Soul Winner

• Mobilize existing Christians to live out God’s calling on their lives
• Teach believers to witness appropriately as a lifestyle
• Disciple believers to grow in a genuine love relationship of obedience to Christ
• Start new groups or churches (usually both)
• Develop maturing leaders quickly
• Cascade into multiple generations of disciples and churches/groups
• Equip missionaries or church planters to appropriately faze out of leading the movement themselves and help the indigenous movement stand on the Spirit of God alone once the discipleship and training process has taken root

In the last few weeks I have been thinking a lot about the early church of Jerusalem. I thought it would great if this week we took a look at a famous passage. In these verses you will learn some lessons about church function and growth- try and see how these two things relate.  We will specifically look at four things they did and the results.

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Acts 2:42

The first thing/function that sparked further growth is the apostles’ doctrine: Apostles are messengers and multipliers in that they multiply themselves in the lives of others. Because of this, apostolic teaching is different from regular teaching. Apostolic teaching and preaching is always outward looking, always expects change and produces multiplication. Apostolic teaching is Great Commission teaching, it encourages the hearer to go with the gospel, win the lost, baptise them, and teach them. There needs to be a return to this kind of teaching; the kind that has as its foundation the truths of the Great Commission. Only then will the Church take the Gospel from person to person and from place to place like it is supposed to.

The second thing is fellowship (Koinonia): Koinonia is more than just fellowship, it is a family relationship. The people of Acts 2 were relating to one another as family because they knew they were in the family of God (Eph.2:19). They met together and ate together because that is what families do. Koinonia caused them to love each other so much that they cared for each other more than things (v.45). They were able put away all divisions and respond to crises in each other’s lives- no wonder growth exploded.

Philippians 1:5 describes koinonia as “fellowship in the gospel.” The apostle John tells us how this comes about; he writes, “That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship (koinonia) with us; and truly our fellowship (koinonia) is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:3). This indicates to us that “fellowship in the gospel” is a spiritual bond which comes about when one accepts the gospel. That is why these new disciples were able to “live out” verse 42. Similarly; because you and I have received the Gospel, we have within us the capacity to live out koinonia in our respective communities.

The third thing/ action/ function that sparked revival and growth was the breaking of bread: This is a reference to the Lord’s Supper. Because they were family they ate a whole meal together. They didn’t relegate the Lord’s Supper to the taking of just a piece of bread and a sip of wine or fruit juice like much of the church does today.

The last thing was prayer: This is intercessory prayer. The church of Jerusalem had a lot of opposition and persecution. They’d pray for the redemption of individuals and for the redemption of the city. They’d pray for more power and for more signs and wonders to take place in Jerusalem. The first part of verse 42 says, “they continued steadfastly”- they did these things with great intensity and gusto. The results were outstanding: The fear of God gripped the church and preceded the many wonders and signs done through the apostles. (v.43)

Love and camaraderie increased in intensity (v.44)

Tithing was replaced by sharing “as anyone had need”. When we understand that we don’t tithe anymore but give and share, we can begin to meet the needs of the needy that live around us. It is then that the kingdom of God expands and even explodes in a community. (vs. 44, 45)

In v. 46 we see a new phenomenon taking place. The disciples are going to the temple every day, not to worship but to fish for souls; this was a soul-winning strategy (Acts 4:1-4). Because devout Jews gathered at the temple five times a day it presented the disciples with an opportunity to catch fish. They would teach and have discussions with the devout Jews and God fearers that lived in Jerusalem. Afterwards, the disciples would eat together with the new converts and seekers… “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart” (v.46) “praising God and having favor with all the people.

And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (v.47)

This verse is the culmination of the wonderful events on the day of Pentecost and the work of the 120 believers since then. The one hundred and twenty disciples, who had already learnt from Jesus how to win souls, interacted with the three thousand and those they were winning daily. These new disciples seem to have learnt the Lord’s methods by osmosis- yet another proof that evangelism is not one great event (v.41) but a daily ministry of God’s people.

I hope you enjoyed our little bible study this week, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to email me or contact me on Facebook

Blessings
Marty

Victor Choudhrie's 21 steps might sound like something coming from some fringe extremists. But when you realize that from Pentecost 2009 to Pentecost 2010 we are talking about ministry resulting in over one million people baptized and tens of thousands of house churches planted, these guys have my attention. What other ministry anywhere in the world even comes close to a tenth of what these Jesus radicals are experiencing today in India?

MEGA CHURCH TO META (Beyond) CHURCH

21 Steps to transit from being a barren church to a millionaire of souls
By Victor Choudhrie, 2010

11. Challenge purposeless churches to enunciate a clear vision and a road map to translate that vision into action plan to ‘do greater things than these’. Armed with maps, stats and the Great Commission go two by two and teach divine arithmetic of planting just one multiplying church every month and in ten short months, even the least shall plant a thousand Meta Churches. John 14:12; Acts 16:5; Luke 10:1, 2; Isa 60:22

12. Unglue from the pews all those Christians who sit, soak and stagnate and send them to heal the sick, raise the dead, tread on snakes and scorpions (expel demons), bind the ‘strongman’, plunder his possessions and demolish the gates of Hell. Matt 11:12; 12:29; 16:18,19; Mark 16:17-18; Luke 10:19

13. Resurrect from being a dead organization to a living organism. Eliminate all extra-biblical cosmetic titles like Director, Chairman, CEO, and Secretary, by appointing five-fold ministry-gifted Elders, like apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers, as equippers. By feeding, leading and keeping the flock healthy and reproductive, they must reach those who are outside the fold. Eph. 4:11; Tit.1:5-9; John 10:16

14. Empower every Sunday school, bible school, prayer cell, women’s fellowship, and cottage meeting, by calling them full-fledged, authentic churches. They must make disciples who baptize, break bread, equip laborers and send missionaries and like the school of Tyrannus, change spiritual demography. 1 Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15; Acts 19:8-12

15. Filter out selfish-goat church members who come only for hatching (baby baptism), matching (wedding) and dispatching (funeral), and replace them with sheep who take care of the hungry, thirsty, naked, strangers, sick and prisoners. Culling the non-productive barren sheep is a very important principle of sheep rearing. God chose David to shepherd Israel because he took care of “ewes great with young”. Matt. 25:31-46; Psalm 78:70-72

16. Simplify disciple making. Get a Bible and invite a couple of truth-seekers for a meal where the main dish is - The Lamb. Redefine authentic church as wherever two or three friends meet to eat, gossip the gospel, and to multiply. Meta church is the most cost effective strategy for city penetration and reaching the ends of the earth. Acts 2:46-47

17. Substitute seminary training by sharing the whole wisdom of God from house to house. Sound doctrine is the ability to convince those who oppose. The lost of this world do not need scholars as much as they need spiritual fathers and mothers who bring many spiritual sons and daughters to glory. Acts 20:20, 27; Tit. 1:9; 1Cor. 4:15; 2Tim. 2:2; Heb 2:10

18. Reorient your own personal paradigm. Your business, workplace or home, wherever you spend most of your time, is your ‘primary nuclear church’. It matters little whether you are the CEO, or the janitor or the kitchen queen, you are a full-time minister there and accountable. Adam and Eve were accountable for the Garden of Eden and failed.

19. Recognize ‘Hi, there,’ ‘Hello,’ handshaking, Sunday church as your ‘secondary optional church’. A church that does not send you out to ‘raise your holy hands to pray everywhere’ and equip you to make Christ ‘high and lifted up’ in your home, workplace and neighborhood is not worth going to. 1 Tim. 2:8; Isa. 6:1

20. Re-set your priorities to preach Christ where He has not been named. For this you do not have to go to church from Sunday to Sunday nor work from paycheck to paycheck. You are “ordained” to be fruitful, to multiply, and to fill your home/workplace/neighborhood and the city with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Matt. 6:33; Rom. 15:20; John 15:16; Gen. 1:28; Hab. 2:14

21. Adopt a ‘completion mind set’. Evaluate your ministry with the Great Commission as the mandate with the number of disciples made, baptized, equipped and sent out, as benchmarks. Aim to be a millionaire of souls. Why not? After all, you claim to believe in a great and awesome God for whom nothing is impossible. At the very least, like Peter, shoot for 3000 baptisms by every Pentecost. Or like Paul, plant a multiplying church every day and claim that there are no more places left here for me to ‘fully preach the gospel’, not just with words, ‘but with signs and mighty deeds’. Acts 2:41; 16:5; Rom. 15:19, 23.

Victor Choudhrie's 21 steps might sound like something coming from some fringe extremists. But when you realize that from Pentecost 2009 to Pentecost 2010 we are talking about ministry resulting in over one million people baptized and tens of thousands of house churches planted, these guys have my attention. What other ministry anywhere in the world even comes close to a tenth of what these Jesus radicals are experiencing today in India?

MEGA CHURCH TO META (Beyond) CHURCH

21 Steps to transit from being a barren church to a millionaire of souls
by Victor Choudhrie, 2010

1. Rewrite the job description of professional clergy from a pulpit orator, sacrament dispenser and tithe gatherer to a shepherd who feeds his flock to be healthy and reproducing by encouraging them to practice priesthood of all believers with authority to baptize, break bread and equip fishers of men. He must model a flat church structure where brothers and sisters submit to one another, pray one for another, serve one another, exhort, forgive and love each other. John 13:34, 35; Matt.18:21-22; Eph. 5:21

2. Move from meeting in temples to gathering in ‘houses of peace’. ‘God does not dwell in temples made by human hands’; rather He dwells in human hearts. For we are the mobile walking and talking temples of the living God, with a maximum of organism and a minimum of organization. Luke 10:5-9; Matt. 10:11-13; Acts 7:48-49; 2 Cor. 6:16

3. Phase out programmed Sunday ‘services’ while implementing informal, small gatherings. The Bride of Christ must have intimacy with her Lord every day, not only for a couple of hours a week, lest she become unfaithful. However, discourage cross-gender disciple-making, lest chemistry foul things up. Acts 2:46-47; Hebrew 3:13

4. Replace Mosaic tithing with Christian sharing, thereby harnessing the enormous, financial resources, hospitality and goodwill available in Christian homes. Believe that God is going to work a work among the nations through you which will leave you utterly amazed, and also provide resources for it. Deut. 8:17-18; Acts 5:32-34; Hab. 1:5

5. Dispense with wafer-and-sip Holy Communion services, and promote breaking of bread with simple Agape meals (love feasts) from house to house that believers take together with glad hearts, so the Lord can add to His numbers daily. Acts 2:46,47; 1 Cor.11:20-23

6. Replace professional music with believers speaking to each other in psalms and spiritual songs, making melody in their hearts to the Lord. OT worship required the sacrifice of four-footed beasts, the NT celebrates by offering two legged Gentiles as a living sacrifice. The meta church is a discipling hub and not a singing club. Eph 5:19; Col 3:16; Rom. 15:16

7. Shift from spectator-oriented church to ‘metastasizing’ interactive, participatory, prophetic church. Empower men, women and youth, to get the dragon off the driver’s seat. We, the seed of Abraham are blessed, “with multiplying I will multiply you and your seed will possess the gates of the enemy”.  1 Cor.14:26-31; Acts 13:13;18:4; Gen. 22:17,18

8. For powerful synergy, metamorphose mega churches into city, regional and national, networks of ‘meta’ (beyond) churches. Instead of bringing everyone under one roof, have them gather under thousand roofs, just like the mega church at Jerusalem planted meta churches across Judea, Samaria, Antioch, Corinth, Rome and beyond (meta) that grew in faith and in numbers (both quality and quantity) daily. Romans 16:3-15; Acts 1:8; 16:5

9. Infect barren Bride with the multiplication virus. A healthy mature female (Bride) implies that she is ready to have babies. Rebecca the Bride of Isaac was blessed by her family to have millions of children. The time has come for the Bride of Christ to stretch her tent to the left and to the right and to the north and to the south and produce millions of meta churches and fill the earth. Gen. 24:60; Isa. 54:1-5; Acts 1: 8

10. Know your identity in Christ: you are a royal-priest; made so by the blood of the Lamb. Dismantle ‘Reverend’ culture that divides clergy from layman. Like Melchizedek, the royal-priest of Salem (city of peace), who served bread and wine, took tithe and blessed Abraham, bring godly governance to your city. Catch the vision of cloning royal-priests for every city and run with it. 1Pet.2:9; Rev.5:10; Hab.2:1-3; Isa. 9:6-7; Gen. 14:18

A model is a thing used as an example to follow or imitate.

According to the Oxford Dictionary, a strategy is:

1. A plan of action designed to achieve a long-term or overall aim.
2. The art of planning and directing overall military operations and movements in a war or battle.

We, God’s people are engaged in constant warfare for the souls of men. Yet when it comes to winning the lost and planting churches most of our models and strategies are passive. They more take into account the comfort of the planter/pastor, and the considerations have more to do with what will grow “my church” than what is biblical or what will expand the Kingdom. So, is there such a thing as a Biblical model for church planting? YES!!! Luke 10:1-9 offers an alternative to the best we can do. It provides us with both a model and strategy for church planting.

To begin with, our Lord Jesus sent the seventy disciples out two by two (v.1). The church doesn’t often practise this today, we are more comfortable inviting people to come to a gospel meeting or going out as a big group with a band and a preacher. Jesus’ model however is to GO OUT “two by two”. There are both practical and spiritual reasons for this. One important practical reason is that it provides protection and Support (Ecclesiastes 4:12). The two spiritual reasons are, there is more power in prayer (Matt 18:19). The other is that there is a corporate anointing when two or more believers come together (Matt 18:20).

In verse 2, Jesus said, “the Harvest truly is great” yet Christians often describe a certain generation, a certain community or a certain people group as being ‘hard of heart’ or ‘unresponsive to the Gospel’. However, Jesus tells us that a harvest is always ready (John 4:35). In fact Jesus uses the words “white for harvest” to indicate that the harvest is over-ripe. When you go anywhere you must understand that there are always people ready for harvest. The real problem is, “the labourers are few.” Because the labourers are few we are not only to be praying for more labourers, we should be actively looking for them. That is exactly what we do when we go into a village or a town; we are to win the lost and train them to become labourers of the gospel.                                                                                                   

In verse 3 Jesus said, “Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.” We are not to go anywhere with “guns blazing,” but rather we are to go as lambs (v.3). Lambs are harmless, innocent, and at times foolish people and the places they are sent to are occupied by wolves. Making a lot of noise will attract the wolves (Acts 9:20-25 & 26-30; Acts 14:1-6 & 14-19) but if we follow Jesus instructions we are less inclined to attract wolves.

Next Jesus tells us to, “Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road” (v.4). The Lord needs us to stay reliant on Him, over preparedness can give way to self- confidence.  Also, if we greet people while we are in transit we can get side-tracked, but the pervading message of verses 3, 4 is to go quietly. Remember you are in a sense, a spy going into enemy territory and you don’t want to wake or alert the enemy.

Once you arrive at your destination your objective is to find the “son of peace” (v.6) because you are going to plant a church in their home. When you enter any house you are to bless it saying ‘Peace to this house’ (v.5); we are to bless the families of the world (Gen.12:3). Jesus goes further He says, “And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you” (v.6). The Greek translation for son of peace is huios eirene, it simply means person of peace; the son of peace could be a man a woman or even a child. The Samaritan woman was a son of peace for Jesus, Lydia was a son of peace for Paul and Cornelius was a son of peace for Peter. The son of peace may not be a believer, he or she may even be an enemy of the Lord, but when you share the Gospel they will understand and receive the Word (Jn1:12).

How do you know you have found a son of peace? They will invite you to stay with them and will show you hospitality. Stay at that house, “eating and drinking such things as they give.”(v.7). Eating is extremely important; some would say it is the first preliminary to winning that family. Jesus spent much time eating with others because eating together is proof of the acceptance of relationship (Revelations 3:20).

Initially upon arriving at place, you may need to go to a few houses to find a son of peace but once you have found them, stop and make their home your base of operations (v.7). Let the son of peace invite the people they think will be most receptive to the Gospel. This is what Lydia did; the person of peace knows who to call in their community or village and they know who not to call. Eat and drink whatever they put in front of you and take the opportunity to pray and heal the sick (vs.8.9).

Always be open to a power encounter. Sometimes relationship makes a way for a miracle and sometimes a miracle makes way for relationship. The latter was usually how Jesus and His disciples ministered, everywhere they went, the deaf hear the blind had their eyes opened and the poor had the gospel preached to them. Once people see a power manifestation then they are further open to the Kingdom and that is when you tell them about the King and His Kingdom. We usually do it the other way don’t we?

We impose our teaching first and power ministry (may) come later but here Jesus taught the reverse. Jesus model is first demonstration of power, then preaching of the word then a church can begin to be established, people come and get healed, then they repent and are delivered and discipled.

Download my lecture: See How to Bring in the Harvest – A Biblical Strategy (Luke 10:1-9) for further information.

Hi Everyone,

The last few years I have felt the Lord gently but firmly moving me in another ministry direction. Although I have always been involved in equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry, I have spent a rather disproportionate amount of time doing the ministry myself. God has shown me that if I continue to do that, the best I could ever expect is more addition-additional souls, additional churches planted etc., yet I have always wanted to see multiplication take place in my ministry.

God has shown me a way to do that – Church Planting Movements.  A Church Planting Movement (CPM) is a rapid and multiplicative increase of indigenous churches planting churches within a given people group or population segment. CPM’s are multiplying (in every sense) across the globe. Some of the really big ones comprise between 1-6 million people.

Just a few of weeks ago I heard of a young man in his early 20’s who began training a handful of Gypsies in one nation just two years ago, now there are 39,000 baptised believers in that CPM. CPM’s begin with the “CPM initiator,” he or she has a both the call and God given strategy to make it happen and works with his “chosen” people group to facilitate that.

Becoming a CPM initiator would be a natural progression from my regular method of church planting. With that in mind I am looking to begin my first CPM ministry in a mostly Buddhist nation. For me this would mean 3 months in that country and then a further 2-3 weeks every six months for 2-3 years. Also, for a few years now I have been getting regular invitations from pastors and leaders in two relatively “closed” nations to help plant churches there. Because the timing wasn’t right for me I had always told them ‘no’. However just recently I have told two of these pastors about CPM's and both shared an interest. Please pray that something will come of that.

Prayer Requests

• Please pray for Gods perfect timing in regard to (my) CPM ministry- I am not clear with the time frames of any of this at the moment.
• Please pray and ask the Lord to lead and show me the right steps to take in planning.
• Please pray that the people in my target nation will be receptive and open to this ministry.

Marty

Hi everyone,

I hope this report finds you all well. As you may know already, the team and I were working with the Kamayo, a people group indigenous to the Philippines. There are approximately 480,000 Kamayo with most living in the Surigao del Sur province on the Island of Mindanao. While many Kamayo live in the city, most live in barangays (barrio’s) in rural/ jungle or coastal areas of Surigao del Sur. We had a wonderful time ministering among these people and achieved all our goals. We planted 5 new churches and led approximately 1500 people to Jesus. As you read the report, please take into account, I have not included everything we did. I’ve only included what I recorded or remembered. I hope you enjoy this report.

Saturday 26th April.

Aiden Orsborn and I arrived in Bislig at 2.00am. We had only four hours sleep when Danny showed up with our translators. My friend and fellow evangelist Danny Richardson had arrived in Bislig five days earlier to speak at Asian Hope Ministries National Youth Conference. He was buzzing, he had not only spoken to 600 young people but had also preached a crusade just 12 hours earlier and 200 Kamayo had come to Christ. Not to be outdone the translators told us some of what they had done since we had last worked together in May 2013. Marinito Alvar and Israel Gerez are both pastors and the Evangelism Directors of their organisation. They worked as our translators last year and had picked up new skills and vision along the way.

They told us how they had visited many pastors and encouraged them. Marinito and Israel took pastors from other organisations house to house as they shared the gospel together. They taught the pastors what I had taught them and as a result many people had come to Christ and several churches were growing as a result. After catching up on the “goss” I decided it was time to “blow off the cob-webs”. Our translators took us to a jeepney terminal. I preached for 10 minutes but it was difficult because people were coming and going all the time. However, I won 7 to Christ; they were the only ones who had heard the Gospel from start to finish. When I had finished Danny preached and several more people came to Christ.

This is me speaking to prisoners at the Jail house at Mangagoy Police Station. When all eleven inmates came to Christ the Police Chief was so impressed he asked Marinito Alvar to come back each week and do Bible studies with the prisoners. This is the Jail house at Mangagoy Police Station it’s really just a cell the size of a standard bedroom with only a small window but no air-conditioning –it was about 38 degrees

After lunch we visited the jailhouse at Mangagoy Police Station. What they call a jail house though was really just a concrete cell the size of a standard bedroom with only a small window in it. The cell was the temporary home of eleven young men in their teens and early twenties. The police had some concern the prisoners might try and take the team (Marinito, Israel, Aidan, Danny and myself) hostage but we were fine. In the end all the prisoners came to Christ. We concluded the visit with prayer and by prophesying over each prisoner.

Sunday 27th April.

On Sunday morning Danny left to do two crusades and Aiden and I left for Barangay Tidman. We arrived early at the little church building. I preached and motivated the church to win the lost and we had a great ministry time afterwards.

Tuesday 29th April.

I spoke at Bislig regional prison. We were surprised to see both female and male prisoners together. Some of the 48 prisoners had been there for years, others had been there for just a short while. I preached my message- Promises. It is about the promises we make to ourselves and others to change our ways and, (yet) our inability to do so. After giving examples I introduced Gods promises in Ezekiel 36:25-27. I spoke briefly on each one and explained how the power to change comes through what Jesus did on the cross 2000 years ago. I then preached Jesus and called for a response and all 48 prisoners came to Christ – some in tears. The Filipino pastors were surprised so many came to Christ because the Kamayo are normally reserved and these Kamayo were prisoners as well.

Wednesday 30th April – Thursday 1st May.

The next day Danny left to do two more crusades and Aiden and I went to an island with only 30 families on it. These folk were fisherman and nearly all Kamayo. There was only one born-again Christian on the whole island and no Church. Aiden and I were the first missionaries to have ever been on the Island and that made being there even more special. The team and I were there two days. We went house to house and did one open- air meeting. The open air meeting was interesting, it was at night and there was no electricity. I spoke with a gas light on either side of me so I could be seen. The setting inspired my message and I called the people out of the darkness into the light. Over those two days Aiden and I won everyone on the Island to Christ apart from 5-6 fishermen we didn’t get to speak to.

Aidan Orsborn (4th from left) with one of the many families he led to Christ. Translator Israel Gerez is the gentleman on the far right. Note: House to house ministry is an extremely fruitful ministry. We went house to house most days and won many hundreds to Christ. House to house is the ministry best suited for church planting. I began my church planting ministry in the Philippines 14 years ago doing crusades but experience has taught me house to house is more effective in the long run. When you’re in someone’s home you have more time to answer specific questions and to both minister to and encourage them. In a church planting scenario open air preaching and/or crusades are great secondary ministries especially when confined to barrios and villages.

Friday 2nd May.

The next day we moved onto another island to begin our second plant. We arrived at this second island virtually unannounced only sending out a “scouting party” just 4 hours before. This island had only 10 families on it and (again) no church; it had never had a missionary on it either. However, six months earlier a fisherman who was backslidden for 20 years, returned to Christ after an alcohol related illness. This man and his wife had prayed through the last 6 months for a missionary to come. What is amazing about that is this Island was not part of our itinerary. We only decided to go there because the previous plant took us only 2 days to complete instead of the 3 days I had expected. We stayed at the fisherman’s house for one night only. I did another gas-light open-air meeting and nearly everyone on the Island came to Christ. At the meeting a young woman came forward for prayer; she had a goitre and high blood pressure. When I prayed for her she immediately got a headache so I knew she also had a spirit of sickness. When I cast the spirit out the goitre went down under my hand PTL. In the morning Aiden and I went house to house with our pastor friends and saw most of the rest come to Christ.

This was my only crusade style meeting in Tidman, I preached without a micro-phone to 200 to 300 people some of the people were more than fifty metres away- I was hoarse for twenty four hours after that. Some of the men in this picture were antagonistic to me at the start of my message but God softened their hearts and both they and many others came to Christ.

Saturday 3rd- Monday 5th May.

We went back to Tidman to rest before we began work on the 3rd church plant. Aiden and I enjoyed almost two full days’ of rest. I spent most of that time sleeping and reading my Bible. It was a wonderful time of rest in every respect. That night I preached to a “not so friendly” Catholic crowd. I’m not sure if it was what I said about shamanism or what I said about idols but a group of men got so angry they tried to rush my interpreter and myself but were stopped by barangay councillors. Also, man upset by my preaching tried to draw Aiden into the dark but, a pastor who saw what was happening intervened. In the end many came to Christ including some of the men that tried to stop me preaching. Note: The Kamayo are renowned for their hospitality and even the hardest things said in love are received well in their own homes. On the other hand they are a warrior race and tend to stir each other up in public. Given what I just wrote, it may appear a no-brainer to stick exclusively to house to house. However, there are at least three good reasons not to 1. When you are planting a church in 2 or 3 days you need to talk to as many people as possible 2. Because most men are fishing or farming during the day we have only the night to share with them and crusades and open air meeting do gather crowds, and… 3. I know if I can win the men the whole family will eventually come to Christ. Barangay Tidman is separated by an inlet river connected to the sea. There is a church on one side of the barangay but not on the other; the plan was to plant a church where there was none. We did lots of house to house ministry and prayed for the sick as we went. One man partially paralyzed after a stroke and without feeling on one side of his body received the feeling in his leg when I prayed for him and his wife was healed of a large goitre.

This is one of the “waiting sheds” in Tidman; they are peppered all over this large barangay. Waiting sheds are a place where people can meet to relax and talk with their neighbours; they are usually no bigger than a small bedroom, are most often made out of bamboo and consist of 2-4 bench type seats and a roof, but no sides. For the soul-winner they are a great place to harvest. Our talks there were usually a cross between personal evangelism and an open-air meeting. In –fact sometimes we would start sharing quietly with just 2 people and end up preaching to a dozen or more before we’d finished.

Wednesday 7th May – Thursday 8th May.

Aiden and I began work on our 4th plant but Danny stayed in Tidman. Danny had got sick 3 days earlier and had not yet recovered. Mauis Island has close to 100 families on it. On arriving on Mauis Island we were met by a pastor and his wife, they had moved there to lead the church we were about to start. Together with the pastor my translator and I went house to house all morning. After lunch we got a message to tell us Danny’s condition had worsened. I was told Danny wasn't able to keep food or water down. I went back to Tidman to organize a jeepney to get Danny cross country to a hospital. It seemed to me as though the jeepney took forever just getting to Tidman and I must admit I was tempted to think Danny might not make it. At the hospital Danny was put on an I.V drip for a night and a day, he recovered well. I went back to the island early the next morning to find Aiden had preached open-air styles and won many to Christ, the pastor, his wife and interpreter could not stop singing Aiden's praises -I was very proud of him. We went house to house all afternoon and saw a lot of people come to Christ. The pastor is excited for the future and was already planning Bible studies.

Tuesday 13th May.

The boys and I started work on our 5th and final plant. We were told that a pastor had been stabbed to death 2 years ago for preaching the Gospel at this barangay. Our pastor friends would not allow us to stay there overnight instead we were transported to and from the barangay. My translator and I had only just begun going house to house when we met 2 Catholic Defenders. These guys are serious religious zealots that have vowed to defend Catholicism to the death if necessary. I have encountered Catholic Defenders on 2 other occasions. Once (13 years ago) they threatened to deny burial rites to 600 people if they responded at one of my meetings. Now these 2 guys tried to turn our meeting into a confrontation but I would not argue. They have a major idol in the Philippines called 'Santa Nino'- It’s a statue of a black boy Jesus. I told these men that before I got saved 28 years ago, one of my idols was a white boy Jesus called the 'Child of Prague'. I told them Jesus was neither black nor white but a Jew- proof that idols come out of our minds and hearts. That led to a talk about Mary my other idol (long story short). I preached the Gospel, God opened their hearts and both received Jesus. One of the two was 80 years old and he gave me a huge hug before I left. After that encounter we had an open heaven all day and everyone we shared the Gospel with came to Christ- approximately 30-50 people.

This is Danny Richardson ministering to some of the 600 young people at the Asian Hope Ministries National Youth Conference. Many of the kids received vision for their future and encountered God in new and fresh ways.

Wednesday 14th May.

We had had enough of house to house ministry and wanted preach the Gospel in the streets. Along with our translators Danny and I jumped in a tricycle and travelled around the greater Bislig area preaching open-air styles. Together we preached at two barangay, a tricycle terminal, a pool hall and at a market. Over 30 people responded at the pool hall. That night 2 pastors told me many pastors had attempted to preach there but had been forced to flee when they pelted with stones and vegetables. They said, being a foreigner did not save me, they said it was because those men were interested in my object lesson- it was very visual. One of the men watching and listening was on his way home to kill his wife's lover but he heard and responded to the Gospel instead-Glory to God.

This is me preaching one of my favourite open-air messages. It’s an object lesson really; it's called the Gospel Clothesline. The rope represents the course of a day; the piece of wood in the middle represents the cause of sin "I". The bright rags tied in a knot on the rope represent various sins. In the end the rags are pulled to the centre with the piece of wood. The wood is converted to a cross, taken out and lifted high. Jesus is preached, the ropes are pulled and the rags/sins fall to the ground. The power of the "EMPTY" CROSS (The Catholic crucifix has a dead Jesus on it) is preached and the hearers are called to repent, believe and receive Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

Thursday May 15th.

Aidan and I left Bislig to travel back to New Zealand. Before I left I told Marinito and Israel that I may not be back there again. Marinito Alvar and Israel Gerez are the best two Filipino evangelists I have ever met. It has been my honour to further train them in evangelism. I am proud that they see me as their mentor in evangelism. I have left my ministry in the Bislig area permanently in the capable hands of these two guys. I know they will plant many more churches and together win many 1000’s of Kamayo people to Christ. Please continue to pray for the people that came to Christ, the men and women that will led the new churches and the ministries of my good friends Ps’. Marinito Alvar and Israel Gerez and their ministries in Surigao del Sur.

Hi everyone, sorry I have been slow to send out my Praise Report and Prayer Requests. I have been very busy with work stuff, family stuff, and preparation for my up-coming mission to the Philippines. I hope you enjoy it and don’t mind that I change the format a little…. 

Praise the Lord for the now 11 hours of Chaplaincy I do each week. One of my clients is the Ministry of Social Development in Hawkes Bay. WINZ is a division of the MSD. Recently I asked for permission to speak at one WINZ office as part of their mid- week briefing. While doing my “blurb” I shared part of my testimony with the approx. 30 staff at the Napier office. It was a lot of fun and in the following two weeks I spoke at 2 other WINZ offices and shared parts of my story there also. My talks were well received by staff and have since opened up other opportunities which I can’t talk about right now. PTL

Praise the Lord. Last October I told you about how I won a drug dealer and his wife to the Lord. Well I was leading a Bible study at their place in Napier recently when their friend Wayne walked in. Wayne is a “hard-nut” with no Christian or religious orientation whatsoever and when he saw us doing a Bible study he couldn’t leave fast enough. As Wayne walked to his car he was limping so I went after him and asked him what was wrong. He told me he had a long standing back injury and that an operation hadn't helped. After praying 10 minutes for Wayne the pain had gone and he was able to do things he hadn't been able to do for some- time. Please Pray that Wayne comes to Christ.

Praise the Lord. I have had some great opportunities to share the full Gospel one to one with many different people in the streets of Hastings in the last few weeks – Please Pray God will breathe on the seeds I've planted

Praise the Lord: I have my airline ticket to the Philippines; however I still need approx. $1800 for the mission… Please pray for that!!

A Short Blurb: As you will know I am off to the Philippines again in a few weeks. I will be there from April 24- May 16. Last year I decided to call this year’s mission, MISSION POSSIBLE in honour of the mission students at Lifeway Bible College did each year. I understand the inspiration for the yearly 2 day mission came from Luke 10:1-16. Its purpose was to teach the students faith.Only minutes before each mission began, students were divided into groups of two or three and given an envelope with their destination inside. They were not allowed to take money or food with them but they could take a little extra clothing like a change of undies and a jersey perhaps. Destinations were as far as 3-4 hours away by car and most students hitch hiked there. After the mission students would arrive back at Lifeway with exciting stories. Some stories were fantastical like the student from Vanuatu who got separated from his friends but somehow ended up staying at a five star hotel in Central Auckland. Apparently he ate the finest cuisine, soaked in a Jacuzzi and evangelized the staff and guests. Sadly, Linda and I never got to do the Mission Possible ourselves; we stayed on campus to look after our young family. And although I believe staying with my family was the right thing to do, not ever doing a Mission Possible is one of my biggest regrets today. Anyway, despite never having done it myself something did rub off on me. I now go to places most won’t go, I eat food most don’t eat and expect things to happen on mission most people can’t believe for. I usually don’t take out travel insurance and will sleep almost anywhere. It’s been 20 years since I first saw my fellow students do the “Mission Possible.” In-fact the anniversary will fall sometime while I’m in the Philippines.

• Please pray God opens big doors of opportunity for the team and I.
• Please pray the food doesn’t kill us
• Please Pray we can stay on schedule and plant 5 new churches as planned and that many come into the kingdom
• Please pray that God will do the immeasurable and the superabundant through us.
• Please pray that all those who had originally planned to come will come - One guy has bought a ticket but is unsure if he can come now…
• Please Pray for Steve.   
• Please pray for my daughter Jessie, she has eczema. Jessie did not have eczema when she was younger but it has come now when she is 17. We have been battling it for four months now and it could not have come at a worse time for Jessie. She is in her last year of high school and is quite self- conscious about her looks. We have put much prayer into it but it has continued to worsen. The doctors and their medicines have not helped; in fact the eczema has spread even further. We are now using natural remedies and are praying she can return to school soon-she has been off school 2 weeks so far. Jessie has already been through a lot (thru no fault of her own) and we are concerned about the emotional toll this is taking on her.
• Please pray for the Lord’s healing physically and emotionally.
• Please pray for a fast recovery.
• Please pray for Jessie’ faith in the Lord’s intervention and healing to grow.

Much Blessing and Kind Regards
Marty Rochfort

We arrived in the Philippines on the 3rd of May. The team consisted of men with years of experience of grass-roots as well as those with some and one with none. The team were Aiden Orsborn, Kristian Mould, Jared Hunt, Kevin Piper and I. We were there in response to an invitation I received by the OMF –Opon Ministerial Fellowship (Opon is the original name given to Lapu Lapu City). Not only were we invited by the OMF, but the Chairman of the OMF (the Revd. Dr Alex Esmoso) wrote the itinerary and travelled with us much of time to help administrate the itinerary. Ps. Alex has been a real blessing. He is hard- working, encouraging and God has used him to open many doors for us.

The Mission 2013 team from left- Kristian Mould, Marty Rochfort, Jared Hunt, Aiden Orsborn and Kevin Piper.

The highlight and main appeal of this mission trip was the opportunity to plant eleven churches in only three weeks. It wasn’t long before we realised that some of those churches were already planted but they needed help to grow. It wasn’t long before I realised that some of those churches were already planted and God had brought us there to help them grow and inspire the congregations. We did however help plant 5 churches, win many souls, experienced and witnessed Gods power like never before, forged life-long friendships, had many adventures, and learnt new ways to do things.

So much happened-I’ve decided to just give you highlights

Fun and Games in Cebu

The guys and I arrived at Lapu Lapu City on the Island of Cebu at 11.30 am on the 3rd of May. We met a few of our hosting pastors, did our first grocery shop and settled into our rental accommodation. The next day the boys and I were thrown in the deep end with an unscheduled kids program in a Cebu barrio. Fifty plus kids and a few adults made first- time commitments to Christ and the morning was topped off with a feeding which we paid for.

A Feeding: Feeding the kids is a strategy I sometimes employ to gather children. It is inexpensive -$30-60 to feed 150 kids. A typical meal may consist of chicken, rice and a bag of juice. “Doing a feeding” not only helps gather the children and ensures the (always poor) children get at least one good meal that week. It also garners favour in the community for the Church or planting pastor.

One of the men helping that morning was a pastor I had worked with in 2011. At that time I was working on a church plant in a squatter area known as “Big Foot” in Lapu Lapu City. The (then) team and I door-knocked and I preached in the open-air. When I preached about a dozen drunk and stoned men mocked me, however, when I challenged them to turn to Jesus many of the spectators including these men did- that was less than 2 years ago. The pastor told me the church now has eighty souls and the 12 ex-drunks are key members of the fellowship.

One of the highlights for me was teaching evangelism and church-planting at Jubilee Theological Seminary. Dr Mike Ogang and his wife Beth are the Director and Principal at the seminary. Mike and Beth are truly Kingdom people and their student’s go on to plant churches for many denominations including Methodist, Baptist and several Pentecostal groups. Two of my team also spoke; Kevin Piper taught “How to Use God’s law in Evangelism” and Jared Hunt spoke on “Faith and Praying for the Sick.” We had a wonderful ministry time afterwards. All the students received prayer and there were many tears of joy.

Some of the students at Jubilee Theological Seminary.

That afternoon we took the students out to do door to door, some of them interpreted as we lead several people to the Lord, others were able to pray for the sick. All the students were excited to see many of the people they had met and spoke with, turn- up for church that night.

Palawan Island

On May 9 we travelled to Palawan Island. Palawan is a very beautiful Island. Filipino’s call it the last frontier because it has mountains, “untouched” native forest, and dense jungle. We were brought to a mission house owned by the Word of Life Church; it became our home and base of operations for the next few days. Next morning we travelled 15 km to a barrio where we began work on our first church plant. We went door to door and did another feeding/ kids.

I had only just finished speaking to seventy kids when KEVIN PIPER came walking down the road with the same number again- he was the “Pied Piper” that day. Kevin and I prayed for a boy with chicken pox all over his mouth and nose, his face had bad scarring and the chicken were infected. Kevin saw the same boy the next morning, the chicken pox had gone and his mother was giving praise to God.

The following day we continued to work on the plant- we door knocked for 50 minutes and won another seven people to Christ. Altogether 152 people came to Christ, 130 kids and 22 adults. Emma, the planting pastora was very excited; she never imagined she would have so many new converts to work with.

Iwahiig Prison Colony had been booked for 2 years but when we got there they were not expecting us and had no record or recollection of our booking. The senior chaplain however, was able to get us access to about 60 prisoners. All the prisoners and most of the chaplains made recommitments, there were several healings and the boys and I prayed for the chaplains. The senior prison chaplain told us the information I had been given about the prison was incorrect, he said that as a result of successive mission teams coming to the prison from all over the world, all the 3000 prisoners had heard the Gospel and many were saved- the exact opposite to what I had been told only two years before.

Pandemonium in a Palawan Jail

It is not possible to tell by looking at this picture, but there are over 500 prisoners around me in the corridor and behind and in front of me in the cells. I turned in a slow circle as I spoke so I could eye-ball all the prisoners.

The chaplain told us about another prison in Palawan; it had up to 1000 prisoners, and off limits to born-again Christians. We visited Palawan Provincial Jail on Saturday afternoon, the Superintendent told us we were the first Born-again believers he allowed in the Jail in over a year and that he only allowed us because we were New Zealanders- his daughter was a nurse working in Christchurch. We were only allowed an “observation tour” as a build up to a possible visit next year. As we walked thru the first unit I noticed that the roof was (exposed) galvanised iron, the windows were small, and although there was at least one visible air conditioning unit, it was not going. The temperature would have been in the neighbourhood of 40 degrees C. The Superintendent was proud as he told us how he managed to squeeze 25-26 prisoners into the tiny 4x6 m cells-there were over five hundred men in that unit. Angry at what I saw I asked the Superintendent if I could address the men. Thinking I was only going to say, hello, he said, ‘yes’. Forty Five minutes later I, through an interpreter, had given my testimony, preached the gospel, and called for a response and about 300-350 men responded; Glory be to God. This was truly a miracle because not only was I speaking without a microphone but so was my interpreter-the chaplain. The chaplain’s voice was not strong; but praise God for His strength is made perfect in weakness (2Cor 12:9) and the men heard fine. The chaplain told us it was the first time these men had heard the Gospel and asked me to contact Prison Fellowship International to let them know the plight of the men in both units. What really blows me away about this experience was that I wouldn’t have gone anywhere near Palawan Island if it hadn’t been for the lure of 3000 “captive souls.” It only goes to show God is a Strategic Planner not a Crisis Manager.

Catching up with a Friend

The next day (Sunday 12) the guys and I were “farmed out” to different churches, all the guys had a great time and most of us had salvations and healings take. I took Aiden with me to speak at an AOG Church in Puerto Princessa the capitol of Palawan. It was a reasonably big church, about 300-350 people and my evangelist friend Gary is on staff there. Gary, originally from the United States had ministered in the Philippines for many years and was married to a Filipina. I first met Gary 5 years ago, he was an evangelist in an AOG church in Cebu then but he had moved to Palawan last year. I was shocked to see Gary so thin, he looked to weigh not more than a 120lb. Apparently Support for Gary and his family had dwindled since moving from Cebu to Palawan, that combined with the fact Gary had been on a Daniel fast for 18 months, meant he was little more than skin and bone. I think Gary was touched by my concern for his health and I was able to talk to him about the dangers of prolonged fasting. I gave Gary some money as well. That afternoon the guys and I started work on the 2nd plant, it was way out in the “boonies” somewhere. The pastor, an elderly man had invited all his family and neighbours hoping we would win them to Christ. We won several to Christ and God worked mightily through Jared and there was some spectacular healing's. While we talked AIDEN ORSBORN entertained 20-30 kids with just his hand and few facial contortions, it was an amazing to watch.

Back to Cebu

The next day (May 13) was Aiden’s birthday, he turned 21. We were awoken by singing at 5.30 in the morning; it was the youth group (mostly young ladies) from the Word of Life Church, they were holding candles and singing happy birthday outside Aiden’s room in the mission house. They sang hymns and thanked us all for coming.

We arrived back in Cebu about midday and later that day continued to celebrate Aiden’s birthday in Lapu Lapu City. Later that night Kevin Piper wanted to do some open-air preaching. Kevin and I took an interpreter with us and walked to a basketball court not far from where we were living. Kevin picked out a site and we crossed the court while a game was in progress. There were probably 150 people there and we immediately got their attention. As Kevin and I set up a small crowd gathered to watch, when he began to preach the crowd quickly grew and within fifteen minutes about twenty young people had responded to the Gospel.

Mindanao

The next morning we readied ourselves to travel again, this time to Mindanao. After packing we went door to door in a barrio just down the road from where we were staying. At least two families and a large group of men responded to the Gospel, all the families and some of men were known to our interpreters and will be followed up. That evening we travelled twelve hours by ferry and in the morning another four and a half hours by bus. We ended up in Bisilig City in the heart of Mindanao. We got settled into our accommodation then went to a welcome/worship service at a church in Bisilig. Bisilig is the home of the Kamayo Tribe. Although 7% of the Kamayo are said to be evangelical the Kamayo are still considered an unreached people group. The Joshua Project estimates the Kamayo population to be about 9,700. Jared Hunt preached, he challenged and encouraged the people to operate in faith and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the church responded by receiving prayer for impartation of gifts and for baptism of the Holy Spirit.

A Disillusioned Pastor is Re-focused

The next day the boys and I worked on our 3rd church plant. The young pastor is a very experienced pioneering pastor; his wife however, had become discouraged due to lack of food, provision and success during their 18 months of pioneering. Taking their two infant sons with her she had left him indefinitely and was living with her parents in another City. This young man was lonely and was close to giving up. And with only 3 families in the church things didn’t look like changing anytime soon. The guys went door to door; and I led small open air meetings in the spaces between the houses and one at the bus depot. Many renounced idols and turned to Jesus. The young pastor now has about 40 people to do Bible studies with. The note below is from that pastor; it came to me via Facebook and was waiting for me when I arrived home in New Zealand. The grammar and spelling are not great but I think you can work out what he is saying.

I hope you can visit here again. You know brother I follow up all the people that we have witnessed.......they are so thankful to GOD that they know JESUS because of you. I continue teach them the word of GOD and they are willing. To GOD all be the glory thank you also brother........GOD will bless you more.. You know brother I’m so very very happy because my wife she decided to going home, thank you so much to your prayer brother. Thank you 4 praying me always and I always pray for you and your family brother.....take care. GOD be with you always wherever you go!

An Elderly Couple are Sozo-ed

The following morning we said good bye to Kevin, he and his interpreter Jundel had an assignment in the jungle somewhere. The rest of us travelled another hour to a Kamayo barrio in the mountains. We went to work almost straight away, we dispersed through the barrio with our interpreters and went door to door for four hours. My interpreter Stephanie and I prayed for an old lady outside a store, she had a swollen leg and used a walking stick. When we prayed, the Lord healed her leg and she walked without her stick. She was so excited; she took us home to pray for her husband. This man had had five strokes and was bedridden and severely ill. After prayer he was able to sit on the edge of the bed and move most of his body. We also prayed for his left foot, he had scalded it with boiling water, it was black and without any feeling whatsoever. When we prayed feeling came back into his foot. This lovely old couple were both very open to the Gospel and received it with joy.

Snatched from the Brink of Death

About noon as we rested Kristian told us he had heard there was a young man living in the barrio that was severely ill and unconscious. Apparently a witch doctor had been called, done his thing and left, and the boy remained unconscious. I wanted to confront the witch doctor and asked one of the interpreters if he could take me to see the witch doctor, but he misunderstood me and took me to the home of the sick boy instead. We were invited into the home; many of the young man’s relatives were present. Mistaking the boy’s father for the witch-doctor, I zeroed in on him. He got the Gospel, both barrels, but when I called for a response not only did this man respond but so did all his family and guests -13 in all. The interpreter then told me the family wanted me to pray for the boy, to which I responded, “What boy”?

The young man had been sick for four days and unconscious for two of those days, his young pregnant wife and his sister were crying. The family had paid the witch doctor lots of money to heal the boy but instead his condition worsened. I prayed for the boy, he was conscious in about 5 minutes and sitting up and responding to questions after 10 minutes. Not long after that the pain in the region of his appendix was gone and the interpreter led him to Christ. Sixty Kamayo came to Christ that day, fifty through going door to door and another ten came to Christ that night. That night we spoke to the church, it was normally a congregation of only 30 people but had swelled to about ninety, all the extra's either came to the Lord that day or that night: Glory Be to God.

A Marriage Restored

After the meeting a woman and her husband came to me for prayer. I had met the woman the day before in Bisilig while doing personal work at a bus stop with the young pastor. At that time we had begun to share the Gospel with her and six others. One by one they had left to catch transport till finally only she and another woman were left to respond to the Gospel- they both did. She looked so sad, even after she responded to the Gospel. When I asked her why, she told me she had family problems, I prayed for her and left. I found out later that her husband had been saved and had been going to an AOG church but backslid because his wife (this same woman) had been antagonistic to his new faith. Now she was saved to. I was able to lay hands on both them and pray for them and their children.

“Farmed Out”

The next morning the guys and I returned to Bisilig and were again “farmed out” to several different fellowships. Aiden and I were taken to Lawigan. Lawigan a coastal town only metres from the sea is one of the most beautiful towns I’ve seen anywhere and not typical of Filipino barrios and villages. It was very clean, many of the houses were larger homes made of blocks or wood. Coconut palms cover much of the shoreline and contrast wonderfully with the pale blue of the Philippine Sea on one side and the red roofs on other. There are even the beginnings of a marina there.

Deaf and Dying

The pastor of the church hosting Aiden and I, took me to pray for a sick man. When I arrived at his home I was told he had leukaemia. His abdomen and right leg were badly swollen. When I prayed for him his hearing instantly came back-NO ONE TOLD ME HE WAS DEAF AS A RESULT OF THE LEUKAEMIA. This man left that night for Davao for the Doctors to check him as he believed he was healed and wanted confirmation. On Tuesday the 10th of June I received the following message via Facebook. The message was sent to me by Ps. Emmanuel Delamvaca, one of three pastors there when I prayed for the man. Again the grammar is not great and I have had to correct some spelling so you can understand what he was saying. We have good news for you, when you are in our place you remember the place of Lawigan there was a sick person that you prayed for, after that the lord healed him .... a week ago in 1st week of June we met the pastor that has been assigned there and I asked him about the person that you pray, he said that he went to the doctor in Davao for a check- up and the doctor said you are now okay and find no more disease he was confirm that he was healed. He went home and praise God and thankful that you pray for him. The people are so encouraged to serve God they have to extension there house for their worship. Some people join their service and they ask prayer for that....

Paralysed No More!!!

On the way back from this now ex-cancer victim’s home we visited another man. As a result of being shot, this man was paralysed for 15 years, and the bullet was still in his body. When a pastor and I prayed for him the feeling came back into his legs. His toes that looked like crow’s feet to me, uncurled before our eyes. I pinched the skin of his legs just above his feet; he told us he could feel it. The pastor and I picked him up and helped him walk -he could shuffle his feet but his muscles weren’t strong enough to carry his weight or lift his legs properly. He came to church the next morning in his wheel chair, he reported that there was even more feeling in his legs and back and that he felt stronger. That morning I preached, AIDEN ORSBORN and Evangelist MARIANITO ALVA prayed for the sick. One woman Aiden prayed for was partially deaf and had a huge cyst on her foot – the Lord opened her ear properly and healed her foot right there.

That afternoon Kristian, Jared, Aiden and I returned to Bisilig from our respective outreaches but Kevin had left for Cebu on the 19th, he needed to be in Hong Kong by the 21st of May. We heard later that God used Kevin mightily in the jungle. Among other things he had officiated at his second Filipino funeral in 3 weeks and saw many come to Christ. Kristian and Jared came back that weekend with wonderful stories of what God had done through them. The next day we returned to Cebu

Living among the Dead

On May 21 we travelled back to Cebu. The next day we began work on our last 2 church-plants. Actually I am embarrassed to call them that because we did not have to work hard at all, the people were gathered for us and we only had to preach. On Tuesday (22nd) morning we shared the Gospel with 25 families living in a Chinese cemetery in Cebu- these people live in mausoleums. They simply break in, empty the caskets of their bones and use the casket to sleep in or as cabinets to keep their possessions in. The mausoleums become the family home. I shared a Gospel story to the children and approx. 50 came to Christ. Jared Hunt spoke to their mothers and all the 25 women responded; the pastora in charge of the plant was very excited. It was nice not to have to do door knocking for a change.

A Star is Born

That afternoon we spoke at another potential plant, I challenged 70-80 women to forsake idols and JARED HUNT followed with one of the best Gospel messages I've heard in years, as a result nearly all the women responded. Every interpreter, evangelist and pastor that was there congratulated Jared on a job well done.

Jared praying for the sick in Lawigan. Healing Ministry is a big of Jared’s ministry. In the Philippines Jared was forever pushing us to forsake methods and put our faith only in Gods power and Christ’s finished work on the cross- THANKS HEAPS JARED

A Dream Come True

Ever since I first visited the Philippines in 2001 it had been an ambition of mine to preach the Gospel to the Badjao. The Badjao are a Muslim tribe; they are mostly a sea-faring people but some have settled in Cebu City as well as other parts of the Philippines. They too are also considered an unreached people group. On May 23rd I was privileged to lead six to eight Badjao children to Christ. The next day I spoke to 210 women at a local-government sponsored meeting, at least 200 women responded- 30 of them were Badjao- Glory Be to God.

The following morning the guys and I packed and left for the airport. Together we had planted 5 or 6 churches, help grow, motivate, inspire and envision several others. We won many children, adults and youth to Christ- about 1000 (give or take a 100) visited 3 prisons and helped train many evangelists, church planters and pastors in evangelism.

Other Important Stuff

Training Others Training and equipping was a big part of this mission. Apart from the one day at Jubilee Theological Seminary, all the training was “on the job.” We were able to further train many church planters, evangelists, interpreters and pastors in evangelism. It was great to see our interpreters winning souls using the skills we taught them. Several of them now regularly meet together and go door to door and do personal work.

Inspiring Congregations

We were able to inspire several congregations to make every effort and pull out all the stops in order to reach the lost for Christ. Kevin Piper has contacted all the interpreters, church planters pastors and evangelists we worked with, he told me most are reporting revival in the congregations and communities we worked.

Church Planting in the Future

Another mission is planned for April/ May 2014. At this stage I expect to be there 4 weeks. The Director of Jubilee Theological Seminary Mike Ogang and I discussed a team coming in April next year and planting churches in the Bisilig area for four weeks. Jubilee Theological Seminary has a new batch of planters each year; Mike wants us to help them plant.

Crusades and Feedings

A few years ago I stopped doing healing crusades because they cost a lot of money and mostly attracted Christians (at least in the bigger cities). After talking with Mike Ogang I decided to make crusades part of my planting strategy again. We will do them in the barrios only. They will not cost us anything as the students of Jubilee Theological Seminary will take care of the sound and music as well as their own transport. We will continue to do children’s feedings but only at the end of each individual plant.

I just want to say thanks again to those who helped finance this mission and to those who prayed. There really is only one Church and it makes me happy to know that those from different churches, different denominations and in different towns help me. It is proof you understand that are we are one.

I want you to know I have always seen it that way. I have always encouraged other younger evangelists to use my ministry contacts (the pastors and ministries that use me in New Zealand and in the Philippines). Recently God spoke to me about, ‘leaving a path others can follow’ and as you know I have put my training material on my website for free as a response to that. The web-site is online now but I am not ready to promote it yet as some mistakes need fixing and a few changes need to be made.

MUCH BLESSING TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES
Marty Rochfort. Dip. Evangelism, B. Theology