October 2014| Issue 6ENCOURAGING TO WORSHIP | WALK | W ITNESSMOMENTUM

Issue Focus:Supernatural

Cover StorySupernatural is natural

David Selvan

October 2014 | contents

Editorial | Mohan Varghese

Supernatural in Church history | Vinazmi Paul

Gospel - The Bridge | Anand Mahadevan

Happenings at GMI

Growing in the Supernatural | Meena Joseph

The lost key to the Supernatural | Vic Gledhill

Study from the book of Acts | Steven Abraham

Signs, wonders and miracles today | Rohan Lokhande

Supernatural childbirth | Dr. Mathew

Readers write

Momentum is published in India by the Gateway Ministries family of churches, for circulation among

members. Private Circulation Only.

Subscription free.

Chief EditorMohan Varghese

Editorial TeamStanley Mehta David Selvan

Editorial Consultants Anand Mahadevan

Shobha Sreekumaran

Design & ProductionSarangan Ramaswamy

Published byGateway Ministries International

B 215, 2nd floor (Deck Level), Belapur Railway Station Complex Tower no. 10, CBD, Navi Mumbai-

400 614 Maharashtra, IndiaTelephone: +91- 2222150654 /

22189036Email: momentum.gmi@gmail.com

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from the New International Version of the Bible.

Articles featured in Momentum reflect the opinion of the authors

and not necessarily those of Momentum or GMI family of

churches - Editor

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Supernatural is natural

by David Selvan4

Releasing the Supernaturalthrough prayer An interview with Thomas Ouseph

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Churches are multiplying because of the power of the word, authenticated with signs and wonders“

”

Mohan Varghese pastors the Grace Tabernacle Ministries and oversees their churches. He is married to Sareeta and have

three sons Adarsh, Ashok and Alex, the eldest is married to Tiqvah-El and they have a daughter Mireya.

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October 2014 | editorial

The Book of Acts has been aptly termed the Acts of the Holy Spirit. It displays the church being birthed and shaped through the work of the Holy Spirit. Numerous miracles are recorded and signs and wonders created a sense of awe that eventually caused many thousands to believe the Gospel message that was preached and be added to the church.

However we live in an age of growing disbelief and scepticism. Many dispensationalists are of the opinion that “signs and wonders” stopped with the first century and that the Gospel alone is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16) and “the word of the cross.... is the power of God” (1Cor 1:18). There is also growing scepticism with churches that believe in, actively encourage and earnestly desire” signs and wonders” and the use of “spiritual gifts” mentioned in 1 Cor 12:6-9 for the edification of the church and the spread of the gospel. To echo the words of Martyn-Lloyd-Jones, “It is perfectly clear that in New Testament times, the gospel was authenticated by signs, wonders and miracles of various characters and descriptions. . . Was it only meant to be true of the, early church? . . The Scriptures never anywhere say that these things were only temporary – never! There is no such statement anywhere”. (The Sovereign Spirit, pp. 31-32).

The early Christ ians and the apostles themselves passionately wanted God to do signs and wonders alongside their powerful preaching (see Acts 4: 29-30). If any generation in the history of the church knew the power of preaching and the authentication of the gospel from first-hand evidence of the resurrection, it was this one. Yet it was they who prayed passionately for God to stretch forth his hand in signs and wonders. This is utterly crucial: signs and wonders are God's witness to his word. Paul described his ministry as Christ working through him in the ”power of signs and wonders” (Rom 15:19)

For a strong evidence of how God has been working in the world today, one must read the accounts wr i t ten by James Rutz in h i s book “Mega Shift’ (Empowerment Press, Colorado Springs). To cite one example among many, of ordinary people doing the miraculous, is the story of Savitri, a municipal worker in North India who narrates stories of numerous dead people whom God has raised to life when she and her friends fervently prayed for them. Churches are multiplying because of the power of the word authenticated with signs and wonders. Rutz book shows a whole new form of Christianity which promises to bring a far greater impact than the Protestant Reformation.

This issue of Momentum focuses on making the Supernatural, natural in our daily experience. We have articles and stories of how God is using ordinary people to do the miraculous by the power of the Holy Spirit. The preaching of the cross is being authenticated in a more powerful way – a simple way, as the church moves out and starts to pray for people.

This issue of Momentum seeks to encourage us to desire the supernatural in our daily walk. It is to challenge us to believe that God wants to do ‘signs and wonders’ through ordinary, obedient people who will take steps of faith. He wants us to experience His manifest presence, not sometimes, but all the time. He wants us in our weaknesses and in our frailties to see his grace manifested more powerfully. He wants us to be an aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. Let’s go for it. Let us believe it and start to practice it.

Let us like the prophet Habakkuk pray “O LORD we stand in awe of your deeds, renew them in our day and in our time make them known” (Hab 3:2).

“”

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October 2014 | cover story

Recently, to overcome the acute water crisis due to two consecutive failed monsoon seasons, we attempted to dig a well in the church compound. The professionals we engaged for the task comprised a team of two men and a woman. They dug for ten feet and then erected a crude structure with three wooden poles and a pulley to excavate the soil and slush. Having served on board Naval ships, in dockyards and on off-shore platforms, I was sceptical of the safety and efficacy of their contraption. I expected tested ropes, safety harness, helmets, etc. to work on such a hazardous job.

To my amazement I watched the two men go down into the 40 feet deep pit with just a rope and support of the walls of the pit. It seemed incredulous to me, an experienced absailer with a fair knowledge of how to do things the right way. When queried, they casually explained that this was how they had been digging wells upto 100 feet depth for the past several years. Though a chill ran down my spine, they seemed unperturbed by the dangers involved, despite lack of any safety gear.

What was normal to them was abnormal to me. What was common to them was unusual to me. What was daily practice for them seemed a herculean feat for me. What was natural for them seemed supernatural to me.

What is supernatural?The dictionary meaning is -• (of a manifestation or event)

attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature

• being above or beyond what is  natural; inexplicable by natural law or phenomena; abnormal.

If we stick to the above definition, anything that science cannot prove or man cannot comprehend can be cal led supernatura l . Even the e x i s t e n c e o f g h o s t s , U F O s , extraordinary feats of humans can fall under supernatural. But in this article we will look at supernatural in the context of us, the church of Jesus Christ, being the agents of our great King and His kingdom.

Supernatural is naturalby David Selvan

David&Selvan!has!been!associated!with!GMI!since!1981!and!has!been!

the!pastor!of!Union!Church,!Coonoor!for!the!last!14!years.!He!is!married!to!Debra!and!they!have!two!daughters!Anna,!Arpana!and!a!son!

Jonathan.!Anna!is!married!to!Kavindran.!Arpana!is!married!to!

Rishanth.

The foundation:A healing miracle is considered supernatural for man but not for God. For God supernatural is natural. Hence there is no difference between the natural and t h e S u p e r n a t u r a l i n G o d ’s v o c a b u l a r y. F o u n d a t i o n o f Christianity is supernatural. A person cannot be a Christian without believing in supernatural. The very birth of Jesus is an inexplicable miracle. Healing the s ick, c leans ing the lepers, giving sight to t h o s e b o r n b l i n d , opening the ears of the deaf, making cripples walk, multiplying the loaves of bread to feed the thousands and many other miracles performed by Jesus were supernatural to the eyes of man but they were normal for Jesus. Further, the resurrection of Jesus cannot be explained by the human mind.

The six days creation events were supernatural. All things were created by His word. All things came in to ex is tence a t h is command. They surpass all the elements of today’s scientific explanation. Supernatural is natural for God.

Why Supernatural?

When God created the world it was beaut i fu l . There was peace, harmony and order. God had placed Adam and Eve in a perfect environment. Their relationship with each other and with their maker was per fect . There was no rejection, no jealousy, no hatred, and no murder. There was no sickness, no sadness, no poverty and they had perfect health. Adam had the privilege and the ability of naming the animals and birds and all the living creatures. Meeting God and fellowship with Him every evening was part of the daily

rou t ine . There was no th ing supernatural about it. Seeing God at work was not an unusual scene nor considered a supernatural encounter. The quality of Adam’s life as well as the environment they lived in, were perfect and that was the order of the day. When Adam disobeyed God, sin en te red t he wo r l d w i t h i t s consequences. Man was alienated from God, from his fellow being and from the environment. Rejection,

sickness, death, pain, sorrow, hatred and murder invaded that perfect world. Man could not meet and fellowship with God as in the beginning. The normal underwent a paradigm shift. Since then, in this distorted world the inexplicable events are seen as transcendental. An encounter with God is no longer normal, but a supernatural event. However the coming of Jesus has changed the whole order. Jesus restored what was lost. He made it possible for us to experience the original intended quality of life. Jesus demonstrated what normal l i fe would be by performing miracles. He healed the sick. He gave sight to the blind. He walked on the water. He calmed the storm. He freed people from demonic oppression. He raised the dead. We call them supernatural because we cannot explain these with our knowledge of science and personal experience.But for Jesus they were normal. Jesus gave us a glimpse of how things should be; He demonstrated God’s original design for life in the world. When we have Jesus as the

head of the church which is His body, the supernatural should be natural. When Jesus commissioned his disciples, he sent them into the world to proclaim the good news of the kingdom and to give the world a taste of heaven. • Supernatural gives us hope that a

broken hopeless world can be restored to its original design

• Supernatural strengthens our faith to believe that we can give

the world a gl impse of eternity.•Supernatura l makes i t possible for us to say there is a living God to this sceptic world

Expecting and attempting the supernatural ...Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of

Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.”  On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. (v.10-11)...For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand (1 Samuel 16.4-16)

Once the army of Israel faced a challenging situation when a Philistine warrior named Goliath defied and mocked them. This Philistine challenged Saul and his army twice a day for forty days. His giant frame, his bold claims and challenges melted the hearts of Israel’s army. Saul was an anointed king, a seasoned warrior with a large army but had no strategy and courage to take on the taunting giant. The Israelite army felt subdued and that subdued life appeared normal for them. They couldn’t think supernatural. When we live a prolonged defeated and s u b d u e d l i f e , f a i t h f o r t h e supernatural tends to evaporate.But David a shepherd boy who had no battle exposure and experience, saw the situation differently. How

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Jesus demonstrated what normal life

would be by performing miracles.

could David take on the giant? For David, supernatural was natural. He had tasted God’s presence and his power in his personal life struggles and crisis.

But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this

Philistine." Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you." (1 Samuel 16.34-37)

When he faced a national crisis (at this point Goliath’s challenge and later many such challenges) it was normal for him to trust God and e x p e c t H i s s u p e r n a t u r a l intervention. David knew God would defeat Goliath and so he took up the challenge and defeated Go l i a th w i thou t the no rma l weapons of war.If the Church has to move in the supernatural, then every believer has to crave for and experience the supernatural in daily personal living. This would mean..• Supernatural guidance from God• Supernatural provisions of God

• Supernatural interventions of God• Super na tu ra l conve rs ions ,

heal ings, de l iverances and personal victories.

There are many corporate giants that challenge God’s kingdom but the church which has experienced the supernatural presence of God daily, will do mighty exploits.

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 3:10)

May supernatural become normal way of life for us and for our churches as we extend His Kingdom in this world.

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'We love Christ because He loved us first. And the love of Christ compels us to love and care for each other.'

That was our pastor’s exhortation to our small bunch of followers of Jesus. He encouraged us to reach out to our church community with simple acts of love. All we had to do was pray, connect with and in some small way care for a few others over the next few days.

Simple!

Well, I wasn't so sure when I looked at one of the names assigned to me.

Let me just call her Riya. She is a lovely girl who used to come to our gatherings a long time ago. It had been months since I met her. I thought it would be awkward to get in touch with her randomly out of the blue. I didn't really pray about it. Just a fleeting thought.

The following evening, I went to Marine Drive with my family. Though close to midnight, the place was

unusually crowded. As we walked by, we spied a familiar face. Riya! Stunned, I rushed to meet her. We hugged, exchanged pleasantries, chatted and parted.

That meeting made a world of difference. All of a sudden, the awkwardness had been broken. I could pick up from where we had left off and connect with her again.

I believe that it was not a random encounter. Meeting her that night wouldn’t probably have ever crossed my mind. Never! Spying her in the midst of a multitude? No! Had I specifically prayed about it? No! Yet, God made that possible. It was purely the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.

He knew that Riya needed to be reached out to. He knew that she needed to be affirmed that Jesus loves her. When we love God by taking small steps to help others, He delights to work through us in order to bless others. Extraordinarily!

Ordinarily Extraordinary by Anand Mahadevan

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October 2014 | column

Through the ages, church

history has been replete with accounts o f movements and monuments, triumphs and trials, disciples and deceivers. Interestingly, through it all we are reminded that there is nothing in heaven or on earth that can compare to His supernatural power!

Our church history begins with the 1st century church or as we would like to call it, ‘the early church’. The first generation church personified the move of the Holy Spirit. The book of Acts & world history tells us how a motley bunch empowered by the Holy Spirit became the mortar of Christendom, altering the course of history like never before.

The early church is considered a supernatural church not just because it raised people from the dead but because it transformed sinners into saints and turned the world upside down. It transformed all faculties of mankind – body, soul and spirit. It was a supernatural church because it moved with the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit. It was a Supernatural

church - the wonder working power of the Holy Spirit was made available through the finished work of the cross.

The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit came to teach (John 14:26), witness (John 15:26), convict (John 16:7-8), regenerate (John 3:5-7), direct and command (Acts 8:29), perform miracles (Acts 8:39), call and send forth to serve (Acts 13:2, 4), intercede (Rom 8:26), guide (Rom 8:14), comfort and lead us into all truth. Whenever the church lost her way on account of apostasy, deception or was lukewarm, the ministry of the Holy Spirit led her back to the arms of her rightful bridegroom, Christ Jesus. Church history is, thus, a testimony to the wonder working ministry of the Holy Spirit.

In the past, we’ve seen the power of the Holy Spirit draw men back to the t ru th in the great Protestant Reformation led by Martin Luther. His stand was based on the fact that the Bible was God’s infallible Word inspired by the Holy Spirit. Luther was a great lover of the Holy Spirit and his exaltation of the Book

Supernatural in Church historyby Vinamzi Paul

Vinamzi&Paul&Samuel!is!a!lecturer!in!Engineering!by!profession!who!also!enjoys!

studying!Gods!Word!to!help!him!serve!God!more!effectively.

He!is!married!to!Joanna!Ruth.!They!currently!reside!at!Ketti!and!

fellowship!at!Union!Church,!Coonoor.

as the "Eternal Word" did not belittle the Spirit. Against all odds and severe persecut ion, the reformation survived to lead the birth of all revivals. It was a reformation that drew dry and weary men back to the truth, back to the living Word.

T h e 1 8 t h c e n t u r y, A g e o f Enlightenment had a chilling effect on spiritual movements, but this was countered by the Methodist and Welsh Revivals that broke through the ranks of many churches and brought about repentance and restored the joy of sa lvat ion. These movements revived the spiritual heartbeat of the world and paved the way for the powerful outpouring of the Spirit.

Men and women of God like John A l e x a n d e r D o w i e , M a r i a Woodworth Etter , Charles F. Parham and William J. Seymour w o u l d d e m o n s t r a t e t h e supernatural power of the Holy Spirit to perform signs and wonders and would later, catapult the greatest movement of our time- The Pentecostal Movement.

The Pentecostal Revival Movement would see many great men and women o f God who wou ld demonstrate His supernatural power. One such individual was John. G. Lake. In all probability, he has had the most prolific healing ministry of our times. As a child, he was healed of rheumatoid arthritis but witnessing the ill health and demise of eight of his siblings caused him great grief. He later saw God’s supernatural power that healed his sister and wife on their deathbed. By 1924, Lake was known throughout America as ‘the healing evangelist’- the number of healings under his ministry being too numerous to record. His five

year mission work in Africa saw 1,00,000 converts, raising up of 1 2 5 0 p r e a c h e r s a n d t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f 6 2 5 congregations. It is estimated that over 1,00,000 healings took place under his ministry in Spokane Washington. In fact, the Better Businessmen Bureau verified these claims and was astounded. Those interviewed included a woman who no longer having reproductive organs was able to conceive. Another lady was healed of terminal cancer but the most remarkable was the healing of a small boy born with a head shaped like a yacht upside down. After prayer, the boy’s head expanded and his skull was restored to normal. His paralysis miraculously left him and he was able to speak like other children. Lake’s secret, according t o h i m , w a s t o k n o w o u r righteousness in Christ and to stay connected to the Holy Spirit at all times.

Arguably, the most notable figure of the Pentecostal Movement is Smith Wigglesworth. His ministry of three decades was noted for simple unflinching faith and amazing miracles. He saw the lame walk, the blind see and the dead rise. Once, he was asked to pray for a boy who was sick. When he arrived, his mother said, "You’re too late", to which Smith replied "God has never sent me anywhere too late" and on leaving for an engagement in a local church, he informed the parents that he would return and pray- asking them to lay the boy’s clothes ready as the Lord was going to do something great. When he returned, the boy was dead. Smith went inside the boy’s room and locked it, confident of a new experience in the Spirit. The moment he touched the boy, the

power of God filled the room. Such glory filled the house that the boy’s parents fell to the floor. His sister who was released from the asylum was instantly restored in her mind, the entire village was moved and revival began throughout their city.

There a re count less o the rs including the likes of Kathryn K u h l m a n , A i m e e S e m p l e McPherson, William Branham and Joe Coe who have demonstrated that God uses a willing and abiding vessel to pour out his supernatural power.

Even as I write, there is revival in the air transforming lives and people groups. We see it sweeping across the continents. China and nations in South East Asia have the fastest growing churches. There is revival in the Church worldwide- all experiencing the supernatural power of God.

Their lives reaffirm the words of our Lord and Savior, "Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea’, and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, i t wi l l be done for them.” (Mark 11:23).

And later, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”(John14:12)

Let us then, with these hosts of living examples tread confidently into what God has called us to do, expect ing H im to work H is supernatural power in and through our lives. Daily.

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How do you learn to pray? (Well) how do you learn to swim? Do you sit in a chair with your feet up drinking coke learning to swim? You get down and you struggle. That's how you learn to pray - Leonard Ravenhill

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October 2014 | column

Gospel - the bridge between supernatural and the naturalby Anand Mahadevan

In the beginning, there was no difference between the natural and the supernatural. In pre-sin Eden, the `natural’ world God had created was perfect in every way. God had called Adam and Eve to partner with Him in developing and taking care of earth (Gen 2:15). They could enjoy God’s presence and were free from sin, sickness and death. Before they sinned, Adam and Eve wou ld have exper ienced no difference between the `natural’ and the `supernatural’. But when they sinned, they and the wor ld they l i ved in became corrupted. Their sin marred the beauty and perfection with which God and created them and the world. Soon after, they hid from God (Gen 3:8) and God drove them out of Eden (Gen 3: 22-24). This was the first time the difference b e t w e e n t h e ` n a t u r a l ’ a n d `supernatural’ would have dawned on them. Their `fallen’ nature, now subject to sin, sickness, death and decay,

would have seemed to be the `natural’.Their earlier, pre-sin Eden experience with free, unhindered access to God’s presence would have seemed to be `supernatural’. In many ways, when we say `natural’, we perhaps refer to this world in its `fallen’ state. I f Adam forced this div is ion between the natural and the supernatural through his sin, Jesus Christ came to do away with this difference forever by his perfect and sinless life of obedience, by his atoning death on the cross and by his resurrection from the dead. The Gospel – the good news of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us – is now our bridge b e t w e e n t h e n a t u r a l a n d supernatural.

When Chr is t comes aga in , everyone who believes in the Gospel will be welcomed into a new heaven and a new earth, where God will live among His people, and where there will be no more sin, no more sickness and no more death (Rev 21)

Anand&Mahadevan!has!been!a!follower!of!Jesus!Christ!since!1993!and!a!business!journalist!since!1994.!He!works!currently!as!a!

features!editor!at!ET.!He!is!married!to!Ajitha!and!they!have!two!

children.!He!currently!leads!the!New!City!Church!in!South!

Mumbai.

In this end (which is in fact a new beginning), any difference between the natural and the supernatural will once again cease to exist.

But how should all these truths shape our everyday lives now?

Since there was no difference between the natural and the supernatural in the eternal past (pre-sin Eden) and since there will be no such difference in the eternal future (new heaven and new earth), what about the momentary now?

Paul encourages the Corinthian church by assuring them that the Gospel will first gradually and then ultimately free them of their light and momentary troubles of the natural world and release them into eternal glory.

“16  Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Cor 4: 16-18

Understanding two things from this passage can really help us in the momentary now.

1) We experience a daily tension between the `natural’ and the `supernatural’.

God is sovereign in deciding the timing of Jesus Christ’s second coming. Until Christ comes again,

God has called us to live in the n a t u r a l ( f a l l e n ) w o r l d a s `redeemed’ (supernatural) men and women, influencing people and the world around us with the power of the Gospel.

But practically, it is not easy to live as redeemed children of God in a fallen world. We experience this t e n s i o n e v e r y d a y i n o u r ne ighbourhood, workp laces, society and the city.

This tension is not just out there in the world. But we experience this tension within us too. As believers, even though we are born of the flesh (natural and sinful) we are also b o r n a g a i n , o f H i s S p i r i t (supernatural and redeemed).

We tend to forget this, not living as supernatural men and women (born again of Jesus Christ’s holy nature), but often, living as natural humans (born of Adam’s sinful nature).

Most signs of worry, anxiety, restlessness, angst, unforgiveness, bitterness, striving and pride in our lives are all evidence that we are forgetting our redeemed status and are slipping back from Christ’s nature (supernatural) into Adam’s nature (natural).

Only the Gospel, applied deeply and daily into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, can help us shed our `natural’ inclinations and put on our `supernatural’ nature.

2) The Gospel is our daily bridge between the  natural  and the supernatural.

Experiencing the supernatural is not the exclusive preserve of only a few. It is freely available to everyone who believes in Jesus. And the simple, powerful and only key to walking more and more in the supernatural (our born again nature) is to believe in the Gospel more and more, aided by the work of the Holy Spirit in us.

The more our identities and our view of ourselves are shaped by the Gospel, the more we are able to experience the supernatural.

Often, we tend to wrongly assume that supernatural is only about physical healing, deliverance etc. These are very much part of the supernatural, but there is more than just these. The deepest experience of the supernatural is when we undergo spiritual transformation, where sin loses its hold over us, and we are transformed more and more into the image and likeness of our saviour.

But it is also true that in the momentary now, we should believe and expect the Holy Spirit to help us experience healing, signs and wonders and miracles. These are not just meant to make our lives comfortable, rather these are to accompany the preaching of the Gospel and the extension of God’s kingdom here on earth, just as it did in the days of the early church. As believers, we can and should expect God to move supernaturally every time we share the Gospel with our friends from other faith.

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Reaching!the!end!of!a!job!interview,!the!Human!Resources!Officer!asks!a!young!engineer!fresh!out!of!the!University,!QAnd!what!starting!salary!are!you!looking!for?Q!The!engineer!replies,!QIn!the!region!of!₹12,00,000!a!year,!depending!on!the!benefits!package.Q!The!interviewer!inquires,!QWell,!what!would!you!say!to!that!package!including!a!monthVlong!paid!vacation,!14!paid!holidays,!full!medical,!company!matching!retirement!fund!to!50%!of!salary,!and!a!company!car!leased!every!two!years,!say,!an!Audi!A6?Q!The!engineer!sits!up!straight!and!says,!QWow!!Are!you!kidding?Q!The!interviewer!replies,!QYeah,!but!you!started!it.Q

Humour

October 2014 | happenings

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Pradeep'+'Rani

Prakash'+'Ashwini

Ajay'+'Priyanka

DLC'/'TTC'Inaugural'Service

Sudhir'+'Deepa

DLC'/'TTC'Graduation

Glenn'Croning'receiving'Best'Principal'Award

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October 2014 | column

It was the 1st of March 1981. A young college student attended a prayer meeting in a house. Gathered there were a small group of believers. A middle-aged gentleman was prophesy ing over people and everyone was praising God with loud singing. This was her first experience. Something within told her that God was there! Soon the man began to prophesy over her. Suddenly, she saw something like white light all around her and she felt as though electric current was flowing through her body. This continued for about half an hour. She too began praising God aloud. I was that college student and it was my first encounter with the Holy Spirit.

Is the supernatural realm for every believer? Yes. However, each believer is given a different revelation of the supernatural. How can we grow in the supernatural realm? This is the question we will consider in this article.

Let us consider growth in the supernatural to be a series of steps, moving us towards God

Being born again The first step is being born again. We know that man is a tri-partite being; Spirit, Soul and Body. Our spirit is made alive when we believe in Jesus Christ. The very fact that our spirit is able to receive life and live again is a supernatural act. A born again person is able to connect with God. There is a change in the person’s perception and a new desire for the written Word of God.

Learning to communicateAs a new-born grows, he starts recognizing the closest family m e m b e r. L i k e w i s e w e s t a r t recognizing the Holy Spirit, his p r e s e n c e , h i s s o u n d s , h i s communication. This is the second step - Learning to communicate.

Jeremiah 1:1,12 (NIV) The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?” “I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied. The LORD said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.”

Growing in the supernaturalby Meena Joseph

Elizabeth&Biju&Joseph,!fondly!known!as!Meena,!is!a!Chemical!

Engineer,!who!works!as!an!associate!professor!at!the!TSEC,!Bandra.!she!is!currently!pursuing!her!PhD!at!ICT,!Mumbai,!where!she!is!also!

serves!as!a!visiting!faculty.!Along!with!her!husband!Biju,!they!run!the!foundation!course!at!BBC!Colaba.!

They!have!three!sons!V!Surej,!Anoop!and!Swaroop

This passage shows the heart of God, he ensures that we have perceived his promptings and understood it. As a young Christian, I gradually grew in recognizing His voice. Initially a message from God would always be accompanied with the sensation akin to an electric current. Later, I was able to recognize his gentle promptings. As I grew in discerning the source of the supernatural, I recognized the source of the spirits by presence of light or darkness (I advice my readers, to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit).In Paul’s first encounter on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3,4), God spoke to him in a loud voice and a bright light. Later he obeyed inst ruct ion rece ived through prophets and teachers, who heard God during a time of fasting and prayer (Acts 13:1-3). I have found speaking in tongues to be an effective key in receiving greater revelations. When we speak in tongues we utter mysteries by the spirit. (1 Cor 14:2) We must make it a habit to speak in tongues continually. Steadily we grow in our communication with God.Various Supernatural experiencesAs we eagerly desire and linger in His presence, the spirit exposes us t o v a r i o u s s u p e r n a t u r a l experiences, corporately in church as well as in private prayer. These supernatural experiences awaken our eyes to God’s glory. You are filled with awe and reverence to a greater degree. Your eyes are opened to the activity in the spiritual realm influencing various situations. This enables us to be more focused in ministry. At such times healings both physical and emotional may be released. I am reminded of an angelic visitation in the mid 1990’s during a time of worship practice. Even the

children playing outside saw a light and came running in. Some of us saw a hand, others saw “beings” of Light. However no one experience is superior to the other. Further, not everyone receives the same measure of revelation. But as Paul says “one is the eye, another, the hand and still another is the feet “(1 Cor 12: 14-31). Together we complete one another because we are the body of Christ. The bible mentions Philip (Acts 8;39) and Ezekiel (Eze 3:14) being divinely transported. Through transportation we see God using his servants to complete the divine assignment speedily.It was November 2012, and I was admitted in hospital for abdominal pain. Between half past five and six in the morning, I was woken up by the sounds of the janitor cleaning my room. As my sleep was already broken I began thanking God. While I was doing it, I saw a short lady, who looked a little over eighty years in age, with wrinkled skin, standing by my bedside. She had a silver colored bag in her hand which was empty. I asked her what was in it. She told me she had been sent with a bag full of goodness and mercy and she had already emptied it onto me. Then she smiled and was taken away. I immediately understood that the lady was divinely transported. It was after this that God gave me the opportunity to lead a young girl from another faith to put her faith in Jesus Christ. Desire, desire eagerly desire. It is asked of you! (1 Cor 12: 31)Being a blessing to othersAs we get acquainted with the spiritual realm; the Lord trains us to bless others. Through supernatural experiences we may receive a solution to a locked-up situation, or a warning message, or even an encouragement for someone.

Supernatural giving is one example. Once a young couple in church were going through a financial crisis, but never openly expressed it. God divinely put it in the heart of another family to gift this couple with provisions, prompting them the exact things to be bought. They obeyed the promptings of the Holy Spirit and left a large bag of groceries at the door step of the needy couple. Later, on Sunday, they testified of how God provided them with a the very things they needed. This is participating in Gods supernatural work to be a blessing to others.To conclude, here are a few stepping stones to grow, and a few stumbling blocks to avoid in our journey in the supernatural.

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Stepping StonesSharpened by use - Be faithful with

what we have

Be accountable to leaders, thus preventing deception

Seek feedback helping you to serve better.

Spending time fasting and praying for increased sensitivity

Learning from the accounts of others who operate in the supernatural (in

the Bible and Books)

Document what God is doing

Work as the body of Christ

Stumbling Blocks

Lack of Use

Disobedience to the promptings of God

Complacency

Fear of authenticity of the source

Pride with respect to experiences , remember it is for the edification of

others

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Over 30 years ago while reading Luke 10, I realized Jesus commanded His 70 disciples to ‘heal’ the people in the homes they were living in (v7-9). Jesus sent them out to learn how to pray for people. Healing was connected to personel prayer. This simple realization changed our lives. What would happen if we took this literally and went to people’s homes, offering prayer for any concerns people had? I’d never heard of it being done. What if it didn’t work? People could be offended, and reject Jesus forever! We decided to try it. Teams of three went to homes reporting 60% of people were prayed for. Some were healed; all were welcomed with no resistance, offence or argument. Praying like this became central to our church life resulting in increased c o n f i d e n c e a n d f a i t h i n t h e supernatural.

Prayer Training: Jesus sent 70 workers to live in strangers homes, instructing them to “Heal the people in that house.”- Luke 10:9; 17. These workers were not mature or specially gifted. Jesus described them as Lambs – beginners. Not

wise – inexperienced. Not intelligent – untrained. Infant’s – immature (v3; 21). These were ordinary new believers who Jesus knew were ready to learn how to pray for people.

In Matthew 10:1, 7-8, Jesus gave the 12 disciples authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Jesus gave them two tasks: 1. Share the Gospel. 2. ‘Heal the sick; raise the dead; cleanse the leper and cast out demons’ (v7-8). The second task would only succeed if they prayed for people. Praying for people one-on-one, especially non-believers, is the key to increased confidence, faith and effectiveness in God’s powerful help available for people.

Our willingness to offer someone prayer has incredible potential to introduce them to God’s love and resources. It’s never forgotten. I prayed for an orthodox shopkeeper of another faith in India. When I saw him next he interrupted my attempts to remember how long it had been since we last met saying, “It has been 2 years and 3 months since you prayed for me.”

October 2014 | column

Lost key to the supernaturalby Vic Gledhill

Victor&Gledhill!has!been!an!

apostolic!father!to!the!GMI!churches!

and!his!message!QPEOPLE!ARE!

IMPORTANTQ!has!been!

instrumental!in!the!churches!here!in!

India,!Africa,!Pakistan!and!in!

England!reaching!out!to!people!with!

acts!of!kindness!and!bringing!

transformation!into!communities.!

His!passion!to!serve!and!his!love!for!

people!has!influenced!many!leaders!

to!look!at!reaching!people!in!a!whole!

new!way.!He!is!married!to!Jenn,!and!

they!have!four!children!V!Liz,!Jeremy,!

Jonathan!and!Amy!and!eleven!

grandVchildren.

Every Christ ian can do this; everything can be prayed for. Another time, a non Christian came to repair my friend’s motor bike. He told me he had many debts. When I offered prayer, he immediately said “ y e s ” . I t w a s t h e first time in his life. In o u r o w n town, we discovered that after p r a y i n g re g u l a r l y f o r t h e M u s l i m T a x i d r i v e r s , t h e y ’ d start to have their first dream or vision of Jesus after about 3 months. Prayer to Jesus was acknowledged as the reason for healing and change. In over 40 years I have never had a Muslim refuse prayer.

One-on-One: Jesus taught his workers to pray ‘one-on-one’ with any person. Expecting this would become a daily habit at work, shopping, visiting in homes, on the streets, buses, trains or just chance meetings. Not once did Jesus caution them about praying for people or list preconditions before offering prayer to someone. Quite the opposite, Jesus confronts our concern about the right-time before contacting people. You say wait four months, and then we can contact people. But, I Say open your eyes; people are ready and waiting for you (John 4:35). There is never a wrong time to contact and pray for another person! The Gospels reveal Jesus training the disciples’ faith not their preaching skills! He only ever confronted lack of faith, never taking a risk, or having too much Faith!

After saying hello and chatting to a group of men at the close of a

seminar; I caught a hesitation in the voice of one man as he shared about the many fa i led I .V.F attempts for a baby. In that corridor I prayed for his family. Five months later he emailed to say, his wife was

pregnant. The next year I dedicated their baby.

P r a y e r - t h e L o s t K e y : Jesus gave them a master key that could unlock any situation in the l i v e s o f p e o p l e . Jesus gave a method that would be respected, honoured and be gladly received by every person. Jesus introduced a method that would not need his workers first spending years in preparation. Jesus gave a method that every person who followed Him could do from day-one. Jesus revealed the secret that could release instant change i n anyone ’s l i f e o r circumstances.

Prayer: Fast, Effective and Powerful. Imagine a method where no one ever interrupts you when you pray into their life. Imagine a method where no one ever argues or demands their b e l i e f s v e r s u s y o u r s . Imagine a time where the hearer is soaking into their heart everything y o u a r e s a y i n g . Imagine a method that sows the first seed of the word, prophetic, w i s d o m a n d k n o w l e d g e . Imagine a method that people of other faiths and even tribal’s would honour, respect and receive.

When you don’t know what to do; when you can ’ t speak t he language; when pushed for time; when the problem’s too big for you; when you may never see them again - then pray for them.

Praying for people transcends cultures, customs, ceremony, circumstances, the o c c u l t a n d t h e r e l i g i o u s . I t ’ s u n h i n d e r e d b y language, context, or a rgumen t . P raye r goes into the spirit of a person under the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit who is motivated entirely by

the desire to Help people in body, mind and spirit.

• If I share the Gospel of Jesus with someone I will need to Talk with them. Words connect with the mind and often in i t iates a r e s p o n s e , d i s c u s s i o n o r argument..

• If I want someone to experience supernatural intervention, I need to Pray with them. Prayer engages the spirit of a person by-passing a million reasons not to listen or argue when only being talked to..

How to pray for people: Where do I start? Unless we are willing to speak to people - nothing can happen! There are 4-Areas in every person’s life, regardless of their nationality, language or culture. There isn’t a person in the world that doesn’t wake up with worries, problems, fears, hopes and dreams that are connected to: Family – Work – Health - Circumstances. People are seeking answers to these 4 areas, so talk to them, and you will hear something that c o n c e r n s t h e m a n d i s a n opportunity to pray. Ask, ‘Can I pray for you?

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When you don’t know what to do; when you can’t speak the

language; when pushed for time; when the problem’s too big for

you; when you may never see them again - then pray for them.

H o w ? B e g e n u i n e a n d compassionate because these things are very important to people. They want answers, help or change in one of these areas but often are very alone in them. They may have never met anyone who has shown interest or certainly ever offered to pray for them right there and then. Your genuine interest in their lives will always give opportunity to talk and pray into one of these areas.

What do I say? Ask questions about their Family, work, health or

circumstances. What work do you do? Where do you live? Is your family local; how are they? Is anyone sick?

Offer to Pray! “I’m out of work;” “there’s no money.” “I’m worried about my sales or exams.” “We want children.” “My child or family member is sick.” “I’m so afraid and worried.” “I’m sick.”

There is nothing that can’t be prayed for. So offer prayer. You will never be interrupted or argued with

while you pray. Prayer will never make things worse. So, Go do-it. It’s not possible to pray for another person and have nothing happen. Until someone is prayed for, the door to the supernatural help of Jesus is closed! – open it today, pray for someone!

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Media has a huge impact on every person in urban and rural India. Even in rural India fa irness products are readily accessible. Their economic status might be different, their needs may be different, but fairness products and advertising has found a market in rural India as well.

Ever since 2009 when Women of Worth (WOW) initiated the “Dark is Beautiful”campaign, we have been trying to highlight the need for responsible advertising.

We need to wake our youth to the reality of who they are. We need to educate them to be smar t consumers and to celebrate their individuality and unique potential. They need to know that they can pursue their dreams and that skin colour does not and should not have any bearing on this pursuit. At the same time we cannot let corporations and celebrities wash their hands off when it comes to

being more responsible in the way they sell their products or endorse them.

Two months back, I had a pleasant surprise from the Advertising Standards Council of India. I gathered that they were following us on twitter. So I quickly logged on to their website and was thrilled to see their new update! The ASCI has drafted new guidelines for advertising whitening products and this is now open to public opinion (see www.ascionline.org).

Changing how media influences the nation’s psyche of beauty based on skin colour, is part of the Dark is Beautiful campaign’s focus. However, we are always conscious of the need to change mind sets and societal attitudes towards skin colour. I believe that change begins at home!

We welcome you to participate in our discussions on social media and join us as we launch out city

chapters in Delh i , Mumbai , Bangalore and Hyderabad.

How you can help! Here are a few options:

We invite people of various skin c o l o u r t o s e n d u s t h e i r pho tog raphs w i t h a quo te expressing their attitude towards skin colour bias. Select images and quotes will be posted on our Facebook page.

If you want to help the campaign further, you could organize a fun ‘photo-booth’ on the theme ‘beauty beyond colour’ and get people to get photographed and share in a sentence, their thoughts on skin colour bias. Share these with us and we’ll feature you on our social media sites.

Do get in touch with us if you would like to help us with the above.

Contact us:disbcampaign@womenofworth.in

The violence of unfair advertising by Kavitha Emmanuel

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Cost: Covers stay and food from 4 pm, Nov 27 2014 till 2 pm, Nov 30.Dormitory, Rs.2500/- per head | Children 3 to 10 years – Rs.1000/- per childDay scholars – Rs.1800/- per head (food & overhead cost)Travel: The participants will have to bear their own travel expenses to come to AGLC Hyderabad from their hometown. Kids Ministry: A volunteer team from the Hyderabad Church to take care of Children (aged 3-10). Volunteers are welcome.If you wish to attend, please confirm your details - full name, email ID, church you represent, telephone numbers, etc. Participation at AGLC requires the recommendation from your local GMI Church Pastor.

In case you are sending money in advance, then please write a cheque in favour of "GMI - English Family Camp". Alternatively, if you wish to pay at the camp site then please bring the money in CASH (not in cheque). 

Please contact: Stanley Mehta - esstan@gmail.comSantosh Johnny - sansuebbc@gmail.com

Annual GMI Leaders Conference - 201427 Nov 2014 (4.00 pm) to 30 Nov 2014 (2.00 pm) Global Ashirwad Learning Centre, Ghatkesar, Hyderabad

I have always believed in the quote " Success is not in the efficiency of the work but in the work going on". Preparing the Next generation is one of the greatest responsibilities of leadership. The erstwhile 9 month residential model of bible college, viz, Antioch Training Center (ATC) has evolved into the current weekend training model spread over 9 months, called the Dynamic Leadership Course (DLC).

It was exciting to see 23 students graduating from the DLC this year. It was challenging for the students to undertake this course along with their full-time jobs, families and church responsibilities. But they finished well.

What is more exciting is that their zeal has drawn a full house of 30 students for the new batch now in progress. Our former ATC Dean, Paulraj having moved to Jaipur, the baton was passed on to Virjil.

His wife Sandra coordinates the administration of the DLC.

The Teachers Training Course (TTC) was started with the vision of extending the Kingdom of God through the sphere of education. Those who have finished the course serve in different capacities in Sunday schools and various social projects. Some have even started their own schools. Last year we had 14 students who completed the course. This year 22 students have enrolled for TTC.

Report on DLC & TTC by Joemon Joseph

October 2014 | report

18

October 2014 | interview

Thomas Ouseph is an unusual man. He believes the supernatural is natural. He relates his journey and the supernatural things God has been doing

How did God Lead you into the supernatural realm?

When I came to the Lord, my born again life started with a miracle. My wife who had been barren for 7 years and was told by doctors that conception for her was medically i m p o s s i b l e , e x p e r i e n c e d a supernatura l concept ion. The knowledge and understanding of Jesus as the risen and living God and the belief that nothing is impossible w i t h h i m , l e a d m e t o t h e supernatural. His Miracles never stop.

Today you regularly function in the supernatural realm. What was the Learning Process?

As I read the Word of God, I saw God doing miracles. Learning was multi-dimensional - through leaders like David Selvan who encouraged me into ministry and Vic Gledhill; through learning from the Gospels as well as books of great men of God l i ke P. G. Verghese, Kathryn

Kuhlman, Smith Wigglesworth and Derek Prince. I started to put into practice and began to pray for people with healing needs. I learned m a n y n e w t h i n g s a b o u t t h e supernatural and I kept growing by taking steps of faith.

What were the circumstances that challenged you to take steps of faith?

When I looked around me I saw lost, suffering, helpless people with no answer to their sufferings. Sometimes I felt angry with the devil, who was holding people in bondage. I realized that the first century church grew through supernatural work of God as the lost and the desperate people were touched by the power of the Holy Spirit, received salvation and were added to the church.

What was the out come when you started to pray for people?

When I prayed, many put their trust in Jesus, many unbelievable miracles started to happen as blind eyes opened, deaf started to hear and paralysed people walked etc. While praying on the phone once with a man deaf for 40 years, from

Releasing the supernatural through prayerAn interview with Thomas Ouseph

Thomas&Ouseph&overseas!several!Hindi!speaking!GMI!churches!in!Mumbai,!as!well!as!in!Jammu,!Punjab,!Chandigarh!and!Nepal.!Thomas!is!a!man!of!faith!who!has!seen!God!do!many!miracles!in!healing!and!deliverance.!He!

believes!that!nothing!is!impossible!with!God.!He!is!married!to!Lissy!and!is!father!to!Steve!aged!24!

years!and!Sophia!aged!15!years.!

Lucknow, the father of a lady from Kandival i church, he started hearing. Shanta Ekka a former member at Bombay Baptist Church had become paralysed and when she was prayed over, the power of God came upon her. She jumped up and her paralysed hand opened up and started working.

What is the most exciting and rewarding factor of being involved in praying for people?Seeing Jesus doing miracles is exciting and faith building.

• In March at Nerul Church, a child using hearing aids and unable to hear normally, removed her hearing aid and said I started h e a r i n g w h e n u n c l e w a s preaching.

• In Kalyan church 8 years before a couple Shailesh and Kiran who were considering adoption as they were unable to have children, came for prayer. God gave me faith to declare that He would do a miracle and in one year’s time they would have a child. After 12-14 days Kiran conceived and they now have a child of 7 years.

• Last year, in our church in Chandigarh, a person got blinded in one eye due to a cracker burst. Two surgeries were done but both failed. He however received sight after prayer.

• 5 years ago, a 2 ½ year old child was brought from U.P. with severe deformity of the limbs and unable to eat. After anointing with oil I asked that the child be brought the next week as Jesus would do a miracle. The following week I was amazed to see the child sitting and jumping, walking, talking and eating.

• Last May in our church in Nepal, a young lady who has only one eye, became totally blind. A church /NGO sponsored for her

surgery. She was taken to a big eye hospital but all reports came negative for operation. While praying, Jesus opened her eye to see upto 300 meters.

• Paulson, a dear brother, went to Kerala to settle down as his wife got job in Qatar. Six months ago he was diagnosed as suffering with Hepatitis B. Four months earlier, my sister’s daughter who was a nursing tutor had passed away because of Hepatitis B. I was concerned for Paulson and while on vacation, prayed for his d e l i v e r a n c e . H e s a i d h e experienced the power of the Holy Spirit moving over his body. Nex t day onwards a l l h i s weakness disappeared and his liver problem disappeared. After a month he went to a senior specialist and had all tests done. All reports came normal and Hepatices B was negative.

• Manisha from Badlapur church had been suffering with Arthritis for 20 years. She was prayed over and later testified that after prayer she received 60% healing and she could carry her child and do all house work herself. Within a month her weight also came down by 26 kilos.

Do miracles happen every time you pray?I have witnessed miracles through prayer when a psychiatric person was healed and became normal, d r u g / a l c o h o l a d d i c t s w e re delivered, Kidneys healed after prayer, diabetes and asthma healed, heart problem healed, Leprosy healed and fingers started growing, skin patches healed, stammering tongue healed, cancer healed, a dying T.B patient healed, many blind received sight and removed spectacles. Except HIV and some rare diseases, I have seen most diseases healed by Jesus, through prayer in His name.

How does praying for people help in transforming lives?

We ran a church in Grant Road area at Oasis Center for sex workers for 3 years. Many were touched and transformed and at least 14 women came out to Oasis Center during this time and 2 women decided to believe in Jesus and join the church. They now work for Oasis and Salvation Army.

Long before we started a prayer in Kandivali slums, a Gujarati lady who was a maid in our building asked us to pray that Hanuman Nagar will become Masih Nagar. Next year, many of the people in the area from other faiths, believed in Jesus. One lady’s brother-in-law was doing witch craft against her. She asked us to pray. The tantric left and went away saying nothing will work against God of the Christians.

In Uttar Pradesh, two ladies of another faith were healed and are now attending church.

H o w h a s p r a y e r h e l p e d evangelism? Most of the people in our church came to the Lord through some miracle of healing or because of deliverance from financial debt. In the Asalpha church at Ghatkopar, breakthrough came only after much fasting and prayer walks and then people started coming to church.

What is the role of prayer in church planting?Prayer is the key and backbone of church planting. God’s kingdom advances through prayer. There may be spiritual darkness and much resistance from Satan. In un-churched areas, Satan does not want church to be planted. He will not give up his territory easily. Strongholds will be more in the areas where Satan is worshipped through idolatry, witchcraft and occult practices.

19

Spiritual breakthrough comes only through persistent prayer. In Mathew 17: 20, Jesus said these kind of spirits will go only through fasting and prayer.

Through prayer, we bring down / break Satan’s strongholds, drive

out spiritual forces of darkness that are holding people captive. Then the power of Satan is broken and kingdom of God advances.

B e f o r e c h u r c h p l a n t i n g i s attempted, prayer walking around the locality will be very helpful. Even

after planting of the church, periodic prayer is needed to see the church firmly established and grow.

20

J.I.&Packer!The'Christian’s'life'in'all'its'aspects—intellectual'and'ethical,'devotional'and'relational,'up'surging'in'

worship'and'outgoing'in'witness—is'supernatural;'only'the'Spirit'can'initiate'and'sustain'it.'So'apart'from'

Him,'not'only'will'there'be'no'lively'believers'and'no'lively'congregations,'there'will'be'no'believers'and'no'

congregations'at'all.

Dwight&L&Moody!A'great'many'men'are'kept'out'of'the'kingdom'of'God'because'they'are'looking'for'somebody'else’s'

experience—the'experience'their'grandmother'had,'their'aunt,'or'some'one'in'the'family.

Leonard&Ravenhill&In'the'early'church,'signs'and'wonders'and'miracles'followed.'They'cast'out'demons,'blindness'and'

paralysis.'ThatMs'normal'Christianity!'WeMre'so'subPnormal,'if'we'ever'became'normal,'they'(the'world)'will'

think'weMre'abnormal.

Andrew&MurrayEach'time,'before'you'intercede,'be'quiet'first,'and'worship'God'in'His'glory.'Think'of'what'He'can'do,'and'

how'He'delights'to'hear'the'prayers'of'His'redeemed'people.'Think'of'your'place'and'privilege'in'Christ,'

and'expect'great'things!'

Beware'in'your'prayers,'above'everything'else,'of'limiting'God,'not'only'by'unbelief,'but'by'fancying'that'

you'know'what'He'can'do.'Expect'unexpected'things'Mabove'all'that'we'ask'or'think.

C.H.&SpurgeonThe'assurance'of'every'truth'of'Scripture'is'just'the'beauty'of'it.'First'because'He'has'promised'to'do'it;'and'

GodMs'promises'are'bonds'that'never'yet'were'dishonored.'Secondly,'because'Christ'Jesus'hath'taken'an'oath'

that'He'will'do'it.

George&MuellerBe'assured,'if'you'walk'with'Him'and'look'to'Him,'and'expect'help'from'Him,'He'will'never'fail'you.

Corrie&Ten&BoomNever'be'afraid'to'trust'an'unknown'future'to'a'known'God.

Martin&LutherPrayer'is'not'overcoming'GodMs'reluctance,'but'laying'hold'of'His'willingness.

Quotes to ponder

21

October 2014 | study

The book of Acts describes the development of the early Church from Christ's ascension into heaven to Paul's sojourn at Rome. Over a period of 4 decades, from AD 30 to AD 70, thousands of people, both Jews and Gentiles heard the gospel and became Christians. The purpose of this article is to look at how the church grew from a small group of 120 (Acts 1:15) to 5000 (Acts 4:4) and experienced qualitative and quantitative growth – every day.

Seasons of the SupernaturalPeople living in Judea were already w i t n e s s i n g a s e a s o n o f unprecedented supernatural events in the first century. It started with the birth of John the Baptist, which was the fulfillment of prophecy (Isa 40:3, Mal 3:1), the circumstances of his birth being supernatural in every sense. Both Mark and Luke begin their account of the gospel with John the Baptist, Peter also referring to it in Acts 1:21. This season culminates with Jesus’ ascension and apostles waiting in Jerusalem for the promised gift. Our focus will be on a second season that started with the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit and

continues till today. We are living in a season of the supernatural.

Person behind the SupernaturalThrough the Book of Acts, we see the supernatural in i t iated and orchestrated by God, and manifest through His chosen people - the church. While God is the Master Architect, He has given us the authority and power to move in the supernatural through His name. In John 14:12-14 Jesus promises, “those who believe in me will do greater things”, and if we ask for anything in His name, He will do it. These promises were clearly in the c o n t e x t o f c o n t i n u i n g t h e supernatural work that Jesus did wh i l e he was on ea r th . The supernatural is evidence to the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst.

Purpose for the SupernaturalThe Holy Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost (‘fifty’), a day celebrated by Jews as the ‘Feast of Shavuot’, seven weeks or fifty days after the Passover. The feast is also called the ‘Festival of Reaping’ or ‘Day of First-Fruits’. This was God’s way of saying – ‘the purpose is the

Study of the supernatural through the book of Actsby Steven Abraham

Steven&Abraham!is!Head!of!Leadership!Development!at!

JPMorgan.!He!is!part!of!GMT!Andheri!and!is!passionate!about!

helping!people!grow!as!leaders!and!find!their!purpose!and!potential!in!God.!Steven!is!married!to!Shinnie!

and!they!have!two!daughters,!Sheena,!16!and!Sara,!13.

harvest of souls’. In Acts 1:8 Jesus says, “When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you wi l l be my witnesses”. Peter while quoting the prophet Joel in Acts 2:21, refers to supernatural events and the promise “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’. God’s purpose for the supernatural is to shatter the shell of bondage, disinterest, cynicism or even false religion and draw all men unto Himself.

Signs of the Supernatural

• Oneness and Unity in Purpose (Acts 2:42-47)

• Boldness and Courage to Witness (Acts 4:31)

• Divine Fear of the Lord (Acts 5:5; Acts 19:17)

• Leads people to believe in Jesus (Acts 2:43, 47; 9:34-35, 40-42)

• Mirac les, V is ions, Dreams, Angelic Visitations and Divine Interventions

• Increase in opposition, threats and persecution

Moving In the Supernatural – Catch the Wind

More precisely, the question is, “ h o w d o w e m o v e w i t h a supernatural God”. Through the book of Acts we see numerous instances of God stepping into the world of men, displaying His power through miracles and wonders, be it through angelic visitations, visions or directing the course of events. All that the apostles needed to do was to flow in the direction the Holy Spirit was blowing. Like a wind-surfer, we need to learn to recognize when the wind of the Holy Spirit changes direction, and align our sails to catch the wind. Here are seven principles we learn from the book of Acts about f o l l o w i n g t h e l e a d i n g o f a supernatural God.

Moving With The Supernatural God

1. Make God’s Priority My Priority: Jesus asks his disciples to wait in Jerusalem, till they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. It turns out they had to wait until the Day of P e n t e c o s t . T h e a p o s t l e s probably had to rearrange their lives and schedules while they waited.

2. Put your Shoes On when God is M o v i n g : O n t h e d a y o f Pentecost, the believers spoke in languages , not surprisingly, those languages spoken in distant countries from where people had come to Jerusalem for the Feast (Acts 2:9-11). About 3000 people became believers t h a t d a y. M o v i n g i n t h e supernatura l , requ i red the apostles to recognize what God was doing, and be willing to move with the Spirit of God to those distant places. It’s very likely that Paul met these same believers during his missionary journey to plant churches in Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi and Colossae, among others.

3. Seize the Opportunity when God Sets the Stage and Gets the Audience: A man lame from birth for over 40 years is powerfully healed at the temple. While people were filled with wonder, Peter and John recognized that God had created an opportunity for them to witness. While this was followed by threats, many people believed and the number of believers grew to about 5000 (Acts 4:4).

4. Supernatural is God Bearing Witness to His Word – Let’s Expect It : In Acts 14:3, as Paul and Barnabus are preaching, God bears witness to his word by granting signs and wonders (Heb 2:4; Mar 16:20). In Acts 4:29-30, while facing imminent

persecution, the apostles first pray for boldness to speak the word, then for signs, expecting God will bear witness to his word through signs and wonders.

5. Be Willing to Change and then … Be Willing to Change: Paul intended to go to Asia to s t reng then t he chu rches . Instead, God diverted them twice, once in Asia and then at Bithynia, followed by a dream to go to Macedonia (Acts 16:10). This resulted in more people hearing the word and churches getting established at Philippi, Thessa lon ica, Cor inth and Ephesus.

6. Have the Mind of Christ: After seeing powerful miracles in Ephesus, Paul decides to travel to Jerusalem and then to Rome. Act 19:21. Much later in Acts 23:11 the Lord speaks to Paul and says, “"Don't be afraid! You have given your witness for me here in Jerusalem, and you must also do the same in Rome.” In a divine way, Paul was able to know and move according to the mind of Christ. 1 Cor 2:16.

7. Stay United because the unseen enemy is united: There is nothing m o r e d e t r i m e n t a l t o t h e supernatural in the Body of Christ than divisions. In Acts 15 itself, we see two instances where the apostles needed godly wisdom to deal with conflict and stay focused on the goal. (vs. 2, 39)

Conclusion: We are living in a season of the supernatural today. While God is the Master Architect, h e c h o o s e s t o d i s p l a y h i s supernatura l power th rough ordinary vessels like you and me. Let us eagerly pray and expect the supernatural today as we boldly p roc l a im God ’s wo rd (Ac ts 4:29-30).

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October 2014 | experience

Many years ago while still a young disciple growing and learning our church values, I encountered God’s Almighty presence in a new way. It started with the death of a young girl who went to be with the Lord through a sickness. I was standing outside the hospital with my Pastor when I sensed a burning passion in my heart to go and pray over the young girl’s dead body. I discussed with my Pastor and soon we were there praying for this girl. I exercised faith as I had read in the Bible that Gods kingdom is in power and I expected things to happen in that hospi ta l corr idor, but we le f t disappointed.

A few years later we started a small house group prayer meeting and were also taking care of a house church in Sundernagari. We prayed for people to be saved and regularly visited homes and met with people with a desire to see them saved. We felt in our hearts to invite the sick and pray over them. So we printed pamphlets and distributed them. Personally I had an apprehension in my heart whether people would turn up or not, but we saw around 35 new people respond to the invitation

and we had an opportunity to pray over them. We had called someone from our Hindi Cluster of churches to pray for the sick and along with them I also got an opportunity to pray for the people who were demon possessed. I saw things happening - a young girl whose hand was crippled and paralyzed came for prayer and the Holy Spirit gave me the faith to pray over her. Prior to this I had never prayed over anyone who was paralysed. As I started praying and declaring Gods healing, the girl started crying loudly so much so I wondered what was happening to her. To my utter surprise, I saw God’s power touching her and her hand was fully restored and healed. The whole congregation witnessed what happened to her and the awe of God came upon me. I cannot forget that night. I couldn’t sleep and the only thing which repeatedly kept coming out of me was grat itude and thankfulness to God

As it is written, “Therefore I say unto you, what thingsoever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye r e c e i v e  t h e m , a n d y e s h a l l have them” (Mark 11: 24).

Signs, wonders and miracles todayby Rohan Lokhande

Rohan&Lokhande&looks!after!the!Sundernagari!church!at!Colaba!

market,!Mumbai.!He!also!works!as!a!Sales!Manager!in!a!Shipping!

Company.!He!!is!married!to!Reena!and!they!have!two!children!named!

Ridhay!and!Ruhaani.!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This encouraged us to conduct such meetings more often. Every time we would see people getting healed. With the encouragement and prayer support from our leaders, I was emboldened to conduct healing meetings. As Sunday approached, there were 50 new people who came to church including a man who was a tailor, brought to church by his wife and daughter. He was not able to stand due to an accident in which he had lost his strength to walk and for two years he hadn’t walked. When we prayed for him, God’s power fell on him and he started walking and now he comes to church thanking God. There was a small boy called Roshan who was blind and was not able to see, but as a result of prayer he testified that he could s e e . A n o t h e r y o u n g b o y Christopher, whose family was part of our church, suffered from night blindness. He was healed and gave his life to the Lord. He now leads worship in our church and is part of our leaders’ team. Several more people in that particular meeting were healed of cancers, deafness etc. all to the Glory to God!! What an Awesome God we serve. We continued conducting such healing meetings and have seen local people from Colaba market - our sab j iwa la , tax i d r i ve rs , and newspaper distributors and others coming and giving their lives to Jesus.In one of the healing meetings, God laid on my heart to ask people to repent and forgive others. There was a lady suffering from deafness, who harboured unforgiveness towards her in-laws, who had ill-treated her. During the course of the meeting, she was filled with the love of God to forgive and instantly she was healed. And similarly a couple of others repented and received healing from deafness and swollen legs. After this I had opportunity to visit other units of ou r c l u s t e r and saw many wonderful healings taking place.

O n o n e o c c a s i o n , I w a s encouraging people to come for the family camp and there was this lady whom doctors had advised surgery for a lump in the chest. I told her to come for the camp and see God’s healing. She said she would first get operated and then come to the camp. I insisted she give priority for the camp and she agreed to come. The very next morning I got a call from her that the doctors had checked and found there was no lump and only a normal chest pain which would go with medication. Another lady who had a problem of bleeding for five months got instantly healed during worship in one of our leaders’ meeting.In another instance, I was invited to speak in one of our English congregations at Belapur. Just before the sermon, I asked people to worship God by singing the song “My Jesus, My Saviour” and God’s fire fell on the whole congregation, with people speaking in tongues and several other manifestations taking place and I stood amazed and speechless for around 25 minutes, witnessing what God was doing. Several books have also helped me to grow and practice my faith; like God’s Generals, about Smith Wigglesworth & work of the Holy Spirit. I read more about those whom God had used mightily to heal people. I was very much touched by the life of Smith Wigglesworth. A few months back I was reading a book by Benny Hinn – ‘The Blood’. I read that in one of his experiences during Communion time people saw the power of the blood of Jesus Christ and got healed. Miracles and healings happened .There is power in the blood of Jesus. We read in scripture... “and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if

the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? ”In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” Hebrews 9:12-14

“And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:27-28

While preparing for a recent healing meeting, I was waiting on God for words which he would want me to speak to people. Fifteen days passed by and I did not receive any word from God and then I felt God telling me that you just stand and I will put something new in your mouth to speak. In the meeting when I stood to pray, the new thing which God laid in my heart was to h a v e c o m m u n i o n . S o w e worshipped and I spoke on the power of the blood of Jesus while administering communion. And after that I gave a call for the sick to come and get prayed over. Amazing miracles took place that day. To mention a couple of them, an ex-policeman suffering from paralysis, who could walk only with the aid of crutches, got healed. He left the crutches in the church and walked back home on his own. Another lady who had severe stomach pain for over 12 years was also instantly healed. We really have seen the power of the Blood of Christ bring healing and salvation to many.

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October 2014 | experience

The Bondo’s are a primitive tribe in Orissa. They were once head hunters but are slowly integrating with mainstream society due to the pioneering work by many dedicated doctors and professionals. A Bondo woman had conceived and was to deliver twins. The trained mid-wi fe in the v i l lage was confident she could help with the birth of the babies and did not see any need to move the woman to the Asha Kiran Mission hospital at L a m p t a p u t . W e l l t h e b i r t h happened on the 31st December in the Bondo village. After the first baby was delivered, they kept

waiting but as the mother had no contractions, she could not deliver the second baby. There was fear of complications. After a lapse of several hours, the midwife got word to  Dr. Ravi at the Asha Kiran Hospital and enquired what to do. He told her to get the mother shifted immediately to the hospital. They put the woman on  a make-shift stretcher and carried her on foot the first 15 Km and then the hospital jeep picked them up at the foot of the hill and drove them the 40 KM to the hospital. By the time she was brought to the hospital, it was Jan 1st 2014 and by the time

the second baby was delivered by Dr. Ravi, it was almost 24 hours after the first. The Doctor and staff expected a dead baby, but it was alive and well and so was the mother. Prayer worked a miracle.

God works unusual miracles. Maybe this is the first recorded case of twins birthed 24 hours apart. Not just that,  it is also two different dates and two different years. Two different places 100 KM apart and by two different people - a midwife and a doctor.

Supernaturalchildbirthby Dr. Mathew

Book(List((on#Supernatural)๏ The$Normal$Supernatural$Christian$Life###,#Aliss#Cresswell#

๏ Hosting$the$presence$of$God$,##Bill#Johnson

๏ Overwhelmed$by$the$Spirit$and$a$people$of$Signs$and$Wonders##,#James#Maloney

๏ The$Supernatural$power$of$a$Transformed$mInd#–#Bill#Johnson

๏ Sustainable$power#,#Simon#Holley

๏ God$Encounters:$The$Prophetic$Power$of$the$Supernatural$to$Change$Your$Life#,#James#&#Michal#Ann#Goll

๏ Surprised$by$the$power$of$the$Spirit#–#Jack#Deere

๏ GodEs$Generals:$Why$They$Succeeded$and$Why$Some$Failed#–#Roberts#Liardon

๏ Growing$in$the$Prophetic$G#Mike#Bickle

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October 2014 | readers write

I' really' like ' this' Flipbook,' itMs' very' interesting.' I' have'

reviewed'it'objectively'and'made'some'comments'below:

1.'Cover'is'great,'clear,'concise'as'is'editorial.

2.'The 'contents'are 'numbered'out'of'sync'P'IMm'guessing'

no.' 4' is ' a' featured' article ' P' option;' it' could' state'

Mfeatured'articleM

3.' The ' content' headings' are' generally' clear'

e.g.' MRethinking' MissionM' P' but' some 'are ' ambiguous'

e.g.' as'a 'reader' I' have 'no' idea 'what' the'article 'called'

Mmustard' seedM' is 'about...option' to'put' a'little 'brief' or'

description'of'the'article'or'what'it'relates'to.

4.' Option;' to' link' the' contents ' to' the ' specific ' areas'

covered' on' the' front' cover' area' e.g.' arts' /'

entertainment' /' business' /' training' /' church'

development'etc.'

5.' Re' layout;' ' Generally' really' good' layout,' good'

colourful'pics.''Some'of'the 'articles 'are'long;'so'to'make'

it'easier'on'the 'eye,'itMs'a'good'idea'to'break'up'the'text'

with'e.g.'quotes' in' colour' from'the 'text' itself' as'on' p.'

15,' or' project' names,' web' links' etc. ' in' between'

paragraphs.

6.' May' be ' a' good' idea' to' put' the ' key' project' /'

campaign'/'website'names'in'bold'or'larger'font'so'that'

a 'reader' can'quickly' see 'the 'key' info' if' they' want' to'

research' further' (instead' of' reading' the ' whole' text'

again'to'get'to'the'web'link)

7.' 'Good' idea'to'use 'headings'or'bold' font' for'wordy'

articles'as'on'p.11.

' The' articles' are' very' interesting,' anyway' I' hope ' this'

helps.

This' is ' outstanding' what' a' great' range' of' integrated'

topics.'I' love 'how'it'looks.'What' a 'great'job'you'and'the'

team'have'done'here

Greetings!* I* have*been* immensely* touched* by*the*current* issue*of*Momentum!*It* is*indeed* prophetic*in*Nature.*

Thanks*brother* for* sharing.* *Top*class*quality.*Will*go*through*in*detail*and*revert*back.

I' have ' just' found' the ' t ime' to' read' through'

the' Momentum' 5' flipbook,' and' have' to' say' that' I' am'

even'more'impressed' with' this' issue 'than' the'last' one!'

Seriously,'you'are 'penetrating'deep'issues'in'society,'and'

in'the 'purpose 'of' the 'church'in' seeking'God’s'Kingdom'

in'many' branches 'of' society.' Society' is 'multiform,' and'

therefore' the 'Kingdom' of' God' has' to' come 'to' each' of'

these ' different' facets ' of' society;' and' I' think' that' the'

provocation' of' Momentum' is' vital' to' encourage'God’s'

people'to'do'just' that. 'It' makes'clear' that' it' is 'going' to'

take 'all'of'us'to'see 'God’s'kingdom'come'in'our' society,'

and' it' gives 'everyone 'an' understanding' that,'wherever'

God' has'planted' them,'each'may' play' their'part.'There'

are 'lots'of'very'simple'stories'and'testimonies,'which'root'

the 'principles' into' excellent' practice,' and' give 'easyPtoP

understand'application.

Another' excellent' production!' Well' done' to' the ' team'

responsible'for'putting'it'all'together.''

I''have 'read'the 'magazine'and'am'greatly'pleased'to'have'

read'2'articles'from'my'friends'P'Savio'Zacarhias'&'David'

Sinchury' both'with'whom' I' attended' the'9PDays 'school'

of'Inner'healing'and'to'see'the 'transformation'in'David'is'

amazing.

I'have'personally'been'blessed'and'challenged'after'

reading'it.'Kudos!!'to'the'entire'GMI'team.

Jas Kumari

David Oliver

Jikku Jacob

Steve Thomas

Arun Kunder

Mohan Patnaik

Pray%for%HUD%HUD%victims

Please'pray'for'the'victims'of'the'cyclone'P'HUD'

HUD,'that'recently'lashed'the'eastern'coast'of'

India.'

1. That'the'relief'and'rehab'will'progress'well'and'

reach'the'real'needy'in'the'city,'district'and'hill'

areas'of'Aruku'valley.

2. 'That'there'will'be'no'further'cyclonic'storms'as'

the'high'temperature'caused'by'loss'of'green'

cover'could'create'another'low'pressure.

3. That'people'will'cooperate'and'readily'assist'in'

rebuilding'the'city'and'restoring'its'green'cover.

4. Chief'Minister’s'vision'of'making'Vizag'the'2nd'

financial'capital'of'India,'become'a'reality.

It is the dream of a place where the hurting, the depressed, the frustrated, and the confused can find love, acceptance, help, hope, forgiveness, guidance

and encouragement.

It is the dream of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with hundreds of thousands of residents in and

around Mumbai

It is the dream of welcoming 10,000 members into the fellowship of our church family-loving, learning, laughing

and living in harmony together.

It is the dream of developing people to spiritual maturity through discipling and bible studies, small

groups, seminars, retreats and a Bible school for our members.

It is the dream of equipping every believer for a significant ministry by helping them discover gifts and

talents God gave them.

It is the dream of sending our members on short- term mission projects and as missionaries & church workers into major cities of India, to different states within India,

to our neighboring countries and ultimately to other nations of the world. It is the dream of planting

daughter- churches in every local language.

It is the dream of becoming “Salt and light” in the community, thereby influencing every sphere around us

with the Kingdom values, namely sphere of families, education, judiciary, arts & entertainment, Media,

politics, business, industry, economics, social services, etc.

October 2014 | gmi vision

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