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When God Becomes Real – By Brian Johnson

William Wagner
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When God Becomes Real – By Brian Johnson

Brian experienced panic and anxiety in his early life―panic he’d thought he’d beaten. But it came back to haunt him and pulled him into a downward spiral of chaos and darkness. 

When God Becomes Real is Brian’s journey out of a 6-month nervous breakdown from which he thought there was no escape. Discover what happens when God becomes real.

Brian Johnson is the senior worship pastor at Bethel church in Redding, California, and the co-founder of Bethel Music. Brian is a survivor of panic and anxiety disorder, and through his struggle, he’s experienced the tangible grace of a good God.

Together with his wife, Jenn, Brian uses his experiences and his profound belief in God to craft intimate and powerful worship songs for the church, both locally and throughout the world. Brian and Jenn make their home in Redding California with their four wonderful children, Haley, Téa, Braden, and Ryder Moses.

CHRIS TOMLIN

“We live in a world that works so hard to make everything appear just right. This is especially true within the church, where if you are a leader, you have such a high expectancy to never show or have weakness. My friend, Brian Johnson, shatters all these facades to pieces with his book “When God Becomes Real.” Brian helps us see once again, the power and lifeline of praise, not just on the mountain peak, but deep in the valley. I know you will find strength, hope and encouragement for your own journey through this book.”

CHRISTINE CAINE

“When God Becomes Real” is Brian’s incredible testimony of making what God has done for him bigger than what any person or life experience did to him. This book will challenge you to cultivate a life of worship and immersing yourself in Scripture so that you too can develop a faith that cannot be shaken, no matter what you may face.

DARLENE ZSCHECH

“There are moments in life when the enemy simply comes in like a flood… and in those seasons it feels like drowning would almost be sweet relief compared to the terror that ensues. In ‘When God becomes real’ Brian Johnson opens his heart and bares his soul as he shares his most personal and powerful life story. I am confident that this book will lead your heart to the welcomed truth of God’s presence in the midst of any trying time… declaring again the wonder and power of Christ Jesus, the name that is above every other name.”

 

SOURCE: https://whengodbecomesreal.com/

Excitement For The Gospel Overflows In Adelaide, Australia

William Wagner
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Excitement For The Gospel Overflows In Adelaide, Australia

About 9,600 people turned out for the fifth stop of the six-city, 16-day Graham Tour with Franklin Graham in the city of Adelaide, South Australia. Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and home to more than 75 percent of the state’s population.

Nicknamed the “City of Churches,” Adelaide is known for the diversity of faiths among its population of 1.3 million. While more than half of the residents identify as Christian, 28 percent claim no religion.

From front to back, Aussies spent their Wednesday evening praising the Lord. The event was held at Titanium Security Arena, a multipurpose indoor sports stadium. Believers from more than 150 churches and 25 denominations worked together to prepare for Franklin Graham’s visit to their city.

“Franklin, the platform has been set for you to deliver the message, and God will honor it,” said Viktor Hamm, vice president of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association Crusades, during a time of prayer with the Graham Tour team before the event.

For the third stop in a row, those in attendance exceeded the venue’s capacity and many had to sit in overflow seating. Dennis and Danny Agajanian, Steve Grace, Planetshakers and Crowder Music prepared the hearts of those gathered with musical worship. “I think it’s the best place in the planet when the church gets together and starts singing,” David Crowder said to the crowd after a worshipful song. “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord. Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.” —Psalm 95:1

Billy Graham preached in Adelaide 60 years ago during the historic 1959 Crusade across Australia. In 1998 and again on Wednesday night, Franklin Graham shared the unchanging message of salvation through Jesus Christ in Adelaide.

To explain the Gospel message, Franklin referenced John 3 and the story of Nicodemus, a religious man who needed to make the personal choice to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. “Maybe you’re religious. But religion in itself cannot save you,” Franklin said.

Those gathered in Adelaide were presented with the same decision. More than 400 people squeezed into the area in front of the stage to acknowledge their faith, repentance and commitment to Christ. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” —2 Corinthians 5:17.

We thank God for each and every one who came forward to start a new life with Christ or recommit their life to Him. Prayer volunteers encouraged those who came forward with prayer and materials to help guide their new walk with Christ.

 

SOURCE: BGEA

True Stories From The 1959 Billy Graham Crusade In Australia – Part 1

William Wagner
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True Stories From The 1959 Billy Graham Crusade In Australia – Part 1

Franklin Graham preached in Perth to kick off a six-city evangelistic tour across Australia. He’s proclaiming the powerful name of Christ on each stop, just as his father did 60 years ago. 

In the 1950s, during the early days of Billy Graham’s ministry, the young evangelist had what he called “an overwhelming burden to visit the distant continent of Australia.”

As his Crusades in cities like New York and Los Angeles drew worldwide media attention, he began to receive invitations from church leaders across Australia asking him to come and preach the Gospel there.

When Mr. Graham kissed his family goodbye in February 1959 and headed south for a three-month Crusade across Australia and New Zealand, he had no idea nearly a third of Australia’s population would attend one of his events by the time all was said and done.

As Mr. Graham and his team proclaimed the love of Jesus Christ night after night in city after city, the response was overwhelming. The Sydney Morning Herald called the Crusade “one of the most remarkable religious phenomena ever experienced in this city.”

Exactly 60 years later, Billy Graham’s oldest son Franklin Graham is holding an evangelistic tour across Australia. As you pray for the Holy Spirit to move powerfully across the nation, enjoy reading five of the most remarkable stories from Billy Graham’s landmark Crusade, as documented by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in 1959.

Australians arriving at the Melbourne Crusade in 1959

Explosives at the Crusade

One night, a man was standing near a Crusade usher when Billy Graham gave the invitation to receive Jesus Christ as Savior. The man turned to the usher and asked, “Will Christ really forgive any sin?” The usher assured him of God’s forgiveness.

That’s when the man thrust a package into the usher’s hands and went forward. Inside the package the usher found a loaded revolver, explosives and detonators.

The man found the usher again later and shared his story of salvation. He had been a criminal but was moved by the Holy Spirit to turn his life over to Christ. Within the week, he brought nine other men to the Crusade, all of whom accepted Christ as Savior.

Confession at the Bank

In Sydney, a man came forward to accept Christ and ask forgiveness for his sins—which included embezzling a large amount of money from the bank where he worked.

Though he hadn’t been caught, he confessed the next morning to the bank manager and offered to pay the money back. As Billy Graham wrote in his autobiography Just As I Am, the man knew he faced “almost certain dismissal and prosecution.” But that’s not what happened.

“The manager was so impressed with the man’s change of heart that he not only kept him on staff,” Mr. Graham wrote, “but went to the Crusade that night and gave his own life to Christ.”

 

SOURCE: 

Disband Your Vigilante Groups – GPCC To Political Parties In Ghana

William Wagner
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Disband Your Vigilante Groups – GPCC To Political Parties In Ghana

The Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC) has given political parties in the country a three-month ultimatum to disband all vigilante groups else it will embark on a nationwide protest.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of its 2019 Conference of Heads of Churches and Organisation last Wednesday at Gomoa Fetteh, the President of the Council, Rev Prof. Paul Frimpong-Manso, said “political parties have failed the country with the continuous use of vigilante groups to foment trouble.”

Political Parties

He said if the political parties fail to denounce all forms of vigilantism in the Country, the Council would advise its members to reject them during elections.

Prof Frimpong-Manso said it was not the first time the Council has condemned vigilantism in the country so if the necessary measures are not put in place to curb the situation, the Council would entreat its members not to vote.

Rev. Frimpong-Manso who is also the General Superintendent of Assemblies of God reiterated that, in November 2017, the Council released a statement to condemn the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) for looking unconcerned while vigilantes affiliated to the party caused mayhem..

“The activities of these criminal elements wrapped in party colours in the last one week in Karaga, Tumu and Techiman could not be described as mere co-incidence but a worrying phenomenon that is gradually getting out of hand and that could be threatening our national security set up,” he said.

Expressing worry towards the rise of insecurity in the Country, he noted that, the recent by-election at Ayawaso West Wuogon also witnessed some violence, with some people sustaining gun wounds.

These issues, Rev.  Frimpong-Manso said, must be tackled immediately else its effect would overwhelm the country.

“Ghana has always been a peaceful country and these recent security issues do not speak well of the country and its leadership,” the President said.

 

SOURCE: GPCC NEWS

The True Story Behind The Song “I Have Decided To Follow Jesus”

William Wagner
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The True Story Behind The Song “I Have Decided To Follow Jesus”

‘I Have Decided to Follow Jesus’ is a Christian hymn originating from India. The lyrics are based on the last words of a man in Garo, Assam. 

About 150 years ago, there was a great revival in Wales. As a result of this, many missionaries came to north-east India to spread the Gospel. The region known as Assam was comprised of hundreds of tribes who were primitive and aggressive head-hunters

Into these hostile and aggressive communities, came a group of Welsh missionaries spreading the message of love, peace and hope in Jesus Christ. Naturally, they were not welcomed. One Welsh missionary succeeded in converting a man, his wife, and two children. This man’s faith proved contagious and many villagers began to accept Christianity.

Angry, the village chief summoned all the villagers. He then called the family who had first converted to renounce their faith in public or face execution. Moved by the Holy Spirit, the man instantly composed a song which became famous down the years. He sang:

“I have decided to follow Jesus. I have decided to follow Jesus. I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back, no turning back.”

Enraged at the refusal of the man, the chief ordered his archers to arrow down the two children. As both boys lay twitching on the floor, the chief asked, “Will you deny your faith? You have lost both your children. You will lose your wife too.”

But the man sang these words in reply:

“Though no one joins me, still I will follow. Though no one joins me, still I will follow. Though no one joins me, still I will follow. No turning back, no turning back.”

The chief was beside himself with fury and ordered his wife to be arrowed down. In a moment she joined her two children in death.

Now he asked for the last time, “I will give you one more opportunity to deny your faith and live.”

In the face of death the man sang the final memorable lines:

“The cross before me, the world behind me. The cross before me, the world behind me. The cross before me, the world behind me. No turning back, no turning back.”

He was shot dead like the rest of his family. But with their deaths, a miracle took place. The chief who had ordered the killings was moved by the faith of the man. He wondered, “Why should this man, his wife and two children die for a Man who lived in a far-away land on another continent some 2,000 years ago? There must be some remarkable power behind the family’s faith, and I too want to taste that faith.”

In a spontaneous confession of faith, he declared, “I too belong to Jesus Christ!” When the crowd heard this from the mouth of their chief, the whole village accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior.

The formation of these words into a hymn is attributed to the Indian missionary Sadhu Sundar Singh. The melody is also Indian, and entitled “Assam” after the region where the text originated.

An American hymn editor, William Jensen Reynolds, composed an arrangement which was included in the 1959 Assembly Songbook. His version became a regular feature of Billy Graham’s evangelistic meetings in America and elsewhere, spreading its popularity.

 

Source: Dr. P.P. Job in ‘Why God Why’

Where Now Are The “Elijahs” Of God? – Chairman To Christians

William Wagner
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Where Now Are The “Elijahs” Of God? – Chairman To Christians

The Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye has called on Christians to rise and be prepared to stand for Jesus Christ at all cost.

Speaking at the 2019 Apostolisation Retreat of the Suame Area of The Church of Pentecost on Thursday, February 14, 2019, Apostle Eric Nyamekye said that God is looking for Christians who are not interested in saving their skins but those who are prepared to pursue the will of God even to the peril of their own lives.

Reading 1 Kings 18 and 19, the Chairman pointed out that although there were 7000 priests of God in the city, none was prepared to stand up against the worship of Baal. However, Elijah stood up and confronted King Ahab and the priests of Baal, and through him, God defeated the prophets of Baal and brought the city under His authority.

He said that just like Elijah, Christians must be prepared to rise and be counted in order to possess every sphere of life for Jesus Christ. He urged Christians to be bold and be relentless until all the kingdoms of the world come under the authority of God, saying:“ Where now are the Elijahs of God?”

The Suame Area 2019 Apostolisation Retreat, which began on Wednesday, February 13, 2019, at the Tetelestai Assembly church auditorium, has Apostle Albert Amoah (Retd.) and Apostle Emmanuel Acquah (Resident Minister, PIWC-Kokomlemle) as the main speakers.

Participating in the event are Apostle Michael Collins Asiedu (Suame Area Head), his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Asiedu, as well as the area pastorate and their spouses.

 

PENTECOST NEWS

General Secretary Launches ‘Operation One Officer, One Ministerial Handbook’

William Wagner
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General Secretary Launches ‘Operation One Officer, One Ministerial Handbook’

The General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, has launched the ‘Operation One Officer, One Ministerial Handbook’ distribution to all officers of the Church.

The General Secretary launched the exercise on behalf of the Chairman and the Executive Council at the Ebenezer Assembly in Koforidua Effiduase District on Thursday, February 14, 2019, during the ongoing Officers’ Retreat and Apostolisation in the Koforidua Effiduase Area.

As part of the plans to ensure the successful implementation of the five-year strategic vision of the Church (Vision 2023) dubbed “Possessing the Nations,” the leadership of the Church is distributing over a 100,000 copies of the Ministerial Handbook to all ordained officers of the Church across the world.

Ordained officers of the Church (Elders, Deacons and Deaconesses) are estimated to be around 103,000 as at December 2017.

The General Secretary indicated that plans are far advanced to translate the handbook into about eight local Ghanaian languages to make it more reader friendly to all persons.

He charged the officers to read the handbook alongside their Bibles and the Church’s Constitution so that they will be abreast with the direction that the Church is going. This, he said, will equip them to effectively teach the members.

If I Be A Man Of God By Benson Idahosa

William Wagner
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If I Be A Man Of God By Benson Idahosa

In October 1972, I had some missionary friends visiting us from England. In my home then, we had no air-conditioned or electric driven fans. We usually fanned ourselves with newspapers but these English missionaries from Liverpool were not used to newspaper air conditioners.

Accordingly they left their windows wide open when they went to bed at night. At about 3 am, 7 armed robbers paid a visit to my home. They had been attracted by the open windows and peeping in, they had seen white men fast asleep. Thanking their good fortune, they had woken up the men and demanded for their money at gun-point. Snapping out of sleep, the missionaries demanded who they were and what they wanted. “Men of the underworld are we and we are here to relieve you of your money and other valuables. Any resistance will be met with Death. So now hurry!

Sensing danger, they quickly informed the men that they were visitors and were therefore not the owners of the house. They asked for permission to contact the owner at the family sleeping quarters and the thieves agreed. They rushed to our section of the house and woke up my wife.

“Mrs Idahosa, there are 7 men outside who say they are thieves and want our money and personal effects and other valuables. Can you wake up the Pastor?

My wife woke me up and they all began to speak in tongues. When the thieves heard the commotion of tongues inside, they shouted “Shut Up!”

And they all shut up. My wife said “Honey, let us pray”.

I said I had prayed before they came. I got up, snatched my Bible and marched towards the door.

“Who are you? I shouted”. “We are men of the night” was their response.

I said “I am a man of the day. Are you ready for me? They said “Yes”.

I said, “Wait for me and in a few seconds, if you are all not flat on your stomachs, certified dead, then I am not a man of God”. Uncertain of what I meant, they hesitated only for a while; then they jumped into the nearby bushes and melted away in the darkness!

 

Courtesy: ©ChurchGist

Nick Vujicic Doubted He’d Get Married, Until God Unveiled His Incredible Love Story

William Wagner
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Nick Vujicic Doubted He’d Get Married, Until God Unveiled His Incredible Love Story

Did you know God cares for your earthly love story? If not, then meet the greatest author of love stories—God.

God is love and He is delighted when we surrender everything to Him and allow Him to write our story. International motivational speaker Nick Vujicic can wholly attest to that.

Several years ago, before Nick met Kanae Miyahara, he felt that was impossible for him to get married due to his disabilities.

“I definitely had doubts that I’d ever get married. That I’d ever meet anybody who would ever love me and spend the rest of their life with me, because I’m Prince Charming with a couple bit of pieces missing,” Nick said amusingly.

“Those things were important and I’d see every

body else has them so how could I ever compete with all the other guys and ever find my princess?” he added.

These were the thoughts that keep on lingering in Nick’s mind every time he thought about marriage. He contemplated that there was no way that would ever happen. However, unbeknownst to him, God had a greater plan for his love story.

Behind the scenes of Nick becoming a successful speaker to huge audiences worldwide, God was arranging things in his favor. His obedience to God’s purpose for his life resulted in so many blessings including a wife. And what Nick thought was impossible God made it possible when he crossed paths with Kanae.

“To me, he’s definitely Prince Charming,” she says. “He might not be perfect on the exterior but he’s a perfect match for me.”

“To me, it wasn’t any different falling in love with Nick. I fell in love with him the way he is now. And so because I had dated other guys and I had gone for the physical, I was tired of that. The moment I met Nick, I was looking for other things and all those things I found in him,” she added.

Today, Nick and Kanae are happily married with four healthy children. With God at the center of their relationship, they continue to inspire the world of God’s great unfailing love for His children.

Getting married to an amazing woman of God was a dream come true for Nick. But he will never forget that it was his Father God who orchestrated everything in order to fulfill His purpose.

Indeed, this is an incredible love story that no man can comprehend unless you believe it by faith. Praise God for His goodness!

A Worthy Wife

William Wagner
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A Worthy Wife

Please never forget that a worthy wife is a crown for her husband, but a disgraceful woman is like cancer in his bones – Prov. 12:4! Ouch! Women folk, let’s strive to be worthy wives, women of noble character, excellent wives. Women of meek, gentle spirits (1 Peter 3:4). Who wouldn’t want such a wife? I’m still a work in progress but I am one crown 👸🏾 my husband PROUDLY wears!

Don’t be the wife who disgraces her husband. Or the one who can’t tame her tongue, a troublemaker, nagging and gossiping around town, spreading her husband’s imperfections to anyone who’ll listen (VERY VERY BAD). Those are traits of a foolish woman (Proverbs 14:1). I once knew of a husband who boldly said his wife set him back in life because of such negative attributes, and that statement pierced my soul.

How can the one who is meant to a good thing be viewed in such a way? Unacceptable! In fact, that’s not a good testimony. Yes! I know… No husband is perfect! Yes! It takes two to build a home. Any husband who is loving correctly, will provoke right results in his wife and see the proofs in his home. I understand! Here’s my point: Your husband may not be living up to what God expects of him but don’t allow his behavior to bring out the worst in you!

While he may be doing wrong, be the one doing right (1 Peter 3:1). Seek help from the Holy Spirit and be wise in resolving issues in your home. It’ll require much grace; thank God He gives His grace to help freely and in abundance so rely on that grace and put it to work. Of course, every case is different so if you believe your home is broken beyond repair, please seek godly counsel for the way forward. Be open to reconciliation if possible.

Husband folk have their work to do, however this is specifically a note to us as godly women to strive to be honorable and exemplary wives, circumstances notwithstanding. God created us as helpers so we must not turn ourselves into the opposite. If you’re a single lady, think on these things! Wishing you God’s best in your marriage and family life. Cheers…

 

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