Middle East (MNN) — In a country where Islam reigns as the main source of thought and religion, discipleship of Christians can be both difficult and dangerous. Nonetheless, mounting obstacles have not stopped the movement of a revival.
Sammy Tippit Ministries recently provided discipleship training for believers of an undisclosed country in the Middle East. The training was conducted in a safer country where work could move forth without fear of disruption.
The discipleship training was actually geared toward reaching the youth of the country with a solid foundation for the Gospel. It's imperative to meet these needs since God is moving powerfully among the country's youth, says evangelist Sammy Tippit.
"There is a revival that's taking place, and that revival is centered in the youth population. So when there's a revival–God pouring out His spirit and many young people coming to Christ–it's imperative that you build a wineskin. Because if you have old wineskins, according to Jesus, when you pour the new wine in, you're going to lose it."
Discipleship helps to ensure that new believers in the faith will not simply latch onto Jesus for a time and then forget Him because they didn't have a good grasp of the Gospel.
Furthermore, Tippit says new believers are putting themselves at risk by converting from Islam to Christ. "They're putting their lives on the line. They know that when they go back [home], there's a possibility that they will go to prison for their faith," says Tippit. This is all the more reason to make sure that good discipleship is taking place. If someone is going to put their life on the line, he needs to be confident that his cause is worth dying for.
Now that the week-long training is complete, Tippit says, "We know that they're going to apply it. It's not just going to fill a notebook." Just two days after the training, Tippit received a grateful e-mail from someone being discipled by a trainee. Solid teaching is already spreading like wildfire.
As the Gospel continues to spread and true discipleship begins to take off, Tippit says the effects could be revolutionary. Tippit witnessed the spread of the faith through solid discipleship reviving Eastern Europe 20 years ago. He says discipleship in this country could similarly alter the nation.
"I am convinced that this country is on the brink of going one of two ways. It is known already as an extremist-type country, and it could continue to go that way. However, there is a movement among young people in the country not only for Christianity, but rejecting the status quo of Islam in that nation. So the impact could be literally revolutionary."
Pray that the leaders who received this training would know how to best use the wisdom which with they've been entrusted. Pray that as Muslim students continue to reject traditional Islamic teaching, believers would be there to introduce them to the Truth. Pray that God would work mightily in this country to revolutionize the nation into one that predominantly follows Christ rather than Allah.
