Download 6 Planting Organic Christ Centred Communities

“Planting Organic
Christ Centred
Communities”
ORGANIC CHRIST CENTRED
COMMUNITY PLANTING
• This is to lay a foundation…
• During our time together, a
foundation will be laid for what is
involved in starting organic Christ
Centred Communities. The
metaphors of agriculture and
nature are used in both training
intensives to help us understand
how God grows and reproduces
disciples, leaders, Christ Centred
Communities, networks and even
movements.
• This first session, Foundations for
Organic Christ Centred Community
Planting, is designed to lay the
groundwork for the process that will
unfold during our time together. In this
session we will attempt to provide
definition and Biblical foundation for
the principles and practices of organic
Christ Centred Community planting.
Our hope is that you will be ready to go
forward with enthusiasm once these
basic ideas are spelled out.
• In this course you will:
– Discuss and begin to apply “organic”
ideals to Christ Centred Community
planting methodologies.
– Join presenters in reconsidering the nature
of the Christ Centred Community,
uncovering a simple “working” description
and her essential DNA for health, growth
and reproduction.
– Study key Biblical passages looking for
insights about the nature of the kingdom of
God and its implications for the Christ
Centred Community today.
– Take a look at a redefined
understanding of the work of a
Christ Centred Community planter
and the nature of Christ Centred
Community multiplication.
– Consider the differences between
institutional and organic approaches
to Christ Centred Community and
Christ Centred Community planting.
– Review the phases of organic Christ
Centred Community planting.
– Hear the expectations of the
presenters and express your own
expectations for this intensive.
– Don’t bash the bride! If you do,
sometime soon you will be taking on
the groom and you don’t want to do
that.
– New Wineskins – are good for new
wine but the best wine is generally in
old wineskins.
– We have to be inclusive, not
exclusive!
FOUNDATIONS FOR ORGANIC CHRIST
CENTRED COMMUNITY PLANTING
• The Christ Centred Community should not be
losing ground...but gaining (Mt. 16:13-18)
• When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea
Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do
people say that the Son of Man is?” They
replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others
say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of
the prophets.” “But what about you?” he
asked. “Who do you say that I am?” Simon
Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son
of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are
you Simon, son of Jonah, for this was not
revealed to you by man, but by my Father in
heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and
on this rock I will build my Christ Centred
Community, and the gates of Hades will not
overcome it.” Matthew 16:13-18
How Jesus sees the Christ
Centred Community…
• 1. A Christ Centred Community starts
with life’s most important question:
“Who is Jesus to you?” Any
discussion about the Christ Centred
Community that doesn’t start with
Jesus misses the mark…
• 2. Jesus builds the Christ Centred
Community, not you! He builds it – “I
will build my Christ Centred
Community (Church).”
• 3. It is Jesus’ Christ Centred
Community, not yours! He owns it – “I
will build my Christ Centred
Community”
• 4. We are at war in this world and
wherever the Christ Centred
Community is being built the battle
rages fiercest. We will face
opposition… “the gates of hell will not
overpower it”
• Gates are of hell not heaven
• Gates are not offensive weapons
• Jesus gives us the keys
• 5. The Christ Centred Community is not
supposed to be on the defence but on
the offence! We should not be the
threatened, but threatening!
• The Thinker is part of a bigger statue
called the gates of hell – he is
contemplating eternal destiny.
• The Christ Centred Community is to
grow by reproduction more than one
Christ Centred Community growing.
That’s how bodies grow!
• There is no force on earth that can stop
the Christ Centred Community from
accomplishing the mission given her
by Jesus…
• …except her own lack of faith.
PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIC
GARDENING
• “Today the organic dream is in
peril…What has been lost is that one
key insight about organic: that
everything is connected. The organic
dream has been reduced to a farming
method.”
• From ORION, July/August 2003,
“Getting Over Organic” by Michael
Pollan
• 1. The key for growth in the farm or
garden is the health of the soil.
• 2. Organic farmers remove
hindrances to healthy growth from
the soil.
• 3. In an organic garden, a variety
of plants and crops grow up
together.
• 4. Organic gardeners don’t add
chemicals which are not in their
natural form.
• 5. Chemical nutrients may be
added when they are considered a
natural supplement to the soil.
• 6. Gardeners tend their garden
often and with care. The plants are
inspected for pests.
• 7. When growth gets out of hand,
the farmer thins out some of the
growth… sometimes by
transplanting vegetation to a
different location.
• 8. To increase production in fruit
trees and grapevines, farmers
maintain a regular pruning
regimen.
• 9. Organic farmers trust their
seeds, but not all seeds
germinate…so they plant lots of
them!
• 10. The organic gardener is
dependent on the Creator for
sunlight and rainfall.
RECONSIDERING THE IDEA OF A
“CHRIST CENTRED COMMUNITY”
SOME IMPORTANT ASSUMPTIONS
ABOUT CHRIST CENTRED
COMMUNITY
• The Christ Centred Community is a
living entity. I use the word organic
implying that God grows the Christ
Centred Community using means that
correspond with growth in the natural
world.
• a. The Christ Centred Community
begins in the fields, not in the barns
(Proverbs 24:27 (NIV) Finish your
outdoor work and get your fields ready;
after that, build your house.)
b. God grows the kingdom, His Christ
Centred Community in (super) natural
ways not in artificial or manufactured
ways (Mark 4:26-29).
c. Just as God breathed life into all living
creatures (Genesis 2:7), He also
breathed life into His Christ Centred
Community (John 21:21-23; Acts 2).
d. All living things are to be fruitful and
multiply and fill the earth (Gen.1:28) the
Christ Centred Community is no
exception (Acts 1:8)!
e. Most of the metaphors for the kingdom
and the Christ Centred Community use
natural, organic concepts to identify
and describe it.
2. CHRIST CENTRED COMMUNITY
IS A “HOLY PEOPLE” WHO BRING
A “HOLY PRESENCE.” IT IS NOT A
“HOLY PLACE”.
• The gospel says, ‘Go,’ but our
Churches say, ‘Stay.’ The gospel says,
‘Seek the lost,’ but our Churches say,
‘Let the lost seek the Church.’” Howard
Snyder - From The Problem of
Wineskins, (Downers Grove, Ill:
InterVarsity, 1975)
a. God intends for us to decentralize and
fill the earth with His glory (Genesis
1:28; 9:1; Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8).
b. People tend to stay in one place and
start a building project (Genesis 11:7-8;
Matthew 17:1-6 Peter – let’s build a
monument!).
c. God does not dwell in temples made of
human hands (1 Kings 8:27 (NIV) “But
will God really dwell on earth? The
heavens, even the highest heaven,
cannot contain you. How much less this
temple I have built!” Acts 7:48 (NIV)
“However, the Most High does not live in
houses made by men. As the prophet
says; Acts 17:24 (NIV) “The God who
made the world and everything in it is
the Lord of heaven and earth and does
not live in temples built by hands.).
c. God does not dwell in temples made of
human hands (1 Kings 8:27 (NIV) “But
will God really dwell on earth? The
heavens, even the highest heaven,
cannot contain you. How much less
this temple I have built!” Acts 7:48
(NIV) “However, the Most High does not
live in houses made by men. As the
prophet says; Acts 17:24 (NIV) “The
God who made the world and
everything in it is the Lord of heaven
and earth and does not live in temples
built by hands.).
d. The New Covenant has the human
heart as God’s dwelling place (Ezekial
37:26-28; 2 Corinthians 6:16).
e. God now indwells His people; they are
His temple (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19).
Our hope and glory is not in the
building we are in but in the Master
who is building His life within us
(Colossians 1:27).If you want a building
you can have one – start the building
project in 300 years – that’s following
the example of the New Testament…
f. God Himself tore the veil that separates
Him from His people (Matthew 27:50;
Hebrews 10:19-22).
g. Jesus predicted the destruction of the
temple which occurred in 70 AD
(Matthew 24:2).
h. Jesus declared that we are not bound to
a location for worship (John 4:20-24).
i. Jesus said it is better that he goes away
and that we be decentralized. He lived,
died, rose again and ascended to
heaven so that we could carry God’s
presence all over the world (John 16:511).
– Before Jesus was born, where would we
have to go to be in the presence of God?
The holy of holies in the Temple in
Jerusalem
– While Jesus was walking this planet, where
would we have to go to be in God’s
presence? Where ever Jesus was.
– After the death, burial, resurrection,
ascension and Pentecost, where do we
need to go to be in the presence of God?
Wherever God’s people are gathered
together (Matthew 18:20).
j. We are now a decentralized nation
of priests (1 Peter 2:8-9; Heb. 4:1416).
3. THE TERM “HOUSE CHURCH” IS
INCOMPLETE
• So we refer to the “organic Christ
Centred Community” (or “simple
Christ Centred Community”) for
the following reasons.
• House Churches have been
viewed as reactionary and not
reproducing…
• The Christ Centred Community is
not a building whether it has a
steeple or a building…
•
•
•
•
•
4. A TYPICAL DESCRIPTION OF
CHRIST CENTRED COMMUNITY
WILL INCLUDE:
A group of believers gathered
together regularly
That consider themselves a Christ
Centred Community
That have qualified leaders
That regularly practice baptism,
communion and discipline
They have an agreed upon
doctrinal basis
• Who’s missing?
• Jesus!
• All the above characteristics were
present in Acts 1 but the Holy
Spirit (Jesus) hadn’t showed up!
5. OUR UNDERSTANDING OF
WHAT A CHRIST CENTRED
COMMUNITY IS…
• The presence of Jesus among His
people called out as a spiritual
family to pursue His mission on
this planet.
THE DNA OF THE CHRIST
CENTRED COMMUNITY IN THE
KINGDOM OF GOD
• “No empire building. No controls.
No personal glory.” Felicity Dale
• All living things have a specific
and unique DNA. We believe the
following to be the DNA of a Christ
Centred Community in its simplest
form:
DIVINE TRUTH
• Truth is the foundation for
everything. By Divine Truth we
mean the dynamic and living
presence of Christ and His Word.
NURTURING RELATIONSHIPS
• Healthy relationships are what
make up a family. Love for one
another is to be a constant pursuit
of the family of God. This is the
most basic of Christ’s commands.
APOSTOLIC MISSION
• Just as Jesus was sent on a mission,
so we are also sent out on mission for
Him. Our mission is to go into the
world and disciple the nations for their
good and God’s glory.
• Divine Truth is the code that binds
Nurturing Relationships and Apostolic
Mission together. It brings the Christ
Centred Community to life and dictates
the development of the body.
SOME TRUTHS ABOUT THE CHRIST
CENTRED COMMUNITY’S DNA
• The DNA is not something we add to
our life, it is the code that dictates the
makeup, health and development of
life.
• DNA unravelled is not DNA. The
potency and potential is found in the
component parts working together. You
can not truly have one and not have the
others.
• The DNA should be found in every cell,
or sphere of a Christ Centred
Community, its disciples, leaders,
families, Life Groups (LG’s), regional
gatherings and or movements.
• SOME TRUTHS ABOUT THE CHRIST
CENTRED COMMUNITY’S DNA cont…
• The DNA provides a pattern for
diagnosing the health of a Christ
Centred Community’s life and practice.
• Genetic mutations in the DNA can
result in malformations, infertility and
illness in the body.
• New followers and mature disciples
alike need DNA as the code that
dictates life and development.
• The DNA is not about spiritual gifts. It
is about loving obedience.
• Spiritual giving is more important than
spiritual gifts.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
CONVERSATION
In small groups, discuss possible
implications of accepting the
definition of Christ Centred
Community as proposed. What
would this mean for practices
such as personal witness,
Christian community, and
spirituality? What other
implications emerge that would
affect us in regards to how we live
as followers of Jesus?
THE BIBLICAL FRAMEWORK
FOR PLANTING CHRIST
CENTRED COMMUNITIES
ORGANICALLY
– Jesus said, “Do you not
understand this parable? How
will you understand all the
parables?” Mark 4:13
• 1. THE PARABLE OF WHERE IT
ALL STARTS (MARK 4:1-20)
A. THIS PARABLE IS BASIC TO
UNDERSTANDING ALL THE
PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM (V.
13). WHY?
1) It is simple & straight forward.
2) It is natural & therefore has a
universal understanding.
3) This is where the kingdom starts. It
is the bottom line of the very basics.
4) If you can’t get this part right the
rest will be lost.
• B. YOU’VE GOT TO START
WITH A SOWER IN THE FIELD.
The Christ follower has got to be
in the world (his field).
C. YOU’VE GOT TO START WITH
THE RIGHT SEED: THE WORD
OF GOD (V.14).
• There is no substitute for God’s word!
• What is seed? It is a package of life.
Every seed holds a tiny living plant.
(Patricia Lauber – Seeds – Pop Stick Guide
– Hebrews 4:12 (NIV) For the word of God
is living and active. Sharper than any
double-edged sword, it penetrates even
to dividing soul and spirit, joints and
marrow; it judges the thoughts and
attitudes of the heart.
• What is the fruit of the apple tree? –
Apples?
D. YOU’VE GOT TO START WITH
THE RIGHT SOIL. THERE ARE
FOUR OPTIONS:
• 1) Hard and unreceptive (v.15) –
unreceptive to the gospel, demonically
distracted...
• 2) Shallow, short-lived without depth –
commitment is to whatever feels right
at the moment and is shallow and quits
with any distress to their commitment
(vv. 16-17).
• 3) Weed infested and distracted by
other things (vv. 18-19). Distracted by
the world and the things of the world.
4) Good, deep and receptive soil (v.
20).
• Only one out of the 4 seeds produces
fruit – this could be discouraging. Of
those who receive the message, two
thirds will not bear fruit….
• This is not discouraging because it is
affirming our discipling experience.
We are not responsible for the
bearing of the fruit.
• (Re)Produces 30x’s the fruit, which
equals: 3000%
• (Re)Produces 60x’s the fruit, which
equals: 6000%
• (Re)Produces 100x’s the fruit, which
equals: 10000%
• One apple tree has enough fruit to
produce an entire orchard
• It has been calculated that one
sheaf of wheat, left alone to
reproduce after eight years has
enough potential to feed the whole
world!
• 2. THE PARABLE OF HOW IT
GROWS (MARK 4:26-29)
– He also said, “This is what the
kingdom of God is like. A man
scatters seed on the ground. Night
and day, whether he sleeps or gets
up, the seed sprouts and grows,
though he does not know how. All by
itself the soil produces grain—first
the stalk, then the head, then the full
kernel in the head. As soon as the
grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it,
because the harvest has come.”
3. THE PARABLE OF HOW IT
ALL ENDS UP (MARK 4:30-32)
– Again he said, “What shall we say
the kingdom of God is like, or what
parable shall we use to describe
it? It is like a mustard seed, which
is the smallest seed you plant in
the ground. Yet when planted, it
grows and becomes the largest of
all garden plants, with such big
branches that the birds of the air
can perch in its shade.”
• Read the above parables and ask
the following Discovery Questions
of the people at your table for
discussion:
• What did you like best about what
you read?
• What did you not like?
• What did you not understand?
• What new things did you learn
about God or His kingdom?
• What idea or phrase do you want to
take with you this week?
• What are you going to do about it?
THE MARKINGS OF A CHRIST CENTRED
COMMUNITY MOVEMENT
1. WHAT CHRIST CENTRED COMMUNITY
MULTIPLICATION IS NOT...
a. Christ Centred Community planting
without multigenerational reproduction.
b. Gathering and assimilating Christians
from other Churches to form new Christ
Centred Communities.
c. Big revival meetings and evangelistic
crusades.
d. A centralized leadership development
institution that sends out many Christ
Centred Community planters. You must cut
the umbilical chord and institutions don’t do
this.
2. WHAT A CHRIST CENTRED
COMMUNITY PLANTING
MOVEMENT IS…
“a rapid and multiplicative increase
of indigenous Churches planting
Churches within a given people
group or population segment.”
David Garrison (Christ Centred
Community Planting Movements,
p.7)
3. EVIDENCES OF A CHRIST CENTRED
COMMUNITY MOVEMENT
“An organic farm, properly speaking, is
not one that uses certain methods and
substances and avoids others; it is a
farm whose structure is formed in
imitation of the structure of a natural
system. It has the integrity, the
independence, and the benign
dependence of an organism.”
From The Gift of Good Land by
Wendell Berry (p.143)
3. EVIDENCES OF A CHRIST CENTRED
COMMUNITY MULTIPLICATION
MOVEMENT
a. Simple and reproducible strategies that
release common Christians for uncommon
work.
b. Witness and multiplication that is natural
and spontaneous.
c. Reproduction occurs at every level and
in every unit of the Christ Centred
Community life developing from micro to
macro.
d. Interdependence among the Christ
Centred Communities, not unhealthy
dependence nor self-centred
independence.
3. EVIDENCES OF A CHRIST
CENTRED COMMUNITY
MULTIPLICATION MOVEMENT
e. The Christ Centred
Communities must be...
– 1) Self-perpetuating: she is healthy
and enduring and will continue to
live without needing any outside
props or infusion of resources
– 2) Self-propagating: she reproduces
and will continue to reproduce over
time
CLARIFYING A GOAL HIGHER THAN
CHRIST CENTRED COMMUNITY
MULTIPLICATION
In organic approaches to farming (and
mission...)
1. Our highest goal is not a single plant.
2. Our highest goal is not a single fruitbearing plant.
3. Our highest goal is not even a field full of
fruit-bearing plants.
4. Our highest goal is the health and fertility
of the land so that it will produce
generation after generation of fruit-bearing
plants.
AND THE HIGHEST GOAL
OF ALL...
–That Jesus would reign as
Lord of all the earth…
THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE INSTITUTIONAL
AND ORGANIC APPROACH TO CHRIST
CENTRED COMMUNITY PLANTING
Institutional Approach
Organic Approach
Seating:
Rows only
Circle(s)
Environment:
Anonymous
Intimate
Leader source:
Institutions of
higher learning
The harvest
Growth:
Addition where
it can be found
Multiplication at
every level
Results:
An audience
is attracted
An army is raised up
Ministry Practitioners:
The Ordained
The Ordinary
Resources:
Imported to the
harvest
Discovered in the harvest
THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE
INSTITUTIONAL AND ORGANIC
APPROACH TO CHRIST CENTRED
COMMUNITY PLANTING
Institutional Approach
Primary
leadership:
Organic Approach
Pastoral teacher
Apostolic team
Learning lab:
Classroom
based education
Trench based
education
Cost:
Expensive
Inexpensive
Ministry
Location:
The Meeting place
The Marketplace
Goal:
Deeper knowledge
Deeper relationships
THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE
INSTITUTIONAL AND ORGANIC
APPROACH TO CHRIST CENTRED
COMMUNITY PLANTING
Institutional Approach
Organic Approach
Full seating capacity
Full sending capacity
Passive:
“You all Come!”
Active: “We all go!”
Attraction:
Felt need
programming
Obvious Life
Transformation
Expectations:
Conversions are
surprising
Conversions are
expected and seen
Success:
Christ Centred
Community
posture:
Overview of the Organic Christ
Centred Community Planting
Process
1. Cultivation has to do with the
preparation and improvement of the
soil for raising healthy crops. In an
organic approach to Christ Centred
Community planting, cultivation is
doing what the Lord leads us to do
relationally and prayerfully in order to
prepare people and communities for
the reception of the gospel.
Overview of the Organic Christ Centred
Community Planting Process
2. Sowing has to do with planting seed in
the soil of a selected environment
intending that it will take root and grow. In
an organic approach to Christ Centred
Community planting, sowing has to do
with implanting the gospel message into
the lives of individuals and the cultures in
which they live. The seed must be planted
in soil. No farmer expects the soil to come
to the seed.
Overview of the Organic Christ Centred
Community Planting Process
3. Growing is the germination of a planted
seed that takes root in the soil while
sending a stem into the light and air above
the ground. In an organic approach to
Christ Centred Community planting,
growing begins with the reception of God’s
message and the sealing of the Holy
Spirit. In this stage God develops
conviction in the lives of people and social
groupings so that they come alive in
Jesus, connect with a cluster of believers
or even grow into a new reproductive
Christ Centred Community.
MY EXPECTIONS AND DREAMS
• 1. That you would be encouraged and
challenged to shift your current
thinking, in some way, about Church
(the Christ Centred Community),
mission and the way of Jesus.
• 2. That you would find others whom
you might be able to team up with to
bring transformation to your region.
• 3. That you will have time to both
discuss and reflect on the application
of these ideas to you own life and
context.
MY EXPECTIONS AND DREAMS
• 4. That you will decide to become part
of a Regional Gathering or Mission for
support and strategic implementation
of organic Christ Centred Community
planting principles.
• 5. That you would experience a unique
encounter with God here.
• 6. That 10 years, 5 years, 1 year from
now we could look back and say, the
Father’s kingdom has come because of
this course and it’s implementation - in
the lives of the people who attended and as a result, many, many more...
YOUR EXPECTATIONS
• 1. List 1-3 key expectations you
have for this course. Use some
paper and write your thoughts out
before you leave (anonymous or
not).
• 2. Take some time now to record
some thoughts, feelings or plans
so far.
YOUR EXPECTATIONS
• REFLECTING and RESPONDING: In this space,
record notes regarding ideas that impress you;
issues that trouble you; input that makes a
connection in some way; areas of personal
interest, and intentional responses to what you
have learned. You may also want to list
questions that need answering and items for
prayer.
• HEAD: What is an idea or concept that
challenged your thinking and that you will
continue to mull over as a result of this
session?
• HEART: What is a feeling, emotion, or reaction
that emerged from the issues within this
session?
• HANDS: What is a real world response or act of
obedience that was stimulated in this session?
• CULTIVATING THE SOIL OF
PEOPLE’S HEARTS
• CULTIVATION IN THE BIBLE
– Joel 1:10 The fields are ruined, the
ground is dried up…Despair, you
farmers, wail you vine growers; grief
for the wheat and the barley,
because the harvest of the field is
destroyed…Put on sackcloth, O
priests, and mourn...declare a holy
fast; call a sacred assembly.
Summon the elders and all who live
in the land to the house of the Lord
your God and cry out to the Lord.
• CULTIVATING THE SOIL OF PEOPLE’S
HEARTS
• CULTIVATION IN THE BIBLE
– Hosea 10:12 …break up your unploughed
ground; for it is time to seek the Lord until
he comes and showers righteousness on
you.
– Psalm 107:35 He turned the desert into
pools of water and the parched ground into
flowing springs…
– Proverbs 24:27 Finish your outdoor work
and get your fields ready; after that, build
your house.
– Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water on the
thirsty land, and streams on the dry
ground; I will pour out my Spirit.
• CULTIVATING THE SOIL OF PEOPLE’S
HEARTS
• CULTIVATION IN THE BIBLE
– Luke 8:15 The seed on good soil stands for
those with a noble and good heart, who
hear the word, retain it, and by persevering
produce a crop.
– 1 Corinthians 3:9 You are God’s field (lit.
cultivated land).
– “Social Network Theory” suggests that
“the average person has 1500
acquaintances with older and wealthier
types tending to exceed that level. It is
believed that any two people on planet
earth can be linked by 5 or fewer
intermediaries.”
– Dan Selgman “Me and Monica” Forbes, March 23,
1998, p. 76
OIKOS WITNESS
• 1. Oikos is a Greek word, which
includes a family of words based
on the idea of a home or
household.
• 2. In addition to many references
to the houses people live in, the
Church meeting in homes, and the
Biblical teaching that believers
belong to the household of God,
oikos also carries the following
notions:
– a. A person’s oikos is the
fundamental natural unit of
society...one’s family, friends,
neighbours, and associates (Acts 10,
11; Philippians 4:22).
– b. God has placed people in
particular oikos contexts so that
they might find him (Acts 17:26, 27).
– c. Peter says that a spiritual oikos is
made of people who are likened to
“living stones” (1 Peter 2:5).
• 3. Crucial insights connecting
oikos to our missional task:
– a. For every Christian, mission
begins with those who God has put
in their lives.
– b. Keys to being a witness in your
oikos are:
* Time and availability
* A Life that is open and being renewed
day by day
* Hospitality
* Spiritual intuition
* Generosity
– c. While God has made oikos the
natural means to be a witness, it can
also be a difficult spiritual
environment... particularly for those
who have been believers for a long
time (Mark 6:4).
– d. The key to the spread of the
gospel may not be your oikos.
Rather, the gospel is more likely to
experience expansion through the
oikos of a new believer.
SOIL ANALYSIS
• The organic farmer must understand
the type of soil in which he or she is
working. There should also be a
growing awareness of when soil would
be considered “good” and when it
would be considered “bad” where
planting is concerned. A “soil
analysis” can determine the potential
for receptivity so that the good seed
can be planted where it is mostly likely
to take root and grow.
– 1. IDENTIFYING POTENTIALLY GOOD SOIL
– 2. IDENTIFYING POTENTIALLY BAD SOIL
PRACTICAL EXERCISE
• 1. Below, make a list of 10 or so people in
your oikos who don’t yet have a relationship
with King Jesus.
• 2. Spend some time in prayer for these
people, asking the Lord to lead you in
understanding their spiritual condition and
what He would have you do in cultivating their
hearts for the gospel seed.
• 3. Pray about what needs they may have, that
you can meet, in order to see their hearts
become better soil. Put the names of these
people in your oikos below the description of
what you think they need most right now. Jot
down an idea or two on how you might be
proactive in your work of cultivation.
– a. TILLING is the work you do in asking
questions and getting to know them. This
is the work of digging into their life on a
deeper level. Do you know them? How
well?
– b. MULCHING is laying your life more fully
into their’s. It’s sharing yourself with the
good, the bad, and the ugly. Are they
getting to know you? Are they seeing the
hope within you?
– c. WATERING is offering refreshment from
the Lord in ways they need it most. Prayer,
acts of kindness, and hospitality are
examples. Are you meeting their needs
appropriately?
• 4. Share with 2 0r 3 others one or
two examples of how you intend
to cultivate the lives of the people
in your oikos.
• 5. Pray for each other.
JESUS’ PRINCIPLES OF APOSTOLIC MISSIONS
•
Jesus preached two separate sermons with almost identical content, one was to the twelve disciples (Matt. 10/Mark 6/Luke 9), the other to
the seventy (Luke 10). Both sermons were delivered on separate occasions preparing His disciples for the harvest. These are the closest
we have to Jesus’ actual missional methodology. Long ignored by the Church it is time we listened to this valuable and insightful way of
understanding how cultivating the soil can quickly result in a Christ Centred Community planting movement. When Jesus repeats Himself
and three out of four gospels make sure that the message is included, we better pay attention.
•
I have drawn five incarnational principles for ministry from Jesus’ words. We have listed them in a simple and repeated acrostic of P.O.P.
to make it more memorable.
•
Jesus was moved to the very core of his being – bowels…
•
The first 3 principles usually happen or function simultaneously rather than chronologically…
1. PRACTICE OF PRAYER
•
“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into the harvest field (Matthew 9:37-38).”
•
Children – begging – please, please, please…
•
The Christ Centred Community is more spiritual than physical – there is a romantic element that involves prayer…
•
Before the Christ Centred Community is ever conceived on earth it must be a gleam in heavens eye…
•
Practical Missional Insights…
•
Luke 10:2b The begging God for workers – 10-2B virus…
2. POCKETS OF PEOPLE
•
“He sent them out two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go (Luke 10:1).”
•
Practical Missional Insights…
•
Special interest groups – oikos groups, people who are responsive – look for darkness – share the light of the gospel – it dispels the
darkness
•
Neil Cole’s wife said – “It is so much more fun to be light in the darkness than it is to be light in the light!”
3. POWER OF PRESENCE
•
“As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive
out demons. Freely you have received, freely give (Matthew 10:7-8).”
•
Practical Missional Insights…
•
The Church suffers from memory loss, it is not amnesia, it is Alzheimer’s! Where we have forgotten our family and those close to us.
•
Announce that God’s kingdom has come! The kingdom of God does not need the permission of others…
•
All authority of heaven and earth walks with you – you will overcome…
•
There are 2 types of people in the world – moths and cockroaches – when you turn on the light you will be able to tell who they are –
Moths attracted & Cockroaches run…
•
4. PERSON OF PEACE
•
“When you enter a house, first say ‘Peace to this house.’ If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him...Stay in that house...do
not move from house to house (Luke 10:7-8).”
•
A person of peace is someone that God has sovereignly prepared to hear and receive the gospel of the kingdom. A new group or Christ
Centred Community is usually about to form with the emergence of a person of peace.
•
He doesn’t say go from house to house – he says stay there that they when they come to Christ – the multiplication affect takes place
•
A person of peace is a person of...
•
a. Responsiveness: they are interested in the gospel.
•
b. Relational Influence: they are well connected.
•
c. Reputation: they are persons of well known character (good or bad).
•
Biblical examples…
•
Matthew (Matt. 9:9 ff) - bad
•
Gerasene demoniac (Mark 5) - bad
•
Zacheaus (Luke 19) - bad
•
Ethiopian Eunuch (Act 8) - good
•
Lydia (Act 16) - good
•
Cornelius (Acts 10) - good
•
Woman at the well (John 4) - bad
•
Philippian Jailer (Acts 16) - good
•
Practical Missional Insights
•
God shows that all that is needed was the gospel – the rest is up to the Holy Spirit The power of a changed life is more powerful than
anyone else