A Field Guide for Followers of Christ

by M. DIV Keith Martens

Overview

The Field Guide for Followers of Christ by Keith Martens, MDiv is for those pursuing a life of discipleship under the Lordship of Jesus Christ to advance His Kingdom on earth. It contains instructions for personal ministry and is a helpful and convenient guide for individual or small group use in personal ministry settings, in evangelism and missions outreach, on prayer teams, or in settings where you have the opportunity to minister to individuals with the love and power of Christ.

The primary emphasis is upon the person and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ who is both present in us and with us when we gather in His Name. Therefore, the material provided in this Field Guide is not a program or series of steps to follow. We pray it will guide you into having a dynamic and interactive encounter with Jesus Christ through the counsel and empowerment of the Holy Spirit along with others He has gifted in His Body, the Church. You will be able to experientially participate with Jesus in His life and ministry of proclaiming the Good News and seeing others set free.

From observing the Gospel accounts, we see that the most essential characteristics of Jesus' life and ministry that we must understand and practice are:

• Consistent and purposeful dependence on the Father through the Holy Spirit's counsel and empowerment.
• Expressions of authority and power evident in His teaching, healing, and encounters with Satan and the Kingdom of darkness.
• Obedience to the Father to advance His Kingdom through the declaration and assertion of God's truth.

Similarly, in the Book of Acts we observe how the early church continues the ministry of Jesus. They, too, demonstrated a vital dependence on the Holy Spirit to empower and guide them in every area of life. Instead of a simplistic presentation of Gospel or a programmatic approach to evangelism, we see these early disciples continuing the same ministry Jesus began - preaching not only the message about Jesus but the Good News of the Kingdom which was central to Jesus' teaching. They also continued Jesus' ministry and the commission He gave them to heal the sick, cast out demons and raise the dead as part of their message of the Good News. Their message, as the Apostle Paul says, was given with not only words but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power that led to believing faith. The power and authority of Christ are now available to all believers through the Holy Spirit who was sent to them (Acts 1:8; 3:1-9;13:9-12;16:16-18).

We pray this book will guide you into a dynamic and interactive encounter with Jesus Christ through the counsel and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. For more information about Kingdom Ministries and Counseling Center

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780991555987
Publisher:	Perfect Marketing Team
Publication date:	02/14/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	146
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Keith Martens, M.Div, is the founder and President of Kingdom Ministries, Inc. a not-for-profit Christ-centered ministry that exists to train and mobilize the Body of Christ for: Ministry: by uniting and equipping bodies of believers to advance God's Kingdom through prayer and personal ministry to bring freedom and restoration to those in need and fulfill God's purpose in our churches, homes, local communities and in the lives of others. Prayer: by providing teaching and practical tools for effective biblical prayer and the utilization of Christ's authority to expose and resolve potential influences of evil that seek to hinder freedom and the advancement of God's purpose in any life situation. Discipleship: by introducing others to a lifestyle and ministry under the Lordship of Jesus Christ in dynamic union with His Body, the Church; to emulate the life and ministry of Jesus Christ-purposed to know and do the will of the Father, led and empowered by the Holy Spirit to live, minister, and advance God's Kingdom. Freedom&Restoration: by providing tools for personal freedom and restoration that enables oneself and others to fulfill the purpose for which they were created and gifted in Christ Jesus; providing a 'team approach' to ministry, corporate discernment, and a model for testing and resolving emotional and spiritual conflicts at their point of origin. In partnership with our Counseling Center, Kingdom Ministries provides: Professional Counseling Services: licensed professional counselors integrate a spiritual and psychological approach toward resolving interpersonal and unresolved conflicts at their point of origin. Kingdom Counseling Center exists to be a vessel of the Holy Spirit's counsel to bring healing and restoration to wholeness through the transforming power of Christ. Keith received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Fresno Pacific University and his Master of Divinity degree from Fresno Pacific University Biblical Seminary, formerly the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary. He has served in church leadership, pastoral ministry and was involved in campus ministry for more than ten years at Fresno Pacific University and Fresno Christian Schools where he served as Campus Pastor and adjunct professor of Biblical Studies. Keith also directed a wilderness leadership program and short-term missions outreach for both college and high school-aged students. He is a frequent speaker at various churches, conferences and mission training centers. Keith lives near Fresno, California with his wife Joan, a Marriage&Family Therapist. They have two children, Lindsey and Landon.

Table of Contents

SECTION I - ORIENTATION 1. Relying on the Holy Spirit's Counsel and Power 2. Utilizing Jesus' Power and Authority 3. Declaring and Accepting God's Truth SECTION II - THE NATURE AND PRACTICE OF BIBLICAL AND EFFECTIVE PRAYER 4. A General Pattern of Biblical Prayer 5. A Checklist for Effective Prayer 6. Praying Together 7. Contrasting Intercession, Authority, and Interactive Prayer 8. Addressing Potential Environmental Influences of Evil 9. Addressing Potential Personal Influences of Evil that Affect Others 10. Corporate Expressions of Authority and Prayer 11. Taking Thoughts and Feelings Captive SECTION III - KINGDOM EVANGELISM AND OUTREACH 12. Biblical Evangelism 13. Signs of the Kingdom of God 14. Practical Guidelines for Preaching the Good News of the Kingdom of God 15. Environment First 16. Leading Others to Follow Christ as Lord 17. Baptizing in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit 18. Praying for Those Who Are Sick 19. Freeing Those Who Are Oppressed 20. What to Do When You Don't Know What to Do 21. Interventions and Applications For Deliverance 22. Ministry and Engaging in Spiritual Warfare 23. The Principle of Christ's Sovereign Rule CONCLUSION - FINAL THOUGHTS 24. Closing Comments 25. Appendix: Atypical Responses to Prayer Ministry

Editorial Reviews

James G. Friesen, Ph.D. - Clinical Psychologist & Author
"Keith has been a trusted friend since last century. He is a prime mover in God's Kingdom. Here is how God's Kingdom works: The Father is constantly at work to bestow grace on all of His children. He gives His leaders a vision about how to pass along that grace, and it is up to them to bring that vision to life. Keith is one of His visionary leaders. This Field Guide will spread His grace far and wide. Thanks, Keith, for this grace-producing tool. May it advance His Kingdom."

Danny Lehmann, Dean, College of Christian Ministries - University of the Nations, Youth With A Mission
"At our Youth With A Mission missionary training base in Honolulu, we have had the privilege of partaking of Keith Marten's ministry for several years. Our students come from various backgrounds and many of them come in wounded, abused, and often anemic in their power to overcome some of the most basic temptations and weaknesses they face. Keith has had years of experience in setting the captives free with a refreshing and simple mixture of belief in the Bible as God's Word and the power and the authority given us in Jesus' name as ambassadors and then being able to use that authority to affect change in people's lives. We have seen Keith do this over and over as he and his teams have come to minister to our young students. I would highly recommend his Field Guide as a manual for your own work among this generation of zealous but sometimes wounded individuals. Freedom is waiting for them in the name of Jesus, if administered by people who understand the authority they have in that name. Keith is bold in asserting that God's power is still available to us today."

Alan Doswald, Executive Director - Evangelicals for Social Action
"Kingdom Ministries ... is a powerful and unique ministry to equip believers to understand and use their spiritual authority to pray for others and set them free in Christ. I know of several people who have experienced profound healing through Kingdom Ministries."

Pastor Roger Whitlow - Valley Christian Center Fresno
"This ministry is a gift to the body of Christ and it needs to find its way into Valley churches. There are people sitting in church who are desperate to receive what this ministry can offer so that they can be free to take their place in the body of Christ and be all that God has called them to be. I can't think of a greater gift to a pastor than to have lay people equipped to minister; to have lay-led teams ministering to people in need within the church body. I feel that the Lord said to me that He wants Kingdom Ministries to grow beyond what I can imagine. I feel that is a prophetic word from the Lord and I ask that you agree with me for this."

Pastor Tom Parsons - Retired from First Presbyterian Church, Fresno
"I've been involved in healing ministry for the past 30 years and been trained to do this about four different ways, but I found the way Keith is teaching is unique. What I appreciate about this ministry is the dependence on the Holy Spirit's leading - asking Jesus to show the client what's going on and the insights that come through the Holy Spirit revealing step by step how to bring freedom and healing. I am sold that this is the most effective way to do ministry. I have seen lives changed in significant ways; my own life has changed significantly. I really pray that this ministry will expand because it has been such a service to our church."

Pastor Greg Tawlks - Olive Branch Church, Sacramento
"They really taught us to listen to God and allow Him to counsel and how to minister to people and teach them to listen to God and hear His voice for themselves. Keith came with a team to our church to teach us how to pray and minister to those in our church. They just poured out to us. We're so excited that our people are learning how to pray and minister to each other."

From the Publisher