Prayer Requests for Our Church Planters

Our Muslim Background Believers (MBBs) who participated in our church planting seminar as they have arrived back in their home villages and put into practice what they learned at the training weeks. On the last day, we asked them to step over a line in the sand, symbolizing their commitment to follow Jesus anew. Some of the things they mentioned:

1) Many expressed that they harbored doubts about the veracity of the Bible before they came, but the teaching of the Scripture helped them a lot.

2) Some had to deal with moral issues from their past and get those cleared up.

3) Some still have to deal with the fear of man  (not surprising!—none of us Westerners can lift a candle to their courage!) and persecution.

We laid hands on and prayed for each one, and gave them a promise of Scripture in line with the name they had chosen for themselves.

Here’s some personal info on each one, from my perspective, please support these brave believers by praying for them:

• ‘Philemon’ is one of two participants still single. Pray for him and also for ‘Samson’, that God will provide the right marriage partner for them. This is very difficult in a Muslim environment, especially for Philemon. He would like to marry his girl friend (a Christian), but this is very complicated.
• ‘Samuel’ is a ‘grandfather’ in the faith, and leads 15 different house groups! He really wants to develop leaders and give responsibility to others. That will be a tremendous blessing to many!
• ‘Pontus’ (yes, he chose a name representing an area of the NT world instead of a person, but why not!) is a quiet guy who hugged us about ten times when saying good-bye. A very loving guy and a faithful trooper!
• ‘Titus’ asks for prayer because he and his wife are still childless after 3 years—a shame in their society. It would undergird his spiritual authority to be a father, if the Lord wills.
• ‘John’ is from the high class in society and has a lot of potential and a loving disposition.
• ‘Barnabas’ lives up to his name—a young guy, but a sunny disposition, and full of energy.
• ‘Timothy’ is quiet and reflective, with a lot of potential.
• ‘Nehemiah’ is older—also quiet, but a very hard worker. He stayed up until 2:30 in the morning sometimes doing study assignments! Diligent, he will be conscientious in his work—we’re sure he always has been.
• ‘Ruha’ pastors a fellowship of 9 brand new MBBs. He’s a gem (they all are!).
• ‘Simon’ is older but loves kids. He is involved primarily in children’s ministry among Muslims at home. His son would like to study at college, but not sure if that will be possible.
• ‘Philip’ looks like he’s 20, but has 4 children, and is also pastoring a brand new fellowship of MBBs. He is a business man.
• ‘David 1’ is a tailor by trade, really a likable man, and pastors one house group in his home.
• ‘Silas’ is a very bright man with a lot of potential. He repairs cell phones for a living, and is a natural leader.
• ‘David 2’ (yes, there were two Davids!) is an energetic young man who contributed a lot to the discussions. I’ll miss his energy (and wish I had it!)
• ‘Abraham’ is also very bright, and a natural leader, but with lots of love and is very considerate. I’d like to serve under his leadership, quite frankly—and the same goes for many others!

*For security reasons each participant selected a name from the Bible to use for internet and publishing purposes.*

Update from South East Asia: Who Is Teaching Whom?

These are not our participants, for security reasons we cannot photograph those brave brothers,
 but it is simple working men like these that are leaders of house churches in South Asia

As we have been teaching this church planting seminar to South East Asian Muslim background believers, we are continually impressed with their faith, and with just how much we from the West have to learn from them.

‘Samuel’ is a grandfather in the faith. He led ‘Simon’ to faith in Christ, and Simon did the same for ‘Ruha.’ All three are currently attending the training sessions here in South Asia, and all three are pastors of house fellowships.

They don’t necessarily use the word ‘church,’ or even the word ‘Christian’, because both terms are associated with negative ideas. The main problem is that the old wineskins just aren’t the right fit for the new ‘wine’ of God’s transforming power. They don’t want the buildings, programs, or entertainment of Western Christianity, they want a real life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ for themselves, their families and their communities. They spent their day Saturday looking for Muslims in the local area and sharing God’s love with them.

Even as we teach them, they are teaching us. Here’s what I mean:

We are teaching them theories and principles. For example, we taught them Jesus’ parable about the houses built on the rock and sand: ‘Everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house, and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock’ (Matt 7:24-25).  We analyzed the story with them using the education we've been blessed with. We looked for the key words and ideas, and stressed that the rock is obedience to Christ, not simply knowledge of Christ.

They are teaching us the practice. These are, for the most part, farmers, fishermen, and handworkers, who labor by day, and minister to others at night. They left their jobs in order to come here for this three weeks of training, and at the very least, they will lose their whole monthly income (maybe around $200) in order to be here. They might get their job back when they go home, but they will struggle to feed young families. The ‘winds’ of persecution and hardship are slamming against the ‘house’ of their lives and families all the time.

Most of them pastor at least two fellowships of Muslim background believers who meet in homes at least once a week, and some more often than that. All know what it is to suffer rejection for Jesus.  Some can never go back to their extended families.

So who are the real teachers here, us or them? Sure, we have perhaps more knowledge and resources. We come from a part of the world where Christianity has a long history of dominance and we are the heirs of this history. They live in a land dominated by other religions and live in constant danger of persecution. They aren’t yet acquainted much with principles of Bible interpretation and background information, but they are experienced in the area of spiritual warfare, and have seen many people delivered from demonic oppression. They know Jesus personally (many have had first-hand encounters in dreams or visions). As we have shared with them, we have learned amazing lessons in faith, obedience and trust.

Even if I were to never come back to this place, I will never forget these brothers: Samuel, Simon, Ruah, Nehemiah, Philip, Samson, David 1, David 2, Silas, Abraham, Pontus, and Timothy. Then there are the new ones who came just this week: Peter (also a father in the faith), Philemon, Titus, John, and Barnabas. 

Thanks for praying for them, and for us:—Joshua, Titus, Eric, Miriam, and John—we have five more teaching days with them. Pray that the Lord would use us to fill them and encourage them for the last five days of teaching. Also pray that God would use these men to teach us what true obedience and faith looks like.

-Eric Adams

P.S. You may wonder how all of these men are named from the Bible. For security reasons, no real names are used in this post. These South Asian brothers each chose a name from the Bible to identify with. Please keep them in your prayers.