It's not my kingdom, it's His

KINGDOM MENTALITY
by Joe Boyd and Paul Kaak

God is moving. As He always has. Today He is moving in some new "old" ways.

Across America, pastors are leaving the posts, but they aren't resigning from ministry. They are reassigning themselves to their own neighborhoods and to secular workplaces.

Others are staying where they are, and following the Holy Spirit's leadership as they reshape their churches into missional outposts.

Ordinary believers are stepping away from formal church. As they step away, they are stepping into new roles of leadership-pastoring churches that meet in their homes.

Church planters are choosing to church their region, rather than plant the next big regional mega-church.

Denominations are realizing that some forms of church just aren't working as well as they did. Some denominational leaders are laying down the flag of their group in order to encourage kingdom disciple-making and church planting.

All of these people are redeemed sinners - and they have seen what the King is doing. They have tasted His freedom and grace. They are witnesses sent from Jesus to point as a sign toward His Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is among us. The Kingdom of God is rapidly advancing upon North America through the fresh breeze of a resurrected experience of life within the reign of God.

These disciples, growing in number daily, are clear that they did not start or plan this movement of God's Spirit. Left to themselves, they would have built little kingdoms under their own names to satisfy their sinful inclinations. Left to themselves, they would have held tightly to denominational heritages and condemned anyone who believed anything apart from what we knew to be true. Left to themselves, they would have never become friends.

But individualism and isolation were not to be the story. The Spirit of the Living God has merged the individual stories into one story: the story of a redeemed North America and world. There has been a release from the desire to build kingdoms, budgets, buildings, and egos. The Father is whispering into many that have ears to hear. He has revealed what He is doing and is about to do. Friendships are being forged simply because many have heard the same whisper and have attempted to be faithful. As a sign of His power and sovereignty, the King has allowed a whole lot of disciples to hear the whisper as individuals before they encountered each other.

There will soon be a movement of the Spirit in North America. God has planted the seeds of the Kingdom in the good soil of spiritually hungry people. The movement is a simple one-it is understood easily by those who are far from God, but often misunderstood by those within Christendom.

We believe that God wants to see simple churches (missional community of Jesus-followers) within walking distance of every person in North America--from cities, towns and neighborhoods and moving to all places. We see our role in this vision as "faithful watchers." Like Simeon and Anna who waited patiently for the promised Messiah, so we wait patiently for a redeemed North America. We simply want to place ourselves in situations where we can see this vision become a reality. Thus, our strategy is to watch God continue to move and encourage those who are being caught up in his movement to be faithful to Jesus and to die to themselves.