The Kingdom Focused Church     I.  The Kingdom   The Kingdom is the present reign of God in today’s world.  It is expressed through the transformed lives of those who have made Him Lord and Savior of their lives.  It is the reign of Jesus as Lord and King in our lives.  It is the Holy Spirit working in us, through us and around us in such a way that we live and do the will of God.    It is the fundamental reality in our world.  It is the experience of God in our daily lives. It is seeing the world the way that God sees it.    The Kingdom of God was the central focus of the life and ministry of Jesus.  He mentioned the Kingdom 90 times.  He mentioned the church by name twice.    Matthew 6:33 33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.   Every person’s central life focus should be to align with the Kingdom of God.  Through the Kingdom we can live the lives God created us to live.    If an understanding of the reality of the Kingdom in today’s world is absent:   1.      We will fail to see God at work around us 2.     We will have little confidence in what God is, has done or will do 3.     We will attempt to do things for Him instead of allowing Him to work through us 4.     We will not go, give, endure, fulfill the calling on us     II.  The Church   A church is a Kingdom community of believers gathered locally in a dynamic fellowship under Christ’s Lordship.  It exists to make disciples, mature believers and to multiply them into Kingdom ministries.    What we do as a church only makes sense in the light of the Kingdom of God.  Success comes as a result of a clear vision of what God wants from us. It is from God that our focus must come.  Only then will what we do be empowered by Him.    Every successful church is a Kingdom focused church.  A Kingdom focused church exists to transform unbelievers into Christlike believers and to mature them into ministers of Christ.    The Kingdom focused church is clear on two points:   1.      Stewardship (vertical) – We serve God.  Our concern is His will, truth and work. 2.     Ministry (horizontal) – We serve people.    It begins with God and moves to people.  Only with this order will priorities and programs be successful.    The central issue is advancing the Kingdom through Kingdom communities (churches).  Bringing people into the Kingdom should be our focus above anything else.  We exist to reach people for Christ.  This is the central issue in the universe today.  It is fulfilled in the context of the local church.    The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) is the key to understanding what God is doing in our world at this moment.  We must maintain a Great Commission focus and keep it moving forward.  Otherwise we will fail.    The church is a Kingdom community where every believer is a part of the Kingdom.  Our purpose should be to establish God’s Kingdom in the lives of the people in the communities we represent.  Our community is our mission field.  It is through us that God invades life on earth (Matthew 5:13-16).  We are Kingdom agents.   A local church is a gathering of believers to worship and serve the Lord in their own way and understanding of who He is and what He wants them to be and do.    The church is geographical but the Kingdom is universal.  The church changes but the Kingdom does not.  The church can be influenced by ethnic differences, geography, time and by culture but the Kingdom transcends all these things.      III.  How the Kingdom Focused Church Works   A Kingdom focused church performs five functions.  These five functions are described in Scripture and can be seen in action in Acts 2.  Regardless of time or place, these five activities should be present corporately and individually if we are to be obedient and to fulfill God’s calling.   1.     Evangelism    Acts 2:37-41 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" 38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." 40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation." 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.   The ultimate goal of our church is to win souls and everything we do should contribute one way or another to that goal.  Everything we do individually and corporately ultimately should be a witness to lost people and work toward making them disciples.   Evangelism is to share our faith with others who do not know Him as Lord and Savior.  It is not to shuffle believers around.    2.    Discipleship   Acts 2:42-43 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.   The weakest and least practiced function is discipleship.  It is a lifelong journey of obedience to Christ that transforms a person through a process of teaching to become productive citizens of the Kingdom.  It is not optional.  It requires dedication and commitment (see Eph. 4:12; Matt. 28:20; Luke 9:23-24).    3.    Fellowship   Acts 2:42 46-47 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.   Warm, loving, authentic relationships are the key to real spiritual growth and ministry.  We are not bound together by creeds or programs but by a unity that is produced by the Holy Spirit, God’s love and our love for Him and others.    4.    Ministry   Acts 2:44-45 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.   Ministry is meeting another person’s need in the Name of Jesus.  It is service to people inside the church and missions to those outside.  It grows out of a transformed life.    5.    Worship   Acts 2:46-47 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.   Worship is when we come face to face with our Creator.  God is in charge of worship and expects us to worship Him as He directs.      IV.  Kingdom Results   Churches may rise and fall but the Kingdom is ever growing.  Implementing the Great Commission through the five functions is God’s way of advancing His Kingdom.  Balance and health are the key concepts here.   Growth is not the result of methods.  It is the result of the supernatural activity of God.  There are four dimensions of growth in a Kingdom focused church:   1.      Numerical  (covenant partnership, attendance) 2.     Spiritual transformation (God’s work of changing believers into Christlikeness and is expressed in relationships) 3.     Ministry expansion (ministry opportunities given by the Holy Spirit) 4.     Kingdom advance (persons being reached for Christ)   Kingdom results are simply indications of the supernatural activity of God expressed in, through and around God’s people in local churches.      V.  Kingdom Strategy   The New Testament model for what must be done to fulfill the great commission is as follows:   1.      Make disciples 2.     Mature believers 3.     Multiply ministries   We must evangelize lost people in our communities. We are to share Christ with unbelievers.  We make disciples by leading them to Christ.  Then in a local church setting, we lead them to worship, Bible study, and discipleship so they grow in the likeness of Christ.  They enter a process of transformation and discover their spiritual gifts.  We equip them for Christian living and ministry.  Equipped, they multiply and we expand the Kingdom and extend our ministries.    The building blocks of kingdom focused strategy:   1.      The five functions give us a ministry infrastructure with balance 2.     The four results allow us to measure our progress   We win or lose by what we do about ALL of the Great Commission. Balance brings health. To accomplish this we need an action plan.  Strategy unfolds for us as we:   1.      Build our strategy on the driving force of the Great Commission 2.     Identify the history, tradition and culture of our church 3.     Compare what is on the inside with what is on the outside 4.     Address how to overcome significant differences 5.     Look at where God will lead us in the future     VI.  Kingdom Focused Model and Process   Review:   1.      Kingdom focused strategy is taking Biblical principles and putting them together for effective ministry 2.     The Great Commission keeps us focused 3.     The five functions define our work 4.     The four results are the outcomes we expect 5.     The model and process (MAP) is the way to put it all together   The successful pathway to a Kingdom focused church leads through a series of experiences that turn a new believer into a new voice for the Kingdom.    The multiplying process involves three stages:   1)      Making Disciples   a)     Evangelizing unbelievers b)    Experiencing fellowship, worship, and Bible study with other believers c)     Beginning assimilation in the church   2)    Maturing Believers   a)     Being spiritually transformed b)    Equipping for ministry c)     Developing accountability d)    Learning to be a leader   3)     Multiplying Ministries   a)     Participating in ministry through service in the church b)    Participating in missions outside the church c)     Reproducing themselves in and through others   Jesus goal was to multiply Himself in and through others.  His pattern included (1) corporate worship, (2) open groups, (3) closed groups, and (4) ministry groups.  This is illustrated in His earthly ministry (Matt. 9:35-38).   §        Making Disciples: Corporate Worship   Corporate worship exists for believers to celebrate God’s grace and mercy, to proclaim God’s truth, and evangelize the lost in an atmosphere of encountering the presence, holiness, and revelation of Almighty God.  Worship is a transforming response to God.  Form is not as important as the purpose, which is to encounter God and be changed in His presence.    A Kingdom focused church uses worship as a key part of its strategy.  Worship services should be a place where believers and unbelievers can mingle.  Spirit filled worship is powerful and effective in leading people to Christ. Unbelievers come and observe and experience what we do.  Our worship services must be welcoming.   People are there because they are looking for something.  Meeting people’s spiritual and emotional needs should be the people-centered intent of every worship service.   §        Making Disciples: Open Groups   Open groups exist to lead people to faith in Christ and transform them into Christlikeness by engaging them in the five functions.  Open groups are small kingdom communities designed to bring believers and unbelievers together in an atmosphere of compassion to share the Gospel.    Open groups are people centered instead of content-centered. They should focus on the needs of the persons you reach and train. Every person is on a life path. What skills or understanding would help them to live for Christ and be spiritually transformed?     Open groups are foundational to a believers continuing transformation.  Believers in relationship to one another are the heart and soul of a Kingdom-focused church.  The Body of Christ is nothing without members belonging to and loving one another, worshiping together and building each other up.  It should be part of our foundational strategy.   §        Maturing Believers: Closed Groups   Closed groups exist to build kingdom leaders and to equip believers to serve by engaging them in a way that moves them toward spiritual transformation through short term, self-contained training in an atmosphere of accountability to God and to one another.    Generally more content centered. Open groups begin small grow larger.  Closed groups begin large and get smaller.  Open groups are indefinite in length.  Closed groups are for a specific time.  Open groups are built to teach, evangelize and assimilate.  Closed groups train leaders.  Open groups reach both believers and unbelievers.  Closed groups focus on believers who need maturity for ministry.    Closed groups continue and intensify the assimilation process.  They must be designed to be comprehensive and continuous.    §        Multiplying Ministries:  Ministry Teams   Ministry teams exist to build up the Body of Christ to accomplish the work of service within the church and to advance the Kingdom of God throughout the world.  The work of Kingdom advance is a work of beginning new Kingdom communities with an urgency to reach those without Christ.    It allows us to extend our reach and magnify our impact on the culture.     Can be focused in toward the congregation or out toward the community.    Prepares our members for what he or she is best gifted to do in carrying out the Great Commission.      Conclusion The more we know of the Kingdom, the better we will be able to understand what is happening in our world and what God is doing in it.  We must move deliberately to minimize anything that hurts Kingdom work.  Things that are not important should be stopped and we should start what is.  If God didn’t call us to do what we are doing then we will burn out.  If we know we are fulfilling our calling and ministry we will take risks, make changes, and move forward.