Seven Mountain Island

There was a barren island covered by seven mountains. The land was ugly but glowed with latent expectancy.

The people of the land were born infused with a need to connect with their creator, but they surrendered the perfect state in which they were created, so they were no longer equipped to join with their Creator on their own. God, deeply loving the people more than they could possible imagine or know, made a way, and sent five waves to transform the Island.

The first wave came, the seed wave, gently carrying billions and billions of seeds. The wave passes over the barren land, over the tops of the seven mountains. When the wave receded, as all waves do, there were seeds everywhere. Some fell on rocky soil, some fell on the hard paths, and some seeds remain on mountains not suited for their growth. Those seeds died or remained dormant. Many many fell in goods places, and died. When they died, they sprouted. And the Barren land turned green.

Some of the sprouts began to grow. The seeds that fell on the mountains best suited for them were much more successful than the ones which did not. When the seedlings covered the mud and loose soil, the people prayed, seeing the green, began to have hope. They prayed for deliverance, for transformation. In the fullness of readiness, God sent the second wave.

The second wave swept over the Land, the soaking wave, harder than the first wave, but when it receded it left a rich and thick covering of nutrients-just the right ones for each and every plant. The people didn't understand the purpose of the nutrients, because they stimulated the root growth, and not the tops. The people eventually learn to let the plants soak in the richness of the nutrients, without disturbing them. Some plants began to thrive more than others. They outgrew their counterparts, and even as bushes they provided shade so that even some dormant seeds planted in the first wave sprouted. A few grew so far and so fast that they became unstable, in danger of collapse.

At just the right time, God sent in the third wave, the stabilizing wave. The third wave brought specialized support structures, different ones for each mountain and plant type. These strengthened the fastest growing plants. By now, the plants on each mountain were beginning to look different from each other. When the wave receded, the tie downs and supports remained. Plants are different on every hill, and every hill has different kinds of supports.

When the Island had sufficent growth, God sent the fourth wave, the spreading wave. It brought nutrients that made the plants grow above the ground. Some of the plants grew so fast that they spread onto empty ground, and some sent off buds and shoots to join the wave God sent with seeds to the next Island in the chain. Some of the plants simply grew in on themselves and become weak. The only fed themselves until they became too fat to move onto other ground. The plants that grow fat and weak together begin to rot, though the live seed remained. They regressed to needing second wave nutrients for the seeds to bloom again.

Some plants become large and strong trees, especially blessed and favored because of their surrender to God. These trees began to set up their broad crowns to join together to make a net that covered the whole Island. They knew there was another wave coming, and they prepared to catch and retain the bounty brought by the next wave when it came.

When God sends the fifth wave, the securing wave, then all the riches of God will be brought to the Land. When the tree crowns catch and retain the bounty, the land will be finally and fully transformed.

A Believers Missional Life

....Your Kingdom Come, Your Will be Done, on Earth as it is in Heaven....

Diverse groups of Christ followers, being led by God's Spirit, are being drawn toward living their Christian life with Kingdom Purpose. Some of these groups are large, like Empowering Kingdom Growth and some are small, like Harvest Christian Center. Some have written books, like Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life and Purpose Driven Church. We are being drawn to understand our Kingdom Purpose, whether in church or missionary work, business, the arts, government, social advocacy, or education.

Two questions to ask:

1. Am I individually serving the Kingdom Purpose God has for me? This includes time with God, cultivating relationships with the lost and with believers, being good stewards of my time, my responsibilities, my health.

There are several great studies to help you find your talents, gifts, passion and place of service. Network is a great book by Bill Hybles, an a series of online Survey by the Elca.org, and Another self assessment survey by Kodachrome.org are good starts

1. Are the organizations in which I have a role serving their kingdom Purpose? This includes my Family, My Small group, My place of employment, My church.

Here are some questions to help you answer the individual question. Here are four dimensions to explore to help you find where your ministry fits in Gods transformational plan.

Enterprise C: The Catalyst Ministries

These are the Sons of Issachar Ministries. They Serve The Enterprise A and B Ministries by connecting them, suggesting strategic alliances, serving catalysts, forging alliances between ministries, facilitating coordinated movement.

Johnny Combs recently published a book Kingdom Catalyst, describing the catalyst role of every believer. Some Ministries serve the same role as they serve others ministries.

Unique Ministry Giftings: God has equipped your ministry with vision to listen to the visions of others, to see and paint a picture of what God may be doing. To paint a vision in such a way that others can see what to do next.

Unique Ministry Passion: a passion to multiply the minstries of others. Showing ministries how God encloses behind and before them, and in what way God has his hand on a ministry. Interccesory prayer, encouragement, and God-given faith in the anointing of others your gives your ministry peace, joy and energy.

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Enterprise A: Front Line MInistry

These are the ministries that directly touch the lost and hurting believers with the Love of Christ. They are the Hands of God, the planters, the tenders, the harvestors, beloved of God.

Unique Ministry Giftings: God has equipped your ministry with a special package of talents, gifts and passions, and he has anonited them to serve together the uniqe mission he has given the ministry

Uniqe Ministry Passion: a passion to serve the lost and the body of Christ within a specific range of tasks he has chosen for you before you were formed. Serving in these tasks gives your people and ministry peace, joy and energy.

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Enterprise B: The Equipping Ministries

These are the Ephesians 4:11-12 ministries. They Serve The Enterprise A Ministries. They are the ones who help others discover the gifts and Help them become free to be the Hands of God.

I was once with a missionary who had sold his farm in Kansas to create a ministry that feeds abandoned children in Mexico. It was a Long drive home, with ages of silence, each of us in our own thoughts. He looked over with tears in his eyes and said "don't these kids make you want to sell everything and come down here and join me?" I said, "no....it makes me want to do what it takes to serve you." It was then I knew I was called into equipping ministry, the enterprise B ministry.

Unique Ministry Giftings: God has equipped your ministry with discernment and wisdom. has anointed you to sacrificially serve the Front Line Ministries.

Unique Ministry Passion: a passion to serve the front line ministers. Y0u encourage and celebrate their fruit. Serving in these tasks gives your people and ministry peace, joy and energy.

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