GiveThemLife.com is mostly a curated list of content meant to save you time: cut through the noise to the signal. It was so hard for me to learn what I needed to in many areas. I want you to avoid all that pain and suffering. I want people serving Christ to have a clear path or multiple, good options. Where did it come from?
Two Stories: God's and Mine
God crushed me, brought me back to Him, and transformed my life. Originally, I just shared my story with people. Then, I struggled to really understand the Bible. The Reformed church I went taught me the redemptive story in it. Voddie Bauchum and apologists inspired me to argue with evidence, too. I put all of that that up as GetHisWord.com. From there, I added testimonies, cultural issues, and sections countering false teaching.
GetHisWord.com will stay up so people can share all that just by giving them the domain name.Learning to Share; Sharing That
Next problem: evangelism was rare in churches. They were strong in teaching, talked doctrine a lot, and rarely shared the Gospel. That didn't seem right. Asking around, long-time believers admitted they didn't know how in general or in specific situations. Some of us prayed for God to send help. He sent two people who each sent me to NPL.
No Place Left makes free tools for planting and growing healthy churches. They focus entirely on the fundamentals, esp the Word and sharing the Gospel, using tools that are easy to re-teach to others. Every member in those churches participates in discussions, holds each other accountable, and learns to disciple others where needed. God used that model, Four Fields (book), to plant and support several generations worth of churches in South Asia. People in other places started using it with NPL Memphis training us.
Originally, GiveThemLife.com was strictly an evangelism site trying to condense their 10-16 hrs of weekend training into minutes to an hour for other people. Cru was another forerunner I leaned on. Then, I put NPL's methods to the test both in Scripture and in places like Walmart. That taught me a lot.
I also read on alternative models by groups, such as Nine Marks, who promoted strictly church-driven models. They emphasized being being under church authority, official send outs, and strong investments in pastoring. I didn't see as much of that in NPL's model likely because it was originally made by missionaries for use in places with little support. It might need to be modified to fit traditional churches.
With all the debates on that, I dropped NPL's model for a more church-centered model that more closely matched the New Testament. This model has both an individual and corporate mandate. We keep taking action like in NPL individually in our spheres of influence while working with our churches on what they're doing. We also run our groups within churches under their authority wherever possible. If none are available, we give them tools to plant them but warn about the risks.
What About Everything Else?I also found that Bibles I needed were locked-down in copyright, commentaries were bulky, and seminaries cost a fortune. I wondered if each MDiv was de-funding a mission to the Unreached. Besides, the Internet makes copying so cheap that every church member should have free access to everything they need to walk with Christ.
Secular activists believed in their own missions so much that they constantly donated time, money, and published works to accomplish their goals. They thought the cost was worth it if lives were on the line or they could change them for the better. It bothers me that they're more selfless about their missions than Christians often are about Christ's. If choosing between the mission or money (or control), Christian suppliers would often choose selfish gain. (N.P.L. and GotQuestions.org are exceptions.)
Scripture says that making money serving is fine. Like Paul (1/2/3), I just felt we should default to putting no obstacles in the way of kingdom growth. That we should accept losses or reduced profits where necessary on that. That those of us already given eternal reward which we didn't earn should be at least as generous and dedicated as people in the world.
As I prayed on each problem, God provided a solution to it which I could share for free. God usually had already inspired someone to take action. People just didn't have awareness or access. So, I switched from strictly creating original content to mostly curating and improving existing work. I give whatever I have to believers I meet in case God inspires action through it. He's given me more than I even have time to post. I'll try to keep putting more out there if I have free time.
License: Public Domain. Unless otherwise noted, on-site content is free to use, remix, sell... do whatever brings people closer to Jesus Christ.