FALL 2003
Those of you have been supporting us since we left know that this scripture James 5:7-8 is really what we are laboring for:
Rain, Harvest, and Christ's return.
Sometimes when we look at the world situation and how the devil seems to be in control over so much, we wonder....Is God really going to win? If we get most of our information from the secular media (we know who rules that realm) it would look like satan is winning and all hope is gone and the best we can do is just hold on until Jesus comes and rescues us.
When we read the Bible we see that God specializes in come-back stories.
Just think of all our favorite stories: David and Goliath, Daniel and the Lion's den, Jehosephat surrounded by 3 nations to mention a few. In just about every story, it seems, God has let the devil blow a lot of steam, but in the the end God triumphs. Of course the greatest comeback story of all was Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. In the natural it looked like Satan won, I'm sure Satan thought "God threw His best at me and I defeated Him." But the same nails Satan used to crucify Jesus, God used to nail our sins upon the cross. Then ultimately God won when Christ rose from the dead. God has never lost a battle. So back to Harvest.
Is God going to have His Harvest? Here are some interesting statistics that show not only God's potential, but that He's on the move.
When Jesus was on earth it is estimated that there were 140 million people...
As you know the population of the world has recently reached 6 billion people; but the earth didn't reach 1 billion until shortly before the 20th century. So it took 1,900 years to reach the first 1 billion, and only a little over a hundred years to reach 6 billion. Not only is the world's population accelerating but the population of the Church is too.
In the last ten years more people have been won to Christ than the total number of Christians prior.
Recently we visited a Chinese Church in Paris to hear a minister, whose spent many years in a Chinese prison. While there, a Chinese pastor gave us a book on what God's doing in China, Here's another great comeback story. Many thought Christianity in China was all but lost when communism took over. But persecution did more to unite and ignite the Church in China. There we're 700,000 Christians China when they expelled all missionaries and made Christianity illegal, right now it is estimated there are 80 to 100 million Christians in China.
Not only has Christianity in China flourished, but they also have a big network of underground churches that have a vision to send 100,000 missionaries to the Muslim countries.
God put it on their heart many years ago; it's called the Back to Jerusalem project. They saw that when Jesus said go into Jerusalem, Judea and to all the world that the gospel has primarily gone westward. So they have a vision to take the gospel through the Muslim countries and complete the circle back to Jerusalem. Jesus said when this gospel is preached in all the World then the end shall come. The Church in China seems to be focused and sold out to evangelize the rest the world they have already been through the fire and know that to die preaching the gospel would be a promotion.
If you want to see where God is headed look to see what the devils trying to sabotage.
9/11 could be an indication where God is focusing His attention on.
We recently heard about a Muslim Cleric from Ethiopia; He had a following of about 800 in the two Mosque's he was over. About six months ago he contracted Aids. During his stay in the hospital, Jesus walked into his room and told him He was going to heal him. Jesus then told this man to go visit a small Christian group in a certain part of the city and they would instruct him further on the way to God. After being healed he found the little Christian group, got saved and they discipled him for several weeks. It was a well known fact that he was dying of aids so when he went back to his mosques the Cleric explained what had happened to him, all 800 received Jesus. Last we heard around 5000 have come to Christ through the testimony of this one Ex-Muslim. One former Muslim has said that a high percentage of the Muslims getting saved are having visions of Jesus.
God is not running from the Muslims, but running to them.
We just talked to a Muslim today about the differences between the Bible and the Quran, Allah and Jesus. In our church, God is opening doors. Right now, we have French/Arabic Bibles stacked up, ready to be distributed in a Muslim populated area.
There are more stories being written every day, God is winning not losing. Stay close to God, stay involved in what God is doing on the earth. James 5:7 is being fulfilled... we may not be here long……
He is the Come-Back KING.
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