GLOBAL MISSIONS OF APOSTOLIC AND CHARISMATIC CONGRESS (GMACC)
[Council for World Outreach, Missions and Evangelism/Umbrella Body & Ecumenical Institution for Independent Churches/Ministries.
(World wide Apostolic and Charismatic Fellowship Church (ACFC)]
MISSIONS NEWS
MISSIONS LIFE
Missions Life is the Official Newsletter of the Global Missions of Apostolic and Charismatic Congress (GMACC) [Council for World Outreach, Missions & Evangelism/Umbrella Body and Ecumenical Institution for Independent Churches/Ministries [Worldwide Apostolic and Charismatic Fellowship Church (ACFC)] Headquarters Office: 19 Blackheath Road, London SE10 8PE. Telephone 020 8692 3816.
August, Year 2006 issue. Published by the Publications Board of the GMACC, London, United Kingdom.
CONTENTS Click on content heading
- Outdoor Activities – Evangelistic Outreach
- Outreach to the Centre for the ‘Needy’
- Indoor Activities:
- Teaching, Gospel and Prayer Sessions
- Healing and Miracle Sessions
- Outstanding Miracles and Healing
GMACC MISSIONS REPORT – 2ND EUROPEAN FIELD REPORT
MISSION TO SWITZERLAND
This Mission took us into the heart of the community in Herisau and St. Gallen. It was organised to engage in a campaign of revival for our branch churches in places under Herisau’s Diocese. It was a week campaign commencing Sunday 30th July to Sunday 6th August 2006. The campaign consisted of outdoor and indoor activities. Ministers from the United Kingdom made up of Primus Patriarch, Apostle Dr. Kingsley Ekaette and Belbari Gbarato - the assistant church leader joined with ministers in Switzerland led by Bishop Cecilia Heer Harisen. From the first day of the campaign we witnessed God’s presence right through and the display of his sovereign power.
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES – EVANGELISTIC OUTREACH
During the outdoor activities, we mounted evangelistic outreach campaign at St. Gallen around areas covering business and shopping centres as well as the main railway and bus stations. We were able to reach out to over 500 people, taking the good news of Lord Jesus Christ to them and giving out tracts and other information leaflets. It was during this outreach campaign that we really appreciated the following scripture: “Then he (Jesus) said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’” [Mat. 9:37] We met many people who were hungry and thirsty of their creator but torn apart by the devil. They were like people who have missed the way and desperately looking for someone or people to give them the direction or help them out. Being eager to know more about their saviour Jesus Christ, they required help that will enable them to know the truth and for them to be fed with real spiritual food. The problem we discovered is that genuine or true carers and shepherds are in short supply.
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We also met another category of people who are in confusion and know little or nothing about the saviour of the world, Christ the Lord. They paid little attention to the good news we took to them. However, when they read about what God had done in our midst during the campaign, some of them became curious. There was a man who did not want to give us any attention but when he heard about the miracles God performed during the campaign he started to be inquisitive. He was told that Jesus Christ is the same today, yesterday and forever and by his wounds we are healed. When he realised that he could be healed from his sickness by our Lord Jesus Christ, he surrendered his life and requested at last that he should be prayed for at such open busy station. For this category of people who exhibited lack of knowledge about Christ Jesus, it all boils down to the fact that they need to know the truth and be given the opportunity to hear more of the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is where we in our assessment see the need for more labourers in mission fields as it is written:
How then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! [Rom. 10:14-15]
Indeed, they cannot hear without someone preaching to them. This is why we need your participation in missions and where this is not possible we encourage you to support us prayerfully and financially - praying especially for these precious souls to be brought out from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God by God’s Spirit as it is written, “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit.” [Zech. 4:6].
OUTREACH TO THE CENTRE FOR THE ‘NEEDY’
After our outreach campaign at the main business and shopping centres, railway and buss stations, we were taken to a centre for ‘needy,’ where those who are homeless, alcoholics, drug addicts and vulnerable are rehabilitated. Here we witnessed lives that have been ruined by the evil one. We could not bear the sight of those precious souls - young people and adults so disadvantaged, excluded and alienated from the society. You can see from their faces how they are struggling day and night to be freed from such evil forces and demons of alcoholism, drug addiction, depression and wretchedness that have taken hold of their lives and made them useless.
When it was announced to them that we were ministers of the gospel of Christ coming from various places including London to visit them, many of them paid attention to us. Those who needed prayers extended their hands to the Primus Patriarch Dr. Kingsley Ekaette who was praying for them. Seeing the sort of conditions they are in, Primus Patriarch was moved with compassion and right ahead set up a welfare scheme for our church to participate in bringing spiritual, moral and material relief to them. When we returned to the crusade hall, substantial amount of money was raised to support the scheme as the hearts of all the people present were moved as one having seen the damage done to God’s creation by the enemy of our soul.
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The centre provides them some limited meals and since they cannot be adequately fed or catered for, they still turn to alcohol and drugs to keep them going. Some of them have only one dress they put on at all times and since they have no home to sleep, take a bath and wash their dresses, the sort of stinking smell that came out from them was unbearable. Many of them sleep rough in the streets and other open places. When you look at them, because of the ordeal and experiences they are going through, they look like sub-human. Yet they are precious souls created by God. The devil has taken advantage of their predicament and ruined their life. They really need your help to come out from their horrible situation. There are those who really want to come out from the situations they are facing but without people like you helping them, it becomes impossible for them to be freed or delivered.
They require spiritual, material and moral support including counselling, love and compassion, prayers, leading them to Christ and a proper place for them to worship or to be fed with the true word of God. We met a very beautiful young lady who gave us a heart-breaking story of how she became drug addict. She is a qualified nurse. She said she was a Christian before. Being disappointed by her partner, she became depressed. This then led her to drug taking which has now resulted in her being drug addict and her life being ruined. She really cried out for help to come out from her present situation and to rededicate her life to Christ. For this category of people, it may well be that we humans have written them off but God has not written them off. God loves them and does not want them to perish. He wants them to be brought out from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his dear son Jesus Christ.
This is why we require your support so that we can reach out to these precious souls and for you to participate in missions in order for us to take the love of our great and mighty God to them. If you cannot involve in missions and outreach for souls, do support us in your prayers for them and make financial contribution to support the welfare scheme now established to bring relief to them. The scheme is ongoing therefore more financial support is required. If you are moved by the Lord to register your support financially, do contact the Primus Patriarch and remit any amount of money God puts in your heart. We believe it was for people like these that Christ brought to our attention what will happen on his coming back as it is stated in the following scripture:
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.
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Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.
Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison and did not help you? He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. [Mat. 25:31-46]
We believe by working together, we will be able to carry out our Lord’s desire and invest for the reward and honour that will be given to us when He comes back. We do encourage you to be involved and make contributions to meet our Master’s desire. Do encourage your members and others who would like to be involved in seeking for souls and bringing relief to the suffering people and bring them on board. Pass on this newsletter to them to read and respond accordingly.
INDOOR ACTIVITIES
Thereafter, we returned to our indoor revival meetings. From day one we witnessed God’s presence and his faithfulness. A great man of God, Belbari Gbarato who accompanied the Primus Patriarch, Dr. Kingsley Ekaette from London was used mightily by the Lord. People were greatly blessed and encouraged by his messages. In addition to preaching at the meetings he also played a leading role in evangelistic outreach.
TEACHING, GOSPEL AND PRAYER SESSIONS
Indoor activities were made up of teaching, gospel, prayer and healing/miracle sessions. God used the participating ministers to bring his people messages of comfort, encouragement and of great joy. We all worked as a team for the glory of God. All of us were touched and transformed by powerful messages and revelations from the participating ministers. In fact our strengths were revived and renewed with the joy of the Lord as it is written, “They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength.” [Isa. 40:31] And we really saw that the joy of the Lord brought strength to us as it is written, “… the joy of the Lord is your strength.” [Neh. 8:10] All the participants used the prayer sessions to pray for the nation of Switzerland and for the Lord to be exalted in all nations of the world since he is the Lord of all the earth. They also had the opportunity to pray for their families and loved ones and for Christ to be glorified during the campaign and in his church.
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HEALING AND MIRACLE SESSIONS
All the healing and miracle meetings were conducted by Primus Patriarch Dr. Kingsley Ekaette. God used him mightily to reveal his glory with remarkable miracles. God demonstrated his love to his people and sent his Spirit to heal them. Our heavenly Father exalted his Son Jesus Christ in an awesome way. It was a refreshing and life changing experience for everyone who attended these sessions. It was as if God was waiting to meet us at the points of our individual needs. Because of the beauty and sweetness of his presence with us, each day we finished the meeting, people did not feel going back home. We ended up reaching home after twelve mid-night everyday. Some people who came distance away from the meeting venue, reached home between one and two a.m. the following day. Many people gave their life to Jesus for the first time and backsliders rededicated their life to Him. In earnest, we really witnessed revival at the meetings. There were testimonies of people being healed of various sicknesses that cannot all be reported here due to space.
OUTSTANDING MIRACLES AND HEALING
There was a lady of over twenty five years old who had accident right from when she was twelve as a result of which one of her legs was longer than the other and she had been in pain since then. The power of God broke through, adjusted the leg and made the two legs equal and she received instant healing and felt no more pain in any parts of her body. There was a medical doctor (a huge tall man) who had been in a severe pain at his back for quite a long time and found it difficult to bend down. No painkiller or medication could cure it. When the anointing power of the Holy Spirit was released, he received instant healing and he felt no more pain. This man came out with such great joy to testify and praise God for healing him. There was a woman of 80 years old who had eyes problem. She could not see well and her ears were also blocked making it difficult to hear. During the mighty move of God’s Spirit the woman was healed. Her eyes were cleared up and her ears were unblocked. She could see and hear well. The woman was jumping about like a young girl, praising God for his mercy towards her.
There was a woman who had three operations to remove cancer from her belly. She was told by her doctor that she would be cured after the operations had taken place. This was not the case. Instead she had been in a terrible pain. During the mighty move of God’s Spirit in our midst, the woman was healed and felt no more pain. She could not hold back her joy as she was jumping, screaming and praising the Lord. There was another woman of over 50 years old who went through hip transplant operations and thereafter the woman had been in a terrible pain. She could only struggle to walk with the support of a walking stick. When the power of God came down and the healing was released on his people the woman felt the power of God in the form of a sensation that went through her hip, adjusting it and immediately the pain on her hip vanished. She was healed. She threw away her walking stick and was jumping about without pain and support of the walking stick. There was another woman who was suffering from arthritis that twisted and stiffened her fingers for years and made it difficult for her to straighten them.
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She had been in pain all along. When the healing power of God was released, she could no longer feel the pain and her fingers were straightened. She started to move them freely. For such demonstrations of his great power and mercy towards his people, needless to say that great is his faithfulness. We can only continue to praise him for his mighty acts of love for us. We give him all the glory and worship him for who he is. We would like to conclude this report by expressing our thanks first to our heavenly Father, his Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit for what we had witnessed and to all those who support the council both financially and prayerfully. Your prayers and financial support have paid off as we continue to witness many souls saved and brought out from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God and many lives being transformed. It is also a great joy for all of us to see the Lord our God being exalted and glorified in all the nations we have been to.
May the Lord our God greatly bless, protect you and prosper your ministry. We have two remaining international major events to attend this year – International Conference in Nigeria and Outreach in Germany before the year runs out. If you would like to participate in any of these events, please contact the Primus Patriarch. We do really require your prayers and financial support for these missions. Do continue to give your support and pray for those in mission fields. The Lord will bless you and reward you accordingly. Amen.
Copies of previous Newsletters could be obtained on request.
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