Our Purpose

Isaiah 55:10-11 

10 As the rain and the snow
 come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

 God is moving powerfully! In this scripture we see that the word has a purpose. A purpose to save! To save every soul on earth. And now you must ask, “What is the purpose of my life”?  

   For Jesus, His purpose, His goal, His dream was to save the world! As we know, it took all He had to succeed, which takes me to the question; what is the purpose of His followers? Is it the same thing? To give all they have to save? YES! A deep question we can ask is “Have I given up everything for this world to be saved”? The only real way to know a Christian’s purpose is to look at what Jesus gave to us as a standard. Where do we find that? In the word of God! That’s the only way to truly know what a purpose of a disciple, or Christian (Acts 11:26), is. In Mark 1:14-18, Jesus starts out by proclaiming the gospel; calling people to repent and to believe the good news; and then a bold call to follow Him! Oh and one more thing, for those who choose to follow Him, they will become FISHERS OF MEN! The scriptures lay it out for us plainly here!

    First, we have to proclaim the gospel, to preach the word of God! I must ask, are you proclaiming the gospel? And are you using the bible to support what you preach? Or are you just basing what you preach off of what you heard and learned from someone else? Secondly, we see the challenge of repentance. When you preach the word, do you get into the lives of those you preach to? To Jesus it was much more than just telling people about salvation, it was about showing salvation. But, before they could follow Jesus, they would have to drop everything else. What about you; Have you dropped everything? What about the drugs? The sex? The hate? The greed? The gossip? Without repentance there is no real faith in Christ! Why? If we believe Him, we would do what He asks of us. After this we see the call to follow! How about that? Not only do we preach the word and call them to repentance, but we also set them an example to follow! Setting an example as a follower of Christ is a radical call! It means we are giving ourselves over to God completely. This call is for every disciple of Christ. The example we have to follow is much more than the example of the Apostles, but the example of Christ! Lastly, we see the purpose of a disciple. This is the purpose: to be a fisher of men!

    In turn being a fisher of men means to MAKE fishers of men! What’s that mean? It means to go out and do what Jesus did here. Risk yourself, spend time on others to save their souls, and follow the exact pattern of this scripture and others that go along with it. In Matthew 28:18-20, we see the great commission! It involves one simple task: to go and make disciples of all nations. You know what it takes now. And it’s up to you to make this your purpose. Now go and evangelize the world in YOUR generation!

With Love,

Marcel Turner

Persecution

It has been amazing to see the gospel bearing fruit and growing all over not only ASU, but MCC, SCC, and ASU West. Recently, as God’s kingdom has marched on, LIFE has received various forms of persecution. Persecution comes from the world who doesn’t understand our lifestyle as disciples, religious groups who don’t understand Biblical doctrine, internet articles and radio shows from bitter fall-aways, and sadly fellow brothers/sisters in our former fellowship here in Phoenix who slander and character assassinate God’s movement and leaders. We are to pray for these people. Excitingly, through all these challenges not one person has fallen away since the summer months and so many have come to know the Lord! The following is a Bible study on peresecution to help show how persecution is the result of godly living. This can be used as a Bible study with a non-Christian or to strengthen your convictions on persecution.

PERSECUTION

Introduction:

      A. 2 Timothy 3:10-13

      B. Everyone who wants to be a Christian will be persecuted.

      C. Persecution for the Christian is normal and to be expected. 

I. JESUS WAS PERSECUTED.

      A. Mark 3:20-30

            1. Jesus’ family thought he was out of his mind.

            2. Jesus was accused of demon possession.

      B. John 7:12-13

            1. There was widespread gossip and slander about Jesus.

            2. He was accused of deceiving people.

      C. John 7:45-52

            1. The Pharisees (mainstream religion) did not accept Jesus.

            2. Nicodemus’ principle: hear Jesus’ side before passing judgment on gossip.

•  
  •  
    • Have you suffered persecution for Jesus? Why or why not?

 

II. THE FIRST CENTURY CHURCH WAS PERSECUTED

      A. Acts 13:44-52

            1. The religious leaders were jealous of the apostles’ impact.

            2. In spite of the persecution, the disciples rejoiced.

      B. Acts 26:19-25

            1. Paul’s strong message of repentance stirred up opposition.

            2. Paul was thought to be insane.

      C. Acts 28:21-22

            1. The church was highly controversial.

            2. The church was called a sect (another word for a “cult”) 

• Has your church ever been persecuted? Why or why not?

 

III. JESUS AND THE APOSTLES’ WARNED ABOUT PERSECUTION

      A. John 15:18-20, 16:1-4

            1. We will experience persecutions just like Jesus did.

            2. Jesus warned the disciples so they would not go astray.

      B. 1 Peter 4:1-5, 12-19

            1. People are threatened by Christian living.

            2. They heap abuse to justify their actions.

            3. Do not be surprised or ashamed.

      C. John 3:19-21

            1. The real issue is sin being exposed. 

IV. OUR ATTITUDE ABOUT PERSECUTION

      A. Matthew 5:10-12

            1. Persecution comes because of righteousness.

            2. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven.

      B. Philippians 1:27-30

            1. Conduct yourself as Jesus did: Trust God, and do not retaliate (1 Peter 2:23)

      2. Do not be frightened.

      C. Acts 4:23-31

            1. Pray to God for boldness.

            2. Don’t pray for the persecution to cease.

      D. Acts 5:41-42

            1. Rejoice because you’ve been counted worthy of suffering disgrace.

            2. Never stop teaching and proclaiming the good news.  

CONCLUSION

      A. What is your attitude about persecution?

            1. God’s desire is for persecution to bring about refining, strengthening and maturity.

            2. Satan’s desire is for persecution to cause fear, doubt, qualms, and mistrust.

      B. Are you willing to be persecuted?

            1. Persecution is a mark of a disciple (John 15:18-20)

            2. Remember that “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be 

                              persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3:12) 

• Share about internet criticism, persecution on campus, etc.

Mike Patterson

The Glue of the Church

 

God’s movement has been forcefully advancing in our time. It has been amazing to see the growth in the church here in Phoenix. The perfect plan of Jesus was to use imperfect men to influence others to follow Him through accountability, followership, teaching, and training. We call this discipling, and to be a member of this church we expect every member to be involved in a discipling relationship. These relationships hold the church together, thus being the glue of the movement. (NOTE: Please read the scriptures to understand the article and deepen your convictions.)

I. Theological Basis for Discipling

Discipling relationships are essential due to the nature of God himself. The three aspects of his nature which compel us to develop deep spiritual relationships are that: “relationship” defines the very nature of God (Trinity), “God is love,” and love is putting the needs of others ahead of our own. Discipling relationships require us to have the qualities that God expects and rewards: faith and humility. They are defined by love, which binds all things together. The Bible commands us to be in each others personal lives. There are over 160 one-another passages in the New Testament alone. In fact it is a principle found throughout the whole Bible. Cain asked God the rhetorical question “am I my brother’s keeper?” From day one, Cain questioned discipling in a negative light as many of us might do. Moses discipled Joshua. Samuel discipled David. Nathan discipled David. Elijah discipled Elisha. Jesus discipled Peter, James, and John. Barnabas and Paul shared a discipling relationship. Paul discipled Timothy and Titus. There are many other examples.

Ultimately, discipling is the command and plan of God. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus says to the faithful eleven disciples, “…go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the father the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you and surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.” “Make disciples” literally translates from the Greek “disciple the nations”. Discipling begins before someone becomes a Christian. The Bible is not enough to save us; the Word must become flesh as Jesus said (John 1:14). People still have to come in contact with Christ to be saved seeing the Bible being lived out in another man. This is only done by people coming in contact with the church, which is the body of Christ. After baptism, Jesus commands that the disciple who baptizes the new Christian stay with them to teach them to obey everything Jesus taught. Anyone can be taught the Bible, but to be taught to obey only comes through walking with someone who is discipling you. Just like you don’t learn to change a tire by reading the manual, you learn best by watching someone else do it first and than you give it a shot.

We come to the Bible bringing our own emotions, experiences, and sin which can cloud the message God wants us to receive. We read it through our own life “glasses” so to speak. It is only through discipling that these “glasses” can be removed. To not have a discipler is to exhibit pride and go against God’s plan for His church. Let us break down some principles:

II. Perfect Discipling of the Master

Discipling is the plan of the master; his method was in 3 steps:

1) He called people to follow and imitate Him (1 Cor. 4:14-17; 11:1). Discipling is a heart transfer; Paul invested his life into people. Who are you imitating or following in your life right now? Are you calling those you are discipling to follow Christ in you?

2) He kept men with him in order to train them and send them out to preach.

3).He gave practical assignments (Luke 10:1-3). Jesus sent them out to imitate what he had been doing and get ready for the mission! Luke 10:18-20: He discipled their heart, and focused them back on God. Jesus looked for discipling opportunities! Jesus practiced all three forms one-over-one (1 Thess. 5:12; Hebrews 13:17), one-on-one, and group. This was the method of Jesus. Does it sound like your discipling?

God and Jesus shared a discipling relationship to model for us: John 5:16-23, 30. Jesus was the perfect disciple to God and God the perfect discipler. Both are hard at work to make the discipling relationship awesome (v.17). God was over Jesus in the discipling relationship but still both were equal and shared their feelings with each other (v.18). Jesus was so submissive to his discipler; he only did what he saw his father doing. He never tried to reinvent the wheel but was an exact representation of his discipler. How submissive are you to those who lead/disciple you? There was love in their relationship, a complete trust (v. 20). Because God loves Jesus, he shows and shares with him everything. As a discipler you must set the pace with openness. He shows him “even greater things”, giving Jesus vision! Evangelism/life is the goal of the relationship (v. 21). God entrusted Jesus with all judgment (v.22-23). We must entrust what we know to others (2 Timothy 2:1-2) in our discipling. God wanted to honor and give glory to Jesus. Our heart must be that, “I am going to live for another mans glory!” HUMILITY IS KEY IN DISCIPLING. “I myself can do nothing!” Jesus said. Do you think you can do something (v. 30)? Jesus didn’t seem to think so. He needed discipling. Tons of people have Bibles around, and study the scriptures but are real Christians because they don’t come to Jesus to have life (v.39). To come to Jesus from what we have studied is done by getting discipled. God and Jesus never sinned yet their discipling relationship focused on saving the lost. We must not only confess sin in these relationships but entrust, give vision, be open, and seek and save the lost together.

III. The Authority of Discipling

Romans 13:1; Matthew 28:16-20

Jesus has all authority and gives authority to those whom he raises up in His church as leaders. Romans 13:1 shows us what we will call the “umbrella of authority”. There is no authority other than which God has instituted politically and in the church. We are required to submit to them unless they call us to disobey God’s word (Acts 5:29). This is a hard teaching for some but is part of God’s plan to bring unity in His church.

Hebrews 13:7; 13:17 — Look at the Greek definition of the words in the previous verses: “Obey” = to be easily persuaded. “Leaders” = those who have rule over you. “Submit” = surrender or yield yourself to them. We are to obey our leaders and yield ourselves to their authority. Do we understand the God-given authority in every leadership position in the church and respect them as they watch over our souls? This teaching is frightening in America today. The word “cult” gets thrown around or we get accused of making clones, yet we have to ask “Aren’t we all trying to become like Jesus?” Discipling is what made the church so powerful and is God’s plan! Understand the first century church disciples did not have the Bible in book form and many were illiterate. This is why discipling came so naturally for them as they had to fully depend, trust, and submit to an imperfect man in order for God’s perfect plan to be revealed. As a disciple we don’t control our lives anymore. Jesus leads his church, and has given His leaders authority to shepherd us and take care of us. Do you have an independent American mindset about discipling, or are you submissive to the authority in your life? Sadly, many of us stunt our growth spiritually in our rebellion and pride towards the authority God has put over us.

Practically, in our discipling, we must initiate with love and listen carefully. We must never assume where each other is at spiritually but should probe and be open to discipling in the following areas: laziness, schedule, discipline, lack of growth, finances, lust/sex, marriage (intimacy), gluttony, pride, self-esteem, amount of alcohol consumption, timidity/cowardice, health, and ungratefulness/bitterness. We must disciple the whole man. Hebrews 3:12-13 commands us to be in each other’s lives daily. Discipling must be daily to protect us from being deceived by sin’s deceitfulness. Many of us can be deceived, thinking we don’t need discipling partners! This can lead to rebellion towards the authority of God in His leadership and the methodologies the leadership has chosen to facilitate discipling. Ultimately, lack of discipling leads to us falling away. Colossians 1:28-29 shows us the goal of discipling is to present each other mature and complete in Christ. Paul says he labors and struggles with the power of God inside him to be able to disciple people. How hard have you worked at your discipling? Weekly discipling times are a must and daily conversations of encouragement are a command!

Phoenix International Christian Church: To facilitate and fulfill the one-another passages, the leadership of this church along with the rest of the movement world-wide expects every member to have someone discipling them, and to also be involved in a small group (Bible/Life Talk). New Christians naturally will be discipled by one of the people who studied the Bible with them. For others, the leaders will ask who the member wants to disciple them and assign them a discipler, since the shepherd knows the sheep, and sometimes we do not know what is best for ourselves. Mutual love for each other, a spirit of unity, and openness is the driving force behind our discipling methodology, and follows the pattern of Jesus and the principles found in Exodus 18:13-27. Make a decision today to reevaluate where your discipling relationship is at. Are you having weekly d-times and becoming more like Christ?

Campus Minister,

Mike Patterson

The Modern-Day Movement of God

The Modern-day Movement of God

3 added to our number!

Let’s look at the progression of the first century movement of God:

“So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about 3,000 people were added to them.”  Acts 2:41 

“…praising God and having favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved.”  Acts 2:47 

“But many of those who heard the message believed, and the number of the men came to about 5,000.”  Acts 4:4 

“Believers were added to the Lord in increasing numbers–crowds of both men and women.”  Acts 5:14 

“In those days, as the number of the disciples was multiplying…” Acts 6:1 

“So the preaching about God flourished, the number of the disciples in Jerusalem multiplied rapidly, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.” Acts 6:7 

“So the church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace, being built up and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, and it increased in numbers.” Acts 9:31 

“After they had evangelized that town and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch…” Acts 14:21 

“So the churches were strengthened in the faith and were increased in number daily.” Acts 16:5 

“When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, shouting, ‘These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too’…” Acts 17:6 

“But I ask, “Did they not hear?” Yes, they did: Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the inhabited world.” Romans 10:18  

It is amazing to sit back and see the movement of the first century church take place starting from a small church of 120 and ending in proclamation “to the ends of the inhabited world.” The motivating vision for the first century church was given by Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8 ) and it is this vision of proclamation that moved the first century church movement. The word ‘movement’ implies moving. If you are not moving, you cease to be a movement. Movement implies numerical growth and geographic expansion. If a fellowship of churches stops growing numerically and geographically, it stops being a movement of God. Sadly, many of us were saddened to see our former fellowship which many of us found our salvation in, cease to be a movement and become simply a fellowship of churches with no unified effort or plan to see the world one in our generation. This is not to say there aren’t hot spots in the ICOC that are growing or that there aren’t saved disciples outside of God’s movement, yet the issue is not salvation rather proclamation in our generation. There was a coordinated effort by the leadership in complete unity to evangelize the world during the time of the New Testament church. God has once again rose up men and women with the dream of restoring the first century church movement in our modern time. In less than two years since it began, the Sold-Out Discipling Movement has grown to 32 churches with 15 in the United States and 17 internationally! Even more exciting was to celebrate God’s hand at work this last weekend at the 2008 World Missions Jubilee and to see the send off of two new churches to Washington DC and New York City! To give perspective, the Boston Movement (ICOC) which was initiated in 1979 had 3 churches (Boston, Chicago, London) by 1982 three years into our former movement. God is certainly taking us beyond what we could have imagined! I have been to every Jubilee out of Portland since they started back in 2004 and it is amazing to see how God is truly building a church to all the nations! 

Most inspiring to me at the Jubilee is to see the restoration of the New Testament church right before my eyes. Acts 18:8-10, “Paul left [the synagogue]. He took the disciples with him and had daily discussions in the lecture halls of Tyrannus [campus ministry!]. This went on for two years, so that all the Jews an Greeks who lived in the providence of Asia heard the Word of the Lord!” This was modern day Turkey which is bigger than any state in the US and that region was evangelized. This doesn’t mean every person became a Christian, simply that they all had a chance to hear the unadulterated gospel message. In Revelation we find the letter is addressed to the seven churches of Asia which were planted during this two year span in influential cities: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Ephesus was an influential city or a “pillar church” in which these other surrounding cities could be planted. Like Jerusalem, Antioch, Philippi and Rome it provided a base to send out plantings. What can we learn from this passage to help do our part here in Phoenix in evangelizing the world? 

1. Target Cities

Paul focused on evangelizing the most influential cities in order to get to the rest of the world. As a church we must go to the most influential places in our city to help build to reach everyone. Yet, as the Spirit continues to move us, God-willing we will plant a church and focus on targeting a city of influence. Excitingly, Kip McKean, world missions evangelist in the City of Angels Church which has seen 121 baptisms and 62 restorations since it started in May of 2007, announced a Five Year Plan to reach cities of influence in our world. This is a plan to reach target cities in five years, please visit the www.caicc.net to pray over this plan God has put on the heart of his movement. Prayerfully there will be discipling churches in London, Miami, India (overseeing church), Johannesburg, Mexico City, Paris, and Hong Kong by 2013 to God’s glory! Other US plantings are under consideration such as Boston, Houston, Denver, San Diego and San Francisco and internationally in Sydney, Sao Paulo and Moscow. There are remnant groups in some of these places but we believe trained leadership is the need of the hour. Phoenix is the nation’s fifth largest city and growing with an estimated population of 5 million with 110,000 college students and having the nation’s largest university (ASU). The time is now for each of us to make a decision to fully commit ourselves to doing our part in building God’s movement here in Phoenix. Chris and I have both decided to radically start praying for boldness and faith as we declare God’s glory here in the valley of the sun.  

2. Daily Discipling, Small Groups, and Evangelism

Paul would take the disciples with him and have daily discussions in the lecture Hall. Excitingly, this fall we will have five ‘Life Talks’ on campus. Every disciple is called to be evangelistic every day. Do you honestly share your faith everyday? The Bible teaches that small groups were the method of Jesus and of Paul. It is only through these small groups that we can multiply into other small groups. As a church that is following Jesus and the Scriptures every member is called to be a part of a small group (Bible Talk/ Life Talk), to have a discipling relationship, and to be totally committed to daily evangelism. When is the last time that you have gone with other disciples to share your faith such as Paul and the disciples in the first century? Do your discipling times only focus on sin confession or are they geared towards helping others become Christians as well? Let’s regroup with our small groups and come up with a plan for this fall to evangelize our territory God has already given us.  

3. The Call to be Sold-out!

What makes us distinct as a movement of churches is the call for every single disciple to be sold out to God (Matthew 13:44-46; 22:37). Our congregations are to be composed of ‘only sold-out disciples’ not saying we are the only disciples but that every member through discipling and the scriptures is called to be like Jesus. Every person who gets baptized, moves-in, or is restored is called to this commitment. One of the aspects of the Jubilee that moved my heart so much was to see many of the leaders and disciples truly selling everything they own to give their lives fully to God’s kingdom. We have brothers and sisters in Africa who sleep in heaps of garbage in their poverty and are so fired up and fruitful because they realize that the kingdom is all that really matters. Many leaders have sold their houses and given up six-figure salaries to serve God full-time and give their money to God’s work. One of the points of the weekend is there is the kingdom and nothing else. How sacrificial are you when it comes to building the movement of God? Are you truly like Jesus in all areas of your life? One of the questions asked during the Jubilee is what is false about you? Let’s all make a decision to recommit ourselves to God heart and soul, and truly give up everything to help build the movement so that His glory is declared among the nations. 

Campus Minister, 

Mike Patterson

“A KINGDOM OF PRIESTS”

“Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation…” Exodus 19:6 

“You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign of the earth.” Revelation 5:10

Moses predicted it and the Bible confirms that all disciples of Jesus Christ are called to be priests. In fact, His kingdom is to be a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9). When one understands the role of a priest in the Old Testament, a better understanding of our discipleship becomes prevalent. The priests held a special role in the Old Testament. All priests were Levites, but not all Levites were priests. They oversaw the spirituality of Israel, administered the sacrificial system to keep the purity of Israel, and helped with diseases and other needs as part of their profession. Their role was to guard the worship, be a personal example of holiness (Leviticus 11-15), bless/encourage people (Leviticus 9:22), and handle contribution (Nehemiah 10:36-39) among other duties. As disciples, we are all called to be priests and carry out these roles under the new covenant. Ultimately, the priest was called to reconcile men to God (evangelism!) and preach the word. Let us look at the first priesthood ordination of Aaron and His sons in Leviticus 8:23-24, and at the three actions that priests must take, which are also what we as disciples must adhere too.

“Moses slaughtered the ram and took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. Moses also brought Aaron’s sons forward and put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Then he sprinkled blood against the altar on all sides.”  Leviticus 8:23-24.

I. Hear God’s Voice

The blood was to be put on the ear lobe as a reminder for the priest to always listen to the voice of God. Constantly, we are putting noise in our ears, whether it be the radio, kids in the back seat fighting, and in general just the commotion of life. In all this, it is easy to miss the voice of God. While walking around on campus, trying to do my priestly duty by reconciling men to God, it is amazing how many have headphones on listening to music. Our generation has forgotten the importance of being still and listening to God. The priest was responsible to determine what God’s will was for the nation (1 Samuel 23:6-12). As Christians, it is imperative that we are in God’s word on a daily basis to listen to His voice, and follow where He goes. Sadly, even in the Old Testament, priests could be misled to think they are following God, yet they followed lies. Jeremiah 5:30-31 reads, “A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy lies, and the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way.” But what will you do in the end? It is sad to see in our former fellowship many ‘prophets’ preach lies to the people. Character assassinations, half-truths, and false-doctrine (discipling is optional, autonomy, lukewarmness, mainline theology, etc.) may be preached to the people, but as priest we cannot rule (do our discipleship) by our own authority. Are you as a priest in God’s authority? It is great to be part of a movement where discipling is practiced and world-wide brotherhood is the norm. If this isn’t the norm, you may be missing God’s voice. What will you do in the end?

II. Do the Work of God

Next, the priest would put the animal’s blood on his thumb. This was a constant reminder to always do the work of God. For the priest, this meant living a sacrificial lifestyle that focused on the atonement of men’s sins. We are all priests according to the scriptures, yet only Jesus is the ultimate High Priest who helps us share a relationship with God. It is because of His great sacrifice at we are bent on helping others meet with our High Priest, Jesus (Hebrews 7-8). As a young Christian, I remember having many big dreams for God’s kingdom such as being a Bible Talk leader and one day leading a church. Yet, I wasn’t willing to work as hard as I needed to see these dreams accomplished. When entering college, I gained a deep conviction that a disciple is a worker. God blessed my dreams. Jesus himself calls us His workers that are sent out to reap a harvest of disciples (Luke 10:2). In fact, the Bible says we were not only saved to work, but created for good works in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:10). If you aren’t a worker for the Lord, you aren’t truly saved. Jesus has given us the ministry of reconciliation. One must look inwardly and ask themselves if they are truly giving it all they’ve got to see men and women reconciled to God? 1 Corinthians 15:58 says, “…Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” In context, Paul is teaching us that we work hard because we know that there will be a resurrection one day when God comes to dwell with us. Because of this, our labor isn’t in vain! God is using this work to train and transform us for the day when we will reign with Jesus. Are you remembering to do the work of God? 

III. Walk in God’s Ways

Finally, the priest put some blood on the big toes of their feet for a constant reminder to walk with God. Genesis 5:24 says, “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” This man walked so closely with God that the Lord just couldn’t wait to have him in Heaven with Him. How has your personal walk with God been lately? The priest was to be an example in personal righteousness, especially in the area of purity. He represented the purity of Israel. The disciple’s life should represent the purity of God’s church. When sin was in the camp, it was the priest who had to act fast and radically to atone for the sin and obey the law. God desires a fellowship of only “sold-out disciples” because when He looks down from Heaven that is all He sees in regards to the church. It is heartbreaking for me to see churches in the area that are no longer composed of a “royal priesthood” (only disciples) and the few priests deciding to stay in lukewarm fellowship ruling by their own authority (autonomy). One disciple in such a fellowship was content that his personal ministry practiced the truths of God’s word, even though the older members were not living as priests (disciples of Jesus). The one living as a priest is concerned with ALL spiritual Israel (the church) not just part of it. God works when His movement is pure, the priests understood this concept. Will you follow God and walk with Him if you are in a dead congregation? After a time, you cannot. A daily walk with Jesus is essential to living out God’s will. We are called to “worship in spirit and in truth” John 4:23-24, not with dead or lukewarm disciples who have forgotten they were called to be priests.

Matthew 28:18-20 states the mission of God’s priesthood and encompasses the three reminders. Those eleven men heard Jesus’ voice to go and make disciples, and because they did the work of God- they saw an evangelized world in their lifetime (Colossians 1:23). We too can do it in our lifetime if we understand and then live out our calling as priests to the Living God. The promise then was that Jesus would always be with them as it is for us who live as priests walking with God.

Campus Minister,

Mike Patterson

“Come Join His Upside Down Revolution!”- IT BEGINS!

[Note: This article was a redone version of DJ Comisford article during the Adullam Campus Movement in Portland OR and was slightly changed by Mike Patterson (http://www.upsidedown21.org/1.1/inc/viewArticle.php?langID=1&artID=114)  

“COME JOIN HIS UPSIDE DOWN REVOLUTION”16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:  
 18"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,  
      because he has anointed me  
      to preach good news to the poor.  
   He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners  
      and recovery of sight for the blind,  
   to release the oppressed,  
    19to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."^[e]

 20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing….28All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. 30But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.” Luke 4:14-28

In a world that was void of dreams coming off the heels of the exile, and under a rigid religious system that the Pharisees and teachers of the law upheld Jesus would begin His “UpSideDown Revolution”. The whole world order was about to change.The religious system was about to be turned upside down! From day one, Jesus’ ministry was controversial; in fact they wanted to throw Him off a cliff! His revolution was to take the gospel not only to Jews, but all nations to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and set those free from the chains of sin. One man, with one dream, began a movement of men and women that would spread over the entire known world until the Spirit would record, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” Acts 17:6 NKJV. 

Revolution – A dramatic change in ideas or practice. God does not want us to start a Revolution, because Christ did just that during His life and death. Rather, God wants us to continue the Revolution that His Son started. This is a Revolution that has been carried out by His disciples and many other men and women of God throughout the ages. God has called this generation to be “Revolutionary”, (Those who bring about sudden or great change). This is God’s plan for His chosen generation, but young people today cannot do this without the older generation backing them in prayer and encouragement. I believe that God will use the older generation to impart wisdom and experience to this generation as they press on toward the goal to Revolutionize the World, according the Father’s will.

My generation is unique. We are the first generation to fully appreciate the effects of the “Digital Revolution.” We’ve always had cable. By the mid-90’s, we all had cell phones. We have been playing gaming systems (from Nintendo to Xbox 360) for as long as we can remember. We’ve never had a TV without a remote. We do our social networking using MySpace and Xanga, not the mall. We download and listen to digital music on iPods. Few of us remember the Cold War or why the Berlin Wall fell, and we’ve never feared nuclear war. Because so many of us are prescribed Ritalin and other antidepressants, we are one of the most heavily medicated generations in human history! We are more depressed and world aware than any other previous generation. Obesity is a major problem. My generation has rejected absolute truth and replaced it with truth relative to the individual’s own background and understanding. The media influences our values as much as our parents and friends. Half of us have witnessed the breakup of our parents’ marriage. We are more materially endowed than any generation of all time. We are the new driving force behind the economy. We have never known the world without Internet. We are currently in high school and college. We are by some estimates, 76 million strong, the largest generation since the Baby Boomers, our parents! (Wikipedia.com). In our post-modern generation, many are enslaved to drugs, acholohole, sexual sin, and hurting for real relationships. Jesus proclaims freedom in His revolution from these sins! He turned everything around, or a better way to say it…upside down!

God has done amazing things since I moved to Phoenix in December of 2007! I’ve seen God increase our numbers through many campus baptisms and many other campus students moving here. To date, from 5 sold out disciples at the beginning of last semester, God has multiplied us to 16 sold-out disciples and ignited an UpSideDown Revolution at ASU! However, I am increasingly aware that the Phoenix Church Campus Ministry is the exception not the rule in our fellowship. The worldly values of our generation (Generation Y) have crept into our former campuses. Laziness, materialism, impurity, cowardice and faithlessness have made many ministries lukewarm while completely killing others. Many young good-hearted disciples have become disillusioned and confused by the controversy at the top levels of leadership within the churches. Sadly, the campus ministries which were once the driving force behind the dream to evangelize the world, have been decimated. Satan has effectively neutralized our generation in regards to the proclamation of the gospel. The Phoenix Campus Ministry finds this unacceptable. We refuse to sit and play Xbox as our generation dies. It is my conviction that we proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor when it comes to revolution on our campuses. It will take everything you have and everything you are to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Will you take up your cross and follow the revolutionary Jesus Christ? Why don’t you come join His UpSide Down Revolution?

Mike Patterson (DJ Comisford- http://www.upsidedown21.org/1.1/inc/viewArticle.php?langID=1&artID=114)

JESUS’ FELLOWSHIP

READ: 1 John 1:5-10. This is a challenging passage on what defines true fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible is clear that each one of our personal relationship with God bought by the blood of Christ is what unifies disciples. You may be singing at church with us, eating with us, talking with us, but if you’re not walking in the light, your not truly a part of Jesus’ fellowship. Fellowship is an essential part of being a Christian that we see throughout the scriptures. In fact, the disciples were devoted to fellowship (Acts 2:42). Recently, many brothers have been marked or disfellowshiped by other Christians for disagreements over many issues coming out of our former fellowship. Let is look at what the scriptures say and not be confused by Satan’s schemes:

 Fellowship of Light

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 2 Corinthians 6:14 

Only those who are walking in the light share true fellowship with God and the church universal since God can have no part of darkness. In fact 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 shows us that in order to have God receive you as a child you must come out from “yoked” relationships in the world. It is exciting to me to be part of a fellowship/ministry that is serious about dealing with sin and confessing our sins to one another (James 5:17; 1 John 1:9). If the Bible commands this, and we have sin everyday should it not be true that we are daily confessing our sins? Some have been confused as to why we have planted a new church in the Phoenix Valley area since there are already groups teaching the truth. It is our conviction that we must be imitators of God (Eph. 5:1).

 

Universal Fellowship

When God looks down on earth to His church, He simply sees those who are in the light, the disciples of Jesus Christ. They are the only ones that compose Jesus’ church. The USD21 Campus Ministry is building Jesus’ church, by building a group of “only disciples” not meaning we are the only disciples in the city, but that every member is called to live as the scriptures teach. There must be a radical call from the pulpit to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in order for God to move in His fellowship. Sadly, many churches in the area have only a few “fired up” or “sold-out” members and the other lukewarm ones bring the church down. In order to be a campus ministry movement that evangelizes the world in this generation, we must be a fellowship of light.

 

 

Opposing Fellowship

Interestingly, many have opposed our efforts and even warned church members to not share fellowship with Christians/disciples in our ministry. Biblically speaking, no man can ever draw the borders of Israel so to speak or lines of fellowship that the Bible doesn’t draw. The church leadership can put out of fellowship un-repented sexual immoral people or divisive people who draw men AWAY from Jesus (1 Cor. 5:2, etc.). Yet, no where do we find an entire fellowship or church being dis-fellowshipped, marked, or disregarded as brothers/sisters. Starting a new church or parting ways is not a sin in the Bible, if viewed as sin it implies that a group believes they are the only disciples in the borders of their church membership. Either I’m a brother or I am not. I want to challenge brothers and sisters who have not been devoted to sharing fellowship with us to repent as we all pray for unity. Scripturally speaking no one is dividing the body of Christ if they are drawing men/women to God. Who is really being divisive if someone warns disciples not to have fellowship with other disciples? Let’s take heed to Acts 5:38-39, “Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” The Spirit is clear, if you oppose any movement of God, you are fighting the Lord. Go after fellowship wholeheartedly with any disciple of Jesus from any group, and allow God to work out the issues of opinion as we make every effort to see as many won as possible. Amen.

The Cost of Leadership

The standard of discipleship out of our response to God’s grace is the same for every single person that would come and follow Christ. Yet, it is interesting that it seems an even higher cost was at stake for those who would be selected by Jesus to be leaders in His movement. The twelve walked with Jesus and had a higher cost to pay to lead full-time in the ministry. This past Sunday we started our first ever “Leaders D-Group” which takes place after our evening Bible Talk leaders meeting. Jesus realized that only through a small group could he run his ministry, and took them through a ministry training program that was intense at times. In Luke 9, Jesus sends out the twelve telling them to not take money, bead, or an extra tunic. An extra tunic in the time of Jesus was like their modern-day jacket. The temperature in the desert would get so cold at night. He was essentially saying, you better find an open person to meet and share about the kingdom with or you might freeze to death that night or go hungry! Talk about accountability, but this was the cost and the training method of leadership by Jesus. The evening started off at my place with pizza and sharing. Interestingly, the entire ministry showed up at my apartment wanting to lead in God’s kingdom. It shows the great hearts, yet I realize that in time this number will thin out as I laid out the cost to lead in this ministry as the Bible lays out:

Mark 10:35-45

- The desire to be great is never down played in God’s kingdom, yet Jesus was asking his disciples are you willing to undergo the same sufferings I have undergone in order to lead. Can you drink the cup of death?

1. Self-sacrifice (1 John 3:16; Galatians 6:17; 2 Cor. 4:8-11)

- No cross = no leadership! Scars are the authenticating marks of a faithful disciple who leads. In John 20:20, it was the marks of Jesus that were proof of his leadership.

- Daily self-sacrifice is a must to lead in this ministry. You will bear the marks of sleepless nights, broken-heartedness, persecution, etc. Can you drink this cup?

2. Loneliness

- As you get to the summit, the cold gets colder, the wind stronger, and the burden of responsibilities heavier!

- Since the leader must always be ahead of his followers he lives with loneliness. Moses paid this price on the mountain being misunderstood by his followers. The prophets felt loneliness preaching unpopular messages at times. Everyone fled Paul in 2 Timothy 1:15. Jesus in the garden seeks the support of his disciples during one of the most overwhelming points in his ministry as he awaits the cross, and the disciples sleep on him. Jesus goes to his cross alone. 2 Cor. 1 says God is the God of all comfort, as a leader you will be a lone at times and must get your comfort from God.

3. Fatigue

- Someone once said, “The world is run by tired men.” The demands of leadership will wear you down. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 admonishes us to not lose heart. Outwardly we are wasting away, yet it is with God that the Christian find renewal (Isaiah 40:29-31).

- Jesus felt fatigued (John 4:6; Mark 5:30). It makes you tired physically and also emotionally. Jesus rose early and went to bed late. For me personally, I wake up early to have my time with God and take care of “business” type stuff for the church, by 11:00am I am on campus until 11pm at night working the crowds. Even with this hard work, the ministry has just begun to start moving. Are you willing to pay the price of tiredness?  Mediocracy is a result of never getting tired!

IV. Criticism

- No leader lives a day with out criticism. As a leader you put yourself out front as the main target. I constantly must remind myself that I am here to please God and not men (Galatians 1:10). Many have written horrible things about myself and my ministry on the Internet and I have to remember that I am following Christ the greatest leader of all time who was ultimately killed for what he believed in. Persecution and insult will come from those on the outside.

- Though, even harder is the criticism that comes towards the leader from those with-in the church. 1 Cor. 4:3-4 shows us that Paul didn’t care if he was judged by others, he was clear before God. Sometimes, people will constantly have the leader under a microscope just being critical. In humility we must bite our tongues acknowledge how they feel and move on. Brothers and sisters from the ICOC are perplexed with our motivating vision and need for another congregation and some have been critical. Are you willing to drink this cup and count this cost? God is who we please not men. The leader can’t be a conflict avoid-er or a people pleas-er.

V. Rejection

- “Christ came unto his own, and his own received him not.” There could come a time where a leader is rejected from his church for standing up for the truth. Is this a cost you could bear? I felt many feelings of rejection when I personally stood up for what God’s word said in Wichita, KS and my own family that originally taught me these convictions rejected me. It is a price one may have to pay one day leading.

VI. Pressure & Perplexity

A lot of times we think that the more mature we are in the Lord the easier it is to see God’s will and direction. Quite the opposite is true in fact, the more mature we are in the Lord the more God treats us as adults having to make our own decisions. There is no way to avoid pressure in leading, you are constantly faced with decisions you have to make. Are you in-decisive? 2 Corinthians 11:21-29 describes what Paul endured as a leader. Please read this passage and really pray over what you read. Sleepless nights, danger from false brothers, etc. plus the daily pressure felt from the churches.

VII. Relationships

- Those who are close to the leader must pay the price as well. Imagine the emotional pain Jesus’ family endured as he went to the cross. Whether you are married, have family, boyfriend/girlfriend, the cup spills over to these relationships. That is why it is so important that those who lead seek to date or marry someone who is willing to drink the cup of leadership as well. I myself have experienced failed relationships because of my role in God’s church when the other party wasn’t willing to drink the cup. Not only are you a target, but those close to you.

Hopefully you enjoyed my notes from this lesson I gave to our leaders d-group and will really consider, do I have what it takes to lead in God’s modern-day movement?

Membership in the Phoenix International Christian Church Campus Ministry:

God has already begun to move in the hearts of college men and women as there are currently ten studying the Bible! That is about one for one in our ministry. Coming off the heels of the City of Angels Winter Workshop we are boldly offering up a faith goal of 7 baptisms this Spring Semester. Last semester God added 4 to our number. Friday night was a refreshing time, as we came together for campus devotional. The night started off on a scary note, as we played Sardines in the Speckman’s house (hide & seek on steroids!). It was exciting to see visitors at our devotional which has traditionally only been for members of the congregation, as well as two kingdom kids from the Phoenix Valley ICOC church join us as well for fellowship. The Lord put on my heart a message on what it takes to be a part of this campus ministry:

1. World Vision (Matthew 28:18-20)

Someone once said, “act locally, think globally.” To Jesus, there was no such thing as foreign missions, it was all world evangelism. So many who once had this world vision mindset have settled to be content with just evangelizing their cities. The Bible is clear that a disciple of Jesus Christ has the world on his or her heart. With this mindset, you are not only thinking of yourself or your own little ministry, yet you are aware that we are apart of a movement that is so much bigger than our own little church. As a campus ministry we need to be ready to go wherever the Spirit calls us to spread the gospel and only having a mind-set of world vision will allow this.

2. Daily Sharing

“Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.” Acts 5:42

Jesus was focused on preaching the message of the Kingdom of God no matter where he was, he was involved with people every day. This is what propelled the first century church. There are no secrets or gimmicks. Fancy programs won’t accomplish the task of world evangelism. It is the conviction that every disciple is sharing their faith every day. I have been so encouraged by the disciples in our campus ministry here. When I call disciples on the phone it seems as if they always just got done sharing their faith, or are about to go meet someone to go sharing. Every single disciple in our ministry realized how much Jesus did for them, and can’t help but speak about it to our campuses at ASU and SCC. If we want Bible results we need to put forth Bible effort. Daily sharing is a must to be a part of this ministry.

3. Daily Discipling (Acts 19:8-10)

The above passage contains the “first campus ministry” of the early church movement at the Lecture Hall of Tyrannus. Paul was not afraid to be persuasive in his evangelism and went about it with great boldness. I shared how we must put aside our fears of what people will think of us and be prepared for those who are “obstinate.” The world is resolved to be selfish, that is their conviction. Our resolve and forcefulness must be stronger than theirs if we are going to win them over to faith. In two years time the whole province of Asia (modern day Turkey) was evangelized (heard the true gospel). This happens because of daily sharing, but also daily discipling. In verse 9, Paul says he took the disciples with him daily. One of the great things that has begun to happen in our ministry is that our leaders will take the disciples with them daily to share so that discipling may occur. Only by daily discipling, and dealing with our hearts can our “province” be evangelized. To be a part of this ministry, you must have a disicpling relationship.

4. Must take risk (1 Samuel 14:1-14)

The above story is an inspiring tale of how being in God’s kingdom should be an adventure! Christianity is to be exciting and involve taking risk. Saul was God’s anointed leader at the time and his army which included Jonathan his son was camped out waiting to attack the Philistines. Jonathan grabs the young man bearing his armor and decides to leave the camp without telling Saul to attack the Philistines. God blesses his faith for taking a risk, and him and his armor-bearer kill some twenty Philistines! God loves men and women who take risk of faith. I picture Jonathan grabbing his right hand man (armor-bearer) saying, “lets not tell Saul, but lets go do something radical that will blow Saul away.” It has been amazing to hear the stories in our ministry of disciples going out taking risk this week in sharing their faith without me (the leader) even knowing! This is the heart it takes to be in this ministry, one of an adventurous spirit.

5. Loyalty to the point of death (1 Samuel 14:1-14)

Jesus’ disciples felt an intense loyalty to their leader. At one point when Jesus was being persecuted they wanted to call down fire on his opponents and Jesus had to hold them back. David and his might men were loyal to each other to the point of death. In fact at one point, his men risk their lives to get David a drink of water! In the story above, we see how Jonathan’s loyalty as well as his armor-bearer’s to each other caused an incredible victory. The armor-bearer grabbed on to Jonathan’s dream and was loyal risking his life to be with him. See the intensity of this passage:

“Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.” “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”

To be a part of this ministry you must believe that nothing can hinder God from saving, and be devoted to one-another heart and soul till death.

6. Submission to Leadership (Hebrews 13:7-8; 17)

In our American thinking we sometimes think the Kingdom of God is the “democracy of God”, yet the Bible teaches something different. That in the church, leadership is clearly defined and there is an expectation to obedience and submission to their lead. Now if they call for us to follow something that contradicts the scriptures, “we must obey God rather than men.” Though, it is clear we are to submit to their authority and obey them when they do call upon us. It was sad to me to hear Friday at our devo from a sister in another fellowship that there is no longer clearly defined leadership. That a board runs the church, and they go through interview processes to hire new leaders. How far have some drifted from what the scriptures teach. Can you imagine a Bible Talk that didn’t have a leader, or if the father didn’t lead a family? I am so proud of Anthony and Millie raising up and leading a Bible Talk. Our campus ministry has multiplied from one bible talk to now three. Clearly defined leadership is a must and there is an expectation in this ministry that we are all unified to the vision the leadership lays out before the congregation.

7. Must be a House of Prayer and Faith (Matthew 17:14-21)

How sad it must have been for the disciples who couldn’t drive out the evil spirit in a man that day. I think of the countless people who are lost and enslaved to the demons of sex, drugs, and other various sins. When people stop getting saved, it is because a lack of faith. Jesus had to come and admonish his disciples for their little faith and heal the man from the demon himself. It is here Jesus tells us that all we need is a mustard seed of faith. Interestingly, if you look at verse 21 which is hidden at the bottom of the page in most bibles it says, “But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” To be a part of this ministry there can be no doubt in the power of God! To start off the semester we are fasting together as a ministry to call upon God to act on our behalf and the miracles are already beginning.

Ultimately, these aren’t requirements to just be a part of the Phoenix International Christian Church’s Campus Ministry, but are requirements for membership in Jesus’ church universal. Let us marvel at the work of God in our generation as countless numbers begin to be saved in Arizona.

Love,

Mike Patterson