Currently I can't watch the news or go on social media without hearing about the Corona Virus. It has certainly caused global panic and I completely understand as the spread of this virus is clearly alarming due to the fact that despite quarantine, disinfecting whole city blocks, and restricting travel of literally billions of people the number of cases just climbs and climbs.

Doctors and disease scientists are calling it a Pandemic. I don't want to make light of this situation at all, but it has caused me to reflect on the type of Church planting movement we are praying for. We are praying for nothing short of a (Corona Virus-like) viral Disciple and Church planting movement. A movement that can not be stopped by human intervention or effort. But has anything like this happened before? There are many Movements of God throughout history, but I'd love to look into Scripture to see this type of viral Discipleship. 

In Acts 19 we read that Paul entered Ephesus and was bolding proclaiming the Gospel in the synagogue. Acts 19:9 then describes, "But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus." So what was the result of Paul's training? Acts 19:10 says, "This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord." Please research this figure, but I have read that the estimated population of people living in the province of Asia during the time of Paul was between 10 and 15 million people and all these people "heard the word of the Lord!" This brings up an immediate question, what was Paul teaching in the hall of Tyranus that lead to 10 to 15 million people hearing the Gospel? Don't you wish you could have been a fly on the wall (not to mention witness the miracles vs. 11-12). Certainly Paul's letters give us a clue as to what he was teaching but beyond that it must have been the vision Paul was most certainly preaching. Regardless of the number of people that Paul was actually able to train his message must have been a message of multiplication.

Let’s do some simple math. Paul was training for 2 years in Tyrannus' Hall.  365 days x 2 years = 730 days - 104 Sabbath days = 626 days of training at a maximum. So how many people was Paul able to train per day? 10? 100? If we do the math Paul personally couldn't come close to 10-15 million, so beyond the number of people Paul was able to train I believe Paul effectively cast Jesus' viral vision to go, make discples, baptize them, and teach them to obey all that Jesus commanded. We see this generational expectation in 2 Timothy 2:2 which is a familiar verse for many. "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others." In this one verse there are 4 generations of believers. 

So why don't we see more of this today? We actually do. It's an exciting time to be alive as currently there are hundreds of Church planting movements happening among those perviously considered the "hardest to reach" people and places in the world. And we are able to learn so many pricinples from the ways God the Spirit is moving- paramountly- PRAYER. As we live and work for God's glory in Thailand please join us in our prayer, "God in the same way you opened up eyes and hearts to the Gospel there- please would You do it here too, do it in Thailand!"