April 09, 2006
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Making "Kingly" Disciples There are 5 books out now that are causing a little stir in the States. Each points out an area of need in the way we make disciples.
Each of these books points out significant issues in the way we make disciples. Many view them as criticizing the church and offering unbiblical alternatives. I cite them because the issues they raise are very real, however I admit the solutions offered aren't nearly as articulate or satisfying. I believe the Lord is very capable of building His Church. It's one of many very clear commitments Jesus made; the spotless bride of Eph 5:27.
We Americans are prone to measure our success in terms of marketing terminology and the result is that we periodically rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic instead of fixing the leak or staying out the icebergs in the first place. I want to offer a simple solution to taking the next step toward a church-growing, megashifting, revolution, that will wake the dead. Ready? If you haven't read Releasing Kings, now is the time. #1. Don't throw the baby out - Our local community, like most, has some great churches that help people connect with the Lord. The first goals of discipleship are:
The traditional values of surrendering your life to Christ, learning submission, service, being part of church body, worship, exercising spiritual gifts (such as healing and prophecy), and learning something about your ministry gifts are essential. Most churches do a pretty good job of helping people down that road. The worship is fun, the fellowship is fun, and seeing people saved and families healed is even more fun. We could argue about where the church meets, how it's structured, or what's its emphasis ought to be. My attitude is that there is room for different expressions and it's healthy to accomplish the same things in as many different ways as possible. We need to help pastors not just critique them. #2. Graduate somebody - There is an undercurrent in the heart of God's people that all five books touch in a prophetic way. There has to be more. Our current version of discipleship is a perpetual motion machine that is never complete. What happens to people that experience everything our local church has to offer? How long does that take? Do they get a life sentence in Sunday school for being faithful? No wonder those 10 million men quit. All five books are amazingly silent about how people make a living and what they do with their 40 most productive hours. God is stirring His people to connect their ministry, their work, the dreams and desires of their heart, and the will of God. What's going away is the idea that you can divorce your ministry (an hour in church) from your vocation (40-50 hours in the workplace). There is no such thing as a secular job. Our use of "tent making" suggests Paul barely tolerated that 40 hours to get enough money to redeem the weekends. Can you see the flaw? Should we assume Jesus hated being a carpenter and that it was a wasted portion of his life? Life (the goal of discipleship) - Men and women find their ministry expression in their marketplace vocation and take the presence and the power of God with them. Their deepest heart's desires find expression in their entrepreneurial pursuit. They come alive. In fact, "life" starts when we start doing the things God created us to do. Get it?... Entrepreneurial expression leads to prosperity, which leads to life. Our cup overflows and ministry is the result (helping others through the same process). That 40 hour ministry is the one that will expand the Kingdom and reach the world. Can you see that it's spiritual to be entrepreneurial? He's the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (all businessmen). The Church is there to help them disciple the second generation of people they touch in the marketplace... to graduate more disciples. Connect the dots - We're all amateur theologians that don't always connect the dots between what we believe and what we do. For example:
Instead of dismantling the church, let's queue up some graduates and let them expand the Kingdom; starting in our own cities and going all over the world. Pastors aren't afraid of graduating Kingly people into marketplace ministry (I'm not implying they necessarily leave the church). Want to know what pastor's are really afraid of? Preaching to the same crowd decade after decade with no results. Pastors are good people; they want what God wants too. We've interviewed some great examples of Christian entrepreneurs that have already heard the call. http://www.releasing-kings.com/Interviewing-Kings.html
Life is an adventure. People are a blessing. God is amazing. We're winning.
Love, John & Harold (are dancing - Join us)
Conferences - The Last trip to the Netherlands was a real eye-opener! I greatly underestimated the value of our book, the impact of the message on individual lives, and the value of live conferences. I witnessed the power of God being unleashed in the hearts of men and women by simply explaining the theology and experience behind releasing their heart's desire to expand the Kingdom. Seeing the lights come up in the hearts of God's people feels like sponsoring a jailbreak. One of my goals is to equip others to help us share the message in conference formats before we get overwhelmed with the momentum of what God is about to do. If your church or organization is ready, we can help you start a fire... a big one! Send us your feedback! We get blessed by your emails at "You Wrote Back"
Past newsletters are now Indexed to Chapters in Releasing Kings!
_____________________________________________________________________ Interested in your own WEB? We've posted information on the software we use to create this web site. If you survive the learning curve without losing your sanctification (mine is barely intact), it really is easy to use and the cost is $299 a year - much less expensive than hiring someone. The primary benefit is the ease of making your own changes. Additional info is at: http://www.releasing-kings.com/releasing-websites.html
Progress - Kingly Bio's are Up We've completed the first round of interviews with Kings. These are real people that have been blessed by God in the Market Place and have hearts for ministry. Check it out at http://www.releasing-kings.com/Interviewing-Kings.html. If you have a success story, we'd like to post it by giving you a web page on our site.
Progress - A Teacher's Guide We've completed the first version of a study guide that targets those teaching the material in Releasing Kings. It includes a page of notes on each chapter, all the graphics suitable to make overheads, and a PDF file of the book with the key points highlighted that includes marginal notes, comments, and questions. This material is available for purchase on the teacher's guide page of the web. 509-308-6873
God has given us a great tool to communicate a message that sets people free in an amazing, contagious, life-changing way. If you haven't read it - get it. If you have read it - give it. http://www.releasing-kings.com/Ordernow.html
We've gotten a ton of positive feedback on the newsletter too... get it, give it. Reloading Seniors was powerful. Pass the link on. http://www.releasing-kings.com/Newsletter.html
PS: don't forget to look at the free reports - show your pastor the article on marketplace ministry from the pastor's perspective. You can simply email him this link or print a copy to give him. http://releasing-kings.com/pastors-perspective.html
____________________________________________________________________ You can get your copy of Releasing Kings for Ministry in the Marketplace at 1-800-308-5837 (or) |