“I see a whole army of my brothers and sisters in Christ here in defiance of tyranny. You have come to fight as free men and women. Free men and women you are. Fight and you WILL die, run and you’ll live…at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemy that he may take our lives, but he will never take our freedom!” - adaptation of Mel Gibson in Braveheart

We have the opportunity, as individuals and as a body, to die. I say opportunity because God’s Word tells us that “unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit (John 12:24).” What is more fulfilling here on earth in our determined march toward eternity with our Lord than to not only serve Him in the white fields of harvest, but to actually bear fruit and present it to the only worthy Lamb as his promised inheritance?

We, the elders of Indianapolis Christian Fellowship, walking in obedience to the commandments of our God, are choosing to follow Christ as He makes us fishers of men. This means dying daily and taking up our cross. It means mastering the fundamental principles of our daily walk with Christ instead of being mastered by the daily affairs of life. These principles are found in Hebrews 6 – repentance from dead works, faith toward God, instructions about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment – and are a necessary foundation for any work of God. You too now have such an opportunity to join this adventurous pursuit to carry out His commands under the sufficient grace only He can provide. Come follow us as we follow Christ.

Yes, you may leave or stand by and observe during this battle, but no matter how long you comfortably live, you cannot completely escape the wounds of this spiritual war. You will also fail to find any pursuit resulting in more joy, any hunger resulting in more satisfaction, and any cohort resulting in more strengthening. So you can choose to fight while individually on the run or fight our enemy by charging as one body. I want Indianapolis Christian Fellowship to be on the offensive with worship for His mighty works going on before our Lord as He attacks as described in Revelation, “His eyes are a flame of fire…and from His mouth comes a sharp sword.”

There will be a cost. What precious is purchased without a cost? The greatest down payment in history was made on our behalf with no strings attached. Now, what are we willing to give? “…whatever the cost or destination.” It will cost us what we hold dearest – our very lives. “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it (Luke 9:23-24).”

What does it mean to lose my life? We must put first the Kingdom of God and demonstrate the willingness of Abraham, who knew the benevolent Father and was willing to give his son. That same benevolent Father God, who was willing to give His Son Jesus and promise through Him, “There is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he shall receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions (yes, that is a reward allowing us to share in the suffering of our Savior); and in the age to come, eternal life (Mark 10:29-30).” All these things will be added.

• Our prayer warriors will be key pointmen in all we do
  • Strengthen communication to prayer team
    • From all ministries
    • From missionaries
    • From finance team
    • From elders
  • Testimonies after prayer
  • Individual requests
  • Evangelism targets
  • Community / political issues
  • Taking ground through prayer walks
• Encouraging growth in individual prayer/fasting discipline
• Baptisms of the Holy Spirit as normal as salvations and water baptisms

"Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you." Luke 10:20

As Christian workers, worldliness is not our snare, sin is not our snare, but spiritual wantoning is, viz.: taking the pattern and print of the religious age we live in, making eyes at spiritual success. Never court anything other than the approval of God, go "without the camp, bearing His reproach." Jesus told the disciples not to rejoice in successful service, and yet this seems to be the one thing in which most of us do rejoice. We have the commercial view - so many souls saved and sanctified, thank God, now it is all right. Our work begins where God's grace has laid the foundation; we are not to save souls, but to disciple them. Salvation and sanctification are the work of God's sovereign grace; our work as His disciples is to disciple lives until they are wholly yielded to God. One life wholly devoted to God is of more value to God than one hundred lives simply awakened by His Spirit. As workers for God we must reproduce our own kind spiritually, and that will be God's witness to us as workers. God brings us to a standard of life by His grace, and we are responsible for reproducing that standard in others.

Unless the worker lives a life hidden with Christ in God, he is apt to become an irritating dictator instead of an indwelling disciple. Many of us are dictators, we dictate to people and to meetings. Jesus never dictates to us in that way. Whenever Our Lord talked about discipleship, He always prefaced it with an "IF," never with an emphatic assertion - "You must." Discipleship carries an option with it.

·        Elders set the pace

o       Senior Elder with elders

o       Each elder chooses two or three

o       Senior Elder meets with congregation one family at a time

o       All sheep will be accounted for

·        Encouraging the making of disciples

o       Discipler must build his/her relationship with God

§         Spiritual disciplines

·        Bible study

·        Prayer

·        Fasting

·        Evangelism

·        Tithing

·        Honesty

·        Service

§         Attitude of repentance

§         Evidence of fruit

o       Families must be discipled first

o       Discipler must be discipled

o       Discipler must have a vision

o       Discipler must call disciples willing to follow

o       Discipler must integrate disciples into lifestyle

o       Disciples should become disciplers

·        Incorporating discipleship into all ministries

o       Encourage discipleship in everything

§         Missions

§         Children’s Rooms

§         Platoons

§         Momentum

§         Music Team

§         Prayer

§         Prophetic

§         Evangelism