Dr Paul Allen

Among missiologists,  it’s not uncommon to hear  how an individual from an unengaged, unreached people group becomes a follower of Jesus through a vision or dream. Assuming the truth of such stories, what are we to make of them? How should they affect the way we think about the necessity and urgency of missions? If God can use supernatural encounters to bring the lost to saving faith, can missionaries and evangelists simply sit back and let angels do all the work, or at least pray for them to do more? While God can communicate the gospel message through whatever means he chooses, the Scriptures consistently teach that God loves to advance the gospel through his people. Therefore, Christians and local churches are responsible for bearing the name of Jesus to the ends of the earth. The Bible gives no evidence that God uses angels, visions, or dreams as the principal means of a person’s salvation. Instead, if angels or visions have a role in the task of missions, it’s ancillary t...

We live in an increasingly pluralistic society. Ironically, it tends to celebrate diverse religious views while criticizing attempts at religious conversion. Critics accuse evangelism of objectifying the people it seeks to convert. What should Christians make of this claim? To objectify people with our actions simply means to treat them as objects or tools rather than as persons. Often, it’s to use others as a means to an end rather than treating each and every human being as an end in and of themselves. If Christians fail to honour, respect, and love the person we’re witnessing, it’s possible we could be guilty of this charge. Chandler Moore However, we should also realize there’s nothing inherent to evangelism that objectifies people. Rather, evangelism respects the intelligence and agency of others while simultaneously considering them as immensely valuable individuals. Dignify Others Evangelism can and should be a holistic way of engaging others in an effort to convince them of wha...

One hundred years ago, heroin, cocaine and meth were not only street legal but prescribed by doctors for various ailments (for instance, heroin was marketed as a cough suppressant). Only later did we realise that these drug habits were doing far more harm than good. It took decades to outlaw these drugs, but the damage was done. Generations were addicted, and these drugs still plague us today. Toxic habits can be absolutely devastating. Toxic habits were something Jesus himself railed against in Matthew 15:3 when he asked the religious leaders, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?” Some of the very religious traditions held by the day's leaders kept people away from God, defeating the whole purpose. Even a well-intentioned tradition can turn toxic and do more harm than good if we're not careful. Traditions weren’t just a problem in Jesus’ day. We still struggle with them today. Traditions give people a sense of continuity, order, predictabili...

In his second letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul gives a long, scathing description of a group of people he calls heartless, abusive, brutal, and treacherous ( 2 Tim. 3:2–4 ). He then, in no uncertain terms, says, “Avoid such people” (v. 5). But didn’t Jesus spend time with sinners? Shouldn’t we do the same? Yes and no. Avoid Such People Paul isn’t talking about sceptics or people exploring Christianity. We shouldn’t avoid people who don’t identify as Christians. We should welcome them into our homes and invite them to know Jesus. Nor is Paul talking about people struggling with sin, as we all do. He’s talking about professing Christians who  embrace  their sin. They may have the appearance of godliness, but they’ve denied its power to transform their life ( 2 Tim. 3:5 ). These people go to church and may even consider themselves  more  spiritual than others because they’re open-minded. Unlike uptight Christians, they’re free from rules. They live a more enlightened...

Have you ever asked yourself who was the author of one of the books in the Bible ? Or, have you asked how did the author know about certain events in his book? Are you curious about who recorded what happened in the garden of Gethsemane when Jesus prayed by Himself? Maybe you want to know who was at the events in the garden of Gethsemane. If you do, then you can learn the answer in what follows. Who Recorded What Happened in the Garden of Gethsemane? The Bible tells us that there are two authors of each book of the Bible. 2 Peter 1:20-21 reveals the identity of the two authors. The verses read as follows, But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. 2 Peter 1 :20-21 (NASB) The verse explains the two authors of Scripture or the Bible are the Holy Spirit and a human author. The Holy Spirit moved men to write. The Greek word translat...

English: Araucanian (Mapuche) husband and wife. Español: Marido y mujer Mapuche (Araucana) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Genesis 2:18 Wife , do you understand the needs of your husband? Let’s face it, a man’s career is usually extremely important to his self‐esteem. He is made that way. Many women complain about their husbands ’ “ workaholism ,” which may be valid, and yet husbands deserve thanks for the effort they invest. Compared to the man who sits around the house doing little or nothing, the hard worker is an honorable man. God has assigned two key tasks to men: to provide for and to protect their families. If your husband meets those two requirements, you need to let him know that you appreciate how hard he works. Several years ago a survey was taken to determine what men wanted in their homes. The result was surprising: It was tranquility. Is your home a peaceful haven for your husband and your...

Saddleback Church Refinery (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) A veteran youth minister evaluates the state of youth ministry and “big church”–he doesn’t like what he sees: We look at our youth group now and we feel good. But the youth group of today is the church of tomorrow, and study after study suggests that what we are building for the future is … empty churches .  at Pastor Marino says is not necessarily new, but it is helpful to have a man who has spent his entire ministry working with youth to say these things. Equally eye-opening are the comments that follow his post where other youth ministers either applaud or argue his premise.  In response to one, Marino says: The blog article comes from a seminar I put together a few years ago for the Urban Youth Workers Institute. Interestingly, when I did the seminar people over 35 would sit with their arms folded and youth workers under 25 would literally be standing and cheering. I can say that they resonated with what I w...

Image via Wikipedia Tim Challies writes: On February 14, 1990, the space craft Voyager 1 was on the very fringe of our solar system. Before it drifted away to wander the galaxy, engineers turned the cameras around and pointed them toward earth, 6.4 billion kilometers away. This historic photograph captured earth as just the tiniest point of light in a vast sky. Carl Sagan looked at that photograph and declared, “Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light.” We are, after all, the inhabitants of just a speck, the tiniest pinprick of light in a universe of unimaginable proportions. How big is the universe? It’s an impossible question for us to answer, of course, but that has not stopped many from making an attempt. I enjoy hearing about those attempts. Here is one that I came across the other day. It’s worth three-and-a-half minutes of your time: Accordi...

Image via Wikipedia Paul says in 1 Timothy 2:12 , "I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man ." In light of this, is it appropriate for men to listen to female speakers and teachers ? I'm a guy. Is it wrong for me to listen to Beth Moore ? No. Unless you begin to become dependent on her as your shepherd—your pastor .  This is the way I feel about women speaking in Sunday school . The Bible is clear that women shouldn't teach and have authority over men.  In context, I think this means that women shouldn't be the authoritative teachers of the church—they shouldn't be elders. That is the way Rick Warren is understanding it, and most of us understand it that way. This doesn't mean you can't learn from a woman, or that she is incompetent and can't think. It means that there is a certain dynamic between maleness and femaleness that when a woman begins to assume an authoritative teaching role in your life the manhood of a...