{"id":436,"date":"2019-11-19T12:45:16","date_gmt":"2019-11-19T12:45:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ywamdtsreframe.com\/?p=436"},"modified":"2023-04-06T14:22:18","modified_gmt":"2023-04-06T14:22:18","slug":"becoming-a-people-like-jesus-who-bear-kingdom-fruit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ywamdtsreframe.com\/km\/the-curriculum\/becoming-a-people-like-jesus-who-bear-kingdom-fruit\/","title":{"rendered":"Becoming a People like Jesus Who Bear Kingdom Fruit"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The night before his death, Jesus shared with his disciples that he would soon be leaving them in order to prepare a place in the presence of the Father for them. He promised them that he and the Father would send Holy Spirit to be with them.\u00a0<\/p>

Jesus describes the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit as one who would help, counsel, reveal, guide, convict, and continuously make Jesus and the Father available to them. Jesus told them that the day they receive the Spirit they would know that he (Jesus) was with the Father and that they (the disciples) were there with him (John 14-16).<\/p>

At his ascension, Jesus tells his disciples that he has regained humanity\u2019s God given authority to rule on earth. He then commissions them to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the\u00a0Father, Son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything he commanded them. Then Jesus promises he would be with them always (through the Holy Spirit).\u00a0<\/p>

Before he left, Jesus instructed his disciples to wait for the gift of Holy Spirit who would do all he had said in John 14 \u2013 16, all the prophets promised and more. He would empower them to live as he lived. In fact, Jesus said they would do even greater things. And so they waited.\u00a0<\/p>

On the day of Pentecost, 120 followers of Jesus (all Jewish) received this promised gift of Holy Spirit and the Church was born. At this point, the co-laboring with Jesus begins. The early chapters in the book of Acts tell key stories of Peter and John\u2019s public ministry as they proclaimed the Gospel that Jesus Christ is Lord and performed signs and wonders. Many from among the Jews were saved. They continued their Jewish practices and added gathering in homes for teaching, prayer, fellowship and breaking bread together.\u00a0<\/p>

It took some time for the early Christians to understand that Jews and non-Jews (Gentiles) were equally loved by God and equally in need of a Savior \u2013 Jesus. Acts 10\u00a0tells the story of God convincing Peter to reach out to the Gentile, Cornelius. Acts 11 tells the story of some followers of Jesus who reach out to not only Jews, but also Gentiles in Antioch. Paul, a leading Jewish Pharisee and persecutor of the Church, encounters Jesus, becomes a Christian and responds to God\u2019s call to be an apostle, sent out by the Church at Antioch to the Gentiles. Acts 15 tells the story of the decision the Church made to facilitate Jews and Gentiles coming together in Christ.<\/p>

The rest of Acts and the letters written by Paul, John, Peter, James and others, gave encouragement and instruction aimed to grow the churches into maturity, bearing kingdom fruit in their communities in anticipation of a future HOPE<\/a>. The early Church continued to look forward to Jesus return while continuing to proclaim the Gospel and bear kingdom fruit<\/a> in every sphere of life<\/a>.<\/p>

And so today, God\u2014Father, Son and Holy Spirit\u2014is still sovereign and is moving human history toward his good desired goal (kingdom come\/New Creation). God chooses to do this in ways that include our role to steward creation. Through our union with Jesus (the True Image Bearer<\/a>) by the empowering of Holy Spirit, the Church (Renewed Image Bearers<\/a>) is to proclaim the Gospel \u201cthat Jesus Christ is Lord\u201d bearing the fruit of God\u2019s kingdom in all of life as we await the return of Jesus.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Engaging your DTS in this part of the Story<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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We engage students in this part of the story with instruction\/teaching that gives knowledge and application in how to walk by the Spirit, put off sin and put on life in Christ, including a number of spiritual practices.\u00a0<\/p>

Since the Spirit is foundational to how we grow as Christians, our aim in all program elements (practices) is to bring awareness to what the Spirit is doing, help students\u2019 recognise his active presence and cooperate with him, and where appropriate respond in personal or group application.<\/p>

We give students many ways to see how they contribute to God\u2019s ongoing story through their relationships, with ministry opportunities on Outreach, and other places that we can make a space for them to grow in their talents and giftings or try new things. We help students clarify their sense of vocation and how they might contribute to God\u2019s kingdom purposes in their family, work, church, etc. after DTS.<\/p>

We teach students the Gospel (that Jesus is Lord), practice sharing this in class and give them opportunities to share the Gospel in a variety of creative ways during local outreach, free time and the Outreach Phase.\u00a0<\/p>

We develop and emphasise unity in the DTS and Outreach teams as both a way to witness to God\u2019s character and to manifest his life in their midst.<\/p>

We send the DTS to local outreach and to the nations on Outreach because God\u2019s heart is for all people to know him and for his kingdom to be established on earth. We expose the DTS to major themes on God\u2019s heart, such as the poor, orphans, refugees and peoples that have never heard the name of Jesus, responding in intercession and ministry opportunities when possible.<\/p>