Opportunities Abound

This month we share one of the many Kingdom growth opportunities God has set before us and our partners.

Small in the World’s Eyes, Great in the Kingdom

Over and over in Scripture God uses people whom the world looks down upon to expand His Kingdom. In 2 Kings 5, God uses a servant girl to send the powerful man Naaman to Elisha for healing. How often are housekeepers, taxi drivers, shop owners, and hairdressers overlooked in the Kingdom picture? What if believers in these often-unseen professions were trained to share the stories of Scripture and equipped to be disciple-makers to everyone around them, including the rich and powerful? One SIU partner is using this strategy to expand Kingdom work in closed countries. As these believers are trained and equipped, they will be in strategic positions to share God’s story and to make disciples among the hard-to-reach.

Unreached People Groups

It is estimated that 90% of the remaining unreached, unengaged people of the earth, representing an estimated 3.3 billion people (according to JoshuaProject.net) are currently living in oral cultures. Conservatively, we might see 10 new Oral Bible Churches/house churches and 100 new believers in a few months following a “Bridges” training in the field! SIU, its partners, and their networks of leaders are strategically positioned to accelerate the task of the Great Commission within oral cultures around the world.

Miraculous Results

Using the SIU “Bridges” equipping and training approach, our proven partners and their networks of believers use word for word Bible storytelling as they get to know a new community, seeking a person of peace who can open doors, providing access to share more stories of Scripture with the community. This pattern has been repeated in many new areas around the world and our partners have seen miracles happen as the Holy Spirit opens people’s hearts to receive the Good News. This can lead to an organic movement within a people group, with people passing the stories and the Good News on to others. This exponential growth can lead to the people group becoming an “engaged and reached people group.” The miraculous result in the local community: many new storytelling fellowships, new Oral Bible churches/house churches, new believers, new disciples, and more people trained, equipped and inspired to see the advance of the Gospel and growth of God’s Kingdom in areas never reached before.

Training Event Cost

Our “Bridges” training events held in pioneering areas at a local or regional level cost approx. $3,000 USD per training, depending on the number of people attending, the specific country and city of the training, and the number of trainers who are traveling. Typical class sizes range from 20 to 40 people, depending on the specific training and the partner ministries being trained. On average, we typically see at least 3-6 of the Bridges training participants become passionate about using the Bridges Oral Arts approach and they soon become Master Trainers and Orality Champions in their own communities and regions beyond.

WILL YOU JOIN US IN THIS EFFORT?

Any donation amount to help fund these Bridges training events would be greatly appreciated.