Book Push: The Grace Outpouring by Roy Godwin

“Imagine a House of Prayer in every town. Imagine churches filled with Christians who want to bless others; who want to pray and then stand back and watch God at work, changing lives before their very eyes.” 

“Roy has a vision to see houses of prayer established throughout Britain and Europe. This has out of the reality of what has happened at Ffald-y-Brenin as the community there has committed to a rhythm of prayer, thankfulness and blessing... 

We hope that what you read will help paint pictures on the canvas of your imagination that will allow you to be provoked by the Holy Spirit to prayer, compassion and a mindset that desires to bless others.” Dave Roberts

http://www.amazon.com/Grace-Outpouring-Blessing-Others-through/dp/1842914049

Stand firm through the power of your words

I have felt so strongly that we are in a season when God wants to bless us beyond our wildest imagination. I have no idea what that really means. I just sense that He is “on the way” to right some wrong or difficult situations, resolve conflicts, break us out of very narrow places, heal all kinds of things from physical to emotional to whatever, solve financial conundrums, etc.

With that awareness has also been the sense that I must carefully watch what I say and guard my expectations.

Most of us are in situations that speak something very contrary to blessing. They evoke feelings like worry, anxiety, despair, hopelessness, confusion, depression, oppression, even outright anger. I don’t know what you are experiencing but I am aware of my own situations. It is very easy to let the wave of feelings overtake emotions and then suddenly, out my mouth pops a perfectly wrong string of pronouncements. Those words set the stage for the enemy of our soul to overtake us.

However, in the midst of these tough situations I have found a strange sense of hope, expectation arising in spite of the impossibility of circumstances. I have heard that still small voice say, “Guard your words and carefully craft your future.” I expect God to come through and rearrange some situations. I don’t know how, I just believe He is going to do it. When? I’m not sure about the timetable; I just know He is coming. He is looking to me simply to believe.

And to all of you I say, I BELIEVE!

Because of God’s incredible love for me, it forms a threefold cord that binds me to the plans of God for me. Faith, hope and charity or love. I know God loves me. Therefore I have faith in Him and that faith forms the substance of things hoped for, those things I have been expecting God to come through on. That faith also is my evidence for things that are coming but not yet seen (see Heb 11:1).

In the midst of thinking all these things for at least the last couple months, my assistant, Natasha, sent me an e-mail. This word so witnessed with me that I am including it so all of you can be encouraged by it.

This word was given on Dec. 2, 2010.

Angels Will now Be Sent to Guard Your Mouth!
A Prophecy from Chuck Pierce, Barbara Wentroble and Keith Pierce

“I have blessings that like the sea can cover you. Because these blessings can cover you, enter in! For if you will seat yourself with Me and have a cup of tea and talk with Me, then you will taste and you will see. Taste and see for the blessings greater than the sea can overtake you.”

“We are entering a season where you need to watch your mouth and project your voice. I will watch the way you use your mouth this season. I will watch how you celebrate. I am sending angels to guard your mouth to assist you in what to say and proclaim! I will watch how you look for your provision. Will you look for provision by faith? Will you look for provision out of a heart of worship? Or will you strive to get what you need? I will watch how you speak for your provision to come. I am changing the administration of your provision. So this week be not distraught, but this week speak and watch the honey and the water come forth.”

“I AM saying: Speak! I am not saying: Strike. Beware, beware to speak and not strike! In your striking there will be a drying. But in your speaking there will be a watering. Arise and put your hand over your mouth and let Me say, ‘I am One who will speak clearly to see what needs to be broken; come forth in My name.’”

“Be not angry, but rejoice, for your emotions must be displayed properly. Allow your emotions to rise up in the midst of your circumstances and speak to the rock and tell that mountain you’re coming through.”

“I’m raising up a Caleb generation in this hour. Even Caleb was one who said, ‘Give me my mountain!’ He spoke and commanded the mountain to come into his possession. I am raising a Caleb generation who will speak, who will take that which God said they could have—even a generation that murmured and complained and never came into the fulfillment of the promise of the Lord in the last season, and say, ‘Now!’ In this hour I raise up a Caleb generation, a people who will possess that which I say they can have. Even as Caleb, speak and declare that you have your mountain, your possession. This generation must arise and must speak the provision of the Lord.”

This is me speaking again, Barbara Yoder. Remember that we have entered Hanukah, the Festival of Lights, a season of unusual light, revelation, miracles and love. Expect largely, even in your darkest night. There is not one type of darkness that can extinguish God’s light.

About the author: Barbara J. Yoder is the founder and senior pastor of Shekinah Christian Church (shekinahchurch.org) in Ann Arbor, Mich., and is known for her apostolic and prophetic breakthrough ministry. She travels nationally and internationally ministering in churches, conferences and seminars. She is the author of several books, including Taking on Goliath. To order a copy of the book, click here. Visit her blog page at barbarayoderblog.com.

Read more: http://www.charismamag.com/index.php/prophetic-insight/29769-stand-firm-through-the-power-of-your-words

Brother Andrew sharing Jesus with the Taliban

"Peace is not the end of conflict and war, nor the result of so called 'peace talks'. It's rooted more deeply in inner peace with God and people around us," says Anne van der Bijl, the Dutchman who's better known as Brother Andrew. Now in his eighties, he still serves the persecuted church and preaches the Gospel to her persecutors. "Peace is a fruit of justice, as the prophet Isaiah says, not of prayer. That's why Jesus said: 'Blessed are the peacemakers'; He didn't say: 'Blessed are the peacetalkers'."

"The main thing that's preventing peace today is our own 'enemy mindset'," says Van der Bijl. "We build defenses and send out troops all over the world to 'bring peace', but everyone knows that we're not able to establish peace. As the Church of Jesus Christ we've lost the art of bringing the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to our enemies. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus teaches that we don't really have enemies: 'Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you'. This is followed by: 'Blessed are the peacemakers.' I can't love my enemy if he remains my enemy, so I first have to clear the barrier that makes me think there is an enemy."

"What makes us unique as the Church of Jesus Christ is our call to the 'ministry of reconciliation', to be peacemakers in our time. Where do we make peace? Wherever there's conflict and war. When we become friends with those who are considered our enemies, we become effective fighters against terrorism. You will see that the doors and hearts of people are wide open, and if we do what Jesus commands us, there will be supernatural results as well. That's how I got entrance to the Hizbollah, the Hamas and the Taliban."

How did you get access to the Taliban?

"I just go there. I find out where they live and show up at the door step. They ask what I come for and I tell them about Jesus. We've become way too diplomatic and careful in our approach. Next week I hope to visit the Taliban again. They now say: 'Anne, this is your second home'."

"One day I visited a large, notorious Quran school where 90% of the graduates immediately join the ranks of the Taliban and al-Qaeda. A war factory of human weapons, targeted to wage war against the infidels, which is the Americans and NATO. I arrived at a square where hundreds of these students waited in line for military exercise. There was a microphone in the front. The head of the school and a minister of the government gave a short talk, and suddenly the microphone was handed to me: 'Anne, it's your turn'."

"I was surprised as I only came to visit. So I went to the microphone, pulled out my Bible and said: 'This is the only book in the world that tells us that God loves us, that our sins can be forgiven, and how we can go to Heaven when we die.' I told them about Jesus. I believe every Christian should be able to speak about his faith in Jesus unprepared for at least 15 minutes. Sometimes you get a chance like this to share the Gospel, and it would be pity to waste such an opportunity."

"After my talk, the leader of the Quran school, who's also a high official in the Taliban and government circles, came up to me and said: 'Anne, would you please come back and tell us more about Jesus, also to our graduate class?' By the time they graduate, they all have a beard and a high degree, and are ready to take on the battle against the 'great satan', America and NATO. I asked the leader how many guys he had in his final class, and he said: 1,300. This is an amazing mission field! They also ask for Bibles, books and computers. Together with the Bible Institute we already brought them hundreds of Bibles, and I believe many more will follow. We want to reach 300 Quran schools!"

"Recently I visited a leader of the Islamic Jihad. I told him that so many Muslims come to Jesus because they've seen Him in a vision, a dream, a revelation. He looked at me with such a hunger, that I stopped talking and prayed with him that the Lord Jesus would give him a fresh revelation of the Peacemaker, the Son of God. At the end of my long evangelical prayer he said: 'Amen!', straight from his heart. I thought: 'Just one more step. Lord, you have to give him a revelation of Yourself. I did what I could do'."

What can we do ourselves?

"The solution is to make Jesus Christ king of our lives. To ask Him: 'Lord, what do You want me to do?' To submit our whole life as a voluntary service to Jesus Christ. This gives incredible peace, where-ever we go."

Source: Anne van der Bijl
-----------------------------------------------
(c) JOEL NEWS, 2010 | republication only with full credit line www.joelnews.org

Operation World 2010

“When you hear a country mentioned in the news or in a conversation and you want to know more about it and what God is doing there - this book will help you.”

In this book you’ll find a profile for every country in the world, including crazy info about their geography, people groups, economy, politics and the various religions practiced there. The Operation World team gives mind blowing statistics that will keep you busy for quiet a while. The best and most useful information for me is the “answers to prayer” and “challenges for prayer”.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Amazon: http://amzn.to/eF07Qj
Operation World: http://www.operationworld.org/
------------------------------------------------------------------

Muslim woman encounters Jesus through a dream

God is revealing Himself to the Muslim world through dreams and visions. When Muslims are questioned on this phenomenon, many of them reply that they have encountered Jesus in their dreams.

One of the recent stories is of an Egyptian lady who stopped a Christian man on the street. The woman said, "You are the one!" The Christian man didn't understand what she was talking about. She told him, "[In my dream] you were walking with me and Jesus, and you had that same striped shirt on, those glasses, those pants and those shoes. Jesus was telling me He loves me and wants to have a relationship with me." In her dream she asked Jesus, "What do I do?" And Jesus told her, "Ask this man tomorrow when you see him."

Pray with us that more Muslims would encounter Jesus through dreams and vision.

God's hand in India

Yesu Mahotsaw is an annual gathering of believers from Good Shepherd Community Churches in North India. About 6000 people gathered together to worship the Lord. Amazingly most of these people have come to know Christ in the past 5-7 years.

Hajj Introduction

Greetings! From November 4 to 7, you will receive from us prayer information focused on the Hajj. Please be praying for Muslims during this time.  Please watch this 5 minute video on YouTube about the Hajj: Hajj 2011  Hajj Introduction Young Muslim children grow up hearing passionate stories about the men and women who have gone on a Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca. Young women are blogging asking if the Hajj will cleanse them of sins, not only their small common sins, but also their big serious sins. These women desire to be clean and they are told the Hajj, "when performed properly and sincerely for Allah, removes all sins."* (From islamonline.com they talk about two Hadiths that most Muslims scholars point to for the removal of sins by those going on the Hajj.) This year we have seen revolutions in the Muslim world. We have seen Muslims rising up against long-standing corrupt governments. Muslims desire freedom from these oppressive government leaders. They desire new freedoms. There is a hunger in their hearts for something that can really satisfy. For those of us that follow Jesus, we know that true freedom and peace is found in His life, death and resurrection.  Muslims are going on the Hajj to be cleansed of sin; we all desire to be clean of sin. We want to call on God to be merciful and intervene in their lives as only He can do, just like Paul's experience on the Damascus road**. When and What is the Hajj Hajj is the pinnacle of the lives of Muslims around the world.  They are commanded to make Hajj at least once in their life if they are able. It begins on the 8th day of the 12th month of Dhul Hijjah in the Islamic calendar. Because the calendar is based on the moon's cycle, the dates of the Hajj change each year. This year, the Hajj will start on November 4 and last for 3-4 days. During this time, Muslims from all over the world will flock to Mecca to perform sacred acts and follow the steps of Muhammad, their prophet. Each day they will perform a different ritual:        ·    Day 1: The ritual of IHRAM (cleaning) #1        ·    Day 2: The ritual of WUQOOF (standing) #4        ·    Day 3: The ritual of Stoning and Sacrificing #6        ·    Day 4: The ritual of Sa'y (running between) #7

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers  will worship the Father in spirit and truth,   for they are the kind of worshipers  the Father seeks.  John 4:23 What does the Bible say? *    The Bible does not state that we must go on a pilgrimage to be cleansed from sin.       It talks about sins being cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Matthew 26:28,       Acts 2:38, 1 John 1:7 **  Paul journeyed to Damascus wanting to persecute men and women who were       following Jesus. Instead he met the resurrected Jesus, Acts 9.

The Hajj

During this year's Hajj, we have put together a guide for four days of prayer.
Our hope is that you all might fan the flames to increase prayer for those going on the Hajj and also for the Muslim world during these four days, from November 14 - 17.



There are no copyright laws for this, so feel free to copy, translate and forward as much as you would like. Please forward it on to those who will join us in praying!



This is also on the PTAP web site: http://www.pray-ap.info/

Decisions that define us by Graham Cooke

NEW: Operation World 7th Edition

“When you hear a country mentioned in the news or in a conversation and you want to know more about it and what God is doing there - this book will help you.”

In this book you’ll find a profile for every country in the world, including crazy info about their geography, people groups, economy, politics and the various religions practiced there. The Operation World team gives mind blowing statistics that will keep you busy for quiet a while. The best and most useful information for me is the “answers to prayer” and “challenges for prayer”. I pray that these pages may inspire and ignite a love for God and his world. 


Check them out here : http://www.operationworld.org/

Become a online missionary!

Sharing the Good News is a commission from Jesus to every Christian. That can be hard some times with a full-time job, a family, and the occasional gold fish. If you’ve had the desire to share about God’s love, but haven’t found the time to make it to streets, check out these guys: http://www.globalmediaoutreach.com. 

"As a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, our goal is to stay on the cutting edge of global communication technologies to share Jesus and help believers grow in their faith worldwide." 

I just signed up and registration has taken about 2 weeks and i’m excited to start this thing. Their training has been short and to the point, very well done. I’m thinking it will be a fun way to help “seekers” find Jesus, answer questions and grow my Bible understanding. I’ll keep you posted on how it turns out!

The Crisis from mike weimer on Vimeo.

Life in the Middle East

The lame walk!

Check out this amazing testimony of one of my friends from Bethel Atlanta. 

Sadhu Sundar Singh

Once in Haridwar I met a sadhu lying on a bed of nails. I went to him and asked, “To what end do you wound and torture yourself so?” He answered:
     You are a sadhu yourself. Do you not know why I do this? It is my penance. I am destroying the flesh and its desires. I serve God in this way, but I still feel all too clearly the pain of my sins and the evil in my desires. Indeed, the pain of them is far worse than the pain of these nails. My goal is to kill all desire and so to find release from myself and oneness with God. I have been exercising this discipline for eighteen months, but I have not yet reached my goal. Indeed, it is not possible to find release in such a short time; it will take many years, even many lives, before I can hope for release.

I considered the life of this man. Must we torture ourselves through many lives in order to find true peace? If we do not reach our goal in this life, why should there be another chance in another life? Is it even possible in thousands on thousands of lives? Can such peace ever be found through our own efforts? Must it not be a gift from God? Surely we must seek the life of God, not the death of flesh.

--------------------------

Taken from: Wisdom of the Sadhu - Teachings of Sundar Singh, compiled and edited by Kim Comer “Copyright 2007 by Plough Publishing House. Used with permission”

The Triple Filter Test

pic from wikipedia

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said,
"Socrates, do you know what I just heard about your friend?"
"Hold on a minute," Socrates replied. "Before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."
"Triple filter?"
"That's right," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"
"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and..."
"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"
"No, on the contrary..."
"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though,
because there's one filter left: the filter of Usefulness. Is what you
want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"
"No, not really."
"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither
true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"

--------------------------------------------------

As for putting this "email from a friend" through the tripple test, i don't really know if it is true. But it sure is good, and definitely very useful. May all our words be life-giving, encouraging, exhorting, and comforting and may it all be spoken in love. 

Knee Healed!

Random picture from previous outreach

Testimony from Lacey, serving at OM USA.

Last Week I was riding my bike around a local track, and I saw a lady walking.  She had a slight unevenness to her walk.  As I looked at her, I heard the Lord say that she had a knee problem.  I felt the need to go pray for her, but I saw that she was on the phone so I circled the track a few times so that I wouldn’t interrupt her.  After making a third circle around the track and seeing that she was still on the phone, I decided to take a leap and ask her, “Do you have a knee problem?”  With a stunned look on her face she said “Yes and a foot problem too”.  After she gave me permission to pray for her, she and I both invited the presence of the Holy Spirit to come and heal her foot and knee all while her friend was still on the other end of the phone listening.  I felt the presence of the Lord all over her and asked if her knee felt any different.  With an excited look on her face she said “Yes, it is better”.   I asked her to do something that she couldn’t do before so she bent her knee up and down saying over and over how good it felt.  She left me with an encouraging word and walked off with a sense of joy about what the Lord had done.  As we parted she yelled, “Thank you so much.  My knee is better!”

“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” Matt 10:8

ThyPhone

Kris Vallotton - Prophecy 101

What is Jesus wearing today?

“However, as it is written: 

   "No eye has seen, 

      no ear has heard, 

   no mind has conceived 

   what God has prepared for those who love him" - but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.” 1 Cor 2:9-10

What has God prepared for me today? For me, it’s been that He loves being around me. You know the feeling - like someone is watching you, following you? Sometimes i know it’s just paranoia, other times i know that He is near. My Brother, my King, is here somewhere, watching me, looking at what i’m doing. It used to freak me out, now, I sometimes look around to see where He is and what He is doing, and it is kinda fun.  

One of my mentors said that she looks at what Jesus is wearing each day. I don’t know if He really dresses up, but being in a prophetic culture, He is always talking, and different clothing or “war paint” may mean something particular for the day. 

Today, He seemed dressed in fine linen, with gold buttons. I feel at peace when i look at Him dressed like that. And i think that He is reading something. He looks captivated by what He is reading. So i asked Him what does this mean? And what is He reading? He’s clothing represents cleanliness, purity, holiness, and the gold speaks of royalty. The book He is reading represents learning and growth. How does this all apply to me and for this day? What He is, I am too, what He wears, I wear too. And today will be a learning day, easy no pressure learning. I am growing. 

I am growing. That makes me almost want to cry. I don’t know about you, but sometimes i feel so much pressure to grow, perform, be all that i am called to be. So much expectation to live up too. It that just drains me. Usually, the last thing on my mind is peace when i think about growth. I think about having to be more disciplined and getting in routines and having to do more to be more. And to be honest i hate that. It makes me feel like crap. I feel like I'm never good enough. 

So as I’m writing this, and looking at what I felt Jesus was saying... for once, i feel at peace with growing. See according to Him, I am royalty, no need to perform to get my way there, no expectations, I am because He is. And seeing how much He enjoys learning, and how peaceful it is, I can do the same now because He is my Teacher, not the world. 

May you have a great day today, and know that Jesus loves you. Why don’t you ask Him today, tomorrow, what He is wearing and what He is doing. Lining up our lives with His plans always bears fruit. Peace. 

Jesus the real Prestige

My wife and i watched The Prestige the other day. It’s about a rivalry between two magicians (Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman) for the ultimate illusion. There's 3 steps to every magic act. 1. The Pledge 2. The Turn and 3. The Prestige. In one scene Jackman is performing a act or illusion... There’s 2 doors on the stage facing each other. Jackman would stand behind one door and as he throws his hat towards the second door, he walks through the first door where he then disappears, and magically appears 30 feet away walking through the second door right in time to catch his hat. Got that? If that did not make sense at all... see my awesome picture below. :-)

How does the illusion work? Jackman used a double, a person that looked exactly like him. When he went through the first door, his double came out the second door. So guess what happens next? Bale finds out about Jackman’s double... (dramatic pause) Now when Jackman starts the act again, stepping through the first door and falling down expecting to see his double take the elevator up to the second door, guess who he sees going up the elevator? Bale. His rival magician - Bale. The crowd didn’t know what to do, they knew Bale was performing across the street, but how did he get here, was it part of the act? Then they start clapping and praising Bale for his “supreme” act! 

Muslims all across the world are observing Ramadan right now. And so this afternoon as i was asking Father how we could pray for them, this scene came running through my head. I’ve heard crazy stories about Jesus appearing to Muslims in dreams and visions and leading them to Christians in their cities for discipleship and the works. Awesome stuff. So in relating the movie to Ramadan... Muslims fast various things during Ramadan, in part to earn forgiveness for past sins, and in part to seek a deeper connection with Allah, their God. So they could be like the crowd who came to see Allah perform right? They are all there to see their man in action. What if, and think about this... What if we pray, and what if Jesus shows up at the second door? Jesus, the Prestige. What if they came to see their man, and they found our Man, The Man? Is there a chance that they would respond like the crowd in the movie? Realize that the best show, the superior Performer, is right across the street and head there?

I thought about it, and i think now, that it is a grand idea. How about today, on this 3de day of Ramadan, we pray that as Muslims are seeking a deeper spiritual experience via Allah, that the real Man would show up in their lives, that they would see His love and His superiority, and follow Him to His stage and be loved for ever more. 

God's stamp of approval

Last week Joseph and I had lunch in Atlanta with a new friend. We were just hanging out, getting to know each other over lunch. After that we went to little 5 points, which is known for being a more “spiritual” area. There’s a bunch of unique shops, from coffee to tattoo. I even found a little hookah store! 

Some of the students from the ministry school i go to, have an outreach there each week, going into the different shops, starting up conversations and blessing the locals. It’s a very creative area, maybe not too every ones taste if you know what i mean...

Joseph had something that he wanted to talk to one of the shops owners about and that’s where we went. This guy had the emo look with a ton of rings (some of you reading this may know him). His store had everything from a black cat, some live bunnies, Christian crosses to hindu deities. 

We walked around and i was quiet surprised at how connected i felt with God in there. From what i was taught in Church we’re supposed to stay away from places like that. “It’s dangerous” to go there... My thoughts: they’re just people, and they are so hungry for true love! 

I was just starting to enjoy being there and releasing the Kingdom when Joseph picked up a little box - to buy. Everything inside of me went all crazy. “Don’t buy that, it will give a demon an open door into your soul” - that’s what i was thinking. And then almost as if Pappa took my head in His hands tilting it up and down, i found myself thinking... “this guy, that looks like he is from the dark side, is now going to experience the love of God through a Christian buying something from him that carries a lot of worth.” Does that make sense? Think about what is most precious to you. Now imagine God, who you previously thought to be quiet distant and disappointed in your line of work, coming into your store and buying that thing that is so precious to you. Wouldn’t that just melt your heart? God, Love, just came to me, and told me that what i do, what i have, is important to Him. That would rock my world right there. I matter to God. 

I was pleasantly surprised at the turn of events and i’ll finish with a quote along the same lines... 

“All of creation begins and ends with the Father longing for relationship with you as His beloved child. He created you to live your life as if you have a home. Did you wake up this morning and hear the loving voice of your Father say, “Don’t worry that you don’t have everything together; it’s OK. I don’t expect you to get it perfect. I love you so much just the way you are. You are the son/daughter i love and in whom i am well pleased”?

Or did you get up thinking, Nobody loves me. Nobody cares about me. I’ve got to have devotions today, and pray enough, and get my three Bible chapters a day in, and do all the right Christian stuff, just so i can get a crumb from the Master’s table today? You will treat yourself and others according to the way you think God feels about you. If you know you are loved unconditionally, you will love yourself and others with the same kind of love. But if you feel you have to perform in order to be of value to God, then you will portray the thought to others that they need to perform in order to be of value to you. Either you live your life as if you have a home, or you live your life as if you don’t have a home. Fear... or Father’s embrace!”

(Spiritual Slavery to Spiritual Sonship, Jack Frost, P26,27)

Jesus Feast - Feast on His Miracles

Wondering what to feast on over the next 40 days? Check this out!

www.JesusFeast.org 

Read and meditate through the Miracles Jesus did over the next 40 days. Want your daily scripture emailed to you - sign up here...

Also check out their Facebook group!

A better way to pray

I’m the guy who used to believe that i needed to get up at 6am, read my Bible for and hour, and then pray for an hour. :-) I don’t think there is essentially something wrong with that, it’s Pappa, and spending time with Him is amazing... But i used to get up because i felt like i needed too, in order to feel like i did my Christian duties. Andrew Wommack put it best: "That's religious!" 

May we all have a fresh outlook on our prayer lives, and have some fun with our God of Joy. 

TeenStreet Germany

See what teens from around the world are saying about the TeenStreet Germany 2010. Let’s pray they are forever changed by God’s love as they encounter Him day and night!

Open the Gates

Right before our Transform 2010 Outreach a team went to both Morocco and Spain and as a prophetic act Opened The Gates for God to move in the Mediterranean.

T10: Italy Update

Here's some prayer requests from the arts & media team in L'Aquila.

• Our van (from IBEI), whom we have dubbed Frederico, is really sick and in the shop. The engine starter doesn't work, and a new one has to be ordered that costs 300 euros. Please pray that God would guide the hands of the mechanic and that this problem would not continue so that this van could continue to be used for ministry. We will not have transportation until Wednesday or so.

• We're currently coming up with recurring themes from our initial impressions of this earthquake-ravaged city. Please pray that God would guide us and give us clarity and unity as we seek to provide healing and hope.

• Pray also for the people of L'Aquila, who are still trying to process their grief and attempting to move on. Rebuilding is difficult because Italians tend to only worry about their own problems. One Italian girl shared that the center of town would likely be in the same state ten years from now because of the Italian state of mind. Please pray that God would give these people hope and a passion to see a new city rise from the rubble.

T10: Bosnia Update

Tomorrow will be our first day of outreach in the town park. We got permission from the town for "presentation of religious literature"! We only asked for "cultural program"... so we will have bookstands, people singing and dancing, talks with people, invitations to concert. 

• Pray for protection, good conversations, anointed programs, good weather.

On Wednesday evening at 8 we will have a big concert on the main square of Bihac, with our Afro-American singer Mikki doing solo with Gospel music. This is the first time this is happening in Bihac, so I am really excited! 

• Pray for a very anointed concert, that God will touch many lives in Bihac even though they might not understand the words. Yesterday she sang for our believers and got a few listeners crying!

T10: Greece Update

The Larisa Team in Greece has arrived at its final destination safely. All of us could get some sleep on the train and seem to be fit for the ministry starting tomorrow.

First prayer requests have come up already. I will sort them with top priority first!

• Zyiad: He is a Muslim student of comparative religions. We met him at the first evangelical church in Athens as he was observing the service. Our group leader, Kees, soon started talking to him. He speaks 7 languages, including 3 arabian dialects. He is doing a research wherein he compares the 3 major religions (Christianity, Jews, Islam). Therefore he is educated on bible knowledge on a high academic level. He is very strong in destructing biblical truth, pointing out passages that apparently are corrupted. He is really good and no match in argument for the most of us. In attitude he wants to proof us that he is right, therefore is not open to our side. Pleas pray for him that God reveals the truth to him, since Kees will meet him again. Please help us pray that he will come to faith and God would call him to his fellow muslims since he has so much potential.

• Olivier: A frenchman we met in Larisa who has relatives here. He came here for 2 weeks. He got saved a week ago and water baptized today! He will go back to France tomorrow where he will need to find a good church and where he can be encouraged on his way with Christ.

• Ministry: We will be doing a kids programs in Larissa with Roma Gipsy kids, starting tomorrow morning. Pray that God prepares their hearts that we can reach out to them.

• In the evenings we want to organize a festival in the centre of town. Whether that happens depends on the goodwill of the Orthodox Church... Please pray that it will happen and have a positive influence on the local youth.

T10: Serbia Update

Two very significant ministries are being kick-started during this week, planned to be ongoing (drugs ministry and domestic violence ministry). 

• Pray for strength and protection for those leading them, and for divine appointments with addicts, and victims of abuse.
• Pray that whole church will get really involved during this week, and be envisioned for ongoing outreach.

T10: Bosnia Update

We are having a local help with making a video and picture taking. She is not a believer, but we feel that with the close interaction that she will be having with the Transform team she will be more interested in why the OM team is here in Sarajevo. We also feel that she is very open and searching for something spiritual. Pray that we will have a deeper relationship and that the Lord will touch her life. She is the niece of our regular attended coffee shop owner, so also pray that our relationship with them will grow. Her name is Adela.

2. We are still waiting on approval for painting the murals. Pray that the approvals will go through.

3. Pray that the OM team in Sarajevo will be recognized by the community that we are living in and that the community will welcome us as their own.

4. We originally wanted to do a concert out in the local park, but we did not get the approval. Our plan now is to just go out guitars and hang out. Pray that the police will not give us to many problems.

A fun message from our Founder!

George Verwer asks us to keep Transform 2010 in our prayers.


More about Transform...

The Great Commission

“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Mat 28:16-20

Oxford American Dictionary explains “commission” as “a group of people officially charged with a particular function” and “the authority to perform a task or certain duties”. I’d say we have done quiet well with the first part of the commission. We have gone to the nations, discipled them, baptized them, and taught them everything Jesus taught us. But I think for various reasons we have skipped the second part - how we were actually supposed to go and disciple the nations, baptize and teach them. 

I have 2 questions i’d like to answer

• How did Jesus teach 
• How did Jesus tell the disciples to teach

How did Jesus teach

“You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached—how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.” Acts 10:37,38

In Matthew 3 we find Jesus being baptized by John in the Jordan. Until then i believe baptism was more of a outward sign, a confession of faith so to say. But when Jesus was baptized something deeper happened, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God came on Jesus and then His earthly ministry began, one of teaching and power. It’s this same power that Jesus told His disciples to wait for in Jerusalem before they could start their “great commission”. (Acts 1:4,5,8)

In Luke 4 we find Jesus Himself saying what this power, anointing, Spirit was for:

“Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 

 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, 

      because he has anointed me 

      to preach good news to the poor. 

   He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners 

      and recovery of sight for the blind, 

   to release the oppressed, 

    to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:14-21

Jesus then went on preaching the good news of a God who loved the world so much, a God who wasn’t going to hold anything back. (John 3:16,17) He confirmed this teaching with opening up salvation to anyone who would believe. In Mark 16 Jesus said to His disciples, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Lets look for a second at the word “saved”, Greek word 4982, Sozo. 

Sozo (salvation) touches 3 areas. 

• Salvation for the Spirit (Mat 1:21, Rom 10:13)
• Deliverance for the Soul (Luke 8:36)
• Healing for the Body (Mark 5:34, James 5:15)

The Good News, salvation, has a lot more to offer than just being baptized in the names of God, and being taught how to live in righteousness. The Good News is really a Gospel of Power, the power to save and effect every area of our lives. Without power, without the Holy Spirit, aren’t we just going back to the law? (Rom 8) Jesus taught in the power of the Holy Spirit. He demonstrated this power through healing all who was sick (Mark 6:56), casting out demons (Mat 8:16) and forgiving sins (Luke 5:24).

How did Jesus tell his disciples to teach

The first time Jesus sends out His disciples, He sends out 72 and gives them these instructions: “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.’” (Luke 10:9) When they got back they report with joy, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." And then Jesus replied: 

"I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.

"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”” Luke 10:18-24

Notice the joy for both Jesus and His disciples? Notice how Jesus praises Father for what He was doing according to His good pleasure? And then He how Jesus blessed His disciples for what they have seen? That is the way missions should be done! That is the results that we should be expecting! Jesus sent out His disciples in power and they continued the same ministry of Words and Wonders as Him. According to Acts 2:4, we now have that same power! 

We easily quote Mat 28’s “Great commission” because it doesn’t require a lot of us, and to be frank, it’s easier. But i think the reason we see Christianity impact so little of the world, is because we don’t in the same breath and with the same enthusiasm quote the rest of the Great Commission found in Mark 16:

"Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

Get Transform 2010 Updates

Please keep praying for Transform 2010, a Mediterranean outreach going on right now.  The conference goes through tomorrow, then ministry teams will be sent out all across the region.  Thanks for remembering these teams and the people of the Mediterranean as you pray this summer.  Stay informed by subscribing to the Transform 2010 blog.

Buddy Hoffman leads from God's Word

during Transform 2010.

Home Groups

We have a family that goes to another Church, yet comes out our home group when we have it. For me it’s a picture of the unity that can come from Love. Our home group leaders washed our feet and prophesied over us a couple of weeks ago and it was so ridiculously special. And then this family invited us to their home group to do the same there. 

I went over quite excited until i realized that their youth were between 10 and 16 years old - i’ve never prophesied over such young people! For a moment there i forgot that God actually has as much plans with their lives as He does with mine at 26. And it became real apparent from the first greeting that He was there Love them, and draw then closer to His heart through our words and actions. 

We kicked off by giving some testimonies about Jesus Culture and my wife and I’s trip to the Middle East in May. The one where a girl had metal in her wrist from a accident and after prayer and God’s divine awesomeness, the metal was gone. Completely gone. I touched her wrist, i know. That got them going... And then we explained some on prophesy before we broke up into boy and girl groups. 

And then God was there. We had a great evening with them, and one girl who had dislocated her knee, after being prayed for said that all the pain she had had up to that point - was gone. She’ll go back to the doc today and so we wait for a full conformation of the depths of God’s grace. 

Last night we had home group again and even before we started Love was there. The wife of this same family, shared with me how she had hurt her ankle and that her achilles was too long or something? There was a term she gave which was way above my IQ. I called her husband and had him gently lift up her ankle, focus on God’s love and releasing it through his spirit, and then he prayed after me. The moment we stopped praying she got The Touch. She got real excited as her ankle got really hot, and then her whole body started tingling. She got up and walked around without any pain. She rolled her feet in perfect circles (something she couldn’t do over the last 6 months) and put pressure on it for the first time. God healed her! 

Then she asked me why is her whole body tingling and not just her ankle? It’s only her ankle that needed healing. And i just said that God loves all of you and He is here to show that to you. It was so precious for me to see a husband and wife encounter God like this for the first time. 

Home group blew up with amazing worship, encouraging words and some creative miracles. I love physical healings, but when I see my friends and family get a emotional breakthrough everything inside of me goes My God Did That, He Is Awesome!!!

For me being a missionary means that I’m sent out by God, doesn’t really matter where I go or to whom I go, I am going in His power and love. 

Jesus Culture Atlanta

I was at Jesus Culture Atlanta last week and God showed up with a big bag of love. Scot Thompson did a workshop on healing revival. Of the 500 in his workshop, eighty people were healed. One was healed of cystic fibrosis. Two had metal disappear. A little girl with Turrets got healed. A torn acl was made new. And a girl with celiacs disease was healed and had a very fun lunch.

A lady had crushed her foot badly, and they had put metal pins in her toes that would shove into her foot when she exercised, causing great pain. The pins disappeared. She tested it out by doing things that she couldn’t do before.

A girl had social anxiety disorder. She had stress-induced bulimia, for which she saw a therapist and took medicine. She felt all that lift off of her and gave a testimony to the 500. On outreach that day, she got the words “depression” and “suicide.” All afternoon, she looked for that but didn’t find the person. That night, she said, “Is it somebody here at the church?” During worship, the Lord told her it was not someone at the church; it was for her friend. He told her to text her right then. Her friend texted her right back and asked her to call her. Weeping, the friend said she was sitting in her room with a bottle of pills and a razor blade getting ready to kill herself when she received the text about God’s love and plan for her.

In 1993, a man had had a parachuting accident at 15,000 feet. His parachute malfunctioned and he hit the trees, bounced off the ground and broke his back in three places, shattering one area. He was in constant pain all those 17 years, and a huge bulge had formed on his back. He came to pick up his wife from the workshop. He received prayer, and all the pain left and the bulge disappeared.

We also sent out all 1500 on the streets and malls of Atlanta and had some amazing stuff happen at the hands of this fearless generation. The Jesus Culture Band lead worship and Jake Hamilton recorded his new live album. 

Check out Jesus Culture here...

Check out Jake Hamilton here...

**Although i was there, the actual testimonies and statistics I got from http://bit.ly/bvxw5T

What was Open the Gates

If you look at the map you can’t help but see how narrow the entrance to the Mediterranean is—just about 9 miles or a 90-minute ferry ride. So before the outreach starts we have a small team meeting in Algeciras southern Spain for a day and half of prayer and worship, then taking the ferry across the straits to Tangiers in Morocco and doing a similar thing there. We believe that these places are the gates to the Mediterranean. We want to worship and pray and ask that the gates be opened so that the King of Glory can come in. We want this prayer also to prepare the way for the training and equipping in Rome. It is a declaration of intent for the summer and all the outreaches taking place. Let the gospel go forward in power and might!

Open the Gates

A team of prayer people just completed 4 days of prayer on both sides of the Mediterranean in Southern Spain and Tangiers Morocco. At this point the Med is only 9 miles across, anything entering the Med has to pass between these points. Right from the beginning of Transform 2010 we felt it was important before the conference started to have time of worship and prayer and to Open the Gates to what the Lord wants to do this summer. In Algeciras we joined with local workers to pray for the countries involved, the teams and all that God wanted to do. Then we took the ferry across to Tangiers and did the same- the key in Tangiers was declaration of the names of God. In a country that does not hold a correct view of who God is we spent an hour speaking out the names of God and related scriptures. That seemed to open something up and we had the most beautiful and powerful worship and ministry to the Lord and each other! We called the church to Rise Up and enter into its destiny!

There was sense that we had completed our assignment after the end of these intensive days as we declared the Mediterranean is the Lords and asked Him to work and demonstrate His power through the teams this summer for His glory!