It’s not enough to be biblically literate; we must also learn to be biblically obedient! John Wimber
So what exactly did Wimber mean when he encouraged people toward biblical obedience?
As we discussed (in our last blog), it was early in his journey with Jesus when Wimber realized that it was vitally important for him, as a fledgling follower of Christ, to obey those things he was reading in God’s Word. For example, when John read Jesus’ words in John 14:15; “If you love me, keep my commands,” he took it seriously. And when Jesus told his disciples in the Great Commission (Matthew 28), “therefore go and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you,” John Wimber actually believed that everything meant all of the things the Master asked his first century disciples to do!
So in Wimber’s mind, the phrase ‘doin’ the stuff’ was defined by all of the activity we find Jesus saying and doing in the gospels.
At a pastor’s conference in July, 1991, Wimber taught on ten areas of ministry that he believed to be essentials for any church who wants to be a “doin’ the stuff” kind of church. At that conference, he listed ten focused themes he termed as a Genetic Code for churches who wanted to be God-worshipping, Jesus-centered, Spirit-directed communities, set apart for the kingdom purposes of God. Let me share these ten common denominators, in John’s words:
- Clear, accurate biblical teaching.
- Contemporary worship in the freedom of the Spirit.
- The gifts of the Spirit in operation.
- An active small group ministry.
- Ministry to the poor, widows, orphans, and those who are broken.
- Physical healing with special emphasis on signs and wonders as seen in the Book of Acts.
- A commitment to missions: church planting at home and world missions abroad.
- Unity within the whole body of Christ, a relationship with other local churches.
- Evangelistic outreach.
- Equipping the saints in areas such as discipleship, minis try, serving, giving, finances, family, etc.
As I was preparing this book, I decided to take Wimber’s Genetic Code, re-word it just a bit, and place some of John’s richest quotes under each of these ten themes. So as we go along, you’ll find these ten headers leading our way. They are:
On Christ and His Word
On Worship
On Gifts of the Spirit
On Community
On Compassion
On Healing
On Mission
On Unity
On Evangelism
On Discipleship
So, ready or not, here we go. Thanks John Wimber, for all you gave us. As we recount some of your best thoughts, may the Lord enrich us, just as he did back in the day.
PRAYER
Father, I confess that it’s much easier for me to be biblically literate than it is to be biblically obedient. Wimber was right, Lord. I must learn to yield not only my mind to you, making sure I’m doctrinally sound; but I also need to yield my time, energy, and resources so that my entire life is fully obedient to all Jesus’ commands of me. For your name’s sake. Amen!
QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO PONDER
What might it look like for me to act with complete obedience on all of the truths I find in Scripture?
If simply believing in Jesus’ words is not enough, what might it look like for me to become pro-actively involved with everything Jesus commands of his followers?
What would it look like for me to become a “doer” of Jesus’ stuff ?
So, what is God speaking to you today as you ponder the Wisdom of Wimber?
Between Easter 2016 and the end of August, we are sharing with you a blog series we call The Wisdom of Wimber: As I See It. In order to keep all 64 blog sessions organized, we suggest you bookmark our Wisdom of Wimber page for ease of use. Might we also suggest that you order a copy or two of our book by the same title! It’s available in both paperback and e-book formats…and will soon be available in Spanish! Click here for more info. ENJOY!
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