Month: February 2014

69 new Christ-movements among Muslims

/ Steinar Opheim

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– Throughout history there have been 82 movements where Muslims in great numbers have come to Christ. 69 of them have started the past 20 years, says David Garrison.

A few years ago the well-known missions researcher was challenged to investigate more closely to what extent Muslims come to Christ today.

– There are many rumors and anecdotes about what is happening. Three years ago a foundation approached me to ask if I could find out what the reality is. So I began what I didn’t realize at the time would be a journey of a quarter-million miles throughout the Muslim world gathering information, says Garrison in an interview with BreakPoint. His research and the stories he has gathered are published in the newly released book named “A Wind in the House of Islam”.

In his research Garrison has defined “movement” as more than 1,000 Muslims from one particular people group being baptized within a two-decade period. Based on this definition he concludes that there in history have been a total of 82 movements where Muslims have come to Christ. 84 percent of those movements have happened within the last 20 years.

– This is historically unprecedented, it’s stunning to learn, says Garrison.

He confirms news shared by many others that a great number of Muslims are led to Christ through visions and dreams.– The stories I have been told are just remarkable, states the researcher. View video here.

They stole the chapel bell!

/ Steinar Opheim

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If you noticed from  there was still a black bell made of bronze in the tower of the training center. It was stolen sometime in the night.

Read below for this year’s course students comments.

Here are comments from this years course at this location.

“If only I could have attended a course like this in the 60’s” – Benito Honka, retired missionary & self funded artist.

“One of the first things I processed was why did we not hear about this before? Also got the feeling that God is not finished with us yet and we can apply what we have learned. Appreciated your humble spirit and for sharing from your heart” – Woman from Poland

“I felt like I was under a giant dump truck of information being dumped on me until I could not see anything from underneath it. It will take me a long time to process what we have learned. The challenge will be to apply it to everything we do” – North American missionaries to Spain

“Appreciated hearing about your vulnerability as teachers, it really impressed me. Thank you for sharing about your failures as well as victories. I can surely put this teaching in my toolbox as I return to USA” – Missionary

“I have been awed with the potential of tentmaking” – Man from Germany – Future trainer

“I am dreaming that mission agencies would be open to tentmaking and helping them to prepare them for service. Also want to return to China as tentmakers” -Wife of above & future trainer.

You have been so inspirational and given us so much of yourselves and helped me to move forward with this teaching in our ministry. – American serving in Spain

New dawn for medical professionals

/ Steinar Opheim

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Today very few, new mission hospitals are built. The job opportunities are still vast for Christian, medical professionals who want to serve God through their work.

Once upon a time mission agencies built hospitals and helped people in poorer nations to get access to much needed medical care. The same hospitals provided jobs for Christian, medical professionals. Many young Jesus-followers took a medical education in order to use their skills for God and serve where the need in the world was the greatest.

Today doctors, nurses, physiotherapist and others in the medical field may struggle to find jobs through the more traditional mission channels. Due to changes in the development and aid policies, building hospitals that “forever” will be dependent on support from abroad is no longer seen as a viable strategy. Thus the need for medically trained missionaries has declined.  Several young and not so young medical professionals have come back disappointed after trying to find a mission job abroad.

Here is the good news for all of them:

The international job opportunities for medical personnel are greater today than anytime earlier in history. Medical personnel can even get well-paid jobs in areas of the world where there are few Christians and the spiritual need is great. Several of the Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, are among those constantly searching the international job market in order to staff their hospitals and clinics. The salary is often good, and the opportunities for sharing the Gospel are many.

– Christian health workers can show the love of Christ in a very concrete way, concludes a North African doctor TMBriefs has talked to. For security reasons his name and location cannot be mentioned. Several years ago he started an organization that recruits and sends medical workers to needy places in his own region. He got the vision for the new work when he took part at a Christian conference in a neighboring nation. When people got to know that there was a medical doctor at the conference, they started bringing sick and injured family members and friends to him. The rumors about his presence spread. Before the conference was over, he got to treat people who had walked on foot for days in order to meet with him.

– We experience many miracles from the Lord in our region right now. In a time like this it is very important that people who are filled with God’s love can come and join us. Christian medical workers can serve as key personnel in living out the Gospel here, says the doctor.