Good News Across the World 
December 2004
Book of Hope in Thailand
In northern Thailand, the Book of Hope is spreading the saving
knowledge of Jesus Christ among the region's Buddhists. One 11-year old
boy, steeped in the family tradition of Buddhism, turned to
Christ after receiving a Book of Hope. He had been looking for a God
who answered prayer, and, in the Gospels, he read the story of the
life of Christ. He also found the God he was looking for. Since then,
he has gone on to share his simple faith with others in his community.
He is not alone. According to Book of Hope, the church in Thailand is
growing. A church in Nongkhai recently held a HopeFest following a
distribution in surrounding schools, and 80 students attended. All of
them gave their hearts to the Lord, and have now joined regular church
services. God is continuing to do a mighty work within the national
churches of Thailand. Book of Hope's distribution goal for 2004 was to
distribute 702,000 copies of the Book of Hope to the children and youth
of Thailand. (Mission Network News, December 10, 2004) http://mnn.gospelcom.net/article/6767
- http://www.bookofhope.net
Bangladesh: tens of thousands of
Muslims find Christ
In Bangladesh, several tens of thousands of Muslims have
changed religion in the past few years, and now follow Jesus. New
'Jamats' - Christian house churches with ex-Muslim members - are being
formed across the nation, reports the Swiss missions agency Kingdom
Ministries. The movement is by far the fastest-growing Christian group
in the country. In 1997, the Bible was translated into a form
understood by the rural population. The
movement's most important characteristics are its house church form
with 15-25 members per group, flat hierarchies and the emphasis on a
lay movement with very few mobilisers; evangelisation and church
leadership are in the hands of laypeople. The new converts call
themselves 'followers of Jesus', and keep their old names. Around 10%
of them have seen Jesus in a dream or vision, or have experienced
healing in his name.
The transformed healer
"We met a man who travelled the country seeking God,
having given up as a religious teacher. One day, he met a Folk Islamic
healer, to whom hundreds of people travelled. The healer encouraged him
to open his own spiritual centre, which he did. He soon had some 4,000
listeners, but no significant message for them, until Jesus appeared to
him, saying 'You are our man in this region!' The old man started
evangelising a little, until Jesus appeared to him a second time,
asking him why he did not teach the people everything. So far, 300 of
his listeners have been baptised and follow Jesus." - Source:
Kingdom Ministries, www.kministries.ch
USA: the praying bank
An unusual bank in the USA recently successfully
concluded its first year in business. The Riverview Community Bank,
around 30 miles Northwest of Minneapolis, takes care of more than just
their customers' money. According to Duane Kropuenske, founder of the
bank, 69 people have become Christians through the bank's advisory
service. "I am a Christian, but in the 30 years in my profession, I had
never prayed with customers," he admits. Since the
bank was founded, praying with its customers has become something of a
hallmark. "People call us to ask if we are the bank which prays with
its customers," adds partner Chuck Ripka. Kropuenske and Ripka
initially founded the bank intending to operate it according to
Christian principles. The idea of praying with customers came when a
doctor whose loan came up for renewal asked them
to pray for the hospital and its staff. Source: www.die-gemeinde.org
Philippines:
Islamic stronghold infiltrated with the Gospel
An indigenous-led missions agency in the Philippines is
experiencing its first successes in Islamic strongholds. Many regions
in the Philippines' southern islands are predominantly Muslim, and it
is rumoured that Al Quaeda has a training camp on one of the islands.
The local Islamic terrorist group Abu Sayyaf has become prominent
through many acts of violence, aiming to found an independent Islamic
state. But exactly the young people which Abu Sayyaf aims to recruit
have become open to the Gospel. Five young Muslims recently came to
faith in Jesus, were baptised and sent home, where they immediately
told their family and friends about Jesus, despite the danger of strict
rejection. Through them, indigenous missionaries could preach in
Islamic areas and disciple others. An underground church consisting of
ex-Muslims was planted, and hundreds of Bibles smuggled in. Now,
Muslims are coming to faith in Jesus almost every day. Source: www.christianaid.org
INTERNET EVANGELISM
DAY
The growth of the Internet over the last ten years has been incredible.
As a result there will soon be a billion Web users worldwide. While
there are hundreds of thousands of Christian web sites, the vast
majority of these only interest Christians. There are very few designed
to interest non believers. However, the potential of the Internet to
attract non-Christians is enormous. With that untapped potential in
mind, the "Internet Evangelism Coalition" (an umbrella group of
outreach ministries) has designated April 24 2005 as "Internet
Evangelism Day" (IE). With that untapped potential in mind, the
"Internet Evangelism Coalition" (an umbrella group of outreach
ministries) has designated April 24 2005 as "Internet Evangelism Day"
(IE). According to a press release from the group, the day will focus
entirely on web evangelism awareness day. There will be no attempt to
raise funds. There is a wealth of downloadable material at the IE Day
site Offerings include a five-minute video testimony from a student who
found God online, short drama scripts, PowerPoint presentations,
discussion questions and a variety of useful links. For more
information visit the websites above. http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s04120021.htm
- http://www.InternetEvangelismDay.com
DOORS OPENING IN THE UKRAINE
Even with the re-election set for December 26, protesters are still in
the streets of Ukraine. They're actually a huge mission field for HCJB
World Radio trained workers. One worker named Pavel and his father are
reaching out, says Mark Irwin. "They took their accordions with them
and were actually singing national songs, folklore songs. They would
also sing Christian Ukrainian songs and that would just open the door
for them to be able to share the Gospel with the throngs of people." As
this is happening, Irwin says Christians are gearing up to launch
Christian youth radio, a segment of society largely ignored. "Their
plan is reach, or target the young people or the children first and
foremost and present the Gospel to them, and then to present
programming to their parents that would say, this is God's blue print
for raising children." For more information visit the website
above. http://mnn.gospelcom.net/article/6769
- http://www.hcjb.org
Laos: miracles bring many to faith
Despite the Communist authorities' best efforts,
hundreds of people in Laos are turning to Jesus, many of them after
they have witnessed a healing in Jesus' name. The Government is doing
its best to intimidate Christians and prevent the Gospel spreading
further; officials threaten Christians with jail and severe punishment
if they witness to others. Church buildings were closed, but many brave
Christians continue to meet in them. Many members of mountain tribes,
traditionally Animists and Spiritists, are becoming Christians. The
obvious authority the indigenous missionaries have over demons speaks
for itself, and many miracles open the people's hearts for God. The
churches in Laos are growing faster than they have done for many years,
and even the most determined government cannot stop that. Source: www.christianaid.org
Speaking of Church Growth
- 1,000
new churches planted every week
The missions agency Christian Aid was founded in 1953 by
Bob Finley, who worked closely with Billy Graham. It was one of the
first American missions agencies to support local missionaries instead
of (expensive) Americans, particularly in nations where Evangelical
Christians are an oppressed minority. Today, they support 90,000
missionaries, and are training 40,000 missions workers in hundreds of
Bible schools. They plant over 52,000 new churches every year - that's
1,000 each week. Source: www.christianaid.org
Where sin abounds the
grace of God is even more...
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