[] Although it takes a back seat to rumors of war, a tsunami of faith is
quietly overtaking the Muslim world. Islamic adherents are laying aside their
allegiance to Muhammad to follow Jesus Christ, despite the social ostracism,
persecution and possible martyrdom that converts to Christianity face. Propelled
by dreams, visions and miracles, this wave of revival is bringing vast numbers
of Muslims-some say millions-into God's kingdom.

Middle East expert Joel Rosenberg believes more Muslims have come to faith in
Christ in the last 30 years than at any time in history. “The vast majority of
those conversions have happened since 9/11,” he notes. He relates some of their
stories in his upcoming book, Inside the Revolution, releasing March 10.

A few examples of this flock of converts:

–Last Easter at Vatican City, Magdi Allam-Italy's most prominent Muslim
commentator-was baptized with six other people by Pope Benedict XVI.

–In August, ex-Sunni Muslim Emir Caner was elected president of
Truett-McConnell College, which is affiliated with the Georgia Baptist
Convention. Caner converted as a teenager in 1982.

–The same week of Caner's appointment, Mosab Hassan Yousef-son of an
influential Hamas leader in the Palestinian West Bank of Israel-publicly
embraced Christianity four years after his salvation. He now attends an
evangelical church in San Diego.

One missionary to Iran, who asked to remain anonymous, says a “tremendous”
number of Muslims there are seeing that “Islam as a religion has failed them
personally, economically, spiritually and socially.”

Tom Doyle, the Middle East director for Dallas-based e3 Partners, an
independent missions agency, says his group planted 127 churches last year in
the region, a significant upswing since the start of the decade. He says the
news from the Middle East is awakening Christians in the West and showing them
that, despite headline-grabbing terrorists, all is not lost.

“We've seen 1,000 Muslims come to Christ this year in Syria alone,” Doyle
says. “All the partner ministries we work with say this is the new revival.”

However, California pastor Hormoz Shariat, whose International Antioch
Ministries broadcasts by satellite to the Middle East and Europe, cautions
against fixing specific numbers to salvations because Iranian churches shy away
from publicizing conversion counts. “It provokes the government [and] hurts the
church in Iran,” Shariat says. “But our network is growing fast. Every day we
have stories of dreams and visions and miracles.”

Al Janssen, communications director of Open Doors International, also
discovered that dreams and visions of Christ were the starting points of the
spiritual journeys of dozens of Muslim-background believers in the Middle East
whom he interviewed for his 2007 book, Secret Believers. Then, after
coming to Christ, they would become creative evangelists, he says.

Typically their witnessing occurs only in one-on-one settings, with the
believer asking questions to determine if the other person is receptive to the
gospel. “They go through a series of questions, and if they sense the person is
getting hostile, they resist playing their hand,” Janssen says. “One
ex-imam had a list of 62 people he was discipling. I met an ex-terrorist
who had been with a group for seven years, and now he's proudly witnessing for
his faith.”

Despite these optimistic accounts, a spiritual battle rages that requires
vigilant prayer. As Doyle puts it: “The task is so enormous, and the pressure is
so fierce.”

Rosenberg once saw a leading Saudi cleric on the Al-Jazeera TV network
lamenting the fact that 6 million Muslims were converting to Christianity every
year. “There's such an enormous number of Muslims converting through the region,
it's a big topic for Muslim leaders who are upset about it,” Rosenberg says.
“You're seeing some blowback.”

The dedication of these new converts is impressive when considering the
common threat of ostracism from family and social networks. Jonathan Oloyede,
senior associate pastor of Glory House in London, came to Christ as a Muslim
while studying at a Nigerian medical school. He labels withdrawal of fellowship
as one of the greatest challenges Muslims face.

“They have to overcome … the sense of guilt and shame their relatives and
friends try to place on them,” he says. “Sometimes this can be very overwhelming
and some cannot handle it, so they go back.”

Yet many persevere despite persecution that includes death. In Iran the
opposition comes from both the mosques and the government, says a missionary who
goes only by the name “Pooya.” He says people especially fear the religious
police:

“The [Basij, Mujahedin and Revolutionary Guard] rule by the Quran. These are
the ones who will come after people, beating them and killing them with no
regard to the laws of the land. … They are free to be judge, jury and
executioner with no repercussions for their acts.”

Prayer is vital. However, three new converts in Egypt recently told Janssen
that Christians in America should pray “with” them, not “for” them.

“If you pray for us, you will pray for our safety, and the persecution will
stop,” they told him. “If you pray with us, we can be sure the persecution will
increase. Pray we will see millions [come] to Christ. We know there will be
backlash. Pray we will be faithful, even if it costs us our lives.”

The quiet revolution that is bringing Muslims to faith in Christ has resulted
in many unique personal testimonies such as those that follow. Their stories
exemplify what happens when Muslims find Jesus.

Maryam Asal

An Islamic evangelist for seven years, Maryam Asal* taught numerous women
Quranic verses and the prayers they needed to lead an obedient Islamic life. She
was on track to become a female ayatollah, a Shiite religious and
political leader. But when her mother was stricken with multiple sclerosis (MS)
she told Allah: “I have served you for many years of my life. I have given you
my youth, and this is what you have done for me?”

As her mother's health rapidly deteriorated, Asal became disillusioned with
God and wanted to commit suicide. She and her mother decided to kill themselves
together, using sleeping pills and natural gas.

First, though, Asal flicked on their television and came across the God Is
Love program. Before Asal reached the stove, a pastor on the show said: “My
brothers, my sisters, why do you want to kill yourself today? … The God we
know will change your life right now and right here because He is a God of love
and He is alive!”

Stunned, Asal returned to the couch to listen. Her mother wanted to call the
station to tell them they were lying. When she did, she accepted Christ after
talking to a pastor for 10 minutes.

Then Asal reluctantly took the phone and talked, finally agreeing to allow
Jesus to come into her life, but only on the condition she could still commit
suicide if He didn't do anything after a week. The next morning Asal felt a
peace so profound she thought it was a mind game. But when they went to the
hospital and her mother's MRI showed no signs of MS, she knew Christ was real.

“The week after, I invited 10 people to my house and they came to Christ,”
Asal says. “Then I started my first house church. Praise the Lord; glory to
Him.”

Jeremiah Cummings

A singer so dedicated to the Nation of Islam that he wore the organization's
trademark bow tie on the cover of a Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes album is
now an itinerant evangelist who estimates his ministry has led 280,000
ex-Muslims to Christ.

Jeremiah Cummings was part of the pop group for about nine years before he
moved to Dallas in 1981, where he went to work for General Motors.

His involvement in the Nation of Islam led to a chance meeting with its
leader, Louis Farrakhan.

By the time he rose to become a top captain to Farrakhan, Cummings was known
as Minister Jeremiah Fard Muhammad.

“It was exciting at first, to get to know [Farrakhan] and to be his student,”
Cummings says. “But something was missing. It wasn't what I was looking for.”

Although he oversaw numerous bodyguards and employees, he still had ample
time for reflection. In 1996 Cummings returned to his biblical roots and
undertook a 13-monthlong study of Christ.

At the end, he fasted and prayed Psalm 23 five times a day. On the 43rd day,
he accepted Christ and got filled with the Holy Spirit.

A few hours later, he wrote a letter of resignation to the Nation of Islam.

“I knew Jesus was the Son of God and that there was power in His name,”
Cummings says.

Since then he has founded Amazing Life World Outreach in Orlando, Florida,
and written several books, including Reaching for the World: Revealing Jesus
as the Messiah in the Koran.

“I've taught things from the Quran about the virgin birth of Jesus and
relation of stories in the Quran to the Bible,” he says.

“That's gone all over the world, but I've never gotten any negative
feedback.”

Mark Gabriel

A former imam and Islamic history professor in Egypt, Mark Gabriel is
familiar to many readers of Charisma, which has featured excerpts from
some of his first five books. Before turning to Christ in 1992, he was expelled
from the university and jailed for publicly questioning why Islam had such a
violent, bloody past.

Gabriel [a name he assumed after immigrating to the U.S.] came to Christ
after a pharmacist in Egypt-alarmed by his frequent visits to the store for
medication-gave him a Bible and made him promise to read it. He accepted Christ
after staying up all night reading, especially touched by Jesus' Sermon on the
Mount in Matthew 5.

“He was so loving,” Gabriel recalls. “It was such a contrast to Islam.”

Gabriel survived several attempts on his life and later came to the U.S.,
where he speaks and worships freely. He maintains contact with his homeland,
where tens of thousands of Christians have formed underground churches, he says.

While his several books have angered Islam's defenders, his latest, Coffee
With the Prophet, may stir their ire even more. The cover design violates a
centuries-old tradition against any depiction of Muhammad.

Gabriel formed a publishing company and released the book in September.
Subtitled 21st Century Conversations With Muhammad, it is an attempt to
show how Muhammad's followers have distorted the views of Islam's founder the
last 1,400 years.

“I saw horrible confusion taking place,” Gabriel says. “Nobody knows the
truth about Islam. I care about the many Muslims who need someone to communicate
the truth to them. This is the time for God to destroy the stranglehold of this
religion.”

Sofia Hasina

Sofia Hasina* has had a challenging time since deciding to follow Christ and
has endured a life riddled with uncertainty, poverty and homelessness.

Hasina's parents died when she was an infant. Her uncle, a ship's captain,
promised to look after her. Though he paid for her schooling, he was forced to
leave her in the care of an aunt because of his frequent absences.

A good student, Hasina befriended other students who happened to be
Christians. After spending considerable time with them, she asked them to tell
her about Jesus.

Hasina accepted Christ, but her friends were ill-equipped to disciple her.
Through relationships she made with members of an underground ministry she
showed rapid spiritual growth. The ministry leaders advised her to keep her
decision a secret to avoid premature exposure.

Despite following their advice, she was not able to hide the inner changes.
Her family became suspicious, asking her about her increased absences from the
mosque. They also wanted to know why she spent so much time with Christian
friends.

One day, while Hasina was fellowshiping with friends, her family discovered a
Bible in her bag. When she returned home they were waiting angrily.

The father of the house demanded to know where she had received the Bible.
When she told him it came from a friend, he insisted she take an oath declaring
her loyalty to Islam. When she revealed she had become a Christian, he tore
pages from her Bible.

Fearing for her life, she ran away. Although her guardian parents didn't
pursue her, they threatened to kill her if she returned home.

Hasina is struggling to make ends meet while working in a cafŽ and staying
with a friend. She hopes to continue her university studies, but might need
financial help from an uncle. She doesn't know what his reaction will be if she
reveals her conversion.

Faisal Malick

A Sunni Muslim born in Pakistan, Faisal Malick was a budding young
businessman when he attended an Amway convention in July 1994, hoping to keep
his front-row seat all week by arriving on Sunday morning.

When the speaker opened, “Jesus is the Son of God,” it prompted Malick to
inwardly scream, “Blasphemy!” He stewed over how to lead these people to Allah,
until he sensed God's presence penetrate his body. When he told God he thought
Christians were the bad guys, he heard an audible voice reply, “No, these are My
children.”

“As He said it His voice moved through my being and everything I had ever
known up to that moment shattered,” Malick says of the life-changing experience.

Though he soon found himself locked out of a family-owned rental house in
Canada, several years later he returned to Pakistan and was reconciled with his
family. Malick remained in business for a while, but his love of Christ
ultimately led him into ministry despite his lack of a formal education.

“God trusted me in ministry by throwing me off the deep end,” says Malick,
whose Covenant of Life Ministries is based in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
“Ironically, I do teach now at Bible colleges-about how to relate to Muslims.”

Malick has also written four books, including The Destiny of Islam in the
End Times. One of his goals is to help people understand that Muslims have a
promise from God, made to their ancestor Ishmael (see Gen. 21:18). Since the
publication of his book last January, the author has received numerous letters
from churches telling him that his book has given them hope for the first time
since 9/11.

“The other thing people are saying is, 'We are repenting and praying to have
a supernatural love in our hearts for the Muslim people,'” Malick says.

Raghib Ismail

Although few recognize Raghib Ismail by his first name, football fans know
him as “Rocket” Ismail. A star at Notre Dame, “The Rocket”-a fleet receiver and
kick returner-played 11 years of pro football, nine in the National Football
League.

Injuries ended his career in Dallas, where he now works on a Cowboys
post-game show, appears in reality TV programs and helps his wife with her
Christian recording company.

Ismail became a Muslim at birth. His father converted after observing racism
in Georgia and assumed that the Christianity embraced by whites there was a lie.

Young Ismail took his faith seriously. By age 9, he and his brothers had
memorized 40 surahs, or “chapters,” of the Quran. “I'd say we were
definitely committed to it,” Ismail says.

However, the spiritually sensitive youth was plagued by nightmares. The
remedies his father recommended to chase away the demons didn't work.

Things changed for him after his father died and he went to live with his
grandmother, who was a member of an Assemblies of God church. She insisted that
if he and his brothers wanted to eat, then they had to attend services.

Due to that exposure to Christianity, Ismail at age 13 stood at a concert by
Christian artist Leon Patillo to accept Christ. Though he later slid back into
his old ways, he also realized at age 24 that having money, fame and “cool
things” was like repeating his childhood nightmares.

“I said: 'I have to get my life back together. Where's Jesus?'” Ismail
recalls. “That put me back on pursuing the straight and narrow.”

He still hears of people who assume he's a Muslim or became one because they
thought that was his religion. If someone asks how his Muslim walk is going, he
replies that he hasn't been a Muslim for 25 years. “They look at me, stunned,”
Ismail says. “Sometimes they want to hear [my testimony], and sometimes they
walk away in disbelief.”

David Nasser

The son of a high-ranking Army officer, David Nasser fled with his family
from Iran in 1979 after the Islamic Revolution overthrew the monarchy.
Ironically they still considered themselves good Muslims, even though their
faith was primarily cultural.

After several moves, the family settled in a military town in Alabama. There
Nasser struggled to fit into the strange customs and new faces around him.

A month after his high school graduation, he visited a Baptist church his
friends attended. Thanks to the friendliness of a classmate he had treated
rudely in the past, he returned. Though he initially resisted the Holy Spirit's
call to follow Christ, he picked up a Bible two months later and read the
account in Matthew 14 of Jesus calling Peter to walk on water.

“God said: 'You're stepping out of the boat for so many other things; I'm
asking you to step out for Me,'” Nasser says. “God revealed Himself that night
through His Word.”

The week after his conversion, Nasser spoke at a pastors conference-and
started a ministry that first saw him travel with Rick Stanley (Elvis Presley's
stepbrother) and Jay Strack. After graduating from Bible college he founded D.
Nasser Outreach and today speaks to more than 700,000 people a year. He is also
the author of several successful, self-published books.

After overcoming resistance from his family and other Muslims, Nasser no
longer faces much hostility. Still, he hopes to win more Iranians to Christ.

“I really have a passion for my people,” he says. “There are a lot of
Iranians in Alabama. I get letters from Iran all the time, too, from people who
say: 'I'm considering Christ, but I'm concerned how my parents will react. Do
you have any advice?'”

If they follow Nasser's pattern, they'll get out of the boat.

Jonathan Oloyede

The leader of a budding prayer movement in London with hopes of packing
Wembley Stadium in 2010 with 90,000 Christians is a native of England who spent
his formative years in Nigeria. Jonathan Oloyede is senior associate pastor of
Glory House, a megachurch in East London with a network that extends far into
the city. Some 300 congregations are involved in the 24-7 prayer initiative.

Oloyede accepted Christ during his first year of medical school in Nigeria
and credits his decision to Christians on campus who prayed for him. He was
filled with the Holy Spirit the same night.

“The spirit and soul of a man knows when he encounters God,” Oloyede says.
“All I can remember is the warmth of the presence of God. My inner man was
ignited and something came alive in me.”

After earning his degree in 1991, Oloyede came to England on a summer
holiday, still with plans to become a medical aide in Nigeria and then to go to
China as a missionary. Instead, God told him he was in England to help prepare
the way for the return of His Son.

A founding member of Glory House, Oloyede was a member of the original
leadership team and has served in numerous positions since 1993. Of his career
shift, he says, “Medicine has served as a foundation model of discipline,
dedication and knowledge in my ministry.”

Like many Muslims who come to Christ because of dreams and visions, Oloyede
has had numerous visions. He says the key ones concern a coming revival that he
believes will have worldwide impact.

“The Lord told me not to start anything new but to act as a catalyst for
national, united prayer,” he says.

Reza Safa

A Shiite Muslim from Iran, Reza Safa met Christ after studying the Bible with
two Charismatic Lutheran missionaries in Sweden. This interaction
prompted him to wonder, What if Muhammad is not of God?

“For six months I couldn't sleep,” Safa recalls. “One night I prayed: 'Jesus,
are You the Son of God? Show Yourself to me and get me out of this confusion.'
The following morning I heard the voice of God for the first time … saying:
'There is no need to fear any more. Your sins are forgiven.'”

Because of Safa's conversion his family disowned him, and his Muslim friends
verbally attacked him. Death threats continue today.

Unbowed, he enrolled in Bible school and soon became a traveling evangelist.
In 1990 he settled in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and attended Rhema Bible Training Center.
In 1998, God told him he would play a role in a massive, coming revival.

Five years later God told him he'd receive $90,000 from a businessman, which
happened, and to use $40,000 of it for a TV program. Safa began filming
Farsi-language shows and soon met several Iranian owners of satellite stations.
One accepted his offer to purchase airtime.

Safa's three-hour weekly program became the TBN Nejat network, a joint
venture with Trinity Broadcasting Network that blankets Europe and the Middle
East. Since September 1, 2006, the network has received 300 calls and e-mails a
week from up to 30 countries that have led to hundreds of thousands of
conversions.

“I believe in America we need to pray the door to the gospel may be opened to
the Islamic world,” Safa says. “We need to pray that God would expose that
religion for what it is.”-Ken Walker

 

 

---

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Click here to see how cities have been changed by the gospel.

 

This article is from the December 2008 issue of
Charisma

[] Thousands of Americans will have a hand in publishing the latest New International Version (NIV) Bible, which will debut next year.

 

Zondervan, the world’s leading Bible publisher, is more than halfway through its Bible Across America Tour—a 90-city, cross-country excursion that set out aboard a 42-foot motor home in September to enlist thousands of everyday Americans to each handwrite a verse for its latest “America’s NIV” Bible.

 

The campaign commemorates the NIV translation’s 30-year anniversary.

 

“The Bible is America’s favorite book of all time,” said Moe Girkins, president and CEO of Zondervan. “We believe that a completely handwritten version of the NIV Bible by people from all across our country will help America rediscover the Bible in a fresh, new way.”

 

The tour, currently between stops in the Deep South, began on Sept. 30 at Zondervan headquarters in Grand Rapids, Mich., and will end at the National Pastors Convention in San Diego on Feb. 12.

 

Organizers say participants are penning a single verse on actual thin-stock Bible paper, which will give America’s NIV an unprecedented index of 31,173 contributors, one for every verse of the Bible.

 

Zondervan will reportedly create two original editions. The first original transcript will be offered to the Smithsonian Institute; the second one is to be auctioned off to benefit the International Bible Society, a sponsor of the Bible Across America Tour.

 

Each verse and each page will be published together as a complete NIV Bible and sold in stores nationwide next year

 

Despite thousands of media distractions and the fact that 90 percent of households have at least one copy, the Bible continues to be America’s best-selling book, with an estimated 25 million copies sold each year, the Wall Street Journal reported. —Paul Steven Ghiringhelli

 

So says Newsweek magazine in its Jan. 5 cover story, which includes Enoch Adeboye, general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), in its list of 50 world powerbrokers.

 

Adeboye and Pope Benedict XVI are the only Christian leaders on the list, which features both revered and reviled influencers including President-elect Barack Obama, the Clintons, Oprah Winfrey, Chinese President Hu Jintao, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

 

“I certainly agree with Newsweek on this,” Pentecostal historian Vinson Synan told Charisma. “I have visited [Adeboye’s] campground and preached in one of his large churches in Lagos. In terms of masses of followers and influence in Nigeria, as well as other nations, he is a dominating person with tremendous power.”

 

RCCG, which Adeboye has led since 1981, has some 5 million members in 14,000 congregations in Nigeria alone and hundreds more across 110 nations. In 2006, the Lagos-based church movement built a U.S. headquarters in Texas, and has planted several hundred churches nationwide.

 

“In the developing world we say we want churches to be within five minutes’ walk of every person,” Adeboye told Newsweek. “In the developed world, we say five minutes of driving.”

 

A former math instructor at the University of Lagos, Adeboye began working at RCCG translating the pastor’s sermons from Yoruba to English. He now travels the world preaching at services that can last as long as 12 hours.

 

Each month in Lagos, RCCG hosts an all-night prayer meeting at its Redemption Campground that draws several hundred thousand people. Every December, several million people travel from around the world to attend RCCG’s annual Holy Ghost Congress. The most recent congress ended on Sunday.

 

“If I were to name the top 10 apostles in the whole world, Adeboye would have to be there on the top of the list,” said C. Peter Wagner, president of Global Harvest Ministries and leader of the International Coalition of Apostles. He is also the editor of Out of Africa, which chronicles the growth of the charismatic movement in Nigeria.

 

“I attended his all-night prayer meeting the first Friday of the month, and the leaders apologized to me for the low attendance,” Wagner said. “They had only 300,000 the whole night long. Usually they have 500,000.”

 

Synan noted that the prosperity gospel is a central message at RCCG and within other prominent Nigerian Pentecostal ministries.“In Africa, prosperity means generally having a roof over your head and food to eat,” Synan said, adding that the prosperity message is also used negatively by some to promote the idea that Christians must give financially in order to receive God’s blessings.

 

Adeboye has avoided accusations of financial misdeeds or faking supernatural power, which have plagued many ministries in the nation. Nigerian government leaders seek his input on social issues, Newsweek noted, and he recently made a public-service announcement condemning discrimination against people who are HIV-positive.

 

Newsweek called Pentecostalism “the biggest, fastest-growing Christian movement since the Reformation,” with some 600 adherents around the world.

In North America, the number of Pentecostals has grown from 19 million in 1970 to roughly 77 million today, Newsweek reported. According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, the numbers are even higher in Asia and Latin America, where Pentecostalism claims 166 million and 151 million followers respectively. 

 

Grant Wacker, professor of Christian history at Duke University, estimates that by 2050 most of Africa will be Christian—and the majority of those converts will be Pentecostals.

 

“Pentecostals have such an impact because they talk of the here and now, not just the by and by,” Adeboye told Newsweek. “We pray for the sick, but we pray for their prosperity, for their overcoming of evil forces and so on. While we have to worry about heaven, there are some things God could do for us in the here and now.”

 

Although Adeboye is not as well known in the United States as he is in Nigeria, Wagner said he represents the new center of gravity for Christianity. “One of the things that excites me is that [Newsweek] had the wisdom to include a leader from the Global South because that is the focal point of growth and influence of the Christian church,” said Wagner, referring to Africa, Asia and Latin America.

 

“It’s absolutely necessary for us who have an older church that has not been on fire like it has in the past to look to the Global South and catch some of the fire that the Lord is setting there,” he added. “It is absolutely necessary.” –Adrienne S. Gaines

 

By John Paul Jackson

Fall 2008

 

You don’t have to look very far before you see the beginning swells of the coming perfect storm. It seems this theme has caught the attention of many pundits and prophets. Almost every day, there are multiple signs of the perfect storm’s approach, and notice I said “approach”–meaning, it isn’t here yet. These are merely the early winds of the storm. The scent of rain is in the air. Nearly everywhere we turn, we become more aware that without God’s intervention, the world will not be the same 10 years from now. And we are correct in thinking that.

 

Here are five things to keep in mind as you weather this storm with the grace and, prayerfully, the glory of God resting on you.

 

1. Don’t overreact to media hype and spin. They learned a long time ago that sensationalism sells, and they will play it for all it’s worth. In the midst of the media flurry … God [will reveal] His secrets to His servants–so look for one. God is not caught by surprise. In His omniscience, He has been preparing you for this very hour. You will not fail. Remember what God told Jeremiah: “Thus says the Lord: ‘Do not learn the way of the Gentiles [those who do not know Me]; do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the Gentiles [those who do not know Me] are dismayed at them’”(Jer. 10:2, NKJV).

 

When there is panic, we tend to make decisions we later regret. Don’t assume the worst, and don’t be afraid. Should you plan? Yes. Is this serious? Yes. But it’s not time to panic.

 

2. Simplify and streamline your life. What things do you do that are pure convenience? Could you cut back on any luxuries? Keep your current car? Take in a roommate? How about reducing your latte count at the coffee shop? Selectively start looking to cut back in areas that don’t really reflect your life’s mission or calling, or aren’t making a positive difference in others’ lives.

 

This will be an opportune time to follow in the disciples’ footsteps: “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart” (Acts 2:46).

 

3. Reconnect with friends and family. God is your Source–not your bank account, not your 401(k), not your gold, not your stock portfolio. Your friendships and other relationships are what feed your emotional health, and they stabilize you; you need them. Research shows that friendships play a dramatic role in getting people through difficult times. So reconnect today.

 

Remember that “a man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Prov. 18:24).

 

4. Rethink your focus. You have a choice: You can live your life by principles or by pressures. Those who “fail” in life usually keep their eyes fixed on their current problems and lose sight of their life principles. As things change, it is vital to remind yourself of the principles you live your life by. Never lose sight of them during challenging times. They will help keep you focused. The difficulties we’re facing nowmaybe God’s wake-up call to remind you of your original vision and purpose and why He made you the way He made you.

 

Take this time to rethink and re-evaluate. “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Prov. 29:18). If you have no vision, your only other option is to go backward or decay.

 

5. Be an influence. Are you an influence in your culture? For many, this will be a time of innovation and invention. For others, it will be a time of study and preparation for the promotion that will come when this season eventually passes–which it will. Don’t chase trends, but study them to see where the culture is going. You should always be looking for original and innovative ways to engage the needs of others. Needs are going to abound, so ask God for a solution to those needs, and you’ll succeed when your secular peers are failing.

 

6. Take more time to listen. In the coming months and perhaps years there will be an entirely new set of needs that the people and this nation will have. The Lord wants to give innovative ideas and inventions to those who are close to Him. Set aside time to listen to Him. Prayer is great, but if all we do is make our needs known to God, it will be very difficult to listen. There is a lot we do not know about this coming time frame. God just might have something He would like to say to you.

 

By John Paul Jackson

November 2008

 

You and I are living in a turbulent time. The perfect storm continues to swirl and won’t begin to dissipate for a few more years. By the time you receive this, the stock market will still be in full swing, with an emphasis upon that word “swing”; the next president of the United States will have been elected; and you will have made choices and taken steps toward your future.

 

 

Obviously, tough times are just that–and they can go far beyond that description as well. They are often disappointing, frustrating and filled with tension and anxiety. However, if you focus on what you have lost or might lose, how difficult your life has become or what might happen, you will miss the most important aspects of why God allows times like these to begin with.

 

What is one of the most noticeable things that sets you apart from your neighbors and co-workers who don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus? Isn’t it often how you handle these tough times? There are four things that must be etched onto your spirit in order for you to succeed in this turbulent time.

 

What you do with your circumstances. First, tough times are not about what happens to you– they’re about what you do with what happens to you. God, in knowing all things, was not ignorant about this era of your life. In fact, He has spent your whole life preparing you for this moment and others that you are yet to face. Will you keep believing that He’ll use everything you go through for His kingdom purposes? Or will you sour along with so many others who base their relationship with God on their prosperity? Tough times prove our faith.

 

You: Influencing others. Second, tough times are about influence. How you handle these times will have great influence on two sets of individuals: those who watch how you handle your own adversity and those who will be changed by the counsel you give them. Now, I don’t mean the answers you may or may not have for them–everyone has answers, usually of the negative kind. But here I mean counsel that gives them hope. Hope that helps them discover a God who knows their potential, a God who’s taking them on a journey of discovering new adventures and possibilities they may never have thought about. Hope that aids them in making different choices than they may previously have made. Hope that allows their creativity to spring forward when others around them are in despair. Perhaps you need this kind of hope as well.

 

God allows tough times to happen so that massive, lovely, brilliant, you’ll-want-this change is the result. And He will use you to deposit this hope in others. He birthed you, created you, shaped you for such a time as this. You won’t only make it, but you will be an example for others, and as such you will have more influence than ever.

 

The stuff of champions. Third, it is the people who focus on others and guard their words—that is, people who order their conversation to reflect the provision and kindness of God, even in the midst of the storm–who will see His salvation.

 

There isn’t a single generation that hasn’t gone through tough times. Yes, some are tougher than others, but as the Lord once told me, “Little battles produce little victories and result in little champions. Great battles produce great victories and result in great champions. Which do you want to be?”

 

The justice of God and a faithful heart. Fourth, the first thought most Christians have when tough times hit is to diminish or even stop their giving. Wow–wrong move! It was the widow of Zarephath’s faithful, sacrificial giving in the middle of a severe drought that threw open the door for her to prosper. Paul exhorted the church in Philippi to give so that fruit would be added to their account. He urged the church in Corinth to be like the poorest church in Macedonia, which had given to the Lord’s work even in the midst of deep poverty and affliction (see 2 Cor. 8:1–4). When Paul returned to the Macedonian church a few years later, he found them prospering.

 

It is the gift you willingly give that allows God’s justice to be active on your behalf. In tough times especially, you really want God to act on your behalf! This is why Paul told the church in Philippi that, more than the financial gift he needed, he desired that heaven’s fruit would abound in their lives. That fruit is what God gives to feed and bless and meet the needs of all who give to Him.

• Think aggressively. Don’t just sit around wishing your troubles would disappear. Plan and calculate, like a general preparing for battle, how to engage and defeat the enemy.

• Pray fervently. Hebrews 4:16 instructs us to approach God’s throne confidently and boldly. That means aggressively! Don’t be bashful with God. Step forward with confidence and tell Him what you need.

• Speak fearlessly. First Peter 4:11 tells us “whoever speaks [let him do it as one who utters] oracles of God.” As the children of God, you and I are to have a spiritually commanding voice against the forces of evil.

• Give abundantly. The way we give is the way we receive (Luke 6:38). No offering is too small and none too great. Give as God gives.

• Work intently. Whatever we put our hand to, we need to do it aggressively (see Eccl. 9:10). Don’t approach tasks with dread and a desire to escape. Stir yourself up in the Holy Spirit and get the job done.

• Love unconditionally. As children of God, we must love others as God loves us, and that means sacrificially.

You can learn to defend yourself against disappointment by focusing on God, meditating on His promises, confessing His Word, and submitting yourself and your situation to Him in prayer. No matter what you have lost or how bad you may feel, you still have the ability to direct your thoughts away from the negative and toward the positive. In choosing to be positive, you can replace devastation with hope and expectation.

Take an inventory of what you have left, not just what you’ve lost. This keeps your mind in the present where God is. Remember, Jesus called Himself, “I am,” not “I was” or “I will be.” He is here for you. Today you can have joy!

Joyce Meyer is a New York Times best-selling author and one of the world’s leading practical Bible teachers. She has written more than 70 books, including the popular Beauty for Ashes and Battlefield of the Mind. She is also the founder of Joyce Meyer Ministries Inc. and the host of the Enjoying Everyday Life radio and TV programs, which air on hundreds of stations worldwide. To read past columns in Charisma by Joyce Meyer, log on at . This article is from the September 2006 issue of Charisma.

[] Stephen Sawyer’s provocative portraits of Jesus get people talking. Images of Christ sporting a “Father” heart tattoo and in the boxing ring have made secular media headlines and prompted debate for the way they overturn many traditional representations of the Savior.

           

Sawyer’s Art for God work is popular with a growing body of Christians who want to use it to share their faith with others, he said. “They want art on their walls to match their heart; they don’t care about it matching their couch anymore. To be part of that is precious.”

Graham Cooke, an international speaker based in the U.K., has described Sawyer’s painting as “prophecy with a paintbrush, preaching by canvas, divine inspiration through art.”

           

Though reproductions of his paintings are available in some stores in North America and overseas, Sawyer is looking to broaden his reach to traditional Christian retail stores, some of which have been cautious about his offerings.

           

“I don’t know what Jesus looked like,” he said. “I know what He feels like in my heart.” Critics are “very stuck on what they think is the correct version of what a Jewish man might have looked like 2,000 years ago,” he added.

           

“But I’m not painting the historical Jesus. That’s already been done. What I am focusing on is the One that we claim is alive and well today. Would He wear blue jeans? Of course He would. Do you think He might hop on a motorcycle and take it for a spin? Probably.”

 

           

With the support of his wife and children, Sawyer for years displayed and sold posters, prints, puzzles and T-shirts of his art at conferences and festivals, intriguing a filmmaker enough to make the 2006 documentary, Sawyerville, about the family enterprise.

           

Sawyer exhibited at the International Christian Retail Show in July, for the first time. Since then he has signed several distribution deals, as well as a three-year contract with Marian Heath Greeting Cards.           

           

Sawyer launched Art for God after working as a scenic artist in movies and television that included a brief stint on the first “Star Wars”movie. He works from a studio in Versailles, Ky., supplementing the business with personal portrait commissions. He also travels widely to speak about his work at churches and events.

           

Sawyer made the front page of The New York Times for his Undefeated boxer portrait that the newspaper dubbed “The Macho Messiah.” It showed Jesus in the corner of a boxing ring, holding a pair of gloves with the word “Mercy” on them. No Appointment Necessary had Jesus bearing an arm tattooed with a cross, a heart and “Father.”

          

In 2006 Sawyer finished his most-talked-about piece to date. Calvary portrays a drug addict injecting an arm that has been offered in place of his own by Jesus, who is reaching around from behind the man to embrace him.

           

 “I can’t begin to tell you how many prints we have sold,” he said. “It has become our number one seller. It’s just everywhere; I don’t know how many biker groups have it thumb tacked to the garage wall, or someone has hung it in their office.”

           

The flood of testimonies prompted by the painting has led to a book, due to be published soon, telling the story of the picture and including some of the stories of people whose lives have been impacted.

 

The Calvary picture is one of the most popular of Sawyer’s art that is available at Grace Place Bookstore at Grace Fellowship of Georgetown, Ky., according to Allison Jones, one of the ministry leaders.

“There have been several people who have been addicted to drugs (who) buy that picture and say it has just changed them,” she said. People at the church are drawn to Sawyer’s work because his Jesus is “likeable and real. … I like the fact that Stephen takes risks with his artwork. … It’s a different way of seeing Him.”

Customers of Deborah Cassel, who deals exclusively in portraits of Christ at her Jesus 4 You Art Gallery in Roanoke, Va., and online, appreciate Sawyer’s ethnic representation of Jesus, she said. “They really like that and his realism. He is very much in touch with the Spirit and what people are looking for.”

In 2004 Sawyer launched a competition to support other artists starting out. He funds the event and cash prizes himself, and has expanded the categories to include not only paintings and drawings but also ceramics, jewelry, sculpture, music and digital media.

           

His personal reward from the competition has been learning that several prizewinners have subsequently been contacted by card companies interested in using their work, he said.

 

“I remember several years ago in my own life how important it was to have someone come along and really give me a word of encouragement; it’s very important never to underestimate the power of a kind word. Just the thought that somebody likes what you are doing. —Andy Butcher, Christian Retailing