Tank you Jesus!

Jeff Sundell just sent me this photo of a front yard baptism of a new believer. It's driving me nuts because he didn't tell me the story behind it. On the other hand if you look at the image long enough it will tell its own story.

We spend far too much time talking about abstract concepts of "mission." Jesus came looking for lost people.

What matters is that we connect with people in their world, share the gospel, make disciples who learn to obey Jesus, and form communities that quickly reproduce, without our direction and control.

Neil Perry (red shirt with the camera) has done a great job of planting a growing church in his community. But that wasn't enough. So now he and anyone he can corrupt are out in the community meeting people, sharing, discipling and gathering.

Neil doesn't want to just plant a church, he wants to multiply disciples and communities.

I don't care about his "model of ministry". What matters is that people who are far from God are coming to know Jesus, and are learning to follow him and reach their world.

I can't emphasise this enough—follow the stories. Keep reading the Gospels and Acts and ask "What did Jesus do (Gospels) what did the Risen Lord continue to do (Acts). Start learning from people like Neil who can tell you fresh stories of lives changed.