A DYING ART ?

NOTE: A great word from the founder of the 'Barnabus Bulletin'
ministry on the internet.

ENCOURAGEMENT - a DYING ART??
-by Rodney Francis.

As we enter our 12th year of "Barnabas Bulletin", I would like to
focus on the purpose as to why this BB Ministry was started. It
came as a result of my ministering in Asia amongst a group of
discouraged ministers and missionaries from eight different
countries. That experience gave me a burden for Christian Leaders,
as I have observed over the years how many get discouraged in
their calling. The burden did not leave me, and then God spoke to
me in England, told me to encourage them, and gave me the name
"Barnabas Bulletin".

The name "Barnabas" means "son of prophecy; son of consolation."
"Consolation" means "a person or thing that is a source of comfort
in a time of suffering, grief, disappointment, etc." (Collins Dictionary).

The Bible describes him as: ". . .they sent out Barnabas to go as
far as to Antioch. When he came and had seen the grace of God,
he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart
they should continue with the Lord. For he was a good man, full of
the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added
to the Lord" (Acts 11:22-24). Barnabas was an encourager. He
saw the good and the potential in others and encouraged them
accordingly. The ministry of encouragement is one that every
Christian can function in. Everywhere one looks today people need
encouraging. You need encouraging ~ and I need encouraging!
The word "encourage" means "1. to inspire (someone) with the
courage or confidence (to do something). 2. to stimulate (something
or someone to do something) by approval or help; support" (Collins).

WHEN WAS the LAST TIME You ENCOURAGED SOMEBODY?

Tragically it seems that few Christians consciously go out of their
way to encourage others. Why not? Is it because we are looking
for it from others, but don't realize that we can make the first move
and encourage others? Ask yourself, "When was the last time you
audibly encouraged someone else?" (When was the last time
someone audibly encouraged you?). It certainly does not happen
enough. What a difference it makes when someone comes
alongside and tells you they believe in you, in your calling, and that
God is pleased with you? There is power in your tongue and words
when you speak out positive encouragement to others!

I have been in Christian Ministry for over 50 years. In that time I
have seen scores of men and women rise up with a great call of
God on their lives and they begin to do exploits for Jesus. But after
a time they "disappear" and are never heard of again. What
happened? Discouragement got to them and caused them to doubt
the call of God. The resulting decisions made in those times of
discouragement brought about things that "robbed" them of the call
of God on their lives. If only there were those who could discern
what was happening and could have gotten alongside of them with
words of encouragement, then God's called men and women
would not have "fallen by the wayside" in to a normal, but
unfulfilling life-style. I say this because there is nothing more
wonderful than to know the call and will of God ~ and to be walking in it.

May we all make a conscious effort to be more aware of the
importance of the ministry of encouragement. Yes, encouraging
others is an important and vital ministry ~ much more than we
realize! As the world continues to reject the risen Christ Jesus and
spirals on it downwards path, Christians everywhere will need to be
more and more encouraged to "stand firm in the faith" and not to be
side-tracked by the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil
(1 John 2:15-17). Make no mistake about it: we are in a war, and
the battle is raging! That means the ministry of encouragement is
urgently needed to be spoken out to others. It needs an audible
voice. It needs more than a silent prayer! It needs you and me to
be aware of situations that people are in, and to come alongside
and speak out the words of encouragement they need to hear! You
can do that! I can do that!

Be encouraged to look for opportunities ~ more opportunities ~ to
encourage others in these days. Your encouragement is
desperately needed! Your encouragement may be a matter of life
or death for some! You will be amazed at what your words of
encouragement to others will accomplish. So don't hold back. As
you encourage others, you will also be encouraged yourself! Right
now you and I do not know whether our next word of
encouragement for someone may prove to be a divine encounter
that will change the rest of their lives for God and for good! Do not
hold back!

More GREAT QUOTES

More GREAT QUOTES

"On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, "Is it safe?"
Expediency asks the question, "Is it politic?" And Vanity comes
along and asks the question, "Is it popular?" But Conscience
asks the question "Is it right?" And there comes a time when one
must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular,
but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right." - MLK.

"There is nothing, indeed, which God will not do for a man who
dares to step out upon what seems to be the mist; though as he
puts his foot down he finds a rock beneath him."
--F. B. Meyer

"Our circumstances are not an accurate reflection of God's goodness.
Whether life is good or bad, God's goodness, rooted in His character,
is the same."
--Helen Grace Lescheid

"It's exciting to live in complete oneness with the will of God. It is
never dull or static because it is not a one-time, once-for-all
commitment. It is something we have to work at constantly,
moment by moment." --Evelyn Christenson

"What else will do except faith in such a cynical, corrupt time?
When the country goes temporarily to the dogs, cats must learn
to be circumspect, walk on fences, sleep in trees, and have faith
that all this woofing is not the last word."
--Garrison Keillor

If you feel stuck, bring your whole self to Christ, not just the problem,
but you. Ask God to change your heart. Commit yourself to pray
to that end. It's God's heart to give good gifts to His children."
--Sheila Walsh

"Why do so many Christians pray such tiny prayers when their
God is so big?" --Watchman Nee


-Source - timothyreport.homestead.com

His encounter with Jesus began in the mosque

By Mark Ellis


Like other boys in his Pashtun tribe along the Pakistan-Afghan border, he was sent to a madrasa at age four, where he was compelled to read, recite and memorize the Koran.

“The children mimic or copy the mullah, who is very heavy-handed. You have to memorize out of fear,” says John Taimoor, founder of The Crossbearers, a ministry devoted to presenting biblical Christianity within an Islamic context.
By age 14 he was reading Shakespeare and searching for heroes, when he stumbled across the name ‘Isa,’ the Arabic name for Jesus in the Koran. “I read the name of Jesus and became curious,” he says. “The Lord reached me right in the mosque.”

When he asked the priest about Jesus, he was told that Moses and Jesus were brothers. When he asked how to find out more, they told him to find ‘The Book of Isa.’ “Nobody had ever heard of a Bible.”
Taimoor searched for a ‘Book of Isa’ for two years. When he asked his teacher or inquired at the library he was met with suspicion. “What are you up to boy? Do you want to become a Christian?” they asked.

He met a young man at school rumored to be a Christian. “I begged him to get me a Book of Isa,” he says. “He got so scared he never returned to school again. He thought they would stone him or kill him.” There were times Taimoor rode his motorbike 30 to 40 miles because he heard about a gathering of Christians. “No one was willing to give me a Bible they were so scared.”

“Being strong-willed, the more people stopped me, the more determined I became,” Taimoor adds.
One day he happened to meet a missionary passing through the area north of Islamabad handing out small New Testaments. Taimoor spied the man from a distance and hurriedly rode his motorbike toward him. “He looked at me and greeted me like a Muslim and said, ‘This is the Book of Isa.’”

“It hit me like a bullet,” Taimoor says. “I was almost paralyzed.” Hesitantly, he asked the missionary the cost of the book.

“Nobody can pay the price for it,” he said. “If you want it, you can give me whatever you would like to give.” Taimoor fished into his pocket and pulled out the U.S.equivalent of 20 cents.

Racing home, Taimoor underwent a ritualistic cleansing, deciding this would be appropriate before reading such a book. “I didn’t understand it in the beginning,” he says. “But when I got to the fifth chapter of Matthew something supernatural and unusual happened in my mind.”

He read: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” After reading this verse, he believes the Holy Spirit fell upon him—and filled him—as his heart and mind were regenerated.

“I got saved without the help of any individual,” Taimoor recalls. “I didn’t say the sinner’s prayer or go to any altar call,” he says. “Within six months I discovered Jesus Christ is God in human flesh.”

It would be five years before Taimoor had any meaningful contact with other Christians or saw the entire Bible. In the meantime, he set out to memorize the New Testament. “As a Muslim, I thought every good Muslim memorizes the Koran,” he recalls. “Naturally, Christians must be memorizing their books.” He thought he should memorize the books before meeting other Christians. He also feared the book might be taken away from him at any time.

When his mother found out about his new faith she told him, “If I had known you would become a Christian I would have strangled you as a baby.” Several years later, Taimoor’s mother and brother both became believers.

Because Taimoor’s faith developed outside of mainstream Christendom, some of his views would be considered provocative to Christians. “I respect Muhammad and use him next to the Bible and the church as the third great witness of the glory of Christ,” Taimoor says. “I am proving to the Muslims the God they worship is the same God as ours,” he says. He believes Muslims are like Jews–they worship the same God as Christians– but reject Jesus as Messiah.

Taimoor finds common ground with Muslims in their approach to eschatology, the study of “the last things.” Many Muslims are waiting for ‘Jesus, Son of Mary,’ to return as a sign the Day of Judgment has come, according to Taimoor.

“Some Christians are uptight because I show them the term ‘Allah’ is legitimate,” he says. He faults scholars who attempt to prove Muslims are worshipping the moon god. “Muslims don’t worship the moon at all,” he says. He notes the Bible Society has a Bible that uses the name Allah for God.

Many Christians will not understand John’s strategy because it sounds like compromise. “To some degree it is,” he admits. At the same time, he emphasizes his main thrust is to prove that Jesus Christ is God in human flesh. “We worship Him as the Creator and the Savior.”

Taimoor believes more people with “guts” will be needed to carry out the Great Commission. “Jesus told us to go, but we don’t go,” he says. “There is too much education in America and not enough deployment.” At the same time, he confesses it is difficult to leave the comforts of the U.S.behind for the ever-present risks in the Middle East.

One of Taimoor’s ministry objectives is to establish new communities of ‘messianic Muslims’ throughout theMiddle Eastbased on the Book of Ephesians. He likes to say his travel style is patterned after John Wesley. “I work in a circuit and then move on. I move fast,” he says. “Some will follow along.”

“If I had not become a Christian I would have been a Taliban,” Taimoor says. His houses near the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan are lined with prayer rugs, and have the feel of an Eastern worship center. They’re completely filled with Islamic books except for one—the Bible.

People can stay there for extended periods while they read and memorize the Scriptures. “When people come here they want to know what this black book is all about,” Taimoor says. “If they’re serious, I tell them they can stay.” Group meetings in his homes can last up to six hours, but he refuses to call this ‘church,’ instead preferring the term ‘Jaamat Rabaani’—which means ‘gathering of the people of God.’ “If it looks like a church they will burn it,” he says.

“There are a lot of people in theMiddle Eastwho are really hungry and seeking,” he notes. “They only fear Western missionaries because they think they are cultural terrorists. We need to be one of them and go in on their level.”