Josh Hunt's Blog, page 278
February 14, 2015
Saved to sin no more
God not only saves us from the penalty of sin; He also saves us from the power of sin. Once we are saved, we no longer have to sin. As the old hymn writer put it, we are “saved to sin no more.” Before you are saved, you don’t have a choice; you are a […]
February 13, 2015
What does it mean to be saved–really
The best illustration of what it means to be saved that I have ever heard came from a pastor in a small church in New England. His name was George Thomas. George waited until the service had started before he burst through the back doors with an old, rusty, wire bird cage. He set it […]
February 12, 2015
Speed of the leader; speed of the team
Doubling groups are working at North Point because Andy Stanley regularly stands before his church and says, “I am in a group that is doubling; I want you to be in a group that is doubling.” He didn’t just say it just once. He says it every year. Here is another example. So because of […]
February 11, 2015
Has salvation lost its pizzazz?
The word “salvation” has lost its pizzazz for some of us. We have heard it so many times that we find ourselves looking at our watches when we hear the word. “Salvation” basically means to deliver or rescue. It means to get out of trouble. It was often used in a non-theological sense in the […]
February 10, 2015
Are sermon-based groups the answer?
Pastor Larry Osborn champions sermon-based groups in this excellent book, Sticky Church. Groups are encouraged to get together and talk about the pastor. You might be thinking, “They do that at my church already!” In this case, what they mean is they encourage people to talk about how to apply the pastor’s sermons to their […]
February 9, 2015
Rooted starts with being planted
Many don’t get rooted because they were never planted. Jesus taught many will be surprised on the judgment day: Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to […]
February 8, 2015
Why Sunday School has worked at Woodstock
Johnny Hunt is another example of a pastor that leads by example. In a world where many pundits are claiming the day of the Sunday School is over, he has seen his Sunday School grow from 600 to nearly 5,000. His Minister of Education has written a couple of great books on group life including […]
February 7, 2015
The Best Question Ever
Pulpit-Press is pleased to announce the release of our latest book: Wise Up! A 12-week study of the Proverbs. Here is an excerpt: In Proverbs 4:8, Solomon tells us to exalt wisdom. That is what we seek to do in this book. If we accomplish nothing else, we hope we leave you with a profound appreciation for the central […]
February 6, 2015
Why Saddleback has more people involved in Small Groups than they have in worship
Bill Hybels says, “The leader must embody the vision.” Doublng groups is not the only way to grow a church. But, if you are going to grow your church through growing groups, the leader must embody the vision. I have a friend, Lance Witt, who used to be the Small Group Pastor at Rick Warren’s […]
February 5, 2015
The Benefits of Being Rooted
Pulpit-Press is pleased to announce the release of our latest book: Rooted, by Brad Whitt. Here is an excerpt: Our family recently took a vacation. On the way, we passed some palm trees that were propped up by 2 X 4s. I had these trees on my mind when we arrived at our destination in […]
