“Women of the Bible” series by Ann Little

Luke 2:36-39
At the end of the Christmas story passage in Luke, when Mary and Joseph visit the Temple, we meet Anna the prophet. As new parents Mary and Joseph followed the law very carefully for their newborn son. At his circumcision they named him Jesus just as the angel had instructed both of them. They presented him at the temple and gave an offering. According to Jewish law, a spotless lamb was the accepted offering for the first born son. However, because Mary and Joseph were poor, two doves or pigeons were acceptable. Read More…

“Women of the Bible” series by Ann Little

Luke 1:5-25, 39-80
As we approach the Christmas season one of the women who stands out in the story is Elizabeth. There are many things I could write about her, but let’s look at three important points.

1. Elizabeth suffered the disgrace of infertility
2. Elizabeth enjoyed the blessing of a special miracle, a touch from God
3. Elizabeth became the mentor and comfort for Mary, just when she needed an ally.

Read More…

“Thinking Theologically About Church Planting” series by Dale Little

This ostensibly simple question seems to be answered in three basic ways in writings on ecclesiology.[1] Contemporary publications about the Church, by the way, appear to be on the increase.[2] Roman Catholic and Orthodox folks would hold that a church exists where the sacraments are correctly administered by qualified personnel. The broad flow of Protestants could be said to believe that a church exists where there is correct Biblically based teaching. And perhaps, to select one group of Protestants, charismatically oriented believers might hold that a church exists where the Holy Spirit is active.
[1] For an example see Lesslie Newbigin, Household of God: Lectures on the Nature of the Church (London: SCM, 1952, 1964).
[2] For a helpful but irenic introduction to various contemporary ecclessiologies see Veli-Matti Karkkainen, An Introduction to Ecclesiology: Ecumenical, Historical and Global Perspectives (Downers Grove, IVP, 2002).

There are elements of truth in all three of these answers. Read More…

“Women of the Bible” series by Ann Little

In Mark 12:41-44 we see a very short story about a widow:
“Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.”

The contrast between the rich people and the poor widow was startling. How happy the temple religious leaders must have been to see the offerings of the wealthy. They were noticed by everyone. However, no one noticed the widow as she quietly made her way to the treasury to give her two small coins. Read More…

“Thinking Theologically About Church Planting” series by Dale Little

The book of Acts has always been a rich resource for thinking biblically about mission. In 2002, Baker published David Pao’s Harvard Ph.D. dissertation, Acts and the Isaianic New Exodus. Pao argues that the priority Isaiah placed on the notion of the word of God is a hermeneutical key for understanding Acts. He tells us that the word of God, the logos, is the central theme of Acts. Read More…

“Women of the Bible” series by Ann Little

Luke 13:10-17
When I first moved to Japan and lived in Aichi-ken, I was curious about all the little old bent over ladies that I saw. I wondered, was this a result of carrying babies on their backs for many years, or long hours working out in the fields, or from many years of deep bowing? Knowing that they probably suffered pain, I also wondered at their ability to keep going and marveled at their strength and tenacity. In Luke 13 we read a very brief story about a women with a similar condition. Read More…

“Thinking Theologically About Church Planting” series by Dale Little

Have you often found yourself wishing that the size of the Church of Jesus Christ in Japan might be bigger than it is? I have. Church planters in Japan and in other cultures resistant to the gospel can be encouraged to persevere in their ministry by understanding that small can be significant within God’s mission. [i]

[i] These thoughts were given in sermon format at Takayama Chapel (Shichigahama Machi, Miyagi-ken, Japan) on Aug. 10, 2003. I am indebted to the following article: George Vandervelde, “The Challenge of Evangelical Ecclesiology,” Evangelical Review of Theology (2003) 27:1, 4-26. Read More…

“Women of the Bible” series by Ann Little

In Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:24-29 we have a somewhat puzzling conversation between Jesus, the Jewish teacher, and a nameless foreign Gentile woman from Syro-Phoenicia.

What was this woman’s problem? Her daughter was possessed by an evil spirit that was trying to harm her. She no doubt spent most of her time protecting the child and neutralizing the evil as best as she could. What was a mother to do in such a situation? Her solution was to ask Jesus to heal her little girl. Read More…

“Thinking Theologically About Church Planting” series by Dale Little

“Sensei (teacher), please bring a short biblical message at the beginning of our business meeting next week.” “Sensei, I feel as if God has abandoned me.” “Sensei, we’d like you to perform our engagement ceremony.” “Sensei, my mother was hospitalized yesterday. Please pray for her.” “Sensei, can you teach that twelve-week class on our doctrinal statement again?”

These kinds of requests and comments do not sound like the kinds that might be found on the forefront of evangelism. Nevertheless, the issues above typify discussions with people in my church plant. The issues often deal more with establishing the church plant than with evangelizing the lost. From a practical point of view, it seems that a major and necessary role of the church planting missionary is to provide care and nurture for the community of faith that the church planter is trying to coax into existence. Read More…

“Women of the Bible” series by Ann Little

There are four passages in the Bible that record a woman anointing Jesus’ head with perfume. The three in Matthew 26, Mark 14 and John 12 are all very similar. John clearly says that this is Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. However, in Luke 7:36-50 we read about a mysterious, nameless “immoral” woman, who became a lesson to the religious leaders on forgiveness and love. Read More…

“Thinking Theologically About Church Planting” series by Dale Little

According to New Testament records of mission in the early church, conversion to Christ was an event which culminated in new believers becoming members of the earthly community of Christ. The early church assumed that individual salvific transfer from the kingdom of darkness to that of the Son of God meant a numerical addition to the local church. Read More…

“Women of the Bible” series by Ann Little

Scripture: Matthew 28:1-11; Mark16:1-14; Luke 24:1-24; John 20:1-20
Mary Magdalene was the key player in this resurrection story. Mary the mother of James, Salome, and Johanna are also listed and Luke mentioned “several other women.” Except for Jesus’ mother who, we can guess, was being cared for by John, the women were most likely the same women at the cross. They had witnessed his death, and watched where he was buried. Read More…

“Thinking Theologically About Church Planting” series by Dale Little

According to the Apostle Paul, it is through the church that God proclaims his glory. “His [God’s] intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.” (Eph. 3:10 [NIV]) Read More…

“Women of the Bible” series by Ann Little

Scripture: Matthew 27:55-61, Mark 15:40-47, Luke 23:49-56, John 19:25-27
All four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) record the women at the cross of Jesus. We don’t know how many women were there, but Matthew says “many women.” Read More…

“Thinking Theologically About Church Planting” series by Dale Little

The performance was about to begin. Negotiations concerning place, length of performance, starting and finishing times, participants, primary and secondary actors, and investments of resources had all successfully concluded. The opening curtain was about to rise. As one of the primary actors, I was a little nervous. This was only my second performance. But the Director’s promise of ultimate success was an encouragement. This was no mere ninety minute performance. Like the previous drama I had performed in, this one was also to last about four years. I was about to participate in planting another church in a cross-cultural setting. During the long performance I would need some helpful resources. Read More…

“Women of the Bible” series by Ann Little

Scripture: John 4:4-29;39-42
Here is one of the most famous encounters that Jesus had with a woman in the Bible. Read More…

“Thinking Theologically About Church Planting” series by Dale Little

Church planting can be a risky undertaking because success is not guaranteed, especially in a Buddhist culture resistant to the gospel of Jesus Christ. But hope comes from understanding church planting to be essentially a theological activity rooted in the faithfulness of God. Read More…

“Women of the Bible” series by Ann Little

Scripture: Mark 5:25-34, Luke 8:43-48
This little story is an interruption in the middle of the story of the healing of Jairus’ daughter. We are caught up in the anxiety of a father, and wondering if Jesus will get to his little 12 year old girl in time to heal her. Then this nameless bleeding woman interrupts the journey.

In reality this is a sparkling gem in the stories of Jesus and reminds us once again of how much he valued women, no matter their rank in society.

What do we know about this woman? Read More…

“Thinking Theologically About Church Planting” series by Dale Little

Answer: Because the ultimate biblically informed goal of church planting transcends and permeates the daily business of church planting, thus empowering church planters who embrace this theological goal to carry out the myriad of details necessary for sticking with the job and getting it done. Read More…

“Women of the Bible” series by Ann Little

In the 1970’s and 80’s when I was in seminary, Christian feminist books began appearing on our book shelves. I remember one controversial book "All We're Meant to Be," as one of the first to break into the conservative Christian world. My favorite chapter in the book was about how Jesus treated women in the stories in the New Testament. It was an eye opener for me. As a result, I love studying the stories of women in the Bible. Over the next months, I would like to focus on one woman each month.

Martha has taken so much criticism from preachers and Bible teachers for her fretful attention to her household responsibilities. "Be a Mary, not a Martha," they say. But I would like to defend her.

Martha had the gift of hospitality.

Read More…