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S E P T E M B E R - O C TO B E R 2 0 2 0
EXPOSING | ENCOURAGING | EMPOWERING E LO H I M G O S P E L M I N I S T R I E S
DR. NIKO NJOTORAHARDJO -
An Ambassador of
UNITY
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E G M I N S P I R AT I O N S . C O M
CONTE N TS
22
#Opinion
- George Vilgi Oommen
Raise your voice
- Hannah Taylor
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08
An ambassador of unity
28
Life in between
- Daya Raja
24
The power of your Hope
- Jacob Vilgi Oommen
All Bible references are from New International Version, English Standard Version, New Living Translation, King James Version. EGM Times is published by Elohim Gospel Ministries, USA & India. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. EGM Times has no subscription price and is supported through contributions worldwide. Because all EGM Times editions are preplanned, we are unable to accept unsolicited manuscripts. For more information or to subscribe, visit www.elohimgospelministries.com President : Evg. Jacob Vilgi Oommen Chief Editor : George Vilgi Oommen Design : EGM Media
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EDITORIAL Friends,
As I write this, the backyard of our house is filled with colorful leaves. The temperature is dropping, and nature is welcoming another autumn season. It might be a different season for you, depending on where you live. Even though the Covid season is not entirely over yet, God is in control of everything. This edition of EGM Times has words of wisdom from Dr. Niko Njotorahardjo, an apostle used by God in Indonesia to bring unity among churches. He shares from his ministry and life with us. We also have Hannah sharing from her heart on how the Covid season transformed her to pursue God’s calling in a unique way. If you would like to see something new in the magazine or have an idea about EGM Times, feel free to reach out to us at egmtimes@elohimgospelministries.com.
Did You Know? Stephen is the first martyr for Christ recorded in the new testament. He was stoned to death soon after he gave his first speech in his life. Chapter 7 of Acts of Apostle has the account of Stephen and his speech. Like Jesus on the cross, he prayed for forgiveness of his killers before taking the last breath.
Happy reading. God bless you! George Vilgi Oommen Chief Editor EGM Times
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DR. NIKO NJOTORAHARDJO
An Ambassador of
UNITY
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Dr. Niko Njotorahardjo is the senior pastor of the GBI church in Subroto, Jakarta, Indonesia. Born in Bondowoso, East Java, Niko received Jesus at an early age and pursued God’s calling in his life. He started his ministry as a worship leader and gradually became one of the prominent leaders in the Pentecostal movement in the country. Currently, he is involved in conducting revival crusades across Indonesia to advance the kingdom of God. Dr. Niko is married to Hermien Njotorahardjo. Dr. Niko is sharing with us from his ministry and life. He also sheds light on how God is moving in South East Asia now.
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“Realizing this important aspect, I began to humble myself and asked for forgiveness from churches for the things I did unintentionally, which might have hurt them”
CAN YOU PLEASE SHARE YOUR BACKGROUND? I was born in Bondowoso, East Java, Indonesia. My parents were committed Christians. They educated me to live in a godly Christian life. I studied Agriculture before God called me to enter full-time ministry.
HOW DID YOU MEET JESUS IN LIFE?
I accepted Christ as my personal Saviour and Lord when I was in Junior High School. It was the time when I was baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit as well.
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HOW WERE THE EARLY DAYS OF YOUR MINISTRY? I started fulltime ministry in 1985 when God called me clearly through two servants of God, telling that God wants to use me as His tool to restore the Tabernacle of David. So the early days of my ministry were leading the praise and worship in the church services and prayer fellowships. I also went around to the villages in Java, Indonesia, to minister through praise and worship.
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YOUR MINISTRY IS FOCUSED ON PRAYER, PRAISE, AND WORSHIP IN UNITY. HOW IMPORTANT IS PRAYER, PRAISE AND WORSHIP IN A CHRISTIAN’S LIFE? Prayer, Praise and Worship must be the lifestyle of a Christian. They cannot be just as a formal ritual or liturgical. They are an expression of our relationship with our Heavenly Father, our Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit. We can build our intimate relationship with the Trinity through Prayer, Praise and Worship. From it, we will receive God’s guidance as our firm foundation to do everything in our lives according to His will – especially in this end times.
YOU ARE ONE OF THE PIONEERS OF THE UNITED CHURCH MOVEMENT IN INDONESIA. HOW IMPORTANT IS UNITY AMONG CHURCHES IN THESE END TIMES?
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I thank God that He entrusts me to do this work for Him. In John 17:21, we see that it is very important when all His disciples be one; the world will believe that God sent Him. It means, in this end times, unity among churches is truly needed for the greatest and last harvest. Unity in the church is the need of the hour that the world will believe Jesus came from heaven to be the saviour for humankind. Frankly speaking, it is not easy to have this unity since it must start with humility and accepting each other. Realizing this important aspect, I began to humble myself and asked for forgiveness from churches for the things I did unintentionally, which might have hurt them. Praise the Lord, the Spirit of Unity descended on us to have unity among churches and still working on it to the fullness until now.
“We can build our intimate relationship with the Trinity through Prayer, Praise and Worship. From it, we will receive God’s guidance as our firm foundation to do everything in our lives according to His will – especially in this end times.”
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AS AN EVANGELIST AND PASTOR WITH DECADES OF MINISTRY AROUND THE GLOBE, WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES CHURCH IS FACING TODAY? The challenges church is facing today is not from external but rather from internal Christianity or the churches itself. We must be in unity so that God will pour out His Third Pentecost needed for this end times. We know at The First Pentecost in Jerusalem, the disciples of Jesus continued together in prayer with one mind.(Acts 1:14) Then came the Holy Spirit to baptize and fill each and every one of them (Acts 2:1-4) where then they impacted the globe in which 70 percent of the population at that time became Christians. Though it happened effectively, Jesus’ Great Commission is not finished yet. Then came The Second Pentecost in Azusa Street in 1906 when God used a servant of God by the name William J. Seymour to gather many people to be in unity in prayer to bring the great charismatic revival movement - in which according to Gordon Cornwell Theological Seminary - 77.9 percent of Christianity today is the impact from the Azusa Street movement.
Though it was a significant movement in Azusa Street, Great Commission is not finished yet. Now we are in the era of The Third Pentecost, in which the Holy Spirit will be poured out awesomely more than it has happened in Azusa Street. For this to happen, we must have churches with a humble and willing heart to be one in united prayer as we have known it is a pre-condition prior to the First and Second Pentecost movement to take place. I thank and praise the Lord that it started in Indonesia first. Surprisingly, in this time of the Covid-19 Pandemic, one survey conducted by Bilangan Research Centre (BRC) has found that 83.3% of churches in Indonesia has already been involved in the united prayer held by National Prayer Networking, Indonesia. God is still awaiting more of His churches who are called by His name, to humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways. If we do it, He will hear from heaven, forgive our sin, and heal the land.
ANY WORDS OF WISDOM BEFORE WE WRAP UP? Let us finish The Great Commission with the power of The Third Pentecost. Family - Hermien Irawati (wife), Billy Njotorahardjo (son), Milka Wira (daughter in law), Brian & Janice (grandson & granddaughter) Favorite Place - Jerusalem Most memorable 'ministry moment' in life - Prayer, praise and worship in unity day and night The favorite verse in the Bible - Acts 15:15-18 Favorite character in the Bible – Jesus and David Favorite Song – As the deer
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HOW CAN WE PRAY FOR YOU ? Prayer is the key to open the doors of heaven. No matter whatever is the situation, prayer can do wonders. Do you have a prayer request? Are you struggling in your life? We are here to pray for you. Kindly fill the below request form and we assure our prayer warriors will be praying for you.
How can we pray for you ? SEND YOUR PRAYER REQUEST
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raise your
voice
- Hannah Taylor
I believe that one of the greatest blessings in my life came out of COVID-19. Before you quit reading for the insanity of that statement, allow me to explain. The pandemic found me, like so many others, fumbling for security and consistency. I was thrown into an uncertainty that I had never experienced before; this was matched with the slowly crumbling sense that the world that I had become comfortable in, was gradually changing into something I did not want or ever see coming.
I knew nothing about social media. A world that had previously seemed to me as something sort of a rose-colored lens of lives that claimed to be beautiful but inwardly were falling apart. Social Media felt taboo to me, a place where people went to gain ‘likes’, and ‘follows,’ all of which to solidify that they are worthy of love and of belonging. It disgusted me that my social media held no contribution to the greater good of others. Consuming social media was what I did best; hours would go by as I mindlessly scrolled. My heart craved something more. I couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment I made the change, but I know that within days I had firmly decided that my place on Social Media would not be for consumption; instead, I would produce. Produce what?
Somehow within the changing and the insurmountable unsteadiness of the time, I discovered a calling I never thought I would answer. I pushed against the strong feeling that this was what this year was for, and that this was what my passion should be thrown into. So, I stepped out, fully in faith and fully in fear, finding an excellent I was scared, it felt strange and uncomforttool that God has given Christians during able to be open and vulnerable on Instathese times - Social Media. gram, but I slowly began the journey towards sharing where God had taken me and whom he was making me.
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“I wish I could share my heart, like you… but I have no voice…” No voice… the thought struck a deeper chord in me. There was something so profound about the idea that someone could feel so silenced. One day I found a story in Acts 18: 9-10, a story where Jesus leaves Paul with the message that “... he should not be afraid, but go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you…” There was my “something more”: I was to help others share. Our voices are the most powerful tools that God has given us. Social media has us buying into the lie that we do not have a voice, convincing us that their products will aid us in finding our voices, but the truth is, we do not need to find our voices. We already have a voice.
With five hundred followers and zero-knowledge, I started sharing my heart on Instagram. Slowly my platform began to grow, and I learned that not only were there others just like me, but my words had an impact on them. The words that were impacting them were not words of success but words of brokenness & pain. I spoke of the insecurities that I experience, the pain the pandemic had brought me, and my passion for Him. Sharing was beautiful, but it didn’t feel as though it was enough. I knew there had to be something more, and my answer came in the form of a text message from a stranger.
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“YOUR STORY IS MEANT TO BE SHARED! CONSIDER USING YOUR VOICE, THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, TO SHARE YOUR STORY, YOUR FIGHT.”
Social media can be seen as a deterrent from God, but I see it as a place where grace and humanity meet. There is nothing more compelling than sharing your story with someone else. This action depicted countless times by Jesus is seen over and over again as the tried and true way of deeper connection. Ultimately, it is not the ending that draws others towards you, but the journey that God has taken you through. It can seem daunting and terrifying, but I believe that God is calling Christians to speak out. The place where best to be heard are the platforms within each of our reaches.
I discovered that my calling is to change the way we think about social media as I believe with everything in me that Christians, to not see it as the folly of social media is where hundreds of our generation, but as a phenomenal thousands of men and women can use way of evangelism. their God-given voice to speak, teach, encourage and love. It is on these It doesn’t matter how messy or compliplatforms that avenues of change are cated your life is now. You have the created. opportunity to come alongside someone else and guide them through their pain I began to formulate an idea in my head. and heartbreak. Nothing could be more If one person feels as if they have no beautiful or fulfilling. voice, how many others feel bound by some invisible wall? I decided to begin Your story is meant to be shared! Conadvertising my services as a social sider using your voice, through social media coach, essentially helping indi- media, to share your story, your fight. I viduals start using Instagram to reach truly believe that someone will find others. It was through this that I discov- belonging in your journey. ered that every man and woman have a story that can help someone else’s journey.
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#OPINION
‘Sharing’ is caring - George Vilgi Oommen
Recently I was talking with my wife about a life without the internet and social media in this pandemic season. Around a hundred years ago, a similar pandemic happened globally, and I am sure it was a different experience for that generation. Even though we all are isolated and staying home most of the time, internet and social media are connecting us all. Social media has influenced the way human brains think and how society behaves. Even though social media gave the common man a platform to raise their voice, it is also used as a tool for division, hate and spreading false information. Recently my social media newsfeeds have become a virtual war zone. Many of my friends worldwide are posting and sharing things on different topics with opposing views (and very often, wrong information). Things are getting out of control with recent events related to racial injustice and the USA’s upcoming presidential election. If we take a deep dive into data, it’s a sad reality that most of the things shared in social media are wrong information with the intent to influence society in a divisive way. As a child of God, we all have a big responsibility to be a good witness of Christ on social media platforms. I got the below guidelines related to social media engagement recently, and I believe you will find it useful.
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- Engage in Social Media Carefully: As you engage in social media, be aware that your identity is reflected and anything you post, like or share can be accessible by others. - Read or watch content in full before sharing: Always read a post or watch a video completely before sharing, liking or commenting - When in doubt, double-check: Not everything online is true. Always double check before you engage in something - Before sharing, think if it conflicts with the word of God or not Below verses serve as useful guidelines for our online interactions. “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:6 (NIV) Let me repeat the above verse a little differently – Let our social media posts and shares be ALWAYS FULL of GRACE, seasoned with SALT (salt of Truth, Love and Respect). “Do everything in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14 (NIV)
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POWER OF YOUR
- Jacob Vilgi Oommen
I
f you had asked me about hope many years back, I would have talked a lot about my hope in myself, the people who give me hope, the hope I had in money and friends. But if you ask me about hope today, I won’t talk a lot, but share the truth I learned the hard way in life - In Christ alone, my hope is found. The hope in Christ is more powerful than an atomic bomb. When I see the world created by the almighty God with a divine purpose has turned despicable and its craving to propel forward with nasty and absolute ungodliness, my hope about this world’s bright future, vision about repentance of people has become an impossible dream. I became a man who is searching for the answer to ‘How’? How is this world becoming an almost unlivable place? I Googled the question of how this world has become so filthy? I didn’t get an answer. But when I looked at my mirror, I got the answer, me. Yes, it’s me who molded this world as the way it is now because of my sinful works.
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HOPE
When I felt the passion and heart of God, I realized even though I don’t see any hope, God does. The more interesting part of it was, His Hope is in me that one day I will realize how important is my life and my deeds in Christ to save this world. How much responsible I should be to build the Kingdom of God. My hope was ignited and it’s still burning in high flame to accomplish what God has called me to do. It was an eye-opening experience that if my hope is in Christ alone, then that’s all I needed to bear the fruit for God. As you read this, I want you to know that God’s hope is in you. The truth and the ultimate solution for this world is The Gospel. I often wondered why I am still alive even though I couldn’t meet the standards of God many times even you may have the same question, and here is the answer – “If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down." Luke 13:9 (NIV)
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It’s God’s hope about that one day, yes, that one day you and I will bear fruit that changes this world. The fruit that will save more souls to the eternal life through Jesus Christ! Don’t give up on your hope in Christ because your hope has the power to make historical changes in and through your life more than your human comprehension. Challenges are a part of it because when you reach that one day where you bear fruit, you will realize the vital role your challenges played for the fruit you bear on that day. Putting your Hope in Christ may cost you everything you have, but one day you will have everything - eternal life! Nothing in life is easy, my friend. Every moment is a fight to find hope in Christ to move forward. Sometime back, when I visited a village in India, I met the pastor and his small church. A few members are in the church. The sun is glowing at its fullness and in the middle of that roasting heat, he walks through his village to reach the unreached with the good news of Jesus Christ. He has been working there for several years but not seeing the harvest he expects. He was beaten several times for sharing the Gospel. He struggles to feed his wife and children, but he moves on in his missionary life with a smiling face. He doesn’t have a bicycle, a good shelter, good food, money and on top of that, being beaten by people in the village. I asked myself, what keeps this man going in this small village with the vision God put in his heart?
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I got the answer - his Hope about that ‘one day’ when he will see the whole village being washed with the blood of Jesus Christ and worshiping the Lord in His Church! Above all, his hope about that one day when he hears, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” Matthew 25:21 NIV.
Eat the Word
“Hope is called the anchor of the soul (Hebrews 6:19) because it gives stability to the Christian life. But hope is not simply a ‘wish’ (I wish that such-and-such would take place); rather, it is that which latches on to the certainty of the promises of the future that God has made.” -RC Sproul When you think I am done, I cannot take this any longer, when your flesh says, give up your hope - Seek God’s face to restore your hope that one day you will see your vision come to reality. Put your hope in Christ in everything of your life. You are not alone; many people are on the same journey. Above all that one day, we will see our savior Jesus Christ face to face! Amen.
“PUT YOUR HOPE IN CHRIST IN EVERYTHING OF YOUR LIFE. YOU ARE NOT ALONE; MANY PEOPLE ARE ON THE SAME JOURNEY.”
God gave us His Word to be our spiritual food. If we don’t consume it, we will end up spiritually hungry and living a weak, malnourished Christian life. When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, LORD God Almighty. – Jeremiah 15:16
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LIFE IN BETWEEN
W hen wor ds t ake
Life
I prefer texts compared to calls. To be honest, I sometimes watch my phone ring, wait for it to end, and message the caller asking, ‘what’s up?’ (if that is a known number). Having said that, this is one of the rare occasions where I wish I was speaking to you instead of having you read this article. This is because, as I mentioned in my previous column, I am rediscovering Jesus in my mid-20s (though I was born and brought up in a Christian family) and this column is about Jesus' approach. As much as I believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God and that it is transformative, I have had times in my life where the Bible wasn’t anything more than a book. Not because I stopped believing in God but because sometimes when I read it, it remained as mere wordsblack letters on the white background and it was lifeless to me. To get over this phase, over time, I developed this technique of approaching the scripture with just two questions- what does this verse tell about God and what does it tell about me? Because at the end of the day, Christianity is a relationship between Jesus and us. The goal is to get closer to him each day. And when I looked at the scripture through these two lenses, Jesus came alive for me in ways I haven’t experienced before.
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For instance, let’s look at Revelation 3: 14-22. John is asked to write to the church in Laodicea or the lukewarm church. In that letter, Jesus starts by introducing himself and he goes on a rant. He is so full of anger and says, ‘I wish you were either one or the other...I am about to spit you out of my mouth...You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.’ What does it remind you of? I am not sure what imagery comes up on your mind, but I clearly remember my mother losing control and saying things synonymous with the phrases mentioned above.
As much as an in-depth study of a verse helps, it is important to understand the context of the chapters and have larger takeaways on who Jesus is and how he approaches us. Because without knowing someone's habits and behaviour, how do we stay committed when we have a hard time? If we do not have an understanding of his gentleness and love, how do we stand firm when he burns with anger at our mistakes?
After a few verses, Jesus again says, ‘Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline... Here I am. I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me.’ Few verses before, Jesus was on fire yelling his lungs out (in my imagination), but now we see Him overcome by the love He has for the Church. Definitely, the words He says have a lot of significance and it needs to be listened to, but sometimes we need to zoom out to see who really Jesus is and how he approaches us.
‘What does it remind you of? I am not sure what imagery comes up on your mind, but I clearly remember my mother losing control and saying things that are synonymous with the phrases mentioned above.’
Here I see Jesus who, isn’t afraid to express His raw emotions. He does not hold back His feelings. He was committed in us long before we knew Him and all the more after we said yes to Him. His anger, rebuke, affection, providence, and all the other things that he expresses and does is just focussed on one thing- the fellowship, (I will come in and eat with him Daya Raja, Bangalore and he with me ), the relationship, the intimacy. Daya thinks it’s absolutely cool to be known by If He trusts the mortal humans enough to Jesus. She deeply appreciates nature, art and express himself without filters, what makes us silence. Currently, she is pursuing a Masters in think that he cannot handle the mess we are? Development in India. Her dream is to fall in And if he gives himself away in the purest form love with Jesus and humanity every day. Daya in this relationship, why do we need to polish can be reached at dayaraja95@gmail.com ourselves before approaching him?
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FINAL WORD Dear friend, Thank you for making it to the end of this edition of EGM Times. We believe you are blessed by the words of wisdom by Pr. Njotorahardjo, articles and columns in this edition. If you are reading this and have not experienced the love and power of God, we encourage you to embrace His love – offered as salvation through Jesus Christ. If you have experienced this love before and has gone back from it, we urge you to come back to His love. There is nothing impossible for God to work in your life. We encourage you to experience this savior in your life. We at the EGM Times team would like to hear from you at egmtimes@elohimgospelministries.com. See you in the next edition. God bless you!!! Team EGM Times
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