Reactions From the Staff
By Ken Horn | December 1, 2011
Our advertising coordinator posted this on Facebook:
This Tuesday I was looking through the latest coupons sent in from people requesting a “Following Christ” booklet because they had recently accepted Christ. One coupon was from the April 29, 2001, issue. For more than 10 years that one magazine was waiting to get into the hands of just the right person who needed to read it. Since we began adding the coupon and offering this booklet in 1997, we have received more than 26,000 coupons. Each week in staff meeting we take time to pray for the people who have sent in salvation coupons from the previous week.
Jodi Harmon, PE Advertising Coordinator
Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »
10 Years Since Rescue From the Taliban
By Ken Horn | November 15, 2011
I received the following email from my friend Georg Taubmann, who I was with in Afghanistan and later in Sweden. Today is 10 years since Georg and his selfless compassion ministry team were rescued from the Taliban.
Tuesday, Nov 15, 2011
Dear Friends,
today it is 10 years that we were rescued from Afghanistan, after we escaped the Taliban prison. We remember this great miracle today and praise the Lord for what he has done 10 years ago.
This is one of the verses that the we received and were holding on to in prison and exactly ten years ago it was fulfilled:
Psalms 55:18 He ransoms me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me.
Also the CD that the sisters made, with the songs that they wrote in jail is called: “Rescued unharmed”.Today is a day of joyful and thankful remembrance of what He has done 10 years ago.
I found a BBC article from the 15th of Nov. 2001 that you can see below.
With great thankfulness
Georg & Marianne [Taubmann]
Click here for BBC story of the dramatic rescue!
Topics: missions | No Comments »
How Any Church Can Have Revival
By Ken Horn | November 9, 2011
Written by E. Yngve Olson
From the July 5, 1953 Pentecostal Evangel, p. 14
REVIVAL in any church is related very closely to the salvation of souls in or through the church. The one produces the other. Soul-winning brings a revival and a revival brings soul-winning.
Of course, we assume that the pastor is a praying man and that he fulfills in his private life of devotion the obligations of a minister of the gospel. We also assume that he inspires in the members of the congregation a spirit of prayer so that a substantial core of the assembly is willing to stand with him in prayer and faith that souls will be saved.
There is no question that praying for souls to be saved will result in preaching and efforts to that end. The methods for reaching souls are innumerable and it is almost impossible to say which method is superior to another. Scripturally, preaching is the God-given means of reaching souls, but that preaching must be done in the hearing of those who are as yet unsaved or souls will not be saved. Our message must have a hearing or it will be ineffective. Not all preaching is done from a pulpit. Tracts can preach, the press can preach, the radio can preach, individuals can preach to individuals, our conduct can preach. Let us use every means to get our message to the masses and the masses to the message.
We must not overlook or minimize any method of approach to the unsaved. If modern times call for changed methods, let us change them. Above all, let us get a hearing for our soul-saving message. Sunday School work, youth work, programs of various kinds, are avenues through which to reach the unsaved, if only we keep in mind that we are not striving for a big crowd as such, but for the salvation of individuals.
As our efforts and faith are crowned with success in souls being saved the assembly will rejoice, faith will spring up, new interest will develop, and more and more people will bring in more and more unsaved. A revival will have begun. That revival must be maintained. Never let it lag. Let the pastor be the spearhead who forges ahead in new efforts for reaching souls. His people will follow him and souls will be saved.
True, the converts must be taught Christian living, but the very spirit of revival that pervades the church will help in this. For what is a revival if it is not that condition in a church or community that produces consistent holy living and the constant saving of souls?
Topics: revival | No Comments »
John Calvin’s Thrilling Escape
By Ken Horn | November 2, 2011
On this date in 1533, John Calvin (still a Catholic at the time) escaped arrest in Paris by doing his best apostle Paul imitation. He tied bedsheets together (really), and lowered himself from a window, then escaped in disguise. He had called the teaching at Paris University into question for lacking sound doctrine. Specifically, he said, they knew nothing of faith, the love of God, grace or justification. The king and church sent authorities to arrest him for this.
Topics: church history | No Comments »
All Saints Day
By Ken Horn | November 1, 2011
Today is All Saints Day, the religious holiday that gave Halloween its name. All Saints Day is also known as All Hallows Day and the evening before, like Christmas Eve, was known as All Hallows Eve. This eventually was contracted to Hallowe’en.
In the seventh century, All Saints Day began as a way to honor the many martyrs to the faith who had been persecuted under the Romans. In the eighth century it was fixed on Nov. 1 and Oct. 31 became a night of preparation.
The celebration eventually descended partially into a superstitious veneration of saints’ relics and mingled with pagan beliefs.
Today, the day is celebrated largely by Catholic and Orthodox Christians.
Topics: church history | No Comments »
Reformation Day
By Ken Horn | October 30, 2011
For Christians, tomorrow is not Halloween; it’s Reformation Day.
Standing on a bridge across the historic Tiber River in Rome, I caught my first glimpse of the magnificent edifice that was the catalyst in beginning one of history’s most important movements. I was looking at the reason for the Reformation.
The Reformation is the movement that restored a large measure of biblical Christianity and started the Protestant church — named so because those involved “protested” the corrupt state of much of the church at the time. The Reformation’s beginning is typically dated at October 31, 1517, the day Martin Luther nailed his now-famous 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.
That small piece of paper created a firestorm. And it was the magnificent edifice on the Tiber River, St. Peter’s Basilica, that caused it to be written.
At the time, Pope Leo X was funding the lavish rebuilding of the ancient church by the sale of high ecclesiastical posts and something known as indulgences — supposed remissions for the punishment of sin. Indulgences purported to remit sins of various sizes, or even, for a heftier payment, buy a soul’s way out of purgatory and into heaven.
This was too much for Luther; he drafted and posted 95 propositions, primarily attacking the sale of indulgences, and invited debate. And so the Reformation, which had been brewing for more than a century, began. The movement restored the biblical doctrine of salvation by grace through faith, the priority of God’s Word, and the priesthood of all believers.
But touring the extravagant basilica, I realized that, despite the convulsive revolution it produced, St. Peter’s was the same monument to excess that it was nearly 500 years ago.
Though God moves and revivals come and go, the need for reformation will remain with us until Christ returns.
Monday is Reformation Day. Let’s reflect on the rich heritage of the evangelical church — and be grateful. Let’s also determine to never lose the wonderful things the Reformation bequeathed to us: an emphasis on grace and faith, God’s Word for all, and a Christianity that is characterized by each individual having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
More on Reformation Day
Two important results of the Reformation:
Salvation by Grace
The Reformation had as one of its primary benefits the restoration of the concept of salvation by grace through faith. The Church of the day was corrupt and, contrary to God’s Word, required works or payment for forgiveness of sins.
Salvation by grace means there is nothing we can do to earn salvation. It comes by grace—God’s unmerited favor alone, through faith in Jesus Christ.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9). Good works are involved, but, as verse 10 shows, they come after salvation: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Easy-to-understand Bibles and Bible Teaching
The simple explanation of complex issues was a hallmark of great Christian movements, such as the Reformation of the 1500s. Martin Luther, the movement’s primary leader, translated the New Testament into common German that could be easily understood by just about everyone. And Peter Palladius in Denmark was influential in that nation’s becoming a Lutheran state. Though a scholar and theology professor, he spoke and wrote in such simple and down-to-earth terms that everyone could understand.
That should be the goal of all Bible teaching—to take the most important teachings of Scripture and present them in a way that is as clear to brand new Christians as it is to veterans of the Christian walk.
Topics: church history | No Comments »
John Bueno Carries the Water
By Ken Horn | October 18, 2011
John Bueno recently retired as executive director of Assemblies of God World Missions. (Though he will continue to be far busier in ministry than the word “retired” denotes.) See my previous post about the installation of his successor, Greg Mundis.
AGWM prepared a Book of Memories for John and invited people to contribute thoughts and photos. Here is what I contributed:
John Carries the Water
I had the privilege of traveling to several countries with John. I always enjoyed traveling with him and saw him display a servant’s heart at every turn. This photo I snapped in Afghanistan in 2004 illustrates that servant spirit well.
We were in the Shamali Plains in a village that had been bombed out by the Taliban. Some youngsters were wheeling a large skin of water across the muddy terrain when the wheelbarrow capsized and the heavy container hit the ground. The youngsters were wrestling it unsuccessfully in an attempt to get the heavy container back up onto the wheelbarrow.
Suddenly, John was gone like a shot. He grabbed the skin of water and successfully helped them lift it into the wheelbarrow. Then, he grabbed the handles and was off, not stopping till he reached their intended destination a few hundred feet away.
I had the presence of mind to snap the picture. John had the presence of mind—and the servant spirit—to help. AGWM helped that village financially. But some of those villagers will also remember the man who was ready to help carry the water.
That illustrates the servant’s heart that characterized John Bueno’s ministry.
John was honored by David Mohan the night before the beginning of the World AG Congress in Chennai, India, Feb. 2011. Nice hat!
Topics: missions, Christian living | No Comments »
Greg Mundis, New AGWM Leader
By Ken Horn | October 5, 2011
Greg Mundis was installed yesterday as new AG World Missions Executive Director at this chapel service in Springfield, MO.
From left: Outgoing executive director John Bueno; his predecessor Loren Triplett; General Superintendent George O. Wood; Sandi and Greg Mundis.
Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »
Jacques Vernaud with the Lord
By Ken Horn | September 29, 2011
I had the privilege of being with this wonderful man of God when I was in Democratic Republic of Congo a few years ago with missionary Wayne Turner. The following was sent as an email by Wayne and Sylvia Turner.
John 14: 2-3 “I am going there to prepare a place for you…..I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
Our missionary colleague of 38 years, Rev. Jacques Vernaud went to be with the Lord in So. Africa last night, Sept. 28th. A few days earlier he had been declared “cancer free” and was making plans to return to Kinshasa.
Jacques & Johanna Vernaud served as missionaries in the countries of Gabon, Republic of Congo, and then arrived here in the Democratic Republic of Congo December, 1964.
Jacques was an evangelist for years and many churches were planted after his campaigns.
In 1965, he along with several Congolese brethren founded what later became the Assemblies of God of the Congo. Today there are over 200 autonomous A/G churches in Kinshasa, with close to 1000 churches throughout the country.
As a result of the growth of a French-language Bible Study which had been meeting in their home, he and Johanna planted a French language church here in Kinshasa about 26 years ago. That church is called the La Borne church. Today approximately 8000 people attend church in 3 morning services. Through the ministry of the La Borne church, over 30 extension churches have been planted, both in and outside of the Congo. Jacques’ ministry has also reached tens of thousands of people through radio and television broadcasts. Many men and women have entered the ministry because of his influence. Only the Lord knows the impact of their service to Him.
Jacques and Johanna have 3 daughters, Iris Ketchum, Liliane Rood and Murielle Friedman, their spouses and many grandchildren. Here is their message from facebook:
“Our dear and precious Daddy, pastor Jacques Vernaud, moved to heaven on September 28, 2011. He was in South Africa with our mother, Johanna Vernaud.”
Phil 1:21 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
Ps 116:15 “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants.”
Thank you for praying for the family.
Wayne & Sylvia Turner
Kinshasa, Congo
Topics: news | No Comments »
Convoy of Hope’s first outreach in Hawaii serves nearly 14,000 guests
By Ken Horn | July 28, 2011
NEWS RELEASE
Volunteers with the Convoy of Hope served nearly 14,000 people at a community outreach event on Saturday, July 23, at the Aloha Stadium in Aiea, Hawaii.
Families from the community were camped out the night before the organization’s debut event in Hawaii to receive free backpacks, groceries, medical screenings and haircuts. More than twice the anticipated number of people received aid from the one-day event.
“This was the biggest outreach I’ve done in five years,” said Ron Showers, global outreach director for Convoy of Hope. “The churches of Hawaii have supported Convoy of Hope for years and they were so excited we were able to partner with them here on Oahu to help the needy in their communities.”
During the event 1,250 children received backpacks, 550 guests got free haircuts and 650 families received a free family portrait. More than 42,000 pounds of groceries were distributed by the 1,967 volunteers that made the event possible.
Beyond physical needs, spiritual needs were met as volunteers prayed with more than 10,000 guests in the connections tent. In total, 100 children and 100 adults committed their lives to God.
Hugh Duncan, connections director for Convoy of Hope, shared a story of a homeless mother who prayed with him that day who had just escaped her abusive husband with two sons, 11 and 9. Volunteers recorded her contact information to follow up and fully help her get what she needs, Duncan said.
“She came to the event thinking no one cared but left with a great sense of hope,” he said.
For more information, go to www.convoyofhope.org or contact Jeff Nene, senior director of public relations.
# # #
Topics: news | No Comments »
