Influence: The Assignment of the Church to Change the World

By Milton Drew Brown

The most powerful agent God has released in the earth to manifest and establish His Kingdom is the Church. Jesus reveals his plan to establish the Church in Matthew 16 when he proclaims to his disciples, “on this rock I will build my church”. In that very same conversation, Jesus tells his disciples he is giving them the keys to the

• Language: English
• Publisher: Prepare International
• Release date: Apr 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781951769017

Book preview

Kingdom Influence

M. Drew Brown

Copyright © 2020 Drew Brown

(Print only) ISBN: 978-1-951769-00-0

(Digital only) ISBN: 978-1-951769-01-7

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018936841

Published in the United States of America

All rights reserved as permitted under the U. S. Copyright Act of 1976. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the expressed written permission of the author and publisher.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise marked, are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Cover Art by Lacey Quebe and Ewelina Rivillo.

Foreword

Carved distinctly in my memory is a several-hour conversation between the author of this treatise and myself as we traveled from Austria’s alps to the beautiful city of Vienna.  The subject was the Kingdom of God. The joy and benefits of the subject transcended the ardor of travel. I am delighted with this book!  It is amazing what happens in the atmosphere when a relevant issue is discussed and Drew Brown and I are fixed on the eternal relevancy of the Kingdom of God. I love the title of this work, Kingdom Influence. It simply means the the power to produce effects! If the Kingdom of God is important at all, it is all-important. It is as vital that we believe in its absolute supremacy as that we believe in its existence.

This book will leave you with a passion, not only to know more about the Kingdom of God but will continue as a source for delving into its collateral implications as to all that is vital in Christianity. No issue offers a beneficial explanation until it is examined and positioned in light of the Kingdom. It is not just a truth to be examined; it is a power to be received and a lifestyle of continuing revelation and transformation.

This author, my spiritual son and colleague, has a grip on Kingdom truth that is unique. The reader of this work will receive more than just solid information. There will be, not only revelation of eternal truth coupled with a continuation of Kingdom demonstrations, but the application of the principles offered here will be a driving force in the life of the reader!

Thanks, Drew, for this valuable resource!

Jack Taylor, President

DIMENSIONS MINISTRIES

Melbourne, Florida 

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Why Do We Need To Discuss the Relationship Between the Church and the Kingdom of God?

Defining and Understandingthe Church

Original Identity andActivity of the Church

Kingdom Priorities

The Importance of Discipleship

The Challenge of Re-introducing Discipleship

Of Systems, Wineskins and Culture

When the Kingdom Confronts the Church

The Kingdom in the World

Conclusion: Big Faith – Mixed Results

Final Thoughts

Endnotes

Introduction

Is the term ‘Kingdom’ relevant anymore?

In 1994, I became part of a cell-church plant. It was a grand experiment to seek out new ways of connecting to people and of building authentic community. Attention was given to developing a relevant message that could reach the people of our city. The leadership was a group of university connected, highly educated men and women with a passion for helping the church increase in viability and effectiveness. The church grew rather quickly and I was excited to be a part of a fresh, passionate group of believers. It was while attending this church, that I began to receive teaching and revelation concerning the Kingdom of God.

I remember conversations with those educated, passionate church entrepreneurs in 1996. Specifically, I remember talking about using the word ‘Kingdom’ in the context of trying to increase the relevance of our terminology. We questioned whether contemporary society could properly connect with the connotations associated with the word ‘kingdom’. We pondered how a society built on democracy could identify with and fully understand what was meant by the word ‘kingdom’. We explored other possible terms that might help better communicate the meaning. I don’t remember ever coming up with a satisfactory replacement but I remember trying.

How wrong we were! The last 20 years has seen an explosion of revelation concerning the Kingdom of God and the terminology has actually increased in relevance, not diminished. Since the late 90’s, I’ve heard the ‘relevance’ conversation surface every few years. However, those contemplations have proved to be only intellectual exercises because the relevance of the term coined by Jesus himself continues to communicate, to capture and overtake believers the world over.

It is true that ‘Kingdom’ has become a buzzword as of late and it has sparked, once again, the discussion concerning the relevance of the word. When a word becomes overused, it begins to lose its meaning and there is concern being expressed from many quarters that the term ‘Kingdom of God’, is perhaps losing its meaning from watered-down overuse. I can understand this analysis, but I cannot relate to it.

I strongly suspect that a growing lack of relevance is directly connected to lack of revelation. If you use the terminology without experiencing the revelation of its reality, it will be reduced to a buzzword. My life was radically altered by a revelation of the Kingdom of God. For me, it represents a profound shift from impotent Christianity to supernatural life and productivity. It was the pathway for me to transform from a life of doing things for God to living IN God and operating FROM God. I cannot imagine ‘Kingdom’ ever becoming trivial or meaningless. Therefore, this book unapologetically uses the terms ‘Kingdom of God’ and ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ as if they are as fresh and relevant as the day they were first uttered.

I do not mean to suggest that I have a full understanding of what the Kingdom of God is and how it operates. In fact, the more I seek to fully enter, live in, and express the Kingdom in my life, the deeper is my respect for the vast mystery that encompasses the Kingdom. The fraction of revelation that I carry has transformed my life and it has caused me to seek just how much more there is to discover.

CHAPTER 1

Why Do We Need To Discuss the Relationship Between the Church and the Kingdom of God?

The most powerful agent God has released in the earth to manifest and establish His Kingdom is the Church. Jesus reveals his plan to establish the Church in Matthew 16 when he proclaims to his disciples, on this rock I will build my church. In that very same conversation, Jesus tells his disciples he is giving them the keys to the Kingdom! The church is the Father’s primary expression of the Kingdom of God on earth. But through the centuries, the connection between the Church and God’s Kingdom has not always been clear. Is the Church a synonym for the Kingdom of Heaven? Is the Kingdom of God the ultimate destination of the Church (heaven)? It is vitally important to know the answers to these questions.

The Church is