Kingdom Opposites: Choosing What God Said Instead

Kingdom Opposites: Choosing What God Said Instead

Juni* remembered the accident in fragments. One moment she was driving her motorbike down the road, and the next she was lying injured on the roadside. The world around her was blurred and unsteady. She could feel arms around her shoulders. An elderly Muslim woman was holding her and quietly weeping. Nearby, voices called out as people rushed to move her motorbike from the road. Other women gathered close, their faces filled with concern.

Then, almost instantly, two of her local disciple-making teammates were beside her. They gently cleaned her wounds and checked her injuries, bringing calm into the chaos.

Hours later, Juni was back home, resting. Her jaw ached, her leg was badly injured, and her shoulder throbbed with pain. When Reina*, a disciple-maker, visited, Juni was able to sit up for a while. 

Together, they slowly talked through the events of the day, not just to remember what had happened, but to listen for what God might be saying in the midst of it.

As Juni reflected, something deeper began to surface. The accident itself was not the only thing weighing on her. Old thoughts, once healed but not fully silenced, began to rise again:

“You are a burden.”
“You are not capable.”
“You should give up and go home.”
“You are letting others down.”

These were not new voices. They were familiar accusations that had taken root during earlier wounds in her life. In Juni’s moment of vulnerability, they tried to reclaim their place.

With gentle guidance, Reina invited Juni to name the thoughts and feelings she was carrying. Then she asked her to bring those honestly before the Lord. One by one, Juni chose to turn away from the lies she had believed and to reject their hold on her heart.

Next came a different question. What was God saying instead?

Juni began to search for truth in her Bible. She wrote down words from Scripture that spoke of God’s care, His presence, and His faithfulness. Where there had been accusations, she now spoke truth. Where there had been doubt, she chose trust.

Reina also asked her to remember where she had seen God at work, even in the midst of the accident. And as Juni reflected, she saw it clearly. In the arms of a stranger who cared for her. In the quick response of her teammates. In the protection that spared her life. In the presence of God that never left her.

This simple process helped Juni walk through four intentional steps. She recognized the thoughts that questioned God’s goodness. She repented of the ways she had agreed with them. She renounced the lies that had shaped her thinking. And she reclaimed those places with the truth of God’s Word.

Juni chose to do the hard work of healing. She leaned into the Lord, not only to continue serving, but to be transformed. In the midst of pain, she encountered a far deeper freedom.

For those longing to see multiplying movements of new disciples, this kind of inner transformation matters. As we walk in dependence on the Holy Spirit, God shapes us even as He works through us. And through lives marked by humility, honesty, and obedience, others begin to see what it looks like to follow Jesus in a real and lasting way.

*pseudonym

PRAYING KINGDOM OPPOSITES
From a field worker in Austronesia: “Yanti* called, desperate to line up a second DMM training. She described renewed enthusiasm and attested
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FEAR LESS, LOVE MORE
On the last morning of her stay at a quaint hotel, Sharon* noticed a simple but profound message: “Fear Less, Love More.” One of the staff members had written   read more …

“I DON’T HAVE AN OIKOS”
*Frida seemed hungry for Jesus, yet insistent that no one else around her would want to join in discovering God’s heart through the Discovery Bible Study (DBS) read more …

A Mother’s Prayer, A Son’s Healing

A Mother’s Prayer, A Son’s Healing

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Devika’s* heart was burdened with pain and fear for her young son, Dalip*. As a child, he suffered a fractured hand, which required hospitalization. He began to show signs of mental distress, and his condition worsened over time. 

Desperate and anxious, Devika searched for hope but found none, until one day, everything changed.  A Jesus Film screening was being held in her village, and Devika decided to attend. There, she heard a message of peace and hope: “Cast all your worries upon the Lord, for He cares for you.” The film portrayed Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount teaching and featured scenes of Jesus healing the sick and setting people free from evil spirits.  Devika was deeply moved by what she saw.

After the screening, a group of disciples visited with Devika. They shared more about Jesus, about His call to make disciples, and how to walk in obedience to His Word. That encounter marked the beginning of a powerful transformation in Devika’s life. She put her trust in Jesus and began to follow Him.

Together with other disciples, Devika began praying earnestly for Dalip. She prayed that he would be healed in Jesus’ name. Miraculously, Dalip was physically healed!  Her faith grew, and the family continued in fellowship, growing stronger in their walk with God. Over time, Dalip experienced mental healing as well. 

Soon after Dalip’s healing the whole family was baptized. Their story of despair and hopelessness is now a testimony of God’s healing power and his redeeming love.

*pseudonym

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Beaten and Shot: She Continued to Talk about Jesus

Beaten and Shot: She Continued to Talk about Jesus

READ THE STORY OR SCROLL TO WATCH THE VIDEO

Satish* has planted churches in several villages. A retired army colonel and his family live in one of these villages. Because of the colonel’s connections, the family has more money than many in their village. The colonel has a son about the same age as Satish, who spent much of his time working out. However, this young man became ill, and remained so. The family paid for medicine and saw doctors. They prayed to idols and offered sacrifices. They visited pilgrimage sites. But the son did not improve. 

After many weeks of fruitless effort, the son told his mother, Anjali*, that a person of faith (Satish) was routinely coming to their village, meeting with others in a local home for worship. “Well,” Anjali responded, “you should go see him. Maybe he will pray for you.” The young man followed his mother’s suggestion and attended the worship service. Satish prayed for him and he was healed!  He went home and joyfully shared with his mother the news of his healing. Soon afterward, Anjali became a disciple of Jesus. 

Then she told her husband, the colonel. He was livid. He couldn’t believe she had become a follower of Jesus. He was so enraged that he pulled out his rifle, aimed it right at her, and pulled the trigger. He didn’t just threaten her; he actually pulled the trigger. Amazingly, he missed. The bullet flew right past her head. When the colonel saw that he’d missed, he flipped the rifle around, took hold of the barrel, and swinging it like a club, began beating his wife mercilessly. He broke one of her legs and severely injured the other. 

For months, one of Anjali’s legs was in a full cast from toes to thigh, and her other leg was useless. She pulled herself along by her hands as she went about her daily household chores. Her husband continued seething, but she never stopped talking to him about Jesus. He hated it, but she was determined. Finally, she told him, “Kill me if you want, but I know Jesus is the truth.” 

After a year of this, the colonel finally believed and became a disciple of Jesus. Today, this couple have turned their home into a place of worship. Each Sunday, about 90 people gather in their home to worship Jesus. Anjali now works with Satish, and has planted seven other house churches. 

Thank you for helping make it possible for us to train people like Satish to go into villages that have no prior Christian presence, and see whole families changed. Please join us in praying for these families. As they change, villages change. The Kingdom of God is advancing! 

*pseudonyms

READ OTHER STORIES FROM SOUTH ASIA

THE QUIET GUY DISAPPEARED
One of the participants was a man named Satish. He was a quiet person. He listened intently to the discussions but didn’t say much.
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WHERE TWO KINGDOMS COLLIDE
Persecution has been a common trial for many, if not most, of the movement churches in north India for the past ten years, …  read more

JOIN US IN PRAYER FOR SOUTH ASIA

Pray for more workers who are willing to go to South Asia to share the Good News of the gospel.

 

Persecuted But Not Abandoned

Persecuted But Not Abandoned

RJ* was a kind and obedient disciple of Jesus, one of the most fruitful church planters in his disciple-making network in North India. He shared the gospel with a quiet but bold and authentic courage.

Between ministry activities and events, he worked his farm, providing for his family with his own hands, the way men in his village have always done. His life was simple, purposeful, and full.

Then all this was nearly taken from him.

RJ was out on a routine errand, riding his motorbike, when the ambush happened. Someone struck him across the head with a pipe or a heavy stick. The blow knocked him off the bike. When he hit the ground, his attackers did not stop. They beat him mercilessly where he lay.

The injuries were devastating. Broken bones. Three surgeries. Temporary paralysis along his entire left side. For weeks, he could not lift his arm. 

Suddenly RJ, as a subsistence farmer, could not provide for his family. The news of RJ’s attack reached the team in North India and traveled all the way to us in the USA. We did not know what RJ’s road to recovery would be like. But we knew he would not walk it alone.

The body of Christ moved.

A group of national and local leaders from his movement network made the journey to visit RJ at home, after his release from the hospital. One of those leaders wrote: “Praise the Lord Jesus. Today was a very important day as we met with Brother RJ’s family. RJ and his wife were very emotional, touched by our visit and the funds that we took to pay for medical costs and provide for some of the family’s daily needs. RJ was humbled and so grateful for your generosity.”

Your giving made that moment possible. The funds that traveled to RJ’s family came from your hands. The prayers that have held him through surgeries and sleepless nights came from you.

There is one Body. One Church. One Kingdom. And we are called to bear one another’s burdens, not as a metaphor, but as a practice.

You did that. Thank you.

Please continue to pray for RJ and his family as he recovers and rebuilds. Pray for the disciples in his network, that fear would not silence them, and that they would keep following Jesus with the same faithfulness their brother has shown. Pray for India. Ask God to expand His Kingdom there and fill the nation with love, joy, hope, and peace.

Almost every day we receive reports about the escalating persecution, families are forced out of their homes and villages, beaten and arrested. The most heartbreaking part is that these disciples are poor and don’t have much to begin with. If God leads you, please give toward the emergency support needed during this difficult time.

*pseudonyms

 

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Bearing Fruit in a Radically Different Culture

Bearing Fruit in a Radically Different Culture

What is it like to be among people who don’t speak your language, whose beliefs and worldview are radically different from your own?  

John*, one of our partners and a movement leader in India, visited a Muslim area in eastern India to see if anyone was open to hearing stories of Jesus.

John felt uncomfortable, though. The men had beards and wore traditional clothing – evidence of conservative Islam. They didn’t speak Hindi, and he didn’t speak their language.

But God led him to a man named Benju* who could speak Hindi. They agreed to meet the next day. Benju said he would bring friends to hear about Jesus. John prayed for people to come and have ears to hear. 

The next day Benju arrived with about 12 people. They had heard of Jesus before, but they had no idea how to follow him. They asked many questions. John was amazed and excited.

Since that first visit, Benju and all of his friends are moving toward saving faith in Christ. They have received ongoing training and coaching, and are facilitating Discovery Bible studies in their homes. They have asked John for Bibles in their language and are growing in their understanding.

God is growing His kingdom through humble, sometimes even fearful, followers like John who follow God’s command to “go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all the commands I have given you” (Matthew 28:19-20).

*pseudonym

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