| JOEL-NEWS-INTERNATIONAL-450 * 18 AUGUST 2003 * WWW.JOELNEWS.ORG IN THIS EDITION: JN450-1. TYPICALLY GOD: Hope in Baghdad JN450-2. PRAYER FOCUS: The spiritual battle for Iraq JN450-3. NEWS BRIEF: George Verwer steps down from OM leadership JN450-4. NEWS BRIEF: G12 church-growth strategy spreads worldwide JN450-5. RESOURCE: Building 'fast' ministry teams --- QUOTE: "The more helpless you are, the better you are fitted to pray, and the more answers to prayer you will experience." (O. Hallesby) --- JN450-1. TYPICALLY GOD: Hope in Baghdad This story of hope comes from a leader in the Middle East who typed it while driving back across the desert from Baghdad with a Korean missionary family who had spent the last three months in Sadir City. Formerly called Saddam City, this is the centre of Shia Islam in Baghdad, with four million people who have been systematically oppressed under Saddam's regime. They were coordinating Korean medical and relief teams, and befriended the city's religious and community leaders and plan to move back to Baghdad later this year. On the last day of the leader's visit, he visited Georges (name changed). Georges has requested his mission to run a discipleship course for his people, which will start next month. Georges was pastor of an underground church that had grown to over 100 people. One night in February this year, the secret police came and took him from his home to the infamous Red Building - named from the colour of blood. Georges found himself crammed into a two metre square cell, in total darkness - with six other religious leaders: three Shiite and three Sunni moslems! From the first day they asked him to tell them about Jesus, but he refused. Instead he told them about Adam and Eve, the next day about Noah, then Abraham etc. Finally after 10 days of laying foundations they were begging him to tell them about Jesus. So the next day he told them the biblical story about Jesus. After he finished there was silence for the longest time. Finally some started asking questions, but not the usual religious argumentative questions, but genuine questions seeking to understand. The atmosphere of the cell changed. One man began asking Georges to pray for him every time he was taken away to be tortured. They even ended up sharing communion together. Miraculously Georges was released a few days before the war. No one was ever released from the secret police building before. The only way out was in a coffin. At least one of the others was also released as he now comes to visit Georges. The leader continued his report stating his excitement at the future opportunities opening up in Iraq. "It really is a new season in a new country. It seems the Brazilians and Koreans are taking up the challenge, but its important for all of us to play our part. If we wait for all to be quiet, it will be a long time before some parts of the world hear the gospel. The Iraqis are revelling in a new found freedom, but there is still much pain and heartache in their lives. Pray for the full revelation of the freedom that Christ brings. Source: Withheld for security reasons --- JN450-2. PRAYER FOCUS: The spiritual battle for Iraq "The spiritual battle for Iraq is not yet over," says Rick Ridings, a prophetic leader from Jerusalem. "I sense the Lord saying: 'The large part of my intercessors that were called to the battle for Iraq have now gone AWOL - absent without leave. But the battle is far from over. You must continue to strike the arrows against the ground until the Enemy's resistance (to my purposes) is truly broken.'" "Keep on proclaiming Jer. 50 and 51 as to what I am doing in this region. Keep on proclaiming Isa. 19 as to what I will do in this area. And keep sending confusion against the Enemy as you continue to praise and worship Me for My sovereign and good plans for this region. For this area is key to the fulfillment of My covenant promises to both the 'sons of Isaac' (the Jews) and to the 'sons of Ishmael' (the Arabs)." "I received the above message in the early hours of July 22nd," says Ridings. "I began to proclaim Jeremiah 51, especially verse 3, which says of Babylon (which is in Iraq) to 'completely destroy her army'; verse 13 which states the 'time has come for you to be cut off'; and verse 23 which states that God shatters the governors and officials (of Babylon). Later that day, the news came that the two sons of Saddam Hussein had been killed. I felt that was the confirmation that I needed to send out this word more widely. May the Lord God guide you in your prayers and proclamations concerning Iraq." Source: Elijah List --- JN450-3. NEWS BRIEF: George Verwer steps down from OM leadership After more than 46 years at the helm, the founder of Operation Mobilisation is stepping down as the organisation's president. 65-year-old George Verwer will pass on the torch at a special meeting in Keswick, England on August 22nd. Peter Maiden will be his replacement. "He's a more quiet, steady person than myself," says Verwer. "He's a great Bible teacher, but he's also a visionary leader with a pastor's heart. We have in OM now 3,500 workers in 90 nations. And his big job will be to work with the leaders and the leaders of the leaders." Verwer says he will continue his focus on reaching the unreached. One of his frustrations is that "so few of the Lord's people seem to see this as enough priority to really get in on the action, whether its praying, giving or going. In a world of six billion people, we need more active mobilizers and participants." Source: Mission Network News --- JN450-4. NEWS BRIEF: G12 church-growth strategy spreads worldwide A cell-church strategy that is credited with growing a Colombia congregation to more than 300,000 members is spreading in the United States, with Larry Stockstill of Bethany World Prayer Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, seeking to use the model to plant churches worldwide. The Government of 12 (G12) cell-church model made popular by Cesar Castellanos, founding pastor of the International Charismatic Mission in Bogota, Colombia, is being touted as a new key to church growth by several prominent charismatic pastors in the United States and England. Though cell-church ministry is not new, in the last decade G12 has emerged as a leading strategy, employed nearly as often as the model popularized by Korean pastor David Yonggi Cho, whose Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul once was the largest in the world. "We tried it [Cho's system] but just didn't experience the growth we longed for," says Castellanos, who claims to have the largest cell-based church in the world. "From 1983 to 1990, we only had 70 cells." He said he received a vision from God in 1990 regarding a new discipleship program based on Christ's model of mentoring 12 disciples, then sending them out to disciple others. "Jesus was reproducing His character in His group of 12," Castellanos says. "He made me see we have to do the same thing. You have to choose 12 people, then you have to reproduce the character of Christ in those 12, then every one of them will do the same with another 12." In G12, Castellanos incorporates an intensive, gender-specific training curriculum; an Encounter weekend at which participants address hidden areas of sin and emotional hurt; and a subsequent School of Leaders course. Using this approach, Castellanos said his church has grown to 48,000 cell groups throughout Colombia. Because of an assassination attempt, Castellanos and his wife, Claudia, a former Colombian senator, moved to the United States and in 2001 planted a church in Miami that currently is said to have 200 cells. Source: Charisma News Service --- JN450-5. RESOURCE: Building 'fast' ministry teams The magazine 'Fast Company' was launched in November 1995. Since then, it's become one of the leading publications for companies and individuals who work smarter, out-innovate their competition, embrace teamwork and grow quickly. Fast companies include businesses that welcome change. They're made up of learners who take risks and are always looking to the future. According to Anthony Morgan today's ministry organizations should be seeking those same types of individuals. That's the way God intended his ministry to be. A look at the early church in Acts provides a pretty compelling description of what might be best described as a fast ministry. LINK: http://www.pastors.com/rwmt/default.asp?id=52&artid=1697&expand=1 LINK: http://www.fastcompany.com/homepage/ --- 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: Alex ten Cate 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. |
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