“Disciple-making movement training transformed the way I see my calling,” said Bill. “I’m not just a church planter anymore. I’m a movement starter.”

Bill had been living in a large city in Asia for six years. He and his church-based team were sharing about Jesus and praying for their Muslim friends, but they weren’t seeing the results they were aiming for.

After attending a Frontiers-sponsored training event on disciple-making movements, Bill’s vision shifted dramatically. “I recognized a new calling on my life,” he says. He started to see that God has a comprehensive strategy for reaching the whole region. In response, Bill extended his focus beyond his neighbourhood and began envisioning a broad movement to Christ—a work of God that would stretch across the entire region.

The first phase of this vision was to raise up extravagant prayer. Bill and his team had already prioritized prayer, but he needed supporters back home to pray differently than they had been up to that point. He increased his communications and asked them to pray more strategically and specifically for a disciple-making movement. His supporters rallied behind him, joining in prayer like never before.

It wasn’t long before God responded by orchestrating some dramatic healings. Rafi had heard Bill share about Jesus Christ, and Bill had prayed for Rafi and his wife Kareema whenever he visited them. A few years back, the couple had a baby that was born without a brain. All the family’s savings went into the futile attempt to save the child. Now Kareema was pregnant again. Late in the pregnancy, she started bleeding, and their family refused to help them. “Your baby is just going to die again,” they said. “Why would we give any money to help you?”

Rafi called and asked Bill to pray for them in Jesus’ name. A few weeks later, the baby was born, healthy and whole. The entire family recognized this as a miracle of God!

Within weeks, Rafi and Kareema witnessed more miracles. Their excitement was palpable as they told Bill, “We need to know about this Jesus in whose name you prayed!”

Bill recognized this as a critical moment. “God has really shined his light on you through Jesus,” he declared. “You’ve really found favour with God through Jesus!”

“You’re right,” they responded. “We’ve got to know more about Jesus!”

Bill started studying the Bible with Rafi and Kareema, helping them engage with Scripture in meaningful ways. At the end of the studies, they’d challenge each other to obey scripture by asking, “If this is true, what will you do about it? Who will you share this with?” This set the precedent for obedience to God’s word and also facilitated the multiplication of groups by encouraging them to share what they were learning to others.

After their third study, Bill started coaching Rafi and Kareema to facilitate Bible studies with other people. “Who else needs to do a study like this?” Bill asked them. They quickly named the family living in the gully down the street, a neighbour with cancer, and a woman who simply needed God’s light in her life.

Rafi and Kareema started more groups. Those groups multiplied as more leaders were coached to start new groups. Today there are four generations of Discovery Bible Studies, and there’s no sign of letting up. Groups have also been established in surrounding villages. Bill estimates there are now over two hundred adults engaging with scripture, seeking God’s truth, and discovering faith in Jesus..

This is a pivotal moment in the spiritual history of the city and the region. As Muslims discover that God loves them and is active in their lives, they catch His vision to reach their entire region with His message. The truth of Christ compels them to share God’s truth broadly, facilitating the continued rapid multiplication of groups.

“Now that this truth has come into our lives,” one new believer says, “it can never be removed… there’s no going back!”