North Korea: “The Jerusalem of the East”?

North Korea: “The Jerusalem of the East”?

May 21, 2020 | Stories

North Korea has been much in the news lately. Let’s pray rich blessings over this nation and its people.

Let’s pray that God would birth a great spiritual awakening as He did in the early 1900s when a disciple-making movement spread through Pyongyang. By the 1920s, the movement had permeated the Korean peninsula. Whole families and regions came to Christ! The revival was based on principles found in the book of Acts, which we see in many movements around the world today.

John Nevius was a missionary whose ideas helped launch this dynamic movement. Instead of urging people to come to a building to listen to a key leader or two (attractional churches), Nevius believed in local, empowered leadership, the priesthood of all believers, and simple reproducible Bible studies which any believer could start and help others to start. As a result, the gospel spread like wildfire.

Simple, reproducible Bible studies multiplied from sarangbang (a room used for meeting or studying) to sarangbang. Previously, Christian workers had problems starting attractional churches, but through these methods, Bible studies multiplied faster than workers could keep up with them! Many of these sarangbang Bible study meetings developed into house churches in this truly indigenous movement.

The movement was hottest in Pyongyang; in fact, Pyongyang became known as “the Jerusalem of the East.” Some believed it was the fastest spiritual awakening seen since the one recorded in the book of Acts. Pyongyang became home to 300,000 Christians. Eventually, 29% of Koreans were involved in these house churches.

  • Pray that God will launch a “Book of Acts” movement again so all people in this country can know Jesus’ love.
  • Pray God will equip and launch laborers into this harvest field.
  • Pray many will choose to follow Him in loving obedience.
  • Pray for a great multiplication of house churches who love and serve their people and country.
  • Pray for God’s protection from Satan, for Jesus’ disciples.
  • Pray for wonderful blessings for all the people of this country.
  • Pray that we will once again see “average” believers do extraordinary things, through and because of Jesus’ love.
“Don’t You Trust Me?”

“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

When Buildings are Useful

When Buildings are Useful

Sep 15, 2018 | Stories

Many people have the misconception that Church Planting Movements are opposed to buildings. What we are opposed to is the unwise use of God’s resources.

In some movements, buildings are used for community centers, community outreach, and training centers. This enables a movement to be a blessing to the community, and to train believers with a focus on Disciple Making Movement principles.

Some movements have decided that, rather than constantly renting facilities, they are better off building something or simply buying a property and saving the rent money to be used on other costs. Beyond’s own global headquarters (given to us by God through a donor) is a good example. By renting out most of the building, much of the mortgage payment is covered while we can also provide affordable office space for other ministries and small businesses. We also try to use the building as a vision-casting tool.

Our brightly colored, vibrant “Vision” wall in our offices illustrates how disciple-making movements reproduce churches that start churches that start churches–and includes many faces of the different cultures, ethnicities and continents of the world. The wall gives a global glimpse of our areas of focus and the movements we have impacted–and the massive ⅓ of the world which still has never heard or seen Jesus’ Good News.

About a year ago, a prospective employee was being interviewed for a position. We showed her the wall to help her understand Beyond’s mission. She prayed that day that she would get the job because of the faces on the wall (she did!). She had been a Christian for years and in ministry for a long time, but had never experienced such a burden for the unreached as she did that morning.

This “Vision” wall has similarly impacted many who visit–both believers and non-believers. When the Unreached are just statistics in a faraway land, it is easy to forget. When you see their pictures and look into their eyes, the enormity of the Great Commission becomes more pressing, and more urgent.

If buildings enable practical ministry and more vision-casting and better funding, they can be effective tools for vision-casting and for making disciples of all Unreached peoples. Pray that God would continue to break the hearts of believers who visit us in this building, that they too would get the urgency of Matthew 28:18-20.