The Kingdom Issue by Newfrontiers USA

ISSUE 01 >>

2017

a newfrontiers usa publication

the kingdom issue

The Kingdom, the Church & Society >> John Lanferman Claim Your Part in the Great Commission >> Gareth Forsey Kingdom Initiatives >> Béljoy, Harvest House, Revive, & Turbocam

SOUNDBITE • QUICK LOOK

BOB ROBERTS • WELCOME

JOHN LANFERMAN >> Team Leader >> Newfrontiers USA

THE KINGDOM,

THE CHURCH & SOCIETY

“The church is herself only when she exists for humanity…She must take her part in the social life of the world, not lording it over men, but helping and serving them. She must tell men, whatever their calling, what it means to live in Christ, to exist for others.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer The kingdom of God is all about society. The church is God’s instrument to transform society through living out our beliefs in its “domains”. Over the last decade our western church has talked much about being missional through engaging culture, however, we should not merely focus on engaging culture, but changing it. Domains are the power structures within society designed by God to exert influence and provide leadership and direction (note Romans 13:1-7). These “domains” include Agriculture & Water, Communications, Economics, Education, Government, Medicine, Science & Technology, Social & Civil

Society, and Industry & Trades. These are the places we live and work. The church, as an instrument of the kingdom, is to mobilize every member to engage society’s domains. To begin with, let’s understand the church is not a group of people gathered for the personal benefit of consumers. God didn’t want his people to lock themselves up in a building, worshiping and praying year in and year out, and have this become what we call “church”. No! The church is a sent community demonstrating God’s kingdom and engaging

Corvallis, OR JOHN ORTON, Lead Elder www.cccorvallis.com At Christ Church, we exist to see Jesus saturate our lives, our church, and our city! Reaching a college town like Corvallis has unique opportunities and challenges. One word from God that is shaping our beginning is that “our church would be like an international airport in many ways. For some it will be a destination, for others a sending, for many more it will be a layover.” Our hope is to see some planted long-term, but that many more will be invested in, and sent out on mission. We are not simply trying to build successful

Sunday gatherings; but a people radically shaped by grace, committed to one another, and living for the extension of the kingdom. God recently opened a door for us to participate in the downtown farmers’ market. The market is a huge part of the culture of Corvallis. We host a tasting booth for fresh produce from the various farms and this has helped us build relationship with the market leaders, local farmers, and people in our city. Our first year was a success and our involvement is growing, so we look forward to the future.

SOUNDBITE

The church is a sent community demonstrating God's kingdom and engaging society’s power structures throughout the world.

society’s power structures throughout the world. We participate in changing the world by equipping God’s people to use their skills to see the culture transformed around them (Matthew 28:18-20). Ernest Southcott stated, “The holiest moment of the church service is the moment when God’s people–strengthened by preaching and sacrament–go out of the church door into the world to be the church. We don’t go to church; we are the church.” We’re the connection center between believers and society’s domains in order to see radical transformation. Jesus told his disciples to live out and proclaim the gospel in “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). “Jerusalem” is where we live and work. We are to train people to view their vocation as their Jerusalem ministry. Next, people use their vocation and skills to intersect a domain locally (Judea) and other nearby cultures and people groups (Samaria). We also engage globally to the “ends of the earth”.

Medford, NJ JOHN MEGAW, Lead Elder www.cwbnj.com At Church Without Borders, our mission is to bring glory to God alone by making disciples of all nations as we follow Jesus together. We were always searching for a family of churches who shared our unique emphasis on both reformed gospelcentered theology and Spirit-empowered mission and for us, Newfrontiers USA was the obvious choice.

The church connects to society through natural infrastructures, equipping and sending people to impact a particular domain. For example, believers in the agricultural profession have found dozens of ways to connect with societies overseas through water treatment programs, crops, and livestock. The same is true for those in the fields of health care, education, building trades, economics and so on. Medical workers, teachers, or small business owners (as examples) have a wealth of experience to share within our geographic regions as well as countries desperately in need of their skills. This is a different kind of mission from church planting. Too often we start with a preacher who tries to gather a church, thinking they’ll get around to engaging the world in time. That’s backwards! It teaches people to think engaging the world is something we pay people to do after the church is built. No, we must understand the Great Commission is not a church leader’s project, but something we all own personally. If we focus on churches, mission/kingdom often gets lost. If we focus on kingdom/mission, churches will follow. Mission means mobilizing people to use their jobs. We want everyone to think of mission first. Read the stories in this issue of how some of our people and churches are making a difference. Mission and kingdom doesn’t mean merely multiplying churches, but finding ways to show God’s love and greatness to the world by being in the world. People living like Jesus: that’s what changes a society.

God has really blessed us with a group of people who love to give and serve. They want to do whatever they can to serve Jesus by serving others. Last fall we felt led of the Lord to cancel our Sunday services and spend 3 months loving our neighbors in practical ways. For 12 weeks we spent our Sundays serving widows, feeding the poor, praying for the unborn, ministering to the elderly, and so much more. It was an amazing bonding time for us as a church, and really served to strengthen our mission of following Jesus into the world.

GARETH FORSEY >> New Frontiers Church >> Portsmouth, NH

CLAIM YOUR PART

IN THE GREAT

COMMISSION “Let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him” (1 Cor. 7:17) Eric Liddell, the “Flying Scotsman”, was an Olympic gold medalist and Christian missionary whose story was captured in the 1981 Oscar-winning movie “Chariots of Fire”1. In the movie, Liddell accidentally missed a church prayer meeting because of his athletics training, only to be accused by his sister of no longer caring about God. Liddell’s response was, “I believe that God made me for a purpose. But He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure.” Liddell understood that God had given him unique abilities and skills – as well as a passionate desire to serve Him. And through his efforts he touched many lives as an ambassador of Christ—even up to today through the movie about his life. As followers of Jesus we have all been personally called by God to serve in His Kingdom. We are His workmanship, fashioned by Him with unique talents for the “good works” He has prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:10). We are all called to make disciples of the nations. But unfortunately, many of us disqualify ourselves, believing that the only “real” way to do this is through so-called “full-time ministry” – becoming a pastor, or a missionary in a different nation. Now, I don’t want to denigrate those called to serve God in either of these capacities—they are indeed high callings—but this is not the way most of us are called to serve. The church will never reach the nations as Jesus intended if we limit the Great Commission to those called to full time ministry. The vast majority of us are called to serve God in the areas of life He has gifted and prepared us for. In his book “Real Time Connections”, Bob Roberts, Jr. remarks that one of his biggest jobs is to stop people with a passionate desire to serve God from going into church

We are His workmanship, fashioned by Him with unique talents for the “good works” He has prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:10).

ministry, but rather to encourage them to serve God in the domain He has gifted them for 2, whether that’s the arts, sport, government, education, medicine, or business. The apostle Paul counsels us in 1 Corinthians 7:17, that when we become believers, it is not necessary to change what we are currently doing in life in order to please God. And in Colossians 3:23 he encourages us to work willingly at whatever we do – as though we are working for the Lord rather than for people. How do we discover where we can serve God most effectively? How do we find God’s pleasure in the way Liddell did? If I might draw on Roberts again, with a slight adaptation of a helpful list of questions he believes we should prayerfully consider 3:

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” 4

• What is my consistent life message? • What am I unusually gifted at doing that does not seem like a drudgery? • What traits or abilities have others seen and affirmed in me that makes me unique? • What is the one passion that I could give my whole life to?

References/Notes:

Let’s use our answers to these questions to discover and claim our part in the Great Commission. Our vocations hold nation-changing possibilities whenever and wherever we use them to serve God’s Kingdom. As Howard Thurman, former Dean of Marsh Chapel at Boston University challenged a generation of students:

“Chariots of Fire”, Warner Brothers, 1981 2 Real Time Connections, Bob Roberts, Jr., Page 65 3 Adapted from Real Time Connections, Bob Roberts, Jr., Page 68 4 Howard Thurman (Author of Jesus and the Disinherited)

The Public Square: Engaging Culture [Excerpts from Chapter 6 of Lessons From the East ]

Bob Roberts Jr. >> NorthWood Church (Keller, TX) As Christians, we need to engage our culture with truth and also with respect and kindness. Many churches view modern culture as a threat, which creates an “us against them” mentality and prevents meaningful engagement. Our culture gives Christians a hearing when they see us serving in the public square with kindness. To uncover opportunities, we must observe, ask questions and listen to grasp the need and meet it. The first task is to realize our jobs and community relationships are God-given environments. Our jobs are a calling from God to serve our communities and build credibility. To engage the public arena, here are a few principles: Respect Authority. Realize God has put every person in authority, so walk through the front door of respect, not the back door of blame (Rom. 13:1-2). Practice Civility. Treat persons the way you treat friends. Watch what you say about a person (Eccl. 10:20).

Be a Good Citizen. Instead of faultfinding, find ways to support people of different races, religions and classes. Be known as a person with a grateful heart. Understand Protocol. Listening shows honor for leaders. Protocol means knowing when to open your mouth and when to shut it. Build Credibility. Establish credibility over time by demonstrating character and results. “Under-promise and over-deliver.” Serve the community in a consistent, reproducible way over a long period. Keep a Calm Spirit. Give simple, clear answers when asked hard questions. If you don’t know, commit to finding the answer and report later. Integrate All of Your Life. View every moment as sacred, whether spending time with family, with people of other faiths, serving our domains (business, education, government, etc.), or worshiping. Don’t see unbelievers as “targets” but friends. To reach the world, we must take the gospel out of the confines of the church and impart it to the public square.

Beljoy, Harvest House, Revive, & Turbocam

KINGDOM

INITIATIVES

Abby Clevenger was in a season of saying “yes” to God and seeing what He would do when the idea of Béljoy was born. After taking a break from design to raise her three kids Abby and her husband, Lane, started to feel God lead them to help the people of Haiti by creating jobs. Their love for the Haitian people, and the lack of employment options in Haiti, inspired Abby to return to designing jewelry. They had a vision to create opportunities for the people of Haiti to earn money through honest, dignified work. God has used this “yes” to bless others in meaningful, life changing ways. Béljoy is a distinct line of handcrafted jewelry produced in Haiti by local artisans. The purpose of the jewelry line is to create jobs and work with the Haitian people to develop their skills in a way that is dignified, significant, and profitable to the artisans. This work has lead to opportunities to support the communities the artisans belong to through education, medical needs, microloans, and more. The Clevengers hope to see the people of Haiti flourish. Béljoy has always been about more than jewelry; it is a movement that is restoring dignity and inspiring change. Abby says, “Only God could have led me to start a business in a chaotic third world country, but I love to watch lives being changed. I love seeing the ladies on our team providing for their children. I love that all of their kids are in school now and their health and lives are improving. Their days are hard, but they are so thankful for all they have.” Learn more or support Béljoy at beljoyhaiti.com.

Harvest House is the outreach of Cedar Springs Community Church in Graham, WA. We serve about 400 families each month with free groceries and strive to make our community a better place to live in. We are compelled by such Newfrontiers apostolic mandates as Simon Pettit’s 1998 Brighton Conference sermon, “Remember the Poor”, and Bo Noonan’s recent message at Celebration Northwest, “Seek the Welfare of the City.” There is a significant lack of community in Graham. There is no municipality, little infrastructure, and the population has grown over 400%–to 28,000–in the last 15 years. The only real community connecting points are the local schools, churches, and the grocery store. Harvest House seeks to bridge gaps between businesses, government, churches, and other organizations to help meet the needs of our community. We have become active in our business association, community councils, and other civic groups. We host school district meetings at our facility and help sponsor a faith leaders meeting held through the school district. This has blossomed into several key partnerships that make our efforts possible. For instance, through these partnerships Harvest House provides 225 weekend food bags to students at 12 different local schools. Connecting with our broader community has been vital in reaching others and demonstrating the love of Jesus. Learn more at www.cedarspringsnw.com.

If we are to create companies that will employ many, we should be willing to risk our wealth to create wealth for others and express God’s kingdom values. -TURBOCAM

In September 1982, a group met to consider creating businesses that would help support missions, create jobs for the poor, and enable church planting with our limited resources. Businesses like painting houses and selling firewood were already established. We opened Revive Consignment store in 2007 in Woodstock, GA with a heart to serve our city practically and connect with people in the community. In the last ten years we have opened a second location in Smyrna and have seen dozens of people connected to the church through the ministry of Revive. We have served our city practically by providing a place for over 18,000 people to consign their items and make money through our stores. We have generated over $12 million in revenue. Forty-three percent of this money goes back into the community directly to our consignors! It also provides jobs for more than forty employees, as well as providing a place where people can find quality used furniture, clothing, and decor at affordable prices. Part of the proceeds help support Restore, our ministry to the poor. We have a food pantry in our Woodstock location where people get food and financial assistance every week.

In 1984, Marian Noronha visited India and found a Newfrontiers church in Bombay. Christians there were underemployed yet serving God generously. In a few years they would plant a church in Goa, where fewer jobs existed. As a result of these needs seen at home and abroad, we began the company that is now TURBOCAM International: employing 850 in USA, Canada, UK, Netherlands, Romania, India and Taiwan. It started as a software company, but soon progressed beyond that one field. TURBOCAM exists as a business for the purpose of honoring God, creating wealth for its employees, and supporting Christian service to God and people. We create jobs at many different levels within the business and also create funds to support local ministries. TURBOCAM also creates jobs by developing clean drinking water systems, constructing elevated structures to survive floods, and providing livestock.

In all of this we have seen God’s Kingdom advance through our work at Revive. We hear countless testimonies of people who sense God’s presence in our stores as they shop. Some of our regular customers come just because they know they will receive a warm greeting and be treated kindly. It’s not uncommon to see a customer getting prayed for in the middle of the sales floor! We have also seen customers, consignors, and employees become believers after getting connected to Jesus through Revive.

One endeavor TURBOCAM founded and funds is “BridgeToNepal.org”. After buying 42 families out of slavery, TURBOCAM now supports many former slaves with six schools for over 1500 children.

Visit www.reviveconsignment.com.

Learn more at www.turbocam.com.

TURBOCAM and companies around the world are committed to following Christ in the marketplace. Let’s support entrepreneurs among us who can enable opportunities for Christians to excel in their communities and serve many.

Visit us at the newly renovated Newfrontiers website!

New Frontiers Church | Portsmouth, NH | newfrontierschurch.com

Church Planting Efforts Mike & Katie Young | Sacramento, CA | mikecyoung.com Enamor Church | Loveland, CO | enamorchurch.com

314.832.9042

Welcome Church | Austin, TX | welcomeaustin.org

thelink@newfrontiersusa.org

Connection Church | Marshalltown, IA

www.newfrontiersusa.org

Gospel Community Church | Charleston, SC | gospelcommunity.com

@thelink_nf

Christ Central | Brooklyn, NY | christcentral.nyc

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