Discovery Bible Study

“Does the Stone Idol Ever Answer Anyone?”

Sep 1, 2019 | East Asia, Stories

Two years ago Luke and Rhinna* were new to East Asia and starting language study in their new home. They were praying to meet people right away that God had prepared to hear about His plan for redemption. One spring day, as he took his children outside to play, Luke met a couple with twin boys whom he greeted in their native language. They greeted him in English! After chatting a while, Luke invited the couple to dinner.

When the night arrived, the couple brought along the wife’s brother, Hero, who was a senior in high school. Everyone enjoyed the pizza and the story of Creation that Luke shared as they ate. Hero shared photos of the shamanistic site they had visited that day. But when Luke asked, “Does the stone idol ever answer anyone?” Hero became quite defensive. Even so, Luke and Rhinna suspected that they did not hold tightly to the belief in shamanism.

After they left, Luke and Rhinna prayed that Hero would not be present again until his heart was softened and ready to listen. They didn’t want Hero’s arguments to draw the family away from interest in Christ.

The following week, the young family invited Luke and Rhinna to their home to try some native dishes, and Hero was there again! The couple showed their wedding video, giving Luke and Rhinna a beautiful cultural lesson in the process. Then Hero followed with an excellent presentation on local history, which Luke and Rhinna listened to attentively. Luke ended the night by sharing the Bible story of Adam and Eve’s fall. When asked about the story, all three responded with great insight from the story. “God is like a Father who wants to have a relationship with His children. Sin broke their relationship with God. This is like grown children turning away from their father. But God acted to reconcile them to Himself. We must believe!”

From this dinner, a relationship with Hero grew. Hero asked Luke to come round and meet his friends so they could practice their English. As the young people shared their personal histories, Luke listened and was able to share how Jesus had changed his life. Everyone enjoyed their time, even though there had been a young man sitting at a nearby table cracking jokes the whole time. At the group’s second meeting, Hero asked about American holidays, and Luke shared the reasons behind our Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter celebrations. When Luke proposed they read a Book that told more stories of the Creator and his relationship with people, the rest of the group of young people was amenable.

Together they studied many stories from the Bible. Each time they came away with a greater understanding of God and what He wants for and from His creation. They began to apply this knowledge to their lives. At one point, the young man who had been cracking jokes during the first meeting asked to join the group. His name was Clear. Luke gave him a Bible, and Clear read 35 chapters of Genesis in a week to catch up before the next meeting.

Over several months Luke was able to pour into these young men and women. They talked about issues they were having with their parents, their changing attitudes towards Buddhism (the majority religion of the country), Christianity, and lots more. They even presented Luke with a beautiful mural they created of his family’s names and theirs written in their ancient script.

When Luke and Rhinna moved from the capital city to a new, remote location, the group was able to continue with Hero at the helm. Luke had taught them how to conduct Discovery Bible studies and empowered them to continue engaging with the Word. He kept in touch as the young people began attending college, having many spiritual conversations with them. Luke has even been able to join in a Bible study via an online video call.

Recently, back in the capital city, Luke met with Hero and Clear. Clear had read through many books of the Bible on his own. Hero had just read the book of Matthew and had some questions. Luke answered Hero’s questions by retelling the story of Jesus from baptism through crucifixion to resurrection. After Luke was finished, Clear said, “I have waited ten years to choose my religion, today I choose Jesus Christ.” Hero and Clear both made decisions to accept Jesus Christ on the same day!

*psuedonyms

The Fruit of Forty Years of Prayer

Aug 16, 2019 | Stories

Since 2013, BEYOND has seen the movements we coach grow to over 57,000 churches and nearly half a million baptized disciples. Kent Parks, CEO of BEYOND, has said, “People are coming to faith in multiplying ways around the world. We have been praying for this for forty years, and now we are seeing it!” In each of the last four years, the number of churches within these movements has doubled.

From 5,000 in 2016
To 12,000 in 2017
To 22,000 in 2018
To 57,000 in 2019!

Why is this happening? Because God is doing it. We know this fruit is not ours—only God starts movements. But we know God delights in using His people in this task; this is why we place teams among the unreached and prayerfully prepare ourselves to participate in His work.

How do we prepare?

First, we train. Trainings range in length and intensity from our 90-minute introductory Nugget webinars (for those beginning to explore their calling), all the way to Phase 1 and Phase 2 Hub programs that can last a year or more (for those already committed to cross-cultural work). In the last six years, BEYOND workers have helped to train over 42,000 people through these initiatives.

Second, we work: We want to see people practice what they’ve learned, so we structure trainings to include implementation. We usually require people to practice what they’ve learned before they move on to subsequent training. We strive to hold ourselves accountable to be doers of the word, not just hearers.

Third, we coach. Individual training and the initial steps of practice, important as they are, aren’t enough. The most productive Disciple Making Movement (DMM) catalysts are in coaching relationships with peers and others ‘further ahead’ in the journey. Coaching circles provide the stability and accountability needed for workers to go far. Members pray together, encourage one another, identify and solve pressing problems, and experiment with new resources.

We are very excited about and thankful for all that God has been doing over the past four years. We are preparing for the additional growth we believe He will bring. However, we know much remains to be done: over 2 billion people in the world still have no access to the Gospel. We believe that God wants to use us, our partners, and many others like us all over the world, “to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” (Ephesians 3:20) We look forward to the day when we look back on this time and say, “That was just the beginning!”

Desperate to Bear More Fruit

Aug 8, 2019 | Stories

Former Beyond board member, Chris Galanos has said: “I’ve always been a big fan of coaching. I think everyone needs a coach. Coaches make you better at whatever you do.” And we agree. Recently, we have begun implementing coaching circles with our field workers, and with their national partners. In these circles, small groups of about five people gather weekly to share the journey of making disciples.

Our mission catalysts in the Mekong share why coaching circles are so valuable:

In the four short months since our coaching circle began, we’ve seen God encourage us when we’re down, challenge us to stay engaged with local people, and reinforce best practices for multiplication. One circle member gained an important insight about keeping Shema conversations* focused:

We are new to the field and have found it hard to keep Shema conversations going. We would meet someone, start talking, make a comment to direct the conversation to God/spiritual matters, then, if we got a “green light,” we would tell a related Bible story. Afterward, we’d say, “Did you like that story?” People would say yes or no, and then everything would grind to a halt. We brought this issue to our coaching circle. Together we talked about the difference between yes/no questions which tend to shut conversations down and open-ended questions which keep conversations going. We brainstormed alternate questions to ask: “What did you like in that story?” “What new ideas did that bring up for you?” “How does that story make you feel?” We agreed to take the next week and come up with more open-ended questions. Wow! Did that help! Now when we engage local people, we can keep conversations going longer while learning so much more about what people are thinking. Thank you, coaching circle!

Another of our members had some difficult interactions with local people- strangers on the street- that made him not want to go to his daily language class. Each day at the time for him to leave for class, our group prayed and sent him encouraging text messages. A week later, he had a sense of breakthrough, and the problem was entirely dispelled!

These are just a couple of examples. Everyone in our group will say the same- our circle has been helpful and encouraging in many ways.

*A shema conversation is when someone prayerfully and intentionally begins a spiritual conversation with someone to see if they are open to hearing more about God. It is not the sharing of the gospel, but rather a tool to reveal people’s potential interest in the gospel. Learn more about shema conversations, read this story.

A Shaman Counts the Cost of Following Jesus

Aug 2, 2019 | Stories

*Soleh and his wife excitedly welcomed *Rio into their home. Recently, the couple had both had dreams about Isa al Masih (Jesus the Messiah) and were looking to learn more about Him. It wasn’t easy. After all, they lived on “Patate,” an island in a majority Muslim nation. To complicate matters further, Soleh was a renowned spiritist. People came from all over to get his help in calling up and sending out spirits and curses. He was known as a great teacher of these animistic and occultic practices. How was it that Rio should have traveled so far specifically to seek him out?

Rio explained that he had been connected with Soleh’s nephew, *Dylan, as Dylan sought truth about Isa al Masih. Dylan was uncertain but felt someone should speak with his uncle, so Rio had traveled to find him. Upon arriving on Patate, he soon learned that Soleh was a well-known and prestigious spiritist in the area. This revelation led Rio to spend the night in prayer, seeking wisdom from the Lord as to how and if to proceed. The Lord clearly led him to carry on with the plan. What a relief to find that his visit was timely and that the Lord had already opened the door for his coming!

But how to proceed? Being a spiritist was Soleh’s occupation. It was part of his identity and afforded him protection from others who would cast evil spirits and curses upon him. After careful consideration, it was decided that Soleh’s college-aged daughter should accompany Rio back to his island to study. Soleh, and his family would soon follow. This would allow them to spend concentrated time with Rio and his wife, learning what it meant to be a follower of Isa al Masih.

All this came to pass over Ramadan this year. Three times daily, the couples spent concentrated time in discipleship: worshipping, studying the Word of God, and forming essential habits of a follower of Isa. Dylan, himself a new follower of Isa, participated in the intense discipleship process. Renouncing old practices and beliefs and encountering the truth of the Word and the power of the Holy Spirit brought Soleh and his entire family to faith and baptism in Isa al Masih!

As the first fruits of their people group, Soleh and his family are now back on Patate to share with others the truth they have encountered. Dylan is at college in a dorm full of students who need Jesus. The reality is that Soleh struggles with idolizing the power he held over people through his animistic and Islamic practices. Pray that he does not now attempt to wrap his desire for power in Isa, but that he will be able to surrender to Jesus’ Lordship and embrace true humility. Pray for Rio and his wife as they continue to disciple and coach Soleh and his family.

*pseudonyms

“Don’t You Trust Me?”

Jul 26, 2019 | Stories

Donna* is training Vera*, a new follower of Isa al Masih (Jesus the Messiah) in SE Asia, to hear and obey God through Discovery Bible Study.

A few months ago, as the two women read the story of Jesus calming the stormy waters, Vera’s eyes got very big, and she asked, “What made you choose this story for today?” Donna replied that she prayed each week and asked the Lord which story she should bring.

Vera responded with amazement, “This story has happened to me this week!” She explained that some money had been stolen out of her purse while she was at work a few days before. This is significant as Vera is a poor, single mom who can barely provide for her family. She knew who had stolen the money, and, in anger, without thinking, Vera called her boss to report the theft.

After the phone had rung twice, Vera heard a voice that she immediately knew was the voice of Isa. “Vera, stop,” she heard Him say. “Don’t you trust me? Don’t say anything to your boss. You must be quiet and calm.” She obeyed and immediately felt peace, joy, and even sadness for her co-worker who stole the money.

After reading the Bible story with Donna, Vera said she learned that Jesus allows us to experience turbulent times so our trust in Him will grow, and no matter how big the storms we face day to day, Isa remains calm and in control. He is not surprised by them, and He is powerful enough to handle anything that comes our way!

Soon after, Vera accepted a job with a better working environment and hours that allowed her to spend more time with her son. Before she left, however, Vera shared with her co-workers, including the man who stole from her, that she was a follower of Isa. They scoffed at her, and one person told her she would have a spell cast on her for going against Islam.

Vera is encouraged that some of her new co-workers are also followers of Isa. They even have the chance to pray for and encourage one another at work. She sees all this as the Lord’s provision. Vera continues to grow in her love, trust and obedience to the Lord through weekly Discovery Bible Study and is growing in her vision to reach her people with the Good News!

*pseudonyms

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