KINGDOMIZATION THROUGH OIKOS CHURCH NETWORKS OF INSIDER MOVEMENTS: A BIBLICAL MISSIOLOGY

How should the global church understand and implement missio dei to actualize the kingdom of God, so that the will of God will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Mt. 6:9-10)? What should be our biblical vision and our mission strategy?
Right after the Lausanne’s Global Workplace Forum (GWF) held in Manila last June 25-29, 2019, I sent this post to my networks in WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger: “GWF is the most important Christian conference since Pentecost. Acts 15 officially broke the barrier between Jews and Gentiles. But the church devolved and was reformatted towards the Christendom (clergy-centered, cathedral-based) system. GWF is the first international consultation in transforming the church to the original “servant-church” format (Ac.2:41-47; 8:4; 19:10). The agenda is kingdomization: how to equip the royal priesthood of all believers (1 Pet.2:9-10; Eph. 4:11-13) to effectively multiply Jesus’ disciples who enthrone Him as Lord over all in (common) neighborhoods/communities and (secular) workplaces among all peoples on earth!”
After a few hours, I added: “Kingdomization is to transform the secular to sacred by incarnating Jesus in the institutions of societies (starting with families) by implementing prayer to God in Jesus’ name and obedience to His word (1 Tim.4:4-5) through any small group (as small as 2 or 3) anytime and anywhere (including workplaces and residences) from the inside out (hence infiltratively and subversively) and from the bottom up (Lk.4:18-19; 7:22-23). Lk.12:32.”
May I elaborate and clarify what I meant by these two paragraphs: I believe that God has a simple plan for world evangelization and transformation. The Bible clearly says that God desires all people to be saved (2 Pet.3:8-9) and to know the truth (1 Tim.2:3-4). To achieve this, the all-loving and all-wise God must have devised the simplest master-plan to get this good news out to the whole world (of fallen humanity) in the soonest possible time. This He did by sending His Son Jesus Christ to not just provide the way of redemption in 33 years (cf. Gal 4:4), but also got Jesus to model this strategic plan (Lk.7:20-23) and train his disciples how to implement this plan (Lk.9:1-6; 10:1-20) by the power of the Holy Spirit across the Roman Empire and the world (Ac.1:8; 8:4; 11:19-21; 19:1-10; Rom.15:18-20).
So let me describe how missio dei (God’s plan for world redemption) looks like, in terms of its goal, outcome, strategy and methodology, as well as some such models in the world today. I will show that instead of the predominant Christianization (to fill the world with church buildings and facilities), God’s simple plan is kingdomization (to transform the world’s buildings and facilities to serve Him).

SIMPLE GOAL: Kingdomization or Societal Transformation (not Christianization)
God desires to bless all peoples to inherit His eternal kingdom/reign in heaven and experience His abundant life on earth as they obey Him as their Creator and King through their faith in His Son Jesus Christ. His goal or purpose is “kingdomization” or “societal transformation,” by which individuals, families, communities and institutions are enabled to relate with each other and with other communities with biblical norms and values – not perfectly, but substantially and significantly. This translates to building Christ-centered transformational communities that are growing in righteousness/justice marked by self-giving love (agape), where every household (oikos) will be blessed (cf. Gen.12:1-3). Righteousness refers to just/right relationships (usually using one word: “love” or peace/shalom) with God, with self, with all people (esp. those already in the Kingdom, Gal. 6:10) and with creation.
My favorite text to depict God’s kingdom is Isaiah 65:17-25 (popularly called the “Isaiah 65 vision”), which envisions a “new heavens and new earth” on earth. The first three verses describe the New Jerusalem as a “city of joy” where life is celebrated and God is delighted. Verse 20 sees people living long lives, presumably with healthy lifestyles, clean environments and good governance (cf. 1 Tim.2:1-2), implying that the leaders are also godly and competent. Verses 21-22 show a society where social justice prevails, where each one’s labor is rewarded accordingly, following the prophetic ideal of “each man sitting under his own vine and fig tree” with nothing to fear (Mic.4:4) and with the Mosaic laws of gleaning and the year of Jubilee in force (so none will be poor, Deut.15:1-11; Lev. 25). The next verse depicts prosperity passed on from one generation to the next, and the last verse describes harmony among animals, humans, and the whole creation. And verse 24 hints at a mature form of faith in the gracious God whose blessings do not need to be earned or pleaded for, religiously or otherwise (cf. Rev. 21:22-27).
However, historically, the church diverted sadly into the “Christianization” vision, particularly in conceiving of its mission as a religious undertaking and its goal as a religious institution building (in short, to establish Christendom). Rather than infiltrating and subverting the institutions and cultures, the Christian mainstream sought to establish its own institutions, thus maintaining subcultures separate from the allegedly pagan, religio-cultural and social orders in the world. This is based on three major shifts in their understanding of the kingdom of God, particularly in their concepts of holy people, holy places and holy practices.

1. Holy People. First, God’s kingdom is a royal priesthood of all believers (1 Pet. 2:9-10, cf. Ex. 19:5-6; Rev. 5:10), but this was changed to the prevailing Christendom practice that only ordained clergy are “holy people” who can administer the sacraments. The New Testament church was a lay movement. There is really no need for “ordained pastoral workers.” The task of Spirit-gifted leaders is to equip “all the saints” to do the ministry, which is disciple-making or “spiritual reproduction/fruitfulness” (Eph. 4:11-13).
   This concept is important for effective kingdom expansion, too. Kingdomization is best actualized through a flat (non-hierarchical) structure of empowered individuals and families through “zero-budget missions” (Lk.10:4a; Ac.3:6). There is no need to collect regular tithes, but only offerings as specific needs arise and as the Spirit leads. The focus is on the glory of God (not any gifted human being) in the name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit (cf. Zech. 4:6). Christ-followers can develop a simple (yet mature) faith that they have direct access to God and can represent Him in whichever community, profession and situation God positions them in the world.
2. Holy Places. Secondly, these empowered Christ-followers know that they rule with Christ in the heavenlies (Eph.2:6), yet grounded and rooted as salt and light (and stars) in the socio-cultural structures of their times (Mt.5:13-16; Phil.2:14-16), without having to build structures of their own. All secular things – including all natural (God-created) places, assets and talents, and cultural (human-made) ideas, artifacts, gadgets, traditions, customs, worldviews, etc. – can be redeemed and sanctified through faith expressed in prayer to God in Jesus’ name and obedience to His word (1 Tim.4:4-5). So there is no need to build religious facilities, for all properties of Christ-followers belong to (and can be used for) His kingdom (Jn.4:21-24; Ac.7:48; 17:24-28), so worship can be done anytime and anywhere (cf. Rom.12:1-8)!
   The goal is for all peoples to accept the kingdom’s worldview and follow its lifestyle, which can (and have been) contextually institutionalized into laws, policies and structures. This can be achieved through the processes of evangelization and disciple-making – to form Christ-centered communities in any place, mainly in residences (neighborhoods) and places of work or study (schools, factories, government offices, banks, stores, etc.) – where God’s word is prayerfully discussed, applied and lived out relevantly in their daily life (1 Cor.10:31), usually in weekly small group devotions.
3. Holy practices. And thirdly, the other distinctive kingdom feature is faith (“worship”) expressed in “loving God through loving neighbours” (Mt.22:37-39; 7:12), instead of doing religious rituals and ceremonies (Mt.15:1-20; cf. Isa.58:1-12; Am.5:21-24; Hos.6:6). The proof of faith is “love and good works” (Heb.10:24; Eph.2:8-10; Js.2:14-26), living the Micah 6:8 lifestyle: “act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God.” In his inaugural address in Nazareth, Jesus taught that missio dei was “to preach good news to the poor… and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour (= Jubilee)” (Lk.4:18-19), so he had come to realize this mission so that people could experience “Jubilee everyday” (v. 20), and showed such good works as proof of his messianic identity to John the Baptist and his disciples (7:20-23).
   Hence the visible expression of God’s kingdom is simply “loving one another” “as I love you” (self-sacrificially) (Jn.13:34-35, cf. 1 Jn.3:16-18), in the form of social services rather than religious services. In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus taught that in the Final Judgment, God’s only standard for sheep to get eternal life is whether their faith worked out in love (Gal.5:6), particularly to the least of His family (the hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick, prisoners).

SIMPLE OUTCOME: Cellular networks of oikos churches
What outcome then will have been established when God’s kingdom is realized on any segment of the world? As the “Second Adam,” Jesus modelled what a perfect person could be and what vocation a godly/righteous human being should do for the kingdom (Ac.10:36-38). Thus, to expand the kingdom, he trained His disciples to transform the villages of Galilee by simply going two by two without bringing outside resources into the community (Lk.10:4a), and find a “person of peace/shalom” (vv.5-6) and disciple that person to disciple their oikos, kin, friends and neighbours (vv.4b-9). If there is no such person in a community, they can just leave and go to another one (vv.10-16).

1. Small (oikos) Size. Jesus called twelve to be his disciples who he turned into apostles (“missionaries” = disciple-makers) (Mk.3:13-15) – to be sent out to make disciples (eventually to all nations). And that’s how the apostles and the early church extended the kingdom in and through oikos churches across the Roman Empire and beyond. The formation of oikos churches was the practical outcome of “priesthood of all believers” in the early church as each Christ-follower was empowered to use their homes to serve and bless their neighbors where they lived and worked (cf. 2 Tim.2:2).
   It’s simply discipling every believer to become “perfect/mature in Christ” (Col.1:28-29), with the confidence to serve as a priest (minister) of God in their oikos. (The Reformation recovered the doctrine of the “priesthood of all believers,” but failed to implement it). Disciples are made in small groups, never in big meetings. Each must grow in love, so they must practice and experience intimate relationships (as “best friends”) as they teach, correct, love and confess sins to one another.
2. Cellular System. What then is the Kingdom organized as it is implanted as small groups in society? Jesus did not form a formal structure, but introduced a cellular system that subsists in the constant reproduction of “new wineskins” (Mk. 2:22) in the structures of society. This is a different outworking and structure of his body on earth – different from the denominational hierarchies of local churches with epicospal, presbyterian or congregationalist structure. The early church had a cellular order where the church exists whenever a small group (even as small as two or three) gathers for mutual edification (cf. 1 Cor.14:26) in order to scatter to share Christ’s love through good works in the world (cf. Heb.10:24; Mt.5:13-16). Each cell forms a part of a oikos church network (OCN), which is similar to the decentralized system of (zero-budget) volunteer leaders that veteran (ex-pagan) priest Jethro advised Moses to form (Ex.18:21), where authority rests on the lowest units (“leaders of tens”) which are assisted by the “higher” coordinating units.
   What about accountability? Each one is accountable directly to our King Jesus who commissioned each of his followers to make disciples of the nations. Each believer’s oikos is a “house of prayer for the nations,” used to love, serve, bless and improve the homes of others. Each one is also accountable to their own disciplers and disciples in mutual accountability, including to confess sins to one another and to forgive the sins of one another.
3. Network (flat) Structure. Also, the kingdom’s organic structure is decentralized in the form of networks of friendships among the disciples and servant leaders. No hierarchy gives permission or controls the church, for only Jesus is the Lord and Foundation of His church through the Holy Spirit. All leaders in OCNs see themselves as “servants of God” whose only job description is to “equip all the saints to do the ministry” of disciple-making (Eph.4:11-13; 2 Tim.2:2), each according to the spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit sovereignly distributes to build up the one Body (1 Cor.12:1-13), one Temple (1 Pet.4:10-11), one Kingdom. It is a flat structure where leaders view themselves as “first among equals” and empower others to become better than themselves (Phil.2:3-4).
   Moreover, OCNs are lay movements and their leaders serve in various sectors of society – not in the clergy-led structures of Christendom. Each Christ-follower is discipled to be self-supporting through a means of livelihood (Eph.4:28). OCN leaders in Christendom (and Buddhist) contexts will have to gradually phase out the need for the clerical (and monastic) order, as they learn about the “priesthood of all believers.” Though they may continue to be supported by “tithes and offerings” at the start, they will each transition to a livelihood or trade (to serve as models, 2 Th.3:6-12), most probably for many as teachers of philosophy and ethics.

SIMPLE STRATEGY: Insider Movements (IM)
What then is the mission strategy to set up OCNs in the whole world, which has multi-cultural and multi-religious contexts? Jesus trained his disciples to do his simple strategy effectively (Lk.9:1-6; 10:1-17), which he also illustrated cross-culturally among the Samaritans (Jn.4) and in Gentile Decapolis (Mk.5:1-20; 7:31-8:10). When entering other cultures, Paul practiced “becoming all things to all people” (1 Cor.9:20-23), in fact “making himself a slave (doulos) among them” (v. 19). As for the local converts, his simple strategy – now called “Insider Movements (IM)” – included three dimensions: incarnational (1 Cor.7:11-17, 20, 24), contextual (vv. 18-20) and transformational (vv. 21-24).

1. Incarnational. Through the oikos of the person of peace in each community, people begin their faith journey by contextually adapting to the majority religion (or non-religion) in their family and community. They simply develop their faith with a simple religiosity, with each one learning how to live a “love God and love everyone” lifestyle (Mt.22:37-39; Rom.12:1-2) in their society. Jesus did not train his disciples to establish a structure separate from the communities and contexts where they lived and worked.
   Kingdomization is an occupation plan, not an evacuation plan (1 Cor.15:24-25; Phil.2:9-11), because Christ is ruler over all things (Col.1:16-17) (Taylor 2015, 377). Christ-followers sanctify the non-believers (1 Cor.7:14) and food offered to idols (10:20-26), because all things can be purified (Tit.1:15) by prayer and the Word (1 Tim.4:4-5). Jesus Christ entered European pagan cosmologies and transformed them Christward. New Christ-followers can continue to join in the activities and festivities of their community with clear conscience. When they are confronted and asked about their motivation, then they can explain and witness to Christ, even if it may result in persecution.
   IMs may thus be called “incarnational missions” which contrasts with the disastrous effects of Christendom’s “imperial missions” on making Jesus look very bad (aggressive, foreign and irrelevant), esp. in the Global South. Perhaps worst is the heavy burden that the latter has been imposing on new believers and churches (esp. those among the poor) as they need to invest their very limited resources in supporting the salaries and theological studies of their clergymen, buying property, constructing cathedrals, financing their religious activities – all of which make them look insensitively rich (and irrelevant) in relation to the houses and facilities in their poor(er) neighbourhoods. Most of these projects have been highly subsidized from abroad, esp. their denominational partners, up to this day. Almost all of them don’t even have small budgets for community services, unless they partner with some Christian development organizations.
   In contrast, the rich harvest that Jesus expected from his disciples are being reaped nowadays through the simple incarnational approach by OCNs. By just following the instructions of Jesus in his “zero-budget missions” (Lk.10:4a), every disciple just leads someone (usually a relative or new friend, called a “person of peace”) to trust and obey King Jesus in love and good works. As they serve one another, the people (esp. community leaders) around them will take notice of “how they love one another” (and the neighbourhood) and will soon also ask for their help. They then naturally rise to become leaders in the community.
2. Contextual. What about the cultural forms, esp. religious rituals and festivals of their families and communities (cf. 1 Cor.7:18-20)? Christ-followers should be allowed to develop contextualized religious practices, retaining most of them and redefining them as Christ-centered and Christ-ward customs, while finding “functional substitutes” for those beliefs and values that are idolatrous and occultic. For instance, most popular practices in karmic cultures, including ancestral and merit-making practices will be simplified and some may eventually phase out as they live out the logic of non-samsaric and post-animistic worldviews as they reflect on the Word (Lim 2019; Fukuda 2012, 183-192).
   They may even become more biblical and Christ-centered than the tradition-laden and liturgy-oriented denominations in today’s uncontextualized and Westernized Christendom. They will gradually learn how to get rid of anything that is sinful: idolatry, individualism, immorality and injustice. Not all at once, as all of us have not been totally rid of such sins ourselves, and as Elisha permitted Naaman to do ceremonial worship to pagan gods (2 Ki.5:17-19), and Paul permitted the Corinthians to eat foods offered to idols (1 Cor. 8-10). Almost all of our present Christian practices (in liturgies, weddings, Christmas, Easter, Halloween, etc) were adapted from pagan customs of pre-Christian European tribes anyway (cf. Walls 1996, 15-54).
   Contextuality should also mark the OC meetings, with the free mixture of activities according to the needs and gifts of the participants, as set by the leader(s) in close consultation with all the members. Following the 1 Cor.14:26(-40) pattern of meeting, all members come prepared to “provoke one another to love and good works” (Heb.10:24) in their body-life together. In literate cultures, Christ-followers can go through any biblical text according to the needs and interests of people present. In oral cultures, they can learn about Jesus and his teachings through story-telling, singing and drama, which can lead to worldview change (Evans 2008).
   Transformational. And what will be the outcome of fulfilling Jesus’ IM to realize “Jubilee everyday”? The OCNs will ultimately help their societies to have a simple yet profound religiosity marked by “loving one another” as members of one big family as Christ loves us (Jn.13:34-35; 1 Jn.3:16-18), most concretely expressed in the “common purse” of the earliest church’s “caring and sharing economy” (Ac.2:42-47; 4:32-37; 6:1-7; cf. 2 Cor.8-9), for sustainability and socio-economic development (cf. 1 Cor.7:21-24), where no one is left behind.
   As each disciple grows in Christ-likeness, they will be liberated from sin to become more generous, more caring towards and sharing with their neighbors, which is the “agape” law of Christ (Gal.5:13-23; 6:1-2; Rom.13:8-10). They are discipled to do acts of kindness and justice locally and globally, which is called “transformational development” or “integral mission” nowadays.
   This spirituality translates into discipling and transforming the global economic system, too. Many OC leaders are involved in Christian development organizations that are already leading in building the third (other than capitalism and socialism) alternative economic order called the Solidarity Economy, which equips and empowers the poor through social entrepreneurship and fair trade, so each person can have their own land (Lev. 25) and their own “vine and fig tree” (Mic.4:4), passed on to the next generations (Isa. 65:21-23).
   For instance, the OCNs that had “gospel explosion” in six big provinces in China spread from village to village through the witnessing lifestyles of ordinary Christ-followers who were known for their hard-working, in service, and care work in their neighborhoods. Even Communist cadres and leaders became “secret believers” in these OCNs (cf. Hattaway 2003).

SIMPLE METHODOLOGY: Disciple multiplication (DM)
What then is the methodology of IM to expand the kingdom to the whole world? Like what Jesus did in equipping and sending each of his disciples out into their world (Mk. 3:13-15), “disciple multiplication” (DM) is the OCN’s simple method to “disciple all nations.” Every believer (oikos, tribe and nation) can be mobilized and equipped to multiply disciples where they live and work! Anything less – or more – is a diversion from God’s simple plan to evangelize and transform the world speedily.
Disciple-making. Oikos churches (OCs) are actually “disciple-making groups,” which may also be called “simple (or organic) churches,” “basic ecclesial communities” (BEC, cf. Boff 1986), “kingdom cells,” “care groups,” etc. It is any small (not more than 10 couples, preferably as “two or three” for intimate sharing) Christ-worshipping and Scripture-honoring body of believers who have covenanted to meet regularly and are willing to be held accountable for their Christ-centered lives to one another.
Life is relationships; the rest are just details. To disciple means to equip Christ-followers with just three relational habits: (a) hearing God through prayerful meditation to turn His word (logos) into a word (rhema) to be obeyed (2 Tim.3:16-17); (b) making disciples through leading a ‘HC’ in Bible-and-life sharing, thereby each one learns how to do personal devotions (or ‘Quiet Time’ = lectio divina) with fellow believers (Heb.10:24; 1 Cor.14:26); and (c) doing friendship evangelism to share what they learn of God and His will with their non-believing networks.
The OCs may be (a) residential, where its members meet in homes, living out their faith in their neighborhood (Eph.5:21-6:4), or particularly in urbanized and industrialized centers (b) professional, where its members meet in their place of work or study, and witness to their faith in the marketplace (6:5-18), for the transformation of all socio-cultural structures.
Spiritual Reproduction. “Disciples” are those who are willing to be mentored to form a more Christ-like character, and be equipped to discover and minister with their spiritual gift(s). They also desire to be trained to do evangelism and lead their own OCs. They should have become a “disciple-maker,” empowered (given authority) to lead their own OCs and OCNs as soon as possible. They will seek to turn their contacts into friends and into converts through “friendship evangelism,” and then also into disciple-makers by equipping them and sending them to form their own OCs and OCNs.
Disciple-making should be finished normally in less than a year, so that the discipler can make more disciples and start more OCs. This should happen intentionally, as OC members are encouraged to disciple new believers in new (their own!) OCs, or to pair up and start new OCs in other contexts, as soon as possible. At the start of each OC (say, the first month), it is best that they meet as often as possible (if possible, daily). After several months (maximum of one year), OCs can meet less regularly, say, monthly and then quarterly, and later annually or even just through correspondence and social media (email, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, etc.).
Minimal religiosity. IMs will result in OCNs whose spirituality will require less and less religious practices. Following Christ does not require public displays of religiosity – in fact, Jesus literally discouraged such (Matt 6:1-18), which included alms-giving, praying and fasting, which God will reward in secret. As each Christ-follower walks humbly and simply for God’s glory (1 Cor.10:31; Mic.6:8), their community leaders will establish shalom where their constituents enjoy life with love and justice (1 Tim.2:1-2). Their spirituality does not need to develop elaborate theologies, ethics, liturgies and hierarchies (cf. Am.5:21-24; Ps.131).
If a community already has good community services, OCs just need to join and aim to become part of the leadership and introduce devotions (prayer and the Word) in the existing structures. If the community lacks such ministries, IMers can start serving informally as volunteers and later help set up people’s organizations or non-government agencies to address particular needs with the blessing of the community leaders.

KINGDOMIZATION TODAY
By God’s grace, in the past 25 years, most OCNs in all continents, esp. Asia, North America & Australia, have been catalyzing IMs. Among the better known writers are Wolfgang Simson (Houses that Change the World), Neil Cole (Organic Church), Tony & Felicity Dale (Simply Church), Frank Viola & George Barna (Pagan Christianity), and Rad Zdero (The Global House Church Movement). Most significant in promoting IMs are Frontier Ventures (formerly the U.S. Center for World Mission), its organ Mission Frontiers and its publishing arm William Carey Library, as well as the International Society of Frontier Missions (ISFM) and its organ International Journal of Frontier Missions (IJFM).
In China and the Philippines, OCNs have been sending multitudes of disciple-makers as “ants, bees and (earth)worms who are ordinary people using ordinary/organic ways to bless (develop, enrich) the lives of others. OCNs are spreading the Gospel of “eternal life (in heaven) and abundant life (on earth) for all” in Christ simply – through “nameless, faceless and (apparently) powerless” servants of the most high God.
The OCNs in China have sent 17 and 18-year-olds to go (with one-way tickets) and help in the farms and tell stories of Jesus. In the Philippines, we’re setting up training centers for organic farming and marketing hubs for social enterprises to sell their products beyond their communities. Since 2005, the Philippine Missions Association’s (PMA) flagship mobilization program has focused on equipping and sending overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to be tentmakers who catalyze simple disciple multiplication movements (DMMs) to bless the nations (Lim 2013a).
In India, they’re going from village to village to enrich farmers with organic farming technology. In Japan, businessmen are leading fellow-businessmen and their employees to follow Jesus through “business coaching;” the top leader is now getting a PhD in Urban Engineering in order to position himself to catalyze an IM among the Parliament (Diet) members in his district. In Thailand, the main leader has a satellite TV program that gives socio-cultural commentary on issues in various sectors of society.

CONCLUSION
Across the world today, most of the OCNs are doing IMs to form transformational communities that are led by local Christ-followers who have not been extracted from their relational and religio-cultural communities. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, OCNs will continue to catalyze IMs in Asia and beyond, for they believe that the harvest has always been ripe for reaping (Jn 4:35). Our King Jesus is indeed building His church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Mt 16:18-19).
IMs aim to form OCNs to simply multiply Christ-followers who can disciple and transform societies into Christ-following communities and workplaces – contextualized, holistic and transformational “indigenous churches” that are truly replicable: self-governing, self-supporting, self-propagating and self-theologizing. We will be “planting churches” that will be copied by future generations of Christ-followers, so we should avoid transplanting denominational churches (= complex Christianity) which are often decontextualized (= foreign-looking, if not actually foreign), hence have almost always produced marginalized Christ-followers who are separated from their communities – despised and rejected by their family and friends, not because of the Gospel but because of their extra-biblical forms.
So, we should not encourage our disciples to attend denominational churches, if there is any, perhaps except in special occasions. We should just focus on making disciples and multiplying OCs, for where two or three believers are gathered prayerfully, there is the church. We should encourage all Christ-followers to just “gossip Jesus” and multiply small “disciple-making groups” among their friends and kin in their neighborhoods and workplaces. We all have to just do this spiritual “network marketing” of the Gospel from village to village, city to city, region to region, and nation to nation – till every home and workplace in the world knows and obeys Jesus as King. May God find us faithful in working together in and through IMs to actualize the kingdom of God effectively (not perfectly yet substantially) among all peoples of the world in our generation!

==========================

David S. Lim

Dr. David S. Lim is the Executive Director of China Ministries International-Philippines, that recruits Filipino missionaries for China. He serves as a key member of the Facilitation Team that seeks to mobilize and train 200,000 Filipino missionaries to reach the unreached peoples of the world. He had previously served as Academic Dean at Asian Theological Seminary(Philippines)
and Oxford Centre for Mission Studies(U.K.), and now serves as President of two schools: Asian School for Development and Cross-Cultural Studies (ASDECS) and Asian Center for English Studies(ACES). His Ph.D in the New Testaments was earned from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, U.S.A.