How Many Stories in the Bible?

How many unique events or stories are there in the Bible? It's impossible to answer for sure, since it's often difficult to determine where one event or story begins and another one ends. But any way you look at it, there are hundreds of events (true stories) in the Bible, probably between 600 to 800 of them. So how did we determine which Bible events should be selected to best summarize God's Big Story in The Story of Hope, if the limit was 40 events? →

Sep 25, 2018

Making Evangelism & Discipleship a Priority in Your Life

Many of us make lists of to-be-done tasks that are important to us, so that we will not forget to do them. No tasks are eternally more important than sharing the gospel with our unsaved friends, family members, and other acquaintances or assisting Christian friends who need to be encouraged and mentored in maturing as followers of Jesus Christ. Our Good Soil Personal E-List and D-List Card was created to help us keep our focus on these two Great Commission tasks. →

Sep 4, 2018

Sharing the Gospel Through Your Faith Story, Pt. 2

I once had lunch with a highly educated young man who told me, “I’m an atheist and you are a Christian. The difference between you and me is that your life is based on faith and mine is based on facts.” My response: “No, you have as much or more faith as I do, but my faith is in God and your faith is in atheistic evolution.” →

Jul 31, 2018

Sharing the Gospel Through Your Faith Story, Pt. 1

What is sometimes called “evangelism” or “witnessing” can be as easy and simple as telling your story—the story of what Jesus Christ has done in your life. Some people refer to this as an "evangelistic testimony," but we call it your personal “faith story.” Here’s how to develop and share your story of faith in a way that your unsaved friends and other acquaintances (even strangers) will enjoy hearing it. →

Jun 25, 2018

Helping Believers “Hold Fast” to the Gospel

But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. (Luke 8:15 – NIV) If the ultimate “soil test” is whether or not a professing believer retains (“holds fast to”) the word he or she has embraced, can we do anything to help assure that lasting retention occurs? Or, is that simply a personal heart-issue over which we have no influence? →

May 1, 2018

Gotta Pray the Sinner’s Prayer?

I once ministered in a town where it seems that almost everyone, at some time or another, had “prayed the prayer”—the so-called “sinner’s prayer.” Yet, very few of these people demonstrated any evidence of a genuine Christian life. Often when I shared the gospel with them, they would say: “But, I’ve already done that. I prayed the prayer!” And some would add, “But, it didn’t work for me.” If “praying the prayer” does not save a person, what does? →