nmi.nazarene.orgnmi.nazarene.org/DP/Docs/IMEJ/2015/2015_IMEJ_Ltr.docx · Web viewGod’s Word and his ... She thought that someday she ... The large Bel Aire Nazarene church building

2015

International Mission Education Journal

Volume XXIX

Nazarene Missions International

www.nazarenemissions.org

International Mission Education Journal

Volume XXIX 2015

Lola Brickey

Global NMI Director

Lorie Beckum

IMEJ Editor

Jeanette Littleton

Mission Education Editor

If you translate the International Mission Education Journal into a language not already listed on the NMI site (www.nazarenemissions.org), please e-mail a copy to the NMI Office ([email protected]) with IMEJ in the subject line. Others around the world may benefit from your efforts.

Mission Education Credit

Use of the International Mission Education Journal counts annually as the mission publications and communications category of the mission education requirement for Mission Priority One (MPO). If you utilize the childrens portion and adapt the adult lessons for youth or if you include children and/or youth in the adult lessons, you could count that toward the children and youth requirement for MPO.

Scriptures quoted in the lessons from The Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, by the International Bible Society are used with permission by Zondervan Bible Publishers. Scriptures from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA are used by permission. All rights reserved.

Nazarene Missions International

Church of the Nazarene

Global Ministry Center

17001 Prairie Star Parkway Lenexa, KS 66220 United States of America

CONTENTS

ADULT AND YOUTH CURRICULUM

Living MissionThe Unstoppable Church

IntroductionLesson/Cause Overviews: The Unstoppable Church4

Lesson 1Promise of the Holy Spirit: The Vision Fulfilled8

Lesson 2God Builds His Church11

Lesson 3God Transforms Lives15

Lesson 4Spirit-Filled Believers: The Church Grows18

Lesson 5Prayer Transforms Communities21

Lesson 6Prayer: A Force that Reaches the World24

Lesson 7God Still Uses Miracles27

Lesson 8The Holy Spirit Enables30

Lesson 9Courageous Leaders Plant Churches33

Lesson 10Believers Persevere in Persecution36

Lesson 11The Church Advances Through Challenges39

Lesson 12Even Ravens Help in Building Gods Kingdom 42

Cause 1Steadfast: Suffering for Christs Sake47

Cause 2Sacrifice: The Cost of Discipleship57

ResourcesLesson Activity Handouts, Information Sheets, CAUSE Handouts and Activities68

CHILDRENS CURRICULUM

Lesson 1Eurasia115

Lesson 2Armenia118

Lesson 3Ukraine120

Lesson 4Bulgaria125

Lesson 5Italy129

Lesson 6Albania133

Lesson 7Israel137

Lesson 8France141

Lesson 9Germany144

Lesson 10The Netherlands147

Lesson 11India152

Lesson 12Bangladesh155

ADULT/YOUTH CURRICULUM

Living MissionThe Unstoppable Church

Lesson/Cause Overviews

Jesus called us to follow His example. Through His teaching He modeled a lifestyle of care for all people and calls us to do the same. Living Mission informs, inspires, and involves you and others in your church for Gods global mission.

Lesson 1: Promise of the Holy Spirit: The Vision Fulfilled

We need to become more aware of Gods heart for the nations and his vision to build his church.

God calls and prepares us to fulfill his vision through the power of the Holy Spirit. We must be willing to answer Gods call to be filled with the Holy Spirit and share his vision for the world.

Lesson 2: God Builds His Church

As we become aware of ways that God is building His Church through stories from Argentina, Bulgaria and Guatemala City, we learn what Christs promise, I will be with you, in his Great Commission means for the ministry of our local congregation.

Lesson 3: God Transforms Lives

Through reading the Book of Acts we realize that God wants to transform lives. God uses radically transformed lives and holy boldness to grow his Church. We want to embrace the Holy Spirits transformation in our own lives so that he can use us for his glory.

Lesson 4: Spirit-filled Believers: the Church Expands

Hear the life story of Susan Fitkin and learn of her enthusiasm and love for the lost around the world which has resulted in many missionaries and financial resources helping to expand the church. Susan Fitkin stands as an example of how the Spirit-filled church of Jesus Christ is indeed unstoppable.

.

Lesson 5: Prayer Transforms Communities

Learn how important prayer was for the early church and realize that prayer changes things. Develop a prayer group that will focus on global needs as well as local concerns and become prayer warriors.

Lesson 6: Prayer: A Force that Reaches the world

Realize that praying for missionaries and church leaders is very important. Understand that our prayer and support of World Mission Broadcast ministries brings the message of Jesus Christ to many people. Be challenged to commit to pray daily for world evangelism for the next six months.

Lesson 7: God Still Uses Miracles

Understand that God is at work in the world and sometimes acts in extraordinary ways. Grow in enthusiasm for meeting for worship and passion for faithfulness to the body of Christ. Pray that Nazarene churches everywhere will be unstoppable in confronting evil and combating the results of evil.

Lesson 8: The Holy Spirit Enables

Experience how God powerfully intervenes in this world in ways that demonstrate his ultimate sovereignty over all things. Discover Gods plan for us to reach across cultural and language boundaries to people in ethnic minority groups in our community. Plan to give joyfully to meet the needs of believers in other countries.

Lesson 9: Courageous Leaders Plant Churches

Desire to be spiritually vibrant, have a passion for God and compassion for lost people. Realize that all Nazarene congregations should be planting other churches from the start and begin to learn how to plant churches from others examples.

Lesson 10: Believers Persevere in Persecution

Learn to be fearless in our witness for Christ. Allow God to love you so that you can tell others that God can change their hearts and help us to love others into the kingdom. Develop a plan to help your church become active in witnessing in your community.

Lesson 11: The Church Advances Through Challenges

Understand that the Church of the Nazarene is growing in many parts of the world. Realize that God will always build his church, and we can have the amazing privilege of being involved. Embrace discipleship and training as necessary for those who commit to follow Christ.

Lesson 12: Even Ravens Help in Building Gods Kingdom

Determine to be a follower of Christ, helping to build his church, no matter the cost. Learn what makes the church unstoppable. Create a plan that will help your local church to be unstoppable in its witness for Jesus Christ both locally and globally.

Causes

Cause 1: Steadfast: Suffering for Christs Sake

Christians have always been persecuted from the beginning days of the early Church and throughout the centuries. Yet, according to the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Christians are the most persecuted group in the world today. More Christians were martyred in the twentieth century than in all previous centuries combined. The commission estimates that more than 200 million Christians are being persecuted worldwide. The first Cause will help your group learn more about persecution past and present. They will see the history of persecution from biblical days, learn what the Bible says about it, and begin to learn about persecution in our world now.

Cause Week 1Does Persecution Exist?

Cause Week 2Old Testament Teachings on Persecution

Cause Week 3New Testament Teachings on Persecution

Cause Week 4A Brief History of Persecution

Cause Week 5Types of Persecution

Cause Week 6Levels of Persecution

Cause Week 7Why are Christians Persecuted?

Cause Week 8Contrasting Approaches to Persecution

Cause Week 9Response to Persecution

Cause 2: Sacrifice: The Cost of Discipleship

The second Cause will give your group members more information about persecution and encourage them to think about what this means in their own lives now, and what it may mean to them in the future as they follow Christ.

Cause Week 1Simulating an Underground Church Service

Cause Week 2Be Informed

Cause Week 3Be a Voice and Advocate

Cause Week 4The Road to Christian Maturity

Cause Week 5Prepare for Possible Persecution

Cause Week 6Total Commitment

Cause Week 7The Motives Beyond the Fears

Cause Week 8Remaining Steadfast

Cause Week 9Make Lifestyle Changes

The Unstoppable Church

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Acts 1:8

Welcome to the fifth year of NMIs mission education materials, Living Mission and the twenty-ninth year of the edited version of Nazarene mission curriculum, the International Mission Education Journal, edited in honor and memory of Wanda Knox, missionary to Papua New Guinea. Thank you for leading your people to understand, experience, and in turn, live out their call to Gods mission at home and around the world.

IMEJ curriculum is intended to assist you in preparing meaningful learning experiences. Feel free to adapt the information and the order or length of the lessons to fit the unique needs of your people.

Living Mission provides a Web site, www.livingmission.com, where you will find a store to purchase downloadable English language versions of everything included in the LM resource. Plus, NMI will post new resources that will add to the materials in the packet throughout the year. At the bottom of the web page you can click on Freebies to access missions education material in English. For previous years IMEJ missions lessons in Spanish, Portuguese, French and Thai languages: www.nazarenemissions.org/10068/story.html

Dont forget to visit the Living Mission Facebook group page, where discussions take place between mission education leaders just like you about ways to present the lessons materials. https://www.facebook.com/groups/104428492923551/

We hope that the material in IMEJ--Living MissionThe Unstoppable Church will inform, inspire, and involve your people to be part of Gods unstoppable church.

Pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonheoffer said, When Christ calls a man, he calls him (to) come and die.

Jesus said, If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. (Luke 9:23b-24, nasb).

When was the last time following Christ cost me anything? When did it cost you something?

The early church that we read about in the book of Acts reveals people who gave everything to follow Jesus. They lived in community, they shared life and belongings, and they had great faith that increased as they experienced miracles right before their eyes. They also faced opposition and even persecution, yet the message of their Savior proved unstoppable and the church grew.

Today, we hear about similar experiences that the first century brothers and sisters described in Acts. Through the ministries of Nazarene missionaries and national leaders, we find great stories of triumph, even in areas that are often hostile toward Christianity.

IMEJ--Living MissionThe Unstoppable Church will introduce you to Nazarenes who are courageous as they follow Jesus. For example, meet Andrew:

A district superintendent (DS) in Papua New Guinea (PNG), Andrew has experienced many difficult times. In early 2013, men armed with AK47s approached him and his family, hit his wife, tried to shoot her in the face, and attempted to assault his daughters. Through it all, this Nazarene DS has maintained a firm, quiet faith in God. (Asia-Pacific Region)

Next, meet Sergei and Irina. In 2010, the Church of the Nazarene sent Russian Missionaries Sergei and Irina Talalay to begin an addiction ministry in the former Soviet nation of Moldova. The work is now very successful with Bible studies, worship services, an active childrens ministry, and ministry to people suffering with addictions. (A short video highlighting the work in Moldova can be viewed and downloaded on the Nazarene Media Library: http://medialibrary.nazarene.org/media/wef-opened-moldova.)

In Africa, after years of civil war, the country of Sudan split to make two countries, North Sudan and South Sudan. The Church of the Nazarene is strong and growing in South Sudan, the country that is more open to the Christian faith. However one local church is limited to worshiping in small houses. There is no space, and visitors are unlikely to stand outside to worship since the overall climate toward people who practice faiths other than the traditional, indigenous faith is not well accepted. Yet Nazarene leaders in Sudan are not afraid and are boldly asking and believing in God to provide land where a church can be built. South Sudan Nazarenes say, Many people will come if there is a building and the people dont have to stand outside.

The churches in South Sudan, Papua New Guinea, Moldova, and hundreds of other locations dont let guns like AK47s, difficult ministries, hostile groups, or many other obstacles limit what God can and will do. Gods Word and his church are as alive and growing today as they were in the Book of Acts.

Now, as you turn to the lessons, thank you for leading your people to grow in their knowledge of Gods work around the world through Nazarene missions. Thank you for helping them see that through them, Gods Word and his church will continue to grow, and will be unstoppable.

LESSON 1: Promise of the Holy Spirit: The Vision Fulfilled

PURPOSE

Become aware of Gods heart for the nations.

Learn that God calls and prepares his followers to fulfill his vision through the power of the Holy Spirit

Be willing to answer Gods call to be filled with the Holy Spirit and share his vision for the world.

Preparation

Use this lesson creatively. Choose songs about commitment to follow Christ and his mission in the world. You can sing several songs together, throughout the service, and/or as special music.

1. Ask someone to do a live Skype (instructions for Skype are on the Living Mission website) and interview one of the following people:

a.A missionary (one who has visited your church or your assigned LINKS missionary)

b.A Missions Corps volunteer

c.Your district NMI president

d.A member on a Work & Witness trip

e.A national leader with whom someone in your church is familiar

f.A young person studying to become a missionary

2. Print enough copies for each person in your group of the Handout and Take-Away Sheets for Lesson 1, found in the Resources at the end of the Adult lessons. Be sure to have pencils or pens available, as well as Bibles to read the Scripture verses.

3. For the opening prayer, ask the person praying to focus on Gods heart for the nations. Open our eyes could be the theme of the prayer (in the spirit of 2 Kings 6:17 where we see Elisha praying for the Lord to open the eyes of his servant so he could see protective angels).

4. Write the following Scripture verses on a poster or chalkboard:

Joel 2:28-29

Acts 1:8

Presentation

SCRIPTURE TO BE READ ALOUD

Joel 2:28-29

Acts 1:8

Ask for thoughts about what these verses mean for world evangelism.

In Peters Acts 2 sermon, he puts together this passage from the Old Testament prophet Joel with Christs command/promise in Acts 1:8. The fulfillment of both passages that began on the day of Pentecost continues today.

SONG SUGGESTIONS

So Send I You by Grace Made Strong, Margaret Clarkson

Holy Spirit, Living Breath of God, Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

Ill Go Where You Want Me to Go, Carrie E. Rounsefell, Charles E. Prior, and Mary Brown

Weve a Story to Tell to the Nations, H. Ernest Nicol

Solo: From the Rising of the Sun, Stephen P. Smith

Note: People sometimes misunderstand the lyrics of this song to only mean all day long, from dawn to dusk. The biblical reference clearly means from the farthest east to the farthest west . If you use this song, have people note especially verse two.

(Sing similar songs in your own language.)

FASCINATING FACTS:

Nazarene coffee shops are being used as outreach tools in countries such as Poland, Denmark, and Great Britain.

Nazarenes in Thailand actively combat the sex trade that exploits young children

MISSIONS STORIES

Missions Story No. 1

A young pastor in Myanmar (MYAHN-mahr) named Robin Seia (SAY-uh) had a vision for churches in his country to call believers to a life of holiness. He thought some further theological study would help him..

The door opened for him to study at Fuller Theological Seminary in Los Angeles, California. Because the seminary campus is near Pasadena First Church of the Nazarene, Robin began attending services there. He found himself at home theologically with Nazarenes, saying, I was a Nazarene all along; I just didnt know it. He joined the Church of the Nazarene and, after seminary graduation, returned to Myanmar to start the Church of the Nazarene. Today he is superintendent of the Myanmar districts twenty-three Nazarene churches.

The vision Robin Seia had as a young man is coming true.


The promise in the book of Joel, of the Spirit being poured out on all people and of young men seeing visions came true in Kosovo (KOH-soh-voh). The first Nazarene congregation in Kosovo was pastored by seventeen-year-old Selim (say-LEEM).

Selim had come to the Lord at fifteen years of age. Two years later, when missionaries left unexpectedly, they handed him the keys to the building. Selim immediately became not just the keeper of the keys, but the pastor. He began to have a vision for a time when evangelical churches would be everywhere in Kosovo.

Now in his twenties, Selim is a dynamic, godly pastor. He is one fulfillment of Joels prophecy.


Through the prophet Joel, God promised his Spirit would be poured out on all people and that old men would dream dreams. That came true not long ago in Monclova (mohn-KLOH-vah), Mexico. There, a team from the Commission Unto Mexico group participated in the first Sunday service of a neighborhood church being planted in an assisted living home cared for by evangelicals.

The week before, the team had held a vacation Bible school for neighborhood children on the grounds of that home for senior adults. The groups mobile medical team had held a clinic, and they had an afternoon soccer game.

More than one hundred people came to the first Sunday morning service of the new church. In the kitchen, fifty-four children watched The Story of Jesus for Children. In the adult service in the main room, when an invitation to accept Christ was given at the end of that service, seventeen people stepped forward to accept Christ.

Rarely are nursing homes the starting point for planting churches. It did happen, though, in Monclova. Spirit-filled older men do indeed dream dreams!

Source: Rev. Mark Ramsey and Howard Culbertson

Discussion

What are your thoughts about these three missions stories and the visions that God gave to these people?

What examples of commitment to follow Christ did you notice?

How do you think you would respond to a new vision that God might give you (applying it to your own situation)?

What aspects of your life would need to change to answer Gods call?

ACTIVITIES

Give Lesson 1 Handouts to each person. Read and work through the exercises together. Discuss the questions.

CALL TO ACTION

.

Urge people to subscribe (free!) to Engage via e-mail. The URL is

Option: Each year NMI produces six missions books. Ask someone ahead of time to read and report on one of them. Get them to tell just one story rather than summarize the whole book. (If the books are not yet in your language, ask someone to translate them and contact [email protected] to share the translations with others in the church.)

Develop an outline of a training session that would help your congregation, especially newer Nazarenes, to understand the structure of the Nazarene denomination, especially Global Mission and NMI, who have the responsibility for world evangelism (consider Acts 1:8).

Discuss: What are the steps your church would need to take to start a ministry in a senior care center or with elderly people who are unable to attend church?

DISTRIBUTE TAKEAWAY 1

CLOSING PRAYER

Pray that the church will be unstoppable in its efforts to start church planting movements

in unreached people groups such as the Wolof (WOH-lof) people in Senegal (seh-nih-

GAHL), the largest people group in the country.

Check this week's Prayer Mobilization Line as well as

the PML Facebook page www.Facebook.com/NMIPrayer for one or more prayer requests. Write these

requests on a poster or blackboard so that people will remember to pray.

LESSON 2: God Builds His Church

PURPOSE

Become aware of ways that God is building His Church in Argentina, Bulgaria and Guatemala City

Learn what Christs promise, I will be with you in his Great Commission means for the ministry of our local congregation

.

Preparation

1.Ask your churchs worship leader to occasionally use missions songs in regular worship gatherings. Check these two lists (and find similar songs in your own language):

Contemporary songs:

Classics: http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/classics.htm

2. Print enough copies for each person in your group of the Handout and Take-Away Sheets

for Lesson 2, found in the Resources at the end of the Adult lessons. Be sure to have pencils or pens available, as well as Bibles to read the Scripture verses.

3.Be creative, inspiring, and challenging as you present this material. Put together a small committee to brainstorm ways to connect with and engage the people of your congregation.

4.Do not let the reading of Scripture be a monotonous moment.. Make sure readers understand they are communicating a message from the Creator of the universe to his people.

Presentation

OPENING PRAYER

Make sure that whoever is going to pray understands that this time is focused on world evangelism. Emphasize that the prayer should center on global outreach. As a theme for this prayer, use Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven from the Lords Prayer. Clearly, it is Gods will that the gospel is preached to all people. So, as we pray the Lords Prayer, we are praying for world evangelism efforts.


Matthew 16:17-18

Matthew 28:18-20

Acts 11:18-21

What does Christs clear promise in Matthew 16:17-18 say about his church being unstoppable? In what ways does the book of Acts show that the Church cannot be stopped?

What does Christs promise I will be with you in his Great Commission (Acts 1:8) mean for the ministry of our particular congregation?

SONG SUGGESTIONS

Weve a Story to Tell to the Nations, H. Ernest Nicol

All Over the World, Martin Smith and Matt Redman

Jesus Shall Reign, Isaac Watts and John Halton

Solo suggestion: Go Light Your World, Chris Rice


FASCINATING FACTS

Not long ago, Nazarene work in Angola nearly doubled in one year. There are now 9,800 members in almost 200 Nazarene churches in this African country.

Around the world, the Church of the Nazarene networks with groups like the Bible League, an organization that one year gave the Church of the Nazarene 25,000 paperback New Testaments in Haitian Creole.

MISSIONS STORIES


God is indeed building his church. As he fulfills his promise, he uses some surprising ways.

One of those surprises occurred in Argentina where a Polish/Italian couple had emigrated from Italy with their children. While that couple was still struggling to learn Spanish, the father came home one evening to say there was a free circus nearby.

Excitedly, the family got dressed up to go. They arrived at a large tent that did promise free entry. However, rather than a circus, it was a Nazarene evangelistic campaign. That was disappointing to the immigrant family, but the father said that since they were dressed up, they might as well stay and enjoy whatever it was.

That immigrant couple didnt understand Spanish very well. Somehow, however, the Holy Spirit helped them understand the language, and when an invitation was given at the end of the service, that couple went forward to give their hearts to Jesus. Their son Bruno grew up to be an extraordinary evangelist and eventually South American regional director for the Church of the Nazarene. Currently, their grandson, Carlos Radziskewski (rahd-zihs-ZOO-skih), is a Nazarene missionary in the South America Region office.

God is indeed building his church. Something like a little language barrier is not going to stop it!


Jesus said, I will build my church. Indeed, he is building it.

Not long after the fall of the Soviet empire, Bulgarian businessmen who were not believers met with Dr. Hermann Gschwandtner (ehr-MAHN gehs-WAHNDT-ner) and asked the Church of the Nazarene to come to their country.

The church went in first as a compassionate ministry organization. In the second or third year, a Nazarene General Board member flew to Bulgaria to ask for government approval to register the denomination. He was told the Church of the Nazarene would never get permission to be registered because no new religious organizations were being approved. We already have too many different Christian denominations in Bulgaria, he was told.

Some thought the denomination should quit pouring resources into Bulgaria. Rather than pulling out, Mission Corps volunteers kept ministering to the needs of people, helping the elderly, playing with patients in a childrens cancer ward of a Sofia hospital, and visiting people in prison. They often had the feeling they were being followed by someone, but they just kept loving people and doing compassionate ministry.

One day, the leader of the group got a call from a government office, asking him to come in.

Weve been watching you, an official said. You are doing exactly what you said you would do when you applied to be here as a relief and development organization. We need religious groups like yours here!

Today, the Church of the Nazarene is officially registered with the Bulgarian government and has more than 400 Bulgarian members in more than 20 congregations.

God is building his church!

For more information, visit: http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/tape1.htm.


Guatemala City Nazarenes were preparing for the arrival of sixty Florida teenagers. The Florida youth were going to be matched up with people from seven local churches to do JESUS Film showings, neighborhood cleanup, VBS, and personal evangelism.

One site was a shantytown called El Gallito (ehl gah-YEE-toh). Because that area was the center for a drug cartel, missionary Carlos Radziskewski and a pastor went to ask for a police guard for the group.

The police at headquarters told them, We cannot protect you because we cannot go into El Gallito. The youth there are trained to kill us. For every policeman they kill, they tattoo a black dot on their hands.

As they left the police station, the pastor turned to Carlos and said tearfully, For six months we have been praying and fasting for this event.

Pastor, Carlos replied, unless God provides a way to protect our group, they cannot come.

The next morning the pastor telephoned Carlos. God has opened the door! he said. The cartel boss has promised protection!

Somewhat fearfully, Carlos went to see the man. Surrounded by bodyguards wielding machine guns, the drug lord assured Carlos that he was pleased to hear of the good things planned for El Gallito. The only condition he laid down was that the group could not disrupt drug sales.

Carlos agreed to the condition and, after much prayer, decided to send a group to El Gallito.

The project was a great success. Across the city, local churches were mobilized, schools were painted, parks were cleaned up, and they ministered to children. The one problem came on the fourth day when teams went out evangelizing.

Jos, who was from the shantytown church, told co-team leader Cristal: Evangelize door-to-door with the EvangeCube, but do not talk to the young men on the street corners.

Jos knew that the guys standing on the corners were selling drugs. Cristal was from Florida, but her Spanish seemed quite good. That day, however, she thought she heard Jos say not to go door-to-door but instead to evangelize on the street corners.

That evening, Cristal turned in more contact cards than anyone. She said the men standing on the street corners were ready listeners. After she went through the EvangeCube and invited them to pray a sinners prayer, many did so tearfully.

She said cars stopped to watch her sharing the gospel with an EvangeCube. When she said that, Carlos almost gasped. He knew those cars carried drug customers, not people coming to hear the gospel.

The next day the cartel boss and four bodyguards burst into the pastors house. Only the pastors teenage son was there.

Give your father this message, the drug boss said. You did not keep your end of the bargain. Yesterday we sold very little. I should be furious, but for some reason I am not. I have never seen such a brave church. I have never seen a church treat my people with love. To most Christians, we are just criminals. This week as your church helped our community, it also reached out to us. Your church can work freely in this neighborhood, and no one will bother you.

El Gallito congregation now has a freedom to minister, which they had never before felt. Three ex-drug dealers and their families have joined that congregation.

The church is indeed unstoppable.

Source: Robin Radziskewski, missionary in Argentina

ACTIVITIES


Ask someone to report on a story from Engage magazine or from a missionarys blog or newsletter. Here, for

example, is the blog of Andrew and Gina Pottenger, who serve in Europe:

http://thepottengers.blogspot.ch/p/about-us.html.

From a Chinese restaurant or Asian food store, buy Chinese egg rolls, crab rangoons, or almond cookies for everyone. If where you meet is not an appropriate place to consume food, hand out almond cookies at the end.

CALL TO ACTION

Discuss the ways the Holy Spirit is building the unstoppable church in your community.

The way Nazarenes in other cultures proclaim holiness can enrich the way we proclaim it. For instance, some

Italian pastors use illustrations from ancient Greek mythology to drive home the holiness message

. Do research on how holiness is presented in other

cultures.


CLOSING PRAYER

Pray that our multinational Nazarene global missionary force will be unstoppable in outreach and discipleship ministries.

Check this week's Prayer Mobilization Line and the PML Facebook page for one or more prayer requests.

LESSON 3: God Transforms Lives

PURPOSE

To encourage people to read the Book of Acts to realize that God wants to transform lives

To understand that God uses radically transformed lives and holy boldness to grow his Church

To embrace the Holy Spirits transformation in ones own life

Preparation

1. As you go through this series, encourage people to read the Book of Acts completely. Do not give them the whole year to do it (that would be only a half chapter per week). Instead, challenge people to read two chapters per day in a two-week period you choose. At the end, celebrate in some way those who successfully complete the reading.


3. Create a team to plan and organize special world evangelism events. Dont try to do it alone.

4. Be creative in encouraging audience participation

Presentation

OPENING PRAYER

Remind whoever is praying that this is not to be a generic prayer for any event. This time is about world

evangelism. Therefore, this opening prayer might center on the words in 2 Peter 3:9 that the Lord does not want

anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

If you have video-projection capabilities, display this quote on a screen when that screen is not being used for

song lyrics or scripture readings: The church was born in prayer and will only do mission through prayer.

General Superintendent Emeritus Nina G. Gunter


Acts 2:46-47

Acts 5:14

Ask for comments on what these two verses seem to say about how the church cannot be stopped.

How did radically transformed lives cause this kind of growth? Did holy boldnessthe attitude expressed by the words in Acts 4:20: We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heardaffect this growth?

SONG SUGGESTIONS

Your Love Compels Me, Doug Holck

The Comforter Has Come, Francis Bottome

Ready, A. C. Palmer and Charles D. Tillman

Solo: What If I Give All? Ray Bolz and Mark Pay

(Choose similar songs in your own language)

FASCINATING FACTS

In a recent year, Nazarene work in Bangladesh grew by 50 percent. There are now more than 2,000 fully organized Nazarene churches in that South Asian country.

In the early 1950s, the Southwest Oklahoma district (USA) gave money to help build a church in Cuba. For decades, political tensions made visits to Cuba impossible for American citizens. In the summer of 2013, two Work & Witness teams from Southwest Oklahoma went to Cuba to help that same church construct a much larger building (source: Jim Cooper). When the year 2015 ends, more than seventy Work & Witness teams from thirty-eight Nazarene districts will have, by Gods grace, ministered in Cubaa country that for decades was closed to the outside world and especially to the Christian church.

MISSIONS STORIES


The Holy Spirit transforms people as they are added to the church. These are not people who have simply changed their minds themselves and embraced some new ideas. This is about radical transformation.

During World War II, Allied bombers were trying to make things difficult for German military forces occupying Italy. They disrupted transportation in and out of the large city of Naples. Very few food supplies were coming into the citys market areas. Families had to go to the edge of the city and buy directly from the farmers.

One day a lady left her apartment to go to the countryside to stock up on food for her family. There was one commuter train still working, and she decided to take it. That happened to be the day that Allied bombers were going to bomb that rail line.

As the airplanes flew over a section of that line, they dropped bombs on the rail line. Sadly, at that moment, the commuter train was passing the same spot.

That night a family in Naples received the news that a wife and mother would never be coming home again. She had died in that bomb attack.

Her seven-year-old son, Salvatore (sal-vah-TOHR-ee), vowed that day that he would hate Americans for the rest of his life and that he would do everything in his power to destroy the United States.

His determination is understandable. It was, after all, American bombs that had killed his mother.

He grew up very anti-American. He married a young lady named Milvia (MEEL-vee-ah), got a job in Florence, and moved there. He became active in a very anti-American communist labor union.

One of Milvias aunts passed away. That lady had had some connection with the Church of the Nazarene in Florence. At that point in time, the pastor of the Florence congregation was Bob Cerrato (say-RAH-toh), an American missionary. Hearing of the death, Rev. Cerrato went to the visit the family.

That day Salvatore Scognamiglio (skohn-yah-MEEL-yoh) answered the door. He could tell from Bob Cerratos accent that Bob was an American. We dont need you here, Salvatore told him.

Before the door closed, Bob Cerrato told Salvatore that hed like to sit down and talk with him some day.

Sometime later Salvatore told his family he was going out to buy cigarettes. When he returned, he was carrying a Bible rather than a carton of cigarettes. Amazingly, he had been to see the American missionary.

Salvatore attended a few services at the Nazarene church and before long was kneeling at the church altar, giving his heart to the Lord, under the ministry of a missionary whose home country he had vowed to hate and destroy. Not long after Salvatores conversion, he felt God calling him to full-time ministry. Today he pastors Civitavecchia (chee-VEE-tah-VEHK-yah), one of the strongest Nazarene churches in Italy, and for twenty years was district superintendent.

Gods transforming work was evident.

ACTIVITIES


List the following countries on a poster, blackboard, or project them on a screen: Brazil, United States, India, Haiti, Mozambique.

Ask people to rank the listed countries in order of their Nazarene membership. These may be wild guesses for

the most part. If no one gets all five in correct order, celebrate whoever comes closest.

Answers: 1. United States 2. Mozambique 3. Haiti 4. Brazil 5. India

Check the size of Nazarene work in a particular country. If someone has a smartphone, have them go to the

URL and look up the statistics: .

Options:

a.Ask someone to report on a story from Engage magazine or from a missionarys blog, newsletter, or website. For instance, check out Donnie and Erin Millers blog from France: http://millermissioncorps.wordpress.com/>.

b.Ask someone ahead of time to read and report on one of the missions books.

FOOD SUGGESTION

See if you can find chocolate-covered Pocky Sticks to give out. This is a popular Japanese snack food sold online, or sometimes in local stores.

CALL TO ACTION

Discuss what your church can do to be part of the unstoppable church. Volunteer to work with the church board or missions council to develop a plan of action.


CLOSING PRAYER

Pray that the ministry of volunteer groups like Extreme Nazarene, JESUS Film teams, Work & Witness teams, and college mission trip teams will be unstoppable.

Check this week's Prayer Mobilization Line as well as the PML Facebook page for one or more prayer requests.

LESSON 4: Spirit-filled Believers: The Church Grows

PURPOSE

Learn the life story of Susan Fitkin and her enthusiasm and love for the lost around the world which has resulted in many missionaries and financial resources helping the church to grow.

Susan Fitkin stands as an example of how the Spirit-filled church of Jesus Christ is indeed unstoppable.

Preparation

1.This is a report on investments of prayer, time, and money.

2.Are there people connected to your church who are gifted artists? Ask them to design an advertisement publicizing your congregations involvement in unstoppable world missions. If you have three or four, consider making it a small art show.

3.Use the food suggestions. The more of our five senses you use, the more global the session will seem.


Presentation

OPENING PRAYER

This event has a specific focus: world evangelism. The opening prayer should center on that. Ask whoever is praying to express to the Lord our commitment to open our eyes and look at the harvest fields (John 4:35).


Acts 9:31

Acts 16:9-10

Acts 9 describes the church expanding out from Jerusalem, including to those awful Samaritans. Seven chapters later, Paul and his church-planting team are on the western edge of Turkey where Paul has a vision of a man from Macedonia (eastern Europe) pleading with Paul to come. Should this kind of Spirit-led expansion typify churches today?

SONG SUGGESTIONS

Spirit of the Sovereign Lord, Andy Park

Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord, Paul Baloche

A Cry from Macedonia, Fanny Crosby

(Use similar songs in your own language)

FASCINATING FACTS

Recently, Nazarene work in Benin (Africa Region) more than doubled in one year. There are now more than 40,000 members in Benins 870 Nazarene churches.

Nazarenes have always emphasized world outreach. The groups that merged in 1908 to form the Church of the Nazarene were already at work in seven countries: Canada, Cabo Verde, Cuba, Guatemala, India, Japan, and Mexico.

MISSIONS STORIES


From a young age, Susan Norris, who was born in Quebec in 1870, thought about being a missionary. As a small girl, she witnessed some First Nation (Indian) workers fighting at her fathers lumber camp. When she returned home, she asked why the men were so mean.

Susans mother explained that liquor sometimes makes people behave like that.

If it makes them mean, why do they drink it? Susan asked.

I guess they don't know Jesus, replied her mother.

Someone should tell them about him, responded young Susan.

A burden for spiritually lost people took root in Susan. She thought that someday she would be a missionary. Then at the age of fourteen, she became very ill. She spent most of the next two years in bed. Diagnosing her with cancer, the doctors predicted Susan would not live very long.

During that time, she had a dream about Christs second coming. She was happy until she saw that many people would not be going to heaven. When she woke up, a voice seemed to quote Mark 16:15 to her: Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

Susan assumed that God was calling her to be a missionary preacher. However, when she eventually applied to be a missionary, she was turned down because of her health problems. That rejection was puzzling to her. Then, one day, words from Ezekiel 3:5 jumped out at her: You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange language . . . .

Those words were, of course, God talking to the prophet Ezekiel about his own call. That day, however, Susan Norris felt God speak to her through them to say his call to her was not to a foreign land. Still, she wondered why she felt a passion for evangelizing unreached people groups.

While studying at a Bible college, Susan felt God heal her. After graduation, she became pastor of a church in Vermont. Not long afterwards, she met her future husband, Abram Fitkin. The young couple became an evangelistic and church-planting team. The passion for world evangelism, however, never left Susan. She spoke often about the lost around the world and the need to take care of missionaries.

Susans small denomination allowed her to form a missions promotion society. When her denomination joined with two other small groups to form the Church of the Nazarene in 1908, it was strange that no move was made to establish a missionary support system.

Disappointed, Susan worked quietly to establish a missions support system for eight years. Finally, in 1915, what is now NMI was formed, and Rev. Susan Norris Fitkin became its first general president. That was a position she would hold for twenty-nine years.

The next year, the Fitkins son, who had professed a call to the mission field, died unexpectedly. Susan and the family wished to establish a memorial in his name. When they became aware of the need for a medical facility in Swaziland, they provided the funds for a hospital that bears the sons name: Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital.

During her long tenure as mission society president, Susan Fitkin visited Nazarene mission fields all over the world. One reason she could do that was because she paid most of her travel expenses from her husband's successful business.

Susan Fitkin was a woman of prayer as well as a great organizer. Those two gifts enabled her to help Nazarene global outreach survive the Great Depression. Susan continuously fed missions information to Nazarenes from her own travels and from the many letters she exchanged with missionaries. She asked American families to give to missions even during economic struggles. This kept missions alive. She encouraged believers by repeatedly saying things like, We never test the resources of God until we attempt the impossible for him.

Susan Fitkin never realized her early dream of being a foreign missionary. However, in his 1985 history book about Nazarene missions, Mission to the World, Fred Parker credits this remarkable lady with helping send out 1,763 as missionaries (the total number of career missionaries that had served under the Church of the Nazarene through 1985). Her enthusiasm and love for the lost around the world has born much fruit in missionaries and financial resources.

Susan Fitkin stands as an example of how the Spirit-filled church of Jesus Christ is indeed unstoppable.

ACTIVITIES


If someone in your group or church has gone on a missions trip and seen the Holy Spirit powerfully at work, have them tell about that event.

FOOD SUGGESTION

Is there an ethnic food store, such as a Mediterranean deli, near you? If so, purchase some baklava (also

spelled baqlawah) or other sweets for people to sample. Or provide some food from another culture.

CALL TO ACTION

Make a list of the advantages that religious freedom provides for people in your own country.

Discuss which of these advantages are not available for people living in other countries.

Pray and fast during the next month for those who are limited in religious freedom.


CLOSING PRAYER

Pray that coffee shop ministries run by Western European Nazarenes will bear much fruit.


LESSON 5: Prayer Transforms Communities

PURPOSE

Learn how prayer was most important for the early church

Realize that prayer changes things

Develop a prayer group that will focus on global needs as well as local concerns and become prayer warriors

Preparation

1.If all you have is a missions moment or small group meetings, include the Fascinating Facts in the lessons in your congregations worship folder or newsletter.

2.If you teach your group an unfamiliar missions song, use that same song again in the following two or three sessions so they can learn it well.

3.Print enough copies for each person in your group of the Handout and Take-Away Sheets for Lesson 5, found in the Resources at the end of the Adult lessons. Be sure to have pencils or pens available, as well as Bibles to read the Scripture verses.

Presentation

OPENING PRAYER

Clearly remind whoever is praying the opening prayer that this event is centered on world evangelism. This is

not a time for a generic prayer that could be prayed on any occasion.

Focus this opening prayer on the words of Luke 10:2b: Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out

workers into his harvest field.


Colossians 4:2-4

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Acts 4:31

Prayer was certainly a key element for the early church. Paul mentions prayer often in his letters, while Acts 4:23-31 describes a very powerful prayer meeting. Prayer is important today for the unstoppable church.

SONG SUGGESTIONS

Come Holy Spirit, John W. Peterson

Ancient of Days, Jamie Harvill and Gay Sadler

A Worldwide Revival, Leila Naylor Morris

Days of Elijah, Robin Mark


FASCINATING FACTS

Work and Witness teams have extensively repaired or completely rebuilt all of the Nazarene church buildings in Haiti damaged by the 2010 earthquake.

David Livingstone, pioneer missionary and explorer in Africa, died on his knees in prayer.

The Eurasia region spans fourteen time zones, three continents, and includes hundreds of different languages and people groups.

MISSIONS STORIES


Prayer really does change things.

Sister Elizabeth pastors the Church of the Nazarene in the Paradise neighborhood of Manizales (mah-nee-ZAH-lehs), Colombia. A hideout for thieves, assassins, and drug dealers, the neighborhood had become anything but Paradise. Indeed, it became so dangerous that taxi drivers refused to go into that neighborhood. They would say, You may go in, but you probably wont come back out. Even the police were reluctant to enter the neighborhood unless they went in as a heavily armed group.

If, for instance, you wanted to visit the church, you would let church members know you were coming. A taxi would drop you off four blocks away where church members would be waiting to escort you to the church building.

Pastor Elizabeth began dreaming of a time when there would be few criminals in the neighborhood and drugs would no longer be sold openly. She believed that the gospel was powerful enough to change not only a few dangerous people but the whole neighborhood as well.

Under her leadership, the church began two regular events. They call one the Mountain of Prayer. The reason is that, not far from the church building, there is a small mountain overlooking the whole neighborhood. Every morning at 5:00, the people of the churchchildren, young people, and adultsgather on that small mountain to pray over their neighborhood. Each day before sunrise, Nazarenes in the Paradise neighborhood intercede for their church and neighborhood.

The second event is a parade on the first Saturday of every month. On that day, church people march through the neighborhood singing choruses, praying, inviting people to visit church services, and talking to them about a changed life with Jesus.

God has responded to the prayers of his people. Criminal behavior and drug dealing are now almost nonexistent in the neighborhood. The church has grown, and because of changed lives and the powerful testimonies of believers, the church and the pastor are highly respected.

For a long time, the Church of the Nazarene was the only church in the whole neighborhood. Observing the changes going on, the Roman Catholic church decided it would open a ministry there to meet spiritual needs of the neighborhood. To that end, a house was rented and two student priests moved in.

One day, one of those young priests became very ill. Doctors tried everything they could think of, but he did not get better. Finally the young priest sent for Pastor Elizabeth. Pastor, he said, please pray for me. I know when you pray for sick people, God answers.

She laid hands on the young man, anointed him with oil, and prayed. The Lord answered that prayer, and the young man was healed.

The following Sunday morning, the young priest went by the Church of the Nazarene to thank Pastor Elizabeth for her part in the miracle that God had worked in him. She invited him to stay for the worship service and share his testimony. He declined, saying he might get in trouble with his superiors.

Just like stories in the book of Acts, God has marvelously transformed the Paradise community. Pastor Elizabeth simply says, When the light arrives, the darkness disappears.

ACTIVITIES


For more information on Nazarene missions giving, read 2013-14 NMI reading book Giving That Transforms

Kindle edition: .

Ask someone ahead of time to be prepared to share something from a missionary newsletter or blog. As an

example, check out Gary and Penny Sidles blog page about their missionary ministry in Africa:

.

Ask someone ahead of time to read and report on one of the NMI missions books.

FOOD SUGGESTION

Serve Colombian coffee, which is world famous. For a sweet touch, serve flan or bread pudding, both popular desserts in Colombia.

CALL TO ACTION

Volunteer to start a prayer group that will focus on global needs as well as local concerns.

Challenge the prayer group to pray for people to be saved, both locally and globally. Challenge them to become

prayer warriors for world evangelism.


CLOSING PRAYER

For this session, put all the requests from this weeks Prayer Mobilization Line and recent ones from the PML Facebook page on separate slips of paper. Divide up these slips of paper so everyone gets at least one to take home with them.

[The person] who mobilizes the Christian church to pray will make the greatest contribution to world evangelization. Andrew Murray, South African minister and author (1828-1917)

LESSON 6: Prayer: A Force That Reaches the World

PURPOSE

Realize that praying for missionaries and church leaders is very important

Understand that our prayer and support of World Mission Broadcast ministries brings the message of Jesus Christ to many people

Be challenged to commit to pray daily for world evangelism for the next six months

Preparation

1.Do not let the young people in your congregation be spectators! Enlist young people and even older elementary children to read scripture, pray, lead music, give the Fascinating Facts, or even tell the stories.

2.Have you considered doing the Skype interview suggested in Session 1?


Presentation

OPENING PRAYER

When people pray in public, they may not pray specifically for missions. Insist to whomever is praying the opening prayer that s/he focus on our wish to be involved in world evangelism. Suggest that on this occasion s/he asks the Lord to burn into our hearts the vision of Revelation 7:9a: After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.


Consider using different voices to read these passages. Choose your best readers.

Philippians 1:19

Romans 1:9-10

1 Timothy 2:1-4

Ephesians 6:19-20

What insights do these passages give to the subject of prayer, particularly to prayer for world evangelism efforts?

SONG SUGGESTIONS

A Worldwide Revival, Leila Naylor Morris

Take My Life, Frances Havergal

Solo: A Missionary Cry, A.B. Simpson and James Burke


FASCINATING FACTS

Nazarene work in Lesotho (luh-SOH-toh) tripled in a recent year. There are now 5,315 Nazarenes in Lesotho in 139 churches and preaching points.

The first Church of the Nazarene in the northwest area of Zambia (ZAM-bee-uh) was started in Chavuma (chah-VOO-mah). Today, the Chavuma Zone is the most giving zone on the Northwest Zambia District. Source: Marquita Hazlip Mosher, Nazarene missionary

The large Bel Aire Nazarene church building in central Port-au-Prince was mostly undamaged in the 2010 earthquake that leveled thousands of buildings around it and killed at least 250,000 people. Heart to Heart International turned space inside the undamaged Bel Aire building into an important medical station for central Port-au-Prince. Work & Witness teams had helped with the safe construction of that building.

MISSIONS STORIES


While serving in Italy, Barbara Culbertson narrowly escaped what could have been a severe injury from an electrical short circuit involving a washing machine.

A couple of weeks later, Barbara received a letter from a believer in the U.S. asking if anything special had been going on at a specific time on a certain day. The person writing said she had awakened from sleep in the night and had felt strongly directed by the Holy Spirit to pray right then for Barbara Culbertson in Italy.

Italy is seven hours ahead of the time zone where that lady lived in the United States. So, though it was in the middle of the night for the American woman, it was the middle of the morning in Italy, and it was the exact day and time when Barbara came into contact with that 220-volt electrical current.

Praying for missionaries is important.


In Creative Access countries, Nazarene church workers have a difficult task. They carefully try to minister without disturbing government authorities. While doing those things that make them faithful to Gods call, they also try to respect governmental laws and regulations.

Here is a story from one of those areas by Nazarene General Superintendent Emeritus Stan Toler.

I ordained a man whom we will call Chen (not his real name). Some years ago Chen was trying to tune in to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) when he ran across a station that was teaching about Gods love. Since he could not find the BBC, he decided to listen to that station broadcasting the Word of God.

Captivated by what he heard, in the weeks that followed, Chen listened over and over again to that same station. Eventually, he responded to an invitation to give his heart to the Lord. He says that when he accepted Jesus as his Savior he had so much peace and joy.

Chen wrote to the radio station for guidance. Later, he met face-to-face with leaders of the Church of the Nazarene in his country. Discipleship and then ministerial training followed.

Living a life transformed by the Holy Spirit, Pastor Chen has become a fruitful church planter. He started twenty underground churches in a gospel-resistant area. Over the years he has been imprisoned several times for his faith and has even suffered beatings.

Pastor Chens story, and those of other pastors like him, speaks of courage, humility, and grace. His story reminds us that the truly Spirit-filled church is unstoppable. It also reminds us that our prayerful support of World Mission Broadcast ministries pays great dividends.

ACTIVITIES


Prayer Pledge Sheets

a. Distribute prayer pledge sheets and challenge people to sign them and turn them in.

b. Within the week, write people a note or an e-mail, thanking them for their willingness to pray.

c. Every two months send them another message, reminding them of their pledge to pray.

FOOD SUGGESTION

Nutella is a brand of hazelnut chocolate spread that originated in Italy. Manufactured by an Italian company, it is now sold around the world. Bring enough Nutella to your meeting to spread on crackers or pieces of bread for everyone. Many children love to eat Nutella!

CALL TO ACTION

Sign the prayer pledge that challenges you to commit to praying daily for world evangelism for the next six

months. Prayer has been an NMI core objective from its earliest days.

Wilma Browning was a member of the Church of the Nazarene in eastern Oklahoma. She never went on a missions trip. Though she gave faithfully in world missions offerings, her income level never put her in the top tier of givers. Wilma Browning did, however, contribute significantly to the cause of world evangelism through her prayer life. She kept a prayer list of missionaries and prayed for each one of them by name every day. In the case of Barbara and Howard Culbertson, Wilma prayed for them by name every day for fifteen years before she ever met them. In fact, it was Wilma who was praying the day missionary Barbara Culbertson was nearly electrocuted.

The cause of world evangelism needs many more people like Wilma Browning.

Another Wilma, Wilma Lancaster, has had a lifetime of involvement in Nazarene Missions. As a local NMI council member and president, her quiet leadership modeled passion for the global mission of the church. And though she prayed for missions her entire life, raised funds, and helped many others participate in Work & Witness (W&W) projects, it was not until her eighty-sixth birthday when her family sent her to Quito, Ecuador on her first W&W trip. More than anything, it was nothing short of a God moment when Wilma Lancaster attended her first worship service in Quito. Tears welled up in her eyes and her face was aglow as she felt the presence of the Lord in worship with the people at Aposento Alto (Upper Room) Iglesia del Nazareno.

Like the two ladies named Wilma, make a commitment to pray for specific missions projects and missionaries and see what our God will do.


CLOSING PRAYER

Pray that efforts will be unstoppable in the parts of Africa where there is currently great response to the Gospel.

Check this week's Prayer Mobilization Line as well as the PML Facebook page for one or more prayer requests. Highlight these requests in a way that people will remember them.

LESSON 7: God Still Uses Miracles

PURPOSE

Understand that God is at work in the world and sometimes acts in extraordinary ways

Grow in enthusiasm for meeting for worship and passion for faithfulness to the body of Christ

Pray that Nazarene churches everywhere will be unstoppable in confronting evil and combating the resultsof evil

Preparation

1.Involve other people in reading Scripture, praying, leading music, and telling the stories. The more people you can involve, the better. Different voices up front will keep peoples attention. Involving people will awaken passion in them.

2.Think of creative ways to share the Fascinating Facts. Put them on poster board; project them on a screen; ask a child to read them; have young people carry them in as informational signs and walk around in the meeting.

3. Print enough copies for each person in your group of the Handout and Take-Away Sheets for Lesson 7, found in the Resources at the end of the Adult lessons. Be sure to have pencils or pens available, as well as Bibles to read the Scripture verses. Plan to use the Take-Away Sheet in the lesson.

Presentation

OPENING PRAYER

The person leading a group in prayer is expressing a prayer for everyone. Ask this person to concentrate on the theme of world evangelism, and ask the Lord to give us a fresh Macedonian vision (Acts 16:9-10).


Acts 8:6-7

Acts 19:11-12

Note: Some people have gotten caught up in the healing power of the cloths or wondering about the shrieks involving the evil spirits. Is that whats important here? Get people to focus their attention on the powerful intervention of God.

SONG SUGGESTIONS

All over the World, Terry Butler

Shine, Jesus, Shine, Graham Kendrick

Tell the Blessed Story, Haldor Lillenas

(Sing similar songs in your own language)

FASCINATING FACTS

Nazarene work in Nepal almost doubled in a recent year. There are now more than 4,000 Nazarenes in Nepal in fifty-eight organized churches and forty-five preaching points.

The first non-Western General Superintendent of the Church of the Nazarene, Dr. Eugenio Duarte, was born in the Cabo Verde Islands.

MISSIONS STORIES


God is at work in the world. Sometimes he acts in extraordinary ways. He did so in one of the Cabo Verde islands where Nazarene missionaries Everette and Lydia Howard were serving.

The Cabo Verde island of Fogo (fire) is basically a large volcano cone that still spews steam. Many years ago not one drop of rain fell on the island for five years. One small spring supplied some water, but there was not enough for everyone. People and animals were dying.

Pastors Ilido Silva (ee-LEE-doo SEEL-vah) and Luciano de Barros (loo-see-AH-noo jee BAH-hoos) had led Nazarene believers on the island to lives of deep devotion and faith. Indeed, every morning from four to five oclock, Nazarenes on Fire Island gathered for prayer.

At one of those early morning prayer meetings, as Pastor de Barros challenged people to pray that God would send water, he quoted Isaiah 41:17-18: The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs.

One man responded: Is this not a promise for us here on Fire Island? We are seeking water, and we are certainly up in high places.

With those thoughts they returned to their homes.

A little while later just after the sun had risen out of the ocean to the east, the settlement came alive with unusually loud talking, crying, shouting, and singing. Missionary Everette Howard wondered if someone had died.

No, Brother Howard, someone said, that is not how people act when someone dies. Those are expressions of joy. Lets go see what has happened.

What they saw was a fountain of water pouring out of the mountainsidepure, fresh water! It looked as if a city water main had broken. It seemed too good to be true, but it was real. Water was running everywhere.

Through the years that fountain has continued to flow. The government has even built a road to the spring. Fire Island has gone through other years of drought, but the fountain has produced water.

God answers prayers, and sometimes he answers with miracles. Source: Everette Howards writings


As the equipment was being set up for a JESUS Film showing in a village in Sri Lanka, dark clouds rolled in. When the film started to roll, lightning and thunder could be seen and heard in the distance. Many of the thirty-five Americans on the team began praying that rain would not disrupt the film showing.

In spite of those prayers, raindrops began to fall. The visiting team members continued to pray, asking God to stop the rain. Team member Rob North remembers praying, O Lord, please stop the rain. We are getting wet. Very few here have an umbrella. What if these people leave because of the rain?

When the film got to the crucifixion of Jesus, it began raining much harder. Even so, almost no one left.

What the visiting Americans did not know was that it had not rained in that area for three months. As a drought stretched from weeks into months, followers of the local traditional religion prayed to their gods, making sacrifices, wailing and crying out. In fact, earlier that same afternoon, village women had been in a temple beside that very square where the JESUS Film was being shown, pleading with their gods to send rain.

As rain poured down during Jesus crucifixion, the villagers began to realize something about this Jesus. After the film showing, they told the JESUS Film team that now they understood that Jesus is the God who hears and answers prayers. That evening, rather than rushing home to get out of the rain, the villagers stayed to watch the entire film about a God who sends rain and many gave their hearts to Christ.

Source: Karola Sikes and Ann Baldwin, members of NMIs Prayer Vision Journey 2012 to Sri Lanka and India

ACTIVITIES


Ask someone before the meeting to read and report on one of the NMI missions books.

FOOD SUGGESTION

Bring a variety of specialty cheeses (especially those that originated in other countries) along with toothpicks so people can sample small pieces of them.

CALL TO ACTION

In many places around the world, believers walk for hours, often in very cold or hot weather, to get to their place

of worship. Discuss this question in small groups: Do we have the same enthusiasm for meeting for worship and

passion for faithfulness to the body of Christ as they do?

Organize a team of people to visit homes in the neighborhood around the church. Invite people to your church.

Offer to pray for and/or with them. Be bold while you show love and grace.


CLOSING PRAYER

Pray that Nazarene churches everywhere will be unstoppable in confronting evil and combating the results of evil.


LESSON 8: The Holy Spirit Enables

PURPOSE

Realize that God powerfully intervenes in this world in ways that show his complete sovereignty over all things

Discover Gods plan for us to reach across cultural and language boundaries to people in ethnic minority groups in our community

Plan to give joyfully to meet the needs of believers in other countries

Preparation

If you have a whole service for the mission lesson, make sure everything focuses on world evangelism: the prayers, the Scripture readings, the songs, and the announcement time (announce future missions events in your local church and on the district).

Print enough copies for each person in your group of the Handout and Take-Away Sheets for Lesson 8, found in the Resources at the end of the Adult lessons. Be sure to have pencils or pens available, as well as Bibles to read the Scripture verses.

Presentation

OPENING PRAYER

Keep this opening prayer from being a general prayer that could be for any event. Remind whoever is praying that this prayer needs to focus on the world evangelism theme. The prayer should center on the early churchs willingness to give joyfully to meet the needs of believers in other countries (2 Corinthians 9:7).


Job 5:9

Acts 14:3

2 Timothy 1:7

SONG SUGGESTIONS

History Maker, Martin Smith

If Jesus Goes with Me, C. Austin Miles

Throw Out the Lifeline, Edwin Ufford


FASCINATING FACTS

Recently, Nazarene work in Pakistan grew by more than 50 percent in one year. There are now almost 25,000 members of the Church of the Nazarene in Pakistan in 450 fully organized churches.

The first Nazarene church in Jamaica was organized in 1966. Sir Clifford Campbell, Jamaica's first native Governor General and his wife were present at that organizational service. There are now thirty-three Nazarene churches in Jamaica.

MISSIONS STORIES


From time to time, God powerfully intervenes in this world in ways that demonstrate his ultimate sovereignty over all things. He did that on Mt. Carmel in the showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:16-46). Sometimes an event like that opens unbelievers eyes as to who Jehovah God is. It becomes an evangelistic event.

Unbelievers witness Gods powerful hand at work. These are called power encounters. Such power encounters happened periodically in biblical times. Think, for instance, of Daniel in the lions den or of Jesus casting out demons.

Divine power encounters did not fade away after the first century. They have continued to happen throughout Christian history. Such power encounters have included survival of fierce persecution, protection from demonic forces, healing, change of weather, and even dreams and visions sent to unbelievers.

One evangelistic power encounter involved a missionary in the early 700s named Boniface. Boniface had entered the ministry in his native England and became a scholar and a teacher. He had a successful and safe life. Then Boniface felt a calling to cross-cultural evangelism. So he was sent as a missionary to unevangelized central Germany.

Initially Boniface had little success turning people from their pagan religions to faith in Jesus. Even those who expressed interest were unwilling to completely forsake their tribal religion. Finally Boniface felt led to do something extraordinary.

One day Boniface announced he was going to cut down a sacred oak tree near Geismar (gee-IHS-mahr). That tree had been dedicated to Thor, the god of thunder and war. Such sacred trees can be found even today where people follow ancient animistic religions. The audacious act of cutting down a tree consecrated to Thor might demonstrate his powerlessness and show people they had been worshiping a false god.

On the announced day, a crowd of pagans gathered at the tree, confident that Thor would show his power. Perhaps they thought that Thor would strike down this brash foreigner. At any rate, Boniface began chopping at the tree with his ax and wood chips began to fly. The pagans waited for Thor to do something, but nothing happened. Nothing. Then, the tree came crashing down.

Legend has it that Boniface used wood from the tree to build a chapel. We dont know if that part of Bonifaces story is true. We do know, however, that this power encounter marked a significant turning point in the evangelization of the Germanic people.

Many truth encounters would follow across Germany. That day, however, a power encounter showed who was powerless and who was indeed, as Moses said, the God of gods (Deuteronomy 10:17).


In the turbulent days in Haiti following the overthrow of the long Duvalier (doo-vahl-YAY) dictatorship by father and son, people were hunting down and killing members of the ex-dictators cruel police force. In the central part of the country one of those men came to Louis Florestin (FLOHR-ihs-stan), a Nazarene pastor, begging the pastor to hide him in his house overnight so he could turn himself in to the army and hopefully get a fair trial. Not wanting to see anyone murdered by a mob in the streets of his village, Louis agreed.

However, someone had seen the man going to Pastor Louis house. Before long an angry mob carrying machetes and clubs gathered and started up the street toward the parsonage. Then, mysteriously, they stopped two or three hundred feet short of the house. They walked back and forth for a time while yelling and then left.

Early the next morning, Louis was able to get the man to an army post so he could be properly arrested. A few days later, Louis was talking to someone in the village about how things had unfolded that one evening. Louis asked why the mob stopped before getting to his house.

It was because you had all those armed guards around it, the man said.

Louis did not see anyone guarding his house. God had protected him and his family from harm and allowed him to be an instrument of grace and safety for a fellow man.

ACTIVITIES


Have someone give a brief report on a story in Engage magazine.

FOOD SUGGESTION

Bring a selection of dried tropical fruits that might seem exotic to your group: for example, banana chips, dates, dates with coconut, figs, goji berries, kiwi, mangoes, papaya, pineapple, and/or dried strawberries.

CALL TO ACTION

A story in U.S. Coast Guard history should challenge us. One night a call came to report that a ship was sinking off the east coast. A Coast Guard unit jumped in their boat and headed out to attempt a rescue. A young recruit on his first rescue mission expressed his fear to the Coast Guard captain that they might not make it back through the raging storm. We dont have to come back, replied the captain, but we do have to go out.

Discuss the reasons your congregation may not be effective (or as effective as it could be) in its bold witness to those who are not Christian believers. Make a plan for outreach that can be presented to the church board.


CLOSING PRAYER

Pray that churches will become burdened for unreached ethnic minority groups in their own communities and that they will become unstoppable in efforts to reach across cultural and language boundaries to those people groups.

Check this week's Prayer Mobilization Line as well as the PML Facebook page www.Facebook.com/NMIPrayer for one or more prayer requests.

LESSON 9: Courageous Leaders Plant Churches

PURPOSE

Desire to be spiritually vibrant, have a passion for God and compassion for lost people.

Realize that all Nazarene congregations should be planting other churches from the start

Begin to learn how to plant churches from other examples

Preparation

Unstoppable means incapable of being defeated, overcome, or subdued. Make sure you are communicating that in this series of lessons.

Print enough copies for each person in your group of the Handout and Take-Away Sheets for Lesson 9, found in the resources at the end of the Adult lessons. Be sure to have pencils or pens available, as well as Bibles to read the Scripture verses.

.

Presentation

OPENING PRAYER

In a meeting focused on world evangelism, the opening prayer should be centered on that topic. The person praying should focus on our desirein the spirit of 3 John 1:5-8to care for the needs of those called to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.


Acts 4:29-30

Acts 6:8-10

Acts 19:8

SONG SUGGESTIONS

Jesus Saves! Priscilla Owens and William Kirkpatrick

Bring Them In, Alexcenah Thomas and William Ogden

Follow Me, Ira Stamphill

Solo: Missions Flame, Matt Redman

Solo: I Will Go, Steve Green and Douglas McKelvey


FASCINATING FACTS

During 2012, NMI celebrated the churchs gift of US $100 million to the Alabaster Offering since the beginning of that offering in 1949. Over the years, more than 9,000 projects have been funded through Alabaster giving.

Outreach ministries found in the Eurasia Region are just as diverse as the cultural diversity of the region. Examples include personal evangelism, outreach and regular services, JESUS Film showings, Vacation Bible School, cafs and coffee shops, safe house for trafficked person, MTV broadcasts, and charity shops. Additional outreach ministries include providing aid and hospitality for refugees, disaster relief, trauma counseling, child development centers, kids sports ministries, basic health training, skills development and micro-enterprise opportunities for employment, and rehabilitation centers.

MISSIONS STORIES


Christ Saves Church of the Nazarene in the coastal city of Turbo in northern Colombia is an unstoppable church. Spiritually vibrant, its people have a passion for God and compassion for lost people. The congregation currently has 300 members including a dynamic youth group.

Turbo is a port on Colombias Caribbean coast. As a corridor for drug trafficking as well as an area where opposition guerrilla groups operate, violence is commonplace.

Yet, a dozen years ago, Manuel Santo (MAHN-well SAHN-toh) accepted the challenge of planting the Church of the Nazarene there. He knew that being missional is a core value of the Church of the Nazarene. Therefore, he felt that all Nazarene congregations in the area should be planting other churches from the start.

Soon after moving to Turbo, Pastor Manuel bought property on which church members have now constructed a building that holds 300 people. Looking ahead, they built a missionary room on the second floor that houses people coming from other parts of Colombia to help plant Nazarene churches in the area.

In just a dozen years, Christ Saves Church has been instrumental in organizing churches in three other cities.

The congregations passion for outreach has led them to acquire a motor boat, which theyve renamed The Nazarene. They use this boat to evangelize the towns along the Atrato (ah-TRAH-toh) River.

Currently the congregation has nine mission fields where they are starting new churches. The nearest one is forty-five minutes away and the farthest by car is eight hours away. The most distant of their mission fields by boat is nine hours away. All nine areas already have people assigned as pastors. Land has been purchased in some places and building construction is underway.

This missional pastor and his dynamic congregation do indeed seem unstoppable. Source: Luis Meza, Nazarene missionary


I sense a fresh movement of Gods Spirit in todays church, reports Bill Wiesman, evangelism ministries director for the USA/Canada region. There is no longer a question of whether we should plant churches. The question now is, how should we do it?

A good answer to the question how should we do it? has been given by the Bend Church of the Nazarene in Oregon. Encouraged by district leaders, this church sponsored the Bend Mission Church of the Nazarene in 2008.

The new Bend Mission Church is a totally different church than we are, says Pastor Virgil Askren. Their worship is different; the preaching style is different. The group of people they reach is an entirely different group of people. Despite obvious differences, both pastors soon began sensing a calling to plant yet another congregation.

Pastor Hofen of the Bend Mission Church reports, We asked: What would it be like if our two congregations together planted a new church? As we shared that dream, several core members stepped forward to say yes to a call to be a part of the new church.

One person sensing Gods call to get involved in the new church was Ryan Emerick, the worship pastor at the mother congregation in Bend.

God had been working in our hearts to prepare us to be church-plant pastors, says Emerick. So Virgil, Brent, and I got together and prayed. We felt God leading us to plant a church in nearby Redmond.

The process of starting Vision Church presented the parent congregations with challenges, but they found ways to overcome them. The new congregation, Vision Church of the Nazarene, started in 2012 with Ryan Emerick as pastor.

Askren says, The district asked us for a monetary commitment. My first concern was: What is it going to mean to give more money away? And can our church survive if we give away even more members?

Hofen agreed. There are lots of reasons why we would be afraid to start a new church. Many of us wondered how our relatively young congregation could possibly plant another church in tough economic times.

All three pastors say the effort to overcome difficulties proved to be well worth it. Now, all three congregations are effectively working to reach new and diverse people for Christ.

The greatest encouragement I could give any church who is interested in planting a church is this: Fear not! The Lord will provide, says Askren. Your church will be revitalized if you are obedient to the Lord and step out in faith.

A group of courageous pastors and laypeople in Oregon are part of the unstoppable church. Source: Bryon McLaughlin, USA/Canada Region Communications

Note: There are also three church resurrection video stories at: .

ACTIVITIES


Ask someone ahead of time to read and report on one of the NMI missions books.

FOOD SUGGESTION

Try some Jewish cuisine such as matzo (MAT-soh) ball soup, potato pancakes, or lox. You can also make Jewish hamantaschen (hah-man-TASH-uhn) cookies and other traditional cookies for your group. Recipes available online can be found at these websites: and .

CALL TO ACTION

Discuss with your pastor and church board how your church can be involved in a church-planting project. Consideration could be given to joining with other churches in your area to help sponsor the new church.

Pray for the new church plants on your district.


CLOSING PRAYER

Pray for missions professors at Nazarene colleges, universities and seminaries as they train the next generation of missionaries. Check with your regions Nazarene college/university/seminary and obtain specific names of missions professors or check .

Check this week's Prayer Mobilization Line as well as the

PML Facebook page for one or more prayer requests.

LESSON 10: Believers Persevere in Persecution

PURPOSE

.

Learn to be courageous in our witness for Christ

Allow God to love you so that you can tell others that God can change their hearts and help us to love others into the kingdom

Develop a plan to help your church become active in witnessing in your community

Preparation

Ask the people in your congregation who have technology experience and training to be involved in missions education/promotion times (Skype interviews, video projection of Fascinating Facts, and internet searches for data, video, stories, and music). They need to know that missions in the twenty-first century needs their skills.

Print enough copies for each person in your group of the Handout and Take-Away Sheets for Lesson 10, found in the Resources at the end of the Adult lessons. Be sure to have pencils or pens available, as well as Bibles to read the Scripture verses.

Presentation

OPENING PRAYER

Most Nazarenes use spontaneous prayers rather than written ones. However, here are words from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer that whoever is doing the opening prayer could use to focus thoughts and hearts: Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; forthe honor of your Name. Amen.


Acts 8:1-4

Acts 18:9

SONG SUGGESTIONS

Our God Reigns, Leonard E. Smith, Jr.

Harvest Time, Wanda Smith

Harvest Time, Gerald D. Crabb

Try singing a song from another language. Use the following website for songs from various languages set to familiar tunes: .


FASCINATING FACTS

The work of the Church of the Nazarene in countries such as Australia and Italy resulted from the clear gospel witness of U.S. military personnel serving in those countries.

The Grace Church of the Nazarene in Chaltyr (CHAHL-ter), Russia, was organized in 1992. Since then it has started churches in two nearby towns and Bible s

Documents

nmi.nazarene.orgnmi.nazarene.org/DP/Docs/IMEJ/2015/2015_IMEJ_Ltr.docx · Web viewGod’s Word and his ... She thought that someday she ... The large Bel Aire Nazarene church building