Dr CharlesV. Taylor is a well known Australian linguist, Bible teacher, author, and Christian magazine contributor. His doctoral studies researched the Nkore-Kiga language of Uganda in Africa where he served as a missionary.
Evangelism these days isn’t always simple and straightforward. Sometimes we mix with people of different traditions and in so doing it is possible to compromise the simplicity of the Gospel. No one should be against co-operation between different fellowships, but that isn’t the point. We must guard against a sort of ‘Jesus plus’ approach to evangelism.
Different fellowships may place emphasis on different aspects of what they perceive as truth. If that particular emphasis dominates evangelism, or even if it is just an optional extra, it not only makes for a bending of the Gospel message, but a disunity among evangelists. For this reason we should try to find a kind of nuclear Gospel; a message all can, indeed must, agree as basic.
What then are the essentials of the Christian faith? There was a time when most Christians would recite their creeds weekly. Pentecostals and many others, such as Baptists, tend to play down creeds as too binding. Yet the church has always defended its basics from the very start. The New Testament epistles spend a fair amount of time defending the faith.
I believe we can sort out a basic set of beliefs which should be regarded as binding on those who seek the proclaim the faith to a disbelieving world.
Some of us have encountered situations where a non-Christian is told, ‘Jesus loves you’ but where the reply gives the impression, ‘Anyway I’m a lovable person, so what?’ This is possible because no indication was given of any need, and no awareness of need was present. Before it can be accepted, the Gospel needs both repentance and faith.
Not only can we add to the Gospel message. We can also subtract from it by concentrating only on the love of God or of Jesus, according to the approach used. This is another reason why we should have a minimum Gospel message. We don’t want ‘Jesus plus’, but neither do we want ‘Jesus minus’.
Jesus makes no sense in terms of salvation unless he is known for who he is. As a fellow human being he can do nothing for humanity unless he is greater than any human. He has to be the God-man. So we need to begin with God himself, his nature and power. So what is the absolute minimum?
We can begin with the biblical declaration that
(1) God exists. Two psalms declare that the fool says, ‘There’s no God’. Yes, we need a superpower. But then, he isn’t a mere outsider.
(2) He created us for himself. And,
(3) he has rights as the Ruler of earth and its Judge. In religious jargon, he is Lord. That indeed was the challenge to Christians in a hostile world where Caesar was lord.
What does this have to do with Jesus Christ? Well, Jesus made claims, so either he was lying or deluded, or else he was really God in human form. This is where belief enters and where Jesus’ life and death become meaningful or else irrelevant. The evangelist’s job is to show that those claims have urgent meaning for helpless people and truly,
(4) we do have needs.
(5) Jesus was incarnated supernaturally, and
(6) his coming was foretold in writing, the most permanent way of keeping records during most of history.
(7) He lived a sinless life, but yet,
(8) he willingly died a criminal’s death. That doesn’t make sense unless he died for someone else. So, if he was God in human form, as he claimed, he could then die for more than one person.
The record says he died for everyone. So, everyone who
(9) sees their own disobedience, independence or superior attitude to God’s person and instructions, and who
(10) believes Jesus took the punishment appropriate to that deficiency, is forgiven and free.
Finally, God not only rules this planet but lives in eternity, where
(11) he has prepared a place fore those willing to have his as their Lord. For those who reject God and his Son sent specially to save them, following the one who brought disobedience into human (and angel) lives,
(12) a place of eternal punishment is reserved.
The Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit, and
(13) he is personal,
(14) he convicts of sin, and
(16) he brings faith.
Pentecostals and charismatics agree that the Holy Spirit’s work in those evangelised includes but is also distinct from evangelism. Signs and wonders, for instance, help confirm the Spirit’s work and the truth of God’s word. Evangelism without the Spirit’s power is fruitless.
All these beliefs, including the unattractive ones, are found in creeds and statements of faith in major orthodox fellowships. They’re not set out here as material for evangelism, but as tools or equipment for evangelists. In sum they are:
* One God – creator, redeemer, and life-giver, three in one.
* One way to God – Jesus, who died, the just for the unjust.
* One way to escape from hell to heaven – repentance and faith.
* One way to know truth – through God’s Spirit revealing God’s word.
All Christians are called to be witnesses, though not all are called or gifted to be evangelists. It is a real privilege for us all to share in God’s harvesting work in our world.
The Rev Dr Rowland Croucher, a Baptist minister, is the Director of John Mark Ministries. He encourages Christian involvement in the Internet – a challenge now being tackled by many churches and ministries.
A question in John Mark Ministries’ seminar on creativity asks: ‘If you were to reach more people in the world via one communications medium, what would you use?’ (Correct answer: Coca Cola containers ‑ they’re in more places than radio!). What would your message say?
As a teenager, having just made a ‘decision for Christ’, I dreamed about reaching millions with the Christian gospel. The motivating text was ‘Preach the word; be instant in season and out of season…’ (2 Timothy 4:2 KJV).
So I put gospel tracts into letterboxes and left them in library books. Later I wrote a large slogan on a storm‑water drain near a railway line; ‘witnessed’ on talk‑back radio; conducted evangelistic missions in universities and colleges; and pastored a church where at least two people were converted every week for nearly nine years (Blackburn Baptist Church in Melbourne). My book Grow! is an attempt to explain the Good News to thoughtful young people and adults.
My ‘evangelistic hero’ was Billy Graham ‑ who’s probably spoken face to face to more people than anyone in history.
Some of this I would not do again, or would do differently. The gospel tracts probably turned a lot of people off; my apologetics was often simplistic or even plain wrong!
But I still have a strong desire to reach those Jesus and Paul called ‘lost’. Now anyone can do it, from a home computer, via the Internet ‑ part of the third great human revolution (after the agricultural and industrial revolutions). Vast amounts of information ‑ to and from everywhere ‑ are now moved very quickly: faster than mail and cheaper than faxes and long‑distance phone calls. And ‘cyberspace’ technology is developing at break‑neck speed.
What is the internet?
These days you can’t read a computer magazine or the newspaper computer pages without seeing constant references to the ‘Net’.
What is it? Imagine a huge village square, with 30‑50 million people (or more) milling around. Some are in groups ‑ small‑talking, arguing, telling jokes, laughing, buying and selling, hugging, or fighting. Some are deep into one‑to‑one philosophical ‑ or romantic ‑ conversations. (Others are lurking in the bushes doing just about anything you can imagine ‑ and more). Many groups have a sign indicating they’re a special‑interest club: some have a ‘moderator’ who won’t let you join unless you meet their conditions. Around the square people are browsing in shops and libraries, where books and papers on any subject are offered free!
The Internet is the biggest network of information in the world. For as little as a few cents an hour, if you have a telephone line and a computer with a modem, you can get onto the ‘Information Superhighway’ from home or office, and ‘talk’ about anything that’s on your mind, or get free information on just about anything.
A friend who is a university graduate plans to have his evangelistic pieces read by a million people. That’s quite feasible. One report suggests that 200 million people have access to some part of the Net. Almost all U.S. universities and most schools are now ‘on‑line’ ‑ as will most educational institutions in the West in the next few years. Australia, with a computer in one in four homes is the fifth‑largest Internet‑user.
It all started in the 1960s. The U.S. Defence Department wanted a communications system which could survive a nuclear holocaust. Then the academic community used it to transmit and access information. For a while it stayed that way ‑ bureaucrats and technocrats and academics swapping ideas and software.
Then, from about 1990, with cheaper computers and improved software even the semi‑computer‑literate are getting in on the act. However, it’s still dominated by left‑brained ‘technos’: gradually more from Humanities/Literature are coming on‑line. And more theologians are needed, urgently!
What’s on the ‘Net?
Actually there’s no one ‘network’, but lots of them ‑ like Fidonet, Compuserve’s for‑profit network, denominational networks (PresbyNet, EpiscoNet, SBCNet) etc. The Internet is really a network of networks.
What’s on them? Mailing‑lists of people who pray for one another (eg. Agapenet); newspapers and journals (Time Magazine, Christianity Today, this Renewal Journal); e‑mail where you can talk one‑to‑one to a friend in Zimbabwe or Poland or Antarctica or Iceland (some have met and courted ‑ and eventually married ‑ via e‑mail!). You can buy stuff with a credit card; browse through university libraries; converse in ‘real time’ on the IRC (Internet Relay Chat); exchange ideas in ‘fan clubs’; read the latest U.S. Congress legislation or talk to the U.S. president (yes, he’s ‘on‑line’); watch movie previews; or chat with a monk at the New Norcia Benedictine Monastery in W.A. Kids can get help with homework (through Prodigy’s ‘Infonaut’s Homework Helper’). Or you can argue about vintage cars or atheism or movie stars or, well, anything…
Or this: on a Christian newsgroup I read an urgent message from missionaries in Kazakhstan. Their 3‑year‑old, Nathan, had fallen into scalding water, and was in a critical condition. Local medical facilities could not help. They’d e‑mailed mission HQ in Oregon, and a plea was ‘posted’ around the world asking for prayer, and help to get Nathan air‑lifted to a German burns unit. All this within minutes! Amazing! (By the way, if the cross‑cultural missionaries you support haven’t got a modem in their computer give them the $ to get one. Many emergencies can now be publicized, prayed for and dealt with almost instantly).
In fact, it’s almost impossible for a country to be ‘closed’ to the ‘Net. After failing to regulate faxes and TV satellite dishes the Chinese government has bowed to the inevitable and opened China to the ‘Net, installing two commercial links to the outside world. We learned first‑hand about the dramatic 1989 events in Russia via e‑mail from private individuals in Moscow.
Newsgroups
Let’s look at one Internet facility: Usenet, comprising more than 5000 special‑interest groups. They are organized into categories ‑ ‘alt’ (alternative discussion groups), ‘comp’ (computer stuff), ‘rec’ (recreation, hobbies), ‘sci’ (sciences), ‘soc’ (socializing, social sciences), ‘talk’ (for debates on a range of subjects), ‘biz’ (business), ‘k12’ (for teachers and students), ‘misc’ (topics that don’t fit anywhere else) ‑ and more. I ‘subscribe’ to about 50: favourite religious groups include ‘aus.religion’ and the largest, ‘alt.atheism’. Others I like ‑ ‘alt.conspiracy’, ‘rec.music.classical‑recordings’, ‘rec.org.mensa’.
This week I ‘posted’ about 30 messages on such topics as why churches are a boring for young people, ‘atheism and rationality’, biblical literalism, F.W.Boreham books I’m after (I collect him ‑ the most prolific Australian religious author until recently), homosexuality, worship‑styles, why baptism isn’t in the O.T., who are the Quakers? American evangelicalism, ‘The most powerful person on earth’, recovery from sexual abuse, and so on. Discussion follows ‑ sometimes heated ‑ with maybe up to 40 people or more joining in. Fun!
And on the lighter side…
It’s fun reading the pithy quotes people use with their ‘signatures’. Here are some I like:
# ‘The fourth law of computing: anything that can go wr
# ‘I just met a person who is a nun.’ ‘How do you know she is a nun?’ ‘She told me.’ ‘Maybe she was lying.’ ‘Nuns don’t lie.’
# ‘It’s best to read the weather forecast before praying for rain!’ (Mark Twain)
# ‘Abou ben Adam’s name led all the rest because the list was compiled alphabetically’ (Isaac Asimov)
# ‘Never criticize anyone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. Then, if they don’t like it, you’re a mile away and you have their shoes.’
# ‘Imagine if horse‑racing had no horses… thousands of people could go to the race‑track each day and save millions of dollars.’
# ‘Everything can be fixed by driving a nail into it. The only problem is finding the right sized nail’
# ‘Millions long for immortality who don’t know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon!’
So where do I start?
Well, get a computer ‑ almost anyone will do, but the more powerful the better ‑ with a modem, and hook up to a telephone line. Then contact an ‘access provider’: these have different costs, so you’ll need to figure out how often you use the ‘Net.
You need some software ‑ often supplied when you sign up with a service provider.
Any computer shop will guide you. Read Ed Krol’s The Whole Internet: User’s Guide and Catalogue, or the shorter 10 Minute Guide to the Internet by Peter Kent.
If you want a few hours of free access to the Net, phone Ozemail or Compuserve and ask! Or join an adult education class: they’re now offered everywhere.
Some hints
* Pray about your motives for using the ‘Net: computer users tend to have a basic urge to control the world through their keyboard.
* Look over someone else’s shoulder as they ‘surf’ the ‘Net. Learn all you can before committing yourself.
* Spend a few months familiarizing yourself with the ‘ethos’ of the various groups on the ‘Net. Read newsgroups specially created for ‘newbies’. Read the FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) for the groups that interest you. There’s help everywhere, once you know where to look for it.
* As a ‘missionary’ be sensitive to the ‘Net’s sometimes strange culture/s. You’ll learn some new languages (eg. a bit of Unix). ‘Net groups and mailing‑lists have their own protocols. It’s called ‘netiquette’ (for example, it’s not good form to use CAPITALS ‑ that’s shouting)!
* Don’t get turned off by weirdness or profanity: U.S. college students enjoy shocking wowsers! Some will parade their erudition (‘this debate got hijacked by a solipsist’). Others (‘Single mum college student…’) ask for money. Because of the anarchistic nature of the Net you can’t easily remove the ‘village idiot’. Be tolerant, loving ‑ and humourous! Remember Jesus related well to all sorts!
* If you post something to a newsgroup or mailing‑list, be brief, well‑researched, accurate (particularly if you quote an author ‑ it’s amazing how many non‑Christians have read C. S. Lewis and Josh McDowell), and conversational. Be prepared to have all your views challenged, by some very clever people. If you put a personal testimony or preachy gospel message on alt.atheism for example, they’ll chew you up and spit you out, fast! By the way, children’s access to the Net ought to be carefully monitored: the most popular newsgroups are pornographic.
Finally…
Navigating the Net isn’t easy to begin with. You’ll experience hours of frustration. It’s like a maze ‑ or a blind person negotiating a minefield while dribbling a basketball ‑ only more difficult and less dangerous! Over the next few years it will get more user‑friendly.
We at John Mark Ministries want to encourage others to pursue this strategic and ubiquitous means of evangelism, and in particular link pastors and Christian leaders via the Net. My signature message? ‘If you have God and everything else, you have no more than having God only; if you have everything else and not God you have nothing!’ (Medieval mystic).
The core of the unreached people of our world live in a rectangular‑shaped window! Often called “The Resistant Belt,” the window extends from West Africa to East Asia, from ten degrees north to forty degrees north of the equator. This specific region, which has increasingly become known as The 10/40 Window, encompasses the majority of the world’s Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists ‑ billions of spiritually impoverished souls.
As we approach the end of this millennium, it is imperative that our evangelistic efforts be focused among the people who inhabit The 10/40 Window. If we are serious in our commitment to provide a valid opportunity for every person to experience the truth and saving power of Jesus Christ, we cannot ignore the compelling realities within this region.
The 10/40 Window confronts us with several important considerations:
first, the historical and biblical significance;
second, the least evangelized countries;
third, the dominance of three religious blocs;
fourth, the preponderance of the poor;
fifth, the unreached ethnolinguistic people groups;
sixth, the least evangelized megacities; and,
seventh, the strongholds of Satan within The 10/40 Window.
1. The historical and biblical significance
The first and most fundamental reason why committed Christians must focus on The 10/40 Window is because of the biblical and historical significance of this area. Indeed, the Bible begins with the account of Adam and Eve placed by God in the heart of what is now The 10/40 Window.
God’s plan, expressed in Genesis 1:26, was that mankind should have dominion over the earth, subduing it fully. However, Adam and Eve sinned against God and forfeited their right to rule.
Mankind’s sinful behaviour increased until God intervened and judged the earth with a cataclysmic flood. Then came mankind’s futile attempt to establish new dominion in the building of the great Tower of Babel. That effort, which also occurred in the heart of The 10/40 Window, was an open defiance against God. Once again, God reached forth his hand in judgment. The result was the introduction of different languages, the scattering of earth’s people, and the formation of the nations.
In The 10/40 Window we can see clearly the crucial truth expressed in Graham Scroggie’s book The Drama of World Redemption: “A World having turned from God, He left it and chose a man through whom He would ultimately by Christ reach the world.” Certainly we can see how ancient history ran its course in the territory marked by The 10/40 Window, from the cradle of civilization in Mesopotamia across the fertile crescent to Egypt. Empires rose and fell. The fate of God’s people Israel varied in relation to their obedience to his covenant. It was here that Christ was born, lived a perfect life, died sacrificially on the cross, and rose triumphant over death. The church age was ushered in, and it was not until the second missionary journey of the Apostle Paul that events of biblical history occurred outside The 10/40 Window. Without question, this is an area of great biblical and historical significance.
2. The least evangelized countries
The second reason why committed Christians should focus on The 10/40 Window is because it is home to the majority of the world’s unevangelized people. The “unevangelized” are people who have a minimal knowledge of the gospel, but have no valid opportunity to respond to it.
While it constitutes only one‑third of earth’s total land area, nearly two‑thirds of the world’s people reside in The 10/40 Window. With a total population nearing four billion, The 10/40 Window includes 61 countries, both sovereign states and nonsovereign dependencies. Those countries with the majority of their land mass lying within the boundaries of The 10/40 Window are included.
Of the world’s 50 least evangelized countries, 37 are within The 10/40 Window. Yet those 37 countries comprise 95% of the total population of the 50 least evangelized countries! Such a fact leaves no doubt that our challenge in reaching the unreached must centre on the core ‑ The 10/40 Window.
If we take seriously the mandate to preach the gospel to every person, to make disciples of all peoples, and to be Christ’s witnesses to the uttermost part of the earth, we must recognize the priority of concentrating our efforts on The 10/40 Window. No other area is so blatantly in need of the truth that salvation is only in Jesus Christ.
3. The dominance of three religious blocs
A third reason we must focus on The 10/40 Window is evident in the fact that it contains three of the world’s dominant religious blocs. The majority of those enslaved by Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism live within The 10/40 Window.
Viewing the map from left to right the Muslim world can be seen most prominently in a wide band across the north of Africa into the Middle East, a bloc representing over 700 million persons. In the middle of the map, overshadowing the subcontinent of India is the presence of Hinduism, also constituting a population of more than 700 million. On the right side of the map is the Buddhist world, encompassing the whole of China.
From its centre in The 10/40 Window, Islam is reaching out energetically to all parts of the globe; in similar strategy, we must penetrate the heart of Islam with the liberating truth of the gospel. We must do all in our power to show Muslims that the highest prophet described in the Koran is not Mohammed, but Jesus Christ. And that He is not only the greatest prophet, but the Son of God Himself who died and resurrected in order that millions of Muslims may be saved.
Overwhelmed with poverty and ravaged by disease, India is victimized even more severely by the spiritual blindness of Hinduism. To a nation in which fattened cows roam freely among emaciated humans, we must proclaim the truth that Jesus came to give us life, and give it abundantly.
Although officially an atheistic country since the Marxist revolution of the late 1940s, China is nevertheless influenced deeply by its Buddhist roots. Some scholars, in fact, consider China’s true religion to be a combination of atheism and Buddhism. In actuality, religion in China is a hodgepodge which includes folklore, mysticism, animism, and occult practices. Regardless of how one may assess the situation, the fact remains that 1.2 billion Chinese are in desperate need of Jesus Christ. They represent the largest identifiable block in The 10/40 Window.
4. The preponderance of the poor
A fourth reason we must focus on The 10/40 Window is because the poor are there. Of the poorest of the poor, more than eight out of ten live in The 10/40 Window. On average, they exist on less than $500 per person per year. Although 2.4 billion of these people live within The 10/40 Window, only 8% of all missionaries work among them.
Bryant L. Myers, in his perceptive article entitled, “Where Are the Poor and Lost?”, states that “the poor are the lost, and the lost are the poor.” He arrived at this conclusion after illustrating that the majority of the unreached live in the poorest countries of the world.
When Christians from 170 countries gathered at Lausanne II in Manila in 1989, great concern was expressed for the materially poor. In the second section of the Manila Manifesto, that concern was recorded in the following declaration: “We have again been confronted with Luke’s emphasis that the gospel is the good news for the poor (Luke 4:18; 6:20; 7:22) and have asked ourselves what this means to the majority of the world’s population who are destitute, suffering, and oppressed. We have been reminded that the law, the prophets, the wisdom books, and the teaching and ministry of Jesus all stress God’s concern for the materially poor and our consequent duty to defend and care for them.”
Committed Christians cannot ignore the reality that there is a remarkable overlap between the poorest countries of the world and those which are the least evangelized.
5. The unreached ethno-linguistic people groups
The fifth reason we must address our concerns on The 10/40 Window is because it contains the largest spiritually bankrupt ethno-linguistic mega-peoples (over one million). In fact, over 90% of the individuals in these people groups live in The 10/40 Window.
6. The least evangelized megacities
The sixth major reason we must focus on The 10/40 Window is because it contains the overwhelming majority of the world’s least evangelized megacities ‑ that is, those with a population of more than one million. Of the top 50 cities on this list, all 50 cities are in The 10/40 Window! This fact alone underscores the need for prioritizing our efforts to reach each of these great metroplexes with Christ’s love and truth.
7. The strongholds of Satan
Reason number seven for focusing on The 10/40 Window is that it includes numerous strongholds of Satan. The billions of people who live in The 10/40 Window have suffered not only the ravages of poverty and disease, they have also been kept from the transforming power of the gospel. The are poignant examples of the truth expressed in 2 Corinthians 4:4, which states that “the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
We must not view this situation with a fatalistic attitude, for we have been granted power to intervene. In a later passage of the same letter, the Apostle Paul declares: “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not weapons of the world. On the contrary, the have divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:3‑4). Although Satan has established a territorial stronghold in The 10/40 Window, we must not concede one parcel of land nor one person. The gospel must advance!
Looking back across the pages of history we discover a heartening story about spiritual warfare in the writings of the prophet Daniel. A fervent man of prayer, Daniel was highly esteemed by God and by the people of his generation.
On one occasion, while waiting on God in prayer, Daniel fasted on bread and water for three weeks. Finally, a majestic angel whose appearance was as lighting brought an answer to his prayer. He assured Daniel with the promise that “…your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words” (Daniel 10:12). However, the angel then went on to explain how, en route to answer Daniel’s prayer, he was detained for 21 days by the demon assigned to the Persian king (Daniel 10:13). It was only when the archangel Michael arrived to help that he was able to free himself from the battle to go to Daniel.
This fascinating passage unveils the reality and territorial nature of the spiritual battle in the heavenlies. The angel who visited Daniel announced that he would have to return to the battle over the Persian kingdom. Apparently, that battle still rages, for ancient Persia is now modern‑day Iran. Still a stronghold zealously held by Satan, Iran is situated at the centre of the The 10/40 Window.
George Otis, Jr., has concluded that two powerful demonic forces, with great biblical significance, stand at the epicenter of the unreached world ‑ the prince of Persia (Iran) and the spirit of Babylon (Iraq) ‑ and both must be penetrated with the gospel before the Great Commission can be completed. Otis observes that this will occur in the region of the Garden of Eden, where the command to “subdue the earth” was originally given.
It is evident that the forces of Satan have great power and will resist all attempts to be overcome. If we are to storm the enemy’s territory, we must put on the full armour of God and fight with the weapons of spiritual warfare described in Ephesians 6. To depend on anything less is utter foolishness.
The focus of the concerned Christian community 200 years ago was for the coastlands of the world. A century later, the success of the coastlands effort motivated a new generation to reach the interior regions of the continents. Within the past decades, the success of the inland thrust has led to a major focus on people groups. More recently, the world’s burgeoning megacities have also become focal points of concern. Today, rapidly approaching the third millennium since Christ, we are wise to concentrate our efforts on The 10/40 Window.
Of course, this calls for some of us to reevaluate priorities. We must find the most innovative ways to reach billions of people within The 10/40 Window with the love and truth of Jesus Christ. We must mobilize for a massive prayer focus on The 10/40 Window with the body of Christ worldwide.
However, it must be clearly understood that concentration on The 10/40 Window does not mean a curtailing of Christ’s work going on elsewhere around the globe. Missionary endeavours, in evangelism, training, relief, development, church planting, and mobilization for cross cultural missions should go on unhindered.
If we are faithful to the Scriptures, obedient to the mandate of Christ, and unwavering in our commitment to plant churches within every people and city, then we will get to the core of the core ‑ The 10/40 Window. May God grant each of us boldness and wisdom and energy to do our part in taking on this great and eternally significant challenge.
By all means, get involved!
This article was written by Louis Bush, International Director of the AD 2000 & Beyond Movement.
Sharon Wissemann wrote this article on Pensacola Evangelist Steve Hill in her Diploma of Ministry studies at the School of Ministries of Christian Heritage College in Brisbane, Australia.
Since Sunday 18th June, 1995 hundreds of thousands of lives have been changed as a direct result of the Pensacola Revival in Florida, USA. The spark that ignited the revival was an evangelist named Steve Hill.
Born Stephen Hill into an upper middle class family in January 1954 in Ankara, Turkey, Hill began to rebel at a very early age. His life of drinking, smoking and taking other drugs began at nine years of age. The next twelve years of his life was spent in cults, travel, hard narcotics, parties, music and jail. Hill was arrested 13 times for car theft, narcotics trafficking and other related crimes. His life was changed on October 28, 1975 when a Lutheran vicar led him to the Lord by simply saying the name of ‘Jesus’ over and over. At 11 a.m. that Tuesday morning he had a dramatic conversion when the power of Jesus Christ flooded his soul.
In 1977 Hill entered the Twin Oaks Academy, a leadership training institute in Texas founded by David Wilkerson. At the Academy he was taught prayer by Leonard Ravenhill and evangelism by Nicky Cruz and through personal experience. He met his wife, Jeri at the Academy. After graduating from the school, he entered into church ministry. God called Hill to the mission field when he took a group of young people to Mexico.
In Argentina that Hill first saw Carlos Annacondia minister to tens of thousands of people. In his first Annacondia meeting out in the middle of a soccer field he witnessed fifteen to twenty thousand people ‘craving God’. Although he always had the desire for evangelism, Hill believes that he received the evangelistic anointing from Annacondia, who has lead over two million people to Jesus, when he laid hands on him.
Hill was involved in the Argentine Revival, seeing multitudes saved and healed. For seven years he helped plant seven churches in Buenos Aires and Southern Argentina during this revival. He also planted churches and conducted church crusades in several other countries such as Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Spain, Russia and Belarus.
As well as from planting churches in various countries, Stephen Hill has been involved ministries such as Teen Challenge, street evangelism, counselling, youth conferences and crusades. He has helped to establish drug rehabilitation centres in several areas around the world.
In 1995, Hill read an article in Time magazine about the move of God in an Anglican Church in London. He arranged for a meeting at three o’clock on January 19 with Pastor Sandy Miller of the Holy Brompton Anglican Church to see what was going on. Over 500 people were shaking and laying on the floor under the power of God when Hill arrived. Instead of having the appointment, Hill asked Miller to lay hands on him. He received a new impartation from Miller’s prayer.
On Father’s Day, June 18, 1995 Hill was invited by John Kilpatrick, the Pastor of Brownsville Assembly of God, to speak at the Sunday morning service. Kilpatrick had just lost his mother to cancer was emotionally and physically weary, so he requested his longtime friend Hill to speak in his place. Hill issued an altar call and a thousand people responded. Kilpatrick says that he felt the sensation of a wind blowing in the church. Various manifestations occurred such as falling to the ground, weeping and violent shaking. The morning service was scheduled to finish at noon but continued till 4 p.m. Likewise the night service was extended and became a five-hour long service. The Pensacola Revival had begun.
Congregation members asked Hill to stay a several more days. This he did and began to cancelling appointments, including a trip to Russia. He decided to stay and moved his family to be near the revival. It is estimated that over 100,000 people have been saved and over 1 million people from all over the world have visited Pensacola since 1995. Hill continues to minister in the revival services Wednesday to Saturday nights at Brownsville Assembly of God to this day. Steve Hill is a leader in current revival.
Why did God choose Hill to start the Brownsville Revival? There are two answers to this question. Firstly, God is sovereign and he can choose whoever he pleases to start a revival. Secondly, Hill possesses certain attributes that enable him to be one of God’s chosen vessels for this revival.
Characteristics
Several features of revivalists outlined in the 1795 classic Accounts of Revivals by John Gillies apply to Steve Hill.
The first feature Gillies listed was that revivalists are earnest about the ‘great work of ministry on which they had entered’. Steve Hill is an evangelist. His primary passion and compassion is for the salvation of the lost. Hill’s preaching echoes the words of John the Baptist and Jesus ‘repent for the kingdom of God is at hand’ (Matt. 3:2; 4:17).
Revivalists are also men of labour. Gillies explained that they labour for eternity knowing that ‘the time was short and the day of recompense was at hand’. Hill is convinced of the urgency of this hour. As an evangelist Hill’s preaching and prayers are geared towards the salvation of the lost, the backsliders and the prodigals. It is because of his own past of crime and drug addiction that he can relate to the lost in a with insight and compassion.
Revivalists are people of ‘most decided doctrine’. There is a ‘breadth and a power in their preaching’. This feature applies to Hill’s preaching. He knows the Bible and delivers his messages bluntly and directly from the Word of God. Personally Hill would rather ‘hear the hard truth and live than to fall for a soft lie and die’. This belief compels Hill to preach the full gospel, including the reality of hell, to people. He preaches Christ crucified, total atonement and the Blood of Christ. As the revivalists of old, Hill’s trumpet gives no uncertain sound.
Revivalists are also people of prayer. Hill sets time aside to pray and sit in God’s presence to learn his instructions and his ways for each day. Early in his Christian life Hill had been instructed in prayer by Leonard Ravenhill at the Twin Oaks Academy.
Another reason that Hill is involved in this current revival in Brownsville could be that he ‘caught the fire’ from elsewhere and was the spark that ignited the flame. Throughout his Christian life Hill received impartations from leaders in different fields. While at Twin Oaks he was taught by David Wilkerson, Leonard Ravenhill and Nicky Cruz. In Argentina he ‘hung around’ Carlos Annacondia for seven years. Hill received an impartation from Pastor Sandy Miller of the Holy Trinity Brompton Anglcian Church in London in January 1995. Several months later, revival broke out in Pensacola.
Hunger is another contributing factor to Hill’s involvement in revival. At the height of the great revival in Argentina, Hill experienced a personal, spiritual drought even though his devotional time was intact, his marriage was strong and new churches were being planted. Through this time of testing by God, Hill maintained his time with the Lord during the morning hours. This drought created a passionate desire within him to have more of God and less of himself in his ministry. He wanted a fresh touch, a new anointing and craved intimacy with Jesus. This personal famine produced in him an intense desire for genuine revival amongst sinners. He wanted a ‘deep holy move of the Spirit amongst sinners’ and to see them ‘drawn to the Lord just by sensing His presence’. Pensacola is the realization of those desires.
The Brownsville Revival is different from past revivals in history. This revival is not focussed on one particular personality, such as John Wesley or Charles Finney. Instead it has occurred in one particular location, the Brownsville Assembly of God, Pensacola, Florida, USA, where God has chosen to pour out His Spirit. Brownsville also illustrates the new team concept that has been prophesied about in recent years. The team has been nicknamed as Pastor Watchful, Evangelist Street Smart, and Music Director Trendy. God chose a team without fame or significant national acclaim to lead his revival.
Steve Hill is the evangelist in the current revival at Brownsville. Saved radically from a life of crime and drug addiction, he has ministered in many places throughout the world. He was the spark that ignited the Pensacola Outpouring on Father’s Day, June 18 1995, that continues to impact the globe today. The fruit of the revival proves that Hill has been effective in his gifting and calling as an evangelist. He is a man of earnest labour, prayer and doctrine dedicated to saving souls and bringing prodigals home. Hill has caught the fire, ignited it and carried it successfully to this day.
Stephen Hill has remained ‘holy, humble and hungry’, enabling God to entrust him with powerful leadership in revival.
John Kilpatrick & Lindell Cooley, leaders at Brownsville AOG
Pastor John Wimber, founder and International Director of the Association of Vineyard Churches, was an international conference speaker, inspiring worship song‑writer, best‑selling author and spiritual leader to the Vineyard congregations. He was also known as a pivotal voice in the arenas of spiritual formation and renewal.
John Wimber expressed and demonstrated for hundreds of thousands of us a strong, biblical grasp of evangelism in the power of the Spirit as an essential and integral part of the Kingdom of God, now breaking into the kingdoms of this world, but yet to be consummated at the coming of the King.
These edited comments are selected from John Wimber’s pioneering class notes of 1983-84 in the popular and controversial course ‘MC510’ at Fuller Theological Seminary on signs and wonders and church growth. That course provided material which John Wimber and Kevin Springer then adapted for their best-selling books, Power Evangelism and Power Healing.
Evangelism is the proclamation of the Kingdom of God in the fulness of its blessings and promise, which has also been called ‘salvation’.
Jesus did more than preach the Kingdom. He demonstrated its reality with ‘signs of the Kingdom’, public evidence that the Kingdom he was talking about had come. We believe that signs should validate our evangelism, too.
Since ‘the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work’ (1 John 3:8), he inevitably came into collision with the prince of darkness. The signs of the Kingdom were evidences that the devil was retreating before the advance of the King. As Jesus put it, once the strong man has been overpowered by the Stronger One, his possessions can be taken from him (Matthew 12:29; Luke 11:22).
Signs of the Kingdom
The signs of the Kingdom reflect this. We list them in approximately the order in which they appeared, although this is not necessarily in order of importance.
1. The first sign of the Kingdom was, and still is, Jesus himself in the midst of his people (Luke 17:21; Matthew 18:20), whose presence brings joy, peace, and a sense of celebration (John 5:11; 16:33; Mark 2:18-20).
2. The second is the preaching of the gospel. There was no gospel of the Kingdom to proclaim until Christ arrived. Now, however, that he has come, the Good News of the Kingdom must be preached to all, especially to the poor (Luke 4:18-19; 7:22). The preaching of the Kingdom points people to the Kingdom itself.
3. The third sign of the Kingdom is exorcism.Evil powers are expelled. We refuse to demythologize the teachings of Jesus and his apostles about demons. Although the ‘principalities and powers’ may have a reference to demonic ideologies and structures, we believe that they certainly are evil, personal intelligences under the command of the devil. Demon possession, and influence, is a real and terrible condition. Deliverance is possible only in a power encounter in which the name of Jesus is invoked and prevails.
4. The fourth sign of the Kingdom was the healing and the nature miracles – making the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the sick whole, raising the dean (Luke 7:22), stilling the storm, and multiplying the loaves and fishes. We all agree that these were not only signs pointing to the reality of the Kingdom’s arrival, but also anticipations of the final Kingdom from which all disease, hunger, disorder, and death will be banished forever. We also agree that God is still free and powerful and performs miracles today, especially in frontier situations where the Kingdom is advancing into enemy-held territory. Some of us think we should expect miracles as commonly as in the ministry of Jesus and his apostles (e.g. John 14:12), while others draw attention to the texts which describe these miracles as authenticating their unique ministry (e.g. Hebrews 2:3-4; 2 Corinthians 12:12).
5. A fifth sign of the Kingdom is the miracle of conversion and the new birth. Whenever people ‘turn to God from idols, to serve the living and true God’ (1 Thessalonians 1:9,10), a power encounter has taken place in which the spell of idols, whether traditional modern, and of the spirits has been broken. God’s power for salvation is displayed in the gospel (Romans 1:16), and converts who have been rescued from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God (Acts 26:18) are said to have ‘tasted … the powers of the age to come’ (Hebrews 6:5).
6. A sixth sign of the Kingdom is the people of the Kingdomin whom is manifested that cluster of Christ-like qualities which Paul called ‘the fruit of the Spirit’. For the gift of the Spirit is the supreme blessing of the Kingdom of God. Where he rules, love, joy, peace, and righteousness rule with him (Galatians 5:22-23; Romans 14:17). Moreover, love issues in good works. Thus, if the gospel is Good News of the Kingdom, good works are the signs of the Kingdom. Good news and good works, evangelism and social responsibility, once again are seen to be indissolubly united.
7. The seventh sign of the Kingdom, we suggest, is suffering.It was necessary for the King to suffer in order to enter into his glory. Indeed, he suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21). To suffer for the sake of righteousness or for our testimony to Jesus, and to bear such suffering courageously, is a clear sign to all beholders that we have received God’s salvation or Kingdom (Philippians 1:28-29; cf. 2 Thessalonians 1:5).
Kingdom principles
Evangelism involves the proclamation and demonstration of God’s reign, the Kingdom of God on the earth. The ministry of Jesus in signs and wonders was based on his relationship with the Holy Spirit who is creative, imaginative and inventive. Therefore, we should not try to reduce the ministry of Jesus to a group of simplistic techniques or formulas for the purpose of developing a healing ministry.
The Kingdom of God brings the reign of God into all of life, making all things whole. Healing demonstrates God’s reign. The following points are some key principles for Jesus’ healing work.
1. Jesus began healing after his baptism and anointing by the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:21, 22; 4:1-19).
2. Jesus delivered all who came to him from every kind of sickness (Matthew 8:16; 15:30-31; 17:14-21; Mark 7:31-37; John 11:43-44).
3. The Gospel writers frequently note that Jesus’ healing works were motivated by compassion and pity for the sick (Matthew 9:36; 14:14; 20:34).
4. Jesus seemed to be more able to heal in the presence of faith in him and in his power to heal (Matthew 8:5-13; 9:2, 27-31; Mark 5:24-43; 9:14-29; Luke 4:23-28).
5. Jesus sometimes healed when he alone believed, but he was clearly limited by an unbelieving (negative faith) atmosphere (Mark 6:1-6; 8:22; Luke 4:23-28).
6. Jesus seems to have healed at all times, but as he flowed with the Spirit, he was apparently aware of times when the Spirit was especially ready to move in power (e.g. ‘power of the Lord present to heal’ – Luke 5:17).
7. Jesus was always willing to heal those who came to him with faith (Matthew 8:1-4, 5-13; Mark 7:24-30).
8. Frequently the Lord would heal many people, one after another, in large meetings or gatherings (Matthew 3:23-25; 14:13-14; 15:30-31).
9. Jesus did not do miracles for those who only wanted to test him or to be entertained (e.g. the scribes and Pharisees, Matthew 12:38-42).
10. Resistance on any grounds to healing the needy grieved Jesus (Mark 3:1-6; Luke 13:10-17).
11. Our Lord used many patterns and methods in healing (Matthew 8:15-13; 14:34-36; Mark 7:31-37; 8:22-26; Luke 5:12-26; 6:6-10; 7:11-17; 8:42-48; John 9:1-41; 11:41-42).
12. Jesus most often healed in public, though sometimes he withdrew, especially in negative environments, to heal privately (Mark 5:35-43; 8:22-26; Luke 4:38-39).
13. Jesus often asked questions about the need for healing, indicating that
(a) while he sometimes received words of knowledge, other times he did not, and
(b) he wanted his focus exactly on target (Mark 5:1-13; 8:22-26; 9:14-29; 10:46-52).
14. Our Lord did not necessarily always equate sin and sickness (John 5:9-18; 9:1-3).
15. Sometimes Jesus had to pray more than once for the person in need to be healed (e.g. the blind man of Bethsaida – Mark 8:22-26) or had to continue to pray (e.g. Gerasene demoniac).
16. Jesus frequently delivered the demonized and healed them of related effects using various patterns (Matthew 12: 43-45; Mark 5:1-13; Luke 4:31-37, 40-41).
17. Very strong warnings were issued by Jesus against labelling healing in his name and by his Spirit as demonic in origin. Such words would blaspheme the Spirit and could move him to permanent wrath (Mark 3:19-30).
18. What Jesus saw the Father doing, he likewise did (John 5:19).
Kingdom authority
Through Jesus, the sinless Son of God, the authority or reign which was lost through our sin has been re-established for all who submit to God’s grace and reign through faith in Jesus. These points outline the significance of Kingdom authority restored through Jesus.
1. Authority and power are often confused.
(a) Power (Greek dunamis) is might or ability, both inherent and spontaneous. It is often used for the word ‘miracle’ (i.e. a ‘work of power’ – Mark 6:5).
(b) Authority (Greek exousia) is the freedom and right to act (i.e. the right to exercise that power). Exousia can be delegated.
2. God has absolute authority; he is almighty (Luke 12:5; 1:51-52; Romans 13:1-6; Matthew 20:25-26).
3. Through creation God gave mankind relationship, identity, and position with himself. This gave us authority (Genesis 1;26-27; CF. Psalm 8:3-4, 6-8).
4. Through deception and sin, mankind was deposed and lost authority, and Satan became the prince, ruler and god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4; John 8:34, 44; Luke 4:6).
5. Jesus was sent, as a man (the second Adam) to re-establish God’s authority over the earth by disarming all powers and saving mankind out from under their authority (Luke 4:14-18; John 17:2; cf. 3:35; Matthew 7:29; 8:9; 9:6,8; 28:18; cf. Philippians 2:6-11; Mark 1:22, 27; 4:39, 41; Luke 7:1-17; John 12:31; Hebrews 2:14; Ephesians 1:20-23).
6. Having deposed Satan, Jesus reinstated those who he has brought into relationship with God through faith in him, and thereby gives us authority:
a. to proclaim the good news, ‘Our God reigns!’
b. to baptize and teach
c. to drive out demons
d. to heal the sick
e. to speak in new tongues
f. to rise the dead
g. to disciple the nations
h. to represent Jesus (saviour) to the world
(Matthew 10:8; 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-21; John 20:21; also 1 John 3:1; cf. 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:4-6; Luke 10:19; Acts 1:8).
7. The authority to heal is exercised and released through certain premises. The neglect of the following premises results in a lack of authority:
a. relationship with God
b. faith in what God says and who Jesus is
c. obedience to his Spirit
d. submissive attitude
e. having a servant’s heart
f. faithful stewardship
g. speaking the word of the Kingdom.
Kingdom evangelism
The Church should announce and demonstrate the Kingdom of God. Kingdom evangelism involves power evangelism: that means evangelism that transcends the rational through the demonstration of God’s power in signs and wonders and introduces the numinous of God. This involves a presentation of the good news of God’s reign accompanied with the manifest presence of God. Power evangelism is spontaneous and is directed by the Holy Spirit. The result is often explosive church growth.
In an interview in Christianity Today, “Springtime for the Church in China,” June 18, 1982, David Adney answers this question: “How do Christians witness and evangelise [in China]?”
The most basic form of evangelism is through personal friendships in which the gospel is shared with relatives and neighbours. The testimony of answered prayer, especially in healing the sick, has led many to faith in Christ. In one of the large labour camps, a demented woman, whom no doctor or psychiatrist had been able to help, was placed in the same room with a Christian sister. As a result of the Christian’s loving care and prayer the woman was completely healed. The whole camp realized that a living God had acted.
In one area where there were 4,000 Christians before the revolution, the number has now increased to 90,000 with a thousand meetings places. Christians in that region give three reasons for the rapid increase:
the faithful witness of Christians in the midst of suffering,
the power of God seen in healing the sick, and
the influence of Christian radio broadcasts from outside.
Power evangelism is that gospel presentation which is both rational and transcends the rational; it comes with the demonstration of the power of God, with signs and wonders and introduces the numinous of God.
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‘Evangelism’ can be an unpopular word. It may make us feel guilty because we don’t seem to do it very well – whatever it is! That’s changing. As in the early church, more and more people are gossiping the gospel, praying for their friends and seeing God change people.
‘Evangelism’ is not actually a biblical term, although ‘evangelist’ is mentioned three times: Acts 21:8 – Philip the evangelist; Ephesians 4:11 – some are evangelists; 2 Timothy 4:5 – do the work of an evangelist. Then again, ‘altar call’, ‘making a decision’, and ‘inviting Jesus into your heart’ are not biblical terms either, useful as they may be.
Jesus called people to follow him; to deny self; to repent and believe. His followers were, and are his witnesses (Acts 1:8). We proclaim, announce, tell, preach, gossip, share, demonstrate, and live the good news. I’ve never forgotten the challenge a speaker to a youth rally flung out when he talked about evangelism. He said, ‘Shut up, until you can’t.’ Maybe that was not polite, but it packed a punch. We often lay burdens on people and try to convince them of our beliefs. What about praying to the Lord so much that a fire burns in us and we just can’t keep quiet any more?
Better still, we too can do evangelism Jesus’ way, Peter’s way, Paul’s way, and as countless millions do now in the world – discovering the transforming power of the Spirit of God so that you just want to talk about it, pray about it, and see God touch people with his grace and power.
Contributors to this issue of the Renewal Journal take that approach to evangelism.
When John Wimber died in November 1997, he left a great legacy. He inspired hundreds of thousands to take the Bible seriously and ‘do the stuff’ including power evangelism. The Renewal Journal has often carried articles by John Wimber and others he influenced. The first article in this issue of the Journal is a summary of his early statements on power evangelism from his famous course MC510 at Fuller Theological Seminary. John White attended that course in 1984 (as did this editor) and tells in an interview with Julia Loren how it impacted his life and ministry. Randy Clark gives global examples of power evangelism in short term missions.
Richard Heard, senior pastor at the Christian Tabernacle in Houston reports on a strong impact of the Spirit of God in their church, and Sharon Wissemann summarizes the significance of Evangelist Steve Hill’s ministry at Pensacola which has now touched hundreds of churches and thousands of people around the world.
Evangelist Louis Bush directs attention to evangelism in the nations of the 10/40 Window, and Rowland Croucher suggests ways to use opportunities the Internet provides for evangelism to the world.
Charles Taylor identifies the essentials of the gospel message. Daryl Brenton summarizes the significance of 20 Pentecostal and Charismatic pioneers who have been powerful evangelists and leaders, and Richard Riss provides a comprehensive summary of the characteristics of revival.
Jesus described his kind of evangelism in his last promise on earth: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses … to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Dr Mike Brown, of Global Resource Ministries International, taught at Brownsville Assemblies of God in Pensacola, Florida. He wrote the Pensacola Update report in December 1996 when the revival had been going for a year and a half with over 60,000 commitments to Christ. Over 100,000 conversions were reported in 5 years.
I thought it would be appropriate to send you a 1996 revival update. We can then join together in giving thanks for these glorious days of visitation in which we are living. Who knows what God will do in 1997 ‑ if we seek Him with all our hearts, walk humbly before Him, and are careful to obey His Word? The possibilities are staggering.
With no attempt to be systematic or to follow any chronological order, let me give you some of the highlights from the last few months. (This would have come sooner, but with the intensity of the revival schedule, the relocation of our ministry offices ‑ and family! ‑ to Pensacola, and the raising up of our ministry training school, it was almost impossible to get out a timely update.) Here is just a small glimpse of what has been happening (and as I write, it is sometimes difficult to hold back the tears of joy).
Youth Revival
The Spirit continues to fall among the young people ‑ dramatically. One Saturday night service, multiplied hundreds of students, from grade school to college, were called to the front of the church. There were far too many to put on the platform, so they filled the front area. When we prayed for them in mass, the Spirit fell on them in awesome power, and most of them collapsed to the floor, consumed with God’s presence. After we continued to worship and intercede for our schools (‘God, give us our schools!’), we were about to dismiss the young people back to their seats when, suddenly and unexpectedly, some of them began to weep and wail in intercession.
Soon, most of them were caught up with the burden for their lost generation ‑ and the weeping and intercession became intense. There was no formal preaching that night, but the altars were filled with lost and backslidden people. If there ever was a service to attend, it was Saturday night, 12 October, 1996 (The video is called Intercession for Our Schools).
During a Thursday night youth service with about 700 in attendance (this is the one night that the teens have their own meeting), conviction fell during the worship. One of the Brownsville young people had a word about some of the kids having sinful, idolatrous things in their possession. There were about 300 kids visiting that night.
Spontaneously, they began to throw dozens of packs of cigarettes on the platform, then condoms, then joint paper, then joints (and, apparently, other drugs), then diet and prescription pills. The pile was so big that it filled a large, kitchen‑size garbage bag! When the sheriff of the county, who happened to be in the main sanctuary that night, heard what was happening in the youth chapel, he was escorted over to see things first hand. His comment? ‘This is what will change America!’ Several weeks later, his daughter was saved in one of the services. Yes Lord!
Depth of Conviction
It seems that everything is increasing in intensity: the levels of praise, worship, and warfare, sometimes breaking out spontaneously and continuing for long periods of time; the numbers of souls responding to the altar calls; the depth of conviction. It is very common to see repentant sinners and backsliders drop their heads when you look at them ‑ even when you’re trying to encourage them with a gentle smile. They’re too ashamed of their sins ‑ until they know they have all been washed away.
At other times, even after my daytime teaching sessions for leaders and hungry believers, the Lord’s presence has been so heavy that people have tried to make it out to their cars, only to collapse on their faces, or on their backs, or to their knees on the grass outside. It is a sight to see!
On one such day, the Spirit began to move on the line outside (they line up as early as 4 am now, or even sleep in the parking lot at night so as to be the first on line), and people began to fall under the power and repent of sin right there in the public lot ‑ without anyone even praying for them. You can’t contain revival in a building!
One night, three young black women made their way to the altar, all of them shaking, and the middle teenager literally being carried down by her friends. She was coming forward to get saved and was under such conviction that her friends had to support her as she tried to walk, her arms draped over the other girls, much like an injured football player is helped to the sidelines. That’s the way to come to the Lord ‑ utterly helpless and dependent.
Another night, early in his message, Steve Hill had a word for an unsaved young man named Scott. The Lord revealed his desperate condition to Steve, so he urged him to get right that night. At the end of the altar call ‑ to which, we learned later from Scott’s brother, he did not respond ‑‑ Steve had a word for a military man that had resisted God all his life. He told him to respond now. At that moment, a young man came rushing forward to surrender his life to the Lord. It was Scott, the military man. Talk about being singled out by the Lord!
A few weeks ago, two lesbians who had been living together and using drugs for years got right with God, ending their sinful relationship. Their baptismal testimonies the week following were glorious. One of the women had previously been married, and she had brought her son into the home with this other woman to live with them. (She confessed this with great sorrow at her baptism.) The night she got saved, she went home and told her son what happened. He said, ‘My prayers have been answered!’
Transformed lives
At this point, you might be wondering, ‘Well, what happens to all these people who get saved? Are they going on with God?’ Yes they are. Of course, I can’t account for every single one, but I can account for many. In fact, some of them are coming to our School of Ministry beginning next month!
To give you one case in point, a man from Chicago named Mark was an alcoholic for seventeen years, with a terrible family life as a result. He was dramatically saved and instantly delivered right in his home, watching a 700 Club report on the revival.
That was in September. When I saw him in November, he looked so different. He was in the midst of a 40 day fast; his marriage and home were transformed; his brother and wife were wonderfully touched; and he and his brother had brought their construction crew to Pensacola with them (they own a construction company). The whole crew got saved! Some of these men are now candidates to attend our school.
You may have heard the testimony of Robert Lowell, the wealthy businessman who was radically converted when we came to the revival at the beginning of 1996 to pull his wife out. The whole family has been touched, and in the Fall, one of their daughters got married to an Iranian Muslim, her fiancé who had also been saved in the revival. They got married on a Saturday afternoon and were in church that night. That’s revival! Why? They had so many unsaved friends and relatives with them that they couldn’t miss the opportunity to bring them to the evening meeting. At the end of the altar call, the young bride turned to her lifelong close friend (and member of her bridal party), asking her if she wanted to give her life to Jesus. I could only weep as I saw the two them make their way to the altar, dissolving in tears as they knelt side by side. What a wedding present! A good number of weeks later, I asked the bride what happened to her friends. She told me that all of her unsaved friends in the bridal party (along with one tragically backslidden girl) got right with God that week ‑ and all of them were on fire. What can you say?
The life and death urgency of the hour has been underscored to us when we hear of lost sinners getting saved, and then suddenly dying one or two days later. And there was no warning that they were sick or in ill health. They got saved, and then they were gone. This has happened several times now.
Even more striking was the case of a man who was in the meeting, felt conviction, and ran from it, ending up at the pool hall playing pool with three of his drinking buddies. But the conviction there was even more intense, so he left his three friends and returned to the church, giving his life to Jesus at the end of the night. It was just in time. He found out later that, shortly after he left the pool hall, the three friends drove off in their Chevy Corvette which was almost totally disintegrated moments later after a 100 mile per hour crash. Two were killed instantly; the third critically injured. This man would have been among them, had he not responded to the Spirit’s pull. He was literally snatched out of the fire!
Interest in the revival has increased. In recent months, the Pentecostal Evangel ‑ the international magazine of the Assemblies of God ‑ devoted 15 pages to the revival, the Dallas Morning News ran a front‑page story about the outpouring in its Sunday morning edition (by the way, it was the front page of the main section of the paper, not the religion section), and Charisma Now aired a powerful TV special on the revival. Denominational leaders in the Church of God, Southern Baptists, and United Methodists (among others) have been wonderfully touched, and our recent ministers conference was attended by leaders from about forty nations. This is in addition to the large number of leaders ‑ ranging from 300‑500 ‑ who attend every week. And best of all, the fire is spreading!
Fire is spreading
A Southern Baptist testified to a dramatic rise in spiritual hunger in his church since he attended the meetings. His son, the youth pastor was living in compromise and hardness ‑ until God sternly dealt with him and totally turned him around. Back at the pastor’s church, after a special series of meetings ended, congregants showed up at the church anyway, even though the services had ended. They were so hungry for the Lord that they climbed into the building through a hole in a broken window. And these are Southern Baptists!
Friends of mine from Phoenix visited Pensacola and went back ignited. The Spirit began moving freely in the services, the power of God fell in unprecedented ways for that fellowship, people began repenting, some of then fasting and gathering for 6 am prayer, the young people got turned on and starting witnessing to all their friends, winning some of them to the Lord. Such stories are common now around the country!
One Spanish‑speaking youth pastor from Texas with a teens group averaging 8‑10 kids returned from Pensacola on fire, and he and his wife began preaching repentance to their group. Six weeks later they were running 120 kids in the meetings! And in many cities, where disunity and lack of cooperation had been the rule, pastors are now gathering together in sizable numbers for special leadership meetings, repenting with many tears, confessing their sins, and committing to pray and cry out … That’s the key!
One of my former students, an associate pastor in a Messianic congregation, showed the children at the congregational school the video featuring eight year old Whitney Lane sharing her burden for the lost ‑ until she breaks down crying. He invited the kids who wanted a similar burden to come forward for prayer and then, to his amazement, the younger kids there (ages 5‑8 especially) began to weep, sob, and shake ‑ for forty‑five minutes! A number of them had visions of heaven, hell, and Jesus, some of them dramatic. He arrived home with a plastic bag full of the tissues these little ones had soaked with their tears. Jesus is moving in the land!
And here’s a personal illustration of the love of God. A Filipino pastor from Chicago felt that he just had to attend the revival services. He arrived at the church by way of Orlando on 10 December, only to find out they we were in the midst of a break until 3 January. He was totally crestfallen, coming back the next day with the hope that the services would somehow resume. Of course, they did not; but the revival itself continues. He then received an out‑of‑the‑blue invitation to speak in Toms River, New Jersey that weekend. It was there that he learned that the very next day ‑ this past Monday ‑ I would be speaking at a special ministers’ gathering in – you guessed it! ‑ Toms River. So, from Chicago to Orlando to Pensacola to Orlando to Toms River ‑ he got in the river! You can’t limit the goodness of God.
Finally, I should mention that there seems to be an increase in powerful healings these days, and this too is often taking place outside of Pensacola. A well‑respected pastor in Wisconsin, a man whose church has been in the midst of an outpouring since visiting us in June, told me personally about the documented healing of a baby born blind. She is fine today, after receiving prayer from the leaders in that church. Isn’t God awesome?
When God starts moving, everyone falls into place: The hungry press forward and are filled, the lost are drawn in and the backsliders drawn home, the laborers are raised up and thrust out ‑ and the critics criticize! What else could we expect?
Actually, we ought to pity those who cannot recognize the glorious fruit of tens of thousands of radically changed lives because of a little shaking (as if God’s presence makes mountains and houses shake ‑ but not people!) or falling (as if it is illogical or unscriptural for someone to be overcome by God’s power). They reject the Spirit because they don’t like the style. Pity their souls and pray for those whom they mislead. We don’t want anyone to be left out.
A few months ago the Lord said to me that soon it will be an embarrassment to be associated with the critics. Day by day, the truth of that word is becoming clearer and clearer. I would hate to find myself standing in the path of a divine tidal wave, shaking my skeptical fist and shouting, ‘That’s not God!’
Please hear my heart: We are literally on the verge of seeing the Spirit’s fire sweep through whole public schools, ignite whole regions, and shake our nation from bottom to top. Young and old will meet their God, and the nation could very well be transformed. For the first time in my life, real revival across America is within range. Let’s press in without compromise until the whole country is ablaze. It really is time. As Steve Hill often cries out at the altar calls, What are you waiting for?
Reviews: Building a Better World by Dave Andrews, Surprised by the Power of the Spirit & Surprised by the Voice of God both by Jack Deere, Secrets of the Argentine Revival, by R Edward Miller
Dr Robert McQuillan wrote as editor of the Australian national Assemblies of God monthly magazine, the Australian Evangel. He describes revival in Pensacola, Sunderland and Argentina.
Suddenly the name is on the lips of almost every minister wanting fresh fire renewal along with the question: ‘Where’s Pensacola? I hear incredible revival is happening there.’
Indeed it is! It’s called ‘the Brownsville harvest’. As I compile this article I have before me a fax from Evangelist Steve Hill in Pensacola, Florida, dated 24 June, 1996, which reads: ‘The revival here is more intense than ever before. The pace is ever increasing ‑ with no end in sight.’
People continue coming from all over the United States and the world. Over 26,000 received Christ as Saviour in the first year! Within two years over 60,000 have recorded commitments to Christ.
Suddenly the Wind …
It was Father’s Day in June 1995 when the evangelist preached at the Brownsville AOG 2,300‑seater church. The pastor, John Kilpatrick (46), had just lost his mother to cancer and, feeling emotionally drained, had requested his longtime friend Steve Hill to take the Sunday service.
As Evangelist Hill (42) gave the altar call, the Holy Spirit fell and a thousand people streamed forward. There was the distinct awareness of a wind blowing across the auditorium. Some folk shook violently, others did carpet time.
John Kilpatrick was suddenly aware of the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit, more so when Steve Hill laid hands on him and claimed, ‘More, Lord’ Recently Kilpatrick told Charisma magazine’s editor, J Lee Grady, ‘When I hit the floor, it felt like I weighed 10,000 pounds. I knew something supernatural was happening. God was visiting us.’ He was ‘out’ for around four hours ‘feeling heavenly glory resting on him like a heavy blanket.’
The devil’s work? Not according to Steve Hill who calls himself a missionary evangelist, having spent seven years on the Argentinian mission field. He commented, ‘I don’t try to explain the manifestations. I look for what God is doing in people’s lives.’ When as many as 1,000 people get converted a week and lives are dramatically changed, Hill is convinced this is the Lord’s work, not Satan’s!
Prophesied by Cho
News of the Brownsville revival ‑ incidentally, Pensacola is in the northwestern part of Florida ‑ began filtering across the world around October 1995. The Pentecostal Evangel reported that in 1991 Dr David Yonggi Cho was praying for America while holding meetings in Seattle, Washington. Suddenly the Lord told him to get a map. He did so and the Holy Spirit directed him to point his finger at the Florida panhandle and to the quiet city of Pensacola.
Dr Cho then prophesied, ‘I am going to send revival to the seaside city of Pensacola and it will spread like a fire until all of America has been consumed by it.’
The word spread to Pensacola ministers. Serious about revival, John Kilpatrick, described as a gentle‑natured pastor, had church members commence praying on Sunday nights, particularly for their own city and its political leaders, the school system, and leaders of every denomination. Their prayer, and Dr Cho’s prophetic word, are being fulfilled!
The events of that Father’s Day service have occurred repeatedly night after night since, along with amazing healings, miracles, restored marriages and wonderful salvations. Healings are even happening without the laying on of hands and prayer. Sometimes distressed couples, including those divorced, have gone forward for salvation not knowing their partner or former partner was doing the same thing. Gloriously saved they have then found each other again and been restored.
God’s Chain of Grace
The spectrum of those being saved is a wide one ‑ crack dealers to troubled teenagers to Satan worshippers to those in shaky marriages to strippers to the hard working poor to the wealthy. People get saved, then bring their friends and family who also become converted. Steve Hill refers to it all as ‘God’s chain of grace.’
And the fire has spread in the Bible Belt! Many from other denominations, including Methodists and Baptists, attend the five nights a week meetings and in several cases the revival fires have now erupted in other church sanctuaries. ‘Swimming in the river of God’ has become a popular Brownsville theme that has been readily taken up by other ministers and churches.
Nowadays if you want to attend a 7 pm Brownsville AOG service, you’ll need to queue up at 3.30 pm in the afternoon! You’ll be among visitors from the States, Canada, Korea, Australia, Uganda, Brazil, UK … 400,000 had attended ‘the Pensacola Outpouring’ by the April 1996 count. The town itself has only a population of 80,000.
Charisma reports that the church ‑ ‘nondescript and just blocks from bingo parlours and a topless lounge in a Southern city best known for beaches and seafood’ ‑ spends $150 a night on drinking water, $4,000 a month for child care, and $4,000 per month for extra car park security as some services run to 3 am.
Notable Differences
What’s different about the ‘Brownsville harvest,’ compared to the ‘Toronto’ blessing and ‘Sunderland’ revival?
In the main, it is probably the fact that the emphasis has been on salvation from the start with signs and wonders secondary. The church has been serious in its praying for revival and that’s what it’s received.
Also, much weeping in repentance and heavy conviction at the altar is another dominant feature.
Thirdly, neither John Kilpatrick or Steve Hill are particularly anxious to leave the church to be special speakers around the world. They are totally, as Steve Hill puts it, ‘committed at the Brownsville revival.’ In fact Hill, who was only supposed to minister once at the Father’s Day service, but has been there since, has moved his family from Texas to Brownsville.
Despite the overwhelming nature of all that has happened and the growing worldwide publicity, the Brownsville assembly remains humble and mystified as to why the Spirit has visited them in this way. But they are rejoicing in the Lord at the results which haven’t stopped coming since the fire fell.
AOG Approved
Many American AOG ministers, previously critical of the recent move of the Spirit and sceptical about the ‘Pensacola Outpouring’ have had a change of heart since attending the Brownsville church, and doing unexpected extended carpet time. Visiting with a determination that there was no way they would fall on the floor, they found themselves overwhelmed by the presence of God and getting up from the altar as long as three hours later. Dramatically changed, their own churches are now swimming in the river of God.
Assistant General Superintendent, Charles Crabtree, was a speaker at the April Pensacola Harvest Revival Ministers’ Conference in Brownsville and was visibly touched by all that was happening there. General Superintendent Thomas Trask is a godly man who definitely desires spiritual revival, and reports indicate that what is happening at Brownsville is warmly endorsed by the AOG Executive Presbytery, Springfield.
The Pensacola fire is spreading, impacting the Assemblies of God in particular; and those who are thirsting for more of God and old time revival are experiencing it.
Australians can learn!
Adrian and Kathy Gray, senior pastors Mount Annan Christian Life Centre, Campbelltown (NSW), where the river of God has been flowing mightily for some time, have just returned from Pensacola. They write:
One of the most outstanding harvest revivals of our time is taking place in Brownsville. A number of things stand out very clearly about this revival church:
* As a whole it is very focused on what the Lord has called them to do ‑ build up the saints and win the lost.
* They are definitely some of the most passionate people in revival that we have been among.
* The prayer, intercession and travail that occurs during the altar times is among the most intense that we have seen anywhere in the world. Literally hundreds receive Christ every night.
Those receiving Christ are encouraged to do three main things:
* Come back to the revival meetings each night.
* Bring their family and friends.
* Follow the Lord into the waters of baptism.
Over 4,000 people were in the first meeting we attended. A powerful service; over 200 people came to Christ and 32 were water baptised. Every night, 14 year‑old Charity sings Mercy Seat and people run to the altar. Unbelievable! We are expecting this harvest anointing to ‘come home with us’ as we are particularly hungry for God to begin such a revival in our church.
Australians can learn a tremendous amount from the way the Lord is pouring out his presence in this church. Our nation is ready for revival so let’s keep a spirit of faith, expect the harvest, and pray, ‘More, Lord!’
Moving Into the Harvest Challenge
These are still exciting days! Let’s not drop this current move of God as some churches have done, let’s not fail to embrace it either as some have done, and let’s not keep it in-house as a local bless me club, but see it spill out in evangelism to win thousands into the kingdom.
John Kilpatrick & Lindel Cooley
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Sunderland, England:Renewal moves into Harvest
Joy magazine reports that Sunderland Christian Centre (SCC) is experiencing a new and more powerful wave of the Holy Spirit as the church enters the second phase of the move of God.
Along with an amazing explosion of prayer, the church is experiencing some outstanding healings.
A New Emphasis
Senior pastors Ken and Lois Gott feel the Lord is allowing them to model the new emphasis ‑ prayer, mercy and mission to the unchurched ‑ just as they modelled the renewal.
After more than 19 months of nightly revival meetings with visitors flocking from around the country and the globe, SCC began gearing meetings to accommodate a new kind of guest. The building which saw nightly renewal meetings is now used twelve hours a day, seven days a week, as people stream in from the local community where previously there had been little impact.
‘We built an eight‑foot fence to keep the violent street kids out,’ said Ken Gott, ‘but six months into the renewal God saved key people from the local community. Jim Richardson was a major player in the local criminal underworld but God ‘arrested’ him in a renewal meeting ‑ literally knocking him flat on his back! Now he’s on staff.’
Going for the Worst
‘Elaine Arkley, dramatically healed and saved during the renewal, is now running a drop‑in mission. The workers cannot keep up with the numbers flocking to find food and, more importantly, the Saviour,’ adds Ken.
Around 260 people are being accommodated at SCC in this manner, but this is not church as they have known it before. Those coming are being fed, helped and cared for by a church fired by a vision of mission and mercy.
Of course, the church is having to adapt, but, like General Booth of the Salvation Army, they are going for the worst of sinners. And some truly remarkable conversions are taking place.
This change of direction is in line with many prophecies given before and during the current move which predicted a wave of renewal giving way to a compassionate ministry of love, healing and salvation to the desperate and needy.
Visitors to the church are no longer guaranteed to find renewal meetings every night of the week but those still travelling from all over the world are seeing first hand a model of renewal moving on into the harvest.
Denominational Reconciliations
Extraordinary scenes of reconciliation took place in SCC during a recent meeting led by Lois Gott and attended by hundreds of church leaders.
Anglicans, Baptists, Methodists, Salvationists, Messianic Jews, Congregationalists, House Church, Brethren and Pentecostals prayed for each other and confessed their past arrogance and lack of love for one another.
An Anglican vicar, tears flowing, led a prayer for national revival and announced prophetically that ‘the civil war (among Christians) is over.’
Pentecostals, particularly, repented of their arrogance in believing they ‘had it all’ and acknowledged the debt they owed to other denominations, especially the Anglicans ‑ it was Church of England vicar Alexander Boddy who was used to spark off the 20th century Pentecostal revival in Sunderland in 1907!
More Reconciliations
Also, at the recent 1,000 delegates prophetic conference other reconciliations took place in an atmosphere charged with an awesome sense of God’s presence.
A large group of Germans were called up to the front to be prayed for and Lois Gott, on behalf of the English, asked their forgiveness for the bloodshed of World War II. Amid many tears and embraces, they in turn confessed the sins of their forefathers. A Messianic Jewess who had had relatives killed in the holocaust also embraced them. Christians from the north and south of Ireland also prayed for each other.
Amazing worship was accompanied by rich, anointed singing from the platform, and many were in tears as they sang inspirational new songs along with some wonderful old hymns exalting what Christ has done in the past and anticipating what he is about to do in revival power.
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Argentina Revival Fires: Hungry for the Spirit
When Argentina’s Claudio Freidzon stood before a crowd of over 65,000 in Buenos Aires’ Velez Sarsfield stadium it was like a dream come true. As a boy he had dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player; being a pastor had been the furthest thing from his mind. Now, walking onto the field for a gospel crusade, he had the wonderful opportunity of scoring a few goals against the devil! Six hours of revivalist fervour would see many salvations and Holy Spirit miracles, healings and manifestations.
Claudio Freidzon is among the foremost figures of the extraordinary revival that has been taking place in Argentina since 1992. He has also been a catalyst for the current worldwide revival ‑ as the saying goes, ‘Before there was Toronto or Sunderland, there was Argentina.’ More than 850,000 people have attended his crusades. As well as many healings from a whole range of sicknesses, countless lives have been dramatically changed ‑ restoration of families has been a highlight in this revival, children pray for one another, and youngsters prefer to visit hospitals rather than play ball.
Almost giving up
But success did not come easily for Claudio. When he and his wife, Betty, commenced ministry they set up both church and home in the one usable room in a dilapidated building. At night they replaced the chairs with their bed and a cot for the children. Those trying days proved a desert experience for Claudio which led him to a spiritual hunger and discovering complete dependence on the Holy Spirit. He says, ‘The only fountain is God himself. The only solution comes from heaven.’
With a congregation of just seven for seven years, he was on the point of giving up. But God wouldn’t let him. He recalls:
‘Sometimes pastor friends came to visit and would find me alone in the meeting. I felt like dying: I wished I could disappear. I used to walk among the empty benches and the devil laughed and jumped around me, whispering in my ear: “You’re no good; you’ll never make any progress; it will always be like this.”
‘And unfortunately I believed him. One day I thought: “This isn’t for me. I’m going to give up the pastorate. I’m going to resume my engineering studies and get myself a job.” But deep down I knew that was not God’s plan.
‘I went and saw my superintendent for the purpose of handing in my credentials. But before I could tell him, he said, “Claudio, I have something to say to you. God has something to say to you. He has something wonderful for you. You don’t see it, but God is going to use you greatly.”
‘He went on: “Look, I started in a very precarious house and had no help from anybody. Sometimes I had nothing to eat and I suffered greatly. But we prayed and God provided for each day and we felt grateful. I knew we were doing God’s will. And when I think of you, Claudio, I know you are going to be useful to God and that you are within his will. I don’t know what your problems are, but keep on. By the way, what brings you here today?”
‘I put my credentials back in my pocket and said, “Well… , nothing in particular, I thought I would just come and share a moment with you.” There was nothing else I could say. When I got home Betty was weeping and I said, “Betty, we’re going to continue.” I embraced her tightly and we started all over again.’
Craving for the Touch of God
A new book, Holy Spirit, I am Hungry for You, tells how Claudio Freidzon went on to hunger from the depths of his soul for the touch of God that would enable him to reach the masses. Desperate, and churning and aching inside as with hunger for natural food, Claudio desired and craved for the bread of life. He was to discover that heart attitude is of primary interest to God and that through developing our relationship with him, the Holy Spirit is free to inspire any committed Spirit‑hungry Christian to do great exploits in Jesus’ name.
In his search for more of God, Claudio Freidzon visited Orlando and requested that Benny Hinn pray for him. The evangelist did so, praying that the anointing of the Holy Spirit would rest on the Argentinian’s life and ministry and that God would do a great work through him in that nation.
The rest is history! Claudio Freidzon began holding incredible rallies, presenting the message of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit and revival swept the country. What began as a personal work of the Holy Spirit in his own life because of his spiritual hunger affected others. Today he pastors a prosperous church of over 4,000 members and is bringing spiritual life to hundreds of thousands both in Argentina and in other nations.
Claudio Freidzon sees the Argentine revival as a sovereign move of God who provided the river to be followed. Traditional style worship forms were changed dramatically and today there’s a great emphasis on joy and freedom in the Spirit. Evidently people come dancing down the street on their way to church. Another emphasis is on holiness and less gossip in Christians’ lives!
AOG Superintendent Testifies
Argentina’s AOG superintendent, Jose Manuel Carlos, recalls a visit he made to Claudio Freidzon’s church:
‘My wife Isabel and I wanted to see for ourselves what was taking place, for we had heard so many things about the King of Kings Church.
We left our car not far from the church. As we started walking towards the building, we noticed our legs trembling. We thought it was just suggestion due to the comments we had heard. When we entered, the place was packed and there were still people waiting outside.
‘An usher recognised us and took us to the front row. People were standing, singing, jumping and hugging each other in unity. When Pastor Freidzon asked, “Do you want to receive more?” a “Yes” broke out from the people like the sound of many waters. Immediately he shouted, “Receive!” and half the congregation fell to the ground laughing, some of them with an expression of drunkenness.
‘He then called to the platform some 50 children and asked, “Do you want to receive from God?” When they said “Yes,” he prayed with lifted hands and all of them fell to the floor as if asleep and with smiles on their faces!
‘I could not find a logical explanation for what was happening and prayed to God: “Lord, if this is of you, please let me know.” At that moment Claudio had begun to walk among the people and pray for them. When I opened my eyes, I saw my wife was falling to the floor as he laid hands on her.
‘He then embraced me and prayed: “Father, bless this servant of yours.” At that moment, something covered me from head to toe. I had a pleasant feeling of dizziness and felt flooded by a deep joy. I couldn’t shake it off; I don’t think I wanted to either! What I was experiencing was so precious that I didn’t want to move, lest I should lose it. Isabel and I had such a great feeling of joy that night we couldn’t sleep. I prayed in tongues until dawn.
‘My ministry has been blessed by this anointing of the Holy Spirit that flows through Claudio’s ministry. My own church increased from 400 members to 800 in only six months. My children were changed. My two daughters, aged 15 and 17, were baptised in the Holy Spirit and called to the ministry. The elder sister has started her studies at the Bible institute and the younger, who is finishing school, is also planning to train for the ministry.
‘This change began to happen one night as Pastor Freidzon prayed for them. My eight‑year‑old son, who is very fond of playing soccer, has stopped playing and is praying and seeking after God as never before.
‘I thank God for this precious ministry that changes lives, ministers and churches and, I dare say, will affect our country.’
Holy Spirit, I am Hungry for You (Kingsway, 1996), is encouraging, challenging reading, especially for those wanting to serve God in a powerful way.
(Adapted with permission from a Joy article. Additional material from Alpha)
Reviews: Building a Better World by Dave Andrews, Surprised by the Power of the Spirit & Surprised by the Voice of God both by Jack Deere, Secrets of the Argentine Revival, by R Edward Miller
Dr Paul Pillai was the Founder and Director of India Inland Mission, which plants churches among Hindus and has orphanages and a Bible College of 600 for training evangelists and pastors. Formerly a Hindu lawyer, Paul was converted when healed through an Indian Christian’s prayer.
We thank God for his faithfulness in our mission work and the many signs and wonders admit much persecution and danger. It is difficult to write about them all because it is a story of 30 years in unknown places where churches are established now.
One village did not have drinking water, only salt water. We prayed for pure water and the Lord provided pure water. The whole village came to Christ.
The chief in another village became blind for there years. His eyes were opened through our laying on hands and praying. The village came to Christ.
Another village suffered from constant attacks of a tiger from the nearby forest. No police or gun men could spot it to shoot it as it came at unexpected times around midnight. Some of our team members preached the gospel in that village and went around the village seven times and claimed the protection of the village by the circle of the blood of Christ. Since then for over eight years the tiger has never returned. Before that, every week someone used to be attacked and killed. No more now.
At another place a witch doctor had cursed a man and his animals because of enmity. The man’s seven milking buffaloes stopped giving milk. Our workers rebuked the curse in the name of Jesus. Suddenly the buffaloes started giving milk. Half of the villagers came to know Christ through that.
A large gathering came to hear the gospel in another village. A militant Hindu group organised a riot against it and tried to stop the meeting. Our people started praying together in the spirit. Suddenly thunder and lightning came. The leader of the gang which attacked us became totally blinded. That stopped the riot and the meetings continued for five days. On the fifth day the leader of the riot who was blinded came forward for healing. Jesus healed him and he accepted Christ and was baptised as a believer in Christ.
In one place during the monsoon season the Lord stopped the rain for three days just in the area of our tent and surrounding places. People were amazed at this. This was at a time when all other places were flooding with rain. Even buildings were washed away. Our tent meetings went on at the top of a mountain. Many were healed, delivered from demons, and touched by the Holy Spirit. Hundreds were convicted of their sins and accepted Christ.
In central India a whole tribe came to Christ through our work by the simple open door the Lord gave through a ministry of deliverance. The daughter of the tribal chief became insane through demon possession. The Lord used our mission team to deliver her from that. The chief and the tribe accepted Christ as their only Lord.
A fire broke out in a village where about 10,000 people lived in small huts almost wall to wall with thatched rooves and mud walls. We established a church with ten believers in that village. There was no fire engine or help available for the villagers. Smoke filled the whole air. The people could not see anything anywhere except thick smoke. Our pastor and our believers called the whole village to stand around the village to call upon God in the name of Jesus to stop the fire. Thousands prayed. Our pastor kept shouting through the microphone to keep calling upon the name of Jesus. The fire started in the morning about 8.30 am. The smoke filled the village till five that evening. All that time people were calling upon Jesus. Then the pastor declared that the Lord would clear the smoke and that no lives would be lost. The smoke went away. The villagers found only two huts burnt where the fire started. The other houses were not destroyed. No one was hurt. The village accepted Christ.
During a pneumonic plague the whole nation was in panic. The plague started in Surat where we had a ministry for 20 years. The people ran out of the town in thousands. Many prominent leaders of several villages came to our church and asked our people to pray as they heard about the power of Jesus from us. The believers fasted and prayed. The plague was stopped completely in that town. God’s people have prayed in thousands, and we continued to pray for the protection of the land from the plague.
These are a few of the things I have remembered. We never kept a record of these events. Only the Lord keeps track of these things. The Lord continues to do many thing for his glory. Indian Inland Mission workers all over north India see many things like that. They work with native people who are very simple in their faith in the living God.
‘If you believe you will see the glory of God’ (John 11:40).
1000 orphans in Bethel Home and 500 students in
Grace College at Indian Inland Mission
Note:
Paul stayed with us in Brisbane and spoke at the Renewal Fellowship. He has taken teams to hundreds of villages and towns, starting churches. One time their tent was burned down by fantasists who tried to kill them. Paul’s arm was broken but then angels (appearing as fine young men) miraculously moved the team to a safe place and told them that the Lord would send them back there. He did. They started a home church there and it grew.
A small team from the Renewal Fellowship in Brisbane visited and spoke at Grace College in New Delhi on our way from mission with Raju Sundas in Nepal to Philip and Dhamika George’s family pastoring in Sri Lanka.
Reviews: Building a Better World by Dave Andrews, Surprised by the Power of the Spirit & Surprised by the Voice of God both by Jack Deere, Secrets of the Argentine Revival, by R Edward Miller
Dennis Balcombe wrote as senior pastor of Revival Christian Church in Hong Kong and regularly ministers in China. This article is edited from newsletters sent early in 1996.
We saw the Holy Spirit fall with great joy similar to what some refer to as the ‘Toronto Blessing.’ This has swept many parts of China without any teaching from the West, but in many places has been a supernatural outpouring of the Spirit.
In Asia many Pentecostal denominations are trying to be more acceptable to the denominational church world through more emphasis on theological education and degrees than prayer, fasting and the power that comes from the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The opposite is true in China, for the house churches are more than ever turning to the Pentecostal roots of our faith.
We also arranged for many other well known ministry teams to teach the leaders in several parts of China. Among them were Lester Sumrall, Ulf Ekmann of Sweden, Reinhard Bonnke of Germany, Marilyn Hickey of the US and many others. One overseas preacher was excited as he was able to preach to a crowd of 6,000 in Northeast China. There has been such a revival there that nearly 360,000 were saved in a few years time.
We took on several new full time local Chinese in the China Ministry. We have encouraged the rest of the Chinese congregation to get involved in ministry in China. Of the 1,000 plus churches in Hong Kong, ours is possibly one of the few who openly advocate and participate in ministry in mainland China. Most pastors are fearful to do so for possible repercussions against them in 1997. We have made our position very clear, and though it has caused a very few to have reservations about our stand, most of the Chinese congregation know where we stand and are prepared for whatever might happen.
Thus towards the end of the year we organized three ministry trips to Yunnan, Sichuan and Guangdong provinces, and nearly 20 local Chinese participated in each trip. They all came back burning with the fires of revival as they met with house church leaders who have been greatly used of God to perform miracles resulting in mass conversions. They also realized clearly the intense persecution against Christians in China and thus are better able to prepare for possible persecution in a year or so. Their testimonies excited so many others that the next scheduled trips around Chinese New Year are all full of applicants. Never before have local Chinese responded to the China ministry in such a positive manner.
Persecution of Christians is severe and widespread throughout China and the situation with human rights is worse than any time since China opened in 1978. The hard‑liners are firmly in control and there don’t seem to be any moderate voices. In addition to long prison sentences being given to proponents of democracy, daily scores of people are executed through China, many for what we would call ‘white collar crimes’ or corruption. In elections for the Hong Kong Legislative Council in September, the pro‑democratic parties won by a landslide. This was a great insult to China who considers these men as ‘counter‑revolutionary’ and ‘subversives’. China has vowed to dismantle the whole elected government and will not allow any of these legally elected councilors (who are like congressmen in the USA) to remain in office after 1997. They have also strongly attacked the local ‘Bill of Human Rights’ and say they are not obliged to honour human rights in any way, for they have not signed the Bill of Human Rights in the United Nations, though they are signatories to the UN Charter.
People are now extremely pessimistic about the future here and many are saying that the only ones who got it right are those who immigrated years ago. It is quite difficult to do so now at this late date, and people don’t even know if the present travel document (British Nationality Overseas passport) or the passport that will come in next year (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the PRC) will be recognized by foreign governments. It is not certain Hong Kong people will then be able to travel overseas without difficulty. In addition to the above, the economy has started to decline and unemployment is at an all‑time high.
I continually teach the people that whatever happens we should not even consider leaving Hong Kong, for our nation will need us. But through the cell group system we are attempting to disciple everyone and prepare them for persecution, if it comes to that. Also many more people are willing to come into the ministry now than in a booming economy. We may possibly start a full time intensive Bible School in which people work together and study for preparation of ministry in China as well as Hong Kong.
In December Pastor David Kiteley of Shiloh Christian Fellowship in Oakland, visited Hong Kong and with David Wang of Asian Outreach ordained Kathy Balcombe also a ‘pastor’ in RCC. She has been operating in the capacity for many years as I am away from Hong Kong much, but this will give her more authority to make decisions when I am away and deal with other matters. The church is growing rapidly and many are finding the Lord almost weekly. The goal for this new year is ‘Revival’ and we are believing for 50% growth this year. We usually have close to 500 people actually attend on any given Sunday, but like any church there are many more who don’t always come except a few times a year. On special meetings we might have over 600. We are not only believing for more numbers, but for an increase in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and evangelism. Several sister churches have been planted by our own Chinese or missionaries working with the church.
We now have nearly 130 full time missionaries under the visa sponsorship of RCC, and many more who now have their own visas (which are given after 7 years in Hong Kong). We have set up special intensive training for all the missionaries, and hope that many more new missionaries will be granted visas to come here, which it may be impossible after the change of sovereignty. None of them plan on leaving though the laws about overseas foreign church workers after 1997 is still very ambiguous.
Bibles
Lastly I would appreciate your prayers that we have sufficient funds to purchase Bibles. For nearly 15 years we received Chinese Bibles free of cost or at a discount from other organizations. However due to different philosophy in ministry, they will not provide us any Bibles at discount, so we have to pay to have them printed in Sri Lanka. The price last year was about US $1.50 per Bible, but now we can get them at $1.35 per Bible due to offerings from Norwegian Christian. It is still not safe, economical or logistically possible to print and distribute large amounts of whole Bibles in China, though many (including ourselves) have printed limited amounts of other types of materials including New Testaments. The sale of Bibles through the official channels is severely restricted as everyone knows, so the only way most of the church leaders in the rural areas can receive Bibles is through ministries like ours.
Due to the lack of funds there were a few occasions last year when our workers had no Bibles to take to China, and we were only able to provide teaching materials. However we want to keep the ratio of Bibles to teaching materials of 80% to 20%, for we are primarily providing these to Spirit filled church leaders who are actively involved in church planting all over the nation. We have direct contact and relationship with about 50 large evangelistic teams which are ministering to about 10 million believers. These are all people who are baptized in the Spirit, speak in tongues and exercise gifts of the Holy Spirit. They in turn reach out to the lost in which their ministry is confirmed by mighty gifts of the Spirit, as in the Book of Acts. They also reach out to the small percentage of non‑Spirit filled believers, for almost every Christian in China greatly desires the power that only the Holy Spirit can give.
Therefore we desperately need a large supply of Bibles to supply these growing Spirit filled congregations. We were also saddened to hear recently that a large shipment of 85,000 large study Bibles taken in by container through other organizations were confiscated by the PSB police a few weeks ago in Liaoning Province. These study bibles are very expensive and not really that necessary as most of the rural church leaders are not trained to use such comprehensive materials. They basically only need the whole Bible and a few good study books such as ‘The Shepherd’s Staff’. Rather than teach them doctrine or give them study Bibles with all kinds of exposition and sermon outlines, I personally believe it is best to teach the leaders how to study the Bible and allow them to dig out the treasures themselves. I have been amazed over the past 18 years of ministry in mainland China to see how Spirit filled leaders almost speak the same message and preach pure doctrine. The Holy Spirit will ‘lead us into all truth’.
Concerning these large operations, we have found over the years that it is very difficult for such big projects to succeed due to the restrictive situation in China. It is best to take in the Bibles in smaller amounts by several dozen people daily and maintain a continual flow of distribution throughout the nation. We have done this and met with little difficulties. In fact last year only a few bags of literature were confiscated, and this was due to spot checks of the mainland Chinese Christians on the road or train. To facilitate such a ministry, you need many workers both in Hong Kong and mainland China and a safe reliable tested method of distribution throughout the nation. We believe we are this position as we have been doing this for the past 18 years and have probably distributed over four million books in this way. However we thank the Lord for everything others are doing and don’t want to be critical when things go wrong, for we are in ‘warfare’. Even so, the need is so great and resources are so limited, it is essential such ministry is effectual and economical.
We are expecting an increase of at least 100% in ‘Donkey’s for Jesus’ workers who carry Bibles into China, and desperately need the funds to purchase the Bibles. Revival Christian Church has invested heavily in this ministry and last year purchased a floor for the China Ministry Offices at nearly US $300,000 and monthly rents a warehouse for US $1,300. Therefore please pray with us that overseas Christians will help us to purchase the Bibles. We still have not found anyone who will donate them, though several have talked about this possibility. Yes, it is possible to print Bibles in China, but it is much more expensive now as it cannot be done in large quantities for safety reasons and they don’t have the equipment or paper to print on thin bible paper, making the transportation more expensive, dangerous and difficult. Only Amity Press (associated with the Three‑Self‑Church) prints on thin paper, but their total output is severely limited by the government, as it is an official press. It still it has not been possible for house church leaders to purchase large amounts of Bibles from them.
Please pray with us that 1996 will break all records for safe and responsible distribution of hundreds of thousands of Bibles and teaching materials in conjunction with many training sessions for the house church leaders. Thank you for your prayers for the work here. I hope this information has been helpful. Below are some recent testimonies relating to the ministry we are involved in.
China testimonies
From 3-9 December, 1995, together with Rodney Kingstone and Ian Rowlands from England, we went to two cities in Henan Province to minister to the brothers and sisters there. They both move in the prophetic and prophesied over 180 people. They also taught on the gifts of prophecy and the Church exercised the gift right after the teaching. Below is their testimony from this trip:
Our expectation as we arrived in China was not that we had come with all the answers but that we have a lot to learn from our brothers and sisters. We wanted to encourage and release them in the area of the prophetic ministry, with the anticipation that they would do the same for us in other areas. So at all the places we ministered at, we asked them many questions and made sure that they prayed and laid hands on us!
At one of these times we were really encouraged by one of the prayers that one of the leaders prayed for us. He prayed that wherever we traveled we would take and impact the place with some of the revival power from China and that we would be partners together in taking the gospel to the ends of the earth.
One of the things that amazed us, during our stay, was the incredible courage and bravery of the believers ‑ risking everything for the sake of the gospel. Most of the leaders we met were on the run from the police and couldn’t live with their families ‑ some had not been back home for 20 years and had to find other ways of seeing their wives, children and relatives.
We ministered to many leaders on the subjects of prophetic ministry and intimacy with God. There were many hours of note taking while sitting on benches no wider than 3‑ 4 inches! We had the privilege of praying over everyone there and we prophesied over all but a handful as well. We received excellent feedback on the accuracy and confirmatory nature of these prophecies.
There were a lot of memorable times, here are some snippets:
In one meeting after we had prophesied over some of the leaders, Rod had a word of knowledge about some people having severe pain and discomfort in the lower back area and God wanted to heal them. After praying three sisters testified that they had been healed:
* one had suffered from back pain and not been very mobile but was now totally free.
* another had fallen down some steps while evangelising and the doctors had told her there was nothing they could do for her but God had just completely healed her.
* another had fallen out of a car and could not swing from side to side but was now able to and no longer had any pain.
At one of the 5.30 am prayer meetings one of the leaders prophesied about a river of God’s blessing followed by us both prophesying about God’s river and its effect, this was followed by us inviting God to come and meet us and us all praying. After a little while one of the sisters started laughing and crying and then most of them ended up on the floor on the top of one another and then many of the brothers also started to laugh. The prayer time finished with a great celebration of singing and dancing!
Our lasting impressions ‑ and the challenge to us ‑ was that we had portrayed to an environment that seemed close to the Book of Acts in its power, simplicity and naturalness. It really was a where the people were truly supernaturally natural.
This was evident when we asked the question. ‘Are you still seeing miracles?’
Their eyes lit up and their response was immediate. ‘Yes, every day.’ They then told us story after story of what God had done. Here are some examples:
Testimony 1 ‑ by Brother Yeung
In 1987, Pastor Dennis Balcombe came and led us into the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Since then we started to see miracles happening as we go out to preach the Gospel. Because of the miracles, many people came to know the Lord. One time other co‑workers and I went to a meeting. There was a 40 years old lady who was demon possessed who came into the meeting. She was scolding and screaming at us while I was preaching. She was disturbing the whole meeting so that I could not continue to preach. I then asked the whole congregation to kneel down and pray. As we were praying, she came to the front and continued scolding and laughing at us.
I then stood up and said, ‘In the name of Jesus shut up!’
Not only she did not shut up, but she said the same thing to me, ‘In the name of Jesus you shut up!’
I then said, ‘In the name of Jesus kneel down!’ but she said the same thing back to me.
Whatever I said she would repeat the same thing. I had never experienced that before. I didn’t know what to do but cry out to God desperately.
I prayed to God, ‘I don’t want to be defeated by the power of the devil.’ I decided that no matter how long it may take or how hard it was, I was going to continue to pray until the demon was cast out.
At that time I knew that I could not pray in the understanding for she would repeat every word I said. So I laid my hands on her and started to pray in tongues. As I continued to pray I discovered that she wasn’t saying anything and she was softening down. As she became weaker, I became stronger in the Spirit. Then the lady tied her hands together and put her head down to the floor. She cried out, ‘Please don’t pray anymore!’
I continued to pray in tongues. After a while, she felt on the floor like a dead person. Then after a few minutes, she woke up and was back to normal. Because of this miracle, many people believed in the Lord in that village.
Testimony 2 ‑ by Brother Yeung
One time we had a evangelistic meeting in a village. Many people came to the meeting to listen to the Gospel. But as my co‑worker was preaching, some gangsters came in the meeting to cause trouble. When I saw them coming in, I asked my co‑worker to sit down and I stood up to preach.
I thought to myself the reason that they were causing trouble was because they didn’t know the greatness of God. So I spoke loudly that our God is a true and a great God and He is able to perform miracles. Then I prayed to God to perform a miracle. I then asked the congregation if anyone was deaf. Then a sister brought a lady up who was deaf. As soon as I prayed for her, she was immediately healed. I then asked all who were deaf to come forward and that night they were all healed.
The gangsters were amazed as they saw the miracles happen. Some people in the meeting including the gangsters went back to their home and brought back their family members who were sick. There were eight paralyzed people who came and six of them were healed immediately. Because of the miracles, the whole village including the gangsters all believed in Jesus.
I believe the reason for such a great revival in China first is by preaching the word of God and second is by the miracles of God.
Testimony 3 ‑ by Brother Yeung
One time we had a meeting which had 600 believers and 200 non‑believers. Because the meeting was in a home Church, the house was so packed that many people had to climb up to the roof of on the trees in order to listen to the message. That night I shared on the message of healing. After I preached for about 3 hours I started to pray for the sick.
As I was praying, I saw an old lady who was praying desperately before God. I asked her what she wanted from God. She told me that her daughter who was 19 years old was blind since birth and she was asking God to heal her. Her daughter then stood up and I prayed for her in front of 800 people.
After I prayed, I asked her if she was able to see again. Then I moved my fingers to test her sight. Immediately, she was healed and the whole congregation sang Psalms 150 in praise to the Lord. That night many blind people and paralyzed people were healed, and because of the miracles, the whole village came to the Lord.
Testimony 4 ‑ by Brother Yeung
One of my co‑workers went up to Saan Xi Province to preach the Gospel. The people in that area are very superstitious and they worship many idols. He went and preached to the people saying, ‘Our God is a great God. He is the one who created the universe. He is able to cause the blind to see, the deaf to hear even the dead to raise again, but what can your God do for you?’
After he preached, a man ran to the hospital where a boy has just passed away. He told the boys parents, ‘There is a Jesus from Henan came who said he can raise people from the dead.’
So the mother took her dead child to my co‑worker saying, ‘Jesus from Henan please raise my son from the dead.’
My co‑worker was shocked when he saw the dead child for he had never raised anyone from the dead before. There was nothing he could do but just cry out to God. At first he was very worried in his heart that if nothing happened, all the people would say he’s a liar and they would not believe in Jesus. So he started to pray, but after a while, nothing happened so he prayed again and still nothing happened. Then he prayed to God, ‘Lord, I don’t mind to loose face, but I really don’t want this to cause the people mock your name and not believe in you. Please show forth your glory in this place.’
As he was praying that prayer, the mother of the child said, ‘Look, my child is alive again!’
He saw the child stand up and he ran throughout the house. Due to this miracle, many people in that area burnt all their idols and believed in Jesus.
Testimony 5 ‑ by Brother Lui (who is a Public Service Bureau officer)
I have been a Christian for two years. The reason I became a Christian is really a miracle. Two years ago, I had a strange disease in which I had a bad headache all the time and my heart was beating very quick. Not only that, I suddenly had a great fear in my heart that I was going to die. I went to see many doctors and even stayed in the hospital, but there was nothing the doctors could do.
One time after I went to see the doctor, I meet a Christian lady who was preaching the Gospel. Because I had nothing to do, I listened to what she had to say. My Aunt is a Christian, so I knew a little about Jesus. As she preached the Gospel to me, I decided to believe in Jesus. But because I was wearing my police uniform, she didn’t believe that I would really become a Christian.
That night, I felt a great peace in my heart, and I prayed to Jesus, ‘Jesus, I know that you are here and I am willing to truly believe in you.’
The next morning when I woke up, the strange diseases all left me, I knew that Jesus had healed my disease. Then I went back to the place where the sister preached the Gospel to me, tried to find her, but I did not succeed. I did not give up but went everyday to wait for her. She finally came on the fifth day and led me to her Church and baptized me. I have ever since served God with all my heart.
Testimony of one distribution of The ‘Shepherd’s Staff’
This is the testimony of how God saved us from evil while we were distributing the ‘Shepherd’s Staff’ books of Bible readings.
On 31 July, 1995, the four of us took around 300 copies of the ‘Shepherd’s Staff’ from Guangzhou to bring back to Henan. We took a train to go back.. The train that we went on was very crowed, we had no place to sit but just stood by the doorway. After riding for four hours, the train stopped in a city and some police went up the train to have an inspection. A policeman came to us and asked us why we carried so many bags. We told him that we were porters, and we were hired by a man to carry the bags to Henan. But he did not believe us and asked us to open up the bags. We told him we had no keys for the locks but he still insisted we open the bags.
When he opened up the first bag, he checked and didn’t say a word. Then he opened up other bags and found out that they were all books named the ‘Shepherd’s Staff’. He asked us what were the books for, we told him that it’s to teach people how to shepherd. He then checked the books and found out they were a Christian teaching book. He was very mad at us and told us to follow him to the restaurant on the train. At that time we knew that the situation was not good and that he was going to arrest us.
Because the train was very crowed, with all the bags that we had, we were not able to pass through all the people. So the policeman had to go in front of us to open a way for us. At that time the train started to move. As we passed through the first car, the policeman was at the other car, and we knew that that was the only chance to escape. I then told the other three brothers to leave the bags and run. Two of them ran immediately and jumped off the train from the window. Myself and the other brother also started to run, but because the train was going faster and faster, we could not jump at that time. So we just ran through one car and the other until the train approached a small station and started to slow down. We then jumped off the train from the window.
After we jumped off the train, we ran up the mountain until we reached the top. When we reached the mountain top, we knelt down and prayed to God. On one hand, we were thankful that God has protected us, but on the other hand, we were very worried about the other two brothers and were sad that we were not able to bring the ‘Shepherd’s Staff’ back to our brothers and sisters in Henan. But thank God, as we returned to our home town, we met the other two brothers. We rejoice in tears that God was with us and saved us.
Reviews: Building a Better World by Dave Andrews, Surprised by the Power of the Spirit & Surprised by the Voice of God both by Jack Deere, Secrets of the Argentine Revival, by R Edward Miller
Power Evangelism, by John Wimber
