Ask Anything
This week I’d like to change the course of the conversation we have been having. I’d like to ask you to do a bit of the posting!
Many of you have asked some great questions about the new church, life, faith, and a number of other issues. For the next couple of weeks I’d like you to “Ask Anything”…about anything. If you would, in the “Leave a Reply” box, leave me your questions and I’ll do my best to answer them as I receive them. I am confident your questions will be helpful in trying to generate new conversations about life and faith issues.
So, with that in mind…take some time to think through some questions and post them. I look forward to reading and responding to them.
So, what do you think?
outside the gate 
I’ll bite.
Anthony, we are excited about what you’re doing, and think you are really qualified to be a church planter. But I have come across a site (I think via Steve Childers) about the emotion toll it requires to be a church planter. Wore me our just reading it! Have you and Corrine (sp?) read any of this stuff, and weighed the potential impact?
Not wanting to be negative, but I had never heard of this before myself and wondered if you had.
Do you have any thoughts for young couples who hold traditional, christian values, share their faith, put Christ at the center of the relationship and are thinking about a more serious commitment? With the scary statistic that every other marriage fails and the fear that we may be putting our wants over God’s will, how can we tell if we are getting ahead of ourselves or over-thinking things? What advice do you have for helping us to put Christ first?
And also, thank you for sharing your passion for God’s grace and
I don’t want to “bog” down your blog with a real heavy question. Any of your thoughts will be appreciated.
Where do we look for and how do we find the balance between works and grace?
The book, “Sitting at the Feet of Jesus” gives the impression that understanding the Old Testament can give us a deeper understanding of Jesus’ teachings. If this is true, why do we not spend more time in the Old Testament?
Papa Anthony,
Where do babies come from?
Your Son,
Aiden
To my dearest friend Jon…who is attempting to impersonate my 3 year old son I say this…While they did not teach us this in Seminary…you can find the answer at http://www.webmd.com.
Love ya.
A-
New Churches are poping up all the time, but how does one help keep a once vital and thriving Church from withering? I do know that the Church has to do more with it’s people than the Pastor. An Apostal chastised the congregation for it’s behavior and that the Church has to be one and not tear down it’s own Pastor for it’s own individual purposes. I wouldn’t want to be part of any reason for imploading a church, but I believe you need to be spiritually fed and if your not then what? I don’t believe it’s the Pastor’s job is to be a glorified motivational speaker. I hope that’s not why he or she was ordained to have an arena for great speaking skills or to be God’s cheerleader. To be a Pastor because you like being a Pastor and all that you’ve learned is not it, but to speak with the Holy Spirit from within and be on fire for the Lord is what it’s about. God calls all of us to do what we need to do to walk with him. You don’t just watch a tree die, you have to do something, but with no congregation we have no church and with no real leader we have no reason stay. Thoughts?
Anthony my boy, Professor Gill is here with his Bap. N.O. mocha latte. Got a question for you to wrap your mind around. If a married couple has been trying to conceive for years and has yet to give birth, is it ok for the couple to pursue fertilization treatments? Are there any ethical issues to consider? Are there any spiritual issues? (take the liberty of treating “issues” as positive or negative) you can call if you want or email.
I love Aiden’s question btw
I have been very encouraged lately by our brothers and sisters of Messianic Jewish congregations. My wife and I were blessed with the opportunity to host a small Passover seder last year, and our eyes have been opened to the parallels to Jesus as Messiah and the Jewish celebration that God himself instituted. Though almost all orthodox Jews still celebrate this feast, it is clear that Christ identified himself as the Pesach Lamb and with the Cup of Redemption in the seder. There is so much opportunity to see Christ in the celebration of the Pesach and other Jewish traditions. Many today celebrate the Jewish holidays as just another tradition…..but there really is true joy in seeing and worshiping the Lord here. So what do you think? Paul exhorts us to continue the tradition in sincerity and truth in 1 Corinthians 5:8. So why do we as Christians dismiss the many opportunities to celebrate the Lord in this way?
Anthony, how will you plan on teaching the Word at Restoration? I did get a chance to read the top 10 questions, but wondering if you have anything else to share. Will you teach line-upon-line, book-by-book through the Word, series-based, etc?
We started to attend a church where the Word was simply taught verse-by-verse, and it was more encouraging than any series or subject-based sermons I had ever heard. It really wet our appetite to get to know the Lord personally, grow in Him, and reach out to others. Many folks today find this to be irrelevant, and shoot to deal with particular cultural issues through series-based sermons. With all love, I disagree with this approach….and just wondering what the Lord has impressed upon you.
I just wanted to encourage you to stay connected with Christ and on his Word through this whole process. We will be praying for you and the family as the new church begins.
We spoke a little about this…with the hope of ministering to nonbelievers at Restoration; how will you preach the gospel as it relates to “sin”? What verbage will be used in trying to communicate the realities of “sin” and of being “lost”? As opposed to terminology like “accepting Christ” (or more confusing: “asking Jesus into your heart”!) what would be the actual presentation of the offer of salvation?
When are you going to start rambling again?
I’ve begun.
we want anthony…we want anthony…!!!
I’ve started shaking because i need my anthony fix.
Your wish has been fulfilled.
One more for Anthony. I was listening to the radio the other night to a respected nationally-known pastor. He stated that it was a mistake to try to hope to evangelize the lost in a church service using the Scriptures. His point was that the heart of a lost person is at odds with God, and with God’s word. It won’t reach the lost, and modifying your message to a mixed congregation represents a compromise for believers, and a waste of time for unbelievers. He said the only effective means of reaching the lost is the testimony of a life, changed through the power of the Holy Spirit….and that change happens to believers through the ongoing ministry using God’s word.
I know you are hoping to have non-believers attend Restoration Church, and I know you had no intention of setting the Scriptures aside in the church’s ministry, and wondered what would be your response to this pastor’s perceptions.
What’s the story behind the name of your blog, “outside the gate”?
Hey Omar.
Thanks for the question. I will post on this in a more detailed manner in the future, however you can look at the first post entitled, “What’s in a name?” to have your question answered right now. This post lays out the general direction and reason for the creation of this blog.