Masai Evangelist

One day Joseph, who was walking along one of these hot, dirty African roads, met someone who shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with him. Then and there he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. The power of the Spirit began transforming his life; he was filled with such excitement and joy that the first thing he wanted to do was return to his own village and share that same Good News with the members of his local tribe.

Joseph began going from door-to-door, telling everyone he met about the Cross [suffering!] of Jesus and the salvation it offered, expecting to see their faces light up the way his had. To his amazement the villagers not only didn’t care, they became violent. The men of the village seized him and held him to the ground while the women beat him with strands of barbed wire. He was dragged from the village and left to die alone in the bush.

Joseph somehow managed to crawl to a water hole, and there, after days of passing in and out of consciousness, found the strength to get up. He wondered about the hostile reception he had received from people he had known all his life. He decided he must have left something out or told the story of Jesus incorrectly. After rehearsing the message he had first heard, he decided to go back and share his faith once more.

Joseph limped into the circle of huts and began to proclaim Jesus. “He died for you, so that you might find forgiveness and come to know the living God” he pleaded. Again he was grabbed by the men of the village and held while the women beat him reopening wounds that had just begun to heal. Once more they dragged him unconscious from the village and left him to die.

To have survived the first beating was truly remarkable. To live through the second was a miracle. Again, days later, Joseph awoke in the wilderness, bruised, scarred—and determined to go back.

He returned to the small village and this time, they attacked him before he had a chance to open his mouth. As they flogged him for the third and probably the last time, he again spoke to them of Jesus Christ, the Lord. Before he passed out, the last thing he saw was that the women who were beating him began to weep.

This time he awoke in his own bed. The ones who had so severely beaten him were now trying to save his life and nurse him back to health. The entire village had come to Christ.

This is one vivid example of what Paul meant when he said, “I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body.”

The Warrior's Prayer

Long since, in sore distress, I heard one
pray, “Lord, who prevailest with resistless might,
Ever from war and strife keep me away, My battles fight!”

I know not if I play the Pharisee,
And if my brother after all be right;
But mine shall be the warrior’s plea to thee—Strength for the fight.

I do not ask that thou shalt front the fray, And drive the warring foeman from my sight; I only ask, O Lord, by night, by day, Strength for the fight!

When foes upon me press, let me not quail Nor think to turn me into coward flight. I only ask, to make my arms prevail, Strength for the fight!

Still let mine eyes look ever on the foe,
Still let mine armour case me strong and
bright; And grant me, as I deal each righteous blow, Strength for the fight!

And when, at eventide, the fray is done,
My soul to Death’s bedchamber do thou
light, And give me, be the field lost or won, Rest from the fight!

Time to Listen

One young woman came to us recently after going into hospital 3 times to have her baby aborted. Each time she would spend the day dreading the thought of what was before her. She would deliberately arrive 2 or 3 hours late at the hospital desperately hoping that her appointment would be cancelled. She would be prepared for the operation in a state of total panic. She would even come out in a nervous rash.

Like so many other women she was totally confused and without moral support when she discovered that she was pregnant. All but one of the medical personnel that she spoke to put forward abortion as the only solution. The hospital counsellor seemed to be trying to ‘sell’ the abortion to her, portraying motherhood as a silly romanticised notion.

Somehow, each time this woman found the strength to walk out at the last moment (once, literally seconds before being anaesthetised). Each time, the hospital staff ‘kindly’ booked another date for her abortion to go ahead. Finally, through the efforts of a good Christian soul, Good Counsel Network was put in touch with her. After having a chat with us (We spoke for 8 hours and she said "Nobody else had the time to listen") she is delighted to be keeping her baby, which is what she was crying out to do all along!

Why the Rosary ?

Dear Children,

Today I invite you in a particular way to enter the battle against Satan by means of prayer. Satan wants to battle more, now that you are aware of his activity. Dear Children put on, therefore, the armor against Satan, and with the Rosary in your hands you will defeat him. Thank you for having responded to my call.

(Message of Our Lady in Medjugorje Aug. 8, 1985)

Tongue-Tied Officer

During the Cultural Revolution, in Henan, there was a police officer who severely persecuted the believers. He spoke vile and threatening words against God’s people and was always busy making plans for more arrests.

One day this man stuck his tongue out and was unable to put it back into his mouth! He visited many doctors but nobody knew how to help him. One doctor told him he should seek a Christian for prayer. He visited the home of one of the Christian leaders he had persecuted. The family was afraid to see him.

When the Christians saw his tongue was sticking out and he was unable to say anything intelligible, their fear of this man was changed to pity. The believers realized this man wanted them to pray for him, but they knew if he was healed he would go straight back to persecuting them. Therefore they told him, “There is no way we will pray for your physical healing unless you give your heart to Jesus Christ and believe in Him! And after you receive Christ, you need to agree that you will come to our meetings regularly, and learn to love and serve God with all your heart.”

The officer was commanded to kneel down and repent. Immediately God healed his tongue. This man became a believer and stopped persecuting the believers.

This incident was the start of a great revival in that village, when many families came to know Jesus. This man is still a Christian today.

Healed in Jail Cell

In 1993 Philip, a house church leader in China, was thrown in prison after he and a number of believers were arrested. His ‘welcome’ to prison was a savage beating from the guards. They kicked him viciously with their steel-capped boots, beat him with batons, and tortured him with electric cattle-prods, designed to shock his body with high voltage.

Philip was left unconscious with a broken collarbone, arm, and ribs. The prison authorities then threw his bloody and bruised body into a small cell that already contained 28 prisoners. The cell had just one bed and a bucket, used by all the prisoners as a toilet. The cell leader was a rough man who had already formed a gang inside the prison. No one was allowed to sit on or touch his bed. When Brother Philip’s lifeless body was thrown inside the cell, however, even this hardened criminal had compassion on Philip and lay him down on his bed.

At around 2 a.m., according to the testimony of the other prisoners, a supernatural light or glow appeared over Philip’s body. It shone on him for several hours. The other prisoners were absolutely terrified and backed up against the corner of the cell. They cried for the guards to come and let them out. The guards also saw the supernatural light and were terrified, but they refused to let the prisoners out.

By sunrise, Brother Philip was much better and had regained consciousness. At no time did he actually see the light, but all the other prisoners did. Surprisingly for the serious injuries he had received the previous night, he was feeling much better and his broken collarbone and ribs seemed to be healed. Not surprisingly, the first question the prisoners asked him was “Who are you?” He replied, “It doesn’t matter who I am, but let me tell you about Jesus Christ.” He led all 28 of the prisoners to faith in Christ!

Today Brother Philip continues his ministry and is responsible for hundreds of house churches across China. He is a godly, humble and committed Christian who is willing to die for the Gospel. He receives no income and often goes hungry. Believers sometimes give him love gifts, but most rural Christians in China are so poor that their sacrificial gifts are barely enough for Philip to buy a train or bus ticket to the next town. There are thousands of Gospel-warriors like Philip in China and in the surrounding nations of Asia.

The Titanic's Last Hero

John Harper was born to a pair of solid Christian parents on May 29th, 1872. It was on the last Sunday of March 1886, when he was 13 years old, that he received Jesus as the Lord of his life. He began to preach about four years later at the ripe old age of 17 years old by going down to the streets of his village and pouring out his soul for men to be reconciled to God.

As John Harper's life unfolded, one thing was apparentÑhe was consumed by the word of God. When asked by various ministers what his doctrine consisted of, he was known to reply, "The Word of God!" Soon, John Harper started his own church in September of 1896. (Now known as the Harper Memorial Church.) This church started with just 25 members, but had grown to over 500 members when he left 13 years later.

Ironically, John Harper almost drowned several times during his life. When he was two and a half years of age, he almost drowned when he fell into a well but was resuscitated by his mother. At the age of 26, he was swept out to sea by a reverse current and barely survived, and at thirty-two he faced death on a leaking ship in the Mediterranean. Perhaps God used these experiences to prepare this servant for what he faced next....

It was the night of April 14, 1912. The RMS Titanic sailed swiftly on the bitterly cold ocean waters heading unknowingly into the pages of history. On board this luxurious ocean liner were many rich and famous people. At the time of the ship's launch, it was the world's largest man-made moveable object. At 11:40 p.m. on that fateful night, an iceberg scraped the ship's starboard side, showering the decks with ice and ripping open six watertight compartments. The sea poured in. On board the ship was John Harper and his much-beloved six-year-old daughter, Nana. According to documented reports, as soon as it was apparent that the ship was going to sink, Harper immediately took his daughter to a lifeboat. It is reasonable to assume that this widowed preacher could have easily gotten on board this boat to safety; however, it never seems to have crossed his mind. He bent down and kissed his precious little girl; looking into her eyes he told her that she would see him again someday.

The flares going off in the dark sky above reflected the tears on his face as he turned and headed toward the crowd of desperate humanity on the sinking ocean liner. As the rear of the huge ship began to lurch upwards, it was reported that Harper was seen making his way up the deck yelling, "Women, children and unsaved into the lifeboats!"

It was only minutes later that the Titanic began to rumble deep within. Most people thought it was an explosion; actually the ship was literally breaking in half. At this point, many people jumped off the decks and into the icy, dark waters below. John Harper was one of these people.
That night 1528 people went into the frigid waters. John Harper was seen swimming frantically to people in the water leading them to Jesus before the hypothermia became fatal.

Mr. Harper swam up to one young man who had climbed up on a piece of debris. Harper asked him between breaths, "Are you saved?" The young man replied that he was not. Harper then tried to lead him to Christ only to have the young man who was near shock, reply no. John Harper then took off his life jacket and threw it to the man and said "Here then, you need this more than I do..." and swam away to other people.

A few minutes later Harper swam back to the young man and succeeded in leading him to salvation. Of the 1528 people that went into the water that night, six were rescued by the lifeboats. One of them was this young man on the debris.

Four years later, at a survivors meeting, this young man stood up and in tears recounted how that after John Harper had led him to Christ, Harper had tried to swim back to help other people, yet because of the intense cold, had grown too weak to swim. His last words before going under in the frigid waters were, "Believe on the Name of the Lord Jesus and you will be saved."

This servant of God did what he had to do. While other people were trying to buy their way onto the lifeboats and selfishly trying to save their own lives, John Harper gave up his life so that others could be saved.