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Darrell Whiteman, Frank Decker, and Jim Ramsay attended a consultation in March held in Southeast Asia for people who are committed to engaging people of other religions in some new and exciting ways. Many of these people serve in very highly sensitive areas, where any disclosure of their presence could lead to physical harm for them or for the believers they work with. Due to the nature of this sort of gathering we are limited in the level of detail we can share.

There are movements occurring of people coming to a knowledge of Jesus Christ and forming communities to study His Word and follow Him. Since these movements are focused on His Word, at this consultation what is called "manuscript Bible study" takes center stage. Manuscript Bible study is an inductive Bible study approach where an entire book of the Bible is studied. It is reprinted in manuscript form without chapter and verse designations and without commentary – this helps participants view it with a fresh look and encourages us to limit preconceptions. As we study the Word in this form, studying alongside people of entirely different cultural and religious backgrounds, it opens the doors for new understandings. The Gospel of Mark has been the focus of this annual consultation. As one studies it in this raw form, a couple things really stand out. One is Jesus’s focus on the Kingdom of God. The other is His desire that the Gospel is for all peoples and some of the strong statements He makes about any who would put constraints of power, ethnicity, or status on people’s access to the truth. All are offered the Word of God and invited to respond with obedience.

One may question why would you go half way around the world just to do a Bible study? Yet this consultation helped the attendants learn from one another, as well as demonstrated the value of different cultures interacting with God’s Word. It also is a great reminder of the power of His Word to bring people to Himself and the centrality it must have for any ministry or mission to be successful. Attending this consultation gave a whole new dimension of reality to the Scripture we often quote from 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

We also had time for interaction with other participants over meals and free time. There were sessions of testimonies and case studies of nationals and missionaries serving in some very challenging arenas. There were also teachings on topics related to ministry in these settings. It was a time of encouragement to those who are serving in some of these tough areas as well as a way for the national believers in these regions to interact with other believers who face similar social and political challenges as they live out their faith.

At The Mission Society, we continue to ask the Lord to call people to serve in many of these unreached areas of the world. It requires people with a strong faith in God, a commitment to reaching the unreached, and a willingness to surrender all to Him without condition. We are doing all we can to be sure that we can prepare, deploy, and support these servants as they come our direction.