KDSocietyC

Society 2020

 

Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV) And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

 

Vision/Mission/Strategy: For God’s Glory, disciple the nations by being and producing radical followers of Jesus Christ. 

 

• Radical: John 15 Abiding disciples who produce lasting fruit by abiding in Christ. 
  • We call this abiding life: RADICAL: UP/IN/OUT

 

DNA that drives this Big Hairy Audacious Goal: KDSC

 

How are we going to obey Jesus command to disciple the nations with this remaining task in front of us?

• We know what message will be effective. K: The gospel of the kingdom. 

 

• We know who will take it. D: Disciples who hear and obey. 

 

How will we get that many disciples to that many people?

 

• S: Domains of Society – Releasing all disciples to their local/global vocational domains to preach the gospel, make disciples and plant multiplying churches everywhere. 

 

• • God has graciously used our efforts to obey the great commission in history past, but he graciously gives us new times of renewed and improved strategic efforts, and we are entering one of those. 

 

• We believe it will no longer be a few chosen that we observe from a distance. 
  • Rather we believe it will be every disciple everywhere all the time working in their globally relevant vocations (domains of society).

 

• The Apostle Paul gained access to the Roman Empire as a tentmaker, engaging in the economic enterprise of supplying the Roman army with tents. 
  • He glorified Jesus in the public square. 
  • He planted/pastored/served the local church in the public square. 
  • He engaged the world as an ambassador of the gospel. 
  • His churches also supported him when his vocation was interrupted via persecution.

 

What does “domains of society” look like strategically? 

We start by asking this key question: What if the church was the missionary?

• The Great Commission is given to the WHOLE church, not just a few special individuals.

 

• I’m thankful for those individuals and families who have given themselves to the vocation of disciple making among the nations. 
  • We are finding the work in front of us is larger than the number of people signing up to go. 
    • Luke 10:1-2 (ESV) After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
      • Lets pray for that right now!

 

• • We are finding that the finances to fund our current model are not coming from local churches as they are currently strategically constructed organizationally. 
    • Less than 1/10 of 1 % of funds for “missions” from local churches is going to frontier work.  
    • Most church planting strategy focuses on 85% of the funds being used to support overhead (buildings and staff). 
    • Many established churches think they are doing great if 10% is used for “missions” and much of that is going to reached places. 

 

Domains of society, as a strategic initiative, looks like every Christian, everywhere, all the time. 

• Every Christian living effectively in the public square at home sharing the gospel. 
  • We don’t hide our faith. 
  • We don’t allow our faith to be hijacked politically. 
  • We maintain prophetic position with God’s word. 

 

• Every Christian discovering their God-given vocation (calling), and learning to employ that vocation locally and globally. 
  • Christians engaging their vocations globally alleviates funding. 
  • Some workers are called to places where the economy can’t support wages, and fund-raising is necessary, and we need to be ready to step in. 
    • At some point, however, every Christian everywhere all the time must step into economic sustainability if the entire church is going to be released to the world. 
    • The western church struggles with this because of how we have organized local church ministry.  
  • Domains make us think about being savvy business people in subduing created order. 
  • I understand that this is a massive framework shift in how we think about Christian work globally from the local church, but this shift  is necessary in order to sustain a finishing push to the great commission. 

 

• Every Christian taking advantage of their vocation globally when opportunity arises. 

 

What shifts are necessary to mobilize the whole church?

 

1. From needs to assets.

• This shift is one of mindset regarding who we are…consumers or Jesus’ ambassador. 

 

• This is a shift in how we see each other as members of the community of the kingdom. 

 

• We move from asking what we need to evaluating assets to be given away in serving our individual and collective domains. 

 

2. From programs to domain engagement.

• This shift has organizational implications. This changes how we organize for work and what work is undertaken. 

 

• This shift is Spirit-led as members of the community of the kingdom take ownership and responsibility for action daily on the job in disciple making and church multiplication. 

 

3. From working for to working with in regard to how we engage cities.

From simply funding the cross-cultural church member to partnering with the cross-cultural church member to get our people’s skin in the game. 

 

• This shift is one of relationships and expectations. 

 

• This changes how we interact with the community and our cross cultural members living abroad.

 

• Here the church becomes more of a partner to help create solutions rather than simply a provider of a finances or peripheral goodies.

 

• We begin to interact with other religions in the engagement of our society’s domains and get to make disciples!

 

• Evangelism and great commission work begins to become a natural function and culture of the church. 

 

4. From managing ministries to leading members.

• This shift impacts decision-making. 

 

• The shift is not about what ministries are the pastors going to run, but what will leadership do in releasing the body to supply its part in the kingdom.

 

 

• Missional DNA is not contained in a few talented people, rather it is the apostolic genius contained in every follower of Jesus walking in step with the Spirit bringing the rule of Jesus to their domain. 

 

 

Conclusion

When the local church shifts to a “every Christian everywhere all the time” framework, we will have a local church ready for the mission.

 

Domain engagement multiplies the great commission work force because now everyone is a great commission disciple that can have an impact locally and globally. 

 

Domain engagement releases financial resources for kingdom advancement rather than extra comfort to the already saved. 

 

Acts 13:1-3 (ESV) Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

 

Let’s worship the Lord and respond to his call to make disciples this week.