P52 Nashville: "Strategy, Water, and Connections"

Well, the time is here. The summer is half over. Wow. It's crazy, it feels like we have only been here for a week, but also for our whole lives. We have met so many people, and we are only half done. On Thursday of this week, my team and I just sat down with our supervisor and worked on strategy. With only one month left, it's time to get down to business.  We placed everyone we have met in the "4 Fields", which is a tool that is used to determine where someone is in the process of salvation and evangelism. For more information on the Four fields, check out this link. http://ow.ly/bXE3z

After placing everyone in the 4 Fields, we created a detailed list of each person/family unit and how we can bring them to the next spot. Right now we are working on connecting each person/family unit to someone in the Church who can continue to build relationships and share Jesus with them after we are gone. We leave August 1st, and if we don't build that network before we are gone, our ministry this summer will mean nothing. Strategy is daunting: with over 50 people to connect to the local church, scheduling and planning is hard, but it's what God has called us to. We have to build lasting relationships with these people. We are not the end of this ministry; Project 52 is not the end goal. We are here to empower the local church to take up the mission of reaching the Lost from across the globe here in Nashville. Please pray for us as we work on strategy and connecting people this last month.

This Saturday we attended a Burmese Buddhist Water Festival. This is a festival that celebrates the New Year, and you splash people with water to symbolize spiritual refreshment and cleansing. We went to build relationships with the Burmese people... and to splash each other with water! It was a great time, especially with the kids. I couldn't help but think while I was there about what it means to be cleansed from sin. I'm glad that our cleansing doesn't come from other sinful, dirty people, but from the One who never needed cleansing. "He became sin who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." We are cleansed not with water, but with blood. It is the blood of the Lamb that makes us spotless in the sight of a just and holy God. Thanks be to God.

Well, this week is going to be exciting! We have some meetings scheduled with members of local churches with some of the people we have met, and we are seeking to build connections that will endure after we are gone. Please pray for the church to take the command of Christ and follow in obedience; we need them to carry on our work after we have gone. The Lord has done too much for us to let these people fall to the wayside. There is a lot of work left, and only 4 weeks to do it all, but the Lord is God over time, and He can do an incredible work even in the remaining 4 weeks.

Please pray with boldness this week for us in these specific ways:

1. Pray for our strategic planning, that we would make the most out of our time to create a lasting impact here in Nashville that would ripple out and affect nations and people across the globe.
2. Pray for the local church, that they would have hearts for the nations here in Nashville and be willing to follow us and build lasting relationships with our friends that we have made this summer.
3. Pray for the interactions we will have with all of our contacts this week. Pray for salvation of families, tribes, and nations. It's not too big for God.

P52 Nashville: Grilling Fried Chicken

Well, it's been a busy week, but the Lord has worked in mighty ways. On Sunday of this week we planned to go out to a local park and meet Kurdish families. Many Kurdish families go to this park to picnic on Sundays, and we thought it would be a great time to meet families and build relationships. On the way over there we stopped at Kroger to get some picnic food, i.e. fried chicken, but by the time we got there it was cold. As we arrived, we didn't see any Kurdish families, and we were a little sad about that, but decided to picnic anyway. A family came up to us and said we could use the grill that they left, which still had hot coals under it, so that's when we got a brilliant idea. We decided to grill fried chicken.

     Turns out, fried chicken has a LOT of grease and oil, and our picnic plans quickly turned to fire-prevention plans. Our food was burned to a crisp, and we were left with nothing to eat. Not exactly the best way to start a picnic. Within minutes, however, a Kurdish family arrived at the park, and they saw our pitiful picnic results and invited us to come and eat with them! We weren't sure exactly how to meet people, but the Lord clearly provided a way for us to build relationships and share Bible stories through us being foolish Americans and trying to grill fried chicken! The Lord works in mysterious ways.

     We also had the opportunity to put on a 5k Run/Walk to raise funds and awareness about refugees in the Nashville area. It was a great opportunity for us to spread the word and raise awareness about ways that the Church can be involved with these people through refugee relocation and gospel ministries. Please pray for the Church in the Nashville area and in cities across the nation that have high refugee populations. Memphis is quickly becoming one of these cities, so Church, prepare yourself to take up this mission in your area! Do research and find out if there are refugee populations in your area! These people need the gospel. They need a friend and God can change the world through these people. Many of these refugees have contacts across the globe in their oikos (sphere of influence), so see the vision of the gospel going to all nations through working with these people. God's heart is for the foreigner, and ours must be as well.

Please pray for our team:

1. Pray for the Buddhist temple visit this Saturday. Pray for the gospel to break forth in power, and that we might see the salvation and commissioning of many.
2. Pray for the national network of people working with Kurds that we are trying to set up. Pray that the Lord would give His people a passion to reach the Kurds here in the US and around the globe.
3. Pray for people that we will visit this week and seek to study the Bible with. Pray for salvation of families, not just individuals.
4. Pray for unity among our team.

P52 Nashville: The Lion’s Den

    This week we had the opportunity to visit many different festivals. Our team went to a Burmese festival, Lao Buddhist Festival, and Hindu festival. To the left is a picture of the Sri Ganesha Temple in Nashville, and this temple celebrates and is the house of worship for the Hindu god Ganesha, the god of wealth, blessing, and success. The day we went was a special day because it was a festival where Hindus celebrate the gods coming to them. In India, the gods are put on very large carts and pulled through villages and towns, but in America they put the gods on a cart and pull them around the parking lot.

    When we first walked into the area of worship, I was struck by the loud clanging and yelling and megaphones. These people told me that they were making loud noises to wake up their gods so they would pay attention to them. Then they lifted each god out of its shrine and placed it on a large cart to be pulled by the people. This was a very sad experience, and I felt sorry for these people who feel as though they have the responsibility of waking, bathing, feeding, and moving their gods. These gods aren't really gods at all. Our God, the only God, cannot be contained. He doesn't sleep, and He always hears His people when they call to Him. Jesus came to the earth to save sinners, offering a relationship with God to all those who are found in Him.

     After the Hindu Temple visit, we visited the Lao Buddhist Temple festival that we were invited to by Khambang. Khambang was the head of security for the temple, protecting the royal family, who have been exiled from Laos by the Communist government. We were able to meet a few people at this festival and share Christ with some people of peace. My team split into groups of two and prayer walked the festival, praying for open doors and people of peace to share Christ with. I met a guy named PQ who was a devout Buddhist, but after talking with him I believe he realized that I was right, but he did not want to give up his religion, which he believed to be a vital part of his culture and heritage. I met another guy named Key who was a nominal Buddhist, and his sister is a follower of Christ. I shared Creation to Christ, but he said that his sister already told him all about Jesus. I gave him a Jesus film and prayed for him as he left.

     About this time I was feeling really bummed because no one would talk to us. I was about to give up and head home, but a man named Wayne just came up to us and started talking with us! He began to tell us about how he came to America as a refugee, and told us how thankful he was for our team for what we are doing with refugees in the Nashville area. He told us, "You know, it's sad. I will never see you all again... Unless I give you my contact information!" He proceeded to give us all of his contact information and told us he wanted to meet us again soon to talk about Jesus!

     So we've been in and out of places of deep darkness, but the Lord has prevailed in all of them. A little light can expel much darkness, and the Lord is more powerful than forces of evil and the lies they have spoken. He was powerful enough to shut the mouths of the hungry lions to save Daniel, and He is powerful enough to change hearts through prayer and the faithful preaching of the gospel.

     The Lord is doing great things here in Nashville. Here's how you can pray:

1. Pray for our national network of people ministering to Kurds
2. Pray for a website resource we will be creating this week to reach Kurds
3. Pray for new relationships and for solid followup with already established ones
4. Pray for visions and dreams of Jesus
5. Pray big things (world vision)

P52 Nashville NAME: City Stories- Lao Buddhist Tmple

Yesterday was our first day taking our Project52 team into the southeast Nashville community for gospel ministry. Although it was not on our “agenda,” we stopped by the Laotian Buddhist temple in the Woodbine community.

We were so grateful for the Buddhist monk who showed us all around the inside of his temple. We learned that these beds are for spirits who need a place to rest and refresh themselves as they wander through the world.

Our team had a great time learning from the monk about Buddhism. People were bringing in food for the spirits and gods there, and we had an opportunity to pray for the monk in Jesus’ name. But that could not have prepared us for what happened next.

As we were leaving the temple, we met a man standing outside named Khambang. He is from Laos and a true, biblical person of peace. We shared the gospel with him and gave him a Creation to Christ gospel tract and Jesus film. He invited us back next week to a huge Laotian community event, and he invited us to share Bible stories and Jesus films with people during the all day event next Saturday!

We were so overwhelmed by God’s love for us and grateful for the open doors to share Jesus with even more Buddhists in our Nashville community.

- James Harvey (our supervisor)

Here are some links to resources that the church I'm working with has put out. They are training and mobilizing church planting movements in Nashville, and across the US, maybe one day the globe. Check it out.

Resources:

www.ilovewoodbine.com

www.citychurchwoodbine.org/resources

www.citychurchdiscipleship.com

Pray for:

1. Salvation on Saturday the 23rd as we bring the gospel to the whole Buddhist Laotian community.
2. Salvation for Khambang and his family particularly, as he is a "gatekeeper" to his community.
3. The prince of Laos, as he will be attending. Pray for his salvation and the gospel movement in his country
4. Pray Big.

In Christ,

Matt Bentley

P52 Nashville: These Are Not Our Enemies

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12

     When you hear the words "Muslim" or "Islam", what thoughts come to your mind? For many of us, we may have never had a Muslim friend or acquaintance; the most we have heard of these people have been news reports of violence and hatred.

     The past two weeks, I have been in training for leadership and evangelism to Muslim people groups in Nashville. My team's focus is on North African and Middle Eastern people groups, specifically the Kurds and Somali Bantu. Our mission is to bring the light of the gospel to these unreached people groups and empower the local church to take up this mission and actively seek to evangelize and plant churches among these peoples in the Nashville area.

     Last Friday I had the opportunity to attend a service at the local mosque. We did not participate, but we were able to observe from the back of the room as the people worshiped their god. I have never known anyone who was Muslim, and like many of you, I have been very detached from these people. As I attended this service what I realized was that these people are just like us: sinners in desperate need of the gospel of Christ.  They have shown me incredible hospitality, often more than I would expect from the most hospitable of Southern people.

     I was struck by the devotion that these people showed to their god. These people desperately want to please their god, but have been deceived by the lies of the evil one. Pray against the powers of darkness and pray that the Spirit would come and illuminate the lies and shine the truth of the gospel of Christ through His Church.

"Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places." Ephesians 3:7-10

Here's how you can pray:

1. Pray for wisdom/discernment as my team seeks to effectively bring the gospel to the Kurdish and Somali Bantu.
2. Pray for visions and dreams for the Muslims here in Nashville (85% of converted Muslims had a dream or vision of Christ before conversion).
3. Pray for the local church to have the heart and eyes of Christ: to love and see the nations as God does.
4. Pray for refugees to be open to hearing the gospel and studying the Bible in their homes.
5. Pray for a house church movement to begin in Nashville that would impact the globe.
6. Pray for God to do things that only He can do. Pray big.

In Christ,

Matt