Disciple Making Movements

SEEKER: What is Up with all this BLOOD

Dec 2, 2018 | Stories

Having just moved into a new neighborhood, Julie and her husband deeply desired to connect with their neighbors in a way that would allow them to share Christ with those who didn’t know him. Learning that there was a monthly ladies’ Bunco night that met in the neighborhood, Julie decided to attend even though it meant forgoing her usual weekly Bible study at church. The ladies soon learned Julie was skipping Bible study for Bunco night, and one month as they were ribbing her about it, one of the ladies jokingly remarked, ”I need to go to Bible study!” Another woman retorted, “If you need to go to Bible study, then so do I!” Sensing an opportunity, Julie invited them to study the Bible with her, and they both said they would.

As Julie tried to figure out the best way to go about showing her new friends how to study the Bible, another friend described the Discovery Bible Study (DBS) process to her. Julie said, “That’s it! I just want to read the Word and talk about it, not over-complicate it.” Finding Beyond’s website featuring an upcoming Nugget training titled “How to Facilitate a Discovery Bible Study,” Julie signed up right away. At the training, Julie was able to participate in a Discovery Bible Study for the first time. She was astounded.

And the results speak for themselves. One day, about six months into doing Discovery Bible Studies together, the ladies were reading about the sacrificial system in Leviticus when one of them exclaimed, “What is the deal with all this blood!” The other non-believer who had some church background responded, “Doesn’t it have something to do with Jesus and his blood on the cross?” Following her training and not wanting to shortcut the discovery process, Julie answered, “Yes it does! We’ll get there in a few lessons.” But the woman insisted, “You need to tell me now!” Feeling the Holy Spirit prompt her that this woman was ready, Julie shared a gospel presentation and both women confessed their sins and decided to follow Jesus. “Wow, this is amazing!” one of them exclaimed. Julie testifies that by their next DBS together these women were completely different, the Holy Spirit clearly present in their lives.

HOW YOU CAN PRAY:

Pray that many new DBS groups will start from this group of ladies
Pray that the Holy Spirit will create a desire in the hearts of these women to share their experience with friends and family.
Pray for our upcoming Nugget Training on DBS, that many will participate and want to start DBS with their friends and neighbors

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Making Inroads . . .

Nov 19, 2018 | Austronesia, Stories

A worker in Austronesia tells of how the disciple making process is changing lives.

Chad has been enjoying getting to know “D” through their mutual work for the last several months. Diving into the Word together using Discovery Bible Studies(DBS), the men discuss how they need to be focused on lining their vision up with God’s Kingdom and his purposes for the surrounding areas and people. So when “D” shared that he planned to use his Discovery Bible Study tools when he spent some vacation days in an area his family is originally from, Chad helped him select several studies so he’d be prepared.

The first night D spoke with a man, Aziz, a broker, about the parable of the sower and the seeds. Feeling uneasy because of the powerful message, Aziz suddenly began sharing that he often “played with the numbers” to earn more in sales from his customers. Through D, God’s word brought about a conviction that made Aziz feel uneasy about his dishonest ways.

D also shared the gospel story of the Pharisee and the tax collector in the temple (Luke 18:9-14) with Panuta while in this village. Panuta is a coffee farmer in his 60’s who was struck by God’s acceptance of the humble tax collector. Crying, Panuta confessed that, though married, he had been involved in many affairs. Wanting to distance himself from these women and his sinful actions, Panuta burned items of clothing he had collected from the various encounters.

Encouraged by seeing God’s powerful word at work and wanting to continue the growth of these two men, Chad and D are now looking for reasons to keep returning to this village. A business connected to the coffee trade would be most likely. When you drink your morning cup of coffee or drive past a coffee shop will you be praying with Chad and D for the right inroad into this village and the hearts of those who live there?

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Giving Thanks Amid the Rubble

Nov 18, 2018 | Stories

As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving this week, we want to share some stories from the earthquake-ravaged region of Austronesia. If you recall, several strong earthquakes hit the island of Indonesia over the summer. They brought devastation, but also opened doors for workers to bring aid, comfort and hope.

Another team reports of the medical help, temporary housing, toilets and physical needs they were able to provide, but, of much greater importance, the trauma counseling, prayers for healing in the name of Isa Al Masih (Jesus the Messiah) and the Discovery Bible Studies (DBS) they were able to hold with hurting people needing a touch from God. They now report that there are over 30 continuing DBS groups with some already starting a second generation!

Mrs. Harum was caught inside her house when the earthquake hit. Her family was with her but able to run out and away from the house. Roofing, beams and walls crashed onto her.

The next day her neighbors found her alive, but paralyzed. Sadly, most of her family were killed. One of our national partners counseled her, her daughter and one granddaughter who survived. After sharing how Isa Al Masih healed the paralyzed man in Mark 2:1-12, Mrs. Harum said, “I believe that story.” She then welcomed prayer for the healing of her leg. After praying in the name of Isa Al Masih, Mrs. H stood up and was able to move her leg! Crying, she embraced the team, amazed at the power of the Holy Spirit. Since then, Mrs. Harum has participated in her second Discovery Bible Study and all of her neighbors have come to her tent to hear the Good News!

This Thursday, as you gather with your family, give thanks with us for the work God is doing in Indonesia and pray that many more Discovery Bible Studies will take place creating a disciple making movement among this people group that God loves so much.

HOPE IN THE MIDST OF DISASTER
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LEAN INTO CHAOS
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IMPACT DURING CRISIS
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The Power of the Simple Story . . .

Oct 14, 2018 | Stories

The gospel is unstoppable and uncontainable: like a river, it flows despite obstacles and barriers. It penetrates the hard-to-reach places, seeping in because the spreading of the gospel has nothing to do with man and EVERYTHING to do with God. In this story from the field, our team in South Asia give us a glimpse of how the gospel continues to spread despite persecution and resistance.

Soma sent us a couple of voice messages last week. One was a recording he took of a conversation he had had with a leader who has been with us almost since the beginning. This man was part of the second group we ever trained. Only two men from that group applied, but–oh, what fruit they have borne! So many generations!

At some point this year, this brother was forced to leave his home. The Hindu radicals in his village simply ran him out. Here’s a brief summary of that conversation between Soma and the leader: Radical Hindu groups are forcing their way into Christian homes, searching for Bibles. They threaten the people when they find something. They also bring cameras with them and take photos of the Christians in the homes. Discovery Bible Study is proving to be really powerful because it is so simple. But, we must continue to keep it simple. People must just learn the Stories, then the method gets passed along. People must memorize the Stories, instead of carrying a Bible. [In other words, the whole thing must be done orally or with speakers, not with actual Bibles.] When these radical groups find no Bibles, they treat the people better. How great it is to simply discuss a Story, even without a Bible!

I did not hear defeat in their voices. They were just stating the facts while declaring that the Work is continuing/will continue. Hallelujah! It’s a precious thing to realize illiterate followers of Jesus know more Scripture than we do. They’re memorizing the Stories because they have to! We are also praying about how to get more audio speakers (hand held devices with select scriptures and story sets) distributed. Historically, we’ve paid for Bibles and audio speakers from the same fund. Right now, that fund has dropped to the lowest it’s ever been. We’re not sure what that means. Are we to stop buying Bibles because owning one causes trouble for people? Having a speaker in their homes seems to be more innocuous. So, is it time for us to raise more funds to purchase as many speakers as we can? We invite you to pray with us for this.

Join us in prayer for these innovative and resourceful leaders. Pray that we will be able to raise funds to buy more speakers and pray that like a mighty, unstoppable river, the Good News of the gospel will continue to flow despite the opposition and persecution.

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Hope in the Midst of Disaster

Oct 7, 2018 | Austronesia, Stories

A Kairos moment- a Sovereign God-ordained opportune moment for a window of time which provides crossroads moments for His glory to be demonstrated and declared among the peoples.

Between July 29th and August 12th, our workers in Indonesia walked through earthquakes of 6.4, 7.0, 6.2, 7.0 magnitude.

Unprecedented? Yes.

Unexpected? Not when we have prayed and labored for Disciple Making Movements in this part of the world since the early 1990’s. A Kairos moment? In the hours and days since the earthquake struck, our teams have reported walking through many Kairos moments, here are a few:

“Mrs. Reina, you and your husband have been coming to visit our family for many years. And yet, this time, as you bring medical clinics, trauma counseling, and material supplies, we see something different. Others have come to help our flattened homes in the village. They look, shake their heads, and say, ‘Too bad.’ But you and your friends come, and it is like you bring hope which shows that you feel what we feel and you suffer this with us.”
“Do you remember me?” one of the villagers asked. “I was the little preemie whom you prayed for healing in Jesus’ name 17 years ago.” (Our team on the field is facilitating a Discovery Bible Study with her household and friends as she discovers the reality of the God who rescued her.)
Sri and her husband have lived in their tarp evacuation home since the first 7.0 magnitude crushed their home. After having walked their family through the trauma debrief process, our team offered to pray for them in Isa Al Masih’s name. The next day, God answered that prayer…Sa’ul had been hired. There would be a source of income, for now. Sri reflected, “We feel so cared for by you both. Why would you even take time to spend time with us?”
A team of mural artists was drawing murals of their cities rising up from the ruin of the earthquakes. When asked by one of our team members what the paintings represented. “Hope,” they said. “It is our cry for a source of hope.” Pray that the Lord continues to work in the hearts of those who have lost so much . . .

People here continue to build their lives despite the ruins that surround them. They are hungry for hope. Pray that we don’t miss the opportunities to guide and direct them to the one who gives us eternal Hope.

For the next few months, as our team helps with medical care and lessons on how to cope with trauma, please pray that Jesus would be the focus and that people would experience the joy of loving and knowing Him in the midst of their suffering.