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Kingdom

Principles in Kingdom Building

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Rev. Michael A. Milton of Faith for Living ministry in North Carolina compared the impact of the minor things we do in God’s Kingdom to the Parable of the Mustard Seed teaching of Jesus Christ. Rev. Milton wrote two principles on kingdom growth.

1st Principle: The Kingdom of God is Invisible to the Physical Eye

The first principle is, The Kingdom of God is often imperceptible by sight but staggering in cosmic potential. He quoted the testimony of Benjamin Franklin saying, “Church planting is just one evangelist on fire with a vision of the kingdom of God that has come into his own life, and, now, into this community. Others come to see this marvel, and some of them begin to catch on fire, too. Thus, the Church spreads.” Rev. Milton emphasized that there is no secret to the revival of a church or a denomination. It is only by seeing with eyes of faith the truth of the kingdom of God that the invisible is filled with power.  

2nd Principle: The Kingdom of God has Transforming Power

The second principle is, The Kingdom of God is often insignificant in influence but abounding in transforming power. Rev. Milton pointed out that there is not much about the mustard seed, thus making it negligible. But, as we ask the birds of the air that make their nests in that tree, it will no longer be insignificant. No ministry or small group activity is unimportant, for things are often upside down in the Kingdom of God. We should not look at the impact of the Church in the same way we look upon a business. Those who are most important may not be the significant ones. There are some mustard seeds that we cannot see, but they are already at work.

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Kingdom

Challenge in Discipleship

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Challenge in Discipleship:

Personal and Private

One major problem revealed by this research is that millions of Christians believe that discipleship is only a personal thing with only personal and private implications. This can be attributed to what the Christians experience in their churches. There is minimal emphasis on the communal and relational nature of spiritual growth. Only one-third of Christian adults report that their church recommends meeting with a spiritual mentor. Half of their churches publically endorse studying the Bible with a group. While half recommend studying the Bible independently. 

One of the compelling findings of the study is that developmental relationships are more common in large or megachurches. Seventy-eight percent or 8 out of 10 church leaders of 500+ member churches report being currently discipled by someone else. When asked about the most effective single method of discipleship. 52% of church leaders prefer small groups and 29% for discipleship by pairs. Therefore, small groups are the disciple-making approach favored by most of today’s church leaders. 

Structure vs. Heart

Aside from prayer and quiet time with God, the pastors believe that spiritual disciplines are also essential to discipleship. such as “personal commitment to grow in Christlikeness.” “Attending a local church,” and “a deep love for God.”

According to pastors, having “a comprehensive discipleship curriculum” is by far the least essential element of effective discipleship. Only 44% of pastors considered the curriculum as crucial.  

Furthermore, when asked how church pastors and leaders will improve their discipleship programs. Most say they would “develop a more clearly articulated plan or approach to discipleship.” Church leaders and congregants need better methods of discipleship approach. They evaluate the effectiveness of their discipleship efforts.

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Free Prophecy for Everyone

Discipleship

Discipleship

D1-6: A Discipleship Model

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D1-6: A Discipleship Model

Joel Comiskey, the founding pastor of a cell-based church in Southern California, has the same stand by noting that Jesus wants us to become like him.

He pointed out that the Scripture tells us that we are called to be “conformed to the likeness of his Son” (Romans 8:29).

He discussed the next step in small group ministry by maturing the believers, moving them forward, and helping them depend on Jesus. In Comiskey’s book, Making Disciples in the 21 Century Church, he emphasized how small or cell groups are instrumental in helping God’s people become more like Jesus. He developed a paradigm that is practical in building disciples through small groups. He called this process of discipleship “D1-6.” 

D-1

The first step is that of a “D-1 disciple”, a person who participates in a cell group,uses gifts, and takes the equipping class for discipleship. In this step, an individual attends the service to hear God’s Word and worship with other believers. Next, in this process, an individual is baptized. They are taught to obey all the things that Christ has commanded (Matthew 28:18-20). Finally, the essential components in the training process of a “D-1 disciple” include doctrinal teaching and holiness. It also included baptism, evangelism, and preparation to minister to others.  

D-2

The next step is that of a “D-2 disciple”, a person who lives out in practice what they learn and serves as part of the leadership team. Moreover, the disciple plays a significant role in the small group. Also prepares to launch and participate in a new group. 

D-3

Next is the “D-3 disciple”, a person who is the point leader of a group. In this step, a disciple gathers people together and leads a small group. Also, they have graduated from the training track provided by the church.

D-4

This is followed by a “D-4 disciple”, an already coaching or mentoring someone else. In this stage, a disciple has developed another disciple is also leading their cell group. Comiskey considered a “D-4 disciple” as a multiplication leader. 

Moreover, Comiskey’s discipleship paradigm does not stop with a “D-4 disciple”.

D-5

He further notes that some disciples will become staff of the church or the “D-5 disciples.” Also, others will even go and plant new churches, which he calls the “D-6 disciples”.

D-6 

This paradigm of discipleship is intended to help a believer through a clearly defined equipping process. In this light, the vision of the small group system is to help members take the next step and level up in their discipleship walk. The practical goal of Comiskey’s small group paradigm is to make mature disciples in taking the next step in ministry and ultimately grow more like Jesus.

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Free Prophecy for EveryoneDiscipleship Model

The DNA of the Small Groups

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The DNA of the Small Groups:

Instead of asking for new small group strategies that are working well, a discipleship pastor or leader should first determine the DNA of the small groups in their church.

Rather than going for effective discipleship curriculums, a pastor or any leader must be first grounded. Pastors must align themselves to God’s calling for their church’s small groups.  

Small group leaders take shortcuts to successful small groups, and they copy and apply another church’s model for discipleship. The problem with this is that they do not take into account their own church’s unique fundamentals.

Every church is different, and this is okay. We should celebrate this difference since other churches can do different things to reach different people.

The discipleship system of simplicity is firmly grounded with the basics and the fundamentals of discipleship.

Sometimes, even the most basic question, “What is a Disciple?” becomes a complicated question to answer. It’s about creating a simple, duplicable discipleship pathway for the church community. 

In whatever language we have, discipleship remains the core designated task for the church, as we call it the Great Commission.  

And Jesus came and said to them,

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

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The DNA of the Small Groups

Back to Basics Part 2

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In the last post, you read about going back to basics and being straightforward in your discipleship system, and keeping accurate to the model Jesus exhibited. What are other tips we can follow?

The fourth principle of Fuhs is, “Don’t blend the genders.” There will be concerns about the individual lives of the group members that they will not be comfortable sharing or confessing in the presence of the opposite sex. Lastly, “Content Matters.” Fuhs noted that while all scripture is God-breathed, not all scripture will have equal weight in transforming lives and multiplying disciples. What we teach in our small groups is what they will teach in their small groups.

There are countless principles that we can memorize and apply in our discipleship groups. There are also numerous discipleship models and frameworks that we can copy and utilize. However, just like how Jesus and the first disciples did it before, we need not complicate things. Problems arise when we get too strategic that we go beyond and forget the basics. 

Senior Pastor of New Life Bible Church Oklahoma, Alan Danielson, shared in an article, “The right way to do small groups,” the lessons he learned from years of small group consulting. He emphasized that some discipleship models do work but are not effective for others. Danielson noticed that some discipleship pastors and leaders are more focused on the process while overlooking their small group’s fundamentals.  

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Back to Basics Part 2

Personal & Relational

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A Personal Invite

Discipleship must first and foremost begin with an acceptance to a personal invitation to a life with Jesus. It is this simple. One cannot say he is a disciple of Jesus without having an intimate relationship with him. Discipleship must have an element of life on life. People are nurtured in relationships, not in the transference of knowledge or any content. Moreover, Stevenson enumerated vital principles that influence effective discipleship in the 21st Century.  

Aside from being relational, discipleship must also be biblical, applicable, accountable, and reproducible. The word of God should remain to be the central basis for making disciples. There is no better way to follow Jesus than to read about who he was, how he thought, and what he did. Discipleship must bring impact to others. If not, then it is merely a religious practice. Discipleship also holds the followers of Christ accountable to a life of faith in their daily lives. Lastly, genuine discipleship can only happen when disciples make disciples. It’s a multiplication process.

Movement across generations

In the article “Twenty-first Century Discipleship: A Biblical Theology for Changing Times,” written by Dr. Michael J. Wilkins, he described the changing waves of discipleship across different eras. Like the ocean waves, he noted that the waves of church movements that impact us today are usually generated by far away and long ago.

And, to ride them effectively, we need to know as much as possible about the forces that have brought them about and how they impact us today. Moreover, Dr. Wilkins noted that discipleship is not a recent or unique phenomenon. More than 2,000 years ago,  Jesus Christ entered human history and called out to men and women, “Follow Me!”  

Just like what Phil Stevenson has emphasized, Dr. Wilkins considers discipleship as one that originates with a gracious call from Jesus to enter into an intimate relationship with Him. It begins with intentional evangelism that challenges people to count the cost of accepting Jesus’ call to life in the kingdom of God. Across forces and times, discipleship is simply living in this world with Jesus Christ. It’s about conforming to his image through the Holy Spirit’s power. Moreover, it would help if you allowed yourself to be nurtured by a community of believers. You also need to fulfill your purpose to make disciples.

Moreover, Dr. Wilkins considers other essentials of discipleship in the present Century aside from being generated by Jesus. The Holy Spirit initiated and empowered people for discipleship. God’s Word continually guides. They are also nurtured in communities of faith. Christians must carry it out by sojourning in our everyday, watching world.

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Highlight: Beware of the Birds

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Highlight: Beware of the Birds

God is the Sower. Ultimately, nothing grows if He did not plant it. He uses people to establish His purposes. Most of the time, He can use you to share the Gospel with your friend. However, it’s also only God who can make things grow. 

Sometimes, we are the field by which God sows things. Unfortunately, there are times when we become the birds who snatch away the good that God has planted in the hearts of others.

Who are the Birds?

The church can attract different sets of people. Sometimes, the people are like the birds in the parable of Jesus.

Jesus uses these parables to warn us. There would be members of the church who can steal or kill or destroy what God has been doing. The enemy is like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Every Christian must be vigilant. In fact, even Christians can be stirred in the wrong direction and become birds at one point in their lives.

Some people may also take advantage of the church community. They become members not because of their faith but because they want to be served. They want to benefit from belonging to the church. However, since there is no genuine repentance and Lordship in their lives, it ends up in chaos. Church leaders must be vigilant that “birds” do not steal the seed that has been planted for the church to grow. Birds snatch up the seed. They steal the seed so they cannot take root and bloom.

As true believers, we can take comfort in the fact that we can ask for wisdom from God. We must be careful to weed out such people so that they don’t steal away the fruits that have the potential to grow in our lives. God can sow a prophetic word in your heart, but birds (fear or doubt) can snatch them away. Nevertheless, birds have a purpose in the story.

Jesus still allowed the presence of Judas Iscariot as one of his chosen twelve even when he knew that Judas was bound to betray him (Jn. 6:70). This shows us that Jesus, in fact, allows or permits evil to coexist with good under his sovereignty and use it for his purposes. 

Your weekly dose of prophetic wisdom and anointing awaits you. Join our LIVE Conference Call!

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LIVING AND WORKING IN COMMITMENT/0 Comments/in /by

LIVING AND WORKING IN COMMITMENT

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. Psalms 37:5

Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality. It is the words that speaks boldly of your intentions, and the action speaks louder than the words. It is making the time when there is no time. It is coming through time after time, year after year after year.

 

“Commitment is the stuff character is made of: the power to change the face of things. It is the daily triumph of integrity over skepticism.” Shearson Lehman

 

This is a quote that I found to be very powerful, and as I was reading it, I thought of sharing this to all of you today. All people make commitments, but sometimes most people are committed to make no commitments at all. We are not perfect, sometimes we keep our commitments, and sometimes we don’t. We are at a higher level compared to animals, it is our commitment that makes us different from them. We have the capacity to act consistently depending on the commitments that we made.

The word of the Lord says commitment generates your actions, and as you begin to move forward in commitment, I am going to demonstrate my glory in the things that you will find yourself committing to. As you commit your ways unto me saith the Lord and trust in me, you are going to see me go into action on your behalf.

Our commitments enable us to perform and to push harder even if things are not easy. It is our capacity to commit and makes our existence worth it. Commitment is important. It is a kind of moral condition. It is a terrible thing if you do not know how to make commitments, and it is a good thing if you know how to make commitments. I am asking you to be committed today by receiving your personal prophecy for your life.

There is a prophetic word waiting for you now that I’m going to give that will make you realize that COMMITMENT IS ACTION. The moment one definitely commits oneself, providence moves too. When you are committed, you accept no excuses, just results, you just go and submit yourself. It is always an act not a word. Now are you ready to see what God is about to do for your life today?

I want you now to ask yourself two questions as you are releasing the seed so that I can start your prophecy by the time your question is answered.

1. What is a commitment to you?

2. How important is it to make commitments in what you do and to the people around you?

Your future is ready to be born the only one that is stopping it is you. Act now! Watch your future come alive now! God is transforming you completely. This will make you confident, full
of belief and satisfied about the outcome to your situation.

Click now to receive the prophetic direction of your life so that you may experience the power of prophecy as you begin to discover the loopholes in your life that will direct you to your destiny.

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Learn to love yourself through a Personal Prophecy/0 Comments/in /by

Self esteem can be at the root of your success. However it can also be at the root of your failure. Without self esteem you will find it hard to interact with others, find love and do well at work. When you have the love of God and understand he sees the beauty and good in you it can help boost your self esteem and help you learn to love yourself. A personal prophecy is a tool you can use to help improve your self esteem using faith and God’s love to guide you.

indexA personal prophecy takes a message from God and delivers it directly to you. Bishop Jordan is a true prophet who can connect you with God and help you discover what God has in store for you. Some people are fearful of learning God’s plan, but there is no need to be fearful. A personal prophecy is a message that helps you take the steps required to handle life’s latest challenges.

When you find yourself at an impasse in life and are filled with self doubt, you need something to give you a boost and regain faith in yourself. Many religions teach that God is within you, and in fact is you. When you live with God in your heart he does become your self esteem. You can love yourself because you understand how much God loves you and you will see your true worth. A personal prophecy can help enhance how God wants to help you and allow you to feel good about your self and to believe you can accomplish what God wants of you.

Do not be worried that God will hand you a monstrous task. God’s plans are simple and easy to accomplish as long as you are willing to listen. You have an immediate step you must take as well as many steps that will follow. A personal prophecy often provides you with a clear picture of what you should do next, be it to free yourself of debt or acknowledging a gift or talent and putting it to good use. It depends on what you are missing in life and what questions you need answered.

Through personal prophecy you will learn to love yourself and have the confidence to follow the path God has for you.

Finding yourself through Prophecy

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1Amidst all the influences, both good and bad, in the world, it is sometimes difficult to know who you really are. Magazines tell people that they must look and act a certain way in order to be considered ‘beautiful’ while television exposes us to the norms and biases that we must accept in order to fit in. Not to mention advertisements that tell you what your lifestyle must include. In the world today there is so much irresponsibly passed judgment and therefore there is also great pressure for citizens to heed to a certain image.

You might find yourself slowly being dragged away from the things you actually love doing or the values that you keep sacred. It is important in this day and age that you know who are; otherwise you will simply be influenced by everything you come across.

Through the Power of Prophecy you can get a clearer picture of the person that God wants you to be. You have unique traits and talents that are your own. Allow a Personal Prophecy to show you how to make use of them. Prophecy can facilitate your journey into yourself and your vision of your potential. A Personal Prophecy is specific to your situation. Through the words of a Prophet you can learn how the Word of God applies to your life today.

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25, NIV) CLICK HERE!

The God Inside of You

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1The Bible says, “I have said ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.” (Psalm 82:6) Everything that God is, you are. He has no hands but your hands, no eyes but your eyes, no feet but your feet, no mouth but your mouth, no ears but your ears. One of the great English poets, Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote “Closer is He than breathing, nearer than hands and feet.”

God lives on the inside of you. Once you begin to accept that fact, then all else means nothing, because now you have come to understand the true God as opposed to any outside gods. If you have a negative image of God, then you have a negative image of yourself.

You have not accepted something within you. You are caught up in the image as opposed to what is on the inside of you. You have to be able to go pass the image and know that God is on the inside of you.

Click here to receive your personal prophecy and learn more about Zoe Ministries and how you can be a part of it!

You Are a Piece of the Puzzle

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1You have to remember that you were here from the very beginning of time. Have you ever put a jigsaw puzzle together and got to the end and discovered there was a piece missing? You had this beautiful picture, yet there was a piece missing that would make it complete.

That is what God created when he created you, a perfect piece of the puzzle. Your little piece is so important to the overall plan of God. In order for a person to transform his/her negative image of God, he/she must first develop self-acceptance. Once you understand that you were here from the very beginning, the transformation process begins. Let your personal prophecy reveal the beauty that is within you.

Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee…” God knew you before you were formed in your mother’s womb, and while you were in there He ordained you to be a prophet, a teacher, an engineer, etc. The divine order is always in order. It is never out of order.

Want to know what your purpose is? Click here and speak to a prophet about your free prophecy today.