Jerry Trousdale's Miraculous Movements is a book that will leave you speechless. Normally any time I hear about the Middle East or other majority Muslim parts of the world, it's suicide bombers, beheading of Christians, oppression of women, etc. Not here. Trousdale, director of International Ministries for CityTeam International, has traveled and ministered throughout the Muslim world. The stories he tell, in contrast to what I'm accustomed to hearing, are of a vibrant Christian witness and miraculous encounters drawing Muslims to Jesus.
The core of the work Trousdale describes is the Disciple Making Movement, consisting of Discovery Bible Studies and obedience-based discipleship. They turn discipleship on its head. As I've normally been taught, discipleship looks something like this: a person becomes a Christian, then through a combination of individual Bible study and prayer, mentorship, and participation in communal prayer, worship, and Bible study, the new Christian is discipled into increasing maturity. Under the DMM model, discipleship is a process that leads to conversion. As Trousdale describes it, it's much more like Jesus practiced with his disciples.
Trousdales examples are amazing to read. In many cases, DMM gains entry into a community as a result of a miraculous healing or encounter. The stories are so encouraging, reminding jaded Western Christian readers like me that God is very much at work in the world. Even better, Trousdale presents a model that can be replicated even in the American Bible Belt. The cultural milieu is very different, and the risks of persecution in the U.S. are minimal. But lost people are just as lost.
Like other books about missions, Miraculous Movements encouraged me with the stories of God's powerful work in the Muslim world. But Trousdale doesn't let me stop with thinking that all of this doesn't apply to me. DMM can be implemented anywhere, and miraculous movements know no boundaries.
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I would advise that you relook at the accuracy of the theology in this book brother. It is infact a very unbiblical method of evangelism that is legalistic, and focused on human wisdom rather than scriptural instruction.
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