Prayer | Beyond

“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.

Help Me Understand How Things Fit Together

Jul 19, 2019 | Stories

Karly* is acclimating to a new country where the Lord has called her to serve. Almost daily, she follows a set of prompts that help her explore and pray for her new city. Recently, she was guided to a historical seaside neighborhood to prayer-walk and ask the Lord for someone to interact with.

As she walked along the wooden planks, Karly heard someone calling, “Hello! Hello!” Turning, she saw a man on his porch, smiling and waving. They chatted for a few minutes over his front gate. Soon Andrew invited Karly to come in and see his home.

In the front room, his aunt was resting on the floor. Andrew* showed Karly pictures of his grandparents, the original immigrants of his family from China, who had built the place. He showed her his family’s gods, including Buddha and Mazu, a goddess of the sea.

After talking about his family gods, he turned to Karly and said, “You’re a Christian, right?” Karly acknowledged that she is a follower of Jesus. Andrew shared that he had visited a few churches out of curiosity. “Sorry, please excuse me for saying this, but it all seemed empty rituals and academic lecture. I don’t mean to offend you. I just share my perspective as an outsider.” Andrew had approached the different pastors after visiting each service to ask questions. “But it seemed they just wanted me to ‘surrender’ or to give me more lectures. I just want to discuss. I have an Asian mind. I need to understand how things fit together.”

Karly told him that she and her friends like to discuss the Bible at home. She asked if he and his family would be interested in this. Andrew gladly accepted and invited her to come back two days later. At the appointed time, Karly and friend from her house church arrived at Andrew’s home. Together they read the story of a paralyzed man healed by Jesus (Mark 2). Andrew loved how Karly and her friend worked together to act out the story and then retold it in their own words.

Andrew immediately told the story to his aunt, who cannot walk well. He asked her if she would let them pray for her healing. Upon realizing the prayer was free, unlike the prayers from the Buddhist monks and shamen, she agreed. Karly prayed as Andrew translated for his aunt. “The real cat is the one who catches the mouse,” said Andrew’s aunt as a way of explaining why they pray to several different gods and are then willing to devote themselves to the one that answers prayer.

Each week Andrew shared the stories Karly shared with several people and sent them on to others. Recently, however, it’s been hard for Karly to meet with Andrew. Please pray for Andrew’s availability and interest to grow so he might be a conduit for many to hear the good news and become disciples of Jesus.

*pseudonyms

GOD DID NOT SAY …
A retired couple from a nearby country felt called to serve unreached people where Karly* lives. read more …

WHERE IS HEAVEN?
While at a restaurant, Karly, Alison, and Megan met the owner. They asked the woman how they could read more …

HOW COULD GOD …?
During the first visit, the family had asked for $50 to help pay their rent. The young ladies didn’t know what to do. read more …

Mentioning God Identifies us as Spiritual People

Jul 12, 2019 | Stories

One night on the metro, *Sue noticed two covered women, one of whom was wearing a dress she particularly liked. They happened to sit down next to her as they waited for the train. Sue complimented the woman on her dress and asked where she bought it. Surprised that Sue spoke their language, the three women struck up a cordial conversation. Soon they asked Sue what brought her to live in their Middle Eastern country. Sue replied, “I was praying, and God told me to move here to work, to see, and to learn.”

As they continued talking, the woman asked Sue to pray for her, especially for her job. “Because,” the woman said, “we don’t know whose prayers God will grant. So maybe if you pray for me, God will answer your prayers.” Earlier that day, Sue and her team had read John 15 where Jesus says, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” Sue shared and explained Jesus’ words to her, offering to pray right there on the train, but she declined, probably in part because it was such a public setting. One stop later, all three ladies got up to transfer to another metro line, all heading to the same line and walking in the same direction. The Muslim women, however, very politely said their goodbyes and walked off ahead of Sue.

Though the two women were not yet ready to pursue Jesus, we can look to this encounter to illustrate a simple method of searching for people of peace, called a “shema statement” (from the Hebrew word “shema” which means “hear or listen”). In Deuteronomy 6:7, God instructs His people to talk about His commandments “when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.”

So wherever we go, and with whomever we meet, we can naturally, honestly mention God early in a conversation which identifies us as spiritual people and followers of Jesus Christ. People who are hungry and curious will respond with clear interest to the truth we share. But others, who aren’t yet ready, will make that clear, too, just as Sue’s metro friends did by ending the conversation, even though they were getting off and transferring to the same line as Sue.

While sad, it’s okay that they weren’t ready in that moment. We are looking for people and households of peace (Luke 9, 10, and Matt. 10) who God has already prepared to hear the Gospel and who will respond eagerly, like Lydia and her family in Acts 16 who heard and were baptized the same day Paul shared with them. People of peace, like Lydia, will share the Good News with their whole family, a group of friends, or even their coworkers.

Shema statements are a simple, natural way to gauge whether someone is interested in hearing more. Sue and so many others testify that Shema statements have been life-changing for themselves and their ministries. Let’s ask the Lord to give us specific shema statements, get creative, and watch how He uses them for His glory.

*pseudonyms

MORE STORIES FROM SUE

BREAKFAST SURPRISES
“My friend and I were surprised,” says Sue, “because generally, Muslims give thanks after a meal, not before. read more …

A DREAM OF A MAN DRESSES IN WHITE
Sue spent a couple of days with a young woman, Burcu, who had been trained in Disciple Making Movements. read more …

BABY STEPS
“How can I pray for you?” *Verda asked *Sue, moments after Sue had finished praying for Verda and her family. Despite read more …

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