Dear Kingfisher Family
Grace and peace to each one of you.
Over the past few years, the whole world has lived through one of the most disruptive events
in modern history. The COVID pandemic affected every nation, every family, every
economy, every church, and almost every aspect of daily life. While we never celebrate the
suffering that accompanied it, I do believe that our Father is able to use every circumstance to
teach His children.
Jesus often invited His disciples to observe the world around them. “Look at the birds,” He
said. “Consider the lilies.” Everyday life became His classroom. In the same way, perhaps the
pandemic also holds lessons for us – not about disease, but about the Kingdom of God and the
mission Christ has entrusted to His people.
As the Kingfisher family, I believe the Lord is inviting us to reflect deeply on these lessons.
The first lesson is one we cannot ignore: healthy things multiply.
The virus spread with remarkable speed because one person influenced another, who
influenced another, until eventually the whole world was affected. Once again, we are
certainly not comparing the Kingdom of God to the destructive effects of a virus. But we can
learn from the principle of multiplication.
This has always been Jesus’ strategy. He never asked His followers to build impressive
institutions. He called them to make disciples.
Imagine what could happen if every follower of Jesus simply invested intentionally in one
person each year – walking alongside them, praying with them, encouraging them, and
allowing the life of Christ to flow naturally through them. Then, as that new disciple begins
to disciple another person, multiplication begins. This is not theory. It is the strategy of the
Kingdom.
Somewhere over the centuries, much of the Church shifted its focus from making disciples to
maintaining programmes. We became excellent at organising meetings but often less
intentional about reproducing disciples.
Kingfisher has always carried a different burden. Our calling has never primarily been to
build larger organisations, but to see the life of Christ reproduced in ordinary people who, in
turn, reproduce that same life in others.
Every one of us is called to participate. Not because we are gifted enough. Not because we
are pastors. Not because we are employed by a ministry. But because Christ Himself lives in
us.
Disciple-making is not another project to add to an already busy schedule. It is simply
allowing the life of Jesus to overflow into the relationships God has already placed in our
lives. Where we work. Where we live. Where we raise our children. Where we drink coffee
with friends. Wherever we go.
The second lesson the pandemic reminds us of is that life is meant to be infectious.
If people spend time with us, do they encounter the peace of Christ? His kindness? His hope?
His joy? His unconditional love?
Far too often Christians become known for what they oppose rather than for the love they
carry. Jesus never called us to win arguments. He called us to love people.
May the fragrance of Christ become so evident in our lives that people are naturally drawn
toward Him. Not because we are louder. But because we love deeper.
This is not about guilt. It is about awakening. The biblical word “repent” simply means to
change the way we think. Perhaps the Lord is inviting us once again to rediscover the
simplicity of His Kingdom.
The third lesson is equally important. The virus spread almost entirely through
relationships.
Families. Friends. Neighbours. Colleagues. People who shared life together.
Isn’t that exactly how Jesus intended His Gospel to spread? The Kingdom has always
travelled along the pathways of relationship. People rarely become disciples because they
attended an event. They become disciples because someone loved them long enough for them
to encounter Jesus.
This is wonderfully encouraging because every one of us already has relationships. Every one
of us already has a mission field. The Father has strategically placed each of us exactly where
He wants His Kingdom to become visible.
The fourth lesson is that we must remain adaptable.
The Gospel never changes. Jesus never changes. The finished work of Christ never changes.
But methods do. The pandemic forced almost every organisation in the world to rethink how
it functions. Perhaps it is also time for us continually to ask whether our methods are still
helping people encounter Jesus.
We honour those who have gone before us. Many practices served previous generations
faithfully. But our commitment is not to tradition. Our commitment is to Christ and His
mission. If different approaches enable more people to experience His life and become
disciples, then we should embrace them with wisdom, humility, and courage.
Finally, the pandemic reminded us that everyone played a role in its spread.
Young and old. Rich and poor. Known and unknown.
In the same way, every believer has a vital role in God’s Kingdom. There are no spectators.
There are no insignificant members of Christ’s Body. Every follower of Jesus is called, gifted,
and sent.
Perhaps this is one of the greatest opportunities before us as the Kingfisher family. Let us
intentionally invest in younger generations. Let us empower young leaders. Let us trust them.
Walk with them. Disciple them. And release them to disciple others.
Imagine what God could do if every one of us committed ourselves to one life at a time. Not
through pressure. Not through programmes. But through authentic relationships where Christ
Himself is free to live through us.
Family, I believe the Lord is gently reminding us that His original strategy has never
changed. The Kingdom still advances one disciple at a time. One relationship at a time. One
transformed life at a time. May we never lose sight of that simple, beautiful calling.
As we move forward together, may we become a family known for love, for relational
disciple-making, for courage to adapt where necessary, and above all, for allowing Jesus
Himself to be seen in us.
May His life become contagious through ours. May His Kingdom continue to multiply
through every one of us.
With gratitude for each of you, and with great expectation for what the Lord will yet do.
dirk