 |
|
WHY THE JESUS TEAM? God did not ask us to join a church, denomination, or organization, but to trust in the redemptive work of His son Jesus, follow Him, and lift Him up before the world. Jesus said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19 Several years ago I stood on a high bluff overlooking the Arabian Sea in South India. As I watched, a whole village worked together to pull in a net of fish. Some were in boats. Some were in the surf. Some were on the shore. All were working together as a team to bring in this huge net of fish. From the scriptures we know this is the type of fishing Jesus was talking about. Catching large amounts of fish takes teamwork. The Church, the Body of Christ, is the team God commissioned to catch the harvest of souls He wants for His Kingdom. Jesus is the team captain. It is not an organization, but a living organism guided by His Spirit. He has gifted some people as equipers who are to train the team how to work together to bring in the harvest. Their purpose is to encourage, instruct, and correct the team members so they will learn to keep their eyes on Jesus and fulfill His purpose for them as part of the team. These equipers are to be a living example of what it means to wholeheartedly follow Christ. They are not to control, but to serve the team so it will follow the directions of the captain, Jesus. God is looking for people who will truly follow Jesus, learn to function as part of His team, and bring in the harvest. In the heart of God, and in the Word of God, there is one church. As we see it, He has put His church together in two ways, both geographically and by teams. He leads people with the same heart and vision to come together to form a team and work for the kingdom. Some New Testament examples are Paul and Silas, and Peter and John. The purpose of each team should be to make disciples, and build up the kingdom of God, not their team or organization. When the New Testament teams came to a place where the local church (consisting of all the believers in a specific geographical area) existed they worked with all the believers to lift up Jesus and build up His church and Kingdom. They worked to avoid any spirit of division (a sign of carnality - I Corinthians 1:10, 3:3, 11:18) and to maintain unity (John 17:21). The purpose of the International Jesus Team is threefold. First, we desire to help believers see the need to work together to lift up Jesus. Secondly, we want to facilitate their coming together by providing a directory and information where they can find others of like mind, and training that will help them team up with others. NOTE: All applications for the team will be evaluated before they are placed in the network directory. Applying to the team does not guarantee a listing. Thirdly, we wish to link people to resources so they can find and fulfill their vision as part of God’s worldwide team, The Church. NOTE: This does not mean fund raising. Members of the team should not request funds from other members. The International Jesus Team is not an organization you join, but a network that seeks to serve those who want to lift up Jesus and fulfill His purposes in the Earth. The team provides a place where you can register your commitment to the Lord, train to work as team with other believers, and link up with others who have the same vision and purpose, and/or who have the same geographical focus. It is a tool that you can use as you seek to serve God. When a person registers with the International Jesus Team they can give as little or as much information as they desire. The coordinators of the team then try to keep them informed so they can be led of The Spirit to work with others to lift up Jesus. Our hope is, by helping believers to work together, God’s Church will become the team He intended it to be, and reach the unreached people of the world.
Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, If you would like to be link up with The International Jesus Team, Telephone (228) 255-9251 Postal address: . |
|
|
