Last Spring, we completed our four-part documentary - Murf the Surf: Jewels, Jesus, and Mayhem in the USA - with Ron Howard’s film studio, Imagine Entertainment. After its debut in February on MGM+, we were delighted with the critics’ positive reviews. Still awaiting the start-up date of the feature film attached to the film contract, we began to pray about what God would have us do next. The answer came from the Holy Spirit with crystal clarity: “Finish what you started in the 1970s”. In the beginning days of Visible Light Ministries, the Jesus Revolution had resulted in a mass exodus of youths leaving behind the “sex, drugs, and rock-n ‘-roll” culture to embrace life as new creations in Jesus Christ. Many were saved, baptized in water, and in the Holy Spirit, but very little was in place to disciple them in basic Biblical beliefs and practices of the Christian faith. The Lord called us to answer that need. Much prayer, Biblical research, and theological higher learning prepared us to produce a discipleship study series as a ministry support to serve the Body of Christ in handling the influx of so many new believers in need of disciplining: many with little or no church background. We titled the Bible basic teachings and videos The Complete in Him Series and Quick Notes. We first implemented the discipleship teachings in our large home fellowship group where we witnessed the blossoming of the barely saved into vibrant, fully equipped, mature soldiers of the light. We founded and pastored two churches where the series served as valuable tools for disciplining new believers and refreshing other members in the doctrines and practices of the Christian faith (the true, Biblical teachings of Jesus, the Living Word). While traveling as evangelists, we were able to leave the Quick Notes - the fastest way to access topical knowledge from the Bible - as follow-up, discipleship support materials for new converts. Quick Notes provide easy-to-access, faith-building Scripture references for those seeking to know God, salvation, baptism, healing, deliverance, and a deeper life in the Spirit. The ease of use of our topical, discipleship study materials prompted other ministers to request utilizing them in their ministry outreaches. Over the years, they have been used for personal Bible study, as entry-level Biblical studies for seminary and Bible college students, for home fellowship group discussions, and as coursework for new believer’s classes. They have been a resource for introducing inmates in prisons and jails to Jesus’ transformational message, as well as for sharing the Gospel in the mission field, as evangelistic follow-up materials around the world, distributed as witnessing tracks, and much more. The positive responses to our discipleship materials - witnessed and acknowledged through the years- were heavily weighted in one direction: parachurch outreaches and lay ministers. We found our discipleship series was used least where they were needed most: in local churches. It would be disingenuous to say we were not discouraged by the fact that denominational boundaries and “not invented here” thinking separated so many believers from an opportunity to easily access the foundational doctrines of Christianity. When the Lord spoke to us to rekindle the flame of discipleship, we also realized there were other dire concerns that needed to be addressed concerning the present state of the declining institutional church. The church, it appears, is swiftly fulfilling the prophetic apostasy of Revelation 3 as many church leaders are replacing Biblical, God-breathed Truth with distorted doctrines such as universalism and replacement theology. Many cite “grace” and “the finished work of the cross” as an excuse to avoid calling sinners to repentance or pointing to holiness as God’s will and life path for His disciples. According to the recent Barna Report, only 37% of today’s pastors hold a Biblical worldview. From pulpits across the land, false shepherds are preaching another gospel (Galatians 1:6-10 ESV). They have chosen to sympathize with worldly philosophies and watered-down morality over the teachings of Jesus Christ as established by the Apostles. Rather than pointing to every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God as Truth, and Jesus as the only way of salvation, these false prophets teach of many paths to God. They embrace inclusiveness as a higher spiritual concept than salvation by grace through Jesus Christ. The “woke” clergy are like lemmings running off cliffs. They are blind leaders of the blind who will all fall into the ditch. They are wise in their own eyes and have turned from the Truth that leads to eternal life. The shocking statistics in the Barna Report about the spiritual state of so many ministry leaders fueled with the Holy Spirit’s inspiration to arm believers with the true teachings of Jesus, led us to write our latest book entitled The Assignment: A Prophetic Message and Mission with the accompanying Quick Notes. It is a prophetic message directed to every true follower of Jesus Christ. The mission is to heed Jesus’ assignment.
Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.
Matthew 28: 18-20 MSG
This has been an exciting ministry journey! The first copies of our book landed on our doorstep on Easter Sunday2023! Since then, Visible Light Ministries has placed over 200 books and packets of Quick Notes with ministry partners, and in multiple ministry settings across the country. They have already been welcomed by universities, prisons and jails, fellowship groups, and the West Coast pilot discipleship groups of Jesus Revolution 2.0! Unusual applications are popping up including that of an Uber driver who leaves a set of Quick Notes on his back seat. When passengers ask about them, he says they are of a religious nature which he is not allowed to share unless they pursue it further. Many redemptive conversations ensue which have led to prayer and healing. The Assignment is also being used as follow-up materials for those who respond to altar calls at the one-man, dramatic concert performances of The Scribe (Paul Pitts). Each person who commits their life to Christ is handed a book and a Quick Notes packet to begin the discipleship process in their new life in Christ. We have also filmed a series of Facebook broadcasts with Jeff Ferguson about The Assignment (overview) and Quick Notes (by topic). All of this and more has happened in just three short months! About a month ago I woke up at 3 AM and these words echoed through my mind: THE POWER OF ONE! I didn't know the exact meaning at the time, but I have since discovered it to be the method by which the disciples built the church. Statistically, almost every unsaved person knows and trusts a friend who is a Christian. Are you that friend? God was saying this. If we reach out to that one lost friend or family member, neighbor, or co-worker, lead just one person to the Lord and disciple them, and then teach them to do likewise, it only takes 20 times duplicating that process to make 524,288 disciples. If THE POWER OF ONE is duplicated 33 times, the process will make 4,294,967,296 disciples… 34 times and the whole world would be won for Christ! Imagine that! We trust you enjoyed reading The Assignment and have begun a thorough study of the Quick Notes. We pray the message and mission of our book have moved you to open up your home as a facilitator to those seeking spiritual growth. Just look around. You will easily find those who need the love of God. Give them a Quick Note and ask for their opinion on the subject. Invite them over to share a cup of coffee and read and discuss topics in the Quick Notes. Ask if they know someone who might like to join you. It's that easy! Perhaps you are more comfortable using technology such as Zoom conferences to disciple a group. That opens a wide door of opportunity removing the obstacle of distance from who you include in your discipleship group. Go for it! Be creative! If for some reason you feel the role of a facilitator/disciplining seems outside of your comfort zone or time restraints for now, please pass your copy of The Assignment to someone who is ready to take on the challenge today. We will happily replace your copy should you have a change of mind or circumstances in the future. Please, help us answer God’s call to carry out His assignment. Don't let this message go silent! God bless you as you add to His kingdom and disciple His beloved! Domenic and Charlie
For The Assignment Book and Quick Notes email me at domenic@theassignment.org