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Vol – IV June & July 2003

From the Chairman’s desk:

Dear friends,

Every evangelistic team must be built upon the strong biblical faith.  They must have had the personal experience of salvation.  They must be firm in their belief that Jesus Christ is the only hope for mankind.  They must acknowledge Christ as their Lord and the Master.  They must believe in the personal presence of Christ with them as they go around reaching the unreached with the gospel.  They must be spiritually prepared to challenge the powers of darkness with the help of the Holy Spirit so they go fearlessly into the hostile World. The members of an individual team should be in one accord.  They should be holy in their life. They should be prepared to face opposition and persecution.  They should be sire of the comfort of the Holy Spirit.  They should be the men/women of prayer.

►FOCUS OF AN EVANGELISTIC TEAM

Before forming an Evangelistic Team, you first decide the focus for it. For example, you may need to decide whether you want to reach youth, adults, literates, illiterates, rural or urban areas, or a particular people or language group.  This focus will be your guiding factor in the selection of members for each team.  This evangelistic team will be separated for a special focus.  For example, to reach women you will prefer a team of women evangelists.

►FORMATION OF AN EVANGELISTIC TEAM

Christ has called every member of His church to be Evangelists.  In the beginning you may form a few Evangelistic team only, but eventually you are suppose to involve every member of your congregation in Evangelism.  Each team must comprise of those who may be experienced in evangelism and those who are not; those who will perform major roles and those who will have minor ones; those who are trained with those who are not.  No one is inadequate, even the most inexperienced can play a significant part in leading men to Christ. God uses each and every one who is in Christ and who is willing to serve Him.  But God is not pleased with the idles in His work.

There should be a responsible capable leader in every team. He should be a matured Christian, God-fearing, God- directed, Spirit-filled with the thorough knowledge of the Word of God, compassion for the lost humanity, and total commitment towards evangelism.  He should be a man of prayer, impartial, good counselor, honest and faithful in the Christian walk.  He will be meeting with his team members regularly to pray with them, encourage them and to discuss with them on the regular activities of the team.  In other words, he will be coordinating the practical work of his team.

CONVENTION

The Church Annual convention is planning to celebrate in Nirankari ground in the month of October 2003. Nearly 5000 people will gather in this meeting for 3 days dates will be confirm later. We are expecting the youths and the young people to be touched by the Lord for His glory. 

BAAL GRISM MAHOTSAV

As per every year we are celebrating the Children clubs in two main places in Northwest Delhi area in Sant Nagar APEX School and in Libaspur Government Sr. Secondary School near about 3000 children are participating in this Mahotsav every year. Every child is getting attention and given important in this programme. Every day the children are provided small snacks with soft drinks. Trained teachers and volunteers are giving training to students with love. Teaching them the Love of Jesus Christ through scriptural songs the scriptural verses and small stories and games. Every student are encouraged by the word of God and through the child there family is getting chance to know about the Lord Jesus and His love.

We are conducting the Child clubs more than 25 centres in all North-West Delhi.  Every week they are getting the class and the children are provided games materials; as Cricket, Carom, football, volley ball, Badminton etc.  Through this programme every children are getting involvement in the group they are getting chance to meet some other child also.

YOUTH INVOLVEMENT

The youth are very important in the church for Evangelism. Through songs and through skits many youth are wanting to know about the Love of God. But they are facing some personal problem also. Because of that they are scared to know about the Lord.

► Go where young people are.

Where do they play?  Can we provide places to play our places?  Where do they eat?  Can we gather them for meals – with a message? Where do they congregate? Can our youth be there to sing, to mime, and testify? Can Christian football teams play others?  Can young adults provide food or fun for teens on a regular basis? Can Bible studies be held for teens? Our task is to go to them, win them to Christ and help them come to us. 

►Jesus is our message

Teenagers are not attracted to a denomination, or doctrine, or rules of conduct.  But Jesus invitation to follow Him is powerful and is obeyed.  It is especially the story of the cross that grabs the attention of young hearers.  Tell it with love, with passion.  It is our whole message to today’s teens.

►Speak of their own problems, their need for a solid rock on which to build their     lives.

                             They have made bad choices, bad decisions.  God calls man’s choices, which destroy the basic integrity of society SIN.  He outlaws murder, stealing, lying, and adultery because they are destructive.  They are SINS against the wider society and family and self and against God who wants to bless man but cannot bless evildoers.  The problems teenagers create are SINS against their ethics, their family, themselves and their Creator.  God calls them to turn away from them and to follow after Christ who is Saviour and Lord. He can cleanse them, forgive them and give them His PEACE, which eliminates their loneliness, their dark feelings of anger, the pointlessness of life, their self-condemnation and failure and guilt.  The cause of all these problems is simply living apart from God and His laws.  God calls it sin and its cure is His death, burial and resurrection, which, for the believer, bring forgiveness, peace and righteous living.  That is when the debasing symptoms disappear.

►Tell the story in words they understand.

                          It is meaningless to unsaved teens to talk about regeneration.  Even the sophisticated Nicodemus had trouble with the phrase “born again.” It is worth the prayer and time it takes to learn to talk the way the teens talk in relating the best news to them that they will ever hear.

►Young people long for a strong relationship.

                              God created us to know Him.  There is a place in every life that only the Creator can fill.  It is a relationship no one has by birth or caste.  A wall of rebellion and disobedience exists between God and us.  That’s why life is so loveless, so frustrating, and so meaningless. Jesus paid His pure life to destroy that wall of sin.  When a teen is ready to exchange his own way for God’s salvation and way of life, God will come in and fill His place in the life of His child.

►Packaging God’s truth for teens requires the following:  Meet where teens are

    comfortable.

-                     A youth conference, a youth camp, a sports event, an outdoor meeting on a football field or campus, or a home are places where teens feel at home.

-                     A social purpose attracts teens; a game, a meal, a work project, a party, a trip, a contest or a camp are comfort zones for teens.

-                     Teens have their own music, which all their lives hey will reverse as “their music”. They expression of love, loneliness, challenge and achievement.  They will embrace it as Christians as worship music in which the music is the same but the words are new and spiritual. They have learned their grandparents’ and parents’ songs of they grew up in church.  But it will be their generation’s music that speaks to them.

-                     Radio, TV and Internet are being heard by teens, and Christians should be using them to reach teens.

For more ministries to involve and nurture youth, you can go through DANI proposals sent to you the past three years.

► Youth teams need to be established in many places.

Each denomination needs to name its full-time youth worker to mobilize dozens of active youth teams who, in turn, mobilize local teams in every congregation.  Conferences for such teams need to be held where new songs and new ministries can be taught to local youth teams.  Sports, music, food conferences, campus should be going on in each district and in the churches.

► Prayer, sincere, earnest prayer by the church, by parents and by converted      teens should become a major ministry of every congregation.

The future Church of India is being shaped today in the hearts of young people.  Its size and future growth are also being programmed there.  Should we do less than our best to win teens to spiritual life and maturity there will be no, “Well done, good and faithful servant” awaiting our generation before us, we are custodians of the Church of our times and winners and trainers of the Church we leave to our children.  To earn the “Well done” of eternity we must do well our threefold task, the most demanding of which has to d with teens, teens, teens.

WOMEN

► A neglected fact

In our country the women are neglected even in the churches. According to the Scripture for women it is given an important role not only in the house, but in every area. The women are building every thing.  Pro. 13:10 the last verse says, “ She is worth far more than rubies ”. Pro. 10:2 – 31 say about the precious women role in the house, business, caring, and pasturing and hospitalizes. We believe unless women, the church cannot be full Christ family.

In the resurrection Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalena, the lady disciple of Jesus Christ, she was having pure heart for Jesus. She loved him more than every thing. That’s why Jesus appeared to her first.

First Gospel preached through the women. In hospitals, schools, house keeping gardening and various areas the women are involved. First the Samaritan woman told about the Lord Jesus to the villagers. Esther is given important roll to bring the Israel people to get Independence. Dear brothers and sisters. The scripture says the equality for women and men. Even now many churches are neglecting women still. In Psalms: 68:11 says the women are powerful Luke 8: 1 -3 even though the ladies are working hard with Jesus to preach Gospel.   In every churches the women are singing, fasting prayer, arranging, giving important the holiness and spiritual growth etc the women are given important. Only the mother can take care for her children more than father. In Christ there is no man and woman everybody’s are the children of God. Bible says in the gospel of John chapter 1 verse 12 says; “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name he gave the right to become children of God”.

TRAINING

A strategic training program is needed by every denomination to equip and prepare phenomenal numbers of new candidates for ministry each year to plant churches among the unreached places and then to pastor them.  A non-formal training program can be thought of to equip a person as an evangelist, a church planter, and a lay preacher.

The need of church planters and shepherds for house churches can be met by short-term training program.  The denomination’s budget should provide for t he costs of as many short-term training programs, as it needs to train a shepherd for every congregation that has none.

If you agree that your church needs to train more then assign every district superintendent to plan one training program this year. Consider the following ideas;

1.                  Have him decide the place for the school so it is central to the villages from which students will come.

2.                  Plan for a training program in which candidates will be called for 10 days training session every third month.  Say, you start your training program in July. Candidates come and stay for 10 days training session.  Go to their place and start out reach in the neighborhood of their parent church. They minister under the supervision and guidance of their pastors.  Come to the next training session of 10 days, in the month of October. Again go to their field.  Further training sessions of 10 days are organized in January and then in April.

3.                  This will give them time with their families, enable them to continue their out    reach or shepherding a village/house church.

4.                  The cost of food can be reduced greatly if the school is held in a farming community where food costs less.  And it can be reduced greatly if each student brings some groceries and garden produce together to school at the beginning of every session contributed by his friends or church members who are eager to have a trained preacher in their village.

5.                  In each session, they will have five hours of theory teaching and two-three hours of practical instructions and guidance.  If possible they can be involved in local evangelism or in preaching assignments.

6.                  Experienced pastors and Bible teachers of the denomination can be used for teaching in different sessions.  Each may be called for a week or 10 days.  This will reduce the salary expenses of the teaching staff is required in case of regular teaching.

PLANTING CELL CHURCHES

A detailed written proposal will surely aid the planting of a new church.  Here are certain suggestions that will help you to write your own church-planting proposal.  You can discuss these points with your Advance Team, evangelism/church planting committee and the pastors of the area where you want to plant this new church.  Together you can conclude to the specific points that will serve as guidelines for achieving the desired goals.

1                    The need of a new church:

·                    Describe your vision for the planting of this new church.

·                    Explain the need of another church in that community/locality or people group.

·                    Mention the burden and the calling you have received from God.                                              

2.         The people group to be focused:

·                    Describe in detail the people group you want to reach.

·                    Notify the existing needs of the group.

·                    Support your proposal with available data and make plans to gather more information for the appropriate approach.

3.                  Your idea of the new church to be formed

·                    State your primary aim.

·                    Make a definite mission statement for this particular church planting.

·                    Suggest an effective ministry style.

·                    Guidelines for the discipline of the believers in that new church

4.         Your idea ministry team:     

·                    Describe your idea ministry team you need for planning of this church.

·                    Define the specific roles of every member needed to carry out proposal

                        ministry                                                                 

·                    Mention the needed assistance of the Para church organisation to reach the

                                    the desired result.

5                  Financial assistance:

·                 Notify the excepted budget.

·                 Describe how will you arrange for the required financial assistance.

·                 Plans for raising funds from the church member for reaching the goal.

·                 Suggestions to approach certain funding agencies.

                        6          Formation of the new church:           

·                  Step to approach the people group.

·                  Describe how you will gather them in the form of church.

·                Propose spiritual program to bind them together.

7.             The basic target to be reached:

             Expected number of members worshipping together before that

             gathering is declared as a church. Desired number of leaders to carry out regular

             functions of a church: pastor, lay leader, woman leader, youth leader, sunday

             school teachers etc. Plans for suitable place for regular gathering. Decide

             expected time period required for the whole process. You may need to divide the

             work in different steps.

             Surely, the planting of a church is more a work of prayer than a planning.  While

             planning helps us in focusing our efforts rightly, prayer helps us to receive the

             power ands guidance of gracious Father through His Holy Spirit.  After all we are

             called to be God’s partner in building Christ’s Church for the Kingdom of

             eternity.

        PRAYER

PASTORAL PRAYER BAND

The book of Acts provides the basic functioning of the early church. One specific feature of the first century fruitful church was the place of prayer in its regular activities.  “They prayed” is a very frequent term that describes the movements and ministry of the apostles and the believers.  “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:16) was evident in t he fact that they could over come the hostile world, spread the gospel and planted many churches.  Pastors, though untrained and inexperienced, had churches whose members were famous as “faithful brethren” and the testimony of their “faith in Christ Jesus” and of their “love for all the saints” was heard in near and far places (Col 1:2 –4).

What key do you find in this description that helps a pastor for making his church the company of “faithful brethren” and for accomplishing the great commission of the Lord of the Church? Yeas! You guessed it right.  It is the band of men who will kneel down with him, plead with him at the throne of grace and beseech the power and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  MEN WHO WILL PRAY WITH HIM – A PASTORAL PRAYER BAND.

The pastoral ministry is not a profession but the spiritual battle.  Every pastor, district superintendent, and even the Chairman of the denomination needs a band of faithful that will be his prayer partners to strengthen his hands spiritually.  The Pastoral prayer Band can be designed to provide the pastor with a band of prayer warriors which will seek with him God’s guidance and the power of the Holy spirit for any and every activity of the church.

The following suggestions can be pondered upon to start this ministry in your denomination’s every congregation:

1.        If the church is a large community the pastor can select 31 men as his prayer partners each of whom will join him for prayer on a specific day and time every month.  If the congregation is small and 31 men aren’t available, then the pastor can begin with a small team.  For example, in a small congregation the prayer team may comprise of seven men.  Each will be named to pray with the pastor on a particular day of a week for the whole month.

2.        On every Sunday morning, the seven men who have been praying with the pastor during the previous six days and the person named for the Sunday will meet together to pray before the worship service.  All can be called together for prayer at t he time of need.

3.        The pastor can list both business and residential telephone numbers of the members of his prayer band so he calls each man one or two days before his prayer appointment as a reminder and to discuss particular needs.  This will be very useful in case of urgent need of the prayer.

4.        The pastor, in special cases, can call these men to accompany him for a special prayer visit to the old or critically sick people.  The church members may like to call this prayer band with the pastor for special prayer in their families.

5.        If there are 31 partners in the team, all can meet once every month for thanking God for His answers to their prayers and for renewing their commitment in this crucial ministry.

6.        The Pastor’s wife can also form a Women prayer band.  She can meet weekly with them on any suitable day or on Sundays during the Sunday school hours.

This plan provides the pastor and his wife with nonstop prayer support throughout the whole year. This is effective in producing the power base for the entire church ministry.  Many more practical plans can be added to make this prayer team ministry a fruitful assistance in the advance of the church.  Once you are seeking His guidance, the Holy Spirit will guide you to bind you and your men in the bond of commitment that will help you and your church to fulfill the will of Christ the Lord.

PRAYER REQUESTS

1.                                          Pray for the forthcoming convention in the month of  October, 2003

2.                                          Pray for next Batch of DORCAS and the faculties

3.                                          Pray for the TFG Trust and The Philadelphia church vision and the mission extension.

4.                                        Pray for children / youth ministry

                               For further information :   428, Block – C,

                                                      Sector – 19,

                                                      Rohini, Delhi – 110 085

                                                      Phone : 2785 1034 / 9810 285469

tfgtrustindia@rediffmail.com

asahu@del3.vsnl.net.in

website: http://tfgtrustindia.tripod.com