Content
A
New Millennium!
From the
Chairman...
R. Stanley
(Part one of two)
A Pledge for Evangelism in the 21st Century
Bryant Myers
John Thomas
( Field Coordinator)
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From the Chairman...
Commercial motives drove the world to celebrate the dawn of the new millennium on the 1st of January 2000 itself, that is one
year ahead! The new millennium actually begins on the 1st January 2001. Wish you a very Happy Millennium!The last 2000 years had been the Dispensation of Grace. "The Law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (Jn 1:17). "The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ" (Tit 2:11-13). The Lord in His kindness is extending the "grace period" so the Church may complete her mission on earth. Let us not "receive the grace of God in vain" in this "day of salvation", but do our utmost for the Highest and reach the uttermost with the gospel for His sake (2 Cor 6:1,2).
The Blessing Youth Mission enters its 31st year in
AD 2001. The way the Lord has led us during the three decades has been marvellous. Great things He has done, and great things He has taught us! We fall prostrate before Him and kiss His feet with tears of gratitude. Because He is good and His mercy endures forever, we enter the fourth decade with courage and confidence.We declare the year 2001 as the YEAR OF NEW SONG. The theme is
WORSHIP. To give a review of the previous decade, 1991 was the Year of Prayer, 1992 the Year of Bible Meditation, 1993 the Year of Soulwinning, 1994 the Year of Family, 1995 the Year of Sacrifice, 1996 & 1997 the Year of Obedience, 1998 the Year of Sanctification, 1999 the Year of Charity and 2000 the Year of Brotherly Love.It’s only appropriate that we celebrate the New Millennium year as the Year of New Song. The meaning of "new song" explained by Brother Stanley in the lead article (pages 3-6) is refreshing. Not only this year but in all the years to come, let our chief occupation be the worship of God through our life, lips and labour. We invite from our readers original articles relating to worship for possible publication in this magazine.
Last year was a difficult one for me due to my health set-back. Thank you for your prayers as I underwent bypass surgery in April. Though the post-operative period had been uneventful, I still feel quite weak. Besides my office work I spend considerable time in prayer and meditation. But I have not become fit enough to preach again. I do feel bad about it. I also don’t understand why I fell ill when Brother Stanley was requesting to be relieved from administration. The work is huge. Pray much for the situation.
I take this opportunity to thank all the friends and supporters of Blessing Youth Mission, inland and overseas, for standing with us all these years in our ministry of reviving the Christians and reaching the non-Christians. We have very little time left before the return of our King. Let’s give ourselves to more holiness, more love, more prayer, more giving, more sacrifice and more labour. Great will be our reward in Heaven!
—
A. Lionelg!
R. Stanley
The Bible repeatedly calls us to sing "a new song" to the Lord God (Psa 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1; Isa 42:10). Even in Heaven it is said that we would be singing "a new song" (Rev 5:9; 14:3). But
what is a new song? Is it a new composition or a new tune? It cannot be, because any new composition or tune is bound to become "old" in course of time! God is not asking us to keep on changing our songs. Who can deny that some of the oldest hymns have had no equal for centuries?What is a new song then? It can only refer to the person who sings. It’s the song that bursts out from a "new heart" and a "new spirit" (Ezek 18:31). It’s the song of the "new man" who is a "new creation" in Christ (Eph 4:24; Col 3:10; 2 Cor 5:17). It’s the song of the pilgrims who have found a "new way" (Heb 10:20) and walk therein in "newness of life" (Rom 6:4c).
What’s a new song? It’s worship born out of experiences of the new man. It’s a Song of Deliverance, a Song of Delight, a Song of Devotion, a Song of Dependence, a Song of Dominion, a Song of Discipline, a Song of Doctrine, a Song of Declaration, a Song of Dedication, and a Song of Distress. We will briefly study each of these.
Psalm 40:2,3, "The Lord brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a
NEW SONG in my mouth —Praise to our God."Psalm 32:1,7b, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered... You (Lord) shall surround me with
SONGS OF DELIVERANCE."This marks the beginning of our new life. The old life was one of bondage and slavery. The devil had kept us under his clutches. He had oppressed us. We were living in the darkness of a horrible pit. We were not able to save ourselves. We were stinking in the miry clay. Our life was loathsome. Suddenly the Deliverer appeared. The fetters of sin were shattered. The gates of hell had to give way before Him. We were delivered. From the horrible pit we were lifted up to stand on the Rock of Ages. He established our steps so we might not slip again into the pit of clay.
The new song the Lord put in our mouths is the song of deliverance. It’s about deliverance from the penalty of sin (Jn 8:34-36; Rom 6:22). It’s about deliverance from the power of sin (Mt 6:13; Gal 1:4; Rom 7:24,25). It will culminate as the deliverance from the very presence of sin (Heb 9:28; Rev 21:27). The joy of deliverance from sin is captured in a famous chorus—
It’s bubbling, it’s bubbling;
It’s bubbling in my soul.
I’m singing, I’m dancing,
For Jesus made me whole.
No folks can understand me.
How can I keep it quiet?
It’s bubbling, bubbling,
Bubbling, bubbling,
Bubbling day and night!
James 5:13b, "Is anyone
CHEERFUL? Let him SING Psalms."Proverbs 29:6b, "The righteous
SINGS and REJOICES."Our old life was one of sorrows because of the consequence of sin. Psalmist David observed, "Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; but he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him" (Psa 32:10). Jesus on the Cross bore "our griefs" and "our sorrows." He literally became for us a "Man of Sorrows" (Isa 53:4,3).
The musical delight in our soul is because the guilt is gone and there’s no more condemnation (Rom 8:1). Our sins are not only "forgiven" but also "covered," that is "forgotten!" (Rom 4:7,8; Psa 32:1). God has thrown our sins behind His back, sunk them under the sea, removed them as clouds as far as the East is from the West. This is the length, depth, height and breadth of His forgiving love. The soul that understands it dances with other saints in ecstatic joy (Eph 3:18). Men may say they have forgiven what we have done against them, but they will bring it up again when necessary. Not so with God! He forgets. That’s what justification means. It’s as if we had never sinned!
Fear of death is another kill-joy. It spares neither the man on the street nor the monarch on the throne. But through His death the Lord Jesus has released "those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Heb 2:14,15). Death is still there. But after Calvary, death is like a scorpion without sting. So we can sing, "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" (1 Cor 15:54,55).
The salvation of God is such a matchless gift that the one who has received it does not lose his delight even if there’s mournful material loss. The classic hymn of faith by Prophet Habakkuk is a splendid example: "Though the fig tree may not blossom... though the flock be cut off from the fold... — yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will joy in the God of my salvation." This hymn ends with the footnote: "To the Chief Musician with my stringed instruments" (Hab 3:17-19).
The new life is a devotional walk with God. It’s a life of communication. He speaks to us through His Word, and we speak to Him in prayer.
Psalm 119:54, "Your
STATUTES have been my SONGS in the house of my pilgrimage."Psalm 42:8, "The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His
SONG shall be with me—a PRAYER to the God of my life."The old life was spent in revelling in the company of the ungodly, sinners and the scornful (Psa 1:1). But the converted man has renounced all this, and found the Word of God his day-and-night delight! (v 2). It’s noteworthy that the Book of Psalms, which was the song book of the Jews, begins with the mentioning of the blessedness of a life lost in the meditation of God’s Word. Prophet Jeremiah also testified of this blessedness: "Your words were found, and I ate them; and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart... I did not sit in the assembly of the mockers, nor did I rejoice..." (Jer 15:16,17).
The Psalmist rejoiced in the Word of God more than tons of gold and silver (119:14,72). His excitement over the Word was like that of one who had found great treasure (v 162). In comparison to the Word, the earthly goods were worthless things to him (vv 36,37). He loved meditation of the Word more than sleep (vv 62, 147,148).
The other side of devotional life is praise and prayer. The Psalmist forsook the company of idolators, hypocrites and evildoers not only to sit and listen to God but also to speak to Him "with the voice of thanksgiving" (Psa 26:4-7). The filling of the Holy Spirit is compared to being drunk with heavenly wine in order that we may sing and make melody in our hearts to the Lord (Eph 5:18-20). This is the new song of the redeemed. Rev. William Walford of England called it the "sweet hour of prayer."
Sweet hour of prayer! (2)
Thy wings shall my petition bear
To Him whose truth and faithfulness
Engage the waiting soul to bless;
And since He bids me seek His face,
Believe His Word and trust His grace,
I’ll cast on Him my every care
And wait for thee,
sweet hour of prayer.
Psalm 118:13,14, "You pushed me violently that I might fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my
STRENGTH and SONG; and He has become my Salvation."One of the sharp differences between the old life and the new is that the dependence is no more on the arm of flesh. The fleshly strength is very much there, but there’s a deliberate shift of dependence. This truth was proclaimed to Zerubbabel, who was handling a mountainous task, in a vigorous poetic form: "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"" (Zech 4:6,7). This shout is what a song of dependence is.
King Jehoshaphat was a powerful king. He had built mighty fortresses (2 Chron 17:12). But when the Moabites and the Ammonites came up to battle against him, he confessed to the Lord, "O our God, we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are UPON YOU!" (2 Chron 20:1,12). The Lord assured him of victory thro’ a prophetic word. The first thing he did was organising a choir to sing the song of dependence. He put the singers before the soldiers! Their chorus was, "Praise the Lord; for His mercy endures forever!" (vv 14-21).
The song of dependence of apostle Paul is still more illustrative: "Not I but Christ!" (Gal 2:20). Only when we don’t put confidence in the flesh, we can truly rejoice in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:3). The new song belongs to the new way of life. It strikes a deathblow to self and independence. Let’s begin each day with the confession of King Jehoshaphat: "My eyes are upon You, O Lord!"
What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms!
What a blessedness,
what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms!
Psalm 98:1, "Oh, sing to the Lord a
NEW SONG! For His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the VICTORY."Revelation 5:9,10, "They sang a
NEW SONG, saying: You have redeemed us to God by Your blood... and have made us KINGS and priests to our God; and we shall REIGN on the earth."Man was created to be a ruler. In the very first benediction that followed creation God said to Adam and Eve, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and
SUBDUE it; have DOMINION over... every living thing" (Gen 1:28). But man lost his authority when he rebelled against the commandment of God and obeyed Satan. Jesus came to restore what man lost. The serpent’s head was crushed by the Cross (Gen 3:15; Heb 2:14). By His shed blood Christ has made us kings again. But the material world has not come under our dominion yet (Heb 2:8). This privilege is reserved for the age to come. The delay is only temporary. But now we can exercise dominion over spiritual powers. Through Christ we are "more than conquerors" (Rom 8:37,38). Our song of dominion is: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (v 31).The Song of Moses is a jubilant song of dominion. Moses and the people of Israel sang this song when they saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore (Ex 15:1-18). The first as well as the last line of this song celebrate victory: "I will SING to the Lord; for He has
TRIUMPHED gloriously!... The Lord shall REIGN forever and ever" (vv 1,18). Dear friend, read this song aloud when you are downcast. Sing it with whatever tune you can make. It’s an antidote for negative thoughts. Often we plan strategies of our own to fight battles. We exhaust ourselves in this process. Rather, when we realize that "The Lord is a man of war," we can rest in His victory (v 3). This song is worth memorizing. Try it!There are simply too many weaklings among the saints. It’s simply because of lack of knowledge. Basically every child of God should grow in a twofold knowledge — the knowledge of
WHO GOD IS and WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST. This is what will make us stronger and stronger. "The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits" (Dan 11:32). A life of dominion is the birthright of every child of God the King. That’s why the Psalmist said, "Sing to the Lord a new song... Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King... Let them sing aloud on their beds... Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand... This honour have all His saints" (Psa 149:1,2,5,6,9).(This message will be concluded in Part 2.)
Self-examination to put things in order is the best preparation to enter the New Year.
Spend a day or two exclusively for this exercise, using the following questionairre.1. Personal Life
Did I excuse myself of any secret sin last year? Have I learnt any bad habits? Did I ever grieve the Holy Spirit by defiling my body? Did I yield my mind to evil thoughts and lustful desires? Did I waste time in questionable pastimes?
2. Devotional Life
Did I neglect the daily quiet time? Were there days when Bible reading and prayer were simply rushed through? Was I irregular in fasting? Did I harden my heart about anything God convicted me of? Was I proud?
3. Family Life
Were there instances of unfaithfulness to my spouse during last year? Did I neglect family prayer and other responsibilities? Did I fail to spend sufficient time with my children? Have I caused any relationship problem in the family? Did I disobey my parents or talk back anytime? Did I fail to help in the household cores? Was I responsible for any unpleasantness at home?
4. Social Life
Did I ever fail to wear a smile before my neighbours? Did I do tit-for-tat for any wrong done to me? Did I try to overhear the conversations of others? Was I curious to know what others were doing? Was I unconcerned about the salvation of my neighbours? Was I indifferent when someone was sick? Was my tongue loose? Did I lie or exaggerate?
5. Work
Was I irregular or casual in my work anytime last year? Did I disrespect or backbite my superiors? Did I despise or abuse my coworker? Did I ill-treat my subordinates? Did I steal anything from office or factory? Did I murmur when a hard work was assigned to me? Did I fail to set an example as a Christian? Was I jealous over another staff? Was there love of money and lust for things? Was I dishonest in business?
6. Country
Did I forget the national leaders in my prayers? Did I disrespect the rights of others in travels and public facilities? Did I cheat the government in tax-payment and the like? Did I violate any civil law?
7. Church
Did I neglect church? Did I reject any godly counsel? Has bitterness entered my heart against any fellow-believer? Did I fail to reconcile with the one I have wronged? Did I criticize any servant of God rudely instead of praying for him? Did I disrespect my pastor or any minister? Did I ever manifest a better-than-you attitude? Did I play a hypocrite?
8. Ministry
Did I feel lazy to go for evangelism? Was I stingy in giving to God? Did I fail to pray regularly for the lost? Have I failed to keep my commitment to any mission? Did I neglect to help the poor and relieve the suffering?
9. For Students
Did I copy in the exam or adopt any malpractice? Did I disrespect my teachers? Did I speak lies or twist facts? Was I rude to juniors? Was I lazy? Did I waste my parent’s money? Did I damage any property of the institution? Did I silence my conscience to please my friends? Did I read or watch filth?
10. For Women
Did I covet masculinity in my dress or hairstyle or behaviour? Have I neglected home-making? Did I fail to happily accept my husband’s leadership? Did I hen-peck? Did I gossip and reveal secrets? Was I dissatisfied with God’s provisions?
An affirmative answer to any of these questions indicates sin. Sincere confession brings cleansing by the Blood of Jesus.
A Pledge for Evangelism in the 21st Century
(From Amsterdam 2000, an International Conference for Itinerant Evangelists, July 29-Aug 6, organized by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association)
We pledge
ourselves to work so that all persons on earth may have an opportunity to hear the gospel in a language they understand, near where they live. We further pledge to establish healthy, reproducing, indigenous churches among every people, in every place, that will seek to bring to spiritual maturity those who respond to the gospel message.We pledge
ourselves to seek and uphold this model of biblical servant-leadership in our churches. We who are leaders commit ourselves afresh to this pattern of leadership.We pledge
ourselves to labour constantly in learning and teaching the faith according to the Scripture, and in seeking to ensure (1) that all who preach the gospel are theologically equipped and resourced in adequate ways for the work they have in hand, and (2) that all professional teachers of the faith share a common concern for evangelism.We pledge
ourselves to present and proclaim the biblical gospel and its Christ, always and everywhere, as fully sufficient and effective for the salvation of believers. Therefore, we oppose all sceptical and relativising or syncretising trends, whether rationalist or irrationalist, that treat that gospel as not fully true, and so unable to lead believers into the new divine life that it promises them. We oppose all oppressive and destructive uses of God’s wonderful truth.We pledge
ourselves to be faithful and compassionate in sharing with people the truth about their present spiritual state, warning them of the judgement and hell that the impenitent face, and extolling the love of God who gave His Son to save us.We pledge
ourselves to treat those of other faiths with respect and faithfully and humbly serve the nation in which God has placed us, while affirming that Christ is the one and only Saviour of the world.We pledge
ourselves to be culturally sensitive in our evangelism. We will aim to preach Christ in a way that is appropriate for the people among whom we witness and which will enrich that culture in all appropriate ways. Further, as salt and light, we will seek the transforming of culture in ways that affirm gospel values.We pledge
ourselves to keep the Scriptures at the very heart of our evangelistic outreach and message, and to remove all language and cultural barriers to a clear understanding of the gospel on the part of our hearers.We pledge
ourselves to urge all congregations in and with which we serve to treat evangelism as a matter or priority at all times, and so to make it a focus of congregational praying, planning, training and funding.We pledge
ourselves to pray faithfully to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers for His harvest field. We also pray for all those engaged in world evangelisation and to encourage the call to prayer in families, local churches, special assemblies, mission agencies and trans-denominational ministries.We pledge
ourselves to follow the way of justice in our family and social life, and to keep personal, social and environmental values in view as we evangelise.We pledge
ourselves to be accountable to the community of faith for our lives, doctrine and ministry, to flee from sin, and to walk in holiness and humility.We pledge
ourselves ever to seek to move forward wisely in personal evangelism, family evangelism, local church evangelism, and cooperative evangelism in its various forms, and to persevere in this despite the opposition we may encounter. We will stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Christ who suffer persecution and even martyrdom for their faithful gospel witness.We pledge
ourselves to pray and work for unity in truth among all true believers in Jesus and to cooperate as fully as possible in evangelism with other brothers and sisters in Christ so that the whole church may take the whole gospel to the whole world.Bryant Myers
In Matthew 11:25-30 we encounter a puzzling
series of statements by Jesus. After praising the Father that the gospel hides things from the learned and the wise while revealing them to children, Jesus announces that all things are His. All things were given to Him by the Father, whom only Jesus knows, except for those to whom the Son chooses to reveal the Father.Then Jesus issues a wonderful invitation to those who are weary and heavy laden. Jesus offers rest. But then we learn that this rest comes in the form of taking up His yoke. This is the puzzling bit. A yoke is associated with hard work, with pulling, with straining against heavy resistance. A yoke helps get a hard job done. The metaphor of a yoke does not fit well with the idea of finding rest. How do the two go together? What did Jesus mean?
We need a good answer since we all know that Christian work is hard work. It is tiring work, wearing work. We all know colleagues and friends who are bone tired, with their marriages and children under strain. Working among the poor and the lost requires constant giving, constant sacrifice. Noble work, obedient work, joyful work to be sure, but it is tiring. Yet if being yoked with Christ means experiencing this kind of wearying work, then the passage is a profound contradiction. How can a yoke be restful? Yet the Bible tends to mean what it says, and so there is some way out of this apparent paradox. So what is Jesus trying to tell us what we don’t get?
What God requiresMy conundrum all began with Jesus’ statement that calling Him "Lord, Lord" is not enough, but that in addition to naming Him as Lord we must also "do the will of the Father" (Mt 7:21-23).
Sadly the passage in Matthew does not elaborate on what the will of the Father might be. In John’s gospel we learn that this question was asked quite directly of Jesus. After feeding the 5000 and then walking on water, Jesus is in Capernaum and the crowds arrive looking for Him. After hearing Jesus tell them to look beyond signs to the one who is the sign, the crowds ask Him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" (Jn 6:28). Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent."
This is another puzzling answer. The work of God is to believe in Jesus. Surely they, as we, expect something else. Something like the work of God is doing evangelism to the ends of the earth or healing the sick and casting out demons. Surely Jesus meant doing transformational development, emergency relief and working for justice. But this is not what He said. Doing the work of God is not doing at all; it is simply believing in Jesus. What kind of work is believing?
When we believe in someone, we mean that we know the person well. We mean that we have faith in their essential goodness, their purpose, and their word. We are confident in them and in our relationship with them. They have a character we trust. We know they are for us and have our best in mind.
What must we do to believe in someone this way? We must be in relationship with that person. We must know the person. We must have enough experience with the person to know who they are, what they believe in, and what they live by. We must have been with the person long enough to learn who they are.
So doing the work of God is believing in Jesus. This means being in relationship with Jesus. Knowing Jesus is not just knowing what He said or did but knowing Him as a person.
Jesus’ call to the disciplesThis reminds me of another passage we frequently read too quickly. When Mark relates the story of the calling of the disciples, he says that Jesus appointed twelve apostles "that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons." (Mk 3:13-15).
Most activist Christians read over the "being with" part to get to the "preaching and casting out" part. We jump to the doing because we are doers. We’re activists after all. What we need to learn is that we lose something very important when we do this. The call of Jesus is to be with Him, to be in an intimate, life-changing, life-enhancing relationship with Him. Being comes before doing. We cannot do what we are not ourselves. Being with Jesus is the source of any doing that is gospel doing.
The pieces come together.Now we have the pieces. Let’s pull the themes together and see if we can understand why Jesus might one day look us in the eye, knowing we did evangelism in His name or cared for the poor in His name or worked for justice in His name, and yet say, "I never knew you."
The verb Jesus uses is the key. He has no issue with the work being done in His name. He is concerned with something more fundamental. He is not saying that all the good things done in His name mean nothing or that they were the wrong things to do. What He is saying is that He did not have a relationship with the person who did these things and that, at the end of the day, it is the relationship that is all important.
John and Mark tell us this. What does God require of us? That we are in relationship with His Son because we believe in Him. What does Jesus call us to? To be with Him. To be in relationship with Him. The problem with the Christian activist is that he or she thinks that doing ministry is the real thing. The activist is so busy doing the work of the gospel that the person of the gospel gets lost in the activity. This kind of Christian activist is the person that someday may face a Jesus they never really knew and learn that Jesus did not know them either.
How does this help us with our problem with the yoke? We must get clear on whose work is to be done by whom.
Jesus does His work, the work of evangelism, relief, development, and promoting justice, and we do ours, believing in Jesus. This is how we work with God and find rest at the same time. If we are tired and exhausted in the name of Jesus, then we have to ask ourselves two questions. First, are we trying to do God’s work instead of our own? Are we trying to carry the load of making ministry successful? The second question is whether we are doing our work of being with Jesus, spending time with Jesus, listening to Him?
At the end of the day there is no rest for our souls unless we are doing what we are supposed to be doing—being with Jesus and believing in Him. This is the work of Christian spirituality. And we must surrender the work of the gospel to the only One with the power and the authority to pull it off. We need to let God do His work while we do ours.
Whose work am I doing? It depends upon the day. Keeping the balance right is hard.
Being with Jesus and giving to His work what He has given to me in terms of call, physical strength, mental capacity, and education is one thing. Trying to carry the load of bringing forth the Kingdom is another altogether. It is hard to keep track of where I am on this knife edge. The test is whether I have rest for my soul. If I don’t, then the balance is not right.
What is the state of your soul? Whose work are you doing?
(From
MARC NEWSLETTER, Feb 2000)John Thomas, Field Coordinator
"How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand" (Psa 139:17,18a). How true are these words of King David in the ministry of Blessing Youth Mission! Join us celebrating the goodness of God as you read this report of what He has done in and through us in AD 2000.
The promise of showers of Blessing (Ezek 34:26), which the Lord gave the founders of this Mission, is being fulfilled in an ever-increasing measure. The Lord used our missionaries as well as layleaders to lead hundreds of Christians to receive the Baptism with the Holy Spirit. Several mainline Churches all over the country used our leaders to help kindle revival fires in their congregations. There was a mighty visitation of the Spirit in the fasting prayers organized by the Students For Jesus (SFJ) teams. Weekly and monthly allnight prayers conducted for the new believers in the mission fields also witnessed the outpouring of the Spirit. The Maharashtra Blesso in Pune, Oct 26-28, was an unforgettable event.
About 25% of our 260 fulltime staff are primarily involved in revival ministries. Their interdenominational stand enables them cross denominational boundaries and minister to thirsty groups.
The challenge of missions was presented in all the special programmes like Teachers Retreats, Family Retreats and Missionary Conventions. The Holy Spirit is raising an army for God from the valley of dry bones.
Not only in its name but also in its activities the "youth" get the central place in the Mission. Halo 2000 in January was a real hit. 2000 boys attended this 3-day camp in the Sitteri Hills, Tamilnadu. Nearly 500 delegates received the Spirit, and 290 got baptized. It was thrilling when 250 youngsters came forward to commit to fulltime ministry.
Similar programmes in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa drew several hundreds of boy and girl students where they committed their lives to Christ. Discipleship Camps served as a follow-up. Senior graduates gave oversight to the campus cells. The Vacation Bible Schools were quite fruitful.
The Sound Doctrine Seminar, October 3-7, in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh was a rich experience for the Telugu Christians. The 350 delegates learnt how to interpret the Bible and escape floods of false doctrine. Brothers Stanley and Jeyaraj ministered in the Bible Seminar in Germany for Srilankan Tamil Christians in July-August. The theme was, Ready for the End.
Fifty of our missionaries were benefitted by the Middle Level Leadership Training Camps conducted in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh and Bikkavolu, Andhra Pradesh. Missionary E. L. Mathansingh coordinated these prog- rammes. Missionary V. Ponnusamy from Orissa attended Amsterdam 2000 as a special invitee. About 80 of our student ministerial leaders received a short training in Tiruchy. The message, How to be an Effective Teacher, delivered by Brother Stanley in Chennai was recorded in audio tape and this has been widely circulated.
Despite unfavorable political climate across the nation, cross-cultural evangelism leading to church planting had been quite successful last year. Hundreds of new villages were visited for the first time and numerous churches established in virgin soils. Here is a brief report statewise—
Karnataka
There was a good response among the Goulis of Katur area. The Jesus film was screened in six places. Four Seekers Conferences were conducted. Over 200 seekers, of whom 60 were students, were counselled. The work was hindered in Thoragaon and Saundatti due to opposition. About 150 patients were treated in an eye camp at Mynalli. Thirty villages were visited for the first time.
Maharashtra
Around 2500 villagers were reached through film ministry. The missionaries visited 134 villages for the first time. 91 gospel contacts have been established. Eight Sunday Schools were conducted for children. Around 300 children attended regularly. 4100 gospel tracts were distributed in personal evangelism. The congregations in Gargoti and Jat grew by about 25%. More than half of the new addition was youngsters.
Madhya Pradesh
More than 50% of our work in this State is for revival in the Hindi churches. Among the Hindi periodicals published by missionary organisations, Blessing is one of the leading magazines with a circulation of around 10,000. The Jesus film was screened in nine villages. Fortyfour seekers were followed-up. Small worship groups have come up in a few villages. Six medical camps were conducted in backward areas.
Orissa
Thirtyeight villages were newly reached with the gospel. Six worship sheds were erected and one church building constructed. Over 350 children are in contact through Sunday Schools. The overwhelming response from the Soura tribespeople has angered the gospel opponents. Nearly 100 men and women are ready to be baptized. The missionaries were repeatedly threatened. Seven 3-day retreats were conducted for the new believers. Totally 843 of them attended these retreats. Medical work at Ramagiri is a practical means of expressing Christ’s love to the underprivileged and the marginalised. About 30 patients visit the clinic everyday.
Rajasthan
Regular outreach was done in 10 villages. The Jesus film was systematically screened. Several contacts were established among people groups who are not receptive. There is no breakthrough yet. The children of new believers show keen interest in listening to the gospel. A vacant site has been purchased in Neemkathana for a prayer hall cum missionary quarters.
Tamilnadu
The Jesus film was screened in 13 villages for about 15000 people. Seven new congregations have been established. Over 200 children were taught Bible stories in eight centres. A camp called Festival of Joy was conducted to enable tribal believers from 48 villages to gather at one place for worship and learning. 425 men and women attended this festival. Medical camp was conducted in three centres. A vacant site has been purchased in Achalvadi to build a Church.
The three Tribal Children’s Homes are a great encouragement to the new believers. The Homes for boys at Ramagiri of Orissa and Alnavar of Karnataka have a strength of 40 each. The third one was inaugurated on 10 July with 20 tribal girls at Jharigam, Orissa. These Homes are sponsored by Indienhilfe. The three Day Care Centres in Karnataka cater to the needs of 93 Gowli tribal children. This is a means of contacting the parents with the Gospel. Adult Literacy Programmes were regularly conducted in Anchanal, Thoravi and Athalati of Karnataka.
Two statements pointedly explain the secret of success of the work: "The PEOPLE had a mind to work... This work was done by GOD" (Neh 4:6; 6:16). With the grace of God and favour of men we will continue to move forward in the new millennium until we fulfill the ministry entrusted to us. God bless you for your prayers, contributions and labours!