STORM
Lifehouse

Em7 C G G
how long have i been in this storm,

Em7 D/F# G G
so overwhelmed by the oceans shapeless form.

Em7 C G G
water’s getting harder to treat,

Em7 D/F# G G
with these waves crashing over my head.

chorus 1
——–
G D/F# Em7 C G
if i could just see you, everything would be alright.

G D/F# Em7 C G
if i had seen you, the stormness would turn to light.

Em7 C G Em7 D/F# G G
and i walk on water, and you will catch me if i fall.

Em7 C G D/F# Em7 C D G G
and i would get lost into your eyes, and everything would be alright.

G D/F# Em7 D Em7
and everything would be alright.

verse 2
——-
Em7 C G G
i know you did bring me out here to drown,

Em7 D/F# G G
so why am i ten feet under and upside down?

Em7 C G G
barely surviving has become my purpose,

Em7 D/F# G G
cause i’m so used to living underneath the surface.

chorus 2
——–
G D/F# Em7 C G
if i could just see you, everything would be alright.

D Em7 C G
if i had seen you, the stormness would turn to light.

Em7 C G Em7 D/F# G G
and i walk on water, and you will catch me if i fall.

Em7 C G D/F# Em7 C D G G
and i would get lost into your eyes, and everything would be alright.

G D/F# Em7 D Em7
and everything would be alright.

chorus 3
——–
Em7 C G Em7 D/F# G G
and i walk on water, and you will catch me if i fall.

Em7 C G D/F# Em7 C D G G
and i would get lost into your eyes, and everything would be alright.

G D/F# Em7 D Em7
i know everything is alright.

C G D Em7 D/F# G
everything’s alright.

“The Secret to Winning the World To Christ” 2 Timothy 4:1-4 by Dr. Dan Summerlin Pastor, Lone Oak First Baptist Church Paducah, KY

Whenever you go to Barnes and Noble or Borders or any other book store, you will find a section of books that gives secrets. There are books on the secrets of golf, losing weight, time management, investing money and grill cooking. In fact, probably whatever you think of, there is a book with the secret of doing it. Why are these books popular? We all want to know the secrets of success.    In 2 Timothy, we find the Apostle Paul writing a letter to encourage and to advise his young protégé Timothy on being a Minister of the Gospel. It is an important letter because Paul understands that, at this stage in his life, each letter may be his last. He understands the urgency to write what was on his heart. In chapter four of this book, Paul gives to Timothy the secret of winning the world to Christ. It is found in one statement, but in that statement we see his secret and his advice to Timothy. So what advice does he give to Timothy?    Notice that he doesn’t say, “Play it safe.” He doesn’t say, “Take it easy.” He doesn’t say, “Seek out the latest trend in society and build on it.” His message is concise and clear. Paul says to Timothy, “Preach the Word.”    Think about that. These are some of the last words of the Apostle Paul. Some scholars believe that these words were written just a few weeks before he was martyred, and we find him giving encouraging words to help Timothy to win the world for Christ. He wants to inspire Timothy him to do God’s work. He wants to inspire Timothy so that Timothy will not get discouraged in his ministry. In that setting Paul cries out, “Preach the Word!”    Those words were chosen carefully by Paul. He knew the ramifications of doing what he is asking of Timothy. Remember that Paul was in prison for doing exactly what he is encouraging Timothy to do. Paul knew all the risks and the costs. In fact, when Paul gave this charge to Timothy he even tells Timothy that in the future, people will not want to hear the Word, but instead they will want to hear only what they want to hear. The Apostle Paul knew that preaching was difficult and that it would only get more difficult.   Throughout his ministry he understood this fact and communicated it. He had written that the message would sometimes be offensive to the world. He said that the message of the cross would be a stumbling block to some (1 Cor. 1:23; Gal. 5:11) and to others it would be foolishness. (1 Cor. 1:23). But even though Paul knew the dangers of this charge he gave it anyway. Why? He knew the importance of it.    We see the importance of it in the way he phrases it. He says, “I charge you.” He charges Timothy to preach the word. The verb “charge” is diamartyromai and that word has a legal background. It is the image of an oath in a court. It means something that is solemn or sacred. It was used also to describe the gods talking to man. Paul is giving to Timothy a charge that was sacred and solemn. He was giving a charge to Timothy – the awesome responsibility to preach the Word to the world.    R. G. Lee said, “Our charge is not to defend the Word put to preach it. Our charge is not to explain the miracles recorded therein, but to preach it. Our charge is not to praise, but to proclaim. Our charge is not to preach any doubts about it, but our faith it in. Our charge is not to part or to shun any portion of it but to declare unto all men the counsel of God.”[i]    If Paul was here today he would give the same message. He would encourage preachers of this generation to “Preach the Word.”    He would say, “In our Post-Modern Society—Preach the Word.    “In our Anti-Authority Society—Preach the Word    “In our Theologically Confused Society that proclaims “Open Theism”—Preach the Word.    “In our Politically Correct Society—Preach the Word.”    Paul would look at the problems that we are facing and simply shrug and reply, “Preach the Word.” The charge has not changed because this is the manner that the world is introduce to Christ.    How can we keep this charge? How can we “Preach the Word” today? What shall we do? If we are going to preach the Word, we need to do 3 things. I. First, we need to love the Word.    God warns in Amos 8:11-12, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.” (KJV)    God says that there will come a day when there will be famine in the land from the word of God. Why? When we cease to love it, we will cease to long for it.    To preach the Word, we need to love the Word. Why is loving the Word important to preaching it?    When we love the Word, we will preach with passion.    We need to be as the Apostle Paul who exclaimed, “Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.” (I Cor. 9:16 NAS) One cannot preach with passion if there is no love involved.  And today it seems as if preaching doesn’t have passion anymore.    People are starving to find someone in our society who has passion about anything. When I was a pastor in Huntsville, Alabama, one Sunday after the sermon a lady came up to me and said, “I enjoy your preaching. I look forward every Sunday to hear you.” I must have had a strange look on my face, because she quickly explained why: “I have been visiting different churches and I am glad that there is someone who has a passion about what they are preaching.”    When we love the Word, there will be passion in our preaching.  And when we have passion in our preaching, people will come to hear us even if they disagree with us. That is the power of passion.    David Hume, the Scottish skeptic in philosophy, was seen running at 5 a.m. one morning to hear George Whitefield preach. Someone asked him if he believed what the preacher preached, and he replied, “No, but he does!” That is passion.    When we love the Word, we will preach with power.    Our power in preaching does not come from technique, or our voice, or the latest PowerPoint presentation. Our power comes from the Holy Spirit, and when we love the Word of God and use the Word of God, the Holy Spirit will honor the Word of God.    Look again at the great preachers and notice their power. Look where the power comes from:    John Wesley: “O give me that book! At any price, give me the book of God! I have it: here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be a man of one Book.”    Charles Simeon:  “If they preach what is founded on the Scriptures, their word, as far as it is agreeable to the mind of God, is to be considered as God’s.”    Power comes from the Holy Spirit, and He will bless His Word. When we love this book, and proclaim it with love, there will be a spiritual, supernatural power to our preaching from the Author of this book.  We need to love the Bible.            We need to love its Literary Truth.    Remember that the Bible was written over a 1500 year span with more than 40 authors. They were kings, rabbis, shepherds and other professions. They wrote in different places. For example, Daniel wrote in the palace, but Paul wrote in the prison. They came from three continents, in three languages, in different styles, on different topics, and yet there is a harmony throughout this book that defies the human imagination. How could it not be the Word of God?    We need to love its Historical Truth.    Throughout the centuries, no investigated archeological discovery has ever contradicted the Bible. Silence does not mean contradiction. At one time in history, because there was no evidence of the Hittite civilization, people laughed at the Bible, until one day that civilization was discovered. At one time in history, people scoffed at the concept of a city of Ur in Genesis, until one day it was discovered. At one time, the skeptics mocked the truthfulness of John 5 because of the description of the pool in Bethesda having five porticoes, until one day it was discovered and it fit the description.    We need to love its Prophetic Truth.    Throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament, we find prophecies concerning future events. We find prophecies concerning Israel, Babylon, Rome, and even today. We see the prophecies concerning Jesus, His birth, His life, His death and His resurrection. Over and over again, we see the prophecies that were given and then the fulfillment of them. This book is an amazing book.    Not only do we need to love the Word,    II. Second, we need to learn the Word    Paul told Timothy, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV)    We cannot preach what we do not know. We need to learn the Bible. When you consider the great preachers of history, they were all students of the Bible.   Jonathan Edwards studied 13 hours a day. G. Campbell Morgan read through a book 50 times before he would preach on it. Charles Spurgeon, Alexander McLaren, John Henry Jowett, George Truett, Martin Lloyd Jones, W. A. Crisswell, John Wesley and other great preachers were all devoted their lives to studying the Word of God.    Do you realize that we are living in a biblically illiterate world? According to George Barna research: Four out of every ten adults (38%) believe that the entire Bible was written several decades after Jesus’ death and resurrection. 12% of adults believe that the name of Noah’s wife was Joan of Arc. A majority of adults (56%) are convinced the Bible proclaims that the single, most important task in life is taking care of one’s family. Three-quarters of Americans (75%) believe that the Bible teaches that God helps those who help themselves. Fewer than half of all adults can name the four gospels. Many Christians cannot identify more than two or three of the disciples. Again from data from the Barna Research Group, 60 percent of Americans can’t name even five of the Ten Commandments. We would like to think that only non-Christians do not know the Bible, but for Christians ,the percentage is only a little better.   Robert Jeffress, in his book I Want More, wrote that in the last few years at Wheaton College, the biblical knowledge test given to incoming freshman has shown that the biblical knowledge of Christians has deteriorated. These teenagers are from mainline Protestant denominations across America and are above average in intelligence. Yet the result showed that one-third could not put into chronological order: Abraham, the Old Testament prophets, the death of Christ and Pentecost. One third could not identify Matthew as an apostle. Half did not know that the Christmas story was in Matthew or that the Passover Story was in Exodus.[ii]             It is like the story of the Preacher who asked the teenage boys in a Sunday School class who brought down the walls of Jericho. They looked and shrugged and said, “Preacher, we didn’t do it.” He was shocked and told the teacher that he had asked the class who brought down the walls of Jericho and they replied that they didn’t do it. The teacher said, “Well I know those boys and if they said that they didn’t do it, they didn’t do it.” He was more shocked and took it to the deacons. He explained what he had asked and what the boys and teacher had said. The deacons said that they would discuss it and decide what to do. They later came back to the Pastor and said, “We don’t know who brought the walls down, but we will take up a love offering to rebuild it.”    Our world does not know the Bible. Our churches do not know the Bible. Maybe the reason the world and the church do not know the Bible is that preachers are not preaching the Bible. And maybe the reasons preachers are not preaching the Bible is because they do not know the Bible.    Have we taken the easy road? Have we stopped struggling and wrestling with the text? Have we stopped seeking for the deep riches of the Word of God? Have we stopped looking at the whole counsel of God?  In order to preach the Word, we need to learn the Word.    Do you know why we don’t study the Bible the way we should? We give all these reasons why we do not study and learn the Bible, but the answer is obvious. R. C. Sproul nails it when he writes: “We fail in our duty to study God’s Word not so much because it is difficult to understand, not so much because it is dull and boring, but because it is work. Our problem is not a lack of intelligence or a lack of passion. Our problem is that we are lazy.”[iii]    You see, as we learn this book, we will learn what God wants us to know, to do and to become. Through His Word, He reveals Himself to us and through His power He changes us.    III. Third, We Need to Live the Word.    If we simply learn the Word of God and nothing happens in our lives, then something is wrong. James told us, “But prove yourselves doers of the word and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” (James 1:22 NAS)  If we are not doing the Word of God, how can we preach it effectively?    Our lives need to back up what we say and teach. We cannot neglect our lifestyle and still expect to be powerful preachers. If we do not live what we say, we are hypocrites. A hypocrite is an actor, who is simply playing a role. God did not call us to be actors, but messengers in word and in deeds.    Chuck Swindoll says it best: “Ministry is a character profession. To put it bluntly, you can sleep around and still be a good brain surgeon. You can cheat on your mate and have little trouble continuing to practice law. Apparently, it is no problem to stay in politics and plagiarize. You can be a successful salesperson and cheat on your income tax. But you cannot do those things as a Christian or as a minister and continue enjoying the Lord’s blessing. You must do right in order to have true integrity.”[iv]    Every area of our lives should be consistent to the Word of God. Our Public Life should be consistent to the Word of God. Our Professional Life should be consistent to the Word of God. Our Personal Life should be consistent to the Word of God. Our Private Life should be consistent to the Word of God.    We need to be consistent. I like the way R. G. Lee said it. He said, “Don’t preach whole milk on Sunday and live skim milk during the week.”    Remember that the reason we study the Bible and learn the Bible is not for information, but for transformation. The reason we study the Bible and learn the Bible is not only for interpretation, but for application. If we are not living what we are preaching, then our preaching is in vain.    In the same way our preaching is not for information only, but for transformation. We preach the Word of God so that the Spirit of God may change lives through the Son of God. That transformation must begin in our lives.    Paul’s charge to Timothy was to “Preach the Word.” That is the same message we need today because that is the secret in winning the world to Christ. Let us:    1.  Love the Word by reading it and digesting what it says.    2.  Learn the Word by determining what it meant. We cannot know what it means until we know what it meant.    3. Live the Word by doing what God says through it.    If we would do that, we could say with confidence that we are doing what God commands us: “Preaching the Word.”

REFLECTING THE CHARACTER OF CHRIST

INTRODUCTION:

1. A few years ago, the Dallas Morning News reported that an elderly North Dallas couple, the Davenports, was sitting at home one quite evening, enjoying a delicious meal. As they were finishing up their meal, a burglar broke into their house, pointed a gun at them, and demanded money.

2. While Mrs. Davenport frantically searched through her pursue for some money, the burglar noticed that the television was on, so he asked Mr. Davenport what they were watching, and he said, “The 700 club.” “Are ya’ll Christians?”, the burglar asked. “Yes” Mr. Davenport replied. And the burglar said in all seriousness, “Me too.”

3. That criminal honestly believed that he was a Christian. However, he was deceived because his lifestyle and character proved that he was not a Christian at all.

a. Jesus once said,

“By their fruit you will recognize them” (Mt. 7:16).

4. It’s easy to say that we are Christians, however, the truth is, that our character, not our tongues, will reveal who we really are.

5. As Christians, our character should be like Christ’ character. We are to strive to be like Jesus.

(1 Jn. 2:6) “Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.”

6. How is your character? Is your character like Christ’ character?

THE POINT IN TODAY’S LESSON IS THAT OUR LIVES NEED TO REFLECT THE CHARACTER OF CHRIST

I. FIRST, AS CHRISTIANS, WE SHOULD BE KIND-HEARTED JUST AS JESUS IS KIND-HEARTED.

1. In (Mark 10:13-16), we see the kindness of Jesus being bestowed upon the little children.

In (Mk. 10), people were bringing some little children to Jesus hoping that He would touch them, but the disciples rebuked the people. When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, ‘‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them.

2. In this passage, several parents were bringing their children to Jesus hoping that He would bless them.

a. Now, we must remember that in their culture, the Jewish people believed that children should be seen not heard. They were not the center of attention like they are today. The disciples thought that Jesus had no time for the children, so they scolded the parents, shooing them away and telling them to leave.

3. Boy, were the disciples wrong. Jesus became displeased with His disciples’ statement and in firm and patient voice, Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me.”

4. You can imagine the little children rushed to the ground where Jesus sat. Jesus was probably smiling as He hugged the ones nearest Him. After several minutes of conversation, Jesus probably took the children one by one into His tender arms and pronounced His blessings on them.

5. From this story, we can see the charter of kindness that radiated from Jesus.

6. As Disciples of Christ, we to are to be kind to others.

(Eph. 4:32) “Be kind and compassionate to one another…”

a. To be kind means “to be friendly, and warmhearted in nature.”

(1) Robert Burns once said,

The heart benevolent and kind is the heart that

most resembles God.

ILLUSTRATION:

Dan Clark, an actor, songwriter, recording artist, and video producer once wrote an article that can inspire us to be kind.

Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. Finally, there was only one family between us and the ticket counter. This family made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. You could tell they didn’t have a lot of money. Their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean. The children were will-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly jabbering about the clowns, elephants and other acts they would see that night. One could sense they had never been to the circus before. It promised to be a highlight of their young lives.

The father and mother were at the head of the pack standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband’s hand, looking up at him as if to say, “You’re my knight in shining armor.” He was smiling and basking in pride

The ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted. He proudly responded, “Please let me buy eight children’s tickets and two adult tickets so I can take my family to the circus.”

The ticket lady quoted the price. The man’s wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, the man’s lip began to quiver. The father leaned a little closer and asked, “How much did you say?” The ticket lady again quoted the price. The man didn’t have enough money.

How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight kids that he didn’t have enough money to take them to the circus?

Seeing what was going on, my dad put his hand into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill and dropped it on the ground. (We were not wealthy in any sense of the word). My father reached down, picked up the bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said, “Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket.”

The man knew what was going on. He wasn’t begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the help in a desperate, heartbreaking, embarrassing situation. He looked straight into my dad’s eyes, took my dad’s hand in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the $20 bill, and with his lip quivering and a tear streaming down his cheek, he replied, “Thank you, thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family.”

My father and I went back to our car and drove home. We didn’t go to the circus that night, but we didn’t go without.

7. This story exemplifies the kindness that we are to have as Christians. The kind of kindness that reaches out to others with the love of Jesus.

8. When we are kind to others, people can see Christ living in us.

9.William Wordsworth once wrote: The best portion of a good man’s life, is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love.

II. SECOND, AS CHRISTIANS, WE SHOULD BE EMPATHETIC JUST AS JESUS IS EMPATHETIC.

1. In (John 11), we see the empathy of Jesus. In (John 11), we read that Lazarus, one of Jesus’ closes friends, died. Now when Jesus finally made it into town to see His deceased friend, He was met by Mary, Lazarus’ sister. And in (verse 33), it reads:

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ‘‘Where have you laid him?” He asked. ‘‘Come and see, Lord,” they replied. “Jesus wept.”

2. Why was Jesus crying? He was hurt and sad because His friend passed away.

3. Just as Jesus was empathic, we must do the same.

a. To be empathetic means “to experience another person’s feelings from that person’s point of view. It’s considering the feelings of others. It’s putting yourself in another person’s shoes.

4. We are to rejoice with those who rejoice; and mourn with those who mourn.

ILLUSTRATION:

Charlie, an art teacher, was once visited by a former student of his.

His former student, Angela, had been in his art class nearly five years earlier. He remembered here as a quiet, plain girl who mostly kept to herself.

Now she was a confident young woman, and a mother. She had come to see her former art teacher and she had an agenda. She told her art teacher:

“When I was in high school, my stepfather abused me. He hit me and he came into my bed at night. It was horrible. I was deeply ashamed. I told no one. No one knew.”

“Finally, during my junior year, my parents went away for the weekend, leaving me home alone for the first time. It was at that time that I had planned my escape.”

“They left on Thursday evening, so I spent the entire night preparing. I did my homework, wrote a long letter to my mother, and organized my belongings. I purchased a roll of wide plastic tape and spent an hour taping all the outside doors and windows of the garage from the inside. I put the keys in the ignition of my mother’s car, put my teddy bear on the passenger’s seat and then went to bed.”

“My plan was to go to school as usual on Friday and ride the bus home, as usual. I would wait at home until my parents called, talk to them, then go to the garage and start the engine. I figured nobody would find me until Sunday afternoon when my parents returned. I would be dead. I would be free.”

Angela had held to her plan until 8th period art class, when Charlie, her art teacher, perched on the stool next to her, examined her artwork and slipped an arm around her shoulder and encouraged her.

Angela had gone home that Friday afternoon and written a second, different letter of good-bye to her mother. She removed the tape from the garage and packed her teddy bear with the rest of her belongings. Then she called her minister, who immediately came for her. She left her parent’s home and never went back. She flourished and she gave her art teacher the credit.

Charlie gave his interpretation of why Angela had given him credit for saving her life. He said, “Angela had decided in that moment, in that art class, that if a casually friendly teacher cared enough about her to take the time to stop, make contact, look at her and listen to her, then there must be other people who cared about her, too.

Brothers and sisters, we need to genuinely care for people and when we do, we can make a huge difference in their lives. At times, we may not know that our empathy is making a difference, however, it is.

a. AS CHRISTIANS, WE SHOULD BE KIND-HEARTED JUST AS JESUS IS KIND-HEARTED.
b. AS CHRISTIANS, WE SHOULD BE EMPATHETIC JUST AS JESUS IS EMPATHETIC.

With the help of the Spirit of the Lord, may we strive to exhibit the beautiful Characteristics of Christ.

Numbers (or mathematical figures) are never used promiscuously in the Bible, but rather take on spiritual meaning and significance; and for the searcher after truth there is found “the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Proverbs 25:2).

All creation is stamped with the “Seal of God” in numerics. God has made man himself a creature of time and therefore, a creature of number. Therefore, it is consistent with the very nature and being of God that His Book, the Holy Bible, should be stamped with this same “Seal” – Biblical numerics.

God is consistent throughout His Book, and though the Bible was written by various men of God over different periods of time and generations, there is manifest throughout all the Bible, the same marvelous meaning and harmony in the use of numbers. This begins in Genesis and flows through each book and consummates in Revelation. All this confirms the fact of Divine Inspiration (II Timothy 3:16, II Peter 1:21).

The simple numbers of 1 through 13 have spiritual significance
Multiples of these numbers, or doubling and tripling, carry basically the same meaning only intensifying the truth. It is important to note that the first use of a number in scripture generally conveys its spiritual meaning throughout the rest of the passage.

Since God is consistent, the meaning of a number in the book of Genesis remains the same all the way to the book of Revelation. Sometimes the spiritual significance of a number is not always stated; it may be hidden or seen by comparison with other scriptures. Finally, since there is good and evil as well as true and counterfeit, both Godly and Satanic aspects can be seen in numbers.

Below is a list of numbers written in the Bible with some of their meanings.

Number Meaning

One Beginning, one
Two Witness, separation
Three The Godhead
Four Earth, creation, world
Five Grace, cross, atonement, life
Six Man, beast, Satan
Seven Perfection, completeness
Eight New beginning
Nine Completeness, finality, fulness
Ten Law, government, restoration
Eleven Incompleteness, disorganization, disintegration
Twelve Divine government, apostolic fulness
Thirteen Rebellion, backsliding, apostacy.
Fourteen Passover
Seventeen Spiritual order
Twenty-four Priestly courses; governmental perfection
Thirty Consecration; maturity for ministry
Forty Probation, testing, closing in victory or judgment
Fifty Pentecost, liberty, freedom, jubilee
Seventy Prior to increase
Seventy-five Separation, cleansing, purification
One hundred twenty End of all flesh, beginning life in the Spirit
One hundred forty-four God’s ultimate in creation
One hundred fifty-three Revival, the elect
Three hundred Faithful remnant
Six hundred sixty-six Antichrist, Satan, the damned Triplicate 666

“Not By Might Nor By Power But By The Holy Spirit” – Zechariah 4:6

The new year is closing in while the things of 2008; the year of new beginnings is slowly coming to an end. Many have encountered new beginnings this year and are beginning to launch out into new seasons come January 2009 and are beginning to experience the power of the Lord moving in their lives. While seeking the heart of God in June this year, I heard in my spirit the words: “2009 The Year Of Happenings!”

One of the greatest lessons I learnt to be ushered into the year 2009 is to let go of everything I know; to let go of my mindset and ways of doing things and dependency on anything i.e. money and other worldly securities and simply let go and rest in the Lord and allow God to Glorify Himself. I only needed to stand upon His word and who He is, that he is God and that I can trust Him; to give Him control over my life.

Continuously obey and seek the Lord’s heart and face and begin to spend time with Him and give him back all the Glory. Thank Him ! Thank Him for the good times and the bad times! Thank Him ! Experience New Mercies everyday by thanking Him for all things ! Many are experiencing an acceleration in their life whether it is anointing, revelation, intimacy with the Lord or spiritual and financial blessings. It is incredible. The sieving of the tares from the wheat is taking place in a deeper measure and many are going to begin to know their call in God in a deeper underdstanding and with revelation. No longer will the sons and daughters who seek after the heart of the Father have to strive. Striving is not of the Lord. The simplicity of knowing God and His ways will begin to envelope the mindsof believers and more and more will begin to move in a greater measure of His power.

Those who are in sin will begin to be convicted when they choose to repent. Pray for sinners with a desperation for the Lord’s mercy to flow in their lives. There is coming a time where sinners will be blinded so much because of personal pride and Judgement is about to be released in their lives. We need to pray for the mercy of the Lord to pour out in our generation. We need to pray like never before.

2009 – The year of Happenings! Many who have been hidden and have been seeking the Lord in the secret place; are about to be launched out and be empowered for the workings of the Lord. Changes are going to take place in the lives of believers who have been seeking purity and holiness. Radical displays of God’s Glory will begin to take place in nations and ministries where the hunger for the Lord’s presence is strong. Obedience and humility and Faith are the keys to move from Glory to Glory.

It is time to lay things down once again before the Lord and begin to give all Glory back to God and to seek Him with greater intimacy and to long for Him with greater fervency. Things are rapidly changing in this generation; revelation of the last days; these end times will begin to be revealed to those who are ready to hear what the Lord has to say. We are living in the last days. Get ready. The influence of God’s people in the world will increase just evil is unleashed. We need to get ready, be prepared, know the word of God and stand upon the promises and the word of God in all circumstances and situations. There is also aneed to come to a place where the knoweldge that we are nothing without him as in John 15 invades our daily life of living and to lean on the Holy Spirit to move beyond our minds can conceive in 2009.

There are some who have felt down and beaten out. The Lord says : “Dont Quit ! Don’t Quit!” This is not the end; the Lord is about to bring restoration and you are going to see Him move in your lives. Praise Him! Praise is going to be your strongest weapon of warfare and you are going to see breakthroughs. The trials are not to break you but to mould you to become more like Jesus. The wilderness experience is going to take you to a level of promotion.

The opposite of joy is unbelief. Begin to stand upon the promises of God upon your lives. Some have begun to give up on their callings in God. The Lord says : “Dont give up! Dont Give up!” The lord has not forsaken you. Trust In theLord and begin to be established. Greater things are yet to come. Believe. Keep seeking Hima nd keep believing. Begin to give it all to Him, every fear, every unbelief, every lack and the Lord is about to show you His love is ways beyond what your midn can conceive. Get ready. Get ready.

Get ready. Seek the heart of God for the plans of 2009 for your lives. Go up higher, experience greater intimacy. Be refreshed and begin to walk with Kingdom authority. Knwo the word of God and cling on to the promises of the Lord upon your life. It is time to seek the Lord’s plans and then luanch out and influence the community and nations. Radical love displayed willbegin to change the atmosphere of your area of influence. Prayer warriors must untie in vision and mission and begin to impact the cities with prayer walks and have Godly strategies to launch out physically after battling spiritually. Get ready. The year of Happenings is about to explode God’s Glory in the lives of many. Get ready. Seek God. Seek after Him. Get Ready. It is time to enter the promise land and the callings of God with greater measure. Obey the commands of the Lord and be taken into deeper intimacy with Him. Have faith. Dont lose heart. Get ready.

Self righteousness is an obstacle for us to love completely the way Jesus wants us to. Self-righteousness leads to pride and a judgemental spirit that can destory our relationship with God. Thus, we need to consistently reflect on our heart and attitude towards our assessment of others. Righteousness with no love is like a piece of cold machine that is made of set engineeering parts. Many have been hurt by the self-righteousness of another and some have even back-slidded because of being hurt and condemned. This is an extremely crucial character flaw that we need to look out and repent so that we can love like God does; so that healing and reconciliation and unity can come to the church.

As the world begins to see new changes in every area , may we continue to stand with Israel and to pray for Israel. Do click on to http://jerusalemprayerteam.org/default.asp to give a donation or to be part of the Jerusalem Prayer Team and to be constantly kept in the knowledge of what is happening so that we can stand in unity in prayer together. The people of Israel needs our prayer and help. Let’s stand together with them.

Character of the Lord’s Worker, The
by Watchman Nee

Character of The Lord’s Worker – By Watchman Nee
ISBN: 1-57593-322-5

Recently, I have been reading this book by Watchman Nee and found it extremely enlightening and convicting on the areas of character that may hinder the Work of the Lord if I do not seek to become a better worker of the Lord in terms of character. Watchman Nee points out many important areas of character that we need to watch out for in order to be an excellent worker of the Lord and gives pointers and guidance on what to look out for. He does not beat around bush; there is no grey area i9n his teaching; juts black and white; right and wrong which is greatly needed in discipleship. A highly recommended book for all missioanries and just anybody who wishes to be of used of the Lord.

Here is a commentary on the book by somebody else :

Our usefulness to the Lord in His work is determined by the constitution of our character. Natural and undesirable elements in our character must be thoroughly dealt with through the abundant mercy and grace of our Lord, and positive traits must be built up, cultivated, and developed. A useful disposition cannot be built up in a day; nevertheless, it must be built up if we are to be effective servants of the Lord. In The Character of the Lord’s Worker Watchman Nee discusses specific character traits that are crucial to the usefulness of a Christian worker. The Lord’s worker must be one who is a good listener, who is a lover of men, who has a mind to suffer, who controls his body, and who is diligent, restrained, and stable. Watchman Nee also discusses other helpful topics including one’s subjectivity and attitude toward money. Previously published under the title The Normal Christian Worker, these freshly translated messages are being released under the title of Watchman Nee’s original Chinese publication.

If you belong to a good church, hopefully your pastor or deacons can help your to prepare to be a missionary. I would also talk to missionaries on the field to get advice, wisdom and counsel from them. I would start studying the field where you plan on serving. You should pray that your vision to serve God as a full time missionary is genuine. Many times God will not call someone to be a missionary unless someone is faithful in their morning devotions, prayer life and witnessing or preaching where they live right now. Also, many people feel called to be a missionary right after they are saved, when in fact God just wants them them to witness locally. At this time, right after someone is saved, it is good to get active locally and go on some short term missions trips.

Another thing that you could do is read missionary biographies. One of the largest distributers of Christian books in the USA is www.Christianbook.com Also www.parable.com has some good books. You could buy some missionary biographies there or at a local Christian bookstore. On my web site www.missionresources.com I have a link called “Books for Missions” which has info on some books regarding missions.

Many times it is good to take one of more short term missions trips to the area where you plan on serving. If you don’t know of a group that is taking a short term missions project in the area you plan on serving, you could visit my links regarding “Short Term Missions” at www.missionresources.com You could also call a missionary organization that you might be interested in serving with and ask if they have short term missions opportunities in the place where you plan on serving. Two books that I find useful are Mission Handbook and Operation World. Mission Handbook has info on many of the best missionary organizations of the world, where they serve and what is the focus of their ministry. Operation World has information about every country in the world from a Christian perspective. It has interesting information for missionaries. On my website www.missionresources.com, I have links for Mission Handbook and Operation World.

Although the Bible does not say you have to go to a college or university to be a missionary, you should pray about it. I have learned from experience that it would be good to ask many people as possible about different colleges you could attend and what their opinion of the different colleges. It would be good to visit them first and sit in on some classes I would especially ask different pastors. Some links that might be interesting to you on www.missionresources.com is “Cross cultural resources”, “Missionary Training Resources”, and “Fundraising for Missionaries.”

It would also be good to start language study as soon as possible -as God leads. I have a link called Language Learning Resources on www.missionresources.com
Many missionaries learn the language faster if they move to the field where they are serving and learn it by speaking to the people. Sometimes there is a language learning school in the country where you are planning on serving. It is usually the best way to learning a language.

I would try and find missionaries already serving in the country where you are planning on serving and ask them questions about the ministry in the country and what to do to prepare. It would be good to find a church that you could work with on the mission field. Many missionaries have said it is good not to have a know it all attitute or my way is superior to you attitude. It is good to go as a servant and be a learner. One of the biggest problems missionaries have on the field is working with other missionaries. It would be good to go with the determination that you will not fight with other missionaries.

I recommend reading the autobiograhpy of Hudson Taylor. He believed it was good for missionaries to blend in with the society. It would be good to dress like the people there. Another good idea is to contact different missionary organizations that you might want to serve with. Some missionaries choose to be sent out from their church and not be part of any missionary organization. The book Mission Handbook lists many of the best missionary organizations in the world and their addresses, etc… If you want a missionary web site, Web Missions will do a missionary web site for free. www.webmissions.org

It is good to have a Missionary Display for church presentations. I have link called Displays for Missions on www.missionresources.com On your display, many missionaries will have pictures of the places where they want to serve and different things from that culture.

It is also good to print a prayer card and possibly a prayer card the size of a business card. I have a link Prayer Cards for Missionaries at ww w.missionresources.com Some missionaries will print their web address, email address, address, phone number on the prayer card. Some will put their prayer requests on their prayer card.

Many missionaries will prepare a video or a slide presentation for their ministry. Some ministries will help prepare video presenatations for missionaries. This can be expensive so it might be a good idea to video tape something yourself with a camcorder and have someone edit it for you later. There are some ministries that will do this for a low price. You could see my link Video presentations for missionaries and I think I have some listed in my Unreached People Group Directory. If you are not able to find some of theses things on my web site, please contact me.

If you are interested in getting tracts for your ministry in the languages you will be working in, you could visit my web site www.tractlist.com and you will find tracts in many languages. Please use the search engine feature to help you find the language you want. Or you could contact me and I could send to you some ministries that have tracts in the language you plan on ministering in. You could also visit my web site www.tractministry.com on having a successful tract ministry and and selecting the right tract. Tracts are an excellent way to reach the people while you are learning the language and even after you learn the language. Also on my web site www.Christianvideos.org, you will find videos listed in many languages of the world. Showing evangelistic videos in the language you are ministering in is often a very effective way to reach the people. I also have links on video projectors,16mm projectors and other video outreach ideas at www.Christianvideos.org

Also it is good if you have children to decide whether you will homeschool your children. Two of the best homeschooling resources are ABEKA in Pensacola, Florida and Bob Jones curriculum. www.bju.edu Another good choice might be Alpha and Omega curriculum. I have a link on my web site called Homeschooling Resources. Sometimes missionaries decide to let their children go to the schools in the country where they are serving so their children can learn the language easier. I know this question is a struggle with many missionaries.

Another excellent outreach idea for missionaries are correspondence courses. Handing our flyers advertising correspondence courses or putting in newspaper ads for correspondence courses are possible choices. I have a link on www.missionresources.com regarding the Correspondence Course ministry. When many missionaries prepare to go on the field and are raising support, it is often wise to raise a work fund for tracts, videos, books, booklets, correspondence courses, Sunday School materials, etc..

Some web sites/online newsletters that might help are www.missionaries.org
Ask a Missionary Newsletter
www.askamissionary.com
Doug Lucas’ Brigada Today Newsletter
www.brigada.org
Nate Wilson’s Mission Mobilizers E-zine www.calebproject.org

Missionaries

The primary command for all Christians is to ‘Go, to all nations and teach them about Christ’. (Matthew 28:18-20)

So, we all go to where we can obey this command. For most people this all happens in their locality; in schools, churches, their neighbours, on the street, Christian meetings etc. For all Christians it happens throughout their daily lives, at work, with their family, social events, etc. This is when non-Christians see a big difference between their own lives and the lives of the Christians. (If the outside world cannot see this difference then maybe there is nothing different between the Christian and the worldly people!).

Even when people go to foreign countries for Christian activities, they tend to go to organized events, whether the audience is friendly or hostile. This is Evangelism, preaching the Gospel and telling people about God’s plan for His people.

But some people go to where there is no Christianity. In the past they went to unmapped parts of the world. These, in my view, are better called missionaries. In these foreign lands they have died of starvation or illnesses. They have been imprisoned and tortured. They have been killed in many different ways. Of course these things have happened to evangelists as well but it is a different type of person who becomes a missionary.

We have had many missionaries to Africa. David Livingstone springs immediately to mind and there are many others. We see the fruits of their work in modern Africa. Thre are many large established churches with people who believe in Jesus and see the goodness of God at work in their daily lives.

China was a place that attracted many missionaries. People such as Hudson Taylor, Mildred Cable.

Amy Carmichael is a typical missionary. She went to India as did many others.

In fact all the continents have been visited by missionaries. But there are still some places in the world that have not yet been reached.

NAME	DETAILS
	Jim Elliot	A missionary and a martyr
	Wellesley Bailey	Founder of the Leprosy Mission
	Mildred Cable	Missionary to China, obedient to God’s call. Spread the Gospel in the Gobi Desert
	William Carey	A Missionary to India
	Amy Carmichael	Missionary to India
	Adoniram Judson	Missionary to Burma
	Eric Liddel	Athlete with principles ‘Chariots of Fire’
	David Livingstone	World-famous missionary from Scotland taking God’s light to Africa
	Nate Saint	Missionary
	Mary Slessor	Dedicated Scottish missionary to Africa
	James Hudson Taylor	First missionary to take God’s Word to inland China
	Robert Jermain Thomas	Protestant missionary martyr who changed the nation of Korea
	William Cameron Townsend	Set up the Wycliffe Bible Translators to take the Word to the world
	Lillian Trasher	Missionary in Egypt

Eric Liddell

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eric Liddell

Personal information
Date of birth	January 16, 1902(1902-01-16)
Date of death	February 21, 1945 age 43
Place of death	Weihsien Internment Camp, China
Sport
Country	Scotland
[show]Medal record Competitor for  United Kingdom Men’s athletics Gold 1924 Paris 400 metres Bronze 1924 Paris 200 metres

Eric Henry Liddell (January 16, 1902 – February 21, 1945) was a Scottish athlete and Rugby Union international and also the winner of the Men’s 400 metres at the Olympic Games of 1924 held in Paris. He then served as a Protestant Christian missionary to China. He was portrayed in the film Chariots of Fire. His surname is pronounced /ˈlɪdəl/ and rhymes with fiddle.^{[citation needed]}

Contents

Biography

Eric Liddell, often called the “Flying Scotsman“, was born in Tianjin (formerly transliterated as Tientsin) (Chinese 天津) in North China, second son of the Rev & Mrs James Dunlop Liddell who were Scottish missionaries with the London Missionary Society. Liddell was born in 1902 and went to school in China until the age of five. At the age of six, he and his brother Rob, eight years old, were enrolled in Eltham College, Mottingham, a boarding school for the sons of missionaries. Their parents and sister Jenny returned to China. During the boys’ time at Eltham their parents, sister and new brother Ernest came home on furlough two or three times and were able to be together as a family – mainly living in Edinburgh.

At Eltham, Liddell was an outstanding sportsman, being awarded the Blackheath Cup as the best athlete of his year, playing for the First XI and the First XV by the age of 15, later becoming captain of both the cricket and rugby union teams. His headmaster described him as being ‘entirely without vanity’.

Eric Liddell became well-known for being the fastest runner in Scotland while at Eltham. Newspapers carried the stories of his successful track meets. Many articles stated that he was a potential Olympic winner, and no one from their country had ever won a gold medal before.

Liddell was chosen to speak for Glasgow Students’ Evangelical Union (GSEU) because he was a strong Christian. The GSEU hoped that he would draw large crowds, so that many people would hear the Gospel. The GSEU would send out a group of eight to ten men to an area where they would stay with the local population. It was Liddell’s job to be the lead speaker and to evangelize the men of Scotland.

University of Edinburgh

In 1920, Eric joined his brother Rob at the University of Edinburgh to study Pure Science. Athletics and rugby played a large part in Eric’s university life. He ran in the 100 yards race and the 220 yards race for Edinburgh University and later played for the Scottish national rugby union team. He played rugby for Edinburgh University and in 1922 made his way into the very strong Scottish backline. In 1922 and 1923, he played in seven out of eight Five Nations matches with A. L. Gracie. In 1924 he won the AAA Championships in athletics in the 100 yards race (in a British record of 9.7 seconds: this record would not be broken for the next 35 years) and 220 yards (21.6 seconds). He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree after the Paris Olympiad in 1924.

Once every four years Edinburgh University will hold a parade in honour of Eric Liddell’s devotion to his cause.^{[citation needed]}

Eltham colleges sports centre was named after Eric Liddell as “Eric Liddell sports centre”

Paris Olympics

During the summer of 1924, the Olympics were hosted by the city of Paris. Liddell was a committed Christian and refused to run on Sunday (the Sabbath), with the consequence that he was forced to withdraw from the 100 metres race, his best event. The schedule had been published several months earlier, and his decision was made well before the Games began. Liddell spent the intervening months training for the 400 metres, an event in which he had previously excelled. Even so, his success in the 400m was largely unexpected. The day of 400 metres race came, and as Liddell went to the starting blocks, an American masseur slipped a piece of paper into Liddell’s hand with a quotation from 1 Samuel 2:30, “Those who honour me I will honour.” Liddell ran with that piece of paper in his hand. He not only won the race, but broke the existing world record with a time of 47.6 seconds. A few days earlier Liddell had competed in the 200 metre finals, for which he received the bronze medal behind Americans Jackson Scholz and Charles Paddock, beating Harold Abrahams, who finished in sixth place. (This was the second and last race in which these two runners met.)

After the Olympics and his graduation, Liddell continued to compete. Shortly after the 1924 Olympics, his final leg on the 4 x 400 metres race in a British Empire vs. USA contest helped secure the victory. A year later, in 1925, at the Scottish Amateur Athletics Association (AAA) meeting in Hampden Park in Glasgow, he equalled his own Scottish championship record of 10.0 seconds in the 100 yards, won the 220 yard contest in 22.2 seconds, won the 440 yard contest in 47.7, and participated in a winning relay team. He was only the fourth athlete ever to have won all three sprints at the SAAA, achieving this feat twice: in 1924 and 1925.

Because of his birth and death in the country some of China’s Olympic literature lists the Scotsman as China’s first Olympic champion. ^[1]

Service in China

Liddell returned to Northern China where he served as a missionary, like his parents, from 1925 to 1943 – first in Tianjin and later in the town of Xiaozhang (Simplified Chinese 肖张镇)^[2], Zaoqiang County, Hengshui, Hebei province. . During this time he continued to compete sporadically, including wins over members of the 1928 French and Japanese Olympic teams in the 200 and 400 metres at the South Manchurian Railway celebrations in China in 1928 and a victory at the 1930 North China championship.

Liddell’s first job as a missionary was as a teacher at an Anglo-Chinese College (grades 1-12) for wealthy Chinese students. It was believed that by teaching the children of the wealthy that they themselves would later become influential figures in China and promote Christian values. He used his athletic experience to train the boys in a number of different sports. One of his many responsibilities was that of superintendent of the Sunday school at Union Church where his father was pastor. Liddell lived at 38 Chongqing Dao (formerly known as Cambridge Road) in Tianjin and a plaque still stands today to commemorate his former residence. He also helped build the Minyuan Stadium in Tianjin. He suggested that it be copied exactly from Chelsea‘s football ground as he had run there previously, and this was said to be his favourite running venue.

Tianjin was controlled at that time by many foreign powers as they wanted to take advantage of the cheap raw materials in China. There were many concession areas taken by Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, America, Russia, Japan and Austro-Hungary. Most of the foreign architecture is still standing today and the British concession area had Scottish street names including Edinburgh Road, Glasgow Road and Dumbarton Road. There were an estimated 3,000 Jewish people (escaping from Nazi persecution) in Tianjin which had a synagogue (which is still standing although unused), a Jewish school where they taught Hebrew and a Jewish social club called The Gunst.

During his first furlough in 1932, he was ordained as a minister of religion. On his return to China he married Florence Mackenzie of Canadian missionary parentage in Tianjin in 1934. Liddell courted his future wife by taking her for lunch to the famous Kiesling restaurant which is still open in Tianjin. They had three daughters, Patricia, Heather and Maureen, the last of whom he would not live to see. The school Eric taught at is still used as a school today. One of Liddell’s daughters visited Tianjin in 1991 and presented the headmaster of the school with one of the medals that Eric had won for athletics.

In 1941 life in China was becoming so dangerous that the British Government advised British nationals to leave. Florence and the children left for Canada to stay with her family when Liddell accepted a new position at a rural mission station in Shaochang, which gave service to the poor. He joined his brother, Rob, who was a doctor there. The station was severely short of help and the missionaries who served there were exhausted. There was a constant stream of local people who came at all hours to get medical treatment. Liddell arrived at the station in time to relieve his brother who was ill, needing to go on furlough. Liddell suffered many hardships himself at this mission station. Eric’s daughter remembers that her father was still so fast at running that he caught a wild hare for dinner during war rationing.

Meanwhile, the Chinese and the Japanese were at war. When the fighting reached Shaochang the Japanese took over the mission station. In 1943, he was interned at the Weihsien (now known as Weifang) Internment Camp with the members of the China Inland Mission Chefoo (now known as Yantai) School. Liddell became a leader at the camp and helped get it organized. Food, medicines, and other supplies ran short at the camp. There were many cliques in the camp and when some rich businessmen managed to smuggle in some eggs to the camp, Liddell shamed them into sharing them with the rest of the camp. Fellow missionaries were forming cliques, moralising, and acting selfishly. Eric kept himself busy by helping the elderly, teaching at the camp school Bible classes, arranging games and also by teaching the children science. He was known to the children as Uncle Eric.

It was also claimed that one Sunday Liddell refereed a hockey match to stop fighting amongst the players as he was trusted not to take sides by the two teams. One of Liddell’s fellow internees, Norman Cliff, later wrote a book about his experiences in the camp called “The Courtyard of the Happy Way” which gave details of all the remarkable characters in the camp. The writer stated that Liddell was “the finest Christian gentleman it has been my pleasure to meet. In all the time in the camp, I never heard him say a bad word about anybody.” The camp was originally a mission school named The Courtyard of the Happy Way. (Chinese: 樂道院, which could also mean the Campus of Loving Truth)

In his last letter to his wife, written on the day he died, he talks about suffering a nervous breakdown in the camp due to overwork, but in actuality he was suffering from an inoperable brain tumour, to which being overworked and malnourished probably hastened his demise. He died on February 21, 1945, five months before liberation. He was greatly mourned not only at the Weihsien internment Camp but also in Scotland as well. A fellow internee, Langdon Gilkey, was later to write, “The entire camp, especially its youth, was stunned for days, so great was the vacuum that Eric’s death had left.” Liddell’s last words were allegedly “It’s complete surrender.”

Fifty-six years after the 1924 Paris Olympics, Scotsman Allan Wells won the 100 metre dash at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. When asked after the victory if he had run the race for Harold Abrahams, the last 100 metre Olympic winner from Britain (in 1924), Wells replied, “No, this one was for Eric Liddell.”

Eric Liddell was voted in The Scotsman newspaper in an August 8, 2008 poll as the most popular athlete Scotland has ever produced.

Memorial

In 1991, a memorial headstone, made from Isle of Mull granite was unveiled at the former camp site in Weifang, erected by Edinburgh University. A few simple words taken from the Book of Isaiah, formed the inscription: “They shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary.” The city of Weifang, as part of the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the internment camp, commemorated the life of Liddell by laying a wreath at the memorial headstone marking his grave in 2005.

Chariots of Fire

The 1981 film Chariots of Fire commemorated the Olympic triumphs and contrasted the lives and viewpoints of both Liddell and Harold Abrahams, with Ian Charleson portraying Liddell. One inaccuracy in the movie surrounds Liddell’s refusal to race in the 100 metres. The film portrays Liddell as finding out that one of the heats was to be held on a Sunday as he was boarding the boat that would take the British Olympic team across the English Channel on their way to Paris. Actually, the schedule and Liddell’s decision were known several months in advance, though his refusal to participate remains significant. (Liddell had also been selected to run as a member of the 4 x 100 relay and 4 x 400 relay teams at the Olympics but also declined these spots as their heats, too, were to be run on a Sunday.)

The scene in the movie where Liddell fell early in a 440 yard race in a Scotland-France dual meet and made up a 20-metre deficit to win the race is, however, historically accurate except that the actual race was during a Triangular Contest meet between Scotland, England and Ireland at Stoke-on-Trent in England in July 1923. Liddell was knocked to the ground several strides into the race. He hesitated, got up and went after his opponents, now twenty metres ahead. He caught the leaders shortly before the finishing line and collapsed in exhaustion after crossing the tape.

Liddell’s unorthodox running style as portrayed in the movie, with his head back and his mouth wide open, is also said to be historically accurate. At an athletics championship in Glasgow, a visitor watching the 440 yard final in which Liddell was a long way from the leaders at the start of the last lap (of a 220 yard track) remarked to a Glasgow native that Liddell would be hard put to win the race. The Glaswegian native merely replied, “His head’s no’ back yet.” Liddell then threw his head back and with mouth wide open caught and passed his opponents to win the race.

Quotation

“We are all missionaries. Wherever we go, we either bring people nearer to Christ, or we repel them from Christ.”

Jonathan Goforth

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Jonathan Goforth Born February 10, 1859 Oxford County, Ontario, Canada Died October 8, 1936 Wallaceburg, Ontario, Canada

Jonathan Goforth (Chinese: 顧約拿單 ), February 10, 1859 – October 8, 1936) was the first Canadian Presbyterian missionary to China with the Canadian Presbyterian Mission, with his wife, Rosalind (Bell-Smith) Goforth. Jonathan Goforth became the foremost missionary revivalist in early 20th century China and helped to establish revivalism as a major element in Protestant China missions.

Goforth grew up on an Oxford County, Ontario farm, the seventh of eleven children. As a young man he taught school in Thamesford, Ontario. Hearing fellow-Oxford County native George Leslie Mackay, Presbyterian missionary to Taiwan, speak, he claimed to sense a call from God to go to China. He attended University of Toronto, and Knox College, where he graduated in 1887, and was awarded the Doctor of Divinity in 1915. During his training, Goforth met Rosalind Bell-Smith at the Toronto Union Mission. She had been born in London, England, and had grown up in Montreal. They married in 1887, in his final year at Knox, and eventually had eleven children, six of whom survived childhood.

Goforth was greatly supported by his fellow classmates to become an overseas missionary. He had also read the book by Hudson Taylor: China’s Spiritual Need and Claims, a book that he ordered many copies of and mailed them to many pastors that he knew to promote missionary work in China.

The Goforths were sent to pioneer the North Henan mission in 1888. Their work was difficult and they lost five of eleven children to sickness.

In 1900, the Goforths had to flee for many miles across China during the Boxer Rebellion. Jonathan was attacked and injured with a sword, but they both survived and escaped to the safety of one of the “Treaty Ports”.

The Goforths returned to Canada for a year. After their return to Henan in 1901, Jonathan Goforth felt increasingly restless. In 1904 and 1905 he was inspired by news of the great Welsh revival and read Charles Finney‘s “Lectures on Revivals”. In 1907, circumstances brought him to witness firsthand the stirring Korean revival (“When the Spirit’s Fire Swept Korea” [1943] represents his response). As he returned to China through Manchuria, congregations invited him back in early 1908. During this extended visit there occurred the unprecedented “Manchurian revival“. It was the first such revival to gain nationwide publicity in China as well as international repute^[1]. The revival transformed Goforth’s life and ministry; from then on he was primarily an evangelist and revivalist, not a settled missionary. He also became one of the best known of all China missionaries, admired by many, but criticized by some for “emotionalism.”

In 1925, he decided to remain within the Presbyterian Church in Canada, and his Henan station was transferred to the support of the United Church of Canada. He and Rosalind, despite their age and frailities, were then sent by the PCC to begin work in Manchuria, where they remained until his eyesight failed in 1935. Goforth remained active into the 1930s, especially in Manchuria; in 1931 the Goforths coauthored “Miracle Lives of China”. After his death in Toronto, Rosalind, a capable writer who had first published in 1920, wrote the popular “Goforth of China” (1937, with many reprints), and her own autobiography, “Climbing: Memories of a Missionary’s Wife” (1940).

Their final years in Canada were spent recounting their stories to many congregations. He died at his son’s manse in Wallaceburg, Ontario, after preaching the previous evening in nearby Wyoming, Ontario. The funeral service was held in Toronto’s Knox Church, and he is buried in the Mount Pleasant Cemetery in the same city.

“I love those that thunder out the Word. The Christian world is in a dead sleep. Nothing but a loud voice can awake them out of it.”

Amy Carmichael

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Amy Beatrice Carmichael Born 16 December 1867(1867-12-16) Millisle, County Down, Ulster Died 18 January 1951 (aged 83) Dohnavur, Tamil Nadu, India Amy Beatrice Carmichael (16 December 1867 – 18 January 1951) was a Protestant Christian missionary in India, who opened an orphanage and founded a mission in Dohnavur. She served in India for fifty-five years without furlough and authored many books about the missionary work there. Early life Amy Carmichael was born in the small village of Millisle, County Down, Ireland to David and Catherine Carmichael. Her parents were devout Presbyterians; she was the oldest of seven children. She was adopted and tutored by Robert Wilson, cofounder of the Keswick Convention. One story of Carmichael’s early life tells that as a child, she wished that she had blue eyes rather than brown. She often prayed that God would change her eye color and was disappointed when it never happened. As an adult, however, she realized that, because Indians have brown eyes, she would have had a much more difficult time gaining their acceptance if her eyes had been blue. Carmichael’s father died when she was eighteen. In many ways she was an unlikely candidate for missionary work. She suffered neuralgia, a disease of the nerves that made her whole body weak and achy and often put her in bed for weeks on end. It was at the Keswick Convention of 1887 that she heard Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission speak about missionary life. Soon afterward, she became convinced of her calling to missionary work. She applied to the China Inland Mission and lived in London at the training house for women, where she met author and missionary to China, Mary Geraldine Guinness, who encouraged her to pursue missionary work. She was ready to sail for Asia at one point, when it was determined that her health made her unfit for the work. She postponed her missionary career with the CIM and decided later to join the Church Missionary Society. Work in India Amy Carmichael with Indian children Initially Carmichael traveled to Japan for fifteen months, but after a brief period of service in Sri Lanka, she found her lifelong vocation in India. She was commissioned by the Church of England Zenana Mission. Hindu temple children were young girls dedicated to the gods and forced into prostitution to earn money for the priests. Much of her work was with young ladies, some of whom were saved from forced prostitution. The organization she founded was known as the Dohnavur Fellowship. Dohnavur is situated in Tamil Nadu, thirty miles from the southern tip of India. The fellowship would become a sanctuary for over one thousand children who would otherwise have faced a bleak future. In an effort to respect Indian culture, members of the organization wore Indian dress and the children were given Indian names. She herself dressed in Indian clothes, dyed her skin with dark coffee, and often traveled long distances on India’s hot, dusty roads to save just one child from suffering. While serving in India, Amy received a letter from a young lady who was considering life as a missionary. She asked Amy, “What is missionary life like?” Amy wrote back saying simply, “ “Missionary life is simply a chance to die.” ” Carmichael’s work also extended to the printed page. She was a prolific writer, producing thirty-five published books including Things as They Are: Mission Work in Southern India (1903), His Thoughts Said . . . His Father Said (1951), If (1953), Edges of His Ways (1955) and God’s Missionary (1957). Final days and legacy In 1931, Carmichael was badly injured in a fall, which left her bedridden much of the time until her death. She died in India in 1951 at the age of 83. She asked that no stone be put over her grave; instead, the children she had cared for put a bird bath over it with the single inscription “Amma”, which means mother in the Tamil. Her biography quotes her as saying: “ “One can give without loving, but one cannot love without giving.” ” Her example as a missionary inspired others (including Jim Elliot and his wife Elisabeth Elliot) to pursue a similar vocation

A Life of Seeking

“Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.”

The life and death of Jim Elliot was a testimony of a man committed to the will of God. He sought God’s will, pleaded for it, waited for it, and—most importantly—obeyed it.

His martyrdom at age 28 and subsequent books on his life by his widow, Elisabeth Elliot, have been the catalyst for sending thousands into the mission fields and stoking the fires of a heart for God. He was an intense Christian, bent on pleasing God alone and not man.

“[He makes] His ministers a flame of fire,” Elliot wrote while a student at Wheaton College. “Am I ignitable? God deliver me from the dread asbestos of ‘other things.’ Saturate me with the oil of the Spirit that I may be aflame. But flame is transient, often short-lived. Canst thou bear this my soul—short life? In me, there dwells the spirit of the Great Short-Lived, whose zeal for God’s house consumed Him.”

Elliot was a gifted writer, speaker, and teacher. He had a commanding presence while a student at Wheaton, even starring on the wrestling mat where he became a champion.

Many of his friends were convinced Elliot’s spiritual giftedness should be concentrated on building up the church in America.

Elliot, however, wanted God’s will, not man’s. After many protracted and solitary prayer sessions, Elliot sensed God’s call to a foreign field, specifically South America. “Why should some hear twice,” he said, “when others have not heard [the Gospel] once?”

Correspondence with a former missionary to Ecuador and hearing of a tribe—the Aucas—that was never reached with the news of Christ’s redemption set his course.

In the winter of 1952, Elliot and a friend who shared his vision set sail on a freighter, the Santa Juana, for the jungles of South America.

Elliot’s focus on obedience to God’s will led to a disciplined and slightly unorthodox courtship of Elisabeth “Betty” Howard, whom he met at Wheaton. They longed to be husband and wife, but Elliot would not agree to the marriage yoke until he was certain of God’s plan.

Elisabeth and Jim both were called to Ecuador as missionaries. Almost one year after arriving, they were finally engaged. On October 8, 1953, they were married in a civil ceremony in Quito, Ecuador.

After their wedding, Elliot continued his work among the Quichua Indians and formulated plans to reach the Aucas.

In the autumn of 1955, missionary pilot Nate Saint spotted an Auca village. During the ensuing months, Elliot and several fellow missionaries dropped gifts from a plane, attempting to befriend the hostile tribe.

In January of 1956, Elliot, Saint and three other missionaries landed on a beach of the Curaray River in eastern Ecuador. They had several friendly contacts with the fierce tribe that had previously killed several Shell Oil company employees.

Two days later, on January 8, 1956, all five men were speared and hacked to death by warriors from the Auca tribe. LIFE™ magazine featured a ten-page article on their mission and death.

“They learned about the Aucas as they and their wives were ministering to the Quichua-speaking and Jivaro Indians. The Aucas had killed all strangers for centuries.

“Other Indians fear them but the missionaries were determined to reach them. Said Elliot: ‘Our orders are: the Gospel to every creature.’

Elliot wanted God’s will. It ended in his death, but it was a death whose seed still brings forth fruit for the Gospel’s sake.

Many Aucas eventually came to accept Christ as Savior when Elisabeth Elliot bravely returned to share Christ with those who killed her husband. Her books, Shadow of the Almighty and Through Gates of Splendor, speak passionately of the power, majesty, and sovereignty of God while chronicling the life of her husband.

You may or may not be called to the mission field, but each Christian is called to the delightful adventure of knowing and doing the will of God. This is the thrill of the Christian life – to experience God at the center of all you do, think, and say.

Are you seeking God’s will for your life? It is the root of all blessings—for your family, your finances, your work, your relationships, your service, and your life. God’s will is His best.

The process is not always easy, but God is willing to reveal His plan to those men and women who desire Him above all else and delight in Him. It means setting aside your agenda and asking God “to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

There is usually a season of sifting, of waiting on God for His timing. The Elliots waited five years before sensing God’s time was ripe for a marital union.

Draw near to God. Confess and repent of sin. Put your heart and spirit in neutral, telling God you wish only to be an instrument in His hands. Wait for His response through His Word. Seek counsel from mature believers. He will show you what He wants you to do because He loves you.

The Missionary Soul Mate
Simultaneous Waiting and Preparation
by Nairy Ohanian

 

The interview results are numerous: countless, dedicated Christians who consider themselves to be passionate world Christians, never end up in missionary service. 

They have every opportunity, gifting, skill set, resource, encouragement, even completed training for the field, yet they never enter service.  Instead, what they do enter is a relationship with another godly man or woman who does not have that same commitment to cross cultural service as they do.  Sometimes the decision to not further pursue missionary service is direct and obvious and sometimes the decision is gradual and subtle, but either way a once fervent potential missionary never leaves home, but rather sets up home with a less-than-enthusiastic, non-missions spouse.

As single men and women, many of us long for discovery of a life partner to share in marriage and family life.  The difficulty of the search can lead to compromise of some of our intended goals, dreams and callings.  We begin to negotiate what are essential requirements and needs and what are “nice but not necessary” elements in our future mate’s “portfolio of potential.”

This can truly be an excruciating process and one in which eager prayer and pursuit of Christ is absolutely necessary.  Unfortunately, all too often, the desire and even actual calling for cross cultural, missionary service is demoted to the “nice but not necessary” pile.  Rationalizations arise, “We will serve Christ in our local church,” “There are endless opportunities in our home culture,” “Over time, he/she, will share my passion for missions,” and “We just need more time.”

Similar to the Christian commitment to avoid serious involvement in romantic relationships with non-professing Christians, so must our commitment level rise to avoid serious relationships with non-missionary-minded partners.  God is neither pleased nor honored when we compromise or surrender our callings for Him and His service.  Marriage is also a calling. But at times God wants us to wait or surrender as He fulfills His will in other life areas already made clear, such as missionary service.

As always, our dating standards and possible mate selection needs to be considered strategically, prayerfully and thoughtfully.  It is always tricky to decide standards after entering a serious relationship.  Conviction always precedes crisis.  Our convictions of dating and marriage truth must come before the “mate crisis” of determining if this wonderful person is The One.  We need to know now – even before we meet someone – the qualities we are seeking, and our non-negotiable criteria.

We can use several helpful, practical signs of observation and reflection, upon meeting a possible missionary mate.  Below are some missionary-ready qualities and characteristics to look for in a dating partner:

• Dedication to, love and serious understanding of the Word of God

• Listening and responding well to the Spirit in personal and ministry issues
• Love for the Church, involvement in community, and service in local church.
• Mature understanding and practice of evangelism
• Enjoys and values people; serves and honors others above themselves.
• Establishes goals and perseveres to reach them; words and actions match up   
• Deep value in practice of prayer
• Communicates well, unafraid of tough discussion, confrontation, or conflict
• Spirit of boldness, potential risk-taker; appreciation for adventure and new things
• Dissatisfied by the Status Quo; desire to live “outside the lines”

The following are further practical and daily aspects to watch for and ask about in a potential missionary mate:

• Friends: are they missions minded? What do they discuss and do?
• Missionaries: does he/she pray for any?  Have missionary friends?

• Finances:  does  he/she tithe, give to others generously?

• Lifestyle choices: materialism and comfort
• Travels: is there an interest in other cultures both locally and abroad?
• Missions trip: has he/she gone on one? Would he/she be willing to join you on one?
• Non-Christian friends: does he/she have any? Care for community, colleagues?
• Adventure: do you go on creative dates or are you resorting to same places and activities?
• Time: do you reach out to others together or only spend exclusive time as a couple?
• Development: what are his/her church involvements? Are spiritual gifts enhancing?

Both of these lists are merely some of the possible characteristics of a person or practical indicators for a missionary mate. Upon reading these lists, one must prayerfully and reflectively create their own “must have” list for a missionary mate and a list of “practical signposts.”

Finally, as we observe and search for these qualities and traits in a dating mate, are we developing these same areas in our own lives?  Hopefully a fine future missionary is out searching for someone like us who is developing these very attitudes and behaviors as well.

May this generation of missionaries cling tightly to their missions call and choose well that right missionary mate to marry!

Click On This Link To Watch A Video On The Anointing Of God Flowing Through Healing Evangelist, Richard Vera As He Ministers And Prays For People….

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5481592839224853876

Jeremiah 6:16 speaks about asking for the ancient paths; the good, old Godly ways when we look around us and when look at our lives and to walk in it. What is it about walking the ways of the Lord that satisfies the soul? The hunger inside one’s soul and spirit tears one’s apart as we thirst for the living waters of the Lord and when we are behind the closed doors, we yearn for His presence and cry out to Him about the things that are upon His heart that has entered and ravaged ours;this supernatural link and ability to live in two realms – the natural and the heavenly causes us to chase for the very existence and truth which holds us up in the wake of life and all the circumstances that surround us each moment. Oh the breath of Heaven we long for with holy desperation with each waking moment; to see His Glory change lives inside outand flood our entire generation; a highway byway revival never seen before that attests to mankind’s need for a saviour and His Mercy and Grace which only the cross can give and which Glory can only belong to God alone. Oh the ancient paths of God I long and desire while being on this earth only but a short while in comparison to eternity; my bread of life, my breath of life, my eternal living water and reason I live. Oh the chase of my God tears my heart apart with each moment that does not reach that utmost satisfaction of being in His presence! I long for Him more than life itself. Spirit of God come…. Blow over me…

The Stakes Couldn’t Be Higher

October 27, 2008

With the upcoming elections 8 days away, satan has worked hard to deflect attention off of the real issue. This has been relatively easy through the economic meltdown and an unpopular war. Many Americans, including Christians, will vote based on these two issues. While these things are obviously important, they pale in light of the real issue-the Supreme Court.

The cover story of USA Today, on Thursday of last week, spelled this out quite clearly. It stated that the real legacy of the next president won’t be the economy or the war, but the Supreme Court.

The next president of the United States will appoint at least 2, and maybe 3, Justices in his first term. If he serves 2 terms, it could be 5 Justices-there are 5 of the 9 on the Court 70 years old or older! Since the trend is to appoint younger and younger Justices, the next president will most likely shape the court for the next 30-40 years! This means we are not voting only for a president, we are voting for the Court we want for the next generation! The vote we cast on November 4th will do more to shape the culture we give our children and grandchildren than any other vote of our lifetime! Perhaps some succinct bullet points will help us see this clearly:

Without question, no institution, organization, or agency has shaped the current culture of America in the last 50 years more than the Supreme Court. You don’t need millions of people, the majority in Congress, or the President to shape the culture of America. You only need 5 people-the majority of the Supreme Court. Five people can kill 50 million babies (the number aborted since Roe vs. Wade), legalize homosexual marriage, remove parental rights, put God out of schools and government, rob from us our godly heritage, etc.

It is now split-sometimes 5-4 toward life, family, morality, our godly heritage, the intent of our forefathers when they wrote the Constitution; sometimes 5-4 toward death, immorality, legislating their beliefs from the bench (though not their constitutional role or right, this is easy-they simply say the Constitution is a fluid, living document and therefore must be changed to accommodate the times), removing God from our nation, etc.

2-3 Justices will retire over the next 4 years, their replacements chosen by the next president; possibly a couple more will step down 5 to 8 years from now, making it 5 potential Justices that could be appointed by the next president if he serves 2 terms. This will determine how the Court rules for a generation.

The first two Justices to go will almost certainly be Stevens who is 88 years old and Ginsberg who is 75 and ill. They are the two most liberal and are no doubt waiting to retire, hoping for a president that will replace them with 2 more liberals. These two replacements alone, if they are good, conservative judges could shift the Court toward righteousness for many years.
Conclusion: our vote this November 4th will be not for a president, not for the economy, not for ending our involvement in Iraq. Our vote will be for what we want America to look like 40 years from now!

The ramifications of this are staggering! We are no doubt reaping great judgment now in America-diseases, family breakdowns, violence, a death culture, destructive weather, and much more-because of abortion alone – not to mention expelling God and His laws from our schools and government. I don’t know that we can survive another 40 years of this without completely losing our godly heritage and destiny. The economy will recover and the war will end no matter who is elected president-but this is not the case with the Court and the soul of this nation.

If you don’t know where the candidates stand on the Court and the kind of Justices they would appoint, read the USA Today article. It makes their positions very clear. Share this information with every friend and acquaintance you have. And finally, pray like never before for God’s will to be done in this election. We CAN win this war and we MUST NOT lose this war. Pick up your word, go to war and let’s make history together. Here are some practical suggestions to consider:
Fast (a meal a day; a day this week; a Daniel fast; 3 days; TV; etc.) and spend the time praying.
Agree in prayer with someone everyday for God’s will to be done.
Hold nightly prayer meetings

Take time in every gathering to pray. (Take 15 minutes in every service to pray for the elections. Turn an entire service to harp and bowl style intercession-worship and prayer combined.)

Join 2 or more friends on a conference call and pray for 15, 20, or 30 minutes.
Pray on the way to work (and on the way home).
Pray before you go to sleep.
Pray before church services.
Ask God to give you His strategy-He will!

For God and Our Great Nation,
Dutch Sheets

When we ponder upon how short life really is, we beginning to think about how we want to live it all for God and every moment is just so precious. The thought of Him reaching down to hold us in His arms is just simply overwhelming. We have nothing to fear about this world because we can trust in our God who loves us so much. His heart describes his heart and his everything. It burns in one’s heart just to simply know that God, who is is my Father, my King, my Creator would converse with me and simply just be with me and watch over me. Nothing we do deserve all this and this then demands us to live it all for Him. The things of this world is temporal and pale in comparison to our God and life with Him. To live every moment with Him is so beautiful.

All We Need
Passion
Charlie Hall

G D
Rich or poor God I want you more
Em
Than anything that glitters in this world
C
Be my all, all consuming fire

G D
You can have all my hands can hold
Em
My heart, mind, strength and soul
C
Be my all, all consuming fire

G D
All we need, all we need, all we need is you

Em
We have all we need in you
C
And all we need is you

All we need is you

A very interesting overview of what Christianity may look like in the next 1,000 Years.

http://www.qideas.org/talks/default.aspx?id=6

THIS IS OUR GOD
Words and Music by Reuben Morgan

Intro E G#m7, C#m A

VERSE 1:
E E/G#
Your grace is enough
C#m
More than I need
A E
At Your word I will believe
E/G#
I wait for You
C#m
Draw near again
A B
Let Your Spirit make me new

CHORUS:
E/G# A
I will fall at Your feet
F#m7 B/D#
I will fall at Your feet
E/G# A (F#m7) second time around
And I will worship You here

VERSE 2:Same as Verse 1

Your presence in me
Jesus light the way
By the power of Your word
I am restored
I am redeemed
By Your Spirit I am free

Interlude: EE,BB, F#m7 C#m A E E

BRIDGE:

E
Freely You gave it all for us
B
Surrendered Your life upon that cross
F#m7
Great is the love
C#m
Poured out for all
A B
This is our God
E
Lifted on high from death to life
B
Forever our God is glorified
F#m7
Servant and King
C#m
Rescued the world
A
This is our God

 

SING TO THE LORD

Intro: A E Bm

Verse 1

A                      E
Righteous ruler of the heavens
Bm            F#
Holy holy are God
A                     E Sovereign lord of all creations Bm            F#
Holy holy are God

**preChorus

D               A
Every tribe and tongue
D                  E
Lift your voice as one
D                   E
He is greatly to be praised

*Chorus
            A          E
Sing to the lord oh my soul
        F#               E
Let the heaven shout for joy
A            E    F#           E
Great is our God, Great is our God

verse 2

A                    E
Nations come and bow before Him
Bm            F#
Holy holy are God
A                    E
Angels sing thy word forever
Bm            F#
Holy holy are God

Back to ** [preChorus]

Bridge

   A              D                 E           D
The heaven shall declares, the glory of our great God. 3X
A                  E         Bm            F#
Jesus, come let us adore Him…Holy Holy are God.

Draw near to me and I will draw near to you- saith the Lord. 2008 is beginning to draw to a close soon. In less than 3 months, 2009 will be ushered in. I believe now is a time to begin to reflect on 2008 and begin to just spend more time with the Lord in intimate moments; to once again come before him in complete surrender and just spend time with Him in the secret place and hear His voice on the things He wants to say and thethings He wants us to do, especially in the year 2009 and ahead. Sometimes, we get so busy with alot of the things we do when its really ALL ABOUT HIM. The song “Heart of Worship” – to simply come back to the place of worship and the sense of knowing that we live to glorify God in everything we do and how we live our lives. That His ultimate desire is not for us to have big ministires or do great things but to becomemore like our Lord, Jesus every moment of our lives and to love Him with all our heart, all our mind and all our soul and to love others like we love ourselves and then to go and reach out and make disciples.

Now is a time to hear what our Bridegroom has to say and just spend time with Him. As all the hustle and bustle has taken place in our lives in the year 2008, let us begin to just put aside more time and acknowledge the Lord’s will and His presence in our lives and be re-charged with new vision and new strength as we rest in Him and be with Him. A time of resting; a time ofhearing His voice,a time of soaking in His presence, a time of seeing the future with the eyes of Faith, a time of perhaps even moving into another level of commitment and intimacy with Him.

May He be placed above everything in our lives. May ALL GLORY be given back to Him once again. May He be the centre and all of our lives continuously.

Have you ever felt so sick and tired of mundane christianity?
I am. And I want real christianity. I dont just want it. I want to live it.
To live a life different from this world totally. To live a life that says “GOD IS REAL”
To live a life that is radically loving that it goes beyond the norm and captures the attention of the world. If I am just 20 over years old then if I were to die at about 80, then I have just slightly about 20,000 days to live my life real and to the fullest in this dying world!

Are you hating sin in your life? I dont want emotional christianity. I want a radical changed life for Christ. I want to live the life where I live for God even when no one is watching. To be everything to all was Apostle Paul’s cry and I want to live knowing that God is pleased with me. Is my heart pure? The pure shall see God. I dont want to be a reading and watching christian, where I am all about sermons, audios and videos. I want to be a living and doing Christian. To be head over heels in love with God and to live totally for Him and with Him. One Passion. One Reason. To walk the narrow road. To walk through the narrow gate. To have Jesus say to me : “Well Done My Good and Faithful Servant” and not “Depart from me for I do not know you”

How many christians will be going to hell??? How many are playing with fake christianity in our generation. There is an uproar in the spirit for the real things of God. For Christians to abandon fakeness and hypocrisy and live life with true meaning and the very commands of God as stated in the bible. How can we go on living in sin when we know the Gospel , when we know the cross and when we know the Word of God. How can we go on living in sin when we know Christ has saved us? How can we take His grace for granted?

I am tired of Christianity that is all about money and building numbers and creating ministries. I believe in a church with more than enough funds , yes! However, not a consistent talk about blessings and materials gains for self in this world till it has taken over the true meaning of being a Christian! I believe in a church without four walls. Will you take the gospel to the streets? Will you take the gospel into your schools? Will you take the gospel into your workplace? Will you love those in your church more than just chilling out? Is there more ? Yes there is !!! And we must live as Jesus with skin on in our church and outside the church. It is pointless to go from one conference to anotehr conference to be fire up for a couple of days and then do nothing. Why dont we just get soaked in the presence of God daily and then take it out of the four walls of the church into the streets! True Christianity, the world yearns to see! Will you be real? Will you be real?

Will you pray for the salvation of the people whom you take the same bus with, whom you walk the streets with, whom you take the train with? Will you be a missionary wherever you are? Isn’t it time to be real and live for God and be real so that others may see Jesus through you. Do you believe that the streets will have a presence of God so strong that the spirit of repentance will fall and saved the dying souls of our generation? Will you get down on your knees and pray for the dying world? Will you pray for the lives of your friends and loved ones? Will you do intentional evangelism and prayer walks and discipleship? Will you face the call of God and cry out to God “Here I am , Send me!” Go Love ! Go Love ! Go Love!

Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)
By Chris Tomlin

Verse 1:
G C G
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
G D
That saved a wretch like me
G C G
I once was lost, but now I’m found
G D G
Was blind but now I see

Chorus:
C G
My chains are gone, I’ve been set free.
C G
My God, My Savior has ransomed me.
C Em
And like a flood his mercy reigns.
D G
Un-ending love, amazing grace

Verse 2:
’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believed!

Verse 3:
The Lord has promised good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Verse 4:
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call’d me here below,
Will be forever mine.
(Will be forever mine)
(You are forever mine)

This question came to my mind today.

What are you going to do for the rest of your life?

Some of us are working adults; some of us are students; some of us have a family and we play with our kids; some of us are in ministries and are working at our ministries. However “What are you going to do for the rest of your life?” Once we know what we intend to be or do for the rest of our lives, we live by those principles and as we live one day at a time, the Lord will guide our steps and lead us into the paths and directions he has for us and we will fufill our destinies in Him to the fullest.

The thing is to hear the voice of God and know. Ask and we shall receive. We know not cos we ask not. Without vision Men perish. Our fire for the Lord burns when we spend time with Him daily. Our Fire for the Lord burns when we know our true identity in Him. Our fire for the Lord burns when we know what he wants us to be and to become and do.

It’s time to ask.

So how about asking the Lord today :

“Father what do you want me to do for the rest of my life?”

“Father, what do you want me to do today?”

We can do nothing except through Him. – John 15

Only one life, ’twill soon be past
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

May the Lord teach us how short life is that we may grow in wisdom. – Psalm 90:12

KJV: ‘From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.’

KJV Interlinear: ‘But from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of the heavens is taken by violence, and (the) violent seize it.’1

Nestle-Aland Interlinear: ‘And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of the Heavens is forcibly entered and violent men seize it.’2 (As a side note, notice that both Interlinears translate the Kingdom as the Kingdom of the Heavens, and not ‘Heaven’. In Hebrew, it is never Heaven, but the plural, Heavens.)

NRSV: ‘From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.’3 The NRSV also has an alternate reading in the margin: the kingdom of heaven ‘has been coming violently…’4

NKJV: ‘And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.’

NAS: ‘From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.’

Kenneth Wuest: ‘Indeed, from the days of John the Baptizer until this moment, the kingdom of heaven is being taken by storm, and the strong and forceful ones claim it for themselves eagerly’.5

David Stern: ‘From the time of Yohanan the Immerser until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been suffering violence; yes, violent ones are trying to snatch it away.’6

VERSE 1:

E
How lovely is Your dwelling place,
A B
oh Lord Almighty
E B
My soul longs and even faints for You
E
For here my heart is satisfied,
A B
within Your presence
E B
I sing beneath the shadow of Your wings

CHORUS:
A
Better is one day in Your courts
B
Better is one day in Your house
A
Better is one day in Your courts
B
Than thousands elsewhere

VERSE 2:
E
One thing I ask and I would seek,
A B
to see Your beauty
E B
To find You in the place Your glory dwells

BRIDGE:
C#m7 B
My heart and flesh cry out,
A B
for You the living God
C#m7 B A B
Your spirit’s water to my soul
C#m7 B
I’ve tasted and I’ve seen,
A
come once again to me
E/G#
I will draw near to You
F#m7 B
I will draw near to You

James Goll:”Champions of Faith, Hope and Love”

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is (springs) from God; and he who loves (his fellowmen) is begotten (born) of God and is coming (progressively) to know and understand God (to perceive and recognize and get a better and clearer knowledge of Him).” 1 John 4:7

The Holy Spirit is looking for champions in our day. Like our friend, Randy Clark, we believe that God can use “little ole me”! That is why Michal Ann and I have hosted the Women on the Frontlines Conferences every year and have written about some of these valiant heroes in the Women on the Frontlines book series.

There are champions – both great and small – who have made it into “God’s Hall of Heroes.” Some of these good people we may never meet nor know until we see them in Heaven, but others, such as Rolland and Heidi Baker of Iris Ministries, are modern-day trailblazers and pacesetters from whom each of us can learn a great deal.

All too often we focus on the gigantic exploits that are done by great people of faith, but we must never forget that little acts of love and kindness often precede public displays of power. Each of us must go through a hidden preparation period in which we learn how to walk in compassion and, as in any process, we have to take “baby steps” at first. It is the path of hiddenness that prepares you to be presented before man.

Michal Ann and I have had the pleasure of knowing Mahesh and Bonnie Chavda for more than 30 years. As many already know, it was the healing prayers of Mahesh Chavda which paved the way for the Lord to bless us with our four beautiful children. I have often said, “Mahesh is not a show horse; he is a workhorse!”

In the earlier days of my ministry I had the privilege of doing some behind-the-scenes work for Mahesh’s meetings as he traveled around this nation and internationally. I remember getting drinks for him, serving as a “catcher,” fetching his tennis shoes so his tired feet could be more comfortable after praying with people until 2:00 AM, and enjoying the fun of non-religious fellowship with him.

What always impressed me the most, as I observed and learned from Mahesh, was how he always took time for each individual. He never seemed to be in a rush; he ministered to each person as though every single individual was the most important person in the meetings. I learned from my dear friend, Mahesh Chavda, that Only Love Can Make a Miracle!

A Revival of Kindness

The world needs a revival of kindness today. Imagine what would happen if God’s people began to use their innate creativity to develop ways to show kindness to others. Simple acts of kindness, stemming from the love of God, would effect major changes in people’s lives and the ways people respond to one another.

Here are some random acts of kindness that you might want to consider as you go about your daily routine.

• Give an unusually good tip to a server in a restaurant.
• While in the drive-through line of a fast-food restaurant, pay for the meals that were ordered by the people behind you.
• Give someone a word of encouragement to a person in need.
• Take time to be a good listener to someone who needs to share his or her circumstances with you.
• Surrender your place in line to someone who seems to be in a hurry, whether in a supermarket, a barbershop, a bank, or elsewhere.
• Ask others if you could pray for them.
• Help an elderly or handicapped person to cross a street.
• Help someone lift a heavy item.
• Leave an anonymous gift on someone’s doorstep.
• Take bags of groceries to a poor family and leave a note that says, “From the Man Upstairs who sees and cares.”
• Send cards of encouragement and comfort to the lonely.
• Distribute Bibles and Christian books to people you encounter in your day-to-day activities.
• Volunteer to help in hospitals, schools, libraries, nursing homes, and other facilities.
• Tell people about a good, good God that loves them with an everlasting love!

All of these “random acts” of kindness are seeds of compassion that will truly make a difference in the lives of others. Take a moment now and see if you can come up with other ways to express God’s love in personal, practical, and tangible ways. Find something you can do to bless another.

True Compassion Is Always Personal

True compassion is always personal. In Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary we learn that compassion is “a sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it.” It is more than just a feeling; it is also an action. Compassion gives you an insight into another’s need and it enables you to understand their hurts, pain, needs, and heartache.

Then, as you pray about what compassion has revealed to you, you ask God for wisdom to show you how to help the other person (see James 1:5-8). God will reveal to you what needs to be done to help alleviate the other’s situation.

Paul tells us, “Clothe yourselves therefore, as God’s own chosen ones (His own picked representatives), (who are) purified and holy and well-beloved (by God Himself, by putting on behavior marked by) tenderhearted pity and mercy, kind feeling, a lowly opinion of yourselves, gentle ways, (and) patience (which is tireless and long-suffering, and has the power to endure whatever comes, with good temper)” (Colossians 3:12).

Here we see the qualities of compassion in a Believer’s life, which he or she must put on and be clothed with every day: purity, holiness, tender-hearted pity, mercy, kind feelings, humility, gentleness, patience, endurance, and good temper. These come from deep within you, where the Holy Spirit resides; they are the fruit of the Spirit in your life.

Could it be that the farther we go on our journey with God, the more He wants us to be like Him? Do you want to be like Him? Do you want to follow in the footsteps of the Lord? Do you want His image to be formed in you?

If your answer to these questions is yes, then you must let the necessary ingredient of compassion fill your heart and motivate you to get on the frontlines of service for your Lord. Your High Priest who is touched with the feelings of your weaknesses will touch you and touch others through you. All you have to do is to be willing to let Him use you for such humble and yet noble purposes.

The Coming Harvest

I love the story of the Prodigal Son, don’t you? Let’s take a look at the father in this parable: “So he (the Prodigal Son) got up and came to his (own) father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity and tenderness (for him); and he ran and embraced him and kissed him (fervently)” (Luke 15:20).

This is an interesting picture of a father’s love for his son. The father made it easy for the son to return home. He ran to his son when he was still “a long way off,” and opened his arms to hug and kiss him. This was a “divine eruption” of compassion.

The boy had come to his senses as he ate pig slop in the pig sty. He came to the realization that he needed his dad, so he decided to return home.

There are countless “prodigal sons” in our world today – the homeless, the sick, the disenfranchised, the depressed, the confused, the addicted, the wayward, the incarcerated, the abused, and the poor – and each one needs to know that the Father loves him or her.

We need to be motivated in such a way that we would actually see these “prodigals” and go running after them, as the father in this story did. There is a coming harvest – a harvest of prodigals, if you will – and we need to be ready for it. We need the prodigals and we need their sphere of influence.

Compassion always has to be personal. It needs to flow from your heart to the person in front of you.

We need a revelation of what compassion really is and what it entails, and I hope this communiqué will help to open the eyes of your understanding with regard to this extremely important and urgent matter. The God of all compassion and comfort wants us to become compassion in the same way that He is love. He lives within you, so let Him and His miracle-working love and compassion flow forth from you.

When we begin to be truly sensitive to the needs of others and begin to minister to their deepest needs, the ruins within the Body of Christ will be repaired, and God’s people will be restored. To do this kind of ministry, however, you must literally lay down your life for others.

You must put your personal desires and conveniences aside, and you must dispense true justice, practice kindness and compassion, and provide the help that is needed (see Zechariah 7:9-10).

Do you want to make a difference in the world? Then be different from others by walking in compassion wherever you are. People will see the difference, and they will want to have what you have. Not only that, but they will receive what they need through your compassion.

Get ready, for the harvest is coming. Become a co-laborer with God and go out into the whitened fields armed with His compassion and love. Like Mahesh and Bonnie Chavda and Rolland and Heidi Baker, you too can be a champion of Faith, Hope and Love! Now is the time – it is the hour of triple new beginnings in the season of 8/8/08 and beyond.

New Champions of Faith. New Champions of Hope. New Champions of Love!

James W. Goll
Encounters Network
Email: info@encountersnetwork.com

“THE LORD IS ON THE MOVE! HE WANTS TO BRING THE GLORY TO YOU!”
Jill Austin

God is “redefining” churches and nations!
The Lord is taking His finger and He is not only redefining the borders of nations, but also the Church. He says, “I am going to redefine even how you see My presence. I am going to take the walls down between different denominations and give you a hunger and fire for one another; a jealously for each of you who love the Lamb of God and have that fire for each other.”

It is as if you were up in the Heavens looking at the earth and you see that certain nations are full of different amounts of the glory of God. There are prophetic time clocks on different nations, according to His sovereign purposes for radical revival.

Do You Want a Visitation Or An Inhabitation? Our cry is that we don’t just want to say, “Come Holy Spirit”; we want to say, “Stay Holy Spirit!” We don’t want just a visitation, we want an inhabitation! I feel like the Lord is asking, “Are you willing to be radical for Me? Are you willing to let Me use your hands, your feet and your mouth to be radically on fire for Me? I am calling for a new militancy, a new passion, a new revelation of the Cross.”

The Lord says, “As you receive more and more and come into the fullness of the revelation of the glory of My Cross – of Who I am – the more of My glory and more of Heaven will kiss the earth.”

There needs to be a cry in you that says, “Kiss the lump of earth, Lord. Let Your fire and presence consume me!”

IS YOUR SHADOW DANGEROUS?

Acts 5:12-16, “The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people and all the Believers used to meet together at Solomon’s colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.

As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on the beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as they passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits and all of them were healed.”

Acts 19:11-12, “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.”

Is your shadow dangerous? How much fire do you have inside of you? Have you ever prayed for your shadow to be anointed and dangerous? In II Corinthians 4, it says that we are earthenware vessels, but the glory, the treasure in us, is the Lord. In other words, there’s a mystery. We are fragile earthenware vessels, but the glory, the fire inside of us, is the Lord.

CARRIERS OF A RADIUS OF HIS GLORY

You know the song, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine”? It makes it sound like Christianity is so puny and you hope God has lighter fluid to fill you up again. How many of you would like to have a radius of His glory inside of you like a nuclear reactor? Or would you like even more?

Do you want an anointing so that when you walk into a restaurant, the glory of God starts to move through you to confront the darkness because you have so much of the resurrection anointing? How much fire do you want? How dangerous do you want to be? Really?

How many of you would like to see the glory of God rest over your house and as people drive by, they see angels of revelation camped over your house? How many of you would like to walk into work and suddenly, the glory of God just explodes out of you? Your boss comes up to you to shake your hand and all of a sudden, he is thrown up against the wall, falling to the floor and crashing with the anointing? He slowly stands up, walks back to you again, and says, “Thank you. I feel better now.”

IMPACTING YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Let’s go back to your neighborhood. Let’s say a wife is bringing her husband home from the hospital and he is dying of terminal bone cancer. The children of the sick father tell their parents that they keep seeing angels of the Lord at your house and they believe that your prayers could heal him. The wife comes in, calls you and tells you that her husband has twenty-four hours left to live. She also tells you that they understand that you are followers of Jesus, that you love the Bible, and that you should pray for him and see that if what you preach is true.

So the neighbors come, put the husband on a blanket and carry him down to your house. They knock on the door, you open it and they all come in – the family and other neighbors. Everyone is there – maybe twenty people – watching to see if Jesus is real.

Can we pray for the sick? Will He heal cancer? As you begin to pray, with all the neighbors looking on, color begins to come back into the man and the spirit of death starts to lift off. He sits up and says, “I am hungry” and the Lord starts to heal him.

How many of you would like to have those in your neighborhood come and knock on your door for you to pray for them? The glory of the Lord will start to move through your neighborhood. How many of you would like to have ambulances parked outside of your door because people hear that the miracle power of Jesus is starting to move?

How many of you would like to have hearses at your door as Jesus raises people from the dead? Even if they’ve been embalmed, God can give them blood! But there’s a radical cry in you where you start to say that we have a God who moves in our midst.

HE WANTS TO BRING THE GLORY

With the Welsh Revival, the glory of God moved all over the streets in the business sections, the bars and so forth. As ships approached the nation of Wales in 1906, for six miles out to sea, the glory of the Lord would meet the ships. As the ships would come into the nation, people would start to fall to their knees and cry out for mercy. They would have visions of Heaven and hell and would instantly get saved. Others were healed of blind eyes and deaf ears were opened to hear as the miracle power of the Lord started to move.

I feel like the Lord is saying that He wants to bring the glory of the Lord – the fire, the presence and the revival anointing to you AND your city. He says that passing out tracts is too small.

Sometimes you might be with a group of people who go out on Friday night to a bad section of town, but this might only happen once or twice. Or we might go and pass out tracts on a street corner, but after you mechanically pass out tracts to many people, don’t you wonder where the life is in it?

There was an anointing in the 60′s and 70′s, and some in the 80′s in passing out tracts, but you see, now in the 90′s and 2000′s, the Lord is using more than that. He wants YOU to be a living tract!

He says, “I want to use your hands, your mouth and your feet to be carriers of the anointing. Will you be like radical walking flames of fire? Will you be like Olympic runners full of My glory and full of My fire, setting ablaze My nations, cities and neighborhoods for My glory?”

A STADIUM MENTALITY

It’s not enough just to move on a platform or an altar area that’s ten feet by thirty feet. His glory wants to invade entire churches, cities, regions and nations! He wants all of this to be an altar for His glory and anointing to come.

At the University of Oregon in Eugene, there is a facility that holds 54,000 people. Let’s say that you are there along with many others to be on the prayer team. Others could come and bring their loved ones and friends, but all of you are the prayer team. How, as a prayer team, are you going to pray for 45,000 people?

I know many of you have been trained to pray at the altar of your church, and if you move fast, you might pray for three to five people. Even if you prayed all night you might pray for several thousand people, but what are you going to do with the other 50,000? In other words, our whole way of thinking is going to have to be different. God wants to impart to us a gift of faith. We need a stadium mentality instead of a church altar mentality!!

I want you to think of that stadium! You are there and you’re asking the Lord, the Glorious Intruder, to come and invade the stadium! The glory cloud of the Lord begins to move throughout the stadium and, as the glory cloud of God starts to move, people are being delivered because Jesus, the Son of the living God, has come and is setting people free by breaking off torment, insanity and spirits of death by His power and His presence.

As the Lord begins to move, there’s a radical anointing. People start coming out of wheelchairs. The miracle anointing of signs and wonders begins. Literally people with no eyes, only sockets, start to have eyes appear. People start to hear. Those with skeletal diseases who are crippled and deformed, start to hear crunching in their bones as hands and body parts start to come together. People in wheelchairs begin to get out of them and start running.

Jesus starts healing cancer, aids and mental illness with His resurrection anointing. You see people, it isn’t just power, it’s a resurrection anointing that was birthed from the Cross.

THE APOSTOLIC ANOINTING

How many of you would like to have an apostolic anointing? Let’s talk about the apostolic anointing. The apostolic anointing in Acts 2 shows us that the Holy Spirit came like a mighty rushing wind. At 9:00am, a crowd of more than three thousand people gathered and accused the Christians of being drunk.

Immediately Peter said, “They are not drunk, as you think.” He spoke with an apostolic anointing, preaching the crucified Christ, the glory of the Cross, that all are sinners needing to repent and that Jesus is the Messiah! As he preached the glory of the Cross – the crucifixion and the resurrection, three thousand people were saved.

Why isn’t everyone moving with an apostolic anointing where you work, go to school, gas stations, grocery stores and wherever you are? There needs to be a place in you where you say, “Jesus, give me that fiery anointing. Lord, use me to powerfully touch my world.”

We, as a Church, have abdicated our posts!! We’ve said yes to sending out missionaries, itinerants and others, but the Lord says, “I want YOU! I want you to be My hands and My heart. I want you to be My mouth and My eyes. When you see people, I want you to look at that person and ask Me what I have for that living soul.”

BEING NATURALLY SUPERNATURAL

You will start seeing people as living souls and God will begin to give you words and other things they need. If you don’t get anything, you can always ask them to get a cup of coffee with you. Be naturally supernatural. Be real. I feel like the Lord is trying to break religious evangelism.

He wants to start working with prophetic evangelism where you are naturally supernatural – being real people who love a real God! Then you can be one who goes through real life situations with a God who is with you in the midst of all your situations and you can share that with others!

Do you want to be a carrier of the anointing? How much fire do you want? When people reach out and touch your clothes, are you so saturated with anointing that people are instantly healed? Have you even prayed for that? “Lord, let Your anointing and Your glory seep out of me.” May it be that we don’t even know when it happens because it is so naturally supernatural.

YOUR COMMISSIONING – THROW OUT YOUR NET

Is there that cry in you that says, “Lord, I want to see people radically touched right where I live, where I walk, and where I live real life.” The Lord says He wants to bend the walls of the church and take you to the world so that you can be His hands, His heart and His feet.

If you are waiting for someone else to do it, He says to forget it! You are it! He wants to give us fishing nets. For years He has been healing the holes in the nets so that we can throw out our nets into the dark sea of humanity. As we throw our nets out, the Shekinah glory will come as the nets hit the water and the fish will see the nets and come running. Jesus says that He is going to bring in such a great harvest that many of you will have to team together to bring in His fish.

Can you say, “Here am I, send me!” That is sweet music to His ears! This is part of why He gave His life on the Cross!

Jill Austin
Master Potter Ministries
Email: info@masterpotter.com

“Flame On! It is Time to Let the Lord Search Us and Consume Us!”
Flames of Passion

A new level of burning is coming. God’s love for His people is inspiring a passionate response that is causing an entire generation to cry out for the flames of His love – because nothing else satisfies.

As we allow His love to consume us and everything in us that is not of Him, these flames of passion will begin to light fires that not only burn in our hearts, but turn us into torches of blazing light. The light in us will draw those who do not yet know Him into the flames of His presence.

I have seen visions of Believers who have allowed God to search them, separate them, and so consume them with the fires of His holy love, that they spontaneously burst into heavenly flames of His presence. As these “human torches” arise and shine, going forth into the streets and communities of their cities and villages, people turn from their paths, come running up to them, and ask, “What is this flame that does not burn you? What is this fire that radiates off of you? What is this warmth?”

As these fiery ones extend their hands, the flames of God’s passion for His creation that they carry so brightly, will begin to ignite others, drawing them into the inferno of His heart, consuming every work of the enemy. The sick are healed. The blind see. The deaf hear. The dead are raised. Demons flee. Entire cities and villages will call upon the name of the Lord, receiving the love of Jesus into their hearts and declaring Him as Lord of their lives.

It is time to arise and shine. It is time to let the Lord search us and consume us. It is time to cry out for His holy fire to come and ignite our hearts with a new level of passionate response to His love, embracing His fiery presence and carrying it out to a world that desperately needs to know this God who so dearly loves them.

Encountering the Heart of God

In Exodus 3, we read the story of Moses encountering the burning bush. When Moses saw this blazing fire, he was not seeking a sign, a wonder, or even a getaway with God. He was simply going about his everyday business, tending the flock. But when God allowed His burning heart for His people to manifest as a blazing fire, Moses could not help but respond.

In Exodus 3:3, we read that Moses felt compelled to turn aside. When he did, he had a powerful God-encounter that forever changed his image of himself and launched him out into a miracle ministry that delivered an entire people group from bondage and suffering. He was set ablaze with God’s heart for the Israelites, and he burned with God’s purpose to see them set free.

This revelation of God’s love for His people fueled Moses to press in again and again, moving in the miraculous and expecting the impossible – until he saw it come to pass.

God is always with us (Joshua 1:5). He is always near. He is always waiting for us to turn aside from the thoughts and concerns of the world, and move into His powerful presence (James 4:8). When we do, just like Moses, we will step out of the everyday and into the holy. We will go from our limited understanding to the revelation that all things are possible.

The key is to connect with the burning heart of God and let it set us ablaze with a passion for what He is passionate about.

It does not matter where you have been. It does not matter who you have been. All that matters is that God is calling out, waiting for those to respond who are willing to be His fiery ones. He is searching to and fro for men and women who will turn aside from where they have been and come to the place of the burning bush, the place of His fiery passion, where He can set them ablaze with His heart and send them forth for His purpose.

God Wants to Make Us Flames of Fire

The Lord wants to bring us to the place of the burning bush, the place where we encounter His fiery passionate love. Not only so we know how loved we are, but so that we realize how loved all the world is (John 3:16).

This revelation is what enables us to surrender all. It allows us to love and trust Him so completely that we lay down our agendas, turn aside from the everyday, and launch out into the miraculous. It is what ignites us to be His flames of fire that burn – so the world might know His light.

When we allow God to set us ablaze with His heart for the lost, we truly become burning ones – carrying His passion and presence to a world that does not yet know Him. We go from the place of the burning bush where we encounter His love, to being burning bushes that carry His love.

As we blaze with His love, shining brilliantly with the gifts and fruits of the Spirit that witness that love to the world, many will be drawn from the paths they have been on and into encounters with the Holy One! Many will be healed. Many will be delivered. Many will be saved.

John Wesley once said, “I set myself on fire and people come to watch me burn.” John the Baptist was a burning man in the desert and all of Judea and the district of the Jordan were drawn to him to hear about Jesus (see Matthew 3:5). And Scripture tells us that the day is near when God will send out an army of those who will move in flame and fire (Joel 2:2–3).

Do you want to be one of them? Then go to the place of the burning bush – the place of His presence – where you will encounter the fiery passion of God for you and for all of creation. Cry out for a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit and for fire to turn you into a “human torch” that shines Jesus brightly for all the world to see.

Flame on!

Rob Hotchkin
Extreme Prophetic
Email: rob@extremeprophetic.com

Scripture Meditation:
Week 1: Exodus 3:1–12; Acts 7:30–34
Week 2: Deuteronomy 4:7; James 4:8; Joshua 1:5–9
Week 3: John 1:6–9; Joel 2:2–3; Acts 2:2–3; Matthew 5:14–16
Week 4: Isaiah 60:1–3

During the business of life, you suddenly stop in your tracks and come across a verse that just makesyou go all silent and your consciouness of God magnifies into one of awe. I read this verse today and it went straight into my heart till it enveloped my entire being :

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? Psalm 8:3-4

The awesomeness of a great high God, a God, whose Majestic name fills the whole earth and His Glory is higher than the Heavens. This is the moment where you just want to sit in a quiet room in silence and just ponder for a while how He created the Universe and the Earth and Men and all the creatures below the Heavens and how He created the Heavens and the Angels and how He went about planning everything. Suddenly you just want to sit beside and follow Hima round to see what he sees, hear what He hears and do what He does. Was this then how Christ must have felt when he was on earth. Having experienced that, Oh ! The price He paid was not just the Cross but that seperation from the Father to be on Earth. Majesty. King of Kings.

Being in Awe is the key to humility and being thankful and grateful, which leads to Praise and worship which then turns into Joy ! Joy then becomes our strength to go through this life and each and every moment of it. Through that Joy, we experience God’s love and healing and forgiveness.

He gave us charge of everything He made, putting ALL things under our authority.
Being In Awe of Him gives us that Faith and trust and Knowledge of our Authority in God. Psalm 8:6

The Boxer Rebellion, or Boxer Movement, was an uprising by members of the Chinese Society of Right and Harmonious Fists against foreign influence in areas such as trade, politics, religion and technology. It took place in China from November 1899 to 7 September 1901, during the final years of the Manchu rule (Qing Dynasty).

The members of the Society of Right and Harmonious Fists were simply called “Boxers” by the Westerners due to the martial arts and calisthenics they practiced. The uprising began as an anti-foreign, anti-imperialist peasant-based movement in northern China. They attacked foreigners who were building railroads and violating Feng shui, as well as Christians, who were held responsible for the foreign domination of China. In June 1900, the Boxers invaded Beijing and killed 230 foreign diplomats and foreigners. Some Chinese Christians were also killed, mostly in Shandong and Shanxi Provinces as part of the uprising.

The government of Empress Dowager Cixi was not helpful, and diplomats, foreign civilians, soldiers and some Chinese Christians retreated to the legation quarter where they held out for fifty-five days until a multination coalition rushed 20,000 troops to their rescue. The Chinese government was forced to indemnify the victims and make many additional concessions. Subsequent reforms implemented after the crisis of 1900 laid, at least in part, the end of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the modern Chinese Republic.

The Uprising

A Boxer rebel. His banner says (in translation) “By Imperial Order – Boxer Supply Commissariat”.The Boxer activity began in Shandong province in March 1898, in response to German occupation of the Qingdao region, the British seizing of Weihai city (a trading center), and the failure of the Imperial court’s Self-Strengthening Movement. One of the first signs of unrest appeared in a small village in Shandong province, where there had been a long dispute over the property rights of a temple between locals and the Roman Catholic authorities. The Catholics claimed that the temple was originally a church abandoned for decades after the Kangxi Emperor banned Christianity in China. The local court ruled in favour of the church, and angered villagers who claimed the temple for rituals. After the local authorities turned over the temple to the Catholics, the villagers (led by the Boxers) attacked the church building.

The exemption from many Chinese laws of missionaries further alienated some Chinese. Marshall Broomhall pointed to the policy pursued by Catholic missionaries. In 1899, with the help of the French Minister in Peking, they obtained an edict from the Chinese Government granting official rank to each order in the Roman Catholic hierarchy. The Catholics, by means of this official status, were able to more powerfully support their people and oppose Mandarins.[1]

The early months of the movement’s growth coincided with the Hundred Days’ Reform (June 11–September 21, 1898), during which the Guangxu Emperor of China sought to improve the central administration, though the process was reversed by several court reactionaries. After the Boxers were mauled by loyal Imperial troops in October 1898, they dropped their anti-government slogans and turned their attention to foreign missionaries (such as those of the China Inland Mission) and their converts, whom they saw as agents of foreign imperialist influence.

Veteran missionary Griffith John noted afterward:
“ It is the height of folly to look at the present movement as anti-missionary. It is anti-missionary as it is anti-everything that is foreign. ..The movement is at first and last an anti-foreign movement, and has for its aim the casting out of every foreigner and all his belongings.[2] ”

Now with a majority of conservative reactionaries in the Imperial Court, the Empress Dowager issued edicts in defence of the Boxers, drawing heated complaints from foreign diplomats in January, 1900. In June 1900 the Boxers, now joined by elements of the Imperial army, attacked foreign compounds in the cities of Tianjin and Peking. The legations of the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United States, Russia and Japan were all located on the Legation Quarter close to the Forbidden City. The legations were hurriedly linked into a fortified compound that became a refuge for foreign citizens in Peking. The Spanish and Belgian legations were a few streets away, and their staff were able to arrive safely at the compound. The German legation on the other side of the city was stormed before the staff could escape. When the Envoy for the German Empire, Klemens Freiherr von Ketteler, was murdered on June 20 by a Manchu banner man, the foreign powers demanded redress. On June 21st Cixi declared war against all Western powers, but regional governors refused to cooperate. Shanghai’s Chinese elite supported the provincial governors of southeastern China in resisting the imperial declaration of war.[3]

The fortified legation compound remained under siege from Boxer forces from June 20 to August 14. Under the command of the British minister to China, Claude Maxwell MacDonald, the legation staff and security personnel defended the compound with one old muzzle-loaded cannon; it was nicknamed the “International Gun” because the barrel was British, the carriage was Italian, the shells were Russian, and the crew were from the United States.

Foreign media described the fighting going on in Peking as well as the alleged torture and murder of captured foreigners. Whilst it is true that tens of thousands of Chinese Christians were massacred in north China, many horrible stories that appeared in world newspapers were based on a deliberate fraud[4]. Nonetheless a wave of anti-Chinese sentiment arose in Europe, the United States and Japan. [5]

The poorly armed Boxer rebels were unable to break into the compound, which was relieved by an international army of the Eight-Nation Alliance in July.

Reinforcements

Foreign navies started building up their presence along the northern China coast from the end of April 1900. On May 31, before the sieges had started and upon the request of foreign embassies in Beijing, 435 navy troops from eight countries were dispatched by train from Takou to the capital (75 French, 75 Russian, 75 British, 60 U.S., 50 German, 40 Italian, 30 Japanese, 30 Austrian); these troops joined the legations and were able to contribute to their defence.

During the incident, 48 Catholic missionaries and 18,000 Chinese Catholics were murdered. 222 Chinese Eastern Orthodox Christians were also murdered, along with 182 Protestant missionaries and 500 Chinese Protestants known as the China Martyrs of 1900. More than 50,000 Chinese civilians were accused as boxers and executed by foreign troops[citation needed]

The Holy Chinese Martyrs of the Boxer Rebellion.The effect on China was a weakening of the dynasty as well as a weakened national defense. The structure was temporarily sustained by the Europeans who were under the impression that the Boxer Rebellion was anti-Qing. Besides the compensation, Empress Dowager Cixi realized that in order to survive, China had to reform despite her previous view of European opposition. Among the Imperial powers, Japan gained prestige due to its military aid in suppressing the Boxer Rebellion and was now seen as a power. Its clash with Russia over the Liaodong and other provinces in eastern Manchuria, long considered by the Japanese as part of their sphere of influence, led to the Russo-Japanese War when two years of negotiations broke down in February 1904. Germany earned itself the nickname “Hun” and occupied Qingdao bay, consequently fortifying it to serve as Germany’s primary naval base in East Asia. The Russian Lease of the Liaodong (1898) was confirmed. The U.S. 9th Infantry Regiment earned the nickname “Manchus” for its actions during this campaign and members of the regiment (stationed in Camp Casey, South Korea) still do a commemorative 25 mile (40 km) foot march every quarter in remembrance of the brutal fighting. Soldiers who complete this march are authorized to wear a special belt buckle that features a Chinese imperial dragon on their uniforms. Likewise both the U.S. 14th Infantry Regiment, which calls itself “The Golden Dragons”; the 15th Infantry Regiment; the U.S. 6th Cavalry Regiment; the US 3rd Artillery {see Coats of arms of U.S. Field Artillery Regiments}also have a Golden Dragon on their coat of Arms. Another U.S. unit involved in the rebellion was the first formation of “2d Regiment” of USMC detachments.

The impact on China was immense. Soon after the rebellion the Imperial examination system for government service was eliminated; as a result, the classical system of education was replaced with a Westernized system that led to a university degree. Eventually the spirit of revolution sparked a new nationalist revolution, ironically led by a Christian Sun Yat-sen, which overthrew the Manchu (Qing) Dynasty.

Keith Miller:”New Waves of Revival Fire that Release Signs, Wonders and Miracles!”
There is a new and deeper level of revival glory anointing being released by the Lord right now! Over the course of the last few months, we have been experiencing a powerful, deep, intense new level of revival anointing in our meetings. We are seeing a greater dimension of His presence, His power, and His prophetic flow, and the levels increase in every meeting.

“O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.” Psalm 63:1-5

During this time of holy pursuit, I was caught up before the Throne in a prophetic encounter. I was in awe of Him; deep was calling unto deep and every fiber of my being was alive and sensitive to His presence. In Revelation 1:15, John shared that during his prophetic encounter with the Lord, His voice was like the sound of many waters. As the Lord spoke to me, it was like wave after wave of an incredible depth of love was being released deep within my inner man. This released in me a deep adoration that was beyond what my human mind could even comprehend!

As I beheld Him on the Throne, I saw Him in a level of power that I had never seen before. In Matthew 26:64, the Scripture describes the Lord on the Throne as “Power!” “Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of Heaven.’”

Also in Acts 10:38, Peter speaks of “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Remember that as we behold Him, we are transformed into His likeness: “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

As He spoke I Knew that He Was Releasing Prophetic Impartation and Strategies

Then I saw the Lord releasing power mantles upon people all over the world, resulting in a release of a new wave of Hebrews 2:4: “God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.” He spoke a word to them and it became prophetic impartation that was like fire in their bones. With the impartation came prophetic strategies for city, state, and also national impact. They spoke the Word with great intensity and ministered with great authority and power. The masses of humanity began to turn and take notice of the Word and the anointing.

During this prophetic encounter, I saw the Lord releasing fresh anointing upon anointing for great release of signs, wonders and healings in the mighty name of Jesus. In Acts 2:1-4 we see in the Scripture that the disciples received an anointing of power to speak the Word of the Lord with boldness and to see signs, wonders and healings done in the mighty name of Jesus. We see a great breakout of Holy Spirit explosion take place in Acts Chapters 2 and 3.

But then, in Acts Chapter 4:28-31, we see the disciples pressing in for something even greater than what they had been seeing. As they pressed in for the Word and the anointing, to speak the Word with boldness and to move in a greater anointing, the place was shaken and they received from the Holy Spirit boldness and greater power.

Since the prophetic encounter, the Lord has graced us with increased levels of revival Glory anointing in our meetings. There is a great atmosphere of anticipation and expectation; the place is literally charged with the Presence of the Lord. We are seeing a greater dimension of His presence, His power, and His prophetic flow. We have received so many testimonies of lives being impacted and transformed. Thank You, Jesus! Over the last few months God has poured out fresh hunger. People are getting a tremendous new anointing upon them, but also inside them–the Lord is releasing strength within.

In this same vision, the Lord also showed me other keys He has begun releasing to the Body to bring this revival to fruition. I will describe these keys in the remainder of this article.

Open Heavens

In Acts 2:1, the disciples gathered together in Heavenly pursuit of what the Lord Jesus had promised them in Luke 24:49: “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you” (see also Acts 1:4). Again, in Acts 1:3 after Jesus was resurrected, He spends 40 days with them, speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. In Acts 1:4, He reaffirms to them that something was going to happen for them. A promise from Him to them, for the promise of the Father, which He said, “you have heard from Me.”

So with great expectation they were up early awaiting the promise Jesus had given them. A major breakthrough was about to happen for each of their lives, but it would also affect the city, region and the nations. All of sudden they heard a sound! “And suddenly there came a sound!” Wow! I love this! There they were! Waiting! Pressing in and hungering after the promise of the Lord to them. They knew that something was about to happen. They felt it deep in their hearts. Nothing could keep them from getting what was promised to them.

That is exactly what thousands of precious people are sensing deep in their spirits for such a time as this. We feel that we are on the verge of something major. We are pressing in for the promise of God for our lives, our families, our ministries, our cities and our nations! We are about to hear the sound!

All of sudden they hear a sound! “Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance” (Psalm 89:15). It is the sound of the breakthrough, the sound of victory, the sound of advancement. It is the sound that signifies that God is now showing up and something is about to happen!

The sound of the breakthrough has now come that will bring Holy Spirit breakout! The Heavens are opening up and a mighty outpouring takes place upon them. They become carriers of what we call open Heavens! Let’s explore this phenomenon of an open Heaven a bit.

An open Heaven is when there is no restriction between you and Heaven, and every function of the Holy Spirit manifests–revelation, power, healing, etc. Wherever you go there is a manifestation of the reality of Heaven upon the earth. I call it impact. Impact is when two objects collide. That is exactly what happens–the supernatural collides with the natural. The Kingdom of God literally explodes into the world!

The disciples began ministering under an open Heaven in Acts 2:14-20, and the result was prophetic preaching with an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh. They began ministering from an open Heaven like Jesus did in Mark 1:10. Jesus saw the whole city of Capernaum powerfully touched by the open Heavens He walked in. We will see whole cities and regions powerfully impacted from ministering under an open Heaven as well! Breakouts of the miraculous occur with great outpourings of the Holy Spirit! The report of the Lord goes forth through the region, and a sound rings throughout the land!

The Lord is now opening Heaven for many who have pressed in for the promise of God for their lives and ministries. The promises of God are yes and amen in the anointing–no resistance between Heaven and earth. Many people will begin to operate in a powerful realm that will release open Heavens over churches, cities, regions and nations. This will bring a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh. We are pressing in for open Heavens to bring an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh (Acts 2:17-20, Joel 2:28-32).

The Breaker Anointing

The Lord is also releasing a greater intensity of the breaker anointing. The breaker anointing smashes through barriers in the Heavenlies, allowing the Holy Spirit to move mightily. As you begin to minister in the Word and the anointing, you are breaking open the atmosphere for the manifest presence of the Lord (Micah 2:12-13, Psalm 24:7-10, Psalm 29:3-11). You become a gate for the King of Glory to come through.

The Lord is literally putting this anointing upon individuals and ministries to help break open the Heavenlies for city and regional impact!

The Sword of the Lord: God’s Word

The sword of the Lord is the quickened Word of the Lord cutting between spirit and flesh.

“For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power (making it active, operative, energizing, and effective); it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow (of the deepest parts of our nature), exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

When the Word has been spoken with great authority, I have seen visions of the sword of the Lord sweeping across meetings. It is actually dividing between what is the Lord and what isn’t the Lord in people’s lives, and it reveals the intent of the heart. We are about to see an incredible release of this.

During my encounter with the Lord, I literally saw in a prophetic vision the words of Amos 3:7 unfold:

“Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken; who can but prophesy?”

The roar is the sound of the Lion of Judah, decreeing the Name above all names. At His mighty Name, everything that is not of the Kingdom must bow down to His holy Name.

As the prophetic word of the Lord goes forth, the Word will literally thunder across the waters. As the Lord thunders, it will break down the resistance. God is thundering; He is speaking. “To Him who rides on the Heavens of Heavens, which were of old! Indeed, He sends out His voice, a mighty voice.” (Psalm 68:33).

We have stepped into a time of great power, but also of the prevailing Word of God. “So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed” (Acts 19:20). We will begin to see and hear about great Kingdom explosion for Kingdom advancement. We are plugging into the living Word and the anointing to see the fullness of the Holy Spirit released in great power. We will see greater increase in the coming days. This is not just for a few, but for the Body of Christ.

Overcomers Arise!

Another clear thing the Lord spoke to me during this visitation was that He is raising up overcomers. The Lord is currently doing a deep work in believers so that we will daily live as overcomers, not as people being overcome by our circumstances or the world. The Spirit of understanding brings divine insight of how to live in daily victory in the inner man. We are to be the lamp on the hill, the shining light of our Father’s Kingdom.

We are in a time of great transition, but as we go through the door, we will lay a course for thousands upon thousands to experience victory in our Lord. If we will embrace the grace He is releasing, we will see great spiritual growth for Kingdom harvest. This is not just one or two people living in Kingdom dominion, but a whole generation.

As I write this I feel a deep longing of the Holy Spirit to see a great release of the wealth of the Kingdom to God’s people. “Go through, go through the gates! Prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway! Take out the stones, lift up a banner for the peoples! (Isaiah 62:10).

Restoration of the Desolations of the Generations

Part of the anointing that is being released by the Lord is restoration of the desolations of the generations. The Lord will restore what the locusts have eaten (Joel 2:25). The two major aspects the Lord showed me pertained to restoration of anointing and mantles of old and the promise of the Lord to restore families (Isaiah 49:8).

I saw families all over the world impacted. “And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations” (Isaiah 61:4).

Many of the old wells and old mantles will once again be seen in the Body of Christ–but in double portion! Elisha tasted the anointing when Elijah passed by and threw his mantle on him (1 Kings 19:19). Later, Elisha boldly pressed in and received a double portion (2 Kings 2:9-14)! Elisha received a double portion of the anointing that was on Elijah.

In Elisha’s ministry he saw double the miracles that Elijah saw. Elisha did not go hide himself in a cave like Elijah. Elisha did not take on the personality of Elijah; he took on the personality of the anointing that was on Elijah. We will begin to see mighty breakouts of new levels of the anointing. Watch and see, these next levels will be greater than what we’ve experienced before!

As a believer, there has been something the Lord has let you touch in the Spirit or has shown you a vision of its future potential. This is what you’ve been contending for. This is what you have been pressing in for. Now the Lord is about to release those realms and they will be even greater than before.

As you are reading this you should stop right now and decree, “Lord as You have purposed, let it be unto me!” Does the vision ache within you? Does it cause a stirring in your inner man? That is a holy invitation. Ask Him to release you into the fullness of all that He has shown you.

At the same time we are redigging the old wells, we are also digging new wells. The Lord is taking everything to a greater level of increased fruitfulness. In Genesis 26:18-22, Isaac re-dug the wells from Abraham’s days that the Philistines had filled in, but he also dug three new wells!

We are in another depth of the breakout of God right now! I believe we are now beginning to experience something beyond what we have experience before. I’m telling you the truth; we are seeing the beginning of this in our meetings!

The rivers of God are flowing, not ankle deep, not waist deep, but the rivers are flowing from bank to bank. “Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for medicine” (Ezekiel 47:12).

Our generation is to live and operate out of the fullness of the Holy Spirit. We are to be the well-watered, deeply-rooted trees that bring forth Kingdom fruit that the Lord will use to heal the nations.

More for the Multitudes

The level of anointing that the Lord is releasing literally blows me away! We are in a great time of increase in every area right now. I really do believe the Lord wants to send more increase; I believe that all of it–the open Heavens, the power, the prophetic flow, which is the sword of the Lord–is for seeing people, cities, and regions transformed.

A mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit will bring multitudes to salvation in North America. That’s the vision the Lord has shown me. It is like fire in my bones! It aches deep in my heart. We need the Church to rise up to the fullness of her potential in the Lord to see Kingdom impact. O Lord, rend the Heavens and come down! Do something beyond our plans and abilities. We are asking for something more than before.

We are asking for revival to break out for a new move of God that will touch millions and millions of people.

Through prayer, praise, purity, and purpose we want to see an increase of His presence, power and prophetic flow to see North America experience a mighty move of God.

That’s what I was born for–that’s what you were born for! Let’s us grab a hold of the promises of God. Let’s say yes to the old, yes to the new and yes to the future. What a time we live in; what a God we serve!

Keith Miller
Stand Firm World Ministries
Email: info@sfwm.org

As we go through life and its ups and downs. We often come to a standstill, where in that quiet place, we cry out for God to take all of us again, every essence, every part of us. The flesh is weak but the spirit is willing. Oh how weak we are and how nothing we are, without God to carry us through each and every day. Yet, what draws us is His very spirit that brings us into that place of intimacy and causes us to throw our entire self into his arms and into his love as we fall into desperation and on our knees, crying out: “Jesus Take My Life, Take All of Me!” We yearn for Him to take over completely and take everything of us and the reason is Love for Him….

 

 

A missionary call: Is it God’s will for you?

Discover if you have a mission call 1. Immerse yourself in the Word All of it! Not just a few favorite phrases 2. Listen to the Holy Spirit The inner witness 3. Look to God as sovereign He often leads by opening and closing doors 4. Seek the counsel of mature Christians Church elders, pastor, a mentor, close Christian friends –Joe Mattox, Heart Institute, Lake Wales, FL

Other great pages to visit:Keeping passionShort-term mission tripsFinding God’s willAdopting the unreachedPraying for missionariesNazarene Missions Int’lAmateur radioBible bloopersMissions slogansBrainstormingManaging conflictOur newest pages

When does God call people to long-term missionary service? 21% were called as a result of a missions education service in their local church 20% felt God calling them after listening to missionary speakers 19% were called because of their own family’s missions vision and conversations 10% heard God’s call through reading missionary books – Terry Read, missionary and missions professor

Feeling that God is calling you to missionary service?

“How can they hear without someone preaching to them?” — Romans 10:14

Take these steps to discover if He is calling you

1. Read everything about missions and missionaries that you can get your hands on.
   • Start by reading the story of Susan Fitkin’s call. She’s a lady who had a dramatic “call” to global evangelism, a call which led her to be a mobilizer and vision-caster at home rather than an on-the-field missionary.
2. Get involved in the missions mobilization and education program of your local church
3. Go hear every missionary speaker that you can. God sometimes chooses that time to clarify His calling to young people.
4. Talk to your pastor.
   • Verbalizing your thinking with him and enlisting his prayer support may help you sort through various issues.
5. Throw yourself into active ministry through your local church.
   • Learn to minister effectively in your own culture before you attempt cross-cultural ministry.
6. Go on a short-term missions trip like SNU’s “Commission Unto Mexico.” [ more info on Mexico trip ] A cross-cultural mission trip will give you a taste of life on the mission field and a good opportunity to sense God’s leadership.
7. Contact a missionary sending agency.
   • If you are Nazarene, contact candidate coordinator John Cunningham in the World Mission Department at Nazarene Headquarters
8. Consider giving a year of volunteer service overseas before deciding whether you should offer the rest of your life.
   • Opportunities through Mission Corps
   • Help for going on a one-year missions experience
9. Persevere.
   • In her book, Venture of the Heart, Lela Morgan says that early Nazarene missions leader H.F. Reynolds told a young would-be missionary: “Brother Winans, we cannot send you to South America; but if God has called you, you will go or backslide.”

God’s leadership: Key elements of a divine call

In reflecting on a case study used in Theology of Missions class, student Kimberly Jayne noted that some common elements of a call into long-term or career ministry were:

1. A metaphysical encounter with God which establishes a sense of calling (This may as dramatic as the burning bush episode Moses had in Exodus 3 or it may be a gentle whisper like the still small voice Elijah heard in 1 Kings 19).
2. A time of reflection or doubting of the calling
3. An affirmation of the call through the Body of Christ (the Church)
4. A willingness to obey that puts no conditions on where you are willing to go or on what God may ask you to do

Wanting to know God’s will? A stick figure diagram can help you. . . [ read more ]

from Evangelical Missions Quarterly . . . God delights to call his children in unique and personal ways. He doesn’t use a cookie-cutter template or a 10-step formula. Before revealing his unique callings, God always provides more general callings to His people — callings to salvation, holiness and obedience. If we miss these, we will never hear God’s more personal and peculiar callings. Hearing a call to ministry is not a measure of spiritual commitment. Calling is not a status to wear. Responding to a call always requires doing. Being called is not a reflection of giftedness. Calling is more than the sum of our gifts. It is individually sculpted to incorporate both God’s purposes and our passions      –Gary Corwin, in his editorial “Calling and Character,” published in the January 2000 issue of EMQ

   Dr. Doug Samples’ book Call Waiting is a great one to explore the possibility that God might be calling you to full-time ministry [ more info ]

   ”God’s calling plan” by Gordon MacDonald in Leadership Journal [ read article ]

How do you hear God’s call?

You can make yourself ready to hear when God speaks. You need ready feet and a pure heart. [ read more ]

This is a good study of what it means to be intimate with God and to chase after Him.

http://www.coos.org.sg/sermons/files/sermonPDF/200609241030_sermon.pdf

I Can Only Imagine
written by Mercy Me
back to guitar chords

E
I can only imagine what it will be like
A
When I walk by Your side
E
I can only imagine what my eyes will see
A
When Your face is before me
E A
I can only imagine, I can only imagine

A B
Surrounded by Your glory what will my heart feel
E
Will I dance for You Jesus, or in awe of You be still
A B
Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall
E
Will I sing halleluiah, will I be able to speak at all
A B E
I can only imagine, I can only imagine

We Must Go (God Of Justice)
Tim Hughes

God of Justice, Saviour to all
Came to rescue the weak and the poor
Chose to serve and not be served

Jesus, You have called us
Freely we’ve received
Now freely we will give

We must go live to feed the hungry
Stand beside the broken
We must go
Stepping forward keep us from just singing
Move us into action
We must go

To act justly everyday
Loving mercy in everyway
Walking humbly before You God

You have shown us, what You require
Freely we’ve received
Now freely we will give

Fill us up and send us out
Fill us up and send us out
Fill us up and send us out Lord

Key: G
Comments:

Verse 1:
C D G C
D G C
D G C
Em7 D/F#
C
D

Chorus:
G D/F#
Em7
C
G D/F#
Em7
C

Verse 2:

Bridge:
C
D G
C D G

http://www.gofestasia.com

Down the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem that day
The soldiers tried to clear the narrow street
But the crowd pressed in to see
The Man condemned to die on Calvary

He was bleeding from a beating, there were stripes upon His back
And He wore a crown of thorns upon His head
And He bore with every step
The scorn of those who cried out for His death

Down the Via Dolorosa called the way of suffering
Like a lamb came the Messiah, Christ the King,
But He chose to walk that road out of
His love for you and me.
Down the Via Dolorosa, all the way to Calvary.

Cs Lewis Song
Brooke Fraser
Am C G Dm
VERSE 1:
C G Am Em F G Am
If I find in myself des ires nothing in this world can satisfy
C G Am Em F
I can only conclude that I, I was not made for here
C G Am Em F G Am
If the flesh that I fight is at best only light and momentary
C G Am Em F G Am
Then of course I’ll feel nude when to where I’m destined I’m compar ed

CHORUS:
Am C G
Speak to me in the light of the dawn
Dm Am C G Dm
Mercy comes with the morning
Am C G
I will sigh and with all creation groan
Dm Am C G Dm
as I wait for hope to come for me

VERSE 2:
C G
Am I lost or just less found?
Am Em F G Am
On the straight or on the roundabout of the wrong way?
C G
Is this a soul that stirs in m e?
Am Em F G Am
Is it breaking free, wanting to come aliv e?

PRECHORUS:
Dm Am Em
‘Cause my comfort would prefer for me to be numb
Dm Am C G
And avoid the impending birth of who I was born to be come

(CHORUS)

BRIDGE:
Am
For we, we are not long here
Dm G
Our time is but a breath, so we better breathe it
Am Dm G
And I, I was made to live, I was made to love, I was made to know you
Am C G Dm
Hope is c oming for me
Am C G Dm
Hope is c oming for me
Am C G Dm
Hope is coming for me
Am C G Dm
Hope, He’s c oming

(CHORUS)

END

Lifeline
Brooke Fraser
Em C
I have this sinking feeling
D
Something’s weighing me down
Em C D
I am com pletely satu rated
Em C
The waves are crashing closer
D
My feet already drowned
Em C D
Doing the thing I said I hated

Pre-Chorus
Em G D Am
They’ve been swimming in the wrong waters
Em G D
Now they’re pulling me down
Em G D Am
But I am clinging to you, never letting go
Em G D
‘Cos I know that you’ll lift me out

Chorus:
Am Em
Have your way here
G D
Keep me afloat
Am Em G
‘cos I know I’ll sink with out you
Am Em G D Am (4 counts)
Take this ocean of pain that is mine
D (4 counts)
Throw me a lifeline

Verse 2
(same chords as 1st verse)
Wake up feeling convicted
I know something’s not right
Re-acquaint my knees with the carpet
I have to get this out
‘Cos it’s obstructing you and I
Dry up the seas that keep us parted

Pre-Chorus
Em G D Am
They’ve been swimming in the wrong waters
Em G D
Now they’re pulling me down
Em G D Am
But I am clinging to you, never letting go
Em G D
‘Cos I know that you’ll lift me out

Chorus:
Am Em
Have your way here
G D
Keep me afloat
Am Em G
‘cos I know I’ll sink with out you
Am Em G D Am (4 counts)
Take this ocean of pain that is mine
D (4 counts)
Throw me a lifeline

Chords Sequence:
cts = counts

Verse’s:
Em(2cts), C (2cts), G (4cts)
(^^^^^^^^^^x4^^^^^^^^^^)
Pre Chorus:
Em (2cts), G (2cts), D (2cts), Am(2cts)
Em (2cts), G (2cts), D (4cts)
(^^^^^^^^^^x2^^^^^^^^^^)
Chorus:
Am (2cts), Em (2cts), G (2cts), D (2cts)
Am (2cts), Em (2cts), G (4cts)
Am (2cts), Em (2cts), G (2cts), D (2cts)
Am (4cts), D (4cts)

Love, Where Is Your Fire? (Album Version)

Love, where is your fire?
I’ve been sitting here smoking away
Making signals with sticks and odd ends and bits
But still there’s no sign of a flame

Imposters have been passing
Offering a good-feeling glow
But I’m holding out for what you are about
An inferno that burns to the bone

Some urge me to be temperate
Lukewarm will never do

CHORUS
`Cos I, I wanna blaze with you
So I’m holding my heart out to you
Holding my heart out

So I stand, handing out torches
Speaking words that are lamps to their feet
`Til the time when you come and I’m whole and we are one
And the fire in me is complete

Some tell me to be moderate
But lukewarm will never do

CHORUS
Now I, I know I’ll blaze with you
So I’m holding my heart out to you
Holding my heart out

Bridge
Then a doubt comes to lie at the back of my mind
That I’ll offer you me and you’ll politely decline
So I hasten to mute it
I’ll shout and rebuke it
Away

Copyright Brooke Fraser

Verse 1:
D A G2
I have found myself a hiding place
Em Asus A
I have found myself a secret space
D A Bm
In the shelter of Almighty’s love
G A D
In the safety of the Savior’s arms

Chorus:
A Bm G2
I will run to the hiding place
A Bm G2
I will run to the hiding place
A Bm G D
Draw me ever closer to look upon Your face
Em A D
I will run to the hiding place

Verse 2:
D A G2
I have found myself a hiding place
Em Asus A
I have found myself a secret space
D A Bm
In the refuge of the Father’s care
G A D
In the cleansing blood of Jesus there

BRIDGE:
Bm G2
Though my fears may overwhelm me
D A
And troubles may surround
Bm G2
Though the wind rise to take me
Em D/F# A
My hiding place is already found

Verse 1:
D A G2
I have found myself a hiding place
Em Asus A
I have found myself a secret space
D A Bm
In the shelter of Almighty’s love
G A D
In the safety of the Savior’s arms

INSTRUMENTAL

G D
Oh to look upon Your face
Em A D
I will run to the hiding place

Chorus:
A Bm G2
I will run to the hiding place
A Bm G2
I will run to the hiding place
A Bm G D
Draw me ever closer to look upon Your face
Em A D
I will run to the hiding place

Repeat Chorus 2X

Tag:
A Bm G D
Draw me ever closer to look upon Your face
Em A D
I will run to the hiding place

Key: G
Intro:
G D Em7 C

Verse 1:
G       D                        Em7
I am Yours, You are mine
       C                      G
I refuse to be denied
G           D                       Em7
All of You, is my heart’s cry
        C                      G
I refuse to be denied

Chorus:
G                             D
I’m coming after You
  Em7
I’m coming after You
  C
I’m coming after You
 G                         D   

I’m coming after You
  Em7
I’m coming after You
  C
I’m coming after You

Verse 2:
G                     D                           Em7
Though I’m weak, though I’m dry
      C                  G
I refuse to be denied
G          D              Em7
All my life, a sacrifice
      C                     G
I refuse to be denied

G                         A                      C 

Come like you promised you would
                   D

I want to surrender for good
                         A

I know that I need you

                    C                      D
And I dont want to keep living life alone

G

So take my heart
A

And make it new
C

And make it true
D

And make it like you

G

Take my hands
A

I lift them high
C   D

They’re yours not mine to do
G

Do what you will
A

Do what you will
C D

Do what you will

G                 A                          C 

I feel like a blind man in you sight
                           D                 G

I know that im wicked in your eyes

                      A                         C
So wash me and make me shine like Your Son
D

I want to tell everyone that you’re the only one

 Em7         C                        G                             D

Im Ready Now, Im Ready Now, Im Ready Now

                         Em7

Do What You Will

                   C                            G                        D

Im Ready Now, Im Ready Now, Im Ready Now

http://books.google.com/books?id=rNtN5q-bv0cC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_summary_r

February 04, 2008

Ching Co:

“God Has SHIFTED into Higher Gear. Are You READY for the RIDE?“

A Vision of a Man in a Race Car…He’s Ready to Go

Since the start of this year, a vision keeps coming back to me. I keep seeing a vision of a man sitting inside a race car, wearing a helmet and racing outfit, as He waits at the starting line of a race track. I can clearly hear the sound of His car engine running, shifting into higher gear as the Driver is ready to start the race. I believe this vision has spiritual significance for the time we are in. As I have continued to watch and listen to what God impressed upon me, below is the message I received. I pray it will bring encouragement to you as it has to me.

The Driver is the Holy Spirit, and as He set to go at the starting line, this represents the coming move of God. Our Heavenly Father has shifted to a higher gear, and He is inviting His people to join Him in this ride. This move will be both exhilarating and intimidating. To those who totally trust God and His leading–this ride will be the greatest joyride of your lifetime. God is telling us, “It’s time to move forward.”

The question is: Are you ready for the ride? Do you have total confidence in the skill of the Driver?

What Makes Us Qualified to Ride with God?

God is looking for people whose hearts and motives are pure and who do not hide their weaknesses from God. These are people who, when convicted of their shortcomings, are quick to let God deal with their hearts in complete surrender to Him. Just like when God chose David, He said to Samuel, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

Therefore our present success will not be His basis for choosing us; it will be the condition of our hearts which will matter to Him. David failed greatly when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and plotted the death of Uriah (2 Samuel 11). Yet despite David’s shortcomings, God continued to use him greatly, and he was fondly remembered as “a man after God’s own heart.”

Great News for God’s Children

Presently there is a big group of God’s children who, in the past, experienced the mighty moving of God in your life and ministry. But due to various circumstances, some of you had to give up works or ministry, and may now find yourself seemingly bereft of any success. Despite the difficulties you had to face, the sacrifices you had to endure, the seemingly barrenness of your life right now, quietly, you continue to worship and honor God as best you know how. Yet you cannot deny there is a greater longing in your heart to do more for God’s people, to do more for His Kingdom, and to implement all the ideas and plans God has planted inside of you to do. The dreams and visions God placed in the innermost parts of your heart for so long seem to be unattainable.

But there is great news: God had you in His mind! If you can identify with this group, the great news is that God had you specifically in mind and will call you to be on the forefront when His Holy Spirit makes the move. As you have been faithful to God, holding nothing back in the process, laying down everything at His feet, it’s now His time to respond. He has not forgotten His promises and His calling for you and your family, and you will see Him opening doors and opportunities which you thought were closed or lost.

Luke 1 Connections

We are coming into a time of connection just like Zechariah and Elizabeth, and Joseph and Mary were intertwined with each other (read Luke 1). These were two different couples at various age levels, facing different challenges, yet both families’ lives were intertwined with each other and linked by God for each other’s comfort, confirmation, and for a common cause. So will it be in the coming days.

God will use the wisdom, skill and experience of those from the older generations, and He will link them with the new ideas and innovative ways of the younger generations. The experience and expertise of each will “complement,” not compete, and they will blend perfectly to fulfill God’s Kingdom for the nations.

What Peter had spoken to the crowd about during Pentecost will once more be manifested in our midst. This is both to the older and younger generations: “This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people, your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on My servants, both men and women, I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy’” (Acts 2:16-18).

Prophetic Insight As the Driver Moves

As in the days of Jesus’ disciples:

• The people of God will ride this wave and will once more impact the community where they have been planted by God.

• Holistic endeavors connected with education, skills training, community development, poverty alleviation, indigenous inventions, environmental protection and many other projects that the community will need, will once again be spearheaded and pioneered by God’s children who will have an important role in these projects.

• God is releasing a marketplace anointing where your skills, talents, hobbies and spiritual gifting will be used extensively by God to impact the people that you are and will be working with in the coming days.

• Ministry, business and job opportunity, which you had given up on before and thought had been lost, will once more be brought back into your path by God Himself. He will network you with people whom He has chosen to work beside you for these projects.

• Just like in Jesus’ time, God’s work will start off “small,” and may not seem significant in the beginning. But as you continue to press in and faithfully do what has been assigned to you, the impact and effect of these works will catch the attention of the secular world.

• You will experience our God going before you and preparing the way. You will hear Him clearly guiding you as He says, “This is the way, walk in it.”

Our Prayer

Our Father, we thank You for quickening our hearts once more with this message. We await this day with great expectation. Come Holy Spirit, even today, prepare us for the work that You have chosen for each one of us to do. Just like David cried out to You with these words: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24), so we cry out to You in the same manner today.

As a watchman waits for the dawn, so we also wait and long for You. Move as You have in the days of old. Summon Your power, and show us Your strength as You have done before.

Be exalted once more in the midst of the nations. Raise up the standard of Your people. Pour out Your favor upon us so that people around us will know that Your Presence is with us, and they will be able to distinguish Your children from the people of the world.

Thank You for revealing Your plans and Your heart to us for the coming days. We wait for them with great expectation and with thanksgiving in our hearts. Unto You and You alone, be all glory and power and might for all that You have done, are doing and will do in our lives. In Jesus Christ’s name, we say, “Amen!”

Ching Ten L. Co
Cebu City, Philippines
Email: Chingten_co@yahoo.com

Ching’s Bio:

Ching Co is from Cebu City, Philippines. She is married to Harry Co, and they have 4 children and 2 grandchildren. She is an accountant by profession and presently helps her husband in their business. They are active members of Word for the World Christian Fellowship in Cebu, which is a local church in the Philippines founded by an American missionary from the Church of God.

Permission is granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own websites. We ask only that you keep ElijahList website, email contact info, and author contact information intact.

ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250

Have you ever seen a loved one die right before your eyes because they have no food to eat ? Have you ever had no food to eat and no water to drink for weeks ? Hunger …… Do you know what is hunger ? Do you really know what is hunger ? Blessed are the poor for they shall inherit the Kingdom of God. The poor know what hunger is. They know what desperation is. They understand what it means to be hungry and desperate for God to move.

 Are you hungry ?

Is the church you go to hungry for God ? Are the people you mix with hungry for God ? Are you hungry for God ? Do you feel like you are dying if you do not have God ? Do you feel extreme brokeness when you do not see God move ? 

Passion is hunger.

Hunger brings desperation.

Are you desperate ?

Are you hungry ?

February 2, 2008

Bill Yount:

“2008–A TROPHY YEAR for Great Sinners to Come into God’s Kingdom!“

Romans 5:20 “But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more…”

The word trophy means “a monument customarily erected to commemorate an enemy’s defeat.” I sense a year of “unprecedented harvest” is on the threshold of stepping into God’s Kingdom. Many are just one breath away from calling upon the name of the Lord. I am not talking about just some nice people deciding to give their hearts to the Lord. I am sensing great sinners like terrorists, pornographers, mass murderers and satanists giving their hearts wholeheartedly to the Lord. I sense the Father saying, “I am going to save great sinners whom My people have given up hope for–just so I can receive great glory and display My greater grace in this hour!” Being a notorious terrorist in his day, Saul went on to become the great Apostle Paul of his day and of ours.

God Says, “People Who Aren’t Even Looking for Me Shall Find Me!”

Romans 10:20 in The Message Bible says, “People found and welcomed Me who never so much as looked for Me. And I found and welcomed people who had never even asked about Me.”

I used to hunt deer and other game. I would arise early and stay out all day until dusk, hoping to find that trophy of a deer or animal. Diligently did I track a deer and wanted to find him before he discovered I was after him. I would climb up trees so deer couldn’t smell me and to receive a good aim and bring him in.

I sense the Lord saying, “The way you have been seeking for big game trophies in the natural is too similar to how you have been trying to seek and bring the lost into My Kingdom. It isn’t working. You are so used to doing it in the same way you hunt for animals. You have been up in your ‘holy’ tree looking down on them, aiming with a religious shot of Scripture to shoot at them and bring them in. Listen, they are ‘spiritually’ gun shy! Because you are not aiming for their hearts, you have only wounded many with the letter of My word, and they are now terrified of Me.”

God Says, “How Many Great Sinners Have you Befriended Lately?”

Have you ever been to a game park where deer are so used to people being around them that they just come around you? The Lord asked me a few questions recently and said, “Bill, how many friends do you have who are sinners and don’t know Me because they don’t know you? They don’t know that you even like them, let alone–love them. They think you are just after them like hunting game to drag them into your church so you can add a number to your church membership! How many great sinners have you befriended lately? How many sinners can call you their friend? Not that you are a friend to their sin–but a friend to them.”

Luke 15:2 in The Message Bible says, “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.” Jesus, what a friend to sinners!

I Am a Great Sinner…Jesus is a Great Savior!

It’s amazing to hear the words of that great Apostle Paul near the end of his ministry and life in 1 Timothy 1:15, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief!” He didn’t say He was chief of sinners. He said, “I am chief.” He knew how much he still fell short of God’s glory.

Have you noticed the closer you are to Jesus, the greater your sin and shortcomings become exceedingly blatant? Maybe this is why the Lord is showing us our own shortcomings and sinfulness so we can relate to the lost and have mercy on them. I love the words spoken by the writer of that great song, Amazing Grace How Sweet the Sound and what he wanted to express. He was portraying through the song, “I am a great sinner…Jesus is a great Savior!”

God Says, “Don’t Write Off Any Who Are Lost! My Gifts and Callings Are Now Being Activated in Them!”

Years ago, my mother called to tell me that my half-brother Clifford had just been saved. I said to her, “You mean Clifford?” To be honest, I had given up on Clifford a few years ago and had forgotten to pray for him. Clifford lived in bars, and he had so many wives we couldn’t figure out who he was married to. Upon hearing that Clifford got saved, it was hard for me to believe it. Did God actually save Clifford without me praying for him? I waited a couple of weeks and called my mother to see how Clifford was doing. I just couldn’t believe he was saved. At the end of the conversation, I asked my mother, “How is Clifford doing?” Mom said, “Oh Bill, Clifford is on fire! He just witnessed to his first wife! We don’t know how God is going to ‘unscramble’ scrambled eggs!”

This year, I am sensing we will see many who we have given up hope for come in first and blow our minds away! God showed me that I didn’t have to keep praying over and over for lost loved ones until I was in spiritual depression over them! Listen, start thanking God that your lost loved ones are coming in! God has heard your cries. I sense many need to stop praying and start “thanking God.” Don’t even mention what the lost ones are doing wrong. Don’t call them a drug addict, a prostitute or an alcoholic. Call them “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood!” Call those things that are not as though they were!

I challenge you to go a step further and treat them as though they are already saved! Accept them as sinners the way God accepted you. Just love on them and be a friend to them. Remember you couldn’t save yourself, only God could. Don’t carry that false responsibility any longer of thinking that you have to save someone. Let God, Who saved you–save them!

Not long ago I was troubled by someone close to me who wasn’t living right. They knew the Lord, but I believed they were sinning in a certain area. I called them up and scheduled to talk with them the next day. I had both barrels loaded with Scripture to show how their way of living was wrong and felt it would be a divine confrontation. That night as I was going to sleep, the Lord spoke to me and said, “Tomorrow when you talk to that person, I don’t want you to say anything negative against them or even mention to them about what you sense they are doing! I just want you to remind them of the great calling on their life and the great plans that I have for them.”

God stripped me of my ammunition. As I sat down with that person the next day, I only spoke what God had said to me. As I shared with this person, reminding them of the great calling of God on their life and encouraging them in it, I saw their countenance change and their spirit rising. First of all, I think they were so relieved from the fear that I was going to attack their sinful lifestyle. Then they were shocked with the awesome truth of God’s plans for them that were good and were still on schedule. He wasn’t focused on their sin–but on His grace!

I am learning that when we speak to the spirit of a person, their spirit rises. And when we speak to their flesh, their flesh rises, causing a thick wall between us and them. I believe this is what Paul meant when he said in 2 Corinthians 5:16, “Wherefore henceforth we know no man after the flesh…” I believe Paul was choosing to only see people in the spirit as God sees them. That’s why there is always hope for anyone. In John 8:15 Jesus says, “You judge after the flesh; I judge no man.”

Many Huge Trophies Hanging on the Walls in the Enemy’s Camp will be Returned this Year!

In Jesus’ Name, great strongholds, chains and bondages will be broken this year–over both the lost and God’s people who have been held captive and have become trophies in the enemy’s camp! I see the giant of pornography, lust, drug addiction and alcoholism weakening and losing its hold on many. Watch for a “take back” year and for God to begin restoring the years the locust, cankerworm and palmerworm have eaten.

I don’t know how you may be seeing yourself today, but I know I am a great “trophy” in God’s Kingdom! How about you? Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Bill Yount
Blowing the Shofar Ministries
Email: theshofarhasblown@juno.com

Bill Yount’s Itinerary:

February 16, 2008
Signs & Wonders Fellowship (10am)
Christ Lutheran Church
1110 Ripley Nauvoo, IL
Contact: 309-221-0785

February 16, 2008
God’s Way Christian Center (6pm)
1629 Des Moines St. Keokuk, IA
Contact: 319-524-8329

February 17, 2008
God’s Way Christian Center (11am & 6pm)
1629 Des Moines St. Keokuk, IA
Contact: 319-524-8329

Permission is granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own websites. We ask only that you keep ElijahList website, email contact info, and author contact information intact.

ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250

February 1, 2008

Carol Kelley:

“2008–A Year of Releasing Others into their Destiny”

I am excited about the beginning of a new year and a new season. Last January and before, the Lord spoke through numerous prophets saying that 2007 would be a year of change and transitions for many. Bobby Conner prophesied, “Expect swift and rapid change” (ElijahList, January 23, 2007). I don’t particularly like or welcome change, but a year ago I embraced these prophetic words and asked God to help me to, through His strength, be able to adjust to changes ahead.

The Lord has been faithful to answer those prayers amidst all the changes 2007 held for me and my family. There were joyful, milestone events–our oldest son’s wedding, his brother’s college graduation, our youngest daughter’s 18th birthday and high school graduation–all within two months of each other. There were swift, rapid changes in my mother’s health as she struggled with Alzheimer’s, broken bones and life-threatening infections. She graduated to Heaven on December 4, 2007.

Releasing Others

Earlier this month, the Lord spoke to me that the many personal changes in my life in 2007–wedding, graduations, children going on to new chapters in their lives, my mother’s decline and death–all had to do with releasing others into their destiny. In 2007, this releasing of others took place mainly in the natural realm. The Lord showed me that in 2008, releasing others into their destiny will accelerate in the spiritual realm. What has taken place in the natural realm during the past year will serve as preparation for what is about to be released during this new season. I Corinthians 15:46 says, “However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.”

God is releasing the Holy Spirit and His gifts in greater and greater measure. Does this cause us to rejoice or to respond by feeling threatened and overlooked by God? Romans 12:6-10 exhorts us, “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given us, let each exercise them accordingly (prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership, mercy). Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor.”

Paul also writes in Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself. Don’t merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

Jesus told His disciples not to hinder others who sought to follow and come to Him, including little children (Matthew 19:13-14; Mark 10:13-14; Luke 18:15-16). John, one of the twelve disciples, tried to stop another man from casting out demons in the name of Jesus because he wasn’t one of John’s group. Jesus told John, “Don’t hinder him, because he who is not against you is for you” (Luke 9:49-50).

John was not only competitive with others outside his own circle; he and his brother James wanted special places, above the other disciples in God’s Kingdom (Matthew 20:20-24; Mark 10:35-41). But the Lord was at work in John’s life as He is at work in ours. Many years later, John became known as the “Apostle of Love” because of his great love for the Lord and His children.

Joshua’s Life

We know Joshua as a great leader of God’s people, but we don’t always remember that he had insecurities. While he was still “in training” as Moses’ servant, Joshua tried to prevent others from prophesying (Numbers 11:24-29). In verse 29, Moses told Joshua, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that He would put His Spirit on them!”

Being jealous of others, their abilities and gifts does not serve God’s purposes. The Lord told me that when I feel twinges of jealousy, it’s time to release others into their destiny along with my “right” to feel jealous or threatened if they receive more notice than I do.

The Lord was at work in Joshua’s life as He is at work in ours. God spoke prophetically to him, informing Joshua that he would give his people possession of the Promised Land (Joshua 1:6). Joshua helped others find their destiny as they crossed over the Jordan to find their unique, ordained place in the new land (Joshua 1:13, 15; chapter 3).

Joshua was an explorer. He was sent by Moses with eleven others to explore the land of Canaan (Numbers 13). Almost 40 years later, Joshua himself sent out spies to view the land and the city of Jericho (Joshua 2). Before pioneers and settlers, explorers come who go before, look ahead, and tell others about what they’ve found so strategic plans can be laid for victory.

Not all of us will lead a nation like Joshua, or a church, or even a Bible study. But all of us can help release others into their destiny. We do this by setting them free to be all God has called them to be; by showing honor, love and support; by blessing and encouraging them in all the Lord has for them. Joshua received encouragement and support from other people, as well as the Lord, to fulfill his call.

Moses told Joshua in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land. The Lord is the One Who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear, or be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:7-8). God told Joshua three times, “Be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:6-7, 9). The people also told him, “Be strong and courageous” (verse 18). Joshua took heart at this, rose to his destiny and conquered Jericho. Later he charged his warriors, “Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous” (Joshua 10:25).

Seeking Him Together

As Joshua didn’t find his destiny apart from being actively involved in the lives of other believers, neither will we. Expect the Lord to give more corporate direction to the Body of Christ during this new season, which has been prophesied as a year of new beginnings. Recently our church completed a corporate seven day fast. God has been speaking powerfully, both to individuals and to us together as a congregation waiting on Him. The Lord led me to write a song about believers seeking Him together:

“Lord of all, to You we raise
Our songs of joyful praise.
You are worthy, You alone are holy.

Lord of all, on You we call.
You lift us up every time we fall.
Fill us with the glory of Your presence.

We offer our hearts, a living sacrifice.
We lift up our minds to the mind of Christ.
With our hearts and our minds,
We give You our lives.

We offer our plans; may Your will be done.
We lift up our dreams; may our hearts be one.
With our plans and our dreams,
We give You our lives.”

Word of the Lord

The Lord recently said to me, “I am about to release you into your full destiny. Release others into theirs as well. As you release them, you will find more guidance, direction and freedom in your own life. You don’t need to fear change in either the natural or spiritual realms. Be willing, open and obedient. I will open doors and gates in My time and way. You can’t open these doors yourself, but you can ask, seek and knock, and they will open at the right time” (Matthew 7:7-8).

“I will give you a place of usefulness and service. Release your expectations to Me. Don’t try to recreate something from an earlier time in your life; but be open, seek My leading, and obey what I say. Behold, I am making all things new!” (Revelation 21:5).

“Your identity must not be in your job, children, spiritual gifts, ministry, or anything else but Me. Don’t hold things too tightly. I will filter your dreams and expectations. Don’t think your time of usefulness and service is all done; I still have something new for you!”

“I call you to exchange your limited dreams for My expanded ones. Allow Me to revive your dreams that have died and give you new ones. I will give you the desires of your heart as you delight in Me” (Psalm 37:4).

“When your schedule is hectic and you feel confused, seek Me. I am still with you. When it seems that I am silent, listen for My quiet voice (I Kings 19:12). I will come to you in ways you do not expect (Matthew 11:3, 24:44). When change floods in and threatens to overwhelm you, remember that I am the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and the rivers will not overflow you” (Isaiah 43:2).

“If friendships fluctuate and relationships flounder, remember that I have promised never to leave you (Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 13:5). Don’t be dismayed; I am your God (Isaiah 41:10). My presence will go before you and give you rest” (Exodus 33:14).

Jesus said, “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven; and whatever you loose (release) on earth shall be loosed (released) in Heaven. If two of you agree on earth about anything that you may ask, it shall be done for you by My Father Who is in Heaven” Matthew 18:18-19.

“I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven” Matthew 16:19.

“…what I open, no one will shut; what I shut, no one will open. I have put before you an open door which no one can shut…” Revelation 3:7-8.

Be strong and courageous, and walk confidently through every door He opens in your life!

Carol Kelley
Email: opendoor2009@gmail.com

Carol’s Bio:

Carol and her husband, Dave Kelley, are the prophetic ministry leaders at Godsong Community Church in Newberg, Oregon, teaching prophecy classes and mentoring younger prophets. They received a call from the Lord in 1985 to minister prophetically and have a vision for active schools of prophets to emerge within the Body of Christ. Their passion is to help others hear and recognize God’s voice. Carol, a musician, published composer, teacher and sixth-generation Oregonian, has a heart to intercede prophetically for Oregon and the Northwest as well as cities and nations. Dave is Assistant Vice President of Finance at George Fox University, moving in an apostolic anointing to help God’s people become empowered as conduits of financial blessing. Dave and Carol are the parents of two sons, two daughters, and a new daughter-in-law.

Permission is granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own websites. We ask only that you keep ElijahList website, email contact info, and author contact information intact.

ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250

January 26, 2008

Matt Sorger: “A WORD for 2008: RESTRENGTHEN and SECURE Your FOUNDATION”

There is a great shaking happening in the corporate Body of Christ. There is also a shaking happening on every level within the lives and hearts of individual believers. As the Lord prunes areas of our hearts, it is so we can be more fruitful. God desires to multiply His Kingdom through us. But in order for that to happen, it is vitally important that we “restrengthen the foundations.” You can only advance as high and as wide as your foundation will allow. If you have a faulty or weak foundation, you will be limited in how much you can experience God’s multiplication.

Now is the time to examine the foundation that your ministry and walk with God are built upon. Self correction under the light and truth of the Spirit is the most painless form of correction. When we allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts, He can align our spirit and put things in proper order. Sometimes our actions may be good, but our motives need to be adjusted. It can be difficult to discern someone’s motives, even our own. It is easy to fall into self-deception and ignore underlying motives we know to be wrong. We may rationalize our motives or excuse them if our outward actions look good.

But the Holy Spirit is constantly checking our hearts. If we ignore Him, areas of our hearts can become hardened and a stricter correction may be needed. God’s judgments are always redemptive and loving–because they lead to greater blessing.

The Lord spoke to me regarding the Church–to “restrengthen the foundations.” At first, I took that to mean “restrengthen the character and holiness of Christ in our lives.” Although I’m sure that is a vital part of our foundation, the Holy Spirit showed me something a little deeper. The foundation God is calling us to restrengthen is LOVE!

Did you know that God will allow you to walk through things so that He can teach you His ways? God allows adverse moments to teach us to walk and live like Christ, in love. There is an emphasis given by God this year on reforming and reshaping us into His image. Many “love tests” will give us the opportunity to strengthen the foundation of love and Christlikeness in our lives. As we choose the lower path of humility, God will exalt us in greater power and dominion authority.

Sifting and Refining

God is sifting through every action, word and thought. He is sifting everything back down to its foundation. If the foundation is wrong, it won’t stand. Many things will crumble this year that don’t have the right foundation. Anything motivated by selfishness and greed will be shaken down.

The Lord showed me that a false prosperity message will be shaken down so we can understand what “true prosperity” is all about. I believe in God’s blessings and provision. Two people can speak the same word, but with different motivations. One can be motivated by greed, the other–by love. It’s the same word, yet different motivations. One will stand, the other will not. Any word or action not rooted in true selfless love will not stand the refining fire. A prosperity message based in selfish motives, control and manipulation will not withstand God’s refining fire. But the prosperity rooted in love will shine. God is shaking the Church back down to its foundations of love.

Jesus turned to Peter in Matthew 16:18 and declared, “…you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church. And the gates of hades shall not prevail against it.” In the Greek, it reads, “You are Petros (a fragment of rock), and on this Petra (a foundation rock) I will build My Church and the power of death will not be victorious over it.”

The Church is built upon the foundation rock of Christ. But I believe Jesus was trying to communicate something more. I believe the Rock is not only referring to Christ Himself, but also to the message and Gospel that He preached. Matthew 4:23 says that Jesus came preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom. What is the Gospel of the Kingdom?

Matthew 22:37-40, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first commandment. And the second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

This rock can also be seen in Daniel 2:35 where Daniel had a vision of a stone coming out of Heaven and filling the whole earth. This stone is the Kingdom of God. The foundation stone is Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. The Gospel of the Kingdom is simple: Love God and love people.

In John 21:15-17, Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love Me?” with the command “feed and tend My sheep.”

The true foundation of the Church is love–love for God and love for people. This is the foundation God is shaking everything down to. If our actions, thoughts, attitudes, ministries, preachings and teachings are not motivated by love, it will be sifted in the refining fire. If they are built on love, God will multiply and increase them greatly with rewards in this life and in the life to come.

Allow the Holy Spirit to search your heart as we begin 2008. As you yield to Him, He will shed His love abroad in your heart and motivate you “to will and to work” for His good pleasure. Every good work built on the foundation of love will see a wonderful expansion and multiplication this year. Everything not built on love will be sifted down. Ask God to fill you with His pure, unconditional love today.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we ask You to baptize us with a fresh baptism of Your love. Holy Spirit, we ask You to shed the love of God abroad in our hearts and to help us to always respond in love, speak with love, and act in love. We ask You Lord to shine Your light in our hearts and to expose any hidden motives or ambitions that would be contrary to love.

Refine our hearts to reflect the pure image of Christ and may Your love saturate every part of us today. We ask You to give us a solid, strong foundation. We repent for any offense, resentment or anger that we have allowed to pollute our spirit. Wash us clean under the precious Blood of Jesus, and continually fill us with the Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Matt Sorger
Matt Sorger Ministries
Email: info@mattsorger.com

Matt Sorger’s Itinerary:

January 27-30, 2008
Greater Glory Conference
Treasure Coast Victory Center
3212 South US #1, Fort Pierce, FL
Contact: 772-286-9288 or email tcvc@cfaith.com

February 7-10, 2008
Awakening & Empowering Conference
Bread of Life Ministries
7510 E County Road 100 N. Avon, IN
Contact: 317-627-6112 or email mdawson@cityhop.org

February 10-11, 2008
Your Glory Lord Conference
Christian Life Center
8480 Cincinatti Columbus Rd. West Chester, OH
Contact: 513-777-4771 or email randyrice@yahoo.com

Permission is granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own websites. We ask only that you keep ElijahList website, email contact info, and author contact information intact.

ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250

January 17, 2008

Kathi Pelton :

“God’s Perspective in 2008 — I Will SING Over My Children and Express My Delight in Them”

The Parable of the Gas Pump

Do you ever have one of those “I woke up on the wrong side of the bed” days? Recently I was having one! I’m not a negative person and I tend to always see the glass half full rather than half empty, but not on this particular day. It was a day filled with things I didn’t want to do, and I left the house in the morning with a very negative perspective regarding my day ahead. Sure enough, everything seemed to go wrong. From traffic to lack of parking spaces and delays in meetings, I was living out what I had expected.

Finally I was on my way to the last meeting of the day, running a bit late. I jumped into my car and began driving only to look at the gas gauge and saw the needle pointing to “E.” I had no time to stop and get gas! Now I was really frustrated. I pulled up to the gas station, mumbling all the way, and tried to fill my tank. But gas spewed back at me and the pump wouldn’t stay on. In my frustration, I quickly pulled forward to the next pump, believing that the first one was broken. Now I was really frustrated and to top it off, I smelled like gas. I put the nozzle in my tank and once again, gas spewed at me. I was so upset that I shouted (under my breath), “What’s up with this?”

Right as the last word came out of my mouth, the Holy Spirit said to me, “Go check your gas gauge again.” I quickly did and it read “F.” It had been full all along. Right then the Holy Spirit spoke to me again and said, “When your perspective is not aligned with Mine, even the things that are full in your life will appear empty.”

This lesson has been incredibly helpful over the past months. When I begin to have a bad day, the first thing I do now is check my “perspective gauge”–is it on full or empty? After God speaking to me about my perspective, I realized that much of our warfare comes from the view we choose to look at life with. Will I align myself with truth or a lie? Will I live in the hope of tomorrow or the disappointments of yesterday? Will I praise or complain?

Eyes to See and Ears to Hear

As the months have passed since the “empty tank” incident, the Holy Spirit has not stopped speaking to me about this issue of perspective. To be aligned with His perspective is a posture that He is asking us to take as we enter into 2008. Let’s look at the word “perspective” from the Wikipedia site:

Perspective (visual) is the way in which objects appear to the eye. Perspective (graphical) means to represent the effects of visual perspective in drawings. Metaphorically in relation to cognitive topics, perspective (cognitive) is one’s “point of view,” the choice of a context for opinions, beliefs and experiences. Point of view (literature) is the related experience of the narrator. For example, with art, perspective can determine how you view a particular piece. Often you must draw things smaller if the viewer is at a distance or if you view from a particular angle, you will see things in a distorted way.

The same is true with God. Our lives can appear distorted if we view them from a wrong angle, such as through circumstances or through disappointments. Just because something appears to our natural eye as being true, doesn’t make it actually true. I remember being in a counseling session with some parents and their adult child as they all tried to relay a story from many years before. The parents’ view was very different from their daughter’s view, since she was seeing from a child’s perspective with less awareness and a more limited view. Was her version of the story wrong? No, but she was given a greater awareness hearing her parents’ view many years later, which brought her into much healing regarding the memory.

God wants us to stop and ask Him what His view (perspective) of our situations is. He is training us to see with our spiritual eyes and to hear with our spiritual ears. “Then Jesus said, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear.’” Mark 4:9

The Praise Perspective

“He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. Your enemies will be clothed in shame, and the tents of the wicked will be no more.” Job 8:21-22

I returned home from my last trip of 2007 on December 7. I was so excited to spend the next few weeks focused on my family and the holiday season. But by December 8, I started to have a sore throat and earache. Within a few days, a terrible infection had spread throughout my throat and ears, causing one ear drum to rupture and my throat to have ulcerated sores. The pain was so intense that I was put on continual morphine for over two weeks. The antibiotics weren’t working, and I was spending my “family holiday” too ill to do anything but try to manage the pain.

As I lay there in pain (pain like I’ve only felt in childbirth), overwhelmed at the disappointment of losing this time with my family, the Lord spoke to me and said, “Enter the gates of My peace with praise.” In the midst of such physical pain, by His grace, I began to praise Him. I praised Him for the family that I have, for the ministry that I have been honored to serve in, for “choosing me,” for dying for me, and on and on. Although the pain continued, so did the praise. My spirit was having a wonderful holiday season with the One that we celebrate. My spirit had risen above the physical pain. The peace continually flooded over me. Praise changed my perspective, even in the midst of pain!

It was like entering into a spiritual Lamaze childbirth. It was breathing truth and praise into my spirit and blowing out all the wrong perspectives that pain can usher in. All of a sudden, I was not feeling a loss of the holiday, but I was ushered into His living room and was being cared for by the hand of My Father. I was realigned with His perspective rather than the wrong perspective that pain can cause.

Aligning Ourselves to Enter 2008 with Praise

Some of you came to the end of 2007, saying, “Why am I still in so much pain?” or “Why have my circumstances not changed?” I encourage you right now to enter into the gates of this new year with shouts of praise. No matter the circumstances, no matter the pain level–begin to praise Him. He is worthy. Allow Him to carry you into this new year like a bridegroom would carry His bride over the threshold of intimacy. There is never a lack of what we can praise Him for. Move beyond the “whys” and into the absolutes — HE IS ABSOLUTELY WORTHY OF PRAISE!

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100:4-5

New Year’s Dream

My year started with a dream I had in the wee hours of New Year’s day. In my dream, I was in a worship band that was playing Spirit-filled instrumental music. We were waiting for the Lord to speak to us regarding 2008. As we waited, I saw a picture of a large sunflower, pointed towards the brightness of the sunlight. As I saw this picture, I clearly heard the Lord begin to sing over His Church the song: You Are My Sunshine. Most of us are familiar with the words to this simple song:

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are gray. You’ll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away.”

In this dream, I felt the Lord’s delight for His children in a way I have never experienced before. As I awoke, the Lord’s delight continued. I was quite moved by this experience because when my husband and I adopted our oldest daughter, we would sing this song over her every night before putting her to bed. Just looking at her would fill us with such delight that it would often leave us in tears. We had never known such love for another human being. This was the same delight that I felt the Lord showering over His children.

Then I heard Him speak to my spirit, saying, “This will be a year that I express My delight for My children. I will sing over them as a Father who is filled with delight. This is how I see you, and I want you to receive like a child would receive and to believe like a child would believe. This is the year of My delight!”

“You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. It will no longer be said to you, ‘Forsaken,’ nor to your land will it any longer be said, ‘Desolate’; but you will be called, ‘My delight is in her,’ and your land, ‘Married’; for the LORD delights in you, and to Him your land will be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so your sons will marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you.” Isaiah 62:3-5

Allow His light to shine on you and His delight to be showered over you. He is singing over you with love and joy. Expect to feel and experience His delight this year. We can sing this song back to Him too! When your skies are gray, He will be your warmth and light. He is our sunshine. We will never know how much He loves us, but this year, we will experience a new and fresh revelation of His love. May your perspective be aligned with the praise that comes from knowing that we are “His Delight.”

Happy New Year!

Kathi Pelton
Light Streams Ministries
Email: jkpelton@sbcglobal.net

January 16, 2008

Joni Ames :

“2008–A NEW and ACCEPTABLE YEAR of the Lord and A Year to GO FOR IT!”

“You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance.” Psalm 65:11

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:18-19

Happy New Year! It’s a pivotal year: an “acceptable” year! It’s a time of NEW BEGINNINGS with a door of hope. It’s a time to PROCLAIM the acceptable (welcome, pleasing) year of the Lord and set the captives free! New means: different from one of the same category that has existed previously; of greater/superior quality; has not been known or experienced; novel–not only new but strange or unprecedented; original–applies to what is the first of its kind to exist; fresh–applies to what has not lost its qualities of newness such as liveliness, energy, brightness–such as a fresh start.

If you want to experience the new, don’t look for or do the same thing. Remember the old saying, “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity.”
The Word says it like this, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” Philippians 3:13

Doors can open right and left, but if we are not willing to leave the old behind and go forward through new, open doors, we cannot experience what God has for us on the other side of them. I’m reminded of what Alexander Graham Bell once said, “When one door closes, another door opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.”

We must let go of the old in order to take hold of the new.

Time to Take the Land

This is a year of confrontation because it is a year of taking the land. Did this year begin with warfare? Don’t worry, the results are and will be good. It is time to take the land, and that means confronting some giants and/or things that think they are, even those things within ourselves that have held us back. Who the Lord loves, He chastens so we can be better equipped to go forward into the “more” and the “better” in the promised lands He has for us to take. It’s time to shift gears and make the necessary changes in order to go up to the top of the mountain and experience those “Mountaintop Experiences!”

I’d like to make a literal point in this phrase, “Time to take the land.” There are areas of the country where the price of land has gone down and it has become a “buyer’s market.” If you are able to take advantage of this and the Lord speaks to you to do it, this could be a good time to invest in the opportunity to literally “take the land” which the Lord would present to you.

First Things First

As I sat before the Lord seeking Him about this new year, I realized that going forward into the new, individually, we would experience the new — to the degree we each would be willing to go forward in the newness He offers. Exponential results will occur as a direct result of our obedience to Him. However, there is also a warning that we could allow ourselves to be hindered by letting the enemy overthrow those plans by overwhelming us with emotions and feelings. This is truly a time when we need to FOCUS ON THE LORD, so that He can and will keep us in perfect peace no matter what opposing voices or circumstances may arise. This covers all areas God wants to move us in — personally, spiritually, in business, ministry, relationally, nationally or internationally.

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3

Seek Wisdom and Discernment

“My son, if you receive My words, and treasure My commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path.” Proverbs 2:1-9

We are in a time when there are many distractions and deceptions. It’s very important to be in communication with the Lord at all times, seeking His advice on how to handle every aspect of our life and to operate in the Spirit of Truth. The enemy is a liar and the father of lies, so we also need to be in the Word, using it as our ultimate plumb line. The Word challenges us to NOT “believe every spirit,” but to TEST the spirits, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God.” 1 John 4:1

Is there something about a situation that makes you feel unsure or uncomfortable? Even if it is a ministry situation, is there something about it that does not line up with the Word? The antichrist spirit is a religious spirit, a spirit of religious deception, meant to turn people from seeing Jesus Christ as Lord. It was already in the world back when Jesus walked the earth as a man.

“Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.” 1 John 2:18

Bottom line–stop second guessing yourself and your ability to hear from the Lord. Be willing to take the time to engage and communicate with the Lord and ask Him about situations that put a “check” in your spirit, so that you and your loved ones are protected.

Don’t Bow to Controlling Spirits

The battle lines have been drawn and we must stand strong, even when being battered upon by the enemy. The only way we can do this is to submit to God and resist the devil. When we do that, it says in James 4:7 that the enemy will then flee from us. This year will also be a time to define and redefine our relationships because the Lord desires to protect us. Part of this is our responsibility, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Proverbs 4:23

If you are a peace lover and don’t like confrontation, you often put up with issues from people for a long time. But when the Lord lifts off the grace to do that, know that it is time to confront and not back down. It may cost a relationship to do that, but any relationship that puts you in a constant situation of bowing to someone else’s temper tantrums, control, manipulation, disrespect, or hard-headed attitude is not a good one. This is going to be a year of confrontation with a release from these situations and relationships of control, manipulation and bondage.

For those of us who truly do want to “do what is right,” we often prolong the inevitable by operating in unsanctified mercy (having mercy on people who are really not doing what is right in the first place, but are manipulating your emotions or being co-dependent upon you). We end up wasting our time on situations, being taken advantage of, robbing us of time, emotions and even money. A religious spirit can hover over us and condemn us if we try to release ourselves from the situation that make us feel “bad” or “mean” when we try to move on.

So what do we do? Well, the enemy continues to engage us as long as we refuse to confront situations that need to be handled. By allowing that to happen, we are merely prolonging our misery. While it may not be comfortable to confront these situations, we need to do so. People pleasing puts us in a position of being controlled and manipulated. It’s time to fear God more than to fear man and put the axe to the root. The more we try to minimize situations that need to be confronted, the worse it becomes. It’s better to handle it in the beginning than to allow the situation to grow bigger, prolonging the pain.

Plainly put, we are all learning to recognize and refuse submitting to witchcraft via controlling and manipulative powers. The best way to do that is by simply saying, “No” and refusing to allow anyone to control and manipulate us. Control is rebellion, and “Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft” 1 Samuel 15:23. We must not allow anyone else to be “God” or “Holy Spirit” in our lives by submitting to them above God if we want to walk in the fullness of our purpose, calling and destiny. Additionally, others need to trust in God, not us, as their source. By making healthy boundaries, we are helping to send others on a more healthy path in the Lord as well.

New Understanding of God’s Love and Visitations

In this day and time, there are many who do not have the understanding of the love of God because they came from homes where they were not shown love. Therefore when people refer to God as Father, they immediately judge God by improper parental examples. I saw God sovereignly pouring out His Love into people and releasing to them–a radical revelation of His Love in this time. This is a time of RESTORATION! Be restored to the heart of God in which you came from! In doing so, you will have surefootedness where there are doubts. You will have the strength to confront situations, and you will find where you “fit” in the Body of Christ.

I often come across people who say they have never had a visitation from the Lord. Expect to experience visitations because of a new understanding of His Love that He is pouring out. You may have had visitations before, but you may not have recognized or understood them. A visitation from the Lord doesn’t have to be some dramatic type of experience. Often, His Presence comes like a blanket or soft comforter, because the Holy Spirit is the COMFORTER! And His Words often come as the “small still voice.”

House to House Meetings and Highways and Byways

While it is good to not forsake assembling together in the local church, the Body of Christ needs closer and deeper fellowship than can occur just on Sundays alone. Therefore, the number of house to house fellowships will experiencing a dramatic rate of growth. In these more intimate settings, it is easier to invite unsaved coworkers or neighbors and for them to see and experience Christianity and the love of God on a more personal level.

“Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the Church daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:44-47

The Harvest is ripe. It’s time to “GO and get them!” They are waiting for you to do so! “Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.” Matthew 22:9

A “Go For It” Year

Restoration often “comes to us” only to the degree that we are willing to “go for” it! For instance:

If we don’t work, we won’t have a paycheck!
We have to WRITE a book if we want to have one PUBLISHED!
We have to learn to play an instrument before we can be good at it!
We have to go to the party if we want to attend it!
It’s time to get off the shelf and be a part of what God is doing.

“But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” James 2:18

I continue to hear that there are some powerful new songs and even some powerful new singers coming onto the scene. The songs that are coming have the anointing to bring in the harvest and to bring forth healing and deliverance, even across the airways in secular radio.

“Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy.” Psalm 33:3

Communion and Praying in the Spirit

I sense a very precious longing from the heart of the Lord to gather us closely to His chest to hear His Heartbeat through private, personal, individual times of literal communion. I sense that it would be a time of greater understanding of the power of His shed Blood as well as His Love.

In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My Blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’” 1 Corinthians 11:25

This is a time to seriously take prayer to a new level by using our prayer language as often as we can. We can do this while driving down the street, typing an email, doing dishes, or even walking the dog. Why? Because the Spirit is wooing us to do so.

“Oh my soul, my soul! I am pained in my very heart! My heart makes a noise in me, that I cannot hold my peace, because you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.” Jeremiah 4:19

The enemy of our soul is out to kill, steal and destroy, but the Holy Spirit within us wants us to properly do battle against the enemy. However, we must remember, “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty THROUGH GOD for pulling down of strongholds” 2 Corinthians 10:4

We must allow the Holy Spirit the “right of way” to take over and to direct us. We must not be ashamed even of the weeping that He desires to cry out through us! We need to allow the Holy Spirit to cry and to pray through us and not “shut it down.”

Romans 8:26-27 says, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

As we allow the unction of the Holy Spirit to pray through us, we will be praying how the Spirit within us desires, and in the will of the Lord for the outcome. Be led by the Holy Spirit. Understand that even if you don’t have your prayer language, you are still His Sheep and you can still hear and obey the voice of the Lord and be directed to pray according to the will of God in whatever way He desires for you to pray! Pray it through until you have a “release” or a sensing of peace that it has been taken care of.

Business People

There will be opportunities for exponential increase for those who are in or are called to business in this time. God is Jehovah-Jireh, our Provider, and it is He Who does it. God may speak to you about opportunities that will be contrary to what is popular. Therefore, it is very key to be in communication and obedience with Him, so that you do not miss any kairos moments of opportunity.

I also saw that God may be moving many people from their geographical location to another one where they will flourish to a greater degree. This is a time when being in proper geographical alignment is of uttermost importance. Seek God about your designated geographical positioning for such a time as this, and be willing to make the changes to go where He tells you to.

It is very key to be in relationship with the right people per the business God has called you to. Don’t entangle yourself nor continue to stay in relationships that are stagnant or are pulling you downhill, financially. Remember what happened when Jonah was onboard a ship that he was not supposed to be on? If there is someone onboard causing your ship to sink, be willing to release them. Keeping them onboard isn’t helping them or you. It is keeping them from their purpose and causing your ship to sink. To everything there is a time, season and purpose. By the same token, if you are the one trying to stay onboard when God has told you to move on, then move on. Don’t be like Jonah and wait until you are thrown overboard and land in the belly of a whale before you finally listen! (see Jonah 1:4-10).

Jubilee Restoration

Last fall, we entered into a jubilee year on Israel’s calendar. On January 1st, we entered into the year 2008 on our Gregorian calendars. Eight is the number for new beginnings and additionally, we will have an extra day in 2008–because it’s a leap year.

Joel 2:25 promises us that God will restore the years the locust and cankerworm have eaten. Truly, this is a year of great promise for exactly that. God knew all those many years ago that His jubilee year would fall in this time period of “new beginnings” and “leap year” on our calendar. Since “a day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as a day” 2 Peter 3:8, I believe this leap year of jubilee restoration will be exponential.

We can call for, proclaim, and declare for jubilee generational restoration for 1,000 years back. It is time for restoration of lands, homes, finances, relationships, family, jobs, giftings, ministries and much more spiritually, naturally and materially. In a time of serious financial crisis throughout the earth, those who trust in the Lord as Jehovah-Jireh will experience breakthrough (see Isaiah 60:1-2).

Let’s Pray: Lord, we love You and thank You for all that You are to us. We ask that You would give us wisdom, discernment, greater courage to go forward and not look back, and to accomplish great things in Your Kingdom! These are exciting times, and we ask that our lives would count and accomplish all that You put us here for! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Joni Ames
A.C.T.S. Ministries
Email: joniames@aol.com

January 13, 2008

Bill and Marsha Burns:

“2008 The Year of the Open Door–I AM Calling You to a HIGHER PLACE THAN YOU HAVE EVER BEEN Before”

In November of 2007, the Spirit of the Lord began to speak about spiritual doors that would begin to open to God’s people. On December 18, the Lord labeled 2008 as “The Year of the Open Door.” This theme was also confirmed in a prophetic word to the Church by Marsha Burns on December 31, 2007.

The Door

Revelation 4:1, “After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in Heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, ‘Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.’”

The things that I have seen concerning the year 2008, I am now revealing to those who have ears to hear, eyes to see, and a heart to serve. If you are one of these, then you have this promise from the Lord.

Revelation 3:8, “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.”

This door will open for you as you continue to ask, seek and knock (Matthew 7:7-8).

On December 24, the Master said, “As you worship Me, I will open a door to you of My great favor and blessings, which will come down like rain to water a dry and thirsty land.” He also exhorted us to “face the new year with great courage and without worry.”

The Vision

I saw a celestial place in the spirit that has been called the “New Plateau” in various prophetic words. A plateau is “an extensive level expanse of elevated land; a period of stability.”

This plateau is a high or elevated place in the spirit realm to which the Lord is calling His people in 2008. In the vision, I saw a large plateau with a multitude of doors around the perimeter of the expanse. These doors were doors of bright light, and they had the names of people engraved upon them. I watched as a seeker came up in the spirit to the plateau and began looking for the door with his name on it. As the believer/seeker found his door, he began to hear the sound of knocking that was coming from the other side of the door (plateau side). The door would then open at the sound of the Master’s voice (Revelation 3:20).

And, the Lord said, “I am calling you, My people, to a higher place than you have ever been before. It is a place of favor and blessings, and it is a place where My treasure is hidden. Come up here, beloved, and I will give you some of the hidden manna (revelation).”

2008–A Year of Treasure Hunting

As people went through the doors of the new plateau, an angel would give each one a backpack that contained food for the journey (manna) and a canteen of living water. The pack also contained a treasure map and digging tools consisting of a small pick and shovel attached to the backpack.

Instructions on the pack read: “You are to become prospectors in this season. The Bridegroom’s treasure chest has been opened for the Bride, and His gifts will be found on this plateau.”

Matthew 13:52, “Then He said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the Kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.’”

The Word (Scribe) has opened His treasure chest and has brought gifts to this place to be found by His beloved Bride. In this place, you will find revelation of that which is written, the old, and receive that which is new–spiritual gifts, prophetic words, visions and also that which you need physically such as healing, deliverance and prosperity.

In this place and in this season you have many prospects–those things that have the possibility of future success. Many opportunities will come your way as you go prospecting. These treasures that you find will expand your spiritual perspective, and you will gain revelation of the Lord’s Kingdom and your part in it. Be sure to enjoy the journey with faith and anticipation of the goodness of the Lord and that which He has in store for you.

The Circle of Life

This year which is the Hebrew year 5768, is the year of the full circle of life, which is perpetuated through new beginnings. The Lord is going to impart His grace or empowerment to perfect man by giving him a new beginning in 2008.

What goes around comes around. What began in 2007 will continue on a higher level in 2008. Last year, the Lord gave me a word in which He would do a specific corporate work for the Body of Christ, which was broken into four quarters of the year. This year everything that was done in four quarters last year will take place simultaneously in various ways for each individual. You will have to use your discernment to perceive that which the Spirit of God is doing in your life and what He is leading you into.

A Season of Divine Vision

This will take place as revealed in Ezekiel’s vision of the four wheels or circles. In Ezekiel chapter one, the prophet sees four living creatures and four wheels. A wheel was beside the creatures on the earth, but it carried them into the spirit realm. The rims of their wheels were full of eyes (spiritual vision). You will find your ability to see spiritually–increase dramatically. The Spirit of the Lord will lift you up (Ezekiel 1:20), and as you are lifted up to the new plateau, you will see and hear that which is going on in the valley of vision.

John 16:13-15, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”

A Time of the Fulfillment of Covenant Promise

The Lord recently said to me that He will fulfill His covenant promise of healing, and 2008 will also be a time when many covenant promises made through prophetic words will come to pass. When Israel was given a new beginning, they came out of Egypt (bondage), and they went into the promise on the other side of the Jordan River. The first place they went was to Gilgal to establish a covenant of the promise of victory (Joshua 4:19 and 5:1-9).

Joshua set 12 stones from the Jordan River, which represents the anointing in a circle in Gilgal. Gilgal in Hebrew means “a rolling wheel.” Once again, this promise is confirmed in the year of the circle that brings life to God’s people. New covenant promises will also be established in this season.

A Season of Divine Decrees

2008 will be a season in which the Spirit of the Lord will establish divine decrees through the mouths of His prophets. These decrees will open the doors of the Lord and shut the doors that satan has opened against God’s people. A decree spoken into the Heavenlies by the Spirit of God will establish His purposes among His people and will become a shining light of direction for His people.

Psalm 148:6, “He also established them forever and ever; He made a decree which shall not pass away.”

As surely as the Lord has established all of creation by decree, He shall also establish His people by decree in 2008.

Prophetic Psalms for 2008

Psalm 8, “O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the Heavens! Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

When I consider Your Heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor.

You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; you have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen–even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!”

This will be a year of divine visitation and one in which the Lord will establish His order (dominion) over His Church. The decrees of God’s people will silence satan’s voice of accusation (verse 2). Great spiritual victories will be achieved by the Lord’s anointed ones in 2008. Thrones of principalities will be destroyed by divine decree.

Psalm 28, “To You I will cry, O LORD my Rock: do not be silent to me, lest, if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You, when I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.

Do not take me away with the wicked and with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace to their neighbors, but evil is in their hearts. Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavors; give them according to the work of their hands; render to them what they deserve. Because they do not regard the works of the LORD, nor the operation of His hands, He shall destroy them and not build them up.

Blessed be the LORD, because He has heard the voice of my supplications! The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him. The LORD is their strength, and He is the saving refuge of His anointed. Save Your people, and bless Your inheritance; shepherd them also, and bear them up forever.”

Again, the Lord will hear the voice (decree) of His saints, and those who are working against the purposes of the Lord will be removed. The Lord will be our strength, and His blessings will be inherited by those who faithfully serve Him.

Conclusion

The year of preparation is coming to an end, but it is not complete. Those things that began in 2007 will continue, but on a higher spiritual level. The time of new beginnings is upon us and will now start to unfold. God will take some back to visit the old places where it will be like Jacob’s journey back to Bethel to remember the covenant. From Bethel, Jacob went on to Bethlehem to establish spiritual authority for the birth of the King of the twelve tribes of Israel.

May your journey in this year be blessed, and may the Lord, Your God, visit you and lead you upon the path that He has designed for you. Follow the path of life and you will fulfill your God-given destiny.

Bill and Marsha Burns
Faith Tabernacle
Email: ft111@spiritofprophecy.com 

Permission is granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own websites. We ask only that you keep ElijahList website, email contact info, and author contact information intact.

ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250

January 11, 2008

Jon Hamill:

“A Re-emergence of the FORERUNNER SPIRIT will Pioneer a NEW EXPRESSION of God’s HEART”

Recently the Lord released me to declare a word that has been in my heart for more than a year. It is with great excitement and anticipation for 2008 that I share with you the Re-emergence of the Forerunner Spirit.

The Forerunner Calling

Let’s begin with some context. Forerunners are called to go ahead of the broader Body of Christ to “prepare the way for the people.” In other words, their labors are primarily to pioneer a new expression of God’s heart and work. To me, the call of a forerunner is best summed up in Isaiah 51:16, “I have set My words in your mouth, and have hidden you under the shadow of My hand, to establish the Heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, you are My people.”

Three primary missions of the forerunner calling are identified in this verse. The first mission is to “establish the Heavens”–to bring breakthrough in the spirit realm so that a move of God can have free course between Heaven and earth. Once a portal is opened, we have the honor of maintaining an open Heaven through the communion of worship, intercession and passionate obedience to His voice.

The second mission is to “found, or lay the foundations, of the earth.” The work of a forerunner is apostolic in nature. Christ must be laid as the Chief cornerstone, and the foundations laid with much care. God desires in this season to recover our apostolic foundations–even as a nation–and build His Kingdom instead of our own.

Anointing to Prepare the Way

Part of the forerunner mantle is an anointing of preparation–to build by the Spirit for future realities we couldn’t possibly know how to prepare for in the natural. Just ask Noah, Joseph, Elijah or Paul. They established works by the Spirit that impact us massively even today, when they had very little understanding of the scope of their labors.

The third mission is to say to Zion, “You are My people.” In other words, God passionately desires to call back a covenant people who do not know that He cherishes them in His heart. We are all qualified through the Blood of Jesus as His covenant people! Part of preparing the way is standing with the Lord in prayer–until the hearts of those He claims are penetrated by the expression of His heart for them.

The Re-Emergence of the Forerunner Spirit

In a dream I had last October, I found myself talking with an apostolic leader who, in his calling as a forerunner, has been mightily used by God to call people to prayer for America.

We were talking at length around a white table, outside in the sun. Then this leader suddenly got up and took a walk. As he did, everything but the table turned very dark, almost as if an invisible dimmer switch had been turned in the Heavens. Then the leader re-emerged and sat down again at the head of this white table.

In the dream, I then asked him what the Lord was showing Him for 2008. He said to me, “This year, God is giving apostolic authority in prayer to release the River of God and to direct its path.”

Dream Interpretation

Darkness of the Hour: Many things are being conveyed in this dream. First, darkness is increasing. Nationally and perhaps globally, we have entered into a new season of spiritual engagement. Perilous times have come, and the stakes for the Body of Christ have become much higher.

Individually, many have been in a season described in Matthew 25 where the Bridegroom was delaying. Life and circumstances have grown more challenging. Darkness is increasing. Hearts are being tested.

Retooled for Advancement: Secondly, this dream represents the Lord drawing many into a season of communion with Him. God is inviting us to the Table of the Lord, to daily receive Christ’s life-redeeming Body and drink deeply of His precious Blood. In the dream, the table never lost its luminance even as the darkness increased. His communion is the only place of safety, light and true satisfaction.

In the midst of this season, God has been retooling many of His forerunners for great advancement in 2008. We will find a recovery of vision and apostolic momentum that we could not have received any other way. There is a re-emergence of the forerunner spirit.

Releasing the River: I also understand from this dream that the release of the River of God is a top priority for 2008. The Lord is now calling His Body to forerunning prayer so that this substance of Heaven can be released and directed to the churches, regions and nations that are on His heart. He is releasing a perpetual stream of justice and transformation. “Let justice roll like a river, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” Amos 5:24.

Forerunning Prayer for Awakening

A cry for lost souls has been strangely absent from our prayer meetings these last few years. But this cry is now being restored to many in the Body of Christ.

During the second great awakening, an intercessor affectionately known as Father Nash worked with Charles Finney for regional evangelism. Nash’s job was to go ahead of Finney, find a few intercessors, and literally weep for souls between the porch and altar until God broke through. He would then summon for Finney, and the lost would literally be swept into the Kingdom by this river of awakening.

This year, God is again uncapping this well. The anointing of the forerunning prayer for awakening is being restored to the Body of Christ. Tears of compassion and travailing prayer will again flood our prayer rooms–because God is releasing apostolic authority in prayer to release this river of awakening and to direct its path!

Don’t be surprised if Ishmael again discovers a well and becomes addicted to the springs of living water. Heaven’s resources are now being extended for a great awakening in the Islamic world. In the days of Finney, no ground claimed by spiritual darkness remained impenetrable to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God is again looking for intercessors who will cry out until this river of Christ’s salvation breaks through into hearts, homes, cities and nations of the Islamic world.

Heaven’s Gates Are Opening –No More Delay!

Many prophets have shared how God is using storms in the natural to represent the work He wants to release. Early last May, my wife Jolene and I were en route to minister in Lawrence, Kansas. As our plane was landing in Kansas City, God told me to decree that, “the angelic blockade is over.”

I have been familiar with demonic blockades–strategies of the enemy to withhold needed resources in the spirit and the natural. But I have never heard of an “angelic blockade.”

Then the Lord showed me a vision of four angelic hosts, very tall and strong, struggling to keep shut what appeared to be four gates in the sky, which held back great resources. They were responding to immense pressure from Heaven’s side to keep the gates shut. But the pressure to open the gates came from the substance of accumulated answers to prayer.

In a flash, I knew that these resources were being withheld by these angels until God’s heart had been satisfied through repentance, and His Body had matured enough to properly steward His substance. I knew that it was time to decree the release of these covenant resources. Later in the week, Kansas and Missouri were deluged with flooding as rivers and streams overflowed their banks!

In 2008, the Lord is saying to many people and even many movements: “NO MORE DELAY.” The angelic blockade is over. A maturity has been gained that will propel this move of His Spirit forward with a depth we have never before seen. He is again releasing a forerunner anointing to bring salvation and transformation to the earth. Let’s tap into this river and prepare the way of the Lord!

Jon Hamill
Lamplighter Ministries
Email: lamplighterjon@earthlink.net

Jon Hamill’s Itinerary:

January 17-20, 2008
Releasing the River 2008
Revival Outreach Center
Brandon, FL
Contact: For more information click here

January 24-26, 2008
Lampstand Conference
Christ the King Church
Bellingham, WA
Contact: For more information click here

Permission is granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own websites. We ask only that you keep ElijahList website, email contact info, and author contact information intact.

ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250

January 9, 2008

Sandie Freed:

“IT’S TIME FOR FAITH! Going Through the Faith Gate in 2008″

“True faith is not intellectual; it is known in the heart of man.”

Just recently I awoke to a Heavenly alarm clock! Yes! There was a wake up call from God. I looked at my alarm clock (which I had not set myself), and the time was 5:11 A.M. I heard the Lord say, “Wake up to Isaiah 51:1.”

Observe the three different translations of this passage which I have provided below and determine whether God is speaking to you right where you are. He is certainly speaking to me! (For a heads up, the “rock” that the Lord is referring to in this passage is the “faith of Abraham.”) It’s time for faith! As I have stated before, I believe 2008 is the year of the gates (click here to view previous word). I have previously written to you concerning the importance of being properly positioned at the gate in 2008. One of these gates is the faith gate.

“Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.” Isaiah 51:1 (King James Version)

For more clarity concerning Isaiah 51:1, let’s look at other translations:

“If you want to do right and obey the Lord, follow Abraham’s example. He was the rock from which you were chipped.” (Contemporary Version)

“Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance–all who seek the Lord! Consider the rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were mined.” (New Living Version)

What Are We Looking For in 2008?

Dear saints, are you following after righteousness? Of course you are! The Lord is answering your prayers, and He is saying right now, in this certain season, we are to look to the faith of Abraham. God made us just like Abraham; we are a people of faith. Do you want to do right and obey God? Well, of course you do! Then, follow Abraham’s example. Do you need deliverance? Then, consider the quarry from which you were mined–you have the same faith inside of you that Abraham possessed.

God is asking for us to seek Him in 2008. He says that if we seek HIM, then we will find Him. If we seek the Kingdom of God, then all other things are added. To merely seek the blessings of God–is not seeking Him. Moses “saw” the miracles of God, yet he still longed to know God “and His ways” (Psalm 103:7), Moses’ desire to know the ways of God empowered him to become one of Israel’s greatest leaders. Read this next passage and gain understanding of the heart of Moses:

“Then Moses said to the Lord, ‘See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people.’ But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.’ Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.” (Exodus 33:12-13 emphasis added)

Two Things Concerning Going “His Way” in this New Season

The Lord impressed upon me two major points concerning Abraham and the year 2008, because it will be a time of great faith. We are at a new entrance, going through a gate of faith that involves increase, enlargement and expansion. It is a gate which involves building the Kingdom of God. It is a also a season of building and planting, but only building according to the Architect’s design–God’s design, and not by the hands of man.

We can no longer build with vain imaginations and previous mindsets; we need the mind of Christ as we build in this season. Unless we build “His Way,” we build the house in vain. Psalm 127:1, “unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build….and unless the LORD guards the city…watchmen stay awake in vain.”

To build in vain means there is striving involved as well as man’s imaginations (mindsets, ungodly belief systems and paradigms) that hinder the finished product. We must not build according to what we have experienced in the past. And, to even station watchmen (intercessors) at the gate of a city which God has not built is also in vain. So, therefore, we need to be sure that if we are stationed at a particular gate, the city we are guarding needs that sure foundation! To station gatekeepers at a gate of a city that is crumbling due to a faulty foundation is futile and a waste of time and energy!

God sent Abraham “out” from where he lived to seek a new city. This is part of the “New Thing” to which I believe God is directing our attention to right now. Part of the new thing is the “New Building Plan.” We have been protecting what is old, guarding old gates; and now God is building something entirely new, and He is being very sure it is built according to His Way. I heard the Lord say that He is going to rebuild the temples and reestablish sure foundations and, then, station gatekeepers at the gate of the New Thing! Get ready for change!

Resting in God

Though we are in a building process, which requires much work, God is using this to bring us into His rest. The entire time the children of Israel were in the wilderness, God was trying to reveal His ways to them, yet they remained stiff-necked and never really knew Him. Their foundation was defiled, they limited God to their own slavery mentality and, therefore, they could not build a future based on that old mindset. I have taught before that God speaks and sounds different during times of transition. In my book, Destiny Thieves, I go to great lengths to expose the seductions of the enemy during transition. If not careful, we rely on how God spoke to us in the past as He attempts to move us forward. We must hear a fresh direction for today and not rely on old patterns.

A Completion Anointing is Coming! If today we will hear and not rebel as He leads us in His way, then we will cycle out of the wilderness and enter into His rest! And, yes, it is possible to build and rest in God at the same time because all the striving is gone. Plus we will be empowered to “complete” the work. We can build, rest and become supernaturally empowered with a “completing” or “finishing anointing.” Jesus is our completion and if we build upon Him, the solid Rock, according to His voice and design, we will complete the assignments given. Jesus knew His assignment and remained focused and determined and completed the work at the Cross.

Hebrews 3:7-11, “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, and said, “They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.” So I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter My rest.’”

Because Israel had hardened their hearts in rebellion, the Lord swore that they would never enter into a season of rest. Dear ones, it is the same for us today. Unless we seek His ways and follow after His heart, we will never find rest. Unless we build according to His plans and with the sure foundation of Christ, we will never cease from striving.

However, there is hope! We can enter into His rest TODAY! Just as Jacob came to a “certain” place on his journey and the Heavens opened, we are at a certain place called “TODAY.” God can open the Heavens for us right now and we can enter into our place of rest. All we must do is decide to step out and trust God and let Him show us His ways to build our lives, ministries, businesses and future! God said in Hebrews 4:2 that Israel did not mix their faith with what God had promised and, therefore, they did not enter into that place of rest. Dear ones, we are at a gate where we must mix our faith with what God has said and then, build according to His way.

The city which Abraham sought was one with a sure foundation. This foundation is knowing God and His ways. Unless we truly house ourselves in this foundation, we are merely building more walls and expanding on an unsure foundation–all of which will need to be eventually torn down and rebuilt once more.

The first important revelation He gave me concerned His people “looking for a city.” Just as Abraham left Ur, we are leaving what has been familiar. We don’t exactly know what to look for because we have not been this way before. Abraham left his home in the city of Ur which translates as “flame or fire.” It is further translated as “to become a light.” Abraham left his comfortable “home fires” and what used to ignite him behind, and sought to now “become a light” to others. How did he become a light? By stepping out in faith! He blazed a path for us to follow. His action is now used as our example of faith and hope. He is described in Scripture as “the father of faith.” He has lit the path before us with his determination and faith. Abraham blazed a trail, leaving an example for us to follow!

What Was Abraham Seeking?

The city that Abraham sought was a city with foundations, and the architect and builder was God. Only because God called him out, was he empowered to leave what was familiar and comfortable (see Genesis 11). If he had remained in Ur, he would have been eternally “stuck” in an old place, with no hope or promise of expansion, no heirs and there would have been no foundation of faith for us today. Expect to be separated from what seems familiar (religious mindsets, belief systems, etc.) if you are determined to follow God. It is His nature to separate you from what is familiar and what we have built our lives upon–just get used to it! He is forever perfecting and transforming us into His divine image. God wants us seeking after what He desires to build, not seeking to build without Him and His blueprints.

Again, this new year of 2008 will be one in which our faith lies fully in Him. It is not a faith in our own faith, but rather a faith in Who He is and His Word. Yes, we are to stand on His Word for He cannot be separated from His Word, but many are deceived believing they can simply speak the Word and not have a relationship with the Word giver! He is calling us to live by faith in HIM alone. Intimacy is needed. Abraham didn’t simply step out on a word; He stepped out in his faith in God’s ability to perform that word. His faith was in God and in Him alone. This is part of having a sure foundation upon which we can begin to build in 2008.

Know What to Look For!

Abraham may not have known “where” he was going, but he knew “what” to look for. He looked for a city with a firm foundation which was designed by God. We must look for that same thing in 2008. My husband and I have been in full-time pulpit ministry for almost twenty years now. But also, we have been custom home builders in marketplace ministry for over thirty years. We are fully aware how important a foundation is when building a house and that there are certain fundamental principles that apply when establishing strong foundations.

Footings have to be constructed and then one has to dig deep enough to find bedrock in order to drive piers or pilings into the bedrock to fasten securely to that rock. If this task is not accomplished properly, the foundation can sink, crack or collapse under the weight of the building. It is the same in the spiritual. In this new season if we do not properly build, we will collapse. We will find ourselves cycling through the wilderness once again and will miss God’s timing of “coming out!” I want out of this wilderness, don’t you?

Over the years I have observed the collapse of many spiritual foundations. Ministries have rapidly grown, but there was no firm foundation. Ministries built solely on the gifts of the Spirit and not upon Jesus Christ–have no firm foundation. As wonderful as revelation is, there is only one sure foundation which is Jesus Christ. Gifts of the Spirit are wonderful, but they are not foundational and not to be built upon. Observe 1 Corinthians 3:11, “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

Jesus is Not Just a Foundation; He is the Entire Building!

New Testament apostles and ministers had only one message–Jesus Christ! Their entire messages were about Him and “in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” Colossians 2:3. Jesus is not simply a foundation; He is the whole building process. Our faith should not waver concerning His ability to lead us into fulfillment. Once we know Him, we can trust Him. He, as the great Shepherd, will lead us into all Truth. He is the Way, the Truth and the Light.

We have the same potential as Abraham to possess the same faith–in fact I call it “God’s faith!” When Jesus spoke to His disciples, He instructed them to have faith like God. Other translations quote it like this, “Have the God kind of faith!” We can have the same level of faith as God has because we are created in His image. We, like Abraham, are seeking that sure foundation, and God will direct us in 2008 if we go through the gate of faith.

The Second Thing to Look For is Boundaries!

Secondly, 2008 will require patience, perseverance and the understanding of our boundaries and assignments. Abraham sought a city built by God; he was not like those who were determined to build a tower of Babel–a work of their own hands. For those of us who have built our own kingdoms, God may be allowing some scattering and confusion because He is tearing it apart to build again. Though this is disheartening, it must be done if we truly desire to establish His Kingdom and not ours.

In order to build the Kingdom of God, we truly have to let go and release everything to the Lord. What you build might look different than another person’s ministry. As long as you build according to His pattern for you, your foundation is sure. Do not consider what you do as a small thing. Remember, Jesus discipled only twelve and yet an entire world has been changed.

True faith is not intellectual; it is known in the heart of man. Faith comes by hearing and hearing His Word. But also, He is His Word, so faith comes by spending time with Him and knowing Him. When He is in our heart, we can believe! The apostle Paul said that the “eyes of our hearts” must be opened (Ephesians 1:18) and that it is “with the heart that a man believes” (Romans 10:10). Therefore, we also need spiritual insight and spiritual vision to “see” with the eyes of faith. Still, this comes from knowing Christ and spending more time in the Secret Place. Remaining in Him and abiding in Him will strengthen our foundation in this next season and will empower us to remain on track.

Counterfeit Faith

There is something to which I refer as a “counterfeit faith”–and it is pride. When we take pride in our ability to quote the word and don’t know Who the Word is, we are exalting our head knowledge, our intelligence and confessing only for a blessing. I believe this grieves God because we are more interested in building our own kingdoms, planning big projects, and do not take time to know Him. Abraham stepped out in faith and believed God and yes, received a blessing. But, the blessing was also meant for us! Abraham was not self-centered; he was obedient. If we remain obedient, we will also be blessed.

Abraham’s impatience resulted in an Ishmael, a birthing out of God’s timing. Dear ones, we must know our times and seasons. Also, we need to be on assignment. Be careful that you do not take on projects that God is not building or that are not yours in which to participate. Every assignment has a boundary. Do not extend those boundaries unless He directs, or else you will take on more than His will has directed. If He desires expansion, He knows how to fund the projects. When Moses asked for contributions for the temple, he had to stop them from giving excessively! Now that’s a building project from God!

I am not advocating that building is easy. No! Not at all! I am fully aware that the enemy will attempt to rob your finances when you step out to build. What I am feeling is that we need to be precise in building; build according to the pattern and plans of God, then He will empower us. Be sure to stay on track in 2008–in other words, track with God! Do not step into an area and build if His leading is not there. Walk uprightly and cautiously; yet remain in faith.

Whenever we step out in faith, there is a wilderness to walk through–when everything seems opposite of what God has promised. I know this because I have been there. However, I believe that at every “stop” in the wilderness when God tested Israel’s heart, she had an opportunity to enter the gate of faith.

A Confirming Dream from God

While writing this article, my husband Mickey approached me with a dream God gave him the night before. It is amazing–it goes right along with this word that I am writing to you concerning faith. In his dream, there was a murderer. Mickey went to find the murderer and took his gun. When he found the murderer, Mickey started to aim to kill, and the murderer began to declare everything opposite of what God had been saying. This murderer spoke and began to verbally make bold declarations that negated all of Mickey’s promises he had received from the Lord. Mickey declared, “No! You are speaking opposite of the Word!” He took aim again. The murder said, “I am going to use mind control and destroy God’s people.” The dream was over.

This dream is so clear to me that the devil has indeed come to steal, kill and destroy. He will begin to speak opposite of what God has declared. Precious ones, we must go back to our foundation in Jesus Christ and stand upon His sure deliverance and restoration of all God has promised. 2008 will be a year where great faith is needed because the accuser of the brethren will be very active. Remember, there are no great victories without great battles, and there is not great faith without great challenges. Be aware of your thoughts, casting down every vain imagination that attempts to exalt itself above what God has declared for you!

Wake Up and Build!

Let’s enter into that new gate in 2008. It’s time to wake up and build! Once more, remember that satan will come to you and say the very opposite of what God says, so cast down every word that negates what God has declared. Amen! I am very excited about all that God is going to do this year. Let’s be determined to build the Kingdom of God and follow His divine design.

Sandie Freed
Zion Ministries
Email: zionministries1@sbcglobal.net

Permission is granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own websites. We ask only that you keep ElijahList website, email contact info, and author contact information intact.

ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250

January 2, 2008

Bill and Marsha Burns:

“DIVINE INSPIRATION 2008–Prepare to Make Some of the Most Important DECISIONS of Your Life”

Revelation That Overcomes

God says, “You will arise to a new level of overcoming. You have already begun to see patterns in your life that have consistently opened the door to the enemy’s work against you. These patterns will become increasingly apparent as you progress and punish disobedience with your obedience. Rejoice in this process.

Your struggle is not over, but if you look back, you can see that victory has come more speedily than in times past. This is because you have learned to release your anger and bitterness and have refused the victim position. You will continue to rise up to defeat the enemy more effectively as you choose to exercise your faith in Me to bring you through.

Do not be afraid of unknown challenges that lie ahead. You cannot fight the battle until you see the enemy and discover his method of attack. Rest in the assurance that My grace is sufficient, and that I will bring you through to victory as you yield to the leading of My Spirit,” says the Lord.

Luke 12:11-12, “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

“This indeed is a season when you discover in greater dimension–the power to overcome every obstacle. Old mindsets that bring defeat to you will become crystal clear. It will be like suddenly awakening from a dream to see the absolute reality of your existence and spiritual dominance.”

High Place of Discernment

God says, “I am lifting you up to a high place, spiritually, where you can see the valley below with great clarity. You will no longer see the world and people around you with natural eyes, but you will see through eyes of discernment that penetrate through the veil that separates flesh and spirit.

Be prepared to have the eyes of your understanding enlightened. I will cause you to grasp the wisdom of things you have not been able to comprehend. This will enable you to overcome obstacles and walk in confidence and victory.

You have already had significant breakthroughs in understanding how the spirit realm affects your body and soul, but I tell you honestly that your level of comprehension is not even half of what you will come to know and grasp. Every new revelation will become your possession and strengthen you.

If you ask anything in My name, according to My will, I will do it. I will teach you and show you by My Spirit the difference between what ‘you want’ according to your carnal nature and what ‘My will is.’ It will be a divine separation of soul and spirit. Yield yourself completely to this process.”

Hebrews 4:12, “For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

I Am Your Pilot

God says, “Things have not worked out exactly as you expected. This is because you cannot see the end from the beginning. I have designed it to be this way so that you can be built up in faith and know that I am with you to direct you along your path to destiny. Take delight in the fact that I am your Pilot, and I will maneuver you through even the most dire straits.

Don’t miss or overlook opportunities that look small and insignificant by looking too far out and focusing on the big picture. I have great things in store for you, but you must not despise the days of small beginnings.”

Job 8:7, “Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would increase abundantly.”

“I say, establish clear boundaries and reorder your priorities, so that My blessings can flow like a river–uninterrupted. The temptation will be to create your own blessings and to depend on your own strength to accomplish your desires, but I hold all power over Heaven and earth. Depend on Me to cause you to be fruitful. Your accomplishments are of a temporary nature, but what I produce in you is everlasting.

Your most difficult days are behind you. You have endured much and been strengthened by your perseverance. Truly you are stronger now than you have ever been. Your faith has been tested through many trials and tribulations, and you have come through in victory. I count your faithfulness as righteous.”

You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby!

“You’ve come a long way, baby, but you have not yet gone as far as you can go. The possibilities for your life have not been exhausted. On the contrary, you will be surprised and delighted at what I have in store for you. But, you will have to hold your own dreams and desires loosely to allow My will to manifest so that you can receive the best that I have for you,” says the Lord. “Trust Me!”

“Prepare to be stretched. But, know that you will not be challenged beyond your ability to accomplish what is set before you. Trust Me for strength to overcome and endure. It is true that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

Those things in your life that seem to have been fragmented or left undone will now be brought to a conclusion as the door to the past is shut and a new and exciting door is opening before you. Rejoice in this time of new life and hope.”

Breaking The Chains

“I am taking you step-by-step through the things that have consistently made you stumble and lose heart. It will be like breaking the chains one link at a time, so that you can see clearly the nature of the bondage, and you will never again be ensnared as in days gone by. Rejoice in a new level of liberty,” says the Lord.

“There have been times in your life when you have swung between two poles, one of ultra hope and blessing and the other abject poverty and hopelessness. If you will yield to the work of My Spirit along these lines, I will bring you from extreme ups and downs to a plateau of spiritual reality and faith. For, certainly I am the Author and Finisher of your faith, and I will establish you on this level ground.

Refuse to allow the enemy to use condemnation to remove you from the flow of revelation by the Spirit. His tactics won’t be anything new. Expect the same old lies that bring guilt, shame and rejection. But, now I will give you greater capacity to see quickly and deal with the attacks, so that your times of oppression will be immediately cut off like awakening from a bad dream.

I am releasing healing in you that will wash away the rejection and failures from the past and equip you to go forth with wisdom and endurance. Let go of the labels that have been assigned to you by various people and circumstances, for I call you My beloved.”

Open Doors

“Prepare to make some of the most important decisions of your life as I present opportunities that you could never have imagined. You are Mine, and My plan is to establish you and bless you in ways that will remove even the vaguest remembrance of past disappointments and struggles.

I will open doors before you, and you will behold new vistas and prospects for the future that you really never dreamed of. And, I will bring you by a way that you have not known and make your feet like hinds feet that will enable you to negotiate even the most difficult of paths. You will scramble up the craggiest places as though it were level ground because I am with you to make the crooked places straight and the rough places smooth.

You will have choices to make in the days ahead that have the potential to change the landscape of your life forever. Seek Me for wisdom, and choose wisely. If you ask for wisdom, I will certainly give it to you.

In this season, you must recapture the gifting and flow that you once embraced. In the passage of time and circumstances, you lost confidence, but now is the time when you can reclaim what was rightfully yours from the beginning. You cannot go back to the old manifestation of your gift because it had to become like a seed that fell to the ground and died in order to take root and grow up in you to produce fruit for this time. Be open and yielded,” says the Lord.

Bill and Marsha Burns
Faith Tabernacle
Email: ft111@spiritofprophecy.com 

Permission is granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own websites. We ask only that you keep ElijahList website, email contact info, and author contact information intact.

ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250

January 1, 2008

Stacey Campbell:

“For 2008, Prophetically, I Hear SICKLES–God is Preparing to REAP NATIONS”

“I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was One ‘like a Son of Man’ with a crown of gold on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to Him Who was sitting on the cloud, ‘Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.’

So He Who was seated on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested. Another angel came out of the temple in Heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, ‘Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.’ The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city…” Revelation 14:14-20

“‘Let the nations be roused; let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the nations on every side. Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow–so great is their wickedness!’ Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.” Joel 3:12-14

Sickles are Swinging Over the Nations

For 2008, prophetically, I hear “sickles.” They are swinging over nations, and they are set to reap. But what will the harvest be–national revival or national judgment? The Bible (see Revelation 14:14; Joel 3:13) speaks of two types of sickles. One is a sickle of salvation to reap the ripe harvest of the earth. The other is a sickle for grapes–a sickle bringing judgment and the wrath of God. What if the sickle that swings widest over a nation could be determined by the Church of that nation?

Faith Gives Way to Sight

It is no secret that all over the world things are heating up. On the one hand, there is great anticipation as some of the prophetic words of the past few years unfold before our very eyes. “Convergence,” “Acceleration,” “Generations,” “Alignment,” “Crossing Over,” “Great Signs and Wonders,” “The Beginning of a New 40 Year Cycle”–the prophetic buzzwords of the past few years are no longer future, but present. All of the above are happening throughout North America and the rest of the world. Our faith is giving way to sight. The push in the spirit is upon us and we all feel its weight. God has positioned many of us to ask for and receive things way beyond our natural capability (see Ephesians 3:20).

Why? Because to this very day, God continues to “so love the world” (see John 3:16) and, unfortunately, much of the world is still grossly lost. All over the world nations are in moral crisis. From school shootings to child porn, sin is escalating. In North America, economic crisis is looming and will probably crack wide open at some point in 2008. Communism is threatening Mexico and other Latin American nations. Russia is beginning to taunt the West again. Terrorists are indiscriminately blowing up whatever they can get away with. Child poverty is raging all over the globe and pushing the cycle of sin to unthinkable levels.

But when sin abounds, grace does much more abound. God is raising up a standard to turn the tide of evil back to righteousness. The prayer movement is exploding with 24/7 houses of prayer springing up everywhere. Miracles of all sorts are taking place. Marketplace apostles, prophetic evangelism, and spiritual fathering and mothering are established norms in many places. Like a giant chessboard, the world is taking shape for the war for the souls of men.

Preachers of righteousness, their hearts on fire from having spent hours in the presence of God, are emerging from the prayer room like John Wesley and Savanarolla of old. Their words, empowered by the Holy Spirit, will shift cities and nations. As the god of mammon is shaken in North America in 2008, stadiums will fill with massive gatherings of fasting and prayer, the generation prepared with signs and wonders will, like the apostles in the book of Acts, be released to preach to receptive ears.

Pushing Through with Prayer

“And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.” Acts 4:31

Prayer is the tipping point. Prayer will release both the judgments of God (see Revelation 8:3-13), and create the climate for people to call upon the Lord (see Judges 2:11-22; 3:9, 15; 4:3; 6:6, etc). The scene is being set. If there ever was a time that a nation could “be saved in a day,” now is the time. The wealth transfer has begun, the miracles are happening, the leadership has crossed over and stadiums are already being filled with tens of thousands of believers who are gathering in solemn assemblies of fasting and prayer. I know 20 and 30-year olds who are changing the political climate of nations, who are seeing the lame walk and the blind see, and who are consumed with passion to see a resting place for the Lord established.

The speed at which the Church is accelerating is almost frightening, but we have no choice but to follow the Lamb wherever He goes. We are within decades of the Gospel of the Kingdom being preached to the whole world. And we all know what Jesus said would happen after that (see Matthew 24:14).

Yet we must face the fact that acceleration is happening in both kingdoms, the Divine and the demonic. In this hour when the world is hanging in the balance, the Church on earth has the power to influence the destiny of nations. We are the salt of the earth, the agent that retards sin and establishes truth and righteousness. When we are faced with the merciless onslaught of evil, we don’t look around, we look up. 2008 is a year of incredible opportunity for the Church, as long as she responds “with faith” to the opportunities that will come suddenly upon the earth.

As I said, in my spirit, I hear sickles. God is preparing to reap nations. Will they be saved–or judged?

“So He Who was seated on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested…The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath.” Revelation 14:16, 19

“Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow–so great is their wickedness! Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!” Joel 3:13-14

Prayer–massive gatherings of fasting and prayer (concerted, fervent prayer) will determine which sickle swings widest over America and the other nations of the world. When the prayer bowls fill in Heaven, the result on earth is the acceleration of harvest and judgment (see Revelation 8:3). In 2008, the Church must join with the intercession of Jesus (see Hebrews 7:25) for the release of national revival. Just as with individuals, there are certain national demons that will only come out by fasting and prayer.

The formula for national change has been the same for thousands of years: “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray, I will…heal their LAND” (2 Chronicles 7:14, emphasis added).

If we take the principle of first binding the strongman through national assemblies of fasting and prayer, and then loosing the harvesters (marketplace apostles, fiery end-time preachers, mercy evangelists, and miracle workers), we can take nations. As the kingdoms of this world are shaken and fear fills the world, a faithful and faith-filled Church will respond to the crises and reap perhaps the greatest harvest the world has ever seen at one time.

Prayer and fasting, combined with radical missions must be released at a new level. 2008 will be the bomb–”for those who have ears to hear.”

Stacey Campbell
Be A HERO
Email: admin@beahero.org

Permission is granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own websites. We ask only that you keep ElijahList website, email contact info, and author contact information intact.

ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250

December 11, 2007

Sandie Freed and Garris Elkins:

“Positioned at the KING’S GATE in 2008 and The Year of ACCELERATION”

Intro by Steve Shultz:

Just this year, the Lord told me to say (and in my case it was with tears within my own household but it represented our whole region too): “Surely the Lord, God is in this place,” which is what Jacob said when he named that place Bethel.

We each have our own regions which could be named Bethel. Of course, the Lord fills the whole earth, so in a sense, the whole earth is Beth-El. This means the House of God.

There is a section below which talks about “vows.” I am most into letting our “yes be yes.” However, we have Scriptures such as this:

Acts 18:18, “Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a vow he had taken.”

When you read about vows, think of your marriage and your ongoing commitment to our Lord.

We have also included below a short word about 2008 being: “The Year of Acceleration.” This acceleration has been prophesied by many and we all have been waiting for it!

Blessings,

Steve Shultz
Founder, ElijahList and ElijahRain magazine
www.elijahlist.com

Garris Elkins: 2008–The Year of Acceleration

The year 2008 will be a “Year of Acceleration” for God’s people. God has already empowered His Church with gifts and anointing, and now He is about to press the accelerator and move the Church at speeds of life and growth not seen in recent history. God is ready to move us at “warp-speed” past old barriers and old obstacles that have stood in our way.

In 2008, God will accelerate the Church financially, relationally, and into a new anointing in the marketplace. This acceleration is not to get the world ready for His coming–but it is to get the Church up to eternal speed as we engage our calling. God will move His people at such an accelerated speed that the enemy will only see us as a blur. We will not be a vulnerable, slow-moving target as in years past. Satan will try to attack, but he will only be shooting at a blur. God will deny the enemy a stationary bull’s eye.

• God will accelerate your restoration financially. You will ask, “How did God get us to this place of wholeness?”

• God will accelerate your broken relationships. You will ask, “How did God restore our fellowship?”

• God will accelerate your ministry. You will ask, “How did God open this closed door?”

The Lord is asking that we press into Him and sit down in the midst of His intimacy. This acceleration is not about human effort–it is about trust. Like a child that sits in the passenger seat of the family car while the father drives home at night, there is a sense of safety and security.

Take a seat. Hold on. Trust. God has positioned you to move with Him. He is beginning to press “the accelerator.”

Garris Elkins
Living Waters Church
Email: info@livingwatersmedford.org

Garris’ Bio:

Garris Elkins serves as Lead Pastor of the Living Waters Church in Medford, Oregon. His ministry, both nationally and internationally, is to strengthen and encourage the Church through teaching and prophetic ministry. Prior to coming to Oregon, Garris was based in Berlin, Germany, where he helped nurture and develop Eastern European church leaders. Garris has been married to his wife Jan for 34 years and they have two grown children.

Sandie Freed: Positioned at the King’s Gate in 2008

Last year the Lord spoke to me and said we were to believe for “Open Heavens in 2007 and be positioned to go through the gate in 2008.” What I have witnessed in this calendar year of 2007 (the Gregorian calendar) is a “Bethel experience.” By that I am referring to Jacob who, on his way to Haran, came to a certain place and had a dream where God opened the Heavens and revealed His covenant with mankind.

As believers, each of us has been brought to that same certain place. A certain place is defined Scripturally not only as a space, but also as a “standing place.” In other words, God leads us into specific circumstances to empower us to “stand” upon a new revelation. When God opens the Heavens and reveals a particular part of His covenant or prophetic promise, we must also take a firm stand in that revelatory place! Many of us are experiencing times when it appears that we are not experiencing the fullness of God’s covenant, but please hear me! Some of us are in the process of cycling out of old patterns of captivity.

As a prophetess of God, I am saying to you just as Jeremiah sent a message to those in Babylonian captivity, God says for you to BUILD! Yes, begin to build, begin to plant and make plans to live and reproduce! Though it looks one way in the natural, we can count on the faithfulness of God. He is opening the Heavens for us to prosper and we must begin to stand upon His Word. Our sure weapon in this season is the Sword of the Lord, His sure Word!

God is Turning Things Around on Your Behalf!

If you have been in a hard place, know today that the Lord is turning things around on your behalf. Regardless of what type of captivity you have experienced, God is opening the Heavens for you. We are living in the same prophetic times as when Jeremiah wrote to those in Babylonian captivity and encouraged them to keep on living for God. The prophet encouraged them with the word of the Lord and said for them to BUILD and PLANT! Yes! God instructed His children to refuse to focus on their circumstances, but to rather build, plant and reproduce right where they were until He released them.

Dear ones, God indeed wants to cycle you out of captivity and out of your wilderness. However, until the process of “cycling out” is completed, we must continue to believe God and to build upon His promises–right where we are. I am not saying to settle in; I am encouraging you to build for God while in the midst of trials and tribulations. The devil will always bring trouble–sometimes “double trouble”–but if we focus on the problem and not the Problem-Solver, then we become self-focused.

Self-focused saints murmur and complain and then become consumed with self-pity. Self-pity is dangerous because we open our mouths and speak things which should never be spoken. Remember, the power of life and death are in the tongue; so let’s be careful with what we say as God is shifting us into seasons of blessing. To speak negatively could even affect our future, thus keeping us in the wilderness even longer!

Let’s look at what Jeremiah said to those in Babylonian captivity:
“Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon; Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.” Jeremiah 29:4-7

A Place of “Arising”

When referring to that certain place where God led Jacob, it is not only a place to take a firm stand, but it is also a place to arise. The Lord opened the Heavens to Jacob and showed him a ladder which reached from Heaven to earth with angels ascending and descending. The last time I studied this passage, I heard the Lord say that when He opens the Heavens at any time and releases divine revelation, angels ascend and descend upon that “ladder” of revelation. I know Jesus is the ladder which connected Heaven to earth, but in the natural, a ladder is used to reach a new level.

Revelation comes down from Heaven and touches earth. However, we can each “ascend” in faith and relationship with the Father to receive revelation to change our earth. If we want to begin to transform our world, we need to first touch Heaven and hear from God. Revelation empowers us with authority to arise from where we are and take a firm stand on God’s covenant promises.

Making a Vow

Jacob realized God was in that certain time and place in his life and as a result he arose, built an altar unto God, and vowed to give God a tenth of all he had. Thus, the principle of tithing to the Lord was practiced. (My point is not sharing about the tithe in this article, my point here is–Jacob made “a vow”). A vow is important to God. I believe He leads us to certain places and into certain circumstances where we do make vows. Many of us have made a vow to God. Most likely when we were saved, we vowed to God that we would serve Him for all of our life. Dear ones, if we do not arise today and stand, the enemy will come to steal our vow!

Delilah seduced Samson and his vow to the Lord. I have written extensively about this very subject in my new book, Destroying the Threefold Demonic Cord: Discerning and Defeating Jezebel, Athaliah and Delilah (to be released in January 2008), which exposes how the stronghold of Delilah attempts to steal our vows to God. When we go through difficult times or seasons, during which God is releasing us from captivity, it is easy to be seduced by a false voice.

Satan will attempt to come to us with a false prophetic word and lead us in a wrong direction. He is an “evil messenger” with “evil messages” and if not on alert, we will believe the lies of the enemy and thus, be seduced away from our vows. Dear ones hear me today! The enemy has evil messages being sent to the gates of your lives.

Evil Messengers

Watchmen on the wall look for two things–invading troops and messengers (discerning who to let in the gate and who to keep out). We need to be on high alert levels concerning the evil messengers who attempt to invade the gates of our thoughts. If the enemy gets control of our minds and thoughts, he will seduce us and strip us of our determination to go through the gates in 2008.

Jezebel never saw Elijah face-to-face. She sent “evil messages” to him through her “messenger.” Dear ones, the devil doesn’t have to stare us in the eye–he just sends demons to us to speak into our thoughts and then he invades our imaginations! The result is a “vain imagination.” It is the same thing that happened to Elijah when he received Jezebel’s evil message; he “saw that.” This means he imagined himself dead! Elijah saw in his mind and imagination, his defeat by Jezebel’s hand and as a result, he took off running in the opposite direction of his destiny!

“And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and also how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time. And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.” 1 Kings 19:1-4

How often have we entertained the same vain imaginations and thus detained our destiny? A vain imagination is described by Paul as an empty, foolish or fruitless thought. (See Romans 1:21). The voice of the enemy is always null and void of power unless we give it a place or a seated position of authority. Saints of the Most High–it is time to guard the gates of our thoughts and minds.

Establishing God’s Government in 2008

According to the prophetic word given to Judah, the scepter would remain in his hand. This meant that Judah would shift and establish government and the tribe of Judah would remain in authority forever. Since Judah means “praise,” then we can also say that “praise shifts and establishes government!” The gate in 2008 involves divine government in our individual lives first, and then we can shift the atmosphere around us.

If we need God’s divine order established, then we also need His government in operation. Saints, we can establish God’s government if we begin to be a people of praise. I know it sounds too simple, but it is true. The Lord has always planned that we rule and reign–it began in the Garden when He gave Adam dominion. However, it was also prophesied over Judah, one of the sons of Jacob (and his descendents), that he would rule over the land. This is one way we learn to arise and stand in our positions of authority–through praising His Name and worshiping Him.

David was from the tribe of Judah and he established the Tabernacle of David which had ongoing praise–24 hours a day. Jesus’ genealogy is traced back to the same as David’s, the tribe of Judah which holds the ruling scepter. Since we are engrafted into the lineage of Jesus, this must be our calling also.

It’s All About the Kingdom

At the entrance of every kingdom, there is some type of gate. A gate provides an entrance, but also a method of keeping others out. It opens up to those who are to be included in the city and then closes to intruders and enemies.

One of the most famous stories of a gatekeeper was Mordecai who sat at the king’s gate. This particular gate was the door to the court and government of the city. In all actuality, Mordecai guarded the courts of the king. What an awesome position for a believer to have and yet, an incredible responsibility. Imagine an intercessor stationed at the door of the court system and having to spiritually “watch” over that gate. It is not known if he was given this position of honor before or after Esther came to the throne, but we do know that his position at the king’s gate empowered him to “checkmate” Haman, an Amalekite and enemy of the Jews.

While on watch at his gate, Mordecai discovered a plot to kill the king. After disclosing the plan of assassination to Queen Esther, he was later honored by the King Ahasuerus. A quick study of Mordecai at the “king’s gate” will empower us during our transition into 2008.

“In those days, while Mordecai sat in the king’s gate, two of the king’s chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, of those which kept the door, were wroth, and sought to lay hands on the king Ahasuerus. And the thing was known to Mordecai, who told it unto Esther the queen; and Esther certified the king thereof in Mordecai’s name. And when inquisition was made of the matter, it was found out; therefore they were both hanged on a tree: and it was written in the book of the chronicles before the king.” Esther 2:21-23

Gatekeepers and gate watchers, hear me! The enemy is seeking to seduce you away from your gate assignments! Mordecai had enemies who sought to kill him–just as we have devils today who seek to destroy us because we are watching over the “King’s business!” One of Mordecai’s enemies was named “Bigthan” which means “in the winepress” and the other’s name was “Teresh” which means “strictness.” When I think of my enemies (as in demonic spirits) today, I am reminded of how difficult it is to stand at the gate of “doing the King’s business” when God has me in the winepress.

I also believe that there are demons that are on assignment to “press and pressure” us when God has us in His divine time of “the squeeze.” The “divine squeeze” is when all that is not of God is squeezed out. If not careful, evil messengers come at that vulnerable time and lie to us; thus, an enemy waits to seduce us from our vows to God. Then, there are those demons of “strictness” that lie in wait to deliver evil messages! You have heard them also; I’m sure of it. They are messages of “legalism, performance and spiritual perfectionism.” These evil messengers also come at a time when God is doing a deep work in our hearts.

Aren’t you glad that God has determined to always deliver us from our enemies? Just as He destroyed Mordecai’s evil messengers (actually had them hung on a tree), He will do the same for us since He is no respecter of persons.

At the King’s Gate–We Can Gain Influence

Today, in order to shift our own personal government, we will have to realize that we are in the winepress. God is extracting new wine and applying strict pressure. New boundaries in God are becoming rediscovered, and there is “strictness,” a straight path that we are to follow. The enemy distorts God’s expectations for us. By this, I’m referring to Jesus’ example of encouraging us to go through the straight gate.

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.” Matthew 7:13

So, spiritually there is a straight path that can be referred to as a “strict” lifestyle, yet still not “legalism.” Relationship with God is what we are to seek–not religion. Religion binds us with rules and laws. When we are seeking religion, we obey laws rather than obeying instruction based on relationship.

What is happening within our court systems is on our watch. We must become a disciplined army, strictly becoming obedient–yet not legalistic. Satan attempts to twist the truth concerning the winepress. A winepress is used during harvest. It is a time of rejoicing when wine and harvest have come. Satan will distort all that is good and make it appear hard and ugly.

Now back to our story. Mordecai called attention to these two chamberlains who sought to murder the king and he sounded the alarm. As a prophetic people, we must sound the alarm and alert others to satan’s position at the king’s gate. Satan’s plan is to assassinate and dilute the Truth of God and cause us to fear freedom in Christ. Many would rather be bound up with legalism than be free in Christ because it appears easier to follow “rules and strict guidelines.” Mordecai was later rewarded for protecting the king. If we also remain at our gates, our assigned positions, we will be rewarded in God’s timing.

Positioning for Shifting Government

Unless we are positioned properly, we will not experience the shifting which needs to occur in our lives. If we are at the right place at the right time, then certain exposure can occur to “uncover” the plans of the enemy so that we can overpower him in the Spirit.

After Mordecai exposed his enemies at the king’s gate, he later discovered another plot of destruction. This time it was a plot hatched by the evil workings of one named Haman. Haman had manipulated the king into destroying the Jews and was placed in authority over Mordecai. Haman would parade himself through the streets of the city and expected others to bow in respect. Mordecai had determined to only bow to God. This act was considered humiliating by Haman, so he vindictively plotted to destroy not only Mordecai, but all of the Jews.

When Mordecai found out about the plan, he dressed himself in sackcloth and ashes and went throughout the city. He went as far as the king’s gate while still dressed in sackcloth and ashes. History records the fact that it was illegal to be at the king’s gate without having on the proper garments. In other words, Mordecai committed a crime, so to speak, for approaching that gate without the proper uniform. However, still knowing it was illegal to be at the king’s gate dressed in this manner, Mordecai seemed to make a beeline toward the king’s gate to make a statement. Mordecai, even before Esther’s act of self-sacrifice, first laid down his life to shift the government and nullify the death assignment.

When Esther heard Mordecai was dressed this way, she sent a change of clothes. Esther knew it could mean certain death if Mordecai was found to have assumed this position and was not dressed properly. Mordecai refused to change clothing and instead, sent word to the queen concerning the evil plans of Haman to destroy all of the Jews. His refusal to take off his sackcloth was a radical statement which got Esther’s immediate attention.

Mordecai reminded Esther of her own blood heritage and reminded her that it was possible that God brought her to the kingdom “for such a time as this” to shift government and issue new decrees. As a result of Mordecai’s position at the king’s gate, his refusal to change garments and his intercession there, Esther chose a fast and became determined to approach the king on behalf of all of the Jews.

Laying Down Our Lives at the Gate in 2008

Wow! Talk about shifting government at the gates! We give a lot of credit to Esther who laid down her life to approach the king. But what about Mordecai? He also laid down his life at the gate. When Haman would ride by on his horse, Mordecai was expected to “bow down” to him, but Mordecai refused, thus placing his life on the line. We also must refuse to bow to any evil plan of the enemy and if necessary, position ourselves at the gates in sackcloth and ashes, remain at our assigned gates and continue to watch.

The Year of “All Things” in 2008

As we go through the new gates in 2008, let’s remember that “all things are possible” to those who believe in His Word. I heard the Lord say to me that 2008 was a year of “all things.” I encourage us to do a study on those words and war over our promises. I will list a few for us to “stand on” and “arise” in spiritual fortitude as He leads us to a certain place and a certain gate. Do not listen to the evil messengers who would attempt to seduce you from achieving your destiny.

I have listed a few promises concerning “all things.” Stand on these prophetic promises and go through your gate in 2008!

1. All things are possible in 2008! “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

2. All things will be restored! “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.” Matthew 17:11

3. All prayers are answered. “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Matthew 21:22

4. We are to observe all things Jesus has taught us! “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me in Heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:18-2

5. Do not have fear at your gate! You are empowered to “bear, believe, hope and endure” at the gate in 2008! “Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” 1 Corinthians 13:6-7

6. The number “8″ means “new beginnings.” 2008 is the year that all things become new! “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

7. The enemy is under your feet at your gate of enlargement. Go through the gate in 2008! “And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the Church.” Ephesians 1:22

8. The Spirit of God will reveal “the deep things” to you in 2008. “But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:10

Let’s determine to not simply go through the gate in 2008, but also to be properly positioned in 2008. Go for it! All things are possible!

Sandie Freed
Zion Ministries
Email: zionministries1@sbcglobal.net

Permission is granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own websites. We ask only that you keep ElijahList website, email contact info, and author contact information intact.

ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250

November 29, 2007

Chuck Pierce and Cal Pierce:

“2008–The Champions of God will Walk in Truth Absolute AND See the New Gate”

Cal Pierce: Champions of Truth Absolute

This coming year is going to be a pivotal year for the Body of Christ. It will be a time where we will begin to move into truth absolute, where the word of God that we “read” will be the word that we “live.” The condition of the world will not determine the position of the believer. The word absolute in Webster’s Dictionary means free from restrictions, limitations, or exception; absolute power, absolute freedom. It also means unrestrained in the exercise of governmental power.

This coming year will begin the releasing of the dread champions according to Jeremiah 20:11, “The Lord is with me like a dread champion; therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will be utterly ashamed, because they have failed, with an everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten.”

These dread champions will walk in “truth absolute.” They will purge themselves of the influence from the enemy’s camp. They will have nothing of the enemy because they will be full of God. They will not be restrained because they will walk in God’s absolute power and freedom. They will live what they read.

They will know they have all power over the enemy and nothing shall injure them according to Luke 10:19, “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.” They will achieve this because Jesus is in them as a dread champion. The Holy Spirit in them will no longer be suppressed by doubt.

The year 2008 will be the beginning of the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy in chapter 60 where darkness begins to cover the whole earth. It says that deep darkness will be on the people. Immorality established by the flesh of man has no limits. What was immoral in the past is embraced today. What is immoral today will be embraced tomorrow. As this darkness increases, the glory of the Lord will arise upon God’s dread champions. They will arise as the light comes upon them.

They will wear the armor of light as written in Romans 13:12, “The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”

No weapon of darkness will be able to penetrate their armor. It will be the opposite. Their light will expose the darkness and because they walk in truth absolute, nations will come to the brightness of their rising. This light brigade will have the only answers a desperate world is seeking–that will be Jesus.

Blessings!

Cal Pierce
Healing Rooms Ministries
Email: healing@healingrooms.com

Chuck Pierce: I AM the Way Maker!

During this season, may you find yourself rejoicing in new ways. Do not let old patterns from past seasons keep you from seeing the best the Lord has for you.

Philippians 4:4-7 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice! Let everyone see your gentleness. The Lord is near! Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

The Lord is saying: “I AM the Way Maker. I will open the new gate for you. Ask Me to forgive you for not turning MY blessings back into praise. Ask Me to cleanse and restore your mind and heart and bring you into a new purity of expression. Do not allow critical and judgmental spirits to overtake you.”

“I will break forth your WAY. At noon time, you will begin to see Breakthrough. My Light will cause darkness to not triumph. Send Me before you and allow Me to contend with the darkness that is set to rob you of MY blessings. Honor My Spirit! I will send the wind! I will send the wind! I WILL SEND MY WIND! I will send the wind to comfort your woundings of the past. The Holy Spirit will convict you of allowing your past hurts to keep you from coming near to Me.”

“My Presence is already waiting for you to get to your ‘there.’ When you walked through the fire, MY presence was there. When you walked through the flood, the waters did not overtake you because MY Presence was already there with you. I AM Jehovah-Shammah. I AM already there. Recognize Me in your midst.”

“Do not rush in. Do not rush into your decisions this hour. Take one step back and you will see the decisions I am making on your behalf. If you will take that one step back, you will see that I am already there to help you decide and realign your will.”

“I am already Your Redeemer at the gate, to open up and unlock the Way for you. I am your Redeemer at the gate. When you are ready to move back into the position I have for you, you will see that I AM already there and have unlocked the gate of your prison. See the NEW GATE into the field that I have for you. I AM your Redeemer at the gate. I AM present to buy you back from the hand of the enemy. I AM present to establish you and cause you to reign.”

“I AM present to raise you up and bring you back into the fullness of your planned destiny!”

Chuck D. Pierce
Glory of Zion Ministries

Permission is granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own websites. We ask only that you keep ElijahList website, email contact info, and author contact information intact.

ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250

Canadian Newspaper Revisits Archaeological Evidence of Race of Giant Men
Teresa Neumann (January 30, 2008)

“When I discovered this trail of a giant man under the waterfall, I had a feeling that it was one of the most important discoveries since the Dead Sea Scrolls.”

Disclaimer: I am a creationist who believes the Bible is the infallible Word of God. The following secular article—despite its scientific evolution-speak and the author’s fascination with unexplainable phenomena—lists discoveries that may not only shed light on the mysterious Nephilim, but also, ironically, “upend” the theory of evolution itself, in the process. –Teresa Neumann, BCN.

“The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.” -Genesis 6:4 “We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” -Numbers 13:33

The Canadian has published a fascinating article by reporter Brad Steiger concerning archaeological evidence of a race of “giant” men. Steiger lists a series of discoveries that point to the existence of these super-sized humans, including enormous weapons that could not have been used by average-sized men, “gigantic” sized skeletal remains in midwest Indian mounds, cave paintings in Rhodesia discovered in 1970 depicting a brontosaurus (supposedly extinct “millions” of years before evolutionists say man arrived on earth) and another similar depiction in Mexico of a pre-historic bird that was supposedly extinct 130 million years ago.

Dr. Clifford Burdick, who in the early 1950′s began investigating “footprints in stone” when the Natural Science Foundation of Los Angeles assigned him to go with four other members to examine the reported man-tracks found in strata contemporaneous with dinosaur prints in and around Glen Rose, Texas, says: “If these are verified as human tracks, the discovery will have far-reaching repercussions throughout the scientific world, and especially for stratigraphers and palaeontologists…This evidence, if verified, will practically collapse the geologic column.”

Burdick is quoted as saying that the generally accepted theory of evolution would be dealt a lethal blow, because the geologic record of human footprints contemporaneous with dinosaur tracks “suggests that simple and complex types of life were coexistent in time past or during geologic ages… This does not harmonize with the hypothesis that complex types of life evolved from lower or more simple forms. Evolution implies that through the geologic ages life has not only become more complex, but has increased in size. If evidence from the man-tracks can be used as a criterion, ancient man was much larger than modern man as an average. This harmonized with most fossil life which was larger than its modern counterpart… On the whole, biological life has had to contend with unfavorable environment which has been a factor in its degeneration, rather than its evolution.”

Steiger also lists several discoveries of giant human skeletal remains in North and South America, many measuring over 8-foot tall. The New York Times ran a piece on February 14, 1936, datelined Managua, Nicaragua, which stated that “the skeleton of a gigantic man, with the head missing, had been unearthed at El Boquin, on the Mico River, in the Chontales district. The ribs are a yard long and four inches wide and the shin bone is too heavy for one man to carry.”

Valley of the Giants author Dr. C. N. Doughtery, concludes: “When I discovered this trail of a giant man under the waterfall, I had a feeling that it was one of the most important discoveries since the Dead Sea Scrolls.”

Source: Brad Steiger – The Canadian

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A Vision of Heaven Turns into Reality as Committed Youth Prepare for Pure, Simple, Undistracted Jesus Worship in Kansas Field Teresa Neumann (January 30, 2008)“We want the Church to be purpose driven, but it has to be passion driven first. But you can’t be passion driven unless you’re promise driven. But you’ll not get there unless you’re person driven—Jesus, who gets all the glory when the promises are fulfilled.” 57-year-old Texan Richard Ross couldn’t shake the vision he received more than a year ago while he was praying and praising God. During that intimate time with the Lord, Ross saw a large grassy field surrounding a throne and scattered across the field were students praising and adoring God. It was a “minimalist” landscape, notes Ross. When the vision reoccurred during subsequent time with the Lord, Ross says he began to wonder if the scene was not just a glimpse of Heaven, but rather “an imprint of what could transpire here on earth.”After much prayer with other Christian leaders, Ross’ vision is becoming a reality on May 25 in a grassy 150-acre field in Kansas, about 30 miles south of Kansas City, in the form of the 12-hour Paradise praise event for high school and college students from across the nation. A representation of a throne will be at the center of the field.According to a report in Crosswalk, what makes the Paradise event unusual is not so much the emphasis on Christ, but the de-emphasis on all things not directly to do with glorifying Jesus.”There will be nothing for sale at Paradise, not one T-shirt or CD, not one pretzel,” notes Ross. “No product tents and no ministry tents. No banners or signs for other causes. No agenda will be raised at all that day; just the undistracted worship of Jesus.” The report adds that by rule of the event’s constitution, “nothing is to echo from the huge speaker boxes except music and Scripture. No sales pitches. No sermons, as well-intentioned as they may be. Skilled musicians will be present, including some big names, but those names will not be revealed and they will not be “in view” and no attendance figures will be projected or announced. “We are completely comfortable with whatever number of true worshipers come to stand before the King,” Ross said. “Jesus could be lifted up before 100 young worshipers… or He may be pleased to assemble tens of thousands. We leave that entirely up to Him. We will simply make logistical preparations for the number who register.” As far as preparation for the event, Ross is quoted as saying he wants attendees to be prepared before they come. To facilitate that, they are requiring registrants to go on a 28-day journey using an interactive curriculum. Says Ross: “We don’t believe students can go zero-to-60 in only one day of worship at Paradise. If they arrive thinking Jesus is their little buddy and pal and just a friend who will help them through the hard times then they cannot discover how to worship Him as the reigning monarch in only a few hours. We need students to walk onto that field in Kansas having already made the transition from thinking of Christ as their mascot, to Him as their monarch.” “They’re going to be saturated with His supremacy,” said David Bryant, 61, a co-organizer. “There is a shortfall in how we see, seek and speak about Christ for all that He is,” Bryant said. “Which leads to a shortfall in how we savor Him, serve Him and how we share Him for all that He is… We want the Church to be purpose driven, but it has to be passion driven first. But you can’t be passion driven unless you’re promise driven. But you’ll not get there unless you’re person driven—Jesus, who gets all the glory when the promises are fulfilled.”

Verse 1
I see the king of glory
Coming down the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes, the whole earth shakes
I see his love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing, the people sing

Chorus
Hosanna, hosanna
Hosanna in the highest

Verse 2
I see a generation
Rising up to take the place
With selfless faith, with selfless faith
I see a new revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We’re on our knees, we’re on our knees

Bridge

G                                             A

Heal my heart and make it clean

D                                        Bm
Open up my eyes to the things unseen

G                                            A                           Bm

Show me how to love like you have loved me

G                                                      A

Break my heart for what breaks yours

D                                                  Bm
Everything I am for your kingdom’s cause

G                                         A              G
As I walk from earth into eternity

Hosanna

Em                            C

Won’t relent until you have it all

G                     D

My Heart is Yours

Em                  C

Come be the fire inside of me

G                     D                              Em

Come be the flame upon my heart

C                      G
Come be the fire inside of me

D                  Em

Until you and I are one

Bm                          D

I dont wanna talk about you

G

Like you’re not in the room

Em

I want to look right at you

Bm

I want to sing right to you

Here I Am Send Me – Lyrics By Delirious

Show me a vision like Isaiah saw,
Where the angel touched his lips and he sinned no more.
Let me hear your voice saying “Who shall I send?”
I’ll say send me Lord, I’ll follow you to the end.

Show me a vision like Eziekel saw,
An army of light from a valley of bones.
Breathe life into these lungs of mine,
So I can scream and shout of your love divine.

Search light, burns bright, floods my eyes,
Invade me, serenade me, I’m giving back my life.

Here I am send me, Here I am send me,
There’s nothing in my hands,
But here I am send me.

I’m in Jacobs dream seeing heavens gate,
Let me climb all night on my ladder of faith.
Wrestle with the angel till my body is weak,
Dislocate my bones for it’s you that I seek. Show me the light Paul apostle saw,
When he fell to the dust and he could see no more,
Open my eyes, open my eyes,
Open my eyes, open my eyes.I’m frightened what you’ll find,
When you open up my heart, I’m walking in the light,
Cos it’s light that changes the atmosphere,
So touch these lips that criticise,
And put a song in my mouth that opens our eyes.Written by Delirious? ©2005 Curious? Music UK

 GLADYS AYLWARD, MISSIONARY TO CHINA (3 JAN 1970)

Gladys Aylward was born in London in 1904 (or a few years earlier). She worked for several years as a parlormaid, and then attended a revival meeting at which the preacher spoke of dedicating one’s life to the service of God. Gladys responded to the message, and soon after became convinced that she was called to preach the Gospel in China. At the age of 26, she became a probationer at the China Inland Mission Center in London, but failed to pass the examinations. She worked at other jobs and saved her money. Then she heard of a 73-year-old missionary, Mrs. Jeannie Lawson, who was looking for a younger woman to carry on her work. Gladys wrote to Mrs. Lawson and was accepted if she could get to China. She did not have enough moneg for the ship fare, but did have enough for the train fare, and so in October of 1930 she set out from London with her passport, her Bible, her tickets, and two pounds ninepence, to travel to China by the Trans-Siberian Railway, despite the fact that China and the Soviet Union were engaged in an undeclared war. She arrived in Vladivostok and sailed from there to Japan and from Japan to Tientsin, and thence by train, then bus, then mule, to the inland city of Yangchen, in the mountainous province of Shansi, a little south of Peking (Beijing). Most of the residents had seen no Europeans other than Mrs. Lawson and now Miss Aylward. They distrusted them as foreigners, and were not disposed to listen to them.

Yangchen was an overnight stop for mule caravans that carried coal, raw cotton, pots, and iron goods on six-week or three-month journeys. It occurred to the two women that their most effective way of preaching would be to set up an inn. The building in which they lived had once been an inn, and with a bit of repair work could be used as one again. They laid in a supply of food for mules and men, and when next a caravan came past, Gladys dashed out, grabbed the rein of the lead mule, and turned it into their courtyard. It went willingly, knowing by experience that turning into a courtyard meant food and water and rest for the night. The other mules followed, and the muleteers had no choice. They were given good food and warm beds at the standard price, and their mules were well cared for, and there was free entertainment in the evening–the inkeepers told stories about a man named Jesus. After the first few weeks, Gladys did not need to kidnap customers — they turned in at the inn by preference. Some became Christians, and many of them (both Christians and non-Christians) remembered the stories, and retold them more or less accurately to other muleteers at other stops along the caravan trails. Gladys practiced her Chinese for hours each day, and was becoming fluent and comfortable with it. Then Mrs. Lawson suffered a severe fall, and died a few days later. Gladys Aylward was left to run the mission alone, with the aid of one Chinese Christian, Yang, the cook.

A few weeks after the death of Mrs. Lawson, Miss Aylward met the Mandarin of Yangchen. He arrived in a sedan chair, with an impressive escort, and told her that the government had decreed an end to the practice of footbinding. (NOTE: Among the upper and middle classes, it had for centuries been the custom that a woman’s foot should be wrapped tightly in bandages from infancy, to prevent it from growing. Thus grown women had extremely tiny feet, on which they could walk only with slow, tottering steps, which were thought to be extremely graceful.) The government needed a foot-inspector, a woman (so that she could invade the women’s quarters without scandal), with her own feet unbound (so that she could travel), who would patrol the district enforcing the decree. It was soon clear to them both that Gladys was the only possible candidate for the job, and she accepted, realizing that it would give her undreamed-of opportunities to spread the Gospel.

During her second year in Yangchen, Gladys was summoned by the Mandarin. A riot had broken out in the men’s prison. She arrived and found that the convicts were rampaging in the prison courtyard, and several of them had been killed. The soldiers were afraid to intervene. The warden of the prison said to Gladys, “Go into the yard and stop the rioting.” She said, “How can I do that?” The warden said, “You have been preaching that those who trust in Christ have nothing to fear.” She walked into the courtyard and shouted: “Quiet! I cannot hear when everyone is shouting at once. Choose one or two spokesmen, and let me talk with them.” The men quieted down and chose a spokesman. Gladys talked with him, and then came out and told the warden: “You have these men cooped up in crowded conditions with absolutely nothing to do. No wonder they are so edgy that a small dispute sets off a riot. You must give them work. Also, I am told that you do not supply food for them, so that they have only what their relatives send them. No wonder they fight over food. We will set up looms so that they can weave cloth and earn enough money to buy their own food.” This was done. There was no money for sweeping reforms, but a few friends of the warden donated old looms, and a grindstone so that the men could work grinding grain. The people began to call Gladys Aylward “Ai-weh-deh,” which means “Virtuous One.” It was her name from then on.

Soon after, she saw a woman begging by the road, accompanied by a child covered with sores and obviously suffering severe malnutrition. She satisfied herself that the woman was not the child’s mother, but had kidnapped the child and was using it as an aid to her begging. She bought the child for ninepence–a girl about five years old. A year later, “Ninepence” came in with an abandoned boy in tow, saying, “I will eat less, so that he can have something.” Thus Ai-weh-deh acquired a second orphan, “Less.” And so her family began to grow…. She was a regular and welcome visitor at the palace of the Mandarin, who found her religion ridiculous, but her conversation stimulating. In 1936, she officially became a Chinese citizen. She lived frugally and dressed like the people around her (as did the missionaries who arrived a few years after in in the neighboring town of Tsechow, David and Jean Davis and their young son Murray, of Wales), and this was a major factor in making her preaching effective.

Then the war came. In the spring of 1938, Japanese planes bombed the city of Yangcheng, killing many and causing the survivors to flee into the mountains. Five days later, the Japanese Army occupied Yangcheng, then left, then came again, then left. The Mandarin gathered the survivors and told them to retreat into the mountains for the duration. He also announced that he was impressed by the life of Ai-weh-deh and wished to make her faith his own. There remained the question of the convicts at the jail. The traditional policy favored beheading them all lest they escape. The Mandarin asked Ai-weh-deh for advice, and a plan was made for relatives and friends of the convicts to post a bond guaranteeing their good behavior. Every man was eventually released on bond. As the war continued Gladys often found herself behind Japanese lines, and often passed on information, when she had it, to the armies of China, her adopted country. She met and became friends with “General Ley,” a Roman Catholic priest from Europe who had teken up arms when the Japanese invaded, and now headed a guerilla force. Finally he sent her a message. The Japanese are coming in full force. We are retreating. Come with us.” Angry, she scrawled a Chinese note, CHI TAO TU PU TWAI, “Christians never retreat!” He sent back a copy of a Japanese handbill offering $100 each for the capture, dead or alive, of (1) the Mandarin, (2) a prominent merchant, and (3) Ai-weh-deh. She determined to flee to the government orphanage at Sian, bringing with her the children she had accumulated, about 100 in number. (An additional 100 had gone ahead earlier with a colleague.) With the children in tow, she walked for twelve days. Some nights they found shelter with friendly hosts. Some nights they spent unprotected on the mountainsides. On the twelfth day, they arrived at the Yellow River, with no way to cross it. All boat traffic had stopped, and all civilian boats had been seized to keep them out of the hands of the Japanese. The children wanted to know, “Why don’t we cross?” She said, “There are no boats.” They said, “God can do anything. Ask Him to get us across.” They all knelt and prayed. Then they sang. A Chinese officer with a patrol heard the singing and rode up. He heard their story and said, “I think I can get you a boat.” They crossed, and after a few more difficulties Ai-weh-deh delivered her charges into competent hands at Sian, and then promptly collapsed with typhus fever and sank into delirium for several days.

As her health gradually improved, she started a Christian church in Sian, and worked elsewhere, including a settlement for lepers in Szechuan, near the borders of Tibet. Her health was permanently impaired by injuries received during the war, and in 1947 she returned to England for a badly needed operation. She remained in England, preaching there. In 1955, she returned to the Orient and opened an orphanage on Formosa (Taiwan), which she continued to run while she lived. Miss Gladys Aylward, the Small Woman, Ai-weh-deh, died 3 January 1970.

In 1957, Alan Burgess wrote a book about her, THE SMALL WOMAN. It was condensed in THE READER’S DIGEST, and made into a movie called THE INN OF THE SIXTH HAPPINESS, starring Ingrid Bergman. When NEWSWEEK magazine reviewed the movie, and summarized the plot, a reader, supposing the story to be fiction, wrote in to say, “In order for a movie to be good, the story should be believable!” Phyllis Thompson wrote a biography of her in 1971. I do not know the title, but have some evidence that it may be THE LITTLE WOMAN IN CHINA. In 1997, Moody Press published a biography called THE LITTLE WOMAN, listing Gladys Aylward and Christine Hunter as co-authors.

PRAYER (traditional language): Almighty and everlasting God, we thank thee for thy servant Gladys Aylward, whom thou didst call to preach the Gospel to the people of China. Raise up, we beseech thee, in this and every land heralds and evangelists of thy kingdom, that thy Church may make proclaim the unsearchable riches of our Savior Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

PRAYER (contemporary language): Almighty and everlasting God, we thank you for your servant Gladys Aylward, whom you called to preach the Gospel to the people of China. Raise up in this and every land heralds and evangelists of your kingdom, that your Church may make proclaim the unsearchable riches of our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Women in Mission

by Marguerite Kraft and Meg Crossman

After the last road ended, there was still a 2-day hike to where the Balangao people lived. Two single women missionaries were making that hike. The Balangao, a tribe of former headhunters in the Philippines, continued to sacrifice to powerful and demanding spirits who caused sickness, death and constant turmoil. These women, trained in Bible translation, had volunteered to work among them.

When they arrived, they were greeted by men wearing G-strings and women wrapped in cloth from home-made looms. It is hard to say who was more amazed. The Balangao had asked for Americans to come live with them and write their language, but they never dreamed the Americans would be women!

An old man offered to be their father and was faithful in looking after them. Besides the work of translation, these women began giving medical assistance, learning about the spirit world, and answering questions about life and death. One of them, Jo Shetler, stayed for 20 years, winning her way into the hearts and lives of the people and completing the New Testament translation. Because of this dedication, thousands now know Jesus as Lord of the Balangao.

Jo Shetler, a shy farm girl with a dream, has stirred many with her story. However, stories remain unwritten of multitudes of women who likewise obeyed the call of God to serve Him on the far horizons. Many women do not realize how greatly God can use their giftedness and commitment in situations such as this.

FROM THE EARLIEST DAYS

The Book of Acts records the account of Priscilla, a woman specifically used of God to touch people in at least three different nations: Rome, Greece, and Asia Minor. Apparently a native of the eastern area of Asia Minor, this woman of Jewish faith lived with her husband, Aquila, in Rome until the Jews were expelled. When they met Paul in Corinth, they may already have become believers. They hosted Paul, led a house church, and were assigned by Paul to disciple the eloquent and committed Egyptian Jew, Apollos, instructing him in “the way of God more perfectly” (Acts 18:26).

Paul recognized and honored their gifts and they moved with him to the work in Ephesus. Since Priscilla’s name is almost always listed first, the Jamieson, Fausset and Brown commentary suggests that “the wife was more prominent and helpful to the Church.” It is perhaps more interesting to note that her role in cross-cultural service, leadership, and teaching were perceived as so normal they did not require special comment or explanation by the writer of Acts! Her role seems to have been accepted and expected rather than being considered either controversial or extraordinary.

IN THE EARLY MISSIONARY MOVEMENT

In the early days of the Protestant mission advance, most women who went to the field were wives of missionaries. Discerning men recognized that contact with women in most non-Western societies was impossible for them, so women had to undertake this responsibility.

These women rarely received recognition for the heavy load they carried, managing home and children as well as developing programs to reach local women and girls.

Initially, single women could only go to the field to care for missionaries’ children or serve alongside the missionary family. However, little by little, new opportunities arose. R. Pierce Beaver describes the work of Cynthia Farrar in India, Elizabeth Agnew in Ceylon and other single women who began to supervise women’s schools. Quietly, they helped in zenanas and harems. Doors opened through medical service. Yet their effective work was seldom publicized.

However, leaders like D.L. Moody, A.B. Simpson, and A.J. Gordon believed in encouraging women’s gifts for public ministry. Both J. Hudson Taylor, founder of China Inland Mission, and Fredrik Franson, founder of TEAM (The Evangelical Alliance Mission), saw the need to recruit and send women to evangelize crossculturally. In 1888, Taylor wrote, “We are manning our stations with ladies.” Throughout its initial history, his mission expected women, both single and married, to carry out all the missionary duties, including preaching and teaching.

In Jane Hunter’s study of correspondence and published articles from women on the field she discovered “the vast majority of women missionaries were motivated by a deep sense of commitment to God, far more than by any desire to attain personal recognition or power. That type of moving report also infected women in the churches at home with a dynamic world vision. Mobilizers such as Annie Armstrong and Helen Barret Montgomery dedicated themselves to developing missionary prayer groups, raising funds, and mobilizing Christians to support field work of all kinds.

A NEW WAY OF SENDING

The Civil War in the United States became a catalyst for change in the way women were sent. After the Civil War, so many men had died that women were either widowed or unlikely to marry. “This forced women into an unusual range of responsibilities. They ran businesses, banks, farms, formed colleges and for the next 50 years inherited a larger role than men as the major muscle of the mission movement.”

Since missionary boards still refused to send women directly to the work, women simply organized their own boards. First was the Women’s Union Missionary Society. In the years to follow many others were created. They built women’s colleges, specifically to train women for missionary service. Besides rousing women to go overseas, more than 100,000 local churches developed their own active women’s missionary societies, an unmatched base for prayer and funding.

By 1910 there were forty-four women’s missionary boards in the United States, many of them within mainline denominations. They had nearly 2,000 women in the field. Their funds were raised above and beyond the regular denominational mission giving, indicating the phenomenal job of missions awareness these women’s boards were achieving on the home front. Sadly, as they were persuaded to combine with the denominational boards in the 1920′s and 30′s, women gradually lost their opportunity to direct the work.

AND STILL TODAY

Overall, probably two-thirds of the total force for mission has been and currently is, female. Many mission executives agree that the more difficult and dangerous the work, the more likely women are to volunteer to do it! David Yonggi Cho concludes from his experience that women are the best choice for arduous, pioneering work. “We have found that in these situations, women will never give up. Men are good for building up the work, but women are best for persevering when men would get discouraged.”

Some fear that with the unique obstacles of reaching the Muslim world, Western women can play no part. Yet in a nomadic Muslim group in sub-Saharan Africa, a single woman is effectively training Imams (Islamic teachers) in the Gospel. They perceive her to be nonthreatening, “just a woman.” Building upon a foundation of interpersonal relationship and Bible knowledge, she does not give them answers herself. She simply shows the Imams how to find them in the Word. The Lord has confirmed her teaching, giving dreams and visions to these leaders. As they have been converted, they are now training many others. She is accepted as a loving, caring elder sister, who gives high priority to their welfare.

Jim Reapsome’s editorial in World Pulse (Oct 9, 1992) advocating more training and more support for women received an almost immediate letter of thanks from a missionary to a Muslim group in Southeast Asia He wrote:

Interestingly enough, despite the common emphasis on training and using men, here in —–, some of the best evangelists are all women! In fact 3 of our most important coworkers (who are really doing the most cutting-edge ministry) are women. Interns of Americans, we only have one single man who made the sacrifice to come here but four single women, with three more on the way. In the face of chauvinistic Islam, it is good to be reminded that true Christianity is not chauvinistic, but an equally exciting call to new, fulfilling life for women and men.

OPPORTUNITIES IN SPECIAL AREAS

In recent years, women have proven themselves excellent in adapting to new roles in mission specialization. Wycliffe Bible Translators found over the years that teams of single women did well on the field a far greater number of such teams successfully finish translations than teams of single men. Elizabeth Greene, a woman pilot who served in the Air Force in WWII, was one of the founders of Mission Aviation Fellowship. Gospel Recordings, providing Christian tapes and records in many languages (using native speakers to give the Word rather than waiting for a printed translation) was founded through Joy Ridderhof’s vision and effort. Ruth Siemens’ creative idea resulted in Global Opportunities, assisting lay persons to find tentmaker positions overseas.

Christian women today need to know and celebrate their heritage. We can study women of greatness who served in Christ’s cause and claim them as our role models. From Mary Slessor, single woman pioneer in Africa, to Ann Judson of Burma and Rosalind Goforth of China, wives who fully served; from Amy Carmichael of India to Mildred Cable in the Gobi Desert; from Gladys Aylward, the tiny chambermaid determined to get to China to Mother Eliza Davis George, a black woman missionary to Liberia; from translator Rachel Saint to medical doctor Helen Roseveare; from Isobel Kuhn and Elisabeth Elliot, mobilizing missionary authors to Lottie Moon, pacesetting mission educator; from simple Filipino housemaids in the Middle East to women executives in denominational offices to unsung Bible women in China, the roll is lengthy and glorious!

That roll, however, remains incomplete, awaiting the contribution of current and future generations. God’s women now enjoy freedoms and opportunities their forebearers never envisioned. Most small businesses started in the U.S. are owned by women. Women now hold highly responsible positions in government, business, and medicine. “To whom much is given, much is required.” How will women of God today harvest such opportunities for their Father’s purposes?

Women, stirred by the task that lies ahead, can mobilize, devoting their skills, their accessibility, their knowledge, their tenderness, their intuitiveness, their own distinctive fervor to the work. The pioneer spirit, full of dedication and faithfulness, which women throughout history have shown will set the standard. The task is too vast to be completed without all God’s people!

Why You Should Go to the Mission Field

by Keith Green

I recently returned from visiting some overseas missionary bases, and I must say that since returning, my life has not been quite the same. The vision and goals of our ministry have suddenly changed. The Lord definitely did something to my heart on that trip. Besides showing me how small my vision had been, He began to give me a great burden to see the ranks of His army in the field swell! One of the greatest things God opened my eyes to was how tremendously evangelized my own country was, while the rest of the world was barely being reached. As I traveled from country to country, I thought of the millions of people I was passing through who needed to have the Gospel of Jesus shown to them in a real way – and yet there was hardly anyone there to reach them.

As I visited each mission base, I spoke with different missionaries, and picked up various pieces of literature that told the story of what was being done in different parts of the world to expand the Kingdom of God. As I read the statistics, I was shocked – I really had never known how little the need was being met!

When I returned home, I got hold of some of the leaders of different missionary organizations and set up some meetings to find out more about what was being done to fill the need. After these meetings, I decided to do a study of God’s Word (to see what He had to say about reaching the lost in other countries), and I also read through some more of the missions literature I had been given. This article is the result of that study, and also a burning desire in my heart to see 100,000 young people released to the mission field over the next five years!

So…why should you go to the mission field?

1) Because Jesus has told you to go.“Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation.” (Mark 16:15) With these words, Jesus made it clear exactly what His disciples were to do – they were to spread His teachings in His name, preaching salvation unto the ends of the earth. (Rom. 10:18) If you consider yourself a “believer”, then you must consider yourself a “disciple” of Jesus – no less called and chosen than the very first 12 apostles. There are no such things as “1st class” Christians and “2nd class” Christians – every believer is called to spread the Good News about Jesus to those who have not yet heard. Jesus’ command is definite and clear – it is His great mandate, His “Great Commission” to the soldiers in His holy army. We must go, because our great General has commanded us to go.

2) You should go because the need is so great.“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” (Matt. 9:37-38)

Ever since Jesus first spoke these compassionate words, the supply of workers in the fields of soul-harvest has always been horribly low. But today the need is the greatest it has ever been in the history of mankind. Remember, Hell is not just for the weekend! More people are alive today, and more souls are at stake, than the total number of people who have ever lived on the face of the earth in all of human history! This simply means that we can populate either Heaven or Hell by our obedience or our laziness. There are over 2,700,000,000 people who have never heard the Gospel at all, and there are only 5,000 to 7,000 missionaries worldwide, working directly with these totally unreached groups of people. That means there is approximately one missionary for every 450,000 of these people! There are over 16,000 different and distinct cultures and people-groups – even whole countries, where not one single church is in existence. There are 7,010 distinct living languages, and 5,199 of them still have no Bible or Scripture translations available in their own language! Do these figures move you at all? Does it matter to you that an estimated 80,000 unsaved people die every day (approximately 3,333 every hour…55 people every single minute!) to face the judgment seat of Christ?

3) You should go because so few Christians are obeying the call, making the need even greater!“Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ…how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:17,14)

Right now worldwide there are only 85,000 workers on the mission field – working mainly among those who have heard the gospel before. This figure includes missionaries from all over the world of every nationality. When you compare this number with the amount of Americans selling Avon or Amway products, it is staggering. Just in America alone there are 435,000 Avon sales-people (with 1,280,000 worldwide), and over 750,000 Amway products distributors, (with over a million worldwide)! Do you realize that these two companies combined have 14 times more representatives in the United States alone than the Church of Jesus Christ has in the whole world outside of America?

And what about the Christian representatives we do have in the world? Only 9% of the world’s population speaks English, and yet 94% of all ordained preachers in the whole world minister to the 9% who speak English. And 96% of all Christian finances are spent in the United States on 6% of the world’s population. Only 4% of all Christian money is spent on missionary efforts to reach the other 94% of the world’s population! There are over 1,000,000 full-time Christian workers in the United States; while one half of the world’s population (3 major groups – Muslem, Hindu, and Chinese), 2,200,000,000 people, have only 2,417 full-time Christian workers. As you can see by these figures, something is definitely wrong. While we in America have approximately one worker for every 230 people – those who have never heard the Gospel even once have one worker for every 450,000 souls! Please forgive us, Jesus, for being too timid to obey You and reach out into all the world like You have commanded us to!

4) You should go because God gives special anointing and grace to those who leave their own land, people, and culture to do God’s will and spread the Gospel.“And the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country and from your relatives, and from your father’s house…and I will bless you and make your name great; and so you shall also be a blessing; and I will bless those that bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’” (Genesis 12:1-3)

Abram (later to be renamed Abraham by God) is only one of the many people in the Bible who God used mightily only after he left his own people, his own land, and his own culture. Look at the travels and ministries of people like Jacob and Moses – both of whom had to go into other lands to learn from God and be used by Him.

No matter where you look in the Bible, God always gave a great anointing and blessing to those who served Him in a foreign land. Look at Joseph and Daniel. They were the only two men in the Bible who God raised up as successful, secular officials in foreign and heathen cultures – and they remained faithful witnesses and servants of God to the very end, and often at the risk of their very lives! What about Jonah? He was a good example of someone who didn’t want to go to the mission field and preach to heathens! Stubborn, rebellious, and selfish – and yet God “made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.” (I pray that God would freely move like that in all our lives, “helping” us to make the right decisions about going.)

And then there’s the apostle Paul – who had such a burden for his own people and country, Israel. Oh , how he would have loved a ministry among the Jews! But what did God say? “Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.” (Acts 22:21) That’s what God commanded, and “go” he did. Never was there a missionary like Paul. Take a look at II Corinthians 11 if you’d like to see a list of his qualifications: beatings, imprisonments, stonings, mobs, shipwrecks, the list goes on and on – and so did Paul, obeying his Master who bought him.

From Noah to Abraham, from Moses to Jonah, from Daniel to Paul, God has always given special blessing to those who, leaving the comforts of home and relatives, cross the boundaries of their little worlds to bring God’s message and blessing to the nations.

Remember Jesus’ words about this subject, “A prophet is not without honor except in his home town, “(Matt. 13:57)

5) You should go because America (and some other western nations) is literally drenched with the Gospel, while most other countries and cultures of the world do not have any continual, relevant witness at all.“And thus I aspired to preach the Gospel, not where Christ was already named, that I might not build upon another man’s foundation; but as it is written, ‘They that had no news of Him shall see, and they who have not heard shall understand.’” (Rom. 15:20-21)

It is so true that we here in America are continually bombarded with Christian witness and ministry. Almost at every turn there’s a billboard or a bumper sticker proclaiming something about Jesus. Turn the dial on your radio at any time of the day or night, and you’ve got non-stop preaching. There are several Christian satellite and cable networks. And there are over 250 different Christian magazines and publications. In most cities there’s a church on almost every corner. I am not trying to say that this is all bad – a lot of it is good, winning many souls to Jesus – but as I’ve traveled overseas, it is hard for me to believe that it is God’s will for there to be so much Gospel preaching and literature available here, while there is comparatively little or even none in many places outside of this country.

The world is going to Hell on every continent! Is it God’s fault that so few are hearing the gospel – or is it the Church’s? Aren’t we who love Jesus accountable to reach our generation with the gospel? A friend of mine has written, “this generation of Christians is responsible for this generation of sinners.” If this is true, then each of us must take a good, long look at our lives and priorities – finding out where God would have us begin to get ready to go!

6) You should go because, as Oswald J. Smith said, “No one has the right to hear the Gospel twice, while there remains someone who has not heard it once.”“But if our Gospel be hidden, it is hidden to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, that they might not see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (II Cor. 4:3-4)

Has it occurred to you that Jesus wants every creature to hear the Gospel? If you had 20 children to feed and plenty of food to feed them all with, do you think it would be right to give 3 of the children 10 meals, 7 children only 1 meal, and the remaining nothing – causing them to die of starvation? That’s exactly what we’re doing with the Gospel in the world today!

Because we believers are so deaf to God’s call to go into all nations, we keep most of God’s resources to ourselves! We keep feeding and reaching the same people over and over again. I am not saying there should be no Gospel preached in America, I am saying that there needs to be a spreading out of the soldiers of God, to fight the enemy where his greatest strongholds are – “where Christ is not already named”!

7) You should go because the time is short. More and more countries are closing their doors to missionaries and the Gospel, and we must go now.“We must work the works of Him who sent me, as long as it is day; night is coming, when no man can work.” (John 9:4)

I constantly hear of country after country where missionaries used to be welcome, but now the doors are closed to them entering. Though it is true that many Christians can still go to be subtle witnesses as doctors, teachers, engineers, etc., the Gospel can no longer be openly preached in many lands.

Although there are still vast areas of the world wide open for foreign evangelism, such as western Europe, parts of Asia, and most of the Pacific (Japan, South Korea, Singapore, etc.) there are many other countries where it is illegal to hold a street meeting or pass out Gospel literature. We need to sense the urgency of this hour, and obey God by reaching out to those lost in the darkness “while it is still day.”

8) You should go because the Holy Spirit is speaking to Christian leadership all over the world that it is God’s desire for there to be a great final missionary thrust with the Gospel before the end of the age. It is His desire that every people should have the Gospel preached to them, and that the Gospel should be published in every nation and in every language. And unless YOU get involved personally, there is no hope of that ever happening in our generation!“…And you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) “And this gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come. ” ( Matt. 24:14) “The Lord is…patient toward you, not wishing for you to perish but for all to come to repentance.” ( II Peter 3:9)

Is there any doubt in your mind that God wants everyone to be saved? If you believe this, and you really love Jesus, then WHY are you so timid about getting involved in this great thrust to bring the Gospel to all the nations? Do you think that while you’re reading this, God isn’t grieved that His Church is being so lazy and disobedient about fulfilling his commission? He knows that you agree with the Scriptures, and He’s listening to every excuse you’re turning over in your mind like, “Yes, I know that more people need to go…but He just couldn’t mean ME! I’m…just not the ‘missionary-type’…”

Is Everyone a Missionary? By Keith Green A Christian missionary is a person whose passion is to make the Lord Jesus known to the whole world. They are completely under the command of King Jesus, and they will go anywhere, under any circumstances, for no pay, with poor living conditions and food, even though no one even notices. They know that their Sovereign is watching every minute, and that is the only reward and joy they seek.We see in the Bible that all Christians should continually be seeking every opportunity to lead the unsaved to Christ no matter where they are for this is the privilege of every believer. But I believe that too many people use the word “missionary” too lightly – it’s a term that has become misused in our everyday “Christian vocabulary.” Too many justify their not obeying the call of the Lord to go to the front lines of the battlefield by saying they are “missionaries where they are.” I believe that “being a missionary” in the truest sense of the word is taking the Gospel where it has never been before, or at least to a different culture or a different language group. A true missionary is someone who will risk everything for the sake of the lost of this world. Of course, as in every battle, not everyone can be on the front lines, for there are many things that are needed to aid those that are. But you must be clearly called by the Lord to stay away from those front lines before you can be assured that you are in the will of God. It is obviously true that many Christians are called to reach out to the lost in the ghettos, redlight districts and homosexual communities in their own areas. And there are always those faithful wives and mothers who diligently let Christ be known to their doctors, plumbers, and P.T.A. groups. These things bless God’s heart, there’s no doubt about it. For, someone who loves Jesus should always be ministering His love no matter where they are. But every Christian should always be willing, ready, and “on-call” to leave everything at the command of their General, and go to a different “battlefield” to war against the King of Darkness, bringing healing and light to free the captives. The goal of a true missionary is to please and glorify their God by delivering the whole world into His hands and under His rule. It doesn’t matter where they are stationed, for they are always at home in their Father’s arms, no matter what the landscape or the language may be. They are only “aliens and strangers” (I Pet. 2:11), and they are not concerned with trivial things like location or comfort. They are God’s soldiers, perhaps hidden to our eyes, but always evident to His. Please, seek Him to see if you might be privileged to take the Gospel to those who have never heard it. From Keith Green’s last tract entitled “Why You Should be a Missionary”

Missionary Emergency By A. B. Simpson An emergency is a situation of such extreme need that responsibility must not be delayed. It is a case of life or death, now or never. Envision a hundred entombed miners signaling from the depths of some exploded coal shaft. Rescuers are racing to the mouth of the mine for instant relief. The miners’ wives and children are sobbing, their hearts crushed in dismay. That is an emergency. When on the white fields of the Northwest the great harvest is perishing for lack of laborers, and almost any price is offered for men to save the crops that must either be reaped or rot, that is an emergency. When the signal flares are flashing over some raging surf, revealing terrified men clinging to the sides of a vessel floundering in the angry sea, that is an emergency. When the call for reinforcements comes from a military unit, hard pressed by outnumbering foes, struggling to hold a strategic point, that is an emergency. When the sirens scream at the midnight hour and lurid flames are bursting from roof and windows of a residence, that is an emergency. Who would dare to blame those who spring to the rescue for their enthusiasm? Who would dare call them mad? Their names are honored as the heroes of their country and the stories of their sacrifice light up our history with a glorious brilliance. There are spiritual emergencies But there are greater crises and mightier emergencies in the higher world of our spiritual work and warfare. One of these is the great task of working and praying and sacrificing for the immediate evangelization of the world. This is not merely a duty. It is the supreme task of every Christian. This is not merely a question of Christian privilege. It is an emergency. The true servant of God is “redeeming the time” – buying up the opportunity – “because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). It is an emergency because of lost humanity’s awful need. This is no mere question of temporal, material or local interest. It is a question of eternal destiny, of eternal life or death. Concerning this ques-tion, the Master Himself has said, “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). Compared with this tremendous issue, the ordinary questions of sanitation, civic reform, municipal government, tax legisla-tion, national prosperity, and social reform – even of war and peace – are trivial. The work of world missions is imperative! It is an emergency because the need is so vast. Were all the human family to march past, rank on rank, and hear the gospel only once, the procession would take a lifetime. Over those perishing multitudes, the heart of the Master yearns with infinite compassion as He cries out from age to age, “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37). What question can compare with the question of their need and of our responsibility? We have no time to lose It is an emergency because these multitudes are swiftly passing beyond our reach. The Christless world, of which we speak, while it is ever present in its mass, is ever passing in its individual members. If we are ever to save our generation, it must be now. It is an emergency because of the awful spiritual destitution of the world that knows not Jesus, and the disproportion of its opportunity to hear of Him. There are vast millions of people overseas who are virtually devoid of any gospel witness, while in America we have scores of churches in almost every city. Is that fair? Is this loyalty to the Master? Is this being honest to our trust? Or is this a breach of trust, treason against our Lord and bloodguiltiness for the souls of men and women? It is an emergency because of the continual growth in world population. In spite of the rapid progress of missionary ministries overseas, the rate of population increase far exceeds the number of people being reached for Christ. It is an emergency because the leaders of false religions and false cults have increased their activity. The very excitement of missions has stimulated our adversary to imitate the missionary crusade. On every hand there is a reaction to Christian missions and a revival of evil forces. This activity calls for the most strenuous emergency work on the part of the followers of the Lord. The extraordinary openings God has brought about recently in some lands create an unequaled opportunity and a real emergency. God has answered the prayers of our fathers to remove the barriers and to open doors. Not only are the doors open, but also they are off the hinges and the walls are down! Our God is marching through every land, opening the way for the entrance of the gospel. All of this is enhanced by the equally wonderful working of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of men and women as the gospel is preached to them. It is an age of marvelous ingathering. From nation after nation comes word of multiplied spiritual conversions. The labors of the foreign missionary are resulting in a large harvest. If we would invest our lives and our money where God is working most effectively and marvelously, we would all be missionaries. A crisis as well as a call What an opportunity! What an emergency! But it is a crisis as well as a call. The open doors may suddenly close. Paul said of the city of Ephesus, “A great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (I Corinthians 16:9). The awakened people who are asking for spiritual bread may be cheated with a serpent and a stone. Western culture is not necessarily Christian. If we do not give people Christ, they will soon be found accepting Western culture’s agnosticism and its cold materialism. The very suddenness of the reaction from the past demands immediate action on the part of the church of God. Otherwise we shall face a new closed door. Surely this is a supreme emergency. The signs of the soon coming of the Lord Jesus intensify the crisis and the emergency. If the preaching of the gospel unto all nations as a witness is the one urgent condition that will bring the end, surely no more powerful incentive to worldwide evangelization can appeal to our hearts. At best our work is only apprentice work, preliminary and preparatory to His great finishing touch. How we long for the Master to come and bring that climax to our poor, imperfect attempts at service! Someone tells of a gifted artist who was struggling to express on canvas the great vision that had come to his soul. At last, discouraged by his inability to do justice to his own ideal, he left the painting incomplete and wrote in his diary a little cry of self-despair. That night his old master came to the studio to which he still retained a key. As he looked at the striking outline on the canvas, he thought of the artist whose inmost soul he understood so well. He seemed to enter into his concept, and, seizing a brush, he finished the painting as only he could have done. When the young artist returned to the studio, he gazed in rapt astonishment at his finished work. Bursting into tears, he cried, “No one but the master himself could have done this!” So some day our Master will come and finish our poor apprentice work with His own glorious touch. The things that for 20 centuries the struggling church has been inadequately endeavoring to accomplish will burst upon this vision of the universe in all the glory of His finished plan. A nation has been born in a day, and the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. It is true that God has finished making full provision for the church. The Holy Spirit has fulfilled every need in preparation for the bride. The advent chariots are only waiting until the last tribe has heard the message and received an invitation to the marriage of the Lamb. Surely all this creates an emergency, a responsibility, a supreme incentive sufficient to set our hearts on fire, to redeem the time and finish our great missionary thrust before our generation shall have passed away. How will we respond? These words from Paul suggest the response of Christian faith and courage to this great responsibility, “I will tarry,” the apostle says, “for a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (I Corinthians 16:8-9). This twofold challenge of opportunity and opposition calls for immediate and courageous response. The very fact that the work was difficult awakened more intense determination on the part of the apostle to face the adversary and finish the fight. A Scottish regiment that held a strategic point through all that dreadful day won the battle of Waterloo. Again and again they asked permission to charge, but the answer came back, “Stand firm!” The courier returned to his commander with the reply, “You will find us over here.” Sure enough, when the battle was over, the Scotsmen were still at their posts. Broken and bruised, their rigid fingers were still holding high their unsullied flag! A missionary doctor in India used to tell about a horse that had a habit of shying. After many ineffectual attempts to make the animal go straight, the coachman finally resorted to an ingenious strategy. Taking a long stick with a cord on the far end, he tied the cord around one ear of the horse. When the horse would shy at some object, the driver would thrust the cord just enough to take the attention of the horse away from whatever was frightening it. Actually the horse became so accustomed to the cord that at hitching-up time, he would voluntarily turn his head to get the cord wound around his ear! We should respond on principle The missionary doctor complained that the churches of North America never seemed ready to give to missions until they were wound up by some strong missionary appeal. Surely we who know and love the Lord ought to give on principle and make our missionary offerings as systematic as our regular devotions. Our own work has suffered much from the failure of friends to tarry at Ephesus. Many have begun well, but they have turned aside. How sad is the trail of wreckage along the way! Lives consecrated to the mission field have been sidetracked. Stewards assuming the support of foreign workers have dropped their solemn responsibility with impunity. Only a miracle of Providence and grace has carried our missionary work through these tests and discouragements. May God give us the courage to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand? May we show the love that bears and forbears and will not tire? May God give us the faith that faints not in the hour of trial? May we have the fidelity that can look into the Master’s face and say, “You will find us faithful when You return.” Reprinted from Missionary Messages by A.B. Simpson Christian Publications 1987 A.B. Simpson (1843-1919) founded the Christian Missionary Alliance. Simpson never served as a foreign missionary himself, but his influence for missions was enormous, particularly in the growth of the late nineteenth and early twentieth-century mission societies in America. The founders of Sudan Interior Mission, Roland Bingham, and the African Inland Mission, C.T. Studd, were deeply influenced by him and studied at his missionary training school; and evangelical denominations, particularly ones within the holiness movement, were stimulated into missionary activity largely through his missionary zeal. Source: From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya by Ruth Tucker

Missionary Emergency By A. B. Simpson An emergency is a situation of such extreme need that responsibility must not be delayed. It is a case of life or death, now or never. Envision a hundred entombed miners signaling from the depths of some exploded coal shaft. Rescuers are racing to the mouth of the mine for instant relief. The miners’ wives and children are sobbing, their hearts crushed in dismay. That is an emergency. When on the white fields of the Northwest the great harvest is perishing for lack of laborers, and almost any price is offered for men to save the crops that must either be reaped or rot, that is an emergency. When the signal flares are flashing over some raging surf, revealing terrified men clinging to the sides of a vessel floundering in the angry sea, that is an emergency. When the call for reinforcements comes from a military unit, hard pressed by outnumbering foes, struggling to hold a strategic point, that is an emergency. When the sirens scream at the midnight hour and lurid flames are bursting from roof and windows of a residence, that is an emergency. Who would dare to blame those who spring to the rescue for their enthusiasm? Who would dare call them mad? Their names are honored as the heroes of their country and the stories of their sacrifice light up our history with a glorious brilliance. There are spiritual emergencies But there are greater crises and mightier emergencies in the higher world of our spiritual work and warfare. One of these is the great task of working and praying and sacrificing for the immediate evangelization of the world. This is not merely a duty. It is the supreme task of every Christian. This is not merely a question of Christian privilege. It is an emergency. The true servant of God is “redeeming the time” – buying up the opportunity – “because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). It is an emergency because of lost humanity’s awful need. This is no mere question of temporal, material or local interest. It is a question of eternal destiny, of eternal life or death. Concerning this ques-tion, the Master Himself has said, “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). Compared with this tremendous issue, the ordinary questions of sanitation, civic reform, municipal government, tax legisla-tion, national prosperity, and social reform – even of war and peace – are trivial. The work of world missions is imperative! It is an emergency because the need is so vast. Were all the human family to march past, rank on rank, and hear the gospel only once, the procession would take a lifetime. Over those perishing multitudes, the heart of the Master yearns with infinite compassion as He cries out from age to age, “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37). What question can compare with the question of their need and of our responsibility? We have no time to lose It is an emergency because these multitudes are swiftly passing beyond our reach. The Christless world, of which we speak, while it is ever present in its mass, is ever passing in its individual members. If we are ever to save our generation, it must be now. It is an emergency because of the awful spiritual destitution of the world that knows not Jesus, and the disproportion of its opportunity to hear of Him. There are vast millions of people overseas who are virtually devoid of any gospel witness, while in America we have scores of churches in almost every city. Is that fair? Is this loyalty to the Master? Is this being honest to our trust? Or is this a breach of trust, treason against our Lord and bloodguiltiness for the souls of men and women? It is an emergency because of the continual growth in world population. In spite of the rapid progress of missionary ministries overseas, the rate of population increase far exceeds the number of people being reached for Christ. It is an emergency because the leaders of false religions and false cults have increased their activity. The very excitement of missions has stimulated our adversary to imitate the missionary crusade. On every hand there is a reaction to Christian missions and a revival of evil forces. This activity calls for the most strenuous emergency work on the part of the followers of the Lord. The extraordinary openings God has brought about recently in some lands create an unequaled opportunity and a real emergency. God has answered the prayers of our fathers to remove the barriers and to open doors. Not only are the doors open, but also they are off the hinges and the walls are down! Our God is marching through every land, opening the way for the entrance of the gospel. All of this is enhanced by the equally wonderful working of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of men and women as the gospel is preached to them. It is an age of marvelous ingathering. From nation after nation comes word of multiplied spiritual conversions. The labors of the foreign missionary are resulting in a large harvest. If we would invest our lives and our money where God is working most effectively and marvelously, we would all be missionaries. A crisis as well as a call What an opportunity! What an emergency! But it is a crisis as well as a call. The open doors may suddenly close. Paul said of the city of Ephesus, “A great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (I Corinthians 16:9). The awakened people who are asking for spiritual bread may be cheated with a serpent and a stone. Western culture is not necessarily Christian. If we do not give people Christ, they will soon be found accepting Western culture’s agnosticism and its cold materialism. The very suddenness of the reaction from the past demands immediate action on the part of the church of God. Otherwise we shall face a new closed door. Surely this is a supreme emergency. The signs of the soon coming of the Lord Jesus intensify the crisis and the emergency. If the preaching of the gospel unto all nations as a witness is the one urgent condition that will bring the end, surely no more powerful incentive to worldwide evangelization can appeal to our hearts. At best our work is only apprentice work, preliminary and preparatory to His great finishing touch. How we long for the Master to come and bring that climax to our poor, imperfect attempts at service! Someone tells of a gifted artist who was struggling to express on canvas the great vision that had come to his soul. At last, discouraged by his inability to do justice to his own ideal, he left the painting incomplete and wrote in his diary a little cry of self-despair. That night his old master came to the studio to which he still retained a key. As he looked at the striking outline on the canvas, he thought of the artist whose inmost soul he understood so well. He seemed to enter into his concept, and, seizing a brush, he finished the painting as only he could have done. When the young artist returned to the studio, he gazed in rapt astonishment at his finished work. Bursting into tears, he cried, “No one but the master himself could have done this!” So some day our Master will come and finish our poor apprentice work with His own glorious touch. The things that for 20 centuries the struggling church has been inadequately endeavoring to accomplish will burst upon this vision of the universe in all the glory of His finished plan. A nation has been born in a day, and the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. It is true that God has finished making full provision for the church. The Holy Spirit has fulfilled every need in preparation for the bride. The advent chariots are only waiting until the last tribe has heard the message and received an invitation to the marriage of the Lamb. Surely all this creates an emergency, a responsibility, a supreme incentive sufficient to set our hearts on fire, to redeem the time and finish our great missionary thrust before our generation shall have passed away. How will we respond? These words from Paul suggest the response of Christian faith and courage to this great responsibility, “I will tarry,” the apostle says, “for a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (I Corinthians 16:8-9). This twofold challenge of opportunity and opposition calls for immediate and courageous response. The very fact that the work was difficult awakened more intense determination on the part of the apostle to face the adversary and finish the fight. A Scottish regiment that held a strategic point through all that dreadful day won the battle of Waterloo. Again and again they asked permission to charge, but the answer came back, “Stand firm!” The courier returned to his commander with the reply, “You will find us over here.” Sure enough, when the battle was over, the Scotsmen were still at their posts. Broken and bruised, their rigid fingers were still holding high their unsullied flag! A missionary doctor in India used to tell about a horse that had a habit of shying. After many ineffectual attempts to make the animal go straight, the coachman finally resorted to an ingenious strategy. Taking a long stick with a cord on the far end, he tied the cord around one ear of the horse. When the horse would shy at some object, the driver would thrust the cord just enough to take the attention of the horse away from whatever was frightening it. Actually the horse became so accustomed to the cord that at hitching-up time, he would voluntarily turn his head to get the cord wound around his ear! We should respond on principle The missionary doctor complained that the churches of North America never seemed ready to give to missions until they were wound up by some strong missionary appeal. Surely we who know and love the Lord ought to give on principle and make our missionary offerings as systematic as our regular devotions. Our own work has suffered much from the failure of friends to tarry at Ephesus. Many have begun well, but they have turned aside. How sad is the trail of wreckage along the way! Lives consecrated to the mission field have been sidetracked. Stewards assuming the support of foreign workers have dropped their solemn responsibility with impunity. Only a miracle of Providence and grace has carried our missionary work through these tests and discouragements. May God give us the courage to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand? May we show the love that bears and forbears and will not tire? May God give us the faith that faints not in the hour of trial? May we have the fidelity that can look into the Master’s face and say, “You will find us faithful when You return.” Reprinted from Missionary Messages by A.B. Simpson Christian Publications 1987 A.B. Simpson (1843-1919) founded the Christian Missionary Alliance. Simpson never served as a foreign missionary himself, but his influence for missions was enormous, particularly in the growth of the late nineteenth and early twentieth-century mission societies in America. The founders of Sudan Interior Mission, Roland Bingham, and the African Inland Mission, C.T. Studd, were deeply influenced by him and studied at his missionary training school; and evangelical denominations, particularly ones within the holiness movement, were stimulated into missionary activity largely through his missionary zeal. Source: From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya by Ruth Tucker

The Missionary Problem Is A Personal Problem
By Andrew Murray
Every believer a soul winner.Many will agree that every believer is called upon to live and work for others, but still look upon this as only a secondary thing, additional and subordinate to the primary interest of working out his own salvation. Every believer a soul-winner — that does not mean, among other things, but first of all, as the chief reason of his existence. We all agree in saying that the one and supreme end of the Church is to bring the world to Christ. We know that God gave Him the Church as His body. The one purpose was that it should be to its Head what every body is on earth — the living organ or instrument through which the purposes and the work of the head can be carried out. What is true of the Head is true of the Body; what is true of the Body is true of each individual member — even the very weakest. As in the Head, Christ Jesus, as in the Body, the Church, so in every believer, the supreme, the sole end of our being is the saving of souls. It is in this, above everything, that God is glorified. “I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and should bring forth fruit.”

Many may be brought to agree with this truth and yet have to confess that they do not feel its full force. Many a minister may feel how little he is able to preach it, compared with the full conviction with which he preaches grace for salvation. It is well that we should give such confessions careful consideration. Where does the difficulty come in? This union with the Lord Jesus, to participate in His saving work to such an extent that without us He cannot do it, that through us He will and can accomplish it in Divine power, is a deep spiritual mystery. It is an honor altogether too great for us to understand. It is a fellowship and union and partnership so intimate and Divine that the Holy Spirit alone must reveal it to us.

To simple, childlike souls the reality of it comes without their knowing how. Some [people] have lived long in the Christian life and lost the first love, and to them, everything has to come by the slow way of the understanding. Such people need humility to give up preconceived opinions, and the confidence of being able to grasp spiritual truths. They also need patient waiting for the Spirit to work such truth in their inmost parts. Above all, we need to turn away from the world, with its spirit and wisdom, and return to closer fellowship with Jesus Christ, from whom alone come light and love. Every believer ordained to be first and foremost a soul-winner. Simple though it sounds, it will cost much to many before it has mastered them.

We are often at a loss to understand the need of much continued communion with God. And yet it is the same as with the things of earth. Take the gold put into the furnace. Exposed to insufficient heat, it gets heated but not melted. Exposed to an intense heat for only a short time, and then taken out again, it is not melted. It needs an intense and continuous heat, before the precious but hard metal is prepared for the goldsmith’s work. So it is with the fire of God’s love. They who would know it in its power, and in power to proclaim and convey it to others, must keep in contact with the love of Christ. They must know it in its intensity, and know what it is to continue in it till their whole being realized that love can reach all, and melt all. It can make even the coldest and weakest child of God a lover and seeker of souls. In that intense and continuous fire a pastor, a leader, can learn to witness in power to the truth — Every believer a soul-winner.

What has this to do with our missionary discussion? We seek to make it the keynote of this book — The missionary problem is a personal one. If the Church is really to take up its work, it is not enough that we speak of the obligation resting upon the present generation to make Christ known to everyone. True education must always deal with the individual mind. To the general command must always be added the personal one. Nelson’s signal, “England expects every man to do his duty,” was a personal appeal addressed to every seaman, not just his fleet.

As we seek to find out why, with such millions of Christians, the real army of God that is fighting the hosts of darkness is so small, the only answer is—lack of heart. The enthusiasm of the kingdom is missing. And that is because there is so little enthusiasm for the King. Though much may be done by careful organization and strict discipline and good generalship to make the best of the few troops we have, there is nothing that can so restore confidence and courage as the actual presence of a beloved King, to whom every heart beats warm in loyalty and devotion.

The missionary appeal must go deeper and seek to deal with the very root of the evil. If there is no desire for soul-winning at home, how can the interest in the distant unevangelized be truly deep or spiritual? There may be many motives to which we appeal effectively in asking for supplies of men and money—the compassion of a common humanity, the alleviation of the evils of pagan people, the elevation of fellow-human beings in the scale of human life, the claims of our church or society. But the true and highest motive is the only one that will really call forth the spiritual power of the Church, for the work to be done.

If the missionary appeal to this generation to bring the gospel to every person is to be successful, the Church will have to gird itself for the work in a very different way from what it has been doing. The most serious question the Church has to face just now—in fact, the only real difficulty of the missionary problem is how she is to be awakened as a whole to the greatness and glory of the task entrusted to her and led to engage in it with all her heart and strength. The only answer to that question—the key to the whole situation appears to be the simple truth: The missionary problem is a personal one. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Author and Leader of Mission. Whoever stands right with Him, and abides in Him, will be ready to know and do His will. It is simply a matter of being near enough to Him to hear His voice and so devoted to Him and His love as to be ready to do all His will. Christ’s whole relation to each of us is an intensely personal one. He loved me and gave Himself for me. My relation to Him is an entirely personal one. He gave Himself a ransom for me, and I am His, to live for Him and His glory. He has breathed His love into my heart, and I love Him. He tells me that, as a member of His Body, He needs me for His service, and in love I gladly yield myself to Him. He wants nothing more than that I should tell this to others, prove to them how He loves, how He enables us to love, and how blessed is a life in His love.

The personal element of the missionary problem must be put in the foreground. Every missionary sermon or meeting must give the love of Christ the first place. If Christians are in a low, cold, worldly state, the first object must be to wait on God in prayer and faith for His Holy Spirit to lead them to a true devotion to Jesus Christ. Will that be an apparent loss of time in not beginning at once with the ordinary missionary information and pleas? Ah, no-it will soon be made up. Weak believers who are glad to hear and give, must be lifted to the consciousness of the wonderful spiritual privilege of offering themselves to Christ to live for His kingdom. They must be encouraged to believe that the Lord who loves them, greatly prizes their love, and will enable them to bring it to Him. They must learn that Christ’s love asks for whole-hearted devotion, and that the more they sacrifice, the more will that love possess them. As definitely as we labor to secure the interest and the gifts of each individual, even more so must we labor to bring each one into contact with Christ Himself.

At first it may appear as if we are aiming too high. In many congregations the response may be very weak. Let the pastor give himself to study the missionary problem in this light. Let him put it to his people, clearly and perseveringly: You have been redeemed to be the witnesses and messengers of Christ’s love. To fit you for it, His love has been given you, and shed abroad in your heart. As He loves you, He loves the whole world. He wants those who know it to tell those who don’t know it. His love to you and to them, your love to Him and to them call you to do it. It is your highest privilege, it will be your highest happiness and perfection. As Christ gave Himself, give yourself wholly to this work of love.

The Missionary Call By Oswald J. Smith What constitutes a Call? Is there any way of knowing the will of God? How can one be sure? I think there is. In fact, I am certain. God would not leave His servants in darkness. But let me give you James Gilmour’s experience. It is well worth quoting. How was he called, and why did he go to the Mongols? This is how he puts it: “Is the Kingdom a harvest field? Then I thought it reasonable that I should seek to work where the work was most abundant and the workers fewest. Laborers say they are overtaxed at home; what, then, must be the case abroad, where there are wide-stretching plains already white to harvest with scarcely here and there a solitary reaper? “To me the soul of an Indian seemed as precious as the soul of an Englishman, and the Gospel as much for the Chinese as for the European; and the band of missionaries was few compared with the company of ministers at home, it seemed to me clearly to be my duty to go abroad. “But I go out as a missionary, not that I may follow the dictates of common sense, but that I may obey that command of Christ, ‘Go into all the world and preach.’ This command seems to be strictly a missionary injunction; so that, apart altogether from choice and other lower reason, my going forth is a matter of obedience to a plain command: and in place of seeking to assign a reason for going abroad, I would prefer to say that I have failed to discover any reason why I should stay at home.” Gilmour went in response to the Great Commission. His Captain ordered him to “go” and he went. He went because he could find no adequate reason for staying at home. He went to the foreign field because, as he says, there the workers were fewest. What a heroic decision! What was Charles T. Studd’s reason for going? Studd, you remember, gave away a fortune—$145,000. He could have lived at home in great luxury, but he chose rather to give away all that he had and go to China as a missionary. Why? Strange as it may seem, it was the statement of an atheist that started him on his way. It so gripped him when he read it that he felt he must leave all and follow Jesus Christ. Here it is: “Did I firmly believe, as millions say they do, that the knowledge and practice of religion in this life influences destiny in another, religion would mean to me everything. I would cast away earthly enjoyment as dross, earthly cares as follies, and earthly thoughts and feelings as vanity. Religion would be my first waking thought, and my last image before sleep sank me into unconsciousness. I would labor in its cause alone. I would take thought for the morrow of Eternity only. I would esteem one soul gained for Heaven worth a life of suffering. Earthly consequences should never stay my hand, nor seal my lips. Earth, its joys and griefs, would occupy no moment in my thoughts. I would strive to look upon Eternity alone, and on the immortal Souls around me, soon to be everlastingly happy or everlastingly miserable. I would go forth to the world and preach to it in season and out of season, and my text would be, ‘What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?’” Is that the way you feel? Have you, too, felt the urge? Does the Word of God burn like a fire in your heart? Have you no rest day or night because you do not go? “When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul” (Ez. 33:8-9). The Need and the Urge That means, of course, that the need is the Call. Men are dying. You have the Message of Life. Are you going to withhold it from them? The responsibility rests upon you… To me the Call is that divine urge, that compelling impulse, that passion within that makes it impossible for me to resist. There is something within that is calling, ever calling. I am restless. I am like a hunter’s dog on the leash, straining to get away. It is that irresistible “must.” The divine fire burns within my heart. I rise from my desk and rapidly pace the floor, praying, crying to God. My mind is not on what I am doing. I see the distant fields. I feel that, come what may, I have no choice but to go. I am not satisfied to settle down where I am. One time I expressed it like this: Hark! ‘tis a Voice that calls to me Out of the depths of mystery. It was that inner Voice that spoke to my soul and called me into the ministry and to the mission fields of the world. I can’t explain it, except to speak of it as an “urge” that was with me night and day. That urge I followed, and I have never been disappointed. Stir me, Oh! stir me, Lord— I care not how, But stir my heart in passion for the world. Stir me to give, to go, but most to pray. Stir, till the Blood-red banner be unfurled O’er lands that still in heathen darkness lie, O’er deserts where no Cross is lifted high. If you really want to hear God’s voice, and if you want to do His will, I can tell you how you may find out whether or not He has called you to the foreign field. Just do two things. First, start praying about your life’s work, and pray every day. Set aside a time to wait on God about it. Pray “Lord, what would you have me to do?” Every day talk to God about it. Second, as you pray, read missionary biographies. When I was a student I purchased a whole shelf of biographies and read two or three chapters each day. You young women should be perfectly familiar with the life stories of Ann Judson, Mary Slessor, and other missionary heroines. You young men should know the lives of Livingstone, Moffat, MacKay, Gilmour, Morrison, Taylor and other great missionary heroes. Why do I tell you to study biographies? Because in this twentieth century you are living in an atmosphere in which God cannot speak to you. If you will read missionary biographies, you will be putting yourself into an atmosphere where God can talk to you. Hence as you read biographies, and then pray about your life’s work day by day, you will hear the voice of God. Before long you will be burdened for some particular field, after you have finished your training, you will find yourself in the place of God’s choosing for you. That is the way most missionaries have heard God’s Call. As I said before, it is the Divine urge. It is the voice of the Holy Spirit telling you to go, and if you disobey you will do so at your peril. You can never be happy except in the center of God’s will. Satan’s Opposition But no sooner will you decide to become a missionary than Satan will do everything in his power to discourage you. He may make it difficult for you to get the money you need to secure your training. He may turn the members of your own family against you. If he cannot succeed in any other way, he will do what he has done in hundreds of cases. He will get you young women interested in some young man who has no idea of ever becoming a missionary, and if you marry him, you will never be a missionary. He will get you young men interested in some young woman who is not planning upon going to the foreign field, and if you marry her that will be the end of your missionary work forever. I cannot tell you how many have come to me in the middle age and have said, “Dr. Smith, God called me to be a missionary, but I married a man who was not going, and now we have a family. We are in middle life and it is too late. I have missed God’s best and now I must take His second best.” And I have had them break down and weep. Listen, young people, if God has called you and you have become an active volunteer, then you have no right to even keep company with anyone except someone who is traveling in your direction, and if you do that you will both reach the same destination. Thus, you will be called, and thus you will be guided, and if you will faithfully follow these suggestions, God will lead you into the most glorious work ever committed to man. You will become a missionary, your life will be invested in a worthwhile work, and, conscious of the leading of the Lord, you will never be disappointed. You can do what millions of others have done if you want to. You can settle down to the monotony of American life, get married, raise children, work, retire, die and be forgotten, or—you can become a pioneer, a trail-blazer, invest your life in a great adventure for God, and be the first to give some unreached tribe the Gospel, and be re-membered forever. Which is it to be? It is for you to decide. John G. Paton argued this way: “I clearly saw that all at home had free access to the Bible and the means of Grace, with Gospel light shining all around them, while the poor heathen were perishing without even the chance of knowing all God’s love and mercy to men.” Will you then listen to His voice and answer, “Here am I, Lord, send me?”

Go To This Link :

This book, Visions Beyond The Veil, by H. A. Baker http://godspeak.net/veil/veil_index.html , provides a fascinating insight into Heaven and the spiritual battle that is going on around us. It is designed to open your eyes to the spiritual blessings God has prepared for every believer in Christ. 

Here is a summary of the entire happenings of ‘Visions Beyond The Veil’ :

• [Credits and Information About This Book]
• Forward by Rolland Baker
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 - Mighty Outpouring of The Holy Spirit
• Chapter 2 - Supernatural Manifestations of the Holy Spirit
• Chapter 3 - Scriptural Results of the Outpouring
• Chapter 4 - Visions of Heaven
• Chapter 5 - Paradise
• Chapter 6 - Angels in our Midst
• Chapter 7 - The Kingdom of the Devil
• Chapter 8 - End of this Age and Return of Christ
• Chapter 9 - Chinese Beggar Boy Prophesies
• Chapter 10 - Some Light on Writing the Bible
• Chapter 11 - The Homeland
• Chapter 12 - The Way

H.A. Baker is survived by his grandson Rolland Baker. Rolland and his wife, Heidi, are currently missionaries to Mozambique and they run an orphanage there. Some of the “naughty” children in this orphanage have had visions where they met Jesus and were told to stop sinning and preach the gospel. When a disruptive child has this type of vision, it results in a drastic change in their behavior. Also, a revival has broken out in the nation of Mozambique under the supervision of Rolland and Heidi Baker, which has resulted in over 5,000 churches being planted. If you would like to know more about Rolland Baker and Iris Ministries, please see their www page at http://www.irismin.org .

Archive for the ‘Revival’ Category

Jesus in China-Part 4. The Canaan Hymns

Posted in China, Missions, Music, Persecution, Revival, Video, tagged Atheism, Bible, Buddhism, China, Christianity, civil rights, Communism, documentary, evolution, freedom, God, Hinduism, humanism, Hymns, intelligent design, Isa al-Masih, Islam, Jesus Christ, Judaism, Koran, Mao Tse-Tung, Meditation, Music, Muslims, new age, News, Persecution, politics, Qur’an, reincarnation, Religion, Revival, Sikhism, Spirituality, Taoism, Video, Voice, world news on November 23, 2007 | No Comments »

A documentary on the explosive growth of the Christian Church in China. The last of four parts.
This episode differs in that it tells the amazing story of how a previously musically illiterate peasant girl, Xiaomin, wrote a series of magnificent hymns dedicated to the glory of God. These are now widely used by the Church […]Read Full Post »

Jesus in China-Part 3. The Spring of Life

Posted in China, Missions, Persecution, Revival, Video, tagged Atheism, Bible, Buddhism, China, Christianity, civil rights, Communism, documentary, evolution, freedom, God, Hinduism, humanism, intelligent design, Isa al-Masih, Islam, Jesus Christ, Judaism, Koran, Mao Tse-Tung, Meditation, Muslims, new age, News, Persecution, politics, Qur’an, reincarnation, Religion, Revival, Sikhism, Spirituality, Taoism, Video, world news on November 23, 2007 | No Comments »

A documentary on the growth of the Christian Church in China. The third of four parts.
For the first time, Christianity in China, especially the House-Church, is given an honest, insightful, and comprehensive account. The film answers the question raised by many people outside China: how did the number of Chinese Christians increase from 700,000 in […]Read Full Post »

Jesus in China-Part 2. The Bitter Cup

Posted in China, Missions, Persecution, Revival, Video, tagged Atheism, Bible, Buddhism, China, Christianity, civil rights, Communism, documentary, evolution, freedom, God, Hinduism, humanism, intelligent design, Isa al-Masih, Islam, Jesus Christ, Judaism, Koran, Mao Tse-Tung, Meditation, Muslims, new age, News, Persecution, politics, Qur’an, reincarnation, Religion, Revival, Sikhism, Spirituality, Taoism, Video, world news on November 23, 2007 | No Comments »

A documentary on the growth of the Christian Church in China. The second of four parts.
For the first time, Christianity in China, especially the House-Church, is given an honest, insightful, and comprehensive account. The film answers the question raised by many people outside China: how did the number of Chinese Christians increase from 700,000 in […]Read Full Post »

Jesus in China – Part 1. Seeds of Blood

Posted in China, Missions, Persecution, Revival, Video, tagged Atheism, Bible, Buddhism, China, Christianity, civil rights, Communism, documentary, evolution, freedom, God, Hinduism, humanism, intelligent design, Isa al-Masih, Islam, Jesus Christ, Judaism, Koran, Mao Tse-Tung, Meditation, Muslims, new age, News, Persecution, politics, Qur’an, reincarnation, Religion, Revival, Sikhism, Spirituality, Taoism, Video, world news on November 23, 2007 | No Comments »

A documentary video series on the phenomenon of the Christian revival in China. The first of four parts.
Christianity in China, especially the House-Church, is given an honest, insightful, and comprehensive account. This video series answers the question: how did the number of Chinese Christians increase from 700,000 in 1949 to approximate 110 million today despite […]Read Full Post »

In 2008 some of the harshest persecution endured by Christians is likely to take place in states where Christianity is illegal – North Korea and Saudi Arabia. Elsewhere, millions of Christians this coming year will face varying degrees of harassment, persecution and repression simply because of where they live.

‘Imprisonment, torture and even summary execution continue to be a fact of life for secret Christians in North Korea,’ says Tim Peters of Helping Hands Korea, which supports refugees escaping the repressive regime of Kim Jong-Il.

Saudi Arabia punishes anyone involved in evangelism or who converts a Muslim with jail or expulsion. Christian leaders have also been threatened with execution.

‘Help us to stand with our persecuted brothers and sisters in 2008 – we have much to give them, and they have much to teach us.’ says Andy Dipper, the CEO of Release International, which serves the persecuted Church in 30 nations.

Most persecution of Christians in 2008 is set to take place in the four ‘zones’ of Islam, Communism, Hinduism and Buddhism. Persecution may stem from the government or its agents, such as the secret police, military or judiciary, or from non-governmental movements, such as militant Islamic groups.

THE ISLAMIC WORLD

For many years, one of the most repressive Islamic nations has been Saudi Arabia. As guardian of Islam’s holiest sites Mecca and Medina Saudi forbids all other religions and threatens evangelists with execution. The government bans all Christian literature yet spends billions of dollars each year propagating Islam around the world.

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11 2001, the world has been made dramatically aware of Islamist global networks such as Al Qaeda, who exploit religious tensions and differences for their own political ends.

Islamist militants often view Christians and non-Muslims as infidels, who must be converted, by force if necessary, or be killed or driven out of Islamic lands. They believe it is their religious duty to impose Islamic Sharia law throughout their nation.

Even seemingly moderate Muslim countries’ governments often fail to safeguard the rights of their Christian minorities. Christians suffer kidnapping, forced conversion to Islam, imprisonment, destruction of churches, discrimination in education, employment, housing and the legal system, executions, rape of Christian girls and torture.

Among other Islamic nations of particular concern Release International’s partners report that Pakistan is becoming increasingly dangerous for Christians, as the turmoil in that nation continues.

THE COMMUNIST WORLD

Communist regimes continue to persecute Christians in China, Cuba, North Korea, Laos and Vietnam, where they have pursued systematic programs to weaken and destroy the church. And persecution is growing in China, as the authorities clamp down on potential dissent in preparation for the Olympic Games.

‘Security in China has tightened up in the run-up to the Olympics,’ reports Release International’s partner Chinese Church Support Ministries (CCSM). ‘Persecution has increased in 2007, and will continue into 2008. Christians have been arrested and put in prison because of their faith.

‘Christian groups are meeting in smaller numbers, and changing the meeting place each week. People are very nervous. Western believers working in China have also been told they must leave the country.’

With support from Release International, CCSM is hoping to print and distribute one and half million Bibles and Christian teaching books in China in 2008.

CCSM asks for prayer ‘for the safety of the believers in China, that they will remain strong in their faith’.

But what is widely regarded as the severest oppression of Christians in the world takes place in North Korea.

‘Imprisonment, torture and even summary execution continue to be a fact of life for secret Christians in North Korea,’ says Tim Peters of RI’s partner Helping Hands Korea, which supports refugees escaping the repressive regime of Kim Jong-Il.

‘Pressures include an absolute ban on owning a Bible, assembling to pray or to read the Scriptures, and evangelism – even of one’s own children.

‘Being discovered as a member of the underground church inside North Korea can result in one’s entire family being sent to a prison camp, and even torture and summary execution in extreme cases.’

Seong Min Kim, a North Korean who managed to escape from his country said:

‘Although the North Korean government tries to silence North Korean Christians by calling them spies, the praise and prayer of our brothers and sisters cannot be silenced, even in a political concentration camp or a prison.’

Tim Peters of Helping Hands Korea asks for prayer:

‘That we can continue to assist a growing number of North Korean refugees in China, despite the harsh crackdown by Chinese in preparation for staging the 2008 Beijing Olympics.’

Persecution also continues in the former Soviet Union under some ‘old guard’ communists who remain ideologically opposed to Christianity.

THE HINDU WORLD

In India, Hindu extremists have been involved in a growing number of attacks against Christians and Muslims.

Hindu nationalism or ‘Hindutva’ is closely linked with one of India’s largest political parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party. The BJP is associated with a number of militant Hindu groups, who regard Hindu culture as essential to Indian identity.

Christians also face persecution from Hindus in Nepal.

THE BUDDHIST WORLD

Christians are persecuted in Burma. And in Bhutan and Sri Lanka Buddhist militants who fear that Christianity threatens national identity and unity have stirred up harassment and violence against Christians.

‘In 2008 millions of Christians will face persecution,’ says Andy Dipper, Release International’s CEO. ‘They’re our family. If it was your husband, wife, daughter or son behind bars you’d move heaven and earth to help them. ‘So what better new year’s resolution than to take your stand with your brothers and sisters imprisoned for their faith?

‘Persecution is part of the normal Christian life – just as Jesus warned. But Jesus also told us to love one another, sacrificially. And the Bible encourages us to bear one another’s burdens. At Release we’ve found it an immense privilege to stand with these faithful, overcoming Christians in prayer and in providing practical support. And we have so much to learn from them.’

Through its international network of missions Release International works to support persecuted Christians in some 30 nations. Release is supporting Christians imprisoned for their faith and their families. It supports church workers, pastors and evangelists, and provides training, Bibles, Christian literature and broadcasts. Release has been involved in reconstructing the homes of Christians destroyed in riots, and in providing legal aid and sanctuary, medicine and welfare.

Release International is a member of the UK organisations Global Connections, the Evangelical Alliance and the Micah Network.

By Christian Newswire  Friday, January 11, 2008

China Aid has learned that several orphan children and their caretakers were forced to spend the night in a hotel room after having been evicted from their orphanage by local police officials on Christmas day.

The orphanage’s caretakers, Ming Xuan Zhang along with his two sons, had prepared to celebrate Christmas with the children, but were in no way prepared to deal with the situation that unfolded that morning. After presenting an eviction notice, officials then proceeded to beat the care-takers and the children until they were literally forced onto the street.

The Director of Security order of the Village of Sanhe, along with other government officials from the Religious Bureau and United Work Front Department, had threatened the landlord to stop renting land to Zhang and the children or face imprisonment. Left with little choice, the landlord was forced to evict Zhang after 5 years of faithful occupancy.

The children slept in a hotel room as Zhang frantically searched for space to rent for the orphanage. Unfortunately, Government officials had not limited the Christmas Day eviction to a single affair. On 3 separate occasions, landlords were threatened not to rent space to Zhang and the orphans, or face criminal charges and prison time.

Government officials continue to persecute Ming Xuan Zhang for his leadership role in the Chinese House Church. Affectionately known as “Bike”, Ming Xuan Zhang has experienced severe persecution and has been imprisoned 12 times by Government officials, who are trying to isolate him from the Chinese house church alliance. In 2006, US President George W. Bush requested a meeting with Ming Zhang during his visit to China, but was denied by Communist Party officials. Zhang and his son were kidnapped at a train station after CPC officials discovered he had been invited to meet the President.

Zhang has written a second open letter to President Hu Jintao, in hopes of receiving relief from persecution. No response has been issued. Government officials continue to hinder Zhang from renting space for his orphanage by threatening landlords who offer to lease to him. Zhang and the children continue to remain homeless as they search for permanent living space.

We implore the international community and those involved to take action against the crimes committed against Ming Zhang and his orphanage. The eviction and closure of an orphanage on Christmas day, due to the religious persecution of its caretaker is behavior that can not be tolerated of any Government or nation.

Click Here to view full text of Ming Zhang’s open letter to President Hu Jintao

If you would like to personally contact Ming Xuan Zhang, he can be reached at:
86-139-3067-8090

Please contact the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC for more information

Address: 2201 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Washington D.C. 20007

Tel: (202) 338-6688, (202)5889760 Fax: (202) 588- 9760

By BosNewsLife News Center

BEIJING, CHINA (BosNewsLife) — A leading group supporting Christians “persecuted for their faith” has launched a global prayer campaign for China where, it says, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been waging “a secret” crackdown on unregistered house churches.

In comments monitored by BosNewsLife Thursday, January 17, Open Doors said it established that in 2007 “most Christians could not practice their faith openly” as the CCP “waged a secret campaign against unregistered house churches from mid-June until the end of November.”

In addition, the government backed police investigated “the content of sermons, personal history of house church evangelists and the sources of their funds.” On November 18 authorities detained 40 church leaders from China Gospel Fellowship in Xiancheng County in Henan Province,” the well-informed group said.

“Some are fined. Some pastors are also locked up for a few days or sent to labor camps.”

Among those detained is Pastor Zhang Rongliang who “sits in a prison cell despite a judge’s previous statement that “insufficient evidence and ambiguous facts” surrounded his case, and that Zhang would be judged fairly,” Open Doors recalled. Zhang was sentenced in July 2006 to seven and a half years in prison on charges of “attaining a passport through cheating” and “illegal border crossing.”

CHURCH MOVEMENT

Zhang, leader of the China for Christ house church movement, was arrested December 1, 2004. “He had been detained five times before and had already spent a total of 12 years in prison. [Yet] Zhang, who has major health problems, still has preached the gospel in prison and brought many to the Lord,” Open Doors said.

Christians are facing practical troubles too, said Open Doors China officials. “For Christians living in the countryside it is difficult to obtain study Bibles and Christian books or attend a Bible school.” Open Doors said the “Chinese government is carefully crafting an image of religious tolerance leading up to the Summer Olympics in Beijing, which start August 8. But the facts tell a different story.”

As a result of what it called “continued persecution in China”, Open Doors said it has launched a countdown prayer campaign to the Summer Olympics called “One Minute/One Year/One Country.” Christians are asked to pray for at least one minute each day; “if possible at 8 p.m. Beijing time,” the group said.

Open Doors USA, the American division of the international group with Website www.OpenDoorsUSA.org, said the campaign aims to “unite believers in the West to pray for their persecuted Chinese brothers and sisters in faith. Already over 1,300 prayer warriors have signed up for the campaign, which began last fall.”

PRAYER SUBJECTS

Believers participating the campaign are informed about prayer subjects in a monthly prayer email calendar and a daily email brief. “The Beijing Olympics start August 8 so we need to blanket Chinese believers right now with our prayers,” said Open Doors USA President Carl Moeller.

He said besides increased pressure on house church leaders, raids and arrests, his group is concerned about “the expulsion of foreign missionaries.” He said the crackdown is “expected to increase as the start of the Olympics draws closer.” Open Doors and other groups have argued that Chinese officials want to ensure that Christians will not use the event as an opportunity to spread Christianity in the Communist-run nation.

Chinese officials have denied wrongdoing, saying Chinese Christians are free to worship within the government-backed denominations. Devoted Chinese Christians are not the only believers facing reports of persecution. An estimated 200 million Christians worldwide suffer interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ, with another 200 to 400 million facing discrimination and alienation, according to Open Doors estimates.

Open Doors said it will continue to strengthen “believers in the world’s most difficult areas through Bible and Christian literature distribution, leadership training and assistance, Christian community development, prayer and presence ministry and advocacy on behalf of suffering believers.”

Copyright 2008 BosNewsLife. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without our prior written consent.

KASHI, Xinjiang (Christian Newswire) — China Aid Association learned that a House Church leader in Kashi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was secretly detained on January 12. According to an eyewitness, Mr. A Li Mu Jiang was taken away from his home by State Security Bureau agents for an accused “national security issue.” His wife was also taken from her home for interrogation in the evening of the same day.

Government officials continue to persecute House Church members and Christians in Xinjiang Province, as was the case in December of 2007, in which a Christian employee of Xinjiang Pacific Agricultural Resources Development Company, Ltd, was detained and sentenced to 2-3 years reeducation through labor, for allegedly revealing State secrets. The charges were a cover however, as the real reason for his arrest stemmed from his association with the owner of the company, an American and outspoken Christian.

More details concerning the detention of Mr. A Li Mu Jiang and his wife will be released soon.

the life and ministry of

JAMES HUDSON TAYLOR

Born : May 21, 1832, Barnsley, England (18 Miles, South of Leeds)

Died : June 3, 190 , Changsha, Hunan, China (340 Miles North of Canton)

Life Span : 73 Years, 12 Days

Hudson Taylor was the most widely used missionary in China’s history. During his 51 years of service there, his China Inland Mission established 20 mission stations, brought 849 missionaries to the field (968 by 1911), trained some 700 Chinese workers, raised four million dollars by faith (following Mueller’s example), and developed a witnessing Chinese church of 125,000. It has been said at least 35,000 were his own converts and that he baptized some 50,000. His gift for inspiring people to give themselves and their possessions to Christ was amazing.Taylor was born into a Christian home. His father was a chemist and a local Methodist preacher who himself was fascinated by China in his youth. Once at age 4, Hudson piped up, “When I am a man I mean to be a missionary and go to China.” Father’s faith and mother’s prayers meant much. Before he was born they had prayed about him going to China someday. However, soon young Taylor became a skeptical and worldly young man. He decided to live for this life only. At 15 he entered a local bank and worked as a junior clerk where, being well adjusted and happy, he was a popular teen. Worldly friends helped him scoff and swear. The gaslight and the murk of this winter left his eyes weak the rest of his life. He left the bank in 1848 to work in his father’s shop.

His conversion is an amazing story. When he was 17 years of age he went into his father’s library one afternoon in June, 1849 in search of a book to read. This was in a barn or warehouse adjacent to the house. Finally he picked up a gospel tract entitled, “It is Finished,” and decided to read the story on the front. He came upon the expression, “The Finished work of Christ,” Remembering the words, “It is Finished,” he raised the question — “What was finished?” The answers seemed to fall in place and he received Christ as his Saviour. The same afternoon and time, his mother was visiting some 75 miles away. Experiencing an intense yearning for the conversion of her son, she turned the key in the door and resolved not to leave the spot until her prayers were answered. Hours later she left with assurance. She returned 10 days later and was met at the door by her son who said he had good news for her. She said, “I know, my boy. I have been rejoicing for a fortnight in the glad tidings you have to tell me.” Mother Taylor had learned of the incident from no human source, but God had assured her.

Months later he began to feel a great dissatisfaction with his spiritual state. His “first love” and his zeal for souls had grown cold. On Dec. 2, 1849 he retired to be alone with the Lord and it seemed this was the time to promise the Lord he would go to China. Hudson started to prepare immediately by exercising in the open air and exchanging his feather bed for a hard mattress. He distributed tracts and held cottage meetings. With the aid of a copy of Luke’s Gospel in the Mandarin dialect, he studied the Chinese language. He borrowed a book on China from a Congregational minister and began the study of Greek, Hebrew, and Latin.

In November, 1851, Hudson moved his lodging to a noisy suburb of Darinside, a neighborhood on the edge of town. Here he began a rigorous regime of saving and self-denial, spending spare time as a self-appointed medical missionary in cheerless streets where low wages, ever large families and gin produced brutalized husbands and wives and sickly children. Here he set up a test situation regarding his salary. His employer had asked Hudson to remind him when his salary became due. Taylor did not do this. One day in a poor home with evidently starving children, he prayed for them but had no peace until he gave the family all he had even down to his last coin. He went home happy in heart and the next day the postman brought a letter with enough money to make a 400% profit for only a twelve hour investment. He was convinced that money given in Christ’s name was a loan which God would repay…and He did! One night about 10 p.m. on the day his rent was due (and his pockets were empty), his employer came by with his back wages. Experiences like these prepared him for his future life of faith.

In the Fall of 1852, he came to London under the auspices of the Chinese Evangelization Society, who arranged to pay for his training as a doctor at the London Hospital in the East End.

Glowing reports came from China and the CES urged Taylor to leave at once, medical course unfinished, to reach the Taipings (new rebel group called Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace) at Nanking. These were supposedly Christian rebels that toppled Nanking in March, 1853. This Chinese rebellion lasted from 1850 to 1864. After further medical studies in London, he accepted appointment under the CES and sailed from Liverpool on September 19, 1853. He was the only passenger in the sailing vessel, Dumfries. He had a tempestuous voyage as the ship on two occasions was within a few feet of being wrecked. One harrowing experience is worth remembering. The sailing vessel was becalmed in the vicinity of New Guinea. The captain dispaired as a four knot current carried them swiftly toward sunken reefs near shore. “Our fate is sealed!” Cannibals were eagerly awaiting with delight and fires burning ready. Taylor and three others retired to pray and the Lord immediately sent a strong breeze that sent them on their way. Again one of his favorite texts, John 14:13 was proven. He finally reached Shanghai, China, March 1, 1854.

China at last…age 21 years, 10 months old! He was not prepared for the civil war on his doorstep. It was a shock to find that if the rebels did embrace Christianity, it was nominally on the part of the leaders alone from political motives. “Of the spirit of Christianity they knew little and manifested none.” He was forlorn, miserable and homesick. His eyes were inflamed, he suffered headaches and was simply cold in the climate. His leisure time was consumed with long letters home to parents and sister. 1854 was still uncertain. As the military situation allowed, he explored the countryside, pursuing a hobby of insect and plant collecting, plus photography. Other missionaries took him on preaching tours and the Imperial Fleet once nearly opened fire on their boats at night in Woosung Creek. He was the only missionary actually a resident in Shanghai and this renewed his zeal for souls. But physical set backs and the possible civil war coming ever closer made him realize life was no longer safe. He soon evacuated to the International Settlement geared for the foreign population. He was appalled at the idleness of many missionaries and their critical, sarcastic remarks. In early 1855 he started preaching tours — a week or more with another missionary or alone. There were ten such journeys his first two years. In February, 1855, the Imperial armies with rebel French support had stormed and sacked the starving city of Shanghai, making the streets hideous with human suffering. As peace returned he considered permanent residence in some interior city, or else he must find his way 700 miles to Nanking, capital of the Taipings. Either would forfeit consular protection. Before deciding, he went up the Yangtze River for three weeks in April with John Burdon. It was a trip that nearly cost their lives. At Tungchow, a city of evil repute, they were attacked by ruffians and were brought to a magistrate of sorts who saw that they were escorted safely out of the city.

Back at Shanghai, Taylor decided to reach the Taipings. Ten days later he was off. Partly to explore openings for future residence and partly to throw Imperialists off his trail, he proceeded up the Yangtze leisurely. From his boat, he visited 58 villages. Only seven of them had ever seen a Protestant missionary. He preached, removed tumors and distributed books. The people would run from him at times or throw mud and stones. Medical box and skill was the only thing used to combat this. Passing his 23rd birthday he came within 70 miles of the Taipings. However he was divinely hindered in his attempt to reach Nanking, and in five more years the rebels were all but extinguished anyway. Taylor returned to Shanghai and on August 24, 1855, he toured southward to Ningpo. Now he was writing a girl back home, Elizabeth Sisson, proposing marriage…not even noticing young Maria Dyer who lived there (whom he eventually did marry).

On October 18, 1855 he left Shanghai again, this time going to Tsungming, a large island in the Yangtze mouth. He felt this would be a good place to labor and on November 5 he returned to Shanghai to restock the medicine chest, collect letters and fit himself with winter clothes. However he was then ordered out of Tsungming permanently, as local doctors complained to the magistrate that they were losing business to the foreign doctor. These six weeks were his first “inland” experience.

William Burns, a Scottish evangelist, came across his path and for seven months, 1855-56, they worked together as a gospel team. In February of 1856, they both felt called to Swatown, 1,000 miles south. They decided to go and arrived March 12. It was no easy place to get the attention of a hardened embittered people. Tropical summer soon put Taylor into a state of exhaustion as the prickly heat and unending perspiration plus the stench of the night soil pails left him weak. He left his rice diet in May and added tea, eggs and toast. The mail was not encouraging either. Miss Sisson rejected his proposal to join him, and the CES, his mission board, informed him there were no funds left to send to him. By midsummer, 1856, he was torn 100 different ways, but in July he decided to go back north, at Burns request, to get much needed medical equipment from Shanghai. Taylor arrived to find nearly all his medical supplies had been accidentally destroyed by fire. Then came the distressing news that Burns was arrested by Chinese authorities and sent on a 31 day journey to Canton.

Hudson then decided to settle at Ningpo and in October, 1856, made his way back there. On his way down he was robbed of his traveling bed, spare clothes, two watches, surgical instruments, concertina, sister Amelia’s photo and a Bible given to him by his mother. With no salary coming in now he would have been destitute and helpless had not his expenses fallen sharply because he had adopted the Chinese dress and level of living. Despite his setbacks he continued to preach to those who were in darkness.

As 1856 ended and the new year began, he knew he would have to resign from his mission board, CES. He considered joining some other society but a letter from George Mueller encouraged him to live by faith. So in June he resigned at age 25.

Dr. Parker, a fellow missionary, had established a hospital and dispensary at Ningpo. A new family, the Jones’, had arrived and the missionary community was fervent in spirit. Once a week they all dined at the school run by Miss Mary Ann Aldersey, a 60 year old Englishwoman, reputed to be the first woman missionary to China. She had two young helpers, Burella and Maria Dyer. Burella became engaged to missionary associate, John Burdon.

On Christmas day, 1856, the missionary compound had a party where a friendship between Hudson and Maria developed. Taylor had to return to Shanghai, but on March 23 he wrote asking to be engaged. Ordered by Miss Aldersey (a guardian of sorts), Maria painfully refused. However, as both plunged into the Lord’s work and prayed, they decided to get engaged on November 14, 1857, approval or not.

As 1859 came around, Maria turned 21 (born January 16, 1837), and four days later on the 20th, she married Hudson Taylor. A happier couple could not be found…they had waited over two years.

The work in the compound continued. John Jones became the pastor, Maria ran the little school as Taylor’s small group at Ningpo kept pursuing mission work in a great heathen city. In 1859, Mrs. Taylor fell grievously ill, recovering to give birth to their first child, Grace, on July 31.

The treaty of Tientsin, ratified in 1860, gave missionaries new freedoms but Taylor’s health was so bad with all the pressures that a furlough seemed to be his only hope for life. So in August they left Shanghai, arriving back in England in November, 1860, seven years after he first left for China. They lived in Bayswater where their first son, Herbert, was born (2nd child) in April, 1861. Taylor, realizing he could not soon return, undertook various responsibilities. First, the translating and revision of the Ningpo New Testament (a five year project) and then enrolling in a medical course. He also wrote a book, China, It’s Spiritual Needs and Claims (October, 1865). Other children were born. Bertie (number 3) came in 1862, followed by Freddie in 1863 and Samuel in 1864. As only four children returned to China, it is thought that Herbert must have died in infancy. These London years brought tests as severe as any that followed with poor health, funds and a growing family.

The China Inland Mission was born on Sunday, June 25, 1865 on the sands of Brington’s beach where Hudson Taylor was gripped with a heavy burden and asked God for 24 missionaries to return with him to China. He opened a bank account with $50.00 and soon the volunteers and money began coming in. At this time Spurgeon heard Taylor and was impressed by his zeal for China. Apparently God was too, for within the year, he had raised $13,000.00 and accepted 24 volunteers. On December 7, a baby born prematurely died at birth. Maria’s lungs were permanently affected with tuberculosis at about this time and it took months for her to recover.

On May 26, 1866, the Taylors left for China after 5½ years of working and recruiting at home. Of the 24 volunteers, eight preceded him and 16 came with the family. On board were a married couple, five single men and nine single ladies. They ran into a terrible typhoon in the South China Sea and only prayer and work beyond measure aboard the Lammermuir prevented a catastrophe.

On September 30, 1866, they were towed towards Shanghai by a steam tug. It was back to Ningpo by canal, but over crowded conditions at the missionary compound compelled him to go to Hangchow in December. Taylor’s methods were met with scorn, the Chinese dress being the big item that annoyed the western community as it did previously. Keeping his new missionaries in line with his policies was somewhat a task also. In early February, 1867, little Maria was born (number 6). By April the group was in danger of a split. Taylor admitted his folly in rebaptizing Anglicans and never again swerved from a true interdenominational position.

He went westward in June looking for new stations. The heat climbed to 103 degrees in August. Taylor was recovering from inflamed eyes and wife Maria was ill. The death of 8 year old Gracie Taylor on August 23, 1867 probably saved the mission. The girl was praying for an idol maker just before she died and it united the mission. In September, 1868 the last dissident was dismissed.

The Taylors had gone to Yangchow on June 1, 1868 with their four children. By July 20 they had their own compound. Suddenly handbills warned against the foreigners. Ignorance and priestly hostility brought fear of the West. Not only that, but the foreigners (Taylors) offered exceptional prospects for looting. Saturday, August 22, 1868 has to be one of the most traumatic days in the mission’s history. The mission compound was attacked and as Taylor and a friend ran for help, the home was looted and burned causing serious injuries on several individuals. The battered missionaries left Yangchow for Chinkiang where they were made comfortable. Maria Taylor could not walk unaided and ached in every bone. However, they did not want to press charges. The British Navy, hearing of the problem, sailed up the Yangtze deep into the territory to protest this outrage. This was to produce negative results as Western Imperialism became the excuse for Communist infiltration later.

The Taylors returned to Yangchow on November 18, 1868. Charles Edward was born November 28 (number 7).

Although Europeans in Shanghai appreciated the problem in Yangchow, back in England the stories were perverted and the Taylors sneered at. In Yangchow the natives were impressed that the Taylors would come back and the next year saw a time of reaping. In England, George Mueller refused to believe the libel and his contributions ($10,000 annually) made up for the support that stopped.

Exhausted and depressed, Hudson later confessed that only his wife’s love stood between him and suicide. At this point in his life God used the situation to do a new thing. Hudson Taylor could not go on as he was bankrupt in spirit and strength. It finally dawned on him reading a missionary friend’s letter. “I have striven in vain to abide in Him, I’ll strive no more. For has not He promised to abide with me…never to leave me, never to fail me?” He then entered into what he thereafter called the “Exchanged Life” where his work for the Lord was no longer done in his own strength.

In 1870 a most heart rendering decision had to be made. The children (older four), ages 9,7,5 and 3 should go back to England, leaving only baby Charles with the parents. Fear of parting was too much for Sammy. He died on a boat on the Yangtze River on February 4, 1870. On March 22 at Shanghai, the parents wept as they said farewell to Bertie, Freddie and little Maria who would go home with missionary Emily Blatchley who would act as their foster-mother. Little did Mrs. Taylor know how wise a decision this would be for she herself would be dead four months later. On June 21, a massacre of many foreigners in Tientsin made things tense again. But is was Maria’s tuberculosis condition worsening under the extremely hot sun that caused the greatest concern. On July 7, little Noel (number was born. he lived for 13 days as throat problems in the oppressive heat were just too much for him. Four children were now in heaven as July 20th added another. Three days later the brave Maria died on Saturday, July 23, 1870. She just got weaker and weaker and passed on peacefully. Official conclusion was prostration by cholera. She was 33 and during their 12 years of marriage gave birth to eight children plus one stillborn. She was a tower of strength to her husband. Certainly, along with Ann Judson, Maria Taylor was one of the most heroic wives in Christian history. Two days before she died they received word that the other children had arrived safely in England. She was buried at Chinkiang.

Taylor himself had a breakdown in 1871. A badly deranged liver made him sleepless leading to painful depression of spirit, and difficulty in breathing. At the same time, the Bergers back in England could no longer care for the home side of the Mission because of failing health and he was retiring in March 1872. Hence Taylor had to return to England to care for this need as well as his health. He returned home in July, 1871 where a Miss Faulding came into his life. He married her in London later that year. He also formed the London Council of the CIM on August 6, 1872, and at a Bible Conference that year, young Dwight Moody heard him preach. he returned to China on October 9, 1872 bidding farewell to his beloved children and taking his new bride with him. Mission work continued. An interesting conversation on January 26, 1874 challenged him further.

In April, 1874 he wrote a friend, “We have $.87 and all the promises of God.” In June came a letter from an unknown friend in England with $4,000 marked for extension of his work into new, untouched provinces. Also, that month he opened the western branch of the Mission in Wuchang with Mr. Judd.

Now the emergency was back in England as the foster-mother Miss Blatchley died July 26, 1874. Again the Taylors hurried home, and on the way up the Yangtze a fall seriously injured Mr. Taylor. General paralysis of the limbs confined him to the couch. He could only later turn in bed with the help of a rope fixed above him. Health finally came back after the long 1874-75 winter. Mrs. Taylor had to stay in England to care for her own two children recently born (including Howard, the biographer and author of his father’s life story), plus the four from the previous marriage and an adopted daughter.

In January 1875 Taylor appealed in prayer for 18 pioneers for the nine unevangelized provinces. On September 13, 1876 a political settlement was reached between England and China with the signing of the Chefoo Convention which opened inland China to the gospel. Hudson, himself went back to China where he was to travel 30,000 miles the next two years (1876-78) opening new stations. His journey kept him on the road months at a time in widespread evangelistic journeys inland. In hours of trial and loneliness he would play his harmonium and sing some of the great Christian hymns — his favorite being, “Jesus, I am resting, resting, in the joy of what thou art.”

In 1878 his wife was able to rejoin him on the mission field. She led in the advance of women’s missionary activity into the far interior in the fall of 1878. The following fall, Mrs. Nicoll and Mrs. Clark pioneered the way for women’s work in western China. The first woman missionary allowed to go into the interior on a resident status was Emily King who died in May of 1881 at Hanchung. There were now about 100 missionaries in the organization and they decided to pray in November 1881 at Wuchang for another seventy to come out in 1882-84.

Taylor sailed home in February, 1883 and was powerfully used by the Lord. At the end of the year he had 70 new workers sailing for China and $14,000 raised. These included the Cambridge University Seven that sailed on February 5, 1885. Taylor returned to China rejoicing in the developments. They now had 225 missionaries, 59 churches and 1,655 members. Taylor decided that to open China up from end to end would take 100 new workers, so London was cabled, — “Praying for 100 new workers in 1887.” This was the first meeting of the China Council held in Anking. Taylor went back to England to challenge recruits to join him. Actually 600 offered to go, but Taylor screened and chose 102. He prayed for $50,000 and raised $105,000. At the years end all 102 had joined the staff on the field. More than $22,000 was raised to pay their passages.

Taylor was about to return when urgent invitations from Henry Frost came to visit America in December. He decided to go and on his only trip to America he preached at Moody’s Northfield Conference and a few other places making a profound impression. As he went back to China in the Fall of 1888, he was able to take 14 candidates along from America.

Taylor had to return to England because of ill health and was semi-retired in Switzerland as a result. He was brought to the very doors of death by the terrible news of the Boxer Rebellion, the resulting disruption of the work and murder of hundreds of missionaries along with the native Christians. It was May, 1900, and as the telegrams came telling of riots and massacres, he gasped, “I cannot read, I cannot pray, I can scarcely think…but I can trust.” Although the anguish of heart nearly killed him, the stories coming out of the holocaust actually inspired great interest in missions everywhere and gave new life to the CIM. D.E. Hoste was appointed Acting General Director in August, 1900. In November, 1902, Taylor resigned to turn the reigns over to younger men.

Not knowing he had only three months to live, he left for China one last time…his 11th trip there, leaving in February, 1905, and arriving in March. He went alone as his beloved wife had passed on in Switzerland on July 30, 1904.

He spent Easter at Yangchow where 32 years before, his house was burnt to the ground. Then to Chinkiang where he buried his first wife 35 years previously. Then on to Honan, Hankow, and finally to Changsha, the capital of Hunan. This was the most difficult of the nine unevangelized provinces entered by his workers.

Here he visited various parts of the city, inspected a site for a new hospital, spoke to a congregation of Chinese Christians, attending a reception given in his honor in a garden, and was planning to speak on Sunday. But he died quite suddenly on Saturday evening. He had retired to his home, his daughter-in-law, Mary (Mrs. Howard Taylor) visited him as he was busy going over his homeland letters. One gasp and he was gone. Christians carried his body to Chinkiang where he was buried with his Maria at the foot of green hills near the Yangtze River.

 Copied by Stephen Ross for WholesomeWords.org and used with permission, 7/13/99. The above is one of 46 booklets by Ed Reese in the Christian Hall of Fame series. These short biographies provide good material for Sunday School lessons, family devotions, and reading for young people and adults. Order/information from: Reese Publications, Attn: Kay Griffin, 8824 Northcote Avenue, Munster, IN 46321; Fax: (219) 838-4695; E-mail: Kgreese@aol.com  – May also order online at Sword of the Lord.

 

More Information on Hudson Taylor

James Cogdill
News Editor

For the fourth consecutive year, North Greenville led the nation in the number of individuals participating in summer missions to foreign countries.
While BSU President Travis Agnew, senior in Christian Studies, mentioned in a recent chapel service that the majority of NGC students worked on some sort of mission field over the summer in a church or in a camp, many students opted to sacrifice their time and resources to travel miles so that various countries could hear about Christianity for the first time.
Agnew led one such mission into China. He had originated the idea last semester after attending a BSU conference in Columbia. Once deciding to make the trip, he began to consult with friends and fellow NGC students about the opportunity to witness to the Chinese. Eventually, a group of 10 men were assembled; nine of who attend North Greenville.
Steve Watson traveled to China with Agnew. Watson, the only non-student of NGC to travel with the group, serves as youth pastor for Northside Baptist Church in Greenwood, S.C. Northside sponsored the trip by providing most of the funds. Each member of the mission team raised about $2,000 dollars to help with the cost. The money was raised through a spaghetti supper, a garage sale, and a few love offerings.
“All the guys had to get summer jobs to help out as well,” said Kyle Richter, sophomore in Christian Studies.
For the weeks preceding the two-week trip, the team members and their families had difficulty preparing for the opportunity.
“My mom tearfully told me that she knew it was better for me to be in God’s will even if something were to occur,” said Clark Smith, junior in Christian Studies.
The actual trip to China took about two days with approximately 25 total hours spent riding airplanes. They were then greeted by Communist men with guns at the Chinese airport, a common practice in China.
The team’s main focus on their trip was a group Chinese called the Yi. Richter described the Yi as outcasts who are neglected by the government. Overall, about 50 different types of the Yi exists with their own dialects and cultures, all who have never heard of Christ or the Bible. The Yi live in remote mountainous parts of China.
“We were supposed to do media distribution of Bibles and other material,” said Philip Howle, senior in Christian Studies, “but an earlier group of missionaries got caught doing the same thing.”
“The government was watching foreigners extra close by the time we got there,” said Richter.
Senior in Christian Studies Chris Carter described how difficult witnessing to the Yi actually was.
“These people had never heard of Christ before,” said Carter. “It’s hard in China because differences in languages and cultures make it hard for them to understand. I learned how important it is to show love to others because our kindness opened doors.”
The group was able to take two young Chinese men back to their hotel to share with them the gospel. One of the men, Jiang, wrote an e-mail a week after the group left to share the news that he had accepted Christ.
They also met a Christian woman towards the end of their trip who had been running an underground house church for the past six months.

Over the time, 25 people had converted to Christianity. The group had the opportunity to meet with many of these Christians and encourage them in their faith.
“I was surprised at the overall openness to us since we were the very first foreigners they had ever met,” said Richter.
The experience led the ten missionaries to understand the difficulties in the mission field today, especially in China.
“Each dialect of the Yi need their own missionary,” said Howle. “China needs so many missionaries and workers in the fields.”
The name of the trip was Operation Springrain, with the name originating from Isaiah 56.
More information can be obtained about the Chinese mission filed at yi.peoples.org.

“RADICAL Chinese House Churches” by  Denny Kenaston(The Remnant Magazine) 

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Bro Denny: Let’s move on to another important question. How do the Chinese Christians evaluate AMERICAN CHRISTIANITY? 

Bro Ren: They feel like the church in the West is playing games.  They are troubled with all the LAUGHTER in the meetings. They are broken and weeping in their assemblies, and we are telling jokes. This brings very different results. They feel we are bound by traditions and programs and therefore cannot follow the Holy Spirit’s leadings. We have to make sure we have that direct line to the Holy Spirit and seek to hear His voice. We can never overemphasize the difference between the followers of Jesus in the West and in China. These followers in China hear their Master’s voice, and they follow Him. This is actually a very simple theology.  The Christians in the West have been able to eliminate Christ and His direct presence in their midst. I have a feeling sometimes that the whole Christianity in the West could be going for years before they discover that Jesus has not been with them for a long time. He has gone somewhere else. He is not with them anymore. 

Bro Paul: The personal message I got from Bro. Yun is that of Jesus asleep in the boat. His whole point was that so many people in missions, in churches, and in ministries start out with the power of God and great visions. But, then people think, “Okay, we can row it ourselves now. Thank you very much.” And Jesus goes to sleep in the boat. Great storms arise. They have to wake Jesus up before it is too late to calm the storm. Make sure Jesus isn’t asleep in your church, in your family, or in your life. 

Bro Denny: What does the Chinese church believe about the Holy Ghost? It seems very evident that they are a powerful people. How does this work out in their theology of the Spirit? 

Bro Paul: They believe it is God’s command to every believer to be baptized by the Holy Ghost. They also believe that we must have continual fillings as our life goes on in the Lord Jesus. This is the primary reason for all the amazing things that we have shared in the meeting. Imagine how different the American Christians would be if millions of them would be filled with the Spirit. 

Bro Denny: What does the Chinese church believe about holy living? This is an area of much confusion here in America. The professing church is filled with worldliness. 

Bro Paul: They are conservative Christians. They order their lives according to the word of God. Many do not have Bibles, but those who do study much to see what God says about living a Christian life. Their women are modest, in spirit and in their clothing. The Chinese culture is different from American culture, but what they wear is modest. They are all poor, so they have no problems with fashion. This matter of holy living is a real problem to them when they try to relate to Christians from the West. They struggle when denominations try to claim them as “one of us,” when they are very different. 

Bro Denny: Some of the testimonies about healing are amazing. They cause me to sit in astonishment as I hear them. Could you elaborate on the subject of healing a bit more? How often do things like what we heard tonight happen? What is their theology of healing? 

Bro Ren: First, let me answer the theology part of the question. They have a very simple theology about healing. They believe that God is a healer. It is simply one of the many manifestations of His holy character. In America, you believe that God can heal. In China, they believe He does ALL the time. It is according to your faith and ours. You receive what you believe. The people are poor and cannot afford to go to the doctor. Because of this, they have to trust in God in ways that American’s do not. Healings happen all the time, but people also have sickness that they have to deal with. Poverty and persecution brings extra hardships upon them, and thus they get sick more often. Sometimes God heals, and sometimes He does not. God is sovereign. 

Bro Denny: Could you also comment on some of the other miracles that you share tonight? It is hard for us to relate to so many supernatural happenings. How does this affect the church there? 

Bro Paul: They believe in a miracle working God. At first, in the beginning of the revival, everyone was astonished as well. As God began to work many miracles, the church just began to expect miracles. It is not a distraction as it is in the West. Miracles happen at a meeting, and the preacher just goes right on preaching the Gospel. THERE IS AN EXPECTATION THAT GOD WILL CONFIRM HIS WORD WITH MIRACLES. Eighty percent of the church has experienced miracles of some sort or another. Because of this, they expect them. They never glorify the miracles; they glorify God. The gift of miracles is in the Bible, and God works through this gift to honor His name. 

Bro Denny: Have you ever heard of someone being raised from the dead? 

Bro Ren: Oh yes, it happens quite often.  Many times when someone is killed, or dies from persecution, the leaders will go where the body is to pray and find out if God would have the person live again. 

Bro Denny: I have often said in my preaching, “When persecution comes, true unity will come with it, because there will be no mixture with the world.” In light of this, what do they believe about unity?  We have all this ecumenical confusion here in our land. 

Bro Paul: Again, their theology is very simple. Their unity is based on the essentials of the faith and true marks of discipleship. They say, “Disciples witness, and are persecuted because they witness.” This is where the lines of unity are drawn. There are differences among them, but they do not allow these to divide them in the war for souls.  They believe there is more that unifies them than there is that separates them. 

Bro Denny: Could you comment on the name given to these Chinese Christians. I am referring to the name “house churches.” What is the significance of this name? 

Bro Ren: The name signifies several different things.  First , the name is given because they meet in houses.  There are several reasons for this, and I will comment on them in a moment.  The second reason has to do with a distinction between them and the registered churches, which meet in buildings. The last reason is the most important one,  they call themselves house churches out of conviction.  They meet in homes because they believe it is more biblical. It is also true that they have to because of persecution, but the primary reason is evangelical in nature.  Even if the government of china allowed them liberty to meet openly, they would still meet in houses.  Meeting in homes is one of the greatest keys to the tremendous growth of the church. The more meeting places, the more they can win the lost to Christ. In addition, when they meet in houses, it does not cost them any money. Finances often slow church growth. 

Bro Denny: Could you tell me what the church services are like when they meet together and feel free? I know there are times when they have to be quiet, but what is it like when they are free? 

Bro Ren: The Chinese Christians are a lively, responsive congregation when they gather in freedom. They sing some hymns and some choruses, and the singing is wholehearted. During the preaching and open testimonies, there are lots of amens and hallelujahs. They meet in forests and caves to do this so they will not be heard. 

Bro Denny: You mentioned in your presentation that revival has been continuing for decades. Can you give me some reasons why it does not grow cold or stop? 

Bro Paul: As I see it, there are two reasons. First, the church is busy fulfilling God’s purposes for it on the earth. That purpose is evangelism. As God’s people do His work, He continues to pour out His Spirit upon them. This is a secret to ongoing revival. The Chinese church has a powerful vision of the Great Commission.  They believe it is the Church’s responsibility to preach the Gospel to their generation. The second reason flows out of the first.  Because of their persistence in preaching the Gospel, they are persecuted repeatedly. This persecution brings purifying, and that brings more anointing. These two work together to create an atmosphere of revival. Bro Ren: There is another reason why they still have revival. The church leaders are careful to give the Holy Spirit His place in directing the work. They allow God’s Spirit free course to move how and where He will. They see the American church as one that is too organized. The leaders have a saying about revival that I feel is helpful. They call it, “How to kill a Revival.”  

-Man wants to organize it to suit his understanding.       

-Then after he has it organized, he then secures himself a  position in it.       

-Once this is done, the Spirit is grieved, and slowly withdraws.       

-Then the Revival becomes a history class, and everyone talks about it in the past. 

Bro Denny: Could you comment on the eschatology of the house churches? What is their end time theology? 

Bro Paul: Their theology is again very simple. They believe that Jesus Christ is coming again. He is coming for His bride who has made herself ready. As far as the details of how all this will happen, there are some differences. These differences do not divide them. The strongest point of their theology has to do with evangelism.  They believe the gospel must be preached among all nations, and then shall the end come. They get this from Matt. 24:14. Because of this belief, they have strong convictions about evangelism. They believe that if you are not actively busy preaching to others, you are hindering the second coming of Christ, and you need to repent. 

Bro Denny: For my last question, let’s talk a little about the leaders of this movement. The church is growing at a very fast rate, and yet it is underground. Therefore, it would be hard to give much formal training to the leaders. From an American perspective, many would believe you cannot lead a church until you have had much formal training. Obviously, this training is not happening in China, yet the church is thriving. How can this be? Can you explain some of preparations the leaders receive? 

Bro Ren: Most of the top leaders are very poor. The strongest point of their character is love. They pour out their lives for the persecuted sheep in China both in labors and by subjecting themselves to the dangers of imprisonment. One wrong move and they sit in a prison cell for five or ten years. This is love as many in America have never known. They do train their leaders. The training, however, is very simple. They train them in three major areas. Let me state them briefly. •They teach them how to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and walk with Him daily. Then from that walk, they must learn how to witness for Christ in a dangerous hostile environment. •They teach them how to die daily and how to die really. These are both very important because of the persecutions leaders face. • They teach them how to escape the police when they are caught, and how to escape from prison if God says “Run.” The word of God is very important to these leaders. They have memorized and internalized many chapters of the Bible. They cannot carry a Bible around in their hands, so they make sure that they can carry one in their heart. The fire of the Holy Ghost is also very important in ministry. These men are constantly being empowered by the Spirit. This is leadership in China, and this is how the church spreads so rapidly. 

Bro Denny: Thank you for taking the time to share with me. I am deeply challenged by the answers to my questions. I know the hearts of the people who will read this article. They will be thrilled and humbled by our Chinese brethren. May God help us. We lack in so many of these areas, but we want to change. 

This concludes the interview about the Chinese House Churches. What can I say? Some of this material is almost hard to believe with my American mindset. My heart unites with the father who had a demon-possessed boy in Mark 9:23-24, “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said, with tears, Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief.

Maybe we need to join this father and cry out with tears unto the Lord.Zion in America must reckon with Zion in China. “This God is our God for ever and ever.” When Communism closed the doors to China in 1949, there were one million believers in China. Now, fifty years later, there are eighty million disciples of Jesus Christ. There are also many true Christians in the registered churches. Christ is building His Church in China, and the gates of hell are not prevailing against her. Praise ye the Lord. Dear brothers and sisters, let us repent of our lukewarmness and unbelief. Let us make our hearts and faces like the ones in the picture at the beginning of this article, and let us believe God for mighty things. The persecution will come. Most Christians in America acknowledge this. We need to get prepared. 

Revelation of God to Man

One fifth of the world’s population today is Chinese. China, occupying the third largest area on earth, has always fascinated modern western minds because of its more than 4,000 years of undivided history and culture. The great ancient wisdom manifested by Confucius (551 – 479 B.C.) and Lao Zi (570 B.C.) are gems in the spiritual treasures of the world. In the darkness of today’s lax morality, the light from this ancient jewel is still shining. If the Bible is a book for all peoples, it seems only reasonable to find China at least mentioned in the Bible! Does the Bible have anything to say about China? In searching for an answer to this intriguing question, let us start our quest by delving into a bit of China’s ancient history. For millennia, China has called herself “the land of God.” It would appear that the Hand of Omnipotence was leading this ancient civilization. In the annals of Chinese history, we do not find a single instance of God’s anger being poured out upon a Chinese city because of moral depravity, as happened to Sodom, Gomorrah, or Pompeii. Ancient Chinese art has never featured pornography or naked female sculptures—like that uncovered in Near and Middle East excavations.1 When it comes to China, however, you might agree that, for most people in the world today, the familiar image that comes to mind is not Confucius or high moral standards, but the Great Wall! Construction of the Great Wall was intensified by the first Chinese emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi (259 – 210 B.C.). The Middle Kingdom The Chinese nation, earlier known as the “Middle Kingdom,” dates back to 2205 B.C. with its first dynasty, the Xia, established by King Yu. Even today in China, King Yu is still well-remembered as “the great Yu.” He was favored by Shangdi [the God of Heaven] who instructed him in the nine methods which enabled him to solve the problem of draining a huge flood that prevented further development and habitation of their land.2 King Yu was also renowned as a virtuous and exemplary ruler, providing a fitting pattern for later rulers to emulate. Following the Xia were the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Each of these kingdoms ruled over many states, some of these states having more extensive land and greater power than the royal dynasty itself. We will learn that most of the many kings of these first three dynasties served as Heaven-appointed agents, ministering by love rather than by force. During the later Zhou dynasty, the rulers of the eastern states fought one another for the control of all China. In 221 B.C., the Qin State defeated all its rivals and established China’s first empire controlled by a strong self-imposed emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi. Thus China entered its fourth dynasty, the Qin, (221 – 206 B.C.). To keep out invaders, Qin Shi Huangdi ordered the construction, repair and strengthening of the Great Wall, which, with its eventual completion, stretches about 4,000 miles. It was built with the blood and tears shed by thousands of slave workers under ruthless oppression, and was finished several centuries after the Qin dynasty. The Great Wall, the greatest human project in the history of mankind, has a sad history. Many of the 300,000 workers, who suffered from a most inhumane and cold-blooded treatment, lie entombed within its massive structure. Even though the Great Wall today is a symbol of unity and peace for the Chinese, no one can forget the high price paid to keep out potential foreign aggressors. Now, more than 2,200 years after Qin Shi Huangdi, the Great Wall has gradually become a landmark of unity for Chinese all over the world, and an identifying symbol of China. The name of “China” in all foreign languages of the world finds its root in the Qin [Chin] Dynasty. Back to our opening question: does the Bible, which is meant for all people of the world, have anything to say about the land of China? The Holy Bible, inspired by the Holy Spirit of God and written by more than 40 authors over a period of 1,600 years, faithfully records the words of the God of the universe. It is a treasure mine of priceless truth. It is the great standard of right and wrong, clearly defining sin and holiness. Of all the books that have flooded the world, however valuable, the Bible is the most deserving of our closest study and attention. The Bible opens the history of past ages. Without it we should have been left to fables and speculation regarding occurrences in past eras. This sacred volume gives not only an accurate history of the creation of this world, a history of our human race, but also the world’s only authentic account of the origin of nations. It contains instruction concerning the wonders of the universe, and reveals God as the Author of the heavens and the earth. The Scriptures unfold a simple and complete system of theology and philosophy. Without the Bible, we are soon enveloped by false theories, superstition, and spiritual darkness. Although unappreciated by many in today’s secular world, the Bible is, in fact, the foundation of all true knowledge, for it is the revelation of God to man. Throughout the ages God’s divine hand has preserved its purity. The many mysteries found in the Bible are perhaps the strongest evidence of its divine inspiration. One of these mysteries is Bible prophecy—foretelling persons or events in the future. In the entire Bible there are thousands of prophecies. By now, most of them have been exactly fulfilled in time and place as predicted. The rise and fall of nations have been foretold in the Bible long before they happened. Some prophecies are yet to be fulfilled in due time. This is entirely beyond human comprehension! Jesus clearly revealed God’s purpose for giving prophecies when He said: “And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.” (John 14: 29). One of the most powerful, yet often neglected, Bible prophecies that might bring conviction to the Chinese, as well as the world, is the prophecy of China written by Isaiah (720 – 680 B.C.). The Land of Sinim The ancient Dead Sea Scrolls,3 found in 1947, include the book of Isaiah, and once again confirm that today’s Bible is accurate and reliable. This verse in Isaiah is thought to refer to China: Surely these shall come from afar; Look, those from the north and the west; And these from the land of Sinim. (Isaiah 49: 12). You may wonder what the word “Sinim” means. Where is this land of Sinim, mentioned by Isaiah before his service was terminated in 680 B.C.?4 According to Strong’s Concordance, “Sinim is a distant Oriental region.”5 Young’s Concordance reports, “Sinim is a people in the far east; the Chinese?”6 However, the meaning is still not quite clear. Let us now check an English dictionary for help: “‘Sino’ indicates Chinese; for example, Sinophile. [French, from Late Latin ‘Sinae;’ the Chinese, from Greek ‘Sinai;’ from Arabic ‘Sin;’ China, from Chinese (Mandarin) ‘Ch’in’ [Qin], dynastic name of the country.]”7 Now it is clear that the Hebrew word “Sinim” means China, as can be seen, for example, in the word “sinology”—a study of things Chinese. As we mentioned earlier, all Chinese roots meet in the Qin dynasty. However, the Hebrew alphabet does not have the equivalent of “ch” in English and “Q” in Chinese. Thus “Qin” has been phonetically translated as “Sinim.” The Significance of Chin In Isaiah’s day, the state of Qin was only one of hundreds of states under Zhou (770 – 256 B.C.). It was located in the present Gansu Province through which trade with the West was conducted. How is it that Isaiah chose Qin to indicate the Middle Kingdom? What was so special about Qin? Rang Kung was appointed as the first Duke of Qin (770 B.C.), then a small, aristocratic house. Under his administration, the state of Qin emerged as one of the 14 major states under the Zhou dynasty.8 It was 500 years after Isaiah that Qin Shi Huangdi defeated all the other competitive states and established the Qin dynasty. From then on, Qin represented the Middle Kingdom [China]. Simply put, the God of Isaiah, with divine foreknowledge, saw all the stages in the development of Qin—from a small, dependent, aristocratic house to becoming the famous Qin empire. God knew that the Duke of Qin would become ever stronger, equal with those of the other 13 states. Furthermore, He foresaw that after another 500 years, the Dukedom of Qin would still exist, defeat all the other states, and unite them as one empire, even choosing “Qin” as the name for the new empire! Some attempt has been made to identify Sinim as Syene [Aswan] in upper Egypt. Yet a closer look at what Isaiah said precludes this opinion. Listen to what he said: Indeed He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 49: 6). God proclaimed here that the mission of His Servant [Jesus Christ] was not limited to the salvation of the Jewish nation and its colonies [like Aswan] alone, but is also extended to all Gentiles throughout the world. In fact, when Jesus affirmed the faith shown by the Roman centurion [a Gentile] He said, “And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 8: 11). Jesus used the expression, “from the east and west,” to represent all the Gentiles. Isaiah used the term, “those from the north and the west and these from the land of Sinim,” in the same sense. “These from the land of Sinim” should naturally be a large group of people among the Gentiles. Only China, not the small city Aswan, could fit the verse so well. Sinim and Today Isaiah’s prophecy about China did not stop with the Qin dynasty, but rather it extended into the future. Over the 2,600 years since Isaiah, many countries have come and gone, but the land of Sinim (Qin) still stands firm as the land of China. The most exciting phases of this prophecy relative to “Sinim” will surely continue to be fulfilled. Reading earlier verses in this 49th Chapter of Isaiah, we find these words: “That You [Jesus Christ] may say to the prisoners, ‘Go forth,’ To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves. . . .’ For He who has mercy on them will lead them, Even by the springs of water He will guide them. . . . Surely these shall come from afar; Look! Those from the north and the west, And these from the land of Sinim.” (Isaiah 49: 9, 10, 12). Isaiah’s foretelling of a final gathering of God’s faithful among those “in darkness” must indicate a multitude of peoples—even from China. Most of the people living in China, since Isaiah’s day, have been “in darkness” concerning the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. Yet here is a specific prophesy and a promise to bring “prisoners of darkness” in the land of Sinim to the light of salvation, freedom and mercy. We mentioned earlier that the Great Wall has forever been associated with the land of China—ever since the establishment of the Qin dynasty. The existence of the Great Wall is reminiscent of its first builder and planner. Hundreds of emperors have ruled and died in the long history of China. Most of them are forgotten. But the name of Qin Shi Huangdi stands out! The same prophet Isaiah foretold that the God of Israel paid the greatest price of all in sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to rescue fallen humanity! Jesus Christ came to earth, was nailed to a wooden cross, and died that all mankind might be rescued from sin. He would bear the nail print scars in the palms of His hands forever. Does the God of Israel know and care about the land of Sinim (China)? Listen to what He says right after the prophecy of China in this book: “Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.” (Isaiah 49: 15 – 16). The land of Sinim is still there. The massive Walls are still before the people of China and before the God of Israel. God has not forgotten the people of China, for He says, “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.” Jesus died for the people of China who must now come out of darkness. We must learn why it was necessary for this Holy Man, the suffering Servant, to die. Just as the Great Wall cannot be separated from the land of Sinim, so the Great Wall of defense from evil and sin, built at the cost of Jesus Christ’s blood on Calvary, cannot be separated from the God of Israel! One might ask if, since the God of heaven was so interested in Sinim as to speak through His prophet Isaiah regarding this distant nation, is there a possibility that God could have spoken directly to the people of China in past ages? Could He actually have raised up “prophets” for Himself in this ancient land? If so, could these ancient Chinese wise men yet speak to the people of China today? Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from Samuel Wang and Dr. Ethel Nelson’s new book, God and the Ancient Chinese, which is now available. We trust that it will benefit all who read it both intellectually and spiritually. End Notes 1 David L. Lin, China Letters (Rapidan: Hartland Publications, 1993), p.16. 2 James Legge, The Chinese Classics (Taipei: SMC Publishing, Inc., 1983), Vol. III, The Shu Jing, The Book of Yu, The Tribute of Yu, Bk. IV, p.77, Bk. I, Pt. III, pp. 93 – 151. 3 Some believe that Chapters 40 – 55 of Isaiah were written by an anonymous author, called Deutero-Isaiah, or the “Second Isaiah,” in the first half of sixth century. But most Bible scholars believe that the book was written by Isaiah the prophet, himself. They point out that the internal evidence of the book is consistent with one author. 4 The Nelson Study Bible, NKJV (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995), p. 1109. 5 James H. Strong, Exhaustive Concordance, p. 5515. 6 Young’s Analytic Concordance to the Bible (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1973), p. 893. 7 The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (Boston: Hough-ton Mifflin Company, 1973), p.1209. 8 Luo Xianglin, The History of China (Taipei: Zhengzhong Press, 1977), p. 63.

By Samuel Wang & Ethel R. NelsonThis is an excerpt from the book, God and the Ancient Chinese.

If the Bible is a book for all peoples, it seems only reasonable to find China a least mentioned in the Bible!

Now, more than 2,200 years after Qin Shi Huangdi, the Great Wall has gradually become a landmark of unity for Chinese all over the world, and an identifying symbol of China

One of the most powerful, yet often neglected, Bible prophecies that might bring conviction to the Chinese, as well as the world, is the prophecy of China written by Isaiah

Now it is clear that the Hebrew word “Sinim” means China, as can be seen, for example, in the word “sinology” — a study of things Chinese

Isaiah’s prophecy about China did not stop with the Qin dynasty, but rather it extended into the future

Isaiah’s foretelling of a final gathering of God’s faithful among those “in darkness” must indicate a multitude of peoples— even from China

China Closes Christian-Linked Businesses
10 October 2007
Associated Press Newswires
(c) 2007. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

BEIJING (AP) – China has closed two businesses whose owners allegedly sought Christian converts in a traditionally Muslim region and also revoked the visa of an American citizen for illegal proselytizing, a rights group said Wednesday.The companies’ business licenses were pulled last month by authorities in the Xinjiang region of western China after they were accused of distributing religious material, converting Muslims and conducting “infiltration activities,” the U.S.-based China Aid Association said in a news release.

The group did not identify the American citizen whose visa was revoked, citing ongoing legal issues within China. It was not immediately clear whether the individual had been deported.

Efforts to contact the companies cited by the association were unsuccessful. At one, a branch of Xinjiang Pacific Agricultural Resources Development Company, Ltd., no one answered the phone. The other company, Xinjiang Jiaerhao Foodstuff Company Limited reportedly owned by a Muslim convert, had no listed number.

A woman who answered the phone at the regional government’s religious affairs bureau said she had no information about the companies or the accused American.

The report follows word this summer that China had kicked out more than 100 suspected foreign missionaries, including many in Xinjiang, in a campaign to prevent proselytizing ahead of next year’s Beijing Summer Olympics.

Christian mission groups from around the world say they plan to quietly defy the Chinese ban on foreign missionaries and send thousands of volunteer evangelists to Beijing next year.

Evangelicals worked the crowds at the Olympics in Athens, Sydney and Atlanta but the groups say the Beijing Games offer an opening like no other in the communist country.

China bans open proselytizing and worship outside the Communist Party-controlled official church. However, foreign faithful who live in China are often able to evangelize privately while working as English teachers, humanitarian workers or in business.
Two American Companies and Two Chinese Companies Ordered to Shutdown in Xinjiang for alleged Religious Infiltration
China Aid Association, Inc.
Tel: (267) -205-5210 Fax: (432)-686-8355
E-mail: info@ChinaAid.org
Website: http://www.chinaaid.org/ http://www.monitorchina.org/
Contact: Bob Fu (267) 205-5210
Photo: scanned copy of the shutdown company decision

Midland, Texas (October 10, 2007) – China Aid Association learned that Xinjiang government has ordered at least four companies to shutdown revoking their business liscences and visas for alleged religious infiltration among Xingjiang muslims.

American businessmen expelled and companies closed
According to an internal document obtained by China Aid, one Municipal Committee for Ethnic Religious Affairs (the specific location and names were omitted due to the ongoing legal trial inside China for this case) issued an “Notification and Confirmation Statement on the Illegal Religious Infiltration Activities by xxx” on September 10, 2007. The document said “through tips from the people and investigations conducted by this committee, it is confirmed that xxx, with xxx nationality, Passport No. xxx, has been engaging in religious infiltration activities in xxx area since 2000 in the name of doing business.” This American businessman were accused of “ preaching Christianity among people of Uyghur nationality, distributing religious propaganda materials, and converting people into Christians. His conduct has seriously violated the following laws, statutes, and related regulations” .

Along with other violations, the accused American businessman was said to have violated Article 2 of “Notice on Strengthening the Administration on Christianity and Catholicism” promulgated by United Front Work Department of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region that states: “One may not convert people of minority nationalities who believe in Islam and Lamaism. One may not convert people in border regions.”

At the end of the document, the official secret investigation concluded that the accused American businessman’s “conduct of illegal religious infiltration has seriously violated the laws and statutes of the People’s Republic of China. We hereby notify him: “Immediately stop the illegal religious activities.” Pursuant to the provisions in “Law of the People’s Republic of China on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Aliens,” xxx Municipal Public Security Bureau has rendered the penalty”. The penality has been carried out by revoking his Chinese visa.

Another similar case involved an American Christian businesman who has been doing business in Xinjinag for 16 years and he was ordered to leave China with his business liscence revoked by the end of September.

Two Chinese Christian owned companies shut down

Meanwhile two Chinese Christian owned companies in Xinjiang were also ordered to close. Luofu Branch of Xinjiang Pacific Agricultural Resources Development Company, Ltd. received a notification on September 20, 2007 from the Bureau of Administration of Industry and Commerce of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region accusing that company “involving serious illegal conduct of illegally spreading Christianity, engaging in infiltration activities, and endangering the security of the state, social, and political stability.”

Their license was revoked: http://www.monitorchina.org/english_site/document_details.php?id=4966

http://www.monitorchina.org/english_site/document_details.php?id=4964

http://www.monitorchina.org/english_site/document_details.php?id=4967

Another Christian owned company Xinjiang Jiaerhao Foodstuff Company Limited owned by a Muslim convert Mr. Alimujiang Yimiti was also ordered to shut down by Kashi Municipal Bureau for Ethnic Religious Affairs on September 13, 2007. In a “Confirmation Notification on Alimujiang Yimiti’s Illegal Religious Infiltration Activities in Kashi,” the Kashi Municipal Bureau for Ethnic Religious Affairs accused Mr. Alimujiang Yimiti “having been engaging in illegal religious infiltration activities in Kashi region in the name of doing company business and preached Christianity among people of Uyghur ethnicity. He distributed religious propaganda materials and converted people to Christianity. His conduct has seriously violated the following laws, statutes, and relevant stipulations”.

Reliable sources showed over 50 foreign Christian workers accused of being involved in illegal religious activities in Xinjiang have been expelled or deported in the past 6 months. Sources inside the Chinese government informed CAA that the Chinese government launched a massive expulsion campaign of foreign Christians, encoded Typhoon No. 5, in February 2007. This campaign is believed to be part of the “anti-infiltration” efforts to prevent foreign Christians from engaging in mission activities before the Beijing Olympics next year.

“To shut down legitmate businesses based on religious affiliation is another form of religious persecution in China,” said Bob Fu, President of CAA. “It will shake the confidence of foreign investers to China in the long run.”

© Issued by CAA on October 10, 2007.

Over 100 Foreign Missionaries Expelled by Chinese Government Secret CampaignContact: Bob Fu, China Aid Association, Inc., 267-205-5210, info@ChinaAid.org; www.chinaaid.org, www.monitorchina.org

MIDLAND, Texas, July 10 /Christian Newswire/ — China Aid Association confirms that a central government-directed campaign to expel suspected foreign missionaries has been ongoing since February 2007.

Typhoon No. 5 Campaign

According to reliable China Aid sources and collaborated reports by at least five different mission agencies, over 100 foreigners accused of being involved in illegal religious activities in China have been expelled or deported this year between April and June. Sources inside the Chinese government informed CAA that the Chinese government launched a massive expulsion campaign of foreign Christians, encoded Typhoon No. 5, in February 2007. This campaign is believed to be part of the “anti-infiltration” efforts to prevent foreign Christians from engaging in mission activities before the Beijing Olympics next year.

Citizens from six countries working in Xinjiang, Beijing and Tibet targeted

Most of those expelled are citizens from the United States, South Korea, Singapore, Canada, Australia, and Israel. They were expelled when they were either working or visiting in Xinjiang, Beijing, Tibet, or Shandong.

According to an American who had been working in Xinjiang for 10 years and wants to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the topic, over 60 foreign religious workers were expelled from Xinjiang alone. Some of the workers had been serving the local people for 15-18 years before they were asked to leave in the past few months. At least 15 Christian couples from the United States and other countries were expelled from Beijing in the month of May. Two American English teachers sent by the English Language Institute/China (ELIC) were expelled from Tibet. ELIC (www.elic.org), a California based Christian organization, is the largest English teacher-sending organization to China and has trained thousands of Chinese college and high school students since the 1990s.

On May 31, 2007, one Israeli Jewish Christian and an American were arrested and expelled from Linyi City, Shandong province when they worshiped together with 70 House Church leaders. Only July 1, three American Christians from Indiana were detained in Beijing and then forced to leave China after their US passports were taken away for 3 to 5 days by Chinese security agents.

Consulate Protection Rights Violated

According to CAA’s private interviews with some of the expelled Americans, the Chinese PSB confiscated their passports for 2-7 days and treated them professionally while they were interrogated. They were not allowed to have access to US Embassy in Beijing, a direct violation of US-China consulate protection agreements. Some will not be allowed to return to China for 5 years.

This is the largest expulsion of foreign missionaries since 1954 when the Chinese Communist government expelled all foreign religious workers after taking power in 1949. The Chinese government refuses to recognize foreign missionary status in China so many missionaries choose to work in the education or business sectors as ways to stay in China.

“Given the significant contribution to the Chinese people made by those expelled foreigners, this campaign is certainly misguided and counter-productive,” said Bob Fu, President of CAA. “We call upon the Chinese government to correct this wrong by allowing these selfless good-hearted people of faith back into China.”
Issued by CAA on July 10, 2007.

In the 1940s the Lord raised up a young man named Simon Zhao who became the principle leader of the second generation of workers in the Back to Jerusalem movement.

Simon Zhao

Although he was a young man in his late 20s, Simon Zhao was appointed the leader of preaching and evangelism in the Northwest Spiritual Movement.

Born on June 1, 1918, Simon Zhao (whose original name was Zhao Haizhen) was originally from Shenyang in Liaoning Province in northeast China. His father died when Simon was a young boy, and his mother was forced to raise the children alone. She was a beautiful woman. On several occasions the village leader came to their home and tried to lure her to commit adultery with him. He brought her expensive gifts but grew more and more frustrated as she repulsed his advances. Finally, tired of her resistance, he raped her.

When little Simon found out what had happened to his beloved mother he was furious. He told his mother that when he grew up he would become a county leader so that he could bring the man to justice for the wrongs done to her. His mother replied, “It’s no use. The county leaders are just as corrupt as that evil village leader.”

“Then I will become higher than the county leaders!” Simon exclaimed.

“It’s no use. The provincial leaders are just as corrupt as the county leaders,” his mother replied.

“Then I will be a higher leader than the provincial leaders!”

“Again, son, it’s no use. The emperor is just the same.”

Simon was heartbroken and angry and asked his mother, “Then who is more powerful than the emperor? Where can we go for justice?”

His mother replied, “Only God can grant justice, my son.”

“Then I will become a god!” the zealous little boy concluded.

The wound in Simon’s heart did not mend. In his teens he pursued a career as a writer and used his skills to expose the village leader’s crimes in a local newspaper. Yet his anger still burned.

Many years later, Simon Zhao met God. He found that he no longer hated and sought revenge on the man who had violated his mother. His goals in life had changed, and now all he wanted to do was preach the gospel and make the glory of God known.

It was during a prayer meeting in Shenyang that the Lord first gave Simon a vision. It was winter and very cold. Outside the house where the believers prayed, the snowdrifts grew so high that the doors were blocked and they could not leave. As three believers were praying over a map of China, the Lord focused their thoughts on the northwest province of Xinjiang. They placed their hands over that part of China on the map and prayed with great authority. Before that day they had never seriously considered ministry in the remote northwest.

Later, in Nanjing, Simon met other Christians who had received exactly the same vision from God to take the gospel to Xinjiang and the regions beyond. Among them was a young woman named Wen Muling, who later became his wife. She was a fourth generation descendent of a Qing dynasty imperial officer.

Three teams set out to join in the harvest. The first group reached Xinjiang, and was followed by Simon Zhao’s group. Later a third group, under the leadership of Zhu Congen from Zibo in Shandong Province, made their way on foot into Xinjiang after the advent of Communism in China in 1949.

The group led by Simon Zhao and his wife left Nanjing and travelled to Xinjiang via Shaanxi Province. For much of the way they went on foot, but there were some areas such as the desert where it was impossible to walk, and so they also travelled on horseback, camelback, and occasionally by vehicle, all the time heading for the northwest border with the Soviet Union. On the way they won many soldiers to faith in Christ, for it was a troubled time in China’s history with civil war and widespread internal chaos.

Eventually they reached Hami on the eastern edge of Xinjiang and joined members of the North West [Spiritual Movement] who had arrived there a year or two previously. Eager to plant the gospel on virgin soil, Zhao headed south with five fellow workers to Hetian, a remote oasis town in the far south of Xinjiang, in the winter of 1950. But two weeks after they arrived the Public Security Bureau ordered them to leave. So they were forced to move even further west to Kashgar, where in September 1949 the Band had set up a preaching station at Shule…. They arrived in January 1950 to a chaotic situation. The gospel compound had been taken over by armed soldiers who claimed there had been a ‘counter-revolutionary incident.’ Uncle Simon did not know what to make of it. But within a few days he was arrested and placed in prison.[2]

Every member of the Northwest Spiritual Movement was sentenced to prison, for various lengths of time. The five leaders were given extremely harsh sentences – Simon Zhao was the only one to see out his sentence alive. His wife was pregnant at the time of their arrest, but soon after she suffered a miscarriage. In 1959 she died in the women’s prison, but cruelly, Simon wasn’t told about it until 1973.

During the first few weeks and months in the Kashgar prison labour camp, the guards tried to make Simon renounce his faith, but they soon learned this would not work. They ordered him to stop praying and beat him every time they found him doing so. He never stopped praying, but learned to do so in secret when nobody was watching.

After some time the prison authorities thought he must have changed because they never saw him praying, so they ordered the former writer to pen a column for the prison newspaper, praising the transforming power of the Communist system.

He commenced work on the article, which greatly pleased the prison authorities. When they saw what he had written, however, they flew into a rage and realized they had been tricked. His article consisted of a short poem about the beauty of Jesus and a sketch of the cross.

The prison guards beat him by slamming a heavy wooden bench on his back and kicked him mercilessly. The local authorities punished him by extending his prison sentence for many more years and sending him to work in a coal mine, where most prisoners died within six months because of the inhuman conditions and backbreaking work. Every day he was required to meet a quota of several tons of coal, a task humanly impossible for such a small and frail man. Not only did he have to mine the coal, he also had to carry it out of the mine in a basket tied to his back.

The prisoners were forced to work 14 hours a day, seven days a week. The food was meagre and rancid. In the summer, there was sweltering heat; in the harsh winter, temperatures were well below freezing. Simon Zhao became a living miracle of God’s sustaining power. Hundreds of fellow prisoners came to the coal mine, most of them physically stronger than Simon, only to die within a few months of their arrival.

For years Simon discreetly witnessed to many of his fellow prisoners, and some believed. There were a few other Christian pastors in the labour camp with him, but the authorities placed them in separate cells and work units, allowing Simon only fleeting moments of contact with them. For all the years he remained in confinement, Simon was not allowed to receive any visitors. He knew in his heart that nobody remembered him anyway in this remote Muslim border town, thousands of miles from his home.

Except for the faithful presence of his Lord, who had promised never to leave him or forsake him, Simon felt completely alone and abandoned. Back in his home province of Liaoning on the opposite side of the country, his relatives did not know whether he was dead or alive, and as the years of silence stretched into decades, few people thought about or prayed for him.

The Back to Jerusalem vision truly went underground. The seed had died.

Simon later recalled how, during those harsh years, he would look up at the stars and remember the vision God had given him and his co-workers to take the gospel all the way back to Jerusalem on foot. He had heard that his precious wife and unborn child were dead, but knew nothing about what had happened to his co-workers. So in the early years of his imprisonment, when the guards and his fellow prisoners weren’t watching, Simon often prayed, “Lord, I will never be able to go back to Jerusalem, but I pray you will raise up a new generation of Chinese believers who will complete the vision.” But over time Simon Zhao lost the fire and passion for the Back to Jerusalem vision, although he never denied the Lord Jesus who had given him that vision.

After many years of suffering in the coal mine Simon was almost dead, so the prison authorities transferred him to a chemical factory in another area of Xinjiang. Although this was a commercial factory, they used prisoners as their main source of labour.

This new job was little better than the mine, for he was daily exposed to toxic gases and poisonous chemicals. Every evening after work he returned to the prison, where the beatings continued. Now, however, most of them were at the hands of his fellow prisoners. The guards had devised a plan to get the prisoners to vent their frustrations on each other, rewarding those who reported on the behaviour of others. Being a hated Christian whom the authorities had never been able to break, Simon Zhao was a particularly easy target for brutal men.

Yet God had not forgotten him. On one occasion in the midst of a severe winter, the prison guards refused to let Simon stay in the heated cell block. They stripped him to his underwear and forced him to stand outside in the snow. As they pushed him out the door they mocked him, saying, “You believe in your God, so why don’t you pray to him and ask him to keep you warm!”

For the first few minutes the cold wind tore into his flesh like a razor. Simon cried out to the Lord for mercy – and something amazing happened. He felt a tremendous warmth, so much so that he soon had sweat dripping off his body as though he were relaxing in a sauna! The snow around his feet started to melt away from the warmth emanating from his body. He called out to his cell mates inside and when they looked out the window they could scarcely believe their eyes. Steam was rising from his body!

Yet such dramatic miracles were uncommon, and he suffered terribly. Hundreds of times he was beaten mercilessly. The majority of the prisoners were ethnic Uygurs, the predominant Muslim people in Xinjiang. The Uygur prisoners were especially cruel to Simon because he was a hated Chinese “pig eater”. He later described the way the Uygurs beat him as “the same way they surround and pounce on a goat just before they kill it”.

Once he was beaten and kicked so severely that his skull was fractured and he fell to the ground unconscious. While unconscious, he had a vision in which the Lord spoke lovingly to him, “My child, I am with you. I shall never leave you or forsake you.” Regaining consciousness at that moment, he had no idea how long he had been out. He was dizzy and unsure of where he was. He touched his head on the spot where his skull had been smashed and discovered that the wound had miraculously healed, although there was dried blood on that spot.

Simon Zhao was beaten for most of the thirty-one years he spent in prison. It was only during the last several years – when he was an elderly man in his sixties – that he wasn’t subjected to physical torture.

During those long years behind bars he wrote this poem:

I want to experience the same pain and suffering

Of Jesus on the cross

The spear in his side, the pain in his heart

I’d rather feel the pain of shackles on my feet

Than ride through Egypt in Pharaoh’s chariot.

One day in 1981 the prison superintendent ordered Simon to come to the main office. He walked down the corridor a little apprehensively, wondering if he had managed to get himself into more trouble. He hoped something hadn’t happened that would further extend his punishment.

The superintendent invited Simon to sit down and fumbled through a thick file as he puffed on a cigarette. Finally he spoke, “The government of the People’s Republic of China has decided to have mercy on you and show you lenience for the crimes you have committed against our nation. I have been authorized to release you. You are free to go.”

The man of God shuffled back to his cell dazed and numb. He had never expected this day would come.

When he was first arrested in 1950, he was in the prime of his life, an energetic man in his early 30s. His beautiful young wife was expecting their first child. God had called them to take the gospel back to Jerusalem and despite the dangers and many challenges, his life was rewarding and exciting. Now, 31 years later, he was in his sixties, with white hair and a white beard.

Simon walked out the prison gates into a completely different China from the one he had known. He had missed all but the first few months of Mao Zedong’s reign, including Mao’s death in 1976. He had missed the insane Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976, when millions of people were killed by the fanatical Red Guards. He was now an old man with little strength. His body was damaged from decades of beatings, torture and hard work, and his face was marked with deep lines revealing the struggle of more than three decades in the lion’s den.

Nobody in the whole of China was waiting for him. Everyone he knew 31 years earlier had either died or long forgotten about him. He had nowhere to go and nobody to see. He didn’t have a clue what he should do. With no money or friends, he could not even afford to catch a bus into the city.

The prison labour camp had been a part of his life for so long that he decided to construct a makeshift hut just outside the entrance to the prison. As he lay in this damp, cold hut, his mind sometimes wandered back to his life as a young man and the call God had once given him. He had faithfully tried to obey God, but it hadn’t worked out. He hoped he would soon die, for he knew that heaven was a much better place and the pain and confusion he had experienced for so long would be removed forever.

For months he remained there, silent except for his daily prayers of thanksgiving to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who had kept his promise and never forsaken him during all those painful years. Without Jesus Christ, Simon knew he would have died a thousand deaths. The living Christ had kept him alive and sane, and had helped him to never renounce his faith in God. Simon knew that no matter how lonely a person is in this world, Jesus will always be there as “a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Prov. 18:24).

After some time local Christians in Kashgar learned about Simon Zhao and heard his testimony. Out of respect they brought the old saint food and a Bible and helped him however they could.

News spread from church to church in Xinjiang about Simon, and soon the news was carried back to other parts of China that a miracle man had been sustained by the power of God during 31 years in prison for the sake of the gospel.

Starting in the late 1960s, God poured his Spirit out on Henan Province and many millions of people experienced God’s salvation there. Henan became known as the centre of revival in China and was given the nickname “the Galilee of China” – the place where Jesus’ disciples come from.

Many of the house church leaders in Henan had heard about the original Back to Jerusalem workers in the 1940s. Our knowledge of the details of those early workers was somewhat sketchy, but when we heard that one of the top leaders was now out of prison, we were eager to meet him and learn from him.

Some of our co-workers were ministering in Kashgar. They met Simon Zhao and sent us letters informing us of his story. Our church members in Kashgar loved him like their own father and enjoyed very close fellowship with him. He had been deprived of fellowship with other believers for decades, but now the Lord gave him spiritual sons and daughters who deeply respected him. Women from the church cooked for him, washed his clothes, and helped him however they could. They treated him as they would an angel of God.

Finally a group of house church leaders caught trains and buses all the way across China because we felt we had to meet Simon Zhao for ourselves. After more than a week of travelling, we reached Kashgar and met a broken, humble servant of God.

At that time we published a magazine which we used to encourage believers in the house churches. Simon Zhao refused to write any articles or share his testimony. We tried to show him that the current generation of Chinese believers needed to learn how the Lord had taken him through so many years of suffering. He always declined our offers, saying, “I don’t want to have any attention focused on me.”

Throughout the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and into the 1980s, there had been no active talk about taking the gospel Back to Jerusalem. Times were so dark for believers in China that it took all of our energy and prayers just to survive those years with our faith intact. But in the early 1990s, the Lord showed us that it was important for Simon Zhao to come to Henan Province to share his testimony with our house church Christians in order to inspire them to carry on the vision God had given him almost fifty years before.

One sister traveled by train and bus all the way to Kashgar to prayerfully persuade him to reconsider. Every day she was away we prayed that the Lord would grant her success. To start with, Simon Zhao was hesitant. He said, “The Lord called me to go west back to Jerusalem and here in Xinjiang I am at least on the way. Why should I travel back east again and go further away from Jerusalem? Why don’t you leave me alone to die here in Kashgar?”

This sister is very persistent in the Lord! She wouldn’t take no for an answer and followed Uncle Simon wherever he went, repeatedly asking in a loving manner if he would come back to Henan. She assured him that we had no intention of taking him away from the front line of the battle. We only wanted to bring him back to where there were thousands of new troops who needed training and equipping if the Back to Jerusalem mission was to be rekindled in the life of the Chinese church. She explained that his vision could be multiplied many times over and that thousands of new recruits would be sent back to fight on the front lines if he would just come and share his story.

Finally Simon Zhao realized this sister would not give him any peace until he agreed to return to Henan Province with her. He started to realize that it must be the Lord who had given this woman such stubborn persistence! When he prayed about returning to eastern China, the Lord confirmed that he should go by giving him a Scripture that was deeply personal and brought healing after all the years of suffering and loneliness he had endured:

“Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labour; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the Lord. “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities. Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your Maker is your husband – the Lord Almighty is his name – the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.” (Isa. 54:1–5)

We didn’t have any money to buy him a sleeping berth or even a seat on the four-day train journey across China. He just found a spot on the floor and curled up on a newspaper.

When he ministered to our churches in Henan it was very powerful and a fire was lit in the heart of everyone who heard him. Many tears flowed and thousands of believers were touched and received the vision for missionary work. Even Simon Zhao’s physical appearance was unique and added to his ministry. He looked like an ancient sage, with his long white beard and white hair.

For many house church leaders the Back to Jerusalem vision became very clear and God placed on us a heavy burden to see this vision fulfilled.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *

Simon Zhao finally went to be with the Lord on December 7, 2001. He was 83-years-old. He died in Pingdingshan, Henan Province, among Christians who loved him.

His life was a remarkable one. Like Joseph, Simon started with a dream from the Lord but before it came to fulfilment he was imprisoned and his vision was put in the ground where it died while he silently suffered unjust punishment for 31 years, remembered by no one but God.

Yet that was not the end of the story! Unbeknown to him, the Lord was sowing this same vision in the hearts of many Christians in China. After he was finally released from prison, God graciously gave him another twenty years of ministry.

The house church Christians treated Simon Zhao with the utmost respect in the Lord and honoured him as a prince in the house of God. Before he died he came to realize that “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable” (Rom. 11:29).

Simon Zhao learned that the Lord always finishes what he starts and is always faithful to fulfil his promises.

Notes:

[1]  Prayer letter of Miss Phyllis Thompson, March 3, 1949; cited in Tony Lambert, “Back to Jerusalem: Origins of a Missionary Vision (Part II),” China Insight, March-April 2003

[2]  Tony Lambert, “Back to Jerusalem: Uncle Simon,” China Insight, May-June 2003

Journey To The Secret Kingdom

By Elisabeth Farrell

There are 1.3 billion people in China today, and most of them don’t know Jesus Christ. Charisma sent a reporter there to learn how much work we must do to reach the world’s most populous nation.

The first day of my journey into China’s most remote region begins in Hong Kong. I came here with a tiny plastic bottle that is holding something so special that I hand-carry it across the border. It holds water from a lake near my house, along with some anointing oil from Israel. My pastor has prayed over it. Intercessors have laid hands on it. This bottle to me represents the power of the Holy Spirit.

If I’m stopped at the border, how can I explain that the Lord told me to take this water to the arid Gobi Desert and anoint the land? That desert is symbolic of the spiritual condition of the Uygurs (pronounced WEE-gurs)–the unreached people group that my team of undercover prayer warriors will endeavor to pray for during the next 14 days. There are 9 million Uygurs in China and only 50 known Christians–0.0000055 percent of their population.

The Uygurs are the largest people group in the world that does not have a complete Bible in their language (they speak Uygur, not Chinese). They have no pastor. No evangelist. There is not a single church in their region.

Because they are Muslims, they have nothing in common with average Chinese and are outside the reach of most evangelism efforts. By all criteria, they are completely untouched by the gospel. Every hour seven Uygurs die. They will spend eternity in hell without ever hearing about a God who loves them and died for them.

Am I fooling myself? Can our little team of four intercessors make a difference in the face of these horrifying statistics?

DAY 2: Xi’an

We arrive in Xi’an, a city on the western end of the ancient Silk Road. For thousands of years, traders traveled this route linking China and the East, exchanging not only silk but also ideas and ideologies–including Christianity and Islam.

In a few days, we’ll catch a train and retrace this route to remote northwest China where the Uygurs live. Meanwhile, we locate an obscure tablet commemorating the Nestorian Christians, who first brought Christianity to China in the seventh century.

The church they planted among the Uygurs lasted until the 14th century when Islam dealt it a deathblow. Our team member Brandon prays, thanking God for the Nestorians and asking for the honor of continuing their work among the Uygurs.

I’ve traveled with Brandon, Ruth and Glenn on previous prayer missions. Brandon is a former pastor who now works with a mission that leads short-term teams. Glenn, a builder by trade, is our evangelist and exhorter. My friend, Ruth, is a prayer warrior who was delivered from an occult background.

We think about the Nestorians and what it cost them to share their faith. Suddenly, our two-day train ride across the desert doesn’t seem so formidable.

DAY 4: Train across the desert

Our train crosses Xinjiang Province–637,000 square miles of steppe, desert, lush oases and snowcapped mountains. Desolate villages dot the vast Taklimakan Desert, which translates, “Once you go in, you won’t come out.”

Is there a way out for these people? Jesus is their only hope. I stand by the window, weeping for people we pass; people who look hopeless, with no way out of their misery and squalor; people who have never heard the name of Jesus.

The Uygurs have been forcibly taken over by one country after another. Most recently communist China took over and with a stroke of the pen millions of Uygurs became Chinese citizens. Ethnically Turkic with their own language, customs, writing and history, the Uygurs now must serve an oppressive government trying to stamp out their claims to sovereignty.

I brush my teeth in the communal sink and meet my first Uygur, a young Muslim woman anxious to practice English. I invite her to our compartment, and we munch on snacks. Just as I start telling her about Jesus, her husband gruffly calls from the corridor, and off she goes with an apologetic look.

DAY 6: Urümqi, Xinjiang

Province

We have now arrived about as far away from home as we can get–Urümqi, the capital of Xinjiang Province. This modern metropolis of 1.5 million is farther from the ocean than any other city on earth.

Reaching Unreached Nations (RUN), a U.S.-based ministry, told us there is an enormous need for intercessors to come and pray and move the “rocks”–strongholds keeping Uygurs from the Lord. So we head for our first assignment, an enormous rock called Hong Shan, considered to be Urümqi’s gateway and highest point. City gates are strategic places to prayer walk because they are entrances to the city, where both good and evil come in. High places are often sites of idolatry and demonic worship.

We climb to the top of Hong Shan, where a demonic obelisk stands. We anoint it with oil and pray that the spiritual strongholds binding this city would loosen their grip. We read Scriptures and proclaim God’s blessing over the Uygurs, rejoicing in His promises for them.

The percentage of Uygurs in this province has dropped dramatically in the last two decades because the communist government has forcibly relocated 8 million ethnic Chinese here to “dilute” the Uygur population. A city that was once 90 percent Uygur is now only 10 percent. They abhor their Chinese oppressors, and anger, deceit, violence and disunity are major strongholds. Yet among the relocated ethnic Chinese are born-again Christians, and we ask the Lord to show them the need to evangelize their Uygur neighbors.

We head across town to Er Dao Qiao, a Uygur market, and silently pray in the Spirit for people passing by. We hesitantly smile at people and say hello in Uygur–Glenn and Brandon to the men, Ruth and I to the women.

Uygur men assume that all Western women are like the immoral characters on American TV programs shown here. Ruth and I don’t make eye contact with men, or our intentions will be misunderstood.

Most Christian expatriates living here are women, yet Muslim culture means they cannot talk with the men. We ask God to raise up men to come and reach Uygur men.

DAY 7: Urümqi

This morning our team heads for a prayer walk at Tian Shan (Heavenly Mountain) Lake. At 6,000 feet above sea level, the lake is ringed by stunning snow-covered mountains. It’s relatively secluded, so we bring our boom box, CDs, banners and Ruth’s shofar, and praise God with song, dance and Scriptures.

Yet I have such a feeling of frailty. Who are we to attempt what we’re doing? God reminds me that we are going in His strength, not our own, and that He has equipped us. Much of what we do here is in obedience and faith, without really seeing the results. But we know He is moving through us, even when we don’t see anything happening.

DAY 8: Kashgar

God shows us today what our prayers are accomplishing. Besides meeting one of the 50 Uygur Christians, we also encounter a foreigner who volunteers at local orphanages. “The Lord told me He sent prayer walkers here this week,” she tells us, “because in the past three days doors have begun opening for us that have never opened before.”

Tonight we catch a flight to Kashgar, a town on China’s border with Pakistan and Tajikistan. Kashgar fell to Islam in A.D. 950. Marco Polo reportedly visited here in the 13th century.

At the end of the 19th century, brave Swedish missionaries labored here, birthing churches in several locations. But Muslim persecution in the 1930s meant most of the men in the church were martyred, and the women were forcibly married to Muslim men.

That antichrist spirit attacks me before I even step foot outside the hot and dusty Kashgar airport. A Uygur government worker insists on seeing a claim ticket for my bag, and she becomes argumentative when I can’t find it.

I’m hot, thirsty, exhausted and becoming angry. But slowly the Holy Spirit takes over my flesh and reminds me that the enemy will try to make us hate the very people we have come to serve. I smile at her, find the appropriate sticker and head into town with the team.

DAYS 9-10: Kashgar

I keep thinking we’ve arrived at the ends of the earth, but then we go a few hundred miles farther. Kashgar looks like a page from National Geographic–more like the Middle East than China. In fact, as the crow flies, we’re actually closer to Baghdad than Beijing.

Early this morning, we head for the famous Kashgar Bazaar, held every Sunday for the last 2,000 years. This is no tourist trap. More than 150,000 Uygurs are trading everything from sacks of pungent spices to camels, sheep, donkeys and horses. Our goal is to walk through the enormous bazaar, act like tourists and pray as we go.

As I look at the acres of brightly colored stalls, I’m amazed at how many Christian symbols are significant in Uygur culture: sheep, lambs, bread (considered so sacred that Uygurs won’t throw it out), water, vineyards and even death. Lambs are sacrificed on Korban, a Muslim holiday commemorating Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac. Who will tell the Uygurs–in their own language–that this redemptive analogy portrays Christ’s death for them?

The next day we drive to the Idkah Mosque, the largest in China, and walk around the outside of the ornate yellow building, praying as we go. To the throngs gathered here, being Uygur means being Muslim. We intercede for the millions held captive by a hopeless religion, people who believe their god is completely unknowable by man.

DAY 12: Turpan

Official Islam is hopeless enough, but in remote areas people also practice folk Islam–a jumble of traditional Islam, magic and superstition.

Outside our hotel, a street merchant sells amulets and charms as protection against curses, spirits and the evil eye. We see babies with charms on their shirts and hear horror stories of parents placing knives in children’s cribs to keep spirits away. Fortune-telling and animal sacrifice are common.

We drive to Turpan and learn about a nearby village called Tuyuk, where locals practice magic and folk Islam. They believe that Tuyuk’s graveyard is mentioned in the Koran and is therefore sacred. There is even a mud house where infertile women “pray” to be able to conceive.

Islamic holy men, or mullahs, practice magic in the graveyard. They do not like foreigners and often confront them abruptly.

Only a handful of prayer teams have ever gone to Tuyuk. I talk with my team, and we agree the Lord has brought us here to pray on-site for these people to be released from bondage to Satan. We retire to our rooms, pray and turn in for the night, ready for the spiritual battle the next morning. We know there is nothing about us that can make anything happen–but the victory is the Lord’s.

DAY 13: Tuyuk

Glenn has spent the entire night violently sick. He can’t attend our morning prayer time, but Brandon tells us that Glenn saw demonic figures in their room during the night. The battle is on.

We travel on crude roads past villages that look like something out of the Middle Ages, and finally arrive in Tuyuk. Three things immediately catch my attention. First is how desolate it is. Second is a group of women at the entrance to the graveyard–are they infertile; are they coming to pray?

God gives me such a heart for these women that I start weeping. My sobs become prayers, and as we walk by the crumbling mud buildings that serve as their homes, I can’t stop crying. The women don’t speak Mandarin, and I can only say hello in Uygur–so I can’t tell them about a Savior who loves them and died for them. I can only love them in His name.

Most people in this village will die without ever hearing of Jesus. The world would say that Tuyuk is godforsaken, but I know He hasn’t forsaken it. I’m overwhelmed that He would bring me from the other side of the globe to proclaim this.

And that is the third thing I notice about the village: Crude pieces of wood holding up a wire by the graveyard actually form a cross in the sky. Jesus Christ reigns, even in one of the most desolate spots on the planet.

DAY 14: Jiaohe

We know Tuyuk was the culmination of what the Lord wanted us to do on this trip. Today, our last day in China, we believe we’re to celebrate His goodness–and perform one final prophetic gesture.

We drive to Jiaohe, a village built in the second century and abandoned 12 centuries later. We bring our banners and praise music, and celebrate God’s love toward all peoples. Hundreds of prayer walkers have been to Jiaohe before us, and we reap the fruit of their labors.

There is one more thing to do before we fly home: Anoint the land with the water I carried from the other side of the earth. We head for the karez, an ancient irrigation system of canals, underground channels and dams built 2,000 years ago, which still irrigates the land today. The prophetic symbolism is striking to us: A people living in a dry and thirsty land built irrigation ditches in faith to catch the water. We empty the tiny bottle of water into the karez, praying that streams of living water would flood this arid land.

I think of the water, or lack of it, that I have seen in the last two weeks: a heavenly lake, bone-dry desert, waterfalls, women drawing water from village wells, countless pools of stagnant water and bridges everywhere. Uygurs believe that the dead must cross a deep ravine on a very narrow bridge. If a soul falls off the bridge, it falls into hell.

Who will tell the Uygurs–and the other 1.3 billion Chinese–that there is a bridge to heaven and that His name is Jesus Christ? Who will tell them of a Savior who offers them streams of living water so they’ll never thirst again? Who will tell them?

Maybe you.

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Elisabeth Farrell writes frequently for Charisma about unreached people. She is co-author of China: The Hidden Miracle (Sovereign World).

WHO WILL Tell Them?

There are many minority groups in China who have no gospel witness.

An estimated 10,000 to 20,000 people come to Christ every day in China. Although this is cause for great rejoicing, 23,000 die each day without ever having heard the gospel.

When we in the United States think of China, we often picture people with dark hair and almond-shaped eyes, who eat rice and speak Mandarin. And 90 percent of China’s 1.3 billion people do. They belong to the Han people group, and they are what we would think of as ethnic Chinese.

But more than 100 million Chinese citizens belong to other ethnic groups–peoples such as the Tibetans, Mongolians, Uygurs and others. In fact, there are 400 to 450 people groups in China, each with its own language, customs, dress, facial features and history. Many of these groups do not have a Bible or any portions of Scripture in their own language. Most have no church, pastors or evangelists, and many have no missionaries.

Jesus told us to “‘go and make disciples of all the nations’” (Matt. 28:19, NKJV). The word for “nations” is ethnos, meaning people or people groups. Each people group is valuable in the eyes of the One who fearfully and wonderfully made them. Following are just two of China’s unreached minority groups.

The Tu People

Just south of China’s border with Mongolia lives a group of 213,000 people known as the Tu, or the “White Mongols.” They herd goats and sheep, and wear colorful clothing with elaborate needlework in bright patterns.

The Tu are Buddhist, and even today families with more than one son are expected to send one of the boys to become a monk. He might become a white shaman, who cures; a black shaman, who brings vengeance; or even a kurtain, who is believed to be possessed by a Taoist spirit.

In the 1920s and ’30s, Catholic missionaries were active among the Tu, but there have not been any Christian outreaches since then. The Bible has not been translated into the Tu language, and there are no Christian broadcasts.

The Bai Ma People

It’s safe to say that 100 percent of the Bai Ma people have never heard the name of Jesus. There are 10,000 Bai Ma living in China, and no Christians in that group. They have no missionaries working among them, and no Bibles, portions of Scripture, radio broadcasts or gospel recordings in their own language.

The Bai Ma (“White Horse”) people are animists. They live in 14 villages on the border between the Sichuan and Gansu provinces in an area of China known for panda bears. For years villagers hunted the panda almost to extinction, selling them to make money. A worldwide outcry saved the bears from extinction. Yet mis siologists wonder: Is anyone crying out on behalf of the Bai Ma?

To learn more about China’s unreached people groups, contact:

Joshua Project 2000

AD 2000 & Beyond Movement

2860 South Circle Drive, Suite 2112

Colorado Springs, CO 80906

(719) 576-2000

info@ad2000.org

www.ad2000.org/peoples

Bethany World Prayer Center

Unreached Peoples Prayer Profiles

13855 Plank Road

Baker, LA 70714

(225) 774-1700

info@bethany.com

www.bethany.com/profiles

Signs From GOD

Although most Chinese people aren’t Christians, God made sure the gospel would be communicated in their uniquely written language.

Long before Buddhism or other false religions took root in China, the Chinese believed in a single deity called Shang Di. He was known as lord of heaven and the one true God. The first reference to Shang Di is 2600 B.C. Many scholars believe the name relates linguistically to the Hebrew name for God–El Shaddai, the Almighty.

At one time, all Chinese–peasants and emperors alike–worshiped Shang Di, but gradually religious leaders decided that only the emperor was “good enough” to worship Shang Di, and then only once a year. This created a spiritual vacuum in China and within three centuries, three new religions filled it: Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism.

There are other evidences that God has not left Himself without a witness in China. Chinese writing uses a system based on 214 symbols called “radicals,” which combine to form 30,000 to 50,000 “characters.” Some of these radicals and characters actually contain the gospel and creation accounts.

The character for righteous, for example, contains the radical for lamb, which is on top of the radical for I, the first person pronoun: Under the lamb, I am righteous. Similarly, the Chinese character for boat contains a vessel with eight people inside it–the number that Noah’s ark carried to safety.

Some Chinese people groups even have flood stories and other creation accounts in their histories. The Jinuo people, for example, believe that the entire human race, except for the Jinuos, perished in a great flood. The Yi believe in a creator God who is both near and accessible. They also believe in heaven and hell. Saturday is a day of rest, and a flood story in their sacred writings is very similar to the biblical account of Noah.

In Yunnan Province, the Lisu people believed that someone would bring them a long-lost book written in the Lisu language, which would tell them about the true God. They believed that when they received that book, they would have a king of their own to reign over them. In the early 1900s, missionary James O. Fraser brought them the Bible, and tens of thousands of Lisu came to the Lord as a result.

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Sources: Eternity in Their Hearts by Don Richardson; The Discovery of Genesis by C.H. Kang and Ethyl R. Nelson

REMEMBERING CHINA’S Martyrs

One hundred years ago more than 32,000 Christians died in the Boxer Rebellion.This year marks the 100th anniversary of China’s notorious Boxer Rebellion, one of the largest martyrdoms in modern missions history.

By the end of the 19th century, China had suffered foreign invasions, a humiliating defeat to Japan and two Opium Wars that left the country disgraced and helpless before the world.

There was a national move to rid China of both foreigners and the Manchu dynasty. The Empress Dowager, Tz’u-hsi, took the pressure off her empire by turning the tide of discontent toward Western foreigners–particularly missionaries and their Chinese followers. She argued that the spirits were angry because of the “foreign” religion, and because Chinese Christians did not pay temple taxes or participate in ancestor worship.

Inflamed by this rallying cry–and often influenced by drugs–peasants were convinced that traditional martial arts–known as Chinese boxing–could defend them against Western bullets.

In June 1900, the Boxers, who were mostly young peasant boys, surrounded the foreign areas of Beijing and Tianjin. The Empress Dowager issued a decree ordering the death of all foreigners in China, and the killing began.

The number of those martyred is staggering: more than 230 Western missionaries and 32,000 Chinese Christians.

The uprising ended when a foreign army from eight countries defeated Chinese forces in Tianjin and Beijing. The Boxer Museum in Tianjin treats the Boxers as heroes and makes no mention of the Christians who were killed.

IN THE HEART OF Darkness

Although many Chinese are atheists, most follow ancient superstitions that involve magic and the worship of spirits.Atheism is the official religion of China, but the communist government has not been able to wipe out the many ancient religions that are practiced by millions of Chinese. Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism are widespread, and occult activity is woven into these false religions. Among the unusual beliefs in China:

Ancestor worship. Many Chinese believe the spirits of deceased ancestors are alive and need to be fed and cared for, and that these spirits become dissatisfied when they are not properly appeased.

Animism. Many believe that nonhuman objects, such as trees, animals and mountains, have spirits.

Bon. This 2,200-year-old Tibetan religion mixes the occult, black magic and reincarnation. It involves belief in gods, demons and ancestral spirits.

Folk religion. This is a blend of superstition and elements from traditional religions such as Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and some Islam. It involves magic, amulets and charms to ward off evil spirits.

Astrology. The Chinese zodiac includes 12 animals. Each year is named after one of the animals–this year is called the “year of the dragon”–and the personality and character of the animal are believed to influence that year and everyone born in it.

These and many other occult beliefs continue to enslave more than 1 billion Chinese, particularly in rural areas that have not been reached by the gospel. Tibetans, for example, live in fear of their gods and constantly strive to appease them with religious chants, rituals and sacrifices. They carry dharmas, or prayer wheels, which they twirl incessantly to keep evil spirits away.

Chinese Mongolians depend on shamans, or medicine men, to cure the sick by magic, communicate with the gods and control events. Heaps of stones, called obos, are thought to be inhabited by local spirits and are used as sites for performing rituals. When a new baby is born to a Miao family, guests and family members will often proclaim how ugly the baby is so that demons won’t consider the child worthy enough to harm.

The Chinese Tajik and Uygurs wear amulets to repel evil spirits, while the Cun people believe that ghosts are spirits of people who are angry at the circumstances of their death. Each family group in the Daur people has its own shaman to cure sickness, birth babies and settle family problems.

If twins or handicapped children are born to a Hani family, they are considered very unlucky. These children are killed, their parents banished, and their homes and possessions burned. And when there is a drought or other natural disaster, the Jinuo people will send for the shaman to make incantations and animal sacrifices to appease the evil spirits causing the problem.

The Iu-Mien people believe they descended from the “dog god,” Pan-Hu, whom they worship. Meanwhile, millions of Chinese, including well-educated businesspeople in major cities, regularly consult their Chinese horoscopes to determine which course of action will bring harmony and good luck–everything from wedding dates to what to study.

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Sources: Joshua Project 2000, Bethany World Prayer Center

WHAT BEIJING Doesn’t Want Us to Know

The explosive growth of Christianity in China is a “problem” that isn’t going away.An American missionary who has lived in China since 1995 says increased persecution of Chinese Christians has not slowed the growth of unregistered “house churches”–which are bringing an estimated 8 million people to faith in Christ each year.

The missionary, who uses the alias “Brother Michael” to protect his identity, told Charisma that the unregistered Christian movement in China faces unbelievable obstacles. Believers are forced to meet secretly in homes, pastors are often dragged off to prison, and Bibles are scarce.

Communist officials in Beijing want all Christians to attend the government-registered churches, which are affiliated with the state-run Three Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM). But a majority of believers in China have rejected the TSPM, which places Marxists in control of its 13 seminaries. China’s 75 million unregistered Christians, who refuse to use the term “underground” to describe their movement, are bold in their defiance of Beijing. In fact, they consider the persecution they endure to be a sign of God’s favor on them.

Brother Michael, who trains house-church leaders in weeklong seminars, often travels in a disguise and must be hidden indoors when he arrives in a village to teach. He brings loads of Bibles, devotional books and audio teaching tapes–which are shared by Chinese pastors who are starved for biblical materials.

“I don’t see the light of day for six days. I become the prisoner of the Lord,” Brother Michael says of his covert training sessions. Recently during a pastor’s training conference held in a rural village, police raided the meeting and jailed the organizer while Brother Michael was quietly whisked out a back door by house-church leaders. Authorities seeking information on Brother Michael’s whereabouts tortured the pastor, but he did not talk.

Most American believers don’t understand the complexities of the situation in China, nor do they realize how desperately the Chinese church needs Western support. Brother Michael pointed out these little-known facts about China’s house-church movement:

Chinese churches are threatened by bizarre heresies. Because Bibles are rare, many church leaders stray into false teaching, and vulnerable Christians aren’t equipped to handle the strange doctrines that circulate from one province to the next. The most serious threat today is being spread by a group known as Eastern Lightning, which claims that Jesus Christ has returned to earth as a woman. “Followers of this group are pulling people out of the evangelical churches,” Brother Michael said. Often, followers of Eastern Lightning cripple or maim people who do not accept their teachings.

Chinese Christians tend to be extremely legalistic. “They have zeal for God, they pray all night, and they often see signs and wonders,” Brother Michael said. “But the flavor of their theology is extremely conservative and fundamentalist.”

Some Chinese pastors take vows of poverty, and many of them believe it is a sin to eat three meals a day. Others teach that no one is a true servant of God if they have not been persecuted for their faith. “There is a huge need for teaching that brings focus to the love and grace of God,” Brother Michael said.

Many Chinese Christians are anti-charismatic. In spite of the many accounts of New Testament-style miracles occurring in China, a majority of Chinese Christians are anti-charismatic. Although their worship is Pentecostal in style, many house churches don’t allow healing, speaking in tongues or prophecy–and in fact they are afraid of such charismatic manifestations, the missionary said.

Women do most of the work of evangelism. Brother Michael estimates that up to 80 percent of the full-time evangelists and church planters in China are female. Most are under 23 years old. Some planted churches by the time they were 18.

The need for Bibles is desperate. The average believer in China today has no more than a fifth-grade education and is extremely superstitious. To meet the need for Bibles, some house churches have devised strategies–for the first time ever–to print copies of the Scriptures inside China for unregistered Christians. –J. Lee Grady

Charisma is helping to evangelize the Uygur people of China by supporting Reaching Unreached Nations, a Virginia-based organization that networks different ministries working among the Uygurs. Please make checks payable to Christian Life Missions and send your tax-deductible gifts to Christian Life Missions–”Unreached of China,” P.O. Box 952248, Lake Mary, FL 32795-2248. Please note on your check that the gift is for “The Unreached of China.” For more information about Reaching Unreached Nations, write: P.O. Box 6543, Virginia Beach, VA 23456 or call (757) 427-9089.

Charisma is raising funds to provide Chinese pastors with Christian training materials. You can send tax-deductible donations to Christian Life Missions, Attn: Brother Michael Project, P.O. Box 952248, Lake Mary, FL 32795-2248.