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178. God on the Move!
Featuring: Dave Coles, author of God on the Move: Making Disciples Among the Nations📖 Book on Amazon💡 Related reading: Motus Dei: The Movement of God to Disciple the Nations This episode begins with a reading from the foreword of Dave Coles’ new book God on the Move and a conversation with the author. Dave shares his passion to give a voice to majority world movement leaders and make their stories accessible to the global church. Some Key Features of Disciple Making Movements (DMM) Prayer & miraculous signs, empowerment of ordinary people, holistic transformation, disciples making disciples and courage & sacrifice — all hallmarks of movements God is using across the nations. The Challenge of the Unreached The world is becoming more unreached, yet movements are multiplying faster than population growth among key groups. Multiplying movements bring real hope for reaching the nations. Hope for the West Encouraging signs of growth in unexpected places like the UK and France. God’s promise in Amos 9:13 reminds us that the harvest will overtake the sowing — even in the West. Church in Movements Simple, Spirit-led expressions of church — not dependent on buildings or programs — empower ordinary disciples to gather, obey, and multiply. Community Learning Centres From India’s Bhojpuri movement to urban hubs, meeting community needs holistically opens doors for the gospel and creates spaces for discovery and multiplication. What Brings Dave Coles Hope? God’s promises and presence — and seeing Muslims and others coming to faith in miraculous ways — points to the nearness of Christ’s return (Matthew 24:14). A Word of Encouragement We serve an amazing God! Ask Him, “What do You want me to do this week to show Your love and advance Your kingdom?” — and step out in faith.
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177. Steps to Catalysing Movement
We continue our series from the Thailand 25 Gathering, hearing from a leader from South East Asia who is catalysing disciple-making movements among a large unreached people group, and from Dave, who shares practical insights on how to catalyse movements with stories from Fiji and England. From the South East Asian Leader He shared about three key roles in disciple-making movements (DMM): 1. Disciple – doing DBS (Discovery Bible Study) together. 2. Facilitator – helping others become disciple-makers. 3. Catalyst – multiplying movement through others. He described his personal calling as that of a Catalyst—someone Jesus sends into new places to find people of peace, help them discover Jesus, and train others to do the same. Some key principles he highlighted: • Follow Jesus’ plan to be sent into places where you know no one, trusting Him to lead you to people with open hearts. • Gather and train those who respond—equip them with simple tools and resources. • Model and multiply—invite those who have seen fruit to share at trainings and train others by example. • Form teams from those trained—pray together, stay together, and go back to Scripture and DBS regularly. • Coach and mentor ongoingly, repeating the process to see multiplication continue. From Dave: How to Catalyse Movements Dave shared how catalysing begins with our relationship with God—hearing His call and being led by the Spirit. He described five levels or roles in movement growth: 1. Disciple (groups of 2s and 3s) 2. Group leader (People of Peace, often church leaders) 3. Leader of groups and streams of churches that are multiplying 4. Regional leaders (those carrying a vision across nations or regions) 5. Catalysts who help multiple movements grow Key insights from Dave’s experience: • Everything begins in prayer—listening to God and watching for new things He is doing. • Find catalytic leaders—local, Spirit-led people whom God is already using. • Serve others by asking, “What does this person need?” rather than pushing your own agenda. • Movement work is highly relational and Spirit-dependent, not just about strategy or training. Dave reminds us that God is the one who catalyses the work—and sometimes He turns the question back to us: “How much do you want?”
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176. Inner Life #2
We continue our series from our international gathering in Thailand with part two of The Inner Life of a leader. In this episode, Graham (a pastor from New Zealand with over 50 years of ministry experience) and a leader from South Asia share how they nurture and sustain their inner lives as disciples and leaders. Part 1: Graham (New Zealand) – Dealing with our questions and thoughts “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” – Proverbs 4:23 Graham reflects on how leaders can deal with questions and negative thought patterns. He highlights the importance of bringing our questions honestly to the cross. He also shares the need for accountability in relationships and discerning God’s voice by taking every thought captive. “We have to learn how to deal with the questions.” Part 2: South Asian Leader – The rhythms of a disciple in the midst of persecution “You have to face these things [persecution]. These things will come.” Speaking from his context of persecution, this fruitful leader describes how rhythms of prayer, Scripture, and fellowship sustain him. He emphasises that obedience to God’s Word is central, since we can only share with others what we are living out ourselves. He explains the MAWL principle (Model, Assist, Watch, Launch) as the way he disciples others. Even in persecution, he testifies that the Word of God brings hope and courage. Since Jesus prepares us as his disciples for suffering from the beginning, the promise of eternal life gives hope and strength. For this leader, it is a deep source of joy to see the church multiplying under persecution—he shares that they have recently recorded 2,100 churches in their network. Final Encouragement Once again, we see how our inner lives are the most vital part of who we are as disciples and leaders. Be encouraged by these leaders’ words to: Guard your heart and let God’s truth shape your inner life. Live out rhythms of prayer, Scripture, and obedience that sustain faith—even in hardship. Graham has written a book called ‘Demon Speak: Recognising and Overcoming the Enemy Voices in Your Life’.
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175. Inner Life #1
We continue our series from our international gathering in Thailand. What will take us out of the race as leaders in movements? Over the next two podcasts, we’ll be hearing from four practitioning leaders share from their perspective of what helps them go the distance as disciple makers and leaders. In this episode, we hear two powerful insights from two experienced practitioners about the inner life of a disciple and leader—the part of us that shapes everything we do. Be encouraged by the walk of others as we look at our own lives as disciples and leaders. Part 1: Roger (New Zealand) – Personality and Leadership “Often we underestimate how much our personalities can influence our leadership.” Roger shares how our soul or personalities and tendencies can both strengthen and slow us down as leaders. If we’re not aware, our personality can even take us out of the race. Looking at the lives of Jesus’ disciples, Roger highlights how their different temperaments shaped their strengths—and their struggles: • Peter – impulsive, bold and ambitious. • James & John – ambitious, strong leadership, destructive (controlling and angry) at times, but full of zeal (can lead to burnout for some). • Thomas – skeptical, analytical, cautious (wise but can be paralysed by doubt and overthinking) yet also deeply loyal (slow to trust). • Philip – practical, analytical, sometimes too pragmatic. • Andrew – quiet and relational (but can be people pleasing and compromise with shallow connections rather than speaking the truth and lifting one another up). • Judas – calculated, controlling, desiring power (the prestige of Jesus’ movement), and ultimately led astray. Roger challenges us with Romans 12: are we functioning out of our true spiritual gifts—or just our personality? Many leaders let their personality take over, but God calls us to live and lead from the Spirit alongside others in community and teams. Part 2: Gabi (Eastern Europe) – Testing: God Working in the Dark “The lack of trusting is actually the lack of love.” Gabi speaks vulnerably about walking through valley seasons as a leader. Instead of asking “why me?” she encourages us to ask: “God, what are You doing in this situation?” Drawing from her journey, including seasons of suffering and difficulty, Gabi reminds us of Psalm 23. God meets us in the valley - in the dark. And he leads us through and encourages us to grow as people. She encourages leaders not to give in to bitterness or fear, but to embrace the Spirit of love, power, and a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7). Even in the darkest moments, God is at work shaping our hearts and preparing us to lead with greater depth. Takeaway Your inner life is the most important part of who you are as a leader. Be encouraged by Roger and Gabi’s words to: • Pay attention to your personality and how it influences your leadership. • Allow God to meet you in the valleys, shaping your spirit rather than letting fear or bitterness take hold. This episode will help you grow deeper as a disciple and leader who leads from the inside out.
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174. From Hong Kong to the Nations
As we continue our Thailand25 series, many of you will remember Rey from Hong Kong and how God used him to see movement among Filipina maids. In this episode, Rey continues to share the journey of seeing movement in and from Hong Kong. In July 2022, Rey pioneered Discovery Obedience Bible Studies (DOBS) in Hong Kong parks with Pilipino maids. What began as one small step of faith has now grown into multiplying disciple-making communities (DMCs) in Hong Kong, Macau, the Philippines, and even Japan. Rey’s obedience to the Holy Spirit has opened the door to multiplication down to third and fourth generations of disciples. His passion is clear: “We are not in the business of making believers but disciples.” You’ll be encouraged as Rey explains how God is using simple obedience, a clear disciple-making vision, and a commitment to multiplication to bring transformation from Hong Kong to the nations. Highlights from Rey’s Journey Early Exposure to Movements Since 2016, Rey was exposed to disciple-making movements through experiences in Israel, India, and Myanmar, which grew into a deep passion and became the focus of his Master’s thesis in Hong Kong. From Pastor to Movement Pioneer His church in Hong Kong adopted DMM principles—but only as a growth strategy, not a true disciple-making movement. The spark eventually faded. 2022: Rey resigned from traditional church ministry, rejecting offers from large churches. During quarantine, while fasting and praying, God’s answer surprised him: not to join another church, but to start doing DMM himself. July 2, 2022: Rey launched the first DOBS group in a Hong Kong park. Multiplication Across Nations Hong Kong: Now 110 active disciples. 3 DMCs (up to 4th generation). 201 baptisms over the last three years—monthly beach baptisms with new believers. 20 women in training to become “DMM pastors,” preparing to return to the Philippines. Macau: 1 group, 8 active disciples, 3 disciple-makers. Philippines: Communities in the north, central, and the Muslim south (Mindanao). Over 100 active disciples in multiple generations. Japan (Yokosuka, near Tokyo): Filipina women reaching out to bar owners and families. Baptisms and new groups forming into a multiplying community. Disciple-Making Process Rey uses DOBS (Discovery Obedience Bible Studies): Discover, Obey, Bible, Share. He has developed different levels of scripture sets: Seekers – discovering Jesus. Disciples – going deeper. Leaders – training for multiplication. Vision & Tools Rey always gives the vision upfront: everyone is called to be a disciple-maker. He even draws people a simple path: Seeker → Believer → Disciple → Disciple-Maker → Leader. Anchors everything in key Scriptures: Matthew 28:18-20 (Great Commission), Matthew 22:36-39 (Great Commandment), Acts 1:8 (Need for Holy Spirit to be witnesses) and 2 Timothy 2:2 (Multiplication of disciples). DBS format follows the 4Ws: Worship Watch (share stresses) Word (Head, Heart, Hands) Work (commitments & sharing). Why Listen? Rey’s story is one of courage, obedience, and multiplication. From humble beginnings in a park in Hong Kong to movements multiplying in the Philippines and Japan, Rey’s testimony challenges us to rethink church, embrace disciple-making, and trust God’s Spirit to lead.
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