Stories

Enrico is an Advance group leader in Cape Town, South Africa.
Since joining his local Advance group, Enrico has seen his faith in Jesus go from strength to strength. As he’s grown in boldness, he’s started sharing the Advance material with young people in his youth group who are now being encouraged, equipped and empowered in their evangelism as well.
Read Enrico’s story HERE.

Recently one Advance Group member was visiting her local hospital, she saw a young woman who looked lost. The two got talking and, the woman, who was called Rose, explained that she’d come to the hospital after experiencing black-outs and loss of sight. ‘I offered to take her to the right department and on the way began sharing about Jesus. I felt really strongly that God wanted Rose to know how much he loved her, and, after sharing this, I asked if she wanted to respond – and she did! We prayed together and she accepted Jesus into her heart, as she began to cry.
She went on to explain that she was in a challenging marriage where she’d started to believe she wasn’t worth much and was unlovable. That day, she needed to hear that Jesus loved her, chose her, and was with her. She was overcome knowing the love of Jesus.’

Ben recently went to a church event and met a guy there who wasn’t a Christian but who was questioning what he believed and whether there might be a God.
Feeling stirred by the Holy Spirit, Ben ended up praying for him, asking that he would encounter Jesus for himself. One week later this guy gave his life to Christ!

When going to meet a friend, I was uncertain about whether I’d parked in the right place. As I looked around for someone to ask, I saw that the lady who was parked next to me was crying and holding her head in her hands. I prayed, and felt it was right to get out of the car and knock on her window to ask for directions – we ended up chatting and she shared that she was from Iraq and that she’d just received the sad news that her brother and mother had died.

When she offered me help, I felt God saying ‘Let her do this’, and so amazingly, even in her grief, she went the extra mile to show me where to get a ticket. We ended up praying together and we swapped numbers, so I hope to have the opportunity to share the gospel with her soon.

Being part of an Advance Group often makes me feel bolder about acting on the prompting of the Holy Spirit – an encounter might lead to salvation, it might not, but I might never have decided to chat with this lady had it not been for being part of an Advance Group which puts looking for opportunities and encounters with people at the forefront of my mind.

‘I can only say that it’s tremendous how Jesus and the Holy Spirit have worked in my Advance Group. All the members of the group are so excited, whilst at the same time curious about what Jesus has in store for us as we continue this Advance journey! Each session, he just seems to bring something new to someone!’ – Advance Group Leader in Germany

On the back of our Advance trip to Hyderabad, India, we’re so excited to hear about new Advance Groups being launched across that region, including our first women’s Advance Group in India!

Recently, whilst shopping at a supermarket, Joe felt prompted to tell the cashier who was scanning his groceries, that she was loved and valued by Jesus, but he chickened out.

Later that week, at his Advance Group, Joe shared the story of his failure to follow the Holy Spirit’s prompting, explaining that he’d felt a little embarrassed and he’d been worried about what the people in the queue behind him might think. The group listened and prayed that he would get another opportunity to chat with the cashier soon.

A week later, Joe was at the supermarket again and saw the same cashier there. This time, whilst scanning his shop, Joe was able to simply tell her that he was a Christian, that Jesus loves her, and has a plan and purpose for her life. She simply said ‘thanks’ and quickly moved on to the next customer, but Joe had managed to obey God’s prompting, and who knows the impact this little step of faith might have?

Advance Group member Mary* met Jasmine who was the carer for her unwell brother. ‘As we talked, I shared with her about the love of Jesus and that we can put our burdens and worries on him and trust him with them. We continued to chat until Beauty Jasmine stopped me and said she wanted to know Jesus’ love for herself. We prayed together and she accepted Jesus right there. She was so overwhelmed that she even introduced me to her friend Paula, another carer, who we also got to pray for! From a conversation that started with such sadness, it ended with overwhelming joy!’
*Name changed

We’ve recently seen a sudden multiplication of Advance Groups across Chile, all off the back of one phone call from a group member to another friend who just wanted to be better at sharing their faith! Multiple groups have now started in a matter of weeks and it’s amazing to see the impact of just one conversation.

In York, an Advance Group made up of students has been meeting together and not just studying the Advance material but putting it into action. They often go out serving and praying for their local community together off the back of what they’re learning about as an Advance Group.

Cory started an Advance Group in USA primarily to help his friends know more about Jesus’ call for each of us to share the gospel in our day-to-day lives. However he found he was just as impacted by the group as his mates were. Since starting it, Cory noticed his own faith and passion for those who don’t know Jesus massively increase, all because of his group.

Find out more about joining an Advance Group at advancegroups.org/join-a-group

‘The reality for many people here in South-East Asia is that Christians are a minority. For many, they are the only believers in their family so Advance is an incredible tool to help everyone begin to share the gospel with their friends and family. I think we will see Advance filling a huge gap in the evangelism strategies, helping people realise sharing the gospel isn’t just for those in full-time ministry. Being conversational, group-centric, easy to follow, Advance could be the start of a wider equipping the church for the work of evangelism.’ – Keegan, Advance Ambassador for South-East Asia

Alessandro came along to one of our Advance Conferences in April and left feeling excited to share his faith at work. He used the wristband that was given to everyone who came along to the conference as a conversation starter to talk about Jesus. Since then, Alessandro has shared the gospel with everyone in his department and led three co-workers to Jesus!

Advance Group member Ruth* was out walking recently and came across a mother and her son, Jack, and got chatting with them:

Jack had badly injured his arm and was in a lot of pain, even after a doctor examined him and couldn’t find anything wrong! I sat with them as they shared their story and felt such compassion for Jack. The only way I could help was to share the gospel and to pray with them. Whilst Jack wasn’t healed that day, they both accepted Jesus and we shared phone numbers so we could stay in touch. Since then we’ve been messaging lots, praying and discipling each other!’
*Name changed

‘Recently one guy joined our online Advance Group and he loved the material so much that he went away and began our first group in Johannesburg!’ – Shaun, Advance Ambassador in South Africa

It’s amazing seeing people catch the heart and vision of Advance. Do you want to join a group too? Visit advancegroups.org/join-a-group

‘The concept and the content of Advance is so good – simple but powerful. Since being introduced to Advance, we feel so encouraged to spread the good news and make disciples through the discipline of prayer, the word, holiness with the help of the Holy Spirit.’- Sujatha – Advance group member, Hydershakote, Hyderabad (India)

Karol is a member of an Advance Group in Poland. As an entrepreneur in real estate, he’s a busy man constantly on the lookout for how Jesus might use him, particularly in his work.

Read more about Karol’s story advancegroups.org/being-willing-to-say-yes

A church in Sierra Leone decided to run an Advance Conference recently where local Christians were encouraged and equipped in their evangelism through talks, worship and prayer. We saw an amazing response and as a result 22 people gave their lives to Jesus and seven new groups were launched!

One day Mary was chatting with a friend and, because she’d been getting encouraged and equipped in her evangelism through her Advance Group, she was more open to gospel-filled opportunities. So she grabbed the chance to share about her faith with her friend and off the back of their conversation, Mary’s friend ended up accepting Jesus into her life!

An Advance group in Curitiba, Brazil, has recently started meeting in a nursing home among the residents. As a result, they’ve now seen two nurses give their lives to Jesus! Why not join an Advance Group near you and get spurred on in your everyday evangelism? Find out more at advancegroups.org/join-a-group