I Have Been Waiting for You

I Have Been Waiting for You

Following the Spirit’s leading, Rebecca and two friends she was discipling brought supplies to some poor communities after a flood. They asked God to multiply the harvest through their small outreach.

In most villages, God directed them to the homes of the community leaders. The team asked them to distribute the goods to the families in need. This allowed for more time to build relationships with each leader and his family. Each man welcomed a story about Isa (Jesus), allowed a prayer in His name, and invited Rebecca’s team to return.

In one community, however, they had a different entrance — their car ran into a ditch near a village of trash collectors. As they dealt with the car, they noticed a woman staring intently at them, so they stopped to visit. The woman and her sisters ushered them into their home and began talking about the flood. Suddenly, one of their daughters had a demonic manifestation.
Rebecca and her team were allowed to pray for the girl in Isa’s name. When she calmed down, they asked if the women wanted to hear a story about Isa healing the sick. They listened eagerly, exclaiming “Amin!” at several points. As their conversation continued, the matriarch asked, “Are you the three mentioned in my dream?”

She explained that her husband had died four months previously, and each night she prayed that God would see her and her children. Then one night, she dreamed that a man stood before her. He told her God cared for her and her family and that three visitors would soon come whom she should welcome into her home.

She was confused. Who would visit her home in the trash yard? She asked her son, a Muslim cleric, about the dream. He said to wait and see what happened.

When the widow saw Rebecca and her two friends get out of their car, she became very excited. “And there the three of you now sit in front of me. You are strangers, and you prayed over my daughter and brought a blessing. You must be the ones I have been waiting for.”

Rebecca asked if they could return another day to share more stories about Isa. All the women agreed they should come again. “We will be waiting.”

In a city with scores of people groups, God led this team to their focal people group at each stop. The two newer disciple-makers were especially encouraged and excited by their first-hand encounter in ministering alongside our Father.

ISA (JESUS) SENT YOU HERE
In Indonesian culture, especially in rural villages, people commonly go to a spiritual healer if someone is sick
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THREE MAJOR HINDRANCES
Hanli* helped her husband track data describing their region’s largest family of church planting  read more …

FINDING GOD PREPARED PEOPLE
Disciples in SE Asia have seen many people come to Christ in the past few years and have helped  read more …

Friends of God

Friends of God

In India, God continues to rescue Banjara people from darkness and mobilize them for His Kingdom! In the process of learning their value before God, their lives change dramatically. Before following Jesus, they have no hope, believing they deserve only to live among trash and sewage, unable to rise above their station. But when they become children and friends of the King, they learn that God has provided work for them to do, and they joyfully do it!  Five months ago, Mr. and Mrs. Jothi turned their backs on their idols and committed themselves to following Jesus while attending a Discovery Bible Study group. Though poor and illiterate, they have since birthed eight churches among other Banjara families. The new disciples in those churches all recently took baptism.

One of the baptized men is the village head in a nearby area. His whole family worships idols, but he told Mr. and Mrs. *Jothi, “I [also] want to do the work for this God.” He has faith that one day all 37 families in his community will become followers of Jesus.

Pray for more Banjara people – and those from other people groups – to discover the God who gives them dignity, and calls them His children and His friends.

*pseudonym

READ MORE STORIES ABOUT SOUTH ASIA

IF JESUS SUFFERED A JUDAS, …
The leaders estimate that every day about 50% of the movement faces persecution in some form: verbal abuse,
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THE “CURSED” SON
In North India, a young follower of Jesus tutors in the home of a neighboring Sikh family read more …

8 MONTHS, 5 GENERATIONS, 64 BAPTIZED
Ranbir met Chara, a woman interested in discussing spiritual matters. He invited her to a Bible study to  read more …

What is the Role of a Pastor in Disciple-Making Movements?

What is the Role of a Pastor in Disciple-Making Movements?

Brian* and Ellie’s* local partner, Hom,* felt pretty discouraged after visiting a friend who is the pastor of a local church. As they talked about the early church, as seen in the Book of Acts, Hom pointed out how leadership roles were different from what modern, traditional churches often have.The pastor was fearful that Hom was teaching heresy and told him to be careful. 

Brian recalls following up with Hom, “I could tell he was confused. He asked me, ‘Brother, what is the role of the pastor in a disciple-making movement?'”

“We first discussed the priesthood of ALL believers, and that ALL disciples have authority given to us by Jesus to baptize, and to make disciples (Matthew 28:16-20). We also talked about how Paul and Barnabas appointed elders at each church in Acts 14:23, house churches included. We discussed the qualifications for an elder and the spiritual gifts, specifically the gift of teaching. He was encouraged to know that each house church in the early church had leaders. There is a role for the gift of teaching in disciple-making movements (DMM). There is a place for every spiritual gift.”

Hom has come to a critical decision point. Does he continue to share these DMM paradigm shifts with other local leaders? He knows they might reject him if he continues.

Brian concluded, “When Jesus talked to the disciples in John 6:58-66 about eating his flesh and drinking his blood, many walked away. Jesus did not chase after them. I have not yet had to “dust my feet off” from long-time friends who I care about, but this is something Hom might have to face. Pray for him as he considers these things.

*pseudonyms

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HOW GOOD IT IS WHEN THE CHURCH …
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JESUS’ 10 MOVEMENT PRINCIPLES
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Division Produces Multiplication

Division Produces Multiplication

For years, three Muslim-background followers of Jesus lived and ministered together in the same Muslim community. The three friends would gather large groups and share Bible stories, but they never had any fruit.

Then, about three years ago, God told them to separate. They obeyed, and each man gathered a smaller group in which they were the only follower of Jesus. It wasn’t long before they all began to see fruit.

The three friends realized that they used to spend a lot of time discussing what each knew about the Bible and what they had learned at some Christian conference or retreat. But when they separated, the new groups’ discussions became centered around what God was doing. The Lord began to use His Word and His Spirit to speak to and guide the Muslim seekers.

These groups have now become over 175 baptized followers in more than 29 house churches. The groups recently came together twice to baptize over 60 new followers, as their Muslim community watched from boats and the shore. These events have led to many conversations and some tensions within the community. Still, the disciples see this as an excellent opportunity to share their testimonies about what it means to follow Jesus with their friends and neighbors.

A KNOCK ON THE DOOR
Mr. Bee seemed eager to hear about Isa (Jesus) and began reading scripture with Kuts. After a while, Mrs. Bee and their daughter joined
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ONE MAN’S PRAYER …
It was close to harvest season, and the corn was ripening in the fields. *Asam, a former Muslim who follows Jesus and lives  read more …

Breakfast Surprises

Breakfast Surprises

One day as Sue* and her friend sat down at a freshly laid food table, their West Asian host asked, “Will you pray for our breakfast?” 

“My friend and I were surprised,” says Sue, “because generally, Muslims give thanks after a meal, not before. Besides, she knows we are followers of Jesus Christ. How is it that she wants us to pray? I was caught off guard but happily obliged her request, awkwardly stumbling over my prayer in the local language due to my lingering shock.

Earlier that morning, Sue had been praying for this woman, her family, and the visit they were about to have. Sue asked God for a specific story to share from the Word, and He brought to mind the story of the woman caught in adultery. When she told the story, the host’s sister recognized it, even filling in a part of the story. The sister said she had heard the story in school, but when Sue asked another local friend about it, she was pretty sure no stories about Jesus were ever taught in the religion classes at school. “Could the sister have done some reading on her own?” Sue wondered.

Attempting to ascertain how spiritually hungry the two sisters might be, Sue led them in a mini-Discovery Bible study to draw out lessons learned from the story and ways to apply them. 

“We had a good conversation about the story,” Sue says, “but the real joy was hearing a few days later that our host had remembered and liked the story enough to share it with another foreign friend.

Before leaving, Sue and her friend offered to pray for healing for one of the sister’s kidneys. “As soon as we laid hands on her, without even uttering a word of prayer, she startled and broke out in goosebumps. She had been impacted by the power of the Spirit! After the prayer she not only felt at peace but our host pointed out that she really perked up and had much more energy. Praise the Father for touching her and showing up in power!

Please join us in praying for a miracle of healing and that she and their whole family might start doing Discovery Bible studies together, obeying and sharing as they learn.”

*pseudonym

READ OTHER STORIES AND MORE …

WHY HAD JESUS APPEARED TO HER?
She often prays this prayer for Muslims in general and for her friends in particular, so this notion was not out of the ordinary for her  read more …

I’M BAPTIZED!
Knowing that it’s generally better to baptize someone together with their closest community, the women pondered whether to wait for Havva’s husband to  read more …

OUR WORK AMONG TURKIC PEOPLES
The Turkic peoples are part of old and proud civilizations that have spanned continents and learn more …