Category Archives: Ezines

A Third Millennium Creed for the Church Dr. Leonard Sweet Let us conclude by covenant—a creed not just to recite, but to live. A confession not just of what we believe, but of who we are becoming. We believe in one God— Creator of atoms and algorithms, Father of flesh and fiber optics, the Alpha and Omega of all intelligence, artificial and authentic. We believe in Jesus Christ— the Word made flesh, not code, the Image of the invisible God, not avatar, the Truth that no algorithm can compute, the Life that no program can replicate, the Way that every pathway must ultimately follow. We believe in the Holy Spirit—…

What is the Spirit saying about Synergistic Leadership & The Great Commission? The closing session of the conference pivots from celebrating spiritual blessings to commissioning attendees for the Great Commission. Dr. Craig Keener began by presenting, “Revealing the Unknown God,” a detailed exegesis of Paul’s Areopagus sermon in Acts 17. He highlights Paul’s model of contextualization: engaging Athenian culture by referencing local altars, Greek poets, and philosophical schools to introduce biblical truths. Core gospel truths unpacked include God as Creator (transcendent and imminent), humanity as God’s offspring, the universal need for repentance, and the reality of resurrection and judgment. Dr. Keener brought emphasis on the distinction between faithful contextualization (preserving…

What is the Spirit saying to Gen Now about the Call of God? Dr. Brian Yaun, Church of God International Youth Director, opened with, “The global Church faces a critical shortage of harvesters. Even though research reveals differences we estimate there are17,446 people groups worldwide, with 7,400 unreached and over 3 billion unengaged—underscoring the urgency of Matthew 28:19’s “Go” mandate.” The “Million Ministers Mandate” calls for training and deploying at least 1,000,000 ministers to bridge this gap. God’s calling and anointing are immutable: just as He equipped Samuel, Joel’s generation, David, Jeremiah, Timothy and John the Baptist from their youth, He pours out His Spirit on today’s children and teens—there…

What is the Spirit saying through G.R.A.I.N and The Third Millennium Church? Dr. Leonard Sweet and I have been friends for almost twenty-five years. While most leaders are planning their next quarter, he has the ability to see the next twenty-five years. It was a joy to Co-Author We Are The Church: The Untold Story Of Revival In The Church. For more than six months we interviewed leading lights of Christianity and creatively placed them into one volume. In the opening of the book, we state, “Four percent of Christianity is in North America and ninety-six percent is distributed around the world.” We Are The Church tells the untold story of…

What is the Spirit saying About Christian Entrepreneurship In The Global Marketplace? The Jerusalem Council 2 Forum Four opened with reflections on integrating faith and business, emphasizing that marketplace leaders can be as pivotal to the Gospel in the millennium as medical professionals were in the last. Mr. Bob Doll, a veteran financial entrepreneur, addressed five core third millennium themes. He powerful presentation addressed: The role and responsibility of marketplace Christians as cultural catalysts in cities and workplaces. The imperative to engage the “9-to-5 window” with prayer, integrity, excellence and generosity. A cultural contrast: declining importance of religion and community in the developed world versus surging Bible engagement among Gen Z….

What is the Spirit saying through Jesus and Our Humanity in Secular Culture? The Jerusalem Council II third forum began with unifying prayer, calling for divine guidance, collaboration, and courage to pursue God-sized goals beyond mere participation. Dr. Leonard Sweet delivered the keynote: “Reclaiming Jesus’ Human Identity for the Third Millennium,” challenging believers to define humanity in an age of AI and transhumanism. Dr. Sweet proposed the salmon as the updated Ichthys symbol, illustrating five Christ-modeled principles: Dual citizenship in salt and fresh water (earthly and divine life) Swimming upstream (choosing empathy and authenticity over digital conformity) The journey home (returning to our Genesis origin as image-bearers) Transfiguration, not transformation,…

During the Jerusalem Council II forum two was focused on, “What is the Spirit saying through Scripture about the Unknown God? Dr. Craig Keener addressed the indispensable role of Scripture in fulfilling the Great Commission: going cross-culturally, baptizing (evangelism) and teaching (discipleship). The New Testament pattern was traced—Pentecost’s outpouring of the Spirit, apostles’ foundational teaching and church planting with sustained follow-up—to show how early believers were grounded in Scripture. Additionally, practical hermeneutical guidance was shared: attend to context, genre and ancient background; honor the text as God’s explicit Word; model faithful teaching; and cultivate personal meditation in conjunction with communal admonition. At the close of Dr. Keener’s teaching there was a…

What Is The Spirit Saying About The New Map For The New Millennium? The Jerusalem Council II convened in Athens, Greece, bringing together global church leaders for an “explosion of missional thought” focused on mobilizing the body of Christ toward the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Dr. James O. Davis, recognized as a top Christian influencer and networker, framed his message around the Genesis 24 narrative (Eliezer seeking Isaac’s bride), presenting it as a “Map for the New Millennium Church” rising in the next five years. Dr. Davis carefully outlined a five‐step strategic framework—Establish Our Cause, Examine Our Conditions, Encourage Our Confidence, Enforce Our Character, Enlist Our Comrades—to guide churches…

According to Webster, a movement is “an organized effort to promote or attain an end.” There are cycles to movements and usually movements overtime become the opposite of what they started out to be. The first cycle generates, the second motivates, the third speculates and the fourth dissipates. If one’s movement is not moving, then it is, in effect, more like a monument. Dr. Leonard Sweet says, “The Church must return to the original operating system,” The Missional Church, Global Church Divinity School (GCDS.tv). History is replete with conservatism giving way to liberalism and light giving way to dark. It is not that the darkness has become stronger, but rather…

Jerusalem II: Contemplating Evangelism 1700 Years After Nicaea By Dr. Carla Sunberg At the original Jerusalem Council meeting the church was grappling with evangelism. It was a good problem, because the church was growing and reaching out and ministering to the gentiles. At the same time, this growth brought with it new questions for the church to consider. In the year 325 the church’s first ecumenical council was held in the town of Nicaea, not far from today’s city of Istanbul. An ecumenical council is a worldwide gathering of bishops and other church leaders, recognized as representing the universal church, convened to deliberate and make authoritative decisions on issues of…