DAWN Fridayfax 1999 #30

Nigeria

"Don't collect money, collect people!"

"It all started with a vision in a hotel room," says 45-year-old Bishop David Oyedepo, who now leads the Living Faith Church ('Winners' Chapel') in Lagos, Nigeria, with an attendance of 42,000 every Sunday. On 1 May 1981, Oyedepo saw a vision of desperate, distorted and hurting people obviously in need of help. When he asked God what it meant, God said "And from the beginning it was not so," and gave him the task of preaching the gospel. Only a few days later, on 8 May 1981, Oyedepo founded the 'Power House', a spiritual support system made up of people praying, fasting and preparing themselves to serve others. Fellowships started not only in Lagos, but also in Nigeria's traditionally Islamic north. According to the American magazine 'Charisma', the "Dominion Cathedral", which Oyedepo founded in Kaduna in 1984, is the largest church in the north of the country, with an attendance around 10,000. The church has to over 39 other African nations, including Ethiopia (attendance 1,000), Kenya (7,000) and Ghana (7,000). On 29 August 1998, the foundation was laid for what will probably be the world's largest church building, with space for some 50,400 people. Oyedepo reports that the church provides the finance itself, saying "God told me 'Don't collect money, collect people!'"
Source: Winners' Chapel, Lagos, tel 4922415, fax 4922413, e-mail info@domi.org, www.winners-chapel.com,

India

Hundreds of house churches started last year

The pressure on Indian Christians, such as in Madhya Pradesh, continues. Daniel (name changed), a church planter, has been beaten up several times and still receives threats from radical Hindus. At the same time, the spiritual openness in the nation is almost unprecedented. "A year ago, we had 35 house churches," Daniel reports, "Today, we have more than 100. In the first few months of 1999, we baptised 340 people despite threats of imprisonment." The Swiss strategy network 'Kingdom Ministries', which supports 140 Indian church planters, reports that Daniel is not an exception. "Last year alone, hundreds of new churches were planted, mostly house churches," they report.

Grass-eating woman becomes normal

"Signs and wonders happen all the time," reports Kingdom Ministries. In one village, a woman crawled around on her hands and knees, eating grass, just like King Nebuchadnezzar in the Bible. Doctors were unable to help her, and she was generally considered posessed. When A, a church planter, arrived in the village, he explained that he could not help the woman himself, but that Jesus could free her. He prayed for her, and she became normal again, with the result that many of the villagers decided to become Christians.
Source: Kingdom Ministries, fax +41-33-4370016

China

Modern Peter supernaturally freed from jail

He is known as 'The Heavenly Man', 41 years old, and famous not only in China: house-church leader Liu Zhenying. He has been imprisoned for his faith several times, and during one imprisonment, according to Chinese sources, fasted for 74 days without water. On 16 March 1997, he broke both legs when jumping out of a window to escape police before his most recent arrest. He was sent to a high-security jail, but confidently expected to be freed. The other inmates considered him to be mad. His legs had healed by the time a fellow inmate, also a Christian, told him "You can go now!" "I wanted to be sure," says Liu, "and asked God for instructions God told me that it was time. Revelation and information from God are much more important than telegrams and telephones," he says. "I have a simple theology. I don't look at what I see, but at what I believe. When God spoke to me, I saw one of the large prison doors open; a guard was about to close it when the telephone rang. I went through the door, putting my life in God's hand. Another door leading out of the prison was also open. I can only think that an angel opened it," he says. "In all, three iron doors opened in front of me. It was perfect timing - I couldn't have left 20 seconds earlier or later. As I stood outside the prison, a taxi stopped, and took me to a Christian house. The people had been fasting and praying for me for a week, and already knew that their house would be my first stop after leaving jail. They already had a bed and clothes prepared for me."

Chinese Christians prepare themselves for world mission

Liu reports that an increasing number of Chinese Christians are preparing themselves for world mission, primarily among Buddhist and Arab peoples. They need to gain experience and be trained. Liu does not know what the missionary movement will look like, but that is not important for many people. "God sent me to Germany, which is, humanly speaking, impossible, yet it has happened. In this respect, my theology is very simple: listen to God's voice and do what he says"
Source: Titus Pan. A full report appeared in C-Report number 6 (fax +49-6146-61496, tel -61681).

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