Brian is a non-resident missionary (NRM) to Africa. Alongside his Zambian friend Iwell, Brian has seen over 50,000 baptisms in the past four years. I recently sat down with him to hear the story of what God has been doing.

What followed was over a decade of labor built on the decades of others in prayer, patient relationship building, language and culture learning, painful setbacks, fierce opposition, and the slow work of catalytic discipleship. This journey would cost the lives of martyrs. It wasn’t glamorous. It wasn’t rapid. But it was the necessary groundwork for what God would later do.

A person who would actually state that they are a Christian said they weren’t ready to be a disciple. It was almost as if they were saying that being a disciple is different from being a Christian. It left me confused.

Over the past decade of ministry, I’ve never met a pastor who lacks the desire for their congregation to function more like the early church we see in Scripture. This longing for a biblically functioning church is often the driving force behind establishing small group ministries.

What’s the ideal size for a group of believers given what God wants to accomplish through it for His glory?

But what does it mean to abide? At its core, abiding is joyfully being in proximity to Christ through fellowship with His Word and prayer. It means keeping His commandments and bearing fruit by partnering with His work for the Kingdom of God, all to the glory of the Father.

Recently, I was reflecting on the real meaning of being a disciple of Jesus and was reminded of the childhood game Follow the Leader. You probably remember it—the leader sets the pace and everyone else mimics their actions. If they step over a rock, you step over the rock; if they wave their arms, you wave your arms. The objective is simple: follow the leader as precisely as possible.

Out of a desire to discuss the importance of sanctification, I initially created a drawing that inspired this article. The drawing, and this article, are based on the realization that discussing sanctification without addressing the assurance of salvation that comes through understanding justification can lead to a works-based religion or the misconception that we can lose our salvation.

Simply put, the Metric Black Hole is the idea that there are many things that we do for which we do not have an accurate measurement of how they contribute to the bottom line.

“Pastor?” I usually begin my correction after a long day of training. Generally, in Asia, this is meant as a term of respect for their guest who just spent all day equipping them and challenging them from the Word to obey, follow, and love Jesus more. But I will not let that slide, because I have a crucial point to make about who they are.