What is a Kingdom Christian?
What is a Kingdom Christian?
Kingdom Christians have had an undeniable, life-altering encounter. They've been captured by a mission. Above all, they life in relationship with a Person who sends them out as ambassadors
What is a Kingdom Christian?
Jesus called twelve followers to be with him, learn from him and become like him so that they could repeat the process, spreading the Kingdom of God throughout the world. After he completed his earthly ministry, Jesus sent back the Holy Spirit to empower his followers to continue the mission. It worked.
But it’s not working here in America. Either that, or we’re not doing mission like Jesus did. Consider:
3,500 churches are closing each year in America
About 10 churches close each day
95% of churches are not growing (either plateauing or not growing at replacement rate)
Of the 5% that are growing, 4% are growing by transfer
Conclusion: Only 1% of churches are growing by new conversions
The church’s anemic existence in North America coincides with an aggressive unbelief that is sweeping our country, and especially younger generations. Consider this conclusion from the Barna Group:
An increasing number of religiously unaffiliated, a steady drop in church attendance, the recent Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage, and the growing tension over religious freedoms all point to a larger secularizing trend sweeping across the nation… In just two years, the percentage of Americans who qualify as “post-Christian” rose by 7 percentage points, from 37% in 2013 to 44% in 2015. Across the United States, cities in every state are becoming more post-Christian—some at a faster rate than others
Jesus knew the secret of mission success was multiplication. He didn’t just preach a message, he trained and empowered. In fact, the message alone was not sufficient to transform anyone. Jesus coached and trained a select few to embody that message in a way that turned a band of obscure nobodys into world-shakers.
The twelve learned that God wanted to walk with them in a moment-by-moment mission to redeem His Creation. Like Jesus, they learned how to hear the Father’s voice and obey. Like Jesus, they learned what it means to see the world through the eyes of faith. Like Jesus, they learned how to exercise supernatural power to bring healing and deliverance. Their message that the “Kingdom of God has come,” was demonstrated with real-world results.
Each follower was quite different in personality and temperament. But they all had something in common: They were willing to give everything up to follow Jesus. This willing sacrifice granted an authority to influence others in turn. Just as Jesus gave up the throne to go to earth, they gave up their claim on this world to bring redemption to it.
Jesus’ followers were in the world--making tents, catching fish, prescribing medicine, managing small businesses--but they were here as ambassadors of another Kingdom. Their entire mission was to help others discover a new way to live. They did this by guarding their spiritual vitality through prayer and fellowship with other believers. They did it by strategically meeting needs. They did it by building relationships and opening their homes. Person by person, household by household, city by city, the Kingdom of God, embodied in the ekklesia (the Greek word we translate “Church”), was a movement of person to person transformation.
A Kingdom Christian is someone who wants in on this. There is no calling more significant. Anyone willing to step into this journey will discover a wider range of human experience than ever thought possible. Their eyes will be opened to an entirely new way of being, the Kingdom way. They will walk in a power that heals the sick and can even raise the dead. They will discover ways to produce abundance in their own lives and bless others through it. They will become better at what they do than those around them, because they have an inner motivation that no other source can give.
After more than twenty years in full-time ministry, my wife and I decided we want to give everything we have to discovering how to inspire and empower people hungry for more that Christianity-as-usual. The truth is, every person who has encountered Jesus is hungry for this kind of life. And everyone who hasn’t yet encountered Him is starving for it too!
What if our faith walk was NOT about…
Volunteering for another church program
Focused on attending meetings and passively listening
Being asked to embrace an overwhelming to-do list generated by people who earn their full-time living from full-time ministry
Feeling like our part in the local church is really about helping an ambitious pastor build a big church
What if it WAS about…
Discovering how God has uniquely wired us
Discovering a spiritual pathway that leads to personal, relational and/or professional growth
Learning how to hear God’s voice everyday
Learning how to have a Spirit-empowered life, seeing the supernatural every day
Discovering the power of God’s Word to make sense of the real world
Being surrounded by people and leaders who are helping you activate your potential and benefiting from your passion
My wife and I have spent the last two years building a community that is seeking these very things. We’ve been creating resources (like cohorts and workshops) to help real people discover their potential and find pathways into a deeper, more fulfilling experience of the Kingdom.
At a certain point in my ministry life, I decided that planning successful events, preaching good sermons and adding more members to a local congregation wasn’t interesting to me anymore. Instead, after a life-changing encounter with God’s love, I realized the only thing that mattered was helping as many people as possible have one for themselves and equipping them to pass it on to others. It was the first step into what has proven to be an exciting adventure.