The Most Important Week of the Year

Passion Week of Jesus

From Luke’s Gospel Chapters 19:28 – 24:53

Sunday

• The triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem – 19:28-40

• Jesus weeps over the city of Jerusalem – 19:41-44

Monday

• Jesus cleanses the temple – 19:45-46

• He teaches the Passover crowds – 19:47-48

Tuesday

• He contends with religious rulers – 20:1-8

• Jesus again speaks to the Passover crowds – 20:9-21:38

Wednesday

• The plot against Jesus – 22:1-2

• Judas joins the conspiracy to betray Jesus – 22:3-6

Thursday

• Preparation for Passover – 22:7-13

• The Lord’s Supper – 22:14-38

Friday

• Peter’s denial of Jesus – 22:54-62

• Jesus mocked and beaten – 22:63-65

• Trial before the Sanhedrin – 22:66-71

• Trial before Pilate – 23:1-25

• The crucifixion of Jesus – 23:26-49

• Burial of Jesus – 23:50-55

Saturday

• Rest and preparation of spices for final entombment of Jesus - 23:55-56 (also see John 19:38-42, Mark 16:1)

Sunday

• The Resurrection of Jesus – 24:1-12

The last days of Jesus on earth after His death and resurrection…

• The encounter on the road to Emmaus – 24:13-45

• Jesus gives proof of His resurrection – 24:23-43

• The Great Commission – 24:44-48

• The Ascension of Jesus 24:49-53

This is the most important week of the Christian calendar. It is Passion week - the week we give special attention to the events leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Above are an outline of readings for the rest of the week. I suggest you follow the daily readings to meditate on Jesus' death and resurrection.

Our church will celebrate this Sunday as we gather home churches, friends and family. There will be believers from Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Limpopo - and many other provinces and countries. We will worship in a variety of languages, see a dramatic presentation of Jesus' death and resurrection, then scatter around the grounds of Africa House in small groups to discuss the Scriptures and do communion together - led by local people, many of whom are recent converts. Then there will be baptisms and more rejoicing!

I wish you could be with us!!

May this week be a blessed week for you, your family and your community.

Yours,

Floyd and Sally

The Servant Leader's Ten Commandments

1. Thou shall not make thyself a god or big boss to the people that you lead.

2. Thou shall not allow people to flatter you, and thou shall not take for your self big titles.

3. Thou shall not require an unquestioning loyalty from others, nor shall you teach people that you are their covering.

4. Thou shall not be a spiritual social climber, nor shall you purchase a theological degree online.

5. Thou shall lead with meekness and grace.

6. Thou shall not seek to control and manipulate others, nor use intrigues and scheming to get your own way.

7. Thou shall not have two standards of conduct for your public and private life, nor shall you have secret relationships or sexual fantasies.

8. Thou shall not interfere with or weaken the marriages of others by usurping authority over them.

9. Thou shall not compete with others in ministry for the allegiance or praise of people.

10. Thou shall not discourage people from joining other churches or being sent as missionaries with other groups.

Access Ministries and Church Planting

Have you ever heard of an "access ministry"? One of the keys to discipling new believers is finding the right "access ministry" to connect to their hearts. An access ministry is what we do to serve people that opens them to hear the good news of the gospel. Not every church planter/disciple maker is good at creating an access ministry, and not every person who can start an access ministry is a natural evangelist and disciple maker. But these two types of ministries desperately need to be integrated. Doing one type of ministry without the other is to be guilty of the worst extremes of missions: hit and run evangelism on the one hand, and social justice without mentioning Jesus or sharing the gospel on the other hand. Planting churches among unengaged and unreached people groups really means engaging in holistic discipleship. To start simple churches without caring deeply about people's whole lives is pretty superficial, and to be engaged in transformation of their social and economic circumstances without leading them to faith in Christ and gathering them in new communities of faith, is to not care about their eternal salvation.

We are committed to holistic church planting and disciple making in here in Cape Town. It is not easy. It takes a lot of hard work, fierce focus, and great intentionality. It means making sure there are passionate evangelists on every team we send out, and linking these evangelists with those who can start practical ministries of of social development.

Let me give you an example of how we are attempting to integrate the these two dimensions in All Nations Cape Town. In fact, I could give you lots of examples: Baby Safe - rescuing abandoned babies, Vulnerable Children - caring for AIDS impacted child-headed households, Steps Job Training, etc. In fact, every ministry we do is aimed at integrating practical care, personal salvation, and establishing communities of faith for the new believers. But one recent example stands out.

Play Prof

Two days ago I attended the first graduation ceremony of pre-school principals being trained in the use education toys for disadvantaged pre-schoolers. We do this under the banner of PlayProf. This program is led by Anna Chan. Anna is from Hone Kong and works with All Nations to train and mentor pre-school teachers and principals in Masiphumelele, a township in Cape Town. Each lady who completed the course was given a large plastic box, filled with educational toys and a teachers manual. Anna will follow up with monthly one-on-one mentoring times with the pre-school leaders.

The training course is the result of a partnership between All Nations and Pray-Prof, a South Africa pre-school training and equipping company. A child born in poverty often lacks basic motor and learning skills, which sets them on a life-time pathway of educational and learning disadvantages. Most never recover from this early childhood disadvantage. Pray-Prof exists to address this need. And All Nations is deeply committed to meet that need as well.

Anna is excited about discipling the teachers of pre-schools, the parents of children in the pre-schools, the children themselves, and their siblings. Anna sees what she is doing as a huge door opener, an access ministry, into the lives of teachers, parents, older bothers and sisters, and care givers. What she is doing is an example of holistic discipleship: she is adding huge value to people's lives, and creating an important "access ministry" for starting simple churches. She and others she works with are discipling people they meet one-to-one, starting Bible Studies in their homes, and growing up leaders to lead simple home churches. No one is more excited than Anna when one of those she has discipled to faith is baptized in one of our church celebrations.

So, while we have our personal health struggles, at the same time Sally and I are deeply encouraged. Thanks for your love and prayers.

God bless,

Floyd

Passions and Practices of Apostolic People

Are you prepared to lead your followers on a journey of pioneering passion? If so, then this issue has to be settled: are you certain that you want your followers to be apostolic people? Here are some of the apostolic passions and practices of the church in Antioch and in the lives of Paul and Barnabas:

• The leaders set aside time to worship and fast and listen to the Holy Spirit – 13:2

• They had a readiness to send out their best people – 13:2-4

• They were a multi-cultural church and leadership, before they went to the nations – 13:1

• The church in Antioch had a variety of spiritual gifts in their leadership – 13:1

• Paul and Barnabas preached the word of God without compromise, which opened the door to those who were hungry for spiritual truth – 13:5

• They focused on people whom God had prepared for the gospel - don't waste time trying to stir passion in those who are not motivated (if you do, the enemy will lead you in circles) – 13:5-6, 14-41

• When there was spiritual opposition, they opposed the opposition; they confronted the confrontation, e.g., they resisted Satan working through the sorcerer, Elymas – 13:8-12

• They were sensitive to the cultural context of the people: they told the story of the Jewish people back to the Jewish people – 13:14-41

• They storied the gospel – 13:16-17

• They quoted the prophets of the people back to the people: can you quote the secular "prophets" of our day? – 13:33

• They were careful not to give time and energy to people who resisted the gospel – 13:45,51

• They intentionally spread the word of God to an entire region - 13:49

• They were bold - 14:3

• They refused to allow people to idolize them; apostolic leaders must be very careful to do the same today - 14:14-15

• They preached the gospel: 14:7, 21, 25,

• They stayed relationally connected to their home church (no apostle is above being known or being accountable to a few people in close community) - 14:27-28

The Short History of One Black Man

A good friend and one of our key leaders in All Nations Cape Town is Bruce Chitambala. He is single, 33 years old, a university graduate, and comes from the beautiful land of Zambia. He has a passion for sports - especially soccer - and loves to disciple anyone he can, but especially emerging African leaders. He serves as a mentor to students in CPx, our leadership school. I want to commend Bruce to you for financial support. Would you prayerfully consider supporting him with a monthly gift of $25, $50 or $100? Bruce would be happy to correspond with you regularly and keep you informed of his vision for Africa. Recently, he gave a talk to our staff and students titled, The History of the Black Man. It was powerful in that it was used to break negative stereotypes of Africans and African men in particular. If you would like to correspond with Bruce his email is chitambala@gmail.com

It is God's hour for Africa!

Thank you!

Floyd and Sally

It's Africa's Hour!

Yesterday I met with an Ethiopian brother who is a student in CPx, our leadership and church planting school. He has started and oversees 164 churches in Ethiopia, so he is not a novice. He endured the time in the 1980's when the communists ruled Ethiopia and persecuted the Christians mercilessly. My question to this dear brothers, and I'm sure you would think of the same question, is why would he come to our training program when he has already done so much for the kingdom?

"I want to learn more", he said, when I asked him that question. "I want to learn how to send church planters from Ethiopia to other countries to spread the gospel".

In talking to him yesterday, I was surprised to learn that Muslims now claim 44% of the population of Ethiopia! There is growing persecution against believers in areas where Muslims are dominant. The Communist regime has been overthrown, but now the Muslims are rising up in numbers to try to take over the government. Please pray for this pastor, would you?

There are others like him who have attended CPx and are now working full time with All Nations: Bruce Chimtabala from Zambia, Munyaradzi Hove from Zimbabwe, Eric Mogane from Limpopo, and Petrus Mamonyane - these are African brothers are sold out, dedicated, men of integrity and character. They are far more effective that I will ever be, or any Westerner will be in reaching and transforming Africa.

Sally and I consider it a privilege to serve with them as co-workers. These brothers are in great need of monthly support - please pass the word to your friends or family members if you think any of someone who would like to support one of these brothers for $25, $50, or $100 a month. It would mean so much to them!"

Five Fold Church-Planters

Apostles: Apostolic church planters pioneer movements in new places and find ways to mold the church-planting model to fit new cultural challenges. They are idea people who whole-heartedly believe that truth applies to all peoples and cultures and they don’t try to change the people or the gospel as they bring them together.

Pastors: Pastoral church planters encourage and build up local leaders. They are mentors who truly believe in and support the people they are raising up. They are an understanding ear and an empathetic shoulder when things are frustrating in the church planting process. They are shepherds who love to pour into those pouring into others. They are empowerers.

Prophets: Prophetic church planters go on treasure hunts for people of peace. They receive words of knowledge to unlock hearts and encourage movements. They receive warnings and intercede for the movement not to be led astray. They are sensitive to know where the Lord has sent His Spirit ahead and where He is already working, especially if the area is difficult to access.

Teachers: Church planters with a gift of teaching know how to lead people to God’s word when they come with questions. They rise up other teachers to give the churches solid foundations of truth. They can take groups through specific passages where the Lord speaks about what people in the group are going through. They exemplify a deep knowledge of being obedient to the Lord.

Evangelists: Evangelistic church planters are the seekers; they are fishers of men. They have an anointing of favor with people and the ability to speak about spiritual things easily. They are great for finding people of peace and discerning who is really hungry for the Lord. They introduce the presence of the Lord into conversations and relationships where He wasn’t previously welcome.

By Rachel Haley - CPx student - All Nations Cape Town

Developing a Culture of Discipleship in Your Community

Defining terms:

Develop: to change, to become mature; to develop is not to teach but to model, assist, watch, then leave or hand things over. To develop disciples is more that teaching disciples.

Culture: A culture is an environment. A discipleship culture is a culture of radical obedience and passion to make more disciples. It is a movement environment!

Discipleship: to invest in one another’s lives intentionally with the goal of seeing a movement of fruit bearing, reproducing followers of Jesus Christ

What we are not talking about is measuring our effectiveness by the size of our church or the popularity of our programs, but rather looking for the longing of the majority of the people in our community to be multiplying the life of Jesus in others, and they in turn doing the same thing. We measure success by making disciples who make disciples who do like wise. 2 Timothy 2:2

What is the Secret to Developing a Disciple Making, Fruit Bearing, Reproducing Community?

1. Good soil. Jesus taught his disciples how to identify receptive soil. Read the Parable of the sower in Luke 8 and Mark 4. Jesus taught his disciples the parable of the sower and the soil. He told them this was the most important of all the parables – if they didn’t understand this parable they wouldn’t understand any parable. He said there are two types of soil: receptive and resistant, and the three types of receptive soil (rocky, thorny, and fruitful). He said only one type produces fruit. In Luke 10 he taught the same thing, but in a different way. He taught them to look for the person of peace wherever they went. Four types of soil: hard, superficial, shallow, and receptive soil. If you were a farmer and you wanted a good crop, would you focus on the first three kinds of soil or the latter? You might prepare bad soil if it is not receptive, but you would give attention to the soil that is fruitful.

Don’t baby sit unfruitful people. Love them but focus on those who are serious. This creates a culture of discipleship!

Understanding this parable will change everything about how you think and act:

1. The way you do ministry

2. How you see people

3. What you are responsible for and who you are not responsible for

4. Who you give your time and attention to

5. Motivate you to make disciples who make disciples

What the Bible says about bad and good soil people:

• James 2:5

• Matt. 18:3

• Matt. 7:7

• 1 Cor. 1:27

• Lk. 18:24-25

2. Good seed. Having the right seed is essential. Jesus taught his disciples to sow abundant gospel seed. The sower in the parable of the sower and the seed sows extravagantly, almost wastefully. He scatters the seed everywhere. In every fruit bearing, reproducing movement in the earth today, there is abundant sowing of the gospel seed. If the soil is this parable is the hearts of people, then the seed is the gospel, the good news of Jesus. It is not church, it is not programs, it is not theology or doctrine, it is Jesus. Don’t defend “Christianity,” don’t argue doctrine, sow Jesus! Share him, talk about him, tell people about him, tell your story about how you came to know Jesus. No shame. No fear. Do it in every conversation and every relationship.

3. Willing Sowers. Jesus taught his disciples to sow the seed every where they went. Don’t buy into the relativism, the tolerance of our culture. Raise up people who are culturally engaged, but are radically obedient to share Jesus. Teach people to over come fear. Help them learn how to share their story.

4. Water the Soil. Water is prayer. Praying for the soil allows us to love our city and our generation the way Jesus does. It prepares our heart to believe for a harvest. Prayer releases faith in our hearts. Pray for a harvest. Prayer is essential to see a harvest. It is the water that causes the seed to grow. It is God’s way of inviting us into a relationship of dependence on Him and love for those he is drawing to himself. Develop a culture of prayer. Early morning prayer. Prayer walking. Seasons of 24 hour prayer. Half nights of prayer. Fasting and prayer. Pray in every gathering. Pray in every one on one relationship, in every small group, for people to come to know and reproduce the life of Jesus.

5. Pull weeds and prune the vines. Jesus taught us to cooperate with pruning. Weeds can choke the plant. Teach the word and teach people to teach themselves the word. Teach holiness. Train people to be obedient to the commands of Jesus. His seven basic commands are the truth that produces obedient disciples. Spiritual disciplines are what make people grow and reproduce.

The Disciple Making Process

• Pray – with desperation and focus for fruit bearing disciples who make more disciples

• Connect – with people’s hearts who are hungry to grow and obey Jesus

• Disciple – a few individuals who are willing to study the Gospels with you – ask your disciples to disciple others and then hold them accountable to do so

• Gather – 2 or more of your disciples in a D-Group (discipleship group), and grow together

• Multiply – train your disciples to start their own D-Groups following the same process you have: first pray for the lost, connect with people who don’t know Jesus, disciple a few individuals, gather them, and then teach them to start new groups themselves

Ten Questions to Ponder for 2010

Check out these ten questions to ponder as you enter 2010.:

1. What's one way you could utilize time to increase your enjoyment of God?

2. What's the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?

3. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?

4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?

5. Who are three people you can disciple more intentionally?

6. What is the most helpful way you can build community with a few other followers of Jesus this year?

7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?

8. Who is the person you most want to encourage this year?

9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?

10. What single thing can you plan to do this year that will matter most in ten years? In eternity?