Synopsis "witness: the reign of god and missional churches today"
Witness is a book that acts like a compass within these changing times. For Ron Lavin, individual Christians and congregations need to focus like a laser beam on their witness to Jesus Christ -- and his passion for witnessing comes out on every page. Lavin speaks a clear word in confusing times for many Christians about the power of the church's witness as the heartbeat of the church's life in the world today. Using a broad range of scripture texts, great personal anecdotes, and important theological resources from the emerging mission literature in North America, Lavin weaves together a fascinating tapestry for understanding and doing witness as the missional church points to the reign of God. I welcome any book that both encourages and instructs me about how to become a better confessing Christian. If that is your desire, this book is for you. Richard Bliese President, Luther Seminary St. Paul, Minnesota Ron Lavin maintains that today's Christian believers face the same critical challenge as did the first-century apostles -- the call to witness to people in a corrupt culture by declaring and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. Using the book of Acts as a model, Witness takes readers on an in-depth exploration of exactly what it means to be a missional church. Lavin examines the vital importance of witnessing and discusses how we can become vessels for God's work through prayer, repentance, hospitality, koinonia, hope, and encouragement. The call to witness can be difficult (and sometimes even dangerous) -- but planting the seeds of faith often leads to amazing results. Witness is an excellent group study resource that will stimulate discussion, group interaction, and Christian outreach. Ron Lavin is the award-winning author of 25 books, including Turning Griping Into Gratitude, Way To Grow!, and the popular Another Look series. The former Pastor-Director of Evangelical Outreach for the Lutheran Church in America, Lavin also served as the pastor of five thriving congregations that grew substantially under his leadership. He is a popular speaker and church consultant on evangelism and small groups.
