Missional Education

Ounce of Sugar in a Pound of Flour

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:27:00 +0000

Everything taught is truth, correct statement? If not, then what is non-truth? How does one discern between truth and error? Many times error is not maliciously taught, rather produced from ignorance, lack of brevity on the subject or even new developments. When we discover the truth, what do we do with the people around us who have yet to discern the truth as well?

Christianity has presented many complex teachings over the Bible - both in history and presently. Our lives interact with each at some level, through coffee shop conversations, reading the newspaper, perusing online articles, teaching our children, and so on. At various times, we may have believed something to be true, but learned later that the teaching only had an ounce of truth and a pound of error. This creates difficulty in learning truth, but never removes the goal of learning truth.

Discerning truth can be as discerning between an ounce of sugar in a pound of flour. Difficult? Yes! Why? The ingredients are the same color and mixed together. Therefore, what's the difference? The ounce of sugar is less than a pound of flour, and sugar is not flour.

Therefore, love people through listening to there beliefs, so you can affirm the ounce of truth and reject the pound of error. It takes time for all of us to unravel truth, especially truth mixed into cults, denominations, books, family tradition, and so on. Friends, family, relatives, neighbors or even strangers may fight for their belief system because they believe it to be truth. Help them to discern between the sugar and the flour. When has separating sugar from flour been an easy, quick, joyful task?

It maybe tedious. We may need to be patient. We need to keep a consistent disgust for error, but not for people. Some may not want us around, some may need to see us from afar, and some may just get closer to discerning the truth (1 John 4:1-21).

60 Minutes Interviews Christopher Hitchens

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 05:41:00 +0000

60 Minutes aired the interview of Christopher Hitchens on March 6th, 2011, describing him "outspoken and outrageous." Hitchens died December 2011, leaving behind a wife and three children. Rather than soaking in a sort of joy over his death as well as the death of perpetuating atheistic ideas, Christians would glean well from the debate tour from Pastor Doug Wilson and Hitchens in 2009, "Collision" (DVD, Rent). Wilson seems to soak in Christ's death and resurrection, and wilts in a tenderness of bold debate with Hitchens. Wilson hoped, prayed, and involved himself in the life of Hitchens in a way to defend the internal hope of Christ for the eternal repentance of a sinner like himself.

Hitchens has finished his last debate, which is the debate with death. Death always wins. No matter how many arguments, rebuttals, philosophes, or solutions - death always conquers. Hitchens debated other people's claims of truth to be revealed as right. If Hitchens is right, and death beat Hitchens, then how much more right is death?

If death is right, then Hitchens has been wrong - at least in his last debate. We are able to deny the divine of life, but never the debate of death. Therefore, if we continually lose the debate of death, could we also be losing the debate against the divine who gives life?

Teaching is Like Building Roads

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:07:00 +0000

Every day we examine roads asking ourselves, “Is this road going to get me to my destination and is it safe?” Coming upon a road we see differences with our eyes – smooth, bumpy, or destructive. We must see the same with teaching. Are we making the roads for our student’s minds to travel on smooth, bumpy, or destructive?

Imagine the three various road types. Smooth roads tend to be clean, steady foundations, clear lanes, helpful signs, proper materials to travel upon, adequate strength, and enjoyable. Bumpy roads may be gravel, sporadic holes, large cracks, less visibility, fewer signs, and a little more stressful. Destructive roads contain massive obstacles such as rocks, stumps, cracks, gaps, and incredibly frustrating and confusing.

Our teaching embodies one of the three roads and our students feel the difference, whether they articulate the feelings or not. Without a cohesive theme, ample signs, clear lanes, and a real destination, our students will be left destroyed or detoured. They will find their way to other roads, unless they are the types who enjoy the four-wheel drive roads. Even then, four-wheel cost more in the end, shorter rides, slower advance, and macho spirit of achievement.

Regardless of the road type, what is the destination? Where are the students driving? When will they get there? How? Why? With what? Teachers are to be humble, sweaty, smart architects of the educational road aimed (telos) at God the Father, Son Jesus and Holy Spirit. Paul directs Timothy to steward his own life by faith in God to teach people the truth of the gospel. More so, Paul instructs Timothy to be the utter representation of dirt – receptive, growing, and bearing fruit (Mark 4:1-10).

Timothy is to receive Jesus’ teachings as truth and by means of love. In doing so, Timothy is to teach and defend the truth to his world by means of love. Hence, “The aim (te√loß) of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart, and a good conscience, and a sincere faith (1 Tim. 1:5).” Purified by, conscience guided by, and faith in someone else who is the way, truth, and life - Jesus the Christ (John 14:6).

Why? “Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions (vv. 6-7).” Paul commands Timothy to make a clear road for his students to the final destination of God by the road quality of love.

Teaching is like building roads. The type of road is just as important as the character of the builder and the destination. Let’s build roads (an aim - te√loß) to Jesus the Christ, smoothing the drive through all subject categories (math, history, Bible, etc.), and so love people humbly as this God-man, Jesus the Christ (Phil. 2:5).

Just Dirty

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:09:00 +0000

Following a few circles of conversation about marriage life, sex talk in the church, expositional preaching, crusades to kill topical sermons, keeping the church holy from crude talk, arrogant attitudes and the like, has left a bitter taste in the mouth - like drinking bad cups of coffee likened to dirt in luke warm water. Sometimes for us readers and watchers not in the war zone of high profile vs. "I am not a high profile" pastor comes across like a five year old daughter screaming in the ear of the three year old sister to stop poking. Some readers believe they are watching an enormous, historically cataclysmic dispute finding a larger dot on the World History chapter timeline. Therefore, people must jump into the fight, panic how close they get to either side, and even start killing with words, blogs, articles, book rebuttals - all done because we desire a discerning attitude.

Please don't mind us, you know, those not in the battle of being editors, large church kingdom owners, and large charisma types - those of us trying to avoid association to either side of your war. We do not worship you or the one's you battle, rather, we worship Christ. Therefore, though you may witness people following either side and you recognize that as sheep being led to the slaughter, we still trust only the One who was led to the slaughter on our behalf. We are gleaning from both sides of the war, not with pajamas and a computer in a dark dungeon of our parent's basement. Rather, we are working hard to spread the gospel among people through small business, church planting, friendship circles, Bible study discussions, and learning which wars to avoid.

We have all noticed you all have the corner market on God's word, fearlessly pursuing Him with a religious ferver, brilliantly glowing like a pyromaniac's eyes on July 4th during the Civil War. Enjoy the bloodshed you spill and what flows out of you. We all know you mark it up to be another star to your pearly clean authoritative suite of holiness. Stand tall please, because if we see you slouching, it may interrupt our meal along the curb - we need room to eat off the ground so you can stand tall on your soap box. When the reporters come, we understand the picture of you needs to be pure from us, so we will step aside as the picture is taken. But thank you for your words of encouragement to be holy which means to be set apart. We pulled application from your sermon on the gospel implications to set apart ourselves from those on holy soap boxes of life. Say cheesy!

We agree, church just needs to be a place where you do not talk or think about the gross things of life. All that needs to be outside the pulpit, church walls, and small groups. You know, the Catholic church kind of has the corner market on that, maybe we should learn from that discernment. Just come to church, in a little confessional box, between the pastor and parishioner, confess those naughty details, walk out in front of the church like a new cleaner person, head held high as you sit, and the priest returns to the soap box of an expositional reading of Matthew according to the Mass schedule. Now we can all walk out saying to each other, "Boy, he is so holy, I must follow him, the priest."

Rather, not us or him, but Jesus the Christ the one who crushed Satan's temporary soap box of Genesis 2 and took the dirt of Adam's and Eve's sin in the public, humble confession in the beautiful garden of the painful cross promise of Genesis 3:15.

You are right, we should not raise up the applications from scripture from a public forum such as a pulpit or Bible study. These arenas need to have an A+ rating from the city's health inspector, because if not, if they find a rat, they will just need to do anything to shut it down or kill that pesky rodent. This makes us guess that 99.9% of the world's 7 billion customers can only eat from one or two restaurants of God's word since there is apparent dirt on the tables of most of the other establishments.

Our families will be so pleased that we finally found the soap to clean our skin was under your feet the whole time. Now, how much for your gracious soap? We need cleansing from being just dirty.

The Abyss of Gospel Unclarity

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:39:00 +0000

Abyss' leave people scared of the deep unknowns. Greater the unresolved mystery of a dark hole results in the greater fear in coming close. Many times leaders, pastors, authors and churches present the gospel as an abyss. The gospel seems to be deep but unclear, dark, unhelpful, confusing, never ending, and scary. Naturally people grab onto anything seeming to be a functional savior from the terrifying fall. The adventurist spiritual people avoid grasping onto functional saviors such as the wall; rather, they become ignorantly confident in the direction down attempting to smile. Joy becomes an existential philosophy, claiming the study of God is inapplicable to life; therefore, one needs to create a different reality in their mind to escape the true reality of falling into an abyss someone has labeled either 'Christianity' or 'gospel.'

The surrounding people may hear horrific screams or psychotic versions of joyful laughter. People will either run from the screams or become just as crazy and leap into the abyss. Amazingly, God peers down to the earth and provides a savior from themselves. He not only sees, but he also understands, sympathizes, empathizes and realizes the gravity of the situation. Unlike the gods of history making fools of humanity - forcing people to please them through sacrifice, and more so pushing people into the abyss - God becomes foolish for humanity, sacrificing God the Son, finding pleasure in Jesus' life-death-resurrection-ascension and capturing people from the fall and fear of the abyss. How beautiful are the savior's hands that grab and not push.

A stumbling block for the existential, abyss-falling Christian is trusting in something else than their own fall into the abyss. Falling can become erroneous, confident spiritual life - comfortable, status quo, one direction, based on self decision, and even a prideful rejection of another way of life. To change from the fall to the rescue is a humbling experience, whereas one must affirm falling was a bad, dark and lonely decision.

God is clear, helpful, mysteriously knowable, real, loving and provides a practical solid foundation - not an abyss of Christianity. Why else would Paul say, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation for the Jew first and also to the Gentile" (Romans 1:17). More so, Jesus' statement of "If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me" (Luke 9:23). We will never be ashamed of the one who took our shame, and we will follow him when we have denied ourselves any priority in the decision to follow him. Fall into the savior's, real hands!

That's good news.

Functionally Therapeutic vs. Joyfully Living

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 10:05:00 +0000

In Christian counseling, one level of wisdom exists to stay functionally Christian. Another level exists to repent of staying functionally Christian. The first is therapeutic, the second is abandoning the therapy - that no matter the wisdom given in counseling to help stay functional does not make one Christian or stay Christian. The gospel delivers us from a therapeutic functional Christian life and deepens great joy in trusting Jesus to make us Christian (Romans 5:1-2).

Does one need to function in the world? Yes. Does one need to have a job, friends, health, or wealth to operate in God's world? Yes. But, the job, friends, health, and wealth are not the foundation to our belief. If they are ripped away, our foundation is destroyed and life is revealed to be pointless. Why? Because life's point was the functional aspects such as the job or house, which both are temporal and not eternal. There is no hope in functionality (habits, disciplines), unless the discipline is faith in Christ who is our hope.

However, we are able to see the functions in their true light as a work based on faith in Jesus. When the functions are ripped away, Jesus is not. The suffering happens in the functions but not the faith. The gospel of Jesus crushes the Christian therapy to deliver foolish wisdom for our joy in him (1 Corinthians 1:17-21).

Christian School: Various Reads

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 22:59:00 +0000

The Gospel Coalition has some resources (articles) on Christian School by Roy Lowrey. They concern Christian school startups, discipline, parenting, and the blessings.

Playground Mansions of Ministry Death?

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Mansions across America sit empty because of the economy gone southward. Arrayed and adorned with expensive beauty, mansions appeal to the eye, but when empty they are inevitably heartless. The family truly brings life to the mansion, such as laughs, noises, movement and maintenance. Take away the family then the mansion is dead. Bring in life then the mansion is blessed and joyful! Therefore, how can death be joyful? Do we want to pursue building or keeping empty mansions without people?

God’s not against mansions (c.f. John 14:1-2), but God’s against mansions replacing him with something or someone else (idolatry). Remove God as life and focus, death replaces life (Genesis 3:1-19). What did God want Adam and Eve to be enthralled? Him!

Jesus revealed to his disciples that he is the source of life in ministry – take your trust off him and death follows. For example, a synagogue ruler named Jairus “implored” Jesus to heal his daughter from physical death and a bleeding for 12 years woman touched Jesus’ garments for healing (Mark 5:21-34). Jesus responds to the woman, “Your faith has made you well… (Mark 5:34).” Did her faith heal her? Well, kind of. Meaning, faith always has an object. In this context, who is the object of her faith? Jesus. Jesus means that her faith was not in herself or in someone else, rather, solely on him.

Ministry is a work, which is different from faith. Jesus taught his disciples to have faith in him for salvation, which produces a fruit or work to make disciples in their lifetime including ministry (John 15:1-15). Ministry can be built as a mansion, rightly appealing and pleasing (Mark 1:11) out of faith in Jesus.

Ministry Surface Approach

For example, a ministry surface approach says let’s build a playground in front of the church building for people to see and visit since our attendance is down. Bad statement? No, but yes. Playgrounds are not evil rather fun and many times shocking (to the skin, especially at the end of the plastic, static slides)! The explicit motivation is “low attendance”; however, Jesus is not worried about “low attendance” rather why is it low! Is it really a playground issue? No. The decision reveals the following: (1) we failed at appealing to people; (2) we must compete with other churches who have playgrounds and the market share of believers; (3) we are unable to make disciples of families overall without a playground; (4) we are thinking short term versus long term gospel-centered vision in reaching people; (5) we desire to reach people on Sundays for attendance and giving; (6) we believe ministry strategies do not need to be informed by the gospel as long as we throw them a Jesus pitch through a five fingered colored glove portrait on a wall somewhere on the church campus; (7) we are unable to engage the families beyond the church campus; and (8) we don’t really want to think to much about this decision, just get the playground up!

Motivation Depth Approach

Motivation depth says lets build a playground as a helpful resource for the people we are already reaching with the gospel claim, clarity and community. The gospel stays at front and center of the ministry, believing Jesus to be the best news in elder’s meetings rather than red and blue playgrounds at the helm. The playground is placed in its rightful place like napkins, useful but not the main dish. When pastors lead their churches to believe Jesus is the best news ever and now, their joy will overflow in teaching the scriptures as such. Disciple making is a work produced by faith in Jesus not playground equipment.

Yes, I love swinging with my daughters in a playground, but I want them to remember “church” as a community of people humbled by the call to deny themselves in believing Jesus is the center of all our attention which produced a joy filled people ready for heaven but at work on earth doing all things to the glory of God (including sliding and swinging with daddy). As such, upon my daughter’s death, they would meet Jesus and he would say to them, “daughter, your faith has made you well” (Mark 5:34)! What joy for me and them!

To be continued …

Further Reading:

Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods

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This is part of the blog posts series from Missional Education on the gospel in children’s ministry.

Join the Graphic Designer Team

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 22:09:00 +0000

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Developing Young Leaders in the Church

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 19:04:00 +0000

Desiring God's 2006 National Conference, "The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World" interviewed Pastor Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA. Pastor Mark digs into allowing young leaders in the church wiggle room to lead, influence and mess up but discerning the context in which to do it in.

A Good Soldier Video by Mark Driscoll

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 22:24:00 +0000

A Good Soldier video from 2007 by Pastor Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill Church and The Resurgence in Seattle, WA speaks on being called, qualified and readied church planter. Driscoll cuts the religious politically incorrect kindness of sweater vest smiling pastors and reveals the dirty, hard, biblicall fight to be faithful in bringing people to faith in Jesus. Driscoll uses a synthesis of a church planter's call of God into three words: (1) Man, (2) Mission and (3) Message.

If you like MMA fights gone godly, focused on ministry and other war like mentality, this will hit the sweet spot of your heart. If you enjoy library carrols, your four office walls, and ties that make your church happy, this will make your eye brows lower to the tip of your nose.

A Christian Facade Under Ministry Pressure Creates a Psychotic Mess

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 06:00:00 +0000

Ever wondered why people in ministry (pastors, wives, children, missionaries) end up many years down the road in a psychotic mess? It's no different from actors and actresses in Hollywood (or Bollywood) as they become depressed and psychotic over time. Viewers enjoy the movies they produce but care less for the real them. The real them becomes twisted and many times confused for the character role they are paid to play.

Confusion begins the roller coaster launch into a psychotic depression, anger at the world, closed off from society, painting a facade image of smiles, and no one answers the door when people spiritually knock on their door. Creating and maintaining a Christian facade crumbles under ministry pressure, especially over time to create a psychotic mess of beliefs, motivations, fears, and emotional vines gripping reality (c.f. David Powlison short personality video). Reality fades away behind the vines and rots to death.

Dane Ortlund writes a timely review Francis Schaeffer’s view on reality in "True Spirituality." When God is replaced as the one to fear with the bad news of this world (trials, suffering), depression occurs (James 1:1-8). When reality is replaced with fake spirituality, then the ministry family wilts over time rarely returning to reality of the gospel. When the gospel becomes offensive rather than a defense against the world, then the vines of ministry pressure squeezes the life out of them.

Many families in Christian ministry may fade from the gospel truths as well as the implications and applications. Sweat, faithfulness, and resume become the focal point of ministry versus the gospel. Take away the good news (gospel) of Jesus, and replace it with yourself, you will end up in a psychotic mess of talking to yourself, hearing voices, under Satanic attacks, lack of conscious, unclear distinction between Christian and non-Christian, avoidance to God's word, hate of genuine fellowship, gossip and slander replace edifying words, God's discipline is perceived as God's punishment, rationalization cancels gospel communication, and in the end one feels God is not.

When God is replaced willfully or not into the center point of Christian ministry, then our minds, hearts, souls and strength begin to crave ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39). Crave ourselves means to crave death as we did not and never could offer ourselves life, especially life abundantly (John 10:10). This is why the gospel of Jesus' person and work of coming, living, teaching, dying and rising from death anchors in the ocean as stable, real and joyous (1 Corinthians 15:1-11)!

Leave the Fake Out, Give the Kid’s Real Jesus!

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 21:31:00 +0000

High voltage screams, wailing limbs, and snapping chains creates a ruckus among fearful neighbors as they watch the demonized man in the tombs flail (Mark 5:1-20). Parents are limited to protecting the kids from watching and left with the Americanized feeling of powerlessness. The kids witness a possessed man, a potential for their future, and ask questions like “what is wrong with the man?” American parents may respond with tucking the kids into the home, avoiding the situation, putting on a video for the little ones or marking it up to a psychological problem “over there”.

Humpty Dumpty Reality

Dumbing down kid’s ministry curriculum to engage their concrete minds with cartoons and colors removes the deep imagery of reality like the demon-possessed man. As kids grow older in the church, they tend to hear Bible stories in the same light as “Humpty Dumpty” and “Harry Potter”. However, please do not hear me promoting a dull, slumber library environment where kids sleep more than play; rather, teaching the kids now as if they were actually in the Bible context.

Hollywood Ministry Family

If ministry kids only hear of Jesus during the church service teaching context, they will (over time) gain a subtle doubt to Christianity. If Jesus only shows up on Sundays from my ministry parents, then he must not be important during the week. Reality becomes skewed and threatens their belief system. Jesus becomes more like a Hollywood character or perception trend than fact.

Non Teddy Bear Jesus

Jesus walked up to the demon-possessed man after many unsuccessful attempts by the town to subdue the man, and authoritatively commanded the demon to reveal his name and depart (Mark 5:1-13). If Jesus has controls over nature, disease and demons he must be the creator of them. If the creator, he then is God. If God, Jesus is real, true and trustworthy.

Give ‘em Jesus

Who do we desire our kid’s to believe in? Protective mommy? Boring librarian Sunday school teacher? Hip, young, cool, clueless VeggieTales teenager teacher? Never there during the week pastor dad? Follow the rules in order to follow Jesus legalism? Moral tugboat that stays afloat based on works? No truth, details, fluffy and ignorant faith denomination? Or Jesus, the one who shows mercy to a town and man in great need to be freed from Satan’s tyranny which produces such rejoicing that it spreads to other friends and family (Mark 5:19-20). Let the kids be left in awe of the reality of Jesus (Mark 5:20).

To be continued …

Further Reading:

Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods

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This is part of the blog posts series from Missional Education on the gospel in children’s ministry.

God Produces Fruitful Faith for Faithful Hearers

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:58:00 +0000

What challenge, wisdom and advice would you give to men going into battle? Would you advise them that they will not die, never get hurt, comfortable, peaceful, short time frame and enemies love you? Or would you reveal to them that you are trustworthy and the advice given from you to them is just as trustworthy? Therefore, you know what to believe and do in order to enter the battle. The latter is logical, reasonable, helpful and real.

On Mission

Jesus took the disciples through the latter process. Jesus’ mission was to glorify God in submission to the Father to make disciples and train leaders to carry on the task upon his ascension to heaven. Jesus trained the disciples by keeping them alongside during the signs, miracles, formal and informal instructions, personal relationships, and prayer. The beginning of Jesus’ ministry introduces the disciples into reinforcing himself to be trustworthy and the need for them to recognize his trustworthiness (faith, belief, trust in, confidence).

God Produces

Jesus explains that once faith (Mark 4:40) is receiving his words, it will produce what is needed for the battle (Mark 4:21-41). As bombs explode, bullets fly overhead and loud screams billow forth, they will be able to stay the course and in the battle. The battle is to continue Jesus’ mission bringing people to glorify God in meeting Jesus. Faith understands that they cannot save someone’s life, rather, Jesus does (Mark 4:26-29). No matter how much work is applied, God is the one who gives growth.

Self Assessment

Examine two things in your life and ministry: (1) Stress level and (2) Fruitfulness (disciples being made). Inappropriate high stress comes in following another ministry, someone else’ expectations, personal expectations, and lack of balance to time, teaching and training. Fruitfulness will come many times unexpectedly and in faith that God provides growth to the seed of his word. Jesus taught thousands but trained twelve to reach more. Therefore, you may be training one and teaching five. Look for genuine faith revealed through their desire to make disciples (grow and spreading faith).

To be continued …

Further Reading:

Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods

----------

This is part of the blog posts series from Missional Education on the gospel in children’s ministry.

Kid’s Ministry Bar Set to Gospel Height

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:30:00 +0000

Like a sneaky ninja, your heart’s expectations can easily karate chop joys and ministry relationships, which inevitably strains the vision of kid’s ministry. Spoken or not, expectations exist and reveal themselves at some point like the ninja. Do we expect people to volunteer, keep their word or possess skills to deliver? Do we expect our health to maintain it’s course, keep us faithful to each day and allow us to work continuously without rest? Do we expect God to bless our ministry because everything is in order? How did we first set the bar of expectations? Are expectations to low or to high? Are the expectations helpful or deterrents?

Rather than running away from an internal ninja or chasing after sporadic expectations that seem to move like a destructive tornado, anchor your heart in the gospel to set ministry expectations. Jesus sets the disciples expectations in the beginning of his ministry by the gospel (Mark 4:10-20). Jesus describes various types of people and how they receive the gospel. Satan takes away God’s word from them, trials and persecutions hinder faithful perseverance, and internal desires for the world other than God drag them down to utter deafness (Mark 4:13-19). However, a fourth type of soil stands in contrast to all three previous types, that is, one hearing God’s word that it actually bears fruit like a seed in good soil (Mark 4:20).

When God’s word lands like a seed into the ready soil of one’s heart, it will grow, there will be evidence and it will continue to bear fruit. As it produces fruit, that fruit carries the same seed of God’s word to other soils (Mark 4:20b). Therefore, do not let discouragement of ministry become like a leech to your soil; rather, allow God’s word to penetrate your expectations. When kid’s ministry bar is set to gospel heights, we become low and humble in spreading God’s word.

Therefore, ask your ministry mission, visions, staff, leaders and pastors, what is our bar? At what type of height (up, down or all around)? Our standards? Ready to drop, crash and burn us? Or Is it gospel height? Gospel height is expecting God to grow the seed and help us stay faithful to spreading his word like a faithful farmer. As Jesus went through the latter part of his earthly ministry the disciples were able to see the differences of seed and soils before their own eyes. Prepare you staff and teachers in these ways like Jesus to his disciples.

To be continued …

Further Reading:

Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods

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This is part of the blog posts series from Missional Education on the gospel in children’s ministry.

The Gospel Multiplies Kid Disciples through Faith Alone

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 22:28:00 +0000

How to teach kids the gospel and faith? Study how kids process information across the world where each kid loves a short story. Short stories act like small time bombs delivered through simple teaching into the ears exploding with complexity to deepen kid’s assurance of the truth. Jesus, the greatest teacher, used short stories known as parables. Parables utilize real world things and people to teach life lessons. Then, how do we teach kids about faith, a seemingly confusing concept?

Gospel Alone as Seed

Faith may be difficult for kids to understand, as many times faith seems like a fuzzy abstract, invisible concept. Jesus used the concrete image of plant seeds and dirt. Kids understand over time that it takes a certain type of dirt and seed to produce a plant. The same goes for faith in Jesus. The context of Mark 4:1-9 reveals that Jesus challenges the disciples to have faith in him during a storm on the sea (c.f. Mark 4:40). The challenge comes after explaining to them faith as fertile soil receiving seed. In so doing, the seed or the word (Mark 4:14) will spread from person to person just like a plant reproduces seed to make more plants (Mark 4:8).

Faith Alone as Fertile Ground

Jesus reveals that only fertile soil receives the seed and the seeds roots to grow unlike the other soils (e.g. thorns, rocky). Basically, nothing else can be added to God’s word for it to produce life except faith alone. Jesus reveals to the disciples that faith is like fertile, tilled, soil that receives or hears the word of God.

Faith in Jesus to Reproduce Kid Disciples

God promised the disciples that the gospel spreads from them into others, which then reproduces and reduplicates disciples. Meaning, the disciples will not be the only ones to spread God’s word just like Jesus. Jesus speaks to a few in order for many to hear. “Whoever has ears to hear had better listen (Mark 4:9 NET).”

Use God’s spoken words to assist kid’s to understand faith in Jesus as good news for their eternal life starting in this temporal time. God’s spoken word is both general and special revelation. General revelation is his spoken creation (e.g. world, universe, stars, humans). Special revelation is his written word and the living word Jesus (John 1:14). Seeds and dirt are God’s general revelation. Jesus and his words are special revelation. Man that is good news!

To be continued …

Further Reading:

Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods

----------

This is part of the blog posts series from Missional Education on the gospel in children’s ministry.

Daddy Donut Day

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Mon, 16 May 2011 14:41:00 +0000

Each week may seem only about ministry work for the leader's and pastor's family. Girls growing up in daddy's home may feel neglected and isolated day-to-day with only having a daddy to return home carrying out only discipline. Daddy becomes more like a man a temp agency hired to appease the family, rather than a loving daddy, holding, hugging, kissing, discussing, patient and leading daddy. Daddy leaders need to re-define ministry work to involve their personal family like including a day of the week committed to his own kids.

Daddy Donut Day has become a mainstay in our home over the last four years. When our girls turned at least one or able to eat a donut they go with daddy on Saturday mornings. Using the same local coffee shop and donut shop allows me to train our two little girls how to get to know other people, stand in line, clean up their mess, say hi to other locals and trust daddy desires to be with them. As the girls chomp down on donuts, daddy reads to them the Big Picture Story Bible and library books they choose each week. Our girls explode with joy each Saturday morning after their continual questions during the week of "is it Saturday yet?"

A daddy's love for people in ministry is an overflow of the love he has for his own family. Daddy's in ministry, love your family! Sound familiar? God's love for his eternal, heavenly family overflows to love the earthly family (e.g. adoption; Eph 1:5).

The Gospel Builds a Family

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Mon, 02 May 2011 05:55:00 +0000

Fluids, mucus, skin, organs, hair, soul, mind, heart, blood and strength make up a human being. Multiple human beings located in close proximity makes up a community, city or special group. Multiple human beings, though not located in close proximity, related to the same father resemble a family. A family is built by kids being born and the parents adopting. Children listen to their father’s instruction, grow in his wisdom, obey his words, receive his discipline, rejoice in his love and believe him to be good news.

Just as God has structured the earthly family, so has he structured the heavenly family. Jesus declared to the crowd around him, that though the people see and hear his immediate earthly family, it is the family that does the will of God is his heavenly family (Mark 3:31-35). Jesus does not resort to demeaning his earthly family, putting them down for being trite human beings, and poking fun at their inabilities to be heavenly, rather, Jesus utilizes the temporary moment to teach about the eternal lifespan of God’s family.

Kid’s concept of family, whether positively or negatively, allows any pastor, teacher or parent to describe God’s design for uniting believers around one father, as a family, through belief in Jesus and called to love each other (locally, universally). A local family of believers is known as a church, and operates as a family gleaning from the father’s instruction, wisdom, discipline, love and good news. When a family member gets sick (physically or spiritually), the family comes together to bear the burden.

Just as a family lives among a neighborhood, so God lived among a neighborhood (John 1:14). God the Son came to our neighborhood to adopt a bunch of us orphans into his Father’s family. As adopted orphans, our Father calls us to be like Jesus in loving our neighbor. God is building the best family ever through the gospel. Anchor the gospel into lesson plans, classroom management, curriculum, training sessions, Bible reading, relationships, pulpit, thank you cards, heart motivations, ministry perspective and the means by which the church grows (in health and numerically).

To be continued …

Further Reading:

Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods

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This is part of the blog posts series from Missional Education on the gospel in children’s ministry.

Church Revitalization: Church as a Front Yard of Pitbulls

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 06:13:00 +0000

Growling, snarling, chomping at the bit, roaming in circles, and drooling at the mouth describes pitbulls inside the church's front yard. Walking by, children would be terrified and neighbors annoyed. Hospitality is not welcoming people in the front door, rather, a contest to see if others can make it through the pitbulls to the front door. Pitbulls do not seem exciting and fun, unless you are the owner. The sight of the pitbulls reflects who the owner is, therefore, why would people feel invited or welcomed to the owners home? Non-church people may not say it directly, but many times see local churches as "that house" with barking noises and vicious teeth ready to tear off one's head.

Why would we wait for people to enters our doors? Why do we leave it up to people's hearts to make the decision? God uses other means to protect his house while allowing, welcoming, inviting and reaching out to people. Therefore, what do we do with the house and pitbulls or atmosphere and culture?

Examine the atmosphere and culture of the city, state and country. Learn what they consider to be pitbull versus hospitality. Study the colors, arts, sounds, people, interest, business, past and future. We are not learning to be of the world, but how to live in the world (John 17:17-18). In so doing, we are learning that we were part of the world, saved from the world, promised to be in another world and here to serve the world.

Do we scare people away through creating an Amish looking people, one way discussions, anger towards morality issues of culture, humor aimed at unbeliever's mistakes, listening just to correct mistakes, tolerant of all people, hypocritical, always presenting pie in the sky gospel, never going to people, secret theological code words, or unusual long stares at body piercing?

We are to grow deeper into the gospel, which strengthens our trust to engage culture - not with tolerance, lawlessness or legalism, rather, boldness to pursue a relationship with our neighbors as God did to us through Jesus the Christ. Change the pitbull and culture of the house, know when to use the hinges and deadbolts.

Missional Communities by Verge Network

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 18:54:00 +0000

Verge Network's conference produced a few breakout session videos explaining the timely ministry method of missional communities.

What is a Missional Community:

What a Missional Community is not:

Missional Community vs. Small Group:

Missional Community vs. Weekly Meeting:

Verge Network vimeo videos.

Teaching the Passover at Easter

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 08:34:00 +0000

Kick the kids back in their chair through killing a sugary candy peep on the table. Just kidding. But, to make Easter or Resurrection Week memorable, God has supplied an Old Testament event of the Passover to better understand a New Testament event of Jesus’ death and resurrection. No matter what you teach, the visiting kids coming to a church service need to hear the good news of Jesus and also why it is good news to their young souls. Remember, a thirty-minute lesson might not change a kid on the spot, but can implant the lesson that may be changing later in their life.

Remember, as teachers and leaders we may have a good understanding our own kids; however, we lack understanding of the kids visiting. Kids are dynamic little people that do not articulate themselves like an adult. But, they observe their surroundings well. Some may have come from an abusive or bullying home, some may come from Brady Bunch family, and some may be lonely and isolated. They may play normally, but as teachers we see past the mere externals and offer the greatest news ever.

Learning candy is delicious and their souls can be free is one great day, like Israel experienced at the Passover! God heard the cries of his people during Egyptian slavery and acted for Israel’s good. The last plague God used to convince Pharaoh to release the slaves was to kill the firstborn (Exodus 11-12). The firstborn’s would die unless their was blood on the doorpost of their home. At midnight, the angel of death passes over Egypt, leaving alone the homes with lamb’s blood and entering the homes that lacked the blood.

Jesus has become our lamb. His blood is on the doorpost of our hearts. When God the Father passes over us, he sees Jesus’ blood and gives us life (Luke 22:7).

Have the kids draw large shapes of a lamb and a doorpost. Paint the doorpost red signifying the blood of the lamb. The lesson and image is easy, memorable, and true.

To be continued …

Further Reading:

Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods

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This is part of the blog posts series from Missional Education on the gospel in children’s ministry.

Hello Mr. Little Agenda

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 22:18:00 +0000

Twirling eyeballs, three-second attention span, gold fish memory capacity, and speech capacity of a politician has become the norm around my parts of the world for kids. A normal kid seems to be defined by a broken home, with multiple people related to him, no structure, no discipline, no morality, no cares, fed only a sugar diet, walking through an assembly line of education, and no direction. With no direction, control and care, lesson times become hazy, frustrating, and filled with the teacher battling ten little kids pushing their own aimless agenda. Result? The teacher’s welcome statement to kids turns from “Hi, Johnny” to “Hi, Mr. Little Agenda, how old are you? Eight? Great. Now I need to un-ravel, un-spin, un-confuse, de-sugar, de-un-discipline the last eights years in the next thirty-minute lesson plan!” Ha!

One of the toughest battles for teachers is classroom management, especially trying to focus the unfocusable kids to one single agenda of God’s word. Maintain the course, do not waiver. Keep God’s agenda first. Create boundaries for kids. Let them focus on the lesson aims and not the rules. Think of timely solutions through the timeless principles of God’s word.

This series of the gospel in children’s ministry through studying Mark’s Gospel attempts to provide solutions and affirm to you that we all live in the same world, where nothing new is under the sun, the gospel unites, the gospel creates an agenda, the gospel changes people to be on one agenda and we are not the gospel.

Regardless:

Do not abandon God’s word.

Do not abandon the kids.

Do not abandon parents.

I feel your pain.

Stay faithful.

Laugh.

Love.

Cry.

Pray.

Trust in God to develop people over time, including Mr. Little Agenda.

To be continued …

Further Reading:

Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods

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This is part of the blog posts series from Missional Education on the gospel in children’s ministry.

Changing to be a Good, not Crazy Children’s Ministry?

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Q: Have these been verbally thrown at you in ministry: (1) “He is out of his mind”; (2) “You are nuts”; (3) “Weirdo”; (4) “He is on the other spiritual team” or (5) “I think that crazy guy about to be mauled by the crowd is my brother”? A: If not, just wait. If never, repent. If so, welcome to Jesus’ team. Let the dry sarcastic humor bleed through these three profound answers, and also lead us to understand that being called crazy is different than actually being crazy (perception vs. reality). Therefore, is the goal of becoming gospel-centered children’s ministry to be crazy? Or even to be perceived as crazy? No.

The crowds following Jesus and the family housing Jesus interpreted him, his message and mission to be crazy (Mark 3:20-22). However, Jesus disproves the perception by validating who he is (Mark 3:23-30). Jesus’ mission is preaching the gospel to make disciples for the world to repent and believe in God (Mark 1:1, 15, 17, 38). In doing so, people observe and religious leaders respond by claiming Jesus’ power comes from Satan rather than the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:8). The leaders stupidity is repackaged and sent back to them through Jesus’ direct analogies. Why would a kingdom, house or even Satan try to oppose itself or himself? If Satan controlled Jesus, then Satan wouldn’t be trying to stop himself and destroy his own mission. Therefore, ascribing the Holy Spirit to be Satan is blasphemous and proves unbelief in Jesus – the unforgivable sin (Mark 3:28). That is good not crazy.

The reason for people claiming Jesus to be crazy is because it shook the foundation of their belief. Their belief inevitably was in themselves, their obedience, their appearance, their power, their associations, their abilities to control the world around them, their giving and not Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. When a person’s foundation is shaken to the breaking point, accusations are the only artillery left in their religious defense bag.

If our children’s ministry desired to be crazy for crazy sake, then we would allow the children to run the services, allow the spiked hair teenager to sing through his skateboard skills on stage and run our fingers through the chocolate pudding for painting time while licking them just previous to shaking new parent’s hands. Crazy? Yes, and also reveals how crazy I am for thinking of an analogy for being crazy! Nonetheless, church and specifically ministries to children are not for crazy sake, but Jesus’ sake.

Just as Jesus disabled the religious leaders intellectual arguments, destroyed the power of Satan, disarmed his own family’s perception through his own person and work, so should our children’s ministries. Veggie Tales is fun, Big Bird is colorful, Mr. Rogers is moral, flannel graphs are cheap and games fill the time; however, do our children walk away knowing Jesus beyond mere loving principles? Is their foundation being built on the God-man? One may think a four year old can’t handle more than a cartoon or a Chuck E. Cheese environment, but that is like saying a child can never can feed themselves breakfast. Train them how to eat spiritual food, present fun but editable-long lasting spiritual food and they will become strong in the gospel of Jesus and not morals, unbelief or rebellion – if the Lord wills (James 4:15). That is good!

To be continued …

Further Reading:

Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods

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This is part of the blog posts series from Missional Education on the gospel in children’s ministry.

A Children’s Ministry that Calls, Prepares and Sends?

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:03:00 +0000

How is the booger control in the room? How is the children’s room demolition crew during playtime? How are the little creatures, germs, getting along with the kids? How are the goldfish snacks in their new kid’s stomach bowl? These are great questions to include in staff meetings, leading the workers from the humorous state of working with children to the deep issues of life. Going deep in a worker’s meeting needs not be a transition from the children’s Circus-Circus to a library cemetery; rather, let it be enjoyable from the service to the deepest part of the ocean. Part of the depth is asking the question, “How is training other workers coming along?”

Identifying, calling, bringing close and equipping other leaders internally is crucial for the survival of the gospel spreading to the nations. God revealed this truth through Jesus collecting the first twelve disciples (Mark 3:13-19). As Jesus came to leave, so do we as leaders. We know we have an earthly end, therefore, we must train (equip) others to lead. The time to train is always now and not later. For small churches of 50-150, many times a leader seems to have no one available to teach or train. If Jesus calls smelly, blue-collar, callused hand, sweaty fishermen with an IRS agent (tax collector) mixed in, God most certainly has placed someone in your midst to train. If there is still no one, then examine if the church is making disciples. A disciple can only be trained if they were first made.

Make clear your ministry mission and vision for the children’s ministry. Begin slowly to identify a potential leader. Ask them to have a meal to talk over the ministry. Get them on the mission and ensure the mission is clearly connected to the person and work of Christ. Stay light hearted, don't take yourself to seriously, and allow the depth of who Jesus is direct the meetings and training. People will stand and work with you, not all, but those who are called.

To be continued …

Further Reading:

Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods

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This is part of the blog posts series from Missional Education on the gospel in children’s ministry.

Church Revitalization: The Poor in Teaching

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Gunter) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 11:00:00 +0000

The poor in teaching are a group of people in churches, including the leadership, merely surviving from week-to-week. Therefore the church community lacks amazing theological discussions, healthy fellowship, spreading God's mission and discernment leading to many Australian boomerang bad decisions whereas it begins a seemingly slow, agonizing, old age ministry death. How does a leader respond, especially if he is new to the ministry?

Begin theological discussions about election and predestination? Destroy the appearance of the church building room to be shaped like he wants it? Become angry when people ask stupid questions? Gossip about the unhealthy nature of the church to friends outside the church circle? Speak truth no matter the consequences? Aim at the peripheral ministry like Bible translation, songs, dress, location, name, conversations and even sins? No.

Redeem the situation by the "beginning of the gospel of Jesus the Christ" (Mark 1:1). Enter into the church community to dwell among them rather than stand on the sideline as a referee, which leads to constant blowing the whistle since there are so many penalties happening. The team will begin to despise your uniform, mouth, whistle and position as all they hear is an annoying-piercing whistle followed by "foul"! Therefore, get into the game, see the holes from the inside as well as the outside, get ready to be hit by your own stumbling teammates and become a realistic leader offering paths to go through, people to watch out for, voice the purpose for playing and lead toward a victory - just as Jesus!

Meaning, the poor in teaching church community do not take pride in their state; rather they ...
(1) Are like a poor man being fed in an alley the trash from the dumpsters. No one around has the money for healthy food. No one understands how to become healthy. But, all of them would like a steak dinner, hospitable home, enjoyable-deep friendship, loving neighbors and a future for their children.

(2) Are not to be yelled at and made fun of. Would we make fun of a poor man? Especially a poor man working in a trash can to find food? Also, a poor man seeking to provide food, though nasty, to his family?

(3) Are to be given a steak dinner, a roof over their heads, warm clothes and a hug - all extending from loving your neighbor as yourself (Galatians 5-6).

(4) Are easily insecure, defensive, scared, scarred, isolated and even protective. They may feel you removing them from their adequate safe alley to a horrific scene of chaos in another alley called "Theological Discussion Division Alley". Meaning, yell at them, cut at their theology or the lack thereof and why would they want to come to your alley to receive food?

A pastor is a shepherd following the Good Shepherd, Jesus, in order that through knowing his sheep he may lead his sheep to the greenest pasture protected by Jesus (John 10:10). Feed the sheep with loving, edifying words, guided by a protective staff not a spanker (John 21:15-19). Therefore, you will have sheep follow you, want your food and come close; rather than stay in place like a stubborn mule, see your food as more detesting than theirs, and begin turning away from you.