So, if I’m finding it hard to relate to the life and example of Paul and the Apostles, what does that even mean? Is the Great Commission not applicable to me? How can I reconcile the important and clearly God-given role of motherhood with the call that I had at 20 years old to make disciples? 

One balmy summer evening, I was prayer walking with my friend through a predominantly Muslim area in my city. It wasn’t the smell of street food and masala chai or the horns of the gridlocked vehicles that overwhelmed me the most; it was the sheer amount of people bustling through the tight streets who I knew had never - and likely would never - hear the good news about Jesus that hit me the hardest at that moment.

In the vibrant tapestry of the local church, we hopefully will encounter individuals with apostolic, prophetic, and evangelistic giftings—each contributing uniquely to the body of Christ.

Without prayer, there simply is no movement of God among any person or any place. Prayer is the greater catalytic work in movements just as blood is the fluid of life in the human body. It flows through every part of the miracle of reproducing disciples and churches.

I remember the early days of walking with Jesus: Happily rising early to meet with Him through His Word. It was always a source of joy. Fast forward to about my eighth year of pursuing movement on the field in Japan. I was rudely defending movement principles to believers who were in different tribes than myself.

Today, there is more qualitative and quantitative research on the core missionary task than ever. Those not involved in research or directly receiving the information often do not fully understand the purpose, benefit, or process of good missiological research.

The conversation about how and when to mark a specific people group or a particular place as engaged with the Gospel has been going on for a long time. It is an important conversation because it determines where both financial and human resources will be directed. It can also be dangerous if not approached with caution.

Entire books have been written about the interaction Jesus had with the woman at the well in John 4. Let’s look at it with this question in mind: How does Jesus engage a person who is far from God? 

In most modern English translations of the New Testament, there are three places where the phrase “make disciples” shows up.

When I was moving to South Asia to be a missionary, I got on the airplane ready to take on the world. I couldn’t wait to save as many lost people as possible. 
About 17 hours later, when we landed in South Asia, I discovered the dirty secret of the mission field.