| JOEL-NEWS-INTERNATIONAL-464 * 30 DECEMBER 2003 * WWW.JOELNEWS.ORG IN THIS EDITION: JN464-1. TYPICALLY GOD: Fire walking ceremony turns into outreach JN464-2. PRAYER FOCUS: Prayer versus voodoo in Haiti JN464-3. NEWS BRIEF: New agers in Switzerland discover Jesus JN464-4. KINGDOM DEVELOPMENT: The rise of 'marketplace ministry' JN464-5. RESOURCE: Prophecy for Wales, England, Ireland and Scotland JN464-6. RESOURCE: That Greek spirit! --- JN464-1. TYPICALLY GOD: Fire walking ceremony turns into outreach Evangelist Joel Marandi of the Brethren In Christ Church in Purnea, northern India, reports: "The Safa Hor are a group within the Santal people living in Mohini village in the Araria district. They worship the Hindu god Rama, and celebrate a fire walking ceremony each year: they dig a pit, in which they lay a fire, and then walk over the burning coals - without burning their feet. I've been evangelising in this village for two years, without visible result. I realised that this fire walking ritual was demonic, and the reason why I was not making progress. "This year, I called some Christian colleagues to help. Together, we walked around the place where the ceremony was to be held, praying that God would break the power of all demonic idols in the village. Only a few villagers showed up for the ceremony. One tried to walk on the fire, but burned his legs. I then told the people about Jesus, the true God. Following the clear demonstration of his power over their own ceremony, 25 villagers decided to follow Jesus. Isn't God great?" Source: Friday Fax --- JN464-2. PRAYER FOCUS: Prayer versus voodoo in Haiti Will Haiti be dedicated to Satan again? On August 14, 2003, thousands of Haitian Christians united for a national day of prayer to counter a voodoo pact supported by the Caribbean nation's president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide. It was to be the day that the voodoo witchdoctors would lead Haiti in the re-ratification of the 200-year-old blood pact with the devil, and the president did everything in his power to support that diabolical pact. In April already he had passed a law recognizing voodoo as a valid Haitian religion. He also flew in over 400 voodoo practitioners for the re-ratification ceremony, mostly from West Africa. However, the Christians in Haiti organized a national day of prayer. Terry Snow, director of Youth With A Mission in Haiti, said Christians were sent to spy on the witchdoctors who were planning to have a blood sacrifice at the site where the original pact with the devil was made that reportedly exchanged the soul of Haiti for victory over the French. "The spies reported that they saw many animals brought to do sacrifices - pigs, goats and chickens," he said. "However, there arose a lot of confusion, with people arguing, etc. As a result, everyone disbanded and not one sacrifice was made." But victory over one battle does not end a war. Another effort to renew the satanic covenant is reportedly planned for January 1, 2004, Haiti's national day of independence. Let's join the Christians in Haiti in prayer for their nation. Come against satan's plan to reinforce generational strongholds and invite continued deception through the renewal of pacts made by ancestors. Pray that the Holy Spirit will open blinded eyes and that the Haitian people will be released to embrace Jesus Christ. Also intercede earnestly for the president's salvation, and that God will empower the Christians in Haiti to saturate their nation with the Gospel. Source: MNN, Christian Aid Mission, YWAM --- JN464-3. NEWS BRIEF: New agers in Switzerland discover Jesus Switzerland's largest New Age magazine 'Esotera' published a two-page full-colour advert for pastor Daniel Hari's book 'Healing like Jesus', as well as an interview with him on the topic 'Christ-centered healing - very promising'. Hari is one of Switzerland's leading teachers who bring spiritual seekers in contact with Jesus. "Almost 500 New Agers have ordered the book and personally experienced God," he says, summarizing many feedbacks. He regularly holds seminars with the title 'Healing like Jesus - an introduction to Christ-centered healing'. A Belgian healer attending one of these seminars asked himself: "Will I be able to stand the 500-mile journey to Switzerland with the pain in my discs?" When he arrived on location, he was surprised to discover that he had no pain at all. During the seminar, he and his wife along with most other participants accepted Jesus as their Saviour. Impressed by what she was seeing, Reiki master Hannelore from Germany also wanted to be healed by Jesus. Hari says: "We prayed, but nothing more happened than that her ears became a little warm. Neither her eyes nor her ears were healed. She didn't want to give up so quickly. Together we asked Jesus what could be hindering her healing. In the healing service that evening, she told of what she had experienced that afternoon: 'After the prayer, I went down to the lake, where I saw many coloured doves. Suddenly, I noticed a single white dove in their midst. I thought to myself that it must be a dove of peace. Then it dawned on me: I had not made peace with my husband, from whom I am separated. I wanted to neither see nor hear him again. That must be why my sight and hearing is so poor, and why I was not healed.' She was prepared to publicly ask God for forgiveness for her unwillingness to reconcile their differences. We prayed again, and the healing started immediately. The following morning, she was able to fill out the questionnaire without her 3.5 diopter contact lenses. A fortune teller named Michael from Berlin told Hari that he was called to heal. After reading of the seminar in 'Esotera' magazine, he immediately signed up. Hari: "In our first conversation, I immediately noticed his stutter. Hate was written all over his face too, and with good reason: from the bottom of his heart, he hated the man who had raped his wife. For the first time he heard how he could be freed from this destructive hate. He was very touched by the fact that Jesus had given his life to save him, and started to fight with himself. There was another difficulty: with the help of a medium, he had started a search for his daughter with whom he had lost contact. If he accepted Jesus as his Saviour, would he still be able to work with this medium? Who would help him find his daughter? He finally decided to leave it all to Jesus. The first night was astonishing: he had a dream in which he was clearly shown in which Italian city he should start the search. On the last day of the seminar, Michael was baptised in Lake Lugano. That was a clear sign for us all that he no longer wanted to live for himself, but for Jesus. His girlfriend was also baptised." LINK: http://www.daniel-hari.ch --- JN464-4. KINGDOM DEVELOPMENT: The rise of 'marketplace ministry' According to 'Charisma' magazine a trend toward 'marketplace ministry' is occurring all over the world today, empowering Christians in business who are realizing that God can use their careers and entrepreneurial skills to spread the gospel in innovative ways. "This movement is going to a much higher level," says Rich Marshall, author of the book 'God @Work' and former charismatic pastor who left the pulpit five years ago to teach business people how they can be used by God. "But we're still at the front edge of this. It's an ongoing thing of people stepping out to do things." Groups such as Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International and Christian Business Men's Committee have proven for years that business and the gospel form a fruitful partnership. Today, more than 900 marketplace ministries have sprung up internationally, many of them in the last decade. For example in Hong Kong, attorney Hugo Chan pastors a church of 1,600 doctors, lawyers and professional people who meet in four locations. Also, the International Christian Chamber of Commerce has produced a 10-part video series about starting a business. It has been aired to some 40 million Chinese over network television and distance-learning centers since 2001. Although prohibited from referring to Jesus or the Bible, the lessons unabashedly proclaim biblical principles. A second series will debut soon. Elsewhere, consultant Richard Fleming - who oversees the Trinity Broadcasting Network's European operations - has started two business-oriented Kingdom Advice centers in London. Emphasizing hearing God's voice in the marketplace, five more centers in Europe and Africa are planned this year. Additionally, America is now home to 10,000 workplace Bible study and prayer groups, with new initiatives starting at companies such as Sears, Coca-Cola and American Airlines, according to Os Hillman of Marketplace Leaders, based in Atlanta. The movement also has led to a range of spiritual initiatives, including the hiring of corporate chaplains and intercessors. One Christian-owned company in California's Silicon Valley keeps both a prayer leader and prophet on its part-time payroll. Source: Charisma News Service --- JN464-5. RESOURCE: Prophecy for Wales, England, Ireland and Scotland Catherine Brown submitted a prophetic word for Wales, England, Ireland and Scotland. "I will flood Wales with my Presence. This is the time for Wales to shine her light as a beacon of hope in the nations. I call the south of Wales a cradle. For Llanelli to Newport is ready and prepared as tinder to be an ignition point for the next move of my Spirit. I have decreed that three flames shall burn brightly as a synergy of my Spirit encompasses Wales, Ireland and Scotland. The Celtic nations must learn to embrace and release each other." LINK: http://makeashorterlink.com/?H385129E6 --- JN464-6. RESOURCE: That Greek spirit! In 2004 the Olympic Games will be held in Athens, Greece. Jeff Fountain, European director of YWAM, started a number of articles on the 'Greek spirit'. "What will these Olympics stir up in the spirit world?" he wonders. "Greece has played a pivotal role not only in the spiritual history of the ancient Mediterranean world and of our western world, but Greek thought revived through the Enlightenment continued to shape contemporary education and philosophy. While the Greek language had been the chosen vehicle for the New Testament, and Greek had been the first foreign culture into which the church was transplanted, Greek thinking had continued to bring non-biblical distortions to theology and ecclesiology in all sorts of church traditions." LINK: http://www.ywameurope.org/news/word/readWord.asp?word=111 LINK: http://www.ywameurope.org/news/word/readWord.asp?word=112 --- 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. Editor: Marc van der Woude. You can contact the editorial office at joel-news@xs4all.nl. 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