Evangelism in the OT
Evangelism… in the Old Testament? For many people today, this phrase sounds like a contradiction in terms. After all, we don’t see the Great Commission until the New Testament, right? (See Matthew 28:19-20 and Acts 1:8.) So why (and how) would Old Testament believers...
The White Horse
Christian tradition holds that the book of Revelation was written by the Apostle John while he was imprisoned on the island of Patmos for preaching the good news of Jesus Christ. The book gives us a heavenly perspective on many earthly events, and some believe we see...
Evangelism in the NT
A real challenge in reading the New Testament is to let it say what it actually says. I experienced this when I was tasked with writing on the topic of evangelistic engagement in the New Testament. I started out thinking I’d look for some nice principles that I could...
Evangelism in a Hostile, Vile, and Broken World
“I, Patrick, a sinner… had for father the deacon Calpurnius… I was at that time about 16 years of age. I did not, indeed, know the true God; and I was taken into captivity in Ireland with many thousands of people… And there the Lord opened my mind to an awareness of...
Faith Clarity
At 5:00 a.m. on October 24, 2019, I pulled out of our driveway for an approximately 4500-mile road trip. I had some specific tasks I needed to take care of as I journeyed west, but I also simply wanted to get to know more of my brothers and sisters in the family of...
Bringing the Gospel
When you saw the title, Engage, for this issue of Faith & Fellowship, it may have led you to pause and think about one or two of the following questions. Let’s look at how the Bible would address them. Before I bring the gospel to my neighbor, should I prepare...
New Beginnings
New beginnings. January is one of my favorite months. I sift through the past year’s pains and joys and plan for the upcoming year. I smile at the good times, bury the bad times, and drink coffee while I make my checklists on how I’ll do better next time. As I think...
The Interview: Cultivate New England
Recently I met with Rev. Mike Natale of Faith Chapel Lutheran Brethren Church in Cranston, Rhode Island. In addition to serving at Faith Chapel, Mike is the Director of Cultivate New England. Mike and I met in a small town in eastern Connecticut, a place where we’d...
LBS: Student Trip to Japan
With the goal of instilling a passion in students for reaching lost people, Lutheran Brethren Seminary offers a class called “Cross Cultural Communication in Mission.” The course requires a short-term mission trip where students examine their role as incarnational...
70 Years of Ministry in Japan
The Lutheran Brethren Church of Japan, led by Pastor and President Takayama, gathered in Sendai November 3-5, 2019 to celebrate 70 years of God’s faithfulness and the proclamation of the gospel in northern Japan. They gathered at the Sendai International Conference...
Pray CLB: I Am With You
It is 2,990 miles from Bethany Lutheran Brethren Church in East Hartland, Connecticut to Hope Church at Silver Lake in Everett, Washington. If I were to drive to Hope Church to fellowship with their congregation, it would take me two full days, driving non-stop. When...
Faith that Moves You
A very mysterious event is recorded in Luke 5:18-20. “Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him...
Invisible Chains
A cloud of dust rose in the west, as six hundred of Pharaoh’s fastest chariots approached, his full army following close behind. Fear filled the Israelite camp as memories of weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth flooded back. The Israelites had been spared the...
Out of Egypt I Called My Son
I still fondly remember the countless times while growing up when I would rush to our basement to play video games with my brother. Mom would give us an hour or two to play after our chores were done, and during the summer we’d spend hours together having a great...
With Him I Am Well Pleased
It’s been awkward for me to live up to all my identities. That’s a bit of a weird line, I know, so let me explain what I mean. Although my mom will quickly tell you she named me Daniel, I’ve found myself at a place in life where I get called a lot of different names....