God has a beautiful strategy for reaching the world through multiplying churches.

The ultimate goal of all disciple-making and leadership development to planting churches that multiply.

We can better understand the biblical mandate of planting fellowships of disciples that multiply themselves by exploring the following;

When we study the New Testament churches, we learn some key principles. We should use to plant reproducing fellowships anywhere.

Let’s look at seven steps that any fellowship of disciples can implement anywhere in the world.

Prayer is of vital importance and is the first priority in multiplying churches. When we pray, God will open closed doors. Prayer first of all moves our hearts and puts our desires in line with God’s desires. When God opens our eyes to see the lost state of our communities, we will be moved with compassion to open our homes so as to start new fellowships. If we are willing, God is able to fill us with His Spirit for His glory.

Prayer also is instrumental in raising up the workers that are needed. (John 17:20; John 20:21; Acts 1:14; Acts 4:31; Acts 11:5; Acts 14:23; Colossians 4:3-4).

Jesus Himself commands us to “ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:38).

The leading of the Holy Spirit in choosing and equipping church planters is very important (Acts 13:2).

Prayer provides direction so God can show us where He is at work. And where He wants us to be involved.

In his strategy, Paul had a plan to reach the Jews and the Gentiles. But his plans were sometimes changed by the Spirit of God. He was very sensitive to the leading of the Spirit and was willing to change his own plans to follow the plans of God (Acts 11:27-30; Acts 13:1-3; Acts 16:6-10; Acts 8:9-10).

Paul was very open to the Spirit—that is why he said, “But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, God willing I will come to you” (1 Corinthians 4:19). We also need to pray so that we know God’s plan.   

After prayer has confirmed the place where God wants you to be involved. Why not do a survey and study the target people and the area.

It is very important to know the culture (language, customs, religion, social structure) of the people.

Prayer walks, literature distribution, film shows, small business development, and music may help in establishing contacts and finding the “man of peace”—the families or the communities in the area who are receptive to you and the Spirit (Mark 6:10-11). This will help in strategic discernment and effective approaches to the community by identifying the spiritual battleground and the responsiveness of the people groups.

In the Old Testament, Moses sent 12 leaders to do a survey of the land that God had promised to give them (Numbers 13:17-20).

After Moses passed away, Joshua also did a similar thing by sending leaders to do a survey of Jericho.

Jesus likewise sent His disciples ahead of Him to prepare the way (Luke 10:1).

As you survey a region, prayerfully respond to the following questions:

What locations are most strategic?

Paul’s whole strategy was to plant churches in major towns. Paul went into big cities of a region (Acts 16:9-12; Acts 18:1, Acts 18:18-22; Acts 19:1-10) and planted churches in those strategic cities.

Paul recognized that the way to most permanently influence a country was by planting vibrant churches in strategic cities. Once he had accom­plished this, he moved on, knowing that the rest would follow. That is why he said that he had “fully preached” the Gospel in a re­gion and that he had “no more place . . . to work in these regions” (Romans 15:19, Romans 15:23).

This, however, does not imply that it is wrong to plant a church in a smaller town or village if that is clearly God’s direction. It is critical to seek God’s direction.

Consider whether it is possible to send someone as a church planter or if another method is needed. Perhaps a small business is a good way to gain an entrance into this location. This is the reason that Global Disciples includes Small Business Development (SBD) training as part of our Multiplying Churches Strategy.

You may also recognize specific physical needs of a community which can be an open door to bringing the Gospel.

Try to discover who holds influence in the location you are trying to reach. These influencers may or may not hold positions of authority and may or may not be open to the Gospel (Acts 8:26-38; Acts 10; Acts 16). But if the key influencers can be reached first with the Gospel, a church can be established much more quickly.

Jesus talks about “the man of peace” (Luke 10:6) and encourages His disciples to work closely with this person. Prayerfully ask God to reveal these key people to you and your team.

Identify both the spiritual and cultural areas which will oppose the Gospel (Acts 17:5; Acts 19:24-34). Once identified, gather intercessors and start praying.

Planting and multiplying churches is the work that requires a team; it is not an individual effort. 

One person will not have all the gifting and skills to do all the different ministries that are needed to plant churches. Jesus, the Master church planter, sent His disciples out two by two (Luke 10:1).

Paul also took someone with him in his church planting ventures and, at various times, included many on his team over his years of ministry—Barnabas, John Mark, Titus, Silas, Timothy, Priscilla, Aquila (Acts 15:40; Acts 16:1; Acts 18:18; Romans 12:6-9; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Galatians 6:6; Ephesians 4:11; 1 Corinthians 16:15- 16). In the same way, if we want to reach the least-reached peoples, we need to form a strategic church planting team.

The team will certainly include those whom God has specifically called to take the Gospel to new areas. While it is the responsibility of every believer to witness in their community, there are those who have the ability and call to go out to new areas. 

For example, Paul and Barnabas were set apart by the Holy Spirit from the church at Antioch (Acts 13:1-3); the church leaders prayed for them and commissioned them to go and multiply churches where there was no witness for Christ.

The team will not only include those who go but also persons committed to pray and support the church planting effort.

To multiply churches, we should identify ourselves with the communities we want to reach by establishing a presence among them.

Jesus came and lived among those He was trying to reach. Paul also identified himself quickly with those he tried to reach; he became a servant to all to save them by sacrificing his comfort (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). In Athens, he talked about the “unknown God” (Acts 17:22-24)—he contextualized the Gospel according to the place and culture.

When we live and identify with the people we plan to reach, joining with them in their joys and sorrows, it builds trust. It also calls for sacrifice, and we must often lay down our own preferences to reach others with the Gospel—especially if we are across cultures. If we go to reach a vegetarian community, be a vegetarian to identify with them!

Again, in many locations, business is a great way to establish a presence in a community. A business opens doors and builds relationships with many people in a community (Acts 18:1-4). If you are sending out a church planter, consider funding the startup cost of a small business instead of long-term monthly support.

As you establish a presence in a community, continue to look for the “person of peace” whom God has prepared for the message. In most communities, the family head will be a key influencer. It is worth the special effort of a church planter to focus on these persons. 

Prayerfully look for people who will willingly give their lives to follow Christ. Be alert to the many ways in which God may call people to Himself. This may happen simply as you live among them and represent Jesus to them. If you’re using a business, they may see a difference in the way that you treat them or your willingness to pray for them in the name of Jesus.

In some contexts, you may use literature, door-to-door evangelism methods, film showings. You may find that people are open to study the Bible with you.

Some have found it helpful to begin studying Scripture from the account of Creation and slowly work through the Old Testament before coming to the New Testament stories of Jesus. This may take much time, but it can be a very effective way of teaching people the heart of God.

Consider appropriate use of technology as well—cell phones, Facebook, Instagram, and satellite television are all ways that God can use to speak to people. Again, the context of the culture will help to shape the method you use.

The New Testament evangelism method was focused on reaching the entire family by reaching the family heads. Targeting family leaders who would bring their whole households to Christ is the most strategic and fruitful way to plant churches in least-reached areas. There are many biblical examples of this—Peter, who preached to the household of Cornelius (Acts 10); Paul, who preached to Lydia with all members of her household (Acts 16:14-15) as well as to the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:31-33); the households of Stephen, Philemon, and others as well that were won over (1 Corinthians 1:16; Philemon 2; 2 Timothy 1:16).  As they won the head of the house, they brought their whole family, and churches were established.

Wherever Paul went and met people who were hungry for salvation, he preached the Gospel and baptized those who gave their lives to follow Christ.

Jesus commanded us to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19).

As soon as people give their lives to the Lordship of Jesus, teach them to renounce any old ways of living—idol worship, evil spirits, practices of magic and witchcraft, immoral practices—and pray for their deliverance. This is the right time to instruct them to live lives of discipleship.

There is no need to hurry to baptize them before they make the right decision (Acts 2:38-40). In some contexts, it may be wise to wait until several people or a group of people are ready for baptism together.  

After baptism, instruct them to devote themselves to the studying and teaching of the Word of God, to prayer, to fellowship, to breaking bread together, and to serving their world.

Jesus, the master builder of His Church, called, trained, and sent people very specifically to build His own Church (Mark 3:13-15).

The apostles did what they saw Jesus doing. Following in the footsteps of Jesus, we need to give priority to training and appointing leaders who will take care of the established fellowships and continue to reproduce churches. Selection and training of the leaders can be done according to the personal gifting and calling of individuals.

Paul chose leaders to be in charge of the fellowships which he planted (1 Corinthians 1:14-16; Acts 18:8). Paul also visited the churches he planted to encourage, strengthen, and correct them (Acts 15:36; Acts 14:21-23; Acts 16:1-5; Acts 18:23; Acts 20:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 3:10; 1 Corinthians 16:5-7; 2 Corinthians 13:9-10). Writing epistles was also a part of his follow-up work.

In some places he spent more time to equip the disciples. For example, he spent one and half years in Corinth (Acts 18:11) and three years in Ephesus (Acts 20:31) teaching on the word of God. In the same way, we also need to give attention to the churches planted. 

Unless the church we plant takes the responsibility of reaching others and planting reproducing fellowships of disciples, we have not completed our work.

Paul equipped and appointed leaders to continue the multiplication of churches in their region. Specifically, he told Titus to, “appoint elders in every town” (Titus 1:5).

We need to train every member of the newly established church to share their faith with others and to make disciples. During this process, many of them will grow as disciples who will go and make disciples and plant churches. This kind of multiplying churches will become a church-planting movement that continues to multiply churches.

You’ve got a vital part to play!

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

God has a beautiful strategy for reaching the world through multiplying churches.

The ultimate goal of all disciple-making and leadership development to planting churches. These churches should then multiply as a means to reach those who have yet to hear the Gospel in our world.

We can better understand the biblical mandate of planting fellowships of disciples that multiply themselves by exploring the following;

We have seen the importance of planting multiplying churches to fulfill the Great Commission. However, this multiplication involves many challenges.

A major obstacle to church multiplication is a wrong definition of the Church.

We often think of the Church as a building with a trained, professional pastor in charge. It requires a lot of time and energy to build buildings and develop professional leadership. This view of the church does not allow for rapid multiplication.

But when we search the New Testament, we do not find anything about a church building. Or even trained pastors or church planters!

Jesus and His first disciples didn’t model this kind of a church.

Jesus met and discipled His first disciples in homes and on the mountains (Matthew 5:1; Matthew 9:10-11; Matthew 11:1; Matthew 13:36; Matthew 14:18-19; Matthew 26:18; Mark 2:1-4; Mark 3:20; Mark 6:7-13; John 6:3; Acts 5:42; Acts 12:12; Acts 4:13).

He prayerfully appointed ordinary and uneducated disciples to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. These ordinary, uneducated disciples turned the world upside down with the Gospel message.

Historically, for the first 300 years of the existence of the Church, there was rapid multiplication with very little formal structure.

Every disciple was a disciple-maker and the Church was a simple gathering of people who followed and worshiped Jesus. They met in homes or common places and experienced much persecution.

But the impact of their lives changed the world.

By 313 A.D., the Roman emperor Constantine won a military victory which he attributed to Christianity. Following this, he stopped the persecution of Christianity and, with time, Christianity became the official state religion.

No longer were Christians persecuted—rather, everyone was encouraged to become Christian. With official recognition from the state, the Church quickly developed as an institution. This included buildings, special privileges for clergy, promotion of Christians to high-ranking offices, etc.

This was a radical change for the Church and was, in many ways, a great victory for Christianity. However, it unintentionally changed the nature of the Church.  It became more of an institution than a living and multiplying organism.

Much of our view of the Church today has historical roots in the transition that happened after 313 A.D.  We must understand that what has developed through history has hindered the multiplication of churches, and we should seek to rediscover God’s original intent for the Church.

This is not meant to minimize the importance of church buildings nor to criticize theological training for church leaders. But we must find ways to fulfill God’s plan for multiplication of His Church which has been His desire from the beginning of creation.

Another obstacle to church multiplication comes when the Church is presented as a foreign concept to the people we are trying to reach.

The message of the Gospel was designed by God to reach every culture and to shape every culture.

Unfortunately, when we take the Gospel to other nations, we contextualize it within our own cultural norms and understanding (Acts 17:16-32; 1 Corinthians 9:19-23). 

While it may be possible to reach a few people, a movement will never take root when the Church is perceived as something totally foreign.

Contextualizing the Gospel in the culture of the people we are reaching has biblical support. Jesus, the Master Church Planter, took on human form and became flesh to reach all humanity (John 1:14).

He came to the Jewish culture and He started preaching the Gospel in the temple instead of forming a new sect (Matthew 21:23; Matthew 26:55; Mark 12:35; Luke 2:46; Luke 19:47; John 8:20).

The same was true with the ministry of the disciples of Jesus and the early Church (Acts 2:46; Acts 3:1; Acts 17:23-31; 1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

As the Gospel began to cross into other cultures, the early Church began to realize that the expressions of Christianity be different for Gentiles than for themselves as Jews. The Jerusalem conference in Acts 15 was held to resolve this issue. It’s clear that we need to contextualize the Gospel, without compromising its truth, in the culture of the people we plan to reach.

Contextualization of the Gospel will utilize local resources as much as possible.

For example, if the houses in a village are made of wood and grasses, then trying to construct a brick building for worship will not fit. If a church building needs to be constructed, use materials that are common in that location. In a similar way, consider local preferences for music and style of worship instead of importing styles from another location.

Such contextualization will allow a new church to be easily reproducible and will promote multiplication. When other cultures’ traditions are imposed, dependency is created and church growth is hindered.

In one South Asian country, Christ Followers call themselves ‘Muslim followers of Isa’ so that it will help them to reach their own people in their own context. They believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, believe in water baptism, share communion, and worship Allah, the Almighty God.

Is it right to ask them to call themselves Christians if it will hinder them from reaching their own people?  

Discipleship is one of the key factors to multiplying churches.

An authentic life of discipleship is marked by obedience to the teaching of Jesus (John 8:31); love for God and one another (Matthew 22:37-40; John 13:35); unity; and fruitfulness (John 15:8; John 17:20-23).

When genuine discipleship results in transformed lives, the Gospel spreads rapidly (Matthew 5:14-16).

When there is a lack of discipleship in the Church, it is a poor witness of our faith to our community. In many ways, since the time of Constantine the Church has struggled to be faithful in the area of discipleship; the focus has turned outward to buildings, structures, and titles.

But when we focus on making disciples to produce transformed lives, the multiplication of churches becomes natural because of the lives of the disciples of Jesus.

Many believers are content with the current state of the Church, and they spend most of their time and energy on maintenance rather than on growth.

They might ask, “Why do we need more churches?

We have plenty of needs right here.”

Some others might think that planting new churches will take people from already existing churches and will weaken the Church rather than strengthen it.

There are also some who might say that it is better to help the already existing churches that are struggling rather than to plant new churches.

These ideas and questions indicate a lack of vision for church multiplication (Mark 1:38-39; Matthew 28:19; Romans 15:23).

We need our hearts to be stirred by the current realities in the world. Consider these realities:

Reaching and delivering people out of the kingdom of darkness into the marvelous light of God’s Kingdom (1 Peter 2:9) exposes us to spiritual battle.

It involves encountering the activities of the territorial spirits, magicians, and witchdoctors while presenting the Gospel (Ephesians 6:10-18).

As we plan to plant multiplying churches, we must be aware of the work of the enemy who will strongly oppose any effort that brings people to Jesus (Acts 19:23-34, Acts 16:16-24; Acts 21:27-36).

He has blinded people for years (2 Corinthians 4:4) and will not easily allow them to see the truth.

We must be confident of our spiritual authority over the powers of darkness and recognize the presence of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. As we commit our lives to multiplying churches, the Lord will confirm His words through miracles, signs, and wonders (Mark 16:15-20).

What are some of the greatest challenges in your context to plant churches?

You’ve got an incredibly vital part to play!

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

God has a beautiful strategy for reaching the world through multiplying churches.

The ultimate goal of all disciple-making and leadership development is planting churches that multiply as a means to reach those who have yet to hear the Gospel in our world.

We can better understand the biblical mandate of planting fellowships of disciples that multiply themselves by exploring the following;

As we do our part to fulfill the Great Commission, we need to understand the strategic importance of God’s Church. But, we must also learn to understand God’s motivation for multiplication.

In fact, God has a passionate desire for multiplication both in the natural world and in the spiritual realm.

All living things in the natural world multiply, from the tiniest cell to the largest living being (Genesis 1:28; Genesis 9:7; Acts 6:7). In the same way, God desires multiplication in the spiritual realm and in the growth of His Church. God wants His Church not only to add new churches but also to multiply.  

One-third of our world, more than 2 billion people, have yet to hear the Gospel of Jesus in a way in which they can understand and respond. Many of these people live in places isolated from the Church.

The multiplication of churches is of strategic and vital importance to each of us.

We cannot be content with simply adding a church here and there. We must take the church where there are least-reached people groups so they will get an opportunity to hear the good news in their own language and culture.

How amazing would it be so see at least one fellowship of believers to represent the Kingdom of God among every people group—then, every people group will be represented in heaven.

“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands” – Revelation 7:9.

If we want to see the fulfillment of this prophecy, we need to multiply churches among every ethnic group in this world.

The Book of Acts is an outstanding testimony of church planting and multiplication. 

The growth pattern of the New Testament churches is quantitative (numerical), qualitative (discipleship), and geographical (expansion) (Acts 6:7; Acts 9:31; Acts 11:26; Acts 16:5).

The first church in Jerusalem began with 120 disciples (Acts 1:15). On the Day of Pentecost, 3,000 people were added to the church (Acts 2:41-42). Soon the membership of the Jerusalem church was 5,000 (Acts 4:4). Then, “multitudes of men and women were added” (5:14), and “the number of the disciples multiplied greatly” (Acts 6:7).

 The expansion continued to Judea and Samaria (Acts 8). Within a very short time, the early Church became a movement of thousands and thousands of disciples of Jesus who impacted the entire world.

From this account detailing the patterns of the Church’s growth, it is clear that the Church should grow by adding new believers to existing fellowships and then expanding geographically by planting new churches in new territories.

This is the power of multiplication.

The first 11 disciples, who received the Great Commission from Jesus, planted the first church in Jerusalem.

They immediately began to share their faith with those around them, and the Church grew rapidly. “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). The numbers continue to increase until the record says, “the number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly” (Acts 6:7).

In fact, all this took place in a single local church even before they begin to plant other churches. Multiplication is expected in any living organism, including every local church.

Are you seeing multiplication happening in your local church? Why or why not?

Jesus had clearly instructed His disciples at the beginning,

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”
– Acts 1:8

After the first church was established in Jerusalem, the disciples seemed hesitant to go and plant other churches. They grew larger (120, 3120, 5,000), but they did not seem to have a vision for multiplying churches.

But, all of this changed when persecution broke out after the death of Stephen.  

“On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria”
– Acts 8:1

Excepting the apostles, Christ’s disciples were scattered, and they planted churches in Judea and Samaria. Churches began multiplying, establishing the New Testament pattern for growth.

“Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went”
– Acts 8:4

It seems that when the apostles did not listen to Acts 1:8, Jesus allowed Acts 8:1!

Jesus is the head of the Church, and He can use any circumstances to multiply His own Body, the Church.  In this case, He used persecution.

Later in the book of Acts, God even used a disagreement between Paul and Barnabas to produce more multiplication (Acts 15:36-41).

It is clear that God’s desire is to see the church multiplied!

Do we still wait for persecution to fulfill the Great Commission or plan ahead for multiplication?

Have you seen the church multiply through persecution?

At the beginning of the Church in Acts, every believer was a Jew.

But God’s plan was much bigger than that. He had already told the disciples that the Gospel was to go to the ends of the earth. The early disciples traveled new locations outside of Jerusalem.

Philip shared the Gospel with the Ethiopian eunuch who had come to Jerusalem to worship (Acts 8:26).

However, the most radical step came when Peter took the Gospel to Cornelius, a Gentile. The establishment of a church among the Gentiles was so revolutionary that it required a vision from heaven for Peter to obey.

After the church was established, it required a meeting of all the officials of the Church to decide if this was actually from God! (Read the story in Acts 15.)

The only way for the Gospel to reach every tribe and nation is for someone to cross cultures with it (Acts 16:9-34). None of us would be believers today if someone had not crossed over cultures to share the Gospel with us.

Will we do our part to take it to the next culture?

However, the Jerusalem church didn’t understand God’s intention for multiplication, but we thank God for the Antioch church.

It took some time after the beginning of persecution and the beginning of the Church to spread to the Gentile world, but the Church finally understood what God meant by multiplying churches to the ends of the earth.

In fact, the church in Antioch sent apostles Paul and Barnabas to plant new churches (Acts 13:1-4). This was an intentional act and indicates that they were beginning to understand God’s design for the Church. It is still His design for us today.

So, its only when we begin to realize God’s desire for the multiplication of churches will we be able to accomplish the Great Commission in our lifetime.

Multiplying churches is part of God’s plan to reach the world. In fact, we are called to go and plant churches that have the capacity to reproduce locally sustainable fellowships in least-reached areas.

We cannot be satisfied with growing our existing churches; churches need to multiply in our own region, then to neighboring regions, then to the whole world.

You’ve got an incredibly vital part to play!

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

God has a beautiful strategy for reaching the world through multiplying churches. Read on, and discover Gods design for the Church as the Body of Christ and His strategic plan to fulfill His Great Commission.

Did you know that the ultimate goal of all disciple-making and leadership development is planting churches? And that new people will hear the gospel, by connecting with these new churches?

We can better understand the biblical mandate of planting fellowships of disciples that multiply themselves by exploring the following;

God designed everything for a specific purpose. So, if we are to understand the significance and role of the Church, we need to look carefully at His intent and design. His design and purpose for the Church is one of the most beautiful and amazing truths we can understand.

The Bible uses the word “church” to describe a group of people who believe in Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 16:19; Galatians 1:2).

In the New Testament, the terms “disciples,” “believers,” and “church” are used in the context of Christ’s followers (Acts 14:21-28; Acts 15:2-3).

All of the people who believe in Christ are in one spiritual fellowship called the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 1 Corinthians 12:27).

In some places in the New Testament, the word “church” refers to a local church (Acts 2:41-46; Acts 11:22; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; Philemon 2),

And in other cases, it refers to the universal or worldwide Church (Matthew 16:18;  Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13).

In both cases, “church” is referring to the group of people who represent Jesus to the world.

The official Global Disciples definition of “church” is a growing community of disciples centered in Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and focused on mission.

Therefore, the evidence of such a community is seen in their devotion to God’s Word, the quality and depth of their fellowship. And a joyful sharing of their lives that’s celebrated in worship, communion, baptism, and a life saturated in prayer.

“His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms” – Ephesians 3:10.

This passage teaches us that God has chosen the church to make known His manifold wisdom to the universe.

Of course, He intends for each of us to represent Him to the world.

But, scripture makes it very clear that it is His plan to reveal Himself through the Church.

However, the Church is God’s plan of salvation and restoration of the world is revealed through His Body.

In what way does God intend to reveal Himself to the world through the Church?

God intends to reveal His character, His power, and His love through the Church.

God’s strategy is a corporate strategy; it is not accomplishable by an individual. No wonder that Jesus said of His disciples,

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”
– John 13:35.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”
– Matthew 28:19

We cannot accomplish this mission simply by doing evangelism.

Obviously, we need to share Christ with those who are not believers.

But Jesus talks about making disciples, not simply making converts.

But, the fulfillment of this Great Commission requires the multiplication of churches among each and every ethnic group.

His intention was for His disciples to join together and form a community that worships God, serves one another, and reaches out.

However, this is also where discipleship happens, this is where baptism takes place. This is where disciples are taught to obey and follow Jesus. This is God’s strategy to fulfill the Great Commission.

As it is recorded in the Book of Acts, when people committed their lives to follow Christ, baptism and discipleship were present. (Acts 2:41–47). And as Peter Wagner puts it, “Planting new churches is the most effective evangelistic methodology known under heaven.”

So, its clear that church planting is in the package of the Great Commission that Jesus has given us.

When we focus on fulfilling Jesus’ mission, then the multiplication of fellowships of disciples becomes natural (Acts 1:8).

We can’t accomplish this by establishing a single fellowship of disciples somewhere and inviting every new disciple to be part of that one fellowship. 

The strategy requires many churches to be planted wherever disciples are being made. Therefore, establishing fellowships of disciples (planting churches) reflects our obedience to the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the master builder of His Church, and we are simply co-laborers with Him. He says, “I will build my Church” (Matthew 16:18; 1 Corinthians 3:6). As we obey by going and making disciples, Jesus continues to build His Church in and through us (Matthew 16:18; 1 Corinthians 3:6).

You’ve got an incredibly vital part to play! May we all continue to be co-laborers with the best builder of all time!

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

Nearly every believer is aware of the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ and at least gives verbal assent to God’s desire to reach the world and make disciples (2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:3-4).

The Lord does not delay [as though He were unable to act] and is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
– 2 Peter 3:9

This [kind of praying] is good and acceptable and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who wishes all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge and recognition of the [divine] truth.
– 1 Timothy 2:3-4

But few disciples understand what His strategy is to accomplish this goal.

The Church is at the center of His strategy (Matthew 16:18).  

Unfortunately, the picture that comes to many people’s minds when we talk about the Church is not even close to God’s intention or design for the Church.

As we read through the New Testament we can get this beautiful picture of what He designed the church to be and do, and how we can be a part of what He is doing in the world today.

God has a beautiful strategy for reaching the world through multiplying churches.

The ultimate goal of all disciple-making and leadership development is planting churches that multiply as a means to reach those who have yet to hear the Gospel in our world.

We can better understand the biblical mandate of planting fellowships of disciples that multiply themselves by exploring the following;

God’s heartbeat is for a relationship with every person in the world, and billions are still waiting to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Winning a few people or planting an additional church or two is not enough. We must start movements of multiplying churches that will reach the world for Jesus. It is God’s plan and His calling.

What will you do today to make it happen?

How can we fulfill the mission of taking the Gospel to the ends of the world in our generation?

You’ve got an incredibly vital part to play!

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

God is a missionary God who created human beings in His image and for a relationship with Him.

Scripture explains how humanity chose to rebel against God. And He has been pursuing the restoration of His relationship with us. God has chosen a people to join with Him in seeking restoration of relationship with all of humanity. 

Consequently, Jesus Christ came as the Word of God in human form to model God’s heart for humanity. Through His death and resurrection, He paid the debt for our sins. In fact, He makes it possible for all who will believe to be transformed into ambassadors of God. In turn, they become a part of initiating reconciliation with peoples of every tribe, nation, and language.

So, we can better understand World Mission and how it relates to the Church and our lives by exploring the following;

In reality, we live in a postmodern world that believes there is no absolute truth and that truth is relative. So, how in this postmodern pluralistic culture, can we present the uniqueness of Jesus Christ?

For us, as disciples of Jesus Christ, the Word of God is our guide in our journey and ministry.

In fact, in the Word of God, the uniqueness of Jesus Christ is evident.

The God of the Bible is the only God who manifested Himself through His own son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16).

He is different from all false gods (Jeremiah 10:6; Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6). 

 Jesus is not one of the many ways to God—He is the only way.

No one can come to God except through Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).

He is the only One who has been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38).

Jesus is the only One who is eternal (Colossians 1:17; John 1:1-3; John 8:57).

He is the only One who is God incarnate, God in human flesh (John 1:1-18; Hebrews 1:1-3; Hebrews 2:14-18; Philippians 2:5-11; 1 Timothy 2:5-6).

Jesus is the only One who is the visible image of the invisible God, who is fully God and fully man (Colossians 1:15-20; Colossians 2:9).

He is the only One who lived a sinless life that qualified Him to become the Savior (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; Hebrews 7:23-28).

Jesus is the only One who forgives sin—something that God alone can do (Mark 2:5-7).

He is the only One who has conquered death (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).

Jesus is the only One who will come back to judge the world (2 Timothy 4:1; Revelation 19:11).

“The Lausanne Movement” describes the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in this way: “We affirm that there is only one Savior and only one gospel . . . Jesus Christ, being Himself the only God-man, who gave Himself as the only ransom for sinners, is the only mediator between God and people.”

“We are called to proclaim Christ in an increasingly pluralistic world . . . In the first century too there were ‘many gods and many lords.’ Yet the apostles boldly affirmed the uniqueness, indispensability and centrality of Christ. We must do the same.”

“The Lausanne Movement is determined to bear a positive and uncompromising witness to the uniqueness of our Lord, in His life, death, and resurrection, in all aspects of our evangelistic work including inter-faith dialogue.”

In fact, the only true God is our living, triune God. He has revealed Himself in the Bible to all of humanity.

The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments tell us clearly that God is eternally one and, as the living and sovereign One, He differs fundamentally from all false gods (Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 115:3-7; Isaiah 44:6; Jeremiah 10:6; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6).

In His tri-personal nature as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God is one perfect and complete community of love in Himself who has fulfilled His redemptive plan in the person of His only begotten Son, Jesus (Genesis 1:1; John 1:1; John 15:26; I John 4:9; 2 Corinthians 13:13).

God created humankind in His own image (Genesis 1:27).

He is the Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, and Renewer, the origin and ultimate purpose and goal of every human being. For this reason, God calls all humanity to acknowledge Him and believe in Him, to worship, and to share His life (Ecclesiastes 11:9; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Psalm 46:11).

God the Father has spoken to us through Jesus Christ the Son as His special revelation of salvation (Hebrews 1:2). By the initiation of the Father (John 1:1-2; John 3:16), through His incarnation by the Holy Spirit, and by His atoning death, Christ reconciled the humanity to God and redeemed us from the destructive powers of sin, death, and the Devil (2 Corinthians 5:19; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 2:14).

The uniqueness of Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, demands a response.

In reality, the necessity of personal belief, is at the heart of the Christian Gospel. So, Christ fulfills and completes all the aspirations of humanity. He comes as the Second Adam to restore sinful humanity and a broken world. When people come to know Christ, they discover meaning and purpose, and their full identity is regained. While a decision to accept the free offer of salvation is crucial to evangelism, it must also affirm that this unique Savior offers not merely salvation as a work, but He also offers Himself in a transformational way. In fact, the whole purpose of the Christian life is to become like Jesus.

By Christ’s bodily resurrection and ascension to heaven, God the Father has confirmed Him as the only Mediator between Himself and humanity, and He has appointed Him the universal Lord over all powers and authorities as well as Judge of the world (Matthew 28:18; Acts 10:36-42; I Timothy 2:5). Therefore, eternal salvation or eternal damnation is determined by either turning to Him in faith or by rejecting Him (John 3:16; Mark 16:16).

In reality, Jesus is the only answer to our sinful human condition. Since the Fall in Genesis 3, humanity has been sentenced to eternal death, life without God (Luke 19:10, Ephesians 2:12). But Jesus has died for us to reconcile us to God (2 Corinthians 5:19, Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 2:14).

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

In this blog we’ll learn to understand the world religions of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism. Understand the beliefs, practices, and teachings of each religion and popular cults too.

Jesus Christ came as the Word of God in human form to model God’s heart and His way of living. Through His death and resurrection, He paid the debt for our sins. He makes it possible for all who will believe to be transformed into ambassadors of God. We can be part in reconciling God with peoples of every tribe, nation, and language.

We can better understand World Mission and how it relates to the Church and our lives by exploring the following;

Religion is an institution or a set of beliefs constituted by human beings in order to approach a god or gods. It is an organized set of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules in which one believes and which one follows devotedly. There are many different religions in the world.

Below we briefly address three of the world’s religions—Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

Islam means submission to the will of God. The founder of Islam, Mohammed, was born in 570.

According to his revelation, there are six doctrines of the faith that Muslims hold to:   

There are five pillars in the Islamic religion. These obligations that every Muslim must keep are as follows:

Hinduism is tremendously diverse. It encompasses those who believe in one reality, Brahman (the ultimate reality underlying every phenomenon), as well as those who believe in many gods, up to 330 million. It is common in one house for the husband to worship one god, the wife another god, and the children others. Regardless of the diversity within Hinduism, there are some core beliefs.

Buddhism does not believe in a personal God. It does not have worship, prayer, or praise of divine beings. It offers no redemption, no forgiveness, no hope of heaven, and no final judgment. In Buddhism, there are “The Four Noble Truths”:

The Eightfold path is:

The Eightfold Path is a set of steps that describes not only a good life but one which will move the follower toward Nirvana—extinction wherein lies one’s essence. The individual doesn’t actually exist in Buddhism; you can turn off existence like a candle flame marking the end of desire and the end of suffering. 

How do you feel when you hear the belief of these religions compared to what we as Christians believe?

As messengers of the Gospel of Jesus, we need to pray and find ways to engage the Gospel in the context of other religious beliefs.  

Cults are religious groups that claim to be in harmony with Christianity but deny foundational Christian teachings such as the Trinity or the unique deity of Jesus Christ.

The word “cult” is generally used to denote a group or organization which deviates from Christian teaching. 

In Matthew 7:15-17, Jesus gives us warning about the coming of cults, and much of the New Testament is written to correct their distractive influence (2 Corinthians 11:1-11; Galatians 1:8-9). 

Jesus stated, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” What Jesus was warning us of was that followers of cults will look and act like Christians. However, that is only in external appearance. They might argue as true believers for the time, but eventually, their words, actions, and especially their fruits will reveal their true identity.

The failure of the Church in making disciples contributed a lot to the emersion of many cultic movements. The increase of cults is also a fulfillment of the warning given by Jesus and the apostles (Matthew 24:23-26; 2 Peter 2:1-3). As the day of the return of our Lord is approaching, there will be an increase in false prophets and teachings.

All cults have a distorted view of the triune God; they promote false teaching based on the nature of God.

But the Bible teaches us there is one God who has revealed Himself in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16-17; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14).  

Cults also teach a false view of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 11:4). For example, Christian Science teaches that Jesus Christ is a historical figure but not the God-man, and Jehovah’s Witnesses also teach that Jesus is not God. But the Bible tells us that Jesus is fully God and fully human (John 17:3; 1 Timothy 2:5; Philippians 2:6-7).

Cultic understanding of salvation is also distorted. Most cults have a works-oriented Gospel by undermining the finished work on the cross (Ephesians 2:8-9). 

In the early Church, there were a number of schisms and heretical movements such as Arianism. These heresies were essentially doctrinal ones. As the church councils met in response to them, the creeds of the Church formed, and the canon of the New Testament was finally agreed upon.

Throughout history, there have been heretical teachings of many kinds, but in recent years, there has been an explosion in the number of these groups. In the end, most cults fail, but they still can cause enormous personal damage and create confusion amongst Christians and non-Christians alike. The good thing is that, as the cults continue to increase, we know that the day of the Lord is near.

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you want a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

Our God is a missionary God who created human beings in His image and for a relationship with Him.

God has chosen a people to join with Him in seeking restoration of relationship with all of humanity. 

Jesus Christ came as the Word of God in human form to model God’s heart and His way of living. Through His death and resurrection, He paid the debt for our sins. God invites us to into His work of reconciliation with peoples of every tribe, nation, and language.

We can better understand World Mission and how it relates to the Church and our lives by exploring the following;

The vision of our missionary God is to enfold people of every nation, tribe, and language into His Kingdom.

God has chosen to work through a particular people of His calling. That is, the nation of Israel in the Old Testament and the Church in the New Testament. This calling was always with the intent that His people would become agents of His mission to all peoples.

Many Old Testament passages point to the day when God will gather peoples from all nations. They will be included in His purposes and become agents of His Kingdom. Some verses that explain this journey can be found here(Isaiah 56:3, Isaiah 56:6-8; Isaiah 66:18-21; Zechariah 8:20-23).

Jesus said that the Gospel of the Kingdom would be preached among all peoples (Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:10).

After His resurrection, he commissioned His disciples to go and preach the Gospel. And by the power of the Spirit, to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-47).

They were sent on a mission into the world as Jesus Himself was sent by the Father (John 20:21).

After Jesus ascended into heaven and after the Holy Spirit was sent at Pentecost, Jesus mission transferred the Church.

In Acts 1:8, Jesus indicates that the Spirit will empower His people to become His witnesses. The spread of the disciples’ witness involved moving outward from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, Antioch, and every remote region.

In fact, this mission required crossing ethnic and religious barriers. The Gospel moved from the people of Israel to the Samaritans who had a form of Old Testament faith. The message then moved onto the Gentiles. They consisted of diverse ethnic groups and were followers of a variety of religious beliefs.

How can we reach the entire world by crossing different cultural and religious backgrounds?

Reaching the least reached is not an easy task for the church.

We need creative methods and entry points. God has empowered the Church to be HIs witness in the world.

Key areas of innovation include the following:

Ralph Winter, in his essay “Cross-Cultural Evangelism: The Task of Highest Priority,” highlights the need for awareness of the “cultural distance” between the messenger and the recipient.

The nearer the messenger is in cultural adaptation to the recipient culture, the more effective is the sharing of the Gospel. This “nearness” may be due to one’s culture of origin or even the result of careful adaptation to the recipient culture.

The messenger must work hard to understand the other culture by learning the language, traditions, historical problems, religious allegiance, and patterns of behavior.

At Global Disciples, we believe and encourage indigenous clusters of churches to train and send their own workers.

These are people who know the culture well in order to reap the plentiful harvest. 

In Global Disciples, we believe that churches in close proximity to the least-reached areas are instrumental. If these clusters of churches are willing to identify and train church planters to cross to the next village/town, we will provide a Small Business Development (SBD) training tool for them.

This will allow them to train their church planters. Then they can develop their own legitimate businesses to give them the resources to access least-reached people and to sustain their families and ministries.

How did Paul present the Gospel to the people of Athens (Acts 17:16-34)?

We must begin on common ground by understanding the culture of the people we are trying to reach. Without understanding the culture, we can’t begin on common ground in order to engage the Gospel in this people’s context.

Understanding another culture is not as easy as we think. Everything that a culture is and will ever be is driven by its worldview. This is the deepest part of the culture.

Understanding the culture of our audience allows us to properly present the Gospel message in their context. The Apostle Paul was an expert at understanding cultures.  

He was provoked by all of the idols that he saw in the city of Athens (Acts 17:16). But He began his talk by observing that they were very religious in all respects. Then he mentioned that he found an altar that was dedicated, “To an unknown God.”  He used this “unknown God” to tell them about the true God who created heaven and earth. He showed them the supremacy of God by saying,

“The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands, nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things” (Acts 17:24-25).

Paul even used their writing, “‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’” He used their poet’s sayings to support his argument that all human beings came from one man and that we are all children of God. Finally, he called them to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 17:30-31). “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead” (emphasis added).

Here, Paul made it clear there is no salvation without repentance and submission to the saving power of the One who defeated death. Contextualization means beginning with some common ground and presenting the saving Gospel in that context. 

Every ethnic group has its own culture and some kind of religious background. Therefore, for the Gospel to be understood and received by any people group, it has to be communicated in the context of that culture to make it meaningful. But most of the time, we do not go with a “pure” or naked Gospel to adapt it into the new culture. In taking the Gospel across cultures, one of the mistakes we often make is that of going with a Gospel wrapped in our own cultural context. So we need to be careful to distinguish between the two—culture and Gospel.

The Gospel message we received originally came in the historical context of the Hebrew and Greek cultures. But these practices had to cross many different cultures as the Church expanded. For example, in the early Church, the Hebrew practices of circumcision and dietary laws were set aside in the Gentiles’ culture (Acts 15:1-35; Romans 14). The churches did not always agree as to how to relate to surrounding cultures which resulted in controversies and division.

Our Gospel is the universal message of salvation for all people irrespective of race, language, culture, or circumstances. It does not presuppose the superiority of any culture to another but evaluates all cultures according to its own criteria of truth and righteousness based on the Word of God. To communicate the Gospel effectively, we have to separate it from our culture and present it in terms of the culture of the people we are reaching. It is good to remember that Jesus Christ is the captive of no culture and is the master of all cultures. The central task of our mission is to present the message in the context of our audience so that they can respond positively (1 Timothy 2:5-6). 

We have the authority to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all people within their context. Just as Jesus Christ became flesh and dwelt among people, we, the messengers of the Gospel, must have a cultural incarnation in order to be meaningful (John 1:14-18). We cannot communicate the Gospel withot concerning ourselves with culture because our Gospel is super-cultural in its origin, truth, and application.  

Did you know that sharing the Gospel effectively requires thoughtful, biblical contextualization? This means the removal of non-scriptural cultural elements from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Contextualization requires choosing appropriate words, analogies, worship styles, etc. In the early Church, the decision about the necessity of circumcision was a critical issue requiring contextualization. Some saw it as a prerequisite to becoming a follower of Christ. The Jerusalem council realized that the deeper intent of the Old Testament passages was that circumcision (the form) was only a sign of actual spiritual submission to God (the meaning [Romans 2:25-29]).

Paul contextualized the Gospel message in the context of his audiences (1 Corinthians 9:19-22). He chose to live like the people he was reaching. The Gospel message must be contextualized in the language and custom of the local people as God speaks to them in their real situations as Paul did. Even if we believe in contextualization, we do not compromise on salvation that is only through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord (Acts 4:12; John 14:6).  It is through Jesus Christ that God is reconciling the lost and dying world. Anyone who does not accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior is eternally lost. 

We are on a mission of reaching and discipling the entire world with our Commissioner, Jesus. He invites us to participate in the greatest, most diverse, and most significant historical gathering of the harvest in the last days. This mission, which He has entrusted into our hands, needs to go to the ends of the earth by crossing cultures as it is prophesized in Isaiah 49:6: “I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth” (NLT). These words anticipate not only the work of Christ (Luke 2:32) but also the future witness of His disciples, including us (Acts 13:47).

One day, God’s mission to include people from every nation, tribe, and language in His kingdom will be fulfilled (Revelation 5:9-10; Revelation 7:9). The Church today, as God’s missionary people, can confidently bear witness to Christ to advance His kingdom, near and far, crossing every cultural barrier. We will not rest until the Gospel has reached every people, has been shared in every locality, and until churches have been planted at every corner among the least-reached peoples around the world.

We will look forward to the day when this global mission is accomplished, when great multitudes from every race, tribe, nation, people, and language will stand before the throne of our true God and sing the song, “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9). Getting involved now will allow us to experience in advance a little of what heaven will be like.

Are we willing to cross-cultural and religious barriers so that we will fulfill the mission Jesus has given us?

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

Our God is a missionary God who created human beings in His image and for a relationship with Him.

Jesus Christ came as the Word of God in human form to model God’s heart and His way of living. Through His death and resurrection, He paid the debt for our sins. And He invites us to get involved in HIs divine plan for reconciliation with people of all nations.

We can better understand World Mission and how it relates to the Church and our lives by exploring the following;

From the very beginning to the end, the Bible message is a missionary message. God is in the business of restoring the broken relationship between Him and humanity. Let us observe the missionary nature of God in His missionary manual that He has given us, the Bible.

The Book of Genesis begins with the beautiful story of Creation (Genesis 1 – 2). Its followed by the disobedience Adam and Eve who allowed sin to enter the world and God’s response (Genesis 3-10).  When mankind sinned, our missionary God took the initiative to come and find our parents, Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:8-9). Then God divided them from Himself in order to win them back.

Our missionary God didn’t give up even when mankind continued to sin against Him. He called Abram, whom He later called Abraham, and worked through him by setting apart a missionary people (Old Testament). Jesus later became human and died as an atonement for our sin. He destroyed the power of death by His flesh (Matthew-John). Finally, He displayed the way of life to all people. So, if we closely look at all Bible stories, they are mission stories.               

Genesis 12:1-3: God promised to bless Abraham to make him a blessing for all the families of the earth. In the same way, God blesses us to make us a blessing for all people.

The Book of Revelation culminates in final battles with the enemy, God’s glorious Kingdom, and the climax of the salvation story. Jesus, the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords, will establish His Kingdom, and He will rule with righteousness from eternity to eternity. Until then, our mission is not complete. 

We are the children of the missionary God, and we need to knit our hearts with His heart so as to fulfill the mission of our Father—to reach the lost world with His name, to make Him known among the nations.

He has blessed us so as to make us a blessing for the nations. One day, the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14)!

 What do we learn from the heart of our missionary God, and what is our part?

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

Our God is a missionary God who created human beings in His image and for a relationship with Him.

From the time when the first man and woman He created chose to rebel against Him, God has been pursuing the restoration of His relationship with humanity. 

Since the time of Abraham, we see that God has chosen a people to join with Him in seeking restoration of relationship with all of humanity. 

Jesus Christ came as the Word of God in human form to model God’s heart and His way of living. Through His death and resurrection, He paid the debt for our sins. He makes it possible for all who will believe to be transformed into ambassadors of God, initiating reconciliation with peoples of every tribe, nation, and language.

We can better understand World Mission and how it relates to the Church and our lives by exploring the following;

Our God is a missionary God who has been at work since the beginning of Creation.

Jesus modeled the way and sent us to go to the ends of the earth, just as the Father sent Him (Mark 16:15; John 20:21).

To fulfill our mission, we need to contextualize the Gospel message in the context of the people to whom we are trying to bring salvation (John 1:14; 1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

We can do nothing apart from Jesus Christ. He promised to be with us when we go out to preach the Gospel and make disciples. He also promised to send us the Holy Spirit to empower us to make us effective witnesses for Him.

Are you reflecting Jesus’ heart of mission to our neighbors and colleagues?

You’ve got an incredibly vital part to play!

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!