Stories Detail

Year of Disciple-Making: What Do We Do Now?

Apr 07, 2017

An Incredible Story of God’s Saving Power

On a recent trip into the mountains, Dave expected to have a quick visit with Frank, whom he had given a Bible a few months before. Frank had said he believed the Bible, which was significant in this predominantly Muslim and incredibly remote area of the world in which Dave and his family serve as Summit missionaries.

After wandering around town for an hour or so until Frank found him, Dave walked to Frank’s house and sat in front of a large meal. Frank had invited some of his family, but there were other men there, too.

Before long the oldest of them brought up something religious, so Dave took the chance to talk about the Christmas story. When he got to the end, he waited for their response.

Dave was taken aback when the patriarch said, “Yes, yes. We know this story. And believe it. We asked you here today because we want to know: What do we do now?”

Here was an unreached people group, in the most remote mountains of the world, isolated until just the past few years, worshiping Jesus together. Dave realized God had been doing something long before he had arrived.

Frank explained that the small group there was just the beginning. Someone else had shared with them before Dave arrived, and the message had been spreading.

“How many followers are there?” Dave asked Frank. There were less than a dozen men in the room, and Dave guessed there might be another two or three believers that couldn’t come.

“How many?” Frank paused. “I don’t know exactly. Probably about 200.”

Two hundred believers.

Dave then spent two hours with this new church, teaching them how to study the Bible, pray, and meet together to worship. When he left, he promised to come back to teach them, and many of them promised to come visit Dave as well.

Dave’s discovery that day was astonishing: A people with a unique language, politically and religiously isolated until very recently, now has a group of 200 eager believers worshipping Christ. Another one of those tribes, promised in the book of Revelation, has joined the throng around the throne.

Who could do something like this but our God? And who could hear a story like this without wondering how God might want to use them to advance the gospel?

The question, Summit, is not if you’re called to engage in God’s mission; it’s only a matter of where and how.

Names have been changed for security reasons.