DMM: Extraordinary Prayer Modules

 DMM Extraordinary Prayer

 

DMM Prayer Module #1 – But God

 

Disciple Making Movements (DMMs) are preceded by prayer movements.

·       Even if we do everything according to CPM principles, if the Lord doesn’t work, we won’t accomplish anything. 

·       We must both work hard AND pray earnestly, as Jesus did. With prayer, we work with God. Without prayer, we work alone.

Wherever there is a Disciple Making Movement today, it is accompanied by extraordinary prayer. In fact, in India, where a huge DMM has occurred among the Bhojpuri, church-planters normally spend 2+ hours/day in personal prayer, more time each day in corporate prayer plus 1-2 days a week in fasting.

 

1. Read out loud 2x, Ephesians 2:1-10 

2. Rephrase in your own words…

In what ways does “but God” apply to your UPGs?

Ask the Lord what new pathways He desires to build among your people group.

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DMM Prayer Module #2 – Extraordinary Prayer/Prayer Themes-Empowered by the Holy Spirit

Listening and Reflecting

Take 5 minutes to pause, listen to God, and write overarching themes for UPGs for which you each have been praying in recent weeks, concerning the following:

·       Scripture

·       Topics

·       Themes

Take 1 minute each and share how the Lord has been leading you to intercede for your people in the above areas, in recent weeks.  Share any specific answers to intercession each person has seen. Celebrate God’s hand in brief praise responses over that area.

Sharing and Praying

If you haven’t prayed in this way in the past, take some time to ask the Lord what he might have for you to pray in this next season. If you don’t hear any direction from the Spirit, count it as freedom to come up with something. 

1.     15 minutes in groups of 2-3: Pray within the group one of these areas for your UPG.

2.     5 minutes

a.     In your group, determine if there were any themes or topics that rose to the surface or various items that formed a theme. Decide together which thing (if any) was a common factor in your prayers

b.     Pick a person in the group to state a theme to everybody. They pray it in front of everyone, with everyone being in agreement

3.     5 minutes: Everyone write down their themes and hand them in for me to check if there are any themes that have resonated among everyone.

 

DMM Prayer Module #3 – End Vision DMM Exercise

            Listen and intercede about these dynamics

            End Vision Components: (Road map which we carry with us everywhere)

1.     God’s Glory Centric

2.     Audaciously Specific

3.     Movement Mindset

4.     Time Bound

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DMM Prayer Module #7 – Displacement: Praying the Opposite (Jean C)

Keeping prayer focused on God’s purposes/promises… instead of “praying against” something, we positively “pray in the opposite.” 

 

Someone has a central sheet of paper (could be a big flip chart) and writes down “complaints” or troubles concerning your place/people. What are some examples of negative things that we see in India (or elsewhere) and what does it look like to pray the opposite? Write a list of opposites. For example:

·       Family tensions                                 Unity (Psalm 133)

·       Prejudice/caste system                     Honor (James 2:1-13)

Spend some time as a group “praying in” the things listed in the column on the right.

Coaching Team letter

 

DMM: To Live is Christ, To Die is Gain

To Live is Christ, To Die is Gain

True confessions. When one has never ever considered dying for the sake of the gospel, it is highly likely that one has never really chosen to live in total unmitigated obedience to Christ. When it comes to the launch of reproducing Disciple Making Movements among Unreached People Groups, it is the worthiness of Christ and His love-filled command to go which compels. 

Missionary Biography: Anna Tan

“When your bucket gets kicked, what spews forth will be either bitterness or blessing. I can’t answer for others, but I know what I desire. When God takes me through suffering, I want to respond with blessing,” commented Anna Tan, Singaporean missionary to the Sasak Muslims of Lombok island, Indonesia. 

One morning in 2001, Anna was found with 80 percent of her body covered in 2^nd and 3^rd degree burns. Anna had awakened to the daily routine of making coffee in anticipation of her time with the Lord. The propane gas tank, which supplied the stovetop operation, had leaked profusely overnight. In her sealed kitchen area she unknowingly walked into a cloud of undetectable gas and lit a match.

Anna obeyed the Lord’s voice to demonstrate and proclaim the glory of Christ among the Sasak people. Her life represents just one from among the 120 missionaries who have come and gone in service among them in the past 31 years of modern mission efforts. For those of us still called to be among the Sasak, we jointly believe God to launch a rapidly multiplying movement of Sasak worshipers of Christ. 

Anna is a reminder of the high cost and the privilege of obeying God’s voice to the least reached peoples. She spewed forth blessing as she clung to Christ’ sufficiency, even as she died.

DMM: Dreams and Visions

Reproduce Laborers

Amisha led five women in reading prophet stories from the Bible, a good way to introduce the Word of God to Muslims. They share the stories with their family and friends and obey lessons God impresses on them during their time together.

Three have had visions of Isa al Masih (Jesus the Messiah). In them, He had instructed one to forgive her husband and encouraged another by confirming that she was studying His Truth.. The third had a simple yet profound vision of being embraced by Jesus!

Soon all five women became followers of Isa. Amisha baptized them in the irrigation canal of a nearby rice paddy.

Amisha is a layperson who has been trained in Disciple Making Movements and longs to hear and obey Jesus. All six women are in the process of learning to become reproducing disciple-makers. 

These women were the first in their families to come to Christ. Pray as they engage their husbands with the Word of God and encourage their spiritual leadership. It can sometimes be messy, but it is so important in bringing the whole household to faith. 

Lifestyle Finding Persons of Peace

 

Home Assignment has been a huge stretch this time around for us. However, in the midst of all, to be able to choose intentionality in the desire daily to listen for the Father's voice, to be tethered to the unchanging Word of God, and to choose to obey His beckoning really knows no context bounds.

Tex Mex was on the menu this particular day. Not really. Model-Assist-Watch-Letter/love/Coach (MAWL), that seemed to be what the Father had on the lunch menu as I sat across from a missions committee member from one of our partnering fellowships.

Our waitress strolled up to take our order, when God called attention to her tatted neck.

I asked her name, she replied. Then I introduced my friend and I as "followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, which I have no way to know what this means to you and your life experience. However, I do know that you have placed a signpost on your neck, of which must have great personal meaning to your own life. Can you share with us the story behind your tattoo? We would be honored to hear."

She gushed forth the significance of her signpost. To which I felt led to mention, "You have honored your mother by placing her birthdate on your skin. What you may not realize is that you have touched on the desire of God to honor one's parents." She teared up. I furthered, "May we ask you one question further, knowing that you have other tables to tend? If you could see God do one thing that would be amazing in your life, what would that one thing be and why?" She shared that her life is hugely difficult, and that she needed encouragement for all the hard things.

We listened to her this day. We prayed with her for God to meet her in these painful places, and left a big tip. In Disciple Making Movements, the next step is to offer to gather with others to hear from God's heart on these life issues. She declined. We trust the Holy Spirit to move her and her "household" in a plus 1 direction. To offer a Discovery Bible Study in context relevant terms is always an exercise in Holy Spirit dependence. Every effective tool must have the on-ramp to offer to discover the reality of who God is in real time in real ways, no matter the context; Muslim, Buddhist, Secular, Hindu, Animist.  

When looking for Persons of Peace, there is the "on mission" intentional going and there is the lifestyle intentionality in "as you are going". 

"I have never been able to know how to have spiritual conversations with others. I have done works which I want to show the kindness of the Lord, but not the combination of acts of works and statements which enter into spiritual conversations and an offer to discover more of who God is. There was freedom in what was shared. There was caring for the waitress' life, there was a spiritual discussion which made clear about Jesus. I have not seen this...I think I need to reconsider my assumptions and be trained in what I witnessed today," reflected the missions committee representative.

Though it can said that delicious Tex-Mex cuisine was enjoyed that day, it can also be said that to choose to pay attention to how the Spirit is leading, to be available for the Holy Spirit's bidding, and to live a Shema lifestyle was served up unto the Lord. A Shema lifestyle of "as you are going", as well as a Shema lifestyle of "when you are going on-mission" is a beautiful DNA-ed norm in a movement mindset. To Model-Assist-Watch-Letter/Love/Coach (MAWL) is as norm in the Disciple Making Movement mindset as Chips and Salsa are to Tex-Mex.

DMM: Disturbance, Life Incongruent

Disturbance.

“Remember those who led you and spoke the Word of God to you, considering the outcome of their way of life, imitate their faith.”-Hebrews 13:5

Disturbance.

How is it that the Bride of Christ continues to see emotionally unhealthy men and women lead them?

The cultivation of celebrity culture of our generation has drilled down deeply into the landscape of believers in the States. Perhaps that is one driver of unhealthiness, but then again, that would be to address symptoms rather than root causes of unhealth which can develop in one's life.

“Give us a king!” cried the Israelites. God allowed them Saul. Saul was the man who fit their demand, but was not the leader who would meet their need. He fit the clothes, he fit the imagined need which the people would trust in rather the man or woman of God’s fashioning.

When I consider ministry leaders, like the husband of my friend, I think, how could this happen?

Lamentably, there is a tendency to confuse great speakers as great spiritual leaders. It is the heart which God is after. In several situations in which I have been asked to counsel, comfort, and call forth to truth, there is usually an unhealthy leader who was given the microphone in the injured person (s)’ life.

What one is like behind closed doors is a God’s glory-centric personal reflection question. The Father desires not that those whom He uses as leaders to desire any level of incongruity between the public and private walk. There is no room for separation.

Satan has a great plan for our lives: to divide us from an abundant and joy-filled, Holy Spirit empowered life. To take us off ramp from engagement in God’s promises and purposes is the same song, different follower as target. The world, the flesh, and the devil is a powerful cocktail in the life of the believer. Take care, guard one's heart in humility, is the healthy pathway, in dependence upon the Holy Spirit to empower.

Leaders who choose duplicity, choose a certain trajectory. Saul chose that same pathway, though he was given many opportunities to true repentance and transformation. He chose not the higher ways of the Father.

Leaders who choose to say one thing and do another are not new to the human scene.  For any follower of Christ to choose to reject Holy Spirit-led mooring will lead to unhealthiness. To see leaders deny the reality that their home life/internal life is in shambles, are time and again enabled by their respective ministries to lead. It is easy to think one is somehow beyond this same incongruent life. However, a wise heart knows that just as another is choosing a life not worth imitating, that same observation could be true of them, save the choice to guard one’s heart, in humility and dependence upon the Holy Spirit.

Cautionary Tales

I have observed that those in the Bride of Christ who possess lavish financial resources can actually use that for great blessing in God’s purposes. I have also observed the opposite as being true: those with resources to live a hidden life of unrepentance will do so through their wealth. By gain of a financial lifetime of independence they can choose to not be close enough to be discovered.

How can this be?

Another friend, whose husband is in the Christian ministry world limelight, treats his wife with disdain. Emotionally abusive patterns are 35+ years of norm for their life.

Yet, this very same leader is a polished and respected ministry leader.

How can this be?

Recently, as I was invited to speak at Dallas Theological Seminary, during their missions emphasis week, I incurred another type of bizarre incongruent behavior.

My topic for 50 minutes was to lay out how God is moving among Unreached People Groups, as well as reached areas like America, in the launch of cascading movements to Christ. Disciple-Making Movements are now occurring in 1,370+ distinct movements: obedience-based groups of disciples who reproduce disciples, leaders who reproduce leaders, house fellowships who reproduce house fellowships.

Check out videos on www.beyond.org as well as 2414now.net.

The day after I spoke at Dallas Theological Seminary, there was a leader who represented another mission agency who, instead of speaking on how God is moving in their midst, chose to spend his 50 minutes to attack DMM. This attack posture came from those in that org's top international leadership. Interestingly, three years ago my husband and I were asked to train their international leaders in an intro to DMM. Sadly, they have an average of 14 years to plant one non-reproducing church among their overseas efforts. When it comes to the need to have leaders who lay aside their entrenchment, stubbornness, or attachments to emotionally high value ministries, they are choosing to not make reproducing disciples as their trajectory.

Those who lead with a hunger and thirst for God’s glory, no matter the cost, are set on going before the Lord and asking “God, what needs to be done so that your glory is declared/demonstrated among the ethne for the launch of cascading movements to Christ?”

Those leader types who are bent on their small kingdom building are not open to conversation. That is sad, if it were not so pathetic.

Meanwhile, Persons of Peace, among the UPGs, are longing to be found.

DMM/CPM: Rhythms of Launched Movements

Rhythms of Launched Movements

"The most effective leaders spoken of in the Bible had little awareness of the impact their lives had on others. They were too busy obeying God to keep track of their successes."-pg. 787 NIV notes on life of Ezra

"Do you want to train others to start a church or do you want to train them to help launch a movement to Christ?", I recently asked a Dallas Theological Seminary Professor. He pondered the question. 

We discussed his observations of the students whom he had seen come through his classes in the two decades of his time in that context. I wondered. Therefore, I sensed the permission to ask, "Dr. Something, what do you see as the biggest need for this generation of those preparing to serve cross-culturally?"

Without skipping a beat, he lamented on how many were not making reproducing disciples in their cross-cultural context in effective ways. 

Movements to Christ are made up of transformed lives in Christ, who reproduce as disciples who make disciples, who make disciples who love and obey Jesus. 

A missionary statesman once told us that of the missionaries whom he has known, in a four decade span of life, he found the following to be true:

25 % of missionaries are highly effective

50% of missionaries are somewhat effective

25% of missionaries are highly ineffective and need to go home

In a recent survey of those who are seeing CPMs occurring among Unreached People Groups, here are some reflections on what can be considered some patterns for effective impact for God's glory. 

What is effective?-notes from S.P.

• Vision-casting for CPM emphasizing reproduction
• Do not lose sight of trusting God to raise up Persons of Peace who open the door to their households/affinity groups. 
• Efficacy/Supremacy of God's Word in Discovery Bible Study (or Discovery Group) process with dependence upon the Holy Spirit, not defaulting to teaching. 
• Abundant gospel sowing. Storying/testimony/orality increasingly important. Thematic stories, ontime stories, Spirit-led stories, teaching in parables. Teaching people to speak and bless neighbors with stories. Listen to their personal story—hear their story, tell your story then tell His story. No religious language.
• Must get our hands dirty among hardest to reach people in society: hospice ministry, jail ministry, fringe populations—hurting people, focus on those who get less attention, food pantry, ministries to addicts, focusing on inner healing, pain has resulted from lifestyle of sin
• Focusing on family and friends networks. Focus on house of peace in the neighborhood.
• Strong emphasis on lay leadership.
• Emphasis on accountability—takes time and personal relationships with those whom we coach as we are making reproducing groups of disciples.
• Technology—using internet, people opening up online using Facebook. People need people even in urban environments, even among masses, people still need other people.
• Secular people respond to action, obedience-oriented, experiential. Strong emphasis on rapid obedience. Expect immediate obedience.
• Prayer based - belief that God will answer. If there is a need—immediately pray. 

Here are lessons from those seeing CPMs in the Hindu  world.-notes from S.P.   Signs and wonders create breakthroughs. They are tuned into spiritual nature             of the world.             God is showing up relevant to peoples’ needs, vision and dreams.             Public and private—internal wonders of transformation.         2.   One key is extraordinary love and compassion demonstrated personally by believers.                Hindus respond to genuine authentic compassion. Value of relationships—              relationship driven.               Model authentic community as it relates to family lines as well.        3.   God is at work in and among Hindus as He’s drawing them to Himself.               Luke 10—walking as Jesus sent them—walk with intentionality, be ready               to share the hope within you.         4.   How to share? Action oriented, incremental stories, storying, orality, parables,               redemptive bridges --              be able to speak the truth as they go. Give an overall framework and fill in the gaps.               Does not have to be 50 weeks, but a Creation2Christ framework.         5.  Obedience based accountability - they want to see action and people living               out their faith as it contrasts with what they see in the Hindu world.         6.  Discipleship is critical—how they come to Christ not as important as               how they are discipled.               Focus on heads of households. More apt to reach urban than rural,               family network carries the gospel. CPM Lessons in the Muslim World-notes from S.P. There are a growing number of CPMs among Muslims. Chaos in various areas is leading to freedom and desire to ask questions.  God orchestrating and changing nations. Run to chaos and get organized for it.  Be ready when someone asks questions. Key strategy to avoid visibility by outside foreigners.              The outsider can become a lightning rod, esp. with white skin.             So have key training outside target group area. Trainers who are MBB are better             and do it differently. A growing number of MBB’s are taking people and              modeling and showing how. Focusing on refugee groups who are dispersed—social political, etc.              Focus on family evangelism and not individual evangelism. Let group process             take place.              Strategic focus on women as gatekeepers spiritually. Importance of husband-wife              teams.              Husbands as early adopters and influencers, wives as holding keys to spirituality.  Find natural ways to talk about Isa, so that in second encounter you are already              talking about Isa in your life. People of Peace, finding them in the mosque,              going in for the late night and early morning prayer time. People who come to pray              at that time are desperate and don’t want to be seen. Some are finding large             number of people of peace at those times. There are growing instances of seeing the larger mosque community brought to faith -              as the leadership, imam and others become seekers and lead the rest.              An increasing number of teams focus (prayer and witnessing) on winning              the leaders first to win the community. Some start with the Quran and talk about Isa as a bridge. Others find other              redemptive bridges. Then move into introducing and following through on              obedience-based discipleship using the Bible. CPM Lessons for Effectiveness in the Buddhist World  and Tribal Peoples-notes from S.P. Buddhism is like a chameleon-- it layers over the underlying belief systems.  There is a need for clear vision casting for CPMs among Buddhist and  Tribal peoples and people who know what they are seeking to accomplish.  Clear vision and purpose and implementation. What is showing fruit? •        There is a consistent pattern of people receiving signs and wonders          and dreams and then an evangelist(s) who comes and reaps the results. •        Often people consider becoming a Christian due to a tragedy/crisis •        Prayer and prayer-walking. Dealing with demonic strongholds. •        Among tribal people radio has been effective •        Oral teaching approach is very effective all the way up. •        Redeemer theme is important. Theravada world has a belief           in the redeemer who is to come -- parallels with Jesus Christ. •        Obedience to Christ and what obedience to Christ does to a person           as they become a leader. Need for: •        Transparency •        Accountability •        Discipline