The latest 9Marks eJournal, entitled “Church and Parachurch: Friends or Foes?”, includes this short essay:
D. A. Carson. “Praying for Parachurch Ministries” [PDF | HTML]. 9Marks eJournal 8:2 (March–April 2011): 31–32.
Carson shares six reflections on how he prays for parachurch ministries:
- Should there be any difference between the way I pray for a local church and the way I pray for a parachurch organization? No and yes. . . .
- I suppose it is possible to pray “for all truly Christian organizations everywhere” or something of that order, but in reality this sort of sweeping general prayer is usually immature or lazy or both. . . .
- The Bible lays out specifics regarding the organization, accountability, and distinctive roles of various leaders in the local church . . . .
- Organizations whose aims are shaped by the priorities of the gospel and in whole-hearted submission to the lordship of King Jesus as disclosed in Scripture should take a priority in our praying that other organizations should not have. . . .
- I have sometimes felt a special burden to pray for parachurch organizations that are going through transitions that will purify them and make them more faithful. . . .
- I am drawn to pray for parachurch organizations that self-consciously seek to strengthen local churches, that see themselves as useful extensions of churches and whose leaders are responsible to local churches. . . .
Is there enough evidence for us to believe the Gospels?
In an age of faith deconstruction and skepticism about the Bible’s authority, it’s common to hear claims that the Gospels are unreliable propaganda. And if the Gospels are shown to be historically unreliable, the whole foundation of Christianity begins to crumble.But the Gospels are historically reliable. And the evidence for this is vast.
To learn about the evidence for the historical reliability of the four Gospels, click below to access a FREE eBook of Can We Trust the Gospels? written by New Testament scholar Peter J. Williams.
