Partners 301: Jesus-3, Church -1, Bella, Tech Tip

Jesus -3, Church -1: If Jesus is our model for Christian ministry, why do most Churches only follow Jesus in 1 of 3 things Jesus always did and taught His disciples to do in public ministry? Jesus came to earth to show humanity the love of the Father in words and deeds. What he did was just as important as what He said. By believing in those words or deeds, people could receive eternal salvation. "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. (John 14:11)"

In public ministry, Jesus did three main works. He was an itinerant preacher, healer and exorcist. He sent out his 12 and later his 70 followers to do the same three things: preach the Gospel of the Kingdom, heal the sick and cast out demons ( Matt 10:1, Luke 10: 8,9, 17-20).

The early Church in ACTS did the same three works of Jesus. Every convert to Christianity was taken through exorcism in the first 300 years of the Catholic Church ( the only Church then) prior to baptism. In the early Church Christians used public exorcism to win the lost by doing deliverance in the streets and then presenting the Gospel to the curious crowds who watched the person get set free from demons--just like Jesus did!

I appeal to pastors and other church leaders to do all three works of Jesus--not just preach the Gospel with words. People go to witchdoctors and cults because the see no supernatural power in our churches. Demonized people commit terrible crimes because they cannot find a church to set them free from evil spirits. People probably go to hell because they think Christianity is just another religion, another philosophy. They have never seen the other two works of Jesus that Jesus considered essential to His ministry and to that of His disciples. 1 out of 3 was not enough for Jesus. Why is it enough for the His leaders today?

Lastly, it may be a command to do all three--not just a suggestion. Jesus commanded his followers to do not only preach but to: “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy and drive out demons… Matt 10:8”

All those verbs are in the imperative mood in the original Greek manuscripts of the Gospels. They are commands. The Great Commission commands us to teach all that Jesus commanded His disci0ples: Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you….” Matt 28:18-19

List of Deliverance Resources: Click here.

Want to discuss deliverance more on a free conference call? email me at partners-editor@cox.net and we'll set up a date to do that.

Support Bella: http://www.bellathemovie.com/ The Mexican man who made this film and stars in it is a very committed Christian trying to change the image of Hispanic in movies from being either bandits or Latin lovers. He wants to portray Hispanic men as godly, responsible, loving husbands. Reuters News says, " “Bella," a romantic drama by Mexican director Alejandro Monteverde, was the surprise winner of the top award at the Toronto Film Festival on Saturday….. The prize is often an indicator of future Academy Award nominations, with past recipients including best picture winners “American Beauty” and “Chariots of Fire.” Churches can sponsor this movie into a local theater. We should.

How to Create and Use a Digital Signature to Sign a Word Doc.

Click on the title above to see the simple procedure.

Blessings,

Bob Fox

Partners 300: Buddhist Monastery in Kempsville; Key to Winning Muslims

Buddhist Monastery In Kempsville: the shadow of Kempsville Elementary and Kempsville High School, just behind the community baseball field on Kempsville Rd stands a platoon of 12 foot high statues to a pagan god. This statue, seen above, is about 20' long in a reclining position. This is a Buddhist Monastery, as the ad on the web says:
Community Yoga at Buddhist Monastery Maitreyi Castillo & Para Somma 541 Downey DR Virginia Beach VA 23462 ( 757-479-0418) communityyoga@yahoo.com The ad goes on to say:

"Enjoy eclectic hatha and ashtanga (Power) yoga classes of all levels on DONATION basis in the serenity of a beautiful Buddhist Monastery."
These are very nice people--people God loves dearly. I've met some of them. These are people Christians need to love in word and deed. But without knowing it, these people are defiling our land with pagan worship.

This is just one of several sites in Tidewater that need to be prayed over persistently to bind and break the demonic power that is emanating from there. Another Buddhist worship site is also in a VB neighborhood. That is no accident. The spiritual atmosphere changes around a spiritual facility. Buddhists want to influence kids and families to accept their beliefs. Placing their worship sites in such places is a strategic move to influence those around that site spiritually. In this case, it happens to be hundreds of children and youth.

Remember, these are wonderful people who just don't know any better. They need our love. But those centers need the persistent prayers of intercessors who will pray over those sites regularly to neutralize the plans of the pagan forces working though those sites. Churches of Kempsville---please do not ignore this situation. Only the Church has the power to deal with demonic strongholds like this. Please help protect our kids and the blessing of God on our land.


How Muslims Will Be Won to Jesus: Martydom

George Otis said in a large missions conference in Manila, the Philippines in the late 90's: we have not won Muslims in any numbers probably because we are afraid to die in the process. Now, after years of Islamic suicidal bombers, we know that Muslims are willing to die for their faith. How can they respect a religion whose followers will not?

Recently, a local mission’s director returned from a Muslim nation and told me of a Christian there who was former Muslim. That man told the missions director, " I will not back down before Muslims when I witness to them. If my house have to be my grave--then, so be it."

Lest we forget, Christianity was founded by a man who was killed for His faith. All His 12 disciples after His resurrection followed him in martyrdom, except John. In fact, the courageous, joyful deaths of thousands of Christians in the Roman Collesium convinced many people that Christianity has to be taken seriously. Those Christians had something--actually Someone!

Plans are now in motion in China to send100,000 Chinese believers are being prepared to travel back to Jerusalem, winning millions of Buddhist, Muslims and Hindu's along the way. The main leaders (nine "uncles") of the underground Chinese Church have agreed to mobilize millions of their members to pray, give and send out the 100,000. The leaders said that they know that their followers can win Muslims because they are they are not afraid to suffer and die. They said that decades of persecution by the communist Party has taught them how to suffer and die for Jesus.

Friends, the Communists in China have done God a favor: they have produced biblical Christians like their Savior. May God be as kind to America! How we need to learn what our Chinese brethren know: to die is gain. Jesus calls us to die with Him for others.

The Moravians knew this. They were the first protestant missionaries. Once, when a Moravian family was getting off a ship to go ashore to an island in the Pacific, the captain of the ship said the husband of the family who was disembarking, " Sir don't you know that the natives there will eat you? They are headhunters. They will kill your family. The father looked the captain square in the eye and said softly, "Sir, we have already died." ( Gal 2:20)

Pastor John Piper of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota preaches about all this as no other person I know can.

I dare you to read his sermon "You Will be Eaten by Cannibals! Lessons from the Life of John G. Paton" No one can digest that message and not comprehend the power of a life fully yielded to God to change a city or a nation. You can listen to it or read it at the link above.

May God make us all like John Paton--and his godly father.

Blessings

Bob Fox
Editor