Church Planting Movements: A Potential Thriller, Finding the POPs

A Potential Thriller; Finding the POPs

A Person of Peace wants to be found. Do we really embrace this truth?

 

In Church Planting Movements there exist a tension. The tension lay in what we know to be consistent with Scriptural teachings upon which CPM is grounded and one’s practice in walking these truths out.

At any given time in any Unreached People Group one could find a Person of Peace who longs to be found. This POP is ready to take one to their oikos or their Mother Ship. However, the intentionality to go, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to facilitate the meeting of these whom the Father is preparing is the challenge.

I still recall the strong message implanted into the DNA of several missionaries we associated with in the early years on the mission field, “the role of the foreigner is to not directly share Christ with Muslims.” Messages like these are counterintuitive to the heart that pays attention to the modeling of Christ to His disciples. Thankfully, there were a few others who decided an opposite approach; in order to model to one’s national partners what it is to wrestle through ways to more effectively share Christ with Muslims we need to be about MAWL (modeling-assisting-watching-leave/letter/love).

In regards to implementing the aspect of trusting the Holy Spirit to lead one to POPs and then to see oikos’ engaging in the Word leading them to multiplying faith in Christ, the area of modeling is key. Do we each truly believe that the weak and frail vessels of the stuff of each of us who desire to see CPM can trust God’s strengthening to transform us in these areas or not?

What then is the process of one being morphed into a bold proclaimer. Just do it. Wait on a cotton pick’n minute, one might be prone to beg. We sometimes dare to be bold but it can really be a great looking disguise for self reliance rather unmitigated Holy Spirit led dependence. Just do it scared. That more describes an honest trust which could be the greatest conduit of God’s blessing of the goer. One can have all the cpm training in the world, have all their cpm t’s crossed and cpm i’s dotted but not be dependent upon the power of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to lead.

My husband and I go out each week at specific times in the process of hunting for POPs; at times just us two but also we try to be intentional in bringing others we are training to do likewise. Rainy season is one of the best times to hunt. Each afternoon, the rain descends consistently.  Each rainfall provides an opportunity to find clusters of Muslims gathered in the nearest shelters available, as they are enroute to various destinations in life. Typically, Muslims are gathered waiting out the rain readied to discuss issues of life. One basic reality in the hunt for POPs is to ask the Holy Spirit where non-Christians like to gather and then go there. 

Just yesterday on one of our planned POP hunting trips, Ibu Nani delightedly played with her granddaughter in the park. She and I exchanged many pleasantries. I then shared a Shemah statement with her, “Bu, I can see that you thoroughly enjoy your precious granddaughter. I find it so amazing the gift of the beautiful entrustment of children from the hand and heart of Allah.” Immediately she inquired if I was a Muslim. I responded with identifying myself as one who follows Isa Al Masih, the one who satisfies the daily heart cry for Allah to reveal the straight and true way. She smiled. I seemingly did not fit her prior categories enough so that she was intrigued. I then shared with her that I find it sad that not many of my Muslim friends have ever enjoyed the privilege of studying the Taurat (books of Moses), Zabur (Psalms), and Injil (the gospels)and the amazing stories, which can transform our lives, contained therein. I mentioned that the AQ (Koran) in Sura 4:136 admonishes one must believe in these books. I then invited her to meet in a few days time with one of my MBB friends and me. A key to this interaction is to share the first story in DBS (Discovery Bible Study). From there, we will invite her to identify who else she could gather to share the same story; starting with her oikos and then helping her identify others if family is not desiring to study.

Reviewing basics in finding POPs;

1.   Spend time in focused prayer. Have others on your team cover you and your                             partner going out POP hunting. Contact your intercessors to pray over this time.

2.     Rely on the filling of the Holy Spirit to lead you. Engage the person.

3.     Within a few minutes share Shemah statement and identify yourself as follower of Christ.

4.     Offer to study stories of Taurat, Zabur, Injil as considered a must from Sura 4:136.

They are many other introduction type approaches for finding a POP. In future entries I will share other ideas to ask the HS to use in and through you. 

5.     Can include in offer that you have been asking Allah to lead you and your national partner to those who are desiring to study these stories. Then, you can inquire if they are an answer to this prayer. (One of the indicators of finding a real deal POP as described in Matt. 10, Luke 9 and 10 is that they invite you to their home). There are times a potential POP offers this but most times we suggest they do this…

6.     From the beginning plant desire to study these stories with their oikos. “When can you gather them and when can we meet?” Do not stay in group past 1-2 times. You want to quickly identify the natural leader, which could or could not be the POP, and then begin to meet with them privately to model the process of the next story in the DBS story set. They then will be challenged to take this same pattern and story and facilitate in their respective oikos. That will be the established norm as you plant in the DNA of this effort.

7.     Get contact info and set up time to meet, meeting within a few days time is ideal.

Remember, these hungry hearts want to be found because the Holy Spirit is drawing them.

RA