Every
Pastor wants to know how to make their church grow. But growth is more than strategy. When most church leaders hear about
the amazing growth in the ICM church in Columbia they immediately want to know the details of their strategy.
But we need more than a strategy for growth. We need a fully developed vision for discipleship, nurture and mission and a
new pattern for church life in the 21st Century.
The
key to the success of this vision is not just the strategy of our cell vision but the values that uphold it. We cannot think
that we will be successful simply by adopting a strategy. We must rise to the challenge spiritually, take on new levels of
the anointing and, above all, embrace all the values that lie behind it applying them and developing them as the Holy Spirit
leads us.
1. The Model of 12 is a vision for discipleship
Jesus said, "Make disciples" (see Matthew 28:19-20). He did not just tell us to evangelise or to get decisions.
People who accept the gospel and believe must be discipled. They must be taught, shaped and formed into the image of Jesus.
We are still far short of full obedience in this respect. Many people who make decisions to become Christians in various forms
of evangelism across the world are never truly discipled in the paths of Christ. This must change, and we must place full
obedience to Jesus' command on the highest level of our agenda as his people and as his church.
2. The Model of 12 is a cell vision
Cells are small groups of people who meet together weekly in order to disciple each other and reach out to those
who don't know Christ. We must learn to love the cells. They are where the blessing of growth takes place. Cells are a highly
effective way of fulfilling the New Testament mandate we have as believers to be disciples and to disciple others. That's
where believers receive the personal ministry they need and where their find and fulfil their ministry in the body of Christ.
3. The Model of 12 is a vision for leadership
The Model of 12 which emphasises the leadership development aspect of the vision. Every Christian is a potential
leader. We are all called to serve Jesus and to lead others to Him. Those who are leading cells are discipled in groups of
12 (like the 12 disciples of Jesus). Therefore everyone who ministers is also ministered to in this vision. That means there
is proper accountability in all things.
4. The Model of 12 is a vision for multiplication
This is one of the most exciting aspects of the cell vision. Jesus' purpose for you is fruitfulness. He wants
you to be successful in your life. He calls you to 'to be fruitful and multiply'. The growth that comes through the Model
of 12 is not through transferring members from other churches. It comes through the cells as the members reach out to their
family, neighbours and friends. This means everyone must develop a passion for the lost and reach them uncompromisingly for
Christ.
5. The Model of 12 is a vision for the glory of God
Something wonderful happens when God's people are mobilised. The 'super star syndrome' disappears and the work
is done all. The real heroes in this vision are the members of the church not a handful of its super-anointed leaders. That
way God can really get the glory. Signs, wonders, miracles and mighty deeds happen throughout the whole church and everyone
has a part to play.
As you can see the vision of the Model of 12 is a comprehensive one. And it takes some time to implement it
fully. There will be new initiatives and creative innovation in every area of your church and personal lives. It will bring
unrecognisable transformation to the way you think about church fellowship and to the way you do things. The cost will be
high. But the rewards will be worth it.
The Heart of the Cell Vision
The
Model of 12 facilitates the multiplication of cell groups, the training of new leaders and the discipleship of every member
of the body. The aim of the model is that everybody is involved in reaching the lost through an open cell. The goal is for
everybody to become a leader and run their own open cell. Everyone is ministered to and everyone is a minister.
The
cell groups do not divide - instead they multiply. When a person becomes part of a cell they start to pray and fast for three
non-Christians. One by one they are led to Christ and become part of the cell. When the cell has grown to some size the multiplication
takes place. Each person in the cell then starts to build a new cell. They continue to receive help, mentoring and encouragement
from the original cell, but they also start their own cell. When all the members of the original cell have started their own
new cell, the original cell becomes a Primary 12 group. A Primary 12 group is made up of leaders who have their own cells
and meet for leadership training, to share about their progress, and for encouragement and support.
The Principle of 12
At the base of the Model of 12 is the underlying Principle of 12 and this is
an important development in the concept of cell church that the Spirit has been speaking to the Church of Jesus Christ about in recent decades.
It is important neither to exaggerate nor to minimize the scriptural significance
of the number 12. There are important principles to be learnt from Scripture about this number. However, we must be careful
not to elevate the principle of 12 into a theological imperative, because the Bible never does that. Cell models should build
on the principle of 12 without reading too much back into the text of Scripture.
The number 12 does not exist in the NT as an elaborate model for cell church,
but the scriptural principle of 12 can be applied to church life today under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is important
not to impose any one single model on the whole church or to say that there is only one way of applying the principle of 12.
Numbers in the Bible often have significance. For example, the number 3, is
associated with the Trinity, 7 speaks of divine perfection and 6 is the number of man. Clearly these insights are limited
in value and cannot be taken too far by reading into Bible texts meanings never intended by the Holy Spirit. However, the
number 12 does have clear significance in Scripture.
Jesus chose 12 to reach the multitudes (Matthew 9:35-10:5). He wanted to reach
the multitudes but began with a group of 12 men he had previously selected and was training to do the job. Why did Jesus choose12?
Why not 11? Why not 13? And why did the apostles replace Judas with Matthias restoring their number to 12 after the loss of
Judas?
The significance of the number of 12 in Scripture is demonstrated by Jesus’
choice of 12 to be his main disciples and apostles and to be the primary group he associated with throughout his public ministry.
The key is to understand that Jesus spent most of his time with these 12 chosen
disciples, and majored on discipling, training and ultimately releasing them to do the work of the kingdom of God. If this is what Jesus did,
who are we to try and do it any other way? Surely the Lord’s example is something we can follow. True, his situation
was spiritually and historically unique. His 12 were to become the foundation of the New Testament Church and the foundations
of the City of God. But Jesus’ method in fulfilling
these things can also be an effective model for what he calls us to do today.
There have been many uses of the principle of 12 in Church history. Britain was evangelized by monks who built cells around the
principle of 12. Wesley had his groups of 12, and Robert Coleman, 40 years ago in his book, Master Plan of Evangelism, pointed
out the reasons why Jesus concentrated on his 12:
“Here is the wisdom of his method, and in observing it, we return again
to the fundamental principle of concentration on those he intended to use. One cannot transform a world except as individuals
in the world are transformed, and individuals cannot be changed except as they are molded in the hands of the Master. The
necessity is apparent not only to select a few helpers, but also to keep the group small enough to be able to work with them…
All of this certainly impresses one with the deliberate way that Jesus proportioned his life to those he wanted to train.
It also graphically illustrates a fundamental principle of teaching: that other things being equal, the more concentrated
the size of the group being taught, the greater the opportunity for effective instruction.” (Robert Coleman, Master
Plan of Evangelism 30th Anniversary Edition, pages 29-31).
The principle of 12 is therefore clear. Whatever other significance of the number
12 holds, it is the optimum number for intense and personal discipleship. This is shown by the Lord’s example as well
as the work of sociologists today who confirm this principle.
The Model of 12 builds on this principle of 12 and organised the cells into
groups of 12. This is where leaders are discipled, nurtured, trained and mentored. Each person in a group of 12 is encouraged
to have their own cell where they fulfill their call as leaders - to evangelise the lost, nurture new believers and raise
up leaders of their own - who in turn become part of their group of 12. And so the process is repeated. Once this multiplication
according to the factor of 12 sets in, rapid growth begins to occur. The 12 grow to
144, and then to 1,728, to 20,736 and so on.
One of the greatest advantages of the Model of 12 is that everyone can be personally
mentored and discipled into leadership. It is a relational, not a supervisory model, and that is characteristically how discipleship
happens. People can make great progress in their Christian life and ministry, knowing there have the support and back up the
Model of 12 gives them.
CHURCH ACCORDING TO THE MODEL OF THE TWELVE
The significance of the number of 12 in Scripture shows that Jesus choice of
12 to be his main disciples and apostles and to be the primary group he associated with throughout his public ministry.
Here are some suggestions why the number 12 is significant.
‘12’ IS THE NUMBER OF NATIONHOOD (KEYWORD = IDENTITY)
The 12 of Jesus were going to sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. These tribes make up the whole nation of Israel. The promise "I will make you into a great nation"
was given to Abraham. Out of him came Isaac and Jacob and from him the 12 tribes of Israel. God was building a nation from the 12. This is the promise of Abraham.
And we have been called into that promise.
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse
for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the
Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:13-14).
Both the OT Vision and the NT Vision of God were founded on the principle of
12. The OT was founded on the 12 tribes of Israel,
and the NT upon the 12 Apostles of the Lamb.
“Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels
at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13 three gates
on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. 14 Now the wall of the city
had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:12-14).
God is building his nation through the principle
of 12 today
As you win people to Jesus, you are building your nation for the Lord. Begin
with a cell group and then you members reach out and start a cell and they grow and so on. A cell group is a ‘microcosmic’
church, a tiny unit of church or ekklesia, and through these cells the multitudes come in. But this nation also affects all
nations because God’s plan is that all nations will flow into this nation of God.
Matthew 28 - Go and make disciples
of all nations.
The key word in nation is identity. We are called to a national identity, with
a common unity in Christ. The nation of God comprises all God’s people together. God is Trinity and humanity is a family
because God has made us all out of 'one blood'. The racial division, separation, exploitation and separation together with
the individualism of our day have disunited the human race. But God is uniting us again in the Body of Christ. Cells show
this community or ‘common unity’ as part of the nation of God.
‘12’ IS THE NUMBER OF APOSTLESHIP (THE KEYWORD IS AUTHORITY)
The Church is built on the foundation of Apostles and Prophets
“…having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20)
The 12 were called ‘apostles’ by Jesus. These are those who are
sent with a (foundational) commission. The church of Jesus Christ is apostolic, built upon the foundation of apostolic authority. This is
the NT revelation of the Gospel.
“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the
fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through
whom also He made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1-2).
The foundation of the Church has been laid once for all by Christ and his apostles,
but we still need apostolic ministries today. Ephesians 4 teaches that the gift of apostle functions in the body of Christ
until we are all built up in the unity and the maturity of the fullness of Christ. All the ministries in Ephesians 4:11 are
needed today and are available to the Church of today.
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists,
and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of
Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12).
Apostolic leaders together with all the other expressions of the leadership
of Christ (prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers) are there to equip the church for the work of Christ. That is the
true ministry. The body of Christ is to be equipped and enabled for this work. The word for this is, katartidzo which means
‘to thoroughly equip, furnish and make ready’. But this ministry is not a 'free for all' scenario. It is to be
carried out in relation to the apostolic leadership that Christ has set in the church. People plead “the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Spirit” as if to defend their disconnected actions. But the Holy Spirit never works against Christ. The Holy
Spirit will lead you to work in submission to and under the authority of the care, nurture and protection of apostolic leadership.
There can be no full expression of the ministry of Christ in the Church without this accountability.
Unfortunately apostolic authority is often missing from churches today. It operates
through the apostolic message preached, apostolic power manifested in signs, wonders and miracles, and the apostolic method
of making and maturing disciples so that the whole church may be mobilized to fulfill the Great Commission of Christ.
It is highly likely that the apostles carried the work out of Jesus through
a form of cell vision. In Acts 4, we read that they broke bread daily in one another's homes which would have been very similar
to the cells we know in the church today. On the Day of Pentecost 3,000 members were added to the church. The miracle was
not just that such a vast number came to faith in Christ and were baptized in a single day, but that they all continued steadfastly
in the faith. In other words they were consolidated and discipled as new believers and went on to evangelize and make disciples
all over the world.
This is the genuine apostolic Christianity of the New Testament. Operating according
the principle of 12 today can help restore apostolic order, authority and power to the church.
‘12’ IS THE NUMBER OF DISCIPLESHIP (KEYWORD = INTIMACY)
Jesus discipled his group of 12 more than all the others. He had many followers
- the crowds, the 70 and the 12. This last group were his intimate followers. Instead of trying to disciple the multitudes,
Jesus worked with the 12 and finally released them to the world wide task of discipling the nations. When Jesus issued his
command, "Make disciples of all nations" what would the disciples have understood him to mean? How would they have gone about
doing this work? It stands to reason that they did it exactly the way they had seen Jesus do it. They began to follow the
example of Christ and formed small groups, pouring their life into these people just as Jesus had done to them. There is no
proof that the disciples formed groups of 12 (as if the number 12 is an absolute, biblical necessity) but it is perfectly
reasonable to believe that they put into practice the model of Jesus. Jesus chose his 12, “that they might be with Him,
and that he might send them out to preach the gospel” (Mark 3:13-15). Jesus wanted his 12: to hear His teaching, to
see His actions/life, to see his miracles and to learn how to live and minister like him.
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest” (Matthew 11:28).
At the heart of discipleship is death because it lay at the heart of Jesus mission.
To follow Him meant death. For some this would mean literal death but it is for all a real dying, none the less. His challenge
was, "Take up your cross and follow me."
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the
ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. 25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who
hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there
My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honour” (John 12:24-26).
The principle of 12 gives us a real opportunity to achieve 100% discipleship
in the modern Church. The Model of 12 is a model of intentional discipleship and it is a strategy that can bring the whole
of a church or fellowship into the discipleship of Jesus.
‘12’ IS THE NUMBER OF GOVERNMENT (KEYWORD = ORDER)
Government in the ‘natural order’
On the fourth day of creation God made lights - the sun and the moon to govern the day and the night (See Genesis 1:14-19).
Although there are around 40 different calendar systems in the world, nearly all recognize the 12 hour division between night
and day - and so we see the principle of the government of 12 reflected in the natural world
