Current

Call to Prayer

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 20:36:00 GMT

I was in a Sunday morning worship service this past Sunday (7/11/10), not particularly thinking about the current political situation when I heard the following phrase very clearly:

"I can unravel [Obama] in 2011 and take him out of office in 2012 – if My people pray."

As I quickly jotted down this statement, I began to hear the following word.

"My people have ceased to pray and intercede. They have given up in hopelessness. I am not the God of hopelessness. I am God Almighty.

"I can shift things in a moment. But I shift them as a result of the prayers of My people. I shift them when the bowl of incense of their prayers becomes full.

"My people are spending their time complaining and discussing the problems. They are not praying about them. They are not seeking My face for solutions. They are not calling out to Me for Me to move.

"Many who prayed fervently for the 2008 elections gave up praying afterward because they did not see the result they sought. I can turn the situation for good – if My people will pray.

"Get back on your post. Watchmen, look and see. Sound the alarm. Your nation stands now in the balance. Which way your nation goes is even now being decided. The measure is being weighed out.

"It is a serious time, a critical time. This is even more critical than 2008. The choices made by Americans this fall will set the course for the nation for the next 20 years and, potentially, beyond.

"Get back to your posts. Get back on your knees. Go back to warring the warfare in the spirit realm. This is a critical juncture. Your nation will remain ‘one nation under God’ or it will become a nation of many gods.

"If they choose to serve other gods, My blessing which has remained to this time will lift. Many of you have felt this nation was in darkness, but you have not seen or experienced darkness as you will see it.

"Pray now. Pray earnestly. Seek My face. Fill the bowls of intercession. It is the only way to save your nation.

"I can bring revival. I can bring a shift in thinking. I can break down old mindsets. But the time for that shift is now. If there is not a shift by this November, this nation will have set its course.

"Sound the alarm.

"Call My people to a solemn fast – a fast from complaining and sarcasm – a fast to set their minds and wills on seeking Me to turn the situation around.

"Pray for a shift!

"A shift in thinking. A shift in allegiance. A shift in worship. A shift to worship Me instead of things and people.

"Pray for My mercy.

"Shake off the complacency."

"Shake off the spirit of hopelessness.

"Encourage yourself in the Lord as David did. Return to your posts. Return to the warfare. There are no ‘leaves of absence’ from this battle.

"The tide can be turned.

"The outcome depends on the prayers and the actions of My people."

Additional Impressions:

As always, I sense more than the actual words I hear. Following are some of those impressions as the word was received.

Obama not being elected to a second term is not as sure of thing as some might like to believe. While the tide of public opinion is currently moving against Pres. Obama, public opinion is a fickle thing and can just as easily sway back in his direction as the 2012 election cycle approaches. We need to be praying NOW that his true motives and objectives are so clearly revealed that only his most loyal can continue to believe his empty words.

While there is a faithful remnant that continues to pray, the emphasis that many put on praying for our nation and praying about who came to office has waned significantly. It is no longer a issue in the forefront – and it needs to be. In the military, a defeat does not mean you give up and quit; it means you regroup, assess why you lost that battle; and develop the strategy for the next one. We, the collective Church of America, must begin to press into this again – now, not later.

I felt the statement that “Your nation stands now in the balance,” was a sovereign warning. Scripture talks about sheep nations and goat nations. While each individual must choose God on a personal level, there are nations that are Godly and nations that are definitely not. We have always been a Christian nation – founded on Godly principles. Our current president stated that we were no longer that. We will prove him wrong – or his words will prove prophetic and we will no longer be as we have always been.

While each election cycle we like to claim, “this is the most important election we’ve ever had,” I speak to you prophetically that THIS will be the most important election. We MUST place in office on every level (from city council to the US House and Senate) men and women who will follow Godly principles. Note that I did not say “who are Christian.” There are some who are Christian that do not always follow Godly principles. Conversely, there are some who are not born again who have been successful in business and other realms because they have followed Godly principles, whether they acknowledge that is the source of their principles or not. We need to pray and ask God who to support – and be willing for His answer to be different than who we would have selected. We must lay down the requirement that they agree with us on every point and ask God who He has raised up for the position. We must then support them whole-heartedly, even if we disagree on some issues.

Many have proclaimed for years that America was apostate. God has not seen it that way. He has seen His remnant here. However, the cup of iniquity of this nation is filling. If we, His people, do not intercede, cry out for mercy, and cry out for Him to shift things, the scale is very close to tipping to the dark side. We have thought that we had ‘a tough battle.’ If we allow it to reach that tipping point, we will see that where we have been has been Easy Street compared to the battle we will face. Ask anyone who has served in or even visited a nation that is truly dark and they will tell you. We need to pray earnestly that we do not reach that point.

Deception cloaks not only many of our leaders but much of our nation. No amount of facts or logic will break through a deceived mind. It takes God to break the deception – and then the thinking changes instantly. It takes God to break wrong mindsets, beliefs, and thought patterns (in all of us). While we need to be continually speaking the truth to those in deception, we must also pray for God to break the deception and open their eyes and ears so that they can see and hear and turn.

Regarding the statement that “If there is not a shift by this November, this nation will have set its course,” I want to be clear that one election will not solve all of our problems in this nation. However, what I sensed very strongly is that if we do not reach a breakthrough and begin to turn the tide back to godliness and righteousness by those in governmental positions, we will hit the tipping point that thrusts us into a downward spiral from which we will not recover for at least a score (20 years). I am not one for giving timeframes, but these were very clear in the word I heard.

At the same time, we must begin to guard our lips. We must stand for truth and speak the truth. However, we must do so in a spirit of love. We must get free of a critical spirit and we must guard against sarcasm. Our sarcasm drives away the very ones we would seek to entice with the truth. We undermine our own efforts when we fall into this tool used by the enemy to nullify our effectiveness.

So, we must pray for a shift in thinking, allegiance, and worship. Thinking has already been addressed. I will add that we need to pray that people will see the truth behind a situation and not simply believe whatever is blasted across the airwaves or internet the most or the loudest.

Allegiance is two-fold – natural and spiritual. In the spirit, it is, of course, a shift of people lining up with the Spirit of God and His will for the situation. In the natural, we need to pray for a shift in allegiance for people when they are going to the polls. Many need to shift their allegiance from their normal alliances to the right man or woman for the particular position, regardless of the party in which they are running.

Worship is a lifestyle, not an act. We need to pray for a shift in lifestyles so that they glorify, honor, and exalt the Lord of lords and King of kings.

We need to cry out for God’s mercy on us, shake off the spirit of complacency (“why bother”) and rid ourselves of the spirit of hopelessness (“it didn’t work before, why believe it will work now”). We must do as David did even when all of his men turned on him at Ziklag. He encouraged himself in the Lord and then got up and went and overtook and conquered the enemy who had robbed him of everything, including his wives and children.

God’s promise was that “The tide can be turned.” His warning was that “The outcome depends on the prayers and the actions of [His] people.”

May we heed this warning and rise up to save our nation!

Authored by: Laurie Skipper Laurie resides in Wichita, Kansas. She is a Certified Enterprise Architect and has been employed by a major aerospace manufacturing company as a professional in IT for more than 25 years. She has ministered with Prophet Jess Bielby since 2001 and has been associated with HBNI and George Bakalov Ministries International since 2003.

More Pastors Are Working Two Jobs

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 23:00:00 GMT

As the economy continues to stretch budgets, more churches are turning to bivocational pastors—those who hold a second job in addition to ministering—to meet their needs.

According to Ray Gilder, national coordinator for the Southern Baptist Bivocational and Small Church Leadership Network, bivocational pastors play a crucial role in the church by ministering to churches that can’t afford full-time pastors, and their numbers are growing.

Gilder, who was meeting with bivocational pastors at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting last week in Orlando, Fla., told USA Today that about half of Southern Baptist churches currently rely on bivocational ministers. Almost all of these are small churches, often in out-of-the-way places that don’t get the spotlight.

Many of these preachers had already established careers when they felt called to ministry. Andy Courtney, pastor of Bledsoe Creek Baptist Church in Bethpage, Tenn., has been a truck driver for 16 years and a pastor for 4-1/2 years.

"I drive a truck to pay the bills," he said, "but my job, my calling, is the pastorate."

But with the tough job market for pastors, Gilder is also telling young pastors looking for their first jobs to be prepared for bivocational ministry. He tells them to make sure they have a marketable skill that will allow them to take ministry positions that may not be full time.

Many of these pastors do not consider their positions to be temporary, though. Bivocational ministry has a biblical precedent in Paul, who built tents in addition to preaching and starting churches.

"Bivocational ministry is a calling," said Bo Brown, who works for the Social Security administration in addition to his role as pastor of Community Baptist Church in Maylene, Ala. "It's not something that you do until your church gets bigger and you don't have to do it anymore." [usatoday.com, 6/20/10]

Article: ObamaCare The End Of America As We Know Her?

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 22:34:00 GMT

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God of Islam is 'biggest terrorist'

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:55:00 GMT

Posted by: Laurie Skipper

The linked articles about an interview with Mosab Hassan Yousef caught my attention, particularly the first one.

First, understand that these articles are written about a man who was Islamic and is the son of a Hamas founder. He knows what Islam is like and what it teaches. And he knows what Hamas is about - and much of what it does. He even spent time in a Hamas prison, so he has experienced their brutality first-hand. After that experience, he began working with Shin Bet (Israeli's security service) and gravitating toward Christianity. I guess there's nothing quite like experiencing the wrath of Allah through those who serve him and carry out his commands to make you appreciate the love of the One True God! What really caught my attention in his interview were these statements:

"The biggest terrorist is Allah of the Quran, the god of the Quran, the god of Islam."
"The more closely Muslims follow Allah and Muhammad, the more they become 'inhuman' terrorists."
"The fight against terrorism ... is actually a war between two gods. The god of the Quran from one side, and the God of the Bible from the other side."
"People are doing the will of their gods. It's the evil in the Islamic system that forces them to become inhuman."
"A god who teaches you how to hate and he says about himself that 'I am the deceit [sic]' is different than a God who tells you 'I love you -- no matter what you do, you're my son.'"
"Becoming a Christian ... wasn't a matter of leaving Islam for another religions. ... I am not a religious person today. I am a Jesus Christ follower. ... It's a matter of a relationship."

This guy understands what it is really all about!

Yousef really nailed the issue when he said it "is actually a war between two gods." Of course, we know there is really only One God, but Satan is "the god of this world." All of the struggles boil down to which God we choose to serve - God or the god of this world in all of the many forms and ways in which he manifests his presence and his hatred of God's people - Jews & Christians.

See God of Islam is 'biggest terrorist' and also AP Interview: Hamas spy unafraid, criticizes Islam for more information.

Interview: Christian Outreach International is on the ground in Haiti. How you can get involved. [warning: graphic images!]

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:27:00 GMT

According to last estimates the victims of the earthquake in Haiti may be more than 200,000 people. Over 1,5 million people are left without homes. This is a tragedy of epic proportions.

The Body of Christ from all over the world has responded by sending donations, relief teams and also by prayer.

If you still haven't decided how to give, I would like to encourage you to consider giving through Christian Outreach International. Christian Outreach International is a world-wide, faith-based, humanitarian, mission and outreach organization, specializing in short term mission projects. Over the years, COI has become a recognized, trusted mission sending agency, providing over 25,000 with a mission/outreach experience.

Please visit www.coiusa.com to give and find out more about the work that's being done through the teams who have gone or will be going to Haiti.

In this interview I talk to Mary-Alice Isleib, president of COI. Tune in and hear some of the moving testimonies and challenges the teams are experiencing on the ground and how you can be involved.

Arson Attack By Muslims On A Leading Malaysian Congregation

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:07:00 GMT

I have just received a word that Metro Tabernacle Church in Kuala Lumpur has been attacked by Muslims. According to the British online edition of Times Online, two motorcyclists set the church building on fire in an arson attack over a court decision, which now allows Christians to use the word “Allah” when referring to God.

Muslims are angry over this court decision. They fear losing control over the term "Allah" (equivalent of the term "God" in the English language).

I am are calling on all intercessors and believers worldwide to extend time of prayer for the leadership of Metro Tabernacle Church, the family of the senior pastor, as well as the other leaders.

I’ve had the privilege to minister to the wonderful body of believers there several times in the last 5 years and can testify how determined these believers are in their commitment to Jesus Christ and the Great Commission.

My dear pastor Sek Leang Ong, founder of Metro Tabernacle, built the church in the Muslim part of Kuala Lumpur intentionally. The church has been used strategically through the years. They are now on the verge of a tremendous breakthrough and moving into a new building. Satan is furious and the best he could do was to start an arson.

Let’s pray that the Lord will use this otherwise negative development for the advancement of His Kingdom!

George Bakalov

Muslim demographics and the future of western civilization

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:15:00 GMT

60 years after the end of the World War II the Western civilization seems to have lost the will to fight. Regardless of the accusations of pacifists regarding wars such as in Afghanistan and in Iraq, the majority of Westerners have failed to understand the existential threat Islam represents.

Why the confusion?

First of all the number of people who are ignorant of the Bible and the biblical worldview is alarmingly great. Even Christians who have read the Bible are not necessarily the astute students one would expect a disciple of Christ to be. This is easy to understand. With prosperity and peace comes a certain lifestyle. People began to spend the majority of their time busy with their private lives. Family life, education, career and all other activities characteristic of a prosperous society, consume most of the time the average person has available to them.

Regardless of the many personal and social deficits a prosperous society exhibits, the majority of people don't see those as an existential threat. Divorce, violence in the home, economic downturns, abortion, crime and other unfortunate but persistent patterns marked every society. Free societies combat these evils in different ways. In some countries government has taken more dominant role in arranging social balance. Many people believe that government programs are what has the capacity to bring ailments, both from personal and societal level. In other countries nonprofit organizations spearhead activities designed to help individuals and communities in the never ending struggle for a better life on Earth.

Islam is a different kind of threat. It's a world religion with the bloody historical track record. The reason many Westerners misunderstand the threat of Islam is because they don't understand the violent nature and the seed of violence in the teachings of Mohammed.

While most Muslims are ordinary people who probably don't confess a violent ideology known as Islam fascism, a growing number of young Muslims is being fed with lies by radicals.

However, the greatest weapon of Islam may not be bombs and suicide bombers. Muslims believe procreating is one of the ways to please Allah. The natural growth of Muslims has shown that the average Muslim is indeed obedient to the teachings of Islam.

This video will open your eyes to an alarming truth many refuse to accept the Western civilization is bound to fall to Islam do to the demographics involved.

Can this be changed?

Only God knows the future, but if Christians continue to pursue materialistic lives above our calling to be mothers and fathers, the scales will continue to tip in Mecca's direction.

Bulgarian advocates for human rights won a victory at the Court of the European Union for the rights of all immigrants in Europe

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:17:00 GMT

Press Release, Sofia, December 3rd 2009
For the first time the Court in Luxembourg passed a judgement concerning detention of immigrants
On 30th November 2009 the Court of the European Communities in Luxembourg passed its judgment in case С-357/09 PPU on the reference for a preliminary ruling made by Bulgaria concerning the prolonged detention of Said Kadzoev in the country. The Court's decision reads that no exceptions are allowed to the rule that the maximum 18-months period of detention according to the Law on the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria (LFRB) cannot be extended.

Thus the Bulgarian advocates for human rights attorney Valeria Ilareva from the Legal Clinic for Refugees and Immigrants and attorney Diana Daskalova from the Center for Legal Help – Voice in Bulgaria Foundation won a victory in the Court of the European Communities for the rights of immigrants in Europe. This first and obligatory interpretation of the New Directive 2008/115/EC is a precedent in EC Law and is valid for immigrants in all 27 Member States of the EU. It creates guarantees against arbitrary interference with the right to liberty of third country nationals.

The case was heard by the Grand Chamber of the Court by a panel of 13 judges, which is an indicator of its importance.

According to the Court’s administration “the case is a precedent with the promptness of its hearing and the passing of a judgment in such short terms.” This demonstrates the attitude of the Court of the European Union towards cases that have as their object the human right to liberty and the foreigner is detained while awaiting the judgment.

“The decision of the Grand Chamber passed in less than three-months illustrates how a reference by a national court can lead to important guarantees for the broad immigrant community” says a respected European lector-expert in immigration law.

The interpretation of the EC Directive proposed by the Bulgarian judge in the reference for a preliminary ruling and supported by the Bulgarian government could have lead to an extension of the 18-month term for detention and would have allowed additional grounds for detention.

The position of the European Commission, as well as the one of the attorneys of Said Kadzoev, confirmed by the Court’s judgment, has been that the maximum period of detention is absolute and cannot be extended based on any circumstances, other than the ones explicitly provided for in the Directive.

The Court in Luxemburg drew attention to the fact that detention of immigrants is not a sanction for committing a crime, but serves the purpose of execution of the removal decision. Because of that, the Court emphasized that the foreigner could be under detention only while there is a real opportunity for successful deportation and only if the actions in execution of the deportation are taken with due diligence. The Court ruled that when a reasonable possibility for removal does not exist, the detainee shall be released IMMEDIATELY.

The national case, in relation to which the reference for a preliminary ruling was made, concerned the immigration detention of Mr. Said Kadzoev that lasted since October 2006.

The judgment of the Court of the European Communities in Luxemburg obliged the Bulgarian authorities to observe the absolute maximum 18-months period of immigration detention and to release Said Kadzoev immediately. On 3 December 2009 Mr. Kadzoev was released from the detention centre in Busmantsi, Sofia.

Press Release by “Justice 21” Civil Initiative at the Breakthrough Christian Centre

* Justice 21 Civil Initiative at the Breakthrough Christian Centre works in co-operation with the Legal Clinic for Refugees and Immigrants and the Center for Legal Aid – Voice in Bulgaria Foundation in support of refugees and immigrants in Bulgaria. For one year now, it has followed Said Kadzoev’s case as emblematic for grave violations of the right to liberty and has regularly informed the public about it. Mr. Kadzoev has also lodged a complaint before the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg.

27 Bulgarian Denominations and Civil Organizations Oppose The Proposal for Amendments of Religious Law

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:20:00 GMT

Sofia, October 13, 2009 -- A nationalist party in Bulgaria has proposed an Amendment to the Religious Law, in an attempt to limit the freedoms of religious groups different from the State sanctioned Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

The sponsor of the bill, Tzveta Georgieva from the ultra-nationalist party "Ataka" ("Attack" in translation), has denied that the proposed amendment is in direct contradiction to the Bulgarian Constitution.

But 27 registered denominations and civil organizations have filed a public declaration to the President of Bulgaria, the Speaker of the Parliament, the current Government's Minister of Religious Affairs, the Chairman of all Parliamentary Represented Political Parties, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission on Human Rights and Religious Affairs and the Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria.

In their declaration the organizations express their concern regarding the proposed restrictions for the registration of the religious communities and faiths, as well as the proposed "pre-registration" of the already existing ones. Some of the measures in the new bill are:

the introduction of a minimum of 5,000 followers.
the condition of possession of its own temple.
the location of the building to be at a distance of at least 50 meters from all public schools.

According to the religious communities and organizations the introduction of similar provisions in the present Religious Affairs Act will be in direct contradiction not only to the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria (art. 6, art. 12, art. 13, art. 26, art. 37 and art. 43) but also to a number of international treaties, that have been ratified by Republic of Bulgaria such as the European Convention of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (hereinafter referred to as the Convention), the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, the Treaty for Joining of Bulgaria to the European Union as well as other treaties signed by Republic of Bulgaria.
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The voting of similar amendments would lead to restriction of human rights and religious freedom in Bulgarian and violation of European treaties, normative acts and agreements ratified and accepted by Bulgaria, is also said in the Declaration.

The Declaration is on behalf of 19 officially registered evangelical denominations and 8 different civil organizations among which: The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, The Association for Protection of the Religious Freedom, The Center for Legal Help - Voice in Bulgaria, Society and Values Association, The Tolerance Foundation, The Justice Civil Initiative, Freedom for Everyone Civil Initiative at Transformation Foundation.

Source: Apostolic Reformed Church, Sofia, Bulgaria web site: www.apostolos.bg

Bulgarian Human Rights Organizations Demand Transparency and Accountability from the government

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:18:00 GMT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sofia, BULGARIA, October 12, 2009 -- On October 8th 2009 a group of civil organizations for protection of human rights in Bulgaria filed an official inquiry with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Migration Directorate concerning the investigation of the death of the Syrian citizen Mr.Hassun Albaadge which happened on the 6th of October this year in Busmantsi Detention Center for Illegal immigrants in Sofia*.

Four organizations: Justice 21 Civil Initiative, Legal Help – Voice in Bulgaria Foundation, The Legal Clinic for Refugees and Immigrants at SU “St. Kliment Ohridsky” and the Relief Center for People who had suffered torture – ACET, insist on complete transparency and maximum information concerning the investigation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and its results. The inquiry insists for detailed information concerning the health condition of the man during his stay in the Detention Center as well as immediately prior to his death and the medical help he had received during his detention.”

Hassun Albaadge died suddenly on 6th October this year in Detention Center where he had been compulsorily detained on 30th November 2006. According to the testimony of his roommates several days prior to his death he had asked for medical help, but nobody paid any attention to him. The man was never taken to a specialized hospital in spite of his multiple complaints and chronicle deceases, known to the administration of the center, which were treated only by analgesics.

The civil organizations also insist for an explanation of the situation with the legal status of Mr.Hassun Albaadge and the reason for his 34-month detention. According to the new Foreigners Law in Bulgaria valid since 15th May 2009 the maximal term for detention is 6 months and only in special cases it is 18 months. The last two months the Syrian citizen was under detention without additional order /administrative or legal/ after the expiration of the extended by the Administrative court of the city of Sofia term for detention.

The escalation of tension after the death of Mr. Albaadge among the more than 200 foreigners under detention is not a precedent. During the whole day of 7th October police detachments were situated on the territory of the center to keep the order. According to the organizations for protection of human rights the main reason for the tension is the rude violation of the rights of citizens of third countries as well as lack of settlement of the application of the new regulations for the maximal term for detention according to the Foreigners Law.

Also recently another foreigner died suddenly and shortly after his release from the same detention center - Mr. Johnson Ibitui, citizen of Nigeria. Workers for the civil organizations believe that the massive heart attack which came as a result of the psychological stress is a direct consequence of the things Mr. Ibitui experienced during the one-year detention in the center.

In their inquiry to the Ministry of Internal Affairs the civil organizations engage themselves to follow closely the investigation and to actively cooperate for the avoidance of such incidents in the future.

Contact: Elena Dyankova
Coordinator of Justice 21 Civil Initiative
Breakthrough Christian Center
tel./fax: +359-2-9836730
email: edyankova@prelom.bg

* Busmaci Detention Center for Undocumented immigrants, Sofia is an institution of Migration Directorate at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the only one of its kind on the territory of Bulgaria. It has been functioning since 30th March 2006.

It is used for compulsory accommodation of foreigners with imposed orders for taking to the border or expulsion. The capacity of the center is 400 people. Presently 200 people are accommodated. Their number has grown after the entering of Bulgaria into the European Union. A high percentage of the accommodated have applied for the statute of a refugee in Bulgaria.

The foreigners are accommodated in the center and are not allowed to leave Bulgaria. Such measures can only be allowed within the period of several days. However most of the people who are being detained in this facility end up spending months and in some case years before being able to leave the country or be released.

The Church is called to be a city on a hill (Part 3)

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:13:00 GMT

This message was preached at the conference of New Generation Church in Riga, Latvia in November of 2008.

The Church is called to be a city on a hill (Part 2)

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:13:00 GMT

This message was preached at the conference of New Generation Church in Riga, Latvia in November of 2008.

Apostles in the marketplace - beyond the buzzword!

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:21:00 GMT

Revised version/Aug. 22, 2009
A few years ago the Body of Christ began to throw around the idea of "marketplace apostles". Many books have been written since and a new buzzword found its place permanently in our vocabulary. The synergy between business and ministry is not a novelty in and of itself.

What sounds "new" to us are actually authentic Biblical concepts that have been neglected sometimes for ages.

What's new here is the merging of several concepts that God has been restoring to the Body of Christ gradually.

One of these concepts is the office and the ministry of the apostle. Another one is the understanding of the Kingdom. Yet another one is the understanding of how economics and business correlate and how the Holy Spirit's anointing (empowering) synergizes them to our common benefit.

I want to go beyond the marketplace buzzword and straight to the pragmatic issues.

Here I suggest some observations I have made in the last decade as I have traveled and ministered around the world.

1) The office and the ministry of the apostle is here to stay.

This ministry is not going away. It's going to grow from strength to strength. We'll continue adding wisdom to zeal and zeal to wisdom. We're getting better at this, not worse.

2) The economic impact of the apostolic.

Wherever you see true apostolic ministry, there will be at least some level of economic challenge to the status quo. People who have been transformed by the apostolic ministry become aware of the Kingdom of God and the possibilities therein. People begin to give differently because they sense their giving is directly related to an authentic Kingdom operation. Apostles are a testimony of Jesus and Jesus' immediate authority on the earth. They speak forth His wisdom and His plans of with authority. The headship of Christ "feels" a lot more real in a ministry led by an apostles than a typical denominational structure, which prides itself in its administrative form of government.

Thus one of the signs of the apostolic is the grace for great giving.

And great grace was upon them all. Acts 4:33 (NKJV)

Our ministry has been an example of this through the years. Unlike many churches in Eastern Europe, we have never been dependent on Western money. Not only that, we have led the way in establishing a standard of Kingdom giving as a church and as a ministry.

We have been able to start churches, host conferences, purchase property and various assets, publish all kinds of materials, give to the needy, influence society, etc., etc. As a Kingdom community of believers we have never waited on some rich relative from the Body of Christ in the West to come and give us money for us to start doing what God has called us to do. We're not proud over this; it's just a fact. It's the way all the churches in Eastern Europe should have been functioning after the Berlin Wall came down. Unfortunately, this has not been the case and it's only recently the Church in Eastern Europe has been waking up to the responsibility she has in taking her place as an economic factor in God's plan.

3) The way business is done will be challenged.

Due to the apostolic ministry, business people have been challenged in their concepts of the way business is done, the reason business is done and the way business becomes part of funding the Kingdom of God.

4) Lack of knowledge & skill

Apart of the supernatural element of sowing and reaping, it has become apparent that God wants to bring knowledge to the Body of Christ about how to handle wealth and material riches. It's evident that many Christians lack such knowledge and the skills necessary to create, manage and grow wealth.

5) Lack of character

It has also become evident that way too many Christians are not free in the area of money. They are either greedy, stingy, fearful, confused or all off the above. When money and opportunities come to such immature Christians, they experience temporary success and shortly thereafter they fall in some way, personally, their business collapses or both.

So how are apostolic ministries and churches funded?

Unlike denominational operations, apostolic churches and ministries are funded mostly through the generous and very aggressive giving of their members. These churches are small enterprises in their own right, because they don't answer to a central structure and the level of giving of the members is closely related to the leadership performance and results. In this sense, the new generation of post-denominational churches almost have to be entrepreneurial or they will become obsolete and irrelevant. This is good in many ways but it also has its pitfall in that leaders of such operations can become too entangled with the idea of success, their ego too inflated by the success of the enterprise and the influence that comes with it. Still, I'd rather see the church go into this extreme than become small, poor and insignificant in society.

It has also become apparent that donor-based funding is limited. More and more needs arise all the time. Greater expectations for greater impact are placed upon the ministries. However, most of the time the level of giving doesn't match the level of expectation or needs. So donor-based economics have a role to play and have their significance, but all of history shows us they also tend to establish the pattern of chronic lack of money, which no one likes.

I firmly believe this is the time we will begin to see the emerging of true marketplace apostolic enterprises which will generate significant amounts of wealth for the purpose of God also outside of the donor based economic paradigm of the Church.

Now, if you know anything about business, you'll know it always begins with a person or several persons who have a winning idea, understand the markets, are able to get the funding they need, can properly structure their venture and execute their plan.

I don't believe that churches per se should be business owners, although there are great examples of this here and there. Generally, it doesn't jive well with donors to know their money has been used for investments and to generat profits. Churches and ministries do this all the time, but without talking about it too much because it's a sensitive matter.

So how can the Church go beyond donor based economics and tap into the resources that only business enterprises can release? The answer is in identifying the entrepreneurial level in a given ministry and developing it properly.

For starters let me say that not all church and ministry leaders make good business entrepreneurs. They may be very good at organizing a church, a fund raiser, and a building project (although every pastor I know who has been in a building project has hated every day of it), but may not know anything about starting a company, managing a company and making a company profitable.

Therefore, these scenarios may represent the three general ways apostolic ministries can tap business based funding:

Scenario # 1) The apostle is not an entrepreneur himself but has spiritually given birth to a number of high level entrepreneurs.

In this case the apostle and his team must create the proper alignment with the entrepreneurs God has connected with the ministry. These wealth builders must be recognized and made part of the apostolic mission relationally and financially. The apostle and his team need to learn how to handle entrepreneurs properly. Boundaries need to be well defined, respect must be mutual and the sense of having a common goal must be nurtured constantly.

This nurturing happens through effective communication and relational ministry.

The apostle Paul tells us that he who has the gift of giving, must give so liberally, generously.

"...he who gives, with liberality" Rom. 12:8

This means that business people who are made part of the apostolic circle of influence need to be aware of their ministry of giving and they can't use it as a tool of manipulation or power playing. Entrepreneurs can give much more than money. They can give ideas, influence, connectedness, etc. They must be humble, willing to serve as anyone else and not become haughty when moving to a place of influence due to their close relationship to the apostle.

Entrepreneurs who are in such a position should never allow themselves to become prideful and despise the apostle they are serving if he or she doesn't have the same ability as they do when it comes to creating wealth through business. The fact of the matter is that these entrepreneurs probably would never have become what they are if it wasn't for the sacrifice or the ministry of the apostle and the church.

Scenario # 2) The apostle himself and/or members of this team are strongly entrepreneurial.

In this case there has to be a clear division of these functions so that the ministry is not wrongly accused. What does this mean?

In plain language, if a ministry leader intends on developing a business, he needs to do so using his own resources. He needs to rent a separate office, register a company, hire staff and use his own time to run the business. You can't run a business in ministry time. You can't use ministry resources for business. If you are creating your own enterprise, even if you later choose to use the profits for the church or the ministry, you should be able to separate the two from the very get go. If you don't, you may later be accused of exploiting the Church to your own benefit and not having been on the same footing as any other business start up.

For instance, my income from ministry really covers only around 70% of what I need in terms of personal income. This means that I am actually free to choose what to do with the 30% of my time. I can give it all to the ministry as I have done for many years and learn to live with the fact that ministry is not for profit like business and my personal level of prosperity will probably be limited to what the ministry world can offer.

Or, I can take that 30% of my time and choose to grow a business and potentially use the profits from this business to supplement my personal income.

In Scenario #2, the apostle is mostly given to ministry and only partially involved in business, mostly for personal reasons, such as developing a business which generates additional income.

This seems to be Paul's case, since he and his team members, who were also his colleagues, worked with their own hands day and night to be able to support themselves.

"For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God." 1Th. 2:9 (NKJV)

However, it doesn't seem that Paul and his team were in any way trying to create a major enterprise with the purpose of creating wealth to fund the mission of others. Whatever "tent-making" meant (there are different opinions about the nature of Paul's tent-making business), it was meant only to generate enough income to support Paul and his team.

Scenario # 3) The apostle makes wealth building part of his mission.

In this scenario you have an apostle who gets seriously involved with wealth building and makes it just as much part of his mission as anything else you might call "ministry". This scenario will probably be the most demanding when it comes to resources, patience, faith, skill development, networking, etc. It will also yield the highest level of impact.

Such Joseph-like apostles will create much more than personal wealth. They will own and manage enterprises that will:

- generate wealth
- challenge the way business is done
- raise a Kingdom standard
- exercise influence in society
- and be a significant factor in philanthropy

Now here's an interesting observation when it comes to "apostles" creating wealth.

Traditionally all of the above mentioned have been successfully achieved by many various business people in history and today. Wealth building through business comes naturally to entrepreneurs. However, if apostles venture into these levels of power on the earth, it will probably create the greatest Kingdom impact we have ever seen.

The reason for this is the following: if your roots are in business and you were in that environment for decades, it molds you in a particular way. Conversely, if your roots are in ministry, it will leave a mark on you like nothing else. Any true apostle who has met Christ, has been mandated by God personally and has walked in this dimension of power, will always remain "branded" by and for the Kingdom of God.

The process we go through on our way to becoming something determines very much who and what we eventually become.

Thus, I suggest, we have yet to see the manifestation of this level of Kingdom power on the earth. As I hinted previously, the best way to illustrate such a ministry would be to look at Joseph in the Old Testament. Even though he never ventured on his mission by way of "ministry", he ultimately developed as both a prophet and a very successful entrepreneur who was able to move great amounts of wealth and shift whole nations and people in history.

"He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much." Luke 16:10 (NKJV)

"Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?" Luke 16:11 (NKJV)

Traditionally, Christians have believed that if they are faithful in prayer, reading the Bible and witnessing to others, i.e. spiritual things, they will be considered faithful and possibly be entrusted with wealth and greater influence.

Jesus didn't say that!

He said explicitly that if we are faithful in how we handle mammon, or money, then and only then we will be considered faithful enough to be entrusted with the true riches of wisdom, influence, wealth and so on.

Apostles who are called to create business enterprises, know how to capture a winning idea, put together the right kind of partnership and a team, get the funding they need (or operate on a shoe-string budget if needed!) and eventually penetrate the market they target. The economic forces shaping today's realities will make no exception for such Joseph-like apostles. The hungry years will come and no amount of faith or prayer will change that. But how we will handle such economic adversity is entirely different.

I contend that in the future, apostles in the marketplace, much like Joseph who was primarily a prophet and only then a shrewd economist and a trader, will lead the way in how we Christians unlock, steward and multiply wealth to the glory of God.

To the average person this might sound unbalanced. To the entrepreneur it's simply a way of thinking. You don't understand it? No worries - leave it alone and leave those God has called to be like Joseph to the Church, do what they are called to do!

Apostles in the marketplace - beyond the buzzword! by
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George P. Bakalov

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