Halloween—2021 / Encounter Night

The next Encounter Night at New Hope Christian Center in Waterloo, IN, will occur on Sunday, October 31, beginning at 6pm. These evenings are attended by believers from around the region. The evening involves extended worship, prayer, and a message from the Word of God.

The message on this evening will be focused on “Allowing the Holy Spirit to Encounter Our Lives in a Tangible Way—Energizing Us Toward His Mission.”

Personal Freedom

When Jesus called Lazarus to “come out” of the grave, He also gave a follow-up command, and that was to “loose him, and let him go.” Lazarus was indeed alive, but very much bound by graveclothes. The same graveclothes are chaining many Christians, but it doesn’t have to be that way (John 11:38-44).

Please pray for the Lord to send laborers into His harvest field, specifically in this area of setting the captive Christians free.

Accounts of Revival

During the month of September, we completed another revival account, which can be read on our website:

► 1995 Cali, Colombia Revival

All 131 accounts of revival can be read on our website with this link.

Spoke at Two Conferences

In September we participated in two conferences, the “Glory to Glory Conference” in Fort Wayne, IN, and the “Leadership Revival Seminar” in Adelaide, Australia (via Zoom).

At the Fort Wayne conference we shared about revival and the many miracles of healing we have been witnessing. During the Adelaide conference, we were asked to speak on the “Barriers to Revival.”

YOUR PRAYERS

► There are several churches in the tristate region that are going through very dark times. Please pray for the Lord to lift the dark and heavy cloud of oppression from them so they can get back on course with His mission for their community.

► Pray for the leaders of the ministry in Indonesia that we have been working with, that they will be able to continually raise up new leaders so expansion in evangelism and church planting can continue.

► Revival—pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal to each believer in the region what role He would have them play in pulling down the barriers that are blocking revival.

Our Feet Overseas

Working Among Some of the World’s
Most Unreached People .

The Movement Continues

The number of people being baptized keeps increasing.

A new church was dedicated on Sunday, September 26, 2021

► Expansion of the ministry demands more property for the offices. To accommodate the expansion of the ministry, plans are now in place to purchase adjacent property next to the mother church.

Construction on New Church

These pictures show the progress that is taking place on the church that is being built.

Church building progress at the end of July

Building progress at the end of September 

Barriers to Revival

We’ve completed writing what we believe the Lord is saying are the nine barriers to revival. We have titled these nine barriers the “Considerations of Beautiful Feet.” We believe these nine topics are the primary things that are holding back revival, and until there is a concentrated effort to focus on these topics with prayer, preaching, and action, revival will always elude us. You can find all nine of the “Considerations” on our website.

Our eighth Consideration is included here:

Consideration #8: Polluting Influence of Unrepentant Christians

Consider the number of people in a congregation who have made a profession of their faith in Christ yet have no conviction of the sins they are tolerating in their lives. These may even be members of the church who are involved in one of the church’s ministries yet have no conviction of the habitual sins they are committing. These are people who take communion regularly, yet they are indifferent toward sin. They have a total disregard about the biblical demand for repentance.

Could this be a major barrier to revival? Does the Bible have anything to say about situations like these?

Old Testament Examples
Consider the example in Joshua 7, with Achan. Note how that man’s sin brought God’s judgment on the entire nation. Achan’s sin did not only affect himself; the entire nation was affected. The people were one body. They were a collective, and when one person sinned, the consequences were experienced by all.

Didn’t divine anger fall on the entire community of Israel when Achan, a member of the clan of Zerah, sinned by stealing the things set apart for the Lord? He was not the only one who died because of his sin (Joshua 22:20).

Consider the example of David and Bathsheba. Did David’s sin affect only himself (2 Samuel 11:1-27)? No, David’s adulterous act led to God’s judgment which affected many people.
► God said that because of David’s sin his family would rebel against him (2 Samuel 12:11).
► Because of David’s adultery, which was committed in secret, God said his wives will be taken and forced to have sex with others—in public view (2 Samuel 12:11-12)
► What about the child Bathsheba bore through the adulterous act with David? “The Lord sent a deadly illness to the child” and it died (2 Samuel 12:15). 

Consider also David’s sin of conducting a census (2 Samuel 24:1-25; 1 Chronicles 21:1-30). God’s judgment didn’t fall only on David; it fell upon the entire nation, and 70,000 people died in the plague the Lord sent. This was all because of one man’s sin (2 Samuel 24:11-17).

Are the Scriptures Still Valid Today?
Those were Old Testament Scriptures, yet God’s Word is very clear that whatever was written in the Old Testament was written for us today. They were natural examples from which we draw spiritual truths (Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:6). 

Consider Other Old Testament Examples
► The sin of Adam and Eve affected the entire human race (Romans 5:15-17; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22).
► The sin of 10 spies led to the death of millions–those twenty years old and above (Numbers 14:29).

New Testament
In the day we are living, do the Old Testament Scriptures referenced have any application? Is it possible church members who are living unrepentant lives bring God’s disfavor upon an entire congregation? Would God take Old Testament types of action and cause a congregation to be disciplined due to the sins of one person? 

Jesus’ Directives on Dealing with the Unrepentant
► If we don’t judge ourselves, the Church is to judge us (Matthew 18:15-17). 

Peter’s Approach to Willful Sin
► God took the lives of Ananias and Sapphira so their sinful deception would be an example to others (Acts 5:1-11). 

Paul Dealt Extensively with Unrepentant Behavior
► Paul made it very clear that sin was a cancer that had the potential to pollute others and turn them away from the truth (2 Timothy 2:16-18).
► Paul rebuked Peter because his sin was infecting others (Galatians 2:11-14).
► God loves his erring children so much that He will discipline them (Hebrews 12:1-11).
► We are admonished to judge ourselves so we won’t be judged by God (2 Corinthians 13:5; 1 Corinthians 11:27-32).

John and Unrepentant Christians
The letters to the churches of Asia show that if sin is left unrepented God will withdraw his presence, as well as administer His judgment (Revelation 2:4-5, 14-16, 20-23; 3:2-3, 15-18). 

God’s Word Concerning Excommunication of the Unrepentant Christian
Consider the word “excommunication.” Doesn’t it have a horrifying ring to it? The Word of God is not silent about unrepentant Christians and their defiling presence in a congregation. The Scriptures, no matter how you approach them, are very clear, and a Christian who is living a blatantly sinful life and is unrepentant is to be “thrown out” so their polluting presence won’t be able to corrupt everyone else. (1 Corinthians 5:1-13).   

Does God Really Intend for Us to Excommunicate Today? Where Is God’s Love and Grace in That?
► God’s love, grace, and mercy are demonstrated through church discipline (Hebrews 12:6). The purpose behind removing the person from the Corinthian church was God’s love being demonstrated as He protected the people from that unrepentant Christian’s sinfulness.
► Excommunication is remedial–that is, it has the purpose of bringing about restoration, not just the “throwing the person out.” It is a demonstration of God’s love. The Corinthian church followed through, the unrepentant man was excommunicated but was eventually restored back into full fellowship after he repented (2 Corinthians 2:5-11).
► Another reason for church discipline is to prevent slander from the unbelieving world (2 Peter 2:2).

May God grant church leaders courage and wisdom as they obey the Scriptures to remove this barrier to revival.