Dear Melanie  

 

I trust you will find this update both encouraging and informative. 

 

Jesus' instructions to His disciples in the Gospels were never about containment; they were about commission. In Luke 10, He sent them out to every town and place. In Matthew 28 and Mark 16 Jesus commanded his disciples (us) to GO to everyone. Jesus’ model is one of active, outward movement.

 

When we reflect on the 200-year history of the Gospel in Thailand, we see a pattern that often prioritized building sanctuaries, training in churches, running events and holding seminars over sending out disciples. As a result, the Gospel's reach was limited to just 5% of towns and villages. This approach unintentionally quarantined the Gospel, rather than unleashing it as a dynamic contagion. 

 

Praise God, the last eight years have marked a profound strategic and spiritual shift. By returning to a simple, reproducible Biblical model of local disciples making disciples, the Gospel has been unleashed. This movement has already spread to over 7,000 new villages, resulting in thousands of baptisms. Through this approach, the Gospel's reach has expanded to 12% of all villages in Thailand. That growth is accelerating, with the current rate of expansion at 3% more villages reached annually.

 

The lesson is clear: when the Gospel message is freed from the limitations of centralized locations, programs, events and seminars it is allowed to move organically and naturally. Because the Gospel is no longer contained, we can expect the natural outcome for it to spread like a virus and there will be an expanding harvest, leading to tens of thousands more new believers in Jesus Christ throughout the villages and towns of Thailand over the coming years.

 

Blessings,

Dwight & Mary Kay Martin

 

President of the Association of Free Churches in Thailand

President of the eSTAR Foundation