Step 2. Preach on being disciples of Christ (not just members of a church)

I don’t know how many times we did a series on what it means to be the church. In trying to get people to belong to a church that is serious about evangelism, I have been part of a team that repeatedly preached on what church is, its mission statement, what it means to belong to church and how important it is to be inviting others to come to church events. The paradigm is well-intentioned: belong here, play your part in the body, be active in helping us reach out to people, invite them to church so they can hear the gospel and hopefully become Christians. This is a Christian community; we love and care for others, as Jesus commanded us to: seek the lost, care for the found.

Here is the paradigm of Jesus: there is a kingdom greater than any earthly kingdom, it is an eternal kingdom; to have the eternal kind of life you need to repent, go on trusting and following me, and represent the purpose and values of my kingdom to all you meet.

While we want to build commitment and involvement in our churches, leaders need to teach and model being a disciple of Jesus and member of his kingdom. American author Reggie McNeal has exposed the dangers of churches becoming very club-like. When we give the view that the Christian life centres around church, we fall short of living the gospel of the kingdom of God. It can result in people seeing church activities as Christian and everything else as ‘secular’, when God’s kingdom and our involvement in it extends way beyond church. All that God has made is sacred, there for us to steward and enjoy.

Trusting Jesus means following him, which is the life of a disciple. The concept of a disciple, like KoG, comes to us through the Jewish people. It means following Jesus because you want passionately to become like him – being intimately close to him, trusting him, allowing his Spirit to shape you, on a journey of personal transformation. Being a disciple of Jesus is about intentionally seeking to become more like Jesus.

When I see myself as trying to become the sort of person Jesus would be, if he was me, then I am being a disciple of Jesus and honouring God. Christ-like character can be formed in me [Gal 4:19]. Formation is essentially spiritual, it continues to change me as I live by God’s Spirit. To live/walk by the Spirit includes being involved in the body of Christ, and it concerns other personal spiritual habits that require self-discipline in my private life as well. It means learning to master the natural human responses that we find ourselves so easily doing. It has the goal of involuntary obedience to God’s rule replacing involuntary disobedience.

Make this preaching series almost entirely from the Gospels. The term ‘Christian’ occurs 3 times in NT; ‘disciple’ occurs 269 times. Jesus only speaks of ‘church’ twice but always teaches about the kingdom. Transitioning a church requires a Gospel language and focus: as an individual, what does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus, representing his kingdom in today’s world? What are kingdom values? Collectively, is our church a visible expression of life in God’s kingdom – his purpose, his values? Are we showing the world what it looks like when a community of people lives under the grace and rule of Jesus Christ?

Step 1: Preach on the Kingdom of God

Preaching and teaching are the nerve-centre of ministry in a local church. Explaining the word of God to people who want to hear it is a huge privilege. If you are seeking to shift a congregation onto God’s agenda in the world, then the topic of the kingdom of God is the place to start. God’s agenda is his kingdom, its purpose and values.

Jesus preached and taught the kingdom, nothing but the kingdom. He focused on communicating kingdom of God purpose and values, especially with his disciples. Living in God’s kingdom is our purpose in life; it gives us our reason to live and a relationship with Jesus that richly sustains us. Jesus focused on living by kingdom values – he explained them in Matt 5-7 and in various instances as he had opportunity. His values are the inverse of earthly values, and if we live them our lives will honour God.

Here are some things to include in a series on the kingdom of God. The goal is to have people catch a kingdom perspective on all of life and a kingdom heart …

• It is THE theme of the Bible - from Genesis to Revelation. God’s invisible but systematic order of power over all things is exerted. The KoG is eternal, is exercised from the heavens, and can be compared to my kingdom, which is what I want and try to make happen.

• It is central to the mission of Jesus. Most clearly in the Synoptics, Jesus preaches the kingdom, announces its availability to all mankind, and calls people to follow him, the king. He also demonstrates the kingdom, bringing healing and salvation.

• Jesus’ mission was to inaugurate the kingdom on earth; to start a new order. It included his reconciliation of "all things", including creation, not just the salvation of individuals or a community. I live in the kingdom by trusting Jesus.

• Following the ascension of Christ, preaching and demonstrating the kingdom of God was entrusted to his disciples. Those who trust Jesus are part of his mission, his purpose and his way of living. The end goal is for his kingdom to come and his will to be done on earth, as it is in the heavens. That can happen through us!

• His Church was birthed and empowered by the Spirit to embody and witness to Christ and be a tangible expression of the kingdom of God. His Church is to be a sign and foretaste of his eternal kingdom.

Majoring on this theme gives our people a kingdom of God perspective on all of life. We are children of the king, called and empowered to live as kingdom representatives. We live the same purpose as Jesus; we live the same values as Jesus. We bring the kingdom of God to others when we act like Jesus towards others; loving them by serving them in any small way we can. This is not confined to church; KoG is much bigger than church.

The things that Jesus valued matter to us. With a kingdom heart and perspective on all of life, we have a view of family, work, friendships, church, and those in our self-destructing society that brings hope. We are agents of hope, instruments of change by bringing the goodness of God to others, one person at a time. The whole of life of the whole body of Christ’s disciples is fundamental to the impact of the whole church.