https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog Insights, guides, and stories to help your church teach with clarity and confidence. en-us https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/seek-the-welfare-of-the-city https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/seek-the-welfare-of-the-city I was testing the platform for bugs when a Mordecai character study surfaced Jeremiah 29:7 — "seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you." My honest posture had been: to heck with this town. Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:21:00 GMT https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/you-don-t-want-to-go-to-hell-do-you https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/you-don-t-want-to-go-to-hell-do-you A VBS leader asked little girls, “You don’t want to go to hell, do you?” So I researched how people actually came to Jesus in the New Testament. Not one instance was fear-based.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:12:00 GMT https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/what-happens-when-you-ask-the-hard-question https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/what-happens-when-you-ask-the-hard-question The people who care the most about a church are the ones most likely to get hurt - because they're the ones who eventually say something. A healthy church receives hard questions as gifts, not threats Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:29:00 GMT https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/i-didn-t-get-anything-out-of-church-today https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/i-didn-t-get-anything-out-of-church-today "I didn't get anything out of church today." I said it for years. But it's one of the most self-centered things a believer can say. What if we've been asking the wrong question every Sunday? Wed, 08 Apr 2026 22:00:00 GMT https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/we-dont-accept-that-baptism https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/we-dont-accept-that-baptism "We don't accept the Assembly of God baptism." I was already a follower of Jesus. Already baptized. But the denomination required it again — in their water. What I did next surprised even me. Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:16:00 GMT https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/the-last-command-of-jesus https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/the-last-command-of-jesus Jesus's last command — "love one another as I have loved you" — is the most under-preached instruction in Christianity. And Philippians 2:12? Every word is plural. It was never about you alone. Mon, 06 Apr 2026 14:05:00 GMT https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/deeper-than-we-expected https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/deeper-than-we-expected The same architecture that generates a Sunday school lesson can guide seminary-level formation. And when you invite someone into the research, the collaboration itself becomes the discipleship. Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:45:00 GMT https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/three-sundays-without-a-net https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/three-sundays-without-a-net The pastor was away for three Sundays. Three men filled in. Three different problems. Theological misalignment, scattered prep, and a Google search sermon. All were predictable and preventable. Wed, 01 Apr 2026 10:50:00 GMT https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/the-church-we-forgot-pt-2-shared-elders-vs-solo-pastor https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/the-church-we-forgot-pt-2-shared-elders-vs-solo-pastor The New Testament pattern for church leadership is unmistakably plural. So how did a body of elders become a solo pastor carrying everything? The history is clear. Tue, 31 Mar 2026 12:39:00 GMT https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/why-should-the-devil-have-all-the-good-software https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/why-should-the-devil-have-all-the-good-software The church has software for giving, scheduling, streaming, and accounting. But the thing it actually exists to do — teach and proclaim the Kingdom — has almost no technological support. Until now. Mon, 30 Mar 2026 22:02:00 GMT https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/when-the-sermon-became-the-job https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/when-the-sermon-became-the-job The average pastor spends 14 hours a week preparing a monologue and 6 hours being with people. Somewhere along the way, the sermon became the job — and the shepherd became the speaker. Sat, 28 Mar 2026 16:28:00 GMT https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/the-church-we-forgot-pt-1-ekklesia-vs-church https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/the-church-we-forgot-pt-1-ekklesia-vs-church The early church didn’t have worship bands, sermon series, or children’s ministry wings. They had each other. They had homes. They had bread and wine and prayer and the apostles’ teaching. Fri, 27 Mar 2026 13:00:00 GMT https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/the-hat-we-put-on-at-noon-on-sunday https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/the-hat-we-put-on-at-noon-on-sunday I don't get a single call from my church during the week. But do I send one? No. Compartmentalized faith is the norm — and strong believers aren't immune. Philippians 2 asks us for something more. Tue, 24 Mar 2026 14:34:00 GMT https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/seeds-planted-thirty-years-ago https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/seeds-planted-thirty-years-ago In 1995, my team designed hologram teachers and executives laughed. Thirty years later, I'm building the principle underneath it. God plants seeds in one season and fulfills them in another. Fri, 20 Mar 2026 12:09:00 GMT https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/so-any-thoughts https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/so-any-thoughts Every week, a small group leader opens the Bible, reads a passage, looks up at the room, and says: 'So... any thoughts?" Wed, 18 Mar 2026 20:13:00 GMT https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/roman-roads-printing-presses-and-ai https://appo-public-test.appostolic.com/blog/roman-roads-printing-presses-and-ai "AI will generate slop." "AI replaces God." "AI replaces the Spirit." I've heard all three. One is right, one is wrong, and one I agree with completely. Mon, 16 Mar 2026 21:24:00 GMT