This is an article from the January-February 1995 issue: The Frozen Church

Exciting Reports from Pre-GCOWE

Exciting Reports from Pre-GCOWE

Bible Translations Two hundred years ago only 66 languages in the world had any portion of Bible translation. One hundred years later, that had grown to 400. Now more than 2,000 languages have some portion of Scripture. Every year, 31 Scripture portions, 24 New Testaments and 5 full Bibles are completed in new languages, and that pace is increasing rapidly.

Only 248 languages with over 100,000 people still have possible translation needs. And by AD2000 the Forum of Bible Agencies plans to publish a New Testament or significant portions of the Old and New Testaments, as appropriate, among the remaining 77 languages with over 500,000 people.

Filling the Gaps Radio is helpful for communicating to large language groups, and international radio ministries help local believers produce programs for smaller groups as well. Bible translation is rapidly making Scripture available in major languages and assisting local believers to translate minor languages. Every Home Campaigns distribute Gospel tracts even in language areas still awaiting Scripture translation, making the Gospel available to literate peoples even in small language groups.

But what of the non-literates? The Audio Communications Network helps fill the remaining gap by coordinating the efforts of recording ministries to prepare Gospel messages for those who can't or won't read. Gospel recordings are already available in 4,500 languages and dialects, and a series of messages can typically be prepared in a new language in three weeks. Every Home Campaigns now distribute printed literature to families with reading skills, while leaving recorded messages at homes in which no one is literate. Working together, these ministries are rapidly tackling the remaining language barriers to understanding the Gospel.

The "Jesus" Film Since 1979 the "Jesus" film has been dubbed into 308 languages, used by 421 denominations and organizations, shown to 606,000,000 individuals in documented showings, and prompted 38,000,000 recorded decisions to follow Christ. A new language version of the film is completed every ten days, and by AD2000 "Jesus" is expected to be available in each of the remaining 1,154 languages with over 100,000 people.

National Repentance & Forgiveness In 1990, C. Peter Wagner expressed repentance in Japan to a gathering of Japanese Christian leaders for our use of the atomic bomb during WW II. These leaders responded with a wail of mourning and then repented in turn for wrongs committed by Japan against Korea and the Philippines. Though Koreans never thought they would hear a Japanese say "I'm sorry for the atrocities we committed against you"--they have.

The tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki may have hindered many Japanese from accepting Christianity. (Would you listen to missionaries from a country which killed your family?) Japanese Christian leaders now plan to publicly repent at Pearl Harbor in December '96 for the bombing there.

Partnerships Through a partnership formed to reach the SoninkŽ, it became apparent that three separate individuals were committed to translating the Bible into the SoninkŽ language. They were all admirably qualified, but they came from different organizations and lived miles apart. When they realized they were all planning to tackle the same job, they worked together on different parts of the task. The result was a single consistent Bible in one-third the time, instead of three independent translations.

"Praying Through the Window" The October 1993 prayer focus enlisted 21,000,000 intercessors from 28,000 churches. From the correspondence they received, the AD2000 office tabulated the following totals of participating intercessors and churches: Africa: 1,600,0003,400 Asia: 16,000,0002,500 Australia/Oceania:23,000 1,800 Europe: 131,5002,250 Middle East: 20,800 35 North America:2,000,000 9,700 South America:1,350,000 8500

Never before have so many prayed in such unity. Look for even larger numbers in October '95 to join Praying Through the Window II to focus on 100 "Gateway" cities of the 10/40 Window.

Two-Thirds World Growth In 1792, 1% of all evangelicals were in the two-thirds world. Two hundred years of Protestant missions has increased this to 58%!

Travel Costs for GCOWE While some subsidies are still expected and needed, GCOWE is the first international gathering of world leaders for which third-world believers are paying the bulk of their own travel costs. Third-world churches are taking increasing ownership of the Great Commission and investing their own meager resources toward its fulfillment. (To assist those leaders who require travel subsidies, send a check marked for this purpose to the AD2000 office at: 2860 South Circle Drive, Suite 2112, Colorado Springs CO 80906. Or call: 719-576-2000.)

Saturation Church Planting Although a person may understand the Gospel intellectually, he cannot be considered effectively evangelized until he has had the opportunity to observe and join a functioning expression of the Body of Christ within his own culture. Radio ministries, translation efforts, literature distribution and recorded messages are all important and necessary, but they don't replace the Body of Christ as the fundamental expression of the Good News to unbelievers. Saturation church planting in every people group is thus an essential component of making the Gospel available to every person by AD2000.

The Saturation Church Planting Network is pursuing the following goals: • 400 key leaders with a strong commitment to saturation

church planting present at GCOWE '95 from 200 countries. • A saturation church planting movement started in every country by 1997. • A saturation church planting movement started in every people group by AD2000.

In 1989, 43 countries had saturation church planting movements in process. Now 68 countries have developing movements while leadership teams in 68 more countries are prayerfully considering initiating movements. Another 27 countries have held national congresses to discuss the idea.

One million new churches are targeted for China once a saturation church planting movement is started there, while countries with active plans are working to start 1,400,000 new churches. Movements in England and Denmark anticipate planting 20,000 and 2,000 new churches within these countries by AD2000, respectively.

Radio Ministries Gospel radio broadcasts have begun in 46 new languages in the last five years, bringing the total to 249 languages understood by 81% of the world's population. Out of the 372 languages understood by at least a million people (representing 97% of the world's population), 170 currently have Gospel radio broadcasts. World by 2000 is a cooperative effort of five international radio ministries and smaller "associates" to air regular Gospel broadcasts by the year 2000 in the remaining 202 languages.

These organizations provide equipment and training for believers to air local programs in exchange for rights to use these programs internationally. They also make air time available to each other, pray for each other, coordinate their strategies, and share personnel.

In early November, a typhoon destroyed FEBC's station just as they were to air a new Indonesian language. Trans World Radio aired the broadcast for them, on schedule, on the same frequency, and then supplied personnel to help FEBC rebuild their facility.

Africa Ten of Africa's 47 countries already have strong functioning national committees and plans for evangelizing their peoples by the year 2000. Most of the other countries have formed steering committees. Thirteen have national committees for Saturation Church Planting.

Albania Since God opened Albania's doors for ministry, the Albania Encouragement Project has enlisted 63 member organizations in a cooperative focus on this country.

One missionary indicated in October 1993 that 50 churches had formed in Albania. A year later it was reported that the body of Christ in Albania had grown to 300 active churches.

A U.S. church prayer team that visited Albania in 1993 was allowed to minister in an eye hospital because they "happened" to arrive at the same time as an ABC television crew and were allowed to walk in with the crew. A missionary who visited the hospital the next day found most of the patients gone! Revival had broken out as entire wards witnessed miraculous healings, and hearts and lives were given to Jesus. Muslims who were healed returned to their villages to share their testimonies and lead others to Christ.

Two years ago several ministries combined forces to place Gospel materials in every home in Albania. Within 18 months, teams of expatriates working with the few national believers blanketed the nine largest towns and cities. The work in outlying regions is progressing at a rate of 30 villages every week. And the pace is anticipated to increase to 100 per week by the spring of 1995. More than 25 villages have been discovered which were not on government maps, indicating that these Christian workers are more thorough than the Albanian census takers.

Arab Countries Arab leaders report a big crack in Islam and are expecting and preparing for opportunities to evangelize Muslims. Missionaries are being trained and sent. And country by country, believers are quietly taking the Gospel to every home.

Argentina For the first time in history, the different church alliances are meeting and planning together. Pastors nationwide are asking how to get involved in evangelizing their whole country.

Australia The latest census reports an increase in Christians from 70 to 75% of the population. Fifty March for Jesus rallies nationwide enlisted 250,000 marchers. The Sydney organizers prepared for 25,000 people, but 50,000 showed up!

The government made the mistake of announcing that there would be no prayer at the dedication of a new government building. (They forgot that you don't tell an Aussie he can't do something.) Fifty thousand people gathered to pray, including many nominal Christians who grew in faith from the experience.

Austria & Germany The many theologians in these countries seem to have lots of knowledge, yet show little interest in cooperating to reach the world. Pray for increasing unity and involvement in world evangelization among the leaders in these countries.

Bangladesh The 18 participants at Lausanne II established a Great Commission Movement in which all denominations are participating. Muslims are seeing visions, being healed, coming to Christ, and giving their testimony. Churches in Dhaka, the capital city, have grown from 10 to 40 in the last five years. And an indigenous missionary movement, funded by the Bengali church, has been started.

Bolivia Bible translation and unity among churches is facilitating the spread of the Gospel. The Bible Society has distributed 10,000,000 pieces of literature in four languages, and the Bible is being distributed on cassette for the many who can't read.

Brazil Mission leaders have selected 200 unreached people groups for adoption by Brazilian Christians.

Caribbean The Evangelical Association of the Caribbean has embraced the vision of A Church for Every People by the Year 2000 and is building a prayer movement across the islands. The Caribbean Global Mission Agency has been formed to send missionaries. The region enfolds so many different cultures that they are well prepared for effective ministry in many areas of the world. Workers are being trained to evangelize the Caribbean and reach out to the uttermost parts of the earth.

Chile Networks are forming and a consultation is planned for April '95 to develop a single national plan for evangelizing their country and sending laborers to other parts of the world.

Commonwealth of Independent States There are more Kazakh Christians in Germany than in Kazakhstan and more Russian Christians in Sacramento than Moscow. Throughout the world God is using the dislocation of peoples to draw them to Himself.

A believer in the C.I.S. tells this story: "A leading Uighur in a Muslim mosque told me, 'I want to visit Mecca and learn what Muslims really believe.' When I saw him again a year later, I asked what he saw when he went to Mecca. He replied 'nothing much' and started weeping.

"I asked him, 'What is the main difference between Islam and Christianity?' He replied, 'Islam says, "If someone hits you, hit him back three times." Christianity says, "Turn the other cheek." That is love.'

"Now he was crying. I asked him, 'Would you like to become a Christian tonight?' 'Yes,' he sobbed. So I helped him pray. We stood, held hands, and prayed. His son prayed with us, with tears of joy. Then he gave this testimony on video for his daughter: 'Today, I am a Christian. When you come back home, we can go together and tell Kazakhs about Christ.' "My friends, Muslims are reachable!"

Colombia Colombia Today and Tomorrow is an 11 year old program promoting unity and missions. A 1989 alliance developed plans to reach all classes of their society.

Eastern Europe A network of 12 Eastern European countries plans to train and send out 500 cross-cultural missionaries, supported by their own national churches.

El Salvador War has brought unity within the church and birthed an evangelical fellowship of leaders. One hundred thousand people marched for Jesus in San Salvador in June.

Europe Hope for Europe is a coalition of groups throughout Europe which is interfacing with the AD2000 and Beyond Movement through the AD2000 methodology of national and resource track coordinators. They aim to penetrate and revive Europeans and send them to the nations.

Fiji Though Fiji has only 800,000 residents scattered on more than 300 islands, more than 10,000 attended their world missions conference, including the prime minister.

Finland A visitor to Finland received a vision of doves flying around Finland with no place to land. The interpretation given to this vision was that Finland's two language and church groups need to reconcile before the Finnish church can contribute significantly to "Finnishing" world evangelization. A January '95 meeting holds promise for bringing unity among language and church groups to prepare for revival and outreach to the nations.

Ghana A country-wide survey of people groups and churches by the Ghana Evangelism Committee fuels strategies for evangelizing all of Ghana and provides a model for other African countries. Nineteen denominations now work together toward a church for every 360 individuals by AD2000. Churches are experiencing spectacular growth through saturation church planting, and mission agencies and denominations are targeting the unreached. Outreach among Muslims is being effective and a national prayer movement is thriving.

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