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September 2005
Dear Friends,
Greetings in the love of Jesus. I have just returned from a strategic tour in Africa. In recent weeks God has turned the attention of the G-8 nations to the continent of Africa and made a decision to forgive the debt of these nations as they take important steps toward democracy. This is an economic and political boost that is giving the nations of Africa a new and wonderful opportunity for growth and economic development. This has come in the wake of a decade and a half of a great outpouring of God's Holy Spirit in many of the nations of Africa. Certainly we have entered a new day and it is our prayer that God will help these nations to receive this opportunity and for the church in Africa to arise.
Friends, it is because of your faithfulness in prayer and giving that World Outreach has had the opportunity to contribute to this great move of God in both the harvest of souls and the raising of leadership.
I want to thank you in behalf of all those you have helped and it is my prayer that God will pour out of His Spirit in your life and bless you abundantly according to how you have blessed Him and the nations.
In addition to what God has been doing in Africa we are truly grateful for the tremendous revival that is taking place in many communities across the nation of India. Certainly this is India's hour. They are rising economically and churches are exploding everywhere.
Pastor Paul Thangiah, who was just with me in Kenya, says that everywhere he goes in the nation he comes across leaders that declare that this ministry brought the nation of India to the turning point. That when there was little fruit or progress Dr. Houtsma came, showed them how to do it, and brought breakthrough to their area.
Now there is revival. What a privilege it has been to be a catalyst for what is happening in India today. Literally millions upon millions are coming to Christ.
SOUTH AFRICA
In August it was my privilege to speak at the first ever Worldwide Conference for the expatriate Indian Christian community. Hundreds of leading Indian pastors from outside of India gathered in Durban, South Africa for this conference.
The delegates attending the Durban conference were highly impacted and encouraged. In addition to the daytime leadership conference there was an evening meeting in the Chatsworth Oval Cricket Stadium with several thousand in attendance. It was my privilege to preach these evening meetings. There were many wonderful healings and salvations in these services. Some of the healings included:
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A deaf leady who had been completely deaf for 5-6 years and was clearly healed
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A young man who was legally blind for a few years could see clearly
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A 10 year old boy that was born with less than 50% sight was seeing clearly
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A young man had a crippled leg for several years from an accident and was now completely healed
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An older man with a paralyzed arm from a stroke was set free
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A lady paralyzed by stroke on the right side 2 years was healed
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A man 48 years old who was born deaf mute was completely healed
We rejoice with each one that received a great healing touch from the Lord. Many of the Christians present in the meeting had never seen such clear cut miracles of healing. Their faith was greatly encouraged.
KENYA CONFERENCE REPORT
From South Africa I traveled to Nakuru, Kenya for a Leadership Conference and the Graduation ceremonies of Christian Life International Bible College. Delegates came from all over the nation of Kenya for this Conference. There is a new hunger for God emerging in the younger generation with a fresh reach for a new move of God in their nation. The keynote message in this conference was "Walking Under An Open Heaven".
After the Conference we held the first graduation of Christian Life International Bible College in Kenya. In the short time we have been in this nation our school has grown to over 330 enrollees and has the largest enrollment of any Bible School in Kenya. Among our students and graduates we have some outstanding Bishops (overseers of many churches). In conversation with the graduates I was impressed with the caliber of the students. Their questions and insights were profound. These new leaders will make a powerful impact on their generation in Kenya.
Please note the following pictures from the Graduation and Conference:
BRAZZAVILLE, CONGO REPORT
It was such a joy to be in Brazzaville once again. Since the revival began in 1992 thousands of people have been saved and hundreds of churches have sprung up. In the last few years much work has been done to develop the various church organizations and many have been able to obtain land and begin to build churches to house their congregations and ministries. As a result of this period of consolidation much of the moving of the Holy Spirit that has been characteristic of the church in Brazzaville has diminished. Yet, good organizational progress has been made.
The Conference was well attended and many hundreds of pastors and leaders gathered together for these days of refreshing. Pastor Vladimir Ashaev from Krasnoyarsk joined me to speak in this important Conference.
God is approaching His people today by Invitation. He is doing this through various messages, prophecy, supernatural interventions, and sovereign dealings. Through invitation He is revealing the true values of the heart.
God is calling His people to a New Day where we learn to live and abide in His manifest presence.
The Keynote message for this Conference was "God's Voice Speaking the Second Time".
Many things that God had spoken into the spirits of these great leaders had come to pass in astonishing ways. Yet, other things, deep purposes of God for the nation and the church in the nation remained in vision without signs of fulfillment. God was speaking the second time to these purposes and callings.
As this message was going forth the prince of darkness over the region began to visit. First of all the power kept going out at key moments. This did not happen at any other time in the Conference. As I was pointing this out a demon possessed man who came in from outside began to charge the platform, only to collapse and be peacefully removed as I commanded the demon to be still and come out.
God was making a point. When He speaks the first time it creates vision and faith to begin the journey of divine purpose. When He speaks the second time He gives the anointing and ability to possess the promise and come into a time of fulfillment of what He has spoken. This is what God is doing in Brazzaville today.
On Sunday one of the services I spoke in was the mother church of Pastor Bouka. This church sent out their pastor in the height of the revival to start and establish 152 churches in 3 years. This is an awesome accomplishment. God wanted to renew and bless them.
I took the service without introduction and said that God would give them 3 signs to confirm the message:
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Heal a deaf person (lady deaf in one ear since childhood)
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Heal a person with a back injury (a man that injured his back in the war and lost mobility)
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Heal a person lame in the right knee (injured while falling as he walked in the dark)
These signs spoke and had the following significance:
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The healing of the deaf lady spoke that the famine of the hearing the Word of the Lord was over and a new sensitivity to the voice of the Lord was being restored.
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The healing of the injured back spoke that the spiritual strength of the church would return.
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The healing of the man with the injured knee signified that one would not walk in darkness but in the light of life and not stumble.
Through this message God renewed the call to His presence in their daily lives and began to bless and refresh the church in a powerful way.
As Samuel brought Israel back to an awareness of God's manifest presence and renewed covenant with the Lord to walk in a continual place of fellowship with His presence, God brought a fresh visitation to Israel.
In this visitation God used the Prophet Samuel to anoint David to be King. David would cause Israel to possess all the land that God had promised Israel for the first and only time in her history.
This speaks of the anointing to possess the full purpose of God in our lives and in the life of the nation.
David would be the one that led Israel into a new level of relationship with God as he built his Tabernacle on Mount Zion. Here David opened a new access to the presence of God for whosoever wanted to meet with the Lord in Israel.
This is what God is offering to the Republic of the Congo by invitation today. This is her day of refreshing.
It has been such an honor to be able to participate with what God has been doing in this nation. Many of you have been a part to rebuild after the war and can rejoice in the goodness of God in impacting the destiny of the Republic of the Congo.
I want to thank you for praying and giving to make this ministry possible. May the Lord abundantly bless you and increase you for your faithfulness.
UPCOMING EVENTS
October 7-8: World Malayalee Conference Dallas, Texas
November 2-6: Crusade and Leadership Conference Nnewi, Nigeria
December 6-11: Crusade and Leadership Conference India - in celebration of 100 years of Pentecost
December 14-18: Miracle Services and outreach in Lahore, Pakistan
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