Page 25 - PIR 2020

Mathew and Thomas. Two brothers in arms. In Jesus’ day Matthew was a tax-collector, while Thomas was known for doubting, but both were followers of Jesus. They were from different backgrounds but were committed to walking together and supporting each other.
Thomas, an experienced pastor, first heard about Empart around the time he planted his church. He heard Jossy speak at a conference and decided
he wanted to invest in something, that by western standards, is so radical and is seeing such amazing fruit.
Thomas had been mentoring a young man who had only been following Jesus for 12 months. It was clear to Thomas though that Mathew had a pastoral calling on his life. Thomas decided to develop Mathew’s calling, spending many hours discipling and mentoring him. He passed on his passion, vision and church culture, and Mathew grew quickly.
Inviting Mathew to the field was a natural extension of his discipleship journey. There they met the workers and were humbled when they witnessed the students taking the martyr’s oath at their graduation.
“Over there, there is more excitement for Jesus. They will face much more extreme circumstances than
we will in our western culture. They are hungry for Him and may even die for Him. That’s something that we don’t consider here. We need to live by our convictions. We need to stand by the Word like they do,” said Mathew.
“The only reason I am where I am right now is because I was heavily discipled. Thomas reached out to me, which he didn’t have to do. To see the impact in the field of workers who have experienced the same type
of ‘whole of life discipleship’ that I have experienced excites me about my future. I am thankful to Thomas for being obedient to God.”
Thomas reflected,
“When I look at the example of discipleship in the field, I know that that is a great model.”
“The students and workers are mentored by someone more experienced. It is real and authentic. It affirms to me that the journey I walked with Matthew, although different to the western norm, has the potential for life- changing generational fruit.
When we were in the field we saw a grass-roots movement. They start from something small and are so excited to grow. They value the little things and see genuine fruit come. People there are so extreme for Jesus, but they are just regular people who struggle too. They step into what God wants for them. We too can step into what God wants for us here.
In the natural, the guys over there would not be chosen to lead or pastor. They would be seen as too young or inexperienced. They are not knowledgeable enough and don’t have the right qualifications. But look what they achieve! I believe we can learn from their example. God looks at the heart. We should learn to do that more too.”
Mathew’s time in the field enabled him to catch
the same excitement as our heroes. He had the opportunity to speak, develop and grow on a whole deeper level. Thomas opened himself up to mentor Mathew and in the process found a true brother. This is true discipleship and partnership in action.
Partnership Impact Report 2020 25