As discussed in our previous post (read it here), we have become convinced that life, becoming authentically human, being made fully alive in Christ, is the end we are called to achieve both in and through our lives. In this post (and the ones to follow) I will try to communicate with you what we are doing with the lives we have been given based in this belief.
Our hope is that this will help and hopefully give people a greater level of confidence in becoming even more engaged and willing to take significant steps of faith alongside us for the sake of seeing "future kingdom now" take place in one or every area of our lives, depending on your own passions or relationship with us.
So here goes my attempt at clarity;
There are currently three major ministry endeavors that Ronnie is significantly involved in both locally (Kelowna) and overseas (Spain & England). My percentage of overall engagement in these three ministries would breakdown as follow:
- Overseas Leadership Development, Church Planting & Community Engagement (NLI Network) - 40%
- Local Church Planting & Initiation of Missional Faith Communities (LifeLinks) - 40%
- Initiating, Developing and Participating in a Mentoring Organization(Addressing the issue of Fatherlessness) - 20%
For me the work overseas consist of working in partnership with nationals for the purposes of seeing their communities and nations become a clearer reflection of God's kingdom come. This is happening through leadership development and church planting. My role has been to help facilitate, organize and be a part of the training, as well as, working together with partner churches, national leaders and local planters to see new churches established. My heart and bend in both the training and the church planting is challenging and inspiring churches to engage socially into their communities and see God's kingdom life come in the world and lives they find themselves in relationship with. I also believe that because of that mandate of engaging in their communities one of the specific things I am being called to do is to help with the initiation and development of new and unique church expressions and hopefully finding ways to link these new expression of church with the traditional expressions of church and vice versa.
As outlined above, this specific work happening overseas takes up 40% of my time. However, I believe that 80% of my time is actually devoted to this, as I see the church planting endeavor I am a part of helping initiate in Kelowna is a key component of what God is asking me to do in an overseas context. The local initiation of a network of new and unique expressions of church in my own cultural context is an essential part of my growth, development and ability to help see this take place in an overseas context. I am also engaging with the Network of LifeLinks in the development of their church planting endeavors as a network, which again has continuity for the whole of what I am doing both locally and overseas.
We believe that all things in the age to come (future kingdom) will be characterized by life, by being fully alive. There will be no more suffering, no more sickness, no more tears, no more death. We believe that this is exactly who Jesus is and the gift God has given the whole world in Jesus,
"So, just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, in the same way the son of man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may share in the life of God's new age. This, you see, is how much God loved the world: enough to give his only, special son, so that everyone who believes in him should not be lost but should share in the life of God's new age." (John 3:14-16 - The Kingdom New Testament)
We are convinced that it is our mandate to live this future kingdom now. We are meant as followers of Jesus, as kingdom people, to be instruments of identifying, sharing, facilitating, embracing, releasing this reality of God's new age. This is an age made possible and characterized wholly and completely by Jesus, his life and his love.
We believe the lives we live, the life we are being a called to live, the actions we must take to live that life, are all filtered through the grid of the age to come. The life that Jesus offers all, allows each of us to overcoming death, showing us that He is the way that leads to truth, (the truth of who he is, the truth of who we are) and therefore brings us all to life, to becoming authentically human.
Because of this belief everything we do;
- Taking care of and being a nucleus family
- Loving and caring for our extended family, friends and neighbours
- Coaching our kids sports teams
- Mentoring fatherless youth
- Starting an organization that is focused on addressing the issues of fatherlessness (one child at a time)
- Initiating faith communities who are focused on the future kingdom come (in the places where life happens)
- Working alongside, coaching, training, loving, supporting and blessing church leaders and church starters in Europe, England & Canada
- Walking and sharing in life with other like minded leaders in city we live in
- Pursuing a masters degree and interacting with a new set of friends and a wonderful and inspiring group of people
is about following the way of Jesus, living the truth of who Jesus is and the truth of who we are in him. It's about pursuing life, the life that Jesus gives us, the life of the age to come, the life of God's future kingdom now.
What we do, how we are doing it, simply comes from the leading and directions of Holy Sprit and being obedient to the kingdom opportunities God asks us to become a part of and trusting him to make it happen. It comes from knowing that together in partnerships we can do way more then we could on our own (nothing we are doing is being done alone). It comes from seeking first his Kingdom and not trying to build our own.
We are thankful that at this point and time we can say that God has also been faithful to add everything else to it. We continue to trust and hope for him to do that as we continue to walk in faithfulness to being and bringing life to the world around us with the faith, hope and love that come from the life that Jesus has given us.
Gratitude and Shalom to you,
Ronnie +
The glory of God is man made fully alive- St. Irenaeus
Ps. we will be posting a number of blogs over the coming weeks and months giving more details and talking more specifically about each of the things we are a part of here in our city and overseas. If you are interested in anything we are doing or would like to get involved in anyway please send us an email, moldableclay@gmail.com
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