Church PLANT Manual

68 • Church PLANT Manual

3. The directive: to teach to obey everything Christ taught B. The Kingdom of God, Matt. 6:33; Mark 1:14-15; Rev. 11:15; Rom. 14:17 1. The Kingdom of God = the reign and rule of God in the midst of his universe 2. The kingdom of darkness = the reign and rule of our mortal enemy: Satan, the Adversary, the devil and his agents: the rulers of this darkness, Eph. 6:12 C. The Church of Jesus Christ = the Body of Christ: the visible manifestation of the living Christ in the world today, the revelation of God’s wisdom in the world, and the agent of God to proclaim reconciliation throughout the earth, Matt. 16:18; Eph. 1:22-23; 1 Tim. 3:15; Eph. 3.8-12; 2 Cor. 5:18-21 Discipleship is the fulfillment of God’s plan to restore His reign throughout the earth, by multiplying disciples of Jesus through the church to every nation (people group) on the face of the earth! To make disciples is to fulfill the mandate of the risen Lord till He comes! II. TheWhys and theWhats of Discipling in the Church A. Why disciple in the church? 1. The church is the locus of God’s concern in the world – his desire is to form a new humanity in the church. 2. The church is the agent of God in his mission to reconcile the world to himself.