by Tony Stone

Lately, I have been thinking about the many issues our modern churches face when it comes to trying to get more people in the Church and attracting new members.  I’ve been dwelling in the book of Romans frequently, since this is the book that I have been teaching through for the last year with the youth at my Church.  Spending that much time in the book of Romans has made me think about the gospel message and how it’s presented in our day and age.  More than ever, I’ve noticed people not mentioning sin, in an effort to not make the unsaved feel better and, hopefully, stay in the Church.  We’ve confused bodies in the Church with actual successful conversions.  So I want to deal with two major elements of the gospel message:  Law and Grace.

REACHLIFE CATECHSIM STUDY

Catechism Study - Question #1

Question:
What is the purpose of man?

Answer:
The purpose of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.

Scripture:
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
-1 Cor. 10:31

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
-Rev. 4:11

“Whom have I in heaven but you? And on earth there is nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail. but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
-Ps. 73:25-26

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.”
-Phil. 4:4

Dig In.

Reachlife Ministries is committed to putting out the tightest resources it can to help you grow in your faith, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a bunch of great resources to be getting with as well. Below you will find some of the most influential resources that have developed most of us here at Reach as well as some biblically solid websites you may want to bookmark and check on regularly.

We’ll continue to update this page as we add more and more recommended resources.

Be sure to leave your comments about these resources and how God has used them in your walk and growth.

Let me ask you a question…

Are you living in this world to get rich or die trying?

Some people say they’re scared to die, others say they’re ready to die. But almost everyone wants to go to heaven. Whether they’re hoping there’s really a “heaven for a gangsta” or a “hip-hop heaven”, all people want to get to heaven.

They want heaven cause they hear it’s a “better place” or a place where “dreams come true”. Truth is, heaven is better, matter of fact there’s no pain, no suffering, and no death there. There’s even no need for church buildings because people don’t need to be reminded to kick it with God there. Everyone is there WITH GOD forever.

“Bible… Check! Spiral… Check! Highlighter… Check! ...NOW DIG IN!”

Over 4000 sold in less than a month! Currently #10 on the Billboard Gospel Chart! There is no doubt Reach Records latest CD release “13 Letters” is having a huge impact.

But we are not stopping there!

ReachLife Ministries is currently wrapping up the completion of “13 Letters -The Curriculum.” This 13 week DVD study will take listeners beyond just the lyrics of a song and into a deeper understanding of the Pauline Epistles through group study.

Many of you have contacted us asking for more information about the project -so here it is! The Curriculum will consist of three parts:

1. Leader’s Commentary - Each song has a written lyrical commentary with a solid biblical overview of the epistle by using the lyrics of each song. Includes the key verses outlining the songs.

DOWNLOAD PDF

Young cats are definitely not known for their devotion to the Lord. I mean just think about the folks at your school, the folks you kick it with, or even the people at your church. Young believers, many times, just don’t seem to have much of a concern about their faith or their spiritual maturity. Why is this? I remember one time when I was at the barbershop in the chair. The lady who was cutting my hair (she was a believer) noticed the FOTU (Fellowship of the Unashamed) shirt I had on. It sparked a conversation about spiritual matters. Throughout the conversation she was able to see that I wasn’t your average believer, but that I was devoted and unashamed (glory to God). We eventually got on the subject of other young believers. She too had observed that most young folk just don?t think too much about the Lord. Her response to this was, “Well they kids, you can?t really expect much. Everyone ain’t like you.” As if I was some sort of phenomenon or some kind of exception to how it?s supposed to be.

This, unfortunately, is how most believers think of young folk: that we’re all young and immature in our faith, but we can?t really be blamed because we’re young and that’s how it?s supposed to be. That couldn’t be farther from the truth! And what’s crazy is that this is not a new issue. The Apostle Paul wrote Timothy two letters. In his first, he addressed this problem. 1 Timothy 4:12: Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity (NIV).

One of the benefits of having attended a University (outside the opportunity of exercising faith and discipline by paying back school loans) is the opportunity to have studied great thinkers.  Although, very few of those great thinkers were fellow brothers in the Faith, I learned a considerable amount from them.  In the process of filtering this information through Jehovah’s divine spirit, I discerned how to create a synthesis in the context of biblical truth.

One great thinker I studied is Robert Putnam.  He is a political scientist who wrote challenging writings on a philosophy termed, “Social Capital”.  Social Capital is the connection among individuals, dedication to community, development of trustworthiness, and the commitment to others.  He believes American society has dramatically lost its social, civic, and communal value due to intentional isolation.  It can be simplified to mean “Social Worth/Contribution”.