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REACH Ministries International,...Discipleship The following illustration summarizes the REACH philosophy of ministry. Click on the words in the circle for an explanation of the concepts and how each piece fits into the whole.
Continuous Discipleship Training Solomon the Wise speaks about two controlling realities in life over which man has no power. "so no one has power over the day of his death as no one is discharged in time of war …" The one who has chosen Christ as his Master has made Christ's enemies his enemy. There is no discharge from that war. Every step of obedience, faith and commitment brings with it peace, joy, and a sense of His presence. But it also brings us into greater conflict with the enemy. Only by continuous training in discipleship with others who are following Him can we escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. Let us join with the Apostle Paul in his determination: "But one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press -on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Communal
Identity
On every page of the New Testament is evidence that early
disciples shared a deep sense of community -- a community of love and commitment
which was so natural to them. Not only did they call one another brothers and
sisters but they shared, prayed, lived and died as one family ... the family of
God. Though they had spiritual leaders, they were all equal before God. Jesus
had warned them, "But you are not to be called 'Rabbi', for you have only
one Master and you are all brothers., The greatest among you will be your
servant." (Matthew- 23:8.1 1) Their communal identity was a high and noble calling. As the
apostle Peter declared, "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a
holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him
who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:9) Creative
Evangelism
The New Testament reveals the many exciting ways men and
women were brought to Jesus Christ in His time and in the early Christian
church. No single pattern can be found. Our Lord Jesus shared the water of life
with the Samaritan prostitute at the well of Sychar. Peter and John healed a
lame man at the temple gate, revealing Christ to him in the process. Peter
rebuked the greediness of Simon the magician causing him to repent and turn to
God. Paul and Silas sang hymns and prayed aloud in a Philippian jail and by the
power of God brought the jailer and all his family to faith in God. So likewise, we ought to be imaginative and bold in sharing
the gospel in every situation in life. As the New Testament writers declared,
"But you keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of
an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry." (2 Timothy 4:5);
and "Be merciful to those who doubt"; be creative, by all means do
evangelism. The disciples and apostles received 3 1/2 or 4 1/2 years of intensive training from the greatest teacher the world has ever known. But Jesus Christ knew that such training was not sufficient, considering their human weaknesses and limitations, for them to carry the Gospel across continents and cultures. So He sent the Holy Spirit of God to be the source of their power, their Guide, their Companion and Teacher (Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit directed their minds, their footsteps and their circumstances -- causing the Gospel to triumph in the face of overwhelming problems. The Reach family, both leaders and followers, consciously seek the leading of the Lord in the Scriptures and in the counsel of the Spirit rather than rely on the sum total of human wisdom and our judgment. "For the letter kills but the Spirit gives life." (2 Corinthians 3:4- In the early years of the Christian community in Jerusalem, the climate was just right for the rapid spread of the Gospel and the multiplication of disciples. Soon it became necessary to organize the supply of material resources to make provision for the poor, the needy, and to supply the requirements of the expanding ministry. Administrative officers were chosen for their godliness and skill to assume these responsibilities (Acts 6:1-7). Later in his epistles, Paul included administration among the list of service-type gifts that are necessary for the proper and efficient functioning of the Body of Christ. For this, reason, RMI serves disciplemaking ministries by providing materials and services so that they can grow as God allows. (Colossians 2:19) Good
Works Ministry
Good deeds flow from a transformed life. As we grow in grace and in the
knowledge of God, the Holy spirit conforms us to the likeness of Jesus Christ
who "went about doing, good and healing all who were under the power of the
devil." He did many Acts of kindness, deliverance, and justice. As a
result, the common people heard him gladly. He apostles followed that same
pattern of Gospel preaching and doing good works. As a result, "they
enjoyed the favor of all the people." Our commitment to discipleship and to the whole person leads to similar acts
of compassion in the form of good deeds and just acts, "self-help"
projects, and appropriate technology. We will follow His pattern. The
consequences are in His hands. Simple
Sacrificial Lifestyle
When resources are few, hard choices must be made. The Lord
Jesus stated it this way: "You cannot serve both God and money." In a
Third World context, disciples need to wrestle with this issue early in their
Christian lives. A call to simple, sacrificial life-style brings into focus
the spiritual conflict between the temporal and the eternal, between the Kingdom
of God and the Kingdom of this world. The ultimate choice is whether to live our
lives for ourselves or to lose our lives for the sake of Jesus Christ and for
the Gospel. Men and women who choose against themselves are disciples indeed. Only true disciples of Jesus Christ have the resilience, dynamism, selflessness to make lasting impact in a Third World context. It is His power that works through a community of disciples, each one constantly being strengthened by the Word of God, proved by obedience and renewed by the Holy Spirit. Reach is not committed to a program, a project, or a process, but to multi-plying and strengthening disciples in fulfillment of the Great Commission. Reach believes it must take broad responsibility not only for active disciple-making among the millions of Filipinos but also for the logistic support of the ministry. This disciplemaking is directed not only to the poor, but to people from all walks of life — the small and the great, the destitute, the educated, the unimpressive and the oppressed, with a view to presenting whole, mature persons in Christ. And as God would allow in the future, Reach will extend this ministry to other Third World countries. Commitment to the Whole Person The Asian mind is much closer to the Hebrew mind than to the Greek or Western mind. Asians don't split the mind, body, and spirit into independent parts the Western people do. The unique importance of the spiritual realm is unquestioned in the Reach ministry. We were created in the image of God—the whole of us, not just our spirit. A Gospel whose essence is love cannot “pass by on the other side of the road” where a brother or sister in Christ lies robbed, beaten and bleeding. Although all human needs are obviously beyond reach, a Third World ministry in particular cannot stop short of a commitment to making men and women whole in Christ. Commitment to Indigenous Leadership Leadership in any culture is a complex phenomenon. But where there has been a climate of dependency, subservience, and economic survival, the “full time Christian worker” scheme is a crippling burden. Reach ministry staff are self-supporting, but they are sufficiently dedicated and gifted to produce and lead substantial ministries. Equally important is a strong “family spirit” and mutual support. This is in contrast to the Western sense of individualistic responsibility and achievement. Commitment to the Poor God is eternally biased in favor of the weak, the oppressed, and the helpless. The theological terms for this are justice and grace. But the strong and ruthless claw their way upward socially and economically. The common terms for them are greed, self-interest, and pride. It is all the more difficult to have a godly attitude toward the poor where there are so many poor. Ministering among them is tedious, costly, and frustrating. Reach is committed to the poor but this does not curtail its ministry to others. This is the way that Jesus ministered. If He did it and said it, it’s right. Explain here
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