8/24/14 YEAR OF EQUIPPING TO SERVE

Spreading the Gospel to a New Continent

    It is easy to see the heroes of the Bible and think they were special people. They were ordinary people who were submissive to God and willing to be used by Him.  God is still using ordinary people who have a heart and desire to see the supernatural happen.  It is through the supernatural power of the Spirit of God that the world will be changed.  More than ever we need the power of God’s Spirit to work in and through us.  The battle is worse and worse.  The enemy wants us to quit and doubt that God can do anything.
    Let me share a few quick testimonies of what God is doing these days.
BANGUI, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC. Gustave Lefrère Tshimbalanga, National Youth Chairman, recently sent in this exciting testimony: “We have continued to pray for Holy Spirit revival in our meetings here in the CAR. And we continue the work of missions by planting new churches. God has answered our prayers, and a new church was established here in the city. And God answered another prayer. Last week we received the leaders of our Central Africa Assemblies of God. This will help to advance God’s kingdom in CAR and will reverse what the enemy wanted to do to end the work of God here. Each time we pray for the requests you send to us in the Intercessory Prayer Call, we see the Holy Spirit work in the lives of believers, especially the youth. We ask you to pray much for God’s work in Central African Republic.  Glory to God!”
UGANDA:  “Thank you for what God is doing through the ministry of Acts in Africa. I am encouraged to read what He is doing through the Acts 1:8 Conferences being conducted throughout Africa.  I have been personally blessed, and students are being filled with the Holy Spirit with miracles following their ministries. The Uganda Assemblies of God is engaged in reaching every village with the gospel through rapid church planting, and we are experiencing God’s faithfulness.” —Pastor Henry Elem
MASERU, LESOTHO:  “The Lesotho Assemblies of God has taken up the call of a Decade of Pentecost to the high level it deserves. Pastors in each of our 80 churches throughout the country are preaching about the Holy Spirit and how Christians can experience this wonderful gift of God. Our theme for the past national Easter Conference was “Preach The Word through the Empowerment of the Holy Spirit.” In the past year, the Lord has filled 253 people with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking with other tongues according to Acts 2:4.”
Rev. Gift Ntsonyane, General Supt, Lesotho Assemblies of God
PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN:  “Greetings in Jesus’ name from Peshawar, Pakistan. I join you in prayer for the Africa AG “Decade of Pentecost.” I pray that God will send revival and the rain of Holy Spirit upon Africa and the Arabic world.”
—Rev. Dr. A. R. Hashmat, Chairman, A/G, Pakistan
Info taken from the Decade of Pentecost newsletters.  Edited
    Awesome things are happening.  I trust the challenge of the last thought will stir you -- prayer for the Arab world.  Please, never write off anyone as a person Jesus can save.
    The last time I spoke we looked at the launch of missions.  Today we want to look at part of Paul’s second missionary journey.  It is the time of the church launching to Europe.  This Holy Spirit-guided step is a critical part of church history, literally impacting the rest of human history.  Look at map on powerpoint slide.
Read passage from my Bible and talk about it.
Acts 16:6-40
    We will see:
□    Paul and Silas’s call of the Holy Spirit to Europe.
□    The first convert in Europe, a woman named Lydia
□    The power of God to set a demon-possessed slave free
□    The persecution of Paul and Silas
□    God’s supernatural impact continued as people were saved and Paul and Silas were delivered.
Matthew 5:10-12 NKJV
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
James 1:2-4 NKJV
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
Romans 8:35-39 NKJV
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
DISCUSSION
What are the main thoughts that have jumped out to you today?
What are specific applications you can make that will impact western Wisconsin now?
What do we have to do to see the impact happen?
A question for you to ask yourself, not particularly for discussion:  “Do I really want to see the supernatural changes that God can make in our area?”  (Let’s take a moment to think about this.)
PRAYER
Lord, we pray for You to supernaturally touch lives in our area and let us see your power change people.