#peyton jones

[gu3ntzel]

[gu3ntzel]

[barbh]

Discipology: The Art and Science of Making Disciples By Peyton Jones [REVIEW]

SYNOPSIS The modern church is facing a discipleship crisis. Research shows that only one-third of Christians in America are actively engaged in making disciples–leaving a massive gap in the mission Jesus gave us. Without a clear strategy, many churches struggle to move believers from passive attendance to active participation in the work of the Gospel. In Discipology, Jones challenges pastors,…

Discipology: The Art and Science of Making Disciples By Peyton Jones [REVIEW]

[bittlebaby]

Hi Peyton!! 👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻

[mistermourningdove-moved]

Ah. The final member to the Jones family- Peyton! They’re not the healthiest in their family, but they’re sweet and lovable! Their talent is creating little bonsai trees out of any bush/shrub/tree that is available. Their most popular  summer bonsai is a palm tree, the spring is sakura trees, winter it’s a douglass fir, and the popular one for fall is an aspen tree.

[themightytej]

One of the questions on the SBC paperwork was if I have read at least three books on church planting. Surprised me a little, but it seemed reasonable enough, so I went to check my recently-read books on Goodreads and found I had read...one ("Church Planter" by Darrin Patrick, if you're interested). So, when I learned that I should set aside the prep work for a bit while looking for another job, I also figured I may as well read some more in the meantime. I mean, I have a few, I just apparently wasn't getting around to them as quickly as I expected. So, I started with "Church Zero" by Peyton Jones, because why not. I'm now a third of the way through it, and I really must recommend it, church planter or not. If you can stomach the massive overuse of pop culture references that are clearly designed for someone born within a few years either side of 1980, which I must admit gets a bit bothersome for me at times and I was actually part of that lot, then I think it'll benefit greatly.

[thatquestion]

“When Martin Lloyd-Jones ministered in a Welsh dockside church filled with blue collar, rough-necked converts, he protected them from overzealous believers who wanted to rush the work of the Holy Spirit. He told them to back off. To allow the Holy Spirit to do what he did best.

We cannot rush transformation, and trying to do so will hamstring the work of the gospel.

It's hard for straight Christians to understand the level of support in the gay community. Many members came out to face a lifetime of rejection because of their sexuality. They found a community that embraced and accepted them. A community that said ‘me too.’ Even a church that expects a gay Christian to choose against an active homosexual lifestyle has to understand that they need to offer that level of acceptance, care, and true friendship.

[. . .]

What we need is ‘discipleship in community.’ People who define their identity by their sexuality need the church community as part of their transformation process to finding their primary identity in Christ.

The community is also a tool of conversion. We need to find people already among us who have been there, who have wrestled with God on these issues and found both love and truth.

Everyone craves love. Many people have lived with years of rejection as a result of their sexuality. Unconditional love can heal the hurts they've experienced and point the way to following Jesus in spirit and in truth.”

— Peyton Jones, The Gospel in an LGBT World

[thatquestion]

“A number of people in our Long Beach plant have left alternative lifestyles, but we had to be patient with them. People who don't eventually repent (as a sign of that inner life coming to the surface) may not last long with us, but we last long with them. For us, baptism has served as a natural unspoken barrier for people ready to change.

The woman at our launch wanted to know what Jesus thought of her homosexual lifestyle. We shot straight with her. We understand that her sexual orientation may never change. We don't choose the objects of our attraction. Those with same-sex attraction don't care how you think they got ‘that way.’ The reality is that the gay community tells them ‘It's how you are. We accept you.’ The church should be no different.

Within our rows every Sunday morning, people sit confused, silent, and suffering conflicted desires. Do we have the courage of Jesus to break away from the chatter of the Pharisees?

‘Who sinned,’ Jesus was asked in John 9, ‘that this man was born this way, him or his parents?’ Jesus redirected the question. It's not how they got there, it's that they're here now and ‘this happened that the works of God might be displayed in him.’

People in a life of homosexuality need love without blame, and without reservation. As we all do. The cause of our condition isn't as important as allowing it to be used for the glory of God.”

— Peyton Jones, The Gospel in an LGBT World