Long Term Missions

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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Why Discovery Groups Work

Aug 1, 2018 | Stories

A Beyond team worker writes: “A few weeks ago, I did some training in East Asia. The 16 trainees were leaders of various discovery bible groups started over the past year. They trained leaders and co-leaders, and helped these groups become stable. But found that the groups were not reaching out into their communities. They still weren’t reaching non-believers. They called us and asked for help. We trained their leaders in a simple process which we’ve found, helps ordinary believers, to start and multiply new discovery groups.

Traditional methods often focus on evangelism. We focus on inviting people into a process in which they can gradually learn about God, as they study through the scriptures, including stories from Creation, all the way to Christ. Each story asks them to repeat the story several times, to put it into their own words, then to answer what the story teaches them about God, Man, and what they should change in their lives, as a result of the story. In the midst of learning about God, people make the decision to follow Christ. It’s not forced, it’s organic.

We took three days to train the group how to share their daily testimonies of how God has been at work in their lives during the previous days and weeks, and to engage non-believers in discussion.

For instance, a Discovery Group member may tell a story of how God helped them at work, then ask a question, “Do you ever think that there’s a God that cares for us in such a way?” If people seem interested, we start new discovery group with them. It turns evangelism into a non-forced, natural, organic conversation.

As a part of the training, we provide time for the trainees to train each other, in each lesson. We’ve found this gives members the confidence to go out and train others as well. We’ve found that discipleship movements grow faster, as we train more believers to be involved. To help them out, we produce a bookmark, with images that show them the basics of the training. They can copy the bookmark and give it to anyone to do the same.

We gave the trainees a challenge, each night, to prayer walk their neighborhoods, and to share stories of God’s grace in their lives, with at least three people, and to follow up with a question. As trainers, despite the language difficulties, we committed to the homework as well. Surprisingly, most of the trainees shared three times, and many found the process so enjoyable, they shared with as many as five!

Less than a week later, we’ve found that many of the trainees have already trained someone else, to do the same! Many are continuing to share daily, and there’s already the beginning of a new discovery group as a result!”

Join us in praying that these groups multiply into movements.

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Stand Up for the Truth

May 31, 2018 | Stories

‘Stand up for Truth’ – that is how Jasi summarized what she will do in obedience to what she learned through our Bible reading that day. Jasi’s words took Lauren by surprise, so Lauren asked how she came to that conclusion for the third chapter of 2 Peter.

“I am easily discouraged by unkind behavior and that people seem to get away with doing the wrong thing and have no punishment. I struggle to find relevant ways to share about God with my young adult relatives and so I often just keep quiet and give up. Reading this chapter today with you reminds me that God knows what is going on and that He is not disinterested, disengaged or dismissive of the bad that happens. I am challenged to change my attitude and behavior,” she answered.

“What’s that going to look like for you? I’m eager to hear,” Lauren responded. “First, I will practice changing my thinking about God when I see or experience something that seems unfair or selfish. Second, I will be bolder about talking with my nephews about God’s love and truth.”

“That’s super. I’d like to hear more about what you plan to say to your nephews in the next week, before we meet again,” said Lauren.

“Well, one thing I could do is to read some of this chapter with them,” she shared, “and talk with them about my belief that this world has limited time left and that we must be humble and know that He is God.”

Lauren was impressed by the very clear message that Jasi was going to share with her family and together they prayed for Jasi’s nephews; that they too would listen and be challenged by 2 Peter: 3.

Pray for Jasi, that she would be bold in her witness and the same spirit that is willing to stand up for the truth will stand up for the gospel.

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God of the Hills and Valleys

Mar 1, 2018 | Stories, Tibetan-Himalayan

Dr. *Peters had never cared for a patient under such watchful eyes before. The room was filled with silent onlookers – little children, older men, young pregnant mothers, and the patient’s wife. They all watched silently as the doctor set down his medical bag and began to work. The group must have been there for quite some time, watching the dying carpenter struggle to breathe, waiting for help to arrive.

Five days earlier, the pastor had asked Dr. Peters to visit the sick carpenter. He asked multiple times. The first six times the pastor asked, Dr. Peters declined. He knew there was no cure for end-stage small cell lung cancer, and crossing a checkpoint without the proper paperwork to enter the restricted border area was impossible. Despite wanting to help, the doctor couldn’t see a way. On the seventh request, Dr. Peters agreed to pray about it. To their surprise, both the doctor and his wife Sarah felt God leading them to go. When the pastor asked for the eighth time, Dr. Peters agreed. (Their friend was a deeply patient man.)

After hours on the twisting, serpentine road that wound its way along the cliff face towards the little village, they crossed the river. They approached the checkpoint with some trepidation but much to their surprise, the checkpoint guard cheerily waved them through without any questions, and they began the ascent to the village.

Dr. Peters had spent years in the area, but the roads still delighted him. The rock, the ice, the warm sunshine, the trees, the river roaring thousands of feet below, the huge off-road transport trucks that looked like minuscule ants creeping along the threadlike trails on the far canyon wall – all echoed the power and majesty of a God above all gods.

After a long trek, they entered the little rock and hand-hewn wood home of the sick carpenter.

The Christians from the village had gathered at the old carpenter’s house that Sunday morning. They seemed to have been waiting for hours. Dr. Peters evaluated the patient’s fluid status, respiratory status, and gave him some opiates for his air hunger. The Sunday morning service took place in the single-room house of the ailing carpenter, so the doctor stayed by his side during the service, listening to him breathe, watching his wife and pregnant daughter care for him. Dr. Peters spoke that morning from Psalm 91, reflecting on the tension between joy and sorrow. The grief of a fallen world mingled with the calm assurance of ‘resting under the shadow of the almighty’. Before Jesus had done any miracle or preached a sermon, he was declared ‘my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.’

As Dr. Peters ended his brief sermon, he reflected that they too, as they walked through a life of suffering and joy, did so knowing they were God’s beloved son, beloved daughter, in whom He was well pleased. They left quietly after a communal meal, the old carpenter breathing more easily after a second dose of medicine.

A few days later, the carpenter passed away, and the villagers all gathered at his home again. This time they came to beat the pastor and take the body. For six hours, the believers in the village stood around the pastor, preventing their neighbors from beating him. In the end, the pastor’s gentle appeals were heeded – the funeral was not about one religion or another, but about supporting the family and the legacy of the man. The ceremony was completed without violence – the first Christian cremation ceremony ever to occur in that little village.

Pray for the people in this icy, rustic village. They live amidst great beauty, great suffering, great opposition, and a great God. And they are dearly loved, this story provides a small glimpse into their complex and varied lives. Pray for their strength despite the pressure, for faithful leaders to be raised up, and for God’s people to complete the work that has started here.

*pseudonym

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