Tatar, Chulym of Russia

Tatar, Chulym of Russia The core part of the Chulym Tatars is descended from the Khants and/or Kets, and was probably influenced from the 6th century on by the Altai and Uighur tribes. In the late 16th century, the Chulym Tatars began to pay tribute to the Tsar in Moscow. In 1621 the fortified settlement of Melotsk was founded on their land and, secured by military footholds; some peasants from European Russia were settled in Siberia. Tribe by tribe, the natives were subjugated by the Russians, although with the Chulym the struggle went on through the whole of the 17th century. In 1720 the Chulym Tatars were forcibly Christianized. Ministry Obstacles The Chulym have probably been somewhat inoculated from a true faith in Christ because of their previous forcible conversion to Christianity. Outreach Ideas Perhaps workers can help the Chulym improve their situation of lack of health care and safe drinking water while pointing them to the Giver of Life. Pray for the followers of Christ There probably are no followers of Jesus among the Chulym people, but pray for those who will soon come to Christ as Savior and Lord. Pray they will not mix animistic beliefs with the purity of the Gospel. Pray for the entire people group Pray this small tribe living in a harsh land will be able to support their families adequately and will have improved medical care. Scripture Focus "And those who lead many to righteousness [will shine] like the stars for ever and ever." Daniel 12:3		People Name: Tatar, Chulym Country: Russia 10/40 Window: No Population: 400 World Population: 400 Language: Chulym Primary Religion: Ethnic Religions Bible: None Online Audio NT: No Jesus Film: No Audio Recordings: No Christ Followers: Few, less than 2% Status: Unreached Progress Level: 1.1

Aimaq, Char of Afghanistan

Aimaq, Char of Afghanistan The Char Aimaq were first known as the chahar (four) Eimaks (Mongolian for tribes), a designation recognizing its make-up of four major tribes: Taimani, Firozkohi, Timuri and Jamshidi. Never politically united, tribal alliances joined for protection against invaders. Aimaq are known as formidable warriors. Once nomadic peoples, they were forced by cycles of severe drought and war into semi-nomadic lives, traveling seasonally to graze decimated herds and/or subsisting as sedentary farmers and carpet weavers in mud-brick villages. Aimaq tribal customs remain stronger than Afghan nationalism, due in part to long-enjoyed independence and geographical distance from the central government in Kabul. Ministry Obstacles Afghanistan remains a dangerous place, especially for any kind of Christian witness. Outreach Ideas Pray that community leaders among the Aimaq Char may encounter Jesus in dreams and visions and that God will send workers who will tell them of the One they encountered. Pray for the followers of Christ If there are any Christian believers among the Char Aimaq they are quite few in number. They need prayer support for protection and to help them become firmly established in the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ. Pray the Lord will encourage them and sustain them. Pray for the new believers the Lord will soon call to himself. Pray for the entire people group Pray for peace in Afghanistan. Pray for stability, and for the government to become strong enough to maintain order. Scripture Focus "that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no one else." 1 Kings 8:60		People Name: Aimaq, Char Country: Afghanistan 10/40 Window: Yes Population: 299,000 World Population: 299,000 Language: Aimaq Primary Religion: Islam Bible: None Online Audio NT: No Jesus Film: No Audio Recordings: No Christ Followers: Few, less than 2% Status: Unreached Progress Level: 1.1

SATAN ACCUSING YOU TODAY!!!

Satan is Accusing You TODAY!
Alice Smith 
 
America, we are a litigious society, a greedy culture. Too many of us are out to make a buck. And the easiest way to make money, other than winning the lottery, the Publishers' Clearing House Sweepstakes, or DEAL OR NO DEAL, is to win a lawsuit. Look at the following news headlines:
Woman Awarded Millions in Settlement After Spilling Hot McDonald's Coffee in Her Lap
Millions Awarded Man Who Caught His Ear on Subway Strap
Lady Wins Huge Cash Settlement From Nike After Tripping Over Her Own Shoestring
A minister we know was sued for releasing an unfit worker from employment in his ministry. Another minister was sued for one million dollars because of an unfortunate and unavoidable bus accident on a mission trip. A dear pastor friend of ours was brought to trial, along with his church, for refusing to return a church member's past tithes. Today, churches, pastors, and counselors are being burdened with heavy insurance premiums to protect themselves from litigation.
Perhaps you have not yet been sued in court. Consider yourself fortunate! However, you have not escaped Satan's charges against you. In the court of heaven, Satan continually brings accusation against every Christian. Why? Because Satan is God’s archenemy, and he is determined to discredit God. Of course, he cannot discredit God directly regarding God's actions. So Satan attempts to discredit God indirectly, regarding our actions. That's why he tempts us to sin.
 
The writer of Hebrews wrote, "We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all...because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy" (Heb. 10:10, 14). These are complex and fascinating verses. Notice that verse 10 says that "we have been made holy." Yet verse 14 says that we "are being made holy." Which is it? Have we been made holy, or are we being made holy? The answer is...they are both true! We who are in Christ are positionally already made holy.
 
For that reason, God can and does live within us. But, experientially we are being made holy. Paul wrote, "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son...And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified" (Rom. 8:29–30). From God's positional perspective, our glorification as well as our salvation and sanctification are past tense. They are future history! We are in the process of becoming who we are!
 
These things may be difficult for us to grasp, but Satan understands God's plan and purpose. After all, he has known God far longer than any of us. Satan also understands us all too well. He has coexisted and interacted with generations of God's people. He knows that although we are already positionally perfected in the heart of God, we are working out our salvation from day to day (Phil. 2:12). Satan's evil intentions are to cause us to:
Compromise our convictions
Fall into sin
Grieve the Holy Spirit
Short-cycle God's plan to conform us into Christ's image
In essence, he wants to discredit God. The moment we slip, the devil will ruthlessly accuse us as he accused Job. The name Satan means "accuser." Not surprisingly then, Satan relentlessly accuses us day and night in the court of heaven. In so doing, he is accusing God of failing to complete what He started--our salvation. (See Philippians 1:6; Revelation 12:10.)
 
Through the years we have served on many jury panels. We have seen some excellent advocates (attorneys) at work. But in some cases, we have seen some pitiful representation. Believe us, when facing trial, there are few things more comforting than having experienced, effective legal representation. When Satan accuses us in heaven's court we are fortunate to have a veteran attorney, Jesus. In 1 John 2:1, John describes the courtroom:
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
As Abraham, Moses, and others petitioned the cases of sinners in the Old Testament, Jesus, our attorney, intercedes with the Father on behalf of sinners. However, Jesus Christ (the righteous) is not only our high priest--He is also our atoning sacrifice!
 
The King James Version says, "We have an advocate with the Father." The writer, John, uses the Greek word parakletos to describe Jesus as an advocate. The same word is used in John's Gospel in chapters 15 and 16 to describe the Holy Spirit. In both passages the word parakletos means "advocate" or "attorney." Another primary meaning of the word is "intercessor." Yes, intercessor! The Holy Spirit and Jesus share the roles of attorney and intercessor for us!
 
This verse uniquely implies that when we sin, we are brought to trial before God. Jesus Christ is our defense attorney; He will be pleading our case. And what a defense attorney He is!

The Territorial-Level Battlefield

The Territorial-Level Battlefield
By Eddie Smith
© Copyright 2010, Eddie Smith

In the summer of 1990 I heard about an event that had taken place in our city the night before the previous Halloween. It was “Breakthrough Houston,” a citywide convocation of churches to do strategic-level spiritual battle for Houston. Our church was beginning to extend its outward vision, and we pastors felt it would be good if we participated the next time around.
I made contact with the host pastor, the one who’d convened the event, to express our desire to be involved; however, I was sad and surprised when he said, “Oh, we’re not planning to repeat it this year.”
Not going to repeat it? I marveled. I’d heard so many positive comments.
When I asked why, he began to recall a litany of disasters pertaining to the pastors and churches who’d taken part. One, soon after that night, had lost his church. Another’s son had committed suicide. Another’s wife left him. And on and on it went, a trail of anguish and agony all attributed to their participation in Breakthrough Houston itself.
“What exactly did you do last year?” I inquired.
He explained that they first had worshiped for more than an hour. Actually I learned later—from Alice and her friend Eraina, who had attended—that it was mostly warfare music, along the lines of “We’re gonna stomp all over the Devil’s face, rah rah rah.” (I made that up, but you get my point. And, there is a place for that.) Then, he said that one by one, leaders had come to the microphone to pray and speak against Satan and his territorial demonic princes above the city, while almost ten thousand attendees joined in the fervor.
As he spoke it became clear to me why the enemy had retaliated so viciously. I was reminded of a time when, as a child, I threw a rock at a hornet’s nest. It had seemed like such a good idea at first … but in the end I was the victim, not the victor.

Redemptive Gift of Your City

Redemptive Gift of Your City
Alice Smith
 
The first consideration in discerning a city is to ask the Lord what the REDEMPTIVE GIFT of the city might be. A redemptive gift is a distinct characteristic about that city God can use to demonstrate his divine blessing and truth. What is true about the city in the natural will often be true in the Spirit. For instance, the first name given to Jerusalem was Salem. (See Genesis 14:18-20) Salem means "peace." Jerusalem means "habitation of peace." God’s redemptive plan is to see Jerusalem be a habitation of peace for all nations. Is it now? No. Will it be? Yes! In fact, all of Psalm 122 is dedicated to pray the truth about the city of Jerusalem. Until that time, Satan will focus on replacing the redemptive gift of the city with a destructive gift.
 
How do you decide what might be the redemptive gift for your city? What are the most outstanding features of your city? What is your city known for?
 
*Hospitals? *Waterways? *Trade? *Entertainment
*The people? *Manufacturing? *Agriculture? *Historical Landmarks *Mountains? *Climate?
 
Example:
Houston, our city, is known to have advanced Medical centers, and one of the best acclaimed Cancer treatment hospitals available anywhere in the nation. Houston is also known for the abundance of underground crude oil. As a result, some prophets believe our redemptive gift is to be a healing for the nations. Through our words, our prayers, our love, our unity, our serving the sick, we Houstonians can offer spiritual healing for the nations as well.
 
There are unique churches in every city. What does your church body have that other churches in your city do not have? Is your church exceptionally structured for missions? Do you know of some churches who have a powerful prayer ministry? Are some churches great at evangelism? How about those churches where they excel in their teaching and training methods? Each is unique and is a redemptive gift of God to your city. Instead of criticizing the city church, learn to appreciate the diversity and contribution each brings to the whole.
 
Discern the potential for spiritual breakthrough. Is there unity among the Pastors? Is there a beginning of denominational unity?
 
 Are there regular city prayer meetings?
 Do you see active reconciliation between Christian leaders and lay people?
 Are there intercessor prayer groups that faithfully meet?
 Are there indications that God is beginning to answer prayer (such as reduced crime, public apologies, increased salvations, cooperation among denominations, etc.
 
Find out who named your city? Learn the meaning of its name. Were they godly who named the city? Ungodly? What was the original purpose for which the city was established? More times than not, the redemptive gift of a city relates to its’ original root bondage. Regardless, all sins open the door to the enemy and those doors need to be closed. Ask the Lord to give you a genuine love for your city. Regardless if your city was built on an unholy foundation, be the one to pray for a clean and holy ground.
 
Realize the Lord cannot lay claim on your city, until he first lays claim on you.
 
Commit to fast and pray so the Lord will reveal to you both the redemptive and destructive aspects of your city. Then begin to believe God for victory.
 
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SPIRITUAL WARFARE 1

Spiritual Warfare
By Eddie Smith
 
Warfare implies a battle, doesn’t it? But what about the battle? Who are the combatants, and why are they at odds?
Some of us see the devil primarily as our enemy—ours personally.
 
To hear them, you’d think Satan himself is entirely immersed in plotting and planning strategies against them and their concerns. That’s hardly likely, however, because Satan has limited power, limited knowledge, and can be only one place at a time. As currently there are more than six and a half billion people on earth, I doubt he has any idea who or where I am.
 
You and I aren’t Satan’s primary enemies. We arrived on the scene a few thousand years too late. He was at war with our Father eons before we came along. And here we discover the only reason he even messes with us—he hates
our Heavenly Daddy!
 
This timeless cosmic conflict into which we were born is between God and Satan. We were born on a battlefield in the midst of war; one of the warring parties is our Father, which highlights the part we play in combat. Perhaps it would help to put this in context. Rebecca Greenwood writes
in Authority to Tread:
 
"The day John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River was
the day of an invasion so great that, by comparison, it could
make D-Day of World War II seem like a mere video game.
From that day on, Jesus and His disciples began preaching
the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.
 
A 'kingdom' by definition, has a government headed up by a king. Jesus was the invading King. The kingdom He was invading also had a government, and its king was Satan.
For thousands of years after the time of Adam and Eve, the
human population of the whole world, with a few exceptions
such as the people of God in Israel, was under the evil
control of the prince of the power of the air. Practically
speaking Satan could do anything he wanted to the peoples
of the earth. And what he did was not good.
 
Things radically changed when God sent His Son.
 
From the time of Jesus until now, the war has been hot and
it is getting hotter. The Kingdom of God has been advancing
as it always has advanced—namely by force (see Matthew
11:12). Satan’s fury continues to swell because he knows his
time is shorter than it ever has been.'
 
We were born sinners, and, in time, given the freedom to choose, every one of us chose sin and proved our lost condition. We once were known as children of Satan (see 1 John 3:10; yikes, that hurts!). Knowing that God’s
purposes are all wrapped up with His desire for spiritual children, don’t you imagine Satan basked in the thought that he had gained custody of even one whom God had created to be His child?
 
Billions of people around the world suffer from satanic domination of their lives. Turn on the news anytime and it’s more murder, rape, abuse, abortion, and violence. We were miserably lost when God found us. Had He not, we might have been tonight’s featured tragedy on Headline News, and in the end we would have been cast into the hell God prepared for the devil and his angels (not for people; see Revelation 12:9).
 
~~~~~
 
Only my oldest and closest friends know that one of my hobbies once was ventriloquism. As a young evangelist I had several ventriloquist figures and used them in skits to present the gospel to children and teens. Years later,
after I stopped traveling and became a pastor, I began carving figures again. I made them with eyebrows that would rise; eyes that would look left and right; a hand that would extend. I enjoyed creating and selling them.
 
Several more years later I was driving past a garage sale when from the corner of my eye I saw something familiar. One of my figures was for sale. I stopped quickly, jumped out, and ran to purchase it before someone else did. It
was such a prize for me. After all, I’d created it myself. Now it was twice mine—I made it, and I bought it!
 
This analogy resembles our relationship with the Father. Again, we were born sinners, and soon thereafter proved our condition by submitting to sin.
 
We were lost and for sale on Satan’s auction block. But Jesus paid the price for our redemption, bought us back with great joy, and took us home with Him!
 
Today God is carefully “carving us” into the likeness of His Son (see Romans 8:29). Impossible? No, because when God saved us, Christ came to live by His Spirit in us, and Christ in us is the very hope of glory. What an indescribably amazing plan!
 
The Lord has ransomed us from our slavery to sin. He has set up His kingdom in us so He can extend His kingdom through us (see Luke 17:21). As we share the saving gospel of Christ with others, He transforms life after life, nation after nation, ultimately to fill His heavenly house with children.
 
It’s the ultimate viral experience. He who had only one begotten Son now has billions of kids! The primary purpose for everything is to satisfy the Fatherheart of God.

SATAN ACCUSING YOU TODAY!!!

Satan is Accusing You TODAY!
Alice Smith 
 
America, we are a litigious society, a greedy culture. Too many of us are out to make a buck. And the easiest way to make money, other than winning the lottery, the Publishers' Clearing House Sweepstakes, or DEAL OR NO DEAL, is to win a lawsuit. Look at the following news headlines:
Woman Awarded Millions in Settlement After Spilling Hot McDonald's Coffee in Her Lap
Millions Awarded Man Who Caught His Ear on Subway Strap
Lady Wins Huge Cash Settlement From Nike After Tripping Over Her Own Shoestring
A minister we know was sued for releasing an unfit worker from employment in his ministry. Another minister was sued for one million dollars because of an unfortunate and unavoidable bus accident on a mission trip. A dear pastor friend of ours was brought to trial, along with his church, for refusing to return a church member's past tithes. Today, churches, pastors, and counselors are being burdened with heavy insurance premiums to protect themselves from litigation.
Perhaps you have not yet been sued in court. Consider yourself fortunate! However, you have not escaped Satan's charges against you. In the court of heaven, Satan continually brings accusation against every Christian. Why? Because Satan is God’s archenemy, and he is determined to discredit God. Of course, he cannot discredit God directly regarding God's actions. So Satan attempts to discredit God indirectly, regarding our actions. That's why he tempts us to sin.
 
The writer of Hebrews wrote, "We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all...because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy" (Heb. 10:10, 14). These are complex and fascinating verses. Notice that verse 10 says that "we have been made holy." Yet verse 14 says that we "are being made holy." Which is it? Have we been made holy, or are we being made holy? The answer is...they are both true! We who are in Christ are positionally already made holy.
 
For that reason, God can and does live within us. But, experientially we are being made holy. Paul wrote, "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son...And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified" (Rom. 8:29–30). From God's positional perspective, our glorification as well as our salvation and sanctification are past tense. They are future history! We are in the process of becoming who we are!
 
These things may be difficult for us to grasp, but Satan understands God's plan and purpose. After all, he has known God far longer than any of us. Satan also understands us all too well. He has coexisted and interacted with generations of God's people. He knows that although we are already positionally perfected in the heart of God, we are working out our salvation from day to day (Phil. 2:12). Satan's evil intentions are to cause us to:
Compromise our convictions
Fall into sin
Grieve the Holy Spirit
Short-cycle God's plan to conform us into Christ's image
In essence, he wants to discredit God. The moment we slip, the devil will ruthlessly accuse us as he accused Job. The name Satan means "accuser." Not surprisingly then, Satan relentlessly accuses us day and night in the court of heaven. In so doing, he is accusing God of failing to complete what He started--our salvation. (See Philippians 1:6; Revelation 12:10.)
 
Through the years we have served on many jury panels. We have seen some excellent advocates (attorneys) at work. But in some cases, we have seen some pitiful representation. Believe us, when facing trial, there are few things more comforting than having experienced, effective legal representation. When Satan accuses us in heaven's court we are fortunate to have a veteran attorney, Jesus. In 1 John 2:1, John describes the courtroom:
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
As Abraham, Moses, and others petitioned the cases of sinners in the Old Testament, Jesus, our attorney, intercedes with the Father on behalf of sinners. However, Jesus Christ (the righteous) is not only our high priest--He is also our atoning sacrifice!
 
The King James Version says, "We have an advocate with the Father." The writer, John, uses the Greek word parakletos to describe Jesus as an advocate. The same word is used in John's Gospel in chapters 15 and 16 to describe the Holy Spirit. In both passages the word parakletos means "advocate" or "attorney." Another primary meaning of the word is "intercessor." Yes, intercessor! The Holy Spirit and Jesus share the roles of attorney and intercessor for us!
 
This verse uniquely implies that when we sin, we are brought to trial before God. Jesus Christ is our defense attorney; He will be pleading our case. And what a defense attorney He is!