July 01, 2018 by

24:14 Coalition Update Video May

The latest 24:14 Coalition video update

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July 01, 2018 by Rick Wood

Our Organic Gospel and Kingdom: God Intends for Us to Multiply

This has never happened before. For the first time in our history we are giving over the entire theme section of MF to a single author, Kevin Greeson. We have done so because of the tremendous insights Kevin provides into understanding Jesus’ Parable of the Sower and its implications for fostering movements. Kevin is well known for creating the CAMEL Method for effective outreach to Muslims

Tags: fourth-soil people, fourth-soil person, organic growth

July 01, 2018 by Kevin Greeson

Finding “Fourth Soil” People: Pursuing Movements as Jesus Did

Mathematician Steven Pither describes the difference between addition and multiplication through the use of personification. Addition’s attempt to solve problems can be described as passive, lacking a drive to a goal, ill-prepared to overcome obstacles, and lacking enthusiasm to attain a highly valued purpose. Pither describes multiplication as having a desire to overcome obstacles, solve dilemmas, and achieve goals.

Tags: fourth-soil people, fourth-soil person

July 01, 2018 by Kevin Greeson

Finding “Fourth-Soil” People: Fourth-Soil Person or Person of Peace

The designation Person of Peace originates from Luke 10:5–7: Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this household.” If a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they offer, for the worker is worthy of his wages. Don’t be moving from house to house. Learning about the Person of Peace concept greatly enhanced my ministry by giving me a specific target to aim for in the vast sea of lostness within the country I served.

Tags: fourth-soil people, fourth-soil peron, person of peace

July 01, 2018 by Kevin Greeson

Finding “Fourth-Soil” People: A Movement Case Study from Galilee

Analyzing case studies typically represents one of the key learning activities at a missionary training program. Often overlooked as a case study is Jesus’ work in pre-Pentecost Galilee, partly because He did not plant churches, but mainly because a handful of biblical scholars view Jesus’ pre-Pentecost work in Galilee as a failed mission. William Kurz, for example, argues that Jesus’ mission work failed to produce results. Kurz states, “Jesus never saw the results of His preaching in His lifetime on earth.”

Tags: fourth-soil people, fourth-soil person

July 01, 2018 by Kevin Greeson

Finding “Fourth-Soil” People: Modern Day Application Using the Parable of the Sower as a Field Guide

Applying the Parable of the Sower as a mission-field guide may represent a new concept for many missionaries, but I propose that the first generation of disciples likely knew this approach well. The word approach may be interchanged with strategy, modus operandi, or plan. Missionaries with varying backgrounds prefer different ways of saying this. You may think I am reading and applying the Parable of the Sower on a literal level beyond Jesus’ intent. I know of no better way to understand this parable than to approach it in this manner. Before entering into the project of applying the Parable of the Sower among the Ro (a pseudonym) people group, I spent two years in a seminary environment engaged in research on the Parable of the Sower.

Tags: field guide, fourth-soil people, fourth-soil person, parable of the sower

July 01, 2018 by Kevin Greeson

Finding “Fourth-Soil” People: American Context

A couple of years ago on a college campus, I watched a group of college students help their fellow student find his lost dorm key in a grassy field. The student could not retrace his exact steps, so his fellow students searched and roamed aimlessly. To expedite the search, I stepped in and asked the students to form one line and walk together in unison, covering one section at a time. In a matter of moments, the students swept the field and the student was reunited with his key. Inside a missionary’s target working area awaits a movement catalyst. Jesus not only provided us His plan for finding fourth-soil individuals; He modeled it in pre-Pentecost Galilee.

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July 01, 2018 by Kevin Greeson

Finding “Fourth-Soil” People: Jesus’ Modus Operandi for Establishing a Movement

Bible scholars and missionaries often speak different languages. While missionaries might refer to Jesus’ Parable of the Sower as representing His approach to fieldwork, His strategy for discovering a movement catalyst, or His modus operandi, biblical scholars use different words to describe Jesus’ Parable of the Sower.

Tags: fourth-soil people, fourth-soil person, parable of the sower

July 01, 2018 by Jean Johnson

A Word of Counsel to UPG Initiatives

According to Joshua Project, 41.5 percent of the world’s population is unreached with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Additionally, statistics show an imbalance of Christian workers—despite the great need among unreached people groups (UPGs), most missionaries and funding go to reached areas. In recent years, these statistics have led to a concerted drive to reach the unreached people groups of the world. This is all good! Actually, it is fantastic!

Tags: unreached people groups, upg, upgs

July 01, 2018 by Scott Hedley

MInistering in Honor-Shame Cultures: Biblical Foundations and Practical Essentials

Book Review by Scott Hedley

This book was eye-opening to me, a Westerner, in that it helped me to better understand my ministry colleagues in Asia. Understanding the concepts in this book is also important to the global church because most of the ethnic groups with limited or no access to the gospel (i.e. Unreached People Groups) are predominantly honor-shame in their cultural outlook. It is important for Westerners to understand why hospitality, indirect communication, purity regulations and patronage are all common features of honor-shame cultures.

Tags: honor, honor-shame cultures, shame

July 01, 2018 by C. Anderson

Faith - With Evaluation and Change - Yields Much Fruit

Some people are addicted to change. They love it! Most of us hate it. We like things to be predictable and stable. A distaste for change, however, blocks the path to seeing a multiplying movement of disciples making disciples. Let me begin with a confession. I am often in the category of those who dislike change.

Tags: change, faith, fruit

July 01, 2018 by Steve Smith

Kingdom Kernels: Death: the Spiritual Triggering Effect

I had just flown in from the middle of the Church-Planting Movement (CPM) we helped catalyze in the mountains of a highly restrictive country in Asia. I landed in a world very different from my mission experience—a traditional field with over 100 years of mission work, churches of all denominations and mature seminaries. Yet, despite the large number of indigenous Christians, it was a field in which the kingdom had plateaued and was now in decline. Describing our case study of explosive Spirit-empowered growth in Asia, I encouraged the brothers and sisters that God could do the same in their countries. One missionary objected. “Well! If we just had persecution like you have in Asia, we too would have movements.”

Tags: death, persecution

July 01, 2018 by Chris McBride, Stan Parks, Justin Long and John Becker

24:14 Coalition Update

Tags: 14 coalition, 24, 24 14 coalition

July 01, 2018 by Greg Parsons

Further Reflections: Rethinking Galatians

In the post-reformation era, the evangelical church looks at the book of Galatians as a referendum on justification by faith. I would argue that, actually, Paul is building on that well-known truth. Yes, the Galatians were confused by the Judaizers. Many did not have “faith” in their background. So, to all, Paul was saying: Yes—salvation is by grace through faith and as the gospel of Christ comes to new cultures, you (Galatians, Jews and us!) should not add to it. The book is a strongly worded treatise against Jesus plus anything.

Tags: galatians