Standing Shoulder To Shoulder Together As We Fight the Good Fight of Faith A personal letter of encouragement to You, written solely to "lift up hands that hang down". TO SUBSCRIBE send a blank message to shoulders-subscribe@... . TO UNSUBSCRIBE send a blank message to shoulders-unsubscribe@... . IN EACH CASE you will receive an automated request for confirmation which you must answer. FOR BACK COPIES go to www.associate.com/digests/shoulders . Click on "Start Reading" Get "HOPE4KYIV", a praise report and prayer request letter of the Tolliver's ministry as missionaries to Ukraine, TO SUBSCRIBE send a blank message to hope4kyiv-subscribe@.... FOR BACK COPIES go to www.associate.com/digests/hope4kyiv. +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #306 ---- 10/20/03 Title: "Kingdom, Kingdom Building, and Kingdom Workers" My Dear Friend and Co-Laborer in Christ: Before anything else, I want to highly commend a website recommended to me earlier last week. www.e-sword.net is an amazing site in that this brother has spent multiplied thousands of hours gathering invaluable Bible study downloads ---- all free! So, it is a great pleasure for me to add this site to the list of resources at the bottom of each of my letters. I hope you'll find it as helpful as I have. There are things available on this site that I've not seen anywhere else. And they're free! If you use it, take a moment to write this brother, Rick Meyers, and let him know of your appreciation. His e-mail is rick@.... Also, just so you can be prepared: Jo Ann and I are doing some pretty heavy traveling the next four weeks, and it may well be that I will be unable to get my letters posted. I just don't know what type of access I'll have to the internet. So, if a letter doesn't show up, you will understand. Here is the schedule we face beginning this coming Wednesday: Oct 22-26 ---- Zagreb, Rijeka, and Crikvenica, Croatia Oct 26-30 ---- Frankfurt, Germany Oct 30 - Nov 3 ---- L'viv, Ukraine Nov 3-7 ---- Home Nov 8-15 ---- Prague, Czek Republic After this, we will pretty much be at our home base in Kiev for the next several months. URGENT PRAYER REQUESTS: It seems that missionaries in our region of the world are currently facing enormous challenges and setbacks. In my particular mission organization we have about 45 mission "units" consisting of well over 100 individuals who serve in our region. All but six of those units are in Ukraine. In recent months we have also lost as many as a dozen units who have left the field for various reasons, most of them health or family related. All of this has reminded me again of just how hostile the spiritual forces around us really are, and how intense the various pressures about which I recently wrote have become. So, as you pray for us specifically, and for our partners in all missionary endeavors in this part of the world, please pray especially for the following individuals: 1. Joel Ragains, Practicum Director at Kiev Theological Seminary, just had eye surgery Thursday for a detached retina, apparently caused by a severe blow to the head which he suffered shortly after arriving here when he walked into a steel rod protruding from the booth of a local vendor. He is currently in Frankfurt, GER and will hopefully return to Kiev in a week to ten days. 2. Mary Ellen Johnson, one of our dear friends with whom we went through training last Fall, suffered a heart attack during language class Friday. She and her husband, Dan, are in their early to mid 40's and are preparing to move to Odessa to head up the mission strategy in that great city. This development may alter those plans in some way. The war is real, my friend; and the battles are great and are frequent. Intercessors are often the ones who make the difference in the outcome of the struggles. So, what I am asking you to do is not simply a perfunctory duty on my part, but an impassioned plea to stand in the gap for us, . . . and for all missionaries and pastors whom you know. AN ASTOUNDING REPORT: I have been trying to send this report to you for three weeks, and am determined to do it today. I recently read the following report in the MBC journal, The Pathway that has brought me unbelievable joy. It is so amazing, that I want to pass it on to you. Most of what we hear about Iraq is how so many people and world leaders disagree with the war, how terrible the U.S. is, and so forth. So, to put some things in perspective, let me give you this information about something that has happened since the war. Read on. This is a thrilling report, modified to protect the people involved. -------------------- (Report of Dreams and Visions bringing Conversions in Iraq) (A City) - An indigenous home church movement consisting of at least 86 congregations is alive and well within Muslim Iraq, thanks to a sovereign God choosing to win souls by means of dreams and visions, according to Donald EKG (not his real name for security reasons), the (Iraq city)-based operations coordinator for the (missionary agency). "This is not external," Donald EKG said. "This is totally internal. God does it in a variety of ways, and I'm comfortable with anything that He wants to do." There are 16 home churches in the (region) and 70 in the (region), Donald said. This is a foundation that short-term missionaries from (state denominational agency) churches can build upon when they arrive early (time of year) to pass out food and serve as ambassadors of Jesus to needy Iraqi families, he said. "When we see this happening this way, it gets us through so many of our cross-cultural barriers," Donald said. "It's coming inside the culture, inside the tradition, inside the history, inside the language. Those barriers are crossed already. All we have to do is fan the flame and be a blessing to them to achieve the same goals. "We believe it's God's desire to see the peoples of Iraq have a chance to hear and respond to the Good News about Jesus." Donald is excited to welcome (denominational group) because the (denominational agency) is the only state body within the (denomination) empowered to reach Iraq on the evangelism/church planting level. In other words, the short-term missionaries from (state) are special soldiers that (mission agency) personnel on the ground in Baghdad can deploy. (The state's) assignment is (city name), a city of 1.2 million in the province of (region). The overall (mission agency) strategy in Iraq is to reach 14 cities and 7 people groups, Donald said. (Denomination) have plenty of plans to take the Gospel to the natives, but Donald said Muslims are being reached right now through dreams and visions. Muslim imams and mullahs are losing followers. "They go to them and say, 'I saw Jesus in a dream last night. What do I do?''' Donald said. Usually they are told to forget that the dream ever happened. However, when the same dream happens more than once, the imam or the mullah will sometimes face up to the inevitable and let go of the follower. About 1-2 million ethnic Christians exist in Iraq, Donald said. Many are not evangelicals, he said, but some of them are. Some are even being used by God to harvest the souls of Muslims having dreams and visions, he said. Donald knows of one imam in particular who has been the primary source of disciples for a key Iraqi Christian leader. "It's very possible that this one imam very well may be a believer," Donald said. "It's a curiosity because he's the one who sent several of these guys to a nationally known Christian, an ethnic Christian minority. I mean, he sent them to talk to this guy! "This guy is an evangelical, and he's been discipling. He's got a network of 70 men who he's been discipling, not all sent from this one imam but many of them from him." Wisdom, dreams and visions are a winning blend in Iraq, Donald said. American teachers need to leave their direct, propositional approach at home. Learn to respect the mystery of Iraqi culture, he said. "An extremely high percentage of Muslim peoples come to the Lord through a supernatural event-primarily visions and dreams," he said. "They'll have a dream of Jesus coming to them in various forms, always as a man. With His presence they know that He is Jesus. "Sometimes He speaks. Sometimes He's silent. Sometimes it's real specific. Sometimes it's very general. "Personally, I don't know of a Muslim convert in this part of the world who has not had a vision or a dream. It is that widespread." Donald urges every (member of a denomination) who is praying about coming to Iraq to fan the flame that is already burning through dreams and visions. Pray for God to keep on doing this, the operations coordinator said. "He can," Donald said. "He's the God of the supernatural. We need to pray that He will continue to draw people to Himself by using dreams and visions." Donald spoke to (denomination) , when (denomination members) all over the state were lifting up Iraq in accordance with the goals of the (denomination). The (denomination) proclaimed the week of (date) a special eight days of prayer for Iraq, with congregations all over the state for two special Sundays, (dates), focusing their prayers on a common goal of God preparing Iraq's heart to receive the Good News. Other prayers for Iraq during that time were intentional prayers for safety for our soldiers in the land as well as persevering prayers for a Christian-tolerant and stable government for the people of Iraq. "What we do is going to make a difference," said Donald to an attentive group of (denomination members) gathered in the prayer room at (Name)Church, (city and date). --------------------- I hope this report thrills you as much as it does me. It just shows again the power of the Gospel. All we need to do is storm heaven's gates with prevailing prayer and then storm hell's strongholds with the message of deliverance and victory. God will do the rest, and in such a way that He alone receives both credit and glory. BUILDING THE KINGDOM: Yesterday two memorable decisions were made at our church. First, our Church Leadership Council appointed one of our men to serve as "Associate Pastor" to assist me in helping the church gradually transition to a Ukrainian pastor. Vitaly is a wonderful brother, articulate in English, fervent in his love and zeal for the Lord, and a fast-learning student of God's Word. His passion is to learn the truths of the Bible and motivate people to embrace and live by them. His leadership skills are excellent, and he is respected by the people. I am grateful for his partnership in leading this church toward an exciting and adventurous future as my role gradually phases out over the next year or two. Second, we interviewed a young man, Zhenya, whom we hope will come on board as a pastoral intern to also become part of the process of pastoral transition. He is a fourth year student of a local Christian university and feels God has called him to vocational ministry in Ukraine. He is also very good in English, and has already had extensive experience in preaching, cell group ministry, and worship . . . three areas that are at the heart of our work here. As Jo Ann and I visited with Zhenya last night over pizza, I told him that I believed God was raising up a new and fresh generation of leaders who would be used to enter what I believe will be the final phase of world evangelization. He was humbled, but excited over that thought. As I reviewed with him the historical progression I've seen, God reminded me that the Kingdom is exclusively His, and Jesus Christ is His exclusive Builder. All the rest of us are nothing more or less than workers called to join Him in that venture. But, we are nonetheless cherished by our Master builder. What a thrill it is to sit back and take a panoramic view of what has been happening. Just imagine what has transpired in the past 2,000 years. The battle of two kingdoms has raged continually as the souls of men and women have been drawn back and forth. Even as I write you today, my mind is flooded with scripture after scripture that details this battle. From pre-Adamic days the battle has raged without pause. When Adam and Eve yielded to the temptation for independence, the path for man was eternally settled . . . mankind would forever be the focus of attention for both God and Satan. Sometimes we forget that. In the coming of Christ, the Victor Who for centuries had been predicted was now announced and revealed. The Gospel spread like wildfire and, within 200 years, covered the entire known western world. Millions came to Christ. As often is the case with things that God does, His genuine work of redemption became to some a cultural fad to many. Christianity soon became popular enough that Constantine embraced (or at least tolerated and approved of) it into Roman culture. It didn't take long for the Gospel to be diluted and compromised, as those with less than holy ambitions began using it for their own ends. The downward spiral gained speed quickly, and ultimately plummeted society into the Dark Ages. During this process and this era of history, almost all resemblance of the real thing was lost. The church became nothing more than another bondage-creating, false-hope-generating machine that sucked the truth and the power (and often the money) from the veins of the true Church and the message it was to proclaim. During that agonizing centuries-long process, the message, the power, and the tools of Gospel proclamation were, for the most part, lost. Yet, deep within the hearts of a few, the small flames of the truth, the life, and the way, kept burning until during the Fourteen Century voices began to immerge again, proclaiming the Gospel. It cost many of them their lives. But they kept preaching, . . . and more kept coming . . . until a little Austrian printer, Gutenberg, published the Bible as the first ever book to be printed on a printing press. Here are his remarks: "Religious truth is captive in a small number of little manuscripts which guard the common treasures, instead of expanding them. Let us break the seal which binds these holy things; let us give wings to truth that it may fly with the Word, no longer prepared at vast expense, but multitudes everlastingly by a machine which never wearies to every soul which enters life." - Johann Gutenberg Martin Luther eventually came to prominence, and the spiritual awakening and reviving so long hoped for became a living reality. And from that day to now, God has been restoring to the Church things that had been lost during the centuries of this self-imploding black hole of spiritual lostness. As I have examined church history, I have noticed a pattern by which God has been steadily and progressively restoring specific doctrinal truths, leadership roles, giftings, and ministries to the church in an apparently pre-determined pattern. It is quite fascinating to see. So, as Jo Ann and I talked with this young man, it was my delight to share how I felt God was perhaps restoring the final missing piece that, when gaining a place of prominence, will catapult the Church back into the world for a massive evangelistic harvest of souls. If you examine just the last 200 years or even 100 years of church history, you can see the pattern. A few decades ago we saw the re-introduction of the work of the Holy Spirit into the life of the Church at large. That was followed by a new focus on the authority of God's Word. The list goes on. Most recently has been the renewed emphasis on worship, and then prayer. It is not a matter of moving from one phase to another, but rather from having another ingredient progressively added to and mixed into the others, much like a baker mixing cake batter for the oven. It seems to me that prayer is the final ingredient that will launch us into world evangelization. All through this ongoing process, God both refreshes existing servants and raises up new ones. That's why I am so excited over the possibilities of Zhenya and others like him. I believe they are the ones who will see in soon-coming years the massive harvest for which you and I have been praying and serving. But, through it all, God keeps reminding us all that it is His Kingdom, He will build it through His son . . . . and we can come along and join Him if we will. CHOICEST WORKERS: In that process, one thing has been prominent throughout all church history. That is the role of the pastor. In America the month of October is "Pastor Appreciation Month". Last week I ran across the following article on the internet. Written by Roy Lessin, co-founder and director of DaySpring Greeting Cards, it says what is in my heart for every pastor. . . . and for every other person who may need to be encouraged this Monday. So, as my word of encouragement to you, dear friend, please consider the following remarks so beautifully and lovingly written. ------------------------------ Pastor, God Has Chosen You by Roy Lessin Co-Founder DaySpring Cards God was the one who formed you, gave you the breath of life, and brought you into the world. He did this so that His arms could embrace you and His love could keep you-He wanted you to know that your relationship with Him would always be of more value than the things He would have you do for Him. He wanted you to be certain that He loved you completely before you ever did anything in His service, so that your service would never become a way of trying to earn His love or favor. As you came to know His heart and hear His voice, you heard Him speak a call to your life. This call would mean that He would never ask you to do anything for Him that He expected you to do without Him. He alone would be the source of your sufficiency. His only desire would be that you would daily open your heart to His resources-He wanted you to be sure that you would never have to say, "I can't," without also being able to say, "He can!" You are now in the place He has called you. He has made no mistakes in leading you here. Even in the hard places He is working out what is best-not only for you and for others, but also for His Kingdom. He is not looking at your statistics or programs to measure you; He is looking at your heart to see if you are faithful. He wants you to know that the results of your obedience are for Him to determine. Be assured that it is His presence that will keep you and make you strong. You are in God's place at God's perfect time. Your days are in His hands, and He is your future. He has gifted you, and placed His hand upon you to bless you and make you a blessing. The burden of your ministry is not yours to carry-as you rest, He will work; as you abide, He will bring fruit; as you sow, He will give the increase. He is your shield and your exceeding great reward. He is your provider. He will take care of you. He will nurture and sustain you. His Spirit is the wind to cool you, the water to refresh you, the power to enable you, the oil to anoint you, and the river that flows through you to touch the lives of others. Continue to be God's man, in God's place, doing God's will, in God's way, and always remember-God has chosen you! ---------------------- Dear friend . . . . have a wonderful week. Just imagine the joy you and I have of being part of what God is doing in these final days before He releases the concluding acts of redemption. Talk about living on the leading edge, . . . . we're there! Praise His Name! In His Bond and For His Kingdom, Bob Tolliver -- Psalm 2:8 Copyright October, 2003 Life Unlimited Ministries lifeunlimited@... www.reachukraine.org/kiev/team/tollivers.htm (Personal ministry) www.reachukraine.org/kiev (General team ministry) Subscribe to "Hope4Kyiv", a monthly praise and prayer report of our work in Ukraine by sending a blank message to hope4kyiv-subscribe@.... Please do NOT hit reply to this letter. This is an automated unmanned system. If you want to write Bob, send directly to lifeunlimited@.... Replying to "Shoulder To Shoulder" mailer gets you nowhere. If this letter has blessed you, feel free to forward it, with proper credits, to any and all you wish. Online Resources on Ukraine are . . . . www.uazone.net www.hope4cee.org www.ukraineinfo.us www.peopleteams.org/ukrainians www.reachukraine.org May I Recommend . . . . If you have a heart for God and would like to be encouraged in your life and ministry, and you have a burden for your church, your community, and the world, then you may want to receive . . . A world-wide network for praying together www.worldprayerteam.org To adopt and pray for a special historic city in Iraq, go to www.operationiraqcare.org "National Pastors' Prayer Network" newsletter at http://www.nppn.org ~ email: phil@... Register your PPG: http://www.nppn.org/ppg/ U. S. World Prayer Center at Usprayercenter@... City Reaching/City Impact Roundtable www.cityreaching.com Wolfgang Simpson's "Friday Fax" from New Zealand fridayfax-subscribe@... "Life Action Outreach" at www.LifeAction.org "Bulletin On Revival" by Francois Carr in South Africa at www.revivalcsa.co.za "Youth Interceding For America" at www.yifa.org "Mission America" at www.missionamerica.org. "The Lighthouse Movement" at www.lighthousemovement.com Other Great Resources Are: www.e-sword.net (one of the best free download Bible study site I've ever seen!) "Christian Communications Toolkit" (using internet wisely) at http://associate.com/camsoc/ctt/ Free software or shareware listings, http://www.associate.com/camsoc/crop/software.html#freewin. "Christian Computing Magazine", www.ccmag.com. CCMag discussion newsletter, ccmag-subscribe@.... Thousands of Free Christian graphics at http://www.christiangraphicdesign.com/premierinfo.htm Secular News on Kiev and Ukraine will give you interesting views at . . . www.kyivweekly.com www.kievpost.com www.kyivpost.com www.ukrainenews.com "We will not Work where we have not prayed." (Todd Golden)