The Untold Progress of the Gospel
By Editorial Staff
Published February 1994
By Dawson Lewis
Reprinted from the South African Forerunner
TODAY THE TRUE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL IS liberating people from every tribe and every tongue and every people group around the world. Here are a few of the many examples:
SAUDI ARABIA – 13-year-old Riyadh International Charismatic Christian Fellowship (RICCF) now has several thousand members from 12 nations, including Pakistan, India and at least 500 Saudis. This, in a country that publicly beheaded a Saudi evangelist in 1992.
IRAN – Despite 14 years of war and Islamic Fundamentalist revolution, or perhaps because of it, there has been an 800 percent increase in the number of converts to Christianity.
ALGERIA – Hundreds of Kabyle Berbers living in and around the Atlas mountains came to Christ in 1992 and an indigenous missions agency was established.
INDIA – Among the Gamit people in Guyurat, India, Church membership has grown from zero in 1980 to 60,000 today. In Bihar province, once known as the “graveyard of missions,” one church baptizes 600 converts per month.
NEPAL – Nepal is a Hindu kingdom with harsh laws against the spread of Christianity. Converting to Jesus is punishable with 5 years in jail. Yet since the mid-1950’s the number of Nepalese Christians has grown from near zero to around 150,000. Last Easter, 4,500 Nepalese Christians gathered in front of the National palace for a prayer and praise rally. At the April 1992 conference of the “Nepal Christian Fellowship” plans were laid to increase churches from 200 to 8,000 by the year 2000.
LAOS – Local pastor Khan Ohou Keohavong reports that church membership has increased from 5,000 to 20,000 in the last five years.
VIETNAM – So many highland tribes are converting to Christianity that in early 1992 a Vietnamese newspaper article concluded: “We don’t know what is happening, but it is something called the ‘Good News’ religion.”
CHINA – Officials in Henan Province declared in 1992, “It was you Christians who brought down the regimes in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, but here in China we will stop you now!” In the last 10 years the number of Christians in Henan Province grew from 260,000 to about 600,000. In Szechuan Province, home to one out of every 40 people on earth, 2,000 new churches have been planted in the last three years despite government opposition.
MONGOLIA – A team of German missionaries saw 1,500 residents of the western town of Olgiy convert to Christ in less than two months.
AFRICA – The Assemblies of God, which had only 2,000 churches in 1970, grew to almost 14,000 churches in Africa by 1991. Some missions experts estimate that as many as 20,000 Africans are coming to Christ every day. One example is Bursino Faso, where Assembly of God membership has gone from 25,000 to 350,000 since 1970.
There are many other examples from North and South America, Europe, the former Communist Bloc, Australia and Oceania. But they all have one thing in common. From every race and economic class, from the Arctic Ocean to the Sahara, from Zaire’s rain forest to the board rooms of Wall Street, men and women are serving Jesus with their whole lives. Christianity is the most wide spread ethnically diverse faith in the world.
Forerunner - Home » The Forerunner Newspaper » Revival and Spiritual Awakening
Discuss this article
Sorry. Commenting is closed for this article. Visit the discussion forum.
The Real Jesus: A Defense of the Historicity and Divinity of Christ (DVD)
Who is the Real Jesus?
Ever since the dawn of modern rationalism, skeptics have sought to use textual criticism, archeology and historical reconstructions to uncover the “historical Jesus” — a wise teacher who said many wonderful things, but fulfilled no prophecies, performed no miracles and certainly did not rise from the dead in triumph over sin.
Over the past 100 years, however, startling discoveries in biblical archeology and scholarship have all but vanquished the faulty assumptions of these doubting modernists. Regrettably, these discoveries have often been ignored by the skeptics as well as by the popular media. As a result, the liberal view still holds sway in universities and impacts the culture and even much of the church.
This presentation explodes the myths of these critics and the movies, books and television programs that have popularized their views.
Presented in ten parts — perfect for individual, family and classroom study — viewers will be challenged to go deeper in their knowledge of Christ in order to be able to defend their faith and present the truth to a skeptical modern world – that the Jesus of the Gospels is the Jesus of history — “the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). He is the real Jesus.
Speakers include: George Grant, Ted Baehr, Stephen Mansfield, Raymond Ortlund, Phil Kayser, David Lutzweiler, Jay Grimstead, J.P. Holding, and Eric Holmberg.
Ten parts, over two hours of instruction!
Running Time: 130 minutes
$19.95 — ORDER NOW!
Click here for more information
God's Law and Society (DVD)
Download the Free on-line Study Guide.
God’s Law and Society powerfully presents a comprehensive worldview based upon the ethical system found in the Law of God.
Speakers include: R.J. Rushdoony, George Grant, Howard Phillips, R.C. Sproul Jr., Ken Gentry, Gary DeMar, Jay Grimstead, Steven Schlissel, Andrew Sandlin, Eric Holmberg, and more!
Sixteen Christian leaders and scholars answer some of the most common questions and misconceptions related to this volatile issue:
1. Are we under Law or under Grace?
2. Does the Old Testament Law apply today?
3. Can we legislate morality?
4. What are the biblical foundations of government?
5. Was America founded as a Christian nation?
6. What about the separation of Church and State?
7. Is neutrality a myth?
8. What about non-Christians and the Law of God?
9. Would there be “freedom” in a Christian republic?
10. What would a “Christian America” look like?
Perfect for group instruction as well as personal Bible study.
Ten parts, over four hours of instruction!
Running Time: 240 minutes
Watch over 60 streaming videos from God’s Law and Society at:
The Second American Revolution.
$19.95 — ORDER NOW!
Click here for more information
Amazing Grace: The History and Theology of Calvinism (DVD)
Over four hours of instruction!
Just what is “Calvinism?” Does this teaching make man a deterministic robot and God the author of sin? What about free will? If the church accepts Calvinism, won’t evangelism be stifled, perhaps even extinguished? How can we balance God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility? What are the differences between historic Calvinism and hyper-Calvinism? Why did men like Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon, Whitefield, Edwards and a host of renowned Protestant evangelists embrace the teaching of predestination and election and deny free will theology?
This is the first video documentary that answers these and other related questions. Hosted by Eric Holmberg, this fascinating three-part, four-hour presentation is detailed enough so as to not gloss over the controversy. At the same time, it is broken up into ten “Sunday-school-sized” sections to make the rich content manageable and accessible for the average viewer.
$19.95 — ORDER NOW!
Click here for more information
The Beast of Revelation: Identified (DVD)
Who is the dreaded beast of Revelation? Now at last, a plausible candidate for this personification of evil incarnate has been identified (or re-identified). Ken Gentry’s insightful analysis of scripture and history is likely to revolutionize your understanding of the book of Revelation — and even more importantly — amplify and energize your entire Christian worldview!
Historical footage and other graphics are used to illustrate the lecture Dr. Gentry presented at the 1999 Ligonier Conference in Orlando, Florida. It is followed by a one-hour question and answer session addressing the key concerns and objections typically raised in response to his position. This presentation also features an introduction that touches on not only the confusion and controversy surrounding this issue — but just why it may well be one of the most significant issues facing the Church today.
Ideal for group meetings, personal Bible study — for anyone who wants to understand the historical context of John’s famous letter “… to the seven churches which are in Asia.” (Revelation 1:4)
$17.95 — ORDER NOW!
