Today I felt that the Lord led me to place their latest newsletter on my blog. If you sign up HERE you will receive all the previous newsletters one at a time, which are quite revealing of what happens outside of our generally comfortable lives.
Jesus had an uncomfortable life for the
sake of sinners, including us, the apostles had equally uncomfortable lives for
the sake of the down and outcast of the time. All we need to do is exercise our
Romans 12:6-8 gifts: “We have different gifts, according to
the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in
proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him
teach; if it is
encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others,
let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it
is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”
We are all born and
equipped with one or more of these gifts. The Change Makers serve, encourage,
teach and show mercy to these gangsters. They have a vision to expand and make
their ministry more effective. Maybe you are called and equipped to give
generously. Click HERE to learn more about it.
Following is the
Newsletter:
Changing
the Heavenly Realms Over Worcester
“I felt cold shivers going down my spine.
Anock was coming straight at me. It was open space around us. There was nowhere
to flee. As he came right up to me, I was about to freeze, but then I saw a
huge Bible under his arm. He asked if he could pray for me.” We all sat
mesmerized, hanging on every word as Raymond told us what happened to him
during the weekend. Right there in the open plain Anock lay hands on Raymond
and prayed for him. Anock, a feared gangster with a high rank, had come to know
the Lord and instead of walking around with a gun, he was now armed with the
Word of God.
Something quite significant had happened
the previous week. Raymond made a choice to pray for all those gangsters who
had constantly terrorised, threatened and attacked him. He not only prayed for
them, but also forgave them their deeds against him. In the spiritual realm,
this has great power. Forgiveness is one of the strongest weapons we have.
Something was stirred in the heavens over Worcester.
We are living in a town where gangsters are
becoming increasingly violent, evil and cruel. May God break into hearts and
minds, one by one, as He did with Raymond and Anock and anoint them to walk
free from the effects of gangs, by walking in obedience to God, under the
shelter of His blessing.
On the one hand, we have hardened gang
leaders who decreed that this would be a season of much blood being spilt, and
yes, we have had too many cold blooded murders during the past couple of
months. And then we have those gangsters who are discovering redemption in
Christ, one by one. They are now being sent by the Lord with His purpose, and
are mobilized to face their enemies and to become conquerors.
“There is an interaction between the powers
of darkness and the sins of a society. When Israel was in obedience to God, the
Spirit of God ruled the heavenly places over Israel. When the Jews were in
rebellion, the enemy gained control of the nation through the sins of the
people. Evil ruled in the spiritual realms over Israel” Francis Frangipane.
May God give us grace as we yearn for the
hearts of gangsters to come to know God and to love Him, to turn to Him and to
follow Him whole-heartedly. Oh thank You Jesus for the Raymonds and the Anocks
who have broken free from the bonds of captivity and who are now walking in the
shadow of the Almighty.
A special word of thanks to Jim and Elaine
Stoppenhagen who pour out their lives as a living offering to serve our people
and who are walking side by side with our Change Makers and gangsters during a five
week visit to us. Their visit is affecting the heavenly
realms over Worcester.
Erena van de VenterSocial Worker
Change Makers Coordinator
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