Jesus is knocking, so are we! October 2018
From the President Because we know how their stories who empowered ended, it can be hard for us to comprehend the disciples is also just how overwhelming the Great empowering us. Commission was for the Early Church. Jesus The dream is commissioned His disciples to go into all the not ours alone but world and preach the Gospel to all creation. God's and His passion Yet they were only 12 young men, mostly is for those who don't know Christ to receive poor and uneducated. And only days earlier the Good News of His love and this passion they had been hiding behind locked doors, far exceeds our own. So we plant our flag in fearful and discouraged. the ground and commit to leaving no one But when the Holy Spirit empowered behind. We will tirelessly labour to ensure these men to boldly proclaim that every person alive has a the Gospel, they turned the chance to hear the Gospel in a “This generation Roman world upside down. way they can understand. of Christians is Since those days, Our vision and method responsible for this the Great Commission has have not changed. We are still generation of souls passed from generation to taking the Gospel to people on the earth. ” generation. As Keith Green wherever they live. The only — Keith Green reminds us, "This generation difference is that now there is of Christians is responsible a timeline: every home in 20 for this generation of souls on earth."The years. task gets more difficult with each passing God is about to do something even day. When our ministry began in 1946 there more incredible than we can imagine. We were only about 2.5 billion people alive. are glad to have you with us for the journey. Today there are 7.4 billion! That's 7.4 billion names and faces and stories, 7.4 billion For the harvest, people loved by God and created in His image, 7.4 billion souls He died to save - and you and I are responsible for reaching them. That's why we are launching the Oikos Initiative, a strategic plan to reach every family on earth with the Gospel by 2038. Dick Eastman (Oikos is the original New Testament Greek International President word for family or household.) This task may seem ovewhelming, but the same Holy Spirit
"The Lord is ... not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."2 Peter 3:9
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We lcome Home We are messengers of hope to a broken world. Our tongues speak the languages of a thousand homelands. Our skin is black, white and every shade in between. Our feet walk deserts, climb mountains and cross tundra — all to reach one place. It’s the place at the heart of every people and nation, the place where people laugh and cry and spend their days. In a word, home. We believe that the Great Commission is for all of us. We believe that prayer changes everything. We lose sleep over those without Christ and celebrate with the one who receives Him. Some of us influence leaders, while others are beaten and thrown in prison. Together, whether we live or die, we look to the coming day when a thunderous crowd from every tribe, tongue, people and nation will worship Jesus. We won’t stop until every home is reached and every ear has heard His wonderful name — because Jesus is worthy.
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by Tanner Peake, Vice President of EHC International Ministry It’s the feeling we experience as we finally step through our front door at the end of a long day. It’s the traditions, common mannerisms and inside jokes shared only by those who grew up alongside us. It’s the sights, the sounds and the smells of the holidays. And it’s the safe, familiar presence of those we love most. Like a brand burnt upon our hearts, we are all marked with a sense of home. The nuances and expressions may differ from person to person. For some, home may be nothing more than the presence of a trusted friend. But all of humanity shares the experience of a place to retreat from the storms of life to the people who know and understand us best. Across the pages of time, home is the place, the people and the culture that serve as a refuge from the demands of the outside world.
Home Is Not a Human Invention For centuries, sociologists, economists and others from a wide range of academic fields have recognised the significance of the home within society. Brilliant minds from as far back as Aristotle have posited that the home is fundamental to human civilisation. Just as the cell is the most basic unit of the human body, the home is the most basic unit of our political and social institutions. If you can change a home, you can change a community. If you can change a community, you can change a nation. But our universal experience of home is more than a human faculty – it’s a reflection of our Creator Himself. The very nature of our triune God consists mysteriously of the relationship between Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God self-identifies as family. Before His death, Jesus prayed that His people would “be one, as You, Father are in Me, and I in You” (John 17:21a). For countless ages preceding this prayer, before the endless expanse of space, before there were birds, fish and mammals. And even before humans took the first breath of life, the Trinity shared an intimate oneness within itself. Family is not just God’s great idea – it’s who He is. It should therefore be no surprise that, when God created humans in His own image, He set us into families. God Seeks a Home With Us God has always had a home in the relationship of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but He also desired a home on earth – in a physical place and among a distinct people.The Old Testament is full of story after story of God “dwelling” in the midst of His people, Israel. For a time, God lived among them in the form of a pillar of cloud and fire. Later, He lived behind a curtain in a travelling tabernacle. Then David, the poet-king of Israel and a man famous for his extravagant worship, set out to build the temple as a physical dwelling place for God. Ambitious in every way, David wanted to use stones, wood and brilliant architecture to design a place where God could be at rest among His people, a literal home for the God of the cosmos. This may be one of the most audacious undertakings by any human in history! In every generation and through numerous expressions, the Old Testament paints a picture of God’s desire to be at home with those He most intimately loves.
In the New Testament, God made His home among us in the person of Jesus (John 1:14). We know that He was born to a mother and father, Mary and Joseph, and He even had siblings. He was part of an actual, earthly family, whose mannerisms, delights and sorrows He knew as only a son and a brother could. These people and the experiences they shared were precious to Him. We see in Scripture that, even as Jesus suffered excruciating pain on the cross, His thoughts were turned toward those He loved dearly and who had been with Him since He took His first breath in that Bethlehem stable (John 19:26). Jesus understood that there is no place like home. Jesus took on a flesh-and-blood body, with all its intricacy and limitations, to give each of us the chance to hear about the gracious love of His Father. He walked through people’s doors, sat at their tables, shared their meals and laughed and cried with them. Jesus entered into the most intimate social structure of humanity, the very heart of our society – the home. Jesus Is Knocking – And So Are We Human lives are complex, filled with tension and tragedy - and Jesus sees every bit of it. He knows the conflicts leading to eruptions of war and the children who starve as a result. He knows the back-room deals made by corrupt politicians and the
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families who suffer from their nefarious dealings. He knows the children trafficked in the sex trade and the desperate parents who search to recover them. He knows the height of every human joy and the depth of every human despair. And so we wonder: “Jesus, what are you doing today?” The answer is as simple as it is profound: Jesus is still prioritising the home. As He tells us in Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Just as He did 2,000 years ago, Jesus is seeking people where they live. In response to Jesus’ heart, we follow in His footsteps to the homes of those He seeks. As a ministry, our calling is to send the love of Jesus to the doorsteps of literally every home on earth. Each person is valuable to Him, so we have made it our ambition to take the gospel into the heart of society just like Jesus did. We want to sit at people’s tables, laugh and cry with them and tell them that they can be a part of God’s family. Today, we bring Jesus’ love into the homes of people around the world, and we work toward the day when all will be fulfilled and God makes His final dwelling among us forever. He will be our God, and we will be His people (Hebrews 8:10). Our hearts, overflowing will say, “There’s no place like home.”
Australia: PO Box 168 Penshurst NSW 2222 Telephone: (02) 9570 8211 Facsimile: (02) 9570 4738 ABN: 88001276240 www.everyhome.org.au E-mail: ehc@everyhome.org.au New Zealand: PO Box 31-260 Milford North Shore City 0741 NZBN: 9429043322862 Telephone: Free call 0800 900 200 Facsimile: 0061 2 9570 4738 www.everyhomeforchrist.org.nz
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Namibia
We left the dirt road and turned into open desert. Packed into two trucks, our team of three American journalists and six Namibian missionaries careered between skeletal shrubs and across dry riverbeds. We got stuck in sand. We blew two tyres. We hit an ostrich. After hours of driving through African wilderness, one of the missionaries turned in his seat to inform me, “We have not gone far yet.” We were searching for Himba villages in the Namibian Desert, the oldest desert on earth. A nomadic people, the Himba, traverse northern Namibia with herds of goats and cattle. Their homes are constructed of sticks and caked mud, ideal for life on the move. When their animals run out of pasture or water – typically after a matter of months – the village picks up and moves to new territory. This makes Himba communities very difficult to find. Fortunately, the missionaries who guided us were familiar with the desert and the people who live there. In a dry, rocky expanse without mile markers or paved roads, they navigated by an intuition I could never hope to imitate. This was their home turf. We slid to a dusty stop and were met by an unexpected sound – voices raised in jubilant chorus. Roughly 30 Himba believers gathered under a natural canopy of arching trees, singing to the beat of an old African drum. Children stomped to the rhythm, their
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feet raising plumes of dust. Women danced in procession, their skin radiant with red lotion, their extravagant red braids swaying with every movement. Having travelled for five days to get here, I was startled to find a familiar scene – brothers and sisters in Christ, worshipping God with abandon. A few decades ago, very few of the roughly 50,000 Himba people had even heard the name Jesus. Now Christianity is spreading through the desert, new choruses rising in dozens of villages. It is largely the result of one man’s efforts. Daniel Muharukua, a pastor and Every Home for Christ leader, is the son of a Himba chief. As a child, he watched his father sit at the holy fire, requesting favour from Mukuru. Regarded as a mysterious and aloof creature, Mukuru required the intercession of Himba ancestors to restrain his judgement. It was impossible for Daniel to have any personal relationship with this god. When he came across a portion of the Bible as a young man, Daniel spent years trying to find someone who could explain it to him. He eventually drove 300 kilometres to find a church, where he heard the Gospel for the first time. Transformed by his encounter with a loving God, he returned home with a mission that engages him to this day – sharing the Good News with all of the Himba tribe.
The implications of this work cannot be overstated. As I visited startup churches throughout the Namibia Desert and shook hands with person after person – a unique Namibian handshake that I somehow botched every time - my palm came away stained red. These people who were leaving their mark on me were nearly all firstgeneration Christians. If I were to peer back through their family histories, it was unlikely that I would find even one person who had encountered the Gospel.
"To win the people, you need to win their heart, not change their clothes." The Himba people have been without a gospel witness since their inception. For them, the Gospel is not only “good news” in a general sense – it is news. And this news is sorely needed. Systematic injustice confronts the Himba in myriad forms. In the 20th century, they endured apartheid and forced migration. In the 21st, they have averted various attempts by the Namibian government to exploit their land’s resources. Even within local villages, witch doctors often capitalise on complex power dynamics to rob their own communities. They exact costly payments for remedies that rarely work, and they collect bribes from criminals to misdirect their victims. The Gospel is the exact inverse of these injustices – a free gift that heals people and restores communities. Pastor Daniel has teamed up with a small band of resilient missionaries and volunteers to speed the Good News to Himba villages. There are Every Home leaders Douglas and Jeffrey, who travel the nation to equip missionaries with much needed training and resources. (As I dozed in the back seat while Douglas drove us back after a long day, I could hear the two of them softly praying through the night.) Then there’s Hansen, a public school teacher who spends all his free time evangelising. “Every weekend, every holiday, I’m doing this,” he told me. “Sometimes, you finish at midnight, you drive back home, go to work.”
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For this team, evangelism is not just a matter of dropping off the gospel literature and moving on. Himba culture is built on trust, and trust takes a deeper investment. Missionaries like Jeffrey or Hansen must often walk many kilometres through trackless desert just to find one small village, and when they arrive, they stay. “Normally, when we go out on mission, we go and sleep overnight.” Hansen says. “You come, you preach, you leave, you come back, you preach. And while you are preaching, they are observing you. They want to compare your message with your lifestyle.” This team has spent decades building trust with Himba villages. When I asked Pastor Daniel if anyone else is working among the Himba people, he couldn’t think of anyone. After all, who would go? The Himba live in isolation and speak a language that is exclusive to their people. They are hesitant to receive outsiders, and any gospel presentation they receive must begin with an understanding of their local culture.
OCTOBER 2018
Bible Readings: This month the daily text will be taken from the Psalms. For those wanting to do the one-year Bible reading program these chapters are in brackets.
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PRAY FOR DICK AND DEE EASTMAN.
Dick is the International President of Every Home for Christ with a large responsibility for EHC ministries across the world. Psalm 1 (Jeremiah 21,34) PRAY FOR YOUR FAMILY Sons, daughters and grandchildren, plus others to come to Christ. Get a piece of paper and write down their names. Get their photos and pray every day for their salvation;eternity without Christ is a long time! Psalm 2 (Jeremiah 37-39, 52) PRAY FOR JACOB DAMKANI Pray for Jacob Damkani of Israel that he will recover soon after having life-threatening operations on his heart. He has been in a coma for 6 weeks and is losing weight and muscle tone. Psalm 3 (Jeremiah 40-44) INDONESIA Pop. 261,100,000 Map. 143 Pray for pastors in this country as they go home to home with EHC gospel literature. Pray that their ministry will be fruitful and many will come to Christ. Also pray for wisdom as they teach young believers how to go door to door in a hostile context. Psalm 4 (Lamentations 1-5) CREATIVE ACCESS Praise God! An EHC team was able to reach the most remote district in the country. They had to hike up and down mountains and sleep outside some of the time, but God gave them grace and strength, and many were reached with the Good News. Psalm 5 (2 Chronicles 36:9-21, Daniel 1-4) PHILIPPINES Pop. 103,300,000 Map. 169 Please pray for endurance and boldness for Every Home workers in the Philippines as well as for many more believers willing to take the Gospel to every island without fear. The harvest is plentiful, but more workers are needed to reach every home. Psalm 6 (Daniel 5-6) SWITZERLAND Pop. 8,400,000 Map. 62 An evangelism team went several times to Goms in Upper Valais and had very good ministry among the people of the village. One person accepted Jesus Christ. Pray for the grace of God to work in this whole region. Psalm 7 (Daniel 7-9)
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PRAY FOR ISRAEL ROMANS 11:28
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SOUTH AFRICA Pop. 56,000,000 Map. 1 Violence has been escalating for some time now. Roads are blocked by protestors, and shootings are taking place. Some EHC outreaches had to be cancelled because of this violence. Pray for peace so the preaching of the Gospel may continue. Psalm 8 (Daniel 10-12) ALBANIA Pop. 2,900,000 Map. 75 Praise God for helping Every Home workers share gospel literature with thousands of students, many of whom accepted Christ and are now going to church. Pray that this new generation will reach their families and cities with the Gospel. Psalm 9 (2 Chronicles 36:9-21, Psalm 137) CREATIVE ACCESS Please pray that God will use EHC gospel booklets to open hearts to accept Jesus Christ. Also pray for protection and wisdom for workers in this country as they try to reach every home. Psalm 10 (Ezekiel 1-3)
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POLAND Pop. 38,000,000 Map. 84 Praise God for a successful missions conference titled "Here I Am, Send Me" held recently in this country. It was a beautiful time, and many said they felt the Spirit of God there. Pray that many hearts will be set on fire for evangelism in Poland. 2 Chronicles 6:23-442 (Ezekiel 4-11) BOTSWANA Pop. 2,300,000 Map. 10 Every Home for Christ Botswana is hosting a leadership meeting and inviting leaders from all over the country. Pray that God will cause the hearts of those attending to come alive to the vision of Every Home for Christ. Psalm 12 (Ezekiel 12-17) KRYGYZSTAN Pop. 6,100,000 Map. 110 Pray for a schoolboy whose name cannot be mentioned. This boy and his mother are victims of serious abuse from his stepfather. Pray that Every Home workers will find ways to help him, and his family, and that the whole family will come to know Jesus. Psalm 13 (Ezekiel 18-20) SIERRA LEONE Pop. 7,400,000 Map. 44 Pray that love, unity and understanding will increase among believers in this nation so they can accomplish all that God has asked of them. Pray they will experience more signs and wonders so many will believe especially where anti-Christian strongholds exist. Psalm 14 (Ezekiel 21-24) CREATIVE ACCESS Please pray for brothers and sisters in Christ in this country. There is so much persecution right now. Government agents are checking homes, finding and seizing literature and trying to make believers in Christ convert to another religion. Please stand with them in prayer. Psalm 15 (Ezekiel 25-28)
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PAPUA NEW GUINEA Pop. 8,100,000 Map. 146 Please continue to pray for EHC workers who are reaching homes in the villages of Kimbe and Rabaul. pray for open doors and open hearts to receive the Gospel. Pray also for protection and provision and that God's Word will bear fruit. Psalm 16 (Ezekiel 29-32)
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MARTINIQUE Pop. 380,000 Map. 204 Praise God! In recent weeks, 23 people have responded positively to the message of the Gospel and asked to know more about Jesus. Pray that the follow-up work with the Be Fruitful and Multiply course will effectively train new believers. Psalm 17 (Ezekiel 33-35)
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BENIN Pop.11,500,000 Map.37 Please pray for a young lady named Koubourath. She has a great desire to follow Christ wholeheartedly but is afraid of what her parents will do to her. Pray for peace and perfect love to cast out all fear so she may follow Christ with all her heart. Psalm 18:1-25 (Ezekiel 36-39)
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FIJI Pop. 899,000 Map. 150 Praise God for the publication of 50,000 pieces of Chinese gospel literature funded by a donor in Singapore. Pray as Every Home workers embark on an outreach to the Chinese who live in Fiji, bringing the Gospel to every home. Psalm 18:26-50 (Ezekiel 40-42)
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HONDURAS Pop. 9,100,000 Map. 182 Please pray for an EHC team travelling to San Pedro Sula to share gospel literature. Pray for safe travels, but above all, pray that Christ will be exalted and that many will come into the Kingdom. Psalm 19 (Ezekiel 43 -48) SWAZILAND Pop. 1,400,000 Map. 3 Please keep Every Home workers in prayer as they conduct outreaches in this country. Also pray for open doors in every village and home and for many people to come to Christ. Psalm 20 (2 Chronicles 36:22, 23, Ezra 1:1 to 5:1) UNITED STATES Pop. 325,700,000 Map. 176. Please pray for an adult Sunday School class as they begin to go home to home in their community. Pray that the Lord will light a fire in their hearts for their neighbours and that they will witness the power of God to transform lives. Psalm 21 (Haggai 1-2) CREATIVE ACCESS M. has family members who are believers. After hearing the Gospel over a long peiod of time, she says she is on the verge of becoming a believer. Now she feels that she is under spiritual attack and wants deliverance. Pray she will give her life to Jesus and find peace. Psalm 22 (Zechariah 1-8)
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WRITE YOUR PRAYER REQUEST
and send it to us in the enclosed envelope and we will pray for you.
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CAMEROON Pop. 23,400,000 Map. 24 Pray for the return of peace in the northwest region of this nation. Terrorist activity has been very high. Recently an Every Home missionary there narrowly escaped death during a shooting. As a result, evangelism efforts have slowed. Pray for God to break in. Psalm 23 (Zechariah 9-11) LIBERIA Pop. 4,600,000 Map.42 Many young people in this country long for something outside of their traditional religion but struggle with fear. If they accept Christ, it is likely they will be ostracised by family and friends for life. Pray that they will know the worth of Christ so they will accept Him no matter the cost. Psalm 24 (Zechariah 12-14)
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SPAIN Pop. 46,600,000 Map. 60 Recently 180 people from 30 churches participated in an EHC outreach to share the Gospel with 60,000 families. They appreciate the prayer support that made this possible. Pray for those who responded to the message and are pursuing a relationship with God. Psalm 25 (Psalms 107, 126)
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CANADA Pop. 36,300,000 Map. 177 Pray for the Lord's blessng on Every Home for Christ's Finding the Hope campaign. Pray that there will be no lack of resources, that many across Canada will respond to the gospel message and that participating churches will experience profound spiritual renewal. Psalm 26 (Ezra 5:2 to 6:22)
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RWANDA Pop. 11,900,000 Map. 17 Thank God for His mercy during a recent prison outreach which resulted in 135 prisoners giving their lives to Christ. They were also baptised. Continue to pray that these inmates will grow in love for Jesus. Psalm 27 (Esther 1-2)
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MOZAMBIQUE Pop. 28,800,000 Map. 8 Every Home for Christ recently held a training session for a large group of leaders. Pray that what they learned will better equip them to share the Good News and that they will be encouraged and strengthened as they proclaim the Gospel in their villages and beyond. Psalm 28 (Esther 3-7) COTE D'IVOIRE Pop. 23,700,000 Map. 41 Please pray for open doors in the Guiglo district. Pray that the village chiefs where EHC workers are going will allow the pastor and his team to preach the Gospel home to home. Pray that many people will accept Christ in these villages. Psalm 29 (Esther 8-10) A 4-WHEEL DRIVE IS NEEDED A 4-wheel drive is needed for a Christian worker in Sydney to use for an indefinite period. Please pray and if you have one that is available please contact Every Home for Christ. Psalm 30 (Ezra 7-10)
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