Train community leaders to lead with God’s Kingdom in mind

Isaiah foretold the birth of the King upon whose shoulders God’s government rests, saying, “Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign… over his Kingdom, establishing it… with justice and righteousness… forever.”

Jesus proclaimed the Goodnews of the Kingdom, saying, “It’s time! God’s Kingdom has come near. Repent and believe in the Goodnews.” We are convinced that God is determined that his Kingdom and peace increase in every place, that Jesus’ leadership is to change everything. Therefore, we seek to,

influence an entire society in a God-ward direction through God’s word.

To do this we work with societal leaders who govern more than 2 million people, helping them understand God’s word and his Kingdom, and offering them various kinds of training and resources so that they can become more effective community leaders. We help them understand that God has put them into their leadership role in order to put his Kingdom first and promote his agenda.

In cooperation with these leaders we have produced Biblically-based materials on a variety of topics which they are using in their leadership roles.

Decades of cultivating relationships with the leaders of the Yao along with the training and materials has begun to impact the society.

• many leaders are becoming more integrous
• they are leading with compassion, and concerned to promote righteousness and justice
• hundreds of leaders are encouraging people to read God’s word
• they have hope that God is at work in their society
• many use the Scriptures in their courtrooms to settle disputes
• they have used God’s word to reconcile hundreds of marriages of people wanting a divorce
• the tribe that was formerly divided with fear and hatred is being united because of God’s word and Kingdom

Community development centered on God’s Kingdom

Promoting God’s leadership in various parts of life:

• Agriculture development: Training groups of people in God’s word, more productive agriculture practices, protecting and improving their soil, crop storage, and cooperation.
• Marriage restoration: Using our marriage and family book and wisdom book, chiefs and group leaders have helped hundreds of marriages who were on the edge of divorce to reconcile.
• Health: Just getting started, we will be training societal leaders and villagers in God’s word and in a range of health concepts including basic health and disease prevention, nutrition & hygiene. It includes a cooking component that has helped women learn how to cook better tasting, more nutritious meals — a number of men claim that it has been good for their marriages! 
• Compassion Outreach: Giving holistic assistance to individuals, and their extended families, who are facing a crisis. 
• Youth: Coaching soccer teams as well as spiritually mentoring the team members.

Unpacking our mission further

Based on Jesus’ great commission: “All authority in the universe has been given to me; therefore, go make disciples of all nations…,” our mission outcome is a great number of people who truly follow God and love and obey Jesus. This is achieved through a God-empowered and directed social movement, or a people movement.

We envision God bringing the Yao tribe out of their darkness, brokenness and despair through the growing leadership and influence of many Yao people and chiefs who have come to truly love and obey God, whose lives have been revolutionized by God’s power, and who are guided by God’s word. Jesus came to establish God’s Kingdom on earth; his plan is long-term and absolutely world changing. His goal is a planet full of people who have been restored into God’s image. To this end he is establishing godly subcultures in every place. Achieving the mission means that the Goodnews of the Kingdom must be communicated such that its impact on a people is characterized by length, depth, breadth, and faithfulness to God’s word.

• Length: Since God’s purpose is eternal, our mission must intentionally aim for results that continue. Our efforts must be long-term, sustainable, multi-generational, and continuously reproductive.
• Depth: Light must dispel the darkness at every level of life, both individually and collectively. God’s story must revolutionize their story — dealing with issues of their past evil and brokenness; their present cultural and institutionalized evil; and defining their future by God’s plan revealed in the story of the entire Bible.
• Breadth: The Goodnews must be sowed broadly throughout their society until a great many Yao enter God’s Kingdom, and the entire tribe is influenced by Jesus’ leadership; and they must take it to other peoples.
• Faithful to the whole of God’s word: Our emphasis is on the Goodnews of the Kingdom, set in the context of the overall story of God. Believers need to come to understand the whole story of the Bible.

Summation of God’s Story

Simply put: God created everything to be good, and created people in his image to be his wonderful children, to fill the earth with glorious people in his image and govern and care for his creation. Instead, we rejected our Father’s love and leadership and caused evil, darkness, pain and death. But God, who does not change, is restoring his good creation, and his image in all who will repent and believe. He is doing this through the One he has given all authority in heaven and earth, Jesus the Messiah. The day is coming when Jesus will complete the restoration of God’s Kingdom and will hand the Kingdom back to God the Father (1 Cor. 15:24-27). This is the story all people are born into, into the time of restoration of God’s loving leadership on his dark and rebellious planet.

This story is to define everything in our lives. We were born for this, to love God and live to advance his Kingdom.