The document discusses how churches can become agents of hope by focusing on discipleship and spiritual formation. It argues that Jesus proclaimed a new story of God's kingdom of service, forgiveness, inclusion and sacrifice rather than domination, revolution, scapegoating or accumulation. Churches should train disciples to embody this story through spiritual practices with the Holy Spirit's power. The key is believing the gospel, accepting disciple-making as the mission, seeing faith as a way of life practiced in community, and starting small spiritual formation.

1. ALL HANDS ON DECK!
How our
churches
can become
agents of
hope

5. 4 Emergencies:
The Human
Situation: What
Conventional View
God created the world as perfect,
but because our primal
is the story that
ancestors, Adam and Eve, did
Emerging View
God created the world as good, but
human beings – as individuals, and as
groups – have rebelled against God and
we find not maintain the absolute filled the world with evil and injustice
ourselves in? perfection demanded by God, like a terrible disease. God wants to save
God has irrevocably determined humanity and heal it from its sickness,
that the entire universe and all it but humanity is hopelessly lost and
Planetary crisis (Prosperity)
contains will be destroyed, and
the souls of all human beings –
except for those specifically
exempted – will be forever
punished for their imperfection
in hell.1
confused, like sheep without a shepherd,
wandering farther and farther into
lostness and danger. Left to themselves,
human beings will spiral downward in
sickness and evil.
Basic Since everyone is doomed to Since the human race is in such desperate
Questions: What hell, Jesus seeks to answer these trouble, Jesus seeks to answer this
questions did questions: how can individuals question: what must be done about the
Jesus come to be saved from eternal mess we’re in? The mess refers both to
Poverty crisis (Equity)
answer? punishment in hell and instead the general human condition and its
go to heaven after they die? How specific outworking among his
can God help individuals be contemporaries: living under domination
happy and successful until then? by the Roman empire, and divided into
various competing sects.
Jesus’ message: Jesus says, in essence, “If you Jesus says, in essence, “Other people and
How did Jesus want to be among those groups – including your own religious
respond to the specifically qualified to escape leaders - are leading you farther and
crisis? being forever punished for your farther astray. I have been sent by God
sins in hell, you must repent of with this good news – that God loves
your individual sins and believe humanity, even in its lostness and sin.
Peace-making crisis (Security) that my Father punished me on
the cross so He won’t have to
punish you in hell. Only if you
believe this will you go to
heaven when everyone else is
banished to hell.”2 This is the
God graciously invites everyone and
anyone to question and reject what they
have been told and instead follow a new
path. Trust me and become my disciple,
and you will be transformed, and you will
participate in the transformation of the
good news. world, which is possible, beginning right
now.”3 This is the good news.
Religious crisis (Spirituality)
1
Of course, there are many modern western non-religious ontologies and framing stories too,
plus Eastern ontologies and framing stories – both religious and irreligious.
2
This reflects a Calvinistic Evangelical protestant version of the message. The popular Roman
Catholic version might say, “You must believe in the teachings of the church and follow its
instructions, especially those regarding sacraments.” The popular mainline or liberal Protestant

6. Heat
Solar Energy
Prosperity
Resources
Waste
Equity Security
Societal Machine
The Ecosystem
Good News of the
Kingdom of God

8. Some stories are self-defeating and
suicidal ...

9. Some stories are self-defeating and
suicidal ...
Domination - us over you

10. Some stories are self-defeating and
suicidal ...
Domination - us over you
Revolution - us instead of you

11. Some stories are self-defeating and
suicidal ...
Domination - us over you
Revolution - us instead of you
Purification/Scapegoating - us without you

12. Some stories are self-defeating and
suicidal ...
Domination - us over you
Revolution - us instead of you
Purification/Scapegoating - us without you
Isolation - us away from you

13. Some stories are self-defeating and
suicidal ...
Domination - us over you
Revolution - us instead of you
Purification/Scapegoating - us without you
Isolation - us away from you
Accumulation - us (who cares about you?)

14. Some stories are self-defeating and
suicidal ...
Domination - us over you
Revolution - us instead of you
Purification/Scapegoating - us without you
Isolation - us away from you
Accumulation - us (who cares about you?)
Victimization - us in spite of you

16. Domination - us over you

17. Domination - us over you
Revolution - us instead of you

18. Domination - us over you
Revolution - us instead of you
Purification/Scapegoating - us without you

19. Domination - us over you
Revolution - us instead of you
Purification/Scapegoating - us without you
Isolation - us away from you

20. Domination - us over you
Revolution - us instead of you
Purification/Scapegoating - us without you
Isolation - us away from you
Accumulation - us (who cares about you?)

21. Domination - us over you
Revolution - us instead of you
Purification/Scapegoating - us without you
Isolation - us away from you
Accumulation - us (who cares about you?)
Victimization - us in spite of you

22. Domination - us over you
Revolution - us instead of you
Purification/Scapegoating - us without you
Isolation - us away from you
Accumulation - us (who cares about you?)
Victimization - us in spite of you
The gospel (good story) of the kingdom:

23. Domination - us over you
Revolution - us instead of you
Purification/Scapegoating - us without you
Isolation - us away from you
Accumulation - us (who cares about you?)
Victimization - us in spite of you
The gospel (good story) of the kingdom:
Some of us for all of us

25. Jesus proclaimed a radically different
framing story … Good news of the
Kingdom of God: some of us for all of us

26. Jesus proclaimed a radically different
framing story … Good news of the
Kingdom of God: some of us for all of us
Instead of ...

27. Jesus proclaimed a radically different
framing story … Good news of the
Kingdom of God: some of us for all of us
Instead of ...
Domination - Service & Love

28. Jesus proclaimed a radically different
framing story … Good news of the
Kingdom of God: some of us for all of us
Instead of ...
Domination - Service & Love
Revolution - Forgiveness & Reconciliation

29. Jesus proclaimed a radically different
framing story … Good news of the
Kingdom of God: some of us for all of us
Instead of ...
Domination - Service & Love
Revolution - Forgiveness & Reconciliation
Purification (Scapegoating) - Embrace & inclusion

30. Jesus proclaimed a radically different
framing story … Good news of the
Kingdom of God: some of us for all of us
Instead of ...
Domination - Service & Love
Revolution - Forgiveness & Reconciliation
Purification (Scapegoating) - Embrace & inclusion
Isolation - Incarnation & Healing

31. Jesus proclaimed a radically different
framing story … Good news of the
Kingdom of God: some of us for all of us
Instead of ...
Domination - Service & Love
Revolution - Forgiveness & Reconciliation
Purification (Scapegoating) - Embrace & inclusion
Isolation - Incarnation & Healing
Accumulation - Self-giving & sacrifice

32. Jesus proclaimed a radically different
framing story … Good news of the
Kingdom of God: some of us for all of us
Instead of ...
Domination - Service & Love
Revolution - Forgiveness & Reconciliation
Purification (Scapegoating) - Embrace & inclusion
Isolation - Incarnation & Healing
Accumulation - Self-giving & sacrifice
Victimization - Empowerment & Mission

34. Does it seem like relatively
few of our churches are
focused on proclaiming this
message - and training
disciples to embody it and
practice it in our world?

35. Does it seem like relatively
few of our churches are
focused on proclaiming this
message - and training
disciples to embody it and
practice it in our world?
Why might that be?

36. Our contemporary gospel is primarily
INFORMATION ON
HOW TO GO TO HEAVEN
AFTER YOU DIE
with a large footnote about increasing your personal
happiness and success through God.
with a small footnote about character development
with a smaller footnote about spiritual experience
with a smaller footnote about social/global transformation.
11

37. Heaven
Self (soul)
church
world

38. Heaven
world
church
self

39. Heaven (God’s will)
world
church
self

40. Two gospels …
One of evacuation (warehouse,
institutional maintenance)
One of transformation (mission,
community of practice …)

41. The church is the unique
disciple-forming
community that recruits,
trains and deploys people
to be transformed and to
join God as agents of
transformation - to live by
the new story of the
kingdom of God.

42. OK ...
but how?
How do we train people in
this way?
How does the process
work?

43. The process advances when ...
1. We believe the gospel of the
kingdom of God.
2. We accept the disciple-
forming mission as our own.

44. Text
Text
Text
Text
Two kinds of formation: teaching about and
training to...

47. a story about a phone call

48. …how do people learn to play in the way
of the master?

49. practice
makes
possible

50. 3. We see Christian faith as a way
of life, and our churches as
communities that help people
practice the way of Jesus so they
learn it “by heart.”

51. Are you a practicing guitar student?
Are you a practicing dentist or doctor?
Are you a practicing lawyer?
Are you a practicing Christian
disciple?

52. The term “Christian” only appears 3 times in
the New Testament. It appears to have
been a term of disparagement (Acts 11:26,
Acts 26:28, I Peter 4:15).
The far more common
term for someone who
believes in and follows
Jesus is …

53. Disciple.
This term appears 261 times in
the New Testament!
3 versus 261

54. A disciple is a learner …
an apprentice …
one who imitates a master-
teacher
and practices his way.

55. What we call “Christianity”
was originally called
the way ..
A new way of life, a
new way of love.

56. We learn information by study.
We learn a way by practice.
To follow Jesus, to learn his
way, to experience
transformation … we engage
in practice - the practice of
life in God’s kingdom.

57. Spiritual formation:
The development, through
practice, of people who
“be,” think, feel, work,
relate, serve, and play
… in the way of Jesus.

58. Spiritual practices (or
disciplines):
Actions within our power
which we do to train
ourselves to do things
currently beyond our power,
and to become people we are
currently incapable of being.

59. Beyond your ability:
Playing guitar
Typing
Running a marathon
Speaking Chinese

60. Beyond your ability:
Being patient and self-
controlled
Being kind and forgiving
Loving enemies
Living in the way of
Jesus

61. Practice makes
possible …
but

62. We cannot transform
ourselves.
Apart from Christ, we
can do nothing.

63. Work out your salvation …
For it is God who works
in you … (Philippians 2:12-13)

64. The process advances when ...
1. We believe the gospel of the
kingdom of God.
2. We accept the disciple-forming
mission as our own.
3. We see the faith as a way, and the
church as communities of practice.

65. The process advances when ...
1. We believe the gospel of the
kingdom of God.
2. We accept the disciple-forming
mission as our own.
3. We see the faith as a way, and the
church as communities of practice.
4. We (re)discover the power of the
Holy Spirit for formation and mission.

66. The process advances when ...
1. We believe the gospel of the kingdom of God.
2. We accept the disciple-forming mission as our
own.
3. We see the faith as a way, and the church as
communities of practice.
4. We (re)discover the power of the Holy Spirit for
formation and mission.
5. We start now, and start small ... even with two
or three.

68. ALL HANDS ON DECK!
How our
churches
can become
agents of
hope

69. Philippians 2:1-11

70. Let this attitude be in us,
Let this attitude be in us,
The attitude of Jesus.
Amen.

71. Christ being in very nature God
Did not count equality with God
Something to be grasped
But he emptied himself,

72. By taking the very nature of a
servant
Being made in human form
And being found in appearance
as a man
He humbled himself.

73. He became obedient to death,
Even death upon a cross
Therefore God exalted
him to the highest place

74. God gave him the highest name
of all
So that at Jesus’ name
All knees should bow
All tongues confess

75. That Jesus Christ is Lord
To the glory of God the
Father
Who works in us to desire
And do God’s good pleasure.

76. Let this attitude be in us
Let this attitude be in us.
The attitude of Jesus
Amen.