The Mass Movement Jesus Started

Speaker: Kevin Davis

What is a Mass Movement?

Mass movements have always been the driving force in cultural, political and spiritual change. So how do they work?

1. It’s an idea birthed by a dedicated person
2. It starts at the bottom of society
3. He/she then gathers a few followers
4. Rejection from the existing powers
5. The idea takes off
6. It challenge the existing powers
7. There’s a tipping point
8. It becomes mainstream – the new power

Historical Mass Movements

• Siddhartha Gautama: Buddhism
• Jesus: Christianity
• Maewyn Succat: Brought Jesus to Ireland
• Mohandas Ghandi: India’s independence
• Adolf Hitler: Nazism
• Ying Kai: 2,000,000 in China
• Victor John: 15,000,000 in India
• Greta Thunberg: Climate activist

Re-Examining Jesus’ Ministry

1. Why didn’t Jesus go straight to the cross?
2. Why was his ministry in Galilee?
3. Why did he train twelve disciples?
4. Why did he spend so much time with Gentiles?
5. Why did he baptise more disciples than John? (John 4:1-2)
6. Why did he choose ordinary “idiotai” men? (Acts 4:13)
7. Why send the 72 to a “person of peace”?
8. Who was that man in Luke 9:49-50?
9. Why was Jesus really killed? (John 11:48)
10. Who were the 120 in the upper room? (Acts 1:15)

The Four Phases of Jesus’ Ministry

The Four Fields (Mark 4:2-20)

After telling the parable of the sower…

• Rocks: Sowing
• Shallow Soil: Growing
• Weedy Soil: Growing
• Good Soil: Harvest

Mark 4:13
“Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables?”

Mark 4:26-32
He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain; first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

“To what can we compare the kingdom of God? With what parable shall we present it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds sown upon the earth. But after it is planted, it grows to be the largest of all garden plants and puts forth great branches, so that the birds of the air nest in its shade.”

Jesus’ Strategy in Galilee (Luke 3:10)

First the Vision/Testing: Entry/Ploughing

• Then the message: Sowing
• Then the disciples: Growing
• Then mass change: Harvest

Field One: Entry/Ploughing (Luke 3:21-4:13)

1. Baptism in water: Death to the old life: Luke 3:21
2. Baptism in the Holy Spirit: Power for the new life: Luke 3:22
3. Testing: A trying transition: Luke 4:1-13
4. Have you ploughed our heart? What are your weeds?
5. The best way to plough your heart is to make disciples!!!

Field Two: Sowing (Luke 4:1-44)

1. Mission: 4: 18-19: Good news, liberty, recovery, freedom, favour = Jubilee
2. Rejection in Nazareth: Luke 4:14-30
3. Accepted at Capernaum: Luke 4:31-41
4. Miracles, healings, deliverance
5. Life Groups encourage everyone to sow gospel seeds
6. He sowed spiritual liberation
7. He sowed in Galilee “of the Gentiles”
8. He sowed in Lebanon, the Decapolis, Samaria
9. Miracles – Conviction – Repentance
10. The most fruitful field for sowing is your oikos/peers

Field Three: Growing (Luke 5-8)

Growing Through the Supernatural (Luke 5)

1. Multiplication begins
2. Perhaps 100 followers at Capernaum?
3. Jesus calls Peter, James, John, Matthew: Luke 5:1-11
4. Was Levi Jesus’ first “fourth soil” disciple?: Luke 5:27-31
5. Why fishermen, why Levi?
6. Life groups are Ignite’s vehicle for growing new believers

Growing Leaders (Luke 6: 12:49)

1. Jesus called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them: Luke 6:13
2. Training begins: Luke 6:17-49
3. Multiplying himself was the goal
4. Movements need lots of training
5. Movements need lots of leaders
6. Life Groups are training vehicles
7. Ignite is committed to training everyone

Growing Opposition (Luke 5:17-6:11)

1. Opposition comes from religion/tradition
2. Healing a paralysed man: Luke 5:17-26
3. Eating with sinners, fasting: Luke 5:27-39
4. Sabbath: 6: Luke 1-11
5. Luther, Huss, Wycliffe, Graham Staines, Watchman Nee, Indian believers, our church inertia?

What are your religious traditions!!!

Field Four: Harvest (Luke 8-10)

Harvest Multiplication (Luke 8-9)

1. Parable of the multiplying discipler Luke 8:1-15
2. Second and third soils are lukewarm believers
3. Fourth soil people were multipliers?
4. Jesus then sends the twelve on prac: Luke 9:1-10
5. Now there are thirteen kingdom workers!
6. Galilee rocked: Luke 9:7-9
7. Thousands pour in: Luke 5:11-17, 12:1, 14:25
8. An unknown disciple gets it: Luke 9:49-50
9. Ignite needs an ARMY of trained disciplers

Luke 10:1-3

1. Jesus sends 72 others: Luke 10:1
2. Who are they?
3. Now there are 1+12+72 = 85!
4. Harvest is huge, workers are few: Luke 10:2
5. Pray for more workers: Luke 10:2
6. Jesus wants an army of disciplers
7. The best workers are new believers
8. Ignite wants you to pray for more workers!

Luke 10:5-21

1. What is a “person of peace”: Luke 10:5
2. Levi, Zacchaeus, Woman at well, Centurion
3. “Stay” disciple them: Luke 10:7
4. Eat what is offered, overlook culture: Luke 10:8
5. Preach the kingdom, and heal: Luke 10:9
6. The 72 and Jesus were full of joy: Luke 10:17-21
7. Now at least 36-50 new workers: Luke 10:1
8. 1+12+72+36 = 121 trained leaders (120!)
9. Ignite wants to copy this model. Join us!

Conclusion

1: We need an army of intercessors

2: We need to train up…

• New disciplers
• New life groups and leaders
• New believers
• New online disciplers
• Easter disciplers camp

Let’s go Ignite!