Tyler Connell with the Ekballo Project shared a few encouraging stories from his most recent trip to Middle East, where he documented a dramatic move of God among Muslims, particularly with refugees. “Many there are disillusioned and broken and just want to know the truth,” he says. “Now more than ever there is a harvest among Muslims.”
His first film chronicles a young missionary named Daniel, 24, originally from Vermont. Two years ago he moved to Jordan to work with Syrian refugees. “They go house to house and visit these Muslim families and sit with them and talk with them and find out their names, their stories, and love them. As trust is built, they begin to open up for the Gospel.”
‘Hi I’m Daniel and I’m here to tell you about Jesus.’
One afternoon Daniel walked into a white tent with a family of eight people inside. “Hi I’m Daniel and I’m here to tell you about Jesus,” he announced. He wasn’t quite prepared for their reaction. “The family freaked out, they looked at each other and almost turned white. The father was excited, yelling.”
What’s going on? Daniel wondered. The interpreter explained that the night before Daniel’s visit, the whole family was sitting in their tent having tea together. To their surprise a man in white opened the door to their tent and stood at the entrance. The man was glowing. “Hello, My name is Jesus and I am sending a man tomorrow named Daniel to tell you more about me.” Then he disappeared.
So when Daniel arrived at their doorway and told them his name, they were completely undone. They asked him to tell them more about Jesus and he explained the Gospel. The whole family converted. The father had been a part of the Free Syrian Army. He had known bloodshed. He was a devout Muslim. This man and his family are now planting underground churches in Jordan and are seeing a harvest among Muslims.
Recently the father was dismayed by a large cell phone bill and he asked his 15-year-old daughter about it. “It’s because I’m telling all our relatives in Saudi Arabia about Jesus,” she said.
Life in the desert – part 1
‘Jesus was there, in the middle of the dirt, with Muslim refugees.’
In another Syrian refugee family, Connell felt God’s presence break through in a powerful way. “The joy that broke out among these 25 people was incredible. Jesus’ presence was stronger in that little dirty living room than I have ever felt in any conference, any prayer room, any camp-high moment. Jesus was there in the middle of the desert, in Iraq, in the dirt, with Muslims. He is attracted to the broken-hearted, the contrite, the desperate.”
Life in the desert – part 2
Over the last three years, Connell and his team have responded to an assignment from God to capture what He is doing in the most unreached parts of the world, the so-called 10/40 Window. This area is home to the three giants of Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism, a total of 2.9 billion people. “We felt God told us to go to these dark places, and capture what He is doing through missionaries that have given up their lives. We follow them with our camera and capture what God does, and show it on college campuses in the USA to ignite students to live for something bigger than themselves.”
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Eric Célérier was a 22-year-old new Christian, looking for work. Sure, he had three years of French cooking school under his belt, but he felt God was calling him to do something else. Someone from his church asked him if he would be interested working for the 1986 Billy Graham Crusade coming to Paris. “I said I don’t know who Billy Graham is,” Célérier said. “But I’m looking for a job.”
He still remembers the September 1986 Crusade at Paris’ Bercy Stadium. The view of Billy Graham preaching and thousands flooding the stage to give their life to Jesus. “It really impacted my life. When I saw all the people come to receive Christ, I said a prayer. I told God I want to be an evangelist. I want to win people to Christ like this man.”
More than a quarter of a century later, Célérier is at The Billy Graham Training Center in Asheville, North Carolina. Here more than 100 people from over 20 countries involved in Jesus.net, the internet evangelism movement he founded, have gathered for a five-day conference with one unified purpose: using the internet to reach people for Jesus. “I praise God every day,” the modest Frenchman said. “It’s really a movement of God.”
Tracing the steps of exactly when the online evangelism movement began is a little like figuring out who really invented the internet. Célérier recalls 1997 as the first time he started building tools for online evangelism, and 2001 when the first evangelistic website went live. But April 2005 was when the Knowing God website – the model that BGEA is using for PeaceWithGod.net – went live.
In the 7 1/2 years since launching in France, Célérier has seen more than 36.8 million people click on one of the Jesus.net websites that deliver a gospel presentation through video format. More than 12 million people have indicated they prayed to receive Christ and roughly 25 percent of those have filled out a personal information form, which has been used to send discipleship material as well as help new believers get plugged into a local church. “Recording decisions is just one step. It’s a measurement, not a goal,” he said. “The goal is that they would grow in their faith and get involved in a church.”
A network of 330 churches has signed on to help new Christians grow in their faith. Célérier’s team in France has worked hard to make sure new followers of Christ are given proper follow-up with discipleship information and connected with a local church in their area. “We try to move people along their spiritual journey, just like they would do at a Crusade,” Célérier said. “For them to connect to a local church is extremely important.”
The Jesus.net movement, which began in August of 2009, is quickly spreading around the globe. Many other countries are getting involved under the Jesus.net umbrella. You might want to check out the fascinating Google Earth map with real-time decisions for Christ in 3D. Every minute three people come to Christ.
Christian journalist Steve Rees reports about a remarkable story from Central Asia. It’s about a 63-year old Muslim woman, Sabina, who landed in a coma and was proclaimed dead by her doctors. Her body was brought to a morgue where she stayed for two days.
In a near-death-experience she had a vision of a tree branch moving toward her and turning into a hand. She heard the words: “If you grab onto my hand, I will bring you back to life.” When she took hold of the hand, she came back to life, to the astonishment of the medical staff working in the morgue.
When she returned home, she surprised family members by heading straight to a local Pentecostal church where she surrendered her life to Christ.
This happened several years ago and since then her six daughters, her son, her 92-year old mother and a niece have become Christians too. It demonstrates that entire household salvations still happen, also among Muslims. Her emotional and powerful testimony is now spreading through her Muslim nation in Central Asia.
‘I saw Jesus. He had his arms open wide and welcomed me home.’
When Muslim students at university heard about the miracle, they invited Sabina’s son-in-law Jamal to share about Jesus with them.
A close friend of Jamal started to have dreams and visions of Jesus and within a month he gave his heart to the Savior. “When we prayed together he began to weep,” says Jamal. “After settling himself, he told me, ‘Jamal, I just saw Jesus again. This time he had his arms open wide, welcoming me home.’” When his friend’s wife heard about the conversion, she threatened to divorce him. But he prayed for her and three months later both of them were baptized.
Out of the conversion of this family many home Bible study groups have started among friends and neighbours. Some team members are ministering to Syrian refugees. “Last year we adopted an entire refugee camp before winter set in because many babies and toddlers die from the cold. We raised enough money to pay for heat and insulation in their tents,” Jamal says. They request prayer for their work with Syrian refugees, and for the love of Jesus to be revealed to many more friends and neighbours.
I want to update you on some recent and remarkable developments on the Oglala Sioux Indian Reservation at Pine Ridge. If you are not familiar with this reservation, it is located in South Dakota about 1.5 hours east of Mount Rushmore. As the site of the infamous Wounded Knee massacre, and home to Native luminaries such as Red Cloud, Black Elk, and Crazy Horse, it is one of the most influential Indian homelands in America.
Another purpose of this communiqué is to alert you to an imminent gathering that could alter the spiritual status quo throughout Pine Ridge, and indeed the entire Sioux Nation. Genuine revival is at the door, and we need all the prayer support that can be mustered on short notice.
Before I get into the details, allow me to offer a bit of backstory in case you have not been following our saga these past two years.
In early 2015, Pine Ridge was wracked by an epidemic of youth suicides. Many, many perished, with a significant number taking their lives in collective death pacts. As the momentum built, fear and grief hung over the reservation like a heavy, wet blanket.
Suspecting this was a spiritual assault on the next generation, a group of Native intercessors invited me to Pine Ridge to discuss the principles and power of transforming revival.
Recent insider accounts confirm the Evil One was indeed behind this carnage. Working through a handful of perverse medicine men, he launched a scheme in which vulnerable young people were drawn into sweat lodges and “prophesied to.” Several were told: “The spirits have shown me there will be 25 more suicides — and you will be one of them.” Sadly, these words proved to be curses, and those who heard them simply lost their will to live.
By June 2015, however, a spiritual counteroffensive was under way. Led by Norma Blacksmith and a small band of Native and non-Native partners, the power of the Holy Spirit was unleashed to break the bands of death. And as the suicides abated, many traumatized families (including prominent traditionalists) opened up to the love of God.
When I arrived to share the principles of transforming revival, the team on Pine Ridge could not have been any more receptive. They were eager to not just hear the word of the Lord, but to heed it. Not surprisingly, healings, deliverances, and conversions picked up across the reservation. It was clear the conditions were ripe for a significant breakthrough.
Earlier this month, I returned to Pine Ridge with Walo Ani, a dear friend and colleague from Papua New Guinea. Having walked with Walo for years, I knew his understanding of tribal culture and his extensive firsthand experience with transforming revival would be incredibly helpful. I was not disappointed.
PUBLIC REPENTANCE
Wade McHargue, one of our hosts, and a man of extraordinary faith and courage, offered this brief report on October 8, 2016:
“Thank you for praying for George Otis’ and Walo Ani’s visit. It was a powerful time. The presence of God was very tangible and the Holy Spirit spoke clearly through His servants. The week culminated with a unity service with five churches represented… It was deeply moving to see many come forward to repent publically, and to make reconciliation and intercession. It was unlike anything I’ve seen since being here.”
SUPERNATURAL SIGNS
Ten days later, on October 18, Wade added these details:
“I believe we can say safely that we just witnessed an indisputable act of God here… the fruit of years of fasting and prayer, and a specific outgrowth of the time George Otis and Walo spent with us.
I’ve written before of the two principal medicine men here — Jerome LeBeaux and Rick Two Dogs. Jerome is the one connected to the killing of Todd Little Bull in August.
Jerome’s Sun Dance at Thunder Valley is the biggest on the Reservation attracting 500 or so people each year (with connections as far as Europe). The Sun Dance tree (or pole) bearing flesh offerings and tobacco ties is the central focus, and remains up year-round. Never, I repeat never, has anyone heard of anything like what happened here last week. A violent wind pulled that tree out of the ground and threw it down!!
Those trees are buried 7 feet into the ground… Everyone who heard about what happened knows it is supernatural.
Norma Blacksmith prayed specifically for this pole to be pulled down, and as I drove Walo Ani by it (the site is visible from the road) he also prayed for this to happen. Within days, it was laying on the ground. God did it!!!”
It is important to understand that God is moving in an unprecedented way on Pine Ridge. And He has been announcing His intentions to local intercessors beforehand so there will be no doubt about who is behind these mighty deeds.
Harrison No Neck, a key leader from the Kyle area, had four recurring dreams around the time God uprooted the Sun Dance pole. In the dreams, he is taken by an angel to the various Sun Dance altars on the Reservation. The angel then says, “This is what the Lord God is about to do…” and proceeds to smite the ground until it caves in and the Sun Dance tree falls.
Dramatic stuff… especially when it actually happens!
But this is not ALL that God is doing. As we have taught for many years, genuine transforming revival moves on multiple fronts. And this is what has been happening on Pine Ridge over the last few weeks.
Another promise of God was that He would deliver entire families from bondage and deception. It is EXTREMELY RARE for families or clans raised in Indian traditional religion to come to Christ wholesale, but this is exactly what has been happening! One high profile family, disturbed by the hypocrisy of medicine men and impressed by the power of the Living God, noted traditional Lakota ceremonies are often done in the dark while followers of Jesus do things in the light.
DRAMATIC HEALINGS
A few weeks ago, Wade McHargue was sharing with a Native man, Kelly Cedarface, who had been resuscitated by electric shock paddles after trying to hang himself.
“[Kelly] was afflicted in his back and had just found out about a tumor on his kidney. Seeing he was using a cane, I asked about his pain. When he told me it was a 9 on a scale of 10, I laid hands on him began to pray. I wish you could have seen the expression on his face as the power of God entered his body and instantly removed all pain. Priceless! He just looked at me with these stunned eyes, and together we gave glory to God.”
This is just one of numerous examples of God’s healing power being released in recent days. And word is getting out! Convinced the followers of Jesus have real power, traditional Lakota are opening their hearts and homes to the Gospel.
CLOSURE OF ALCOHOL SHOPS
Two days ago, an excited Norma Blacksmith phoned me to share yet another sign that transforming revival is at hand. After decades of anguish, political wrangling, and intense intercession, notorious alcohol vendors in the unincorporated village of White Clay, gateway to the Pine Ridge reservation, are finally being shut down!
This is earthshaking news, and it took Norma several moments to form the joyous words.
An absolutely vile place, White Clay has become a hot bed of drug deals, human trafficking, and deadly fights. But worst of all, its alcohol trade has played a leading role in countless traffic fatalities, domestic tragedies, alcohol poisonings, and suicides across the reservation. An estimated 80 percent of Pine Ridge households are impacted.
How bad has it been? Consider the fact that White Clay’s four alcohol outlets sell more beer per capita than any town in America — nearly 4.5 million cans in a community with only a dozen full-time residents! Numerous TV reports and documentary films have highlighted the scourge, but until now, to no avail.
Thanks be to our GREAT GOD for His mighty and loving intervention! This will change things.
GATHERING OF THE SEVEN COUNCIL FIRES
Recognizing that God is moving in their midst, several Native leaders have summoned pastors and intercessors from the various bands and reservations that make up the Sioux Nation. This collective, known as the Seven Council Fires, is located primarily within the Dakotas.
On Saturday, October 29, these leaders will gather, in potentially historic fashion, to further humble themselves, repent, and call upon God to fulfill His purposes among the Sioux people — on Pine Ridge and beyond.
Here, in their own words, is the case at hand:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I am writing you with the thought of transforming revival the Lord wants for the Seven Council Fire Nation and beyond. The past couple of days I have been learning from George Otis Jr. and Walo Ani about the transformation of entire tribes and how to heal the land.
I believe our next step is to unite God’s called spiritual leaders (followers of Jesus) from within the Seven Council Fires people to prepare a council meeting and ask the Lord to visit our Tribes and heal the land.
The strategy was placed in our hands. Now I believe we must carry the ball the rest of the way. I will be working together with you all to see sweeping revival that will change the fabric of our society to God’s honor.
I cannot properly relate the urgency of this gathering… We have many other commitments, I understand that. But this is concerning a visitation. We can no longer move forward with religious activity and no visitation from God.
The battle has begun!!! Hokahey!!! In Jesus’ mighty name!!!
— Joe Donnell, Joseph Cross and others
This important meeting will be led by Jerome Slides Off and take place near Eagle Butte, South Dakota. Jerome and others have requested urgent prayer covering for this time, and I believe all of us who champion the cause of revival should rally to this call.
To help guide your prayer time, I have included the following requests:
Pray that God will protect this gathering from well-meaning but formulaic outsiders who would seek to inject personal agendas and other distractions into the proceedings. There is a real risk of this, and I believe God wants to keep these Native leaders focused on the fundamentals of humility, repentance, and prayer that have given rise to every genuine revival in history. God has brought them to this point, and the enemy realizes something historic is afoot.
Pray that the Presence of God will be so strong at the Seven Council Fires gathering that no one will dare lift themselves up or speak against another.
Pray that God will give clear instructions to those gathered… even if those instructions are simply to wait on him.
Pray for traditional families who are considering turning to Christ — especially the Little Bull family whose son Todd was killed for exposing Jerome LeBeaux’s deceptive practices. They have already indicated they want to follow Jesus, but they need courage in the face of serious threats — and they have known nothing else but Lakota traditional religion.
Pray for ongoing FBI investigations on Pine Ridge related to Todd Little Bull’s assassination, and another brazen and brutal murder that took place recently outside a basketball game. Several Natives close to these cases have reported waking up in the night to see Jerome LeBeaux standing over them… and then vanishing. The enemy’s power is real, but it cannot stand against the authority of Jesus. Pray that justice will be served, and served swiftly.
Pray that God will give Wade McHargue and Harrison No Neck an opportunity to proclaim the Gospel to Jerome LeBeaux. Both are sensing they should do this, and to warn Him of the consequences of rejecting it.
Pray for the many new believers on Pine Ridge that they might grow in their walk with Jesus, becoming grounded in the faith through knowledge of the Word, fellowship with the saints, and the fearless witness of God’s goodness. Pray especially for Norma Blacksmith’s son George, her grandson George Jr., and granddaughter Johaunna Brewer — all of whom have a strong call of God upon their lives.
The Sentinel Group has filmed several powerful testimonies on Pine Ridge and will be making these available for viewing in the weeks ahead.
George Otis, Jr.
The Sentinel Group | PO Box 2255, Lynnwood, WA 98036, USA
The crime rate fell by 93% within 18 months.
Even the United Nations cannot understand how this happened!
TRANSFORMING YOUR CITY – THE EXAMPLE OF JUAREZ, MEXICO
Recently in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 140 ministry leaders and public officials were electrified to hear the testimony of Pastor Poncho Murguia. Poncho after leading a large and successful mega church for years was instructed by the Lord to “leave everything” and to go to a city park in his native Juarez, Mexico in order to fast and pray for three weeks over the city. During that process, he learned for the first time to really love and understand his city and then to “adopt” the city. Eventually 4000 other believers in Jesus joined him in a movement of transformational prayer and action that has changed Juarez from “the murder capital of the world” with violence 25 times as much as any on other city on earth, to one of the safest of Mexico’s cities.
At the height of the violence that swept the city which had become the site of a prolonged turf battle between drug cartels, 20-30 people were being assassinated by “sicarios”, hit men paid an average of $50 to kill anyone. They killed a young man just as he was being married to his fiancee in a church and freely machine-gunned peace-loving people who were having dinner in restaurants. There were also an average of 10-15 kidnappings per day and if loved ones did not pay the ransom that was demanded, their family member would have his ears or fingers amputated first and if there was still no payment, he or she would be killed and buried under the floor of the “safehouse” that served as their prison.
Twenty percent or 300,000 people left the city; 30% of the businesses closed. The cartels made lists of police officers and systematically assassinated them one by one to terrorize and exact concessions. The smell of blood filled the streets. Such overwhelming violence that the police and even the army could not control finally drove the pastors of the city’s churches together in prayer. They humbled themselves before the Lord, taking responsibility for the situation since they had been occupying themselves with their own congregations and “building their own kingdoms” without a real love and concern for the whole city. As they underwent this process together, God demonstrated His presence and the crime rate fell by 93% within 18 months. Even the United Nations cannot understand how this happened!
Other wonderful transformations happened and as they “adopted” the “sicarios”, many of these vicious hit men came to Christ and were discipled to serve Him back in their own towns across Mexico. Poncho challenged the Church and ministry leaders to tackle problems in our communities that the government and police are not being effective in fixing. The church he said spent too much time studying the Bible when God wants us to “be the Bible” to our needy city. Those who heard Poncho’s testimony were deeply challenged to apply what we learned. Many went home determined to see a transformational movement happen in their communities.
If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Introduction1 Love God:Faith in God – God our FatherFollow Me – Jesus our LordFilled with the Spirit – God’s Spirit our Helper
2 Love Others:Love one anotherServe one anotherEncourage one another
Conclusion
*
Introduction *
Jesus was wholly obedient in different ways at different times as a child, a student, a carpenter, a teaching rabbi, a healer, a sacrifice. We can obey in our different situations.
The Great Commission is a call to obey everything Jesus commanded. That’s not easy! But Jesus reminded us that he now has all authority in heaven and on earth and he is with us to the end of the age:‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ (Matthew 28:18-20)This book is about learning to obey Jesus as we love God who loves us totally. Jesus said, “If you love me you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15, 23). The greatest commandments of all are to love God and love others. …
We encourage Christians, especially leaders, to obey what Jesus told us to do. All Christians love to speak and sing about Jesus but we may not follow his instructions. So I wrote a mission book about how Jesus trained his followers: Jesus the Model for Short Term Supernatural Mission.It’s the first in my Great Commission Series and this is the second book in that series.Jesus taught his followers to do what he did. He commanded them to love one another as he loved us. He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God, to heal the sick and to cast out unclean spirits. I hope this book will help you do what Jesus told us to do. Jesus said that all the commandments could be summed up in two: loving God and loving others.‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it:
‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:37-40).Jesus described our neighbour as anyone, especially those in need. He said that we would keep his commandments because we loved him.Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. (John 14:23)God our loving Father expects us to believe in Jesus, his Son, to trust him and to obey his teaching and instructions.And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment (1 John 3:23).
What is obedience?Jesus told a parable about two sons whose father told them to work in his vineyard (Matthew 21:28-32). One son said he would go but he did not. The other son said he would not go but changed his mind and went. The one who said ‘No’ but then went was more obedient than the one who said ‘Yes’ but didn’t go. The story shows how we can repent, change our mind and obey.Jesus’ parable of the two sons encourages us to repent, turn around, and obey even if previously we did not.
Often we may feel guilty that we are not obeying Jesus fully and wholeheartedly. When we pray we may remember how we disobeyed or were half-hearted or reluctant to obey. We can repent, and obey.Some of Jesus commands seem hard for us to obey: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you; whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me; carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; sell your possessions, and give alms; those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples (Luke 6:27-28; 9:23; 10:4; 12:33; 14:33). And that’s just a few of his instructions!
We’re not all called to be Saint Francis or Mother Teresa. But we are called to follow Jesus – and that’s a challenge. Jesus’ instructions can shape our attitudes and actions. We may live it out in different ways in different places, but his commands will always guide us as we are led by his Spirit. Jesus was wholly obedient in different ways at different times as a child, a student, a carpenter, a teaching rabbi, a healer, a sacrifice. We can obey in our different situations.
Our obedience springs from love and flows strong in God’s love. We love Him because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). Jesus reveals himself to those who obey him in love: “The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love them and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to them. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by them and make Myself real to them.]” (John 14:21 Amplified)
“Last Christmas, I was speaking at a Three-Self Church in Yuhuan and I was amazed there were 12,000 people.”In Shenzhen, there is usually an average of 500 people being baptized each Sunday!CHINA — You’re about to hear first-hand testimony of an unprecedented Christian revival happening in parts of China. What is unique about this story is how God is moving among communist-controlled government churches.
CBN News traveled to southern China and obtained exclusive, never-before-seen images, from inside these churches.
When God Shows Up in a Communist Church
It’s Thursday evening in Fujian Province, southeast China. Scores of men and women are dancing, waving flags, blowing shofars, singing and worshipping God.
Chinese woman blowing Shofar
You might think these images come from a charismatic service in the United States. But they’re not. This is communist, and officially still atheist China.
And what Duan Huilai says is remarkable about this scene is that it’s happening in an officially government-controlled congregation known as Three-Self Church.
Duan and his wife have witnessed this move first-hand. Both are evangelists and have for several years criss-crossed the Chinese countryside documenting the Holy Spirit’s move among Three-Self Churches.
“Dramatic changes are happening,” Duan told CBN News. “God is moving in a powerful way inside these Three-Self Churches.”
Pastor Duan Huilai
“The most amazing thing is that the Lord is raising up God-loving people in these churches — so many brothers and sisters who love God deeply and want to serve Him,” Duan said.
Signs and Wonders Now Allowed
Pastor Duan says what is happening today in Beijing and in other parts of China as it relates to the powerful move of God amongst the Three-Self Churches is quite remarkable considering where the church has been in the last 30 years.
“Every sermon that the pastor preached back then had to be vetted by the government authorities. Young people were never allowed to attend these churches so you’d only see old people, mostly women,” Duan said. “Preaching about the power of the Holy Spirit was forbidden. You couldn’t talk about end times or preach repentance.”
Topics on healings, miracles, signs and wonders were out of the question. Not anymore.
“Nowadays people have accepted these topics,” Duan said.
Two main types of churches exist in China: registered and unregistered. Registered congregations, also known as Three-Self Churches, are government-approved.
Unregistered, sometimes called underground or house churches, operate outside government control, and for decades faced intense persecution. And with that persecution came tremendous growth.
Three-Self Churches on the other hand never experienced that kind of explosive growth. Until now.
“Now there are big revivals happening in the Three-Self Churches,” Dr. Zhao Xiao told CBN News from his offices on the outskirts of China’s capital city.
Communist Encounters Christ
Zhao is one of China’s foremost experts on Christianity. A former Communist Party member and atheist, Zhao converted after reading the Bible.
“If you go to Haidian Church, you’ll find yourself in a more than 100-meter line trying to get inside and worship. In Shenzhen, there is usually an average of 500 people being baptized each Sunday!” he shared.
Decades ago, the Chinese government had a law that said that young men and women below the age of 18 could not attend Three-Self Churches. Zhao says those rules have been loosened in recent years.
“There’s an increasing proportion of them in churches now — more young male believers, professionals, mainstream celebrities, especially in the big cities, that are attending the church unlike the past when it was mainly the elderly who attended.”
Love Camp
Back at the Thursday night meeting in Fujian Province, folks have gathered for a four-day event affectionately called “Love Camp”
“Love Camp aims to help the believer grow in their faith walk and get closer to God,” Sun Rengui told CBN News one evening.
Sun is a pastor and leads the camp. He says the idea came 12 years ago when he says the Holy Spirit one day showed up while he was preaching at the Three-Self Church he pastors here.
“We were in the middle of the service; suddenly everyone at the church felt the Holy Spirit anointing fall. Some couldn’t stand straight, others fell down. Some were dizzy and nauseous. When the worship began, people started crying. After the service, some were being healed. I saw demons being chased away from people’s bodies.”
Pastor Sun says his church had never experienced anything like it.
“We were seeing something unprecedented. We had no theological training in the move of the Holy Spirit. This was completely new for us,” he said.
Word quickly spread.
“We were one of the first churches to experience this in the area. Soon, leaders from other churches came to us and were eager to receive the Holy Spirit. Later they also started witnessing the Holy Spirit’s move as well,” Pastor Sun said.
But it wasn’t without controversy.
“People doubted if this was real. There was even conflict among my church staff,” Sun said. “But as time passed, more people accepted the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Transformed Lives
Twelve years later, Pastor Sun says the impact of the Holy Spirit’s move is seen in the transformed lives of church members.
“Our cell groups are expanding, more people are attending church, and more people are going outside the church walls into society to share the Gospel.”
The church runs two orphanages and two elderly care centers, and twice a year puts on the Love Camp.
“We have four goals in this camp: to evangelize people, strengthen the family, disciple believers and encourage other Three-Self Churches to embrace the power of the Holy Spirit.”
For Pastor Duan and his wife, this is evidence that God is doing something special in the world’s most populous nation.
“I was speaking in Shandong, Henan and Zhejiang recently. Around 8,000 people joined the meeting. Last Christmas, I was speaking at a Three-Self Church in Yuhuan and I was amazed there were 12,000 people,” Duan exclaimed with joy.
They, Dr. Zhao and countless others say they feel honored to play a part in helping more Chinese turn to Jesus Christ.
“The number of Christians in China is growing rapidly. It means Christ is starting to play an active role in China’s society and that’s good in many ways,” Zhao said.
Despite the threat of street unrest, thousands of people went to hear Dr. Michael Youssef preach at Kasr el Dobara Church in Cairo recently, with at least 500 people giving their lives to Christ during the three-day event.
Dr. Youssef, founder of global outreach ministry Leading The Way, was born in Egypt, and returned to the largest evangelical church in Egypt, with the hope of encouraging a spiritual renewal there. During the first evening, a heavy military presence was outside the church bracing themselves for protests in Tahrir Square against the government. However, throughout the weekend, approximately 5,000 people still came to hear Dr. Youssef preach a Gospel message of victory over sin and addiction, with millions more watching live via satellite television.
“Over the last five years, the people of Egypt have seen extreme civil unrest in their country,” Dr. Youssef said. “Since 2011, the nation has endured the bloody uprisings of the Arab Spring and two presidents overthrown. This church-and many more across Egypt-began crying out to God 24 hours a day to bring peace and justice to their nation. In many ways, God answered their prayers. “By God’s grace, I pray this event will fan the flame of spiritual revival that is already occurring in this region.”
“Leading The Way” with Dr. Michael Youssef continues to reach the Muslim world for Christ through 24/7 Biblical programming, personal discipleship, and practical help for persecuted Christians in the region. Many are responding to the Gospel message even in the midst of political upheaval and global crises.
More people worship in China on a typical Sunday than attend all the churches in Europe combined.
The message coming out of China is not about the slowing economy, nor about the tensions in the South China Sea — it is “Jesus Saves”.
It’s a theme echoed in Australia, where Chinese people are packing into our universities, tourism sites, property auctions and churches. In south Beijing on any Thursday night, a rock band leads 300 young worshippers at Zhushikou Protestant church, with lead singer Gao Liang, a convert of 3 years, prominently sporting a WWJD badge — What Would Jesus Do? A couple of kilometres away, another large and youthful congregation of about 600 was at mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, where Catholic churches have stood since 1605, and which also maintains a daily Latin mass. Large screens communicate the service to the overflow outside.
Liu Qiaojing, a 35-year-old teacher worshipping with her husband, Sun Yanqing, and their two-year-old son Yibo, said ever more young people were joining the church: “They love the atmosphere, the feeling of love, the warm-hearted people.”
Wang Libo, a 45-year-old businessman said: “Our broader society is in a quandary.” So the church is filling with those, especially in their 20s and 30s, “who come to seek truth and genuineness, to think, and to find belief”.
An estimated 100 million people in China have already become Christians — more than the 84 million in the ruling Communist Party. As a result, more people worship in China on a typical Sunday than attend all the churches in Europe combined. So Easter Day was a very big event in China, even though the authorities haven’t declared it as a formal holiday.
Easter saw unprecedented numbers attending both officially recognised Protestant and Catholic churches as well as underground “house churches” — although there is also constant traffic between these strands of Christianity.
In Australia, the Anglican Church, which has historically been viewed as largely an Anglo preserve, provides a particularly strong example of how rapidly Chinese people are changing core institutions, and how the latter are adapting. The Primate of the Australian church, Melbourne Archbishop Philip Freier, said: “Over the past 15 years, we have ordained 17 people for Anglican ministry in Melbourne who are Chinese by birth or background. “We have experienced a very positive response to our ministry amongst people newly arrived from China.”
The archdiocese ran a ministry conference in 2014 on the theme of the church in the Asian century, “where we celebrated the freshness of approach that all of our Asian congregations, including Chinese, are bringing to the church”. Last year, the Anglican cathedral, St Paul’s, introduced a weekly service in Mandarin, led by two Chinese priests. The official prayer book used in Australian Anglican worship has been translated into Chinese. Andreas Loewe, the dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, said: “The face of Anglicanism in Melbourne is changing. In 10 years, the number of congregations in our diocese where a language other than English predominates has almost ¬doubled, from 23 to 40 today.
“If you walk through the cathedral on any given day, you will witness an incredible cultural diversity among the people visiting and praying here.Our Chinese ministry at the heart of Melbourne is a visible sign of our commitment to serving the people who live, work, and now worship in this great culturally diverse city.” Many Chinese worshippers in Australia became drawn to the church only after they arrived, having no previous religious adherence or knowledge at all. Back home, the Christian surge within China has happened even though Communist Party members — the national elite — remain banned from all religious adherence, and proselytising by religious groups is illegal except within officially prescribed religious venues, whether temples, churches or mosques.
Source: Compiled by Australian Prayer Network from media reports, April 11, 2016.
CHINA GRIPPED BY SPIRITUAL REVIVAL AS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS TURN TO FAITH
Forty-one years after China’s Cultural Revolution snuffed out all forms of religious expression, hundreds of millions of Chinese people are flocking to religions like Christianity. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ian Johnson believes what’s transpiring in China is nothing short of “one of the world’s great spiritual revivals” and says the world better take note because the impact of this “spiritual transformation” could have significant global implications. “People in China are looking for new moral guideposts, some sort of moral compass to organize society,” said Johnson, author of The Souls of China: “So they are turning to religion as a source of values to help reorganize society.” Johnson spent six years researching the “values and faiths of today’s China.” He says the fastest-growing drivers of this “religious revolution” are unregistered churches or so-called “house” or “underground” churches.
“These groups have become surprisingly well-organized, meeting very openly and often counting hundreds of congregants,” Johnson wrote in an article. “They’ve helped the number of Protestants soar from about one million when the communists took power to at least 60 million today.” Over the past 15 years, CBN News has also documented this unprecedented revival. From the countryside to the big cities, we’ve highlighted how a new generation of Believers is changing the face of Chinese Christianity. “Any casual visitor to the country can tell you that the number of churches, mosques, and temples has soared in recent years, and that many of them are full,” Johnson wrote. “While problems abound, the space for religious expression has grown rapidly, and Chinese Believers eagerly grab it as they search for new ideas and values to underpin a society that long ago discarded traditional morality.”
Church leaders that CBN News spoke with say prayer has played a key role in sparking the Christian revival. For example, in one corner of northeast China, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, thousands of Christians have been meeting for an unprecedented prayer movement. What started as a small gathering several years ago has turned into a nationwide prayer initiative uniting hundreds of Chinese churches. In some cases, this revival is even touching China’s state-controlled churches known as Three-Self Church. “Now there’s big revivals happening in the Three-Self Churches,” Dr. Zhao Xiao told CBN News from his offices on the outskirts of China’s capital city. Zhao is one of China’s foremost experts on Christianity. A former Communist Party member and atheist, Zhao converted after reading the Bible.
“If you go to Haidian Church, you’ll find yourself in a more than 100-metre line trying to get inside and worship. In Shenzhen, there are usually an average of 500 people being baptized each Sunday!” he shared. Decades ago, the Chinese government had a law that said that young men and women below the age of 18 could not attend Three-Self Churches. Zhao says those rules have been loosened in recent years. “There’s an increasing proportion of them in churches now, more young male Believers, professionals, mainstream celebrities, especially in the big cities, that are attending the church unlike the past when it was mainly the elderly who attended.” While the government remains deeply suspicious of China’s religious revival, Johnson says it hasn’t stopped people from exploring matters of faith.
Source: CBN News
Australian Prayer Network, May 15, 2017
Recently in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 140 ministry leaders and public officials were electrified to hear the testimony of 
Other wonderful transformations happened and as they “adopted” the “sicarios”, many of these vicious hit men came to Christ and were discipled to serve Him back in their own towns across Mexico. Poncho challenged the Church and ministry leaders to tackle problems in our communities that the government and police are not being effective in fixing. The church he said spent too much time studying the Bible when God wants us to “be the Bible” to our needy city. Those who heard Poncho’s testimony were deeply challenged to apply what we learned. Many went home determined to see a transformational movement happen in their communities. 
The message coming out of China is not about the slowing economy, nor about the tensions in the South China Sea — it is “Jesus Saves”. 
