Kingdom Work - Contemporary

In one paragraph

Norris Williams, a missionary with Novo (formerly Church Resource Ministries), spoke at First Baptist Jackson while the pastor was away. He shared what God is doing through ordinary men and women in the Middle East, Nigeria, and Central Washington, and traced all of it back to a simple set of convictions about prayer, obedience, and whose job is whose in the work of the kingdom. Norris introduced...

Read together

1. Psalm 84 Read aloud in full as a congregational scripture reading before worship
2. John 6:43-45 Cited as the basis for understanding that drawing people to Jesus is God's job, not the missionary's
3. John 14:6 Referenced to describe Jesus' job as the way, truth, and life through whom alone one comes to the Father
4. Psalm 40:1-3 Quoted in the NEO ministry video about being pulled from the miry clay and helping others
5. Mark 12 Referenced as the great commandment to love God with heart, soul, mind and strength, cited as God's will for every day
6. Matthew 28 Referenced as the great commission mandate to go and make disciples
7. Matthew 6:33 Cited as the number one priority: seek first his kingdom and his righteousness
8. Matthew 6:10 The Lord's Prayer used to illustrate the kingdom as present reality in everyday places
9. Acts 20 Paul sailing past Ephesus and the elders urging him not to go to Jerusalem, used to illustrate obeying God over people
10. Acts 8 Philip on the road hearing God tell him to stand by the Ethiopian eunuch's chariot, used to illustrate hearing God outside a church setting

Talk about it

1. Norris said that John 6 changed everything about how his team does ministry, because drawing people to Jesus is God's job, not ours. What does that shift in responsibility look like practically in the way you share your faith with people around you?
2. Norris described obedience-based discipleship, where whatever you learn you are expected to obey in an accountable relationship with your group, and said that obedience is our love language to God. How does that compare to the way you have typically thought about Bible study and learning scripture?
3. Norris taught his teams to pray 'Your kingdom come, Your will be done in our kitchen, in our bedroom, on my drive to town,' treating the kingdom of God as a present reality in every ordinary moment. What would it change about your day if you prayed that way consistently?
4. Using Joshua at Jericho as his example, Norris drew a distinction between strategy, the big objective, and tactics, which God downloads fresh for each situation when we go into the tent of meeting. Where in your own life have you relied on what worked before instead of going back to God to ask what He wants now?
5. Norris closed by saying the enemy fills our time with good things and that bearing fruit requires pruning, and that a movement could happen in Jackson if people are willing to pay that price. What is one thing in your current schedule that may need to be pruned so you have more time to meet with God and make disciples?