German Youth Awakened to Christ | 310 | Report 2

Four years ago a grassroots mission movement was ignited among young people in Germany under the name ‘No Limit’. Since then 6,000 Christians have been mobilised to reach out to non-believers and 3,500 new people started following Jesus. A leader explains: “Everywhere we went the Gospel was preached, we met people at McDonalds; in the subway and even under the shower in public swimming pools. We reached every kind of person from the homeless to the very rich, from the engineer to the waitress; even murderers; criminals and prostitutes repented and turned to the Lord: Participants of the tour experienced how God healed people through their prayers on the street. A 15 year old girl prayed with a blind man and God opened his eyes; a young teenager prayed with a paralyzed man who was completely healed; a team prayed in a hospital for a woman battling cancer – a short time later the Physician declared her completely healed!”

Source:Prayer Alert; No Limit – Summer2Go

BIBLE STUDY: Psalm 81:6-10

PRAISE: God that these young Christians are seeing God work in power to save and to heal. Pray that this move of His Spirit will cover every European nation.

Congo: Christ for Future Generations | 309 | Report 23

Two years ago Bill Vinton and a team of nine pastors and educators began to concentrate on the evangelisation of the students in the elementary and secondary schools administered by the Grace Churches in Congo; they prayed earnestly for God to bring 1,000 children to faith. The number seemed out of reach though still possible through prayer. Yet last year alone, over 3,000 students received Christ.

Vinton says, “I’ve never seen such openness. The door is open now, and we want to make sure we enter in and do as much as possible during this time.” Grace Ministries International (GMI) is doing all it can to strengthen these new lives in Christ. “The first response that people make is not really the most important; it’s what you do with that response in follow up,” notes Vinton. Bill Vinton has created several small follow-up booklets. GMI has printed about 15,000 copies, and teachers are being trained to use these materials as well.

Vinton believes this generation is bridging a gap in Congo. “We do have a lot of Christians who are the older generation, and I think there’s been a gap,” says Vinton. “We’re very much interested in making sure we have literature in their hands and actually have mentoring and one-on-one discipleship, because we believe this really is going to be the future way for the church.” This ministry is growing and developing in ways GMI never could have imagined. Vinton says the most vital need right now is prayer for the nine leaders who often travel hundreds of miles to reach various schools.

Source: Mission Network News

BIBLE STUDY: Galatians 3:13-14

PRAISE: God for such openness among these children. Pray that they may grow to maturity as leaders for the future. Pray for their mentors.

A Challenge to Extreme Mission | 309 | Report 19

The 10th Ibero-American Area Wesleyan Missions Conference and the 2nd Ibero-America Wesleyan Fellowship, took place last October, with representatives from thirteen countries gathering in the heart of Medellin, Colombia, a city of 3.5 million people, to hear the call to Extreme Missions, the theme of the Conference.

JIBACAM, the Ibero-American Wesleyan Mission Board, in corporation with Global Partners and the Atlantic District, has been partnering with Cuba since January 2010 and it was especially moving to hear a superintendent from Cuba share about evangelism and growth of The Wesleyan Church in his country. The closing night of the week-long celebration was marked by colourful cultural presentations and music. Rev. Juan de la Cruz Piñeros, pastor of the Bogota North Church, the second largest Wesleyan church in the world, called on the 400 people present to make an “Extreme Impact” on the world by God´s Grace.

Hearts were awakened. Many people of all ages went forward to commit themselves to God’s calling on their lives. A young lady from Costa Rica plans to give one year of service in China. The conference went on record to explore opening ministry of The Wesleyan Church in Bolivia in 2012, and help revitalise ministry in Venezuela. God moved in a mighty way to bring missional focus to the movement.

Source: Global Partners; Wesleyan Life

BIBLE STUDY: Matthew 19:28-30

PRAISE: God that the challenge to mission saw such great response. Pray that the Ibero-American nations may become a mission force to the world.

Success for London Street Preachers | 308 | Report 30

The Tell-a-Tourist outreach campaign in London ran from 25th to 30th July. Painting on sketch boards accompanied by brief evangelistic messages is an approach that not only attracts crowds but is also especially helpful for those for whom English is not their mother tongue. One of the team members had this experience: “There was one young woman from Pakistan, who has a Muslim mother but also a sister who came to faith eight years ago, who showed a lot of interest,
especially in the Bible. I suggested she go to a local church in the area that Sunday. The following Monday the minister rang me to say that not only had she come to the morning service, but that evening she brought three other ladies whom she’d seen standing outside a church which was not open, and invited them to go with her to the evening service!”

Source: Christian Today

BIBLE STUDY: Acts 17:16-34

PRAISE: God that lives are touched through open air evangelism. Pray for more evangelists.

Youth Show the Way in Tokio Church | 308 | Report 4

Pastor Nabarrete, of Grace Tokio Church talks about the challenge of reaching the Japanese with the Gospel: “One of the things we have is a lot of joy and a lot of laughter,” he told CBN News. “I think that’s one quality that God wants to bring to this nation. There is the reality of joy in serving God. And we also let the young people step up, do preaching. They love it they go out of their way to spread God’s love, singing Gospel songs on the street, and let God move and touch people’s lives. Someone stands near; we talk to them and invite them to church.” Businessman Yuto Matsumoto shares his faith with colleagues at work and highlights the Japanese mindset: “It’s very tough because the Japanese businessman is taught to believe in his power, or in himself,” he said.

Source: CBN News

BIBLE STUDY: Isaiah 55:9-12

PRAISE: God for the young people’s witness. Pray that the Japanese mindset may be broken by God.

Opportunities to Reach China’s Miao | 307 | Report 22

During the early 1980s China became more open to missionaries. Returning missionaries found that Miao people groups that had eagerly responded to the Gospel prior to the 1949 Communist takeover still had strong churches. However, little had been done to reach out to the Miao people groups that were unreached in 1949. Today there are opportunities for sharing the message of salvation with the Miao.

There is a hunger for education among the Miao. The Chinese government has made only minor efforts to build schools in Miao towns and villages. Despite talk about racial equality, discrimination still exists in China. There is an open door for Christian teachers to start schools that teach both basic skills and the message of salvation.

Reaching out to the Miao peoples will be a daunting task. The Miao dialects belong to at least eight different language families that are very difficult to learn. Many of these languages do not even have a single Scripture portion. But Miao Christians are eager to learn the Scriptures.

Source: Global Prayer Digest; Revival Media

BIBLE STUDY: Acts 13:47-49

PRAISE: God for Gospel openings in remotest China. Pray for Scripture teachers and translators.

Marseille Awakening to the Gospel | 307 | Report 20

As we go to press, God is breaking through in France! Day One of the Luis Palau Festival in Marseille (30 June to 2 July) began with a flash mob presence of the Salem Baptist Gospel Choir in downtown Marseille. On the Prado Beach the Gospel was openly proclaimed in a country that hasn’t seen revival for 500 years. There were dozens of first-time decisions for Christ… it was an historic day in this city of 1 million of which 400 thousand are Muslim immigrants!

Source: Luis Palau Association; Revival Media

BIBLE STUDY: Luke 15:11-32

PRAISE: God that this “starving” nation has been open to the Gospel of salvation. Pray for revival.

Jesus is Proclaimed in the Mosque | 307 | Report 16

In these uncertain times across the Muslim world, God is working in wonderful ways. Abdul, an imam who teaches Islam, is a follower of Jesus.

Not only is his conversion a miracle, but after his conversion Abdul kept his faith a secret, allowing him to remain an imam and preach in the local mosque. So when it is his turn to preach he tells how the Koran speaks of Jesus and that there is no one like Him. He shares how the Koran speaks of Jesus being holy, compassionate, a miracle-worker, and the person who went to heaven and will come back again one day. This makes Jesus unique and special even in Islam. Friends are now asking questions about Jesus as they get to know Him through Abdul. Even other imams are seeking to know more about Jesus!

Once, Abdul was asked jokingly, ‘Are you sure you aren’t a Christian?’ Abdul simply replied, ‘I just love Jesus!’

Source:Prayer Alert

BIBLE STUDY: Mark 9:38-41

PRAISE: God that Muslims are excited about Jesus. Pray that many more may know Him and His power to save and make them part of the family of God. Pray that there may be an awakening in Islamic lands.

Vietnam Allows Large Christian Rally | 306 | Report 21

Evangelist Luis Palau spoke to an estimated 16,000 people in Ho Chi Minh City April 9-10, with as many as 5,000 making a commitment to Christ. Palau credited Vietnamese pastors for organizing the historic event. This could signal a new openness for the church in a country long criticized for persecuting believers.
“It’s very touching to see their humility… and confidence in the Lord,” he said. “And they speak with those who they have to talk to in leadership with humble authority,” he said. “This is very impressive.” “They don’t give up. They are persistent. They are consistent,” Palau continued. “And they insist on doing what the Lord has told them to do. And they’re willing to pay any price if that happens. The Christian community here is so passionate, so patriotic, so optimistic, and so excited for the future of the nation. It is thrilling to see.”
The festival to mark the nation’s 100-year celebration of the Protestant church in Vietnam almost didn’t take place. Palau’s team was granted permission to hold the festival in Ho Chi Minh’s Thanh Long Stadium a mere three hours before it was scheduled to start. The rally was the first time since 1975 that a global Christian leader was allowed to share the Gospel to such a massive Vietnamese audience. However, what was possible in the country’s more Christian South, proved impossible in the communist northern stronghold of Hanoi. Government officials repeatedly blocked organizers from staging an event as planned. Palau says he hopes to return to Vietnam this summer. He’s likely to try again in Hanoi.

Source: CBN News; Compass Direct

BIBLE STUDY: 1 Corinthians 1:18-24

PRAISE: God that Christians are experiencing greater freedom in some parts of Vietnam. Pray that suffering may continue to be the seed of growth.

Bolivia: A Whole Village in Tears | 306 | Report 4

A group of Pioneers missionaries recently travelled to a remote village in Bolivia to share the Gospel. The team hoped to show the JESUS film to the community. The only problem was the team discovered only seven homes in the area. However, the group was in for a surprise. As the evening began, at least 60 people arrived to watch the film.
When the movie was over, a missionary preached the message of salvation, and made the call to surrender to Christ. Many of the people started to weep. A total of 40 people (24 adults and 16 youths) fell on their knees, many in tears. The question heard between their tears was: “Why hasn’t anyone come and told us this before?”

Source: Mission Network News; Joel News International

BIBLE STUDY: Acts 8:4-8

PRAY: That the Holy Spirit would shape and grow the community in faithfulness to Christ, and that they would in turn be able to share the message with many other remote Bolivian communities.

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