Evangelism, Discipleship, and Our 9 Ministry Principles
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Introduction:
Introduction:
This is going to be a different kind of morning, which is right in line with our different kind of month. We are taking the month off from the Gospel of Mark to focus on our vision as a church and some other very important topics. This morning we are going to cover the best we can two of the most important calls a Christian has evangelism and discipleship and how they play into our 9 ministry principles.
Let’s start by defining our terms this morning:
Evangelism: The proclamation of the gospel to unbelievers (from the Greek euangelizō, “to announce good news”).
Discipleship: Discipling is a relational process in which a mature follower of Christ shares with a newer believer the commitment, understanding, and basic skills necessary to know and obey Jesus Christ as Lord.”
Ministry Principles//core values: A set of guiding statements that provide directions and boundaries to protect the mission and vision of our church. As we stay true to these principles they will help us to be accountable humble, and unified as a church.
Why should we be concerned about evangelism and discipleship? Here are a few reasons:
Jesus commands us to evangelize and disciple.
The church exists to give and be a witness of the Gospel.
While not everyone is called to the minsitry role of evangelist (Billy Graham, Greg Laurie, or D.L. Moody), we are all called to live out and speak out the hope we have in Jesus Christ.
Evangelism:
Evangelism:
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Christianity in America is in a steady decline.
Numerically: Self-identifying Christians are down from 77%–65% in the past decade. Non-Christians up from 17%–26% in the same period.
Our society and culture are anti-Christian.
Why the decline? There are so many factors involved; however, a major reason (though not usually discussed) is the lack of evangelism and discipleship by believers today.
Consider the following questions:
In my church in the past 12 months, how many new believers have been baptized who are the result of our congregation’s evangelistic effort?
Praise God we are getting back to what I believe Christ wanted us to do from the very beginning. A lot of our baptism are Christians being obedient to the Word of God.
As we start implementing these truths into our every day lives you will see a shift. There will be more salvations and baptisms.
If our church closed its doors for good this week, would people, other than our congregation, living within 1 mile, 3 miles, 5 miles radius, notice?
If our church closed its doors for good this week, would people, other than our congregation, living around us, would they care?
One of the major reasonings we have allocated more of our churches resources is to help with this blatant problem.
Each of us needs to ask ourselves, when was the last time I shared the gospel and/or gave a witness to Jesus Christ?
Let this bake your noodle: Out of a world population of 7.7 billion people, 2.5 billion are Christians (identify as). Of the 5.2 billion non-Christians in the world, 2.2 billion are unevangelized, they have yet to hear the gospel.
Evangelism is simply, one beggar telling another beggar where they found bread.
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.
If Jesus commanded us to love our neighbors, we should evangelize them. So who are our neighbors?
[neighbors worksheet]
A philosophy I would love for us to adopt in evangelism would be the RICED acronym:
R || relationship, both as the means and the focus of evangelism
Research shows that the vast majority of people (it is over 90%) come to know the Lord in the context of interpersonal relationships: friends, family, and coworkers.
What are we trying to do (or what God wants to do through us) in evangelism? He wants to bring people into a redemptive and transforming relationship with Jesus Christ.
What’s at the center of Christianity? the person of Jesus Christ! Not the Bible (essential) or sect of doctrines (incredibly useful). It’s Jesus!
I || intentionality
we all have the potential to know unsaved people if we are intentional about looking for them and equally intentional in building a relationship with them and prayerfully looking for ways to give a witness. For example, they have a problem so, "Can I pray for you?"
C || congruency
The pie illustration
The wheel illustration
E & D || evangelism//discipleship
Lets discuss evangelism and discipleship
Fig. 1
In most churches there is a rather large divide when it comes to biblical term, “making disciples” into two distinct activities, of evangelism and discipleship. It is important to keep these theological concepts of separate.
What ends up happening in ministry practice with this view however results in a wonky discipleship making process.
Fig. 2
When we do evangelism, we are also responsible to make meaningful follow-up whenever possible. Whenever possible we want to continue to speak truth into the lives of the people around our neighbors.
[Miles example]
The Goal of Evangelism
Frustrated because no change
The right perspective
Discipleship:
Discipleship:
What is the goal of discipleship?
The goal is growth in Christlikeness:
40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. 29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.
Christlikeness, however, is a very broad term. How do we gain a better understanding of the content of discipleship?
“Learning to live a remarkably different kind of life: one of pervading spiritual reality and transformed character.”–Dallas Willard
While there are many NT passages describing discipleship I believe Colossians 3:1-17 summarizes the most important aspects of discipleship.
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Discipleship: Discipling is a relational process in which a mature follower of Christ shares with a newer believer the commitment, understanding, and basic skills necessary to know and obey Jesus Christ as Lord.”
Centrality of Christ: Christ as Savior, Christ as Lord, Christ as Life.
Centrality of the gospel: true for both the community of believers as well as individuals.
It is incredibly rare for a church to refocus and to get back to the Great Commission. This is because it requires those established in the church to reorientate themselves to be disciple makers.
Just as there is a cost to being a disciple of Jesus Christ there is a cost for the person who is looking to be a disciple-maker as well.
Responsibility of the disciple maker:
Love
Prayer
Consistent example
Protection
Correction
Participation
Fellowship
Training
Transfer of the vision with excitement (worship, both individual and corporate).
Help develop a biblical worldview
Responsibility of the disciple:
Faithful
Available
Teachable
consistency growing in the fundamentals
devotional life
plugged into a Christian community
Growing understanding of biblical truth
Growth in Christ-like character
Growth in relationships (church, family, community)
Growth in ministry (we train disciples for the work of the ministry God has called them to)
Growth from external motivation to internal motivation
We have a curriculum that we have that teaches the fundamentals of the Christianity and what we hold to as a church.
Please keep being patient as we roll this out it doesn’t happen over night.
“The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.” ’
9 Ministry Principles:
9 Ministry Principles:
Nine Ministry Principles of Calvary Harvest
At Calvary Harvest we have adopted principles from God’s Word to help us make right decisions in our areas of service and ministry. All of our services and ministries should adhere to these simple yet powerful principles. Doing so will keep us on track biblically and will keep us focused. Staying the course as we grow and serve is very important to us both individually and corporately as, a church. We believe these principles will not only help us stay focused on making disciples, they will also help us to be accountable, humble, and unified as a church.
These principles are not designed to limit anyone; rather to enable our Body of Christ. As a church, we believe we have been given a mission to make disciples, plant churches and send out missionaries; so, training up leaders to “go” is a huge focus for Calvary Harvest. As leaders develop, they need to be able to minster without having to get every little decision checked off by a pastor or leader. We want our ministries to be run by biblical principles, not run by one person’s approval. There will be matters which should be discussed with a leader or pastor—we are here to help and are not trying to discourage proper and frequent communication. With that being said, most decisions can and should be made by ministry leaders based on our 9 guiding principles.
As we move forward in our faith, service, and church leadership expands, these principles will become more “real.” With a continued application, these biblical principles will become second nature as you learn to properly discern God’s Word to make decisions (Hebrews 5:14). Also, these principles keep us “within bounds.” The church has the responsibility to keep right priorities, and to keep pure doctrine. Our principles will also help protect against common pitfalls of leadership as we all submit to the boundaries they provide. They will also help protect the church body from “wolves in sheep’s clothing” that would sneak in for their own selfish ambitions (Acts 20:29-30).
As you read and familiarize yourself with these principles, consider what Calvary Harvest will look like as these principles are lived out in all our services and ministries.
1. We are a House of Prayer
When Jesus saw the religious leaders had made the synagogue into something other than a house of prayer, He overthrew their tables and ran them out (Matt. 21)! The Bible teaches us there is to be corporate prayer as well as private prayer. God expects us to pray in unity for the mission He has given us. He answers prayer, moving us along in His power and provision. We are wonderfully dependent on God for all we have done, are doing, and will do. As we press forward, we must have God’s hand of blessing upon us, or we labor in vain (Psalm 127).
Some practical examples of this include:
·Members are committed to pray at every ministry meeting.
· Making corporate prayer a priority in every service.
· Keeping an attitude/awareness of desperate dependence on God for all we do.
2. We are always making disciples
God has made a way for us to have a right relationship with Him through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:8-11, 10:8-13). Once we have a right relationship, He begins to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:10-11). As we become more Christ-like, we become more focused on the mission of reproducing this in others (2 Timothy 2:2). The church is all about this cycle of evangelism, spiritual growth, and reproduction. We have accepted this from God as our mission. We summarize God’s mission for the church into “making disciples” (Matthew 28:18-20). The varied ministries of Calvary Harvest are all in some way involved in this all-important mission. This is what we are all about. Like other churches, we are busy. A common problem for busy churches is to be so focused on ministry activities and losing sight of the mission. We deliberately attempt to avoid this by staying focused on the mission God has given us. This is why we encourage those in ministry at Calvary Harvest to review their ministry activities, making sure they can describe clearly how their activities are part of “making disciples.” Additionally, this principle should encourage you—knowing our church is a place where the time, treasure, and talents you invest will be used for furthering God’s kingdom.
3. We have the Final Authority: God’s Word
At Calvary Harvest we trust in God’s Word as our ultimate authority. We believe the Holy Spirit will reveal truth to us as we study the Bible (1 Corinthians 2:10). There are two views pertaining to the Bible: those like us who have a faith-based view of Scripture, or a critical view of Scripture.
o The critical view believes the Word of God contain errors which need to be corrected through human scholarship and intervention. We believe this view causes confusion among the saints. This view leads many to no longer believe in the accuracy and authority of God’s Word
o The Faith based view, which we hold to as a church, believes God’s Word is perfect, inspired, complete, and preserved. We believe God has preserved His Word perfectly in every language, and it is not a requirement to learn Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic to truly know what the Word of God says.
At Calvary Harvest the Bible, not the pastors or teachers, is the gold standard of truth in all matters of doctrine and practice. Our call is to study it and live it, not to tear it apart with human logic and criticism. The Bible is what changes us (Romans 12:2, John 17:17, 1 Thessalonians 2:12-13), we are not to change it (Revelation 22:18-19; 1 Corinthians 1:19-2:5). Feel free to bring whatever bible translation or paraphrase you want to Calvary Harvest, and do not worry about what anyone else is reading. In order to prevent confusion and to maintain unity, we will teach from the KJV and NKJV.
4. Our Disciples are Accountable in the Word.
Accountability: required or expected to justify actions or decisions; responsible. Because we are spiritual beings and the Bible is our spiritual nourishment and the key to our spiritual growth (1 Peter 2:2), we are serious about studying it. It is important to note we are commanded to study it in Scripture (2 Timothy 2:15). We want to stay accountable in the Word (Colossians 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:11). Accountability in the Word means we stay involved in some aspect of Bible study with others in the Body of Christ. Doing so will not only edify you but others too (1 Corinthians 14:31). Regular Bible study with your brothers and sisters in Christ is a life-changing exercise which you will learn to cherish.
2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent [Study] to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
· Our New Believers Study, main services (Sunday and Wednesday), and teaching assignments (youth ministry, home fellowships, men’s and women’s ministries, etc.) are an excellent way to stay accountable in God’s Word.
5. Our Disciples Engage in Ministry Service.
1 Corinthians 12:27 “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.”
1 Corinthians 12:18 “But now God has set the members, each one of them in the body just as He pleased.”
God has made and called each of us to be the differing members of the Body of Christ, giving us a correct perspective of how the church should function. Paul uses the example of a physical body needing all its members (body parts) functioning as they are designed to in order to work properly. We believe the local church must have all its members functioning, as they are gifted, for the benefit of the church body. This is the only way for us to have a healthy and vibrant church.
1 Corinthians 12:7 “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.”
This means you have been gifted by God and placed in this local church in order to serve God and be part of furthering His kingdom through service to the church. Here at Calvary Harvest, this is something we place great emphasis on. This principle “our disciples engage in ministry service” is one way we help keep a biblical perspective on the way the local church should function. We believe you will find great fulfillment in joining us by using the gifts God has given you. You are not only invited to jump in and help with the work, but we believe we are biblically instructed to do so. It will be challenging, but rewarding.
We function in teams. Prayerfully consider how God has gifted you; then seeking out a team leader in that area, to see how to help in that ministry. An important note: be patient… even if you are gifted, no one starts out as a team leader.
· We do not want a “they” or “them” mentality. It is only “us”—each of us must take responsibility for the needs of the church. We are not a church willing to separate congregants and staff.
· As leadership our goal is to encourage, train, and focus those willing to partner with us in ministry.
6. Our leaders are Servant Leaders.
Ephesians 4:11-13 “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”
Leadership is an important and good thing God establishes for the benefit of the church. Like all churches, we have leaders and are continually training up new ones. Leadership for a follower of Jesus Christ doesn’t mean you get to boss everyone else around, but rather you will serve others.
Matthew 20:26-28 “Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
This is a character trait found in all of the Apostles and leaders of the early church. Therefore, we need to demonstrate this principle in our lives too. Those who seek leadership in the church seek a good thing, but be ready to serve, not to be served. Moving forward in leadership requires dying to self and thinking of others first. The further you progress in leadership; the more selflessness will be required.
7. We are always Training Leaders.
Calvary Harvest is committed to training leaders. We do this through the structure of our ministry teams. All of our teams have been charged with training leaders. In our teams everyone should work to be a mentor, and everybody should have a mentor as well. This is modeled in the Bible by Paul and Timothy’s relationship; meaning everyone should have a “Paul” in their lives, as well as a “Timothy.”
Training leaders is not just one more activity to add to a list of ministry activities, rather we train as the team serves. As training takes place, the work of the ministry is getting done; as the work of the ministry is getting done, training is taking place.
One main motivation for training leaders is we believe God has called us to plant churches and send out missionaries. Considering some of us will be sent out, it is important we have someone ready and trained to take our place. Our prayer is you will be one of those leaders.
8. We Protect Unity: Ephesians 4:1-10; Psalm 133.
1 Corinthians 1:10 “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”
Unity within the body is beautiful, and it originates in our one Lord. It brings anointing, strength, and an empowering witness to our church. Unity should be the norm for mature believers who seek to have the “mind of Christ” (Philippians 2:1-8). Unity is accomplished through the study and obedience to God’s Word (Ephesians 4:11-14).
We recognize unity is under attack. You do not have to look very far to see countless examples of this. Churches are splitting or dividing over arguments all the time (1 Corinthians 1:10-11). Many Churches are powerlessly struggling because of the division within the body (1 Corinthians 11:18-30). The enemy causes division through prideful contentions which are rooted in selfish human carnality (Proverbs 13:10). To prevent this, we must pursue humility (James 4:6-7) in our lives, while actively protecting the unity we have in Christ.
This means we do not gossip or spread rumors. We communicate expectations, issues, needs etc. clearly, frequently, and biblically. In the absence of good communication, there is danger of divisive speculation. Good communication is the key to staying on the same page in ministry. Division, in attitude or action, will be addressed.
Matthew 18:15-17 gives us the parameters when we have issues with our brothers and sisters who have sinned against us. To avoid gossip and to stay within the guidelines of the Bible; bring up an issue with your ministry leader or lead pastor once you have tried to resolve the issue yourself.
· [Philippians 2:1-11] This is the attitude we strive to have.
We recognize there are varied views of theology and doctrine. We acknowledge anyone’s right to hold differing views. To keep unity of our fellowship we ask you do not undermine the views of our church and our church’s leadership. To understand our stance on certain issues, see our Statement of Faith or schedule an appointment with one of our elders or pastors. We also believe the pastor and elders are the spiritual leadership of the church and as a congregation we submit to their leadership (Hebrews 13:17). If you are unwilling to submit to the authority of the local church, then this isn’t the church for you. But we will help you find a church aligning more with your beliefs.
9. We Minister in Light of Spiritual Realities.
As a church we operate in light of two realities:
1. God is with us:
Matthew 1:23 “’Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’”
Matthew 28:20 “’Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.”
2. The devil seeks to destroy us:
1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
If we lose sight that God is with us, we are in danger of reacting out of discouragement, doubt and fear. Scripture clearly teaches we will experience suffering (Romans 8:18), hardships (2 Timothy 2:3), and persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). It can be a hard to grasp the reality that God is with us when we are going through difficulties. This is to be expected if we are in a spiritual battle for the souls of men and women.
We have a real enemy, the devil, and he is trying to get us to quit. Never forget! Keeping in mind, God is with us and the devil seeks to destroy us will help us move forward in diligent faith to do what God has tasked us with at Calvary Harvest.
1 John 4:4 “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”