The Forgotten Manifesto of Jesus - 1
From a book by Phil Moore
Phil Moore is a former megachurch pastor in London who went through a major shift during the pandemic. Phil started asking some hard questions such as "Is what we're doing really working?", "Is this the way Jesus wants us to make disciples?"
What Phil discovered by connecting with disciple-making movements in places like Iran and India completely upended his approach. He realized the key to mature disciples of Jesus isn't about gathering big crowds, but about empowering everyday believers to make disciples who make disciples. The focus is on making disciples not just converts. It's a radically decentralized, reproducible model that has resulted in millions becoming disciples of Jesus.
In his latest book, "The Forgotten Manifesto of Jesus", Phil shows how the simple, revolutionary teachings of Jesus in Matthew 10 and Luke 10, has the power to transform not just our churches, but the very way we think about the Great Commission. In Part 1 of this blog, we take a look at stories from the Middle East of people (names changed) that follow these teachings but first let us remind ourselves of just Luke 10v1-9 NLT:
"The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit. These were his instructions to them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields. Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveller’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don’t stop to greet anyone on the road. Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’ If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you. Don’t move around from home to home. Stay in one place, eating and drinking what they provide. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay. If you enter a town and it welcomes you, eat whatever is set before you. Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.’"".
Very different from an invitational approach. One based on going, praying, depending on people you meet, finding people of peace, getting to know them, helping them in their struggles and sharing about the Kingdom. Then they become disciples who do the same thing.
Parbeen's story.
I was pretty well versed in religion. I visited many of the sacred sites of Iran and performed all of the Islamic ceremonies that I was told will bring me close to God, but it was useless. My life felt empty and meaningless. And when your life is empty, you fill it up with something. I turned to alcohol and promiscuous relationships, but it didn't satisfy my longings.
It was during an ordinary visit to the beauty salon, that something extraordinary happened. There was a woman there who was quite a bit older than me. She was sitting quietly reading a book, and something made me feel drawn to her. I couldn't put my finger on it, but nor could I shake off the feeling that I should talk to her. So I did. I found myself telling her all my secrets.
Looking back, I can see how important the timing of this conversation turned out to be, because I was about to lose everything when my house caught fire and burned to the ground. I was devastated and had no idea how to start rebuilding my life again.
This is how I know that God was watching over me. He had already sent somebody to help me through that traumatic time. The lady at the salon helped me by sharing stories with me about God. They weren't like any stories I'd heard before at Islamic shrines. These were about a loving God who knew me and loved me and had a plan and purpose for my life. I discovered these were stories from the Bible, and that God has a son named Jesus Christ.
As I reread the stories on my own, I began to see Jesus all around me working in my life, and I asked him to become my Lord and Saviour. I gave up my drinking and my promiscuity, and as I obeyed God, I saw him bless me over and over again.
My friend was a disciple maker, and now I have become a disciple maker too. I host Bible discussions in my home, where I've already seen one of my good friends place her own faith in Jesus. I share the same Bible stories with the people I meet throughout the day, and now I have seen six of them come to know the Lord Jesus through our conversations. I'm so grateful that God has given me an eternal meaning to my life, that of bringing more people to know him. I know that this is just the beginning, and I'm ready, always and forever to be on a mission to change the world for him.
Hussein and Laila's story (part).
Hussein and Laila were part of a British church leadership team. Following prophecy, they went back to the city in Iraq they had left as children, to share about Jesus. They made lots of friends in churches but after 2 years hadn't managed to lead one person to faith in Jesus.
Frustrated by their fruitlessness, they spent three days on a video call with Iranian believers, who detailed their experience of following the Luke 10 manifesto. They were offended by some things that were explained; don't begin by talking about Jesus, church or the Bible, don't introduce people to Jesus until Jesus begins to introduce himself. Expect unbelievers to lead other unbelievers to faith in Jesus. They said a firm goodbye..
Some time later, still depressed by fruitlessness, they began to reconsider what the Iranians had taught. Muslims were avoiding them as the legal penalty for seeking to convert a Muslim to Christ is stoning to death. They reached out again to the Iranians, who challenged them as to why they were seeking to plant a church rather than start a movement of house churches [WOTS - not the same as house groups.].
They stopped attending expat churches so as not to be seen as outsiders. They prayed for God to lead them to people of peace and went out to some of the poorest parts of the city to find them. They began to focus on simply loving people rather than trying to talk about Jesus in every conversation. It was hard to unlearn old habits. Now when they walk the shops, people run out to greet them. They began to ask people simple questions in response to their questions. Hussein also went to the red light district, without phone or credit cards, and lunched with two men sitting in the gutter. They introduced him to their wider group of friends and so relationships built. The people were very open about their struggles and they started sharing simple stories from the Bible starting with creation.
They are starting to see people wanting to develop a relationship with God.
In Matthew 10, Jesus gives the commission to the 12, sends them out to the towns and villages of Galilee, gives them 42 verses of detailed instructions how to go about that commission. And then in Luke 10, Jesus sends out another 72 to go to the towns and villages of the rest of Israel. Gives them 24 verses of detailed instruction, which are largely a repetition of his instruction to the 12.
One standard reaction is to say that 'this approach will not work in our country', but it has spread to Europe and USA despite similar questions. But then again, these are Jesus' instructions..
In the book, Phil takes us through those instructions verse by verse, but that's in Part 2, which can be found here..
See also:
Empty-handed ministers - 1
Contrasting 'Church as we know it' and 'Disciple-multiplying movements' - 1
Becoming the Church that Jesus comes back for - part 1
Tradition - ballast for the voyage or an anchor?
15 observations in disciple making movements in urban locations - 1
Sheep Among Wolves
4 million micro churches planted in less than 30 years
Retweet about this article:
From a book by Phil Moore, 18/03/2025