DAWN Fridayfax 2004 #37

Israel

New openness for the Gospel

Jakob Damkani has evangelised on Israel's streets for many years, reaching Jews with the Gospel. It is understandable that his message is mostly rejected. We have heard various reports that in recent months, there has been a new openness for the Gospel in Israel, particularly among soldiers. This summer, a motley group of Christians stood with their guitars and flags in front of Israeli soldiers at an army post on the Golan Heights. The soldiers were about to go out on a dangerous armed mission, but several of them stood with tears in their eyes as the Christians sang and spoke about Jesus, the Messiah. Ron, the army commander, said "Thank you for coming. You have been a great help. You could hardly bless Israel more - we need exactly what you are doing!"
Source: various, including www.trumpetofsalvation.com

Egypt

Water, fire and stones cannot stop the Gospel

"G.S., one of our staff, visits remote Egyptian villages six days each week to preach the Gospel," reports "Ziel 19", newsletter of the Schweizer Missionsgemeinde (Swiss Missions Church). "Sometimes he decides to preach in three villages on one day. He must overcome many difficulties, but he sees that has his task, God's calling on his life. He recently wrote 'I have twelve new farming villages in Asiut Province on my heart. I have to visit them, no matter how strong the resistance is. And the stronger the resistance, the more open doors I find in the villages when I get there. For example, the men in village E.T. barricaded my path with rubble and straw. When I reached the barricade, they set fire to it. I just waited and prayed. When the fire died out, I walked over the ashes, and they retreated without attacking me. I could preach freely, and many gathered to hear the Word of God. In E.E., they redirected water from a canal onto the road so that I could not proceed. I waited, praying Isaiah 43:2 "When you pass through the waters, I am with you; when you pass through the streams, they will not overwhelm you." The waters soon receded, and the people who wanted to harm me vanished with them. I again found people in the village who were open for the Gospel. In another village, I had to pass by fanatic men who cursed me loudly and tried to stop me passing. They did not attack me, though. The next village was most dangerous: they tried to stone me, but I was not hurt, as though I had a shield around me. In that village, I could heal people through prayer and drive evil spirits out of people. Today, the Gospel is changing the lives of many people in the villages which I now regularly visit.'"
Source: G.S. in Ziel 19, Schweizerische Missionsgemeinde, Josefstr. 206, 8005 Zurich, Switzerland

Germany

Buddhist meets Jesus in coma

"I work in on a hospital ward for terminally ill patients," writes Eva-E. Müller-de Ahna from Munich. "I spoke with a nurse about Christianity and experiences with dying people. I had just read a very good book (George Ritchie, Return from Tomorrow). The author had died in a field hospital when he was 20 years old, and taken to the mortuary. To the astonishment of the doctors and nurses, he returned to life. He experienced many wonderful things while dead, including meeting Jesus. The nurse I was talking to told me of a similar case: her uncle had married a practising Buddhist whose father, also a Buddhist, suffered a heart attack and was taken to a Munich hospital, where he spent several days in a coma in intensive care. When he awoke from the coma, he continually pointed at the cross hanging on the wall. The nurses asked him if the cross offended him as a Buddhist, and whether they should take it down. He shook his head, but continued to point at the cross. When he could finally speak again, he said that he had met Jesus in his coma. Jesus told him that he would awake from the coma and live for another fourteen days. He should be baptised, and Jesus would wait for him. The patient insisted on being baptised immediately, and died exactly fourteen days after waking from the coma."
Source: Eva-E. Müller-de Ahna in GGE Deutschland, September 2004, www.gge-online.de

Northern India

Jesus and the Hindus

"In the past three months, we have seen God do astonishing things among the people in the strongly Hindu region Jammu in northern India," reports Operation Agape. "Some three hundred people, mostly from the highest caste, have responded to the Gospel. In Jindermelu, a village on the border with Pakistan, 100 people meet for prayer every week; around 12 house churches have formed there. In 32 other villages, house prayer groups have started. The churches meet almost every day, and regularly experience supernatural healings. Even the previous leader of the local Hindu nationalist movement has become a Christian, and is a transformed man!"
Source: Operation Agape, Northern India

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