Exploits Magazine September 2016

Celebrating 46 Years Of Marriage and Ministry

W WW .J ER USA LE MCH A NNE L . T V

The Gift of Supernatural Strength!

By Christine Darg In the perilous times we are passing through, we need supernatural physical and mental strength.

If you’ve been feeling down and worn out, the Bible has continual Good News for us, as well as the promise of new strength to every believer! Yes, the Lord promises to renew our strength! (Isaiah 40:31) Samson was no doubt brawny, but apparently he did not look like the Incredible Hulk. e woman who deceived him could not figure out the secret of his strength just by looking at him.

David, Israel’s best known king, was both an ancestor of the Messiah as well as a type of the Messiah. Scholars point out many parallels between David and Jesus. David’s name in Hebrew means “beloved,” which was God’s testimony concerning Jesus, “is is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased—listen to him.” (Matthew 17:5) In prophecy, God calls Jesus by the name of David—an idiom for the Messiah. David had his circle of mighty men. Jesus had his 12 disciples and a larger circle of 70. David’s followers typified the men and women who cling to Jesus. David was a refugee from jealous King Saul, and those who came to him for refuge were also outcasts, malcontents, debtors and people generally in need of a savior king. ey were not the proverbial pick of the litter! ey were moaners and grumblers, up to their eyeballs in debt. ese are the sorts of people that God delights to recreate into mighty men and women. In fact, Paul described the rag-tag followers of Jesus in 1 Corinthians 1, starting with verse 26: . . .think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. erefore, as it is written: “Let the one

who boasts boast in the Lord.”

I’ve always enjoyed the study of David’s gibborim, his mighty men listed in 2 Samuel 23.

Verse 8 starts out, “ese are the names of David's mighty men: Josheb-Basshebeth, who was chief of the ree; he raised his spear against 800 men, he killed them all in one encounter.” at description surely echoes the supernatural exploits of Samson, the Bible strongman chronicled in the Book of Judges.

Similarly, in just one fight, Samson took down a thousand Philistines.

In the Bible God used a donkey to reprimand a corrupt prophet, and with Samson, God anointed an embarrassing weapon to conquer Israel’s enemies. Upon being ambushed by a company of Philistines, the only weapon Samson could quickly spot was a fresh donkey jawbone.

It wasn’t yet brittle, so Samson used it as a club. e Spirit of God came upon him with great power and he destroyed the entire company. en Samson jokingly triumphed,“With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps, with the jawbone of a donkey I have killed a thousand men!” (Judges 15: 16) at’s God’s Jewish sense of humor!

Surely the Lord delights in using humble instruments. Samson had to make do with what was available. at’s life! Many times we want something beyond our reach, but God gives us a common and ordinary thing to use. He makes us to be resourceful, and then he receives the glory.

Can you imagine facing 800 opponents-as David’s mighty man did-- or a thousand opponents, as Samson did? But God is the same yesterday, today and forever, and if he granted supernatural strength to them, what’s to stop God from doing the same thing again for any of us?

Supernatural strength, a power that is not our own, is one of the many gis of the Spirit that I’ve described in my book, “50 Gis of the Spirit.”

Only nine gis of the Spirit are listed by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12, but nine was not meant to be an exhaustive number. Just because Paul discussed nine gis doesn’t mean that the possibilities are limited to only nine. He discussed certain gis in

that epistle because those gis all the churches and Samson vs. the Philistines, James Tissot were being misunderstood, to endure a continual misused or perhaps abused. But heartache over Israel’s we can be sure that God, being a unbelief. at’s creative God, offers us more than supernatural strength! nine gis.

I want some of that, For example, there is the don’t you? gi of hospitality. Or the gi to e women compose music. Or the gis of of Israel, when they writing and penmanship. Many were slaves in Egypt, of the gis that are not listed in were granted 1 Corinthians 12 are discoverable within the Body of supernatural strength. Pharoah had decreed that Messiah. And so I believe the gi of supernatural the midwives should murder Hebrew babies while strength is available by faith for anybody who dares to they were being born, but God took care of the believe for strength from one degree to another! problem because supernatural strength is a gi Let’s consider the Apostle Paul, for example. from the Lord, and the Israelite women delivered e Holy Spirit showed me to include Paul among their babies quickly before the midwives could those who experienced supernatural strength as well arrive. as supernatural preservation. Paul wasn’t called to be Benaniah was one of David’s men and a warrior like Samson, but nevertheless he was a valiant fighter. He struck down two of Moab’s preserved supernaturally with a great measure of mightiest warriors described as lion-like men, human strength and endurance. Preachers who fail to exceedingly fierce. Benaniah also jumped into a uphold the biblical doctrine of divine health are quick snowy pit with a lion and killed it, just as Samson to point out Paul’s weaknesses. He did have a thorn in had killed a lion with his bare hands, and David the flesh, but it was not blindness, as preachers oen had killed a lion and a bear. Mighty men! speculate. Paul emphatically stated that his thorn was a Like Benaniah, Jesus also jumped into a pit messenger sent from Satan to persecute him and to containing a lion! You ask-- where is that in the keep him humble due to the abundance of revelations New Testament, Christine? Aer he finished his that he received from God. work of making atonement for us on the Cross, Consider the strength Paul possessed to travel Jesus died, was buried and then descended into the the world. People frequently remark to me that they pit of Hell, where he triumphed over Satan, whom don’t understand how my husband and I have the the Bible describes as a roaring lion. Jesus snatched strength to travel around the world as oen as we do the Keys of Death and Hell from Satan; therefore preaching the Gospel. But travel today is a lot easier believers in Jesus will never be locked in Hell. than it was in the time of the Apostle Paul! His David faced the giant Goliath in faith, and catalogue of trials listed in 2 Corinthians 11 includes Great David’s Greater Son, Jesus, conquered the working harder than anybody else, surviving dangerroaring lion called Satan! Psalm 103, enjoins us, ous journeys for years, surviving three shipwrecks, “Praise the Lord, O my soul. . .who redeems your surviving day and night in the open sea, and surviving life from the pit. . . .” being flogged five times with 39 stripes. (at’s 195 Our response should be to receive Jesus as stripes in all!)

Saviour and to live by the faith of the Son of God Paul was also beaten with rods three times, and who gave himself for us and died for us. Jesus is notably he was stoned to death. Yes, indeed, aer the our David. He is looking for some disgruntled stoning, Paul was dragged out of the city and le for men and women who are in debt in order to dead, but the record says he got up and moved on. He recreate us into mighty men and women of God kept preaching. to his glory! Jesus’ kingdom is about doing exploits On top of physical hardships, Paul had the in the Spirit. Let us believe that He is daily renewing strength to handle the mental pressures of praying for our strength and appropriate it continually!

Peter Darg, Visionary and Pioneer Editor’s Note: e following article was published in the 700 Club’s European magazine “Reach” this month by the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) in honor of Peter’s many years of service within CBN.

purposes in this earth.

Names that come to mind are Billy Graham, Reinhard Bonnke, Smith Wigglesworth and many others who have made the Gospel their mission as God used them to reach the multitudes.

Peter Darg is “And this gospel of the one of these pioneers and kingdom will be preached in visionaries. In the late the whole world as a ’70s, Peter and his wife Peter Darg testimony to all nations, Christine were asked by Pat to and then the end will come.” establish a news bureau for CBN Matthew 24:14 NKJV in Jerusalem. A purpose driven, strategic journey began which, besides raising a young is is the inscription engraved in family in Israel, involved extensive traveling the stone above CBN’s main entrance, as a through the Middle East. permanent reminder of God’s mandate for CBN’s ministry.

Peter and Christine also spent five years in Africa as part of the international e 1st of October 1961 was the day team of Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke. e that CBN first went on the air with a daily, strong love for Israel and Jerusalem remained live broadcast. What later became the longest within their vision as Peter and Christine running Christian magazine show named founded “Exploits Ministry,” sharing the “e 700 Club” started out with the vision of Gospel with Jews and Arabs. one man to share the Gospel through media.

When Peter and his family moved Pat Robertson, a pioneer and visionary back to his native England, they settled in in heart and soul, had the vision and faith to the beautiful surroundings of Herefordshire, see beyond the obstacles and challenges. His where Peter soon pioneered CBN’s ministry determination and solid belief that God in the United Kingdom and Europe. Not would make a way has resulted in millions of long aer the first broadcasts of the daily viewers across the world tuning in to daily, 700 Club, the ministry started to grow as Christian programming in a language they partners joined to pray for and support understand.

CBN’s ministry, and the 700 Club Prayer God uses men and women who Line was launched, offering a life-line to are sold out for His Kingdom to achieve His callers from the UK and Europe.

CBN Founder Pat Robertson with Peter Darg at the Israeli-Lebanese Border in Early 1980s

Besides establishing and growing CBN’s ministry and impact in Europe, the Lord used Peter to launch the French “Club 700” programme into French-speaking countries in West Africa-- now reaching millions of viewers in 22 African nations.

In 2005, Peter founded CBN’s office in Hamburg, Germany, reaching out to German speaking territory with the weekly produced German “Club 700” programme.

Today, CBN Europe is a thriving and growing ministry that impacts viewers in the United Kingdom, Europe and beyond through daily programming of the Gospel and humanitarian relief projects. Peter’s efforts are continuing to reach many nations via every form of media. anks to the thousands of supporting partners, CBN is able to share the Gospel in a relevant way, touching thousands of lives each day.

is month we celebrate Peter’s significant work for the ministry, as he steps down from his role as CBN’s Regional Director. Peter will remain involved as Trustee to CBN, while stepping into a new season with his wife, Christine, to continue to share the Gospel to the nations through Exploits Ministry.

We honour and thank Peter for his faithful leadership, thanking the Lord also for using him mightily to share the Gospel in Europe and around the world. His legacy carries on into the next generation; their son David impacts nations in his role as Vice President for Operation Blessing International.

As Peter spends more time with Exploits Ministry’s Jerusalem Channel, he hands over the baton to CBN’s UK Director, Mark Dijkens, who has assisted Peter since 2005.

Death or Rapture?

The End Time will be known as the Great Tribulation or the Time of Jacob’s trouble. Does the Church, consisting of the true believers who know and live for Jesus the Messiah, go through Jacob’s Trouble? Or will we be part of a mystery that Paul called the catching away?

It would be wonderful to be part of the only generation of believers who will escape the curse of death. Yet for every believer in Jesus, whether we are dead or alive when Jesus finally appears, the fear of death has been conquered. A scientist once said that he could only believe in a religion whose founder had conquered death. And indeed Jesus is the only one to triumph over death!

I personally believe in the rapture-- the catching away of the Church --before the Great Tribulation, because I do not believe that the Church and the Jewish nation are the same entity.

Since the day of Pentecost, there have been three groups of people in the world: the Jews, gentiles and the Church; each group is separate-- although there are both believing Jews and believing gentiles making up the One New Man within the Church. Still, the Church is not the same thing as physical Israel. The Church is a distinct body—in fact, it is the mystical body of Messiah with Jesus as its head. The Church, which means the “called out ones,” began on the Day of Pentecost, and the Church will have an ending. Its culmination will be at the rapture when the fullness of the gentiles is complete. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul revealed that the Church is a mystery that was hidden in God in Old Testament days.

The church is a parenthesis in history--it’s like a holy sandwich. What do I mean? God raised up Israel to be his people, and even though Jesus was sent on schedule specifically at the time revealed in advance to the prophet Daniel, tragically Israel rejected their Messiah. Therefore God in his mercy extended salvation to the gentiles. He is still in the process of calling out a group of both believing Jews and gentiles called the Church…. and when God is 100 per cent satisfied with the full number in the Church, and when the travail of the soul of Messiah is satisfied,

By Christine Darg

the Church, also called the Bride of Christ, will be complete and will be removed from the earth.

And then God will bring Israel back to himself, for he has the power to do it, and because he is a covenant-keeping God. The Jewish people were dispersed because of unbelief—not forever, but for a season during the fullness of the gentiles. Paul said to the former gentiles in Romans 11, “And you being a wild olive tree were grafted in.”

Israel’s branches were temporarily broken off from the root of blessing and were dispersed to the nations because of unbelief. Meanwhile, gentiles are grafted in and stand by faith.

Paul continued in Romans 11, “you were grafted in among them and with them enjoy the root and fatness of the olive tree, but,” he warned, “don't get conceited and proud; just remember-- you only stand in God’s olive tree by faith. So don't be high-minded but have a holy reverential fear, because if God didn’t spare the natural branches, take heed lest He also not spare not you.”

Here’s what we need to comprehend: the Old Testament had the concept of the Holy Spirit coming upon somebody to anoint, for example, a prophet or a king, but the Hebrew Scriptures did not have the concept revealed in the New Testament, and that is, the Messiah living within us, inside of every born again believer. That’s an important and very distinct revelation.

In Colossians 1: 26- 27, Paul wrote,“The mystery which was hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is… Christ in you, the hope of glory.” In the Old Testament, the Jewish nation did not know about the mystery of the Church. (The Church is actually one of 18 mysteries in the New Testament.) Paul said this mystery is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” No Jewish person understood that concept because in the Old Testament, there was no revelation of the Messiah indwelling believers. But that is the

unique character of the Church—we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are living stones.

That’s why the Church is unique and distinct from Israel. Jesus explained in John 14: 20, “On that day, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

The Holy Spirit has been calling out people into the Church body for nearly 2,000 years, but soon the day will come when the Lord will finish and remove the completed Church. And then Israel will be grafted back into God’s olive tree during the time of Jacob’s Trouble. In Romans 11:25 Paul made an important statement, “I don’t want you to be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own conceits, that a partial blindness has happened to Israel only until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in.” And then, gloriously, verse 26 says, “all Israel shall be saved.” Israel will be grafted back in again! The very fact that Paul draws a distinction between Israel and the Church proves that there is indeed a difference between the two. The Church uniquely began at Pentecost, it will be completed at the rapture, and Israel will be grafted back in.

I believe we’re living in the closing chapter of the “fullness of the gentiles” when the Church age will be completed, and then Israel will be revived. Although it’s not necessary to be part of the rapture to experience eternal salvation, it would be a glorious privilege not to experience death! This is because the Apostle Paul revealed in 1 Thessalonians 4 that “the Lord himself will descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive on the earth will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore, encourage one another with these words.”

In the meantime, it’s our duty to fulfill the Great Commission by winning as many souls as possible in the remaining time of the gentiles. We need to number our days to maximize exploits.

Although in Genesis 6:3 the Lord sets the limit of human lifespan to 120 years, basically Psalm 90 teaches that the average number of years is 70, or if by reason of strength, 80 years. So we have to be extremely wise how we use our limited time on earth.

It bothers us when somebody we love dies

prematurely. The first reaction many people have is to become bitter and angry at God. Job 1:22 calls this “charging God foolishly.”

One of the life principles I’ve learned from living amongst the Jewish people is to bow to God’s will concerning life and death matters.

Upon hearing of the death of a loved one, the Jewish people are taught to say, “Baruch dayan emet,” meaning “Blessed is the True Judge.”

(My non-literal translation would be, “Father knows best!”) For centuries, Jews have been evoking this blessing in response to death and tragedy. Jewish people are also taught to respond to unpleasant news with the saying, “This is also for the good.” These statements teach resignation to God’s sovereign will.

There’s a story in the Talmud concerning the great sage, Rabbi Akiva. He arrived at a certain city, but couldn’t find lodging. This reminded me of the New Testament account of Mary and Joseph seeking lodging in Bethlehem when Jesus was about to be born. The only place they could find was a stable. Rabbi Akiva also couldn’t find any lodging, so he slept that night in an open field, saying, “All that God does, He does for the good!” That night an army captured the city, and the rabbi was saved by sleeping in the field. When we think of Mary giving birth in a stable and making a bed for her newborn in a manger, we don’t read of any complaints in the Gospels about unsanitary conditions or disappointing circumstances. Mary and Joseph accepted the orderings of God without murmuring or foolishing accusing God. Seemingly negative circumstances in life are allowed by God, even if the reason is not readily apparent. Rabbi Akiva and the Jewish sages (continued overleaf)

Death or Rapture: Mysteries Revealed in New Testament (continued from previous page) decreed that we

should thank God for unpleasant occurrences in life, just as we should thank Him for the obvious good that happens. This Jewish attitude calls to mind the saying of Paul, when he directed believers to “give thanks in all things,” meaning “in the midst of,” not “for” the problem!

Death is the most mysterious concept that we’re forced to face in this life. We often wonder: Why did God allow one person to live longer than another person who died prematurely? From our perspective, circumstances often seem unfair.

However, even when it comes to death, we are taught by the Jews to bless God. We don’t have to know the answer to everything. When the Jews say, “Blessed be the True Judge,” they acknowledge a mystery beyond their natural understanding. The “True Judge” knows exactly what He is doing. As Abraham wisely said in Genesis 18:25, “Shall not the Judge of the whole earth do right?”

King Solomon declared in Ecclesiastes 7:1, “A good name is better than costly perfume, and greater is the day of death, than the day of birth.”

That may seem a strange statement, because Judaism is a faith that celebrates life. (As the popular Jewish expression goes, L’chaim! To life!)

But the Chassidic masters explained Solomon’s statement. A person's death is the culmination of life and can be a defining moment. It is a time for important last words and repentance. In the Hebrew sense, repentance means to “return” to God. Repentance can be achieved at any point in life, but at no time is repentance more important than in life’s closing moments. As the Sages say, “If not now, when?”

Dying is a process of separation of the body from the spirit and soul. Sometimes this separation is sudden; sometimes it is protracted. God knows circumstances that we cannot see, but there are a number of possible reasons also given in the Bible of why premature death sometimes occurs.

One of the scary reasons that we have to face is that God removes branches that do not bear fruit. This is a harsh reality but in John 15: 2, Jesus spoke of judgment upon unproductive branches. He said branches in Him that do not bear fruit are as good as dead. There are two kinds of gardening in the New Testament: first pruning, which is painful, but the result is more fruit-bearing. Secondly, branches that do not bear fruit are completely cut off! Harsh reality!

Another reason for premature death is clearly stated by Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:27, partaking of holy Communion in an unworthy manner. Paul wrote, “A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.”

The Good News is that Jesus had power over four d’s--diseases, demons, disorders and death. He can give sight to the blind; hearing to the deaf. He can raise the dead. These messianic miracles are his credentials! I offer this same Jesus to you so that you will never have to fear death, and if you are alive when he returns, you will never die! He is wonderfully accessible right now because he is alive, but all you have to do is call upon him. He will be right with you! Amen!

The mandate of EXPLOITS MINISTRY

Acts 1:8 ‘And ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’

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