This brief series by Brett Jacobsen is not intended to be an in-depth study of the subjects throughout. It is a light introduction into the heart of what God is reforming in His church in this prophetic season. The articles, audios, videos, books, dialogues and blogs on this site www.livingthekingdom.com and www.christisall.org examine in greater depth the many pressing reformational issues in the current church.
Evangelism/Discipleship
Kingdom Increase
Institutional Christianity primarily uses so-called “local church” altar calls and crusade events in its endeavour to see the lost saved and the church grow. Not only are these non-biblical concepts… they just aren’t working. There are as many people that “wouldn’t be caught dead in a church” as there are token decisions at Christian rallies. We need change.
There are varied statistics regarding the retention rate of “converts” through “churches” and crusades in the West and elsewhere. The sad fact is that the most part of them are sliding straight out the back door. While we may turn our noses up and conclude that they just didn’t have what it takes, truth is that ‘our methods are madness’.
What Jesus taught on the subject of Kingdom increase, aka evangelism and discipleship, [1] is far from the picture I see around the traps.
Not only have our extra-biblical methods of evangelism produced scanty statistics, but they have retarded the most part of the Christian population in their calling to be a city on a hill which seeks and saves the lost. The stage and its strutters have taken the place of the believers in evangelism. A majority of Christians do not actively evangelise and make disciples of Jesus; partly because they think that the professionals have it covered.
This human approach to evangelism has also produced many short cuts to “salvation” and other bad practices, hence the back-door phenomenon. This is inevitable when we discard God’s ways and lean on our own understanding. Flesh becomes our strength rather than the Lord [2].
We can see then that this is another reason why we have been busy building a carnal, religious institution rather than Christ’s Kingdom in the Spirit. Jesus said “go” and we’ve said “come to church”. Jesus builds “living stones” into His holy temple (that’s us) yet we’ve tried to build carnal converts into OUR contemporary cathedrals.
So rather than institutionalising evangelism and discipleship along with the many other aspects of “church life” we ought to get the people of God back to being “the light of the world” (Matt 5:14).
There are two major farming (evangelistic) fields in the Kingdom- apostolic ministry and the local Christ community. [3]
- Apostolic ministry ploughs new ground, lays the foundation (Christ), sees real and lasting converts (not quick conversion), and works with the Christ community for a season then from a distance.
- The local Christ community is the main game: it is “the light of the world”, the “[ministers] of reconciliation” and the avenue where “the Lord [adds] to the church daily such as should be saved” (Matt 5:14, 2 Cor 5:18, Acts 2:41-47).
Remember though, the church is the believers in any given area, not a building, club or institution of any sort. This reformation that is upon us is the Lord’s work to bring us out of the closet of systemic sanctuaries and get us back out there in the real world where we are called to transform lives.
Click the links to God Gives the Increase below to listen to a video series which examines Jesus’ doctrine regarding the increase of His Kingdom: aka evangelism and discipleship His way.
<>
*For part six of this short series ‘Be the Church Pt 6 – Kingdom Finance’ click here.
*For the video series on Christ’s Kingdom evangelism and discipleship:
God Gives the Increase – Introduction click here.
God Gives the Increase - Part 1 click here.
God Gives the Increase - Part 2 click here.
God Gives the Increase - Part 3 click here.
God Gives the Increase - Part 4 click here.
God Gives the Increase - Part 5 click here.
God Gives the Increase - Part 6 click here.
God Gives the Increase - Part 7 click here.
God Gives the Increase - Part 8 click here.
God Gives the Increase - Part 9 click here.
God Gives the Increase - Part 10 click here.
God Gives the Increase - Part 11 click here.
God Gives the Increase - Part 12 click here.
<>
Endnotes
[1] See the introduction to the video series on this subject called ‘God Gives the Increase’ click here.
[2] This says the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good comes; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusts in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters… (Jer 17:5-8).
[3] See God Gives the Increase parts 11 and 12 above for a deeper look at this.
REPRINT AGREEMENT
Duplication and re-transmission of this writing is permitted provided that complete source and website information for LIVING THE KINGDOM is included.
Thank you.