But the gospel of God’s grace doesn’t try to bend a heart into a new pattern; it melts it and re-forms it into a new shape.

The most important way to gain a hearing from postmodern people, confront nominal Christians, wake up “sleepy” Christians, and even delight committed Christians — all at the same time — is to preach the gospel as a third way to approach God,

church must also multiply and increase in the pagan city as God’s new humanity, but this happens especially through evangelism and discipling

If we simply “blast” away — railing against the evils of culture — we are unlikely to gain a hearing among those we seek to reach.

Paul is showing them that their beliefs fail on the basis of their own premises.

presenting the gospel to someone as the chapters in a story.

the Bible say over and over that the gospel is spread by preaching,

imbalances and a lack of proper emphasis.

churches. GROWING THE NUMBER OF CHURCHES IN THE CITY The way to grow the number of Christians in a city is not mainly through church renewal but through church planting. When stagnant churches go through a renewal phase and begin to grow, it is typically through transfer growth from other churches. Strong programs attract believers who are