
“But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin,”
1 John 1:7 (NLT).
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Our sovereign God truly wants people to know Him. He looks for opportunities to make Himself known through the people and the circumstances around us. He shows His power and authority by doing miraculous things and answering our prayers. When we are in community, we have so many more opportunities to witness Him in action.
One of our programs here at International Students, Inc. which blesses students, volunteers and staff with that strong sense of community is the M:28 Global Discipleship Initiative. In this setting, students discover God on their own directly from the Word in the safety of a supportive community.
I want to share with you a story sent to us by a family who volunteers to hold M:28 Bible Studies in their home. A few years ago the family hosted an M:28 study with a young, unbelieving family—Michael, Kate and their two daughters—from Central Asian Republic. Our volunteer family shared their M:28 experience with Michael and Kate:
“One week, Michael and Kate shared that Kate’s stipend for her studies in the U.S. wasn’t enough to cover the expenses of their whole family. They decided that Michael needed to get a job, but were concerned that his limited English skills could prove challenging. The following week, our friends reported that Michael got a job at McDonalds and his earnings would cover the gap in their needs! And Kate got an internship with the city government. God is so good! After this, our Bible study became more important to them. They wanted to get to know this God who helped them so much. Before long, Michael showed his ‘God awareness’ when he responded to a decision they had to make by saying, ‘We should think about how God would want us to act.’”
The daughter of this Friendship Partner family also played an important role in the M:28 experience for Michael, Kate and their two daughters. The girls hardly spoke any English when they began the M:28 Bible studies. After a while, all three girls became the best of friends. Our volunteers also shared this wonderful story about the interactions between their daughter and Michael and Kate’s two daughters:
“During the M:28 Discovery studies, our daughter saw it as her responsibility to be a ‘missionary’ to the girls while they played. She invited them to our church’s children’s program and when the older daughter became a lover of Jesus, we rejoiced!”
So, not only did the parents grow in their faith, but their daughters’ lives were touched as well with the oldest becoming a follower of Jesus!
In M:28 Bible studies, students of all ages are imprinted from the very first day with the DNA of spiritual multiplication! Friend, I want to take a moment to share with you just how excited we are by this growing initiative by giving you some incredible
M:28 updates:
- 3,740 leaders have been trained in M:28 Global Discipleship in 31 states and 16 countries
- We project over 93,500 people have been impacted by M:28
- The M:28 training manual was recently updated and simplified
- A specialized M:28 Smartphone App is currently in development
In closing, I want to share with you a passage from Acts that mirrors very well the community and fellowship aspect of our M:28 initiative:
"They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved,"
Acts 2:46-47, NLT.
Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to reach every international student for Christ. We are grateful for you and your support as we move forward with our M:28 initiative, which will continue changing lives around the world!
For More Information:
Learn more about the M:28 Global Discipleship Initiative.
Learn more about some of our other Bible studies.