Gathering Crowds or Making Disciples? by Micah Bales

Gathering Crowds or Making Disciples? 

by Micah Bales

Identity Network

What is the basis of real spiritual community? A large number of people showing up on Sunday morning? Having a deep spiritual experience, whether in a worship service or in personal devotions? Or is it a dedicated commitment to live a certain way and follow the rules?

All of these elements show up in the story of Jesus. Lots of people certainly showed up to hear him preach. At times, Jesus seems like some kind of homeless mega-church pastor. So many people come to hear him that he often has to run away or get in a boat just to find some breathing space! Yet, it seems clear that Jesus' most important ministry is not with the crowds.

Throughout Jesus' ministry, there are regular signs and wonders, healings, and deep times of spiritual reflection and religious experience. Yet, as important as these dramatic moments are, personal experience for its own sake does not seem to be the most essential part of Jesus' message.

Jesus asks very hard things of his followers. He tells them that for a person to enter the kingdom of heaven, their righteousness will have to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees - those best known for following all the commandments of Torah down to the letter. Yet, Jesus is not slave to rules and regulations. He and His disciples regularly break the Sabbath in order to accomplish their mission of love. Jesus challenges the ruling authorities, and is eventually executed as an outlaw.

Jesus is neither a crowd-pleaser, experience-addict, nor a legalistic rule-follower. What is he? What lies at the heart of his ministry?

Committed as His Disciple

Jesus' ministry is not about breadth of numbers, but depth of commitment. It is not about highs of ecstasy, but patient endurance and willingness to suffer for truth. The model that Jesus offers is not a list of rules that makes me feel safe, but rather a dangerous invitation to become His disciple, His friend. He calls me to become like He is and walk as He did.

As a friend of Jesus, my work is not to gather crowds; I am to make disciples. Jesus calls me to break my addiction to religious experiences, to move beyond the fluctuations of hormones and emotion and embrace true love. I can no longer justify myself through head-knowledge and checklist morality. Instead, the Spirit invites me to embrace the mystery of who Jesus is, allowing Him to humble me and fill me with His character.

What would it look like to live in communities where this kind of disciple-making could take place? Instead of measuring our faithfulness by numbers of worship attendance, what if we focused on the people that we are able to actively mentor and partner with in discipleship?

As an alternative to the rule-book mindset we find in much religion, what if we emphasized the radical power of a living relationship with Jesus? (He's risen from the dead, not entombed in a book!) What would it look like to be part of a community that honored spiritual experiences, but valued the fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control - even more?

Micah Bales

www.lambswar.com

Sign up to receive our daily articles and receive 

2 FREE MP3 Teaching Downloads

from Identity Network

by Jeremy Lopez automatically.

(New Subscribers Only Please) 

*The Seeing Process of a Seer

*What Next God? Discouraged After Your Prophetic Word.

 A $20.00 Value

Print Friendly

Keith Miller: His Word Is Like Fire In My Bones

Keith Miller:

His Word Is Like Fire In My Bones

The Elijah List

Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the Harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." Matthew 9:37-38 NKJV

In this text, we see the word Lord in the context of the harvest. The Greek translation of Lord used here means "One who can empower harvesters; one who can literally oversee the harvest; one who can be empowered for harvest" [1]. Interestingly, the Greek word translated as "send out," ekballo, at the root level means "to drive out." Ballo is where we derive the English word ballistic.

In this we can see the force and sense of urgency, a driving out, a thrusting out of laborers into His harvest. We may be the instruments God uses, but God is the moving force for the harvest. 

We see this same word used in Mark 1:12 to describe Christ's actions after He was filled with the Holy Spirit at the Jordan River. It says, "Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness."

With that sense of urgency, Jesus isn't going to thrust us out ill-equipped. No, He's going to give us His effectual wonder-working power and authority to help us bring in the harvest quickly. He's going after the harvest, and He's empowering us for it!

As we see in Matthew 10:1, "...He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease." The Lord of the Harvest empowers us to harvest dormant promises and re-dig old wells in desolate places so we may see His harvest. 

He's giving us boldness to cast out every hindrance to breakthrough, to restore the lost dreams and visions of long ago. He's empowering and sending us out – and quickly! 

(Photo via Wikimedia Commons)

Like He commissioned and sent out His disciples, He is sending us out today.

And as you go, preach, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Matthew 10:7-8

As you go, preach! God calls every Believer to preach the Gospel with power. God will empower us to preach, to heal, to cleanse, to raise the dead, and to cast out demons – all to fulfill His purposes for each one of us. It's a multi-faceted purpose, for God will give us a word, commission us, and release us to fulfill it. Then He will give us another word and release us for another and another fulfillment of it until the harvest is in.

Likewise, we'll go from fulfillment to fulfillment to fulfillment of every true prophetic word ever spoken over our lives. His word will be in our hearts like a burning fire shut up in our bones. We won't be able to hold it back, just like Jeremiah: "But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not" (Jeremiah 20:9b).

As the Word becomes like a burning fire in our hearts and bones, our focus will be on the harvest, and it won't be denied us because we have freely received the Word and freely given the powerful Word of the Lord.

With the workings of the Word in us, we will become slayers of any giants that stand in the way of the harvest. Even if there's a wall, we will leap right over it, slaying the giants to bring forth the victory.

Get ready, precious friends! The Lord of the Harvest is releasing a fresh zeal of the Lord through His Word and the power of the Lord for harvest – harvest glory.

Not only will this mean multitudes of the lost coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, but also a fresh zeal to stir up the Word of the Lord for our lives that releases the perpetual and ever-increasing flow of His power to see harvest of the promises of God for our lives, our families, our communities, our regions, our states, and the nations!

The Word and the power of the Lord are flowing together to release the plans and purposes of the Lord, according to the constant and ever-increasing flow of His power and ability.

Lord, thank You for the harvest! Empower us for the harvest, precious Lord. Let this time be one of increase for harvest glory – harvest for Your glory, precious Lord.

[1] F. Wilbur Gingrich, revised by Frederick W. Danker, Shorter Lexicon of the Greek New Testament (Second Edition; University of Chicago Press, 1983), 58–59.

Keith and Janet Miller
Stand Firm World Ministries

Email: info@sfwm.org
Website: sfwm.org

Keith and Janet Miller minister throughout the U.S. and internationally, across denominational boundaries, with a vibrant teaching, preaching, and ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit, seeing entire cities and regions impacted by the glory of the LORD! Keith and Janet have founded and pastored a church. Keith is also a conference speaker, and he and Janet are regular guests on Christian television. 

They have put together Apostolic Revival Teams to see entire regions powerfully impacted with a fresh anointing, fresh oil, and an increase of a deeper passion for JESUS. Keith and Janet's hearts are to see God's people released and walking in their destiny for the LORD, to see the advancement of the Kingdom of God through each person's life, and the effective working of HIS mighty power through the Believer's life.

To subscribe to The Elijah List go to:http://elijahlist.com/subscribe

What if… you are not raptured out first? - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

What if…

you are not raptured out first?

- Now Think On This

by Steve Martin

 “…First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn." Matthew 13:30 NAS


I have something for you to think about, just in case it is true.

How would you live today if you believed you were going to leave this planet tomorrow? Would you sit in your comfy chair and wait out the next 24 hours? Would you run to the nearest movie and watch one more action thriller, or play the DVR and view the make-believe TV fairy tale?

Would you consider writing a letter to a loved one, advising them of things to be on the lookout for, so they wouldn’t possibly make the same mistakes you made while living? Would you care about those who didn’t know what you know?

What you do, or how you respond and act while living, certainly may depend on your perception of what has been written, or has been spoken, into your life. We typically do that which we believe, whether we realize it or not. That is the way it is.

If the enemy of our soul wanted to deceive us, and spread a well-conceived thought that we would escape most of the end of the age’s events because we were getting out before it all happened, how would we respond to what is daily happening? Our care level would be very low, for we would act upon the belief that we wouldn’t be here anyway to experience it, along with those unfortunate ones who will.

What if the words Jesus (Yeshua) spoke to His disciples, about the end of the age, would occur as simply as He said they would, and not be twisted by preachers and teachers centuries later, arriving at conclusions He didn’t actually say?

Let’s look at one passage of Scripture, and just read it for what Jesus does say.

“Yeshua put before them another parable. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, then went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads of grain, the weeds also appeared. The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’
He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants asked him, ‘Then do you want us to go and pull them up?’

But he said, ‘No, because if you pull up the weeds, you might uproot some of the wheat at the same time. Let them both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest-time I will tell the reapers to collect the weeds first and tie them in bundles to be burned, but to gather the wheat into my barn.’” Matthew 13:24-30 CJB (Complete Jewish Bible)

If you read it as simply as I do, then you too just read, “collect the weeds first”, right? But I thought the “wheat” was gathered first, or so we all have been taught as happening first, as being the truth.

So if, as Yeshua said, the weeds are taken out of the field first, doesn’t that imply that the wheat would be harvested, or taken out, afterwards? Sounds like that to me, if I don’t try to twist it around another way.
Sure, this is just one passage. Granted many others have been, and still are, used to “prove” we are going to be “raptured” (a word not even in the Bible) before the tribulation at the harvest time.

Of course there are many pre-trib, mid-trib and post-trib theorists who have expounded on Scriptures in the Old and New Testaments, teaching what they believe is the way it will be. I tend to take Yeshua’s word simply at His word.

What if the devil wanted to use all this confusion to get believers to just sit by and wait for the world to go to hell, because the rapture will occur to take us out beforehand anyway? He would have a field day, now wouldn’t he?

But what if we just took Jesus at HIS word, and do as He spoke to do, with one of His last commands, to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 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." Matthew 28:19, NKJV

Should not we take a different approach, that rather than waiting for the escape button to be pushed from heaven, taking us out while the rest are “Left Behind”, that we aggressively go on the offensive, obey Yeshua’s command, and take the Gospel message of discipleship to all the nations, knowing He will be with us “even to the end of the age”?

I think so, and thus am acting on HIS word.

Now think on this,

Steve Martin

Founder

Love For His People. Inc.

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization started in 2010 to share the love of the Father in the nations.

If these messages minister to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families we know in Israel, whom we consistently help through our humanitarian ministry. Your tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.

Go here for safe ONLINE GIFT GIVING THROUGH OUR WEBSITE using major credit cards: Love For His People If you don't have a PayPal account you can also use your credit card or bank account (where available). 

Contribution checks can be sent to: 

Love For His People, Inc.  P.O. Box414   Pineville, NC 28134

Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.)

Please share Now Think On This with your friends.

Email: loveforhispeople@gmail.com  

martinlighthouse@gmail.com

Facebook pages: Steve Martin and  Love For His People  

Twitter: martinlighthous, LovingHisPeople 

Blogs: Love For His People,   Now Think On This

Full website: Love For His People

YouTube: Love For His People Inc.

Now Think On This #149 “What if…raputred” by Steve Martin 

Date: In the year of our Lord 2014 (05.11.14) Sunday at 7:45am in Charlotte, NC.

All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog, and on our newest website: Now Think On This

'Jewish School Sends Disciples on a Christian Mission'

Friday, April 18, 2014 |  David Lazarus  ISRAEL TODAY

Share on bloggerShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on gmailMore Sharing Services

• Enlarge

That was the headline hidden away in the archives of a 1966 edition of the popular Hebrew newspaper Haaretz. It is a fascinating inside look at what happened when an Israeli university required students to read the "dangerous" New Testament.

The full article appears in the April 2014 issue of Israel Today Magazine.

SUBSCRIBE NOW to read it all!

Want more news from Israel?
Click Here to sign up for our FREE daily email updates from ISRAEL TODAY

The Jesus Movie 1979 - Full Length

Jesus

The Jesus Movie 1979

Jesus of Nazareth,the son of God raised by a Jewish carpenter. Based on the gospel of Luke in the New Testament,here is the life of Jesus from the miraculous virgin birth to the calling of his disciples, public miracles and ministry, ending with his death by crucifixion at the hands of the Roman empire and resurrection on the third day.

• Category

  Film & Animation

• License

  Standard YouTube License

Girl healed by Jesus

 

 

CHRISTIANITY'S JEWISH ROOTS

Why Jesus is Our Passover Lamb

Rich Robinson
Jews for Jesus

CBN.com

In the day to come when your son asks you, 'What does this mean?' you shall say to him…"Exodus 13:14.

The number four plays a significant role in Judaism. There are the four species of vegetables for Sukkot; four kingdoms in the book of Daniel; four Torah portions in the tefillin; four Matriarchs. At Passover, we find this number in abundance. In the course of the Seder we have four sons, four cups of wine, four expressions of redemption (Exodus 6:6-7) and perhaps the most famous "four" of all: the Four Questions.

As the Seder developed over the centuries, the Four Questions underwent many changes and were altered as different situations arose.1 For example, originally one question dealt with why we ate roasted meat.2 After the destruction of the Temple, that question was deleted and one about reclining was substituted. Today, the Four Questions (phrased as observations) are asked by the youngest child in the family:

Why is this night different from all other nights?

On all other nights, we may eat either chometz or matzoh; on this night, only matzoh.
On all other nights, we eat all kinds of vegetables; on this night, we must eat maror.
On all other nights, we do not dip even once; on this night we dip twice.
On all other nights, we may eat either sitting or reclining; on this night, we all recline.

The father then explains the Passover story.

There are other questions that the rabbis could have chosen as well. In the spirit of rabbinical adaptation, here are some additional questions that both children and adults might ponder.

Why do we place three matzos together in one napkin?

There are any number of traditions about this. One tradition holds that they represent the three classes of people in ancient Israel: the Priests, the Levites, and the Israelites. Another tradition teaches that they symbolize the three patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Yet another explanation is that it is a depiction of the "Three Crowns": the crown of learning, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of kingship.3 And a fourth option is that two of the matzos stand for the two weekly loaves of Exodus 16:22, and the third matzoh represents the special Passover bread called the "bread of affliction."4 And if those are not enough to keep one's imagination running, here's another.

Rabbi Abraham Isaac Sperling suggested that the three matzos stand for the three "measures of the fine meal" which Sarah prepared for Abraham's angelic guests (Genesis 18). The reason for this interpretation lies in the rabbinic tradition that this event occurred on the night of Passover!5 Out of all these explanations, how can we decide which is the right one, or is there yet another?

Why is the middle matzoh, the afikoman, broken in the course of the Seder?

Are we breaking the Levites, or Isaac, or the crown of learning, or one of the guests' cakes, or the bread of affliction? Or are we symbolizing the parting of the Red Sea (another explanation)?6 If any of these explanations are correct, why is the matzoh hidden away, buried under a cushion, and then taken out and eaten by all, as the Sephardic ritual puts it, "in memory of the Passover lamb?"

Where is our pesach, our Passover sacrifice, today?

The Torah prescribes that a lamb is to be sacrificed and eaten every Passover as a memorial of the first Passover lambs which were killed (Deuteronomy 16:1 -8). In reply, it is said that without a Temple we can have no sacrifices—yet some have advocated that the sacrifice still be made in Jerusalem even without a Temple.7 Since the Passover sacrifice, like others, involved the forgiveness of sins, it is important that we do the right thing. 

Some feel that the pesach had nothing to do with forgiveness. But in Exodus Rabbah 15:12 we read, "I will have pity on you, through the blood of the Passover and the blood of circumcision, and I will forgive you." Again, Numbers Rabbah 13:20 cites Numbers 7:46, which deals with the sin offering, and then adds, "This was in allusion to the Paschal sacrifice." Clearly the rabbis of this time period regarded the pesach as effecting atonement, and Leviticus 17:11 confirms that "it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul."8 

Today, however, we have only a shankbone, the zeroah, as a reminder of the Passover sacrifice, and roasted egg, the chaggigah, in memory of the festival offerings. But nowhere did God say that we could dispense with sacrifice. So, where is our pesach today?

The answers to these questions can be found by examining how and why the Seder observance changed dramatically in the first century.

The Seder Celebrated by Jesus and His Disciples

The "Last Supper" was a Passover meal and seems to have followed much the same order as we find in the Mishnah.

In the New Testament accounts, we find reference to the First Cup, also known as the Cup of Blessing (Luke 22:17); to the breaking of the matzoh (Luke 22:19); to the Third Cup, the Cup of Redemption (Luke 22:20); to reclining (Luke 22:14); to the charoseth or the maror (Matthew 26:23), and to the Hallel (Matthew 26:30).

In particular, the matzoh and the Third Cup are given special significance by Jesus:

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you" (Luke 22:19-20)

The Passover Lamb

The early Jewish believers in Jesus considered him the fulfillment of the Passover lambs that were yearly sacrificed. Thus Paul, a Jewish Christian who had studied under Rabbi Gamaliel, wrote, "Messiah, our pesach, has been sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:7). John in his gospel noted that Jesus died at the same time that the Passover lambs were being slaughtered in the Temple (see John 19:14) and that like the Passover lambs, none of his bones were broken (the others being crucified had their leg bones broken by the Romans—John 19:32, 33, 36). The idea behind all this was that just as the Israelites were redeemed from Egyptian slavery by an unblemished lamb, now men could be freed from slavery to sin by the Messiah, the Lamb of God.

The Cessation of the Temple Sacrifices

The first Christians were considered a part of the Jewish community until the end of the first century when they were expelled by the synagogue. Until the temple was destroyed, these Messianic Jews worshipped regularly with those Jews who didn't believe in the Messiah. In fact, there were entire congregations that worshipped Y'shua and they continued in their observance of the regular Jewish festivals. In such a setting, much interchange of ideas was possible. Jesus declared over the matzoh, "This is my body." Since the Jewish believers of that time saw Jesus as the Passover lamb, it followed that they would see the matzoh as symbolic of Jesus, the Passover lamb. In turn, with the destruction of the Temple and the cessation of sacrifices, the larger Jewish community might well have adopted the idea that the matzoh commemorated the lamb, even if they discounted the messianic symbolism.

The Afikoman Ceremony

As mentioned earlier, the significance of the middle matzoh and the ceremony connected with it is shrouded in mystery. The derivation of the word afikoman itself sheds some light. The word is usually traced to the Greek epikomion ("dessert") or epikomion("revelry")9. But Dr. David Daube, professor of civil law at Oxford University, derives it from aphikomenos, "the one who has arrived."10 This mystery clears further when one considers the striking parallels between what is done to the middle matzoh (afikoman) and what happened to Jesus. The afikoman is broken, wrapped in linen cloth, hidden and later brought back. Similarly, after his death, Jesus was wrapped in linen, buried, and resurrected three days later. Is it possible that the current Ashkenazic practice of having children steal the afikoman is a rabbinical refutation of the resurrection, implying that grave-snatchers emptied the tomb?

These factors strongly suggest that the afikoman ceremony was adopted from the Jewish Christians by the larger Jewish community which also adopted the use of the three matzos. Jewish Christians contend that these three matzos represent the tri-une nature of God, and that the afikoman which is broken, buried and brought back dramatically represents Jesus the Messiah.

The question then remains: What will it take to convince you?

Do you want to know Y'shua as your Messiah?

Can God change your life?

God has made it possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own life. Discover how you can find peace with God. You can also send us your prayer requests

More from Christianity's Jewish Roots

Endnotes
1. Daube, David, The New Testament and Rabbinic Judaism (University of London, 1956), p.187.
2. Klein, Mordell, ed., Passover (Leon Amiel, 1973), p.69.
3. Rosen, Ceil and Moishe, Christ in the Passover (Moody Press, 19788), p.70.
4. Klein, p.53.
5. Sperling, Rabbi Abraham Isaac, Reasons for Jewish Customs and Traditions, (Bloch Publishing Co., 1968), p.m 189.
6. Ibid.
7. Klein, p.28.
8. Morris, Leon, The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross (Eerdmans, Third ed., 1965), pp. 131 132.
9. Gaster, Theodor Herzel, Passover: Its History and Traditions (Abelard-Schuman, 1958), p.64.
10. Daube, "He That Cometh", (London Diocesan Council for Christian-Jewish Understanding, no date).

Learn more about Christianity's Jewish roots at the Jews for Jesus Web site

© Jews for Jesus. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Properly Joined - The Great Commission - Rick Joyner

Rick Joyner

Properly Joined - The Great Commission, Part 13

Printer-friendly version

Week 13, 2014

Rick Joyner

        We have been covering how having koinonia is essential for the true New Covenant life for fulfilling The Great Commission to make disciples, not merely converts. In the New Testament, every new believer’s discipleship began with being “added to the church.” There simply is no other biblical way to walk with God that does not also include being connected to the body of Christ as a member of His church. We cannot be properly connected to the Head without also being properly connected to His body.

         Church life is required for discipleship in Christ. Books are now being written to try and justify not needing to be part of a local church. They say that one just needs to be a part of the “kingdom,” etc., but that is contrary to the testimony of the New Testament, regardless of how wise the rationale might seem. If we are disconnected from His body, we are also disconnected from the Head. He may still bless us as much as He can, and we can still learn about Him and be used by Him, but we will be drifting further from Him too.

         This may be the primary reason why many will come to Him on that day having done many works in His name, yet He tells them to depart from Him because He never “knew” them (see Matthew 7:23). The Greek word translated “knew” in that text is not implying that He did not know who they were, but that He did not know them in the context of an intimate relationship. The Scriptures are clear that we cannot really be joined to Him without also being joined to His body, the church.

         Granted, the church is far from what it is meant to be. Most people I have talked to about why they quit going to a local church say things like: they were not getting their needs met, were not being fed, got wounded or disappointed. No mature Christian or true disciple would ever base a decision on those kinds of things. A mature Christian or a maturing disciple lives to give not to get. If they are wounded or disappointed, they rejoice that they were given an opportunity to take up their cross and forgive others the way Jesus did, growing in love, patience, etc.

         If the local church we have been called to is far from what it should be, how do we know that it was not our presence and input to that church that would help them get to where they are called to be? If we abandon our post, our assignment in Christ, we are departing from His will. We may be abandoning many of His people when they need us most.

         This does not negate the fact that the Lord does, from time to time, call people to spend time alone with Him or send them on new assignments or to a different local church. However, I have never seen Him lead someone out of a situation in defeat. He “always leads us in His triumph” (see II Corinthians 2:14). We are not called to go from defeat to defeat, but from victory to victory, glory to glory. We should get a victory in one place before leaving it, so that we are leaving it in victory.

         We are told in Isaiah 48 that if we are walking in the light, the glory of the Lord will be our rear guard. This means that we will be leaving a trail of His glory behind us, not a trail of defeats. We should always leave something built, not torn down.

         What does the trail behind us look like?

Click here: MorningStar Ministries resources

Receive the Word for the Week via Email

Rick Joyner: Why is Koinonia So Important for The Great Commission? - The Elijah List

Rick Joyner:

Why is Koinonia So Important 

for The Great Commission?

The Elijah List

Why is koinonia [fellowship] so important when we are talking about The Great Commission? One reason we have failed to fulfill The Great Commission has been our tendency of making converts rather than disciples. 

The Great Commission is to make disciples. If disciples are not being made, then we are failing in our commission.

What a disciple is has been clearly defined by the Lord. True discipleship is rarely found among Christians today. One reason for this is that true discipleship is not possible without koinonia, as we read in 1 John 1:7, "But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship (koinonia) with one another, and the Blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin."

As we have covered, this Scripture makes it clear that we simply cannot abide in the light without having koinonia. This is also essential for our cleansing.

I often say jokingly, but truthfully, that we simply cannot mature in Christ the way we are called to without all of the frustrations and irritations of Church life. The frustrations and irritations, the hurts and disappointments, are only a small part of what this experience is meant to be, but they are essential to our development. There are certainly far more positives to experiencing koinonia than negatives, but the challenges help us to mature.

The True Church Life

Either idealism about Church life or rejecting the Church will lead us far from the path of life. True Church life, koinonia, can be one of the most wonderful things we ever experience and one of the most difficult, as is true of any relationship, including marriage. As the Lord taught in the Parable of the Sower, many will depart when testing comes. Many depart from Church, and many are now even departing from marriage when the tests come.

You can never pass a test by quitting.

The breakdown of marriage is related to the breakdown in Church life and vice versa. The same thing that heals one will heal the other as well. The Cross is a vertical post that represents our connection to God and a horizontal one that represents our connection to one another.

One thing that taking up our cross means is that we must have both of these in our lives. Of course, our connection to God eclipses the importance of our connection to one another and must always be kept first. But if we have this and keep it first, we will also have the other. As John also wrote, we cannot love God who we do not see if we do not love our brother who we can see (see I John 4:20-21).

So, what can we do to promote koinonia in Church life? First and foremost, we must seek the presence of the Lord above all things. What good is the most glorious temple if God is not in it? Then we need to pursue relationships, not just wait to be pursued. Barnabas had to go and get Paul. Then they needed to get in the right place before either of them could get released into their own ultimate calling.

In those days, this was a supreme effort. It must have taken months for Barnabas to travel to Tarsus and then back to Antioch. Today it is hard to find those who will drive more than thirty minutes to church. What makes something a treasure is that it is either rare or difficult to obtain.

Koinonia is one of the greatest treasures we can have in this life. It is not cheap or easy to find, but it will be found by those who value it enough not to give up on its pursuit. 

The city that God is building, that which Abraham sought, and all true sojourners seek, is built on Jesus with koinonia.

Seeking the presence of the Lord is far more than seeking His blessings, which so much of the present emphasis of church teaching is based on today. He will bless many things He will not inhabit. When He says that wherever two or more are gathered in His name He will be in their midst (see Matthew 18:20), the word "gathered" does not mean merely occupying the same room or space.

It is where they have been "assembled together" like the parts of a bicycle have been assembled together. This is why we are told to "not to forsake the assembling together" (see Hebrews 10:25). This is not just a warning not to miss meetings, but to not fail to be assembled together as we are called to be.

(Photo via Stock.xchange by Timo Balk, edited by Tawny Nelson)

To build a Church where there is actually Church life, koinonia, we must do things to intentionally promote interchange between members. This can include small groups, church fellowship dinners, mission trips, and various other activities. However, gatherings that really lead to koinonia will center on the presence of the Lord. All others can be helpful in getting to this, but just gathering together for activities can fall far short by themselves.

In every spiritual pursuit, we must keep in mind this principle: Between the place where we receive the promise of God and the promised land, or the fulfillment of the promise, there is almost always a wilderness that is the exact opposite of what we have been promised. This wilderness is meant to prepare us for the promised land. Do not be shaken when you start to pursue koinonia and the opposite seems to happen with relationship challenges breaking out everywhere. This is just a sign that you are indeed on the path.

Rick Joyner
MorningStar Ministries

Email: info@morningstarministries.org
Website: morningstarministries.org

Rick Joyner is the founder and executive director of MorningStar Ministries and Heritage International Ministries and is the Senior Pastor of MorningStar Fellowship Church. He is the author of more than forty books, including The Final Quest, A Prophetic History, and Church History.

He is also the president of The OAK Initiative, an interdenominational movement that is mobilizing thousands of Christians to be engaged in the great issues of our times, being the salt and light that they are called to be. Rick and his wife, Julie, have five children: Anna, Aaryn, Amber, Ben, and Sam.

To subscribe to The Elijah List go to:http://elijahlist.com/subscribe