Exloring Life Eternal

(posted in view of his closing comment)

We in the Mission Mobilisation Network are very committed to the local church. The Acts 13 concept is to see more local churches moving into global missions all over the world and this is happening.

One of the main purposes of our Network is to encourage people and churches to press on and keep up the good work!

I will soon complete 50 years of local church involvement, having had the privilege of ministering in thousands of churches around the world. I have made some mistakes along the way and have tried to learn from them. As we attempt to mobilise and work with local churches, here are some basics to keep in mind. I will limit myself to churches that are biblical and evangelical.

1. There are all kinds of churches. Try to get as much information about the church and their history. Try to get to know the leaders and especially esteem them highly in love and reality.

2. Watch your own attitude and make sure you move in humility and love with the right attitude. If you have been hurt by a church or church leader make sure you have forgiven the people involved.

3. I believe different kinds of approaches and strategies are needed. There are more package mission programmes and God can use them, but they don’t work in every church. We must always keep in mind what they are already doing.

4. Try to encourage and affirm what they are already doing. Avoid being critical and judgmental about things that you feel are less than best.

5. Beware of creating unrealistic expectations or if you represent an Agency that wants recruits, promising more than your organisation can really come up with.

6. We all need wisdom as we are facing so many great challenges and opportunities, but also many complexities and problems. Do everything you can to get key mission books and materials into the hands and hearts, especially the leaders.

7. Try to have a grace-awakened approach to the whole challenge. The first chapter of my book Out of the Comfort Zone speaks about this. I cannot emphasize this too much. Some missions speakers have really switched people off because even in their message there was a lack of love, grace and humility. We all have a degree of hostility and anger and we must beware it does not express itself in our message and ministry.

Let’s stand before God in love, brokenness, wisdom and in the anointing of God. Please pass this letter on to others.

His

George Verwer
Chairman
Mission Mobilization Network
info@missionsmobilisation.org
www.missionsmobilisation.org

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Amen & amen. Send the light, the precious gospel light ...
- MJH

Though initially submitted from one country, it applies to many:

Please pray that the believers will be faithful in meeting together. Since some of them work 12-hour days, it is difficult for them to find the time to meet together so that they can grow in their faith. Also, there is often a spirit of apathy; even when there is no real impediment, they don't always make the effort. Pray that these believers
will be encouraged today by our prayers, and that Hebrews 10:24-25 will be very real to them.

This is perhaps the least understood element of following Christ: why we gather. See Hebrews 10:24-25.

Arise Shine Morocco
Prayer Bulletin #53 (03/05)
www.interum.org/ASM
asm@interum.org

A recent account:

“Another joy is that God has answered my prayer for a new person with whom to study the Word. I met her in a large supermarket. She was obviously looking for me, as well. She had known others like me, friendly foreigners who speak Arabic, who have since left the country. "Do you know _________?" she asked. "No, but how do you know her?" I responded. She leaned over and whispered that she had studied the Bible with her. By her next day off, she was here with me and others studying and has come back several times since. We think that she is on the way. Please pray for her.”

In the last Bulletin, a worker shared about the high level of discouragement with which many are struggling. A strong desire on the hearts of most workers is that they be used by God to bring Moroccans into the light. Pray for many such encouraging “divine appointments” between seekers and believers.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
Less than 30 days remain to register for the ASM "Morocco Summit" in April. The Summit is open to all interested Christians committed to reaching Morocco with the Gospel. Please pray for ongoing preparations and let anyone you think may be interested know about it. Contact ASM for details.

Please continue to pray for the Moroccan believer who was arrested in January and whose court date was scheduled for February but has now been postponed for several months. Keep praying for the tens of millions of Moroccan Muslims who will stand before God on Judgment Day.

NORTHEASTERN REGION:
Praise the Lord for the complete recovery of the seven-year-old boy who was hospitalized with pneumonia. His MBB mom is expecting her third child soon. Pray for a safe delivery.

Pray for another MBB whose husband told her he is going to move and take her away from her Christian friends and that he is going to bring in Muslim religious leaders to convince her to return to Islam. She says, “Why would I ever leave my Jesus. He's all I have!”

Pray too, for a woman who was betrothed to a man who she has since discovered has another wife and is involved in drug trafficking. Pray for wisdom for expatriates who counsel both the above-mentioned women.

NORTHCENTRAL REGION:
Please pray for Mohammed, the new believer whose story was featured in the last Bulletin and for his family and friends as they witness God's transforming work in his life. Pray he'll soon establish regular times to meet with a worker for discipleship. Pray both will learn more of Christ through His Word and each other.

COASTAL REGION:
The Lord has impressed upon some believers that God loves their big city and so should they. Though few people have much positive to say about their city, believers feel they should be blessing rather than cursing it. They feel God has shown them a prophetic picture through recent public efforts to clean up and beautify their city. Like the city is being beautified physically, God wants to beautify it spiritually. A strategic city that influences the whole country, pray it will become a Kingdom blessing to the nation. Please pray for a mighty move of God in this great city.

Pray for unity among the various house churches and pray for efforts to come together city-wide.

Pray for breakthrough in efforts to establish a non-governmental organization (NGO) which will work to improve the quality of life for some of the millions of the poorest people in the region.

CENTRAL REGION:
Join in a day of fasting and prayer for the Berbers of Central Morocco on Friday March 4, 2005.

Praise God for dozens who attended a meeting designed to explain the needs and opportunities for working among the Berbers of the region. Pray the Lord will show each their role.

Pray for efforts to encourage creation of worship music in the Berber language. Continue to pray for a stalled video project. Pray for new teams and their needs for personnel and finances.

Continue to pray for creativity, wisdom and boldness in sowing. Pray for equipping believers to witness, especially in their families. Pray to overcome hindrances to the Gospel such as poor radio reception and Spanish port authorities who prohibit mass distribution of Christian media to Moroccans entering Morocco.

Pray for a vision to be birthed within the national Arab-language churches to see the church develop in the Berber languages. Pray for reconciliation among these two groups. Berbers have long felt dominated by Arab language and culture and feel there is discrimination against and marginalization of their Berber language and culture. Pray that will not happen within the church.

Pray for good local employment for new believers so that the church can become established and won't be weakened each time a believer moves away to seek work. Pray for wisdom and creativity in developing appropriate ways for expatriates to help believers in this area.

SOUTHCENTRAL REGION:
Pray for divine appointments with seekers for a couple. Pray for strength and joy for him as he copes with a heavy workload. Pray for Berber seeker women friends for her.

Please pray for rain. The farmers need rain very soon. If it does not rain soon the harvest for this year might be in danger.

Andrew, Mr. Blessed and Sahra are all Moroccans who have heard and seen the Gospel lived out before them. Pray that what they have seen and heard will lead them to Christ. Tim is a Moroccan believer who lives in the mountains and has little fellowship. His main input comes from Christian television. Pray he matures in his faith and that his wife will receive the Lord.

Pray for wisdom and direction in God's timing for a worker who needs to know the Father's plans. Pray for a good start on learning the Berber language Tashilhayt.

FAR SOUTH:
Pray for a new friend who is reading the Bible. He says he feels peace when reading it. After asking what one does to become a believer, he said he will be talking to God. His wife is listening to the good news on a cassette player as she does not know how to read. Her husband is very keen to see her make the right decision and she is under some pressure. Please pray. Pray too for protection for all involved.

Friendship Fest - Morocco: An alliance of North American Christian organizations and Moroccan officials have launched a Friendship Fest which will feature several days of Christian concerts by big name artists in the city of Marrakech on May 6, 7, & 8, 2005. Friendship Fest is part of a broader initiative to promote cross-cultural dialogue. Taking place in and around Marrakech during the Fest will be humanitarian efforts and dialogue between Evangelical Christian and Moroccan Muslim leaders. Pray new doors will open to the Gospel and much fruit will be born from these interactions. For information: http://www.friendshipfest.org/

Prayer requests from Europe:
A ministry in Spain that serves people going on mission trips into Morocco needs a couple to run their guest house. Pray that a couple will be raised up who can do not only housekeeping and maintenance but also Christian counseling.

Pray members of a group doing literacy courses in France for Moroccan women will have good relationships with the women and that the Moroccans will understand the bible stories they are hearing.

European Ports Outreaches:
Pray for recruiting the hundreds of summer volunteers needed. Pray many Arabic-speaking "evangelists" will come to share their faith and reap a harvest from the seeds being sown. Pray for financial support for all the needed volunteers. Pray about your own participation this summer.

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Our heart is to have this information get into the hands of as many intercessors as possible.

I did not get the tapes over to "George Gershwin," a Muslim lad, for him to listen to. I regret that deeply, though he did hear the good news very clearly when I spoke with him, and he seemed to understand. Indeed, as I rebuked him very gently for his rebellion and corrected him about trying to conceal the deaths of some believers from my home country in his home country at the hands of an angry young man, George realized his wrongdoing & was ashamed. He knows I love his people & I have forgiven him. He has heard of Jesus death for his sin & resurrection.

His English is really pretty good, though heavily accented. The young fellow likes poetry, and indeed has composed some. He had changed homes during his time in the USA and yet continued to kick against the goads, as he advocated for Islamism. Please pray with me that this young fellow who excells beyond all his peers in his learning will meet the Lord Jesus face to face soon and that he will become more ardent a follower of Jesus than he has been an ardent opposer of American Christianity.

Response from a fellow worker:
... It really does sound to me as if "George" has the Lord's hand on his
life. The hounds of heaven ... yes, I will continue to pray!

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God loves the seed of Yoktan.