[ag-news] AG NEWS #1791: March 17, 2010

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AG-NEWS: Wednesday, March 17, 2010 
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**Devotions from History

AG pastor's wife, Ruthie Edgerly Oberg, initiates YouTube and
Facebook project called "Devotions from History," taking
historic events and providing a sermon illustration for
viewers. Subscribers approaching 700 in a few weeks. These
devotions can now be found on AGTV.


**Global Initiative: Reaching Muslim Peoples

Global Initiative: Reaching Muslim Peoples, formerly known as
Center for Ministry to Muslims, has new expanded vision for
ministry to further equip the church to reach Muslims and
mobilize church planting teams among Muslim peoples at home and
abroad. More information available at
http://globalinitiativeinfo.com.


**This week in AG history -- March 15, 1947

Featured in this week's March 15, 1947, issue of "Pentecostal
Evangel" are articles by A. G. Ward, Nelson E. Hinman, Amy
Carmichael and others! Click here now to read more:
http://s2.ag.org/mar151947


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AG Marriage Encounter opens new locale in North Dakota

Greg and D'awn (Elder) Ledgerwood, Sidney, Montana, are hosting
an AG Marriage Encounter weekend in Dickinson, North Dakota,
March 19-21. Mark and Becky Rhoades, national admin couple for
AGME, confirm that space is still available. "Initial plans for
the new locale were made when Greg and D'awn drove the 1,187
miles from Sidney to Springfield, Missouri, to experience a
fall weekend. The final details were just now worked out," says
Mark Rhoades.

To register go to http://www.agme.org or call 800.366.2104
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**DEVOTIONS FROM HISTORY

Ruthie Edgerly Oberg has spent the vast majority of the past 18
years as a stay-at-home mom raising kids ? but she says that now
that the children are getting ready to "launch out," she is too.

Oberg, who has been ordained with the Assemblies of God for several
years, has started a YouTube and Facebook project called "Devotions
from History," featuring 3-4 minute devotion clips. The devotions
can also be found on AGTV.

"Devotions from History is a daily (Monday through Friday) video
blog that takes a historical event from each day and brings out a
principle for Christian living from that event," Oberg says.

According to Oberg, Facebook and e-mail loop subscribers are
approaching 700 in just a few weeks. "The feedback has been very
encouraging," she says.

She has always shared stories from history with her children as part
of family devotions ? then had the idea to share the devotions with
others who might be interested.

"One day I took the main point of that day's story (Claudius becomes
emperor ­ January 25, 44 AD) and put it on my Facebook status. A
friend responded that she would love to hear more and so I remarked
that she should come for breakfast every morning and join the fun,"
Oberg says. "That got me thinking ? why couldn't I record these
stories and share them with others?"

That afternoon, she set up her Webcam and posted the first devotion
video on Facebook. After several encouraging responses, she kept
posting new videos each daily.

"At the beginning of each week, I Google the phrase 'today in
history' and search through Web sites to find a story for each day
of the week; research follows and then I add a life lesson to cap it
off. While the historical stories come from all kinds of sources
(I've done everything from John Wesley's failed marriage to the
opening of the first Kmart) I do try to give an emphasis on the
history of the Church," Oberg says.

Oberg says she has always loved the stories of history, particularly
that of the Christian church. The inspiration she found in reading
Foxe's "Book of Martyrs" as a young girl provided her with
encouragement and created a thirst to learn more about history.

"Yes, we must learn our Bible stories but we must also remember,
especially as Pentecostals, that the working of the Holy Spirit
through the events of time did not stop when the book of Acts
closed," Oberg says. "It continues on throughout history."

"It seems to me that, as a movement, evangelicalism has become so
fascinated with current culture that we are losing something
important by giving up our past. In our need to minister in a
changing and fluctuating world of postmodernism we are looking to
pop culture for so many of our lessons ­ our sermon series tend to
come from "Spiderman" and "The Matrix" ­ but we are neglecting a
treasure trove of heroes and illustrative principles that can be
found simply by pulling out a good history book and immersing
ourselves in the stories of our predecessors and how God worked in
and through them," she says.

"These were real people who knew a real God and it made a real
difference in history. What a loss it would be to raise a generation
that, like those that followed Joshua, "did not know the Lord nor
the deeds that He had done" (Judges 2:10). We lose these stories at
our own peril by not telling them."

Oberg says she also tries not to limit the devotions to just
Christian history to avoid the danger of isolating God only to the
religious world. "I want people to know that all of history is 'His
story' and we have something to learn from the lessons we find in
studying our past," she says. "His guiding hand can be seen in
everything from the reign of Thutmose III to the founding of the
Girl Scouts."

To view Oberg's "Devotions from History" videos, be sure to visit
her YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/ruthieoberg.
Videos can also be found by searching "Devotions from History" on
Facebook and on AGTV at http://agtv.ag.org/Devotions-from-History.

--Becca Hodge


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**GLOBAL INITIATIVE: REACHING MUSLIM PEOPLES

Islam has grown exponentially in the past decade, to the point where
nearly one out of every four living on the planet ? 1.4 billion
people ? is from a Muslim background.

Global Initiative: Reaching Muslim Peoples, formerly known as the
Center for Ministry to Muslims, is a new strategic and expanded
vision for ministry. With a team of workers who serve stateside and
overseas, directors Mark and Lynda Hausfeld want to initiate a fresh
desire among churches and Christians for reaching Muslims.

The Hausfelds served as workers in Pakistan from 1992 to 2000, then
as area directors for Central Eurasia for 8 1/2 years, overseeing 10
Muslim-majority countries where 500 million Muslims lived. Last
year, they began serving as directors of the Center for Ministry to
Muslims, now Global Initiative.

"Since 1984, the Center for Ministry to Muslims has done an
excellent job equipping the Church to reach Muslims," Mark explains.

Testimonies from national leaders from around the world have offered
thanks for what the ministry has done. But CMM team members recently
felt the organization needed to give the ministry a broader impact.

Jim Bennett, former director and now director of ministries for GI,
expressed a desire not only to further equip the church to reach
Muslims, but also to mobilize church planting teams around Muslim
people groups. This will add a new dimension.

"We've not focused on particular people groups of any religious
background," Hausfeld says. The idea of mobilizing teams will
clearly further the ministry.

After much prayer and planning, ministry leaders determined to
create Global Initiative as a larger venture encompassing CMM, with
a broader mission to further equip the church to reach Muslims and
mobilize church planting teams among Muslim peoples. With a new name
and a more comprehensive strategy, GI is expected to be more
effective. Though the ministry will continue to equip churches, the
new focus is to mobilize church planting teams.

Each of the six regions of AG World Missions, as well as U.S.
Missions, has identified unreached Muslim people groups within their
region. GI's goal is to help raise up, equip and train church
planting teams from the United States that will serve these Muslim
people groups. At the same time, they will continue training
nationals around the world.

This strategic plan has been birthed from an initiative called
Vision 5:9, in reference to the promise in Revelation 5:9 that
people from "every tribe and language and people and nation" (NIV)
will be saved. The GI team is collaborating with other evangelical
and Pentecostal parachurch and denominational agencies.

"These agencies are very excited about the initiative," Mark shares.
"Because of the presence and impact of AG missions around the world,
they've said, 'We want to collaborate with you.' And so we're doing
that with Vision 5:9."

With 10 training sites in various countries, GI is endeavoring to
increase mobilization of Christians around the world.

J. Dudley Woodbury of Fuller Theological Seminary, conducted a study
of 750 former Muslims from 50 different people groups and 30
different countries, asking each how they came to faith in Christ.

The first and most frequently stated reason was that they observed
the lifestyle of a true Christian.

"This is the most powerful witness to a Muslim, which is why we want
to mobilize church planting teams to unreached Muslim peoples,"
Hausfeld says.

Secondly, Muslims from Woodbury's study came to faith in Christ
because someone had given them a Bible in their own language.

"By reading the Scriptures and reading about the life of Jesus,"
explains Mark, "they began to sense that God's Word is the truth,"
Hausfeld says.

Thirdly, they experienced supernatural manifestations of God.

"As a Pentecostal people we believe in the miraculous today,"
Hausfeld says. "Signs, wonders and miracles, dreams and visions,
healings, deliverance, demons being cast out ? all of these things
have been a powerful witness to Muslims, confirming the truth of
God's Word."

Lastly, Muslims in the study accepted Christ because they observed
in the Scriptures that God is a God of love.

Clearly, God has been revealing himself and confirming His Word in
miraculous ways among Muslims today, Hausfeld says. Many are turning
to Christ, finding that He is the way, the truth and the life.

Everyone can have a part in reaching Muslim peoples, according to
Hausfeld. The strategic plan of Global Initiative cannot be
completed without people getting involved, starting with prayer.

"We need the church in the United States praying for Muslim peoples
like never before in history," Hausfeld says. GI has created a
prayer campaign, jumaaprayer.org (through
http://globalinitiativeinfo.com).

More workers are needed for the cause, Hausfeld says, citing Luke
10:2. "The Muslim harvest is now more open than it's ever been," he
says. "Muslims are coming to faith in Christ more than at any other
time in history. Now is the time to pray that the Lord of the
Harvest would send forth laborers."

It is important to pray for Muslim peoples not only overseas, but
also for Muslim neighbors living in American communities, Hausfeld
says. "Prayer will change the church and the Muslims we desire to
reach," he says.

Christians also need to support workers going to Muslim people
groups, he says, as these workers desperately need to raise their
budgets so they can get to the field of their calling. Other workers
need continual financial support while they are on the field.
Through giving, American Christians partner with those on the field,
Hausfeld says.

Hausfeld urges Christians to be open to the Spirit calling them to
go ? whether across the sea or across the street ? and share the
gospel with Muslim peoples.

"It's important for the local church to be aware of Muslims in their
own communities that they can reach," Hausfeld says.

There are an estimated 4 million to 5 million Muslims living in the
United States. GI provides Muslim awareness seminars and training
sessions to help people effectively reach Muslims in their own
community.

"We need a church that is praying for Muslims," Hausfeld says, "a
church that is willing to financially support workers who are
reaching Muslims, and a church that is willing to go to Muslims."

--Pentecostal Evangel


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**THIS WEEK IN AG HISTORY -- MARCH 15, 1947

³It will not be long before the Christian youth of today will be
succeeding the older generation.² General Superintendent Ernest S.
Williams voiced this fact in 1947 on ³Sermons in Song,² the weekly
Assemblies of God national radio broadcast that preceded
³Revivaltime.² Williams then offered a challenge to the youth of
1947 to ³(present) before the court of this world true Christian
character, firm in righteousness, founded upon a consecration that
is unshakable.²

The youth of 1947 served well and now are handing the baton of faith
to yet another generation. Williams¹ challenge is, perhaps, even
more relevant today than it was 53 years ago. He continued:

³Each era of history presents its challenge-each generation its
particular problem, unique in its magnitude. In this era of sordid
sin, disregard for God and the moral law, the breakdown of the home,
and pursuit of sensuous pleasure, Christian youth are needed who
will steadfastly resist the tide; who will cry aloud against the
evils of the day and spare not; who will be true ambassadors for
Christ in the business world and in social life?To be ambassadors
for Christ-what a fearful yet glorious calling!²

Read the rest of Williams¹ challenge to youth in the March 15, 1947,
issue of the "Pentecostal Evangel."

Also featured in this issue:

* ³Grace Abounding² by A. G. Ward

* ³Wet Wood Among the Saint² by Nelson E. Hinman, responding to the
question, ³Why is Pentecost not being repeated today?²

* ³Called to Suffer² by Amy Carmichael

And much more! Click here to read this issue now:
http://s2.ag.org/mar151947

"Pentecostal Evangel" archived editions courtesy of Flower
Pentecostal Heritage Center (http://iFPHC.org). For current editions
of the "Evangel", click here: http://pe.ag.org.


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