In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and will praise your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16 NCV).
• People in the world, bound under spiritual darkness, will know God through the way we live for Him.
Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:4-5 NKJV).
• A church is ‘a spiritual house’ of God, not a building or an organization, built on the ‘living stone’—Christ. Its members are ‘living stones’ (or, living building materials) for building up the spiritual house of God, on top of its Foundation Stone, Christ.
• When members of a local church serve God together, they function as components of the spiritual house of God, fitting into their different positions to host God’s presence (see also 1 Corinthians 12:7).
• The church are people functioning in their various positions chosen by God to show His presence to the world.
A. Five foundation dimensions
The Great Commandment (see Matthew 22:34-40) and the Great Commission (see Matthew 28:18-20) are two significant scriptures that constitute the five foundation dimensions of Christian testimony: evangelism, worship, fellowship, discipleship and ministry.
• Training Christians to function in these five dimensions is building up the spiritual house of God to show His presence to the world.
• Each of these five dimensions progressively takes a person from the community into the Church and establishes him to become a serious follower of Christ to repeat the process.
• As frequently as the process repeats in the world, the presence of God will be seen more and more.
1. The Great Commandment
The Great Commandment condenses the entire Bible and states the foundation of our belief.
But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:34-40 NKJV).
• Jesus declared to the religious lawyer that loving God wholeheartedly as ‘the first and great commandment’ by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5, in which Moses reminded Israel of following the commandments of God with an undivided heart. The second part of His answer was ‘loving your neighbor as yourself’. Practicing ‘loving God wholeheartedly’ enables you to ‘love your neighbor as yourself’.
• ‘On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets’ means ‘loving God wholeheartedly’ and ‘loving your neighbor as yourself’ form the foundation of ‘the Law and the Prophets’, which refers to the Old Testament. Since the Old and New Testaments are one, it means the Great Commandment condenses all biblical truths into two foundation dimensions: worship and ministry.
• ‘Loving God wholeheartedly’ signifies your spiritual worship of laying down your life to God, without reservation, to accomplish His will (see Romans 12:1-2).
• ‘Loving your neighbor as yourself’ signifies your ministry to people. Christ defined a neighbor in the parable of a Good Samaritan as the person you minister to with kindness (see Luke 10:37).
• Your worship produces ministry. God touches you in worship and you touch lives around you in ministry.
• All Christians live and all churches exist for worship and ministry.
2. The Great Commission
The Great Commission commands Christians to win all people, to train them in following Christ seriously, and to send them in repeating the process in all nations.
• Winning people (evangelism), building believers (fellowship), and sending members (discipleship) are three progressive stages in spiritual ministry.
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV).
• ‘Go…all nations’ signifies evangelism. The Church exists to take ‘all nations’ which in Greek means all ethnic groups, into God's global family (see also Ephesians 2:19-22).
• ‘Baptising them’ signifies fellowship. In water baptism, people identify themselves with Christ in His death and resurrection (see Romans 6:1-5) and become members of the household or family of God (see Ephesians 2:19). You are called to belong to the Church, not just to believe in Christ. Fellowship is when members come together to build up one another (see Hebrews 10:24).
• ‘Make disciples’ signifies discipleship. Disciples are serious followers of Christ who honor Christ above all (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 10:37-39; Luke 9:57-62) and succeed in the works He assigns (see John 15:8).
B. The Early Church pattern
The first church, a model church, was founded on these five foundation dimensions under the leadership of the fivefold ministers.
1. Operated in five dimensions
They functioned daily on evangelism, worship, fellowship, discipleship, and ministry.
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:42-47 NKJV).
• ‘Having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved’ (verse 47) means the Early Church received favorable responses daily to their evangelism.
• ‘They continued steadfastly…in the breaking of bread, and in prayers’ (verse 42) means the Early Church practiced spiritual worship. They worshipped daily in the temple and from house to house (verse 46).
• Also, ‘they continued steadfastly in…fellowship’ (verse 42) daily in the temple and from house to house. ‘All who believed were together’ (verse 44) shows that they enjoyed trustful relationship. Both the rich and poor ‘ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart’ (verse 46). They accepted one another gladly.
• They ‘continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine’ (verse 42), followed closely their teachings on discipleship concerning Christian living and spiritual ministry.
• ‘They had all things in common’ (verse 44) to meet one another’s material needs. ‘Many wonders and signs were done through the apostles’ (verse 43) means they ministered to needs that required the operation of spiritual gifts. They met daily for ministry.
2. Led by fivefold leadership
Fivefold ministers led the Early Church to establish the five dimensions.
And He gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-12 NKJV).
• Prophet parallels with worship. Prophets proclaim God's will for people to live with as a spiritual worship, honoring God first (see Romans 12:1-2). Spiritual worship operating in the prophetic dimension is a rich experience.
• Evangelist parallels with evangelism. Evangelists are specialists in winning the unsaved and trainers for equipping Christians to take the harvest.
• Pastor parallels with fellowship. Pastors rally members to build up one another in spiritual fellowship, and to oversee their spiritual progress.
• Teacher parallels with discipleship. Teachers mentor believers to become serious followers of Christ and to equip them for effective ministry.
• Apostle parallels with ministry. Apostles break new grounds and release Christians to expand God's kingdom.
C. Benefits of the five dimensions
Evangelism, worship, fellowship, discipleship, and ministry increase a church in number and in quality.
1. Daily membership increase
A church established on the five dimensions will grow in membership.
• As the Early Church operated daily on the five foundation dimensions, ‘the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved’ (see Acts 2:42-47).
I planted. Apollos watered, but God gave the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6 NKJV).
• Only God can make a church grow.
• Our effort in establishing a church on the five dimensions keeps it healthy, and God will give the numerical increase.
Holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God (Colossians 2:19 NKJV).
• When members are operating their spiritual gifts, especially with fivefold ministers in leadership establishing the five dimensions, a church will receive ‘the increase that is from God’.
2. Habitation of God’s presence
Practicing the five dimensions keeps a strong habitation of God’s presence.
• God draws near to Christians practicing spiritual worship together (see James 4:8).
• Christ is with believers who practice evangelism (see Matthew 28:20).
• Christ is in among those who edify one another in fellowship (see Matthew 18:20).
• Christ’s presence stays always with disciples who follow Him seriously (see John 14:21, 23).
• The Holy Spirit manifests His presence when believers minister with spiritual gifts (see 1 Corinthians 12:7).
3. Five dimensions of growth
A church that is established on the five foundation dimensions will grow…
• Larger through evangelism,
• Stronger through worship,
• Warmer through fellowship,
• Deeper through discipleship, and
• Broader through ministry.
All five dimensions deserve equal emphasis. Lopsided emphasis produces imbalance growth.
• A church emphasizing heavily on evangelism while overlooking other four dimensions is unable to keep the people they won.
• Serious confusions can occur when worship and spiritual experiences are considered as supreme while other dimensions as unimportant.
• A family-church that strongly prefers fellowship is highly relational and its members are closely bonded. Members do not evangelize and new comers feel left out.
• A church highly esteems teaching but disregards other dimensions will have members ‘well versed’ in addressing many issues with scriptures but they can be very judgmental.
• A church enthusiastic only on ministry has members zealous in ministering to needs but they are not necessarily winning souls thus the membership is not growing.
Imbalance growth can be corrected. A church will grow…
• Larger by implementing evangelism and improving members’ skill on winning souls.
• Stronger by practicing spiritual worship both corporately and privately.
• Warmer by fostering fellowship for the giving and receiving of holy affection.
• Deeper by training members to live the discipleship lifestyle of loving Christ above all.
• Broader by releasing members to operate spiritual gifts in ministry.