Jesus defined his evangelistic ministry citing Isaiah 61:1-3.

As he was beginning his ministry, Jesus defined it citing Isaiah 61:1-3. Here is what it says

1. The spirit of God is on me because…
   The Holy Spirit has come in power. We know that he has come
   …To comfort all who mourn.
   To bring the consolation and encouragement of God to those who have experienced loss. All this shows that proclamation alone is inadequate. It must be accompanied by action.
   …and the day of vengeance of our God.
   To prophesy God’s justice as well. God will bring justice in his time. It’s his job not ours.
2. The Lord has anointed me…
   The Holy Spirit has given me the power I need to do specific ministry.
3. …To preach good news to the poor.
   Here is the key target of my ministry – the poor. They are targeted for preferential treatment, because their pain is greater. The irony is that usually good news is breathlessly shared; rarely does it have to be preached.
4. He has sent me…
   God has commissioned me. I am his envoy.
5. …To bind up the brokenhearted,
   Again, a group of people is targeted. I am to bring hope to those who have lost theirs.
   I am to encourage the disappointed, to bring emotional healing where pain throbs.
6. …To proclaim freedom for the captives,
   This is a deliverance ministry that involves speaking liberating words to those in bondage to the enemy. And while they are everywhere, words must be spoken before they experience freedom. For some it is a vision of freedom I’m sharing, to others, the words themselves activate freedom.
7. …Release from darkness for the prisoners,
   This may be physical healing for some and release from spiritual bondage for others as the devil’s grip on their lives is pried loose.
8. …To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
   To prophesy God’s blessing to people. To say: “It will come to this house.”

Then, in a parallel passage, Luke 4:18-20, Jesus announces that the prophecy is fulfilled. And in Luke 7:20-23 we see the prophecy confirmed in these ways:

The blind receive sight.

The lame walk.

Those who have leprosy are cured.

The deaf hear.

The dead are raised.

The good news is preached to the poor.

It’s daunting, but not complicated. That was Jesus’ ministry and it is to be our ministry as well. We have been given all the authority he was given, and Jesus proclaimed that as we minister, we would see even greater miracles than the ones he did (meaning we are without excuse).

Hear the Word….. Again

Isaiah 43:1 – 3

But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:

“ Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
3 For I am the LORD your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I gave Egypt for your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in your place.

Hear the Word

Isaiah 48:12-13

 “ Listen to Me, O Jacob,
      And Israel, My called:
      I am He, I am the First,
      I am also the Last.
       13 Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth,
      And My right hand has stretched out the heavens;
      When I call to them,
      They stand up together.

Hear the Word… Again!

Isaiah 55: 5-7

Surely you shall call a nation you do not know,
      And nations who do not know you shall run to you,
      Because of the LORD your God,
      And the Holy One of Israel;
      For He has glorified you.”
       6 Seek the LORD while He may be found,
      Call upon Him while He is near.
       7 Let the wicked forsake his way,
      And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
      Let him return to the LORD,
      And He will have mercy on him;
      And to our God,
      For He will abundantly pardon.

His Missions

The Lord is teaching us that missional mindset is the single most effective way to plant a growing, evangelistic VFSMC movement and churches affiliated with The Southern Methodist Church. In a real sense mission is the very lifeblood of the church.

As the body cannot survive without blood, so the church cannot survive without mission. Without blood the body dies; without mission the church dies. Stated in other words, the church most frequently establishes its rationale for being—its purpose for existing—while articulating its faith. An unexpressed faith is nominalized and withers.

We must reach out to our communities with the gospel. A Christian fellowship without evangelism and church planting loses its vitality. Outreach and evangelism to our neighborhood reshapes our personality forcing us to think once again as a missionary people.

We must identify, train and commision others to do the work of ministry. Another God-given goal at VFSMC is also to raise up a new generation of leaders who think of themselves as missionaries in North America. They will learn that developing a church planting movement in North America requires the accomplishment of three essential tasks.

1. First, initial evangelism must lead to planting new churches.
2. Second, Christians must be nurtured to maturity.
3. Third, emerging leaders must be trained to evangelize and plant other churches, pastor and shepherd the new communities of believers, and train still other leaders.

We need your prayers and support. No church planting movement can operate in red and no church can come into existence without intentional accomplishment of these tasks by the power and guidance of God.  These transformations to become a missionary people will take a commitment of personnel and finances. Would you help?

In His Missions

Erick & Joyce Chepkwony

Defining Success

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We hear God challenging people to relinquish the consumer mentality that affects all of us. We here God challenging us not be a Ministry that offers promises of free gifts, tasty coffee, extravagant productions, marketing gimmicks, or the answers to all one’s questions or issues. Instead, God is simply calling us to extend an opportunity to others to experience community and Christ as we become His hand and feet.

The most humbling lesson for me in over the course of the last ten years of ministry is asking God to change the way I define success and how others defined me or our church. We want to be a church not of programs, but of people who are compelled by God to use their gifts and ideas to interpret and convey the grace of Christ. In doing so, we have come to the simple realization true success is  to hear Him say well done my good and faithful servant.