A Major Hindrance to Revival - Living under Old Covenant instead of New

As Good Friday and Easter approach I've been meditating on that amazing afternoon when Jesus died. I've been asking Father for greater revelation as to its impact and implications for me personally, for all of us, and for how we do life and ministry under this radical New Covenant that was initiated on that incredible day.

I've also been asking myself and Father God: what is the foundational belief that needs to be changed in order for us to see a further release of His Kingdom on earth, to see God's will and ways sweep across communities changing and transforming lives?

I'm not content in my heart with what I see happening in the church today.  There is so much more available for us, for the church, for this broken planet!  What did Jesus die to release that we haven't yet taken hold of?

I'm drawn to consider again the description of the incredible events that took place when Jesus died.  Matthew 27:50-54 says that Jesus released his spirit and at that very moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.  An earthquake happened, rocks split in two, and tombs opened.  People rose from the dead and were seen in Jerusalem.  Pretty incredible stuff!  What did it mean?

In the Old Covenant, the ordinary person had no access to God's presence.  Only priests could go before a Holy God after many ceremonies of cleansing and animal sacrifices.  This most holy place where His Presence dwelt, that was only for one very special person (the High Priest), one time a year.

When Jesus died...God himself tore open the pathway to come to Him directly.  He tore open what no human hands could tear...and with that action He said "Come!  Come in and meet me, your sin is paid for, you can now enter my Presence."  Wow!

From that point onward priests were not needed.  Ordinary fishermen could become sons, priests and kings.  Every person had access to Father God, Holy Spirit and Jesus.  The price, the punishment, that kept us from God was paid, once and for all.

Oh that this truth would impact our thinking more fully!  We can come to Him freely now!  No matter what we have done, no matter how unworthy we feel or are. The way is open.

As we come, He then empowers us with His Presence, His authority, His anointing, to carry His Presence out into the world. We invite others to go with us into His Presence, to meet Holy God, loving Father.  Sins forgiven.  Identity changed.  As sons and daughters, not orphans.  As priests, not second class lay people.  As kings, given authority to rule on this earth.

Hebrews 10:14 says "by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy."  We are made perfect and we are being made holy.

The new covenant is such a radical shift from the old! In the Old covenant, only special people had access, authority and were commissioned to do God's work. The Levites. In the new covenant, everyone has access, authority and is commissioned by God for a joyful partnership with Him of "ministry" in this world.

One of the biggest hindrances to seeing church planting movements, or true revival, is when we don't understand the implications of the New covenant.  We still live, behave and think as if we are under the Old Covenant.  We still look to pastors, worship leaders or other more qualified people to help us come to God, to pray for the sick, to take the lead in sharing the gospel and discipling others.

We say we believe that everyday, ordinary believers are now sons, priests and kings on the earth.  But our behaviors, traditions and actions often look a lot more like the Old Covenant than New.

Why did the church spread like wildfire in the book of Acts?  Because ordinary believers acted as sons, priests and kings- ministering the gospel, full of His Presence and Spirit, going everywhere with the good news and making disciples.  There were apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers and evangelists.  But their job was NOT to do all the work of the ministry. Their job was to equip the saints for ministry, to train and send them (Ephesians 4:12).

Until we get our hearts and beliefs in line with the truth that the veil is torn, that we all are now priests of God, we ALL now have access to God, and are commissioned to go, make disciples, baptize and teach others to obey...we will be stuck with limited growth.  We will be stuck with leaders, pastors and full time workers serving as priests and ministers, while ordinary believers sit in seats on Sundays and remain...well...ordinary. 

Will we embrace the extraordinary identity Jesus paid such a price to give us? Will we take on the responsibility to make disciples who know who they are- sons, priests and kings in this world?  Will we see that our role is to train, equip and help those we disciple to fully take hold of their identity and commission? Our job is never to fill churches with believers.  Our job is to make disciples who make disciples who make disciples.  To multiply sons and daughters who are priests and kings.

This is the New Covenant, the radically different worldview and paradigm Jesus paid the ultimate price on the cross to bring to us. How He must ache for us to enter into what He already died to purchase!

Relationship based discipleship vs. obedience based discipleship

Discipleship.  In many ways, this very important word has become quite common to us.  Jesus commanded us to "make disciples of all nations."  This morning I've been thinking about how many different way that word is applied in Christianity today.  What did Jesus really mean when he told us to "make disciples"? 

Discipleship and mentoring are often seen as similar.  Others see Discipleship as a program one goes through or the teaching of Christian disciplines to a new believer. Some feel they are making disciples if people come and attend their church services regularly. In church planting movement circles, we often throw around the phrase "obedience based discipleship."  We talk about the importance of teaching the commands of Jesus, making disciples who make disciples, who make disciples.  All these things are valid to consider and work toward. Becoming a disciple is certainly more than sitting in a chair in church every Sunday.

This morning however, I have been thinking about the crucial importance of relationship based discipleship NOT obedience based discipleship.  Sometimes an emphasis on obedience based discipleship seems to return us to a following of rules, doing certain duties or to something that is more law based than based on grace, something more old, rather than new covenant.  Jesus came to set us free, not to put us in bondage to a set of rules, not even the rules we call the 7 commands of Jesus (interesting that He never, ever, defined them that way!)  He came giving us his unconditional love, acceptance and grace, his unearned and undeserved favor.  This is what we offer a new (or old) disciple of Jesus. Grace...undeserved, unearned, unmerited.  So why do we emphasize obeying commands in our early discipleship of new believers?

I'm more and more convinced that somehow we are "missing the boat" here.  Before teaching people to obey all these commands we need to teach them how to believe & receive Father's love and grace and to enjoy the gift of their incredible new identity as his son or daughter.  Maybe then, loving Him would flow more naturally, more organically...and more relationally.  Jesus said "Freely you have received, freely give."  (Matt. 10:8).  Because of what they had received from God, they could freely and easily give. They freely healed the sick, cleansed the lepers, raised the dead, drove out demons.

I'm not saying obedience isn't important.  It is absolutely crucial.  We can't swing the other way and make pew/bench warmer Christians who receive and receive and are consumers, not disciples.  But the power and grace to obey Jesus comes out of the overflow of the love, relationship and identity that comes from being connected to Him.

Maybe after teaching "Repent and Believe"  we need to teach "Accept and Receive" then "Be Healed and Abide".  I don't know.  I'm just sure of one thing.  In the midst of an emphasis on obedience to Christ, if we do not emphasize at least as much His grace and what it means to be his child, and the joy of walking in real relationship with an alive and living God who loves us...well, we will just see a lot of performance driven, discouraged and condemned believers who are often defeated and failing at following a new "religion" that in some ways is just as hard as whatever they came out of.

The first step in becoming a disciple is to get to know the Master-the Guru and let Him love you, heal, forgive, and transform you.  Lets not rush over that step and jump straight to a set of rules to follow as we disciple people.  Lets keep relationship with Jesus in the forefront, connecting people to Him, teaching them to receive His love, hear His voice, be made whole, experience His goodness to them, and encounter His amazing love for them on a daily basis in their every day life.  This will lead to disciples of grace, who live in love with Jesus and can't help but pass that joy and privilege on to others.
 

Spirit filled Strategy for Multiplication

Limp Gloves

What do I need to be a successful church planter and missionary?  I’m called to be an apostle to the unreached in my area.  My heart longs to see them coming to Christ.  I pray and work to see people coming into the Kingdom of God, growing and being discipled.  I dream of seeing not just one small, struggling fellowship started, but of hundreds, even thousands from my people group coming to know and follow Jesus.  It hasn’t happened yet, but I’m doing my best.  I learn all I can.  I attend all the seminars.  I read books.  I pray.  I wonder…what are the keys to seeing my dreams for this people group come about?

 

            I go to one seminar on Leadership, and I learn about management skills.  I come home knowing that I need to clearly write out my vision and lay out my goals and objectives step by step.  I go to another seminar and I learn about team dynamics and team leadership.  Yes, I think, the key is for my team to work better together.  We need to understand each other’s personalities more, and function in our different giftings more smoothly.  I pull out my SOFM notes and books to study.  That’s it, I think, I need to focus more on the FM values.  Maybe I should contextualize our service more, or maybe we should do more with training the local leaders.  I talk to another leader from a nearby organization about these things.  “No, no,” they say, “the real key is prayer and ministering in the Spirit. All those other things are just philosophies of man.  You need more of the Holy Spirit.”

            I feel a bit confused.  I want to see my people group reached, but what does it take?  What do I need to do?  What should I focus on?  How do spiritual things like prayer, work together with strategic things like the principles I learned in my SOFM?

            Many serious and committed church planters experience these kinds of confusing questions.  It is important that we in Frontier Missions remember that strategies, seminars, and the many tools and teachings that are given, are only effective when they are Spirit anointed and Spirit led. Romans 8:14 says, “the sons of God are led by the Spirit of God.”  There is not only a balance between the spiritual and the strategic.  Instead, you can think of strategies and tools as a glove.  Without the hand of the Holy Spirit inside of them, giving life to them, they are limp and ineffective.

            Sometimes I think we spend too much time focusing on the glove or tool, and too little time reminding ourselves as church planters of our need for intimacy with God, fellowship with the Holy Spirit and a growing, alive, walk with Jesus.  If our relationships with God grow distant or dry, no matter how much strategy we know and how many tools we have learned to use, we are still only holding a bunch of empty gloves, which will fail to be effective.

            2 Cor.3:6 says “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant-not of the letter, but of the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”  Our competency as ministers, or our ability to produce good fruit and results, is not because of our skills as church planters.  Our competency or our fruitfulness flows out of our relationship with God.

            Does that mean we should throw all our notes from SOFMs and SCPLs and all our books on church planting strategy away?  No way!  What we must do though, is take all the knowledge and skills available to us and use them for God’s glory.  Not becoming proud in our knowledge, but depending deeply on Him and seeking a closer walk with the Lord each day.  Remembering that it is only as His Spirit gives life to our plans and strategies that they will bear the fruit we so much long to see.

How to say "No" with Honor and Respect

How to say a Powerful “No” with Honor, Respect and Freedom

We are often faced with choices and put in situations where we end up doing things because we are supposed to or attending meetings or functions because we feel we should or are afraid that if we don’t, we will make others unhappy or they might feel bad. 

First, doing things because we are supposed to, should or are fearful of others reactions are not healthy motivations in us.  Nor do they lead to fruitfulness.  They come from a bondage to a religious spirit and to the law, rather than the Spirit of God who brings us freedom and the new covenant of grace.

So how do we say “no” to those things and the pressures others put on us to do or be what they want and expect us to be?

I’ve faced this in my life and in my organization a lot.  Its always been a weight on my shoulders.  My heart deeply desires to honor and respect my friends, colleagues, and organizational family.  I want to serve and bless others and really hate being a cause of others discouragement or pain.  I’d like to suggest some ways we can say “no” with honor, whether it be to our family, or friends, or leaders and colleagues. A way that we can live a lifestyle that is powerful and calls others to be powerful people who release others to live freely in God.

When faced with a request to attend something or participate in something that isn’t on your heart and isn’t your primary focus or calling, you could respond this way.

Thank you so much for all you are doing and the heart you have for this area.  Im really blessed by your life and leadership and passion to see God’s kingdom come here.  Im really excited about the things God is doing in and through my life too.

In regard to your request, would you be willing to release me to choose if I want to come to this or do this without any fear of whether or not you will agree with my decision?  In the spirit of our values, would you be willing to trust me to listen to God for myself, and weigh those things you’ve invited me to join in on, with the priorities God is giving me as I listen to Him about my life? I’d really like to be released by you to say yes or no to this without being afraid I will disappoint you if I don’t do what you want me to, or if God leads me another direction.  What do you think? I’d really like to be the kind of leader who gives people freedom to hear from God and do what He is saying and prioritize what He is asking them to prioritize.  I know you want to be that kind of leader too! 

If we are going to see abundant harvest and supernatural increase, we MUST move closer to being like Jesus and only doing what the Father is doing and only saying what the Father is saying.  We must break free from our bondage to the shoulds and supposed tos and walk in the freedom and lightness of only carrying the yoke He gives us, as He walks beside us making it light.  This action of saying no is the action of a powerful person who sets boundaries and doesn’t allow others to control them with guilt or manipulation.  We can do this with honor, kindness, humility and respect.

Some leaders will respond well to this and be blessed.  Some will react and get angry.  That is okay.  We are not responsible for their reactions, they are.  We are only responsible to be honorable, and faithful to the calling and directions of our Papa.  This is where we will see his blessing, anointing, and will walk with joy, freedom and see the dreams He has put in our hearts come true. And, this is how we will be a great blessing to our organization too!