Christian Challenge

What a JOY to spend an hour asking questions to @JohnPiper with collegiate leaders from across the nation for Collegiate Coaching Network! 🤯🙌🔥 So many great topics were discussed from the importance of saturating our lives in God’s Word to how college ministry leaders have an incredible opportunity to impact the nations through missions mobilization. He also challenged young leaders to embrace hard work for the glory of God… “You have one life to live, pour yourself out! How boring is it otherwise. Jesus is worthy of every once of your life!” It was also encouraging to hear his heart for college students because his life was transformed in college and he said they are like wet cement, the convictions they develop in college can last a lifetime! Amen! There were so many other topics covered but overall I am just fired up to continue leveraging my life for God’s glory, studying the Word just for the joy of it and mobilizing the next generation until every tribe, tongue and nation is reached! 😤📖🚀🌏🙌 Shout out to @MattBradner who is heading up the new collegiate focus at @desiringGod for making the connection for us. They truly have a heart to equip and encourage the collegiate body of Christ! 💪👏

THRIVE: CULTIVATING A FAITH THAT ENDURES For over twenty years, I have been personally discipling college students and have noticed the same issues arise over and over again. These roadblocks, if addressed proactively with God’s Word, can position a student to not only survive the college years but to thrive in every aspect of life. All of us have seen the statistics and even more personally, have witnessed the tragic stories of students whose faith was devastated after stepping on one of these landmines. Identity issues, anxiety, purity, shame, isolation, doubt, distraction and burnout are all addressed directly with God’s Word in this resource. As I have done countless times, I picture myself sitting down at a coffee shop with a student and one of these issues comes up in conversation. My response is always the same, “Well, let’s take a look at what the Bible says about this issue.” My goal is to help students uncover for themselves the gospel-centered depth found in foundational Bible passages related to each of these struggles. This study is less about hot topics and more about reflecting on how the gospel shapes every area of life and how we cooperate with God in the lifelong process of sanctification. You will not find trendy advice or quick fixes in this resource, but something far better, an in-depth exploration of how the gospel of Jesus Christ intersects with the realities of college life. While I understand that each of these issues requires a holistic response, my prayer is that this resource will serve as a conversation starter and a guidepost toward biblical solutions. While this resource does have a pastoral tone, my goal was not to stop there. The aim is not only to address problems but to cast a compelling vision for a life fully leveraged for God’s glory. When a student embraces their identity in Christ and actively engages in the process of sanctification, it ignites a life marked by confidence, faith, peace, consecration, connection, discipline, and zeal for the glory of God. Check it out here lifeway.com/en/product/thriv…

I just wrote an article on this exact topic! paulworcester.substack.com/p…

Missing Max Barnett 😭 “Let us not glide through this world and then slip quietly into heaven, without having blown the trumpet loud and long for our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Let us see to it that the devil will hold a thanksgiving service in hell, when he gets the news of our departure from the field of battle.” C.T. Studd paulworcester.substack.com/p…

“A zealous man in religion is pre-eminently a man of one thing. It is not enough to say that he is earnest, hearty, uncompromising, thorough-going, whole-hearted, fervent in spirit. He sees one thing, he cares for one thing, he lives for one thing, he is swallowed-up in one thing — and that one thing is to please God. Whether he lives — or whether he dies; whether he has health — or whether he has sickness; whether he is rich — or whether he is poor; whether he pleases man — or whether he gives offence; whether he is thought wise — or whether he is thought foolish; whether he gets blame — or whether he gets praise; whether he gets honor, or whether he gets shame — for all this the zealous man cares nothing at all. He burns for one thing — and that one thing is to please God, and to advance God's glory. If he is consumed in the very burning — he is content. He feels that, like a lamp, he is made to burn, and if consumed in burning — he has but done the work for which God appointed him. Such a one will always find a sphere for his zeal. If he cannot preach, and work, and give money — he will cry, and sigh, and pray. Yes, if he is only a pauper, on a perpetual bed of sickness — he will make the wheels of sin around him drive heavily, by continually interceding against it. If he cannot fight in the valley with Joshua — then he will do the prayer-work of Moses, Aaron, and Hur, on the hill. (Exod. 17:9-13.) If he is cut off from working himself — he will give the Lord no rest until help is raised up from another quarter, and the work is done. This is what I mean when I speak of "zeal" in religion.” J.C. Ryle paulworcester.substack.com/p…

"God can do more through one man who is 100 percent dedicated to Him than 100 men who are only 90 percent." Dawson Trotman

HAPPY REFORMATION DAY 🙌 Salvation: By grace alone Through faith alone In Christ alone On the basis of Scripture alone To the glory of God alone 🙌 “Peace if possible; Truth at all costs.” “I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Amen.” “Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.” On October 31 in 1517 Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the church door in Wittenburg, Germany, sparking the Protestant Reformation. We remember the day because Luther and other reformers called the church to embrace the Biblical Gospel, reaffirm foundational doctrines, and firmly stand in these convictions. May we stand for truth with courage in these evil days also! 😤⚔️

This was a really helpful, respectful and practical conversation not only about what LDS people believe but also how we can love them well and have conversations around the gospel and who Jesus is. open.spotify.com/show/0PtCIH…

How is Christian Twitter doing with the commands below… 🤔 “Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.” Titus 3:1-3

Wise leaders know how to pick their battles. They are not passive but prudent. “Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.” Proverbs 26:17

Are Mormons Christians? youtu.be/Zg0nOM3dm4s?is=Zy4e…

“Every movement of God starts with not moving.” @Rgallaty 🙌 Such an epic webinar on revival and disciple-making with @vick_green @shane_pruitt78 & @Rgallaty today! We discussed principles from the book Movement Ready Church as well as how to deepen our prayer lives for personal revival! We had 998 register for the event and lots of encouraging feedback from leaders. If you missed it and want to catch the recording it will be reposted on the GenSend podcast soon so make sure to subscribe to that! So grateful for opportunities like this to invest in next gen leaders across the nation. @NAMBEvangelism @ReplicateMin

THE RUTHLESS ELIMINATION OF LAZINESS paulworcester.substack.com/p… “Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can.” Jonathan Edwards I once told my father, John Worcester a church planter and missionary trainer, that Edwards worked thirteen hours a day. He quickly replied with a smirk on his face, “What did he do with all his other time?” My father is one of the hardest workers I have ever met. I have many memories of coming into his office late at night while he was grinding away on sermons or training materials for other church planters. I never felt neglected by his hard work. He let us interrupt him and took time to play sports with us, teach us the Bible, and even coach our teams. I am so grateful to have grown up in a household with a real biblical man who not only loved us well but also worked diligently. I also think of my mentor and coauthor @SteveShadrach who as I write is in Asia on a monthlong trip leading multiple trainings for different groups of leaders, with stops in seven countries. He is at the stage where he could kick back, write books, and leave the traveling and training to the young bucks. Instead, he keeps going to come alongside and lift up the hands of local leaders across the world. He is a hero-maker in every sense of the word! These men have spent decades cultivating a love for Christ and habits of faithful service that prepared them for how they are serving now. Their zeal in the final lap of life challenges me to consider what I am cultivating in this season. Read the whole Substack article here paulworcester.substack.com/p… It’s a long one so your resolve may be tested 😅

THE PRINCIPLE OF THE PLATE 🍽️ paulworcester.substack.com/p… When training collegiate leaders in their 20s, I often challenge them with what I call “the principle of the plate,” based on Luke 16:10 “Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much.” God uses faithfulness with the responsibilities He has already entrusted to us to grow our character and capacity for future service. Before asking God for more opportunities, learn to be faithful with what is already on your plate, especially in difficult seasons. If you learn to endure and maximize the opportunities before you, the Lord may trust you with a bigger plate. The reward of good stewardship is greater responsibility. It is rare for me to meet someone who feels like their plate is not already overfilled. Most people struggle to keep up with the various demands and expectations in their lives, which can lead to a sense of being overwhelmed. For many years, my wife Christy suffered from chronic back problems related to the birth of our first child. For nearly ten years, she was essentially stuck in her chair at home and unable to care for our two young children on her own. By God’s grace and providence, living on Oʻahu has brought significant improvement to her condition and opened the door to incredible ministry opportunities for our family here. During those years of suffering, we were seeing a movement of God in the college ministry we led, with around 100 students making professions of faith in Christ each year. Between a growing staff team and increasing external ministry opportunities, we often felt like old-school taffy being pulled in every possible direction. Needless to say, I had to learn to be increasingly strategic with my time, delegate heavily, and lean into my prayer life with desperation. God used that season to humble us, test us, and shape our character in so many ways (James 1:2–4; Romans 5:3–5). We affectionately refer to it as our “advanced sanctification program.” If I had not learned the lessons that came through that season of suffering and stretching, I would not be able to effectively steward my current role and opportunities! Check out the full Substack article here paulworcester.substack.com/p…

This conversation with @gary_stidham and I on the latest episode of the @CampusMNetwork was PACKED with practical principles that if we fully unpacked could take a whole book. Gary and I brainstormed a list of less emphasized keys to a collegiate movement! open.spotify.com/episode/5wE…

“I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” Romans 15:20-21 Last week I had a couple hour drive through a rural area of South Carolina and saw 30-40 mostly baptist churches! I was both encouraged and burdened. Encouraged to see so many churches that likely have faithful members and pastors loving the community and preaching the gospel. Grateful for the places in our nation that have a higher percentage of gospel influence! (I do also know many of those churches are struggling and are in need of revival and revitalizing. And that there are many lost people in those communities. So grateful for those called to the extremely difficult work of revitalizing established churches which in many ways is more difficult than starting a new ministry.) I was burdened thinking about the many places where the average person has little to no access to the gospel. According to Joshua Project there are 7,162 unreached people groups representing 3.62 Billion people. I think about my friends in Japan diligently laboring to share Jesus in a country that is 0.5% Evangelical Christian. I know of one team who is focused on reaching college students that is seeing incredible fruit with many students coming to know Jesus. I was with the team recently and they are just ordinary people who are working diligently and strategically. They would be the first to tell you the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few! (Matthew 9:36-38) I think of our friends in a persecuted part of India who are seeing more churches planted than they know what to do with but have a vision to train thousands more planters to keep up with the millions of lost people in their region and the population growth. Over 52% is under 30! I am not saying everyone should go long term but we can all ask God what is our most strategic role! I love the motto of Dawson Trotman, “Never do anything that someone else can and will do, when there is so much of importance to be done which others cannot or will not do.”

“If our theology does not quicken the conscience and soften the heart, it actually hardens both; if it does not encourage the commitment of faith, it reinforces the detachment of unbelief; if it fails to promote humility, it inevitably feeds pride” J.I. Packer

Deeply encouraged by all God did at Converge Collegiate Conference with Kentucky BCM ministries from across the state! 🙌🙌🙌 We saw many students saved, revived, equipped and called to ministry and missions! It is always such a joy to partner with like hearted ministry leaders who have trained the students so well, enabling me to have the freedom to preach even harder and go deeper! 😤 These leaders are laser focused on reaching lost students, multiplying disciple-makers and mobilizing them for missions all in and through the local church. Heard so many encouraging things about the sessions and had a sense of freedom, zeal and power as I preached. Also had an incredible time with the staff encouraging one another and dreaming about reaching every student with the gospel! Thank you for praying and please pray that this week everyone can lean into what the Spirit put on their heart and live out their faith in bold obedience! (Acts 4:29) 🙏🙏🙏