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181. Shodankeh Johnson from Sierra Leone
In this episode, Dave catches up with Shodankeh Johnson, an apostolic leader from Sierra Leone, well known from the Engage Africa videos. Shodankeh has seen disciples in his nation grow from just a handful to half a million. During a recent conference in America, Dave asked Shodankeh to share a word of encouragement and greeting, focusing on the need to see the passion, power, and fire of God flow through us—not just relying on the right methods. This, Shodankeh reminds us, is key for breakthrough in the West, where movements of multiplication are longed for. Shodankeh reminds us that God is always in us, and that His reward is sure. “Yes, it can be tough, but it can be done. With God, all things are possible. He is the impossibility specialist.” He emphasizes the importance of prayer: “Pray as if everything depends on you, and pray as if everything depends on God. God will shake the foundation of the wicked one. A time is coming when we will see rapid multiplication of disciples, churches, leaders, and groups across the western world.” Shodankeh encourages us to be strong and courageous and never give up, quoting Hebrews 11:6: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” He calls faith the currency of heaven, the foundation from which multiplication of disciples will come. This, he says, is the love language of a disciple-making movement. He shares a stirring call to pursue the fire of God: “In this generation, we need to pray that God will use us. The fire of God is very important. We will see this when we spend quality time in His presence. There is no rush hour with God. Be hungry for His Word and His presence. Cry out for it as you would for food and water. When you do, the fire of God will come upon your life. This is what makes the difference—not the strategies of disciple-making movements. The first disciples in Acts were ordinary people, but the presence of God and the fire in them made all the difference. Be hungry for that fire. It’s not the size of the fire, but how many fires you can light.” Shodankeh closes by praying for the fire of God to come upon us and flow through us, empowering ordinary people to make an extraordinary impact for Christ.
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180. Commissioned
This podcast we listen to a commissioning from movement leaders in third world contexts that will deeply encourage us as disciple makers and leaders. Jesus commissioned his disciples saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And behold I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20). This spoke deeply into the disciples' spirits as they started to obey his commission. It brought all of Jesus' ministry and teaching together. It had all come to this. The disciples knew that this was what they were called to do. In this episode you will hear a commissioning given by several movement leaders (who are remain nameless mainly due to security) from Africa and elsewhere in the world. These are the final statements from a powerful meeting of movement leaders encouraging one another. They cover: What is DMM (and what it is not): How movement is the multiplication of disciples and churches. The call to go into difficult places and even suffer for Jesus. The encouragement that we should never be satisfied: To go for the highest - nothing less than God wants to accomplish. How the call that is for ordinary people. The need to collaborate and network. As you listen to each leader share and pray, be deeply encouraged and empowered in your spirit. Let these prayers become your prayers.
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179. The Power of the Ordinary
In this episode, Dave shares a recent message he gave to the Crossway Online Church community, reflecting on Luke 10 and the surprising power of ordinary people in God’s mission. In Luke 10, Jesus sends out 72 others — because 12 were not enough. When the 72 return, full of joyful testimonies of God at work, Jesus Himself is described as “full of joy through the Holy Spirit.” “I praise you, Father… because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children… Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.” — Luke 10:21, 23–24 Dave reminds us that Jesus transferred the kingdom of God into the hands of ordinary disciples — people who pray, listen, obey, and go. Story 1 — Aisha in South East Asia Among a large unreached people groups, Aisha was a simple housewife trained in disciple-making. As she prayed, God gave her a heart to reach her community around her. With no previous experience, she simply started where she was — in the marketplace. Partnering with a street trader named Fani, they began selling a local delicacy — fried chicken heads — and the business grew rapidly. Immersed in the community, Misha began offering: • Micro-loans to struggling traders • Literacy classes for teenagers • Discovery Bible Studies (DBS) with new friends What began as prayerful availability has now become multiplying disciple-making groups. Jesus leaped for joy because God reveals His kingdom through the unexpected and overlooked — the “little children.” Story 2 — The Chicken Shop Disciple Maker In a region of South Asia experiencing high persecution, Dave describes how one of the teams has seen over 40,000 new disciples and 2,200+ churches planted. In the midst of this movement was a man who simply ran a local chicken shop. He learned to start Discovery Bible Studies with his neighbours. Disciple-making is simple and reproducible. Ordinary people. Everyday places. Story 3 — James in Africa James is seeing a movement among Muslim university lecturers, Muslim students, their families and the wider community. In the last 12 months alone: • 161 new Discovery Groups have been birthed • 99 new churches have been planted • 11 unreached people groups have been engaged • Groups are multiplying to the 4th generation and beyond There is real joy and freedom from darkness, with many baptisms among those previously far from Jesus. Photo: James' first house church Photo: Discovery Bible Group on an Islamic University campus Recent baptisms through James' ministry in Africa Response Key Characteristics of Ordinary Disciple Makers • The Power of the Ordinary — Don’t compare yourself. • The Power of Availability — Simply be available to God. • The Power of Obedience — Listen and follow what God says. • Birth Everything in Prayer — Movements start on our knees. Dave ends with a call to: • Pray • Give to missions • Go and participate in the Great Commission Because the Gospel spreads not through the extraordinary, but through ordinary people who say ‘yes’ to Jesus. You can watch Dave sharing at Crossway here
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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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