Jerusalem Council II And Our G.R.A.I.N. Third Millennium Future Overview. Read Today!

What is the Spirit saying through G.R.A.I.N
and The Third Millennium Church?

Dr. Leonard Sweet and I have been friends for almost twenty-five years. While most leaders are planning their next quarter, he has the ability to see the next twenty-five years. It was a joy to Co-Author We Are The Church: The Untold Story Of Revival In The Church. For more than six months we interviewed leading lights of Christianity and creatively placed them into one volume.

In the opening of the book, we state, “Four percent of Christianity is in North America and ninety-six percent is distributed around the world.” We Are The Church tells the untold story of the 96%! You will love it and will lead more effectively. I encourage you to get your copy.

At Jerusalem Council II, Dr. Leonard Sweet challenged the Church to embrace a “grainy future” shaped by G.R.A.I.N. (Genetics, Robotics, AI/IT, Nanotechnology) while returning to the power of metaphorical storytelling. He contrasted the half-century spent exploring outer space with today’s mapping of inner space—revealing that human minds think in images, metaphors and narratives, not abstract words.

Drawing on Jesus’s parables and the Hebrew concept of “kanaph” (wing/edge), Dr. Sweet proposes the “edge disciple” model: Christians are called to live and minister on the margins—where innovation, healing and hope emerge. He defines five levels of edge (Natural, Leading, Cutting, Bleeding, Ledge-Martyrdom) and urges believers to engage new technologies for God’s glory while discerning clear “don’t go there” ethical boundaries.

Dr. Sweet underscores the necessity of combining digital engagement with face-to-face community, intergenerational dialogue, and a question-driven approach reminiscent of Jesus’ own teaching style. The early church’s Latin maxim “Alter Christus Ipse Christus” (“another Christ, Christ Himself”) frames the believer’s identity: both as intimately united with Christ and called to embody Him.

Additionally, he contrasts technological AI with the “real AI”—Jesus Christ—emphasizing that true transformation comes from a living person, not machinery, and invites us to become “little Christs.” Drawing on a one-year military chaplaincy hardship tour in Southeast Asia, the narrative illustrates sacrificial service, cultural engagement, and the mission to preserve freedom alongside local communities. The concept of “iron majors”—a cohort of five majors tasked with foundational, behind-the-scenes work—serves as a model of humble leadership and teamwork that enables senior officers to excel.

Thought Takeaways, Themes From Open Forum Five Discussion

• Minds are wired for metaphors and stories—narrative trumps bullet-point principles.

• Jesus’s parables demonstrate concise, memorable communication: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…”

• The future forms on the edges; discipleship must shift from center-seeking to margin-living.

• A “grainy world” of Genetics, Robotics, AI, IT, Nanotech offers immense opportunity—and ethical risk.

• Wise stewardship demands a dual posture: “Yes—go there” to innovate; “No—don’t go there” to guard humanity.

• Digital tools require real-world virtue—“virtual needs virtue” and regular face-to-face rhythms.

• Intergenerational partnership flips traditional roles: youth teach digital fluency; elders supply vision and hope.

• Church leaders and parents must set healthy technology boundaries (e.g., no under-13 phones, tech-free family tables).

• The church’s mission transcends incremental impact: Jesus died to make a different world, not just make a difference.

• “Alter Christus Ipse Christus” calls every believer to both be in Christ and act as His representative in the world.

• True “AI” (Authentic Incarnate) is Jesus; believers are summoned to reflect His character rather than idolize technological advances.
• Hardship tours, like military chaplaincy in Southeast Asia, cultivate resilience, cross-cultural solidarity, and a servant-leadership mindset.
• The “iron majors” exemplify the critical importance of supportive, often unseen roles that underpin organizational success and honor collective effort.

Film & Media In The Third Millennium Church

By realizing the origin of humanity’s compulsion to create believable stories coupled with the confluence of storytelling and technology, an unmistakable pattern emerges which not only provides a possible understanding of what is happening today but also of what is to come in the future: coalescing in a theoretical construct called the Divinity Singularity of storytelling.

Humanity has been on an unmistakable, accelerating trajectory of storytelling since the earliest cave drawings depicting animals fleeing hunters. Generation after generation the expression of stories utilizing, initially rudimentary, now sophisticated, technology has exponentially become increasingly advanced, evidentially influencing audiences to accept a story’s “truth.” This drive for believability is now coalescing at the nexus of the most sophisticated technology and creativity and compelling stories in history, advancing at an almost disturbingly rapid pace as we approach the start of the Third Millennium of the Church.

The seemingly radical superfluous, ever changing, ever proliferating film and visual media demands both percipience and superintendency by the Church while revealing opportunities to advance the Gospel of Christ immediately as the fulfillment of the Great Commission is imminent while revealing a protocol for the future Church.

Download The Position Paper: Film & Media In The Third Millennium Church

AI is one of the 7 questions Jerusalem Council II and the Holy Spirit are addressed. It defines our lives in so many ways and is the topic and tool of the day. We can choose to embrace it like we did the printing press, televangelism and social media or reject it because we fear it will replace humans and God. His intention is to ‘help us harness technology to heal and harmonize humanity’. GraceAI creates AI tools with values and virtues layering that advance the Kingdom, foster human flourishing, and are congruent with the Great Commission Finish Lines of Jesus. We prioritize Human-in-the-Loop and God-in-the-Loop, and build AI (Artificial Intelligence) with SI (Spirit Intelligence). It is apropos for Athens, and you could call it ‘Techne for Ethne’; Technology for the Nations. The Lord says in Psalm 2:8 “Ask of Me and I will give you the nations as your inheritance and the ends of the earth as your possession.”

Pastor Fabian Jood of Planetshakers Church in Cape Town, South Africa, brought a cutting-edge message entitled, The Future of The Hybrid-Church at Jerusalem Council II.   As the Church enters into this new world, we are going to have let go of old-world paradigms. For example, pastors were slow to ramp up their technology as to their website, online streaming, until the pandemic forced them to do so or to close their doors permanently. What is amazing is that they knew the Internet was increasing every year, but they chose to do nothing to get ready, until the tsunami hit.   As we move into the future, hybrid-church-evangelism will be extremely important. Pastors will have to make fundamental decisions as to how the technology is utilized in the church. I would like to suggest some ideas for consideration. First, instead of streaming every church service, a selective strategy will be more successful. In this context, when the pastor is having a special guest, consideration could be given not to stream that particular service, but rather encourage “the saints” to attend in person. Additionally, in the halls of this kind of above thinking, strategies should employed about reaching the lost. It is imperative that Believers utilize this new world vision to build bridges to their friends, who do not know Christ. Creative approaches should be thought through as to how bring the unsaved to the local church and especially to Christ. Simply streaming a worship service is not a strategy. Every pastor should be given careful thought as to how to protect their Christ-centered preaching, so that it cannot ripped from the Internet simply because tech-giant does not approve it. Second, as we step into this new world, hybrid-church-education is a must for success. Since distance is dead the world is our campus, the local church now has the opportunity again, to train in-house both young and seasoned Believers. Instead of outsourcing, insourcing will become common place. Every local church can become a training campus, where members are trained onsite by the best minds in Christendom.   In addition to hybrid-church-evangelism and hybrid-church-education, we have entered into hybrid-church-expansion. In the past when solid members in our church left, we simply prayed for them and said goodbye. Yet, today, missional consideration should be given as to whether or not the person or people, who are leaving could become an ambassador for their church. In other words, instead of simply saying good-bye to them, consider whether or not, the Lord of the harvest would desire for them to begin a house church, where they go. Think about it. Since the Internet does not know distance, members could be missionaries as to they go to different places around the world. In time, any local church could have tens if not hundreds of multisite locations around the world. We must move from addition to multiplication!