Jesus, having returned from the 40 days of temptation in the desert and beginning his public ministry, enters a synagogue and is handed a scroll of the prophecies of Isaiah. He unrolls the scroll and reads these powerful words, which is part of Isaiah’s prophecy about himself.
The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Luke 4:18-19, quoted from Isaiah 61:1-2)
What are the chances of Jesus just happening to turn to that passage? We can surmise that Jesus was intentional about reading that passage on that day to introduce... Read the article
Read the article
In this episode, host Anthony Mullins interviews Elizabeth Mullins, his wife, and the Love Avenue Champion in Grace Communion Hickory. Together they discuss the experience of first-time guests and how to craft a safe worship environment.
“The Church is not just the Sunday gathering. But often it is like the front door, it is that first impression. Our deep desire is to see people enfolded into a loving community. By God’s design, belonging in the body of believers is transformative.”
Elizabeth Mullins, Love Avenue Champion
Main Points:
Why does the first-time guest’s experience matter? (1:55)
What can make a worship experience unsafe? (7:10)
What are some signals that a church is safe and guests are welcome? (12:50)
... Read the article
Read the article
The Lord’s Renown with Sherwood Lingenfelter
Listen in as host, Anthony Mullins and Sherwood Lingenfelter, senior professor of anthropology and former provost of Fuller Seminary, unpack these lectionary passages:
January 3 Ephesians 1:3-14 “Destined for Adoption” (7:28)
January 10 Mark 1:4-11 “Well Pleased” (20:51)
January 17 Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 “Wonderfully Made” (30:41)
January 24 Mark 1:14-20... Read the article
Read the article
Also, check out these articles about PowerPoint Pointers and Worship Presentation Platforms.
https://equipper.gci.org/2020/10/powerpoint-pointers
https://equipper.gci.org/2020/10/worship-presentation-platforms Read the article
Read the article
Psalm 111:1-10 • Deuteronomy 18:15-20 • 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 • Mark 1:21-28
The theme for this week is God at work, which challenges us to rethink our thoughts about work. Deuteronomy talks about God’s work among the ancient Israelites, using a prophet to speak to them when they said they could not handle speaking to God directly. 1 Corinthians discusses how we can get caught up in “works” or the practices that are important to us, to the point of forgetting that “anyone who loves God is known by him,” and Mark tells the story of Jesus’s work of casting out an unclean spirit from a man, releasing him from a burden. Normally the psalm is our call to worship, but this week it is our sermon text. Psalm 111 examines God’s... Read the article
Read the article
Psalm 62:5-12 • Jonah 3:1-5, 10 • 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 • Mark 1:14-20
The theme this week is God’s unstoppable calling. The call to worship Psalm talks about God’s unstoppable power in the universe—we can’t stand against it; God has the final word. Jonah 3 tells about the repentance of Nineveh—a people that didn’t know or care about God. In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul admonishes us to live with our calling in sight because the way the world runs is falling away before God’s incoming kingdom. Our sermon, from Mark 1, focuses on the calling of the disciples—imperfect people who were called into God’s unstoppable work.
Mark 1: The Paradox of Calling
Read, or have someone read Mark 1:14-20, then start by asking the... Read the article
Read the article
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 • 1 Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20) • 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 • John 1:43-51
This week’s theme is being known in the Lord. The story from 1 Samuel recounts Samuel’s first encounter of hearing the Lord’s personal call into service. 1 Corinthians 6 maps out some moral implications of being a disciple who lives “in Christ.” The Gospel text in John 1 presents Jesus’ intimate knowledge of those he calls to walk with him. While the Psalm is normally the call to worship, we built the sermon on Psalm 139, which explores God’s presence to us and his intimate knowledge of us.
The Gift of Being Known
Psalm 139:1-18 (NRSV)
There was a recent poll by a local news station that showed 94 percent of participants agreed... Read the article
Read the article
Psalm 29 • Genesis 1:1-5 • Acts 19:1-7 • Mark 1:4-11
The theme for this week is the voice of the Lord in re-creation. The call to worship Psalm describes the tremendous power of the voice of God that rules over every last detail of creation. Genesis 1 tells us of the voice of God creating the universe out of nothing—speaking it into creation. Acts 19 shares about the re-creation of being in Christ, signified by receiving the Holy Spirit. Our sermon covers Mark 1, the baptism of Jesus. The powerful symbols of re-creation and re-telling of this moment of Jesus’ life culminate in the blessing of God’s voice ringing through creation: “I am well-pleased with you.”
The Baptism of the Lord
Jesus Immerses himself in Our Story
... Read the article
Read the article
Psalm 147:12-20 • Jeremiah 31:7-14 • Ephesians 1:3-14 • John 1:(1-9), 10-18
The theme for this week is God the gatherer, emphasizing God’s desire to include everyone, even those marginalized by culture. The call to worship Psalm discusses the ways God looks after and provides for human beings, including them in his blessings. Jeremiah talks about God’s plan to gather and comfort the ancient Israelites who were scattered as the result of foreign conquerors, and John tells about Jesus and how he gathered us into himself to become “children of God.” Last, Ephesians 1:3-14, our sermon text, reveals God’s wish to gather all people, in all their uniqueness, into loving relationship in Christ.
God Gathers Diverse People
... Read the article
Read the article
A column dedicated to the adults who are actively participating in the discipleship of children and youth.
By Dison Mills, GCI Generations Ministry National Coordinator.
As the recently named national coordinator of Generations Ministry (GenMin), I am proud to introduce you to Youth Vision, a new column in Equipper.
Whether you are a parent, pastor, avenue champion, or ministry leader, our goal is to bring you information each month that will help you be more like Christ to the young people God has put in your care. The discipleship of our youth is not only for the benefit of our young people, but the process can bring new life to adult Christ-followers. In Acts 2:17, the apostle Peter reminds us that Jesus has ushered in a new... Read the article
Read the article
