God our Source:
His Word, our Foundation, His Spirit, our Fountain
A given…God wants us to discover truth through His Word. He gives us all the directions we need in order to do His work. By following the Holy Spirit’s nudges and leading, we are invited to partner with Him in the extraordinary task of making disciples who make disciples in this world. The launch of cascading movements to Christ is predicated upon the efficacy, authority, inerrancy, and supremacy of God’s Word in partnership with deep reliance upon the power of the Holy Spirit.
God wants us to discover His truth from the Foundation found in the Word. (both seekers and new believers).
Rather than being told what the passage says, in the process of Discovery Bible Study, the group/household learns to dig deep and to discover the richness in the Word of God.
Even pre-believers can discover truth from the Word.
Landscaped with the Word, Transformed by the Spirit
Fatima, Muliati, and Amina squirmed excitedly, as they eagerly awaited the arrival of our local partner, Anna. They had compared their stories of obedience with one another while they awaited her arrival for their next Prophet Story from the Old Testament.
Each of these Muslim women had come into contact with Anna, as Anna was facilitating a literacy program.
I had been training Anna in looking for Women of Peace, as laid out in Matthew 10, Luke 10. She and I had gone out together looking for those whom God was preparing to open their respective households/and/or affinity groups in order to discuss the Straight and True Way of Allah.
To model, assist, watch, and continue to coach Anna is a sheer joy. God provided five Women of Peace for Anna. She began to model, to assist, and to coach/watch for these women to take the Prophet Stories, one by one, back to their households and do likewise.
Sample List of DBS stories from Old Testament/New Testament
Creation to Christ STORY LIST
Story | Topic | Verses |
#1 | Rebellion in God’s creation | Gn 2:4–5,7–8,15–18,21–22,25; 3:1–21 |
#2 | Noah and his family saved | Gn 6:5–8,13–14; 7:1–5,17,19,23; 8:1–3,15–21 |
#3 | God calls Abraham and delivers Lot | Gn 12:1–5; 17:9–11; 18:1,17–20; 19:1–17,24–26,29 |
#4 | Ishmael and Isaac born, and promise to Ishmael | Gn 16:1–11,13,15; 21:1–4,8–21 |
#5 | Burnt offerings: Abraham and Job | Jb 1:1–5; Gn 22:1–18 |
#6 | Moses’ commissioning, Passover, and Bronze Serpent | Ex 3:1–8,10; 11:1,4–6; 12:21–23,28–33; Nm 21:4–9; Dt 6:1,4–5,13–15 |
#7 | David: King, warrior, and author of Psalms | 1 Chr 21:1–2,5,7–19,21–27; Ps 51:3–17 |
#8 | Jonah: Prophet who fled from God | Jon 1:1–3:3 |
#9 | Cleansing through the shedding of blood | Jb 25:2–6; Heb 9:22; Lv 17:11; 4:29–31; Gn 3:21; 8:18–20; 22:10–14; Jb 1:4–5; Ex 12:21–23,28–30; 1 Chr 21:26; 2 Chr 7:4–5 |
#10 | The Prophet born of a virgin | Is 7:14; 49:6; 52:13–53:12; 61:1–2; Dt 18:17–19 |
#11(Optional) | Hannah | 1 Sm 1:1–2:11 |
JESUS STORY LIST
Story | Topic | Verses |
1 | Birth of Jesus Christ | Lk 1:26–31,38; Mt 1:18–25; Lk 2:1–22 |
2 | Power of Jesus over nature | Mk 4:35–41; 6:30–52 |
3 | Power of Jesus over evil spirits | Mk 9:17–29; Lk 4:31–37 |
4 | Power of Jesus over illness | Mk 5:21–42; Jn 4:46–53; Mt 15:29–31 |
5 | Power of Jesus to forgive sins | Lk 5:18–26; Jn 8:2–12 |
6 | Power of Jesus to help the poor and defend the weak | Mk 12:41–44; Mt 8:20; 23:23–28; Mk 11:15–18; 12:28–34; Mt 9:36; 14:14; 20:34; Mk 1:40–42 |
7 | Ministry of Jesus Christ: give life | Jn 11:11–15,17,20–26,38–44 |
8 | Ministry of Jesus Christ: teach truth | Mk 7:14–23; Lk 15:11–24; Mt 5:43–46; 6:5–7; 7:24–29 |
9 | Ministry of Jesus Christ: illustrated through His names | Mt 11:28–30; Lk 2:10–14; 7:11–16; Jn 1:29; 3:2; 6:35; 10:9–11; 12:46–48; 15:14; 16:33; Acts 4:12; Jn 18:36–37; 2 Thes 1:6–10 |
10 | Death of Jesus Christ | Lk 22:47–54,63–65; Mt 27:1–2,11–14,22–25,27–31; Lk 23:32–34,39–47; Mt 27:57–66 |
11 | Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ | Mt 28:1–8; Lk 24:13–35; Jn 20:24–31; Acts 1:3,8–11 |
12 | Blood of Jesus Christ cleanses man from sin | Heb 9:22; Lv 17:11; Heb 5:1–3; 2:17; 4:15; 7:26–27; Mt 26:28; Heb 9:26; 10:10; 1 Peter 3:18; Heb 13:12; 2:9; Rom 6:23; Heb 2:14; 5:9; 7:25; 10:29–31 |
13 | Jesus Christ as the mediator | 1 Tm 2:4–6; Eph 1:7; Rom 3:23–26; 5:1,6,8–11; 2 Cor 5:18–21; 1 Jn 2:2; Col 1:20; Rv 1:5; Acts 17:30–31; Heb 9:27–28; Jn 14:3–6 |
14 | Three responses to Jesus Christ | Jn 9:1–7,17–34; Heb 9:22; Lv 17:11; Jn 1:29; Heb 7:26; 10:10; Acts 17:30–31; Heb 9:28; Rom 5:8–9; Acts 4:12; Rom 10:9–10 |
Fatima, Muliati, and Amina had all shared of their recent dreams and visions, which they knew were from Allah.
“Forgive your husband,” Fatima recalled the Prophet Isa Al Masih telling her in her dream.
“What you are studying with Anna is My Truth,” Muliati relayed as she ascribed Isa Al Masih instructing her in her dream.
“Isa pulled me to Himself and hugged me!,” exclaimed Amina.
All eyes were riveted upon the Word of God, for their next instructions in how to live. The next Prophet Story which Anna had them practice facilitating in this coaching group…the Prophet Jonah.
A few weeks later, after finishing the last story in the Isa Al Masih set, all five of the women were asked which of the people in the story best represented their hearts before Allah.
They each made a clear profession of followership to Christ.
After cross-checking with another laborer, their salvation stories rang clear, of their choice to follow the way of Isa Al Masih (Jesus).
Soon thereafter, Anna helped them to discover in Scripture the role of outward obedience in baptism as a demonstration of inward followership of Jesus. Anna baptized them in an irrigation canal at a nearby rice field.
Each of their households were using the same pattern of 8 simple Discovery questions, and engaging in the same group discovery process. At that time, they ran through to the beginnings of a 3rd generation of Discovery Groups being transformed into house fellowships.
One strategic piece for coaching these forming house fellowships is to equip the women facilitators to engage their men in the process.
In the cases where we have Women of Peace as the starting point contact for the households/affinity groups in a DBS, we are highly intentional. In the desire to see their men become the leaders of these households we simply train the women to ask help in a natural, yet honoring way from their men. “Oh husband, thank you for your desire to lead us spiritually as a household. Would you be able to ask us what we are all thankful for?” Then, the women are trained to affirm the men all the way through the DBS 8 questions. When there are Women of Peace as the starting point for gathering the household, it is a very simple, and at times, messy process to see men move into a facilitator role for their households. As they engage in the Word and are transformed into followers of Christ by the Holy Spirit’s work, the potential to see the launch of a movement can be a more balanced effort.
The given? God’s Spirit moves, the Word of God speaks, man is compelled to discern which way to follow. We, as laborers, simply partner with God’s Spirit to call others forth into Jesus as the only straight and true way. The fruit which reproduces? God is the one who brings the cascading movements to Christ of those households whom He draws in a hear and obey Jesus way. Eternal destiny game changers? In the hands of an awesome God.
No comments:
Post a Comment