What is it that Jesus desires of us, in this place, at this time? This is the question that we have been asking for the past year or so in Porto de Moz. We have decided that His heart for us is to focus on four things: Training leaders (with an emphasis on them being servants), developing small, home groups that focus on relationship (with our Father and with each other), mentoring those with hungry hearts who will then mentor others with hungry hearts, and emphasizing Kingdom, Vineyard values.

We have been thrilled in the past few months to see these emphases well received and producing maturity. We have a group of about twenty men and women who have demonstrated deep hunger for more; more training, more responsibility, more opportunity to be used by their Father, and more intimacy with Jesus.

These individuals are being mentored individually by the missionaries and they are mentoring others.  The mentoring groups are two or three.  The basis of the mentoring is relationship rather than study. There is not necessarily a leader apart from the Holy Spirit.  Our desire is to give Him opportunity to lead.  We do not teach information (Bible study) as much as converse with each other and with our Father. Study of God’s word is done on their own, with the Spirit as their teacher.  Each person reads the same portions of the Bible during the week and then we have weekly times of conversation and prayer, with discussion of what God is teaching us through our individual study of God’s word. We have a list of questions to ask each other in order to promote transparency and depth of sharing.  We then pray for each other and for several people that we would like to see our Father draw to Himself. 

Our goal is intimacy; intimacy with Jesus, intimacy with each other, and passion to see others experience the same. Our desire is to see Jesus-lovers (disciples), growing in the love of Jesus, love for each other, and love for those who don’t yet know our Father, who will then be used to develop others in this love, who will then be used…

We have decided that, for this season, our Father would have us focus on developing disciples through intimate mentoring relationships and small groups. We are convinced that many of these disciples will walk, worship, and work together going forward this will fortify greatly the Kingdom work in the Porto de Moz region.

Further:

Kingdom living is "whatever" living.  "Whatever you wish to do/say to/through me, Jesus…"  "Whatever path (easy or difficult) you wish to put me on, Jesus, in order to create in me greater intimacy with you…” 

Making disciples is not about teaching as much as it’s about modeling intimacy and surrender to Jesus.

Arrogance will make much of either its own success or its own failure.

Tension, caused by opposing forces, is a reality in both the natural world and the Kingdom of God.

Look for the one outcast or wounded. It is there that the soil is likely ready for seed.

Leave enough “margin” in your life to be a “good Samaritan” when your day is “interrupted” by someone wounded.

Prayer is dependence. The more that we spend time with, make requests of, and listen to, our Father, the more dependent on Him we are.

The less that you spend time with, make requests of, and listen to, your Father, the more you are living independently of Him.

Prayer is conversation; speaking and listening