World Renewal International

I am in Carpina, Brazil at our Northeastern Seminary and International School. We just celebrated our 15th year of ministry here by holding a 2-day forum on our future strategy of church planting. [Conference speakers seen above in front of the Seminary and World Renewal - Brazil headquarters or Alcance] They asked me to speak in the first service, I spoke on new math. CPM-CP=JM. What does that mean?

I have been spending time in my thinking the last several months on the importance of speaking the name of Jesus. I truly believe that the spiritual air changes when we just say his name. I do not believe we say His wonderful name and the titles that describe him enough. I guess I began to build a theology about this when in my teens I was doing street ministry. I found that I could talk to people about God, leaving out what I meant by "God" and people seemed comfortable and liked to have discussion. However, when I would say "Jesus" people lost their comfort zones. The atmosphere changed. Many would become immediately hostile and defensive just at the mention of his name.

Now, in America "Jesus" has become many things to many people. He seems to be whatever we need him to be at the time. David Bryant goes so far as to say we have turned Jesus into our mascot. We trot him out on the fields of our lives when we need encouragement, his intervention or some prayer answered. When the need seems to be met we send him back to the sidelines to watch us do what we do until we invite him back for some other crisis or soothing of our minds, bodies, souls or bank accounts. We do it our way and then if it is not working, well, "Come on Jesus! Help me!" Bryant dares to ask us in his book Christ Is All is He, Jesus, your mascot or monarch? I confess I have had my share of "Jesus be may mascot" moments. I concur with Isaiah, "I am a man with unclean lips!" Our Jesus often seems far and even in total contrast to the Biblical Jesus.

[Pictured some of the Forum attenders, mostly pastors, church elders and seminary students]

Now back to the new math. Bob Roberts, Jr. says in his book The Multiplying Church that we who do what I do, plant churches, long for church planting movements [CPM]to sweep the countries we are working in. No argument from me there. He goes on to say however that what we need first is a Jesus Movement! [JM]

In Acts we see the beginning of a Jesus Movement that somewhere at the end of Acts turns into a seemingly out of control wild fire = [CPM] Church Planting Movement that sweeps across the pages of Romans through Corinthians on to Galatians, Thessalonians and into the 21st century.

Roberts point is that no one in the New Testament was trying to plant churches or start a CPM. They were Person Driven and that person being Jesus Christ. They were speaking about Jesus of Nazareth. Churches happen as a natural result of new believers gathering with other believers and forming new churches. That is the New Testament pattern. It should be ours as well.

For those of us who want to win people to Christ, we have learned the best and most successful tool is starting a new church in someones neighborhood. However, we cannot get the cart before the horse or the egg before the chicken or whatever. Our focus must be on King Jesus according to our Hebrews author.

Therefore CPM - CP + J= JM x C + NT = CPM. We can't win Christ followers from the world by talking Church Planting. We must add Jesus Talk to the equation. Then people will meet him and churches will happen and multiply especially when there is NT, new territory, meaning people groups that need to hear of Christ.

We are celebrating 15 years here in Brazil. We have planted 15 churches, one for each year. That is not a CPM, that is addition. We are adding one church per year. Our dream is for 200+ churches by 2020. We will need a CPM to reach our goal. New Territory? At the moment I am geographically setting in the middle of 400+ cities that do not have one evangelical church! That is NT!

A wimpy Jesus mascot will not = this new math. It will take a conquering King Jesus.

So Gary, is Jesus your mascot or monarch? Months ago I am sure Jesus whispered to me, "Gary, your heart is not big enough to hold all of me you need to be the leader and man I have called you to be." I asked him to start swinging the wrecking bar and tear down the walls of my heart so I could hold more of Him. I say to Him even tonight, "Please come with your wrecking ball and hammers, I want you as my reigning King! I want your blueprints for my life and ministry not mine or any other man or woman's.
Hey, say his name, "Jesus", to at least 4 people everyday this weekend and next week. I mean Jesus Talk believers. He is the missing person in many of we Christ followers vocab.

Thanks for stopping by.