Joey Francis

Theology. What is the big deal today with it? Well, it has actually always been a big deal. Today it just is a bit more mainstream than I think it has been in the past. But does this mean we all need to understand Theology? If we are supposed to, what parts are most important, and why do we need to know them? These are questions which I have heard, asked, and attempted to answer. In this post I hope to give some you some mind fuel for this topic.

First off, do all people who consider themselves to be Christians need Theology? This is a difficult question to answer, but I would say first off that technically all people have a personal Theology, because we all have at one time or another came to some conclusion or have had some thought about God. When you get into the Bible and begin to ask, “What does the Bible say about (insert topic here)?” you end up having a Theology by discovering what God says, because when God says something about something, it gives a picture of who God is. Though we are all involved with Theology in one way or another, how far into it does the average lay person need to dive?

I was recently confronted by a person I minister to often with this question, “Why do people get so caught up with things that don’t even matter?” This is a very valid question which is asked my many people. I have came to the conclusion that we do not need to fully understand many issues which don’t affect our salvation. There are a lot of these issues which are spoken of often, when these issues are spoken of to a person who does not want to concern themselves with them, then it is burdensome to that person to try and understand, which can cause unneeded frustration. But other people do find the more minor issues of the Bible to be very important and relevant.

Using a personal example, I love to understand the Theology of more than just salvation or the Trinity. I love to hear why we baptize, why we speak in tongues, why we tithe, etc. But I also have a heart to pastor and disciple people, and when I understand Theology more broadly, it helps me paint the basic picture in a new believers eyes better than I could if I had not understood these more minor topics.

Moreover, I feel that it is imperative that a new believer understands the essentials to who God is. This includes but is not limited to God’s holiness, the Trinity, man’s sinfulness, and redemption through Christ. To me this is essential, a close follower to these would be the understanding of how God, the Holy Spirit, empowers each and every one us to live for the Kingdom of God. Though like I said, others will pursue a greater knowledge concerning things of God, or as it is popularly called.. Theology.

A quick side note too, you should not allow a person who does want to understand more bug you or turn you off from the Church. To you broad Theology may be unimportant, but to another it could be very important. Also, if you do enjoy a broad Theology maybe you should consider not speaking of so many of the things you find in your study to those who are more concerned with the more basic things. You may be hardening their hearts by confusing them with terms, words, and debates which they may not be ready to hear.. Comments?

The Family God Uses written by Tom and Kim Blackaby is written to people who want their family to be affective in the Kingdom of God. The authors write the book in a very practical fashion. The information presented covers what God intends families to do, why they exist, and what they should look like in context of a modern evangelical church.

Being that I am currently a single young man, I have a biased opinion of this book simply because I can’t take any of the information and practically apply it today. But I do believe that the information presented and the stories told can positively affect and even change the direction which a family may be living toward. The Blackabies seem to present a great example of what an extraordinary Christian family could look like. I think this is a very good book for a family to read who may not have much motivation in serving as a family. When a family doesn’t have an example in how to live, it can be very hard and very confusing to discern the direction God would like you to take.

Sometimes people feel they can’t press into God because they think they would have to give up their family to affectively serve. But with this book as a guide, a person who has the above perspective can let their stress go, keep their family, and serve God to the fullest. I want to encourage anyone who is investigating how to better serve God as a family, to read this book.

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My church, Church of Jesus Christ Spirit Filled, made the news this past week after having an open house. Check it out here!

Faces in the Crowd by Donna S. Thomas is a book concerning evangelism. The approach to evangelism used in the book is very unique. This is because Thomas has a massive amount of experience and an entire lifetime of ministry over seas. This book focuses on reaching the people of the entire world, yet it doesn’t require going on a mission trip overseas to allow this to happen. Instead, Thomas encourages her readers to look for opportunities to speak with international people who live in their own towns. We often think of reaching the world by going to Africa or China but we very often forget that we can simply go to a local coffee house or to the closest University to find some people who are not from where we are from.  Thomas encourages us to look beyond the faces in the crowd and to see them as Jesus sees them; she wants us to view them as individual people in need of a savior.

Faces in the Crowd does an amazing job at affectively motivating and equipping Christians to reach their international neighbors. There are points in this book that I can honestly say I have never considered. For instance, Thomas speaks of how many people from different nations and live in America tend to think that all Americans are Christians. She explains how this error in their understanding creates an amazing door for speaking to them about who Jesus is.

When I first picked up this book I was very afraid that it was going to simply be another exhortation on why we need to travel to the parts of the world where people have not heard the Gospel, but it surely surprised me. The different approach grabbed my attention, and I know that the words written can and will motivate many to evangelize to a people group they never even considered. The best part about it is that they will never have to leave the comfort or routine of their already established lives and ministries.

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Compelled by Love is a book written to motivate the Church to stop sitting around. The book fittingly holds the subtitle, The Most Excellent Way to Missional Living. The book is mainly focused towards providing believers with a more sufficient ground for understanding why Love is meant to be the basis of our Christian mission.

As I read this book I was quickly convicted. I realized by the time I read the first chapter, which is titled “Compelled by Love: The Most Excellent Way,” that I had not been living correctly for Christ. Yes, I have been loving others actively, but I have not been loving others driven solely by the love of God for them. The book has inspired me to better live a life intentionally designed to show God’s love to the lost.

Although, I have praises for this book, I also have criticisms. Missional living is a topic which is spoken of very much, or it is avoided all together. This book seems to be aimed towards a crowd of people who would already know what missional living is, and I think most people who are sold to living missional have a good understanding of the majority of what this book covers. I feel like the people who need to know more about missional lifestyle’s driven by love, would be unlikely to read this book, simply because it is focused towards a missional minded crowd.

Overall, I do think that this is a book that every person who has a true desire to serve Christ’s Church most effectively should read. There are those places where you’re so convicted that you know you need to change something about your life, and there are those parts that motivate you simply because they make so much sense. Read Compelled by Love, it will be worth your time.

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