Gospel Carriers (Old and New) - The Pneuma Foundation

Gospel Carriers (Old and New)

by Kirk Hunt

Historical Digression

And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands. (1 Samuel 17:47 KJ2000)

During WWII's Battle of the Coral Sea, 5 warships were sunk and over 1,600 men killed. The historic nature of the battle is not in the numbers since other naval battles were much larger. For the first time in human history, none of the naval vessels in the battle fired directly at each other. In fact, none of the combatant vessel sighted an enemy ship.

The decks of the carriers landed and launched aircraft in rapid succession. The deck crews worked feverishly to keep planes in the air. Despite their skillful and valiant effort, all of the carriers in the battle took damage. Two sank.

The pilots and aircraft of the Japanese and American carriers ended the era of battleship dominance. The heavy guns of the cruisers and destroyers were effectively silenced while the carriers and their planes dueled. The pilots, not the big gun batteries, prevented the Japanese from landing troops at Port Moresby, New Guinea.

Current Realities

The Battle for Souls rages on. The enemy continues his mission to land sinfulness in the hearts and minds of men and women everywhere. As the Battle continues in full fury, the Christian Church has the opportunity to respond as never before.

Surprisingly, the Church Herself does not engage directly with the culture. Instead, the Church fuels and equips, trains and instructs, Christian men and women. After arming them with Scripture and the Spirit, the Church launches believers into the fray.

Is the Church important and vital to believers? Of course. Yet, it's the individual Christian who does the heavy lifting in reaching and wining souls. Large outreaches often draw large crowds, but its one-on-one, or one-on-few relationships where the essential work of salvation and Discipleship gets done.

The need for teaching and training new saints has been present from the beginning. Jesus discipled the Disciples. The Disciples discipled the Roman world. Not even the outpouring of the Holy Spirit has altered the process.

Immediately After Pentecost

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. (Acts 2:41 KJV)

Peter's Pentecost sermon can easily be called an outreach event. The one day addition of 3,000 to the Church is clearly a desirable outcome. Who wouldn't be delighted with Sunday after Sunday of wild growth?

Pentecost Sunday was an unique event, even for Peter and the Disciples. For most ministers and ministries, growth requires a lot of hard work and long days. 2^nd Chapter of Acts results come less often than we would like.

Still, we pray, plan and perform. What we don't always emphasize is the follow-on discipleship. After you get them, what do you do with them? More importantly, how do you turn newly redeemed lives into soul winners?

Long After Pentecost

The 3,000 were devout men of the Jewish faith. Still, they needed Christian training and indoctrination. When they returned to their homes, throughout the Roman Empire, they would need the education and experience they gained during their short time with the Disciples.

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. (Acts 2:42 KJV)

Spirit-filled saints have enjoyed potlucks from the beginning. What we often leave out is the Bible study and prayer time. As always, the "secret" of growth and effectiveness is found in hard work and glistening brows.

It may not be easy, but it works. The 3,000 became a Gospel core that evangelized the "known world." They in turn replicated the process after they returned home.

The Holy Spirit empowers us. Yet, He doesn't normally plop Scripture and maturity in our hearts and minds. Bible knowledge and faithful belief are normally the outcome of a disciplined program of study and discipleship.

The taught become teachers. The reached become reachers. Missions is the engine. Discipleship is the rest of the vehicle.

And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. (Acts 2:46-47 KJV)

"...the Lord added..." Strategy and rational thought have their place and purpose. I believe God is pleased when we think our way through or around problems. Still, some things only come through fasting and prayer. We must not plan or program out God's presence. We must not become so organized that the Holy Spirit can not exercise His disruptive blessings.

"...the Lord added..." Fellowship is a vital, and too often missing aspect of modern churches. Soul weary people are looking for human contact and authentic relationships. Even strong saints need to laugh and chat with Gospel family.

The Case For Frenzy

And the things that you have heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2:2 KJ2000)

The flight decks of a carrier are crazy, chaotic places. Men rush back and forth, fueling planes, loading ordinance, and patching battle damage. The only place free of frenzy are the catapults where planes are launched back to the battle.

Planes landing on the carriers Yorktown and Lexington, or Shokaku and Zuikaku, didn't stay for long. They needed to refuel, rearm and relaunch as rapidly as possible. A plane and pilot in the air can defend the mother ship, or better yet, execute the mission. Every plane sitting on deck is a danger to the carrier.

The classrooms and meeting spaces of our churches ought to be crazy, chaotic places. There should be a constant hum of teaching, training and mentoring. The only calm and order should come during commissioning services.

Saints sitting in the pews aren't fulfilling the mission to reach and save the lost. They need to be re-filled with the Holy Spirit, rearmed with Scripture and launched out to battle for souls. Sitting in the pews does not expand the Church

Missions are at the heart of a growing congregation. So is discipleship. Natural babies need a lot of care and training. So do newborn saints.

Salvation Academy

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. (Hosea 4:6 KJV)

A modern carrier equips the planes and pilots with the latest training and most powerful equipment at hand. The modern Church should equip men and women, boys and girls, with the most potent Scriptural teaching available. We want saints to enter the fray with the best training possible.

As you plan for the growth of your church or ministry, plan the discipleship as well. Our churches should be academies of soul winners. Not content to be stuffy academics, staff and instructors alike ought to be veterans active in the battle for souls. The students should be eager to follow where their teachers lead.

Zeal alone is not enough. The modern world is increasingly complex. We should not scrimp on the training and education of the saints.

In this modern era, we teach ancient Truth. The Gospel has survived through centuries. The good news of Jesus Christ will continue, vital and strong, until He returns in power and glory. Seek fresh anointing, but remain true to the Old Story.

The best Bible teaching may not come from the newest doctrinal or pedagogical movements. Often, the tried and tested methods remain the best. What springs up overnight sometimes dies the same way.

Our goal is to create eager and educated saints who practice what they have learned. The focus should be on what works. Consistency with Scripture should always be the first measure of what we do and teach. After that, real-world effectiveness should test and temper our teaching and training.

Christians In The Real World

Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. (John 4:35 KJV)

Academies teach knowledge, but they also teach skills. The Christian Church must never become a musty storehouse of thought and theory. We must always have a bias for action. Can you imagine Paul and Peter calmly debating an esoteric theological detail?

Even more than skills and knowledge, the Church should create and cultivate an attitude of humble righteousness, loving service and sincere care for the lost. We should excel at winning hearts and minds, despite background, history or persuasion. Unbelievers should easily detect the Christian saints in their midst, not by their words but by their actions.

The time is now. The Holy Spirit is available today. The potential harvest is the biggest in human history. Where and how are you gathering souls?

Landing Is Good, Launching Is Better

And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. (Luke 14:23 KJV)

Landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier is a difficult, dangerous maneuver. A plane and pilot sitting on deck can not defend the carrier or advance the mission. While loading fuel and ordinance on the plane, the ship is more vulnerable to enemy fire.

Launching from the deck of a carrier is much easier than landing. In the air, the plane and pilot can protect the carrier. Only a plane in the air can carry out the mission.

Christian men and women often come to church desperate to worship. Sometimes they can only find a fresh touch of the Holy Spirit in the pews. Too often, they are spiritually malnourished from not taking in enough Scripture on their own.

The Church must teach and train saints to spiritually nourish not just themselves, but the unsaved they meet in the culture. As much as we love our brothers and sisters, we don't want them to spend too much time in the pews. The real action is out in the streets where the unredeemed wander lost.

Every Christian man and woman, boy and girl is a carrier of the Gospel. The Church is where they refuel and reload. Launch them from the pews and into the fray.

Kirk Hunt, BS, MBA, is the director of Men's Ministries At Copper Mountain Assembly of God in Oro Valley, AZ. His devotional podcasts can be found at http://cadremenpress.com/devotionals.

Prepared for the Pneuma Foundation website by KenJ