Gospel to Asia

What Did God Say About Racism?

Sep 28, 2022 | Stories

Racism and prejudice are unacceptable to God, and casteism is racism to the extreme. Caste teaches that some people are simply better and more valuable than others. It is a huge issue that must be dealt with in movement churches.

North Indian movement leaders knew that new churches needed to learn from the Bible, not from them because only the Lord can touch a heart. So, they gave Raj, a movement trainer, a list of verses that addressed casteism, the equality of all people in God’s Kingdom, as well as who can take the Lord’s Supper.

Raj brought the scriptures to the new church leaders. They studied God’s Word and discussed what He said regarding casteism and the Lord’s Supper. Raj did not preach or teach. He prayed. He asked questions. Finally, the leaders concluded, “If I am in Jesus, I am no longer Brahmin (or whatever caste I was born into). I can either be a Brahmin or in Jesus, but I cannot be both. If that’s the option, I want to be in Jesus!”

Then, the leaders did something rarely seen. They apologized without attempting to save face or defend themselves. They said “I am sorry; I was wrong” to Raj AND to their disciples. For the leaders to own the wrongs they had done, and then to apologize, not just to one considered “above” themselves (Raj), but also to people who look up to them was astounding.

But they went further. After apologizing, the leaders gathered multiple churches with mixed caste-background people and everyone took communion together!

Your generous donations enabled this training that fostered profound change in the hearts and minds of new disciples.

God broke through their natural filter of casteism and into their hearts and minds by His Word alone. Hebrews 12:4 says:
“For the word of God is living and active and full of power. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart (AMP).

Thank you for giving so that others may walk in the truth and freedom that comes through God’s Word.

God Did Not Say ‘Be a Light Among Lights’

Aug 31, 2022 | Stories

A retired couple from a nearby country felt called to serve unreached people where Karly* lives. They came with a lot of unknowns, including how to best reach the lost.

Karly suggested meeting together to study the Bible. That way, they could learn from Jesus’ example of ministry. After the first meeting, they each agreed to pray and spend time with God in a public place.

Karly’s friend shared her experience: “I went to one place. I asked God to show me his heart for the people around me, but I didn’t really hear anything. So I went to a different place. I prayed again. This time, God impressed on me this phrase: ‘Be a light in the darkness.’ When I heard that, I realized how much time I spend with other believers. God did not say, ‘Be a light among lights.’ I have to go out into the darkness. This is God’s heart.”

“For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light… that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” Acts 13:47

*pseudonym

When the Wheels Literally Came Off

Aug 12, 2022 | Stories

As Luke* drove back home after visiting a remote village high in the Altai Mountains of Mongolia, the front right wheel came off his vehicle.

While he was making repairs, the jack toppled, causing the vehicle to fall on him. Thankfully, a ministry partner was there and able to free him, but Luke suffered broken ribs, a broken back, and separated shoulder ligaments. He needed immediate medical attention, but the closest decent hospital was many days’ journey away.

After arduous hours of driving through the snow, they finally found a place to rest, at a location Luke had previously visited. He asked about Dache*, a man who used to work there, but people told Luke that Dache had moved away. So everyone was surprised when Dache arrived shortly after that!

“We started catching up right away,” Luke says. “I found out that we now live in the same city. Later, he asked, ‘Are you a Christian?’ When I answered that I am, he asked me to disciple him. I asked.‘If I disciple you, will you disciple others?’ He agreed that he would!”

After focusing for a time on physical recovery, Luke began discipling Dache. In their first few Bible studies, Dache discovered so much: that God created everything, that family was God’s creation, that suffering began with sin, and sin makes God sad. As a result, Dache has committed to following God’s word, loving his family, and sharing God’s story with others.

Dache is growing strong in faith and obedience. He and Luke currently meet three times each week for a Discovery Bible Study. He retells the Bible stories to his coworkers and relatives. Luke is hopeful that Dache will want to be baptized this summer, and prays Dache’s family will join him in baptism.

Out of Luke’s accident, God brought something wonderful! Pray that God will bring about a disciple-making movement in this region.

*pseudonym

Go, Rather Than Invite

Jun 3, 2022 | Stories

*John was excited about his first-ever international trip. He was going from his homeland in India, over the border into Nepal. He was eager to share with the 30 local pastors and leaders who gathered to learn. One of his primary goals was to share the vision of what could happen if God began a disciple-making movement in Nepal.

During the training, the men and women read and learned from Matthew 28, Luke 10, and Acts 2. They began to grasp a new understanding of God’s commissioning of all of His followers, the authority Jesus gave them, and what a church could look like according to a simple biblical model.

When John shared his own experiences about following God toward a disciple-making movement, the participants felt encouraged and excited. God could use them to do something similar in Nepal!

A couple of weeks later, BEYOND’s Nepal team met with some of the attendees to follow up and review what they had learned. The team asked how the participants had obeyed and applied what they had learned from the training.

One leader explained that she now knew she was called to “go,” rather than “invite.” She said, “When I used to invite people to my church, maybe one person would come. But when I went to share the gospel in their homes, I was able to share it with seven families!” Another had prayed for a paralyzed man who had returned from the Middle East, and God had healed him! As a result, two people from his family came to faith and were baptized.

We have seen the first steps of obedience in this group and some first fruit. Pray for them as they continue to learn and apply God’s word, seeking Him for steps of obedience.

*pseudonyms

“You Can’t Say You’re a Christian”

May 4, 2022 | Stories

A Tazig* believer recently shared with Joel* a problem that many new Tazig believers face.

Five of his family members had come down from their mountain village to spend the winter with him in the big city. The six of them passed the months in his 300 square foot apartment. They were unhappy to learn that he had become a follower of Jesus and rejected the Buddhist way.

The young man, however, loved and cared for his family and used the opportunity to tell them about Christ. He shared Scripture with them, prayed for them, and shared his life day by day. They could see the positive changes in his life.

Before they left to return to their village, his sister pulled him aside. “It’s okay for you to be a Christian here in the city. We think it’s good for you. We can see your life is different now. But you can’t say you’re a Christian when you are in our village. You will bring shame on our family.“

“While we celebrate the progress this brother had with his family,” Joel says, “community shame is a powerful force among the Tazig people.Our hearts long to see whole families and villages turn to Christ together. When whole families choose to follow Christ together, it mitigates the power of shame. When a person responds favorably to a gospel presentation, the next question to ask is ‘would your family and friends also like to hear this Good News?’ We are asking God for whole families and communities to turn to Him.”

*pseudonyms