Advancing Closure

How To Be Ruled By Peace!

noreply@blogger.com (Living Word Missions) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:08:00 +0000

By Bettie Colson
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." (Col 3:15-16)

What does the word rule mean, noun or verb? As a noun it means a prescribed guide for conduct or action; a standard of judgment. As a verb, it means to exert control, direction or influence on someone. We must allow the peace of God to guide our conduct and actions; we must permit this peace to control, direct, and influence our decisions. This means that we can trust the peace of God to guide us in all of our decisions and activities. As we pray for guidance, this peace surpasses our understanding and reason and guards our hearts (Phil. 4: 6-7). Whenever we are faced with the choice of following either our reasoning or the peace within us, the peace of God must be our guide.

The next verse gives us the means for establishing these rules in our hearts; we also must permit the Word of Christ to dwell in our heart in abundance. This does not happen automatically; but here we have an easy and pleasant way to allow this Word to penetrate our heart and stay in our thoughts. Using music – whether it be songs we learn or melodies we make up – we can give the Word an opportunity to fill our thoughts and be available to us at the moment that we need to make even the smallest decision.

Both the peace and the melodies are to be a shared experience: one body; one another. Each part of the body of believers has something that another part needs. This is one of the most important functions of our meeting together: the mutual building up of the body, strengthening the weaker parts. Considering this, it becomes more obvious that “church music” – however we want to label it – has a much more important function than just attracting people to our meetings, and even more than just expressing our worship to God. (Biblically, worship should be expressed in other forms as well. )

Let us keep this in mind as we choose what background music to have in our minds as we go through the day. Our Father wants to guide every step we take, and He has given us the means to know His will in every moment.

Rock Solid!

noreply@blogger.com (Living Word Missions) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 00:35:00 +0000

By Bettie Colson
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala

“Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name we cast out demons, and in Your name we did many mighty works?’ And then I will confess to them, ‘I never knew you! Depart from Me, you who work iniquity!’ Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and does them, I will compare him to a wise man who built his house upon the rock: and the rain came down, and the floods came, and the winds blew and fell against that house; and it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them, will be compared to a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain came down, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And its fall was great.” (Matthew 7:22-27)

The permanence of the house did not depend on its construction, but on the foundation. Prophecy, casting out demons and mighty works are good, like building a nice house; but if the foundation is not obedience to these words of Jesus He will not recognize them. “These” words that He refers to will build our foundation:

Rejoice in adversity and persecution

Let your light shine before men

Do and teach His commandments

Keep our relationships healthy

Keep our soul clean

Bless others generously

Never return evil for evil

Give, fast and pray in secret

Forgive

Keep our treasure in Heaven, do not serve money

Do not worry, seek God first

Do not judge

Ask, seek, knock

Treat others as we want to be treated

All of these commands from Jesus deal with our attitudes and motives. It would be possible to prophesy, cast out demons and do mighty works with a prideful motive, but that would cancel the value of the works. Jesus gives us these commands as a filter to make sure that what we do will be pleasing to God.

Are we putting more focus on our activity than on our heart?

“The Saints of Caesar’s Household Greet You”

noreply@blogger.com (Living Word Missions) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 18:32:00 +0000

By John Whitney Rood

Brussels, Belgium

jwhitneyrood@yahoo.com

Philippians is the last of the prison epistles written by the apostle Paul while under house arrest in Rome. As Paul closes the letter to the Philippians, there is one verse that could be easily overlooked, yet it has profound implications:

Philippians 4:22

“All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar’s household.”

Bible commentaries are quick to point out that Caesar’s household refers to Caesar’s own palace. Caesar’s household refers to everyone that lived and worked at Caesar’s palace… all those that were free, all those that were slaves, the guards and even his own family.

It is certain that a number of believers lived and worked inside Caesar’s palace, the headquarters of his operations! It is possible that even members of Caesar’s own family were believers. This is truly a remarkable verse.

In addition, these believers were in Caesar’s household before Paul arrived in Rome.

In a similar way, God placed Joseph to the second in command of Egypt and Daniel as chief advisor to a succession of Babylonian kings.

God always places people in strategic positions in important places. God always brings His people to the place of influence. The end result is the increase of the influence of the gospel!

The ancient Roman Empire was not a wonderful place, it was very wicked. The government advocated countless pagan practices, and many thousands of believers were offered as human sacrifices. The Roman Caesars were considered as gods and expected to be worshiped as such.

Though these “insider” believers of the ancient Roman Empire were surrounded by paganism and hedonism, and faced much opposition, they were not asking for help in a desperate fashion nor for their escape to be arranged. They were greeting the believers in Philippi without any complaints. They obviously recognized that they were in the place where God had placed them and doing their part, just as every believer today should be doing.

The Lord had placed these believers right inside of Caesar’s own palace for the same reasons that He places people in strategic places today…

God sends and places His people inside the governmental system for

1) influence

2) informing

3) inviting

4) intercession

5) invoking (that is another good “in-” word for prayer!”)

If there was a network of believers in the headquarters of Caesar’s Roman Empire, then surely God has also placed believers to be His witnesses inside the institutions of today’s European Union, which is the Revived Roman Empire spoken of in the Books of Daniel and Revelation!

I recently shared this verse with one of the European “insider believers” here in Brussels. He carefully read it out loud a few times in his Bible, and he said, while glancing upward, “This is very encouraging for me.”

Paul benefited from his Roman citizenship and worked “inside” the system when he appealed to Caesar.

Acts 25:10-12

10 Then said Paul, I stand at Caesar's judgment seat, where I ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well knowest.

11 For if I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if there be none of these things whereof these accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto Caesar.

12 Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, Hast thou appealed unto Caesar? unto Caesar shalt thou go.

Paul also stated earlier in Philippians how his imprisonment was instrumental in furthering the gospel influence, especially in Caesar’s palace which he mentions first.

Phil 1:12-13

12 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;

13 So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;

Philippians begins and ends with the importance of the gospel influence in Caesar’s palace! That influence still continues today in Brussels and you have a part!

There are challenges and opposition that face all believers in the EU institutions in Brussels today… in the European Commission, in the Council and in the European Parliament. It is easy to become weary in the humanistic and secular environment.

Just as the saints in Caesar’s Roman palace greeted the Philippians, we can say that the believers inside the headquarters of the European Union, the Revived Roman Empire greet you!

In response, let us remember them, to pray for them. God has sent them and placed them in positions of influence. Pray for all those whom God has sent and placed worldwide in influential places of government and authority. Your prayers are effective!

The Growing European Union Influence Worldwide and the Perils of a Post-Democratic Europe

noreply@blogger.com (Living Word Missions) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 14:45:00 +0000

By John Whitney Rood

Brussels, Belgium

jwhitneyrood@yahoo.com

Despite the numerous internal challenges and divisions, the European Union has succeeded during its 50-year history to gain enormous influence worldwide. Yet, the European Union, via its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, has been relentless in domineering its 27-member nations while pursuing its aspiration to be the dominate voice on the world stage.

To what end is this incessant push leading? Why is the EU bent on gaining worldwide position? If it is truly for the benefit of EU citizens, then why are their votes disregarded?

Meanwhile, the United States population remains generally uninformed concerning the complex operation of the European Union and its growing worldwide influence. Unless you actively seek information you will find little news in traditional media. Major bookstores will often have no titles on the EU, even if you check the Current Events, Political Science or European History sections. It would also be beneficial for Christian leaders to “step out of the box” and gain knowledge and awareness of the European Union background and its future aspirations.

Today’s European Union is the initial stage of the Revived Roman Empire mentioned in Daniel and the Book of Revelation. The final form will be a 10-nation confederation ruled by the Antichrist. Instead of surmising as to the composition of the eventual 10 nations, the identification of the superstate trends that will lead to a dictatorial system is open before us.

Political Union is “Full Steam Ahead” Despite the Identity Crisis and Lack of Democracy

The EU has pumped countless billions of euros into its development programs, and its staff in Brussels alone is over 20,000 workers. Nevertheless, the EU has always faced an uphill struggle for one simple reason; the people of Europe overall do not want a centralized European political and economic force dictating their national policies.

In the rare times that citizens were allowed to vote in member nation referendums, the answer has been a clear “No” to the EU treaties. Several times the “No” vote has been cleverly disregarded or rectified through further voting until the people “get it right.”

Without a doubt, the EU is clearly a non-democratic system. The European Commission and Council are appointed and only the European Parliament members are elected by national voting. The Parliament is by far the weakest body and has few actual legislative powers; their decisions are formally recognized by the Commission as “opinions.”

The story of the growing EU influence over its member nations is based on a well-formed and strategic plan. The progression, which results in the loss of the sovereignty of member nations, is legally based on each successive EU treaty. The “open borders” and “free-trade zone” of the early 1990s led to currency union for the founding members of the eurozone after the year 2000. The goal now is complete political union, and this objective is quite advanced in many aspects.

In order to join the EU, a nation agrees to conform to a document of rules that is more than 90,000 pages long! And that is only the beginning of the endless bureaucracy. The treaties provide the framework for many thousands of laws, regulations and directives. The EU touches every operation of its member nations and the total fabric of society.

The judicial system has also been centralized. It has already been determined that if there is ever a conflict between a national law and an EU law, the EU law is preponderant.

Euro Empire Influence

The euro currency is now the official currency of 16 EU nations. But its influence goes way beyond the eurozone; more than 50 nations and territories currently use the euro, must use the euro when they meet the entry criteria or the European Central Bank directly influences their monetary policy! I refer to this as the “Euro Empire.”

The eurozone is the world’s second largest economy. The euro is the world’s second largest reserve currency.

One clear pattern has been that economic union proceeds political union. Once the monetary system is unified, political integration can follow much easier.

Brussels, Capital of the Free World?

US Vice-President Joe Biden addressed the European Parliament in May, 2010 and referred to Brussels as worthy to claim the title of “Capital of the Free World”:

“As you probably know, some American politicians and American journalists refer to Washington, DC as the ‘capital of the free world.’ But it seems to me that this great city, which boasts 1,000 years of history and which serves as the capital of Belgium, the home of the European Union, and the headquarters for NATO, this city has its own legitimate claim to that title.”

(VP Biden also added to the Parliament, “And now under the Lisbon Treaty, you’ve taken on more powers and a broader responsibility that comes with that increased influence. And we welcome it.”)

This statement is completely incredulous; the EU does not operate by democratic principles and repeatedly disregards democracy by its inherent “top-down” structure. The people of Europe consistently come up last in terms of any influence within the system. How can Brussels be referred to as “Capital of the Free World”?

The European influence on the United States has resulted in a certain “Europeanization” of the United States (but that will be the subject of another article).

The Lisbon Treaty Creates the EU President and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs

The latest stronghold of EU dominance is the Lisbon Treaty, which is essentially the same document as the rejected EU Constitution (the name “Constitution” was removed!). The Lisbon Treaty has been ratified and is in effect since December, 2009.

The Lisbon Treaty includes a clause which permits the European Heads of State to change any aspect of the Treaty, without any national referendums or approval of national parliaments. This puts an end to any EU matter ever being put to a vote of the people of any individual nations! Democracy has been completely thrown out of the EU concerning constitutional issues.

The Lisbon Treaty created the position of “EU President,” which is now held by Herman Van Rompuy. In addition, the Treaty created the position of “EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,” which can be equated to an EU Foreign Minister. This position is now held by Baroness Catherine Ashton.

Both Mr. Van Rompuy and Mrs. Ashton were perceived as virtual nobodies in EU politics before these appointments. But the EU way of change is to first prove something is broken and then to fix it… so we can expect dramatic changes concerning the new positions. Do not be lulled by these seeming innocuous personalities. The Treaty allows enormous power to these positions and the actual boundaries of their authority has not been tested. (There is not even a job description for the EU President!)

One EU Parliament member, Nigel Farage, addressed and chastised the new EU President directly in February, 2010, "I have no doubt that your intention is to be the quiet assassin of European democracy and of European nation states…. I can speak on behalf of the majority of British people in saying that we don't know you, we don't want you, and the sooner you are put out to grass, the better." (He was held “in contempt” by the EU President and fined.)

European Union Embassies Now Being Created

Catherine Ashton, as EU foreign policy chief, leads the new European External Action Service (EEAS) which creates EU embassies worldwide. The EEAS is headquartered in the “Triangle” building in Brussels, analogous to the Pentagon, and heads the EU foreign ministry and diplomatic corps. Foreign policy is created by the Foreign Affairs Council, chaired by Ms. Ashton, and which consists mainly of the Foreign Ministers of the member nations. The European Commission’s 136 foreign delegations are already being renamed EU Embassies and are authorized to speak on behalf of all 27 member nations!

The entire transition has been with some confusion. The cover story of ESharp magazine’s May 2010 issue, “Diplomacy EU-Style,” speaks of infighting and disenchantment, and ayatollahs from the Commission. In any case, the EU institutions are busy disagreeing with each other.

First Ever European Union “State of the Union” Speech

One interesting development is the first “State of the Union” address given by Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on September 7th, 2010. It was a surprise that the Commission President delivered the speech and not the new “EU President” Van Rompuy. Then members of the Parliament were threatened with fines if they were not present during the speech.

The speech did not focus much on achievements; accept that the euro had survived the crisis. It did introduce perhaps 20 initiatives and new projects, and was very repetitive on how the EU is working on behalf of its citizens. In actuality, the Commission President was asking for new powers and begging for the support of the Parliament to accept the new motions.

One of the five major challenges outlined in the speech is “pulling our weight on the global stage.” It is all about global influence, and at the same time, neglects the desires of the European population.

Only in September 2010 was the existence made known of a secret European task force to assure that none of the 16 eurozone nations would default. The group was so secret it was called, “the group that doesn’t exist.” This was another peculiar means to deal with a problem obvious to all. Eventually, several hundred billion euros was given in loans and placed in stabilization funds.

The “iron and clay” characteristics continue to build and bring dramatic changes. There are enormous pressures in the EU government and many cracks are beginning to show. For now, power struggles and disagreements are the standard operating procedure for Brussels.

All of these actions by the EU supranational government are now bringing Europe to a post-democratic period. That alone should be reason for great concern. I encourage you to be prayerful for today’s European Union, there is still much work to be done for the Lord!

Breathing In and Out.

noreply@blogger.com (Living Word Missions) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 18:31:00 +0000

By Bettie Colson

Quetzaltenango, Guatemala

For what we preach is not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves [merely] as your servants (slaves) for Jesus' sake. 2 Corinthians 4:5 (Amplified)

Breathing in: we receive Jesus as Savior. Breathing out: we commit our life to Him as Lord.

If we only offer salvation to people without the lordship of Jesus, we would make it easy and attractive to receive something for nothing. It is true that salvation is a free gift, but the lordship of Jesus is the relationship that is necessary to receive the gift.

Marriage has been given to us as an illustration of the mystery of Christ and the Church; when we understand marriage the way that God established it, we can understand the relationship of Christ to the Church. The husband loves and the wife follows. It would be wrong for a wife to desire all of the benefits of marriage without the responsibility of following her husband. It would be equally wrong for a husband to enjoy the benefits of marriage without the responsibility of loving his wife. The love of the husband is to be as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for her to save and cleanse her. God’s love for us saves us, cleanses us and draws us to Him.

In the same way, we must not offer salvation without lordship. The very act of giving ourselves to Him to follow Him in every area of life gives us the power to walk in obedience to His word. If we only offer salvation to people without stressing the lordship of Jesus, we offer them a powerless life of constant defeat. As they learn about how to walk with Him, they will lack the power to do what they have learned and be frustrated by their inability to overcome the desires of the flesh.

Confessing the lordship of Jesus is a commitment. According to the Bible it is the only way to be truly saved. It is erroneous to offer salvation without communicating also the necessity of His lordship in every area of life. It may take longer to “win souls” in this way but our motive must never be simply numbers. If our “converts” do not commit themselves to the lordship of Jesus they will never be true disciples of His. If anything, they would be our disciples, but only committed to us as men.

This is why some ministries become kingdoms of men rather than part of the Kingdom of God. Many unbelievers rightly perceive this intention as a mere attempt to change their religion; to have them join our religious “club”. The danger in this is that we vaccinate both groups of people against the true Gospel. Those who reject our intentions of adding them into our “club” are less likely to be receptive to the salvation and lordship of Jesus later on. Those who respond to a commitment-free “salvation” may feel like they are “in” and never feel the need to make the commitment that truly insures their salvation.

We receive the gift of eternal life. We must give our old life to be able to receive the new one. This is why it is a new birth, a new creation – old things have passed away. Our old life that we had – being our own lord and deciding our own way – has passed away.

We must breathe in and out. We receive salvation; we give ourselves to follow Him as Lord. We cannot live by only breathing in.

We're Back!

noreply@blogger.com (Living Word Missions) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 23:26:00 +0000

We're back from our hiatus! Sorry for the pause, we took some time to commission new material. We're raring to go with a feature by one of our own LWM missionaries, Bettie Colson in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala! Bettie wrote this article for her blog and we seized it as valuable missions advice to share with you. We have seen many a missionary falter and fail due to lack of understanding the very principle Bettie aptly describes here.

God Does Not Want To Use Us!

noreply@blogger.com (Living Word Missions) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 23:22:00 +0000

By Bettie Colson

Quetzaltenango, Guatemala

God does not want to use us.

That sounds pretty strange when we are so accustomed to thinking that way, even praying that way. “God, use me…” Sounds pretty spiritual! And our intentions are right – we want to be pleasing to Him, to be pure and holy, and we want His Kingdom to be established on Earth by means of our lives and service. But I just did a search in the Bible for the words use, used, useful in English and Spanish (thanks to technology!), and surprisingly didn’t find anywhere that God wants to use us.

We are to pattern our lives after Him; we are to love as He loves. We love because He first loved us. God is love! Jesus is our example of God’s love. We are to walk in the very same principles that He showed us. Did Jesus use his disciples, or serve them? He even went so far as to wash their feet! He showed us by word and example that the greatest among us is the one who serves.

Should we use people? We know that this is wrong. Anyone who says, “I feel used,” is not expressing a positive experience. I like the phrase, “Use things, love people. Not the other way around.” So then, how would it be that God could give us an example of using people, but forbid us to follow that example? Let’s step out of our religious thinking for a minute! “Oh, but He’s God, He can do what He wants.” Yes, He is God, but He has limited Himself in order to be a loving Father to us, and an example that we can follow, in attitude, word, deed, and character. I did not find anywhere in His Word an example of Him using people!

I know what some may be thinking right now, “So what does God want to do with us, then?” Rather than “using” us, He wants to live through us. He wants to pour out His life and love to the world through us. For Him, we are not just tools to be used as a means to an end. We are that “end”; He created us to be the objects or the recipients of His love.

God has repeatedly used the comparison of Him being our Father to the way that we relate to our own children. Would it be right for us to “use” our children for our own purposes? (Although many people do just that!) But we do pour our life and love into our children expecting that our influence on them will in turn have an influence on others. In that sense, we love the world through them, and our lives live on through them even after we are gone. It is the same with the influence that we have with those that we lead. It has been said that leadership is influence, but “leaders” who use their followers have their own selfish gain in mind, and not the benefit to their followers. Leaders who pour themselves into their followers will see the multiplication of their influence.

It may seem like a slight difference, but for me this has been a paradigm shift that has helped me to see my relationship with God more clearly. It also leads me to believe that the former mindset could be a major cause for “burnout” in Christian service. Yes, we are to serve God untiringly! That is the example that He has given us in Jesus! But we are like the hose that gets wet as the water travels through it. As the Bible says in Proverbs 11:25, “He who waters will himself be watered.” As God’s life and love passes through us to others, we gain strength. This mentality also helps us to discern God’s voice as He speaks to our spirit. We can recognize His will and purpose as He first works in us, and then through us.

Today, let’s ask the question, “God, today – how do You want to love the world through me?”

I have been crucified with Christ, and I live; yet no longer I, but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith toward the Son of God, the One loving me and giving Himself over on my behalf. (Galatians 2:20 LITV)

And all things are from God, the One having reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and having given to us the ministry of reconciliation, as, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not charging their deviations to them, and having put the Word of reconciliation in us. (2 Corinthians 5:19-20 LITV)

This Month: A One-Two-Knockout!

noreply@blogger.com (Living Word Missions) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:00:00 +0000

This month's feature is a double-header written by two guest authors on a common theme: Children & Youth Missions. When two of our requests to potential authors came back with articles on the same theme, it was clearly the Holy Spirit! Especially since one of those articles comes from beloved LWM missionary duo, Jean-Claude and Sundie Noah. The Lord led the Noahs in transitioning to the U.S. last month in preparation for their next ministry assignment. Dynamic youth ministry is the legacy they leave behind in Cameroon and the hallmark of their ministry going into the future. We are endlessly thankful to the Noahs for 14 years sowed into the youth of Cameroon! Enjoy this awesome one-two-knockout on the growing global movement to reach earth's children and youth!

1) Children Breaking Resistant People Groups!

noreply@blogger.com (Living Word Missions) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:30:00 +0000

By Private Contributor
Nairobi, Kenya
What does children’s ministry have to do with penetrating resistant people groups with the Gospel?

I was recently attending a saturation church planting training in Africa. During a break one of the parishioners told me a story of a young man that was severely beaten after coming to Christ in a very resistant area. Every time we encounter something like this as a result of our spreading the Gospel, we are challenged to the core of our Faith. The immediate question that tries to invade our mind is: should we have put this child at physical risk by bringing him or her to a saving knowledge of Jesus? Of course this dear soul is more precious than anything in this life, but was there a better way?

While you’re still debating with yourself over the previous sentence, let me tell you about a phenomena happening among an organization I work closely with. As we have launched hundreds of children’s Bible clubs in very resistant areas, there have been extremely few and comparatively minor repercussions as children are born again. What we have seen as the clubs have matured is the transformation of adults in great numbers. This turns the standard missions paradigm on its head.

What’s causing this seeming reversal of attitude among resistant people groups? In short: the children’s Bible club has become a valid part of the community. This doesn’t happen overnight but it doesn’t take decades either. After several months of parents seeing the positive change in their own children, resistant attitudes toward Christianity melt away (or better, the parents become followers of Jesus.) The club becomes an integrated part of the community, not some outside threat.

Here’s how it works: a children’s Bible club is launched in a resistant area with lessons that are first based on Old Testament stories. Once it is sensed that the community is accepting the club as part of village life, New Testament concepts are added little by little. Stories of who Jesus is and why God sent him are integrated until the children can come to a point of accepting Jesus into their hearts as Savior. By this time, the families with children in the club are experiencing positive transformation. In one of our targeted villages, the children of the village Imam pestered their father to attend the Bible club until he relented on one condition - that he could listen to what was being taught. The result: the Imam found Jesus as Savior too and became a spiritual leader in the community for Jesus!

Intrigued? Treat yourself to this short video:

2) The Power of a Youth Movement!

noreply@blogger.com (Living Word Missions) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:30:00 +0000

by Jean-Claude and Sundie Noah
Detroit, Michigan

In 1992, I (Jean-Claude Noah) gave my life to the Lord. That same year, there were three young people who had in their hearts a desire to pray to God. They were not born again and did not understand what was happening to them; they just knew that they needed to pray. They gathered together every Saturday to pray and after three months, forty young people had joined the group (myself included). There wasn't a leader and so every week, someone different was designated to share the little knowledge they had about God or the Bible. It was the supreme work of the Holy Spirit.

We were so passionate for God, that people started asking us what was going on. The Spirit of God started manifesting in our midst and young people were baptized with spiritual gifts. The gift of prophesy flowed. We evangelized by singing praises to God and by praying. Parents began to open their doors for us to meet in their homes and they were touched by God.

One day, in 1993, a man of God visited our group. No one had ever seen him before. He introduced himself as Bro. Hal Rahman. We asked him to come back and teach us as we were all very ignorant of spiritual things. He came back the following week. He asked us a question during his teaching that touched me deeply: "Who is Jesus for you?" Over several weeks, Rev. Rahman continued to minister to us. We began to see a bigger picture and a vision was born.

We organized a youth festival and asked Rev. Rahman to preach. His message was on sanctification, something we knew nothing about. That night, 300 youth gave their hearts to Jesus.

In 1994, we held another youth festival with the theme, Youth Aflame! During one of the meetings, we were worshipping, singing the words, "Holy Father, we wait on You for fire!" The fire of God filled the hall. Youth were baptized in the Holy Spirit, consecrating their lives to Jesus, repenting of sin, falling under the power of God. We went out on the street to evangelize the next day and almost 400 youth came to the Lord.

It was out of that youth festival that the ministry, Youth Aflame, was created. We worked under the leadership of Rev. Rahman. Between the end of 1994 to 1996, we had gone and evangelized every school in the city of Douala (business capital of Cameroon). We encouraged youth to create music and drama groups to evangelize in their schools.

100 youth groups/clubs were created form 1995 to 1996 and we were winning 1,000 to 1,500 youth to Christ per week. Churches were launched, missionaries were sent. We have been able to pioneer in the area of youth ministry in Cameroon. We were among the first to use the style of Christian rap music to minister to youth; for the first time, a Christian youth group was allowed to march in the annual youth parade; God opened a door for a 180 Youth Center to preach the gospel and disciple thousands of youth.

Many of the original youth from that prayer group are now full time missionaries, senior pastors or Christian business people. They were on fire for God and were able to influence a nation for His glory.

Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment!

noreply@blogger.com (Living Word Missions) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:42:00 +0000

By Rev. Bert Farias
Windham, NH

Recently, on the way to a meeting, a pastor friend of mine blurted out, "give negativity no breath," and out of my spirit I responded with, "and give positivity no rest." As the meeting started, I prayed and thanked the Lord that what the devil meant for evil and destruction in Haiti, He would turn it around for good. People immediately began to rejoice and praise the Lord. I'm sure there were many others praying also, and even though this earthquake was a great tragedy, we cannot do anything about what has already happened. Too many people are dwelling on the negativity having to do with this whole thing.

A couple of days later the following turn of events occurred. A CNN correspondent reported that when the 5.9 aftershock hit on Wednesday morning, all the people in a hospital raised their hands and..."they asked JESUS to forgive them and they asked JESUS to save them; and then it (the aftershock) stopped."

This was on CNN, seen around the world! That was a real miracle! The name of JESUS proclaimed on CNN worldwide. "His mercy endures forever."

We are living in the day where, if the people of God will pray, there will not only be a sudden turn-around in situations, but there will even be an unseating of evil power and the destinies of nations will be changed.

Photo credit CNN.com

Referenced CNN Article:
"8 Days After Haiti Quake: More Survivors, 5.9 Aftershock." CNN.com January 20 2010.
Related CNN article:
"Many Haitians Religious Faith Unshaken by Earthquake." CNN.com January 18 2010.

The 7 Mountains of Culture: What It Means to “Close” this Great Commission!

noreply@blogger.com (Living Word Missions) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:18:00 +0000

By Rev. David E. Henry
Tulsa, Oklahoma

Among Christians who take Jesus’ words very seriously, it is common to hear the phrase, "closure of the Great Commission". Any time an important issue is discussed, it is very helpful to define ones terms. So, what do we mean when we say “closure of the Great Commission?” How do we measure progress toward this goal?

I have given these questions a lot of thought. I have read numerous books written by friends and acquaintances who are similarly probing the meaning of this concept. There are two passages in the New Testament that are ground zero.

Mark 16:15, “And he said, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.’”

And we find a much fuller expression in Matthew 28: 19-20, “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’”

For a long time, most of my life, I’ve considered that Jesus’ words here mean that we should at least get our foot in the door, so to speak, in each nation. I thought that we should preach the gospel, get people saved and healed and plant some churches in every ethnic/linguistic group in the world. That alone is a staggering task. But is that what Jesus meant? Let’s take a closer look. The central phrase in Jesus’ words is, “make disciples of all nations.” In my former way of thinking, I believed that it would be sufficient for us to have at least made some disciples in each of the 16,000 or so ethnic groups that make up this planet. You know, ‘Make a few disciples at least out of all nations and many more if possible.’

After much serious consideration and meditation on the Scriptures I now believe that my former model of Great Commission closure is much too modest and small. We are commanded to make disciples of entire nations. How many? All nations. In case you’re tempted to think I’ve been drinking something strange or smoking dope and got my mind all messed up let me share with you some mind snapping Scriptures:

Revelation 21:23-26, “And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it;” NASV

I had never seen this before. Entire nations would walk in the light of the Lamb of God, Jesus. I think we need to raise our sights higher and aim for what the Lord is aiming at. Entire nations.

Revelation 15:11, “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.’” KJV. These nations are destined to become nations that belong to Jesus.

Outside Jesus’ kingdom there will still be the lost, the liars, the fornicators, those who prefer darkness to light, those referred to as the “dogs” in the book of Revelation. An Argentine evangelist friend of mine, Ed Silvoso, has stated, “We should make it very difficult for people to go to hell from our city.” Or from our region or nation. It appears to me that the Spirit of God is speaking something new to the church; it is something old, but it is also something we haven’t heard very well or clearly, so it seems new.

A couple years before Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, died, he was to meet with Loren Cunningham, the founder of Youth With A Mission (YWAM), arguably two of the largest evangelistic ministries on earth. Both of them felt independently led of God to write down a list of strategy changes that needed to be made before we would ever see nations transformed from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of God. When Dr. Bright showed Loren Cunningham his list, he said the Lord had shown him that there are seven mountains of culture. Christians must go in and take the reins of leadership if we are to see long-lasting changes in each nation. His list included seven categories: religion, family, media, entertainment, education, government, and business. Loren Cunningham was astounded. He then proceeded to take a list out of his pocket and show it to Dr. Bright. His list contained the same seven categories. God showed them both the same thing at the same time for the same purpose. He, in essence, told them, "I want nations."

Now, if they were the only two, I would be impressed to think seriously about a ‘sea change’ in the way we approach missions and ministry. But they are not the only two. Last April, in Austin, Texas, I met a man I would have to call an apostle, named Johnny Enlow. He has written a book called, The Seven Mountain Prophecy, in which he documents how God spoke to him about the seven mountains of culture that control the corporate mind of a nation. The list God pointed out to him was precisely the same as that shown to Dr. Bright and Loren Cunningham. I was so impressed with Johnny Enlow and his book, I read it four times through, cover to cover. God is up to something.

Here is a question for you to bring this a bit more into focus. Today is January 19, 2010. So far this year, this baby beginning of the year, what person has most powerfully preached the gospel of Jesus Christ? I submit for your consideration a Fox Television news journalist named Britt Hume. I estimate that several tens of millions of people have heard him comment about Tiger Woods, that he should seek the forgiveness and restoration that is available only in Christianity; it is the only way to put the pieces of his life back together. It has caused a furor in the media world. He has subsequently been interviewed on national TV to explain what he meant and he did a very commendable job of graciously advocating even more clearly his faith in Jesus Christ. He has been lambasted for his audacity. Other journalists have bitterly attacked him, but he has kept both his job and his cool. He is very near the top of the media mountain. He has credibility built up over twenty years in the limelight.

When he gently says that a world class sports star with a shattered life needs Jesus, it carries an authenticity that few if any evangelists or pastors could equal.

As a result of hearing Britt’s testimony of finding peace and wholeness in Jesus after the suicide of his 28 year old son a few years ago, millions of people are now considering what that might mean for their own broken lives.

This is just a blog and not a book, so I’ll stop here for now. I would be interested to hear what I have written may mean to you. I have much more that God has been speaking to me along this line of thinking.

Dave Henry

P.S. I highly recommend Ed Silvoso’s book, Transformation.

Tapping the Roots.

noreply@blogger.com (Living Word Missions) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:10:00 +0000

By Rev. Bert Farias

Windham, New Hampshire

In 1987 a young Bible school graduate named Russ Tatro crossed the Atlantic ocean to become a missionary. After praying for many months concerning his calling, Russ heard a word from God, "Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia, 5,000 strong."

According to Russ, he did not know where this place was so he got a map out and saw that it was a city and country in West Africa.

In the ensuing months God gave Russ Tatro revelation and strategy concerning what he was to do. "Take the word of faith into West Africa, via interdenominational Bible training centers with a strong emphasis on discipleship," became the vision God branded on his heart. As he shared his calling and heavenly vision for West Africa with me, I was touched, and began preparing myself to go with him.

Soon God put a team of 6 adults together. That was 1987 and now, 22 years later, this heavenly vision has produced over 100 Bible training centers in many nations of the world with over 100,000 students, many of them now full-time ministers.

After completing our initial assignments in West Africa and living there for several years, our families returned to the USA. Although the call of God led us to separate for a season, when Russ departed for heaven over three years ago, God has joined our families together again to fulfill his purpose for such a time as this.

Now with our eyes on bringing closure to the great commission we have our sights set on penetrating new unreached areas with the gospel while continuing to oversee and service our missionary affiliates and their Bible training centers in many different parts of the world.

Even after Russ' departure, the Spirit of God said, "Assignments do not die; they are redistributed." The heavenly vision remains the same and others are picking up this assignment and doing their part to finish what was spoken in one missionary's heart years ago. Together we will conquer! We will advance! We will complete and fulfill God's plan and purpose for this ministry in the nations!