of their airports for “aiding and abetting Christian organizations.” What is especially ironic is that it is the charity work of… Read More

Don’t Be Fooled Into Believing These Final Two GRIEF MYTHS You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them. I am confined and cannot… Read More

Greg Koukl continues to turn out thought-provoking articles, accessible and interesting. (Personally, I thought his section on salvation was over-simplified, but every other section was excellent. – DJ) Faithfulness Is… Read More

By Kendra Terpstra on August 16, 2019 Whenever people ask me how I found out about BioLogos, I usually give them a quick elevator speech that begins with when I first read… Read More

The Book of Hebrews says the Old Covenant is obsolete, so since I already believe in Christ, I don’t need to bother with the Old Testament.—E.E. As there is a… Read More

This thought-provoking podcast explores four critical weaknesses in leadership: controlling, criticizing, avoiding, and rescuing. Craig Groeschel is connected with Life Church, and puts out a monthly podcast. Listen here.

“One thing I see at the orthodox cores of our traditions is that at one and the same time we are to hold faithfully to truth as we know it… Read More

A North Carolina sheriff’s deputy sues his former employer for religious discrimination after it wouldn’t accommodate his request to not train a female officer one-on-one. David Roach August 20, 2019… Read More

Dear Discipleship-First Tribe, We want you to become the disciple maker God intends you to be. For those of you who are church leaders, we also want you to develop… Read More

Late last year, I noticed our family checkbook was getting very light. Dread filled my mind as I realized that we would need to borrow money to pay our bills… Read More

Click for extra study material (articles, books, podcasts, other messages) in connection with the 8 classes of the North River “Decoding the New Testament” series. https://www.douglasjacoby.com/?p=23123  

My book club is reading Falling in Love With Jesus: Abandoning Yourself to the Greatest Romance of Your Life. The authors teach that Christian women, whether single or married, should refer to… Read More

Today, PraegerU released Paul Copan’s five-minute video on relativism—“True for You, But Not for Me.” This is a great platform for intelligent public discourse on this topic and its pernicious… Read More

Two persons (perhaps more) were not so fond of the Online Bible Test, commenting that it isn’t as important to know chapter and verse, or the arrangement of biblical books, as… Read More

The podcast Islam & Christianity (26 minutes) is intended to help the new student of world religions to develop a feel for how the two faiths connect. This is material I… Read More

Man melding with machine. Anti-aging technology. Brain-computer interface. Gene-edited “designer” babies. Some scientific advances go beyond helping humanity overcome obstacles. They actually begin to help humanity overcome, well . …. Read More

First – Learn from Disciple Making Leader: Small Circle Steve McCoy is the leader of Small Circle, one of our trusted disciple-making partners. Here’s what he told us about his ministry… Read More

What do you think about the recently discovered Christian letter? I learned about this through Fox News. The article is titled “1,700-year-old recently discovered Christian letter offers clues into how faithful… Read More

Common Grounds (www.cgunity.com) – Third chapter starting in September (9/26, 11:30am-1:00pm) in San Diego. Robert Carrillo is speaking, see flyer with all info here.

We believe we Christians will spend eternity with God. No disrespect meant, but sooner or later, wouldn’t that grow old? Maybe the first few years or centuries would be great,… Read More

Watch the message given in Atlanta (North River Church) on July 28, 2019.

Sermon I did in the Midpoint Ministry (Chicago) on July 21, 2019. (The sermon begins at about 0:38, and ends at 1:12.) Posted by Midpoint Ministry Center of the Chicago Church… Read More

In Joshua 6, God commanded the Israelites to circle the city 7 days in a row. Therefore, one of those days had to be a Sabbath. Would walking around the… Read More

Located between Kiryat Gat and Lachish in southern Israel, Khirbet a-Ra‘i has been the site of excavations since 2015. The researchers recently announced their belief that they have uncovered the… Read More

Podcast 1 Podcast 2   Más Allá de la Vida – Slides  

FORT WORTH, Texas — Dr. Kent Brantly sat on his counselor’s couch and wept. The tears came last summer as the Christian physician visited with Dottie Schulz, a missionary care volunteer… Read More

The pdf below is going to be published in various places next month. We just completed it. The goal is to explain Renew succinctly to church leaders.  It is based… Read More

I was recently able to catch up with Renew Gathering speaker Mark Moore. We talked about life transitions, creating a legacy, personal discipline, and a new book he has written… Read More

Part 7: Greg addresses a situation where you may be tempted to take on the burden of proof in conversation about Christianity. Watch video here.

“Just let the Bible be whatever it is.”…But just what is the Bible?  What is the Bible? This is a vitally important question. Rob Bell is a famous American author,… Read More

  Headlines were buzzing with the announcement. Facebook had introduced a new metric that would significantly revamp their algorithms. Continue here.

FROM THE SEA  DNA obtained from remains of people who inhabited an ancient city on Israel’s coast, including this child, indicate that the Philistines mentioned in the Hebrew Bible descended… Read More

Agosto-Octubre 2019   La Fundación Proyecto Esdras, A. C., en alianza con In-Motion Counseling, presentan este curso especial sobre Consejería Bíblica en sus dos modalidades: División Entrenamiento para Ministros: MTA-BL03 Principios… Read More

TRUST Rom 15:14—confident in church to handle issues of church. I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent… Read More

4) Abuse of authority Leaders have authority, but not to create their own rules, or in the language of Jeremiah, “to rule by their own authority” (Jer 5:30-31). “Giving up… Read More

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so… Read More

In his own words, comedian Ricky Gervais went “from Jesus-loving Christian to fun-loving infidel in one afternoon.” Ricky Gervais was 8 years old. He was drawing the Crucifixion as part… Read More

After his wife became Muslim to appease militant Islamists, he fled with their children — and found Christ. Erik Tryggestad President and CEO DONO-MANGA, Chad — In this rural African village,… Read More

I was reading Christianity Today this morning when I came across this: When Mary Holds Their Hand You can read a good part of the article even if you are not… Read More

Two New AMAZING Videos From SIW! P.S. Put your seat belt on! #1. What Does the Bible Say bout Being Transgender? By Brandon Redler 3.3 min #2. Why I Left My Transgender Life Behind … Read More

If God is good, and loving, and powerful, how can we account for the enormous amount of animal (and human) suffering caused by predation, disease, and natural disasters? Traditionally, Christians… Read More

Why did the Lord tell Abraham to sacrifice Isaac? This seems barbaric. Indeed, this is one of the more disturbing passages of the Old Testament. In the 22nd chapter of… Read More

WHO ARE WE? SELF-TEST: Rank the following terms in order of usage–what you usually call yourself. Christian Disciple Brother Saint Many of us answered 1-2-3-4, right? But in the New… Read More

Renew.org     4 Things I Would Like to Say to Taylor Swift as a Pastor   June was a big month for Taylor Swift as she embraced LGBTQ month,… Read More

History — We Are Church A Brief History of We Are Church. Excerpt from Letters to the Church, by Francis Chan. Why I Left My Megachurch In 1994, when I… Read More

Two twin boys were raised by an alcoholic father. One grew up to be an alcoholic and when asked what happened he said “I watched my father”. The other grew… Read More

How a meeting in Philadelphia changed American religion forever. By Matthew Avery Sutton   Mr. Sutton, a professor of history at Washington State University, is the author of the forthcoming “Double… Read More

LEARN CHURCH PLANTING FROM OUR PASTORS a note from francis Haven’t you always been a bit confused about Church?  You read about the unstoppable power, miraculous love, and outrageous sacrifice… Read More

Many have asked what specific points led me away from Calvinism. Being a Professor of Theology that once affirmed TULIP gives me a unique perspective on this subject. However, I… Read More

  We are excited to introduce you to  TheHistoricFaith.com . The Historic Faith is the result of a partnership between Sattler College and Scroll Publishing. This project seeks to promote the precepts… Read More

Something ominous is happening to young men today; it’s a crisis…and strangely, we are not talking about it. A recent USA Today article captured the essence of the crisis with the article “Boy Crisis Threatens America’s… Read More

With over 150 titles, Penguin’s Who Was? series tells the incredible stories of trailblazers, legends, innovators, and creators. Play the Who Was Adventure game! Download the Who Was series app… Read More

Excerpt from Trent Butler, The Word Biblical Commentary 8, Judges (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2009), lxxx. ……”Three tribes… receive the brunt of the author’s judgment in Judges. Benjamin could not take… Read More

Father’s Day is just around the corner. Covenant Eyes would love to see all the dads out there take the Dad Challenge. What better time to start this challenge but… Read More

Two video sermons taken from the book of Hebrews: iFaith 19 (Heb A), “Christ is Supreme,” and iFaith 20 (Heb B), “The Truth about Falling Away”. Listen to either or… Read More

My wife Cathy passed away on August 13, 2018. We were married for 28 incredible years. Through our Strength in Weakness ministry, we traveled the world telling our story and… Read More

New discoveries about the human mind show the limitations of reason. The vaunted human capacity for reason may have more to do with winning arguments than with thinking straight. Illustration… Read More

Televangelist Todd Coontz has a well-worn routine: he dresses in a suit, pulls out a Bible and urges viewers to pledge a very specific amount of money. “Don’t delay, don’t… Read More

Participants on the May/June 2019 Israel tour came from Canada, the Bahamas, the U.K., U.S., Cambodia, Zambia, South Africa, Singapore, and Australia. Here are their responses:   “This tour brought… Read More

      “The more I study science, the more I believe in God.” “I want to know how God created this world. I am not interested in this or… Read More

For over 200 years people have used soil from the churchyard of Sacred Heart Church in the Boho Highlands of rural Northern Ireland as a remedy for a variety of… Read More

Friends,   As a Renew subscriber you likely aspire to be a disciple who makes disciples. We want to help make that as easy as possible for you. This is… Read More

Today I get to sit down with the founder of Strength in Weakness Ministries, Guy Hammond, to discuss how to live a life of holiness when you’re same-sex attracted. -… Read More

I agree with your take on communion as an actual meal. Concerning excluding unbelievers because they can’t “connect” with it, did the early church use this rationale for any means… Read More

In Deut 23:3 God gives the command that no descendants of the Moabites even to the tenth generation may enter the assembly of the Lord. I was wondering if Ruth… Read More

Is it a sin for a divorced couple to have sex even if there was no adultery? —S.K. Yes, since they are no longer married (by definition). Good question, though. Divorce… Read More

You say the minimum number of Jesus’ siblings is seven. Matthew 13 says his brothers are James, Joseph, Simon, Judas, and also mentions “all of his sisters.” Four brothers are… Read More

“Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them” (Isa 1:14). I also find something… Read More

Like many of you, I enjoy a good book. Apart from occasional espionage novels, nearly all of my reading is Christian literature, theology, history, and science. Yet now and again,… Read More

If you read the Bible—especially the New Testament—it’s pretty easy to come away with a bad impression of Samaritans. In fact, most of us would probably rank the Samaritans just… Read More

Centering Christ in a Modern Wedding Traditional white weddings with vows exchanged at the altar and church bells signaling holy matrimony seem few and far between these days. Indeed, church… Read More

Amazing keynote message given at the Harbor Pepperdine Bible Lectures on Thursday, May 2, 2019 in Malibu, CA. https://livestream.com/pepperdineuniversity/harborpbl19/videos/190780153  

From the book: “I want to show that the gospel and our faith response must not be reduced to the cross, or even to the cross and resurrection. The gospel… Read More

Sermon given at the North River Church in Atlanta on Sunday, May 12, 2019.

Two classes given by Douglas Jacoby & Nick Zola at “The Harbor” Pepperdine Bible Lectures, on May 3, 2019. The two audio lessons are followed by the Powerpoint presentation with… Read More

Is the Holy Land the Promised Land? Leading evangelical supporters of President Trump tout the modern state of Israel as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Scholars in Churches of Christ… Read More

Can You Be Gay and a Christian? See why over 100,000 people have attended a Strength in Weakness workshop!   SIW HITS  THE ROAD   Madrid, Spain Guy Hammond May… Read More

  Friends,   Many Renew leaders have success stories to share. We want God to get the credit in these stories. We also want to learn from these stories how… Read More

Where Do Moral Laws Come From? We can be good without God, but would goodness even exist without God? Greg Koukl explains the argument for God from morality. https://www.str.org/video/where-do-moral-laws-come

(UPDATED) Assemblies of God pastor preferred to “die for his faith rather than leave the village” he served for decades.  Kate Shellnutt [Updated May 3 with further remarks from Assemblies… Read More

May News from Tyndale House Dear friends, At Tyndale House we are passionate about supporting evangelical biblical scholars, and ensuring that Christians across the world benefit from their work. In… Read More

Here are few reasons why you will want to register today for the National Disciple Making Forum in Nashville! Pete Scazzero and Drew Hyun from Emotionally Healthy Discipleship will be… Read More

1st part of our interview with Dr. Douglas Jacoby It was very exciting to be able to have a conversation with Douglas on such a needed subject. We all go… Read More

A BioLogos podcast on science and faith The new BioLogos podcast is live! We’re very excited about this latest way to extend the BioLogos mission. Long-form audio broadcasts have become… Read More

#3. “When Your Kids Tell You They Are Gay” Steve Bowen 4 min #1. “Is It a Sin If You Feel Gay?” Guy Hammond 3.5 min #2. “Can You Be… Read More

The Renew tribe is inclusive – anyone can be a part of it. The process is self-selecting.  People join because they support the beliefs (theological convictions), the philosophy (disciple making… Read More

Dear Discipleship-first Tribe, Disciples of Jesus are facing a subtle but pervasive challenge in North America right now. Left unchecked, this challenge erodes the convictions of everyday disciples, leaders, and… Read More

Growing up in suburban Cincinnati, sacrifices were not part of everyday life. I know, some of you are probably shocked by that revelation. Sacrifices were something I read about in the Bible… Read More

Browse the presentations from the 2019 BioLogos Conference!

Each year, Barna examines behaviors and beliefs related to the Bible among American adults, a study conducted in partnership with American Bible Society. In the 2019 “State of the Bible” report,… Read More

See why over 100,000 people have attended a Strength in Weakness workshop!   SIW HITS  THE ROAD   Madrid, Spain Guy Hammond May 5, 2019 La Iglesia de los Disćipulos… Read More

I am a senior pastor; I have been one for more than 30 years. So, I know the subtle pressure that can sneak in: to produce, provide and program for… Read More

Dear Friends and Partners of Renew, We are so pleased to announce to you, our ministry friends and partners, that our new website is LIVE!! We want to sincerely thank… Read More

From slow WiFi to broken phone screens to zero “likes” on social media, everyday stressors are causing young adults to have struggles falling asleep 138 nights each year, researchers say…. Read More

Stand to Reason / www.str.org/ After a five-year study, Barna Research president David Kinnaman found that 6 in 10 young people leave the church either permanently or for an extended period… Read More

From Reuters News: Conversion is not your mission, pope tells Catholics in Morocco http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-pope-morocco/conversion-is-not-your-mission-pope-tells-catholics-in-morocco-idUKKCN1RC0FJ Pope Francis told the tiny Catholic community in predominantly Muslim Morocco on Sunday that their mission… Read More

Various factors feed into psychosis, like stress and personal genetic makeup. Yet there is strong evidence that use of cannabis is leading to significant mental health problems in Europe—the higher… Read More

Why I am NOT a Gay Christian By Guy Hammond Executive Director, Strength in Weakness Ministries “You are not being your authentic self, you’re a liar and a fraud.” “You… Read More

The following are responses to the Ezekiel series (10 installments), which appears in the newsletters of 20 & 27 Feb; 6, 13, 20, and 27 Mar; and 3, 10, 17,… Read More

A List of All Scriptures that Proves God Condones Homosexuality By Guy Hammond Executive Director; Strength in Weakness Ministries Does God love homosexuals? Of course, God loves everyone! But where… Read More

Greg explains the importance of listening and encourages Christians to remember that the one who makes the claim bears the burden. Play the 3-minute video by clicking here, and/or read… Read More

Image: Illustration by Rick Szuecs / Source image: Courtesy of Baker Publishing Group Michael McClymond decries the rising popularity of an idea Christians have rejected for most of church history…. Read More

Photo from Pixabay.com Feb. 28, 2019 Modern-day ‘sticks and stones’ Before you type, maybe you should ask, ‘What would Jesus tweet?’ By  Chellie Ison ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones,… Read More

“… so that by all possible means I might save some.” 1 Cor 9:22  Does your church have an integrated and compelling online presence to impact your community? Your church leader needs to focus… Read More

Dear Renew Friends, This month we are emphasizing what the Bible teaches about baptism – and a key resource on baptism. Let me explain why this may be important to you… Read More

Greco-Roman gods had no interest in the poor nor was organised charity a religious duty. How was Christianity different? Photo by DeAgostini/Getty In Greco-Roman culture, the well-to-do weren’t expected to… Read More

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” That statement, attributed to the most influential management guru of our time, Peter Drucker, describes a reality church leaders must face in the pursuit of… Read More

Before 31 Dec 2019—100% of balance and 90% of deposit refundable. Before 1 Apr 2020—100% of balance refundable. Deposits are non-refundable. By 1 May—80% of balance… By 1 July—60% By… Read More

The Benefits of a Stiff Neck? by Rob Kranz This is my first post since arriving back in Jerusalem. The time is flying by at blazing fast speed. As I write this,… Read More

Dear Renew Family, We hope this email finds you doing well. The Exponential Church Planting Conference was last week, it was an exciting event and Renew was able to play… Read More

Weary of attacks by Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen, Christians in Nigeria ask how long they’re supposed to “count it all joy.” JEREMY WEBER IN JOS| OCTOBER 19, 2018 Image:… Read More

Local couple help empower women in Nicaragua, one knitted blanket at a time By: Lorena Inclan Jacksonville, FL March 1, 2019 For Steve and Sandy Jacoby a trip to Nicaragua… Read More

How do you react when things go wrong? Your e-mail or Twitter gets hacked and people send you unkind messages… You’re stuck in traffic and late for an important meeting…… Read More

Dear Friends of Renew, If you are subscribed to our newsletter you are likely interested in all of Jesus’ teachings. You may also be laser focused on how those teachings… Read More