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G’day Holy Go’ers!

Last week we wrapped up our “Opening Eyes” series which looked at how to open peoples eyes to the goodness of God. Go back and check out the series for a host of ways you can share the gospel.

Today we begin a new Series called, “More than a Circus.” We’re looking at how God is moving through Disciple Making Movements and how we are invited to not just watch and be entertained, but invited in to participate in The Great Commission.

Equip

Circus Act

At one stage in my life I thought I wanted to be a travelling evangelist. I loved the idea of simply moving around the world, meeting people and sharing the gospel with them.

At one stage we were doing just this. Sarah and I were on the road in Southern Africa. It was an adventure! Every day gave us new opportunities to speak to people and share the gospel.

Most of our ministry was in Churches. We would go to a Church, run some meetings, preach the gospel, see God do a heap of miracles, and people would respond. Then we would leave…

After a while I grew dissatisfied with what we were doing. I was left with questions like, “Will these people continue with their faith?” and “Didn’t Jesus send us to make disciples, not just converts?”

Whilst I loved doing what we were doing overseas, it left me feeling like I was some sort of Christian circus act, a traveling entertainer rather than a disciple maker.

We eventually made it back to Australia and I bumped into Steve Addison. What he shared with me blew my mind…

Disciple Making Movements

Steve Addison is a catalyst for movements that multiply disciple and churches, everywhere. He is an author, speaker, podcaster, and mentor to movement pioneers.

Steve opened up my eyes to Disciple Making Movements (DMM), or Church Planting Movements. (CPM) The Lausanne conference has defined these as:

When an original disciple or church makes a new disciple or church, that is one generation. DMM/CPM are identified when there are at least four successful direct generations. Second, the movement is dynamic and growing. Third, the DMM is greater than approximately 1,000 believers or CPM are greater than approximately 100 churches.1

I sat in awe as Steve shared numerous stories of these modern day movements rapidly multiplying disciples. I heard of numerous movements that had seen over 1 million disciples baptised and engaged in Church in just a 10 year period.

Today there are just under 2,000 known movements as defined above, with just as many well on the way to “movement” status. These are springing up all over the world, in Western Nations as a well as in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

What does this mean on the ground? The Lussane website shares the mind boggling statistics,

DMM researchers estimate that there are 100+ million professing disciples (not all baptized) due to DMM, making around 1 percent of the world part of a DMM. Additionally, researchers estimate that there are over 9 million churches emerging from or part of a CPM. Understanding that most of these churches are ‘house churches’ with an average of 14 disciples per church, there are more house churches in CPM than churches in traditional denominations.2

We're living in one of the greatest disciple-making movements in history… but most of us don't even know it's happening. DMM’s and CPM’s are quickly growing right under our noses.

How to Join In?

So what do we do with all this?

What are these movements doing differently? And how do we join in?

Here’s where it gets exciting: You were made for more than a circus.

We settle for watching. We turn up on Sunday, enjoy the service, listen to a great sermon, and head home again. Perhaps we even rate how much we “enjoyed” the service.

Pastors and Church leaders feel this pressure to perform and others even enjoy it. Sermons drift into entertainment, or information sharing but both fall short of mobilising the Church to love the hell out of the world.

Sadly, many of us have ended up treating Church like we would a circus…

Is this really the vision Jesus has of His Church?

Jesus never called us to be spectators.
He called us to make disciples.

So let me ask you:

• When was the last time you shared your faith with someone who doesn’t know Jesus?

• Who are you intentionally discipling right now?

• Who have you equipped to go and make disciples themselves?

These are confronting questions. For many of us, the answers aren’t what we’d like them to be.

That’s exactly why we’re doing this series.

Over the coming weeks we’ll unpack a simple tool called the 4 Fields Framework. It’s used across Disciple Making Movements all over the world because it’s simple, biblical and reproducible.

Connect. Share. Grow. Gather. Multiply.

My prayer is that you won’t just be inspired by what God is doing around the world, but that you’ll join Him in what He’s already doing right where you are.

Because you were made for more than a circus.

Activate

This weeks activation is to go and get inspired about Disciple Making Movements. Here’s a few resources for you to go and check out:

Books: Everywhere: How God Multiplies Disciples and Churches by Steve Addison and Miraculous Movements: How Hundreds of Thousands of Muslims Are Falling in Love with Jesus by Jerry Trousdale.

Podcast: Everywhere Author Podcast (and check out Steve’s Movements podcast)

Youtube: Disciple Making Movements with David Watson

Let’s Go!

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Hello Everybody and Welcome back to THE HOLY GO!

We’re wrapping up our “Opening Eyes” series today where we have been moving through the OPEN Framework which describes how eyes are opened to the gospel through:

Oneness
Prayer
Evangelism
Neighbour Love

Today we’re looking at the power of loving our neighbours, and why Jesus was so intent on tackling hypocrisy.

Also, make sure to read to the end for todays fun challenge!

Equip

Blessers vs Converters

Dave Ferguson points to a study comparing two groups of Christian Missionaries in Thailand.1 The Converters and The Blessers.

“The Converters” group focused primarily on sharing the gospel through words, preaching to convince people to follow Jesus.

“The Blessers” group focused on blessing people in practical ways, serving, listening, helping and loving their neighbours well.

The study followed these two groups for two years and at the end the results were impressive.

Not only had the blessers group made a beautiful social impact through their “acts of blessing”, they had almost 50 times as many conversions!

Blessed to be a Blessing

The idea of the people of God being “Blessed to be a blessing” is the foundation of missional theology.

In Genesis 12 God makes a covenant with Abraham. God promises to bless Abraham and his descendants, so that they can bless all the nations of the Earth.

Later, when the people of God have been rescued from slavery in Egypt, God makes another covenant. Again He says that He has chosen them, (Blessed) so that they can be a Kingdom of priests. (to be a Blessing)

When Jesus is training His disciples to share the gospel He says, “Freely you have received”, (Blessed) “so freely give!”2 (to be a Blessing)

The common theme of Jesus’ parables is that He is disappointed that the people of God have not taken their role of being “Blessers” seriously. Time after time He rebukes the religious leaders for being hypocrites who had neglected their calling to be a blessing to the world.

How we treat other people is of significant importance to Jesus.

Jesus teaches that loving God and loving our neighbours are the most important commandments. He teaches that blessing people is important because all people are created in the image of God, and whatever we do to others we do to Him.

When we hear Jesus’ sermon on the Mount, we see another reason why our “blessing others” is so important.

“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

Jesus tells us that when we bless people, it opens their eyes to the God who loves them.

Neighbour Love

Research continuously shows that the hypocrisy of the Church is one of the key drivers of doubt.

Here In Australia, the church clearly has a credibility problem. Recent research from McCrindle (2025 Report) suggests that people are often not rejecting spirituality itself, but Christianity as it is practised.

If the way we live and love people has a direct impact in how people respond to the gospel, it is little wonder why Jesus was so scathing towards the religious peoples hypocrisy.

This should be cause for all of us to stop, and consider the way treat others.

• How do we respond to people who are too needy for our liking?

• How do we talk about people who we disagree with?

• How do we treat the poor, the marginalised, and those from other cultures?

If we’re preaching the gospel of love with our words but not in our actions we’re being hypocrites.

If we truly believe God is love and loves all people, then we must show it by the way we live and love our neighbours.

Activate

We have a fun activation this week.

Sign up to “Grace Bomb” and do a random act of kindness motivated by the Love of God. Check out the instructions from their website here.

I signed up and they sent me some cards straight away for FREE. It’s a fun way to start thinking about how our actions can align with our words.

I’m praying and believing that our Neighbour Love opens peoples eyes to the gospel!

Let’s Go

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Welcome back to THE HOLY GO!

How are you going with the weekly activations? If you want to see fruit, I highly recommend you try engaging with them! And make it even more fun by doing them with a friend or your small group.

Today we continue the “OPENING EYES” series where we look at the OPEN framework which describes how eyes are opened to the gospel through:

Oneness
Prayer
Evangelism
Neighbour Love

Today we move on to Evangelism the way Jesus taught it.

Equip

The Stuff

John Wimber was the founder of the Vineyard movement.

As a new believer, he read the Bible and was inspired by the stories of Jesus and the early Church. So he decided to go to church.

He walked into a local church, sat through the worship, the sermon, and finally morning tea. Then, slightly dissatisfied, he approached the pastor and asked:

“When are we going to do the stuff?”

“The stuff?” the pastor replied. “We’ve done it. That’s church!”

Wimber was disappointed. His picture of church had been shaped by Scripture. He read about Jesus and the disciples healing the sick, casting out demons, and boldly proclaiming the good news. That was “the stuff.”

Sadly, many churches still feel the same today. The gospel Jesus preached has been reduced to words, the supernatural has dried up, and the Great Commission has slowed to a crawl.

Power to Witness

Jesus said:

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses.” (Acts 1:8)

But why do we need power to witness?

The answer becomes clear in Matthew 10.1 Jesus trained His disciples to do two things:

1. Declare the Kingdom
Proclaim the good news.

2. Demonstrate the Kingdom
Heal the sick, cast out demons, pray for people, show God’s power.

Jesus modelled this constantly. He preached the Kingdom and then demonstrated it through healing and miracles.

The Kingdom message is “on earth as it is in heaven.” It’s not just about someday in eternity… it’s about God bringing His rule, healing, freedom, and life right now.

The early church followed the same pattern:

“The Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” (Mark 16:20)

Paul said:

“The kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” (1 Corinthians 4:20)

And:

“My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power.” (1 Corinthians 2:4–5)

This is the “stuff” Wimber was looking for, and the stuff many churches have quietly left behind.

However, if we want to open people’s eyes to Jesus, we must pair declaration with demonstration.

Opening Eyes

So what does this look like?

Step 1: Declare the Kingdom
Tell people the good news: Jesus is making all things new! He is bringing peace, healing, freedom, and life in all its fullness. (Read more about this kingdom message here)

Step 2: Demonstrate the Kingdom
Create space for people to experience what you just said is true. Pray for them. Invite God to move. (Read more about a simple model to do this here.)

For example:

• Tell someone God loves them → then pray they would experience His love.

• Share a story of healing → then pray for healing on the spot.

• Speak hope or peace → then pray they would experience it.

It sounds risky, doesn’t it?

But after 20 years of practising this, I’ve found God to be faithful. When we step out in faith and expect Him to confirm His word, He does. And as He does, people’s eyes open to a God who is very real and very near.

Activate

This week’s activation is simple:

Declare and demonstrate the good news of the Kingdom.

Tell someone what God is like. (His peace, love, goodness, or freedom…)
Then pray for them to experience it.

Let’s Go!

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G’day and Welcome back to THE HOLY GO!

Last week we started our series called “OPEN” which looks at a framework for how to partner with God to open peoples eyes to the gospel:

Oneness
Prayer
Evangelism
Neighbour Love

Last week we looked at Oneness, which can be described as the forgotten ingredient of revival. Today we turn our attention to Prayer.

Equip

As a young Salvation Army Officer (Pastor) we were told,

“If you can… Don’t make any changes or big decisions in your first 6 months.”

They wanted us to wait until we had listened to the people in the Church, got to know them, and had discerned what God was saying to us before jumping in to all our wonderful ideas.

However, when we arrived there was no prayer meeting.

Throughout our two year Training course we had prayed non stop, 24-7. Each of the students took two, three hour shifts each week. We had seen God move as He changed our hearts and answered prayer.

So at our first leadership meeting we announced we would start a prayer meeting. There was a little push back… Mostly around when we would do this. However we stood firm and said, “You pick the time. But we’re starting a prayer meeting!”

So we began an hour before the Sunday Morning service. To our surprise more than half the Church showed up! We prayed together and asked God that we would see people come to know Him.

That week, 6 young peoples eyes were opened to the God who loves them. They accepted Christ’s offer of grace and started following Jesus!

As the Church prayed, the new-believer drought was broken.

Prayer and Revival

History shows that prayer always precedes revival.

Starting in the Book of Acts we read,

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Acts 4:31

Throughout Acts we the the following pattern,

The believers prayed together,
The believers were filled with the Spirit,
The believers boldly shared the gospel.

The Apostle Paul when writing to the Church he planted in Ephesus, prays that the eyes of their hearts may be opened.1 This Church had rapidly grown and multiplied throughout Asia and yet Paul continued to pray that their eyes would be opened.

Charles Finney was a key figure in the Second Great Awakening. He saw half a million people come to Christ, and is known as the father of the modern altar call. He writes of “a spirit of prayer” being the key ingredient for the revival. (Check out his lectures on revival for a bit of fiery passion!)

Evangelist DL Moody famously kept a list of 100 names of people he was praying for. He prayed that their eyes would be opened to the gospel. By the end of his life, 96 of them had accepted Christ, and apparently the other 4 did at his funeral!

In Hernhut a divided group of believers under Count Zinzendorf experienced deep reconciliation and then made a radical commitment: continuous prayer, day and night, without interruption. This prayer meeting lasted over 100 years and became one of the great catalysts for the modern missionary movement, inspiring generations of world missions and sending Moravian missionaries all across the globe.

It is reported that prior to the Pentecostal movement taking off, before there were any crowds or attention, it was just a simple prayer meeting. Fast forward to today and this movement boasts over 700 million people!

When we look at these revivals we see two truths at work:

When we pray God changes us - we are filled with the Spirit. We are empowered to be loving and bold witnesses. This opens peoples eyes to the gospel.

God changes circumstances - peoples hearts soften, God moves in powerful and strategic ways and prayers get answered. God opens peoples eyes.

Pray Today

It’s fun looking back at what God has done on the global stage. However, today I am reminded that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”2 Or in other words, every testimony is an invitation!

These are not isolated stories. This is simply a pattern that has repeated itself since the day of Pentecost 2,000 years ago and today we are being invited to join in.

I love revival stories! But what if we became one?

The reality is that:

• God loves every person on the face of the planet.3

• God wants all people to come to know Him.4

• God is already at work in the world around us.5

• God is already drawing people to Himself.6

• God has reconciled the world to Himself.7

• God is no longer counting mans sins against them.8

• God is the saviour of all people.9

But as the Apostle Paul says, they have been blinded to this reality.10

However, when we pray we are filled with the ability to love people in a way that opens their eyes to Christ. When we pray circumstances change, and God moves in powerful ways.

Therefore, let us join in with the story repeated through all generations, and all revivals…

Let us begin with prayer,
ask God to fill us with His Spirit,
and may we declare the gospel with love and boldness!

Activate

This weeks activation is simple: Pray.

Here’s a few ideas that may help you:

Start a prayer list - write down all the people you know who you want to see come to know Christ. Keep this list handy (phone app or in your Bible) and pray for these people regularly. I’m setting a reminder in my phone to pray daily for people at 3:16pm. (Based on John 3:16)

Start a prayer meeting - get some friends together and simply pray.

Start a Prayer Room or Pray 24-7 - Want to be like the Moravians? Check out the 24-7 Prayer Website for a ton of great resources!

Let’s Go!

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Welcome back to THE HOLY GO, a newsletter published to teach, equip and empower you to fulfil the Great Commission right where you are!

This week we commence a new series based on the first phase in our Spiritual Formation Framework: Awaken to Love. (Read more on the Awaken to love, Abide in Love, Abound in Love framework here.)

Throughout the series we’ll dig deeper into the OPEN Framework which describes how eyes are opened to the gospel through:

Oneness
Prayer
Evangelism
Neighbour Love

Today we kick off with Oneness!

Equip

Light and Glory

I absolutely love revival history. I love looking back and seeing what God has done in the past. It inspires me to pray that God would do it again!

One thing that has began to stand out to me is how revival and gospel movements often start as non-denominational or even inter-denominationally.

Revival seems to come when we lay aside our labels and logos and simply work together to see His “Kingdom Come!” For example,

• The book of Acts repeatedly demonstrates how united prayer was the catalyst for mission in the early Church.

• The Moravian 100+ year prayer meeting that inspired thousands of missionaries began in a time of repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation.

• The Salvation Army started as a mission to the lost, the last and the least. It was filled with men and women from a variety of different Churches.

• The Pentecostals started under William J. Seymour’s ministry which included those from all traditions, classes and even nationalities at at time where it was foreign to do so.

• Spontaneous prayer was at the centre the Welsh revival. These prayer meetings did not discriminate which Church anyone was from.

Isn’t it fascinating that wherever there seems to be a serious move of God that reshapes the face of the planet, believers in Jesus (of all persuasions) seem to be joining in?

As the Church becomes one, the eyes of the world open to the light and glory of Christ!

The Forgotten Ingredient of Revival

In John 17 we read of Jesus praying that the Church would be one.

“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.” (John 17:20-21)

Did you catch that?

Jesus prayed that we would become one so that the word may believe!

I’ve read a plethora of books and articles on evangelism, I’ve watched sermons and attended trainings on sharing the gospel, but very rarely have I ever heard of “oneness” being described as a key ingredient for evangelism.

In a time when the world is so divisive,
where people cancel each other over any difference,
Jesus is praying that we The Church would be one.

Why Oneness

The key to Oneness is a Kingdom mindset: one that lets us pray together, encourage one another, share resources, partner in mission, and carry one another’s burdens. (Sounds like The Lords prayer doesn’t it? Our Father… Give us, Forgive us, Lead us…)

Unfortunately, The Church has seen unity as joining together… until we disagree.

However Oneness is a commitment to each other despite disagreements. We may have differing theological and practical views, however we are one because we all share in the love of Jesus and love for Jesus.

It requires humility, repentance, and reconciliation.

However, if we are serious about wanting to see the world believe, oneness is a non-negotiable. Oneness must become a top priority.

Therefore,
It’s time to lay aside our labels, logos and egos,
and seek first the Kingdom of God.

Activate

This week’s activation is to take stock of the other believers in your world.

Who are the people who don’t attend your church that you can intentionally pray with, encourage, and partner alongside for the sake of your family, workplace, sporting club, and neighbourhood to come to know Jesus?

Don’t divide over differences.
Unite over Jesus.

Let’s Go!

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Welcome back to THE HOLY GO!

I hope you enjoyed “THE SAINTS” series and kept up with some of the activations.

This week I am inspired by Pentecost and the foundation of the early Church. I hope it inspires you to jump into the story of God!

Equip

I’ve been thinking about some of the fun activities Sarah and I would do as we got to know each other, and as we started dating.

We would do the normal things like going to the movies and going out for meals… But there was another thing we did that I don’t often hear other couples talking about.

On many Saturday nights we would meet up with some friends and go to The Salvation Army Training College Chapel. We would get there shortly after dinner and we would pray.

We would pray for each other.
We would pray for our Churches.
We would pray for our friends.
We would pray for the lost.
We would pray for our leaders.
We would pray for the whole world!

These prayer meetings were not led by anyone. They were just a bunch of friends who loved praying together. We

confessed our sin and weaknesses to each other
repented of our sin
listened to what God was saying to us
chose to believe what God said and
encouraged one another.

In these prayer meetings we learned

how to hear God speak
how to activate spiritual gifts
how to prophesy
how to pray for healing, freedom, peace and
how to become aware of the presence of God.

These meetings were special.

Sometimes they were loud and joyful!
Sometimes they were more quiet as we lamented.
Sometimes they were full of faith.
Sometimes they were full of life and energy!

Although these meetings looked different each week, they often resulted in the same outcome.

After praying for two, three, or even five hours we would leave the chapel and head to the City to share the gospel.

As if something was propelling us forward, we would make our way to alleyways, street corners, lines out the front of night clubs, and we would share the gospel.

We would talk to jovial party goers.
We would listen to those sleeping on the streets.
We would share our testimonies.
We would offer to pray for people.
We would share the gospel.
We would buy meals and accomodation.
We would sit with drunks as they sobered up.

Some nights we saw entire groups of people give their lives to Jesus. Other nights it seemed like we did nothing at all despite out best intentions.

It’s funny to think that this was the foundation of our marriage.

But it’s also the foundation of the Church.
This is how the gospel spreads.

It starts with believers praying together.
They encounter the living God.
Then filled with boldness, they proclaim the gospel.

It’s a simple pattern.

It’s the story of God and we are all invited to join in.

I wonder what would happen if we all gave it a shot?

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Acts 4:31

Activate

This weeks activation is to gather one or more friends together, and pray. Pray for each other, for others, then follow the prompting of The Holy Spirit of what to do next!

If you’re stuck on what to pray, or how to pray then I strongly suggest you explore the great library of resources at 24-7 Prayer.

Let’s Go!

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Hello Everybody and welcome back to “The Holy Go!”

Today we continue our “THE SAINTS” series where we are looking at a Jesus shaped approach to discipleship and spiritual formation.

If last week looked at the “art” of abounding in love, today is the “science” of abounding in love and how Church forms. I hope it inspires you to be the Church wherever you are!

Equip

What do we do next?

The first Church that Sarah and I led was in Country Victoria. When we ran an evangelism conference to equip our people to reach the city we didn’t realise what would happen.

The first weekend a youth in her first year of High School led a friend to the Lord. The two of them approached me after the Sunday meeting and said,

“What do we do next?”

I simply replied,

“How many more friends do you have?”

They smiled at me and then over the course of the next month or two they helped dozens of young people respond to Jesus.

One day she gave us an update. Apparently she had been quite busy at School and told me something along these lines,

“Around 30 people have prayed to respond to Jesus, but only 20 are seriously following Him. Each day we gather together, we pray, and reach out to our classmates. Some days we spend lunch looking for those who have no friends and we be there friend. Other days we share our lunch, or pray for one another, worship or do a Bible Study.”

Stunned, I asked her,

“That’s amazing! How did you know to do all of this?”

Her reply was simple and profound:

“We just do what you do.”

She had simply looked at the shape of Church and tried to copy it in her School.

This simple story is a great example of Church…

Church in Scripture

When we look at “Church” in Scripture we see 4 different types of Church, yet they are all considered Church:

The Saints.
Believers were known as The Church. You and I are The Church. These saints were sent to set tables, or create spaces for people to encounter and experience God.
(E.g. 1 Corinthians 1:2)

The Church that meets in ____ house.
Church is also seen as gatherings of saints meeting in homes. As people encounter Jesus, they didn’t just stay individuals, they began to gather and form spiritual families. Whether in homes, along riverbanks, or in halls, these were families of faith learning to follow Jesus together.
(E.g Romans 16:3–5, 1 Corinthians 16:19, Philemon 1:1–2 etc)

The Church in *City Name*.
Church was also known as “all” the saints and “households/spiritual families” combined. Together they made up “The Church in The City.” This was not necessarily a weekly gathering, rather it referred to all the saints and spiritual families in that city.
(E.g 1 Corinthians 1:2, 1 Thessalonians 1:1 etc)

The Church.
Finally, we see that all the saints and groups around the entire world are called, “The Church.” This is the worldwide body of Christ.
(E.g Matthew 16:18, Ephesians 1:22–23 etc)

We can see from this progression that The Church could be described like this:

We are SAINTS,
sent to set TABLES,
form HOUSEHOLDS,
and be THE CHURCH in [CITY].”

The Invitation

What would it look like if this wasn’t just something we understood, but something we actually lived?

If every saint believed they were sent to set tables and create everyday spaces where people can encounter Jesus…

If every table, home, school, and workplace became the birth place of another spiritual family…

What if we caught the same simple instinct as that young student in Country Victoria, who didn’t overcomplicate anything, but just “did what Church does”.

Church wouldn’t be something we attend.
It would be something that multiplies.
Spiritual families would form naturally.
And the Church would quietly fill every part of our cities.

This is the invitation:
to be the Church… and see the Church everywhere.

Lord, may it be so!

Activate

This week, don’t think “Where is the Church?” Instead ask, “Where am I setting the table?”

Choose one simple, intentional way to create space for someone to encounter Jesus or experience His love: invite someone for a meal, check in on someone who feels alone, pray with a friend, or gather a few people and begin a spiritual family rhythm.

Start small. Stay faithful.

And remember: every table you set is a seed of Church being formed.

Let’s Go!

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G’day Everyone!

Welcome back to another edition of “The Holy Go!” My prayer is that these newsletters helps teach, equip and empower you to make disciples.

Last week we looked at the second of three A’s: Abiding in Love and looked at a great model for where to go in prayer. I hope it helped you enjoy the presence of God more this week!

This week we look at "Abounding in Love” by looking back at one of the most profound miracles I have been involved in.

Equip

Victoria Falls

Back in 2012 we visited Victoria Falls.

We had been in a missionary school for three months and had travelled to Zimbabwe for the next part of our missions trip. But this day was all about fun. We were simply here as tourists.

Victoria Falls is one of the largest and most spectacular waterfalls in the world, where the Zambezi River plunges more than 100 metres into a massive basalt gorge.

As we walked through the rainforest that was created by the mist from the massive waterfall, we paused and watched… we were awestruck at God’s creation. A profound sense of love washed over us and we totally forgot about any sense of being on “mission.”

As soon as we stepped into the carpark to leave, a deaf-mute man approached us. He had a sign up sheet for something, but not able to understand what it was for I asked a different question,

“Do you want us to pray for you?” I motioned with my hands so he could understand.

He gave a simple nod and we began praying for him.

A group of local guys were watching us and laughing. They began mocking us by laying hands on one another and pretending God was touching them.

Suddenly the man we were praying for pointed to his ear. He was very excited. He was beginning to hear! A friend of his rushed over to see what was happening.

“Has he always been able to hear a little bit, or is this new?” I enquired of the friend.

His friend, with a shocked look on his face replied,

“No! He’s never heard anything before!”

Buoyed by the improvement in his hearing we kept praying. Soon his ears opened up and he could hear everything we were saying. We turned our attention to his speech now.

“Say Jesus!” We encouraged him. “Jesus is healing you! Say His name!”

“Juh… Juh… Juhs… Jesus!”

The crowd that had gathered around us went wild as they saw this man they knew was deaf and mute now completely healed!

The young men who were mocking us moments ago now grabbed us and attempted to pull us away from the man. They figured that if God can heal a deaf mute, then maybe we could bless their shop!

We shared the gospel with them then quickly got on our bus that was already late to leave.

As I sat in my seat and looked out the window I pondered what had just happened.

Here we were on a tourist day,
with no missionary agenda,
with no prepared ministry,
just a day of enjoying creation,
basking in the love of God,
And God performs one of the greatest miracles I have ever seen.

Abounding in Love

What if the above story was how life was meant to be lived?

What if mission,
sharing the gospel,
and making disciples,

simply came from the overflow of our hearts?

If we had nothing good in our hearts nothing good would overflow.

But what if our hearts were so full of love that an outrageous love would overflow everywhere we went? A love that was so gracious, so generous and so free that people were both drawn to you and confused by you wherever you went.

The reality is that when we Awaken to love and Abide in love, we cannot help but Abound in love!

That’s how Jesus lived.

And that’s the invitation for you and I.

You see, when we abound in love, nothing is mission AND everything is mission at the same time. Love simply becomes a way of life… and boy is it exciting!

Activate

This weeks activation is to go for a walk and as you pass people ask God for a strategy to love them. Start by asking this question, “What would love look like to them?”

Perhaps love would look like:

• Stopping and having a chat with them

• Offering to pray with someone

• Sharing your faith story

• Telling them something about Jesus

• Giving them some money or something you own

• Buying their groceries

Whatever it is, allow the love of God to bubble up and out of you this week.

Let’s Go!

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Welcome back to The Holy Go: Your weekly shot of disciple making inspiration!

Last week’s challenge was based on the first step of Spiritual Formation: Awakening to Love. Go check it out here if you haven’t already.

Today we continue our series by looking at the second A, Abiding in Love.

If “Awakening to Love” is about becoming aware of who we are in Christ and the incredible inheritance we have as a believer, then “Abiding in Love” is how we participate in this.

Equip

Have you ever wanted to be closer to God?

I remember reading stories of Christian mystics and wanting to be “as close to God” as they were. For example,

St Francis would wake up in the middle of the night to pray. One night a young friar, curious about these prayer times, followed him into the woods. When he arrived, he saw St Francis in deep conversation and was so overwhelmed by the glory of God that he fell down as though dead. Francis later found him, picked him up, and took him back.

St Teresa also experienced unusual manifestations in prayer. The most famous was levitation during deep prayer. She was embarrassed by it, as she hated attention. She only wanted people to look at Jesus.

As I read these stories I would think:

“Wouldn’t it be amazing if I could be that close to God?”

As I considered their lives marked by passionate love for God, and the impact they had, I thought:

I want what they have!

Not Closer, More Aware

But as I read more about the mystics, I realised I had something backwards.

I thought they were closer to God.
But they’re not.
They’re just more aware.

St Teresa taught that our union with Christ “is not a thing of the imagination, but a true and most certain possession of God.”

So if it is real, we should be able to participate in it and experience it. She called this “Mystical Union” and taught ways to enter it through prayer.

I’ve summarised her steps from The Interior Castle as a simple guide for prayer. Instead of teaching what to say, it’s more of a map of where to go:

Steps to Prayer

Step 1: Searching
“The soul begins to consider the things of God.”

We become aware of God’s presence. We turn our attention from the world and begin to search for Him in each moment.

Step 2: Meeting
“It is the Lord who begins to give the soul knowledge of Himself.”

We begin to sense God’s presence. As we go deeper, the noise of life quietens and we recognise He is already here.

Step 3: Enjoying
“The soul is given a great peace and delight in God’s presence.”

We begin to commune with God. We know He is here, we sense Him, and we begin to enjoy His presence.

Step 4: Mystical Union
“The soul is so united with God that it seems no longer itself but wholly His.”

We are now so deeply absorbed in God’s presence we are unaware of the world around us. We may feel overwhelmed by love, peace, or stillness. We realise God is in us, and we are in Him.

More than a Moment

I love how Teresa describes prayer as a journey into awareness of our union with Christ. We may not always move through every step, but it shows us what we’re growing into: a life of abiding with God.

Abiding in Christ is not just a moment, but a lifestyle of becoming aware of what is already true.

If we cannot be any closer to God than we are now, then:

• We can become aware of His presence at any moment

• We can hear His voice throughout the day

• We have constant access to love, joy, and peace

• We carry the life, love, and power of Jesus

Our first step in The Saints formation is to Awaken to Love.
The next step is to Abide in Love.
Next week we’ll look at Abounding in Love.

Activate

This weeks activation is to spend some time reflecting on your prayer life.

Question: At what step do you usually give up or move on to something else?

Spend some time in prayer now, and go a little longer and ask God to take you to a deeper level of awareness. Instead of focusing on what you are saying to God, focus on your awareness of God.

Let’s Go!

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G’day Everyone,

Welcome back to another edition of “The Holy Go” where we are continuing our “The Saints” series looking at Spiritual Formation.

Last week’s challenge was to spend some time looking at the “Three A’s Discipleship Table” and reflect on your own spiritual formation. I have found this immensely helpful at pointing out gaps in my own discipleship. Go check it out here if you haven’t already.

Today we look at the first A, “Awakening to Love,” in more depth.

Equip

Hidden Valuables

I love hearing stories of people who possessed something of great value but didn’t realise it. I’ve read stories of those who had:

• Paintings worth millions hanging in their kitchen

• Bowls from ancient China used for lollies

• Loose coins that turned out to be extremely rare

Some of these owners go through financial hardship, not knowing they have access to millions. If only they could see…

In a similar way, all humans possess a valuable gift but don’t realise it.

Praying for More?

It reminds me of a famous song I loved singing in The Salvation Army. It summed up so many of my prayers for more power.

Give us the promised Holy Ghost,
We want another Pentecost,
Send the fire! Send the fire today!

While I love what this song is getting at, it also demonstrates a problem with praying for “more”: We unintentionally pray for something we already have.

God, we need more of You!
God, we need more power!
God, we need more life!

Jesus said that eternal life was that we may “know God.” The Apostle Paul spoke of salvation as union with Christ, where He is in us and we are in Him. You can’t get any closer to God because you’re already in Him!

We’re told that in Christ we have all we need for life! All we need to be like God! In fact, we are told that we have been blessed with EVERY spiritual blessing! We’ve got it all already!1

However, somewhere along the line we’ve traded that life giving relationship for a ticket to heaven.

We’ve emphasised right doctrine rather than relationship.
We’ve emphasised speaking to God rather than listening to God.
We’ve emphasised asking for rather than participating in.

All those things are good, but when we miss the deeper, union based glory of relationship, then we’ve doomed ourselves to a life of lack.

Awakening to Love

The first step of discipleship is “Awakening to Love.” It’s that moment where our eyes are opened to the reality of the God who loves us.

The Apostle Paul had been persecuting Christians, then God literally blinded him as a prophetic picture of his condition. He was spiritually blind until he was awoken to love.

All the disciples who encountered the risen Christ didn’t recognise him at first. Their grief, fear, doubt and confusion blinded them from seeing Him. But Jesus opened their eyes to see and their hearts burned with love.

When we are discipling people who do not yet know Jesus, our task is to cooperate with God to open their eyes. (See this newsletter for great examples)

But this is not just for unbelievers, it’s for us too.

Jesus rebuked Pharisees for their spiritual blindness. They thought they could find life in the Scriptures, yet they missed “Jesus: The Life” standing right in front of them.

You and I are not immune from spiritual blindness. It causes us to pray silly prayers. Prayers asking for things we already have.

We don’t need more of God.
We don’t need more life.
We don’t need more power.

What we need is an awakening!

And once our eyes are opened, we can participate in this goodness! (But we’ll touch more on that next week…)

Activate

This weeks activation is to meditate on these prayers from Ephesians,

I pray that the great God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ may give you the wisdom of His Spirit. Then you will be able to understand the secrets about Him as you know Him better. ¹⁸ I pray that your hearts will be able to understand. I pray that you will know about the hope given by God’s call. I pray that you will see how great the things are that He has promised to those who belong to Him. I pray that you will know how great His power is for those who have put their trust in Him. (Ephesians 1:17-19 NLV)

I pray that you will be filled with love. I pray that you will be able to understand how wide and how long and how high and how deep His love is. I pray that you will know the love of Christ. His love goes beyond anything we can understand. I pray that you will be filled with God Himself. (Ephesians 3:17-19 NLV)

What is God showing you that you already have?
How does this change the way you disciple other people?

Let’s Go!

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G’day Everyone and welcome back to The Holy Go!

Some exciting personal news… Over the weekend I was inducted as the Senior Minister at Mildura and Red Cliffs Churches of Christ! I’m very excited to start ministering alongside the great group of people here. Please keep us in your prayers.

This week we continue with “The Saints” series about Spiritual Formation and Making Disciples. Today we’ll look at three aspects to formation that Jesus calls us to. I hope it is helpful!

Equip

Adapting Training

At the end of my most recent Hyrox race I was disappointed with my time.

I had committed myself to a busy training schedule,
I had made sacrifices along the way to ensure I stuck to it,
and I remained disciplined throughout the build.

But for some reason, my result didn’t go the way I had planned.

So I looked back and reflected.
What worked?
What didn’t work?
What could I have dine differently?

As I did this I realised there were some gaps in my training. I think I didn’t:

Spend enough time running on fatigued legs
Spend long enough amounts of time on specific exercises
Nail a recovery routine
And I could go on…

I am now taking this information and adapting my training. Why? Because I want my training to produce a certain outcome.

We need to look at discipleship the same way.

Jesus Shaped Formation

When we look at Jesus we see that He was clear about the outcomes He expected of His disciples:

They would know God.
They would be known for their love.
They would bear fruit.

But if you’ve been around Church for a while you would know that people can do all the right things and still not be transformed into love. They can

Attend Church services,
Listen to great to sermons,
Complete courses and Bible Studies

and still not produce the fruit Jesus expects. If this is the case, then we need to adapt what we are doing.

Luckily for us, Jesus was clear about what the formation process looks like.

In Mark 1:15-20 Jesus shows us three key ways to respond to the gospel. These are:

Repent - Literally means change your mind. This is a posture of surrendering to what has been revealed to us. We can call this aspect: Awakening to love.

Believe - To trust and agree with God. This is a posture of participating in what God is revealing and doing. We can call this aspect: Abiding in love.

Follow - To follow Jesus is to be sent like He was sent, to love others like He loves us. This is a posture of sharing. We can call this aspect: Abounding in love.

Because this framework is relational, these three aspects are never “once and done.” Rather they are a continuous rhythm of life.

Lopsided Discipleship

When I looked at my Hyrox training I realised I had some gaps in my plan that stopped me from achieving success.

In a similar way, if we don’t include all three discipleship aspects, our discipleship will have gaps that limit our ability to produce the fruit Jesus has for us.

The table below highlights the importance of having all three aspects present in our Spiritual Formation. For example,

If we only ever repent, but don’t believe or follow, we’ll be stuck in a pity party always aware of our sin but not of God’s life and grace.

Or if we only believe but never repent or follow, then our faith will be a comfortable self-centred religion.

Therefore, if we want to produce disciples who:

Know God intimately,
are known for their love, and
produce good fruit…

Then we must ensure we incorporate
Repent,
Believe and
Follow
in our Discipleship plans.

We must create spaces and practices to allow people to
Awaken to Love,
Abide in Love and
Abound in Love.

Join me next week as we continue to unpack this further.

Activate

This weeks activation is to spend some time looking at the above table and reflecting on your own spiritual formation.

Which of the three aspects comes easiest to you?
Which of the three aspects is most difficult?
Which Disciple Type describes you best?
What can you do to address any gaps?
What does this teach you about how to make disciples?

Let’s Go!

Share

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G’day everyone and welcome back to The Holy Go!

Every Monday I send out a newsletter that will teach, equip and empower you to fulfil the Great Commission.

This week we commence our new series, “The Saints” that will frame up a Jesus shaped approach to discipleship and spiritual formation. Today we explore what happens when we make “Love” the mark of Christian maturity.

Enjoy!

Equip

Over the weekend I raced in another Hyrox. Eight 1km runs, broken up by workout stations. About 90 minutes of strength and endurance.

You can finish without training, but I had a time and placement goal. So I followed a plan and for much of the build, I trained twice a day.

I had:

• a goal,

• a process to reach it, and

• practices that made it happen.

It got me thinking… What if we approached Church and discipleship the same way? Would it be possible to actually change the world like the early Church did?

A New Goal

If the goal of discipleship is maturity, what does that actually look like?

For much of my ministry, I’ve seen “maturity” as serving or being sent. Most pathways reflect this:

Bring In
Build Up
Send Out

But if maturity = serving, then the goal becomes moving people from not serving to serving. In other words, getting people busy.

But when I read Jesus, I see something deeper.

He said people would know we are His disciples by our love.
He said the greatest commandment is to love God and love others.

Discipleship to Jesus is all about love.

And the goal always shapes the process.

A New Process

If the goal is love, we need a process that forms people into love.

But how do you make someone love?

You can’t just say, “Love more.”
It’s deeper than a course, a Bible study, or a serving roster.
It requires honesty, vulnerability and transformation.

But it is possible.

What if it looked more like a life of continually:

• Awakening to God’s love — becoming more aware of His love for us.

• Abiding in God’s love — learning to live in and participate with that love.

• Abounding in God’s love — letting that love overflow into the world.

New Practices

In my Hyrox training, the goal and process only worked because of consistent habits.

In order to ensure we are forming disciples through the “Awaken, Abide, Abound” process we need to create habits that match.

These are often called Spiritual Practices. For example,

Awakening (Surrender)
Confession, repentance, lament, renouncing lies.

Abiding (Participation)
Thanksgiving, worship, listening prayer, meditation, giving and receiving forgiveness.

Abounding (Openness)
Intercession, generosity, hospitality, evangelism, care for the poor, peacemaking, justice.

And we could add more like sabbath, solitude and silence! The point is, if we want to be known for our love, we need practices that ensure that happens.

Moving Forward

My Hyrox Race is over but I will continue with my training and eating habits. What started as a strategic plan has turned into a way of life.

And that’s what happens with discipleship too.

It may start off feeling formal and strategic, however the goal is that it becomes a lifestyle.

The early Christians called this “The Way” and they went on to change the world.

And that is what I pray happens as we continue this series.

Let’s retire “maturity looks like busy-ness” and raise up disciples “that are known for their love!”

I have a feeling that if we did that,
we might just end up changing the world.

Activate

This weeks challenge is to meditate on Jesus words in John 13:35,

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

What is the Holy Spirit saying to you?
What is the Holy Spirit’s encouragement to you?
What is the Holy Spirit’s challenge to you?

Let’s Go!

Share

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Happy Easter Everyone and welcome back to The Holy Go!

Over the past month or so we’ve been looking at how we can become Easter Experts so we can know and explain the gospel confidently and effectively.

This week is our final instalment and will build upon the truth of the resurrection. If announcing the gospel is declaring something that has already happened, then Awakening is the first step, (and ongoing step), on the road of discipleship.

Equip

Now You See Me

I have been drawn to all the stories of those who saw Jesus after His resurrection.

The women at The Tomb
The disciples in the Upper Room
The disciples on the Beach
The men on the Road

They all had something in common…

They didn’t recognise Jesus at first.

Even though:
Jesus had risen from the dead,
Sin, Death and the Devil had been defeated,
All humanity had been raised in Christ…

They did not realise the good news yet.

Something had to fall from their eyes before they could clearly see Jesus.

This a great picture for the life of discipleship.

Past-Tense

When we think about it, discipleship is simply responding to something that has already happened. For example,

The Kingdom
In Jesus’ first sermon He announces that the Kingdom of God has come crashing in, and therefore tells everyone to “repent and believe the good news.”

Revealing The Father
In John 17 Jesus says that He had completed the work The Father had given Him. Take note, this is before Jesus even went to the cross! The work Jesus referred to was revealing The Father and giving people eternal life. (See John 17:1-5)

Reconciliation
When Jesus said “It is finished” upon the cross He was saying that the problem of sin had been defeated. Paul later writes that God no longer counts mans sins against us, but has already reconciled us. (2 Cor 5:81-19)

Blessed with Everything
The Apostle Paul tells us that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ, (Eph 1:3) and The Apostle Peter says we have been given everything we need for life and godliness. (2 Peter 1:3)

Whether it is The Kingdom, Eternal Life, Reconciliation or Being Blessed with Every Spiritual Blessing, the Scriptures say all these things have already been freely given to us!

Road of Discipleship

Even though all these things are true we do not always feel like they are true. If the truth is like a feast, we don’t always get to taste of the delicious meal God has for us.

In the protestant circles I grew up in, we dealt with this dilemma by saying those things were only true once we had upheld our end of the bargain. However I now see that Scripture speaks of this differently.

Scripture tells us that the issue is not whether Jesus’ ministry has affected us or not, or whether or not it has happened yet.

Rather, the questions is: Can we see it? The Apostle Paul said that the enemy had blinded our eyes, and his job was to help open them.1

Like the disciples walking along the road who had no idea Jesus was speaking to them, their eyes needed to be opened.

While we are used to talking about “non-believers” eyes needing to be opened, the reality is all disciples have blind spots. For example,

• The women at The Tomb were so sad and emotional they couldn’t see Jesus.

• Thomas’ scepticism prevented him from recognising Jesus in the Upper Room.

• Peter couldn’t see Jesus because of his shame.

• The men on the Road were so confused they couldn’t see Jesus was right in front of them.

None of us are immune to strong emotions, scepticism, shame and confusion.

But in each of these stories Jesus shows up and reveals Himself… and when He does life begins to flow, and love, joy and peace replace sadness, confusion and fear.

My prayer is that this “Easter Experts” series has helped open your eyes to see God more clearly, understand the cross more deeply, and trust the power of the resurrection.

May this good news shape the disciples we are discipling.

Read “Easter Experts” again here:

The Foundation
The Cross
The Lamb
The Resurrection

Activate

This weeks activation is to take some time in prayer.

Ask the Holy Spirit:

• What am I feeling?

• What am I doubting?

• What am I hiding?

• What is confusing me?

Pray: Jesus, open my eyes.

Return

G’day Everybody and welcome back to another edition of “The Holy Go!”

This Easter season we’re levelling up our Evangelism and Discipleship by becoming Easter Experts. Last week we looked at The Lamb and how we understand Jesus death.

This week we turn our attention to the resurrection!

Equip

A year or so ago we ran Alpha for our Young Adults. We had a great turn out of Christian and Curious young people joining us. Overwhelmingly the most talked about session was the one on the evidence for the resurrection.

These young people had faced plenty of tough questions about their faith and now they had been shown that belief in the resurrection of Jesus was not blind faith but a belief that made sense of strong evidence.

If I were to be honest, I think there are three reasons why I first believed the resurrection:

The Bible says…
The Church Teaches…
My Parents said…

The problem is that when many of our young people get to university they end up sounding like “Bobby Boucher” from The Water Boy answering questions,

“My mamma says…” to roars of laughter from the rest of the class.

The truth is The Bible, The Church and Our Parents all get heavily critiqued in both university, and in the plethora of social media videos aimed at drawing attention to all the parts that do not make sense.

But the resurrection of Jesus is not some fanciful story that we blindly believe. Rather, there is ample evidence for our belief in the resurrection. Funnily enough,

The Bible says…
The Church Teaches…
My Parents said… (Or People said…)

Are actually all the basis of compelling evidence for the resurrection.

Imagine if the whole Church was able to communicate their reason for belief in the resurrection in such a way that seriously made people stop and ask, “What if it’s true?”

Below are some great reasons to believe the resurrection. I hope they help you share this amazing story with boldness and confidence.

The Bible Says… (But Why Trust It?)

Instead of just saying “the Bible says,” we can point to why it’s credible:

Bibliographical Test

The New Testament is recorded in over 5,800 Greek manuscripts (with over 24,000 total copies) which is far more than any ancient work. This allows texts like the Gospel of John to be reconstructed with remarkable accuracy.

In short: The Easter story hasn’t been corrupted.

Fulfilled Prophecy

There are 100–300+ prophetic threads pointing to Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection centuries before He lived. (see Psalms 22 and Isaiah 53 for two especially literal predictions!)

In short: The story was written before it happened.

Multiple Witnesses

Jesus appeared to:

• Individuals

• Groups

• Over 500 people at once

They then recorded these in raw unpolished accounts where:

• Women are the primary witnesses (unexpected in that culture)

• The accounts include differences (like real eyewitness testimony)

If you were making it up, you’d clean it up. The story is messy because it is real.

In short: The Gospels records real peoples testimony of what they saw.

Early Eyewitness Testimony

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul records a creed about the resurrection that dates to within a few years of Jesus’ death.

In short: The resurrection wasn’t a legend that developed over time.

Radical Transformation

The Apostle Paul was a real person who went from persecuting Christians to suffering for Christ. What other than an experience with the living Christ explains that kind of transformation with all the persecution Paul was to suffer?

In Short: Paul believed Jesus had risen from the dead!

The Church Teaches… (But Why Did It Start?)

Instead of simply agreeing with what the Church teaches, we can look deeper into the reasons behind the teaching.

The Empty Tomb

Jesus was buried in a known tomb.

No one ever produced a body.
Even opponents claimed it was missing.

The real question isn’t if the tomb was empty, it’s why?

The Rise of the Church

Christianity began in Jerusalem—the very place Jesus was executed.

No one expected a crucified Messiah.
Yet suddenly, thousands proclaimed:

“He is risen.”

The real question is what happened to spark that movement?

The Disciples’ Willingness to Suffer

Tradition (including Foxe’s Book of Martyrs) records that most of the apostles suffered terrible persecution and many were killed for their belief. Yet none of them ever denied Jesus had risen from the dead.

People may die for something they think is true.
But not for something they know is false.

The real question is why were they so convinced of the resurrection?

My Parents Said… (And Millions Still Do)

“My mumma says” may sound like a funny reason. However, it’s not just your parents… It’s the story of millions of people from all around the world.

Lives Transformed

From the first disciples to today, millions claim a real encounter with the risen Jesus.

Changed lives.
Powerful purpose.
Happy, Saved and Free!

Not only that but those who make these claims have transformed the world through pioneering the first:

Hospitals
Schools
Feeding Programs
Addiction Services
And more!

Whether you believe in the resurrection or not, the question must still be asked,

“What are these people experiencing that causes them to be transformed, and then transform the world around them?”

Dig Deeper

Jesus died and rose from the dead. I believe this because The Bible Says, The Church Says, and My Parents Says so.

But it’s deeper than a throw away line. It’s

The Empty tomb.
Multiple Eyewitnesses.
Millions of transformed lives.
A movement that changed the world.

Yes, the resurrection sounds like a made up story. But the evidence points to something miraculous.

This Easter, may we share the facts with our friends and family, may we show them the evidence, and call them to faith in the risen Christ!

Let’s not settle for throw away lines,
Let’s become Easter Experts!

Activate

This weeks challenge is to ask some people if they have heard the evidence for the resurrection, then share some with them.

Let’s Go!

Share

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Welcome back to The Holy Go!

We’re in the middle of our Easter series that is equipping us to understand, defend and share the Good News in a more effective way!

Last weeks activation was to practice your response to questions around violence attributed to God by referring back to Jesus as the perfect picture of who God is. How did you go?

Today may ruffle your feathers as we take a look at what The Cross meant to Jesus. We evangelicals have copped some “heresy” labels for the way we have told the Easter story. However, engaging this critique will lead us to a more a beautiful Easter story.

Equip

I’m a Heretic?

As an evangelical I was shocked to discover the Orthodox Church thought I held heretical views.

“But my theology comes from the Bible! How could I possibly believe anything heretical?”

I thought I believed what all Christians believed:

• God can’t stand to be around sin

• We’re sinners and deserve God’s wrath

• Jesus took the punishment for our sin

• If we repent and believe we receive forgiveness

Then an Indian pastor friend challenged me. He said the gospel we described sounded more like pagan sacrifice than the Christianity he knew.

He told me that growing up, his mother would sometimes become possessed. The spirits would demand sacrifices of alcohol or she would kill herself. The family complied… until they met Jesus.

For my friend Ankit, and many Christians shaped by the early Church, the idea that God requires a sacrifice to stop bad things happening sounds pagan. Even N. T. Wright has calls this view so!1

Therefore if we want to understand Easter better, and share a message truly worth proclaiming, it’s time to have a re-think.

God Looks Like Jesus

The main critique I hear from the Orthodox world is that evangelicals drift from a truly Trinitarian view of God.2

We end up separating the Trinity, making Jesus seem less holy, and less “God,” than the Father.

For example, we often say:
“God can’t be around sin. If He comes near it, He must destroy it.”

So Jesus must step in as our substitute.

But if Jesus is fully God, then the Gospels show something different:
God can be around sinners. Jesus does it constantly.

And instead of destroying sinners, He destroys the sin.

As I like to put it: Jesus loves the hell out of us.

Another example is the cross. Evangelicals often say that “sin separates us from God” therefore when Jesus took our sin, the Father turned His back on Him. After all, Jesus cried out the opening line of Psalm 22: “My God, why have you forsaken me?”

But the early Church kept reading the Psalm.

After prophetically describing the crucifixion scene, it ends with this declaration:

“He has not hidden His face from him.”3

Jesus remained united with the Father even in death, just as He had said: “I and the Father are one.”4

The Apostle Paul put it this way:

“God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself.”5

The early Church fought hard to hold onto that vision.

Whenever we miss the mark, it’s usually because we’ve formed a picture of God that doesn’t look like Jesus.

So if we want to understand Easter more clearly, we need to return to our roots:

God looks like Jesus.

Or as the early Church insisted: Jesus is fully God and fully man.

Jesus Shaped Lamb

Russian theologian Georges Florovsky summarised the difference well:

“The Western doctrine of redemption became increasingly framed in juridical categories, while the Greek Fathers spoke of healing, renewal, and participation in divine life.”

So how did Jesus actually describe what He was doing?

First, He spoke of sin as sickness.
In John 3 He compares His death to the bronze serpent lifted up by Moses. The Israelites were dying from snake venom, but those who looked at the sign were healed.6

Second, Jesus connected His death to the Passover Lamb.
In Passover the lamb wasn’t a sin offering or a substitute. Its blood marked who belonged to God and secured their freedom from slavery.

Third, Jesus emphasised sharing His life now.
Eternal life wasn’t just life after death, it was knowing God,7 life overflowing from within.8

Seen through Jesus’ lens, Easter tells a powerful story:

Jesus has dealt with our sin.

He healed it.
He defeated it.
He freed us from it.

In His words:

“It is finished.”

Now He invites us to share in His resurrection life even before we die.

And that is an Easter Story worth sharing.

Activate

This weeks activation is to share the Easter story as explained by Jesus with someone.

Pick out one of these conversation starter questions, and see if you can get it into a conversation. Don’t force anything, just ask questions and see where it leads!

• What do you think the Easter story is about?

• What do you think “Jesus died for you” means?

• Why do you think the symbol of Christianity is The Cross?

• If God wanted to show us what He’s really like, how do you think He would do it?

I pray these questions will open some great disciple making conversations!

Let’s Go!

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Welcome back to The Holy Go!

We’re in week 2 of our Easter Experts series, where we are equipping you to understand the cross, trust the resurrection, and share the story of Jesus with confidence.

Last weeks activation was to write a list of responses to the question, “What does the Easter story reveal about God?” Let me know how you went!

Today we continue this thought as we answer the objection of “God is violent and unsafe.” This line of thinking has shipwrecked countless young peoples faith as they have been exposed to the stories of rape, genocide and violence in The Bible.

However, as we will see again today, The Easter Story reveals the truth of what God is like.

Equip

When I was in Bible College I took an apologetics class on defending the Christian faith. One of the books on the reading list was The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.

In it he famously describes the God of the Old Testament as:

“Arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction… a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser.”

Many atheists make the same argument. They point to violent passages in the Old Testament and conclude that God Himself must be violent.

But beneath that accusation lies a deeper question: What is God actually like? Is God good? Can God be trusted?

Christian apologists have offered many answers—appealing to historical context, ancient war rhetoric, and divine justice. But the Apostle Paul took a different approach. He said he resolved to know nothing “except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”1

The cross, it turns out, is the clearest place to answer the question: What is God like?

Jesus Reveals God

For 2,000 years Christians have believed that Jesus reveals the Father. The Apostle Paul calls Him “the image of the invisible God,”2 and the author of Hebrews says He is the “exact representation”3 of God’s being.

If we want to know what God is like, we must start with Jesus.

And Jesus was very clear about violence.

He told His followers to love their enemies, bless those who curse them, and pray for those who persecute them.4 When His disciples tried to use violence, He rebuked them saying, “Those who live by the sword will die by the sword.”5

Then Jesus lived out His own teaching.

When Peter attacked a soldier during Jesus’ arrest, Jesus healed the man’s ear. When He was beaten, mocked and crucified, He did not retaliate. Instead He prayed:

“Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”6

At the cross we see the clearest picture of God.

Not violence.
Not revenge.
But self-giving love and forgiveness.

How Jesus Interpreted Violent Scriptures

Jesus also showed His followers how to read difficult passages of Scripture.

When His disciples wanted to call down divine fire on their enemies, (echoing the prophet Elijah), Jesus rebuked them saying, “You do not know what spirit you are of.”7

When religious leaders wanted to stone a woman caught in adultery according to the law, Jesus disarmed the crowd by saying:

“Let the one without sin cast the first stone.”8

The result? No stones were thrown. Not even by Jesus, the only one without sin.

Again and again Jesus redirected people away from violence and toward mercy.9

Easter Experts

So what do we do with the objection of violence in the Old Testament?

We begin with Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

The cross is the clearest revelation of God’s character. When we read Scripture through Jesus, the story begins to make sense. And when people challenge the goodness of God, the cross becomes the most powerful place to point them.

Understanding Easter doesn’t just strengthen our own faith, it equips us to defend it and share it with confidence.

Because if you want to know what God is like, we look to the cross. Because God looks like Jesus.

Activate

This weeks activation is to select a violent Old Testament story. Imagine a friend asks you, “How can God command that?”

Use what you’ve learned about Jesus’ life and the cross to formulate a short response.

Write it down. Ask yourself: Does this answer help me understand God for myself and give me confidence to share it with others?

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G’day Everyone and welcome back to The Holy Go!

We’re kicking off a new series, Easter Experts: Understanding the cross, trusting the resurrection, and sharing the story of Jesus with confidence.

Today we begin by raising the alarm bell. The way we have explained Easter to our young people has been too weak and shallow to stand up against scrutiny and has resulted in a wave of youngsters departing the Church and deconstructing their faith.

This series will help you grasp the theology behind the cross, the meaning of Jesus’ death, the evidence for the resurrection, and how to defend and share this life changing message with clarity and confidence.

Equip

Departing and Deconstructing

When I first started Bible College we studied the differences between the Synoptic Gospels. As we lined up the same stories side by side, we began to notice differences between the accounts.

Many of these could be explained easily. But then we saw something that unsettled us… Even the resurrection story had multiple versions that seemed to contradict each other!

This sort of textual criticism is normal in Bible study and can uncover beautiful insights about what the authors were trying to communicate. But for many students it was deeply unsettling. Some had been taught that the Bible was perfect in every detail, and when they encountered problems their faith collapsed.

Put simply: Their foundation had been the Bible and when the Bible was questioned, everything fell apart.

And this isn’t just something I saw at Bible College. Many young adults arrive at university and lose their faith. Research from the Barna Group suggests that 64% of students who identified as Christians in high school will walk away from their faith or significantly disengage once they reach university.

Today “deconstruction” is a hot topic. People are asking difficult questions about the Bible: Did these stories really happen? What about the contradictions? How do we deal with the violent passages that seem to condone things like rape or genocide? Can we really trust a God like that?

These are serious questions. But too often the answers we’ve given have been shallow.

According to research from Pew, the most common reason these young people leave their faith is simple: they stop believing the teachings of their religion.

In other words, we have failed to disciple people in a way that equips them to trust the faith, defend the faith, and share the faith.

Jesus the Foundation

When the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, he said that he resolved to know nothing among them “except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”

The Easter story is the foundation of the Christian faith.

Sadly, much of modern evangelicalism has made The Bible the foundation instead. Of course The Bible is “God-breathed and useful for teaching,” but it only exists because Jesus came first.

Imagine buying a car but never driving it. Only studying the owner’s manual. You memorise it, discuss it, even form clubs around it… but never actually drive the car.

As strange as that sounds, we Christians sometimes do something similar. We centre our faith on the book that points to Jesus rather than on Jesus Himself.

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for doing exactly this. They searched the Scriptures thinking they would find life in them, yet they missed the One the Scriptures pointed to.

The clearest picture of God is not found in a text, it is found in Jesus on the cross.

At the cross we see that God is good.
We see that God is self-giving love.
We see that God is reconciling the world to Himself.

And the resurrection proves that Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be. He is the image of the invisible God, the one who triumphs over sin, death, and the powers of darkness.

If our faith rises and falls on anything, it rises and falls on Easter.

Easter Experts

If the Easter story is the foundation of our faith, then our discipleship strategies should be aimed at raising up Easter Experts.

Disciples who can explain what God is really like.

Disciples who can show why the resurrection is credible and why it matters.

Disciples who can understand the Easter story, defend it with confidence, and share it with passionate clarity.

Pastor Andy Stanley writes:

“When we anchor our faith to the person of Jesus rather than the entire Bible, Christianity becomes far more resilient.”

That’s the kind of faith we need: resilient faith, grounded in Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Looking back, I can see why my faith survived when my perception of the Bible was challenged. My confidence was never built on “the Bible tells me so.” It was built on the person and work of Jesus.

Over the next few weeks I’m going to show you how the Easter story can help us explain and defend the Christian faith.

We’ll explore The Cross, The Lamb, and The Resurrection.

If Christianity rises or falls on Easter, then it’s time we all became Easter Experts.

Activate

This weeks challenge: Get a note pad and pen and answer this question: What does the Easter story reveal about God? How many answers can you come up with?

Do you know some people who may benefit from this series? Why not share this with them and invite them to subscribe?

Let’s Go!

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G’day Everyone and welcome back to another edition of “The Holy Go”, a newsletter designed to help you share the gospel and make disciples in the Spirit of Jesus!

Also, a special welcome to those who have recently subscribed from the Churches of Christ in Mildura and Red Cliffs! I’m looking forward to seeing how God leads us as we follow Him in multiplying disciples throughout this region.

Today wraps up the series on the The Three M’s of Evangelism and Discipleship. Over the last two months we have explored how LOVE is our Motivation, Message and Method.

Last week we delved into the method, or “how” we minister. Today we continue that theme with a challenging question, “If sinners flocked to Jesus, why are they running from us?”

Equip

Noise Torture

Have you ever heard of “Noise Torture?”

In December 1989, the Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega was forced out of power by U.S. forces and fled to the Papal Nunciature in Panama City to avoid capture.

The American troops wanted to apprehend him but weren’t allowed inside. So they set up outside and started blasting music from giant loudspeakers… Originally the plan was just to keep journalists from overhearing the negotiations, however someone in the psyops team had another idea:

If we keep the music going non-stop, maybe the noise itself would drive Noriega out.

So they aimed the speakers right at his window and non stop blasted music, turning the siege into a surreal battle of noise meant to wear him down.

This method is called, “Noise Torture” and has since been used in various warfare scenarios, and used as a form of torture, perhaps most memorable in Guantánamo Bay.

“Noise Torture” is sensory overload or psychological torture and is used to prevent sleep, heighten heart rates and induce stress, drive people mad, and break their resistance.

Noise Torture turns things of creativity and beauty into a tool of torture.

Noisy Gongs

The Apostle Paul warns us that the same thing can happen when we share the gospel. In 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 he tells us that when followers of Jesus preach and act without love, we are “a noisy gong or clanging cymbal.”

I believe that for far too long we have equated this noise with something “annoying” or “slightly-uncomfortable.”

The Church has often prioritised “Biblical” over “Love” despite the abundantly clear teachings and warnings of Jesus. As a result we have deemed collateral damage as acceptable. Upsetting people, degrading them, and making them feel judged has simply been written off and seen as a necessary byproduct of sharing the gospel. For example,

When the church speaks about the LGBTQ community being an abomination it downplays the very real concern of the alarming suicide rate among this community.

Or when Christians carry signs that say, “Abortion is Murder” it downplays the very real financial and emotional struggles that many young women face.

Just like Noise Torture psychologically abuses people, when we share the gospel without love we’re in danger of psychologically abusing our listeners.

I believe Paul is warning us that when we twist the gospel of love that is supposed to bring peace, freedom and life, and instead we bring judgment, condemnation and fear, we are committing noise torture!

History is full of people who have professed the name of Jesus without actually loving others. We would all agree that,

the crusades, (Gong!)
witch hunts, (Clang!)
hate groups like the KKK, (Gong!)
and genocides (Clang!)

are all evil and nothing like the Christ they professed.

In these instances they perverted the gospel of love that brings life, freedom and peace and turned it into an instrument that condoned injustice, death and destruction.

When the gospel loses love, the world only hears noise!

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Beautiful Feet

Jesus is our model for truth and grace. Yet sinners ran to Him. They wanted to be around this man whose nickname was, “The Friend of Sinners.”

The fact that sinners flocked to Jesus but run and hide from us should cause us serious concern. It should cause us to stop and evaluate what we are doing differently.

If we want to be like Jesus, then we need to hold ourselves to the standard of love that He set. If we really believe that the Gospel is Good News, then people should be celebrating when we come. As Paul reminds us, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!”

In order to bring good news that makes the people cheer we have no other option but to love in word and deed!

The “how” matters because people matter.
We can no longer lazily accept collateral damage.
Instead we must commit ourselves to the way of love.

Our motivation, our message and our method must all be love. Whenever we drop love from one of these “M’s” we end up misrepresenting the heart of God, pervert the gospel, and torture the very people we’re called to minister to.

Activate

This weeks challenge is to reflect on how you are sharing the gospel.

Ask the Holy Spirit to convict you and to encourage you. Spend some time in repentance and rededicate your life to sharing the gospel in love.

• How have I been a noisy gong?

• How have I been a beautiful sound?

• How can I bring a beautiful sound to those in the world around me?

Let’s Go!

P.S Come back next week as we kick off our Easter series, “Making Sense of Easter: Equipping you to understand it, trust it, and share it.”

*photo: Canva Ai

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G’day Everyone and welcome to another edition of The Holy Go!

A special welcome to my new subscribers who I met at the Operation Mobilisation Leaders Retreat, where I had the privilege of speaking about mission as Overflow.

Over the past month or two we have been looking at Love being the motivation, and Love being the message of discipleship.

This week we turn our attention to the method… and you guessed it, it is Love. I believe the “How” we do ministry is of extreme importance.

Equip

Remember Love

One day I was overseas and visiting a Compassion project. As we were leaving they asked us to pray for them. The more we prayed for people, the more prayer they wanted.

At one stage they brought to us one of the staff’s daughters who was deaf. We all began praying for her. Pretty quickly people were passionately shouting and praying out loud. However, I looked at this young girl and she looked terrified.

I stopped everyone from praying, and told them to look at the girl, pray in faith, and try not to scare her. We prayed again but nothing seemed to happen. I wondered if I had just stopped the passion that would lead to her healing…

We continued praying for others, and as we did it was like Heaven manifest right in front of us. We could all sense the tangible presence of God, people were crying before The Lord, lying down on the floor, and there was an overwhelming sense of the holiness of God.

I looked up and the deaf girl caught my attention. She was now sitting on the side of the hall and I felt prompted to pray for her. I wondered over to her and motioned with my hands if I could pray for her. She looked at me and smiled and gave me a little nod. I prayed a simple prayer,

“In Jesus name, ears open!”

I then asked her, “Can you hear me?”

Straight away she said yes! The woman sitting next to us was absolutely shocked. She had known this little girl her whole life and was awestruck at what had just happened.

I went and found the mum on the floor crying. She was on the other side of the room and so I told her what had just happened to her daughter. Excitedly she got up and as she did, she called out her daughters name across the room. The daughter who could now hear looked straight at her! The whole room erupted in praise as they realised this girl was healed.

As we left I was told this young ladies name. I can’t remember how to say it in the local language, but it was translated “Love.” Her name was love. As I sat on the bus and reflected on what had just happened, I sensed God say,

“James, remember Love!”

The Two Meanings

When I heard those words I immediately knew it had two meanings.

First, remember “Love” the little girl. When we are preaching the gospel and ministering, remember the person in front of you has a name.

The Lord has convicted me on several occasions when I have realised that I loved ministry more than the person in front of me. It is easy to get caught up in doing good, that we can easily forget that the whole reason we do what we do is because each individual person matters to God.

Secondly, remember “Love” is how we operate. Whether we are preaching, serving, feeding, or whatever else we may do, we must remember to do it in love.

Love is our motivation.
Love is our message and,
Love is out method.

Integrity

I believe integrity is when there is no gap between our words and actions. When we share the gospel of love, we must remember to love at the same time. When our words and actions don’t match up, we end up hurting people and perverting the gospel.

How we do ministry matters.

Therefore, we must always remember Love.

Activate

This weeks challenge is about acknowledging peoples names.

Is there someone you regularly see who you don’t their name? Make it your goal this week to ask their name, then remember it and use it next time you see them.

Another option is when shopping, refer to people by the name on their name tags. Take notice how people react when they feel seen and valued.

Let’s Go!

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G’day Holy Goers!

We’re back for another newsletter aimed at helping you to fulfil The Great Commission right where you are!

We’re in the middle of a series looking at how LOVE is the Motivation, Message and Method of disciple making that Jesus used. Today we continue with looking at the Message of Love by tackling hell!

I hope you enjoy it and are activated to go and love the hell out of the people around you!

Equip

The Gym

Anyone who knows me knows I love working out. I love going to the gym, training for athletic events and challenging myself.

At the moment I am training for a Hyrox race which means I am doing a little more than usual. I have a program where I am hitting the gym 4-5 times per week, and doing another 4-5 running or cardio based sessions each week.

I have a goal.
I am fully committed.
And so I follow my program.

It’s no longer about “what I have to do” each day, it’s now turned into a lifestyle.

However, I know most people are not like me! In fact, based on industry data, about 67% of Americans who have gym memberships never actually use them, which represents roughly 42.9 million people not using the service they’re paying for. 1

In Australia it’s pretty similar with a 2021 study saying 50% of gym members went less than once per week with their wasted membership fees totalling a whopping $2.4 billion per year.2

Why am I talking about gym statistics here? Well I think we see something similar in the Church.

Now, it would be easy to just talk about Church affiliation and attendance. In fact, 44% of Australians identify as Christian or Catholic, while only 4.6% of Australians attend Church weekly.

However, todays newsletter is not about Church attendance. It’s about the message we are preaching.

I believe that many believers are like those gym members, who have paid their fees, and never go to the gym which begs the question, “What message have they responded to?”

The Message is…

Whenever I train people in evangelism I like to ask them, “What is the gospel?”

It’s a simple question, but it’s amazing how many people find it difficult to communicate. The most common summary I get is this,

“Jesus died and rose again to save us from our sin.”

When I press them a little more, the idea comes out like this little statement I used to quote all the time:

It’s Jesus or Hell.

The gospel is often taught as “Do these things and believe these things and instead of going to hell, you can go to heaven.”

However, when we look at the message Jesus declared, we see that it wasn’t a “go to heaven” message, but a “heaven come to Earth” message. Jesus called this message “The Good News of the Kingdom of God.” (Check out this newsletter here for a lot more on this.)

God loves the hell out of you

When we realise that the gospel message is “The Good News of the Kingdom of God” we see that:

God doesn’t just love us so much He wants us to avoid hell… God loves us so much He loves the hell out of us!

When Jesus met those possessed by demons He loved the hell out of them by setting them free.

When Jesus met those who were sick or dying, He loved the hell out of them by healing them and raising them back to life.

When Jesus met those who were rejected by the religious leaders, He loved the hell out of them by including them, forgiving them, and championing them.

The message we have is a message of love. It’s a “God so loves the world” message! It’s a message that is backed by love in action.

Hobby to Lifestyle

As followers of Jesus, we are called to love like Jesus loved us. (John 13:34-35) We’re called to love the hell out of the people all around us. “God Loves You!” is our message and it’s backed by action. That’s the good news of the Kingdom of God!

Don’t be fooled by those who say that unless we mention sin and hell we’re not preaching the gospel. A look at Jesus’ message and ministry debunks that myth and calls us to a deeper more costly love that requires far more of His disciples.

Imagine if the standard changed from “Did you mention sin and hell?” in our gospel sharing, to “Did you love the hell out of them?”

Let us not be like the gym members who simply settle for having the membership… Yes, Jesus loves you and has saved you! However, thats not the end.

It’s time to fully commit! Just as I have turned my fitness hobby into a lifestyle, I dare you to imagine what would it look like to turn the Good News of the Kingdom into a lifestyle of loving the hell out of the people around you.

Activate

This week’s challenge is to spend some time praying about and imagining what it would look like to turn The Good News of the Kingdom of God into a lifestyle of loving the hell out of the people around you.

Ask yourself these questions to help:

• Does the gospel I preach focus on Heaven when we die or Heaven on Earth?

• What does a gospel message based on “Jesus loving the hell out of us” sound like?

• What would it look like to love the hell out of the people I live/work/socialise with?

• How can I communicate the idea that Jesus loves the hell out of us?

Let’s Go!