Advancing
Advancing: We commit to daring and fearless expansion of the Kingdom.
Mark 5:1-4 & 14-15
They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. 2 And when Jesus[b] had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 3 He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 4 for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him.
14 The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.
Mark 5:24-29
And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. 25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” 29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.
Mark 5:39-43
39 And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.”40 And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. 41 Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 42 And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. 43 And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.
You will find one common result as you read these three accounts of Jesus. Jesus is Advancing the Kingdom!
“We commit…”
As Jesus gets Kingdom results, you also see an earthly response.
· Those responses are:
· Afraid & Leave (Demonic Man)
· Perplexed & Questioning (Woman with an Issue)
· Amazement. (The Resurrected Girl - we must address people in their Redeemed condition.)
As Kingdom advancement takes place, we at TWBC have seen and will see these same responses.
We have an agenda. We commit to you that we are going to Advance the Kingdom.
Therefore, we want to prepare you for some earthly responses that Jesus got.
· As we are serious about Kingdom Advancement, your friends may change.
· As we are serious about Kingdom Advancement, people will be fearful around you and talk about you and “that church.”
· As we are serious about Kingdom Advancement, people will scratch their heads and ask questions because they don't understand.
· As we are serious about Kingdom Advancement, people will be amazed!
Matthew 5:11-12 “11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
“…to daring and fearless expansion…”
It is not the “cutting edge” we are after but the “Kingdom edge.”
If we pray for a movement that our "Area of Influence" has never seen before, we will have to do something this area has never done before.
II Corinthians 10:13b “…but will boast (celebrate, glory in) only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you.”
This is why Jesus was so revolutionary. He was doing things that had never been seen before.
Matthew 9:33 “And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.”
Are we willing to Advance persnally?
Many love to sing this song, "Oceans," but many of us are lying to ourselves and to God.
Spirit lead me where my trust is without border
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger, In the presence of my Savior
God didn't call us to safe places. He’s called us to faith places.
Will you go to faith places with us?
Expansion
I do not believe in "Give me that old-time religion!" Why would I apply that thinking to what should be the most advancing area of my life, my relationship with Christ?
I believe the church should be the most innovative area of our culture and produce the most innovative methods to Advance the Kingdom of God.
I Samuel 2:3 “for the Lord is a God of knowledge,”
Omniscient - knowing everything; possessing all knowledge
There is nothing wrong with innovative methods in the Church, but they must be Redeemed.
In fact, if we are going to use anything in our lives for the Kingdom, we must let God redeem it and use it for his glory.
Deuteronomy 8:18 “You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”
There is nothing wrong with wealth. God says, “He gives you the ability to get it.”
But your wealth must be redeemed, it is called the tithe. Giving to God the first tenth.
Anything that is redeemed gives you the ability to have but destroys its ability to have you.
Everything must be redeemed. Gifts, Talents, Ability, Time….
“…of the Kingdom.” With a capital “K”
We have always made one thing really clear, and it will always be our stance. It is about Jesus and advancing the Kingdom, not building a TWBC empire.
We were emphatic about making sure the letter "K" in this statement was capitalized to leave no doubt about what we are expanding.
Because it is Kingdom and not empire, we will not stay in the comfort of where we are. We will continue to Grow, Develop, Function, and Reproduce because that is our Core Value.
The question is, "Are we personally living for the capital "K" or the empire of our personal names?"
We may be saved, but what part of our lives do we need to let God redeem so we can be effective in advancing his kingdom?
Authentic Relationships: By creating an environment for divine connection, we develop quality relationships and experience life in Christ together.
Faith in Motion: We live unashamed and uncompromising in our beliefs of scripture and follow through with corresponding actions.
Eyes Open: We look for every available means, at every available time, to reach every available person through service and giving.
Empower: We embrace all individuals by honoring people for who they are, not what they can do.
Impact: We LOVE! Therefore, we invest in others and develop people to see life change and community transformation.
Advancing: We commit to daring and fearless expansion of the Kingdom.
