The apostle Paul's letters to the churches were actually written before the gospels, at least the first three, starting with 1Thessalonians somewhere around 50 through late 52 AD. Although it's rich in teaching the life, death, resurrection and return of Christ, he seemed to have been mission-driven. While addressing intellectual philosophies he also minimized his time in dragged-out traditional debates of the day. God's revelation to Paul was that ethnic and class distinction barriers no longer prevented people coming to God (Acts 17:16-33, Galatians 3:28,). If not for Paul's mission journeys which included Silas, Barnabas and Timothy the gospel may not have reached the Gentile world (non Jewish - most of us) on such phenomenal and massive scale. As to Peter waiting for lunch to be served on the upper deck of a home, receives a vision then lead to a family outside the No Fly Zone of the Jewish community (Acts 10:9-48). Time was of essence to deliver the gospel among marginal communities that the elect thought untouchable while the heart of God thought otherwise touchable.

God's gospel message was a divine hack on closed religious systems that needed to see beyond itself into the expansive kaleidoscope of God's redemptive heart. It fathoms the mind to how quickly the message extended itself without the means and technology available today. According to historians some argue it was thirty years when Christianity became the state religion of Rome during Constantine's reign. While the other believe it took two maybe three hundred years. The advent of the printing press was not available until the fourteenth century. It's understandable then that it would've taken a much longer period of time for the message to reach the masses as it eventually did - that's a different story and I'm not arguing about it here.

Considering a time when illiteracy was most common. This is known by social historians as the oral tradition where the less fortunate depend upon memory, word of mouth and at minimum for those who could read, hand-written letters on papyrus (plant-based fiber). It was the socially privileged educated who could read and write that was a smaller percentage of the population. The bulk of God's message was distributed by acquaintances, story talking among families and reports of the amazing teachings and works of Christ. This eventually spread like an incurable and relentless virus throughout the ancient world. Would you think that something beyond human reasoning may have been the thrust behind such based human means of communication? Interesting that the title to the book of Acts of the Apostles was rightfully agreed upon biblical scholars to be more so the Acts of the Holy Spirit. It was stated that the message of the Church then and today is the only hope that the world has. It goes on saying that the measure of a church's success is not how impressive it appears on the inside but what it does with what it has beyond itself on the outside. However, that was then and this is what's taking place now as I write.

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What's actually Happening - the Report Card

What appears promising in television, and 24/7 Christian networking, there still remains substantially large groups of people untouched to the simple yet profound gospel and the need for discipleship. Adding to that the exodus (leaving) of pre and post Christians making their way through the exit doors of churches today is outright astounding! Consider recent research by the Barna Group - Christianity across the globe has been on a spiraling decline and compounding that is a hefty portion of those groups are no longer assumed just in distant countries, but rather on the very soil of our own communities. Recently I came across an article that in 2017 the West celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Reformation and noted Europe's 20 solid centuries of the Gospel. Here in America it's five centuries of expressed forms of Christianity in various Western contexts. But in spite of large congregations, great preaching, pristine devotional inspirations, polished theology, impressive church services and strong defense for the faith, it's evident we still lack the transformational kind of impact that were turning points in our rich Christian history. As discouraging this sounds all is not loss.

With major dips currently among conventional church attendance, not mentioning eventually losing our non-profit tax exempt, there are other disturbing findings but with hope. Barna further estimates by the year 2025 membership in conventional churches will be cut by fifty percent, while the alternative approaches (home churches/pocket churches/electronic church), coined as mission-minded church movements, will possibly grow to thirty to thirty-five percent of all Christians in the nation! If predictions hold true, there appears to be a rise in interest to the micro/pocket approach to the rising challenges to the survival of the conventional church setting. This approach is based on relationships which reflects what occurred in the first century church in exponential ways. We will also see out of default how the church utilizes every resource to continue the Great Commission in midst of the challenges she will face.

The first century concept of the micro/pocket church was an epic movement that once filled the world by ordinary people doing ordinary stuff. As religious barriers were coming down because of the gospel, people basically hung out and shared meals together! Nothing really impressive or out of the norm yet powerfully effective in reaching their world. As to what was their normal? There were moments I'm sure that the miraculous was seen as their norm. As spiritual gifts were demonstrated among these simple pockets of people it quickly gained attention to the dense communities surrounding them! Same pattern they witnessed in Jesus that reinforced not just their belief but His message and identity that He was the One where that belief needs to be placed in (John 5:36)! As we enter a new era facing new challenges, there may also be a trend where church meetings, on a smaller or even large scale meet electronically, via the Internet. The idea is to connect to encourage and strengthen one another in being part of God's purposeful agenda to the times we live in (Ephesians. 4:11-13).

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Letting Go not Holding - Releasing not Hoarding

Let's take into account our Lord's clarity to 'make disciples' understandably places priority over simply making converts (Matthew 28:19-20)? Although we can't dismiss what God does at the point of conversion, through preaching, because it offers opportunity to receive grace simply on the bases of faith alone (Romans.10:9-10) - and we know many of previous generations have come that way and that's a good start. But after the fact, making disciples by relationship encounters eventually brings attention to issues concerning the heart (Proverbs 4:23), Matthew 15:17-19) - This, to my knowledge, is where changes can take place through trust and support among small groups of believers that are preparing themselves for maturity that can lead to multiplication. I found conversions happen either way; through large events preaching the gospel (Mark 16:15) as well as leading small group fellowships outside of church. The idea is to make disciples that reproduce over converts that are inclined to becoming spectators and professional students of the faith. Making disciples that make disciples that plant pockets of churches is the Lord's mandate that reaches outside of itself. As we lay aside our bias views of what a church looks like then ministry calling can morph into various forms to the glory of a sending not hoarding God.

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Micro/Pocket/Home Church - Strategy of Jesus? Likely

Quickly after the day of Pentecost, many home churches emerged to meet the increasing population of believers. The writer of Hebrews gives us a screen shot of the activity in these early house church meetings. They worshiped, practiced their spiritual gifts, teaching, prayer, fellowship, evangelism, the Lord's Supper, water baptism and of course sharing of meals. While members cared for eachother's material need and spiritual maturity, they developed into their calling. In little time the home church was seen as an effective source for evangelizing their communities and abroad (Acts 10:22)!

Meeting in home churches was also Jesus' way of ministering. He could have had an impressive synagogue, but he didn't. He would finish business there and leave the synagogues and was commonly found ministering in homes among family, friends and the marginal (Matthew. 8:14, Mark.5:35-39, Luke 19:1-10, etc.). The suggestion is strong that Jesus may have been their exampled advocate for what we term as the micro/pocket church concept today. It seemed more effective in reaching people than in the synagogues that later became empires of controlled religion. Jesus didn't necessarily build theology on what the church should look and act like on earth, we did, but He simply build on relationships that gave life to a theology that teaches a relationship with God is available through relationships that point to Jesus (Jn.14:6). Much of His analogies of heaven on earth were on the premises of people being restored back to God. Whether it be a bride and groom, run away kids, shoty business guys, pompous religious leaders, forgiven hookers, tax evaders, healing the sick, raising the dead and welcoming the outsiders inside. Jesus connected people to God through simple groups of disciples.

Jesus taught kingdom reality as He lived it and seen in the home. And being His presence there the nucleus family became church that captured the hearts of families and communities which carried on with his followers into nations! - This was an epic accomplishment done through the simple dynamics of common human relationships inspired of the Holy Spirit! Apostle Paul also got on board addressing multiple homes across the landscape as being the one church. While visiting homes or writing letters in damped prisons in pagan cities like Ephesus (Ephesians 6:20), his teachings was that every believer had a spiritual gift to bring to the table. It just needed to be recognized and developed then released into the world. This was God's revelation for the family that connected Paul's understanding to what we know as being the body of Christ. (1Corinthians 12; Romans. 12:4-5; Ephesians 4).

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Let's Reason

We know that in the end the Lord rewards faithfulness over claims of being simply secured, well balanced, and knowledgeable believers of professing faith. It will take moving of the Holy Spirit and our response to this move to be proactive being vibrant missionary-movements that refuse nestling between the cracks of secular Western culture and the old-fashion church culture of respectable conservatism. There seems to be a need to once again become disciple-making churches that are reproducible resulting in multiplication that equates to the transformation of communities but also of nations. Amazon is doing it and why not the house of God! It sounds ridiculous but we can't deny how history has shown itself otherwise. I think we do well if we were attentive to how it was done in the New Testament.

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In the world yet not of it - Not a spiritual portfolio, God forbid!

I'm grateful for what God has done in my mission attempts here in a community where youth are seen as outcasts yet many came to the grace of God and are serving Him in other churches and thriving in their careers today. I was also blessed having three opportunities visiting Kenya, Africa seeing 780 or more converts to Christ then later returning conducting more seminars encouraging discipleship multiplication. The existing leadership along with new converts have already birth a few churches using these old yet new New Testament principles! The collaboration with Hope Honolulu's Africa missions team, mini church seminars along with Ralph Moore's Church Multiplication seminars I did help in furthering the kingdom.

A year later God opened doors in Banna Illocos Norte, Philippines. I continued to encourage the same teachings with leadership at a reputable Four Square community church. After doing that, I was invited to continue the seminars at an older church just a few miles down the road. And to my surprise they happen to be celebrating their 50th anniversary. This older church got my attention. I discovered that the leadership consist of a respectable senior pastor having a remnant council of leaders not older than twenty five years of age! These were the children, now young adults, that remained after the previous generation had passed. And to my surprise, they took very well to the seminar. Two months after I left I was informed they took hold of these principles launching another micro church several miles away where friends and their families reside. There is minimum if any financial cost starting a micro church consisting of three to four people. There are public places to use with no money down and usually with facilities needed. Sometimes someone in the group may know of someone that would want to open their home. Similar to what took place in the first century where discipleship and salvations actually occurred 'outside' the traditional synagogue. By that they saw church differently and answered to the great commission risking not returning to how church was usually done. And they had fun doing it!

"A mind that is stretched to a new idea never returns to its original dimension - Oliver Wendell Holmes

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Considering Paul's letters addressed to churches he started in Asia Minor and Mediterranean Greece - they were not large mega churches but mega-pockets of home churches rapidly multiplying along with its developing leadership. These meetings were exploding in growth, especially after Pentecost while experiencing persecution. In fact, it was persecution that ignited infant stages of reformation that was really a retaliation against religious structures (Christendom AD 320) in the years following. As bloody as it was at times it gave believers the needed resilient boldness to keep on. Regardless, Christians were scattered yet still retaining it's earlier ethos (NT) ways of life and refused never to becoming a centralized, religious institution but rather a radical grassroots people-movement with a passionate mission from God. Ecclesial synagogues, on occasion, still organized clusters of home churches for some teaching, (Acts 17:1-2) worship, testimonies and even finding ways avoiding persecution mounting in the area. Along with that their discussions were missional in delegating leadership for more home churches to reproduce. The synagogue at that time in history was useful - more condusive to mission but saddly lost it's vigor during Constantine's reign as we will soon see. In light of God's intended purpose for the church and going into the world, I think missiologist Allen Hirsch is on to something in seeing it this way.

"All the world is not called to be found in the church; the church is called to be found in all the world." Allen Hirsch (Mark 16:15)

I do know that God proclaimed himself as a missionary God and has placed us in the world to do the same. His message was of goodness and hope and this was shown through people with a passion to mimic their Saviour resulting in some of the worlds most amazing movements seen in the 20th century. One being the Hope Chapel movement spearheaded by my mentor an apostolic pioneer, pastor Ralph Moore and the sixties Jesus Movement founded by the late pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel. I venture to say both would agree the same God who sent his son into the world to proclaim this message has sent us who follow His Son having that same message (2Corinthians 5:18-21, John 17:20-21).

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Just one local guy - when a kid I thought like a kid

Pieces of history gives us a glimpse of what happened and how it influenced leadership without even knowing it. In reality we all have the commonality of personal history and so does the church. It would be foolish to neglect its past lessons and think we can keep on as if 2,000 years of history meant nothing. I'm a local guy born and raised here in the state of Hawaii. There was a time when I thought anything sounding European or outside the parameters of our isolated islands was of no concern for us. After all that's a span of over 8,000 miles of ocean and land mass. But I was wrong. It has nothing to do with distance but rather on principle. There are lessons to learn as we look into the origins of power house imperialism which finds it's beginning as far back to fall of creation. The bible teaches how many nations have fallen because of it. I know that sounds dusty and dated - but it's a timeless principle that's outside the Spirit man to having it's own way that warrants our attention. Let's be part of the solution than the problem. Together, let's put aside childish things till we come into the fullness that we were meant to be.

Why do you think there's no longer a common thread for the Church to retain it's mission effectiveness that it once possessed? When Christ is received in a life, there was a trading off of two kingdoms taking place - ours and His. Whose kingdom then are we building and for whom are we building for? Or why do we place so much attention on maintaining our inner selves while sacrificing mission outside of ourselves? I believe there are factors that discouraged this viral-like movement to the commission that once characterized the church in powerful ways. It would help if we consider how these factors over centuries played us into shaping our thinking of how a church is structured and to look like here in America. My subject that follows may seem somewhat odd and out of context but think about it in terms of principle in this timeless battle between the Spirit and the natural man.

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Constantine - R.I.P. The Home/Micro concept Church

It began when Constantine's military was outnumbered four to one by his opponent's armies Clementius who then controlled Rome in 312 AD. Before the dawn of Google, he discovers emperors before him placing their hope in pagan gods as they entered battles. However, his predecessor's predictions and over-hyped speeches trusting these gods were like fake news that could not be trusted. So while stressing out on the tremendous odds against him, he envisions a cross beaming with light having this inscription, "By this symbol you will conquer!" In a dream that evening, Christ appeared to him with that same cross and instructed him to make that an insignia assuring God's presence when confronted with his enemies. When Christians where called to explain the vision they told him the cross meant Christ's victory over death along with teaching of the life and works of Jesus. Constantine immediately associated it with his encountered experience and felt overwhelmed with reverence. The next day on the battle field, he was filled with courage and as the two opposing forces collided into each other, Constantine with his inferior military decisively won the battle!

Because of this miraculous intervention of God, Constantine declared Christianity as the one true religion among many that eventually transitioned into becoming the dominant religion of the Roman empire. While historians remain controversial on whether or not Constantine had a true heart-conversion to Christianity or that it was merely political gain, we do know his embracing Christianity changed the course of the ancient world one being the abolishing of Christian persecution. As wonderful as this public declaration was to the Christian, it came with a cost. A cost unknowingly that harshly restricted lay persons and their home churches from any missional endeavors without the sanctioning of the religious council. You wonder how can a positive move be counterproductive towards God's redemptive plan? No doubt what God started was a good thing - sort of a sweet and sour situation when found independent to God's direction and authority.

Constantine's appreciation to the Hebrew God, Yahweh was obviously seen in his substantially elaborate investment projects and restructuring of office. Major construction of glorious basilicas (buildings of worship) appeared in the landscape and the simple church was no longer under the radar from persecution. Christians that could prove their ancestral lineage to the saint Peter (there may have been one maybe two) were placed into respectable positions in government sharing the political affairs of Rome. The existing elite clergy of priests and bishops were suddenly positioned as professional advisors, honored as dignitaries that made up the cream council of Constantine. At this point, there was little interaction between the established clergy and the common people, and the church sadly became ritualistic and self absorbed. The holy Eucharist was no longer a simple meal joyfully honored by families and their communities but now a performed ritual, officially handled by the elite religious establishment. I'm not a rebel against leadership, planning and organizing to respond to change and to become future-ready. It's the distorted misuse of scriptural leadership with tendencies of abusing an office for one's own self affirmation. Jesus being aware of this destructive behavior reminds His disciples of remaining responsibe as leaders:

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. It shall not be this way among you, instead whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant."- Matthew 20:26

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The Rise of Hierarchical Leadership - Top-down leadership syndrome

* Hierarchical; ruling body of a religious clergy organized into orders or ranks each subordinate to the one above it.

Did you know that there was never a hierarchical order among Christian communities in the New Testament? My mentioning Matthew 20:26 earlier obviously shows that Jesus directly opposed it.

His meaning of priests and bishops was not entitlement but originally meant servanthood to the home church. This form of shared leadership and caring was authorized by Christ Himself and not proprietary systems of man-made religion. Words like bishops, pastors and elders held the same meaning. A bishop was also referred to as a pastor and an elder. These words in Greek, common vernacular of the time, references the same group of people (Acts 20:17,28 and 1Peter 5:1-5). These were simple group leaders or overseers of home churches as also was Stephana's in Corinth. They did the job that main stream churches did not and that is to serve willingly and disciple people into disciples that plant other churches.

Home church was a powerful evangelical cycle that continued for several years until Constantine changed the game play. He began placing priests in government with irresistible salaries and strongly advocated a hierarchical understanding to church leadership. From there the gradual eroding of the simple home church was on the decline. At this time masses of people attended these magnificent basilicas for church service leaving behind loving, mission-minded home churches as being suspicious and less appealing. By the third century to pickup the remains of home church members, Constantine assigned professional bishops to replace lay leaders that became subordinate to the rule of the established counsel. This was the season the music died. Authors of Home Cell Groups and House Churches write;

"Ideological changes were taking place, which were altering the New Testament theology of the simple church. The plurality and equality of leadership was giving way to a hierarchical structure with bishops, deacons and priests becoming the central figure."

This was a jacked up understanding to Jesus' view and teachings (John 12:13-17) of priests and bishops as being simply caring shepherds in service to the early church - keep in mind plurality and equality. By subjecting egos under the Spirit, they learn shared leadership and used their spiritual gifts to serve each other with mutual respect empowered by the Holy Spirit. In my opinion, this form of church was the cause and effect moving it forward in phenomenal ways showing the goodness and hope of God in a divided world! Do we have an amen on that one in the house of God?!

So while the rise of Constantine and the legalization of Christianity came to prominence, the church, in particular home churches, died from the inside out. I'm no history buff but know basically how this tragedy transpired and how subtle it plays into Church structures today.

"But we are not like that, for we are a chosen people. "We are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, we can show others the goodness of God, for He called us out of the darkness into His wonderful light." - 1Peter 2:9 [lightly paraphrased]

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Looking back to the Future - Dream on Rac!

For sake of application; lets assume these traits characterized the first century home church - loving God, people, ourselves (emphasized today), scripture and prioritized reproducible disciples were values that drove the first century Church into high gear. Of course, among thousands of Christians they were few that misrepresented the gospel as seen in Paul's letters to the believers in Philipi (Philipians.1:15-17). If what I mentioned earlier was a fair description of the early church, which is adaptive to any culture at any time, we discover an organic, revolutionary, Spirit-empowered-movement with a magnitude that transformed the Greco Roman world for good of all humanity! This would've been of less effect under a centralized hierarchal Christendom template (controlling religious empires) but rather happened among simple folk whose faith in the author of their gospel was to saturate the ancient world with it (1Corinthians 1:26-29) ! In other words, every day people experientially understood the gospel as having the authority to tearing down a darkened world enslaved by unseen forces of wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12).

I would add to that that archeology aligns with the bible. It's findings tells us that the great city Ephesus was a jewel of Rome - a breeding ground for demonic activity and pagan/emperor worship. We know that Paul's stay in Ephesus was longer than any other city, at least three years (Acts 20:31). Could it be he saw the needed encouragement to believers living in a society surrounded by spiritual tension - A cosmic battle raging between the powers of evil and good? He also recognized the need for people outside the faith to be reconciled to God and this eventually happened through pockets of home churches he started there. While visiting there I saw many remains of statues inside ruins of Greek temples where people practiced emperor worship rooted in paganism and superstition. It was so engraved into the culture at the time. John's revelation of God's judgment to the church of Pergamum describes a transporting of a massive temple to it's new location, the city of Ephesus. Now installed in the grounds of its new home it was known by nations as the thrown of Satan (Revelations 2:13)! This was the norm folks - this was the world that the first century church was home to that challenged their faith. So we can see how their values can be easily distorted and misguided. In fact I'm sure we can relate to it but not admittedly as obvious here in the states. Top-left image is the remains of a temple dedicated to the greek goddess Medusa - city of Ephesus, "Footsteps of the apostle Paul Tour" - 2016

That said, I see the planting of micro churches beyond a church but is really the planting of the power of the gospel (Romans 1:16), intertwined in the fabric of relational disciple-making. These two forces must be inseparable as if a well unified and strategical army in the midst of spiritual warfare. And with challenges on the horizon the church faces today, I would say it couldn't have been or can not be anything less than what radically transpired in the past to be significant and pragmatically true for our future.

Yes, I've been told I'm a dreamer except a dreamer with his eyes open knowing that the Church's defense against darkness is her identity in Christ but also that she is a powerful offense in tearing down the gates of hell (Matt.16:18)!

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The Body of Chirst - Gifted for a brighter yet Daring Future!

God created the principles of successful corporations. Each part using their gifts doing it's job for the whole and purposes to the vision and values of God. And if the church's track record is evident of success of this vision and values then it should be interlaced with it's founder. Not saying a church can't be unique how this vision fleshes out but it should preserve the underlying momentum of it's former apostolic response to the Great Commission. Most leadership of churches today are unaware they possess this capital for ministry due to bias presumptions on how a church should be run and for whose agenda.

Anyway, based on the five indwelling gifts in Ephesians 4, Romans 12 and it's complimentary ministry service gifts in 1Corinthians 12 we see how integration is key to maximizing maturity to function as God's original design for the Church and into the world. It's like having possession of a car engineered with so much horse power under it yet sadly be running on just two cylinders. More on that later as we look further into these gifts graced by God to His church. There are times however where God uses unpleasant means to shift things in its proper gear. Persecution of the early Church was one of them. It was like a God-disruptive flywheel that thrust the gospel forward into regions of the world beyond the confines of an exclusively laxed, bias Jewish community. And while the persecuted Christians that were scattered were defaulted into evangelizing the outside world, the apostles, or sent ones as its title refers, remained secured in Jerusalem - I could never fully understand why they remained stationed at a time the commission was engaged reaching a world that was also called into the promises of God (Acts 2:39).

Within a short period of time, this massive and likely reckless evangelism proceeding the stoning of Stephen in the 8th chapter of Acts. This was later followed by Peter's encounter in the home of Cornelius, a gentile (Acts 10:22-48), then culminating with the conversion of a insecured Pharisee prosecuting followers of the Way; Saul/apostle Paul assigned into the gentile world (Acts 9:1-15).Jeff Christopherson serves as Vice President of the North American Mission Board for the Send Network lays it down this way;

"The call of Christ to His people is not a safe, balance or convenient safe invitation towards discipleship."The apostolic impulse of a movement rejects the selfishness of a balanced self-preservation for a radical obsession found in a reckless faith that is singularly obedient to Jesus Christ." -Jeff Christopherson

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Memorable statement - surge to the soul!

I remember being at a weekend pastor's retreat on a neighboring island. Out of all that was said and done there was one statement by Foursquare mission pastor, Jim Scott that bumped my understanding of church and a world beyond. My conviction holds that the place and time of that one statement was pivotal during my early stages of being discipled. Back to the speaker. His scholarly and insightful studies on the book of Acts challenged our perception of church as being an inverted one - a westernized tunnel vision view of Church today, in particular North America. He quotes;

"Until the future of our world is more important than the future of our church then there is no future of the Church." - Jim Scott

Seeing beyond the usual - Not for the faint but the courageous

I'm thinking Scott's meaning to the future of the conventional church would be simply existing in isolation mode and not as useful. My response to that is a practical one - we need to once again facilitate at all cost whats been given us to awaken the giant that is within us. But if that awakening will not happen, than it will happen with disciples who know theres more than what the church is behaving like today. These are the ones that will courageously take what God has given and make disciples outside the perimeters of the churches as usual mindset. And by the looks of it, it's a course of action that is taken place thats changing the game play of church in the not-so-distant future. It's a wonderful return to a vintage yet fresh New Testament means of not just doing church as usual but 'being' in Christ the beauty that the Church ever was and needs to return to be! But great courage in Christ is required. This happens as we see more of Him and less of us (Jn.3:30, 15:5). That said, do we see the church as what it can be for all that it really was purposed for? Because that's the paradigm that not only changes things...but changes us.

"To look at something as though we had never seen it before requires great courage."" - Henri Matisse

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War on the Souls of Humanity - the heart of God

2 Timothy 2:3-4 [lightly paraphrased]

Picture if you will a cute scene on a Sunday morning service; little children playing marching soldiers as if enlisted in an army...familiar? God's calling on the church, at all levels, is to be willing to disperse itself into mega pockets of loving, authentic missional ventures that come against forces that are preventing church growth today. There's a form of suffering as the church allows for subtle secularism on corporate and individual levels that slowly erodes it's enthusiasm for the great commission. Aware of it or not we are centuries old in this ongoing spiritual battle for the souls of people and not realize that the enemy is in house strategically impairing us of our assigned purpose. Question is, will you re-affirm your enlistment in God's battalion? For some of us it's repentance, prayer or taking the Lord's command, not a suggestion, to the great commission. It can happen in pockets of courageous believers having spiritual gifts and abilities empowered by the Holy Spirit. Not only can this change declining statistics but has an eternal quality that brings people into the fold of God. This never ceases to please God and has always been His heart before the foundations of the world was made. In other words, salvation of souls has always been at the very heart of God (Ephesians 1:4-6). But it will take a unified effort of the body of Christ. It may well be micro/pocket of churches multiplying forward as if marching in a great purpose taking back ground for that which was loss. Would you think there is a need to being disciples that reproduce?

"Enemy-occupied territory...that is what this world is. The call is to take part in a great campaign of sabotage." - C.S. Lewis ['Mere Christianity']

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All for One, One for All: APEST - Ephesians 4:7-13 (Apostles, Prophets, Evangelist, Shepherds and Teachers)

Can the Great Commission be revived once more in these final days?

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