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Nathan Creitz

I help disciples make disciples.

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Disciple Making vs. Downline: Practicing God’s Presence or Pyramid Scheme?

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downline or disciples?

Is disciple making some sort of glorified multi-level pyramid scheme?

The argument I’ve heard recently is that those of us who emphasize making disciples as the mission of our lives more closely resemble sellers of Amway than ambassadors for Jesus.

The “product” (soap, meds, or Jesus) isn’t the point. It’s all about the process of recruiting more and more people into your pyramid (the people in your “downline” or the people you are “discipling”).

The critics actually make it sound like multiplication (and obedience?) are bad things.

To the critic, it seems that if we are sharing the Gospel, pleading with people to follow Jesus, baptizing and teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded, and mobilizing them to do the same, we can’t possibly have time left over to actually enjoy God. Right?

I personally don’t know anyone who fits the caricature. Sure, there are always those who come across as fake or “salesy” when they present the Gospel and in some instances, the criticism might be valid.

For my part, however, I couldn’t disagree more with this critique of disciple making.

In fact, I would suggest that we will never fully enjoy God if we aren’t actively engaged in making and multiplying disciples.

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Embodying Our Faith by Tim Morey [Review]

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Book Review: Embodying Our Faith: Becoming a Living, Sharing, Practicing Church by Tim Morey (InterVarsity Press)

Tim Morey (D.Min., Fuller Theological Seminary) is a church planter and pastor. His church, Life Covenant Church is located in Torrance, California. He is also on the national church planting team for the Evangelical Covenant Church and is an adjunct professor teaching practical theology at Talbot School of Theology.

Tim Morey asks, “How do we bring the message of Jesus to a culture that is deeply skeptical about truth claims, rejects metanarratives (such as the gospel), considers the church a suspect institution, takes offense at moral judgments and believes any religion will lead them to God?”

When put that way, our task seems a bit overwhelming. However, Morey does a great job of developing a philosophy of church planting while simultaneously making evangelism in a postmodern context a simpler concept to understand.
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The Parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant

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You know the story of the blind men and the elephant right?

A king asks six blind men to determine what they are touching by feeling different parts of an elephant’s body. One blind man feels a leg and says the elephant is like a pillar; the one who feels the tail says the elephant is like a rope; the one who feels the trunk says the elephant is like a tree branch; the one who feels the ear says the elephant is like a fan; the one who feels the belly says the elephant is like a wall; and the one who feels the tusk says the elephant is like a pipe.

Then the king explains to them, “All of you are right. The reason every one of you is telling it differently is because each one of you touched the different part of the elephant. So, actually the elephant has all the features you mentioned.”

What’s wrong with this story?

This story is told to indicate the truth that can be found in all religions. Any religion that makes exclusive truth claims (such as, “Jesus is the only way to God”) should learn from this parable and be more tolerant of other religions.

I can think of at least three problems with this parable (If this comes across as being intolerant of foolishness, so be it.):
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A Fresh Look at the HCSB Translation [Video]

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I love this new video from the Broadman & Holman Publishing Group about the HCSB. They highlight the primary reasons why the HCSB is the most readable and accurate English translation available.

Some Highlights

  • More than 100 Bible scholars from 17 denominations (What!? Not just a bunch of Southern Baptists?) gave several years of their lives to this translation because they felt the advancements in archaeology, linguistics, and Biblical research were so significant that there needed to be a new translation (not just a revision).
  • Goal was to be the most accurate and readable Bible in the English language.
  • Most translations use the title Lord for God’s personal name. HCSB uses Yahweh over 600 times. Compare Isaiah 42:8 HCSB vs. ESV. (What!? I never knew God had a name!)
  • The Greek word doulos is translated more accurately as “slave” over a hundred times in the HCSB (rather than the more common “servant”). Compare Titus 1:1 HCSB vs. ESV.  [Read more…] about A Fresh Look at the HCSB Translation [Video]

Four Crucial Habits To Help A New Disciple Form On Day One

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Visualize this scenario: You are at a coffee shop sharing Jesus with a friend. He puts his latte on the table and tells you he wants to turn from his sin and follow Jesus.

Once you’ve cleaned up the mess from the macchiato that just came out of your nose, you talk with him about his decision and you welcome him joyfully into the family!

So here’s the question: What now?

If you were only interested in a notch on your evangelistic belt then you might be tempted to outsource this new disciple’s growth to a church program.

If you don’t have time to make disciples then you might just give your new brother a book and send him on his way.

But, if you are serious about fulfilling the Great Commission by making disciples who make disciples, then you need to be intentional about this moment.

In fact, there are four habits that you need to help your new brother (or sister) form before he (or she) pays for your coffee. (Okay, maybe you should pick up the check this time.)
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Prediction: Bryant Wright Will Be The One To Rebrand the SBC

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I had the opportunity to share some thoughts about the SBC name change task force over at my friend Mark’s blog today. The post is about the task force that the current Southern Baptist Convention president Bryant Wright established to study a name change for the SBC.

I predict Bryant Wright will make this happen because of the timing, the current climate of the SBC, and the people that are a part of the task force. In the article, I share several reasons why I believe Wright will succeed in rebranding the SBC even when others have been trying to do it for half a century.

I also share my top five reasons why I think it’s important that Southern Baptists rebrand. For example,

Reason to Rebrand #1 Half of all Southern Baptists live in 5 Southern states. That won’t change until ‘Southern’ is no longer part of our name. Our name cultivates an “us vs. them” mentality that immediately puts up walls in other areas.

To read the whole post head on over to Mark’s blog.

What do you think about a potential name change? Is it necessary? Will Southern Baptists lose anything by rebranding after 166 years of history? Even if you’re not a Southern Baptist, I’d love to get your thoughts.