CHURCH ON WEEKENDS - CHARISMA ON SUNDAYS

A SERVICE FOR "GALILEANS" - Mt. 4:12-17 - OUTREACH
 
When Jesus planted His ministry in Capernaum (Mt. 4:13-14), it was Isaiah's prophetic word 750 years earlier that led Jesus to station Himself in the region of Galilee (Is. 9:1-2).  Of utmost importance was Isaiah's phrasing that the Messiah would reach "Galilee of the Gentiles", not "Galilee of the Jews."  In other words Jesus ministered to the non-covenantal people of the Gentiles right from the start while also being called to the House of Israel.

This speaks of Jesus' burden for the global harvest from the very inception of  His ministry.  The signs, wonders and miracles so vividly recorded in the Gospels were to bring healing and hope to the hurting and downcast Gentile populace that lived in an region that had for centuries been dominated by foreign armies invading from the North.  Zebulun and Naphtali would certainly see a great light (Mt. 4:15-16).

Jesus thus specifically and deliberately spent his "charisma" (gifts, anointing, and power of the Holy Spirit) on the lost.  He was drawn to the broken ones (Ps. 145:14-15).  Jesus built a monster ministry under the skies of Galilee.  Along the shores of the nearby salty sea (Mt. 13:2; mk 2:13, 4:1-2, 5:21), gentle plains (Lk 5:17), open fields (Mk 1:45), mountain peaks (Mt. 5:1), city markets (Mk 6:56), and his own home (Mk 2:1), Jesus ministered with power and grace - freely and frequently to all who were hungry.  Galilee was his tent.  He made do without any permanent facilities.  Ownership would have been nice, but it wasn't essential.  Jesus visited many synagogues (Mk 1:39, Mt. 4:23, Lk 4:15), but never raised money to have his own centre. He "rented" the open skies to be His canopy.  
 
SUNDAY CRUSADES (MINI-STYLE)

Translating this into city planting initiatives, there is burden for the lost God wants to deposit in us.  And God wants us to use our "charisma"  (Holy Spirit's gifting) to reach the lost; to demonstrate that the kingdom is not just words, but also power (1 Cor. 4:20, 2:4).  When this happens, conversion becomes all that more full and transforming as one's first imprint is of God's supernatural ability.  Faith has a clear picture of God's glorious might (1 Cor. 2:5).   

Towards this end, while services should have the distinct goal to build up the believers, it should also incorporate a charisma component, a "crusade" element where people can experience the love and power of God.  Members should be equipped to minister in healing, prophesy, and comfort for the sake of the lost.  Worship teams should be trained to bring the presence of the Lord so the atmosphere is pregnant with expectation, excitement, and freedom for the Holy Spirit to move with impact in the service.  The messages should be clear and compelling and do not have to be long.  Salvations should be properly followed up with a clear system to integrate new believers into the body.   Finally, a permanent space is not required for such Sunday services.  A clean spot with properly trained greeters is the most important part.  Your place doesn't have to be fancy, but make sure the experience is excellent.  Between the power of God, great preaching, well-trained ministry teams, "Galileans" will be touched and ushered into the Kingdom of God.  Then you place them in the Small Church Uprising (TM) system so they can become oaks of righteousness (Is. 61:3e).