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Showing posts with label If Jesus were a Pastor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label If Jesus were a Pastor. Show all posts

October 14, 2011

If Jesus were a Pastor...

By Tony V. Hammack

… what would his Church look like?

These notes are best when used in conjunction with the audio or video. To listen to the audio (podcast), click here.

Should we Copy Jesus?

* Is Jesus culturally relevant or should we omit some of his methodologies because they just don’t fit in America today?

* Should we conform to the Jesus culture?

Jesus Christ built men! This was his focus.

He Called out Twelve

John 6:70
70 Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” 71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)

Jesus had a focus on a few with a vision for world evangelization. His ministry mission statement would contain this concept.
  • Love everyone, commit everything to a few radically committed people with the emphasis on them committing everything to a few radically committed people. The network of people that forms is the fruit bearing Church.
Was Jesus trying to build a big church. YES!
How?
Through multiplication based discipleship ministry expressing the kingdom of God in power and character.
Things Jesus didn’t need or have
    Multi-Media
    Buildings
By not appealing to the flesh of people, Jesus at times was very “offensive”.
Eat My Flesh and Drink My Blood
Many Disciples Desert Jesus
John 6:60-69
60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” 61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.” 66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. 67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Not every numerically large group of people validates the means by which they became numerically large.

There is nothing wrong with large Churches. I think they are great, however, how were they built? Why are they large? These are questions I don’t have to answer for any other pastor. I simply have to answer them for myself and this ministry.

Here in this Church I’d like to see a few radically committed people catch the spirit of Christ in the leadership of this ministry. Then pour out the life of Christ to their group of radically committed people.
The clearest administrative vehicle I see that supports this in our culture is the cell Church.

Was the Church Jesus birthed staffed with professionals?
Yes, they were professionals but not professionals in the eyes of the existing religious establishment.
What qualified them to be ministers?
Acts 4:13
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

Ephesians 4:11-13
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

So my job as a 5 fold man of God is not to necessarily do everything, but it’s to equip you all to do works of service.

What is the best way to equip you?

William Glasser once said,
“We Learn . . .
  • 10% of what we read
  • 20% of what we hear
  • 30% of what we see
  • 50% of what we see and hear
  • 70% of what we discuss
  • 80% of what we experience
  • 95% of what we teach others.”
Reflect on Jesus calling his disciples again. “Come follow me”.
Jesus had a classroom and it was everywhere he was.
How about Paul?

1 Cor. 11:1
1PATTERN YOURSELVES after me [follow my example], as I imitate and follow Christ (the Messiah).

I find the Hebraic ministry model very rare in the American Church. So much of what the average Church does is based on the Greek educational model. This model is in our public schools.

The Greek model of education shapes our modern American educational theories.
Our philosophy will dictate our methodology. Our methodology will affect our outcome. We need to develop a culture and educational methodology that distinctively reflects the ministry model of Jesus Christ.

Hebrew vs. Greek Educational Model
  1. Hebrew education focused on relationship
  2. Hebrew teachers tried to shape students' hearts
  3. Hebrew students were to become what their teacher was
  4. Greek education focused on content
  5. Greek teachers tried to shape students' minds
  6. Greek students were to learn what their teacher knew
Our Vision
  • Win
  • Consolidate
  • Disciple
  • Send
I see a network of small groups across the region with anointed equipped and trained leaders. These leaders have my heart in them and the Spirit of Christ working through them. They love Jesus & me and I love them. They trust me and I trust them. These leaders are loyal to me and I am loyal to them. The main vision of these small groups is to raise up and train leaders to lead more small groups.

My emphasis as a pastor is on training you to do the work of the ministry. There is no better trainer than “doing the work of the ministry”. I realize fear, lack of revelation and lack of training can hinder a person from getting involved. However I am available to work with you and train you if the Lord is drawing you into this type of fruit bearing ministry. Let’s walk together for a while.

For this reason I’m trying to “decentralize” ministry. I would be happier with 10 groups with 10 people in them than with a single group with 100 people in it.
Nothing will grow without leaders willing to lay down their lives for the gospel.
When Jesus left the Earth in bodily form the Church grew. His ministry and leadership model is the proper way to do things.

We have to shake off the bands of culture and embrace what Jesus did as a very practical reality for our lives.
Who wants to lay down their life for another? Who wants to pray and cry and teach someone else? We must move beyond the bless me club mentality and begin to show our maturity as we make sacrifices for Christ’s body, the Church.

2 Timothy 2:2
And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.

In considering all that Jesus gave to us, looking to the cross, isn’t it reasonable that out of love for him we could commit to help a small group of people grow in their relationship with Christ? Maybe out of this group there would come another like minded person willing to lay down some of their personal agenda who would also help others.

I can see these groups filling every area in our region taking the gospel into people’s homes. Instead of having one man declare healing over the sick we have 15. Instead of one teacher we have 20. If persecution were to strike the Church we wouldn’t skip a beat. Going underground would be very easy with this culture. Even if you kill the head the body lives with this culture established.




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