www.joelnews.nl

JOEL-NEWS-INTERNATIONAL-422 * 19 DECEMBER 2002 * WWW.JOELNEWS.ORG

IN THIS EDITION:

JN422-1. TYPICALLY GOD: The new shepherds of Bethlehem
JN422-2. PRAYER FOCUS: Saddam Hussein and Iraq
JN422-3. KINGDOM DEVELOPMENT: Business as mission
JN422-4. RESOURCE: Have a party for sharing Christ
JN422-5. RESOURCE: Praying for our cities
JN422-6. RESOURCE: Women's Neighborhood Prayer

---
QUOTE: "Darkness can never drive out darkness. Only the light can do that." (Martin Luther King, Jr.)
---

JN422-1. TYPICALLY GOD: The new shepherds of Bethlehem

In a pretty, middle-class residential area of Beit Jala (a suburb near Bethlehem), young Roseen Nihad was happily playing in the backyard of her house when, without warning, bullets and rockets began to rain around her. Falling to the ground, she lay crying in terror while her parents urged her to crawl to the relative safety of the house. Assessing the depth of her hysteria, her father, Rev. Nihad Salman, scrambled through the barrage to his daughter's side. Shielding her with his body, he shepherded her through the backdoor.

Reverend and Mrs. Salman admit the siege was a terrifying time. They tried to distract their children from the shooting with family activities, but most of all, they prayed with them. Although their children are young, they posed the inevitable, faith-challenging question: "Why doesn't Jesus stop the bullets?" As she held her shivering children to her, Mrs. Salman told them, "We are in the Lord. Jesus says He will be with us.'" Apparently, He was and the situation increased the faith of the children. It was at this time that the Salmans were able to infuse the love of Jesus into the situation by teaching their children to pray for their enemies. "We told them, 'If someone is bad, we have to pray for them that they will ask Jesus in their heart.' This has changed our children. Tarneem used to say that (Ariel) Sharon should go to hell. Now she says, 'Sharon is bad, but we love him.' It is not easy but this is just what we plant with our kids. I thank God for the love in my heart. I don't have hatred in my heart."

This supernatural love from God plays itself out in several ways. Along with serving a new church plant with a congregation of 150, Rev. Salman administers Shepherd's Society, a not-for-profit relief organization aiding Palestinian families in times of crises. In the midst of severe danger they experience divine miracles of healing and protection.

"We are in danger," Rev. Salman acknowledged. "We are under pressure from all sides. But we are here because there is a calling on me and my wife and my children. If we leave, who will be left here? We love the Lord and want to stick in this land because it is the birthplace of Jesus. We pray for wisdom how to talk to people - Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Arab terrorists. We would appreciate encouragement from believers in the West to stay here. If we start loving and we start praying, it will change the Middle East. In Palestine, we don't need more satellites and Christian programs, more food, or more money, but Christians the world over to pray for the Palestinians with a heart of love."

"When the Jews got the Gospel, the Gospel was social - feeding the widows and children. When the Romans got the Gospel, it was law. When the Greeks got the Gospel, it was philosophy. When the Americans got the Gospel, it became business. But what I do here is not a career: It is a ministry. I will not leave. I will stay and love these people to Jesus."

The full story can be retrieved by sending an e-mail to lyris@xc.org with only this command in the body of your mail:

get joel-news-international assist-shepherds-of-bethlehem

Source: ASSIST News Service

---

JN422-2. PRAYER FOCUS: Saddam Hussein and Iraq

Ted Haggard of the World Prayer Center in Colorado Springs issued a call to pray for Saddam Hussein and Iraq. He writes:

"Last week the Spirit of the Lord woke me in the middle of the night and impressed on me that if we could mobilize 1,000,000 intercessors to pray for Saddam Hussein, that he would leave Iraq, thus avoiding the need for a war. After He spoke to me, I saw a series of visions of people suffering because of the horrors of war. Then I realized that God has a plan that He is going to fulfil one way or another, but that His desire is to remove Saddam without the suffering of so many. I think, though, that we only have until the end of December to rally the troops to pray."

Test this prophetic impression and if God confirms it in your spirit, pray and mobilize others to pray.

Source: World Prayer Center

---

JN422-3. KINGDOM DEVELOPMENT: Business as mission

From 19-24 January 2003 YWAM International will host a Global Consultation on Business as Mission. Business is rapidly becoming recognised as one of the most strategic tools for ministry within the missions community. At the same time many business people are asking what more they can do with the gifts that God has given them in business. The Christian business community is already engaging with mission in small numbers, but thousands more are eager to get involved. There is an open door for doing business in almost every nation and business activity can have a powerful impact as we seek to disciple nations.

LINK: http://www.businessasmission.com

---

JN422-4. RESOURCE: Have a party for sharing Christ

About 25 years ago, Norm and Becky Wretlind discovered that loving your neighbors really could be fun. In fact it could be a party! Hosting a Christmas party in their neighborhood was the perfect way to create a bridge for their neighbors to meet Christ. Various additional parties led to home Bible studies, and over a three-year period, more than sixty neighbors accepted Christ as their Savior. Even whole families came to faith. It was like living in the book of Acts! Soon a church was born, and today over one thousand 'neighbors' gather weekly to worship the Lord. As a result of this experience, the Wretlinds developed training materials that are equipping thousands of families across the USA to also "have a party" for sharing Christ.

LINK: http://www.neighborhope.com

---

JN422-5. RESOURCE: Praying for our cities

"Revival will come when we get the walls down between the church and the community," states C. Peter Wager in (the excerpts from) his book 'Praying With Power'. He gives suggestions how to pray effectively for our cities and communities.

LINK: http://www.globalharvestministries.org/home.qry?ID=139

---

JN422-6. RESOURCE: Women's Neighborhood Prayer

Women are uniting in neighborhoods across denominations, races and cultures to pray for the transformation of their city and nation for Christ.

LINK: http://www.wnpintl.org

---

COLOPHON

Joel News International is a leading special interest bulletin on prayer, church growth and revival. We offer a keen selection of the most encouraging news reports, the most challenging developments and the best resources from over 100 reliable sources in six continents. Joel News International is a great help and time-saver for thousands of Christian leaders and intercessors in over 120 nations.

Editors: Branko Bjelajac, Adriaan van der Hoeven and Marc van der Woude. You can contact the editorial office at joel-news@xs4all.nl.

Joel News International is distributed weekly by e-mail on the basis of an annual donation. For more information see http://www.joelnews.org/donation-jni.htm#options.

Has this bulletin been forwarded to you? Then subscribe directly by sending an empty e-mail to: subscribe-joel-news-international@xc.org.