| "Helping You Equip Others" |
|
 | Pneuma Foundation | ||
 | |||
| Pneuma Review | ||
| | |||
| Pneuma Informer | ||
| | |||
| Buy Resources | ||
| | |||
| Articles | ||
| | |||
| Online Resources | ||
| | |||
| Member Services | ||
| | |||
| April 2002 edition of the Pneuma Informer |  |
The April 2002 Pneuma InformerIn this issue:
What's New at www.PneumaFoundation.org* Numerous Links added to On-line Study Resources, Members and Friends, and On-line Articles and Books. Look at all of the latest links or suggest your URL on the Links page.* The Praying in the Spirit series by Robert Graves is now available on-line. As appearing in the Pneuma Review. Added April 12, 2002 * On-line article by Raul Mock "Being Watchful: E-Mail Hoaxes and Scams" Some practical advice about living for Jesus today. Added April 23, 2002 * Articles on Prayer:
Have a website you would like linked to the Pneuma Foundation? Write Webmaster Dave Driggs with your suggestion. Or use the on-line form to submit your suggestion: Suggestion. Reports from Around the World India: Is a Missionary Graveyard Becoming a Vineyard? Many Christian conferences in India are not simply conferences; they are multi-day festivals, so-called 'conventions.' The Swiss missions agency 'Inter-Mission' reported of such a convention held recently in Sikkeria, Bihar state, by the GEMS mission agency, with an attendance of some 10,000. Despite the large numbers, everything was orderly and peaceful. Even the insects showed their respect: swarms of poisonous insects are often attracted by large crowds, but the convention had no such problems - the insects concentrated on a town 4 miles away. 'Hundreds of women from illiterate tribes wept with joy when they heard the Gospel, and many were freed from demonic possession,' according to the report. Many were healed of various sicknesses, and thousands proclaimed their readiness to serve God. Five evangelist couples were married during the conference. 456 of the attendees decided to follow Jesus, and were baptized in the nearby river, with thousands of witnesses. Bihar State was long known as "the missionaries' graveyard" - many initiatives were started, and many died. 'Today,' writes the mission agency, 'God changed the graveyard into a blossoming vineyard.' Source: : GEMS/Inter-Mission, Heiner Henny inter [at] datanetworks.ch by way of Friday Fax 2002 Issue 14 Nigerian Christians' 'Prophetic Mandate' Impacts World What has been described as a book of Acts-like move of God is sweeping Nigeria - and spreading overseas. Huge crowds and reported healings are commonplace in the West African nation, while some of the largest churches elsewhere in the world are pastored by expatriates. The world's largest church building - seating some 50,000 - is located 30 miles west of the capital, Lagos, and stadium-sized sanctuaries are springing up around the country. German evangelist Reinhard Bonnke attracts upwards of 1 million when he holds open-air crusades. The Redeemed Church of God's annual Holy Ghost Congress is the largest Christian gathering on earth - last year's three-day event drew between 2 million and 4 million attendees. "There is a prophetic mandate on Nigerian Christians,' says Matthew Ashimolowo, a former Muslim who now leads the largest church in England, Kingsway International Christian Centre in east London. "God has given us a word that our ministers will go out and shake the world." Ukraine's largest congregation, the 15,000-member Word of Faith Bible Church in Kiev, was founded by Sunday Adelaja, a Nigerian student. Nigerians also pastor the largest churches in Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Zimbabwe and Jamaica. The Nigerian growth continues despite fierce opposition from Islam. Several Muslim-controlled states in the country have introduced strict Islamic law, and scores of churches have been burned down. "Whatever it is about Nigeria, it must be special because the devil fights it," says Ashimolowo. Yet missiologists say that the country is now 45 percent Christian. "God has visited us in the same way He did in the book of Acts," says Enoch Adeboye, general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, the country's largest and fastest-growing denomination. Founded 50 years ago, it had only a few dozen churches in 1980 - but since then has exploded to 5,000 congregations and an estimated 3 million adherents. Many leaders point to 1998 as the turning point - the year when Muslim dictator Sani Abacha died, to be succeeded the following year in a free election by Olusegun Obasanjo, a born-again military leader. "The amount of prayer going up for Nigeria was unprecedented," says Yemi Osinbajo, a Pentecostal who is attorney general in Lagos state. Christians across the denominations have embraced a theology that leaves room for miracles, speaking in tongues and noisy worship. But a growing number of young leaders are concerned that the revival is fraught with problems. They say that most Pentecostal churches are mired in legalism. Many pastors, they say, have adopted an American model of "celebrity Christianity," which has been eagerly embraced by a patriarchal African culture that struggles with hero worship. And they are concerned that a version of the "prosperity gospel" message has been welcomed by preachers using it to enrich themselves. Such issues invite heresy, spiritual abuse and a faith that is too irrelevant to address complex social issues such as social justice, AIDS and hunger. "If revival stops with jumping and clapping and speaking in tongues, then we have wasted the grace of God," says David Oyedepo, founder of Winner's Chapel. "This move of God is not to redecorate the church. It is to redecorate the world." Source: Charisma News Service (Apr 15, 2002, 4:32). By J. Lee Grady. Used by permission. Denmark: a growing number of Muslims are being baptized "In Denmark, a growing number of Muslims have converted to Christianity in the last few years," reports Idea, an evangelical news service. Free churches in particular report of a stream of Muslims wanting to be baptized; in Odense, almost 50 Muslims have joined one Pentecostal church in the last three years alone, according to a local newspaper report. Other churches report similar numbers, and John's Church, part of the Danish State Church in Copenhagen, has baptized 25 ex-Muslims in the same period. According to the newspaper report, the new believers are predominantly Iranians and Iraqi Kurds who have been in Denmark for several years. Leif Munksgaard, leader of the State Church's Centre for Intercultural Cooperation, says "They left a totalitarian state, and came to Denmark, where they encountered Christianity and were attracted by the good news about Jesus - that's normal!" Source: Idea, www.idea.de by way of Friday Fax 2002 Issue 15 Thoughts to Ponder "To believe that the Lord God omnipotent reigns and redeems is the end of all possible panic, moral, intellectual or spiritual. ... For a person to believe in the redemption means that no crime nor terror nor anguish can discourage him, no matter where he is placed. God is not saving the world; it is done, our business is to get men and women to realize it, and we cannot do it unless we realize it ourselves." — Oswald Chambers from Highest Good Excerpts from the Spring 2002 (Vol 5, No 2) issue of the Pneuma ReviewThe Pneuma Review is a quarterly printed journal of ministry resources and theology for Pentecostal and charismatic ministries and leaders.From "Secret Codes in Matthew: Examining Israel's Messiah" by Kevin Williams. Part 5: Matthew 5:13-20. "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches [them,] he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses [that] of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:17-20).This is often a troubling passage for many New Testament believers. We have heard through much of our lives that the Law - the Torah - has been abrogated by Christ and we are under no obligation to keep its lists of sundry rules. Let us examine what we know so far from the book of Matthew. 1) It is a testimony to the Jewish people of the Jewish Messiah. 2) It is, in many ways, Yeshua's own testimony of his rightful claim as the Messiah - God made flesh. 3) The Hebrew people, while sometimes blind, had seen some spiritual insights during the inter-testimonial period. Therefore, this passage, Matthew 5:17-20, ought to support these suppositions. As the role of the synagogues, the Pharisees, and the Scribes increased, they laid down expectations of what the Messiah would do. There were many points of Torah which were difficult to understand, the Red Heifer (Numbers 19) for example. How could this mysterious sacrifice purify on the one hand, while on the other hand, cause a person to become unclean? These were instructions from the Most High God that could be carried out to the letter, but were too mysterious for mortal man to understand. It was believed that when the Messiah came, His primary role would be as teacher. He would come and explain all the finer points of Torah so that everyone could understand them better, and could apply them more appropriately. It is regretful that the word Torah has come to mean Law with a capital 'L.' It literally means 'instructions' or 'teachings.' The Torah commandments, all 613 of them, were God's teachings on how to live as God's redeemed community. Yet the people did not understand all of these teachings and needed divine help. They could apply the strict letter of the law, but without the spirit, what good was it? They believed - and continue to believe - that the Messiah is that teacher. One way we might be able to better appreciate Torah, is to listen to what Yeshua says. It is very common in modern seminaries and congregations to hear, 'Jesus fulfilled the Law so we don't have to anymore.' The phrase, 'We are freed from the Law' is all too common, often leaving individuals to have to define obedience on their own. This is a demonstration of how far the predominantly Gentile church has drifted from its Hebraic roots. Yeshua was using was an idiom from the synagogue and yeshiva (academy) still common today. When a person stood in the congregation - whether a rabbi, a disciple, or a lay person - to give his interpretation on what a passage of Scripture meant, if the people agreed, they said, 'You have fulfilled the Torah!' It was a sign of encouragement, and acceptance. The people had been blessed by his iteration. On the other hand, if a person handled the Word badly, if they missed the point and were potentially leading the congregation into false doctrine, the people would say, 'You have abolished the Torah!' This would be followed by intense debate and discussion, to help put the errant soul back on track. This practice still thrives in synagogues today. Yeshua's message was, 'I did not come to misguide you, but to help you understand the Word as God intended it to be practiced.' In chapters 5-7, Yeshua repeatedly says, 'You have heard it said.' Invariably, He is quoting one of the Ten Commandments - the Torah. Yet He goes on to say, 'But I tell you,' and He gives His interpretation of the Word. It was the opinion of the nation concerning the Messiah, that he would bring in a new law, but not at all to the prejudice or damage of Moses and the prophets: but that he would advance the Mosaic law to the very highest pitch, and would fulfill those things that were foretold by the prophets, and that according to the letter, even to the greatest pomp. . . . That he brought in an observation of the law much more pure and excellent than the Pharisaical observation of it was: which he confirms even to the end of the chapter, explaining the law according to its genuine and spiritual sense.[2] It was typical in Yeshua's day to teach in the name of another rabbi or scholar. The Talmud[3] is littered with a rabbi's comments, quoting another rabbi and possibly a whole string of rabbis who support a particular interpretation. Throughout chapters 5-7, we find Yeshua teaching in His own name. This was not at all common. This was one of those areas where Yeshua stood out from every false messiah, and every other Torah teacher. In fact, by the time we get to 5:28-29, we read, 'The result was that when Jesus had finished these words, the multitudes were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as [one] having authority, and not as their scribes.' In short, Yeshua was fulfilling the people's expectation. He was teaching them the spirit of the Torah and restoring it to its original intent. He was once again demonstrating that He was the Messiah! Book Review: Charisma's Bible Handbook on the Holy Spirit by John Rea. Creation House (1998), Pp. 346. For the pastor and Bible student that have been looking for a handbook on the Holy Spirit from a Pentecostal/charismatic perspective here is an all-in-one reference not to be missed. Dr. Rea introduces this handbook by discussing how to read and study the Bible. He then concisely presents the deity and personhood of the Holy Spirit; a truth we need to be continually reminded of. For the majority of the work he looks at every major reference to the Spirit in Scripture. He does this by examining seven distinct categories from four biblical eras. 'The Spirit of God in Creation and the Patriarchal Age,' 'the Era of Charismatic Leadership in Israel,' and the 'Era of Prophetic Announcement' cover the Hebrew Scriptures. He expands the 'Age of the Holy Spirit' from Messiah's birth to today into the biblical categories of the Gospels (Preparation), Acts (Outpouring), Epistles (Explanation) and Revelation (Consummation). Nearly 100 pages are spent on the work and person of the Spirit in the Old Testament. This feature sets this book apart from other studies of the Holy Spirit that often neglect the Hebrew Scriptures. 24 pages are spent on the Gospels, 14 on Acts, over 40 on the Epistles, and several pages conclude the study with the book of Revelation. Beyond the easy to refer to passage-by-passage study, the book includes an extensive Scripture index, charts of key words and other valuable reference pages. Although Dr. Rea's approach seems to reflect a classical Pentecostal perspective, this book has been published under the name of the most recognized independent charismatic magazine, Charisma. Everyone in the Pentecostal/charismatic movement should be grateful for this Bible handbook which is centered on the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. Readers will find this reference to have good poise and good scholarship, yet concise enough for even the beginning Bible student. For these reasons, this handbook should be found in every Pentecostal/charismatic leader's library. The Pentecostal/charismatic movement needs more reference works of this quality. Reviewed by James Dettmann Want More? For more information, please see the Pneuma Review How to Subscribe page. Prayer Requests
| |
© Pneuma Foundation 1999–2011. All rights reserved.