During Equip this year, one of the trainings that has influenced me the most is Filling the Earth. This training is a 7-part series about God’s glory filling the earth through his Church. Through Filling the Earth, I have seen more of God’s heart for both his own glory and for his people. Each of the six Kingdom Growth Values has challenged and encouraged me not only in ministry but also in my personal walk with the Lord. Let’s take a closer look.
Values for multiplication taught in missionary training
If God promises that his glory will fill the earth, He has a plan to make that happen. Multiplication through disciples making disciples is God’s plan to display his glory for all to see. I have recognized the importance of not only desiring multiplication but also in focusing on the end result of God’s glory all across the earth. This end result helps keep me in “Z thinking”: beginning with the end in mind.
As we discussed in Filling the Earth, Jesus taught the disciples Z thinking. In Matthew 24:14, Jesus said that before his return, the Gospel must first reach all nations. In knowing this as the desire of our King, we can live in the reality of seeing it actualized. By keeping Z thinking in mind, I am learning what to say yes and no to.
One aspect of Z thinking that I love is it does not just apply to “ministry time,” but instead affects every area of my life. If we desire to see his gospel proclaimed to every nation and his glory fill the whole earth, we will live our lives in a much different way. As husbands and wives, moms and dads, friends, employers and employees, and simply people who keep the end in mind — our day to day should take on a radically different look than if we tried to multiply without the end in our hearts and minds.
Incarnational living
Jesus came to earth in the body of a man, yet displayed the image of the invisible God. Fully God and fully man, Jesus lived the most incarnational life ever. As his followers, we need to do the same. We will never be God. But as the body of Christ, we have the high honor of being his dwelling place. Jesus has made our hearts his home! For this reason, we get to put God on display for all to see.
Because the Church of Jesus Christ is now a spiritual house, we no longer are bound by a physical building or place of worship. Instead, we as the Church are released to spread the glory of God into every corner of the earth. God’s presence dwells in the midst of his people – he is fully among the community of believers. This is an incredible reality!
The Church is beginning to see more and more that her King is with her regardless of a building. As a result, the glory of God will spread out in new ways to the four corners of the earth. Wherever the people of God are, there he is, with us. This truth allows us to move with confidence into new places where the Gospel has yet to be heard, knowing that the glory of the Lord is seen in and through us.
God’s vision
The principles of multiplication through Z thinking and incarnational living help us see God’s vision as stated in Habakkuk 2:14,
“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”
In ministry and in moment-by-moment living, my desire is that Jesus’ glory be seen through me. As we accept God’s vision for Filling the Earth as described in Scripture, our hearts will become aligned with his in ways we never dreamed. Next week I will show other ways that I have learned through missionary training that the Lord is inviting his people to join him in seeing his glory fill the earth.
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