The evening of street outreach for me was the point at which I felt I really got started here and today saw things go up another gear for me. It was a blessed day. This morning I was sent to one of the daughter churches in Golgota {in Galati}while Paul went to Braila {about 20 minutes journey away}with Alina to translate. The morning went well for all of us and was a really positive time. The pastor of the Golgota church is Radu Pascan who is agood man of God and also knows Daniella Gheorghe. He has a heart for his community to see people come to the Lord. I cannot tell you how much of a delight it was to minister in his church. We have heard so much religious politics and general nonsense that this is a welcome change {more than that actually}. I am hoping to work with pastor Radu in his community in my final week here and I was also invited back to preach in the evening service. Last night I only expected to preach once but God put two sermons on my heart. Now I know why. Both were a great encouragement to the church and it was a blessing to be with them.
The ministry in Braila went well. They took Paul by surprise by asking him to not only play music but to sing for them. Alina reports that the whole thing went well. Paul and Alina were in the main Trinity church during the evening {Paul was doing a concert} and I am told this went very very well. We even had a good afternoon as the trinity pastor invited the three of us to his house for lunch. We are all very tired but it has been a blessed day all round.
On 9th September pastor Radu's wife is putting on a charity event where she is going to perform {she writes and performs her own music}and I have been asked to share my testimony and the gospel with the people. It will be held in a theatre and it is apparently going to be a big event. Things have really turned out for good here.
This might be a good time to give a short testimony. There was a certain church who invited me to speak for them on sunday morning and kick Golgota into touch. They said they would speak to the trinity pastor to o.k it but I felt this was not right so I decided to go ahead with the original plan. Now I have spoken twice in one day at a wonderful church, have the opportunity of a week long evangelistic work in the area and to take part in a very good event on the 9th. The guys who tried to convince me to change my plans tried to bad mouth the Golgota church and say it is a dead work. {I have good reason to believe it is the other way around}. I'm so glad of God's prompting and leading in all this. I felt it would be unfair to pull out on them and that I should honour the appointment even if there were only three people there as I was led to believe {The church has more like 30 people and there are young men saved in the last few years playing a leading role.} This whole mission is starting to look like it has God's hand on it.
points for prayer.
# Thanks for God's leading, meeting up with the Golgota church and the opportunity for further ministry there.
# Pray for Paul as he leads the christian youth bible study over the next three days.
#Pray also for the youth evangelistic meeting on Tuesday night.
# There is a guy called Narchis who needs our prayers. I can't go into details but just pray for him as the Lord leads you. {Lets just say he needs a very big wake up call}
After the morning with the youth we are going to relax tomorrow in the countryside. The weather so far has been lovely and warm without being oppressively hot. I'm looking forward to it.
Thank you all for praying and keep praying. We've needed it and it's making a difference.
God bless you...steve
Sunday, 28 August 2011
Saturday, 27 August 2011
First few days in Galati
Hello everyone.
At last I've got onto the internet again. {The people I am staying with have just got internet access set up}.
We arrived safely in Bucharest, the capital, and traveled by train with the Gheorghe family to Galati. Thursday was a quite relaxed day as we met with the pastor of the Trinity church and discussed the itinerary. On Thursday evening we went out to a church around 2 hours drive from Galati. There they have a small but spiritually hungry congregation and I had the pleasure of sharing a word of encouragement with them and Paul preached the main sermon which was based on the first 12 verses of 2 Peter chapter one. It was a very good message which I think was very much appreciated by the congregation.
Friday morning we entered into the Valley area of Galati where the poorest people live. No-one here has heard the gospel until a church was planted here several years ago.We had the chance to speak to several families and pray with them and in the evening Paul taught the study group leaders of the Trinity church on spiritual growth, again a very good message.
We have encountered a number of problems since we came here though. There is a lot of church politics and a lot of things it is probably best not to share on a public forum. We would very much appreciate your prayers with regard to how to handle this. I have a clear idea of what I wanted to achieve in coming here and have access to many tracts in Romanian so can go out on the streets and witness {many of the young people speak English}
Both of us will be visiting churches on Sunday morning so please pray that goes well. Paul is ministering at a youth event tonight and I will do some work on the streets. We are staying with Marianne and Paul who are wonderful hosts and have worked for Campus crusade for Christ. Their fellowship is a blessing to us {as well as their food!}I am hoping that through them many more opportunities to visit churches and minister will come.
God bless you for praying for us. I will let you know more soon. Watch this space.
points for prayer...
# For a productive schedule to be developed.
# For wisdom and favour in dealing with church politics.
# For continued inspiration and anointing upon Paul as he ministers.
# For fruitfulness on the streets as I share the gospel.
Dumnezeu sa te binecuvinteze {God bless you}
At last I've got onto the internet again. {The people I am staying with have just got internet access set up}.
We arrived safely in Bucharest, the capital, and traveled by train with the Gheorghe family to Galati. Thursday was a quite relaxed day as we met with the pastor of the Trinity church and discussed the itinerary. On Thursday evening we went out to a church around 2 hours drive from Galati. There they have a small but spiritually hungry congregation and I had the pleasure of sharing a word of encouragement with them and Paul preached the main sermon which was based on the first 12 verses of 2 Peter chapter one. It was a very good message which I think was very much appreciated by the congregation.
Friday morning we entered into the Valley area of Galati where the poorest people live. No-one here has heard the gospel until a church was planted here several years ago.We had the chance to speak to several families and pray with them and in the evening Paul taught the study group leaders of the Trinity church on spiritual growth, again a very good message.
We have encountered a number of problems since we came here though. There is a lot of church politics and a lot of things it is probably best not to share on a public forum. We would very much appreciate your prayers with regard to how to handle this. I have a clear idea of what I wanted to achieve in coming here and have access to many tracts in Romanian so can go out on the streets and witness {many of the young people speak English}
Both of us will be visiting churches on Sunday morning so please pray that goes well. Paul is ministering at a youth event tonight and I will do some work on the streets. We are staying with Marianne and Paul who are wonderful hosts and have worked for Campus crusade for Christ. Their fellowship is a blessing to us {as well as their food!}I am hoping that through them many more opportunities to visit churches and minister will come.
God bless you for praying for us. I will let you know more soon. Watch this space.
points for prayer...
# For a productive schedule to be developed.
# For wisdom and favour in dealing with church politics.
# For continued inspiration and anointing upon Paul as he ministers.
# For fruitfulness on the streets as I share the gospel.
Dumnezeu sa te binecuvinteze {God bless you}
Monday, 22 August 2011
Pointers for prayer
"God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think" Ephesians ch 3 v 20
Early on Wednesday, Paul Lavender and I {Steve Johnson} will be flying out to Bucharest, Romania and on to Galati.
Here are some pointers for prayer. Feel free to use these and also to pray as you feel led.
Please pray for...
* God's name to be honoured in all that we say and do.
* Everyone to know what the will of God is in any situation and that we would be sensitive and receptive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
* For the kingdom of God to be established in peoples lives. For conversions in the churches and on the streets of Galati {in street outreaches}
* For the experience of God's kingdom to increase in the lives of believers in the churches we go to as a result of the ministry, for a word in season that comes with supernatural power to effect change in peoples lives.
* For the Trinity Baptist church where we will minister, for the leaders and young people. Also for every one of the many churches I will be visiting.
*For unity among us who minister and a connection with those we minister to and reach out to.
* Pray for the valley area of the city. They are a very poor and largely unreached people. Pray for a sound foundation to be laid in that area so that converts can be brought in to be effectively looked after and discipled.
*Pray for Marianne and Paul who are part of Campus crusade for Christ. {We will be meeting with them} Pray that God would be in the midst of all we do together and that this would be the start of a divinely blessed relationship that bears much fruit. Also pray for the developing of relationships with christians in general in that area to the furtherance of mission and evangelism there.
* That God would bless both me and Paul with supernatural wisdom and favour with everyone we speak to.
* Finaly for God's protecting and provision from our going out to our return.
Friends, be assured I am praying for you as you are praying for me. I pray that God would inspire and stir you, that God would give you specific insight in what to pray. I pray that your words would be in agreement with the words of heaven and that every resistance to the purposes of God's kingdom be removed. I pray that God will stir your faith to believe for particular answers to prayer. May God bless you all for your faithfulness in standing with us in prayer.
"For everyone that asks {and keeps asking} receives. He that seeks {and keeps seeking} finds. He that knocks {and keeps knocking} shall find it opened to him."
Matthew ch7 v8
Early on Wednesday, Paul Lavender and I {Steve Johnson} will be flying out to Bucharest, Romania and on to Galati.
Here are some pointers for prayer. Feel free to use these and also to pray as you feel led.
Please pray for...
* God's name to be honoured in all that we say and do.
* Everyone to know what the will of God is in any situation and that we would be sensitive and receptive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
* For the kingdom of God to be established in peoples lives. For conversions in the churches and on the streets of Galati {in street outreaches}
* For the experience of God's kingdom to increase in the lives of believers in the churches we go to as a result of the ministry, for a word in season that comes with supernatural power to effect change in peoples lives.
* For the Trinity Baptist church where we will minister, for the leaders and young people. Also for every one of the many churches I will be visiting.
*For unity among us who minister and a connection with those we minister to and reach out to.
* Pray for the valley area of the city. They are a very poor and largely unreached people. Pray for a sound foundation to be laid in that area so that converts can be brought in to be effectively looked after and discipled.
*Pray for Marianne and Paul who are part of Campus crusade for Christ. {We will be meeting with them} Pray that God would be in the midst of all we do together and that this would be the start of a divinely blessed relationship that bears much fruit. Also pray for the developing of relationships with christians in general in that area to the furtherance of mission and evangelism there.
* That God would bless both me and Paul with supernatural wisdom and favour with everyone we speak to.
* Finaly for God's protecting and provision from our going out to our return.
Friends, be assured I am praying for you as you are praying for me. I pray that God would inspire and stir you, that God would give you specific insight in what to pray. I pray that your words would be in agreement with the words of heaven and that every resistance to the purposes of God's kingdom be removed. I pray that God will stir your faith to believe for particular answers to prayer. May God bless you all for your faithfulness in standing with us in prayer.
"For everyone that asks {and keeps asking} receives. He that seeks {and keeps seeking} finds. He that knocks {and keeps knocking} shall find it opened to him."
Matthew ch7 v8
Friday, 19 August 2011
Romania's most influential people.
It was only very recently that I put out an appeal to facebook contacts for people to stand with me in prayer and within a couple of days I have a list of 19 intercessors!
What a fantastic position we are in. If I wanted an audience with the prime minister I would struggle to get even close yet every one of us have 24-7 access to the most powerful being in {or outside of} the universe. God is the one who we as sinful human beings should have the least right to approach yet He has designated a special place for us to approach Him. It is called 'the throne of grace'.
Not only do we have this amazing access to the all powerful God but He has made us a part of His kingdom and His kingdom purposes. He actually expects us to play our part and PRAY! There are simply things that will not happen unless we approach the throne of grace for them and they will happen if we do so.
Not only that but the scriptures encourage us to BOLDLY approach the throne of grace {a.v} or as the N.I.V puts it 'with confidence.' What causes us to have such confidence in approaching not to mention petitioning a God so awesome that 'even the stars are not pure in his sight? It is the blood of Jesus! If God was prepared to watch His only Son shed His blood and die to redeem us to Himself then we can have a GREAT confidence to come before Him in prayer and petition.
Our prayers make a difference. They make a difference to ministry. They make a difference to evangelism. They make a difference to the eternal destiny of people we may have never met or will meet {this side of eternity of course}. When the children of Israel were in battle it is written that Moses held up a staff. As he grew tired he began to lower the staff and the enemy began to prevail. Then two of Moses servants stood with him to hold him up and Israel prevailed again. What a fantastic picture of intercession. My friends, it is not about me or my strength. When you pray it is about God's power being made manifest. It is about winning the war, defeating spiritual adversaries. It is about the kingdom of God being ESTABLISHED {people being saved} and EXPANDED {people becoming more Christlike}. There are politicians sitting in the Romanian parliament that do not have the favour and influence you have!
Our God is omnipresent. That means it makes no differnce if there are thousands of miles between us. As God leads you by the hand in prayer he leads me by the hand in ministry, in witness, in evangelism. Intercessions is almost like a linking of hands {with God in the middle} and with God in the middle distance becomes irrelevant.
So I encourage you to pray. Pray because you are in a great and blessed position to pray. Pray because a way has been made by the very blood of the Son of God for you to come to Him. Pray because God has made you an important part of His kingdom purposes. Pray because battles are won or lost on the basis of those who choose to stand by those who minister. Pray because you know one day you will meet face to face with those whose lives are eternally changed because you were faithful to stand in the gap for them. For people you've never met but will meet one day.
Above all, pray according to the purposes of God. Pray that God's name would be hallowed, revered and respected. Pray for His kingdom to be established and extended. Pray that His will would become clear and would be done. Pray that the word of God in heaven would be heard on earth, agreed with in faith and acted out.
I look forward to bringing a report back to England with me of the good and blessed things that God has done. May God bless you abundantly for your faithfulness.
shalom...steve
What a fantastic position we are in. If I wanted an audience with the prime minister I would struggle to get even close yet every one of us have 24-7 access to the most powerful being in {or outside of} the universe. God is the one who we as sinful human beings should have the least right to approach yet He has designated a special place for us to approach Him. It is called 'the throne of grace'.
Not only do we have this amazing access to the all powerful God but He has made us a part of His kingdom and His kingdom purposes. He actually expects us to play our part and PRAY! There are simply things that will not happen unless we approach the throne of grace for them and they will happen if we do so.
Not only that but the scriptures encourage us to BOLDLY approach the throne of grace {a.v} or as the N.I.V puts it 'with confidence.' What causes us to have such confidence in approaching not to mention petitioning a God so awesome that 'even the stars are not pure in his sight? It is the blood of Jesus! If God was prepared to watch His only Son shed His blood and die to redeem us to Himself then we can have a GREAT confidence to come before Him in prayer and petition.
Our prayers make a difference. They make a difference to ministry. They make a difference to evangelism. They make a difference to the eternal destiny of people we may have never met or will meet {this side of eternity of course}. When the children of Israel were in battle it is written that Moses held up a staff. As he grew tired he began to lower the staff and the enemy began to prevail. Then two of Moses servants stood with him to hold him up and Israel prevailed again. What a fantastic picture of intercession. My friends, it is not about me or my strength. When you pray it is about God's power being made manifest. It is about winning the war, defeating spiritual adversaries. It is about the kingdom of God being ESTABLISHED {people being saved} and EXPANDED {people becoming more Christlike}. There are politicians sitting in the Romanian parliament that do not have the favour and influence you have!
Our God is omnipresent. That means it makes no differnce if there are thousands of miles between us. As God leads you by the hand in prayer he leads me by the hand in ministry, in witness, in evangelism. Intercessions is almost like a linking of hands {with God in the middle} and with God in the middle distance becomes irrelevant.
So I encourage you to pray. Pray because you are in a great and blessed position to pray. Pray because a way has been made by the very blood of the Son of God for you to come to Him. Pray because God has made you an important part of His kingdom purposes. Pray because battles are won or lost on the basis of those who choose to stand by those who minister. Pray because you know one day you will meet face to face with those whose lives are eternally changed because you were faithful to stand in the gap for them. For people you've never met but will meet one day.
Above all, pray according to the purposes of God. Pray that God's name would be hallowed, revered and respected. Pray for His kingdom to be established and extended. Pray that His will would become clear and would be done. Pray that the word of God in heaven would be heard on earth, agreed with in faith and acted out.
I look forward to bringing a report back to England with me of the good and blessed things that God has done. May God bless you abundantly for your faithfulness.
shalom...steve
Monday, 15 August 2011
Hello and welcome to 'makariosmission'
Welcome to 'Makariosmission'. This blog has been set up to share my experiences in oversees mission. I hope you will get a taste of what goes on as well as gleaning enough useful information and find inspiration to support the mission in prayer.
So far I have been blessed to be involved in short term mission in Kenya {3 times}, Germany and Romania. On 24th August I will be flying out to Romania with our senior minister Paul Lavender to work in the city of Galati.
We will be working with Trinity Baptist church in the city as well as with Marianne and Paul who are part of Campus crusade for Christ. The agenda is quite fluid and I'm hoping for plenty of opportunities for evangelism on the streets of the city.
Here's to a great three weeks.
Dunnezeu sa te Binecuvinteze {God bless you}
So far I have been blessed to be involved in short term mission in Kenya {3 times}, Germany and Romania. On 24th August I will be flying out to Romania with our senior minister Paul Lavender to work in the city of Galati.
We will be working with Trinity Baptist church in the city as well as with Marianne and Paul who are part of Campus crusade for Christ. The agenda is quite fluid and I'm hoping for plenty of opportunities for evangelism on the streets of the city.
Here's to a great three weeks.
Dunnezeu sa te Binecuvinteze {God bless you}
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