December 11, 2010
subscribe, view past issues and Get Releasing Kings The Gospel of the Kingdom I have one more insight regarding Warsaw. Our business conferences “accidently” resulted in 30-40 salvations. The Lord spoke something into my heart regarding why it happened. This newsletter is an introduction to Kings and the Gospel of the Kingdom. It’s worth printing and reading when you have time (5 pages and 2 helpful tables). He (Jesus) appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. Acts 1:3 ...he preached the good news of the Kingdom of God. Acts 8:12-13 The Gospel of
Salvation - We normally
think of the Gospel of
salvation as inviting Jesus into our heart and receiving forgiveness
for sins.
We usually follow up with baptisms and involvement in church. It’s
wonderful in
the beginning. But after the years turn into decades of sitting in the
pew, we’re
faced with the shallow realization that it’s not too exciting. Most of
us can’t
compete for the pulpit or the worship leader’s slot, so we end up
serving in
some capacity that isn’t really fulfilling… rather than exciting us
until we
move on to heaven. Fifty years of janitorial work or teaching Sunday
school? No
thanks! The gospel of salvation produces church members that eventually
die on
the vine. Some continue to trudge through their church life. Others
give up and
quit. Others search in vain for the answer in the church down the
street. We were all
told, “God has a wonderful plan for your life.” We just weren’t shown
where to
look for it or how to find it. The first clue is that it’s not inside
the
church for most of us. I’m not implying that you have to leave church
attendance
behind. I’m simply making a connection between our ministry calling and
our
vocation in the marketplace. The Gospel of the
Kingdom – Without
subtracting anything from
our salvation experience, I want to suggest that the “full” gospel
includes
something more. Our hearts are designed by God to share His heart and
His
passion for life. He intended that we each dream, and take the
initiative to
pursue those dreams to effect change in our lives, obtain some degree
of
wealth, and a generosity or ministry that operates out of our own
vocation in
the marketplace. Suddenly our personal life purpose has a bridge into
the will
of God and His plan to build the Kingdom. Now our dreams take on new
meaning
and we can understand why God might want to give us the power to create
wealth.
It’s all pretty exciting. Back to Warsaw – Why did those
30 entrepreneurs get
saved in the conference? These folks were already successful in
business. Can
you see why offering them a version of salvation that amounts to a life
sentence of sitting in a pew would not be a big drawing card? However,
the
concept of a relationship with Jesus that includes a role in building
the
Kingdom… well, that sounds a little more like what their hearts were
searching
for – “purpose.” Why does the message resonate? We were created in
Christ to do
good works from the womb. We are all designed with hearts that long to
do
exploits and change the world! For
we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God
prepared in advance for us to do. Eph 2:10 NIV But I’m still
sitting??? – “What if I’m
saved and involved in
church but not involved in my mountain. What if I can’t make a
connection
between my current job and my dreams and my role in the Kingdom?” Watching your
friends get free to dream, express their entrepreneurial side, make
money and
minister to people will leave you with a sense of envy. Don’t feel
guilty. It’s
just the Holy Spirit showing you something about your own life that you
should
long for. Heart’s always long for freedom… and there is a Kingly
jailbreak
occurring as we speak… and you really are invited. Start Now! - It’s time to
give your heart
permission to dream and ask for those desires. Take stock of your
talents,
abilities and prayer requests and imagine what you would really like to
do with
your life. Put the entrepreneurial plan together to make it happen, and
get
started. It will take time and the plan will get modified a few times.
But,
spending your life on “your” dream is an easier way to find the will of
God and
purpose than mindlessly serving someone else’s dream in exchange for a
paycheck. You know
you’re ready to be a King when you don’t need anyone’s permission to be
who you
are. If personal initiative is so low that you need a push from a
pastor, then
you’re probably not quite ready for the marketplace. Now read Kings and the
Gospel of the Kingdom. PS: You
may
also enjoy the video
version of this newsletter.
Desire to Destiny is available now at our store along with reviews. Not sure what your dream is? This book will help you pull the curtain back on your future. Newsletter - If your newsletter comes incomplete (filtered), you can always catch the latest version in our archive along with 200 others. 1800+ people from around the world get Kingly encouragement from our weekly newsletter. Invite a friend to subscribe - they will be blessed. How to Start a Small Group - Kings are increasingly getting involved in Bible study or mentoring groups to facilitate their "Release." Here are some helpful suggestions www.Releasing-Kings.com/Starting-a-Group.html. We've also updated our Vision Brochure with graphics to show how to become a King and how you can help Release Kings. Lastly we've created a guideline to help you take your dream to the next level by considering the elements of a business plan. See Write Your Business Plan. French Translation - Releasing Kings is now available in French thanks to the efforts of Cees Bakker and Support Ministries in the Netherlands. In France, copies can be obtained from Editions Menor or Librairie Chretienne CLC. The Title in French is “Libération des Rois pour le ministère dans le monde du travail”. Cees is also the guy who made the Dutch translation possible - available through his website. He can be contacted for Releasing Kings conferences in France and throughout Europe. Facebook - I'm posting more information on Face book at http://www.facebook.com/john.garfield1
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