Greater demands for ministry will often lead us beyond the
original, more relational community of discipleship. When this is so, unless we draw relationship with
specific areas of community, we risk loosing the stewardship factor needed to occupy
any new spiritual ground that we’ve gained in the Kingdom. Since the Kingdom will keep us in a forward
momentum, it is needful that we understand the order of its progression once it
leaves a governing body of ministry within the church.
Kingdom community requires that we identify more with the
fruit of the ministries that become multiplied through the gifts. In Kingdom community, we compare apples to
apples and oranges to oranges, etc. In
doing so, we begin seeing the works of ministry being reproduced through spiritual
patterns from one community to the next.
These patterns reveal a sequence that can be likened to what we know as
Geometric Sequence.
In a geometric sequence, the common ratio is the constant
number that is multiplied to each term to the next term. In
math, a sequence is a set of numbers that follow a pattern. In the same sequence, each number in the
sequence is known as a “term”.
In terms of the Kingdom, we can replace the terminology to
begin identifying with spiritual patterns that manifest within our individual
spheres of relationship. Before we’re
able to fully discern divine order, we first begin discerning repeated spiritual
patterns that consistently show up in each of our spheres of relationship. What
first defines relationship will later be expressed in ministry through
influence and favor within spheres of greater ministry. Just
as God created each of us with our own individual set of fingerprints, He has
given each disciple their own Paradigm of Ministry. Even where our ministry equipping jump
started us beyond our years, we can still recover the original treasure that
reveals “our gift”. Each of us has a Taylor
Made paradigm of ministry that is like no other. Discipleship serves to excavate this hidden
treasure in light of Five Fold ministry equipping.
The Kingdom of Heaven is like……….
Jesus made disciples who were then sent out two by two. We can be sure that the same order that Jesus
activated the disciples through would be reproduced in them. Before we can be fully activated in the
ministries as sons, we must first “see the Kingdom” as disciples. “Seeing the Father” as disciples immediately activates
us in our sonship in every sphere of ministry.
Sons become established in the Kingdom through their own earthly spheres of
influence.
Jesus modeled his ministry in
light of his own personal relationship with his Father. When Jesus sent the disciples out two by two,
he would have removed himself from this equation. We should take note that our "sending" is often followed by ministry activation in it's various forms of ministry. If disciples and sons are not sent out beyond those who instruct them, the ministry that is reproduced will continue to consist of the spheres of those who equip them.
Once the disciples had seen the Father through
their own personal relationship and experience, Jesus continued to teach them
through the authority and the spheres that he was given to instruct them through. (These spheres of authority would later be
known as Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers.) Once the Kingdom becomes resident within us as
disciples, we relate to spiritual and natural fathers and mothers as we should. This same relationship would extend to all
leadership in all spheres of authority. Before we can truly be “fathered”
by spiritual leaders, we must SEE the Father as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
The geometric sequence of
Disciples: 1 – make disciples, 2 – discipling people in respect to
their lifestyle, 3 – Ministry to the Sons (heavens open so that we “see the Father”
in relationship to sons, as well as specific communities), 4 - doing/speaking what we
see the Father doing in heaven in relationship to sons/community on earth.
We know that disciples learn to disciple other disciples. Outside of a church body, ministry reproduces after the
fullness of Christ and is represented through divine order. Through divine order, the fullness of Five
Fold ministry is always represented through its redemptive value in
relationship to greater community. Once our sonship has been fully activated
through Five Fold ministry equipping, our Sonship acts as what is known as a “common
ratio” in relationship to greater community. Relationship
becomes defined through the communities that we begin seeing the Kingdom of God
manifesting through in our midst.
In terms of the Kingdom, we can replace the terminology of “geometric
sequence” to begin identifying the spiritual patterns that manifest within our
individual spheres of relationship. We first begin discerning parts of divine order through the spiritual patterns that consistently manifest the Kingdom of God in our midst through different spheres of relationship. Much like the Garden spoken of in Geneis, this is progressively cultivated. The
secret of discovering our own personal paradigm of ministry is rooted in the spiritual
patterns of the Kingdom that consistently show up in each community of
relationship. Identify the patterns, and
then draw a circle around the communities.
From discernment that defines community, we begin seeing what
defines relationship. Kingdom ministry
will always follow relationship. The blessing of multiplication will always show up in the increase from one community to the next.
Kingdom blessings,
Cindy Allen
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