| JOEL-NEWS-INTERNATIONAL-467 * 3 FEBRUARY 2004 * WWW.JOELNEWS.ORG IN THIS EDITION: JN467-1. TYPICALLY GOD: Miracles during filming of 'The Passion' JN467-2. PRAYER FOCUS: Evangelist in cancer hospital JN467-3. NEWS: Underground church grows in war-torn Afghanistan JN467-4. WEBLOG: Cafe church ideas JN467-5. RESOURCE: 'The Passion' outreach JN467-6. RESOURCE: Pray World 2004 --- JN467-1. TYPICALLY GOD: Miracles during filming of 'The Passion' Few movies have been discussed before their release as much as Catholic actor Mel Gibson's 'The Passion', a portrait of Jesus Christ of the 12 hours before his crucifixion. In interviews, Mel Gibson tells of astonishing events, even miracles, which occurred during the filming. "Many unusual things happened. For example, people were healed of illnesses; some have regained their hearing and sight. Another was struck by lightning while we were filming the crucifixion, but just stood up and carried on. The power in the script alone is very interesting. There was also the case of a six-year-old girl, daughter of someone connected with the film crew, who has had no epileptic fits for over a month, while she used to have up to fifty fits each day." Gibson is amazed how the film has touched most of the actors and actresses in some deep, personal way. Jim Caviezel, a devout Catholic who plays the role of Jesus in the film, is convinced that it was the Holy Spirit who led him to play the role. "It is important for me to portray Jesus' character as God intends," he says. "Mel Gibson shows the violence of the events so realistically that some will not be able to look, and will leave, believe me. But many will stay, and will gradually realise the whole truth." "In a world in which pretty much everyone is at each others' throats, this film has a good and very up-to-date message, one of faith, hope, love and forgiveness which will touch people very profoundly, and change them," says Gibson. LINK: http://www.passion-movie.com (movie) LINK: http://www.stjosephsmen.com/articles/Passion2 (miracles) --- JN467-2. PRAYER FOCUS: Evangelist in cancer hospital During one of his latest trips to arctic Russia evangelist and regular contributor to Joel News Eric Olson ministered in a cancer hospital near Murmansk. He relates: "We had just been in two rooms in the hospital where two men in particular had humbly repented of their sins and acknowledged their need for God. His love had touched them visibly. It was almost as if something was building towards a breakthrough, and it often seems to happen this way. There was a 'now' type of anointing, a boldness to pray for and minister to people. So when I met a lady in the hall between rooms, I told her that God had something for her and that we wanted to pray for her. She agreed, and after prayer she started to shine. Others noticed, and then another lady came and asked us to pray for her too. She said that she felt warmth all over her body and then more people started coming. Soon, we had fifteen people gathered around us. Some were crying because God had touched them. And then when I invited them to receive Jesus, they ALL prayed to receive Him. It was just incredible, like a mighty high voltage power surge from Heaven as these people were all supernaturally drawn to Jesus." When Olson returned home from Russia, he went to see a doctor for a suspected pneumonia. He was shocked to find out that he had lung cancer in an advanced stage. Olson is currently under treatment in the USA, but without health insurance. Pray for Eric and his wife Angela, as the Spirit of God leads. For those who feel led to help financially: Missions Support Eric and Angela Olson, Gwinnett Vineyard Christian Fellowship, 1770 Cedars Road, Lawrenceville, Georgia 30045, USA. Source: Joel News --- JN467-3. NEWS: Underground church grows in war-torn Afghanistan In spite of the continued influence of the Taliban, an underground Christian movement is growing in war-torn Afghanistan. Before the Taliban regime, Afghanistan was one of the least-reached countries in the world, with fewer than 3,000 Afghan believers. Now as the war is over, a surprising 2 million refugees have come back, and some are bringing with them what they didn't have when they left: faith in Christ. "It is surprising how many people found the Lord while they were in Pakistan," one relief worker told 'Charisma' magazine. "Many had supernatural dreams, where Jesus appeared to them and revealed Himself to be the truth. Others were won to Christ through the network of Pakistani believers in remote, mountainous areas." Information is difficult to obtain about the state of the underground church in Afghanistan today, and most foreign Christians working in the country are reluctant to give out information that might compromise their work and the safety of Afghan believers. But evangelism is alive and well. "It is unnatural for Afghans not to talk about God," one Christian worker explained. "They are looking for something new, knowing that they cannot go forward with what they had in the past. I talk about Jesus every day because people ask me. It's that simple." Another worker shared: "We are currently working on a program to train 45 Afghan families that have become believers. I've met many of these families. The first time was in a secret location, and 16 of the men were in a room sitting around a large wooden table. When we walked into the room, they all stood. It was like walking into the very throne room of God. I have never felt or experienced the presence of God in such a tangible way." LINK: http://www.charismanews.com/a.php?ArticleID=8518 --- JN467-4. WEBLOG: Cafe church ideas Lots of newspapers, muffins, coffee, cafe tables. Open for about 2 hours on a Sunday am. It is called 'cafe, pub or coffee shop church'. Joel News editor Marc van der Woude compiled some ideas for this type of church that popped up in the blogging community. A nice example of a pub church is BarNone in Cardiff, Wales. Chris Coffey, one of the founders, says: "Bar None began with three friends who met at a Christian festival and discussed ideas of how to be church in a unchurchlike manner. They came up with the idea of a pub church. A group of Cardiff Christians decided to check out the city's pubs, to find out if any were open for the idea of being a pub church on Sunday. They expected rejection, but were astonished that most were excited by the idea. They finally settled on 'The Oz Bar' in the city centre." In the first meetings, they laid Bibles and newspapers on some of the tables, held discussions and sometimes a 10-minute talk; a songwriter presented a song, and discussed the meaning. "We now have thirty to forty regular visitors, many of whom do not attend a 'normal' church because they think they would not fit in. Bar None is one of four fellowships belonging to the Glenwood Church. It is important for people to recognise that they are not in a waiting line for a 'real church', but that this is 'real church'! And one of the most important things that we have learned is that we do not need to have an answer to every question, and do not need to justify everything that we do," he says. LINK: http://marcsmessages.typepad.com/mm/2004/01/cafe_church_ide.html LINK: http://www.pubchurch.com --- JN467-5. RESOURCE: 'The Passion' outreach Outreach Inc. is distributing DVD trailer previews of Mel Gibson's film 'The Passion of the Christ' to U.S. churches with information on how the film can help pastors lead local evangelistic outreach projects. A special web site offers ideas and resources. LINK: http://www.thepassionoutreach.com --- JN467-6. RESOURCE: Pray World 2004 In the forty days leading to Palm Sunday, Februrary 25 to April 4, 2004, Christians and churches all over the world will pray toward the fulfillment of the Great Commission and toward the hope of transformation by the power of the gospel. A prayer guide is available in several languages. LINK: http://www.prayworld.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. Editor: 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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