February 2004 Newsletter

To Proserpine, over 1100km north of Toowoomba, to Blue Mountains near Sydney, over 900kms south of Toowoomba and then 450kms south west of Blue Mountains to Leeton, in central southern New South Wales, in all we ministered in 21 towns, cities and centres. In every place Harrison Oulo was well received, and in every place there was some opportunity to share something of the apostolic revelation.

CONCERN FOR THE STATE OF THE CHURCH IN AUSTRALIA

Overall, I came home quite disturbed concerning the state of the church in Australia. Everywhere there seemed to be trouble, disillusionment, adherence to false doctrines, divisions, some people almost fully out of church, but here and there tremendous encouragement, as in a new house church in the country near a large provincial city in NSW. Amongst the saints there we found fervour and commitment to Jesus and His Word; there the saints were making the transition ‘to be the church’, rather than ‘attending’ or ‘going’ to church.

THE NEED FOR A FULL RETURN TO NEW TESTAMENT CHRISTIANITY

There needs to be a return to N.T. Christianity for the church to truly become the functioning body of Christ, 24/7, in every house, preaching and teaching Jesus the Christ, Acts 5:42. Saints have withdrawn from the Uniting Church Australia but don’t want to join another denominational church down the road. Anglicans fear for the future of their denomination once Bishop Jensen in Sydney reaches retirement age – he has constantly taken a Scripture-based stand against homosexuality in the church and especially in the ministry of the church. Some Pentecostal churches are caught in internal conflict. Many saints are wandering around, not knowing where they fit or where they can function.

IT IS TIME FOR GOD’S PEOPLE TO AWAKE

I asked Harrison on his last day with us if God had spoken to him. Harrison’s word "Australia is like a sleeping giant, which needs to wake up and minister to the nations." Harrison also gave us a powerful ‘rhema’ word for the new year. We were in Ipswich. 1 Sam.30:8 God said to David, "pursue, overtake and recover all".

AND TO STAND FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS

Good news in Toowoomba, the Rangeville UC in no longer a Uniting Church, but since Sunday 1^st February, has become the Rangeville Community Church, having left the UC as a functioning local church. This stand for righteousness is a strong encouragement to all others to depart from a denomination that has put itself in open defiance of the sexual morality and behaviour set down so clearly in Scripture.

THERE IS A NEW MOOD BEGINNING TO GRIP BELIEVERS ALL OVER,

a desire for reality, a desire for personal involvement, to function in the Body, to walk in victory. There is a great need: for accurate, straight-forward preaching and teaching from the Scripture; a need for new believers to be nurtured with the milk of the Word; for all saints to be disciples of the Word, able to preach and teach Jesus, and practise life-style Christianity.

It is time for partisanship [party spirit] and sectarianism to cease among those who have already left the denominational structures but have made new alignments in structured, delineated networks.

APOSTOLIC CHRISTIANITY IS BASED WHOLLY ON THE WORD OF GOD

Apostolic Christianity is non-denominational, non-institutional, based purely and wholly on the Word of God not the traditions or the desires of men. As one has said, "there is nothing to own, nothing to join", but a life to live, grace to receive, and loving relationships to be developed between all, as we serve with joy in the manifest purposes of God in our generation.

AN APOSTOLIC PEOPLE IN THE BOOK OF ACTS

Acts 8:1 "At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles." They were all scattered. Acts 11:19 says "now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only." They were all preaching the word. They had been disciples of the 12 apostles who obviously had taught them well in all that Jesus commanded, Matt.28:20.

Notice in verse 3 where Saul went to find ‘the church’, "As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison." If churches in persecuted lands stopped building church buildings and started meeting in homes according to the New Testament pattern, there would be no church buildings to burn down.

Acts 8:4 "Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word."

v.5-40 tell of the awesome ministry of Philip, which impacted a whole city, (v8) and eventually reached the kingdom of Ethiopia through the eunuch. After departing from the eunuch "he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea."

A CERTAIN DISCIPLE BAPTISES A FUTURE APOSTLE

Acts 9:10 a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias received a vision. The Lord chose ‘a certain disciple’; he was not an apostle or any specific ministry but a disciple. It was this disciple whom the Lord sent to lay hands on the future apostle Paul, to heal him, to baptise him and to impart the Holy Spirit to him. It is time for disciples to be empowered to serve the risen Lord Jesus Christ. v.17 he went his way in obedience to the Lord’s instruction laid his hands on Saul, spoke prophetically over him, baptised him

v.31 the church had peace; they were edified and they multiplied. Why? Because their chief opponent had been saved.

GENTILES RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT

Acts 10 Gentiles heard the word through the apostle Peter. We know from the Scriptures that this was a divinely arranged meeting. The Scripture says, v44 "While he was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word." This was an enormous breakthrough in the heavenlies for the gospel and the Spirit of God to be received by Gentiles. As a result a further breakthrough comes in Antioch where in Acts 11:19-21 those who had been scattered "spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord." As a result the church in Antioch consisted of both Jews and Greeks. This was a significant change from the mother church in Jerusalem where the Christians were known as a sect of the Jews. Now in Antioch the church is more fully representing the Body of Christ [made up of Jew and Gentile] and there they were first called Christians, Acts 11:26.

It is time for the saints to take their place in the Body and function in their God-given gifts, for the upbuilding of the whole body. Jesus is to be seen by every man through the church which is His body.

CALENDAR

"JUST GIVE ME FIVE MINUTES"

Example of a New Testament Conversion.

Gavin started using heroin at the age of eleven and was living on the streets of Kings Cross [a notorious red light district in Sydney] by the age of twelve, after witnessing his own father shoot his mother in front of Gavin and his siblings. Later in his life Gavin served time in the prison system for seven years.

On Friday 17^th January, the second last day of our training school, Gavin was seen walking past SHILOH Centre looking for his next score of heroin, when suddenly a certain disciple from inside the building saw Gavin passing and recognised his situation and where he was heading. Greeting him, Gavin was asked if he knew Jesus, and he declined the invitation saying ‘It is not for me’.

The disciple said, "Just give me five minutes". Gavin said he was hungry and if he could have a feed he would listen.

The disciple took Gavin inside and provided him with a meal. During the meal (shaking from withdrawals) he heard the word of God and how Jesus had died for him. Gavin surrendered his life to the Lord, receiving the remission of his sins. Pastor Peter laid hands on him and prayed to the Lord asking Jesus to free Gavin of his thirteen year heroin addiction. Within 24 hours he was free of all withdrawals and cravings. Praise the LORD!

Gavin was given a bed in a safe men’s house, where some extra brothers were staying to attend the training school. At 12:30am he was baptised in the bathtub; he came up speaking in tongues, prophesying and singing Scripture to the Lord [having never read the Bible]. Gavin was in meetings at SHILOH all day on the Saturday and Sunday, and has continued in committed discipleship since.

The following day his estranged girlfriend gave birth to his daughter Clarissa. Two weeks later, Clarissa was received into the arms of Jesus – she was born with one undeveloped lung. This was a real test for Gavin but he used this opportunity to press into the things of the Lord not allowing the enemy to steel his love for Jesus. After an emotional week Gavin attended his daughter’s funeral alone to say good-bye. At the graveside, mourning for his daughter Clarissa, he looked up and saw his estranged wife [up to this time Gavin had not mentioned that he had been married as well as having a relationship that lead to the birth of Clarissa]. His wife had left him because of his unfaithfulness, not telling Gavin that she was pregnant. His wife turned to God through a difficult pregnancy after leaving Gavin. She had heard from Gavin’s family that he had turned his life around by becoming a Christian.

She approached Gavin at the graveside carrying a new born baby. Not believing who he was seeing and the newborn baby she was holding, he asked, "whose is this child?" His wife responded by saying "she is your daughter". Gavin received a new born child from his lawful wife to replace the child he had just buried from an illegitimate relationship. Gavin’s wife and baby attended the morning service at SHILOH on Sunday, much to the amazement of all present. There are firm hopes of a full reconciliation. Gavin has already gained a job and is going to make provision for his family in Toowoomba.

God has worked an awesome wonder in our midst: saving, restoring, reconciling; doing exceedingly abundantly above and beyond all that we could ask or imagine.

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