1. THE GREAT COMMISSION (TGC)

1. Lord Jesus said: “All power in heaven and earth has been given to me, therefore as you go, baptize them…and teach them to be obedient to all that I have commanded you and thus make disciples”. (Original Greek version of Matt. 28: 18-19)

2. The sender: Jesus is our sender, who has all power and authority in heaven above and the earth below, to help us to disciple all the nations of the earth. TGC is a covenant between the believer and Jesus, sealed with His blood, the sign of the new covenant.

3. Go: TGC is a ‘Go Commission’. Jesus said I must go today, tomorrow and the next day and cure diseases, cast out demons, and preach the kingdom of God. The church of Jesus is a “go church” and the TGC is her marching order, to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8, 2Cor 6:16, Luke 3: 31-33, Isa 6: 8)

4. Disciple: A disciple makes disciples. A spiritual child needs mentoring by spiritual parents. It is a process. A disciple is one who is willing to take his cross daily and follow Jesus. (John 15:8, Luke 9:23, I Cor. 4:15)

5. Baptize: In baptism, we die as sinners and resurrect as a saints. Those who believe and are baptized will be saved. Only believers’ baptism is valid. These signs shall follow believe: they will expel demons, pray for the sick and they will be healed. All believers are royal priests. Hence all can baptize and fulfill TGC. (Mark 16:15-18, I Pet 2:9)

6. Obey all that I have commanded: Jesus commanded us to love each other and even our enemies. He has commanded us to pray to the Lord of the harvest for laborers. He has commanded us to go to the ends of the earth and make disciples of all nations. Disobeying commands attracts judgment. (John 13:34-35, Matt 5:43-48, Acts 1-8, Jam 4:17)

7. Equip & send: Teaching must be done in the believer’s native language and cultural context. Non-literates have to be converted into “Oral Bibles” through sequential story telling in their own heart language. They must be equipped differently for Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist or other ministries. Finally, a mature church lays hands on them and sends them. (Acts 2:11& 13:3, Luke 24:27)

8. Fishers of men: At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus clearly set his goal to convert his disciples into fishers of men. He eminently succeeded in doing so because they turned the world upside down. The aim of discipling is to prepare and send laborers into the harvest field. (Matt 4:19 & 9:37-38, Acts 17:6)

9. TGC is the core of the scriptures. It is the mandate, the agenda and indeed the reason for the existence of the church. A church whose priority is not the fulfilling of TGC has lost the reproductive DNA and has become a barren bride. Only through fulfilling TGC, the world can be kingdom to his church and set the agenda to demolish the gates of hell, release the captives and establish his kingdom. (Matt 16:18-19, I John 3:8)

2. WHAT IS THE CHURCH ?

1. Mini but gifted church: The Lord Jesus said that when two or three, called out (ecclesia) assemble in his name, there he is in their midst. Here all the charismata are in operation, for by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body with diversities of gifts and operations. (Matt 18:19-20, I Cor 12:4-13)

2. The Church is the Breaking Body of Christ: Just like the body of Jesus was broken on the cross, the church, which is His body, must keep breaking until all have an opportunity to become part of the body of Christ. This will result in rapid multiplication of the church. (Eph 1:22-23, I Co 10:16-17)

3. The Church is a gathering of Royal Priests: A royal priest, like his master, goes and gathers the ‘other sheep’ in his/her God given domain, those who are not in the fold. The church exists to declare his glory to the lost so that there will be one shepherd and one fold. (John 10:16, I Pet 2:9, Acts 26:17-18)

4. The church is seated in the heavens: Although physically on earth, spiritually God has raised those who are saved by grace through faith and seated them with Christ in the heavenly realms. The church has been created for good works. (Eph. 2:5-10)

5. The church has the power to destroy Satan: by declaring the manifold wisdom of God to the evil rulers and demonic authorities in the heavenly realms to remind them of His eternal victory. (Eph. 2:2, 3:10)

6. The mandate of the church is to make gentiles heirs of the kingdom: Only the church of Jesus has been revealed the mystery that through the gospel the gentiles can become heirs and partakers of the kingdom. (Eph 3:4-6, Col 1:26, 27)

7. The church is the household of God: We are not strangers or aliens but fellow citizens with the saints and the members of the household of God. It is built upon thé foundation of apostles and prophets with Christ himself as the corner stone. People are the dwelling place of God. The early church spread through households. (I Tim 3:15, Eph 2:19-22, Acts 16:15)

8. The church is an altar for offering sacrifice: God declared Jerusalem temple to be ‘a place of sacrifice’. Jesus said “My house shall be a house of prayer for all nations”. Paul as a priest offered gentiles as a sacrifice, so that they may be sanctified and become acceptable to God. (2 Chron 7:12, Mark 11:17, Rom 15:16, I Pet 2:5)

9. The church is the bride of Christ: She must not remain barren but reproduce and fill the earth. Yet she must remain without spots and wrinkles.(Rev 21:2, Acts 1:8, Eph 5:27)

3.  GODS   WILL AND PURPOSE

1. God is purpose oriented: There is nothing casual or haphazard about him. He works according to plan, with eternal consequences. Hence, it is important to know his perfect will and act accordingly. (Isa 14:24, Rom 12:2)

2. God’s will is that all should enjoy eternal fellowship with Him: He does not live in sacred buildings. We are His temple and His priests. He wants incense to be offered in every Gentile home. Incense signifies prayer. He is not interested in religion and rituals but in relationships. (Acts 7:49, Eph 2:19-22, Mai. 1: 11, Amos 5:21, Rev. 3:20, 8:3, 4)

3. He gave Adam and Eve authority to subdue the earth and rule over it: The Devil usurped that authority due to disobedience and is now ruling as the ‘god of this world’. He has subjugated the people by blinding their minds and is busy destroying God’s creation. (Gen 1:26-28, 2 Cor 4:4, I John 5:18, 19)

4. However, God’s purposes can never be defeated: “Many are plans of man’s heart but it is the Lord’s purposes that stand” (Prov. 19:21). Jesus came to redeem the humankind and reconcile the whole creation so that God’s purposes can be fulfilled. (Col 1:16-20)

5. Jesus was totally oriented to the father’s will: He said, ‘I have come to fulfill my father’s will”. He said, ‘My food is to do his will’. He drank the bitter cup of death, to fulfill the father’s will. He is now interceding for us. (John 6:38, 4:34, 5:30, Matt 26:39, Heb 7:25)

6. He is building his church which consists of the sons and daughters of God, kings, apostles, prophets and ambassadors but no reverends and no laymen. We are his temple and his priests. Men, women and children, together, we are a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. (Matt 16:18, Heb 2:10, Eph 4:11, 2:19-22, Ex 19:6, Joel 2:28,29)

7. There is battle raging for the souls of men: Whether you feel like it or not, according to the scriptures, you are the sons and daughters of God with authority to wage war against the invisible demonic powers, break every yoke and loose those in bondage. You have this authority by his name, his blood, his word and your testimony. (2Cor 10:3-5, John 1:12, Rev12:11)

8. You have the authority to approach the throne with boldness and ask for anything that will accomplish his purposes and glorify his name. When you intercede, then God will intervene in your domain and rebuke the ‘the ruler of this world’. The sick will be healed, the demons cast out and the gospel will be preached with power and you begin to reign as a king. (Heb 10:19, I John 5:14)

9. God’s end vision is that every knee shall bow down and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. His vision is that incense (worship) will be offered in every heathen and Gentile home in his name. God’s vision is that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.

4. GODS END VISION

1. God’s end vision is that all nations, tribes, and tongues will be gathered before his throne and worship Him. There will be no church buildings, pastors or Sunday service in heaven but the New Jerusalem, the throne and the tabernacle of God will be here on earth, among men. (Rev 7: 9-10, 21:1-3, 22: 3-5)

2. God created man and woman in his image and likeness and gave them dominion. God has never abrogated that authority for us to subdue the earth and rule over it. (Gen. 1:26-28)

3. God changed Jacob’s name to Israel meaning ‘he will rule as God’. He blessed Abraham, “your descendants shall possess the gates of the enemy”. Many Christians are hoping to go to heaven, but God did not create man to go to heaven but to possess the gates of the enemy and rule here on earth as the New Israel, for eternity. (Gen 35:10-12, 22:17, Job 19:25, 26)

4. “God made man ruler over all the works of his hands and put everything under his feet. The highest heavens belong to the LORD but the earth he has given to man.” (Ps 8:6 & 115:16)

5. God’s end vision is that, in the new creation, the entire earth will be restored as the Garden of Eden, where the wolf and the lamb, the leopard and the kid, the calf and the lion shall dwell together and a little child shall play with the serpent. There will be plenty of food and honey. A cow will supply enough butter. Once again God will enjoy intimate fellowship with his children and all his creatures. (Gen 3:8-9, Isa 11:6-8, 7:22, 51:3, Amos 9:13-14, Act 3:21)

6. Only the ‘sons of God’ can have dominion, therefore, God has called us ‘gods’. “You are gods. You are the sons of the Most High” (Ps 82:6). Moses was a ‘god’ to Pharaoh. The kingdom also requires rulers. Therefore God has called us ‘kings’. But it has to be righteous kingdom, so we are called prophets and priests of God. Finally we are sent out to reconcile and restore relationship with the lost kingdoms and so we are now ambassadors of God. (2Cor 5:20, Ex 7:1)

7. We are his sons because the word says so (John 1:12). We are not deities, not even ‘reverends’, worthy of reverence (Ps 111:9). He has given each one of us dominion (Act 17:26-27), to subdue and rule over the earth. God will not interfere with that authority, unless we ask him in prayer to intervene (2 Chron 7:14). The lost creation is pleading with the ‘sons’ to reconcile with the Father. (Heb 2:10, Rom 8:14-19, I John 3:2)

8. Prayer is not a shopping list but an intimate fellowship and communion with our Father, as it was in the garden, until it broke down by disobedience of the first Adam. Praying according to His will, and intercession of the second Adam, restores relationship with the Father. (I Cor 15:22-45, I John 5:14, Heb 7:25)

9. God’s vision is that none should perish but all may be saved and become saints and reign on earth forever. He will do anything and give everything, to bring all nations, tribes, peoples and languages, back to him. (I Tim 2:4, I John 5:14-15, 2 Pet 3:9, Rev 5:10)

5. JESUS  NEEDS  LABOURERS

1. Lord Jesus Christ said that the harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Pray for labourers. (Matt 9:37-38, Luke 10:2, John 4:35)

2. There is no difference between workers, labourers, servants, disciples, elders, bishops, sons of God, shepherds and the sheep, as all work for His Kingdom. Paul, James and Peter, referred to themselves as slaves of Jesus. (Rom 1:1 , James 1:1 , 2 Peter 1:1)

3. God is also a labourer and we are co-labourers. It is his mission, not ours. We are joining him in his great plan for the saving of the world. (I Cor 3:9, John 5:17, Mark 16:20)

4. There are two kinds of workers, those who work for filthy selfish reasons; and others who need not be ashamed. (I Pet 5:2, 2 Tim 2:15)

5. Profitable Servants are those who are faithful in small things and multiply the spiritual resources God has given them. They produce thirtyfold, sixtyfold and even hundredfold harvest. (Cor l4:12, I Thess 2:9, 2Thes 3:8)

6. Unprofitable servants are selfish and greedy. They will be consigned to hell. (Ps 5:5, Prov 21:25, Matt 25:30, 2 Cor 11: 13, I Pet 5:2 )

7.   Labourers are hard-working and are satisfied with daily bread. (Matt 20:2)

8. Labourers do not serve two masters but faithfully seek the kingdom of God and his        righteousness, knowing that the master will provide all their needs. (Matt 6:24-33, Phil 4:19)

6. THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH

1. The New Testament Christians practiced churchless Christianity with no temples, no priests and no Sunday worship. People are the church and meet almost daily as equals, with no race, gender or class bias. (Gal 3:28)

2. The church has plurality of leadership: led by fivefold ministry gifted elders. God will not do anything without first telling his prophets. Everyone has a Psalm, a teaching, a revelation or a prophecy, which includes (a) speaking edification (b) exhortation and (c) comfort. (Amos 3:7, I Cor 14:3, 26-31, Eph 4:11)

3. The basic difference is that the modern church is consumed with Sunday worship without any burden for the lost, while the NT church is busy persuading the “uninformed” to turn and to reconcile with Jesus. (I Cor l4:25, 2 Cor 5:9-11)

4. Believers leave behind their egos, and titles, to meet in the intimacy of a home. The church is interactive, dialogical and relational. Together they study the scriptures, pray with one accord and have table fellowship. (Acts 2:42-47, 17:2-4, 20:20)

5. The NT church brings forth abundant harvest because they worship by offering “lost souls” as sacrifice. Thus new souls are added to the church daily. They give generously to the poor and to the apostles, to go and plant multiplying churches that resonate with the will of God and sound forth the Gospel in every place. (Acts 4:34, 16:5, 1Thess 1:8)

7. THE TRIPLET CHURCH

1. The most powerful triplet: God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, form the most powerful triplet. They blessed Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to possess the gates of the enemy and be a blessing to all the nations of the earth. (Matt 28:18-19, Gen 12:2-3, 22:17)

2. Triplet church is small but very powerful: Jesus promised that “if 2 or 3 congregate in my name then whatever this congregation agrees to glorify God, that I will do”. Triplet church is an authentic church because Jesus Himself is present with all the power in heaven and earth. (Matt. 18:18-20, 16:19, 28: 18)

3. The triplets are effective intercessors: The triplet of Moses, Hur and Aaron prayed on the mountain and Joshua was victorious in the battle field. The triplet church has the flexibility to meet anytime, anywhere for waging intercessory war against the powers of darkness. (Ex 17:11-13, I Tim 2:1, 4-8, 2 Cor 10:3-5)

4. Triplets can face any persecution: The triplet of Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego defied the king’s command to worship an idol and passed the test by fire. Consequently the king became a believer and transformed the whole nation by declaring it to honour the God of the Jews. (Daniel 3:12-30)

5. The triplet church is strong: Scripturally a threefold cord cannot be easily broken. Similarly the gates of Hell cannot prevail against a church built on the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets with Jesus as the chief corner stone. (Ecc 4:12, Amos 3:3, Matt 16: 18, Eph 2: 20)

6. Jesus’ own triplet: Jesus nurtured Peter, John and James as His inner circle triplet. They were with him at his transfiguration and at Gethsemane. (Mark 14:33-41, Luke 9:27-32)

7. The triplet church is a complete church: It is not just a prayer cell, a Bible study class or a “come church”. The “whole church” goes out with all the authority of Jesus to disciple, baptize, break bread, do miracles and plant churches, even marry and bury. (Luke 10:2-9, Matt  28:19, Acts 2:42, 5:6-10)

8. The gentile church sends missionary triplet: Paul, Barnabas and John Mark were the first missionary triplet sent by the church of Antioch who saturated the entire Mediterranean area with house churches in a very short time. (Acts 13:1-13, Rom. 15:19-23)

9. The triplet Church is a gifted church: It is led by the Holy Spirit, therefore all the charismata (gifts) are in operation with healing, signs and wonders, expelling demons, transforming communities through focused intercession, prayer walking and spiritual warfare. (I Cor 12:4-11 , Mark 16:15-20, Acts 26:18)

10. The church meant for ‘one-another’ multiplies rapidly: The scriptures have many ‘one-anothers’, like submit to each-other, confess your sins, pray for one-another, love each-other, so that the world will believe in Jesus etc. All this can be practiced only in a small church, and multiply rapidly. (Eph 5:2, Jam 4:16, Rom 16:16, John 13: 34-35, Acts 16: Acts 1:8, 16:5)

8. THE TEN  FUNCTIONS  OF  THE  CHURCH

1. Apostolic teaching: (V42) Fivefold ministry gifted teachers to equip the saints and unify the church, leading to edification of the church by discipling all nations. (Eph 4:12-13)

2. Fellowship: (V42) The bond of unity with all the believers of the city, is the secret of church growth. Submit to ‘one another’, love ‘one another’ and pray for ‘each other’. ‘One-another’ comes over 50 times in the NT (Eph 4:3-6, 5:21, James 5:16)

3. Eat Together: (V42) Jesus fed His disciples roast lamb, bitter herbs, bread and wine for the last supper. His followers ate Agape meals regularly without the help of professional priests, whenever and wherever they met. (I Cor 11:20, Acts20:7)

4. Intercession: (V42) Pray strategic prayer with one accord. Prayer walk, bind the ‘strongman’, set the captives free, bless all the families until you find the ‘Person of peace’. (Matt 12:29, Luke 10:5-6)

5. Signs and wonders: (V43) Jesus has sent you with power and authority to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, and then preach the Gospel that the kingdom is near. (Matt 10:7-8)

6. Share your material blessings: (V 44-45) with each other so that no one lacks anything among you, especially the apostles. (Acts 4:32-34)

7. Strategy for discipling the nations: (V46) With one accord, i.e. with well-planned strategy they went out as fishers of men. Initially they brought seekers from the temple to their homes to disciple them and the Lord added to their numbers daily. (Acts 1:8, 26:17-18)

8. Baptize: (V41) All baptisms in the New Testament took place without delay. During the Pentecost 3,000 people took baptism in the pools around the temple. No temple priests were required as every believer is a royal priest. Any two believers could act as witnesses. Christianity is a peoples’ movement and believers can baptized each other.

9. Equipping: (V46) Discipling is a ‘skill’. Jesus trained his disciples daily in the harvest field and not in the Bible school or the Sunday worship. Apprenticeship is the best method and house church is the best place for equipping of the saints. (Acts 20:20)

10. Multiply: (V47) Discipling of the nations is the mandate of the mobile and militant church. Jesus said ‘as the Father has sent me so I send you into the world’. The bride of Christ must multiply daily from house to house and fill the earth. Christianity is like a moving river. If it stops flowing then it stagnates and becomes a dirty pond of mud, mosquitoes and other harmful creatures. (Matt 28:19, John 17:18, Acts 1:8, 16:5)

9. TRAINING WISE MASTERBUILDERS

1. Jesus said ‘I will build my church’. Jesus is the rock of ages on which the church is being built. There can be no other foundation other than that, which is already laid, which is Jesus Christ. (Matt 16:18, 1Cor. 3:11, 1Pet 2:4)

2. Paul an apostle, was a wise master builder. Any believer can build on that foundation with gold, silver, precious stones or just wood and hay. But in the end your work will be tested with fire. (1Cor 3:10-l4, Luke 6:48-49)

3. A master builder (architect) does not build according to his will but must know the will of the owner (God) and make a blueprint (plan) accordingly. Master builders (apostle/prophets) have a complete picture of the finished edifice (church) before it is built. They do not build for themselves but for the owner. Others like the carpenters (evangelists) or masons (teachers) and shepherds, have limited understanding. (Eph 2:20-22, 3:5,6)

4. When there are no prophets and apostles in the church, then it builds brick and mortar buildings and sets up Roman administrative structure of CEO’s, presidents, secretaries and other officers. Jesus is not looking for officers or theologians but for wise master builders who have the knowledge, the skills and the passion to finish the task of building his church. (I Pet 2:5, Jer 1:5, 9-10)

5. Jesus, Peter and Paul gave hands on experience to their apprentices in the harvest field who turned the world upside down. (Heb 11:10)

6. Curriculum and courses produce degree holders but not leaders. Leaders produce leaders. In the NT all training was done in the context of the church. The local and regional churches acted as resource hubs. But today, the seminaries, which are disconnected with the church, produce leaders who are misfits for the expansionist agenda of the church. (Luke 14:29)

7. Medical schools produce doctors for the sick. Seminaries produce pastors for the saved, dissociated with the sinners and the culture. Pastors from Africa and the other ‘two thirds world’, trained in American colleges, are as irrelevant as Indians trained, outside of Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Dalit and Tribal context.

8. In a seminary, success indicators are time bound, knowledge based curriculum, and academic accreditation, while the benchmark of master builder is a lifelong hands on learning experience of saving souls, making disciples and establishing multiplying churches.

9. The church lost its soul, when it replaced master builders with officials and theologians. The seminaries need to replace professors with practitioners and shift from systematic theology to church-based, problem-solving approach, in the context of the harvest field.

10.In the NT church, the fivefold ministry gifted men equip faithful men who equip others, while they themselves continue to be actively involved in planting churches. The mega-shift requires a paradigm shift in the selection of both the teacher and the taught, the venue and the content. (Eph 4:12, 2Tim.2:2)

10. MULTIPLICATION

1. God blessed the human race: ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth’. This blessing has never been abrogated by God. (Gen 1:28)

2. Similarly God blessed Abraham: ‘In blessing I will bless thee and I will multiply thy seed…and they shall possess the gates of the enemy. And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. (Gen 22:17-18)

3. A church that does not reproduce and multiply is barren because she is not in true union with Christ. (2 Pet 1:3-9, Is 54:1)

4. A female elephant breeds only once in twenty years while the little rabbits breed every few weeks. Similarly big elephantine churches are not reproducible while the little New Testament model churches equip and release believers and rapidly multiply. (Acts 13:1-3)

5. Prayer multiplication: All major revivals in the church have been preceded by major prayer movements. 120 people praying with ‘one accord’ precipitated the Pentecost outpouring with 3,000 baptisms and a worldwide church planting movement. (Acts 1:14-15, 2:5)

6. Gospel multiplication: Abundant sowing will multiply the seed of the gospel and increase the fruits of righteousness and the gospel will sound forth in every place. (2 Cor 9:6,10, I Thess 1:8, Matt 14:6)

7. Believers’ multiplication: Breaking bread from house to house with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favour with all the people. Bread is a product of God and man working together. When both the physical and the ‘ Bread of life’ are shared from house to house then the Lord multiplies new believers to the church daily. (Act 2:46-47, Is 55:10, 58:7)

8. Multiplication of disciples: Focus on the ministries of word and prayer results in rapid multiplication and exponential growth of the disciples. (Act 6:1-7, John 15:8-16, Luke 10:2)

9. Multiplication of elders: Tribulations lead to maturity of disciples. They are then appointed elders who are key to the multiplication of churches. (Act 14:22-23, Titus 1:5)

10.Multiplication of gifts: The Holy Spirit then imparts multiple charismata resulting in multiplication of the churches. (Eph 4:11, I Cor 12:28, Rom 12:6-8, Acts 2:17,18)

11. Multiplication of churches: Aggressive approach by one man show can become an impediment (Acts 9:29-31). Whereas equipping indigenous leaders within the local cultural context, like Timothy, can lead to multiplication of both quality and quantity of the church. (Acts 16:3-5)

12.Multiplication of the kingdom: ‘The kingdom of God is within you’. It comes not with observation’ but when kingdom people go to every heathen home and offer incense (worship), which results in 30, 60 and even a 100 fold multiplication. (Luke 17:20-21, Mai 1:11, Matt 13:8)