DMM: Perseverance in the midst of Muscular Darkness

 

Ephesians 2

Perseverance in the midst of Muscular Darkness

                  

As foreigners in a land covered by the veil of Islam, how does one interact with the daily customs and spiritual practices in a God-honoring way? In the desire to see the End Vision of the launch of cascading movements to Christ, to personally embrace what it is to choose to persevere in Christ, is a key essential element. 

One of the pillars of Islam is the practice of sholat, the recitation of the Shahada. This ceremonial obligation to alignment with the international body of Muslims is embraced five times daily.  The Call to Prayer announces that invite to the heart of a Muslim.

Take a few moments and write down emotions you experience in times of hearing the blanket of the Call to Prayer wafting over your neighborhood. Be sure to acknowledge both positive and negative emotions related in the space below.

Read and discuss your own observations related to the Call to Prayer.

                                                      

      Muscular Darkness

And these are but the outer fringe of His works; how faint we hear the whisper of His mighty works, who then can understand the thunder of His power? - Job 26:14  

Biawaks (monitor lizards). Muscular darkness. Call to Muslim prayer. Early morning. Sun rising declares itself in the backdrop, while a breath-taking view of Mount Rinjani crests above an all too common thick cloud covering. Tropical birds swarm in droves amidst the lush flora announcing the day. Poisonous snakes, feral cats, village chickens, wild dogs, all combine in a virtual kaleidoscope of life in daily rhythm. Two seasons of weather are the norm: a dry hot season, a wet hotter season. The first of five daily Muslim worship calls resoundingly and uniformly rises from Mosque to Mosque on this island of over seven thousand such gathering points.  As commonly as the golden rays of sunrise crest above the mountainous foreground, the expected call beckons the hearts of this 99.9% Muslim ethnic people numbering 3.6 million. 

              

Consider the Call to Prayer as seen from God’s heart. Now consider God’s heart for these Muslim peoples in light of …

…their lostness before a Holy God. Let this be fuel for the intercessory fire which needs to burn deeply within our hearts till as many as possible have access to the transforming power of the glory of God. 

                                    

…our desperate need, as glory bearers, to persevere in Christ. Let this be fuel to ask God for the increase of an ACHE of a heart to walk in the humility of Christ in greater measure. 

Read the following excerpt and discuss your own thoughts related.

What is it to persevere in Christ?  

Twenty-nine years of seeing God’s sufficiency in our time thus far on the mission field causes my heart to pause at this question. 

               

From our backyard, my husband and I sit overlooking the place of the Lord’s calling for us amongst these Muslim Unreached People Groups. This day, like any other day on the mission field, we are surrounded by the definitive and yet tangible evidences of how the Father has strengthened our hearts. Jesus continuously invites us into that place where His Holy Spirit teaches and empowers us to persevere. From our 2^nd story balcony overlooking freshly planted rice fields configured into Muslim neighborhoods, I gaze. I am astonished by the beauty and worthiness of Christ alone as the unchangeable plumbline.

Precious memories greet me declaring his praise around every corner of life here. Memories of bringing a 3-year-old daughter and a 1- year- old son to this land flood my mind. Now, as we are in the season of having seen the Lord provide for our two precious children to be walking out the Lord’s unique plan for their lives, as we are officially “empty nesters”, I marvel. The Lord gives us the power to persevere apart from our most precious “entrustments”. Somehow the memories of having raised our children in this very place bring forth sweet gifts from the Lord’s hand. It is a portrait of the Father’s masterful artistry. On this canvas is displayed the strong colors of the Sovereign Hand of the Lord splashed through every nuance of tones and hues displayed through the leading of His ways. The lingering sound of the Call to Prayer continues. 

Through physical attacks and threats, 

through life and death medical evacuations, 

through deaths of colleagues on the field, 

through shepherding others who experience emotional crisis, 

through conflicts among the missionary teams, 

through loving one another, 

through absence of grace demonstrated, 

through intense levels of grace apportioned, 

through fiery trials, 

through spiritual warfare, 

through brokenness, 

through seasons of grieving, along with seasons of great celebration…

…somehow the Father delights in having us remain. He alone gets the glory.            

Perseverance.  Amazement at His ways shall produce a weight of perseverance impenetrable. Does my heart yearn with the love of Christ for these Muslim peoples, who rise five times daily to respond to that which shall give no answer? They possess not the starting point, which leads to the glorious end of the fullness of Christ. There is no knowledge of life in abundance for the lost, therefore, for the lost to persevere is an exercise in futility. Do I truly understand this? Is this reality reflected in how I view the veneer, called Islam, which shall crumble at the Name of Jesus? 

…our heart cry which leads us, as glory bearers, to the place of humility and brokenness. Brokenness is a strong and yet necessary flavor-enhancing essential ingredient in order to embrace His higher ways. Necessary. For it is through brokenness of the heart of a follower of Christ that we gain a greater glimpse of the glory of God. That is, if there is yieldedness born forth in the heart of the follower. Only then can Christ’ redemptive power gain full range. Beyond all else, it is necessary that we each decrease of self-life and move into that for which we have been destined to embrace, Christlikeness.  

…our heart response of love and compassion for these Muslim peoples as empowered by the Holy Spirit. The Call to Prayer is a challenge to remind us of the Spiritual Warfare involved in this process of the demonstration and declaration of the love of Christ. 

                                                                                          

Calvary Love

What’s love got to do with it? Everything. No, seriously. What is the connection of perseverance with Calvary’s cross and Christ’s resurrection?

I can’t say that I really understood Calvary Love before recent events compared to what glimpse I understand now. In this, I am truly grateful to the Lord for having broken my heart. Is it then possible that the greater work of the Father is found in the midst of the process? Can we truly proof text moving into His presence in such a way that we do actually experience His perfect love in the midst of even the seemingly most Perfect Storms of our lives? Is then the process of what the Father has allowed into our lives not the end in His economy?  Honestly, is it only when I see my own desperate need for His touch along with my cavernous inability to transform unwanted circumstance that I see the power of His sufficiency alone? How many times will He keep us, as believers, from falling headlong?  Countless times. How many times will my heart not grasp that He truly wired us for delighting in His ways alone? Though I could never imagine the journey of your own heart I know that if many of you are continuing to stand in an infectious faith, then, you have chosen the greater portion; perseverance born forth from a growing hunger to know and embrace His loving touch in all ways is one of many delights from the Father’s heart. This incredibly paradoxical life is only made possible through the power of the Holy Spirit moving us to embrace Calvary Love in greater measure, no matter the cost and come what may the perceived personal loss.  Calvary Love.

…our deep need to intercede and interact with the passion of Christ for Muslim peoples

As one considers the Call to Prayer for Muslims, may this be seen as an opportunity to anticipate the transformation of how we view those very ones who know not His love, His forgiveness, nor His grace and mercy. As I consider the reality that we have been invited to be co-heirs, through Christ alone, with the God of the universe, I find my own commitment to prayer pales in comparison. Though Muslim peoples pray in futility and repetitions, I stand in awe of the weapons of our warfare which we, as a Body of the Living God, so lamely appropriate. 

Spend time interceding over these reminders together as a group.

              

ABBA Father, clothe me this day in humility. Remind me that there is nothing more precious and nothing more worthy than pressing onward to know You and to adore You. Bring my heart to the onward and upward processes of clinging to Your worthiness alone in all areas of my life. At every Call to Prayer which goes forth among the lost, cause my heart to pause at the reality of Your risen presence and the nearness of the Your lavish touch. Quicken me to intercede for the work of Your mighty hand in the revelation of Your truth and righteousness as the one and only Jalan yang Lurus dan Benar (the straight and true way of Allah). May I be one who understands at heart levels that I am coming before You, My King. May I give you all that is due Your Holy Name in my thought, action, and inclination of heart.  In Jesus’ matchless Name, Amen.

DMM: Emotional Healthiness

DMM: Emotional Healthiness

Amina never knew the love of a present parent, she reflected. 

SaSumBi (5 million Muslims)

As is the process when an oikos (household) comes to faith, our local partners and us take new followers through an intensive 2 DBSs on baptism, 7 DBSs on foundations in their faith,  a DBS version of Steps to Freedom in Christ, a Discovery Bible Study (DBS) format for emotional healing, then form them immediately into house fellowships who are DNA-ed to reproduce.

As Amina considered how she has believed lies on her value, her worth, and her concept of self, she saw God’s heart and His purposes for her. In short, she and her household saw from the DBS on Genesis 2:11-3:18, how God intended each of us to enjoy Him, to walk with Him, and to walk in freedom from bondage areas. Resultantly, they are beginning to understand how to walk in the Spirit’s power to practice new life in Christ in greater measure in their lives.

“I realize now how the lies I once thought were just the norm for me to walk in, are actually the thought patterns which keep me from trusting in God’s heart for me and for others. I now know that I can choose forgiveness, no matter the injury I have experienced in life,” furthered Mrs. Muharis. (one of the women in a household of new followers).

Pray for the newly formed house fellowships in our SaSumBi effort. Ask God to multiply out these households to fourth generation by the end of 2019.

DMM: Eternal Longings

Eternal Longings

Ecclesiastes 3:11 

“Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”

Ina lay calmly perched on her wooden house front porch. Stubborn as a mule, cantankerous as a goat, were the first thoughts which brushed over my mind in this encounter. 

A dark presence seemed to be quite content in this particular Sk village. Folk Islam strongly embraces the animistic spirits of a given territory. 

“There is a strong Jin (spirit) in our area. That spirit is the one whom we trust to guide us in our Islamic devotion,” confided a relative of the elderly woman. 

In our initial time in their village, there seemed to be this blanket-like covering over their hearts and minds. In subsequent visits, the elderly woman, though most likely a revered shaman (witch doctor), actually was not to be the one whom God was stirring with Holy Spirit drawing power. 

As is sometimes the case, the actual Person of Peace (Luke 10, Matthew 10), is the one on the edge of the group. In this case, though the elderly woman resisted any and every effort to share Shema statements, listen to her process, care for her physical needs, offer to pray for healing from the trauma, it was to be a bystander whom God was preparing.

One of her adult sons and his family are the ones whom we are pursuing. They are now discovering the reality of God and His Word as they continue to meet as a family and be coached by one of our national partners in a Discovery Group using 8 simple Discovery Bible Study questions. Profoundly simple is how Jesus desires our hearts to trust His leading, yet to be highly dependent upon listening to the Holy Spirit to lead us to whom he is stoking with the fires of need.

At present, after 3,000 initial contacts post-earthquake, we have 90 potential persons of peace and their households who are moving into DBS on OT prophets and Jesus stories. There are presently 30 formed and consistently meeting DGs thus far which meet about every two to three days.  Several from these Discovery Groups have made decisions to follow Jesus. 

Ask the Lord for 4 solid streams of reproducing Discovery Groups (DGs) who come to follow Jesus as they multiply out to 4^thgeneration among the SaSumBi.  

DMM: Suffering in the lives of the lost

Eternal Longings

Ecclesiastes 3:11 

“Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”

Ina lay calmly perched on her wooden house front porch. Stubborn as a mule, cantankerous as a goat, were the first thoughts which brushed over my mind in this encounter. 

A dark presence seemed to be quite content in this particular Sk village. Folk Islam strongly embraces the animistic spirits of a given territory. 

“There is a strong Jin (spirit) in our area. That spirit is the one whom we trust to guide us in our Islamic devotion,” confided a relative of the elderly woman. 

In our initial time in their village, there seemed to be this blanket-like covering over their hearts and minds. In subsequent visits, the elderly woman, though most likely a revered shaman (witch doctor), actually was not to be the one whom God was stirring with Holy Spirit drawing power. 

As is sometimes the case, the actual Person of Peace (Luke 10, Matthew 10), is the one on the edge of the group. In this case, though the elderly woman resisted any and every effort to share Shema statements, listen to her process, care for her physical needs, offer to pray for healing from the trauma, it was to be a bystander whom God was preparing.

One of her adult sons and his family are the ones whom we are pursuing. They are now discovering the reality of God and His Word as they continue to meet as a family and be coached by one of our national partners in a Discovery Group using 8 simple Discovery Bible Study questions. Profoundly simple is how Jesus desires our hearts to trust His leading, yet to be highly dependent upon listening to the Holy Spirit to lead us to whom he is stoking with the fires of need.

At present, after 3,000 initial contacts post-earthquake, we have 90 potential persons of peace and their households who are moving into DBS on OT prophets and Jesus stories. There are presently 30 formed and consistently meeting DGs thus far which meet about every two to three days.  Several from these Discovery Groups have made decisions to follow Jesus. 

Ask the Lord for 4 solid streams of reproducing Discovery Groups (DGs) who come to follow Jesus as they multiply out to 4^thgeneration among the SaSumBi.  

DMM: Suffering, in the Light of the Cross

DMM: Suffering, in the Light of the Cross

The recent earthquakes on our island of Lmbk, were not the first rodeo of suffering for our key DMM 

Catalyst local partner and his wife.

Muharis made a new friend the night of the first intense crisis he faced as a labourer among the Bmnese 
M*slims. The new friend? Suffering in the name of the leading of the Father, to the hard places, for the 
launch of movements to Christ, at all costs. The event of 2017...The doctor held their baby up to Muharis, 
while his wife lay sedated from the emergency C-section. The next few minutes are still a faint blur as 
Muharis recalls the events which followed. 

Ani gave birth. The doctor pronounces all is good. Ani is whisked away to recovery in the city hospital of Bma. 
A few minutes pass in what was to a period of brief elation. Then, emergency calls go out to Muharis. 
The doctor and staff run to move Ani back to surgery. Muharis had seen a constant flow of blood oozing 
out of his wife's suture. He called the doctor, who in turn ordered her back into surgery. Enroute to prep, 
the doctor stated, "If I can save your wife, it is a 50-50 shot." He turned to see his newborn next to him, 
as he fell to the floor in shock. Immediately, he cried out to the Father then called my husband. Our entire 
network interceded.

Ani survived. The doctor removed her womb. Unnecessary, most likely. Skilled doctors in the hard places, 
not likely. The cost? A new acquaintance named suffering for the privilege of bearing the name of Jesus 
among the Unreached Peoples.

July 29-August 12th, 2018-L*mbok, Ind*nesia

In a short span of time, our island experienced four large magnitude earthquakes: 6.4, 7.0, 6.2, 7.0. 
The damage? A sea of rubble. The opportunity? A vast ocean of privilege to express and demonstrate 
the power of the Risen One. Muharis and his wife found themselves driven out of Bma by M*slim radicals 
as of November 2017. As we had them come to L*mbok, we spent hours of time to debrief their experienced threats, as well as time spent in listening prayer. 

Through great leading of the Father, Muharis and his wife relocated to our neighbourhood in L*mbok. 
We began to trust God for the formation of a new team to focus upon the Ssk, ones who would be purely committed to DMM approach as well as daily mutually accountable, along with us.

Eight months had passed in the formation of the new Indonesian partners team, the implementation of 
DMM together, the beginnings of several new Discovery Groups among the Ssk. Then, the next level of 
suffering. The earthquakes. 

After the first of the most intense earthquakes, we all gathered to sleep under tarps and tents in our yard. 
We worshiped. We debriefed to see the Lord touch and heal our team. We listened to the Father in prayer. 
He gave a strategy which was to not "move the goalposts" of the End Vision of trusting God for the launch of a Disciple Making Movement among the Ssk. 

Suffering, in multiple facets, really does the opportunity to excise out that which is not essential in order to 
re-align with that which is eternal perspective imperative. 

Muharis and his wife, along with 6 other national partners, meet with us each morning to drill down on 
Discovery Bible Study which pours into them as individuals. We have spent time evaluating the 3,000+ 
contacts which we connected with during the initial response phase of medical help, trauma debrief, 
overcoming trauma DBS set, offering healing prayer in the name of Isa Al Masih. As the next phase of 
disaster response, we have been engaged in everything which answers the question, "Lord, what needs 
to be done?"

Temporary houses, toilets, physical needs relief, were part of our response, but that is never the End Vision. Then, from the initial 3,000+ contacts in multiple villages, we narrowed down to 90+ potential households of peace. Through daily follow up, we have already seen 34 Discovery Groups begun. There are a few of these 
DGs which have already begun 2nd generation Discovery Groups, as our team equips the local lost leader to facilitate with the simple 8 DBS questions. 

To put our hands to the plow and to not look back, really is a process for each of us. For those whom we have known of and have coached, it is the ones who choose to press into the Father, no matter the cost, who truly 
do become transformed through the suffering.

Pray for Muharis and his wife, as we continue to coach them, that they would be fashioned into those whom 
the Father is pleased to use for His glory among the Ssk. 

DMM: Feeling Dazed Assessment

DMM Assessment 

Awash in the vast ocean of mission field efforts, the movement mindset helps one to become more laser focused on that which God desires for His glory among the ethne.

When it comes to female missionaries, to this end, one can oft times choose to forget to remember that it is vital to the Father's heart that women are engaged in that which could help with the launch of cascading movements to Christ. 

David Watson, in his CPM blog writes...
"…Mothers establish the environment, and often the content, for worldview transmission. ..the war on terror is really a spiritual battle that can only be won by replacing the Worldview of Islam with a Biblical Worldview. The only way we are going to see terrorism end is by building relationships with Muslim families in such a way that we can share the Gospel. As the Gospel is heard and the Spirit of Christ moves, these families are changed from the inside out by their faith in Christ and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. Mothers will begin to teach their children by action and word to obey the Bible….This spiritual war will be won by Spirit-led Christians who love their neighbors as themselves, share the Gospel, make disciples, and teach them to obey—family by family, mother by mother.”

For DMM Heart and Four Fields progress assessment…

In each section, ask the Father:

Lord, what specific, measureable, and time bound steps are you asking of my heart individually? With teammates: expats and local partners?

God’s Heart Section

1. God’s glory for your target focus UPG ask God how He desires you to be involved in vision-casting for DMM in your area. What specific resources do you need to be able to do this effectively? Coaching by others? Level 1, Level 1.5, Level 2 DMM training materials?

2. End Vision for your target focus UPG-write out End Vision of what you and those on your team are collective believing God to be and do in framework of launch of DMM.

3. Extraordinary Prayer/Holy Spirit Dependence-(consider the following additional questions before the Father as well) In what ways is the Father asking to increase? Increase in time spent? Intentionality? Lifestyle intercession increase? How might you utilize the Prayer room you created in more specific ways? Who are you reproducing these creative ideas in to? How might you strengthen the corporate resource for Prayer Modules for DMM trainings (comes to mind, not limited to or even related to but thinking reproducing in even the personal times).

4. Becoming Like Jesus

In what ways is the Father inviting you to increase in your delight of times with Him? Describe what your times look like and what that would mean to grow for this season? For instance, I just am doing an assessment of common kryptonite areas where I have tendency to be vulnerable to giving some ground over to Satan’s lies: fear of my parents dying, fear of my becoming ill and dying…this was a common theme I kept embracing in the past six months and was able to recognize along the way but really had allowed these thoughts for a period to cause me to go “weak kneed rather than face down”.

Recognize where I am doubting God’s goodness

Repent of where I am doubting or have doubted God’s goodness

Renounce affects of where I doubted God’s goodness

Reclaim ground with God’s truth to replace the lies where I doubted God’s goodness

Just for example, in how you might tease out this season of growth

DMM Four Fields Section

5. Reproducing Training

Ask the Father what his heart is for regional focus for DMM trainings? Who else comes to mind who could be helped to increase their capacity to cast vision, train, and help them to coach more effectively?

Who are you taking out to practically M-E-W-L/C? (Model-Equip-Watch-Letter/Coach in DMM?)

For women? For both men and women?

6. Reproducing Fishing for Persons of Peace

Ask the Father what specific and tangible steps He is entrusting to you to take in your time on site in____________? With whom for this season? (Luke 10/Matt 10 modeling of going in two’s, with increase of intentionality)

Remember key indicators of potential persons of peace: 1. Desires spiritual truth 2. Opens their household/affinity group to discover spiritual truth (Matthew 10, Luke 10)

Three spheres of fishing:

1. List 15 present relationships you see on regular basis and fish within this pool:

What tools are your presently utilizing to fish? What other tools do you desire to be equipped and trained in?

The Big Share (whatever tool)

The Big Ask (inviting them and their households to study sentence you could use)

2. List others of those whom you see on semi-regular basis. Do likewise with assessing these relationships.

3. Ask God to give you creativity in margins needed to be intentional in fishing as you are going out about your day, as lifestyle.

7. Reproducing Discipling Oikos-Discovery Groups with DBS (reproduce)

Ask the Father who needs specific coaching to next steps… in DGs and modeling process, walking through stuck points?

Two challenging transition points:

a.      Finding the POPs and then inviting them to study in 8 DBS questions

Prophet  stories

Jesus stories

1.     What are you thankful for? 2.     What are your current challenges? 3.     Review of the story and application from the previous story. 4.     Read the story aloud twice. Orally retell the story twice. 5.   What do you learn about God? 6.   What do you learn about man? 7.     How will you apply/obey this story in your life? "I will..."  8.     Who else and their family/friends needs to hear this story to encourage them? Who and when will you share this with them?

1.     What are you thankful for? 2.     What are your current challenges? 3.     Review of the story and application from the previous story. 4.     Read the story aloud twice. Orally retell the story twice. 5.   What do you learn about God? 6.   What do you learn about man? 7.   How will you apply/obey this story in your life? "I will..."  8.  Who else and their family/friends needs to hear this story to encourage them? Who and when will you share this with them?

Two challenging transition points:

a.      Finding the POPs and then inviting them to study in 8 DBS questions 
b.      Transitioning from you facilitating to them facilitating in less than 4x total-MEWL

8.    Commitment-What needs to happen for this Discover Group to move into commitment?

Reproducing healthy house fellowships-What needs to happen to see this/these house fellowships meet the DNA of biblical gatherings?

9.     Reproducing indigenous local leaders-What needs to happen to see the local leaders being consistently well equipped?

10.  Reproducing Unflinching Evaluation: What needs to happen to be more effective in training others in a healthy process for unflinching evaluation? What needs to happen in terms of DBS in facing persecution?