# Christian "Emphasis" or Missional Ministry



## Yondanchris (Apr 26, 2011)

Below is an article I wrote for the April 2011 KFCI Newsletter, Enjoy! 

*[FONT=&quot]Christian &#8220;emphasis&#8221; or Missional Ministry [/FONT]*
  [FONT=&quot]By Chris Stewart[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Have we as Christians adopted the mission of Christ? Do we truly understand what that mission is? [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]In my experience in several churches over the last decade or so is that churches and &#8220;Christians&#8221; 
especially have absolutely no clue on what Jesus&#8217; mission was and what our mission is! [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Most churches I have observed or served in define their mission as: emphasis, goals,[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]direction, vision, among other descriptors. Are these descriptions the formulation of a[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]Christ centered mission? I don&#8217;t think so.  Mission as defined in Webster&#8217;s Dictionary[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]Includes this description: &#8220;group sent abroad for a specific work&#8221; the word derives from[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]the Latin &#8220;missio&#8221; which mean an &#8220;act of sending&#8221;. As Christians we have been sent, [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Acts 1:8 NKJV:[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]&#8220;[/FONT]&#65279;&#65279;_[FONT=&quot]But you shall receive power [/FONT]__&#65279;__[FONT=&quot]when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and [/FONT]__&#65279;__[FONT=&quot]you shall be [/FONT]__&#65279;&#65279;__[FONT=&quot]witnesses 
to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and [/FONT]__&#65279;__[FONT=&quot]Samaria, and to the [/FONT]__&#65279;__[FONT=&quot]end of the earth[/FONT]_[FONT=&quot].&#8221; [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Jesus made it clear the mission, mode, and authority in which His disciples where sent.[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]The mission was to be His witnesses; of His resurrection and Gospel. The mode was[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]being sent out, and the authority is by the power and gift of the Holy Spirit. If you are a[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]Believer in Jesus the Messiah you have already been given this mission. Is this the only[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]example of being sent or given a mission in the New Testament, not by a long shot! [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus commands and sends His disciples: [/FONT]
_[FONT=&quot]&#8220;[/FONT]__&#65279;__[FONT=&quot]And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, [/FONT]__&#65279;__&#65279;__[FONT=&quot]&#8220;All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  [/FONT]__&#65279;__[FONT=&quot]
Go [/FONT]__&#65279;__[FONT=&quot]therefore and [/FONT]__&#65279;__[FONT=&quot]make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son
 and of the Holy Spirit, [/FONT]__&#65279;__&#65279;__[FONT=&quot]teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, 
I am [/FONT]__&#65279;__&#65279;__[FONT=&quot]with you always, even to the end of the age.&#8221; [/FONT]__&#65279;__[FONT=&quot]Amen.&#8221;[/FONT]_
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[FONT=&quot]Once again we see a clear and definitive call and act of sending. The authority by the Son, to made disciples, 
to baptize them, and to train them in &#8220;the way&#8221;. Now that we have recognized our commission to adopt the mission, 
how are we focused to do it? Perhaps we should look a little deeper into the life and mission of Christ and draw our conclusions there. 
Within the context of scripture we see the precedence and emphasis on mission. 
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[FONT=&quot]Jesus from the beginning stated his mission in Luke chapter 4:16-19 (NKJV):[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]&#8220;[/FONT]_[FONT=&quot]So He came to [/FONT]__&#65279;__&#65279;__[FONT=&quot]Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, [/FONT]__&#65279;__&#65279;__[FONT=&quot]
He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. [/FONT]__&#65279;__[FONT=&quot]
And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. 
And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: [/FONT]_
_[FONT=&quot]   &#8220;The [/FONT]__&#65279;__&#65279;__[FONT=&quot]Spirit of the Lord[/FONT]__[FONT=&quot] is upon Me, [/FONT]_
_[FONT=&quot]     Because He has anointed Me [/FONT]_
_[FONT=&quot]     To preach the gospel to the poor; [/FONT]_
_[FONT=&quot]     He has sent Me [/FONT]__&#65279;&#65279;__[FONT=&quot]to heal the brokenhearted, [/FONT]_
_[FONT=&quot]     To proclaim liberty to the captives [/FONT]_
_[FONT=&quot]     And recovery of sight to the blind, [/FONT]_
_[FONT=&quot]     To [/FONT]__&#65279;__[FONT=&quot]set at liberty those who are[/FONT]__&#65279;&#65279;__[FONT=&quot]oppressed; [/FONT]_
_[FONT=&quot]     To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord[/FONT]_[FONT=&quot].&#8221; [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Jesus plainly declared his mission and goals through scripture and public pronouncement. 
He did not want any miscommunication about his mission or intentions. 
It was made abundantly clear what He was going to do! 
Let us look at another scripture on the mission of Jesus where he clarifies again 
his mission while on earth. 
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[FONT=&quot]Luke 19:10 NKJV:[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]&#8220;[/FONT]&#65279;_[FONT=&quot]for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.&#8221;[/FONT]_
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[FONT=&quot]Jesus again makes clear his mission and goals without skipping a beat. 
Making sure to remove all doubt and potential intentional or accidental misconstruing 
of His words, He made his mission known. If we are truly sent by God on a mission to 
proclaim the Gospel, make disciples, and to seek and to save the lost, how in the world 
are we going to accomplish it?[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]As Christian martial artists we all have been given gifts, talents, and abilities by which 
we must steward according to the responsibility God has given us. 
As members and instructors of Karate for Christ International we must fully understand 
that we are to harmonize &#8220;the way&#8221; or &#8220;Do&#8221; of Jesus and our martial arts traditions. 

At Trinity Karate for Christ here in California we accomplish the merger of Mission 
and tradition by using three aspects of Christian training: [/FONT]

*[FONT=&quot]1) Bible Study [/FONT]*
  [FONT=&quot]During each class time we devote 15-20 minutes to do a devotional based on the current Gospel 
(Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) we are studying. This is usually lead by an instructor and sometimes a student. [/FONT]
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*[FONT=&quot]2) Bible Memorization[/FONT]*
  [FONT=&quot]At each belt level the students must memorize 1-2 scripture verses in order to achieve their next belt. [/FONT]
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*[FONT=&quot]3) Written Component[/FONT]*
  [FONT=&quot]For adult students we require a 1-2 page written report or essay on a Biblical topic or theme. 
For example the first paper is their testimony followed by their understanding of the Trinity. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]We use each of these tools to develop our student&#8217;s application and knowledge of the scripture. 
These are just some of a few ways in which you can incorporate spiritual training along with the 
physical training of the martial arts. I hope and pray that we all can adopt a Christ centered mission 
by proclaiming the Gospel and making disciples within the confines of a martial arts ministry. [/FONT]


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## WC_lun (Apr 26, 2011)

I'm going to preface my comments by saying that I am not Christian.  I grew up Christian, but found my beliefs were better served elsewhere.  My in-laws were once a missionary family and through thier stories I've grown to apreciate much of what they have done.  The thing that struck me the most was that thier biggest successes came when they followed the teachings of Jesus and ministered to everyone, not because it forwarded the goals of the church, but rather because they were compasionate people.  They would see people that needed help and would help.  I think too often religious folk of all stripes want to push forward thier "side."  It is natural, but not effective.  Show me by your actions what your religion is about.  Do you berate a man for not beieving or acting as you would see him do, or do yo help him with his struggles, despite having differences with him?  The former action just creates resentment and strife in the world.  The second creates unity, trust, comraderie, and is a boon to any religion.  Just my two cents on the whole ministry thing.

Peace.


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## Omar B (Apr 26, 2011)

Seems you have added requirements to belt testing that are not apart of karate, but that's your deal, it's your school.  

I'm an atheist, from a family that's evenly divided between Hindu and Christian so it's not as if I've not heard it all before.  Not really interested in mixing my karate and religion at all.


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