CBN EUROPE
REAC H M
A G A
Z
I
Childlike Faith
N
E
Unhindered
AUGUST 2016
4
Adoption Parallels
8
14
Unhindered
10
Running for Their Lives
12
Protecting a Family
14
Childlike Faith
CBN EUROPE PO Box 700, Hereford, HR1 9EW, UK 0300 561 0700 / 0800 432 0700 (UK) 01 513 3738 (ROI) +44 207 101 7045 (Europe)
4 R E A C H is a free
magazine produced and distributed by CBN Europe to inspire, inform and strengthen your relationship with God. CBN Europe aims to partner with individuals, churches and organisations in order to share the message of hope in Jesus Christ, provide humanitarian relief and alleviate poverty. It is our vision to share the Gospel in a relevant way to all generations and see people walk in their true potential with God. Would you like to support our ministry? Visit cbneurope.com/donate or please contact us on the numbers provided.
Connect We would love to hear from you and pray for your needs! Send your prayer request by email: prayer@cbneurope.com www.cbneurope.com 700clubeurope CBNEurope CBN Europe CBN Europe
Free Apps Download the latest apps including CBN Radio, Superbook Kids Bible, The 700 Club, MyCBN and many more! Download at www.cbn.europe.com/apps
EDITORIAL |
Mark Dijkens | CBN Europe Director
REACHING THE CHILDREN As parents, we have the privilege and responsibility to look after our children in the best possible way – to provide for their physical needs, but also their emotional and spiritual needs. Parenting does not stop with feeding or dressing our children, and reminding them to tidy up their rooms. The real parenting starts when we begin to put God’s Kingdom values in their hearts, and train them up in the way they should go, so when they grow old, they do not depart from it . (Proverbs 22:6). God made us stewards of their hearts! As you are reading this, I invite you to think about the children in your world. You could be parents, grandparents, foster carers or adoptive parents. You might not have children of your own, but there are children in your world, in your community, who the Lord has placed in your life. I encourage you to pray for those children in your world, so that they will know the Father’s plan for their lives and will know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Here at CBN, we love to share Jesus with children through CBN’s Superbook ministry! Superbook is being translated in over 40 languages and is making a major impact in the lives of children around the world, teaching them about God’s truth and love. Did you know that we have just launched a brand new Superbook resource for primary schools? Visit www. superbookschools.org for more information, and share with the teachers you know! Thank you for your partnership with CBN, helping us to reach out to the children of this world! We could not do this without your prayers and support. May God bless you abundantly as you sow God’s Word and love into a new generation! R|03
| BLOOM
ADOPTION PARALLELS Terry Meeuwsen
R|04
BLOOM |
As many of you know, a couple of years ago, my husband and I felt led to pursue adopting three sisters from Ukraine. In fact, we learnt about the girls from a guest on The 700 Club. We weren’t long into the process when we began to realise that we were caught up in something much bigger and more complicated than we had ever imagined. Paperwork, waiting, preparations, financial commitments, road blocks! – And that’s just the physical stuff. Spiritually, we were being stretched and changed as we learned to trust God more deeply. We soon dubbed this unique experience – The God Adventure. We knew from the get-go that we were in over our heads and if God didn’t show up and guide us through it, we were doomed to failure. God did show up every inch of the way—and He’s still guiding us from day to day. He is faithful and trustworthy! As I’ve sat back and thought about all of this, God has used our adoption of the girls to show me some amazing parallels of His adopting us into His family. Before the girls even knew we existed, we were thinking about them and preparing for them to join us. We loved them before they were actually ours. We had to travel all the way to Ukraine to get them. And the adoption process was an expensive one. The Bible says God knew us when we were being formed in our mother’s womb. He loved us before we knew anything about Him. He has prepared a place for us and it is in Him. He is willing to go to great lengths to get us,
and He has paid a great price to make us His own. Part of the adoption process was giving the girls a new name. When we commit our lives to Jesus, we become Christians. As we live in Him and He lives in us, we begin to look more and more like Him. We are set free from our old identity and our past and we walk in newness of life. When we walked out of the orphanage, our girls smelt differently than we did. It was an institutional smell. We took them to our hotel and gave them all kinds of packages and gifts we’d bought for them. Shampoo, toothpaste, body lotion, perfume – we supplied everything they needed to be clean and beautiful. God does the same thing for us. When He first finds us, we usually smell like the world. He wraps us in His love, washes us in the blood of Jesus, fills our hearts and minds with His Word, and floods us with His Holy Spirit. We begin to smell and look like we belong to Him. Finally, we went to court and a judge declared our intention and desire to make the girls a legal, permanent part of our family. The judge’s finalisation and approval meant that our girls were now legal heirs to all that we possess. You know, it’s that way with God. When we become His children we inherit all that is His – and it’s forever. He doesn’t have favourites – it’s true for all of His children, and there is enough for everyone. R|05
| INSIDE CBN
CBN MEDIA CBN offers a variety of inspirational shows on TV and online. Find out where and when you can watch your favourite CBN programmes.
700 Club Interactive
Superbook
The 700 Club
Revelation TV (Sky channel 581 or Freesat 692) Monday to Thursday at 3pm.
UCB Player (Freeview channel 241). Check times at www.ucb.co.uk/player
TBN UK (Freeview channel 65 or Sky 582) Monday to Friday at 2pm.
TBN UK (Freeview channel 65 or Sky channel 582) Friday 4:30pm and Saturday 8:30am.
Revelation TV (Sky channel 581 or Freesat channel 692) Monday to Friday at 6pm and 11pm (with next day repeat at 8am).
Christian World News
CBN Live
Gospel Channel (Sky channel 580) Monday to Friday at 6pm. TBN UK (Freeview channel 65 or Sky channel 582) Monday to Friday at 1:30pm. Loveworld TV (Sky channel 588) Tuesday to Friday at 9am.
KICC TV (Sky channel 591) Monday at 3pm and Tuesday and Thursday at 10:30pm.
Facebook Live (facebook.com/CBNEurope) Friday afternoons.
Want to catch up with our shows? Watch missed shows and Live Stream at www.cbneurope.com/tv R|06
55
ITʼS OUR 55TH ANNIVERSARY THIS OCTOBER - A REASON TO CELEBRATE AND GIVE THANKS! JOIN US FOR THIS SPECIAL MINISTRY TIME ON SATURDAY 29TH OF OCTOBER IN LONDON (VENUE TO BE CONFIRMED).
YEARS OF CBN!
Programme:
CBN USA Guest speakers: global ministry updates Meet our CBN UK team Gizmo & the Superbook dance team Worship & Ministry time
Donʼt miss this opportunity to join us and meet other CBN partners. Families and children are welcome! To book your free ticket, visit www.cbneurope. com/55years or call us on 0300 561 0700 (UK) or +44 207 101 7045 (Europe). Tickets are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment. More details on venue and time will be provided in next monthʼs Reach magazine. We look forward to seeing you there!
CBN EUROPE
| DEVOTION
Charmaine Hibberd | CBN UK Prayer Centre
UNHINDERED
He Delights in our Company One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. But Jesus said, “let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left. Matthew 19 v 13-15 NLT Childlike faith is a term that is used in Christian circles a lot and is certainly one that I have heard many times, but what does it really mean to have faith like a child? I like to think that it means believing and trusting in God without fear or doubt, and I think there is validity in that belief, but I also think that there is so much more to the term. When Jesus was presented with children for him to lay hands on and pray to, he was indignant with his disciples that they should not stand in their way. Now, I imagine that Jesus was a pretty busy guy, and having little children running around your feet isn’t R|08
exactly conducive with getting a lot of work done! But Jesus stops everything he is doing for the children and ministers to them. His relationship with them was more important than his ‘work’. This tells me something about the Father’s heart for us as His children. Though He has the universe to hold together, He still makes time for us as individuals. We should come, unhindered to God and not expect to be turned away but know that He will always make time for us. I don’t know what your parental relationships have been like, but I do know that whatever they are like, they are not necessarily like the relationship Jesus wants to have with us. The love that the Father has for us far outweighs the human love that our parents may or may not have shown us. To that end, let us come unhindered to our God with faith and trust that He will never fail us or let us down, and that He delights in our company.
CBN STORIES |
BE HEALED! Ten year old Vidhi, loves playing with her grandfather. When he suddenly became ill, she was heartbroken. Vidhi’s grandfather was diagnosed with severe diabetes, which caused partial paralysis. The medication prescribed for him did not help. He had to give up his job as a gardener for the government, and could no longer provide for his family. So Vidhi’s mother got a job at a tailoring centre run by a local church. She found that the church also ran a youth group and thought Vidhi would enjoy it. Vidhi said, “When I went there, I learnt how to dance, sing songs, pray and read the Bible. They also showed us Superbook. One of the stories was about a man who was paralysed. Jesus told him, ‘Your sins are forgiven, get up.’ And immediately the man stood up! So I believed that if I prayed to Jesus, He would listen to my prayers and heal my grandfather.” Vidhi also asked the pastor for help. The pastor explained, “As a church, we began to pray for him. Then I talked to him and read him scriptures about God’s healing power.” Vidhi’s grandfather said, “Then he prayed for me. And all of a sudden, I started getting better.” “It wasn’t long until he got up and started walking,” said the pastor.
“I BELIEVED THAT IF I PRAYED TO JESUS, HE WOULD LISTEN TO MY PRAYERS AND HEAL MY GRANDFATHER.”
In less than a month, Vidhi’s grandfather felt so well that he went back to work. Both he and Vidhi have no doubt who healed him. Vidhi’s grandfather said, “I knew Jesus healed me after my granddaughter and the church prayed for me. So I asked Him to be my one, true God.” Vidhi said, “After my grandfather was healed, I prayed to Jesus to come into my heart. I wanted to live as His child from that day on.”
What is your story? Send your testimony to us: PO Box 700, Hereford, HR1 9EW, UK or email us at testimony@700club.tv R|09
| GLOBAL IMPACT
RUNNING FOR THEIR LIVES Bringing Hope to Syrian Refugees
Before leaving Syria, Hassan and his family lived a comfortable life in a big house on their own farm. Today, the entire family lives in one small tent in Turkey and they’re struggling to survive. “Our home was destroyed in the war,” says Hassan. “We had to run for our lives. We came here to escape the fighting and look for work.” Finding everyday necessities such as water is hard enough. But while we delivered food to the camp, Hassan told us the kids and all the families were terrified of snakes crawling into their tents after dark. We also found R|10
out he’s severely diabetic and was running low on insulin. “I’m very sick, but I have to work to feed my family,” says Hassan. “I work in the fields until I am about to pass out, then eat a sugar cube.” Hassan showed us his family’s tent and his dwindling supply of insulin. “I’m so worried about what my family would do without me that I can’t sleep at night,” says Hassan. “Sometimes, I have panic attacks and can’t control my breathing.” Two days later, CBN went back to the
GLOBAL IMPACT |
camp with a fresh supply of insulin for Hassan and a few surprises for all the familiy. We got a water tank and hooked up a hose for the camp. We also ran electricity to every tent, and set up lights. “Now that we have lights, we won’t have to be afraid of snakes anymore,” says Hassan. CBN brought food, water, medicine, and electricity to this little refugee camp, and Rahman, our local missionary, spoke with everyone about Jesus Christ. Here in Turkey, CBN is reaching out to those most in need, sharing the love of Christ and bringing hope for a better future. “Thank you so much for the insulin. With the help you brought to us, we can rest at ease for a while. We’ve been running from the war for a long time; you are the first people who have helped us,” says Hassan.
“YOU ARE THE FIRST PEOPLE WHO HAVE HELPED US!”
Thank you CBN Partners! CBN partners are making a difference in the lives of hurting people throughout the world. To help us further visit www.cbneurope.com/donate or call 0300 561 0700 (UK). R|11
| GLOBAL IMPACT
Lleci was terrified that she and her son might get rabies.
PROTECTING A FAMILY A House Safe from Rats
It was 3 am when 5 year old Segundo cried and woke up his mother and little brother. Lleci could tell by the cries of her son that he was hurt and afraid. Then she saw the blood. “A rat was biting my ear,” remembers Segundo. Lleci’s instincts took over and she reached down to grab the rat to get it away from Segundo and his 3 year old brother. “When I tried to grab it, it bit me on my hand!” exclaimed Lleci. She was terrified that she and her son might get rabies. But at that time, there was no place to go for treatment, and her husband was out of town working as a fisherman. Lleci waited and prayed. The next morning, she took Segundo to his pre-school which is run by R|12
Operation Blessing. One of the staff there took Lleci and her son to the hospital immediately. Segundo’s bites were superficial, and there was no risk of rabies. Lleci’s case, however, was far more serious. “The doctor told me I should be very careful because a rat bite is poisonous; many patients die from it,” says Lleci So we gave Lleci antibiotics for the infection, and paid for a series of rabies shots. After treating their bites, we went to visit their home. Operation Blessing built the family a new house and we took the extra precaution of sealing any holes or cracks in the floor, walls, and roof so no more rats would be able to get in. “I am very happy because my children have a safe house to live in,” says Lleci.
GLOBAL IMPACT |
THROUGH YOUR SUPPORT: #India The Prayer Centre received over 12,300 calls, emails, and letters. In addition, 54 bore wells were drilled and dedicated, benefiting roughly 15,200 people.
#Ukraine Olga remembers the day she was told that her son was deaf: “I was seized with despair. The doctors said it was hopeless.” Sasha could not attend school, so Olga taught him to read at home. The situation got worse when Olga’s husband abandoned them. Olga remembers the day she was finally able to take her son for a free hearing test. With help from some hearing aids, Sasha heard for the first time in his life. But then, the doctor told them they would have to pay for the hearing aids. The cost of even one device was out of reach. Then Olga learned about CBN’s Orphans’ Promise. We took Sasha and his mum back to the clinic and they watched as the doctors fitted him with a new set of hearing aids. Olga says, “For me it is a real miracle! Now I want to stop everything else and just feel each sound with him. I want to restore what was lost.”
#South America
Jair was terriffied as he saw his brother Eduardo collapse. “I thought he was dying,” Jair said. “I was so scared, I started to cry.” Eduardo had fainted from hunger. In fact, the boys only ate one sandwich a day at school. When their mother Leyla was laid off from the factory, times got even harder. She begged a neighbour to hire her for household chores. In desperation, she cried out to God. And then, Operation Blessing helped Leyla to start a business. She and her mother make the goods, and the boys sell them— using a new bike that we provided! R|13
| FEATURED
CHILDLIKE FAITH Jordan Snowzell| CBN UK Prayer Centre I remember my teacher in Sunday School saying that nothing was impossible, that if I just had faith the size of a mustard seed I could do anything. So, at the end of church I climbed up onto the stage, ran as fast as I could then jumped off in an attempt to fly. I remember imagining myself flying around the church hall, but as you can imagine, gravity showed me who was boss and pulled me to the floor. I took the sunday school teacher very literally and maybe I missed the point, but I certainly didn’t miss the faith. R|14
FEATURED |
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew 18:3
I had amazing faith as a child, I believed I could do anything, I had no doubts, no fear of failing, but as I grew up, as the years went by that amazing faith began to fade and now in my adulthood I struggle to have enough faith to pay that unexpected tax bill let alone walk on water. I am certain that you can relate to this too. We have all lost that simple faith that we had as a child, we have all lost that incredible ability to believe that
anything really is possible. As we go through life, as we get older, as we see and experience more we tend to trade our faith for cynicism, we let doubt swallow our fearless nature and we find ourselves using the word “impossible” way too often. We live in a society where adults are on a mission to stamp out silly childish ways. We put children in uniforms and tell them that the sooner they can get a career and a mortgage the better. R|15
| FEATURED
Children are fearless. Doubt doesn’t even cross their minds.
We adults are always teaching children to grow up. But maybe it should be the other way around. Maybe we should be the ones sat behind a desk while children teach us adults. Maybe we should be the ones learning how to do away with our silly adult ways.
“IN ORDER TO RECEIVE SALVATION WE NEED TO BE AS HUMBLE AND AS FAITH-FILLED AS CHILDREN.” I think Jesus had a similar idea. In Matthew 18:3 Jesus says “Truly I tell R|16
you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” Wow. That’s a pretty huge statement! Now I’m pretty sure Jesus didn’t mean pick your nose and play with lego and you can come on in. I think what he meant was, in order to receive salvation we need to be as humble and as faith-filled as children. We need to be humble enough to admit that we are a mess and need help to believe that Jesus can and will come into our lives. But, I do believe there is more to this idea of becoming like children. In the Lord’s prayer it says “Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We need to become like children not to just enter into the Kingdom of Heaven
FEATURED |
when we die, but to enter into God’s Kingdom here on earth today. To see his plans and will be done in our lives right now. So what are some of the things we can leran from children? The obvious one is faith. Children have this outstanding ability to believe that anything really is possible, that they can walk on water, that miracles really can happen. Another is trust. Children don’t struggle to open up and trust, they aren’t cynical and paranoid. If their father says something, they believe it and follow it. Children are dependant, they need help on a daily basis. They don’t rely on their own strength, they are always asking for help admitting that they can’t do it alone.
admit that we’re wrong and change. We would be fearless enough to share the gospel with anyone and everyone! When we change to become more like children, we will see the world around us change, we will see the Kingdom of heaven come to earth.
“IMAGINE IF WE AS CHRISTIANS ADOPTED JUST SOME OF THESE CHILDLIKE PERSPECTIVES AND ATTITUDES.”
Children are humble. They don’t care about their reputation, there’s no pride to hold them back. Children are fearless. They jump off things and believe someone will catch them. Doubt doesn’t even cross their minds. Imagine if we as Christians adopted just some of these childlike perspectives and attitudes. We would have enough faith to pray audacious prayers and see miracles happen. We would have more trust in God and his Word, we would go when he says go. We would be more dependent on our Father, we would ask him for help and guidance 24/7. We would be humble enough to
Children have something so precious, so beautiful and so important that we ourselves need. Let yourself be challenged by the children in your world, let their big hearts, wild thinking and outrageous imagination inspire you to follow Jesus more than ever before.
R|17
| CHILDREN
#Summer with Superbook We want you to have fun with Superbook this summer, so we have prepared these four pages of our magazine for you to play and learn. Let’s start making some homemade orange pink lemonade ice lollies! Gather the family for some fun in the kitchen and create this simple recipe: WHAT YOU NEED: Small Paper Cups or Ice Lolly Mould Wooden Ice Lolly Sticks Orange Flavoured Drink Pink Lemonade WHAT TO DO: Pour a layer of your orange drink into the bottom of a Dixie cup or your ice lolly mould. You will use one cup for each ice lolly. Put in the freezer for about 30 minutes, until the layer has started to freeze, but isn’t quite solid. Remove from the freezer and insert wooden ice lolly sticks. Return to the freezer and freeze until layer is solid. Add a layer of pink lemonade drink. Put in the freezer for about 30 minutes, until the layer has started to freeze. Add in some orange drink and allow to sit for a minute so that it can mix together. Return to the freezer and freeze until solid. Add a final layer of pink lemonade and freeze until solid. Serve immediately!
R|18
CHILDREN |
PRIZE COMPETITION! Creation Fest Join Gizmo and our UK Superbook Team at Creation Fest, a Christian Music Festival and Bible Week held at the Royal Cornwall Events Centre in Wadebridge, Cornwall, from the 6-12 August 2016. Admission is free and there is something for the whole family - daily kids holiday club, youth programmes, outdoor activities, sports programme and cafés. Visit creationfest.org.uk to book your place.
Superbook transports Chris, Joy and Gizmo to the days of the Last Supper and Resurrection in Peter’s Denial. Where would you like Superbook to transport you? The three most creative answers will get a Superbook figurine!
MY SUPER CREATIVE ANSWER:
Cut out this section of the magazine and send your answer together with your name and address to PO Box 700, Hereford, HR1 9EW. R|19
| CHILDREN
WHY DO CHRISTIANS TAKE COMMUNION?
COLOURING SHEET
Human beings are often forgetful. They forget the good things they do for one another – and they sometimes forget the good things God has done for them. By using the bread and wine, Jesus gave us something to help us remember His sacrificial death. Remember God’s love and Jesus’ sacrifice as often as you can.
CHILDREN |
CROSSWORD PUZZLE Superbook Bible App
Do you know the titles of the episodes of Superbook? Try to remember as many as you can and also share the stories of each episode with your parents and friends!
This Free Bible App for kids is a media rich experience that helps bring the Bible to life with videos and images from the Emmy nominated Superbook animation series as well as engaging interactive games. Now featuring full length, free episodes from the Emmy nominated Superbook. Available for Ipads, Iphones, Kindles and more. To find out more visit www.superbook.tv
Answers: 1) Creation; 2) Moses; 3) Jesus; 4) Saul; 5) Exodus; 6) Stolen; 7) Birth; 8) Abraham; 9) Lions; 10) Final; 11) Resurrection; 12) Last; 13) David.
R|21
| PRAYER CENTRE
IN YOUR FATHERʼS EYES Let’s look at how the Lord sees us, the design in which the Scripture declares He made us. Fearfully and wonderfully means it is pleasing, remarkable, and glorious to the Lord of all. There is no debate; every human life has value and purpose. Today, or any other day, when thoughts of worthlessness or loneliness bombard you—if you are wondering why you are on this earth—think about Psalm 139:1314. You are unique and on this earth because God wants to be with you, and be involved in every area of your life. Together let’s praise Him. We are fearfully and wonderfully made, and nothing can change that. Do you need prayer? Call us on 0300 561 0700 (UK), 1 513 3738 (ROI) or +44 207 101 7045 (Europe). You can also send an email to prayer@cbneurope.com or visit www.cbneurope.com/prayer
“FOR YOU CREATED MY INMOST BEING; YOU KNIT ME TOGETHER IN MY MOTHERʼS WOMB. I WILL PRAISE YOU BECAUSE I AM FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE; YOUR WORKS ARE WONDERFUL. I KNOW THAT FULL WELL.” Psalm 139:13-14 R|22
WE RECOMMEND
Parenting Articles God cares about every aspect of our lives including how we love, interact and educate our children. On the Desiring God website you will find different articles that will help you to reflect what the Bible says about parenting. To read the articles, visit www.desiringgod.com
Adoption In the book The God Adventure, Terry Meeuwsen, co-host of The 700 Club, issues a challenge to believers everywhere to exchange their safe, status quo existence for the eternal impact of a lifelong God adventure. This book was born out of an unexpected detour late in Meeuwsen’s life that led her and her husband to adopt three sisters from the Ukraine. To purchase this visit www.cbneurope.com/ resources.
Come Alive Ideal for kids and families, the album Come Alive from Bethel is aimed at cultivating in the next generation the greatness they possess as children of God. The inseparable connection they have to Jesus, and the truth that they are powerful vessels of worship. With friends or family, Bethel Music Kids’ Come Alive will move your heart and move your feet. Visit www.bethelmusickids. com.
Want Christian resources? On our website you can read blog posts, devotions and factsheets. Visit www.cbneurope.com R|23
Become a world changer.
www.cbneurope.com/donate