Today, we will talk about how to enter the stories of others and engage them with the Gospel of Christ.

Last week, I shared a lot of examples of how not to share your faith with others– all regrettably pulled from my own personal life. Knowing how to engage others, enter their stories, and point out the fingerprints of God in their lives is an art that we must develop as Christ-followers. Here are a few ideas:

Remember that the Holy Spirit is already at work- We often fail to recognize that the Holy Spirit is already at work in the life of the person with whom we are sharing our faith. If they are on our radar screen, then they are definitely on the radar screen of God. We must be sensitive to the voice of the Spirit and seek ways to engage where he is already at work.

Develop spiritual friendships- people don’t need a travel guide, transmitter, or salesman. They need friends. Everyone needs friends. And Christ-followers should be the best friends people could want. That is, if the fruit of the Spirit is growing and abundant in our lives. What kind of friend are we being to the people around us? What friendships do we need to renew? What friendships to we need to nurture?

Let Christian community point people to Christ- evangelism is not a solo mission; it’s a team effort. In many places in the New Testament, it’s community that points people to Christ. Consider John 13:35, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” And John 17:21, “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” Francis Shaeffer called community “the final apologetic.” Let’s invite our friends into our faith community and let the love of Christ draw them in. Alpha is a great example of this principle at work!

Look for connecting points- look for areas of commonality. Interests, passions, experiences, doubts, fears, questions, uncertainties. They can help you develop a friendship and they can serve as springboards to faith conversations.

Avoid clichés or simple answers- do I need to say more here? No jargon. No Christianese. No pat answers.

Enter into the journey instead of pushing them to the destination- instead of trying to complete the sale or reach the destination, let’s keep showing pictures and traveling on the journey. We’ve got to be willing to pack our bags and be in this with people for the long haul. Not just for one or two quick conversations.

Weekofjustice.org

Come and check out one or many of the events.
Bring your small group… Invite friends…

I was convicted by Pastor Mark’s statement that “too many of us operate with a red light mentality -we stop until God says ‘go’.” Pastor Mark went on to say that Jesus gave us a command to “go” over 2,000 years ago…and that commandment hasn’t been rescinded.

What does this look like in terms of discipleship? Again, Jesus Himself gave the command in Matthew 28:19-20: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” What strikes me about this command is that Jesus didn’t say “wait until potential disciples come to you” - he commanded us to “go and make disciples.” And He set the example for us - He chose the Twelve, He poured Himself into their lives and invested Himself fully in them, He came that “they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

How often do we, as leaders, wait for someone to approach us and ask to be discipled? Do we wait around for people to join our small groups? Do we wait for members of our groups to tell us that they want to lead small groups of their own in the future? Or are we intentionally investing in others and making disciples? We can be spiritually lazy and choose the red-light approach, but we are bound to miss opportunities along the way.

We have a green light, folks - Lord, make us missional.

Summer Small Groups - The summer small group semester has begun! Pick up your copy at the connection center and join us for a summer of small group fun and fellowship. Check online for a listing of all of the summer groups. For more information, please contact .

Week of Justice - The 3rd annual event will take place from Sunday, July 27-Friday, August 1. The week will include a wide variety of events that highlight many pressing issues around the globe. The nightly events will be both informative and challenging. Our goal is to help equip and mobilize the church to action against injustice.

Convoy of Hope - The Washington DC Convoy of Hope website is live! Visit the website for information about how to get involved with this great event.

Mission Malawi Trip Informational Meeting - Join us Saturday, July 26 from 9 to 10:15am in the lower level of Ebenezers to learn more about the Malawi Mission Trip (November 5-13, 2008). We are looking for team members to go as well as home-based friends for research and prayer support. We’ll be serving the Molima Family Home (30 orphans) and doing service projects among the poor with Servants of the Nations. For more information or to ask questions, email .

National Community Church Protege Program - The Protege Program is a year-long intensive spiritual growth, leadership development, and ministry immersion experience at National Community Church. As an NCC Protege, you will be given the opportunity to learn from NCC Staff, participate in the day to day activities of church staff culture, stretch yourself as a leader, and lay a firm foundation for a life-long pursuit of the passion and vision that God has placed on your life. If interested in the program you can .

Mininstry Volunteers Wanted - Interested in being a part of an NCC ministry team? We have a spot on a ministry team with your name on it! For more information, please fill out your Connection Card and let us know you are interested!

Calling All Musicians! - You’ve got talent. You are created to worship. NCC has a perfect place for you to serve on the Worship Team! NCC worship teams are looking to incorporate new guitarists, keyboardists, drummers, and vocalists, etc. It’s time to get plugged in and get your instruments plugged in! Contact for more information and to schedule an audition.

Kids and Nursery Ministries - Would you be willing to lend a hand with NCC kids or infants this summer? The children’s and nursery ministries are in need of playmates. If you would be willing to lend a hand during the summer months, contact .

Wild Goose Chase - Pastor Mark’s new book, Wild Goose Chase, releases on August 19. To pre-order a copy for yourself or a friend, visit any online retailer including Amazon and Bookschrisitan.com.

Summer Service Schedule - Our summer service schedule is now in effect. The Ebenezers Coffeehouse location will have one service at 5:00pm. The service schedule will remain the same at our Union Station, Ballston and Georgetown locations. We will return to two Saturday night services in the fall.

Prayer Needs - We would love to stand with you in prayer! If you have a need, send it to our or fill out a connection card.

Credit Card Giving Online - If you give to NCC via credit card, you can now give online for more convenient and secure giving. Visit us to give securely online.

THIS WEEK’S MESSAGE - This week, Pastor Mark concluded the One Prayer series with a message titled “Make Us Missional”. During this series, NCC has been partnering with approximately 1300 churches worldwide as different pastors have shared video messages to answer the question, What would you pray if God could answer one prayer for the Church at large?

NEXT WEEK’S MESSAGE - Next week, Pastor Joel will begin the series aone:eight.

Live message:

5pm at Ebenezers on Saturday
9am at Union Station on Sunday
10:30am at Ballston on Sunday

Video message:

10am at Georgetown on Sunday
10:15am and 11:30am at Union Station on Sunday

Today, we will assess the strengths and weaknesses of different evangelistic methods and paradigms.

To share the Gospel, we must first understand and be able to communicate the story of God. Secondly, we must be able to clearly communicate the life-changing power of Jesus Christ from our own personal lives. And finally, we must be able to enter the stories of others to connect dots, reveal the fingerprints of God in their lives, and communicate the Gospel in ways that are relevant.

Let’s begin by considering some of the paradigms of Gospel sharing that we’ve witnessed or facilitated ourselves.

Translators vs. Transmitters

At Murphy High School, I prided myself in being the dispenser of Biblical and theological information. I could spew Scripture and spiritual sound bites faster than Mrs. Kuffskie could assign another research paper. I thought to myself that if people could only hear these facts about Jesus, their life would be changed. I was a young apologist in the making.

We often view our evangelistic role as transmitting the facts that people need to know in order to make a decision. We treat people like computers, thinking that if we enter the right data, the program will run properly. We definitely need to know our facts, and we need to be good apologists. But we also need to listen better to make sure we are answering the questions that people are asking.

What if we changed our paradigm to that of a translator? Translators listen. Translators have the difficult task of understanding the language of one culture, identifying the core message, and then wrapping that message in the language of another culture so that the message is understood and able to be applied. Translators are sensitive to both accuracy of the facts but also to the culture and tone.

Let’s be translators and not transmitters.

Pictures vs. Pitches

In high school, I was known to wear a dog tag that screamed, “I’m the Christian the Devil warned you about.” Huh? I’m not sure how that was being translated or even exactly what it was transmitting. But it is a great summary of how I viewed the process of sharing the Gospel: passionate stump speech. Someone would ask me a simple question about Jesus or church or a moral issue, and instead of answering like a normal person having a normal conversation, I would shift into preacher mode. I’m sure my eyes got all fiery and I stood a little taller and my voice became more authoritative and I would preach to people. Sometimes, I got into salesman mode. “You have a problem. Here is the answer to your problem. Would you like to procure this amazing solution to your problem?” C’mon this is a relationship with Jesus, not a vacuum cleaner.

I don’t know of a single person who ever came to faith in Christ because they lost an argument. I don’t know of anyone who fell in love with a diagram on a napkin. How do you make someone fall in love with something you love? I have a 7 month old niece that I think is the cutest baby in the world and the most perfect person in the world and I believe everyone should love this baby. But if I want you to fall in love with little Ruthie, I don’t list for you a bunch of logical reasons about why you should love her. I don’t diagram out what an awesome person she is. I just pull out pictures. And as I show you pictures of her, I trust that you will see what I see and fall in love with her, too.

Let’s stop making stump-speeches and sales-pitches and start pulling out pictures.

Tour Guide vs. Travel Agent

I remember sitting in awkward silence as a friend shared with me some extremely painful emotional struggles she was experiencing with her family. With every ounce of courage and spiritual authority I could, I told her she needed Jesus and that everything she was going through was designed to lead her to him.

Good grief.

Was that true? Possibly. Was my response in that situation helpful? Doubtful. Did she cross the line of faith that night? Um, no. And she still hasn’t crossed the line of faith.

We enjoy telling people where they need to go, why the need to go there, how to get there, and what to do once they are there. In evangelism, we often act like travel agents. Those individuals who tell you where to travel, how much you should spend, what do see once you get there, etc….all from the safety and security of their desk.

On the other hand, a tour guide enters into the journey with you. They actually leave their own comfort and travel step by step with you. Tour guides are typically people who have made the journey before and then go back to help other people experience what they experienced. They provide interpretation and translation and strive to make the experience more meaningful. Our friends and family need spiritual tour guides. Traveling buddies like Gandalf and Sam were to Frodo or the Scarecrow was to Dorothy.

Let’s move away from being travel agents sitting safely behind the desk with a slick map in hand. Let’s pack our bags and enter into the chaos of life with people. And we can hunt for evidence of God along the way.

Conclusion

Translators, Pictures, and Tour Guides. Let’s move away from vending machine mentality, sales pitches, programs, and canned speeches. Let’s move away from “methods” altogether and strive to become friends who listen and translate, discover and share great pictures of the God we love, and pack our bags and head into the chaos and unexpected twists and turns of the faith journey.

The idea is to take old clothes—even clothes with stains and holes that Goodwill won’t take—and recycle them by making them into scarves and hats for the homeless community. The event will encourage good stewardship of resources, raise awareness about sweatshop practices, and give some warm clothes to our friends and area shelters.

Here’s what we need:

Sewing Machines

If you have a sewing machine you could donate for the night, we need it! If you have a machine that we could use, email .

Sewing Technicians

If you can sew or if you would be willing to learn to sew, we need you on the machines that night! We also need people to prep material and package the newly crafted items. If you can help with this in any way, email .

Clothes

Finally, we need your old, stained, holes in the knee clothes. Seriously– we need clothes of all kinds (maybe not underwear– that’s gross). Even clothes that Goodwill or Salvation Army doesn’t want. We are going to cut them up and re-use them.  We want to collect lots of clothes at the Summit this Saturday. So clean out those closets!

NCC Moms Small Group is hosting a Diaper Drive benefiting Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center. The Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center is a faithbased nonprofit that offers help to over 2,000 families per year.

Please bring donations of sizes 3,4,and 5’s diapers to the hospitality area at each NCC location. We will be collecting:

• Sunday, July 6
• Sunday, July 13
• Sunday, July 20

Diaper Facts:

• Infants need up to 12 diapers a day; toddlers need about 8 diapers a day.
• An adequate supply of diapers can cost over $100/month.
• In low-income households, babies often spend up to an entire day or longer in a single diaper, because the family cannot afford to buy an adequate supply of diapers.

For more information please contact .

I don’t know about you, but I was really convicted by Pastor Cordeiro’s message. I was actually in tears as I listened to him talk about the gathering of Chinese pastors of underground churches and their pure hunger for God’s Word. I actually went home and counted - I think I own nine Bibles (and I don’t use all of them), not to mention several study tools (handbooks, Bible dictionaries, concordances, etc.). My materialistic nature apparently is so ingrained that I collect Bibles like I would other “stuff.” Lord, forgive me.

In posting weekly Bible Drills, we aim to provide you with devotional ideas and study assistance. We’ve outlined books, talked about different “methods” for studying the Bible, and even issued a few challenges here and there. But listening to Pastor Cordeiro’s message this weekend made one thing abundantly clear - it all comes back to the divinely inspired (God-breathed) Word. Study tools help, and other spiritual literature is great, but too often I think we get overly complex in our approach to Scripture. It is really about listening to God speak to us through His Word as it is illuminated by the Holy Spirit.

As we look to “lead ourselves well” by practicing the “scales” for wisdom and learning how to feed ourselves, time in God’s Word is the best investment we will make.

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Romans 15:4, NIV)

Lord, make us wise as we still ourselves and listen to your voice through the Word!

Lord Most High

Hosanna in the Highest

Sweetly Broken

Everyday

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Summer Small Groups - The summer small group semester has begun! Pick up your copy at the connection center and join us for a summer of small group fun and fellowship. Check online for a listing of all of the summer groups. For more information, please contact .

Baptism Informational Meeting - Our next baptism celebration (Baptism by the Bay) will be held at Sandy Point State Park on Sunday, July 20. If you would like to publicly declare your commitment to Christ by being baptized, please plan to attend the baptism informational meeting on July 15 at 7pm at Ebenezers in the upstairs office level. For more information or to sign up, email or sign up on a Connection Card.

Convoy of Hope - The Washington DC Convoy of Hope website is live! Visit the website for information about how to get involved with this great event.

Mission Thailand Informational Meeting - Join us Sunday, July 13, to learn more about our upcoming mission trip to Thailand. We plan to work with a local church as well as a ministry to former sex slaves. We will meet at 12:30pm, upstairs at Ebenezers Coffeehouse (201 F Street NE, WDC). E-mail with any questions.

National Community Church Protege Program - The Protege Program is a year-long intensive spiritual growth, leadership development, and ministry immersion experience at National Community Church. As an NCC Protege, you will be given the opportunity to learn from NCC Staff, participate in the day to day activities of church staff culture, stretch yourself as a leader, and lay a firm foundation for a life-long pursuit of the passion and vision that God has placed on your life. If interested in the program you can .

Hospitality Volunteers Wanted - Interested in being a part of an NCC ministry team? We have a spot on the hospitality team with your name on it! For more information, please fill out your connection card and let us know you are interested!

Calling All Musicians! - You’ve got talent. You are created to worship. NCC has a perfect place for you to serve on the Worship Team! NCC worship teams are looking to incorporate new guitarists, keyboardists, drummers, and vocalists, etc. It’s time to get plugged in and get your instruments plugged in! Contact for more information and to schedule an audition.

Kids and Nursery Ministries - Would you be willing to lend a hand with NCC kids or infants this summer? The children’s and nursery ministries are in need of playmates. If you would be willing to lend a hand during the summer months, contact .

Summer Service Schedule - Our summer service schedule is now in effect. The Ebenezers Coffeehouse location will have one service at 5:00pm. The service schedule will remain the same at our Union Station, Ballston and Georgetown locations. We will return to two Saturday night services in the fall.

Prayer Needs - We would love to stand with you in prayer! If you have a need, send it to our or fill out a connection card.

Credit Card Giving Online - If you give to NCC via credit card, you can now give online for more convenient and secure giving. Visit us to give securely online.

THIS WEEK’S MESSAGE - This week, we continued the One Prayer series with a message titled “Make Us Wise”. During this series, NCC is partnering with approximately 1300 churches worlwide as different pastors share video messages to answer the question, What would you pray if God could answer one prayer for the Church at large?

NEXT WEEK’S MESSAGE - Next week, Pastor Mark will continue the One Prayer series.

Live message:

5pm at Ebenezers on Saturday
9am and 10:15am at Union Station on Sunday

Video message:

10am at Georgetown on Sunday
10:30am at Ballston on Sunday
11:30am at Union Station on Sunday

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. (James 2:14-18)

Strressing the need for believers to exercise practical faith, James demonstrates that the acid test of true faith is in the “doing” rather than the “hearing.” Many scholars are quick to note that James is not arguing that a person is saved by what he or she does (works); however, he clearly makes a distinction between faith that is a mere intellectual assent and one that is vibrant and proven by works. He stresses that “faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself” (2:17). He lays out this case throughout the entire book.

James spends the majority of his book outlining what faith should look like when lived out in a practical manner. He instructs his readers to “be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger” (1:19). He stresses the importance of faith that obeys the word and takes action (1:19-27). This faith also should not discriminate or play favorites (2:1-13).

Faith proves itself by its works (2:14-26). As noted earlier, we are called to live out our faith in a real and practical way. It is not enough to acknowledge Jesus with our mouths. If our lives are not lived in a way that brings glory to Him by our obedience, our faith is lacking.

James is such a challenging book to read because he lays the cards right there on the table. Are we going to remain “hearers” of the word, or are we going to obey God’s commands and become “doers?” We cannot bluff our way through faith — it has to be practical and it has to be real. . That is the faith that counts with God.

Lord, make us doers!

All About You

One Way Jesus

God of Justice

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Summer Small Groups - The summer small group semester has begun! Pick up your copy at the connection center and join us for a summer of small group fun and fellowship. Check online for a listing of all of the summer groups. For more information, please contact .

Baptism Informational Meeting - Our next baptism celebration (Baptism by the Bay) will be held at Sandy Point State Park on Sunday, July 20. If you would like to publicly declare your commitment to Christ by being baptized, please plan to attend the baptism informational meeting on July 15 at 7pm at Ebenezers in the upstairs office level. For more information or to sign up, email or sign up on a Connection Card.

Convoy of Hope - The Washington DC Convoy of Hope website is live! Visit the website for information about how to get involved with this great event.

Mission Thailand Informational Meeting - Join us Sunday, July 13, to learn more about our upcoming mission trip to Thailand. We plan to work with a local church as well as a ministry to former sex slaves. We will meet at 12:30pm, upstairs at Ebenezers Coffeehouse (201 F Street NE, WDC). E-mail with any questions.

National Community Church Protege Program - The Protege Program is a year-long intensive spiritual growth, leadership development, and ministry immersion experience at National Community Church. As an NCC Protege, you will be given the opportunity to learn from NCC Staff, participate in the day to day activities of church staff culture, stretch yourself as a leader, and lay a firm foundation for a life-long pursuit of the passion and vision that God has placed on your life. If interested in the program you can .

Hospitality Volunteers Wanted - Interested in being a part of an NCC ministry team? We have a spot on the hospitality team with your name on it! For more information, please fill out your connection card and let us know you are interested!

Calling All Musicians! - You’ve got talent. You are created to worship. NCC has a perfect place for you to serve on the Worship Team! NCC worship teams are looking to incorporate new guitarists, keyboardists, drummers, and vocalists, etc. It’s time to get plugged in and get your instruments plugged in! Contact for more information and to schedule an audition.

Kids and Nursery Ministries - Would you be willing to lend a hand with NCC kids or infants this summer? The children’s and nursery ministries are in need of playmates. If you would be willing to lend a hand during the summer months, contact .

Summer Service Schedule - Our summer service schedule is now in effect. The Ebenezers Coffeehouse location will have one service at 5:00pm. The service schedule will remain the same at our Union Station, Ballston and Georgetown locations. We will return to two Saturday night services in the fall.

Prayer Needs - We would love to stand with you in prayer! If you have a need, send it to our or fill out a connection card.

Credit Card Giving Online - If you give to NCC via credit card, you can now give online for more convenient and secure giving. Visit us to give securely online.

THIS WEEK’S MESSAGE - This week, each campus pastor continued the One Prayer series with a message titled “Make Us Doers”. During this series, NCC is partnering with approximately 1300 churches worlwide as different pastors share video messages to answer the question, What would you pray if God could answer one prayer for the Church at large?

NEXT WEEK’S MESSAGE - Next week, we will continue the One Prayer series with the message, “Make Us Wise”.

All locations will have a video message.

Today, we will start writing our autobiographies.

In Reimagining Evangelism, Rick Richardson said, “The art of telling our own story is also the act of discovering and declaring our identity, and of finding the meaning in our lives.”

In 2003, I attended a church retreat where we were encouraged to write our autobiographies. We were encouraged to divide up our life into 5-10 chapters and write a chapter title at the top of each page. Then, we spent the next two hours recording significant events, decisions, and people in each of those life chapters.

As we share the Gospel with others, we are really sharing how God’s story has intersected with our stories. Instead of focusing only on stories of conversion, we should also share stories of on-going transformation. Dan Allender said, “All stories of redemption come to have a common center. The story line may differ, but the result is the same: transformation.” The places where God’s story has intersected our story both before and after the conversion experience. Writing our autobiography will help us discover the fingerprints of God in our lives.

Here are some steps for writing your story:

Set aside 2-3 hours.

Don’t attempt to complete the whole project in one sitting. But get started.

Divide life into chapters.

Make note of defining characteristics in each chapter:

• Significant People
• Significant Places
• Significant Events
• Big Decisions
• Big Dreams
• Big Deals
• Big Days

Give each chapter a theme, based on one of the following:

• What God taught you
• What big prayer God answered or did not answer
• What big questions consumed you

As you see the evidence of the fingerprints of God beginning to emerge in your life, look for the following “life lessons” that could be turned into or incorporated into stories of transformation:

• Hearing God’s voice
• Importance of Scripture
• Importance of community
• Forgiveness
• Healing
• Importance of worship
• Importance of service
• Characteristics of God
• Fruit of the Spirit
• Trust

When I think of other biblical heroes who were “dangerous,” one that jumps out at me is Daniel. Daniel was one of the Jewish exiles who was taken into captivity to Babylon, and due to his extraordinary faithfulness and gifts, he distinguished himself and was appointed as one of three administrators with authority over the kingdom. Now, there were other administrators and satraps who were jealous of Daniel and deliberately set a trap for him. These satraps “tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent” (Dan. 6:4). In order to get Daniel “ousted” from his job - and King Darius’ favor - they appealed to the king to promulgate an un-repealable edict that “anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lions’ den” (Dan. 6:7). And so King Darius issued the edict.

Worshiping the Almighty God of Israel had just become a crime punishable by death by the mouths of lions. And how did Daniel respond? Look at Daniel 6:10: “Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to God, just as he had done before.” When he was discovered, the other administrators and satraps turned him into King Darius, who although he respected and favored Daniel, had little choice but to cast him into the lions’ den.

We know how the story ends - God shuts the mouths of the lions and Daniel survives the night and is freed the next morning. But even more importantly, King Darius encounters the Almighty God and issues a new decree to the Babylonian people: “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, and he endures forever; his kingdom shall not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions” (Dan. 6:26-27).

Daniel was dangerous - despite the consequences looming before him, he chose to worship God and pray to him openly. He could have panicked, he could have become paralyzed, but instead, he chose to pray. And because of his faithfulness, God turned a dangerous situation into a tremendous opportunity. Being in the lions’ den afforded Daniel the opportunity to:

* experience a gloriously intense encounter with God, who sent an angel to shut the mouths of the lions and preserve Daniel (see also how the Lord Himself sustained Paul when he was all alone - 2 Tim. 4:16-18);
* emerge from a terribly hurtful situation unhurt; and
* see a worldly Darius become impressed with his God.

When we ask God to “make us dangerous,” we open ourselves up to new opportunities to encounter Him and to impact the world in which we live. Our enemy doesn’t like dangerous Christians. 1 Peter 5:8 describes him this way: “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” When we resist him by living for the glory of God, obeying the Lord’s commands, and being sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, we wound him and deprive him of any power over us. Imagine - if the church, as one, prayed for God to make us dangerous and went on the offense, how much damage we could do to our enemy and thwart his evil plans.

Do you regularly wound the enemy? Lord, make us dangerous!

The Protégé Program is a year-long intensive spiritual growth, leadership development, and ministry immersion experience at National Community Church. As an NCC Protégé, you will be given the opportunity to learn from some of the most innovative thinkers and creators in ministry, participate in the day to day activities of church staff culture, stretch yourself as a leader, and lay a firm foundation for a life-long pursuit of the passion and vision that God has placed on your life.

NCC Proteges will choose one ministry area— discipleship, media, missions/outreach, children/youth, worship or church planter in residence—in which they will specifically focus their ministry efforts during the year and for which they will receive special training.

NCC Proteges will gain experience in the following areas:

• Attend Learning Labs- make new discoveries in leadership development, spiritual growth, and ministry methods from members of the NCC teaching team.
• Develop a Spiritual Growth Plan
• Develop a Leadership Development Plan
• Serve on the Alpha Team
• Lead small groups and ministries
• Participate in an NCC missions experience
• Serve at weekend worship gatherings, outreach projects and leadership development events
• Build community with fellow members of your Protégé class through weekly study, prayer, and reflection groups
• Be mentored by your ministry-focus department leader
• Attend leadership development conferences with the NCC team

The Protégé Program is a training and proving ground for emerging church leaders. During your Protégé year, you will accumulate valuable experience, mentors, and knowledge that will prepare you for stepping into the next phase of your God-given calling.

If you would like more information on becoming an NCC Protégé, check out our FAQ or send an email to .

We’ve got a FAQ that will address the all important questions of what it will cost (nothing, but you will need to work a second job or raise support to cover living expenses for the year), when does it start and stop (September 2008- August 2009), etc., and we can send that to you, if you are interested, as well.

In the meantime, I’m looking for one good discipleship protege. Any takers?

Summer Small Groups - The summer small group semester has begun! Pick up your copy at the connection center and join us for a summer of small group fun and fellowship. Check online for a listing of all of the summer groups. For more information, please contact .

Summer Service Schedule - Our summer service schedule is now in effect. The Ebenezers Coffeehouse location will have one service at 5:00pm. The service schedule will remain the same at our Union Station, Ballston and Georgetown locations. We will return to two Saturday night services in the fall.

Baptism Informational Meeting - We will hold our next baptism celebration will be Baptism by the Bay at Sandy Point Park in Maryland on Saturday, July 20. If you would like to publicly declare your commitment to Christ by being baptized, please plan to attend the baptism informational meeting on July 15 at 7pm at Ebenezers in the upstairs office level. For more information or to sign up, email or sign up on a Connection Card.

Convoy of Hope - The Washington DC Convoy of Hope website is live! Visit the website for information about how to get involved with this great event.

Georgetown Summer Dinners - NCC Georgetown is meeting for dinner intermittently through July. Our next “Georgetown Summer Supper” is this Monday night, June 30 in Georgetown at the Scanlons at 7:00 pm. RSVP to . Great food and great conversation.

Hospitality Volunteers Wanted - Interested in being a part of an NCC ministry team? We have a spot on the hospitality team with your name on it! For more information, please fill out your connection card and let us know you are interested!

Calling All Musicians! - You’ve got talent. You are created to worship. NCC has a perfect place for you to serve on the Worship Team! NCC worship teams are looking to incorporate new guitarists, keyboardists, drummers, and vocalists, etc. It’s time to get plugged in and get your instruments plugged in! Contact for more information and to schedule an audition.

Kids and Nursery Ministries - Would you be willing to lend a hand with NCC kids or infants this summer? The children’s and nursery ministries are in need of playmates. If you would be willing to lend a hand during the summer months, contact .

Kids and Nursery Ministries - Would you be willing to lend a hand with NCC kids or infants this summer? The children’s and nursery ministries are in need of playmates. If you would be willing to lend a hand during the summer months, contact .

Credit Card Giving Online - If you give to NCC via credit card, you can now give online for more convenient and secure giving. Visit us to give securely online.

THIS WEEK’S MESSAGE - This week, Pastor Mark continued the One Prayer series with a message titled “Make Us Dangerous”. During this series, NCC is partnering with approximately 1300 churches worlwide as different pastors share video messages to answer the question, What would you pray if God could answer one prayer for the Church at large?

NEXT WEEK’S MESSAGE - Next week, we will continue the One Prayer series with the message, “Make Us Doers”.

Campus pastors will be speaking live at all locations:

5pm at Ebenezers on Saturday

10:30am at Ballston, 10am at Georgetown, and 9am, 10:15 and 11:30 at Union Station on Sunday

Today, we will explore the stories of transformation.

In the book, Just Walk Across the Room, Bill Hybels said, ““Possibly the greatest realization someone can make is this: ‘My story fits into God’s greater story—and that’s the greatest story ever told.’”

When we “share the Gospel” or “share our faith” with others, there are two things we must do. 1) Know God’s story, 2) Know our story, and 3) Learn the stories of others and help them discover how their story intersects with God’s story. Last week, we talked about three dimensions of the story that God has been writing throughout history- delivering people from bondage and liberating them to live fully, freeing them from exile and restoring them to community, and making sacrifice to cover our sinful nature and make us pure.

Today, I want us to move our focus to the second issue- our story. When we share our stories with people, we typically follow this kind of outline: I was a sinner. Here’s the list of things I did wrong. Then, Jesus entered my life and now I’m a saint. Don’t you want to do this too? Or this: My life was terrible. Everything was wrong. Then Jesus appeared and now life is wonderful. Don’t you want to live this way too?

Are we missing something here? A few things strike me. First, this approach may not resonate at all with the person you are talking to. They may not perceive their life to be terrible or that they are sinners. Secondly, if you were blessed to be born on a church pew and started following Christ when you were 5, then your “testimony” just doesn’t seem to have much wow factor. Finally, what’s happened in your life since? Did Jesus just show up, wave his wand, make everything better for once and for all? Or has he continued to work in your life?

I’m all for conversion stories. If someone is sharing a powerful testimony of how God has pulled them out of a life of pain, I’m listening. If someone is talking about their struggle out of sex, drugs, and lies and how Jesus freed them in a moment of divine intervention, I’m there. But for many of us, we need to look at our whole story. Not just our conversion story. We need to look more comprehensively at stories of transformation. The conversion moment is always a story of transformation. But if we are growing in our faith, then Jesus is working miracles of transformation in our lives all the time, and those stories can be just as critical and compelling in our evangelism efforts as the moment we walked down the aisle or prayed the prayer.

We get to hear people tell stories of transformation in Scripture. In John 9:1-25, we get front row seats to watch Jesus heal a man that had been blind from birth. Talk about transformation. And when the Pharisees and religious leaders want to engage him in theological discourse, he simply responds, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

take a few moments and read the entire story of the blind man in John 9. Or Paul’s transformation story in Acts 22 and Acts 26. As you look at how others shared their stories of transformation in Scripture, ask yourself the following questions:

• What major events does the speaker focus on in each story?
• What major themes does the speaker focus on in each story?
• Is he telling his story or teaching doctrine?
• Is he outlining a systematic theology for salvation?
• Are there any common themes or threads running through all these stories?

Now, spend some time thinking about your own story with God. Think about more than just conversion; think about transformation. You may find the following questions helpful:

• How did you encounter Jesus? (or how did he encounter you?)
• What did Jesus do?
• How did you respond?
• What happened to you as a result?
• When in your life was God most real to you?

Stories of transformation will help us connect more with people and convey more fully the gospel message entrusted to us. Next week, we will talk about autobiography and give you more tools for digging through your life and identifying the ink from God’s pen.

Click Here for Info!

Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw have recently written a compelling book called Jesus for President- which explores the role of God’s people in a society, how to engage politics, etc. by examining biblical history as well as contemporary issues.
Shane and Chris will be reading excerpts from the book, accompanied by music, and conversation. I saw a dry run of this presentation last weekend at the P.A.P.A. fest and it was really good.
Whether you are excited or skeptical about Shane’s initiatives, I encourage you to go and check out what these guys have to say.

If you do attend, it would be great if you came back here and used the comments section to give some feedback and reactions.

We are in desperate need of crew members to help us in various functions. Here are a few roles we are looking to fill ASAP:

* Set designer/carpenter (a great carpenter or someone with mad skillz would be great…any members of the old “Fixer Uppers” small group who could lend a hand?)
* Costume designer
* Hair/makeup designer

Please get the word out to your zones/teams/groups that we are looking for some folks to help us pull off what I’m sure will be one of the most talked about NCC events of the year! If you like hanging out with very cool and talented women, we’ve got a place for you! If you are interested please email our brilliant director, Kacey McGowan, () or me () for more information.

Look forward to seeing you around Chinquapin Parish!

Big thanks to James Gentry and his tribe for launching it.

Here are the details:

Leadership 101
Ebenezers Coffeehouse
Saturday, June 28
9am-noon
Email to register.

Any discussion on giving in the church setting usually begins with talking about tithing, but I believe that extreme generosity moves us beyond the tithe. In fact, one may argue that the tithe (10 percent of our “first fruits”) is the minimum we should be giving for God’s kingdom. Disciples of Christ who are passionate about “forcefully advancing” His kingdom will exercise extreme generosity beyond the biblical requirement. I am so encouraged to see many of our leaders setting the example already, through the gifts of their time, talents, physical resources, and money.

What I took away from this weekend’s message is that we all have the ability to be extremely generous, and we can do so in all areas of our lives, not just with money. Pastor Dino said it perfectly this weekend we he said that “extreme generosity is not about money; it is about about your heart.” I think this is what Jesus was getting at in Matthew 6:19-21: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; or where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Giving — being extremely generous — is one of the responsibilities of a true disciple of Jesus Christ. As investors, we are commanded to tithe and encouraged to give. Acts 2:45 describes the early Christians in this way: “Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” The goal of tithing and of giving is not to get something in return, although God has promised His blessings on those who give obediently, cheerfully and with right motives (Mal. 3:10, 2 Cor. 9:7). The goal is not even to make sure that the physical needs of others are met.

Our primary motivation for practicing extreme generosity is to worship God by giving Him all that we have and all that we are. As Pastor Dino said this weekend, and as Pastor Mark has said many times before, God isn’t primarily interested in our money. God is interested in the condition of our hearts. He wants us to give so that He may open the floodgates of His blessing upon us. As always, He has set the example for us by giving the greatest gift of all — salvation through the death of His only Son Jesus Christ (John 3:16).

God blesses those who give with a cheerful heart and practice extreme generosity toward those He loves. His blessings may not always come in the form we expect, but we can have faith that they will come. Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.” (Luke 6:38)

In this passage, Jesus illustrates the principle of overflowing abundance. When Jesus talked about money, He wasn’t talking in terms of financial spreadsheets and living paycheck to paycheck. He talked about pouring out extravagant love. Giving has more to do with attitude than with math.

NCC’s core discipleship group “Journey” focuses on giving/tithing as the financial dimension of discipleship. True disciples who invest in the kingdom of God are on the look out for opportunities to serve and to be extremely generous. As we strive to grow as Christ’s disciples, we should aspire to treasure the things that God treasures. Here are some principles of giving outlined in the “Journey” curriculum:

1. God is my Provider, and everything I have belongs to Him. I am merely a steward or manager of these resources (1 Chron. 29:11-12; Luke 16:10-14).
2. Make giving to God your top priority (Prov. 3:9-10).
3. Giving one-tenth of your income is a spiritual benchmark (Mal. 3:6-12).
4. Giving should be done out of a cheerful heart, or it doesn’t count (2 Cor. 9:7).
5. Your priorities are reflected in your calendar and in your checkbook (Matt. 6:21).
6. Giving is a matter of trust, not a matter of math (Matt. 6:19-43).
7. All of your stuff (not just money) is a tool for God’s purposes (Acts 2:45).
8. God doesn’t want your money, but He does want your heart (Matt. 6:24).
9. God gave first (John 3:16).
10. You can’t outgive God (2 Cor. 9:10-11).

How can we practice extreme generosity this week?

P.A.P.A. stands for People Against Poverty and Apathy. Basically it was a convergence of many different Christian communities and movements, as well as many interested individuals.

The days started of with a beautiful liturgy and prayer. From that point on they were chock full of learning seminars and skill share workshops. Topics included everything from ‘how to build/manage intentional community’ to ‘homeopathy’ to ‘racial reconciliation.’ The evenings, 7-11 pm, were full of wonderful music and speaker phone calls from leaders like Tony Campolo, Brain McLaren, Elizabeth McAlister, Ched Myers, and others who have been meaningful mentors/elders for communities like The Simple Way, Camden House, etc. Shane Claiborne and Melissa DeLong emceed the mornings and evenings on the main stage. Other highlights were great local produce and baked goods from the farm, a bartering tent, a prayer tent, and some good old school camping. What a delight to be barefoot for four days in a row!

It was a thought provoking and peaceful weekend, surrounded by many beautiful people- all of us seeking to grow more in our faith, follow Christ, and learn how to love God and one another a little more…

NCC is pleased to welcome Judah Mark Hampton into the world! Judah was born at 11:37am on Thursday morning at 7 pounds, 14 ounces and 21 inches long. You can check out more pictures and details here. As most of you know, Judah’s parents, Dan and Tiffani, are two of NCC’s most loyal leaders and servants. We’ll give Judah a couple months before he starts learning sound and leading small groups. We’re so excited for you guys!

Today, we will explore the stories of God.

When we talk about evangelism, most people think about the four spiritual laws or the two question test. Some folks immediately think of metaphors like a courtroom setting in which a benevolent father takes the punishment for his child’s crime. Or a gift that must be unwrapped in order to receive. We generally focus on the legal exchange of Christ’s death for eternal life. But as we mentioned last week, there’s more to the story…

The overarching story of God is about creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. In general, we typically focus on the fall and redemption pieces but fail to include the creation and restoration components. Which leaves us with a short-changed Gospel. As we look at the story arcs in Scripture, we see three major themes weaving through the Story of God: 1) Bondage and Liberation, 2) Exile and Restoration, and 3) Sacrifice and Purity. Each of these gives us a window into the Gospel that we have been called to preach.

Sacrifice and Purity

Let’s begin with the theme of sacrifice and purity because it’s the one we most often talk about when sharing the Gospel and the work that Jesus did on the cross. The theme of sacrifice and purity is seen in the Old Testament sacrificial system. It is the story of God in which we find the legal exchange of sacrifice for forgiveness of sin.

2 Corinthians 5:21 says:

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The pretty much sums up the story of sacrifice and purity. Jesus, who was sinless and perfect, took our sin on himself, died on our behalf and gave us eternal life. He takes all our sin and gives us all of his righteousness. It’s a powerful story of God.

But there are two other stories that can make our Gospel presentation more Biblically rounded.

Bondage and Liberation

In the Old Testament, the theme of bondage and liberation shows up most clearly in the Exodus story when God frees his children from slavery and guides them towards the Promised Land. The Gospel is the good news that God can set us free. Check out how Jesus defines his purpose in Luke 4:18-19:

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

These is a mission of liberating people from bondage. Likewise, Colossians 2:13-15 tells us that Jesus has triumphed over sin and bondage. Scripture clearly teaches us that Jesus’ work on the cross brings us freedom: “by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24)

What if our presentation of the Gospel included this theme? That Jesus came to free us from the things that keep us living in fear, insecurity, unbreakable habits, and hurt? To bring us freedom?

Exile and Restoration

The story of Exile and Restoration is seen in the latter half of the Old Testament when Jerusalem fell and God’s chosen people were scattered across the Babylonian Empire. The prophets proclaimed the judgment of God on an unfaithful people, but they also heralded the day of their return to their land and to their faith.

The theme of restoring people from exile played a prominent role in the ministry of Jesus. Check out the first marching order Jesus gave after he healed the leper in Matthew 8:1-4:

Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

Why did he give that command? Why did Jesus send the healed leper to the priest? Because the priest had the authority to declare the leper clean and restore him to community. Jesus wasn’t only interested in healing the man physically; he wanted to heal him emotionally by bringing him back into relationship with other people.

In Luke 15:11-32, we see exile and restoration in the story of the Prodigal Son. In Luke 19:1-10, we see the exile and restoration theme in Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus. Even as Jesus hung on the cross, he was concerned about restoration of relationships as he established a caring relationship between his mother and his friend John.

What if our presentation of the Gospel included this theme? That Jesus came to restore us to community with himself and to the Body of Christ? To bring us relational wholeness?

Putting It Together

Which of these stories resonates most with you? Which of these stories do you think resonates most with your family members, co-workers, neighbors, and friends? How can our presentation of the Gospel become richer through an understanding of these three major God stories?

If you’d like to read more on these topics, check out the following books:

Static (Ron Martoia)

Evangelism Outside the Box (Rick Richardson)

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:20-23, NIV)

As a prisoner for the Lord, men, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to one home when you were called — one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:1-6, NIV)

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them together in perfect unity. (Colossians 3:12-14, NIV)

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. (Philippians 2:1-2, NIV)

This week, I challenge all of us to take one or two of these passages and spend some time meditating on them. Using the “Lectio Divina” exercise is a great way to do this. Let’s commit to praying for the Lord to reveal to us our part in unifying the Church. How do we, as the Church, fight our one enemy? How can we, as the Church, develop one heart? How should we, as the Church, fulfill our one purpose - to “go and make disciples” (Matt. 28:19)?

If you’re interested in following along, I’m blogging over on Wineskins for Discipleship.

Can You Hear Us?

I Live For Your Glory

Take My Life

Nothing But The Blood

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Discipleship Atlas - The Summer 2008 Discipleship Atlas has arrived! Pick up your copy at the connection center and join us for a summer of small group fun and fellowship. Check online for a listing of all of the summer groups. For more information, please contact .

Summer Service Schedule - Our summer service schedule is now in effect. The Ebenezers Coffeehouse location will have one service at 5:00pm. The service schedule will remain the same at our Union Station, Ballston and Georgetown locations. We will return to two Saturday night services in the fall.

Upcoming Baptism - If you would like to publicly declare your commitment to Christ by being baptized and want more information about the next baptism on July 20, contact or .

Leadership 101 - If you are interested in starting an NCC small group or want to learn more about spiritual leadership and discipleship, come to our next Leadership 101 on June 28 at 9am. The three-hour class will be held at Ebenezers Coffeehouse. Email for more information.

Georgetown Summer Dinners - NCC Georgetown is meeting for dinner intermittently through July. Our next “Georgetown Summer Supper” is this Monday night, June 16 in Georgetown at the Scanlons at 7:00 pm. RSVP to . Great food and great conversation.

Hospitality Volunteers Wanted - Interested in being a part of an NCC ministry team? We have a spot on the hospitality team with your name on it! For more information, please fill out your connection card and let us know you are interested!

Calling All Musicians! - You’ve got talent. You are created to worship. NCC has a perfect place for you to serve on the Worship Team! NCC worship teams are looking to incorporate new guitarists, keyboardists, drummers, and vocalists, etc. It’s time to get plugged in and get your instruments plugged in! Contact for more information and to schedule an audition.

Kids and Nursery Ministries - Would you be willing to lend a hand with NCC kids or infants this summer? The children’s and nursery ministries are in need of playmates. If you would be willing to lend a hand during the summer monnths, contact .

Childcare Opportunities - If you would like to earn a few extra dollars and are interested in providing childcare for occasional church events or small groups contact . You will be added to the email list serve and will hear about paid opportunities. (Specifically if you are available during day-time hours, we need you!)

NCC Re-use and Recycle - We want to be good stewards of our blessings and God’s creation at NCC! Please join us in re-using and recycling our leftover bulletin pieces by placing your unused connection cards and offering envelopes in our new collection bins located near the exit at your location or drop them off at a hospitality table. Please help make NCC a little greener!

Credit Card Giving Online - If you give to NCC via credit card, you can now give online for more convenient and secure giving. Visit us to give securely online.

THIS WEEK’S MESSAGE - This week, Craig Groeschel continued the One Prayer series. During this series, NCC is partnering with approximately 1300 churches worlwide as different pastors share video messages to answer the question, What would you pray if God could answer one prayer for the Church at large?

NEXT WEEK’S MESSAGE - Next week, we will continue the One Prayer series with the message, “Make Us Generous”. All messages will be on video.

If we are going to talk about evangelism, we should start at the beginning. What is the Gospel? What is the substance of what we are trying to share with people? When talking about evangelism, we often jump to evangelism styles and metaphors and methods for sharing our faith without giving any thought to what our “faith” really is.

The word “gospel” shows up 91 times in the New Testament. The Greek word euangelion is translated into the word “gospel” in most English versions of the Bible, and it literally means “breaking headline” or “newsflash.” In its ancient use and the New Testament context, it was used to declare that an event was ushering in a new world situation. It marked the beginning of a new rule or a new world order. The word repentance has to do with allegiance. It is about reorientation and realignment.

In short, Gospel = Good News

But what is this “good news” that we have attempted to communicate?

In the book Static, Ron Martoia described our usual approaches to sharing the gospel as follows: “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life—but if you don’t respond appropriately, you will burn in hell when you die.”

How well does this kind of language describe the good news of Jesus Christ? Is it good? Is it even news?

On the other hand, Isaiah 52:7 describes the gospel or the good news in this way: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns.”

That is the good news. That God reigns. Martoia goes on to say that we have “reduced the Gospel and abbreviated the story.” Did Jesus die for our sins? Absolutely. Must we repent of our sin and accept the grace and forgiveness that he offers us from his sacrifice? Absolutely. Will we spend eternity with him if we do that? Yes. Is that the entire Gospel? I don’t think so.

The Gospel includes an entire worldview. One in which we are partnering with God to usher in the Kingdom of God and where God’s rule is being established in culture.

The Gospel includes an entire lifestyle- one in which Jesus is not only Savior, but also Lord of our lives.

What is the Good News? It is more than fire insurance. I think Jesus summarizes it pretty well here:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”

Can you imagine living in that reality? The reality that Christ preached would make headline news, indeed. If we are going to spend two months exploring the idea of imaginative evangelism, then we must begin by allowing the Holy Spirit to capture our imaginations and paint for us the picture of the Gospel that is possible through life in Christ. We need to develop a more full-orbed and Biblically accurate theology of the Gospel. And we’ve got to start living that way. Only then will we have first-hand knowledge of the good news. And only then will we have something worth inviting people to join.

Oneanother