BIBLE STUDY OUTLINE

JUNE 2013

SUBJECT: THE MISSIONARY CHRISTIAN

INTRODUCTION:

This Bible Study Preparatory class for Cell Leaders held on the 18 th of May, 2013. The Outline

has been developed for all leaders of the Cell Ministry to serve as a guide for our Bible study

meetings in the month of June. The subject is ‘The Missionary Christian’ as taught by our Man

of God during the class.

As instructed by our man of God at the beginning of the study, every cell leader and member is

to get the book ‘Join this chariot’. So, ensure all your members get this inspiring and instructive

book on soul winning.

This outline is in 4 parts. Part 1 defines what a mission is, and throws light on who a missionary

Christian is. It explains God’s saving power, gives insight into God’s eternal plan for all mankind,

and begins the lesson on the purpose of the missionary Christian on the earth. Part 2 concludes

the lesson on the purpose of the missionary Christian on the earth. In Part 3, we learn about the

purpose for which Christ came to the earth, and how to establish the kingdom of heaven on

earth; the concluding part, sheds light on the future of the kingdom and our persistence and

hope as missionary Christians.

Kindly ensure your members have their Bibles; all the Scriptures in the outline are read during

the meeting; and your members look into their Bibles while Scriptures are read.

TABLE OF CONTENT:

1. Part 1………....……………………………………………………..Page 3

2. Part 2……………………………….……..……..…..….........….Page 9

3. Part 3………………………………………………………………...Page 14

4. Part 4………………………………………………………..……....Page 20

- PART 1 -

Introduction:

At the end of this chapter, each member should understand:

1. What a mission means and who a missionary Christian is.

2. What God’s saving power is.

3. God’s eternal plan for all mankind.

Who is a Missionary Christian?

A missionary is someone on a mission. Therefore, a missionary Christian is a Christian on a

mission.

What is a mission?

A mission can be defined as:

a cause of pursuit.

an objective, operation or project carried out for the purpose of establishing a cause, a

way of life, a ministry in a foreign or some designated place.

A missionary therefore is one who is in pursuit of a cause; who is being given or is on an

objective, operation or project, for the purpose of establishing a cause.

The missionary Christian can then be defined as a Christian who is about an objective, operation

or project; one that is in pursuit of a cause.

Psalm 67 v 2 (Living Bible): ‘Send us around the world with the news of your saving power and

your eternal plan for all mankind.’

Notice that David said ‘send us around the world…’ and not ‘we’re going around the world...’ He

knew we couldn’t go except we’re inspired to go. We have to be sent for us to be able to go.

God’s Saving Power:

Psalm 107 v 17 – 20:

17 Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. 18 Their soul

abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.19 Then they cry

unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.20 He sent his

word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

From this verse above, we see that David, who was the writer of this Psalm, knew about God’s

saving power, and the healing power of God’s Word.

Romans 1 v 16: ‘16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto

salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.17 For therein is the

righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

The Gospel of Christ is God’s saving Power; it’s the power of God unto salvation.

God’s eternal plan for all mankind:

A lot of people before David didn’t know that God had an eternal plan for all mankind. Even the

apostles had a great debate about whether or not the whole world should be saved by Jesus

Christ; they initially thought salvation was just for the Jews. But David said, ‘Send us around the

world with the news of your saving power and your eternal plan for all mankind.’ God does have

an eternal plan for all mankind.

Ephesians Chapter 1 v 9 – 10 (NIV):

9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he

purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to

bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one Head, even Christ.

What God plans to do is to bring all things together, under one head – Christ. This is God plan

and His plan is always the best plan; He’s the all wise, all knowing God, and whatever He plans

to do is the best. God planned from the beginning that you would serve and live under Christ;

that’s His plan and purpose.

Ephesians Chapter 3 v 3 - 12 (NIV):

3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.4 In

reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which

was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to

God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are

heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise

in Christ Jesus. 7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the

working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was

given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to

everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who

created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of

God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to

his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in

him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

God’s eternal plan includes everyone from all nations; He plans that through the gospel, the

Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body and sharers together in

the promise in Christ Jesus. We are to display the many sided wisdom of Almighty God to

angelic forces, powers and personalities.

In David’s day, the Gospel had not been fully made manifest. The time for his prayer in Psalm

67 v 2 to be answered had not come because the redemptive work of Christ had not been

consummated. But Christ has come now; He died, was raised, and has come into our hearts. He

brought us the Holy Spirit, anointed us and now we have been sent. That was the cry of David,

and that prayer has been answered: we have been sent around the world.

Jesus said, take this message, to the nations of the world - God’s saving Power, and make

known His eternal plan for all mankind. That was David’s prayer and Jesus has answered it

through us.

Another scripture in connection to God’s eternal plan for all mankind is Colossians Chapter 1 v

26:

26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the

Saints. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this

mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

God’s plan is all in Christ Jesus, and Christ in you is all you need; Christ in you is everything. The

mystery is Christ in you, the hope of Glory.

Our purpose on earth as missionary Christians:

What’s the purpose of the Missionary Christian and what’s our work in the earth?

God left us here on earth for a reason; otherwise, as soon as you gave your heart to Christ, you

should have gone to Heaven right away. But God left you here after you were born again

because there’s something for you to do here.

We’re here now, Jesus has come into our lives, we’ve become His partners in sharing the Good

News and our purpose here on earth is:

To reflect His glory:

Our first purpose here on earth is to reflect the glory of God; we are the reflectors of His glory.

Hebrews Chapter 1 v 1 - 3:

1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the

prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all

things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the

express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by

himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high;

Jesus is the brightness of God’s glory and the express image (the icon) of God’s person. A

missionary Christian is a reflector of God’s glory. That’s who you are and your first responsibility

as a missionary Christian is to reflect the glory of God.

Psalm 74 v 20 – 21:

20 Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of

cruelty. 21 O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy name.

Wherever the light of God is absent, there are habitations of cruelty; there you’ll find

wickedness and demon spirits carrying out their activities because the light of God may only

shine dimly. So, the dark places of the earth are the habitations of cruelty, but when the Gospel

comes, light comes and things change, and people begin to live differently.

Until the Gospel, which is the light of the Kingdom, comes to a nation, it remains the habitation

of cruelty and the home of wickedness. We find from history that until the Gospel of Christ

arrived in any nation, all they had there was spiritual darkness, wickedness, the manifestation

of satanism and all of its characteristics – evil, hatred, wickedness; and human life was cheap.

It’s the same story today; any place where the Gospel is heard small, where the light of God

shines dim, you’ll have the habitation of cruelty.

Jesus said you are the light of the world. We are the ones to bring the light to these dark places

of the earth that are full of cruelty.

Verse 21 states: 21 O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy

name.

How can the poor and needy praise the Name of God? This is a prayer for them to come out of

their trouble; out of their predicament and poverty. When the Gospel comes it changes lives;

they receive from God, and they are blessed and changed. So he says ‘ let the poor and needy

praise thy name’. When you pray like this, God hears you, but God sends you.

Genesis 1: 16: And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser

light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

The Scripture here refers to the sun and the moon with respect to the earth. Remember that

Genesis is a foundation for the spiritual kingdom that God talks about. The earth is really the

physical expression of God’s plan. No wonder the Bible says the earth is full of His glory, but

there are so many people who throughout their lifetime in this earth, never find the glory of

God; those who are in the habitations of cruelty, because they haven’t heard the Gospel.

God made two great lights: the greater light - the sun, to rule the day, and the lesser light - the

moon, to rule the night. However, the moon in itself is not a light at all but is a dark planet of

some kind. The substances on its surface are such that they reflect light in a powerful way. It

gets its light from the sun and reflects light. And so when we look at the near-side of it, we get

light, depending on how much of it is being reflected and what position it is as it orbits earth.

But the far-side of it probably is dark, depending on how much light is being reflected and what

position it is.

The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is the sun of righteousness, He’s the greater light of

righteousness and He rules the day. And the Bible says we are the Children of the day not of the

night. We are ruled by the greater light, the sun of righteousness who has made us a light just

like the moon. In our own selves, we are as the moon, but with the sun of righteousness we

become lights just like the moon becomes a light to the earth. We are the reflectors of His glory

in the earth. We get our light from Jesus, the sun of righteousness, and reflect that glory to the

world. When we beam out the light which we receive from Christ, then those in the darkness

get the light from us and can see the glory of God. You must remain connected to the sun of

righteousness because that’s where your light comes from. In yourself, without Him, you have

no light, but look at the ministry He has given us: we rule the earth that’s full of darkness. We

are His light; we are the reflectors of His glory: that’s our first ministry. He said of Himself ‘I am

the light of the world’, then He gave us that responsibility of being the light of the world. So

when you arrive anywhere, you’re the reflector of His glory; you are a light to the nations. Think

like that; understand that this is our ministry: to reflect His glory. Notice that God said the

greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night, He didn’t just say to shine in

the day or shine in the night. Light rules. It doesn’t matter what happens or what the problems

are; we rule the darkness.

Questions:

1. A missionary Christian is a Christian:

a. who is in pursuit of a course

b. who understands people

c. on a mission

d. a and c

Ans: D

2. The news of God’s saving power is:

a. Grace

b. The ministry of angels

c. The gospel of Christ

d. All of the above

Ans: C

3. God’s eternal plan for all mankind is:

a. To ensure that all men are happy

b. To bring all things together under one head, even Christ

c. To make all men missionary

d. To give gifts unto men

Ans: B

- PART 2 -

Introduction:

At the end of this chapter, each member should clearly understand the purpose of the

missionary Christian in:

1. Preaching and publishing the gospel

2. Establishing the kingdom in all nations

In part 1, we learnt that our first purpose as missionary Christians is to reflect the glory of God.

That has to do with how we live, the things we do, what we say and how we express what we

have on the inside. It’s about the life that we have received into our spirits, and how that life is

manifested through us. So we are reflectors of His glory.

Our second purpose is to preach and publish the gospel of Christ. We’re not stopping until this

takes everything to the end; till it culminates at the end of all things. That end is when Jesus

comes to establish his kingdom. It is our divine responsibility to publish the gospel of Christ. A

Missionary Christian must preach the gospel; he must be responsible for the publishing of the

gospel of Christ.

Mark Chapter 13 v 10: And the gospel must first be published among all nations.

Matthew 24 v 14: And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness

unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Why do we preach the gospel?

The purpose of preaching and publishing the gospel is:

a. To make the message known: it’s not just about preaching anything, it’s about

publishing the message of Christ, His kingdom and His salvation. The gospel of Christ is

the power of God unto salvation.

Rom 1 v 16 – 17: 16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of

God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The

just shall live by faith.

This means that God will only save men through the gospel of Jesus Christ. The

righteousness of God is revealed through the gospel of Christ; that’s where His

righteousness is hidden. When you preach the gospel, you unveil the righteousness of

God, you open up the righteousness of God to men. We’re not dealing here about a

code of conduct or just a way of life. Christianity is more than just a way of life; it is life.

Righteousness is the ability to stand in the presence of God without a sense of

condemnation and without condemnation itself, without a sense of inferiority or

inferiority. It’s the ability to stand in the presence of God in fellowship. The

righteousness of God has been the pursuit and desire of man from the earliest man.

Man has been in search of it since he was driven away from the garden of God. That’s

the reason for all the religions and cults of the world; they’re in search of righteousness,

in search of a way of fellowship with God, seeking some power and connection with

divinity. Yet all of that was hidden, wrapped up in the gospel of Jesus Christ and

delivered to us free.

b. We preach the gospel because faith is not administered if people don’t hear it. Men

cannot have faith in God Almighty until they hear the gospel. The gospel imparts faith.

We preach and teach because man’s life is made through words. You are made through

words, your world is created through words and without those words you’ll fail. You

came out of words; God’s Word is your life. That is why we have to build by preaching

and teaching.

Romans 10 v 13 – 14:

13For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.14How then shall they

call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom

they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

If they don’t call on Him they’re not going to get saved, but they cannot call until they

believe and they have to hear so they can believe. The literal presentation of Romans 10

v 13 -14 from the Greek is: ‘how shall they call on Him in whom they have had no faith,

and how shall they have faith in Him of whom they have not heard, and how shall they

hear without a preacher’. The word ‘believe’ there is actually the verb of faith; It means

to have faith and to put your faith in one. Not just anybody is going to preach and

impact the Word of God for salvation, it will have to be somebody that was sent.

Romans 10 v 17: So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

This is why we have to preach and publish the message: Faith cometh by hearing and

hearing by the Word of God. Until you hear the message, faith doesn’t come. It’s not

just about hearing sound, we’re referring to hearing by the spirit. There are so many

ways to publish the message. For example, sometimes you know you may not have the

opportunity to talk to somebody, but you can give the person a copy of Rhapsody of

Realities. They will look at it and read it later on. We have to do everything we can to

spread the message.

Everyone of us has to do something about the preaching of the Word of God; we have

to preach it, tell it and express it. Use every available means to communicate the Gospel

of Jesus Christ and also receive ideas from God, because God would give us new ideas

and help us communicate His message even better than the world has known. We are

open to receiving greater ideas from God.

Titus 1:1- 3:

1Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s

elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; 2In hope of eternal

life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; 3But hath in due times

manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the

commandment of God our Saviour.

God has manifested His words through preaching. Eternal life which God promised

before the world began has happened through preaching. So we bring eternal life to

men through the preaching of the message of eternal life. Can you see that we have the

most important job in the world? Preaching the gospel is the most important job in the

entire world. Until we preach people won’t know about eternal life and therefore can’t

have it. The missionary Christian should think like this: ‘I’ve got to tell the untold and

reach the unreached, to communicate the gospel and take the message everywhere

until the last man hears it’. This is very important.

Our third purpose as missionary Christians is to establish the kingdom in all nations. This is an

extraordinary assignment: to establish the kingdom in all nations.

John 20: 21: 21Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me,

even so send I you.

What exactly did Jesus mean when He made this statement? Did He mean that we should die

on the cross because He died on the cross? No! the Lord Jesus was dealing with specific issues

here, He wasn’t just talking in generic terminologies. What did the Father send Jesus to do? It

couldn’t be that He sent him to die on the cross, because he died on the cross and was buried

and God raised him back to life. That means the cross was not the objective so we cannot say

God sent him to the cross. For example, If you are going to school, your destination on that

particular day as you are journeying to the school is school. Wherever you might stop on the

way or whatever vehicle you may take is not the destination. Your destination is the place

where you are going. But even then, no one is sent to the school as the final destination; your

purpose cannot be school because you go to school to learn so you can apply what you leant in

something. So Jesus went to the cross not as a destination or purpose, but as part of the

process in achieving what God asked Him to do.

John 12: 44- 46: 44Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him

that sent me. 45And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. 46I am come a light into the world,

that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

Jesus emphasized here that He was sent. So, what was His purpose and what was He sent to

do?

John 10:10: 10The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that

they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Luke 19:10: 10For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

These two verses are generic explanations for His purpose. It’s like saying ‘I went to the school

of medicine because I wanted to be a doctor’; now you have qualified as a doctor what is more?

So there’s more about the purpose of Jesus. When Jesus said He was sending us as the Father

sent Him, it’s important to know what the Father sent Him to do. What was the ultimate plan of

the Father?

Mathew 28 v 18: 18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in

heaven and in earth. 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the

Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever

I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Here, Jesus said something about how He was sending us. The word ‘power’ in the verse refers

to authority. He was saying that He had all authority in heaven and on earth, and He

immediately delegated this authority to the church. This means we are to go on the basis of His

authority to teach all nations and make pupils of all nations. Jesus has given His authority to us,

the missionary Christians, and we are sent into all nations. The word for nations there is

‘ethnos’ which refers to different groupings of people all over the world. This means He is

sending us into all nations, into every man’s world. We have authority to go into every man’s

world to teach the Word, Hallelujah!

Questions:

1. The purpose of the missionary Christian is:

a. To reflect the glory of God

b. To preach and publish the gospel

c. To establish the kingdom in all nations

d. All of the above

Ans: D

2. Why do we preach the gospel?

a. To make the message known

b. So that faith can be administered to men

c. To bring eternal life to men

d. All of the above

Ans: D

3. We unveil the righteousness of God through the preaching of the gospel

a. True

b. False

Ana: A

4. Preaching the gospel is the most important job in the whole world

a. True

b. False

Ans: A

- PART 3 -

Introduction:

At the end of this chapter, each member should understand:

1. The purpose for which Jesus Christ came to the earth

2. How to establish the kingdom of heaven

Mathew 28 v 18: 18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in

heaven and in earth. 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the

Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever

I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

‘Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost’ means

something beyond dipping people in water. Jesus was not just referring to the ‘water’ part of

baptism, He is saying we are going to be called by one name and have a structure – an

organized church.

1 Corinthians 12 v 13: 13For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews

or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12 v 28: 28And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily

prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments,

diversities of tongues.

There is a structure in the church but it begins with the baptism; we were brought into the body

of Christ, and were immersed in water under His Name. And in that body, He set some in the

church in different offices to build the church. He also said, ‘I will build my church and the gates

of hell shall not prevail against it’ (Matthew 16:18). Now, we can understand that when He

gave the instruction, it didn’t mean everybody is to go anywhere to do what they like to do, it’s

more than preaching, we have to be organized. Jesus placed us in the body, which is called the

Church, for a purpose.

Hebrews 12 v 2: 2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that

was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of

the throne of God.

Jesus was put to shame there on the cross, they spat at him, put a crown of thorns on His head,

which pierced His skull till blood gushed out and ran down His face. They called Him all kinds of

names: a deceiver, thief, robber, and crucified him between two robbers as though He were a

robber but the Bible says, because of the glory ahead of Him, He despised the shame. He didn’t

care about the shame; He held on! That’s the same way we must hold on; we’re going to be

criticized, called all sorts of names, all manner of evil will be falsely spoken against us. But we,

knowing the goal, knowing what is ahead of us, must be just like Jesus and hold on, despising

the shame because we are excited about what is going to happen.

Let’s look at what our excitement is all about: In Luke 19 v 11 – Jesus was completing His

ministry and approaching death on the cross, and He told them a parable in connection with His

purpose. Here, He establishes clearly what He was about:

11And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to

Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. 12He

said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and

to return. 13And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them,

Occupy till I come. 14But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will

not have this man to reign over us. 15And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having

received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he

had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. 16Then

came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. 17And he said unto him, Well,

thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten

cities. 18And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. 19And he said

likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. 20And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is

thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: 21For I feared thee, because thou art an austere

man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. 22And he

saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest

that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: 23Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have

required mine own with usury? 24And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the

pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. 25(And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten

pounds.) 26For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that

hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. 27But those mine enemies, which

would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

The parable says that a certain noble man went to a far country to receive a kingdom. This

means that what he went to receive was not a kingdom of land and houses; he went to receive

authority. He returned with this authority and began dividing it among his servants.

The noble man had 10 servants and he gave them 10 pounds; each servant was given a pound.

Note that ‘pound’ in the parable refers to a measure of money just like in a similar parable

where talents were given. ‘Talent’ in the parable doesn’t mean a gift or ability but also refers to

a measure of currency (a talent is about 100 pounds).

He tried them with money; he gave them money and told them to trade with it. Everyone of

them got the same 1 pound. This is different from the other parable where the Bible says he

gave them according to their several abilities; he gave one 5 talents, another two talents and

the third 1 talent. These are two different parables; they are similar and the results incidentally

are very similar but they are two different cases.

The first servant gained 10 pounds and the noble man gave him 10 cities to have authority over.

The last servant however kept his pound in a napkin and wrapped it, because he said: ‘you are

an austere man, thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not

sow’ in other words, he was calling his master names by saying he was fraudulent. He was

supposed to be his servant yet he had the audacity to talk to his master this way. This was

because he had been listening to the rebellious crowd out there that didn’t like the noble man

to be their king and so, he was now talking like them. He didn’t realize that the noble man had

gotten the authority now. The master judged him from his own mouth:

22And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou

knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not

sow: 23Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have

required mine own with usury?

From this story, we see that Jesus was headed for this very thing - He was headed to get a

kingdom. He went to Jerusalem where he was betrayed, handed to the romans and crucified;

he was buried, he went to hell, defeated Satan and the cohorts of darkness, rose from death

and then ascended from the garden as our high priest into heaven and received the authority

from God Almighty. He then came back to Galilee and said to them: ‘all authority is given to me

in heaven and on earth’. Before he died, He didn’t have it and He functioned as the seed of

Abraham in the flesh, because at the time, all the authority hadn’t been given to Him; He hadn’t

gained the authority of His Name. But now He says to them, ‘all authority in heaven and on

earth is given unto me, go ye therefore…’. He had received the kingdom; it was about authority.

Jesus received the kingdom, but there’s more, he received it to establish it. The establishment

of the kingdom is what is taking place today. Though synonymously used in scriptures, there is a

difference between the Kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God. The reason they’re

synonymously used is not far-fetched, it’s because the kingdom of heaven is part of the

kingdom of God, so when you speak about the kingdom of heaven you might as well be talking

about the kingdom of God but there are specific things that relate to the kingdom of heaven

that are different with the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is ruled by God the Father

while the kingdom of heaven is run by Jesus Christ.

The kingdom of heaven is that part of the kingdom of God which Jesus came to the earth to

establish. Jesus was given the authority and now He brings us in as part of his program to

establish that kingdom on planet earth. Glory to God! This was the ultimate plan of the Father,

which we began talking about in Part 2.

Jesus said: “I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”. This kingdom

of Jesus Christ is being built and established today and each one of us has been sent as

representatives, to establish that kingdom everywhere. We’re establishing the kingdom of God

as we win souls. That is why the modus operandi and purpose must be clear when we win

souls; we don’t just win them and go away, we bring them into fellowship. That’s the

establishment of the kingdom. If you go to a place where there is no church, and you are

winning souls, start a cell there. There may just be 3-5 people but let them begin to come

together to learn and share the Word - that’s the way to establish the kingdom of God. Jesus

said: ‘where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Matthew

18:20). By this, Jesus was establishing the Church’s authority.

When you go out, maybe for a certain course in a certain city, and you win souls there, you

have to think about where the people are going to fellowship when you leave there? If there

are five of them who can come together, begin to fellowship with them; teach and train them in

the things of God and establish the kingdom, so they can begin to organize and win more souls

and bring them together. It is very important to start other cells, whether in the place of work

or somewhere close to your place of work, or in your neighborhood. Once you start a new cell,

ensure you inform your leader.

When the disciples of Jesus went out to preach and win souls, they informed the apostles in

Jerusalem about the people who had received the gospel and asked what should be done next,

and the apostles told them what to do. In the same way, when the members of the cell are

winning souls; organizing and creating more cells, they should let the cell leader know. By

planting cells in different places, you’re establishing the kingdom. You are not establishing the

kingdom when you win individuals - that’s preaching. Remember we said the purpose of the

missionary Christian is: 1) reflecting His glory 2) preaching the message and 3) establishing the

kingdom. By the time you’re establishing the kingdom, you’re consolidating the work of

preaching. After preaching to others, you bring them into a home, a place for them to function,

where they can carry out further ministry and they become part of the Church. If they are close

to where we have churches, they should come to church, if they are not, we start a cell. But

then the cell leader must be informed, who takes the message to the group pastor or leader

depending on how the Church has been structured. So we can then synchronize our work and

make more progress.

To help us understand this better, let’s read 1 Corinthians 15: 12 - 28

Paul explained that the resurrection of the dead is an important part of Christianity. The first

Adam brought death, while the second Adam, Jesus Christ, brought the resurrection. The time

is coming when Jesus will deliver this kingdom: the kingdom of heaven, to the Father. He must

reign till He has put all enemies under His feet, and the last enemy that shall be paralyzed,

destroyed and annihilated is death. Death has been defeated and paralyzed already, but it will

be finally annihilated and destroyed.

We are a part of His winning team; we’re establishing His kingdom everywhere in all nations

and as we do it, He is reigning through us because He must reign till the last enemy is

destroyed. Notice that in verse 25, it says ‘for he must reign till he has put all enemies under his

feet’ and verse 27 says ‘for he has put all things under his feet’. This means that there are rebel

holders of authority, even though Jesus legally has the authority over them; they are refusing to

be subject to Him, but He will reign over them until even death is destroyed because death is

the last enemy.

There are also other enemies who are not yet subject unto him, but who legally have been

made subject to him. These are systems and structures that are rebellious against God all

around the world today, but we are establishing the kingdom of God everywhere no matter

what they think. There are people who are saying there’s an anti-Christ spirit in the world today

and they think that the church is being marginalized and becoming irrelevant to the society.

They believe that the time is coming when the church will not be remembered. Don’t believe

such people, they don’t know what is going on, and are listening to the wrong news. The

Church of Jesus Christ is greater today than ever before. We are making more impact today

than at any time in the history of this world; this is real and is going to continue to build. We’re

building extraordinary momentum in the kingdom today; so much is happening and the Bible

says He must reign till He has all His enemies under His feet. Through us, the Name of Jesus is

reigning; we’re reflecting His glory everywhere and winning souls in all sectors of society –

that’s what is happening.

Questions:

1. The following is true about the kingdom of heaven except:

a. The kingdom of heaven is part of the kingdom of God

b. The kingdom of heaven is the extension of God’s kingdom by Jesus Christ

c. Jesus came to establish the kingdom of heaven on the earth

d. The kingdom of God is headed by Jesus Christ

Ans: D

2. We establish the kingdom of heaven by:

a. Bringing men into fellowship

b. Starting cell groups as we win souls

c. Consolidating the work of preaching

d. Getting new converts to come to church

e. All of the above

Ans: E

3. We have been sent as representatives to establish the kingdom of heaven everywhere

a. True

b. False

Ans: A

- PART 4 -

Introduction:

At the end of this chapter, each member should understand:

1. The future of the kingdom.

2. Our persistence as missionary Christians.

3. Our hope as missionary Christians.

The future of the kingdom:

The kingdom of heaven has a future. The anti-Christ is not taking over:

Read Daniel 7 v 1 – 27 (NIV)

Daniel was looking at something going on in the earth, in the realm of the spirit, and at the

same time he was seeing something going on in heaven. As we’re working here in the earth,

there are things happening on God’s time-table; things happening in heaven with respect to

what is going on in the earth.

Daniel was talking about the days of the anti Christ and we are approaching those days; he

talked about the ten kings that will arise in the earth. From the dream of Nebuchadnezzar

(Daniel 2:28 – 44), he talked about the head of goats and a beast that he said had feet made of

iron and clay. Daniel interpreted that the last kingdom that would come will be a mixture of

weak and strong nations and so, they will never be able to completely unite. As you cannot

unite clay and iron, he said there will be weak nations and strong nations mixed together and in

their day, a stone will come from heaven and this stone will destroy this feet, and the whole

structure of human kingdoms will collapse.

The antichrist is not going to win but will be destroyed forever. The future of the antichrist is

clearly written: he’s going to be defeated, the court of heaven will sit and the power of the

antichrist will be taken away from him and completely destroyed forever. And then the

sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the

saints of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship

and obey Him. Hallelujah! We are a part of this great team, God’s winning team, and we are

establishing His kingdoms in all nations.

Our Persistence:

The missionary Christian has to be persistent, we don’t just give up because we know the

future; we know what we are about, what we are up with, and what the vision is.

2 Timothy 4: 2 – 5: 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke,

exhort with all long suffering and doctrine3 For the time will come when they will not endure

sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching

ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.5 But

watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy

ministry.

As missionary Christians, we must be persistent in season and out of season, preaching the

gospel both when it is convenient and when it is not convenient. Sometimes there are

difficulties and hardships to go through, and the conditions may be very terrible. But Jesus said:

‘If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world,

the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out

of the world, therefore the world hateth you’ (John 15:18-19)

There’ll be persecution, and there are those who will despise you, but in the midst of all that,

we are winners. That’s why the Bible says to watch in all things and endure afflictions. Don’t

give up when things look difficult; there are people who have given up the faith just because

they prayed for something and it didn’t happen. Remember Esther who said ‘I’m going before

the king, if I perish I perish’. There are times we take some risks and there are things we have to

do because of the gospel.

2 Timothy 4: 6 – 8:

6For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7I have fought a

good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8Henceforth there is laid up for me a

crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not

to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

We’re in a fight of faith; while you’re preaching the gospel and praying for someone to get a

new job, you may lose your job. Or you may be praying for families to get healed while yours is

broken. Sometimes you’re blessing others to have money and at the moment, all you’ve got is

taken from you or you have to give it. It’s a fight of faith while you are out there, but Paul

looked at everything he had to endure and he said it was good.

Our Persistence in soul winning:

Luke 15: 1 – 10: 1Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.2 And

the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with

them. 3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 What man of you, having an hundred

sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after

that which is lost, until he find it? 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders,

rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying

unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.7 I say unto you, that

likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine

just persons, which need no repentance. 8Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she

lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? 9And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying,

Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. 10Likewise, I say unto you, there is

joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

It’s not enough to have a crowd, because a crowd is faceless. Just because church was full last

Sunday doesn’t mean that everyone that was supposed to be there was there; you should take

count of those that were supposed to be there. Soul winning must have accountability and

that’s one of the reasons for the cell system; for us to account for the souls God is bringing to

us. It’s important you understand that Jesus was referring in the Scripture above to the lost

sheep who strayed away and not a lost sinner who had never come to the Lord before. He was

talking about one of the hundred sheep that got lost from inside out, He wasn’t talking about

the person who had never been inside. He was not dealing with the sinners of the world who

need to come into Christ but those in the house who strayed away. He’s saying, where is that

brother who went back into the world or that sister who went back into sin and you can’t find

in the church? They are the ones Jesus is asking us to seek and He says there’s joy in heaven if

we can find them and bring them back. If you’re going to have growth, you can’t be replacing

souls; there’s got to be accountability. Let’s not give up; lets win them back. Find those that you

are not seeing in church and win them.

A lot of times this parable is used in preaching to people about soul winning. While it works and

is beautiful, in reality, that’s not what it’s for; it’s for those who were in the house and strayed

away from the house.

Another example is the parable of the prodigal son, which is also used a lot of times in

preaching to sinners. It’s important we understand their places in generic preaching; they do

make sense when you’re talking about the lost in general. For example in the parable of the

prodigal son, the father said: ‘This my son that was lost is now found, he was dead but he’s now

alive’. In this case, speaking in generic terms, you’re going to have to make God the Father of

everybody in referring to his son that was lost. But in reality, He doesn’t present Himself as the

Father of all men. He’s the creator of all men but not the Father of all men. Also, in relating to

the two brothers in the parable of the prodigal son, it will be very difficult to explain how that

we Christians and the non Christians have been brothers, that’s going to be very difficult and

the ideology will be muddled up. So, it’s important to understand that in reality, the parables

are referring to those in the house who strayed away.

So we have to be persistent like that woman who was seeking her lost coin and the man who

was looking for his sheep; they were persistent and we too must be persistent. Paul said: ‘I’ve

fought a good fight’; he had to fight the fight of faith and stand his ground. That’s persistence

and missionary Christians must be persistent.

Our Hope:

What is our hope as missionary Christians?

1 John 3: 2 – 3: 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall

be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is 3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

In other words, right now we are like Him in the spirit and have the same nature with him, but

we don’t look like him in our appearance; we are not yet glorified on the outward. When you

see Jesus, you’ll see Him in the glory but when He comes back we shall be like Him. We would

also be glorified like Him and put on that glory just like Him. This is our hope.

2 Timothy 4 v 8: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord,

the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that

love his appearing.

That’s our hope: There’s a day coming and we are going to receive our reward. The missionary

Christian knows that there’s a day of reward coming.

1 Corinthians 1 v 8: 8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the

day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There’s a special day of the Lord talked about in the Scriptures, it’s that day of judgment, not

the white throne judgment, but the day that Jesus is revealed from heaven – the day of Jesus

Christ.

2 Thessalonians 1 v 7 - 9: 7And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall

be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that

know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9Who shall be punished

with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 10When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe

(because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

This is referring to day of Jesus Christ. Remember the noble man in Luke 19, who received

authority and came back saying ‘where are those citizens that would not want me to reign over

them’; he said, ‘bring them and slay them before me’, that’s what he’s talking about here when

Jesus comes back. The stone which the builders rejected the same has become the head of the

corner.

1 Thessalonians 4:15 – 18: 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which

are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep16 For

the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and

with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. 17 Then we which are alive and

remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so

shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 5 v 1 - 11: 1But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I

write unto you. 2For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in

the night. 3For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon

them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4But ye, brethren, are not

in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5Ye are all the children of light, and the

children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6Therefore let us not sleep, as do

others; but let us watch and be sober. 7For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be

drunken are drunken in the night. 8But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the

breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. 9For God hath not

appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10Who died for us, that,

whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. 11Wherefore comfort yourselves

together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

In the world today, people are trying everything to have peace, and somewhere along the line

they will say we are now more secure, we don’t need religion or any God, we can do things

ourselves; then, sudden destruction will come upon them as travail upon a woman with a child

and they shall not escape. Notice the terminology used in verses 3 and 4:

3For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as

travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren , are not in

darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5Ye are all the children of light, and the

children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

Notice the distinction between us and the people of the world. Jesus coming as a thief in the

night to the people of the world. For us Christians, He told us to watch and pray. Our spirits are

alive unto God and His coming won’t be as a thief in the night for us; we’ll be ready in our spirit.

We are just going to be waiting because we’ve been working for the Master.

Questions:

1. The missionary Christian has to be:

a. Friendly

b. Persistent

c. Beautiful

d. Exciting

Ans: B

2. We must preach the gospel when it is convenient and when it is not convenient

a. True

b. False

Ans: A

3. What is the hope of the missionary Christian?

a. The day of reward when the Lord returns

b. The judgment of the sinners

c. The great tribulation

d. The persecution of the saints

Ans: A

4. Soul winning must have accountability

a. True

b. False

Ans: A