Reflecting makes me marvel at two things:
- What God did
- How He used you to participate in it
Your support is making a difference for the Great Commission!
Of course, we give all credit where it’s due—to God alone. But in His graciousness, He uses us to build His Kingdom. It’s a joy to celebrate the fruit. In 2023 alone:
- Over 15,000 new churches were started! That’s about 41 churches per day!
- More than 200,000 new disciples joined the family of God – that’s about 547 disciples every day – and more than 45,000 of those were Muslim background believers!
- Over 200 movements total (minimum of 100 churches with 4 generations of replication) over the past 18 years!
I want to highlight one story that impacted me in 2023. It’s a story about Achmed.
Achmed is not his real name, and I can’t tell you where he lives because his country is dominated by radical Muslims and his journey with Jesus will likely always be in the “valley of the shadow of death.”
I have never met Achmed, but I did see a video of his baptism. It was awe-inspiring and sobering at the same time.
Two brothers stood on either side of Achmed. One held a teapot and the other a basin. They asked him about his commitment to love and follow Jesus. After Achmed affirmed that this was his heart’s desire, he bowed his head and one brother poured the teapot of water over his head while the other caught the water in the basin.
If this baptism had been public, chances are that Achmed’s first act of following Jesus would have been his last.
Our team at New Generations has tracked nearly three quarters of a million people in total who have come to belief from Muslim backgrounds since 2006. Sometimes, I hear stories like Achmed’s, I see the updated stats from our staff whose role is to evaluate and verify the numbers, and I feel like I’m watching a movie about the Book of Acts with never-ending sequels. The names and places change, but the storyline remains the same.
And the more I ponder this growth in the Church, I remember I really shouldn’t be surprised by big numbers when God is on the move.
Thank you for the role you play in building God’s Kingdom.
Faith is based in trusting God to do what only He can do. But faith grows through the experience of watching God do more than you thought possible. I believe the days ahead will be far greater than the days behind.
Gratefully,
Harry Brown
President New Generations
New Generations is a faithful partner of The Bolick Foundation.