APOSTOLIC VISION AND KINGDOM INFLUENCE OF THE CHURCH IN THE COMMUNITY

A PERSONAL IMPRESSION


I have been impressed the past month or two about the above topic and I have thought on how can we reach our community and I can confess that the church and I (where I am the pastor) are not released from the responsibility of outreach and having a Kingdom influence in our community and missions. Evangelism and missions are the kingdom influences that are encapsulated in the last assignment to us from Jesus.


So that leaves us with the question how do we do that? Several options are available and I am sure you can add some yourself, but my ideas have been influenced partially by what I have read and heard people say, what I have been involved with personally and also some serious thinking around the subject until I came to some conclusions.


Fact - there is absolutely no doubt that we should have an influence in our communities. What type of influence you would ask me? A good friend of mine use the very biblical New Testament terms salt, yeasting and light. And I would love to add works of mercy as well as the cultural key and then obviously definite programs of evangelism and missions. Let us look at this “Kingdom Influence”:-


SALT

Salt in my opinion is applied to preserve or to put on something rotten. This is the kicking against deterioration of values and principles in society. There must be some form of working of salt. Blatant wrong will never become right no matter how much we want to turn a blind eye to it. Somewhere here the church must play its part – that simply means that some members inside the church have this working in them and as an apostolic church recognition and apostolic support for this type of ministry is sorely lacking. The church too easily distances itself from any working of salt since it name the church and seems to frame the church as well.


YEASTING

Yeasting is a slow determined working to influence the community in certain areas. One can easily define yeasting projects and channel workers in these projects. Yeasting is a slow process and there is definite growth over time. Yeasting is a definite gospel influence in determined “markets”. How will the church reach the rich? How will the church reach the dominant group in their society? How will the church reach minority groups and certain cultural and other almost cult-like groups? How do we infiltrate and influence these groups with the gospel of Jesus Christ?


LIGHT

Light is a beacon and open declaration of a people or a church or a person. This is not necessarily the gospel or working of salt but rather a very positive declaration of values and morals. It is not so much against this or against that but rather a positive we or I stand for this and that. This is open for all to see. We stand to heal the broken hearted and we stand for the declaration of the inspired word of God. Some churches have gone to great lengths to declare values that seem very close to humanistic ideals where a clear Biblical stance is more needed in the hour we live in – but it can be in more everyday or popular words of the day. Be careful though that it is not so close to a secular company that there seems after a while to be no difference at all.


WORKS OF MERCY

Works of mercy – this is where mercy is needed – it is different from yeasting work because this is where sudden need in the community arises and the church can definitely play a part in alleviating the need or suffering. Not to participate would be very wrong. I am talking about a drought or floods or disasters in your area and even beyond. The church must be a player in the human suffering and not be on a moral high ground in condemning and pronouncing that it is God’s judgment over the people – even if that be true our responsibility is acts of mercy for have we not received a great mercy from our God?


CULTURAL KEY(S)

The cultural key of your community is very important. Ignorance of it could be fatal to the church’s growth. Is the community or area predominately young? Then music might be a key in reaching them. Is the community very African or prone to certain acts or certain ways – respect of this and where it is not sinful adapt or redeem some cultural elements in order to reach the community. Are there definite cultural patterns? In an African village if the chief of the village is reached the possibility that the whole village could be reached are very great! Are there definite cultural keys?


EVANGELISM AND MISSIONS

I mention it again separately because of the many programs already available by various organizations. Many of these are very effective and one could always adopt one of these strategies or even discard one and try another. The fact of the matter is that local evangelism and missions outreach has never theologically been removed from the responsibility of the church.


So where do we stand? I think a good survey of your community and knowledge of the people in your areas are definitely needed. What does a survey involve? I think a survey should include the following:-

• What type of people live in the immediate areas?
  
• What type of people attends your church?
  
• What type of people do not attend your church and why not?
  
• What is your specific people market?
  
• What is the dominant sin and temptation in the area?
  
• What are the neglected groups?
  
• What are the major cultural events and tendencies of your target market?
  
• Are there any definite cultural patterns or keys?
  
• What are the needs in the area?
  
• What type of dropouts and social outcast are there in the area?
  
• Are there at any time one specific great suffering or disaster in the community?
  
• What type of cultic groups are finding roots in the area?
  
• The specific call (not general or broad theological call but specific) and gift of the church in the community.
  
• The church can also become a training station and here not only a bible school or various word-based training courses but also life skills and targeted training from a Biblical perspective that addresses needs and offer solutions to these needs.
  
• Some surveys available are only on the “dark side” i.e. what is the devil’s agenda and strongman or demonic workings in the area? Take some of this but do not focus on this only – God wants us to be God focused and not devil conscious – but we should not be blind to his strategy. If God definitely leads you by the Holy Spirit to survey this and research it – good – do it. There are very good books supporting this – get hold of them.

I think around these questions and surveys designed around these areas could help you in designing church growth and Kingdom expanding programs through the gospel of Jesus Christ by the points mentioned - salt, yeasting, light, works of mercy and taking cognizance of the cultural key and available evangelism and missions programs. Sometimes the church (the members) are not aware of this at all…an awareness or specific teaching or even a bold start something!


I don’t think a church can adopt everything including their own church “other” programs of caring, groups, worship team etc and etc, so the question remains in what areas are your church going to be involved in. The more apostolic and the more people the church have – obviously the more “programs” can be accommodated, but the question then is - are the church into apostolic vision and is it doing the specific will of God? Every church should be interested in designing surveys and employing programs around the results and even seek apostolic and prophetic assistance in their final approach.


Obviously none of this can have any spiritual value if it is not supported by prayer, intercession and a sincere desire to do the will of God. This is a given but if this is not in place, then start to pray and pray and pray until you have some assignment or calling in the community or missions. Vision is the calling and what we receive in prayer or prophetic insight or even in deep inner conviction and position on what the specific will of God is. But the outworking of our faith(our specific vision), is the Kingdom influence in our area and beyond even to mission fields and unreached groups. Pastor and church are you going to participate in apostolic vision and kingdom (of God) influence or just live from Sunday to Sunday or Sabbath to Sabbath?