The Essential Role of the Local Church in Building

Free and Prosperous Nations

The Cry Freedom Workshop

God’s unfolding plan to bless, heal, redeem all nations is the basic theme of the Bible

God’s strategy for blessing nations: Through his covenant people (Israel/OT, Church/NT)

Telos, the ultimate goal: The ingathering of the nations, the glory and splendor of the nations brought into the New Jerusalem

This is why the church exists!

God’s Remarkable Plan for the Nations

The church is to be in the world but not of the world:• to be salt• to be light• to be filled with people of the Book

wherever they are – Christians on Monday as well as Sunday

To be externally focused in order to disciple the nations

Impacting the World

The local church plays a vital, essential role in fostering◦ The Truth◦ Virtuous, industrious, self-governing citizens ◦ Strong, healthy families

If the church doesn’t play her God-ordained role, no other group or institution can! Not the government, not international organizations, nobody!

The Foundation of Free and Prosperous Nations

Gathered for worship & equipping

Scattered for service & discipling the

nations

The Truth, as revealed in Scripture, is the foundation for free, prosperous nations

The church is the steward of God’s Word for the good of the nations

The church has a prophetic role, to stand-up for, and speak forth the truth

The church, as part of the larger society, must intercede for the nation. She must confess and repent over the sins of the society (If my people, who are called by name will humble themselves…etc.)

The Truth

The church must disciple the nation by bringing God’s truth—the biblical worldview/biblical principles—to bear in all areas of life, and all spheres of society.

See the basic principles for building free, just, and fruitful nations outlined in the “Cry Freedom” videos

The church must understand these basic principles. It must govern itself according to these principles (incarnate them before the watching eyes of the nation)

It must speak-out and advocate for these principles to government leaders

The Truth

Such people are a basic requirement of free, prosperous nations

The problem: “There is no one righteous, not even one…” (Romans 3:10).

The solution: The Gospel! “But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and Prophets testify” (Romans 3:21)

The church is the steward of the Gospel

Evangelism, personal repentance and regeneration are the essential first step in building free, prosperous nations

Virtuous, Industrious, Self-Governing Citizens

The church must train and equip its people to become Christ-like

◦ It must help them “take off” cultural lies and deceptions, and “put on” the truth—the biblical worldview.

◦ It must help them live-out the great commandment, the “irreducible minimum” of sacrificial love and service to neighbors.

It must help them walk in the truth

◦ In their primary vocation as family members (fathers, mothers, etc.)

◦ In their secondary vocation, developing a biblical theology of vocation, incarnating and proclaiming God’s truth in every sector/sphere of society.

Equipping Centersfor developing Virtuous, Industrious, Self-Governing Citizens

Once people are equipped, the church must send them into all areas of the city

Sending Centersfor developing Virtuous, Industrious, Self-Governing Citizens

The family is the most basic social institution in any nation. It is the basic social building-block of free, prosperous nations

The family is the God-ordained school of virtuous character-building and self-government

The church must equip fathers to shepherd their families, and mothers to nurture and educate their children

Strong, Healthy Families

The church is called to fulfill three components of the Great Commission:

• GEO-GRAPHIC: Spread from Jerusalem Judea Samaria Ends of Earth (Acts 1:8)

• DEMO-GRAPHIC: All nations or “people groups” (Matthew 28:19)

• KTIZO-GRAPHIC*: All creation (Mark 16:15)

* KTIZOGRAPHIC is a construct of two Greek words: KTIZO, the root of KTSIS, meaning ‘creature’ or ‘creation’ & GRAPHO, meaning ‘to describe or delineate’

The Great Commission

“… there is not a square inch of the whole domain of our human

existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all does not cry:

“Mine!’”

Abraham KuyperFree University’s inaugural convocation

1880

The Great Commission (Geographic, Demographic, and Ktizo-graphic)

Family

Spheres of Society*

Worldview

Spiritual Regeneratio

n

Character

Discipled NationsThe

End

Local Church

* Government, Arts, Media, Education, Commerce, etc.

Discipleship

Evangelism

Mission

Putting it All Together