EVERYHOME Taking the Gospel to Every Home
This Eastern Gate on the Old City Wall of Jerusalem is concreted over to stop Jesus returning into the Old City through this gate!
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive...shall be caught up with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" - 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 Steven Frame
September 2012
JESUS IS COMING "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come" Matthew 24:14 In the last 50 years, the growth of evangelism throughout the world has been breathtaking. In the Muslim nation of Indonesia, more than 20 percent of the population has accepted Christ. Despite decades of dedicated missionary efforts, by 1900, only 3 percent of Africans had become followers of Jesus Christ. However, by 2000, over 45 percent of the 5 hundred million people living in Africa had accepted Christ. While Christianity was almost unknown before World War II, up to 40 percent of the South Korean population now follows Christ. In only 60 years, the number of Christians throughout the world has grown by 1,300 percent. The evangelical church has grown from only 40 million in 1934 to more 540 million today. Meanwhile, the world's population has grown only 400 percent. In China there were fewer than 1 million Chinese Christians at the time of the communist take over in mainland China in 1949. However, the lowest estimates suggest that there are more than 100 million followers of Christ in the underground church in Communist China today. As many as 25,000 people accept Christ in China every day. In Every Home for Christ we have witnessed almost 114 million people wanting to receive Christ or asking to know more. Yes, Matthew 24:14 is happening now! "This gospel of the Kingdom is being preached in all the world as a witness to all nations." The Bible says "then the end will come." This brings us to the coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The overwhelming importance of the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to the writers of the scriptures is demonstrated conclusively by the fact that up to one verse in every 25 verses in the New Testament (over 300 verses in all) deal with the return of Christ. In the Old Testament the Prophets understood that God intended to establish a literal kingdom on earth under the rule of the Messiah. The word Kingdom is used 342 times throughout the entire scriptures, appearing 127 times in the Gospels alone. Jesus is coming again and so very few Christians know anything about the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth. So few have ever been taught what will happen when Jesus Christ comes again and most don't even know He is coming. Yes, occasionally we hear someone say that Jesus Christ will return to the earth or we may hear someone say the times we live in could easily usher in the coming of Christ, but what does this mean and where is it to be found in the Bible? Almost no one really knows. No one discusses it even though there are 300 verses in the New Testament that are concerned with Jesus Christ coming again. Jesus said in John 14:2- 3 " I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again, that where I am you may be also." In Matthew 24:27 Jesus said "For as the lightening cometh forth from the east and is seen unto the west so shall the coming of the Son of man be." This will be a dramatic moment; not just Jesus
quietly coming to meet you and take you to heaven when you die, but the event will be as lightening that is seen from the east to the west. Even if every Christian is secretly taken away, every person on earth will obviously be aware that something has happened, that thousands of people are missing and it will be as lightening from the east to the west. Dramatic and quick "in the twinkling of an eye". 1 Corinthians 15:52. No sooner do we begin to look at the Lord Jesus Christ coming again than all manner of questions arise in our minds. How will He come? Where will He come? When will He come? What will happen when He comes? And what happens after He has come? There are answers for all these questions but we won't be able to talk about them all now but know there no new questions. The obvious question would seem to be ... how will Jesus come? 1 Thessalonians 4:16 &17 says "...the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." Here we learn Jesus Christ comes and gathers every true believer miraculously into the clouds - the dead and the living. In Revelation 16:15 Jesus said "Behold I come as a thief, " quietly like in the middle of the night. It is a secret catching away of the believers into the clouds. But right here there seems to be a contradiction because Revelation 1:7 says "Behold he cometh with clouds: and every eye shall see Him, and they also which have pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him." The seeming contradiction is on one hand we learn Jesus is coming as a thief, quietly and on the other hand we are learning when he comes even those who pierced and hated him shall see him. In fact all the kindreds of the earth shall wail.
They will hear the shout, the voice and the trumpet of 1 Thessalonians 4:16. At this time the believers are gathered in heaven with Jesus. The second stage of Jesus Christ's return to the earth is when all the believers return to the earth with the Lord Jesus Christ and "every eye shall see Him, and they also that have pierced Him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him." Revelation 1:7. This will be a public moment when every eye shall see Him coming from heaven to Jerusalem and Jesus Christ the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who is not only king of kings and Lord of Lords of heaven but also of the earth and he will set up an earthly throne in Jerusalem. I describe this moment to you very briefly but there are many bible prophecies to indicate this incredible truth. The next important question is found in Matthew 24:3 when the disciples ask Jesus "What shall be a sign of your coming and the end of the age?" Read Matthew 24 for yourself and look for the signs of His coming and you will find in everything Jesus told them it would seem His coming is very near. In the meantime we will continue to preach the Gospel in all the world. Matthew 24:14. Thank you for making the preaching of the Gospel possible with your prayer and gifts . Thank you too for helping the "poor" as this makes the Gospel believable. But before you think of what you can do for the Lord Jesus Christ...stop reading...and get on your knees and give your life again and again and again to Him! He's worth it! He's coming soon!
It would seem there must be two stages of His coming. The first stage of His coming is only for believers.
- Eric Leach
FROM CRIME TO CHRIST
MEXICO
In Ciudad Neza Prison, rapists and thieves are repenting, giving their lives to Jesus Christ. Throughout Mexico, EHC’s pioneer missionaries are going forth with the light of the Gospel. God is up to something and it’s big! Mexico is a country of physical and spiritual diversity, where deep darkness throughout the land battles a growing light. In the last decade, Mexico has witnessed unprecedented drug cartel activity and blatant corruption within the government. The newspaper headlines read like a crime novel, filled with stories of kidnappings, drug violence, and human trafficking. When looking only at the problems Mexico is experiencing, one might be tempted to lose hope. But there’s Good News: We serve the One who is hope for the hopeless, and His Word is advancing, even despite these obstacles. Last year alone, Every Home for Christ Mexico reached nearly 100,000 homes with the Gospel, receiving more than 21,000 responses to Christ. That is reason for celebration! One of the most striking testimonies has come from Ciudad Neza Prison, a place where only thieves and rapists are incarcerated. It’s hard to imagine a group of people with less hope of salvation. And yet… Arriving only with gospel booklets and a heart for the prisoners, EHC workers visited
this jail, and many have been transformed. Over the course of several visits, many inmates have found Jesus and have accepted Him as Saviour. Pastor Orlando Capi praises the Lord because one of the most hardened prisoners, with a track record of rape and kidnapping, not only gave his life to Jesus but wanted to be baptized. Since there was not a proper baptismal pool, Pastor Capi made do with the prisoner standing up in a barrel full of water. What a beautiful expression of God’s saving grace; a true transformation by the power of Christ! Each of the new believers from the prison joined a discipleship program led by the EHC workers. If you could have seen these men on graduation day—the lowest of the low, removed from society because of their sinful acts—you would have been amazed to see jubilant worshippers, hands raised to God with newfound forgiveness. As testimonies like this continue to pour in from EHC pioneer missionaries on the field, the messages frequently conclude with a single request: “Would you provide us with more gospel literature so that we can reach even more people?” God’s work in Mexico is, in a word, astounding. In essence, God has upped the ante, moving so rapidly that we must scramble to keep up with Him!
GOD IS UP TO SOMETHING AND IT'S BIG!
Aimee McLachlan
ARGENTINA
STUNNED AND AMAZED AT GOD'S POWER
EHC has a powerful ministry reaching the Wichi Indians of Argentina, so it seemed natural that the Wichis would want to evangelise others. After seeing revival in their EHC Christ Groups, Wichi believers felt the strong need to share the Gospel with several tribes in neighbouring Bolivia. In 2011, 3,000 Wichis were reached. Hallelujah for this missionary outreach! Indeed, penetrating the jungle communities in Argentina with the Gospel is serious business, especially when it comes to dangers such as snakes and a lack of roads. One worker had to wait over ten hours without any shelter as heavy rain poured down. The rain also brings out venomous
snakes. However, God has protected the workers who strive to take the Gospel to every home. And it is making a difference. One man came to an Every Home for Christ Christ Group in a wheelchair. Avelino had suffered from cerebral palsy and had been paralyzed for four years. He and his family had received EHC literature only days before and after reading the message, they felt motivated to attend church. EHC pastor Francisco Mendez prayed for Avelino. Immediately following this prayer, Avelino stood up and walked! His friends were amazed at this manifestation of God’s power. A great revival began among the Christ Group members!
Every Home for Christ / Every Home Global Concern Australia: PO Box 168 Penshurst NSW 2222 Telephone: (02) 9570 8211 Facsimile: (02) 9570 4738 New Zealand: PO Box 31-260 Milford North Shore City 0741 Telephone: Free call 0800 900 200 Facsimile: 0061 2 9570 4738 www.everyhome.org.au ehc@everyhome.org.au
MYANMAR “NEITHERSLEEPLESSNIGHTSNORBATHSIN MUDDYWATERS,NORATTACKSBYANGRY MOSQUITO-CLOUDSNORRAGINGMOUNTAIN FLOODSWILLDETERUS!WEWILLREACH EVERYHOMEFORCHRISTINMYANMAR!” Editor's Note: This was written by U Zin Hla, EHC Myanmar National Director.
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am thrilled to report to you about the EHC work in Myanmar. We are seeing much fruit in our work for the Lord. In one recent three-month period, our workers reached a total of 254,825 households with the Gospel of Jesus Christ! That is some 2,800 homes every day. Many workers and volunteers made this possible. This is an astonishing number, and none of my Christian ancestors could have imagined it. Adoniram Judson, an American Baptist missionary, was one of the first protestant missionaries to come to Burma. (Myanmar was known as Burma before its name was changed by the military government in 1989.) Judson was 25 years old when he arrived in Burma in July of 1813. My great, great, great, great, great grandfather was Adoniram Judson’s second-ever convert. Judson’s first convert was saved only after Judson laboured in Burma nearly seven years with no converts. In all, it took Judson 12 years to win 18 converts, less than two converts each year.
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Today the challenges are still great, but the harvest is greatly increasing. We are seeing answers to prayer in many ways. In one
instance, the new government in our country gave permission for Christians to hold an open-air crusade in a large stadium. Permission was also given for a large Christmas festival to be held in a football stadium. In the old days we could not even apply for such permission. God is truly answering the prayers of many on our behalf, and we expect even more freedoms to come in the future. Even now, we are enjoying more freedom to distribute gospel messages in Myanmar. Only Muslims and drunkards give us trouble. We do have some financial challenges, however, including growing fees for transportation, which make travel to distant places increasingly difficult. Postal costs will soon be higher as well, making it more costly to follow-up with new believers. But we trust the system will improve with this cost increase. Currently, it can take a letter three weeks to reach its destination just in our main city. We pray this will change! Meanwhile, the Lord is working mightily through Every Home for Christ’s workers in Myanmar. Each day, stories of healing and
deliverance come into our offices. Some people receive the Gospel with great joy. Others engage our workers with questions about Jesus. Several opportunities have come to pray for the sick or those under attack by evil spirits. In one recent door-todoor visit in Shan State, a man had been diagnosed with liver cancer and given only two months to live. After our worker prayed for him, he was completely healed from his illness! In Tanintharyi Division, an EHC worker prayed for a woman who was demon possessed. God healed the woman instantly. The following day, two other women came to hear the preaching and they, too, were delivered of evil spirits. This made many others in the area desire to accept Jesus and be baptized. In Mandalay City, there are many Buddhist pagodas and monasteries. Almost all the people here are Buddhists. When our workers recently distributed gospel messages near that area, some monks banished us. However, others requested the literature! They sat and read with interested hearts. We could tell they were
receiving the message of salvation in Jesus for the very first time. It was a wonderful sight. It isn’t just adults we are reaching with the Gospel. In Shan State, Chan, an EHC worker, had a chance to preach the Gospel to 100 children in a boarding house. Praise God—48 of these precious children received Jesus into their hearts. In Pyigyiyanlone Quarter, a policeman came and examined our literature during a recent distribution. We explained that the messages were allowed by the government and showed him our registration number giving permission for distribution. Then we told him about Jesus Christ and the salvation mentioned in the booklet. This man was so happy that he fed us, allowed us to continue distribution, and supplied us with a guide to help us for the entire month! We are sure he will soon become a believer himself. Please pray for his soul. One of the difficulties we face in distributing the Gospel home to home in Myanmar is the weather. Recently we suffered through heavy rainfall, with some villages completely flooded upon our arrival. Some days, water from the mountains comes down violently into the villages, causing our workers to run for
their lives with their motorcycles. Then they must wait a day or two before finishing the work in the flooded villages. But we do not give up! Even when we have many sleepless nights, or we must take baths in muddy water, we continue on. At night time we are faced with pests like clouds of angry mosquitoes, but we never stop because God gives us strength and healthy bodies to serve Him day by day. For this, we praise the Lord. In some very remote villages we have reached, the inhabitants had never seen a single outsider. They didn’t know what to think when they saw us coming. Despite this, we reached 21,000 households with the Good News in these remote villages in just one month! There is no greater joy than to know these people have now heard the Gospel for the first time. This would make my great, great, great, great, great grandfather so happy! It is these victories that help us continue the work of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ home to home with such joy, no matter how remote the villages may be or how many mosquito bites we may encounter. We thank you for your prayers and support as we trust this year will bring even more believers into the kingdom of God throughout the land of Myanmar!
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EHC LAUNCHES NEW WORK
CHAD Chad, Africa’s fifth-largest nation, where EHC has begun its newest work . Recently EHC French Africa Regional Director Edoh Fiozandji traveled to Chad to do some investigating further into establishing an EHC office in that nation. Edoh maintains that Chad is a very strategic country because of its location in the heart of Africa. Chad shares a border with Niger, Sudan, Libya and Nigeria. It is also a crossroads of a variety of cultures, religions and ideologies linking North Africa and black Africa or the Arab/Muslim world and the Christian/African traditional religions arena. While much of the region is a semi-desert, Chad suffers not only from drought, but inadequate infrastructure and many decades of internal conflict. Despite the poor management, embezzlement within government, lack of water, improper waste disposal in rural areas, poverty, and health and social conditions, Chad is a wealthy country with natural resources of petroleum, uranium and fish. It also recently acquired status as an oil-exporting state.
THE HEART OF AFRICA Chad endured three decades of civil war. According to Edoh, because of local existing evangelical Christians, EHC is better able now than ever before to begin a work in Chad, hopefully to eventually move into the predominantly Muslim areas near the northern border. "For me now is the time! There is an open door for us. I believe there are new things that are going to happen in Chad and help us move into North Africa, a difficult area to reach.” Edoh believes Brother Assane, a former Muslim, is God’s person for the job. “For me this is a breakthrough!” he exclaims. “For all the nations we are targeting this year, Chad was the only Muslim nation. The Lord just opened the door. And to have a former Muslim who has accepted Christ to be in charge is so helpful to us in the ministry.”