A few years ago, the Church Health Group asked the question: What should a mature disciple be like? We believed that the church’s effectiveness in developing mature disciples would be greatly enhanced when the goal of disciple making was clearly articulated. Through studying Scripture and consulting with experienced disciple making leaders, The Kingdom Person Strategy was developed. The Kingdom Person Strategy takes its name from its commitment to develop people who recognize and demonstrate Jesus as King and Lord of their lives.
The starting point for the Kingdom Person Strategy is the Great Commission: 18 Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 (HCSB) Jesus’ goal for His followers was that they would be committed to the mission of developing people who demonstrated obedience to His commands. The Kingdom Person Strategy focuses specifically on Matthew 22:36-40, in which Jesus explained His expectations with regard to keeping the commandments. An understanding of this passage in the context of the overall message of Scripture makes it clear that a Kingdom Person organizes his or her life according to the Great Commandment: loving God and loving people as expressed in the following six dimensions: A Worshipping Person – lives worship by surrendering his or her own agenda and embracing God’s agenda. A Praying Person – has learned to hear the Father’s voice and respond to His mission, just as Jesus modeled. A Biblical Person – is developing a healthy Biblical framework for living and is committed to following Jesus in every area of life. A Serving Person - demonstrates love to one’s neighbor through willingness to put the needs of others above oneself and live out the truths of the Gospel. A Generous Person – extravagantly invests in the Kingdom of God and the well-being of His body. A Reproducing Person – is a disciple maker who leads others to lead others to live like Jesus. The first 3 characteristics—worship, prayer, and Scripture—represent the vertical dimension of the Kingdom Person and are ways we relate appropriately to God. The next 3 characteristics—service, generosity, and reproduction—represent the horizontal dimension of the Kingdom Person and are ways we relate appropriately to others. Developing Kingdom People Developing Kingdom People does not happen without an intentional and strategic process. While the details of the Kingdom Person process can vary based on a particular context, the essential elements for developing Kingdom People are: 1. Establish Biblical Foundations - A process for developing Kingdom People must be based on Scriptural principles and encourage reading and applying the Bible to life as a foundational component for spiritual growth. 2 Timothy 2:15 2. Encourage Relational Environments - Christian relationships are the key to developing Kingdom People. Jesus made disciples in the context of relationships. Relational environments promote effective learning based on modeling faith in real life situations. Genuine Christian relationships also promote unity, and provide an effective context for encouragement and accountability. Matthew 12:46-50. 3. Employ a Spiritual Development Process - A clear understanding of the spiritual development process is essential for developing Kingdom People. Mature disciples are not created overnight, but begin as new believers who reach maturity by growing through a developmental stage process. 1 John 2:12-14. An example of a spiritual development process based on 1 John 2:12-14 is provided in the Appendix. 4. Expect Maturity - Every follower of Christ must be expected to grow. An expectation of Christian growth and maturity must become the norm for the church. It is a serious problem when believers do not grow in their faith and fail to demonstrate increasing levels of spiritual maturity. Ephesians 4:11-14 5. Equip and Release Leaders - Developing Kingdom People is dependent on effectively developing and releasing leaders who are skilled and motivated to impact the lives of others by modeling maturity and helping others grow in their faith. 2 Timothy 2:2 Developing Kingdom People can be represented by the following model that combines the 6 dimensions of a Kingdom Person with the 5 essential elements for developing Kingdom people. Comments are closed.
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Tony HoffmanCampus Pastor at First Baptist Church in Leesburg, FL where his passion is to help people discover and live out their calling in Christ. Tony regularly consults, speaks, and teaches about discipleship and Christian education. Archives
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