God's Kingdom Advances as a Process, not an Event
One of the hardest things for us to get used to is the fact that God's work, God's Kingdom, advances as a process and not an event. We are very "event" oriented. We want 1 big breakthrough, 1 big service, or 1 big revival that saves the whole nation. While God can do anything, He rarely works that way.
The Israelites crossed the Red Sea in a day, but there was still a 40 year process to get to Canaan (although it was only supposed to be a 2 year process!).
When Elijah confronted the prophets of baal on Mount Carmel, he had a miraculous event. Fire fell, the people shouted that Yahweh was God, and in a little while, the rain came! But in the next chapter (1 Kings 19) Elijah is depressed, running from Jezebel, and praying to die! Because he found out that 1 event, no matter how great, won't get the job done! It took the rest of his own ministry, the ministry of his successor Elisha over a 40 year period, the kingship of Jehu, years later, and the judgement work of the king of Syria, Hazael.
Even with the full coming of God's Kingdom there is process involved. Jesus will come back and establish His Kingdom. The 2nd coming is an event! But it is followed by a 1000 year process called the Millenium and that is followed by the final rebellion, the final judgement, the white throne judgement and only then the new heavens and new earth! Just think about it, even the 2nd coming initiates a more than thousand year process that finally and eternally establishes God's Kingdom (1 Corinthians 15: 24-26). (I'm a pre-millenialist, but even if you are not, it is irrelevant to the main point!)
The failure to understand the Process aspect of God's Kingdom advance leads to failed strategies in evangelism and mission, as well as a lot of disappointment. We need to think more like the farmer, who knows that there are times of preparing the ground, times of sowing, times of cultivating, and times of reaping. And also that none of us can do it alone. We must have partnering/catalytic strategies to accomplish anything. Paul planted, Apollos watered, and God gave the Harvest.
But didn't Jesus say that the fields were already ripe for Harvest? Yes he did, in a Samaritan village, in John 4. He did not say that every field in the whole world was ripe. Some places were so unripe that He told His disciples to dust off their feet and keep moving! (Luke 10).
In different parts of the world, there are places that are already ripe (like the Samaritan village and parts of Israel in the ministry of Jesus). There are other places where there is the need for ground preparation (access ministry) and sowing, and cultivating before they are ready. If we have a single event kind of ministry (whether a crusade, a personal evangelism system, etc.) we will succeed in some places where others have prepared the ground, and fail miserably where there has never been the sowing of seed.....and when we do, we will rarely attribute the failure to the actual cause. (That evangelist did not have the anointing this time, they did not pray enough, the existing church in that nation has too much (fill in the blank) or too little (fill in the blank). It is like driving a giant reaping machine to a field where nothing has been planted and the field is full of boulders, and complaining that nothing was harvested because the manufacturer of the machine did not make it right!
That is why I believe that the most effective strategy that I have encountered is the Church Planting Movement strategy or as it is beginning to be called, Exponential Disciple Making strategy. It is all about process. The strategy recognizes that seeing the Gospel advance in a nation or people group is going to take time and that time is going to involve clearing the ground (access ministry), sowing the seed of the word (the discovery bible study process) and cultivation (mentoring and relationship building) and then, sometimes after several years of work, the harvest (disciples made and churches planted....and then sometimes Exponentially!). And it also recognizes that it is an Organic Process, not a Mechanical Process. A church planting movement is a living thing and life is only given by the Creator. CPM does not automatically happen anywhere just because certain principles are used. CPM only happens where God by His gracious Word and Spirit produce it!
How will understanding Process change the way we do ministry? How about here in the United States? I have heard the question many times, will CPM work in the U. S. ?
Here is another question to ask: Are our event oriented strategies actually working in the U. S. ?
They certainly can build big ministries, but in the last 40 years, has America been discipled? Is our culture more or less like Jesus?
The question then, is How would the Process approach to discipling a nation look in the U. S?
Some of my friends will be addressing this question in a special conference in January. I encourage you to follow this link and check it out: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e5catcrd43ab5a75&llr=fyaadobab
One thing is for certain: God is working in the world today, and His Kingdom is advancing. Many leaders are embracing a long term Process to see the nations discipled, and there is no doubt, it is going to happen.
The Israelites crossed the Red Sea in a day, but there was still a 40 year process to get to Canaan (although it was only supposed to be a 2 year process!).
When Elijah confronted the prophets of baal on Mount Carmel, he had a miraculous event. Fire fell, the people shouted that Yahweh was God, and in a little while, the rain came! But in the next chapter (1 Kings 19) Elijah is depressed, running from Jezebel, and praying to die! Because he found out that 1 event, no matter how great, won't get the job done! It took the rest of his own ministry, the ministry of his successor Elisha over a 40 year period, the kingship of Jehu, years later, and the judgement work of the king of Syria, Hazael.
Even with the full coming of God's Kingdom there is process involved. Jesus will come back and establish His Kingdom. The 2nd coming is an event! But it is followed by a 1000 year process called the Millenium and that is followed by the final rebellion, the final judgement, the white throne judgement and only then the new heavens and new earth! Just think about it, even the 2nd coming initiates a more than thousand year process that finally and eternally establishes God's Kingdom (1 Corinthians 15: 24-26). (I'm a pre-millenialist, but even if you are not, it is irrelevant to the main point!)
The failure to understand the Process aspect of God's Kingdom advance leads to failed strategies in evangelism and mission, as well as a lot of disappointment. We need to think more like the farmer, who knows that there are times of preparing the ground, times of sowing, times of cultivating, and times of reaping. And also that none of us can do it alone. We must have partnering/catalytic strategies to accomplish anything. Paul planted, Apollos watered, and God gave the Harvest.
But didn't Jesus say that the fields were already ripe for Harvest? Yes he did, in a Samaritan village, in John 4. He did not say that every field in the whole world was ripe. Some places were so unripe that He told His disciples to dust off their feet and keep moving! (Luke 10).
In different parts of the world, there are places that are already ripe (like the Samaritan village and parts of Israel in the ministry of Jesus). There are other places where there is the need for ground preparation (access ministry) and sowing, and cultivating before they are ready. If we have a single event kind of ministry (whether a crusade, a personal evangelism system, etc.) we will succeed in some places where others have prepared the ground, and fail miserably where there has never been the sowing of seed.....and when we do, we will rarely attribute the failure to the actual cause. (That evangelist did not have the anointing this time, they did not pray enough, the existing church in that nation has too much (fill in the blank) or too little (fill in the blank). It is like driving a giant reaping machine to a field where nothing has been planted and the field is full of boulders, and complaining that nothing was harvested because the manufacturer of the machine did not make it right!
That is why I believe that the most effective strategy that I have encountered is the Church Planting Movement strategy or as it is beginning to be called, Exponential Disciple Making strategy. It is all about process. The strategy recognizes that seeing the Gospel advance in a nation or people group is going to take time and that time is going to involve clearing the ground (access ministry), sowing the seed of the word (the discovery bible study process) and cultivation (mentoring and relationship building) and then, sometimes after several years of work, the harvest (disciples made and churches planted....and then sometimes Exponentially!). And it also recognizes that it is an Organic Process, not a Mechanical Process. A church planting movement is a living thing and life is only given by the Creator. CPM does not automatically happen anywhere just because certain principles are used. CPM only happens where God by His gracious Word and Spirit produce it!
How will understanding Process change the way we do ministry? How about here in the United States? I have heard the question many times, will CPM work in the U. S. ?
Here is another question to ask: Are our event oriented strategies actually working in the U. S. ?
They certainly can build big ministries, but in the last 40 years, has America been discipled? Is our culture more or less like Jesus?
The question then, is How would the Process approach to discipling a nation look in the U. S?
Some of my friends will be addressing this question in a special conference in January. I encourage you to follow this link and check it out: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e5catcrd43ab5a75&llr=fyaadobab
One thing is for certain: God is working in the world today, and His Kingdom is advancing. Many leaders are embracing a long term Process to see the nations discipled, and there is no doubt, it is going to happen.
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