Written by Warrick Farah, Editor of Motus Dei: The Movement of God to Disciple the Nations

“Sheno” fought in his South Asian country's liberation war many years ago. The experience of armed combat led him to continue fighting as a vigilante even after the war ended. He partnered with the police, helping them with their dirty work.

One day, Sheno heard the message of the Gospel. “If Jesus died for my sins, then that changes everything,” he thought to himself. Slowly he began to grow in his faith as he was mentored by a distant relative who had also become a believer and was starting many house churches.

Instead of taking life through violence, Sheno sought to give life through ministry, following in the ways of Jesus. Yet in his Muslim country, he was often taunted for following Christ and threatened to return to Islam. Eventually, Sheno found an irenic response that would silence his persecutors when said with a smile, “When I was a Muslim, I killed many people. So if I become a Muslim again – who knows – maybe I will kill you?”

Today, Sheno is a key leader in a church multiplication movement in the rural areas of his country that has seen hundreds of new churches established. In Sheno’s immediate network, he has seen fourth generation multiplication, meaning a church has started a new church, which in turn started a new church, and then again and again.

I met Sheno and several key leaders like him while on a trip to South Asia this year. But on this particular trip, I had a movement catalyst from a different country in Southeast Asia with me. “Basri” was researching alongside myself and asking many questions to Sheno and the other leaders in the room.

At one point I interrupted the conversation. “Sheno,” I said, “it is incredible that you have four generations of church multiplication. Basri, can you tell us how many generations of multiplication you have in your movement?” I already knew the answer, but I wanted to see the reaction in the room.

“Well,” said Basri, shyly. “From what we know right now, we have 28 generations of multiplication in our movement.” It took a second for the translation to come through, but suddenly the room was very quiet. And then people started talking excitedly amongst themselves. “28 generations!?!” Their vision increased dramatically.

The remainder of the day Basri took questions from Sheno and others in the room about how to plant multiplying churches in unreached Muslim contexts. This was much more than research. Pray for the Church to continue to multiply in unexpected places.