In the 90s, it felt to Christians like seeds of the gospel were exploding. Today, it feels like we are sowing a few seeds by hand as one McDonald’s shop after another opens. We console ourselves that our vegetables are of a much higher quality, but we have to see how many prefer the “American way of life”.
It goes much deeper than that. Many Christians want to go to America or Western Europe. It’s like the land spitting out its inhabitants: “And the land has become unclean; therefore I will visit its iniquity, and the land will spit out its inhabitants.” Leviticus 18:25
This pattern exists globally, where Paradise seems to be in the West. Disillusionment comes quickly. America and Western Europe is not paradise and the unholy “American way of life” is paralyzing for the expansion of the Kingdom of Jesus. Figuratively speaking, we hardly know the benefits of the identity card of the Kingdom, and we realize that beyond the Kingdom of God we only have a toleration or residence permit.
Enclaves with a Kingdom Culture
But there are islands of hope that are spreading. God is speaking independently to different daughters and sons around the world. More and more Christians are realizing that superficial surges of emotion and hope for revival in stadiums bring stale results.
Multiplication: The New and Old Way
The kingdom of God is like a seed that multiplies. Adam and Eve were to reign. How exactly? By multiplying and by inventing names for the animals.
He Who Understands the Cow Has Milk
The “naming” only works if we deal with the animals and things. Imagine Adam standing in front of an animal, looking at the udder, feeling the tail and the head and then realizing that this is a cow that can give milk.
Multiplication of Disciples in the Acts of the Apostles
All Paul and the other disciples needed was the succinct instruction from Jesus: Make disciples as I have made disciples (not church members) by going and baptizing. Baptism is an indication to teach new disciples to die to self so that Jesus can reign in them and through them. When such sons and daughters reign, then the kingship of Jesus and the kingdom of God is established.
It all begins in Acts with just 120 prayers! Acts 1:1 New believers were added daily. Acts 2:47 In Acts 5:14 multitudes of new believers are added. Acts 6:1 then reports that the number of disciples increased. Here the believers are called disciples. The consequence was that the number of disciples multiplied in Acts 6:7 and subsequently churches multiplied in Acts 9:31.
Paul’s Tactic – Not Revival but Multiplication
Paul says to his disciple Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2: “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” That is pure multiplication. That’s four generations: Paul, Timothy, faithful men and the others. With this multiplication principle, Paul reached the then known world.
In 2 Timothy 2:2 methodology, we try to multiply everything. A lesson is taught and the lesson is passed on. Everyone has a folder with the lessons. Of course, these are copied over and over again. Every Bible school group should multiply into at least 4 more baby groups.
The Gospel Motorcycle Needs Gasoline, the Gospel Riders Need Milk to Drink
To start new groups, believers often have to travel to distant villages on motorcycles. That costs money and families want to live. Cash injections from the “golden west” are addictive and are not a long-term solution. That’s why groups are taught to carry out small projects to improve their living conditions.
This follows a simple triad: listening, budgeting and planning wisely: listening to God about what to do, teaching how to manage money with 5 pots. A simple system in which you put money for God in the first pot, money for life in the second, the third is the investment pot, the fourth is the savings pot and the fifth is the fun pot. Then we teach how to plan to narrow the gap between goal and desire through prayer and planning.
Bible School Management Following the Same Model
This has resulted in many projects such as onion fields, Bible cover production, pig farming and many other projects. Current implementations include projects with several hectares of land where rosemary is planted and sold to finance Bible school activities. Many beautiful stories can be told. On a very small scale, this is part of the kingdom of God. The people of the land are connecting with their land.
The New Kind of Revival is Multiplication of Churches – Among Other Things Through Business
Currently, millions of Christians are waiting to be sent out as missionaries on new trade routes. To do this, they not only need sustenance, but also considerable sums of money and visas. These are the classic problems of missionaries (and every local church). Thousands of new churches need to be planted. It is well known that planting new churches is the most effective way to introduce people to Jesus.
Beware Before Multiplying! What is Church?
The book “Peace Child” describes how an unreached tribe living in the remote jungles of New Guinea accepts Jesus and then evangelizes and plants a church in a tribe that is foreign to them. Because it is proper in their culture to wear a bamboo skirt, they teach the completely naked people in the new tribe to also wear a bamboo skirt during church services. This is sometimes no different than in recent decades. A well-meaning Christian comes to a new region and multiplies their church tradition without ever questioning what church actually is.
Beware Before Multiplying: What is Actually Our Message?
Jesus never preached the gospel of salvation, but the gospel of the kingdom of God. In the Gospel of Matthew alone, he spoke of this 24 times. In Matthew 24:14 he says that he will return when the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached to all ethnic groups. This is slowly getting around in Christian circles. What does this mean in practical terms beyond general principles? It’s almost as if we only have large denomination bills, but can’t yet exchange them for small change.
Read Acts Frequently and Intensively Before Multiplying
Once at a conference, the condition when registering was to read Acts 5 times before the conference. In worldwide online prayer groups, participants have taken verses from Acts as a basis for prayer for extended periods. Reading Acts is like a cleansing process against automated ideas and traditions. But it can also help us to die to our carnal tendencies towards mammon, money and power. The basis of multiplication is and remains: the seed must die so that it can bear multiplicative fruit.
Love Feasts in Which Everyone Had a Message, a Word or a Spiritual Contribution
The disciples met back and forth in the houses and broke bread. Acts 2:42 Everyone had something to contribute spiritually. 1 Corinthians 14:26: “How is it then, brothers and sisters? When you come together, everyone has something: a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, a word of tongues, an interpretation. Let everything happen for your edification!” Do we have the courage to do this and allow our church traditions to be purified by the book of Acts? If so, then we are ready to build the launch pad.
Apostolic Church Planting Through Business
Paul earned some of his money by making tents. This supported his employees and his mission. At the same time, he received donations, for example from the church in Philippi. There are certainly business activities that are more suitable than others for building the kingdom of God. Selling insurance to church members often goes in the wrong direction. Perhaps hairdressing salons where people pray for the sick during treatments or agricultural projects are more appropriate. In Bible schools, examples include rosemary fields and other agricultural ventures.
The advantage is obvious. Necessary funds can be generated, missionaries get business visas more easily and through the business activities there is automatic contact with non-Christians. The Kingdom of God has good alternatives to the consumer culture of the world. Large amounts of resources from the Kingdom are looking for sons and daughters who are willing to invest. For example, to buy livestock whose milk feeds families and generates income. The Kingdom is looking for sons and daughters who are dead to themselves and enjoy the adventure of multiplication.
What are the First Steps to Kick-Start the Launch Pads for New Churches?
Changing the Mindset
Acts-like churches can be planted more quickly and easily.
“Say greetings to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea – especially Nympha and the church that meets in her house.” An office, a café, a living room or a hairdressing salon can be the place of church.
Key Steps:
- Dying to self
- Dying to own church traditions and pastoral church planting traditions
- Copying apostles and apostolic role models
- Listening to God about which small business to start
- Learning the principles of stewardship for money
- Organize interest groups together
- Exchange big bills for small change
- Plan, plan, plan
A Concluding Story
At the end, a story from a circular letter from missionaries among nomads:
“Dear brothers and sisters, unfortunately we were not successful in planting a church. More than 1000 people have been converted and we have built a great church building. But almost no one stayed. Everyone has left us. Please pray more that the church plant can succeed.”
