Stories | Beyond

Vignettes From a Thriving Church in North India

Dec 31, 2024 | South Asia, Stories

Even amidst intense hardship, persecution, and resistance, the church in North India continues to thrive.

Proclaiming the Name of Jesus Despite Persecution
*Kay Devi hails from a village in Uttar Pradesh, where she has repeatedly encountered hostility from Hindu radicals. Six months ago, her family embraced Christianity, which has sparked tension in their village. Recently, Kay started a conversation about her newfound faith with some villagers, who took offense. Since then, she has faced persecution from the community, her family, and her husband. Despite this, Kay remains steadfast in her faith, sharing the gospel with those willing to listen. She has planted three house churches, even as she remains a target of the RSS, a fundamentalist Hindu group.

Three Generations Deep: A House Church Movement
*Poonam, a resident of Bihar, experienced intimidation from local police who discovered her house church meetings six weeks ago. Her husband was detained, and their family threatened. Yet, Poonam stood firm, declaring that no one could harm her because she knows the truth. Despite continued oppression and limited income, she persists in hosting gatherings in her home. She now oversees 18 house churches, some reaching three generations deep.

Nineteen House Churches Born from One Woman’s Obedience
In Haryana, a disciple maker encountered a couple who were believers but not actively making disciples. Encouraged by her husband to take on this role, the wife began leading two Discovery Bible Study (DBS) groups, which eventually grew into churches. When questioned about her role as a woman in this ministry, she explains that her husband supports her and that they work together. Her unwavering commitment has resulted in the formation of 19 house churches, with seven women serving as co-leaders. She asks for prayers for the ongoing work and the disciples.

A Request for Prayer for a Resistant Village
*Rebekah resides in a village where most people oppose the two house churches that have formed there. The villagers criticize the churches for transforming their members, noting that Rebekah’s husband no longer drinks or behaves as he once did. Despite the resistance, especially from the village women, Rebekah continues her outreach efforts. She requests prayers for strength for the house churches and for the growth of the Lord’s work in the community.

Join us in praying Ephesians 3:16-18 over these faithful brothers and sisters as they count the cost of loving and serving a faithful God. Pray for an increase in provision, favor, stamina, and perseverance as they face persecution and suffering.

*pseudonyms

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Could a Flat Tire be a Divine Appointment?

Dec 26, 2024 | South East Asia, Stories

*Mulamdon and *Maht had been thriving as disciples under the guidance of *Chai and *Nong for several months within the comforting setting of their house church. Among the fresh faces soaking in the teachings of Jesus and Bible stories was their daughter-in-law, *Tik.

After attending the small house church for several weeks, Tik had to suddenly leave. Her father fell ill in a village some distance away. Without hesitation, Tik, her husband and their young daughter relocated to her dad’s village so they could help with his recovery. Everyone in the group was sad to see Tik leave, just as she was beginning to truly understand what it meant to be a disciple of Jesus.

Yet, amid the trials of life, unexpected blessings often emerge. Mulamdon and Maht decided to visit Tik and her ailing father in the hopes of not just showing support for Tik, but also praying for her family.

On the way there, one of the tires on their motorbike went flat. Eager to get to Tik’s and her dad’s house before sundown, they reached out to Chai for assistance.

Thankfully Chai was able to help, and all three of them arrived at Tik’s house shortly before sunset. This meant they would have to spend the night with Tik’s family. What transpired was an evening of profound connection, even divine appointment, as Chai’s seasoned wisdom complemented the earnest efforts of Tik, Mulamdon, and Maht in sharing their faith. Tik’s extended family found the collective testimony fascinating and showed genuine interest in the Bible stories that were shared. They became eager to learn more about Jesus.

Reflecting on the evening’s events, Mulamdon remarked, “It is amazing how God can take a flat tire and turn it into something good!” He hasn’t yet made it to Romans 8:28 in his Bible learning, but he is eager to get there!

*pseudonyms

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Is Christmas Worth Celebrating?

Dec 11, 2024 | Stories

One of the great joys in Joel’s and Becky’s* work has been to see Tazig* believers celebrate Christmas and remember God incarnate in their own culturally relevant ways.

Last year one of their teammate’s sisters returned to visit her Himalayan family. Priscilla’s* sister has lived in the United States for the past ten years and has become an American citizen.

As Priscilla and the other Tazig believers were making plans for their Christmas celebration, her sister, Amrita,* asked, “Oh, you are going to celebrate the English New Year?”

Priscilla replied, “No, we are making plans to celebrate Christmas when the Creator God came to the earth and lived as a human.”

Amrita never understood Christmas. For 10 years she had heard people in the United States say, “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.” Since her people celebrate the Tibetan New Year over multiple days, she thought Christmas was just the start of our New Year’s celebrations. Amrita had never heard the Christmas story.

Thankfully, Priscilla told her about God sending His Son to the earth and all about Christmas. A few days later, Amrita joined the Tazig Christmas celebration, knowing for the first time what it was all about.

How does this happen? How does a person live near multiple churches, likely work side by side with at least a few Christians, and never hear about the reason we celebrate Christmas? Of course, BEYOND is all about sending long-term teams to unreached peoples to start movements of reproducing disciple-makers. But, we share this story as an encouragement.

There are lost people in our neighborhoods, workplaces, and communities who haven’t heard the Good News. They might look just like us, or they might look different. They may have just arrived, or they may have been born in our hometowns. They probably know what a church is and have heard the name “Jesus,” but they haven’t heard the Good News.

The honor of telling them belongs to all of us – not just pastors and missionaries. Jesus gave all His followers the responsibility to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything [Jesus] commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20). Will you be obedient to Jesus’ last command? Go ask someone if they would like to hear why Christmas is really worth celebrating.

*pseudonyms

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A Father’s Faith, A Son’s Impact

Dec 4, 2024 | South Asia, Stories

*Samir’s father, *Nuh, has been faithfully pastoring several churches for over 20 years. After witnessing his son Samir’s success in rapidly multiplying healthy disciples, Nuh was eager to incorporate Disciple Making Movement principles into his own churches.

Nuh began by teaching his congregations how to conduct Discovery Bible Studies. He then divided them into smaller house churches, encouraging each group to obey God’s Word. As they embraced this approach, group members shared, “This is the first time we feel we are truly learning and obeying Scripture.” Since all the members of these groups were already followers of Jesus, they are referred to as Generation Zero groups.

This month, Nuh gathered the Gen Zero leaders for further training in Disciple Making Movement (DMM) principles. As these leaders apply what they have learned and reach out to start new groups among the lost, these new groups will be known as Generation One groups. Praise God for Nuh’s willingness to relinquish control, empower others, and implement simple, reproducible, and multiplicative principles. Pray that the newly trained leaders will equip their groups to establish Generation One groups in neighboring Muslim and Hindu villages.

*pseudonym

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A Storm, Komodo Dragons, and the Jesus Film

Nov 29, 2024 | Austronesia, Stories

One of the stories *Charlie and *Sarah love to share with their neighbors on the island where they live, is the story of Jesus calming the storm. A vibrant batik painting of this scene hangs prominently in their living room, serving as both a piece of art and a conversation starter.

But sometimes, God doesn’t calm the storm. In fact, sometimes He sends one. In Acts 28, God used a storm to redirect Paul to the island of Malta, where Paul survived a snake bite and healed many people. We don’t know if any churches were planted or if people believed in Jesus and were baptized. But we do know that Paul’s detour to Malta was part of God’s plan. Once there, Paul continued his mission, sharing the Good News of Jesus through his words and actions.

Recently, Charlie and Sarah experienced their own divinely orchestrated storm while on a small wooden boat at sea. They were traveling with family and friends on a 30-meter Phinisi, a handmade wooden boat, perfect for island hopping. Their destination was Komodo Island, but rough seas changed their plans. With 15-20 foot waves battering the boat, the captain advised everyone to put on life jackets and cautiously navigated the rest of the trip. They weathered the storm but ended up on a small, unknown island instead.

On this unexpected island, Charlie met *Fadhlan, a Bajo man. During their friendly conversation, Charlie expressed his desire to visit a Bajo village, and Fadhlan eagerly invited them to his. A few days later, Charlie and Sarah traveled on a rented motorcycle to meet Fadhlan and his cousin, who took them by boat to their village on a small island shared with 1,500 Komodo Dragons. Though they didn’t see any dragons, they had a spiritual conversation about how God had used the storm to bring them together.

Sarah shared the story of Jesus calming the storm, which resonated deeply with the sea-faring villagers.

Charlie then showed them part of the Jesus film in the Bajo language on his phone. The villagers had never seen it before, and they eagerly copied it onto their cell phones. Soon, the film spread throughout the village, gaining a “fan base.”

Charlie and Sarah had no idea that this little village existed and would never have visited it if not for the storm. But God knew, and through this divine detour, the villagers heard about Jesus for the first time.

Pray for Fadhlan and all who heard the Good News that day.

Pray that God will continue the work He started in that village and that the Jesus film will be shared over and over again as it is copied from phone to phone.

*pseudonyms

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