In January of 1655, the Duke of Savoy forced a cruel choice upon the Waldensians of the lower valleys in Italy—either attend Catholic Mass, or move out of the valley within three days. In the dead of winter, some two thousand people journeyed across swollen rivers, snow-buried valleys, and ice-covered mountains with traces of blood marking their trail.

The first chapter of Acts gives the account of Christ’s ascension. This passage also details our orders as we await His return. In verse thirteen, we see the eleven names of the most powerful men in the Bible. They had just witnessed the ascension of the Lord. They had gathered in the upper room.

Where are new churches needed? Just about everywhere. The 2010 U.S. Religion Census revealed a county-by-county study of every denomination. While most counties in the south are dominated by 25–50 percent or more of Baptists, that is not the case for the rest of the nation.

I can’t tell you how many times I have emphasized the importance of God’s timing to someone. It has struck me over and over that God has good things for us at the right time. This is very evident in the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15.

In Paul’s letters, he was conscious to list believers in the churches whose fellowship he valued, like Onesiphorus, who is said to have “oft refreshed” the Apostle. A quick survey of this topic in the New Testament demonstrates that real fellowship accomplishes the following:

In order to most effectively serve the Lord and His church, a church staff must have certain qualities. The following are ten characteristics I emphasize to our staff so that we may continue to grow in the work of the Lord:

One of the most important aspects of our soulwinning program has been mapping. We are blessed with a number of soulwinning members who have responded to the call to tell others about Jesus. When they come during our scheduled soulwinning times, we want to help them strategically reach our community.

One Saturday afternoon after soulwinning, my family and I were making our way from our car into McDonalds. As we approached the front doors, another family was leaving. The dad stopped and curiously asked if we were Christians. I gladly told him yes and spent a moment talking to him about the Lord.

Teen culture manufactures plenty of excitement and hype. Every new show or event is marketed as the greatest, coolest, most epic of its kind, ever. But what our pop culture lacks is anything that is genuine or meaningful.

I remember throwing rocks into creeks and skipping them across ponds as a young boy. My brother and I would often compete in trying to make the biggest splash and the farthest-reaching ripples in the water.