Thursday, June 4, 2009

Commitments in mission

The 2000+ organisations here have collectively commited to establishing 118000 houses of 24/7 prayer, each unengaged people group has had several groups choose to adopt them. They are aiming for 2 million churchplants and 1 billion new christians.
If even half of these are followed through by 2020 every unengaged (no missionaries among them) mega-ethnicity will have people working among them to share the gospel.
Hilariously people who were unfortunate enough to book into the same hotels as conference attendees have had the gospel shared with them...one couple who had come on a romantic getaway, came to Christ, were invited to the night meetings, were last seen praying over the world map on thailand where the wife is from and now they've flown already to Thailand to share with their family.
I saw one of the chinese pastors with his bible out sharing with one of the waitresses at this convention centre...Ahh, what happens when you collect this many evangelists in one place.
When I first saw the goals that this conference had committed to, I must admit I was a little sceptical...but then I thought about the huge populations of India & China and how they are now sending missionariea and planting churches. When you look at the church of Acts and how rapidly the gospel spread from just a few with the Diaspora of the Jews, it doesn't seem so unlikely...because they were up against much worse odds.

How to give communion to 3000 people?







Church-planting

International Mission Board - church planting principles
India- Jay & team who have planted 5000 churches already.
Church- planting: how do you get into it?
Realise the huge need
Seek out mentors
Take retreats to seek out God and evaluate
Work in teams- find forefront regional leaders, agree on actions
Strategise
Customised Training
Partner with other churches & missions

How to accelerate church planting?
You can do more than you think -Eph 3:20

Then they asked how many churches you
think your team can plant before 2020.
Kenya-100
Mongolia- 15-45
South America- 1000 hopefully (obviously some teams are bigger than others)
The vietnamese pastors on the table I'm sitting at are debating accountability etc
I'm pretty sure here church does not mean building, it means small meeting.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Jackie Pullinger -setting captives free






Said that someone earlier asked her what's the secret to her anointing in work with addicts...there is no secret it's days of awfulness & beauty
Someone asked her for advice on what's the next step in their ministry to prostitutes after making friends... Jackie says it's telling them you will be around for the next 50 years. They need a friend who sticks around for all the times they fall. And for their fatherless child and family pressure.
She says many people hear testimonies that they became Christian and instantly were delivered... But then they expect that the same will happen for them but they may fall...and what they need to hear is that God will be there for you anyway.
Jesus' solutions were individualised when people came to him. People who come to work with addicts realise they're in the same
Process of transformation.
2 samuel 13- tamar- covering her shame
100% of addicts start cause of hurt & shame. Later on they have shame of what they've done because of addiction- manipulation etc to get drugs.
So if some fall & others don't...Don't be judgemental, you have no idea what went into their lives before.




Now we're hearing testimonies...this kid is now 19, he's been in jail, sold drugs, he started taking at 11. His probation officer gave him a choice of prison or God's family. Now he's been living with them for 2 years.





This guy was given the same choice...and as he went through withdrawals they prayed with him in tongues and as he prayed the symptoms of withdrawal alleviated. The ministry prays for 10 days straight in tongues over addicts going through withdrawals.
Drugs aren't the problem, they're a symptom of heart problems. Addicts need a family, not just counselling. Root problems come often from parental neglect, demonic worship & cults, generational sin. Deut 11:27-28, deut 18, exodus 20.
A lot of male addicts have problems with unhealthy maternal relationships and being neglected & unbonded with their Mum.
Drug abuse can be triggered off by some kind of stress.
When a male addict is going through withdrawal, its better to have women around cause they're not a challenge to fight.
Western kids are taught to sit around & express themselves. Eastern kids do not have the culture or languge to express themselves. But as Christians in worship they will.
The silk road is also the opium road, so if we're going to walk the silk road we'll meet addicts.
Solutions: admit you have a problem
and need help. Ask God for healing. Need a safe place - no razors, ciggarettes etc. Need minimum 3 people to help- one to sit within touching distance of the addict, one to answer the door etc, one to sleep and this goes on for min 10 days. If the addict tries excuses to get out, don't talk with the old self, just distract them. Then they are moved to live in a family style housing. Later if they fall, and they admit it, its good that they are being honest. Its if they lie then there's problems.
What about boundaries? Jackie says let God determine your boundaries...people said she would burn out & those who said it have left. Take time out if you can, but if someone needs help then do it.

The New Mennonite Fashion






New Fashion

They issued facemasks today...






Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Another lighted map


Chinese representatives are standing on a giant map of the silk road where there are unreached peoples and they've lit glo sticks starting at Hk and ending in Jerusalem. They're walking and praying over it.



Now I think the chinese have all gone to find their hometowns to pray over it.