4 Principles of the Mission

The 4 main principles of the KM

• The first principle is that the starting point and foundation of mission is the command to make disciples of all nations.
  
• The second principle is that a missionary’s Christianity must not be a Sunday activity but everything in one’s life must be brought under the Lordship of Christ.
  
• The third principle is that there must be a mindset of servitude with dedication in two areas; which are prayer and the Word of God.
  
• And lastly, the fourth point is that a missionary must weigh every aspect of the Zulu culture against the Word of God, rejecting that which opposes Scripture but upholding and celebrating that which doesn’t conflict with scripture.

The Benefits of these Principles

Three main benefits of using these principles in mission are:

• Firstly missionaries, through living Godly lifestyles and speaking a Godly message, are able to disciple others, which is what Christ commanded.
• Secondly, the message that missionaries speak, has a visible demonstration that the local people may respect.
• Thirdly those who are truly discipled become stable believers who can be examples to their communities and are then able to disciple others.

The cost of these principles

In order to exhibit these principles in our lives and mission there are certain costs that need to be weighed in order to mission to the Zulus.

• Because the great commission is the foundation to the mission, evangelism is a prime focus of our mission. You cannot disciple if there are no disciples.
• Because everything is brought under the Lordship of Christ everything must be done as unto Him and with reference to Him. Thus the Christianity presented in KwaZulu Natal must be more than simple Church meetings but a whole biblical lifestyle.
• Because servitude and dedication to the Word of God and prayer is a focus, there must be a willingness to allow ones life to be poured out for the benefit of others without the neglect of prayer or the Word of God. Hospitality and breech of personal time are part of the territory that come with cost of mission.
• And because the aspects of Zulu culture that are complimentary with scripture must be upheld and celebrated, there must be an identifying with the lifestyle and customs of the Zulu people. Learning the language is a must. As Paul became as a Gentile to reach Gentiles so we try to identify with the Zulu identity to reach the Zulus for Christ. We strive to do this, as much as lies in our abilities so that when we speak against customs that contradict scripture we may do so without speaking against the culture. The early Church didn’t require us Gentiles to become Jews to join that Jewish movement so we don’t require them to become western in order to come to Christ.

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“Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.”

Acts 8: 30 – 31