Wearing the Mark of Mercy

Tim Keller writes that mercy isn’t just the job of the Christian: mercy is the mark of the Christian. This quote just stops me in my tracks.

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The Call to Listen

Throughout Hilke Wierenga’s life of service, the one thing he believed God showed him was the highest calling of a deacon is to listen well.

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Hamilton Church Plant Offers Unique Internship Opportunity

Are you looking to serve and learn alongside lifelong urban ministry leaders working out their faith in urban Hamilton?
New Hope, an emerging Christian Reformed Church in East Hamilton, Ontario, is hosting a unique internship for Classis Hamilton and surrounding churches which will launch this fall.

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Overcoming Spiritual Roadblocks; Devotion #10 – The Enemy’s Camouflage

The apostle Paul often found himself contending with the enemy throughout his ministry. The devil established strongholds, which are human systems compromised by the enemy. These strongholds attempted to hinder Paul from preaching about Jesus. They blocked Paul’s efforts and even tried to take his life. God empowered Paul to see beyond the physical reality of the human systems to the spiritual forces at work, as it were, behind the scenes.

While Paul was able to discern what was happening, most of the people around him were unaware. The enemy blinded them, so they could not see the truth of what was happening or what the enemy was planning. It was as if the enemy had…

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Overcoming Spiritual Roadblocks; Devotion #9 – Mindsets, Worldviews & Strongholds

Close your eyes and imagine a piece of pizza with all of the best toppings on it.
So, did you see pineapple on your pizza? For some people, pineapple goes on pizza, and for others it does NOT belong there. People have different mindsets when it comes to pineapple and pizza.
Together, a series of mindsets form a worldview, which influences how we see and react to our surroundings. Most of the time, we are not conscious of the mindsets that make up our worldview. Just as we don’t go through life constantly aware of whether we believe it’s appropriate to have pineapple on pizza – until confronted with the issue.

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Overcoming Spiritual Roadblocks – Devotion #8; The Dynamic Duo in Ministry

There is a vital relationship between prayer and action, which is essential for any kind of ministry that advances the Kingdom of God. Prayer needs to be a foundational component of the work that is done, and it needs to be ongoing to sustain the ministry work.

The story of the battle at Rephidim (Exodus 17) is a beautiful illustration of how prayer and action work together to advance God’s kingdom…

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Overcoming Spiritual Roadblocks; Devotion #7 – Dancing with the Holy Spirit

Ballroom dancing is an excellent picture of how we cooperate with the Holy Spirit to do ministry. The Holy Spirit leads and guides us, and as we cooperate with him, he moves us effectively in ministry. He shows us step-by-step how to fulfill God’s plans and purposes in a given situation. In his sovereignty, God has chosen to partner with us in building his kingdom.

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Apart, Yet A Part of God’s Kingdom Work

One of the key components of a NewGround partnership is how it supports its partners with learning and networking opportunities; the main one being the annual Ministry Networking Day!

For the first time ever, the annual Ministry Networking Day was held entirely virtually. And while participants were apart and were unable to gather in the same room due to provincial restrictions, one theme resounded during the afternoon spent together: while we remain apart, we are still a part of God’s great Kingdom, serving in a variety of spaces and places in His name!

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