Many Christians view the mass immigration of Ms to the U.S. and Europe with concern and anxiety. But growing evidence indicates that God is orchestrating the migration of Ms—“so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him” (Acts 17:27).
When people relocate from lands that are resistant to the Gospel, they generally become more accessible with the Good News. And even before the “Arab Spring,” this dynamic was placing more receptive M populations within easier access of many believers.
Ms are taught to resist Christianity, but their religion prepares their hearts for the Holy Spirit’s work by teaching Ms
- the reality of God and eternal judgement (while offering no sure path to forgiveness),
- to look to the prophets (which all point to Jesus) as they pray daily for God to lead them in the “Straight Path,”
- to look to the Bible for further insight, and to Jesus as the only one who lived a sinless life (and is thus capable of becoming the atoning sacrifice for their sins).
Furthermore,
- Christians are praying for and reaching out to Ms like never before,
- God is raising up laborers—an estimated 100,000-200,000 from Korea, China, the Philippines, Brazil and Africa are preparing to serve in the M world alongside a growing number of M-background believers with a burden for their own people,
- God is also intervening in the lives of Ms with dreams, visions and miracles,
- mission field workers are learning from one another, and the Holy Spirit, to develop more effective methods more rapidly than ever,
- better training is available than ever before for Christians who want to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in reaching Ms,
- Church Planting Movements and Disciple-Making Movements are breaking forth in many parts of the M world, and
- Ms are already turning to Christ in unprecedented numbers with M receiving Christ and quickly winning others.
Last summer our family helped launch a T4T (Training For Trainers) style of Church Planting Movement among M refugees in one city in Europe. Since then, four generations of Ms in that city have come to Christ and been trained to effectively share the Gospel and train others to do so.
This means that, in just the last 9 months or so:
- Some Ms came to Christ, were trained to share their faith, and began leading other Ms to Christ.
- Some of the Ms they led to Christ (second generation M-background believers) were trained to share their faith and began leading yet other Ms to Christ.
- Some of these third generation M-background believers were trained to share their faith and began leading yet other Ms to Christ.
- And some of these fourth generation M-background believers were trained to share their faith and began leading yet other Ms to Christ.
- With continued prayer, support and encouragement, this pattern can continue indefinitely.
This is how Church Planting Movements and Disciple-Making Movements grow rapidly into very large numbers. And amidst such multiplication, some inevitably relocate and carry their faith and training to other locations—back to their homeland or on to other communities—so that under the influence of the Holy Spirit, this “obedience of faith” can spread rapidly just as it did in the New Testament.
We may soon witness the fulfillment of God’s promise to bless Abraham’s other descendants (the sons of Ishmael, Ge 17:18,20) as the power of the Holy Spirit works among Ms through
We invite you to join us in simple preparation to become effective in leading Ms (and others) to follow Jesus.
