We should expect people to take time to ask questions and to express doubts. Ask them about their prayer life and time in the Word. Lord, I pray that you will mobilize multitudes to get on the mission. In this passage we see a few elements thus discussed. Over time, it has a huge influence on the nations and cultures of the world. The result: a radical departure from the world and even cultural Christianity that leaves onlookers strangely curious about the God who can change a person so substantially. What keeps believers from sharing their faith? But dont for a second think this is done for a reason other than love. . 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day? 17 As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him. You learn in school that it was because of taxation without representation that we declared our independence. Does this not make us die a little each daywhere are our tears for them? Read Luke 24:49. And the Sunday spectacular is not the mission. Matthew 13:31-33He told them another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Because you will incur a harsher judgment if you have known Him and reject Him by continuing to willfully sin. (Matthew 28:19-20a). This pattern of behavior is rampant in modern Christendom, and a tough habit to break. And if they have, they have not been shown by us leaders what it looks like, simply told (ouch!). It is realizing that you are condemned and deserve deathindeed, eternal separation from God and the punishment of hell. Unfortunately, in the pursuit of God, we often assume that reaching and ministering to the lost is the end, rather than a means to the end. Typically, evangelicals leverage secular philosophies or psychology that is simply Christianized. Oftentimes spiritual maturity is confused with sanctification. Scripture suggests that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a gift that is specifically designed to empower us for ministry. It is so valuable that we are to pray regularly for the kingdom to come. We even fellowship to mutually edify one anotherto encourage each other on the mission (1 Corinthians 14:26). Disobedience is the result of ignorancebelieving a lie in lieu of the truth. In order to initiate a healthy, organically-reproductive discipleship movement, the right spiritual DNA must be established. I want to highlight a few things here. Here are Jesus last instructions for His disciples before His ascension (the going to the Father cited above): And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high (Luke 24:49). Therefore, Gods redemptive purposesbringing our submission and allegiance to our Creator rather than our deceiverare designed to restore deserved glory to God, not simply to give us a get-out-of-hell-free card. Until we are ready to sign this document, we are not fit to serve in His Kingdom. In Acts 1:5, what did Jesus call this experience? Now, about what to teach: there is far too much to include in this short text. By and large it was the Christians who built the hospitals, and the schools, and the universities, and the orphanages, and who ministered to the poor in the countries in which they lived. Yet, John says, let no one deceive you; otherwise, this is the correct standard to apply. The birds were not part of the mustard tree. What about your ministrywhat fruit is it bearing for Gods glory? It has grown into a huge plant. And once they are matured (if ever), they in turn may simply add more folks to the system. Acts 6:1-7. This points to the unbelieving peoples of the world that will benefit from Christianity, even though they are not Gods covenant people. What signs will accompany those who believe? Jesus goes on now to tell a second parable that expands on the first one. Have you counted the cost and surrendered everything to Christ? However, we were told in no uncertain terms that the Spirit is sufficient to instruct us (see 1 John 2:27 and John 16:13-15). We are the Lords hands and feet in this world. Telling people to do these things is a poor substitute for doing them. . For someone who said He was a king, He sure didnt act like one! Well, what he is saying is that anyone walking in the Light, abiding in Christ, will subject themselves to the Spirit and repent, confessing their sins to God and to each other. What the key first steps for qualifying a disciple? One consideration in choosing a disciple is the convenience of investing quality time with him/her. Pray and fast in a disciple. When Peter spoke to the Gentiles in Caesarea, he described Jesus to them in this way: You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. To save items to a SermonFolder, please sign in to your account. In Jesus name, Amen. . What about your very life? Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded (James 4:7-8, NASB). So too, we need to have a vision of what God will do if we will just labor on faithfully. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. With this basis of the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus, let us slowly shift gears to the saints. They are sent by the devil to thwart the advance. (1 John 2). read more, Denomination: Meditate on such things. This is not something meant to be confined to the four walls of a building. Maybe the last chapter caused you some heartburn; after all, most of us have come to believe that struggling with sin is the normal Christian experience. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. The next step is to pray for empowerment. Marcs perspectives on American Christianity are refreshingly out of the box. They arent the critical attacks we often read that offer no solutions. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The leaven would cause the bread to ferment, and expand, and bubble up, until it had caused the entire 50 pounds of flour to rise. You don't really need to convince people that they are sinners. Job apparently gave his allegiance to Godhe signed the blank piece of paper and was willing to give it all. He gave in and sinned. Sometimes just asking, Can I talk with you about Jesus? opens people up. We have to show people that Kingdom life if they are going to walk the path with us. Set up three columns in a journal: the verses read, what God is speaking to you personally through the passage (not simply facts), and what He wants you to do with what you learned (personally). Again, think about it as a custody battle. This is one of the critical missing elements in many evangelism methods and discipleship programs.. Before we look at our personal empowerment, let us first study the example set forth in Scripture about Jesus Himself. Name three examples in the Bible of the man of peace.. Do not attempt to disciple them through a series of meetings and teachings. After reading the above passages, who do you think the verse was addressed to, believers or unbelievers? It does not say be a nice person and wait for someone to ask you how to be saved. Ok, if youre still with me, you can rest assured that God does not want you to sacrifice everything on this list right now. In a future chapter, I will offer additional tips that will help to avoid acquiring and propagating bad spiritual DNA. So what words in the Bible are the most important? Read Acts 2:37-41, 8:36-38, 16:15, 16:33, and 22:16. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. We are bound to a church system that keeps us trapped within four walls. But where was the palace? Website. See below in two translations: Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. read more, Scripture: The field-proven methods that I will share in this book were originally intended for ministry leaders whose job it is to mobilize the saints; however, this book is no less applicable for all of you saints who are committed to doing your part to fulfill the Great Commission. read more, Scripture: 9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. Confused? In fact, I would argue that we must be tempted in order to prove our holiness. 20 For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst. (Matthew 18). Let me ask youor rather, answer the Lord: have you counted the cost? A healthy cycle for discipleship is to seek a new disciple as soon as two or three weeks into being discipled (a month at the latest, if they are really struggling to gain freedom and empowerment). 5 You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. Therefore, the saints must step in! I know that deep down in every believer the capacity to birth that Pearl exists. June 10, 2018. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. Make yourself available. The oil change Share with them the necessity of living a radically transformed life and engaging on the mission. I know that some of you are saying Im not an evangelist or pastor, thats for them or these commands were addressed to the Apostles only. Well, most of Christs teachings and all the Epistles were addressed to others. Have you been baptized in the Holy Spirit? They may be working, but not on the right mission. How does that bring Him glory? However, if they justify and defend their sin, a stronghold results, grieving the Spirit, granting Satan authority in their life. Yet, that tiny little seed, would grow into the largest plant in the garden. Gods grace has power to save if we walk by the Spirit. For Jesus said, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. (Acts 1:8). 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. At the end of year one, the score is evangelism 366, discipleship two; year two, evangelism 731, discipleship four; year three, 1,096 to eight; year five, 1,826 to 32; year 10, 3,651 to 1,024; year 20, evangelist 7,300, and 1,048,576 saints made through discipleship. They will never gain freedom from strongholds without openness. We need to tell them that true freedom and fulfillment only come through submitting unconditionally to our Heavenly Father. Learn more. They need a guide, a mentor, someone to disciple them (see Philippians 3:17 and 1 John 2:6). During a spiritual inventory, what three things must we take from Satans dominion and give over to God? Read John 15:1-10. Matthew 3:1-2In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judeaand saying, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near., Matthew 4:17From that time on Jesus began to preach, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.. One failed church planter in Rwanda retooled his methods upon catching the vision and resulted in changing the nation forevereffectively ending prostitution in his area. . For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. June 03, 2018. First, it was the primary theme of Jesus and the disciples preaching. We dont just have a building, we have a kingdom awaiting us. What did Jesus say we would do after He went to the Father? In Jesus name. I pray that the Lord will speak to you through these words to challenge and inspire you with greater passion in the Holy Spirit, to spread His Glory by mobilizing the saints into the Kingdom harvest. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. Can we love Jesus and not obey His commands? Lord, empower your saints and embolden them for your mission. In the first parable we see the external expansion of the kingdom. These folks are normally seekers, and eagerly digest these things. Note Resource used from Tom Blevins on Keep Me From Evil sermon - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC6vHLU377Y We have turned it into information and meetings, rather than a walk empowered by the Spirit. So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. They seemingly experience the same cycles of failures and struggles. I pray that your laborers would storm the gates of hell, and initiate an unstoppable movement of radically transformed lives. . 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. We must get beyond our religious assertions and traditions and embrace the vision, to truly be on mission. God will be glorified in that life. What if God asked you to sign a blank piece of paper, permitting Him to take what He wants? You don't need a formula, a method, or a program to share the faith. I think if there was a clearer understanding of what the mission was, we would take the nations in short order by mobilizing the reserves to the battle field. They wont teach you that. At the beginning we need to labor on faithfully, without seeing stupendous results. Visit us on Sunday morning. Thanksgiving 1; Series . Make the kingdom a very high priority in your life. Providential Hindrances & Kingdom Expansion: . I want to speak about the glorious resurrection, but I have to remember that a conversation is not a speech. Amen. Your email address will not be published. Another benefit to a discipleship model is the total removal of resources as a limitation. 6. read more, Scripture: That is exactly what has happened to Jesus and the movement He started. Are those who have died to sin still bound to sin? By the time I had read five chapters, I declared to myself that his claims were not overstated at all. Pursuing works without a Kingdom invitation likewise misses the mark. It is no secret who will be saved and who stands condemned. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. Our website is www.deliveranceseries.com and our vision is creating fulfilled destinies. Adam and Eve took the bait. Who are the two powers battling for our affection and allegiance? Luke 16:16, KJVThe law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. However, the discourse does not stop there. We were created for good works, and faith without works is dead. State plainly that the enemy no longer has permission or authority to operate in these areas. Gods redemptive purposes ultimately point back to Him. 15 Outstanding Quotes To Recharge Your Preaching. God had granted them the blessing of knowing the mysteries of the kingdom. There is victory moment by moment. How did David respond to the initial temptation? Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheeps clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. He had to be silenced, and so they had already began plotting together as to how they could put Him to death. What do you suppose Jesus would do if He were facing the same woman in the court the next day, having been caught in the same sin? They engage with their minds not their spirits. Many will discount these words saying, he teaches salvation by works. Well James 2:24 says: You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone., Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. There are 2.2 billion adherents of the Christian faith, nearly 1/3 of all people on the planet! The list will get shorter over time, and complete freedom is the end. Do life together. Meditate on these truths. Stories abound about modern geographical ignorance. I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers - and it was not there . Read Romans Chapter 6. However, for many of us it is elusive. Would you give up your possessions for Christ? Do we not care that most of the people we encounter daily are going to suffer Gods wrath forever? They didnt look at Jesus and His disciples and say, Oh, theres the King, and theres the kingdom! No, it was invisible to most. But all of that bread was made by inserting just a little bit of leaven into it. Now that youve gotten a glimpse of the big picture, lets fill in some of the remaining details. And, thats how it is with Gods kingdom in this world. You see, Satan does not have authority to operate in our lives when we are cleansed, because we are no longer subject to the law of sin and death. First John 5:13 certainly speaks of eternal security; however, it is conditional on freedom from sin (1 John 3:9), freedom from worldliness (1 John 2:15), obeying His commands (1 John 1:4), and walking as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6). Are you prepared to mentor a disciple to complete freedom from sin? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? But the Serpent set out to cast doubt on this truth. Will you sign the blank piece of paper? At some level we seek ministry success to satisfy our desire to accomplish a lot for God; however, the aim is misguided by our insecurities and deep needs, rather than motivated by Gods glory. Pentecostal Sermons and Bible Studiesby Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D. in heaven and on earth has been given to me (Matthew 28:18). Give them the weaponry and ammunition they need to fight on the frontlines of Kingdom expansion. It may not sound very nice to say it, but lets be honestif they would serve without the benefits, would the government even offer them? Back to top. I pray that you quiet the distractions in life to allow them to cherish their time with youto gain understanding, guidance, and obedience. I, A Childs Own Book of Great Composers, Vol. . So I urge you to meditate on these passages with an open spirit. Because it must be convenient to commit quality time to them or the process will turn into a series of meetings rather than an organic process. What is the normal order or pattern of events in taking a new disciple through the discipleship process? There isa lot to learnin Christianity. The baptism may or may not be accompanied by speaking in tongues; allow the Holy Spirit to do what He wants. But by all means, for those who have a hunger to go from the reserves to the battlefield and meet all the other criteria above, go for it! Some leaders dont even think that the command to make disciples even applies to them. I have found the Pearl and want to glorify God by telling the world. Two: the mission must be self-propagating regardless of cultural context, available resources, or giftedness. I pray that you will open your mind and heart to these truths. As you seek to share your faith in a kind way, you may be surprised that people are more willing to listen. It was only Marcs reputation for sincerity and integrity that compelled me to lay aside my concerns and take the time to read it. . Have them renounce the devil and his works, publicly. We repent of sin, renounce strongholds, and release victimizations. Otherwise, the organic process will turn into a series of planned meetings. . Alexis De Tocqueville was a French philosopher who had come to America in the 1830s to find out what made her great so that the French could learn and copy some things to become great as well. 18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin. But reading is not enough. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. In the US, where independence and rugged individualism reign, the church (or assembly of Christs followers) has been rendered inconsequential. The enemy is extremely vulnerable at this phase of the assault and can be easily thwarted by a retaliatory strike from the defensive reserves. I mean, do you have a disciple whom you personally led to Christ, that you are personally discipling into obedience by sharing your life? (Revelation 19:7-8). Yes, churches will both grow and be planted as a result. Luke 9:11 But the crowds were aware of this and followed Him; and welcoming them, He began speaking to them about the kingdom of God and curing those who had need of healing. But just give it some time. Select File TypeWord DocPDFView Sermon Online (html) I rebuke the enemy and command him by the authority of Jesus Christ to stay away from your people. In Jesus case, there was no money, no power, no trumpets, no chariots, no swords, no facilities, no pomp, no nothing! Matthew 13:44The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. (1 John 2:15-17). Yet, we also see a clear pattern in Scripture of those empowered by the Holy Spirit (called the baptism of the Holy Spirit) after regeneration, sometimes even before water baptism (for example, the Gentiles with Cornelius, see Acts 10). I pray that the enemy would cringe at the advancement of your glory. And the last thing I want to do is send them to the front lines unarmedand worse yet, with guns in their hands, but no ammunition. 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