The 1980s: Decade for ASIA!
By Loren Cunningham
January/February 1983 - The 1980s are truly going to be a decade of destiny. Besides being a time when more people will be saved than at any other period in history, this decade will be one that focuses on the movement of the Holy Spirit in Asia.
Within a three-thousand mile radius of the city of Hong Kong, you will surprisingly find 63% of the world's total population. One-half of these people are under the age of 15 ... and only 1% of them know Jesus Christ. In Hong Kong, there are single buildings which house more than 40,000 people! That is more people than are in some of the smaller nations!
Is it any wonder that God's purposes will be focused on this part of the globe in the next few years? There are approximately 7000 islands in the Pacific Ocean - 2000 populated islands in Indonesia alone! There are 25,000 different languages spoken on these islands, and 19,000 of these still have no Bible ... There are whole island nations that have never heard the gospel.
Yet very recently a significant move of God's Spirit has begun in Asia - to the amazement of the world. Dr. Yongi Cho started a church in Seoul, South Korea, only a few years ago. In 1977 he had 35,000 members ... and today it has grown to 250,000. He is expecting half a million by 1984! Korea is a nation turning from paganism to Christianity in our generation - right before out eyes!
In 1973, Billy Graham held a crusade in Korea and one million people came to hear him. It was hard to believe that such an event could take place in Asia. Three million people later gathered in Seoul to hear Bill Bright of Campus Crusade speak! The people of Asia obviously are hungry for the gospel!
The Westward Move of the Gospel
A close look at the move of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts will give us some very important clues as to how God desires to move in our day. Though Jesus did tell His disciples to go into all the earth, the Holy Spirit focuses our attention on the apostolic activity of Paul and his westward journey.
At one point in Paul's journey, we are told that he and his companions were "forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia" (Acts 16:6). Instead, Paul had a vision of a Macedonian man, calling him to come to that region and preach. Paul went west, and continued onward to his ultimate destination - Rome.
That decision to go west rather than east was a pivotal point in history, and a strategic move directed by the Holy Spirit to accomplish the purposes of God.
The gospel spread after this time to all of Europe and remained there during the Dark Ages. But it was not long before a young man whose name means "Christ-bearer" - Christopher Columbus - had a special mission to sail west. This man, who loved the Lord and served Him faithfully in his early years, said this about his voyage:
"It was the Lord who put it into my mind (I could feel His hand upon me ) to sail from here to the Indies. There was no question that the inspiration was from the Holy Spirit, because He comforted me with rays of marvelous inspiration from the Holy Scriptures."1 Columbus actually saw his journey as a fulfillment of Isaiah chapter 49.
Over a hundred years later, after America had been discovered, a tiny band of devoted Christians from England came to this new land with a sense of divine purpose and destiny. The Pilgrim's purpose for coming to America, as stated in the Mayflower Compact, was for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith. They, too, sensed that God had a very providential reason for sending them on their westward journey.
What lies beyond America in the westward move of the gospel? Asia! What an exciting time to be alive! Perhaps God has commissioned you to go and gather in this great end-time harvest in the world's most populous region.
1 David Manuel and Peter Marshall, Jr., The Light and the Glory, (Old Tappan, NJ, Fleming Revell & Co.) 1977.
Up one level
Back to document index
The Real Jesus: Who is the Real Jesus? Ever since the dawn of modern rationalism, skeptics have sought to use textual criticism, archaeology 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 archaeology and scholarship have all but vanquished the faulty assumptions of these doubting modernists. Regretably, 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
|
| The Beast of Revelation: IDENTIFIED
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) |
(Available in DVD only) $17.95 ORDER NOW!
|
INCLUDES A FREE Sixteen Christian leaders and scholars answer some of the most common questions and misperceptions related to this volatile issue: Download the free |
Perfect for group instruction as well as personal
Bible study. Speakers include: George Grant, Howard Phillips,
R.C. Sproul Jr., Ken Gentry, Gary DeMar, Jay Grimstead, R.J. Rushdoony,
Steven Schlissel, Andrew Sandlin, Eric Holmberg, and more!
Ten parts, over four hours of instruction! Watch over 60 streaming videos from God's Law and Society at:
Price reduced! |
| Amazing Grace: The History and Theology of Calvinism
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!
|
|
The Forerunner Forum is the discussion group for this web site. The purpose of the group is to engage in discussion about the articles on-line. If you want to discuss any article or video on this web site, visit The Forerunner Forum. |
| VIDEOS | WORDS | BLOG | DISCUSSION | WHAT'S NEW | ABOUT US | FEEDBACK | SEARCH | DONATE | JAY'S BIO | HOME |
For more information, contact:
| The Forerunner jrogers@forerunner.com |
|
P.O. Box 362173 Melbourne, FL 32936-2173 |
