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JOEL-NEWS-INTERNATIONAL-405 * 15 JULY 2002 * WWW.JOELNEWS.ORG

IN THIS EDITION:

JN405-1. TYPICALLY GOD: Bishop sells palace for sake of the poor
JN405-2. PRAYER FOCUS: National crisis in Zimbabwe
JN405-3. KINGDOM DEVELOPMENT: Organic and subversive churches
JN405-4. RESOURCE: A world of hope

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QUOTE - "Grace: The fact that God knows every mistake I'll ever make in ministry and He still chose me." (Rick Warren)
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JN405-1. TYPICALLY GOD: Bishop sells palace for sake of the poor

Patrick O'Donoghue, bishop of Lancaster (UK), offered his palace for sale. He feels it isn't right to live in a large historical building, while there are so many poor people. The bishop didn't wait for the sale to be closed, but moved to a simple apartment in the neighborhood of the cathedral.

It isn't likely that O'Donoghue will be much at home. As 'bishop on the way' he will be travelling to visit the different parishes in his diocese. He intends to stay a month in every parish. "I want to get to know the people," he wrote in pastoral letter to all the churches. "I want to hear your problems, and when you need me you shouldn't be talking to a stranger."

According to the bishop it's only possible to evangelize if we imitate Christ. "Only if others see Christ shining through us, they will listen to us. And if people don't see Christ in us, there is no reason to accept anything from us."

Source: Reformed Daily

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JN405-2. PRAYER FOCUS: National crisis in Zimbabwe

The nation of Zimbabwe is in a major crisis. Several days ago the news came in that 6 million of the 12 million people in Zimbabwe are on the verge of starvation. There is a major drought in this nation which could be one of the worst in the history of the world unless God intervenes. At this time, President Mugabe's primary focus is not caring for his people but demanding all white farmers to leave their farms by August 2002. Kadafi of Libya is trying to buy land in Zimbabwe.

Langton Gatsi, a Christian leader from Zimbabwe, requests prayer: "Let's pray that before the end of August 2002, President Mugabe will repent and receive Jesus or that God will intervene and a God fearing leader would lead Zimbabwe. Pray also for humanitarian help to come directly to the people in Zimbabwe. Also, that God would open the heavens with an abundance of natural and spiritual rain in this nation."

The Christians in Zimbabwe are calling a 40-day fast starting July 12, 2002 until August 21, 2002, which is the beginning of the annual national prayer conference of Zimbabwe. We ask you to prayerfully consider joining the Zimbabwean Christians in this 40-day fast for the fullness of political, spiritual and natural breakthroughs, that at this critical time, Zimbabwe will begin to come into her prophetic destiny in God.

Source: Langton Gatsi through Jerusalem House of Prayer for All Nations

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JN405-3. KINGDOM DEVELOPMENT: Organic and subversive churches

In many places of the world God is leading Christians to start 'organic churches' as part of a relational and relevant lifestyle that's highly attractive to people with a postmodern mindset.

Jason Evans writes in his article 'The Church at Matthew's House', published in the June edition of Next-Wave: "I was tired of the church, as I knew it. It was an event, a building, a program… I wanted to be the church; I wanted my 'un-churched' friends to be the church, not become churched. I wanted it to be something I lived, rather than something I lived for. I heard of crazy people that met together, ate meals, shared their resources and studied the Scriptures together... in homes and coffee shops of all places! It couldn't be that simple! You were supposed to bring the sofas, the coffee (and the candles if you're real serious) into the sanctuary, but not use them in their common setting! That was ludicrous! It was two years ago that I thought that. Now, I'm one of those crazy people…"

LINK: http://www.next-wave.org/jun02/matthewshouse.htm

Mike Bishop introduces a new paradigm of Church, an alternative for the existing Church Growth paradigm: the Subversive Community. In the same June edition of Next-Wave he writes: "The usual means by which one kingdom is thrown out and another put in its place - military force or democratic elections - are not available for Christians. If we have neither a preponderance of power nor a majority of votes, we begin searching for other ways to effect change. We discover the methods of subversion. We find and welcome allies. The Subversive Community's mission is not to bring the kingdom of God from without; it is to release the kingdom of God from within. Subversives do not 'reach outside people and encourage them to come in.' Subversives live and do their work 'undercover' where the world lives and breathes. Their goal is not escapism (trying to build a Christian utopia), but to show people how they can lay hold of life as God intended, in his Kingdom." In this article Mike introduces his 'Three P's of Church Planting': Prayer, Parables, and Parties. And this is truly a subversive concept (Jesus used it quite successfully 2000 years ago)…

LINK: http://www.next-wave.org/jun02/subversive.htm

On his quest to encounter Jesus in a fresh way, Mike McNichols is seeing something very important about him: He was not particularly welcomed in the religious community. The ones who worked overtime to keep their religious structures in tact found him to be a threat to their own sense of safety and tradition. Yet Jesus was very much welcomed by those who might be considered unreligious. There was something in Jesus they responded to, something that connected with a deep place inside them. Jesus' quick willingness to spend time with those people often surprised them while it scandalized the religious observers. Mike analyses Luke 5:27-39 (Levi's calling and the party at his house). "Do we get what kind of person Jesus is? Jesus is the one who goes where there are people who live as though there is no God-as though they can live outside of God's love for them-and destroys his own reputation and his own safety by bringing his life right into the middle of theirs."

LINK: http://www.next-wave.org/nov01/newthings.htm

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JN405-4. RESOURCE: A world of hope

In this article Rick Joyner addresses the issue of teachability and calls for a 'new wineskin' for education. "As Christians, we must ask a critical question. If education is supposed to be one of the ways our minds are renewed, how can we expect to have our children's minds renewed, so they have a kingdom paradigm, if we turn them over to the world to have their minds formed? If the church is to be prepared for the changing of the age, which is upon us, we must recover our mandate for education." The time of 'spectator Christianity' is over. The basic concept of success in ministry is gradually changing from being able to attract people to being obedient to the Lord.

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COLOPHON

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