Into Africa

DIFFICULTIES AND HARDSHIPS...

It is these things I am afflicted & oppresed with; yet the wisdom of God orders them for my good. They keep me from trusting my heart. They convince me of the insufficiency of all inherent righteousness. They show me the necessity of depending on Jesus.They press me to pray. They show me the need to watch and be sober. And provoke me to look to God through Christ to help carry me through this world - Bunyan

EXPEDITION TO ANGOLA...

The beginning of the year saw us leaving on the 28th December to explore Angola. We attempted to cover as much territory as possible in the time available, seeking God’s face for church planting opportunities.

We explored the Cuanda Cubango province in the south.Throughout much of the 1980s and 1990s, Cuanda Cubango served as the location for the primary base camp of Angola's UNITA rebel movement. It was hardest hit during the war years.What can we say...

•Angola is a difficult country to enter and travel in (see above pic).

•Most of the villages have a church.  The province is highly evangelized. Although in these remote areas the adage, “In Africa the church is a mile wide and a foot deep” applies.

•There are countless opportunities for service…sport, reconstruction, education, health care, agriculture, as well as opportunities for church strengthening.

February saw the start of this year's church planting school with 45 students from around the world. Their outreaches headed into Africa, going to Zambia,

Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Namibia as well as our local areas of Ocean View and Masiphumelele. There are some amazing stories to be told.

SHORT TRIPS

Namibia:To continue what has already been started. Building into the communities there through sharing the Gospel and starting discovery bible studies.When:    November/December 2010Where:   Namibia – RunduLength:   3 weeks

Zambia/Zimbabwe:

A trip to our All Nations bases in these countries.To build into the communities there through sharing the Gospel and starting discovery bible studies.When:    1st Jan 2011 - 16th Jan 2011Where:  Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe or Livingstone, Zambia

Zanzibar:

To build into the Muslim communities there through sharing the Gospel and starting discovery bible studies. To encourage and strengthen what already has been started. When:    6th Nov 2010 - 4th Dec 2010Who:      Open, approx 10 peopleWhere:   Island of Zanzibar off the Tanzanian coast

Malawi-Mozambique Expedition:

Exploratory trip into the south eastern parts of Malawi and northern Mozambique.This trip is in preparation for future ministry trips; to determine what is on the ground in respect of unreached areas and people and for possible future involvement.

When:   9th Nov 2010 - 30th Nov 2010

Who:      2 vehicles, approx 8-10 people

Where:   South eastern Malawi and Northern Mozambique

Why Follow

"Follow is about the foundation on which we build our lives – Jesus Himself. The only way we can truly authenticate ourselves as seekers and followers of Jesus is to measure ourselves by the life and teachings of Jesus. Not by our leaders or our doctrinal statements, just Jesus! Not by what church or organization we are part, but by Jesus Himself. And certainly not by the false 'self' which our culture tries to press on us of, 'what I have', 'what I do'. Just Jesus.

I have written Follow with the underlying belief that any hierarchy and all institutionalization of the church leads us directly away from Jesus Himself. We must, therefore, constantly return to Jesus as our source and our example for how to live. Studying His life, spending time in His presence, and seeking to be filled with His Spirit, these are our primary life-sources as individuals and as movements of Jesus-followers.

It is not easy to have a clear vision of the true Jesus, 'particularly when you live with a culture that is far askew' from His way. I grew up in a church culture that embraced racism. We were an all-white denomination begun in the Deep South in the United States. It took the speeches and civil disobedience of Martin Luther King to awaken my conscience to the evil of racism as a searching university student. It was only then that I realized I had inherited a Christian culture that I had mistaken for the teachings and practices of Jesus. King’s message of non-violence in the face of injustice inspired me to dream a bigger dream of what it meant to follow Jesus.

It is very hard to find Jesus when you live within a culture that claims to be Christian but is far from the Jesus way. I live at present in Cape Town, South Africa. I also visited South Africa many times during the apartheid years. White South Africans in those days claimed to have built a Christian nation. It was enshrined in their constitution. There were many South Africans who naïvely trusted the propaganda of the Nationalist Party who ruled the country. Instead of applying the radical teachings of Jesus to the racist doctrines of apartheid, they blindly trusted their leaders to think for them. It is a hard lesson to learn, whether in South Africa, Nazi Germany or the United States.

The answer? We learn that the servant Jesus did not come to set up 'Christian nations'. While on earth, Jesus modelled being an under-king. His kingdom was not married to any political party or country. We learn from this that we must continually go back to Jesus and His example of 'subversive resistance' to all that is contrary to His way. We must study His teachings, look deeply at His example, and ask hard questions of ourselves and others about what it means to follow Jesus. This applies to Republicans and Democrats in the United States, Tories and Labor and Conservatives in the UK.

In Follow I seek to ask hard questions of you in this book, what you believe and how you apply those believes to your everyday life. I have tried to put aside my own assumptions as I consider again what it means to follow Jesus, and I ask you to do the same. I believe and acknowledge that no one can ever claim to understand or know Jesus completely, but we can know Him with certainty. Not arrogant self-certainty, but with confident humility.”

Available on Amazon.com

Obedience

Excerpt from Chaper Two of my new book, Follow…

"The transformation that we cannot bring about in ourselves, takes place in and through Jesus; through His extraordinary obedience of dying on the cross. I’m are not speaking of ordinary transformation, like transforming a house through the renovation of one room. I am speaking of an extraordinary transformation, the entire house being torn down and rebuilt. This extraordinary transformation impacts our reason for living and being. It gets to the heart of who we are. The obedience Jesus wants from us is motivated by His profound desire to set us free from our hiding places and false comforts to be who He created us to be.

To be transformed, an image needs a living, true object; Jesus is both the object and the means of our transformation. He longs to reshape us at the core of our being, to reach deep inside us and break away the veneer of plastic reality we have built around ourselves. The change which we cannot bring about in ourselves, takes place through Jesus – who comes to live His life in us. This is good news!"

Available on amazon.com

Follow

“Jesus did not come to earth to set up "Christian nations". Jesus modeled being an under-king. His kingdom was not married to any political party or country. We learn from this that we must continually go back to Jesus and His example of "subversive resistance" to all that is contrary to His way...I seek to ask hard questions of you in this book, questions of what you believe and how you apply those beliefs to your everyday life..."

From my new book, Follow, available from amazon.com

How to Witness on Trains, Planes and Automobiles

Written by Danny Lehman

Jesus made it clear that his disciples were to travel, whether across the sea ("...into all the world...), or across the street "(like Philip), we are to put one beautiful foot in front of the other and GO and proclaim the good news (Rom. 10: 15).

In Bible times chariots were to people like the Ethiopian man what planes, trains and automobiles are to us today, simply modes of transport. Some of my favorite times of witnessing are when I am not intentionally "on outreach" but enjoying those spontaneous divine appointments that God arranges as I go about my daily routine-including travel-when I am "on the go". Let's learn a bit from the example of Philip the evangelist (Acts 21:8) and his encounter with his new African friend.

1) Get friendly.  First we see that Philip obeyed the Spirit's prompting to "go near" to the lone traveler. One of the first things I do before I board a plane is ask God to help me to "go near", get out of my introspection,  and be intentionally friendly  to the person sitting next to me. Then I make myself available to the Lord, keeping in mind Jesus' model of being a friend to sinners (Mt. 11:19). Not long ago I was on a plane sitting next to a little boy. His mother was seated a few rows up on the aisle seat. Before the plane took off I volunteered to switch seats with the mom simply so she could sit next to her son. In my new seat I found myself sitting next to a university student whose girlfriend had just become a Christian and had severed their relationship. When he found out that I had recently spoken at the church at which she was converted he was wide open and ready to hear the good news. God had set up a divine appointment and before we landed he surrendered his life to Jesus.

2) Get interested. Philip found a common interest with his new partner on the chariot, even though he was from another culture. He noticed him reading a book and asked him a simple question. On a flight  just last week my wife Linda and I sat next to a young lady who was reading a book on motivational speaking. I enthusiastically informed her that I was a motivational speaker and proceeded to give her public speaking tips.  All of my illustrations, of course came from the Bible and evangelistic messages! I gave her a gospel tract, sent her 2 books in the mail and just yesterday she sent me an e-mail promising to read them. We plan on following up on her.

3) Get verbal.  We also notice that Philip "opened his mouth" (vs.35). It is crucial that we get verbal in our witness for Christ. People do not get saved by osmosis or by basking in the bright light of our glowing glory! Faith comes by hearing God's Word and the "foolishness of preaching" (Rom 10:17, 1 Cor. 1:21). This brings up the key element of witnessing as we travel. Not only did Philip open his mouth but got specific and "...told him the good news about Jesus." (vs. 35). It's all about Him!

4) Get Christlike-in other words- serve ( "...the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve..."-[Mt. 20:28] ). A little over a year ago I boarded a plane and found a young lady sleeping in my previously assigned window seat. She complained about being jet-lagged and tired and informed me she slept better in window seats , so I exchanged my seat for hers. When the plane got to cruising altitude, I gave her both seats (and my pillow and blanket) and went to the back of the plane to do some stretches and read my pocket New Testament. I let her sleep for an hour and a half, came back and found an appreciative young woman open to the gospel. She gave her life to Christ and joined a church in California. Before we landed she told me she was the victim of a praying grandmother. Grandma and I were unknowingly "co-workers" with God in His harvest field! (1 Cor. 3:9,2 Cor. 6:1)

5) Get personal- Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom ("...he who wins souls is wise- [Prov. 11 30]) in guiding the conversation from broad generalities to specifics. Personally inquire what ,if anything, is holding them back from committing their life to Jesus. While trying not to be pushy or manipulative, (you don't want to talk them into something that someone else can talk them out of), communicate the basics of the gospel message and what God offers to them and requires from them.

   Years ago Loren Cunningham was on an American Airlines flight from LA to Dallas. He was seated next to a psychologist (and confirmed athiest!) from New Zealand. In the course of his conversation with her he felt prompted by the Lord to share some Biblical principles on "8 Steps To Suicide", writing them out on a sheet of paper, not knowing she had previously attempted to take her life several times previously. At the bottom of the note he put three steps back from suicide including repentance and faith in Christ.

     Fifteen years later that woman attended a meeting in Tauranga,NZ, where Loren was speaking and enthusiastically told him how she had come to Jesus after reading a book that he had given her on the plane. She had saved the book and the note all those years, and pulled it out of her purse to show him. Loren recognized his handwriting and they rejoiced together at God's awesome ways!

    Recently as a result of the Iceland volcano, YWAM leader Gwen Bergquist was bumped from a flight out of Munich that she needed to be on in order to fulfill teaching commitments in South Africa. Miraculously a seat opened up and she "just happened" to be seated next to a fellow traveler who had a similar experience at getting a seat. As the conversation went on, Gwen gave the man a tract and proceeded to tell him about Jesus. It turns out that two week prior, another person had given him a tract and he described having the same "feeling" in reading Gwen's tract as he did with the other one. She followed the Holy Spirit's prompting and led him to Jesus on the plane. Like Phillip of long ago she witnessed "on the go".

    Evangelism is not just an event, but a lifestyle of Jesus' friends who simply want to make new friends who can become friends of Jesus. We're on a train bound for glory. As we go let's enthusiastically invite others to climb aboard!

Church Planting Curriculum for CPx

All Nations, Cape Town, South Africa

CPx is a part of All Nations Family, an international alliance of missional communities, ministries and members committed to making disciples, training leaders and planting churches. CPx focuses on the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts as our primary texts for learning how to fulfill our goals of disciple making, church planting and leadership training. We believe in the whole Bible as divinely inspired truth, but we have found it helpful to focus on Luke and Acts for the primary text for our curriculum. 

All Nations Cape Town is a network of simple churches that gathers for celebrations every few weeks as a church family. We are called to plant churches through holistic disciple making. We dream about igniting movements to Christ. CPx students become part of the All Nations community for the time they are with us, working side by side with our long term members as they serve the poor and share the good news in the communities where we work. In this way the students are drawn into a “church planting experience” and not just a program about church planting.

We see the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts the same way the author Luke described them: as “orderly accounts” of the life of Jesus and the growth and expansion of the church. These two books tell the story of how Jesus catalyzed a disciple making movement and then continued to ignite many more movements through the church after He ascended to heaven. The Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts are “Part One” and “Part Two” of the life of Jesus, first in the flesh, then in the church. We believe passionately in the church of Jesus Christ. We believe His church is the hope of the world because Jesus is the hope of the world in us, His people. We are devoted to being and doing church for Him, and for the sake of others who do not know Him.

We not only want to live like Jesus, but also learn to reproduce the life of Jesus in others. We call it “church planting”, but really we are trying to plant Jesus through making disciples and igniting in them a desire to be and do church with passion and purpose, with minimal dependency on us as outsiders.

The driving passions of All Nations CPx are three fold:                 

• Worship

• Mission

• Community

These three ‘vision-values’ of All Nations and CPx are simple, yet deep. We believe in them passionately, but are still learning about them as we devote ourselves fully to Jesus, His mission and His church.

Worship - We seek to love God by setting aside time each day for prayer and reading the Word – both as individuals and as a community. We do this to allow God to love us and for us to love Him in return. If we are to serve the poor and reach the unreached, we know we must die to ourselves and find our identity ever more deeply in Christ. Worship is our source and our goal. It is our lifestyle and our passion. It includes every aspect of how we live life, but is nurtured in an intimate and personal times alone with Jesus.

Mission – We see church as a community of people who are committed to obey God’s mission. Out of our love for God we are drawn into his mission to plant churches filled with lovers and friends of His son, Jesus. Mission flows out of hearing and obeying Jesus call to love God and make disciples. We are committed to loving the world by finding creative and effective ways to share the good news of Jesus, and as we do that, to find the “good soil” type of people Jesus spoke about in the parable of the sower.

Community – We try to love each other through transparency, accountability and investing intentionally in one another’s lives. We believe in discipling each other, not just the lost. To love each other this way, we know we must be loyal, truthful, and accountable to each other. We are a community of friends called to do life together. Church is a way of life to us, not a series of meetings to attend. We believe the church is the hope of the world because Jesus continues to touch the world in and through the church.

The Learning Path of CPx – Six Stepping Stones

Think of the curriculum for CPx as a pathway to follow, not a set of static truths to memorize. We emphasize grace-empowered obedience as the primary way to follow this path together:

“So be sure to pay attention to what you hear. To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But to those who are not listening, even what they think they have will be taken away from them.” … Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, and they want to see you.”

Jesus replied, “My mother and my brothers are all those who hear the message of God and obey it.” Luke 8:18-21 NLT

Each new group of students in CPx are invited to join us in the All Nations church family in Cape Town as we seek do what Jesus taught us to do: “pay attention to what we hear…to hear the message of God and obey it” (Luke 8:20).  CPx students become part of the All Nations community as we seek to be obedient followers of Jesus. Learning never stops for us. We are a church community that longs to be like Jesus, and because of that, we feel free to keep learning. It is embarrassing sometimes to acknowledge how far short we fall of how we want to live, but this gives us freedom to be honest about our failures, our disobedience and our need for God. Tofollow Jesus for us is to learn and grow in God’s grace through transparency and in accountability to one another.

We read the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, then, with this path in mind:

Persistent Prayer – We know that the transformation we want to see among neglected peoples in Africa cannot take place without entreating God in passionate prayer. We believe God is not only sovereign, but that in His sovereignty He has chosen to reward those who desperately and diligently seek Him. We look to the book of Acts for insight and inspiration for being people of passionate prayer.

Sharing the Gospel – We the good news of Jesus with those who don’t know Him. As we do that, we try to apply the lessons Jesus taught His disciples in Luke 10: to pray, preach the gospel, heal the sick, and find spiritually hungry people. The goal is to find the person of peace Jesus mentions in Luke 10 and disciple them to disciple others.

Discipling People of Peace – The parable of the sower guides our search for spiritual seekers. We believe that we as outsiders will not be as effective as insiders in discipling and transforming a community in need. We long to see the power of God at work, saving and delivering and transforming people as they believe and receive Jesus. Jesus told His disciples to heal the sick and cast out demons as they announce the arrival of His kingdom. When Jesus sent out His disciples in Luke 10, He told them to look for a “person of peace”, i.e., someone who is welcoming, spiritually hungry, willing to invite you into their network of friends and family, and prepared to obey Jesus.

Gathering Seekers in Discovery Bible Studies – This step on the journey of church planting is called "gathering". This happens by starting what we call “discovery bible studies” or a "DBS". A discovery Bible Study is a group of seekers who are gathering around a person of peace and they study the Bible together. We assist the person of peace to start a discovery Bible study by getting his/her friends together and “discovering” the truth as they read and discuss the Bible together.

Establishing Simple Churches – We encourage “DBS’s” to grow into simple churches. The transition from a Bible study to a church happens when there are more believers than non-believers, baptisms are taking place, they take communion, and local leaders are recognized and appointed. 

Multiplication – Jesus commanded His disciples to make disciples who “teach them to obey all the commands I have given you…” (Matthew 28:20). Paul instructed Timothy to pass on what he taught Timothy to “faithful people who would teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). To be catalysts for a movement to Christ our efforts have to go beyond us, and beyond our disciples. That means multiplication, not just of individuals, but of simple churches that start more churches. 

Topics Covered in the CPx Teaching

What are the topics we focus on in CPx? They are drawn from inductive discovery Bible studies in the gospel of Luke and the book Acts. We follow the growth of the church as it spreads from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria to the ends of the earth, and as we do so, we try to learn practices and principles that can guide us as we make disciples that are catalysts for movements to Christ. Guest teachers and staff teach and guide discovery Bible studies on the following topics:

• Catalyzing a movement to Christ through finding “good soil” people and persons of peace – Luke 8:3-13 and illustrated throughout Luke chapters 4-9

• Finding and discipling persons of peace to be the gatherers of others to hear and obey Jesus – Luke 10

• Holy Spirit gifts to be developed and used in outreach and community – Acts 2, Acts 13 and 14

• Discipleship paradoxes– learning to think differently about discipleship and making disciples – Luke 5 to Luke 9

• Multi-cultural community – Acts 2,13 and 15

• Learning to think in new paradigms about church as creative movements not static institutions – Acts 2 and Luke 5:27 – 6:19

• Evaluated experience is the best teacher: learning to continually evaluate one’s experiences through debriefing, question asking, and personal reflection – Luke 10: 17 – 21 and Acts 20:17 – 21:14

• Discovering the gospel as the “God story” with the goal of faithfully communicating the good news of Jesus, in the context of the culture and loyalty to the Word of God – Acts 13:13-41, 17:16-34

• Distinguishing between being a natural church planter/gatherer, and one who makes disciples through creating “access ministries” – learning how the two work together to catalyze movements to Christ – Luke 4:18-19, Acts 6

• Adjusting leadership styles from directive to facilitative, and from a teaching style downloading information to empowering others to discover truth in “discovery” Bible studies - Acts 17:11

• Serving as “outside” leaders who empower “inside” leaders to lead emerging new churches – Acts 14:20, 23, Luke 10:5-10

• New Testament decision making; the roles, authority and responsibilities of elders and apostles in church planting movements; learning how to apply the same principles to resolving conflict and making decisions in teams – Acts 15

• Discerning and developing the five complimentary equipping gifts that all believers have in various measure (teacher, pastor, prophet, apostle and evangelist):

  • Apostles: Apostolic church planters are creative people who re-imagine how to do church and then exercise faith and vision to pioneer new communities and movements in new places and new ways to mold the church-planting model to fit cultural challenges. They are idea people who whole-heartedly believe that truth applies to all peoples and cultures and they don’t try to change the people or the gospel as they bring them together.

  • Pastors: Pastoral church planters care for people and encourage and build up local leaders. They are mentors who truly believe in and support the people they are raising up. They offer an understanding ear and an empathetic shoulder when things are frustrating in the church planting process. They are shepherds who love to pour into those pouring into others. They are empowerers of others. They have hearts of mercy for the broken and downcast and often create ministries of care that connect to the poor, marginalized and downcast in society.

  • Prophets: Prophetic church planters go on treasure hunts for “people of peace”. They receive words of knowledge to unlock hearts and encourage movements. They receive warnings and intercede for the movement not to be led astray. They are sensitive to know where the Lord has sent His Spirit ahead and where He is already working, especially if the area is difficult to access. They discern spiritual attacks against the new believers and help spot false teachers and false prophets.

  • Teachers: Church planters with a gift of teaching know how to lead people to God’s word when they come with questions. They rise up other teachers to give the churches solid foundations of truth. They can take groups through specific passages where the Lord speaks about what people in the group are going through. They exemplify a deep knowledge of being obedient to the Lord. They impart a concern for sound doctrine and obedience to the Word of God.

  • Evangelists: Evangelistic church planters are the seekers; they are fishers of men. They have an anointing of favor with people and the ability to speak about spiritual things easily. They are great for finding people of peace and discerning who is really hungry for the Lord. They introduce the presence of the Lord into conversations and relationships where He wasn’t previously welcome.

Typical Week-by-Week Themes in CPx

√ Week One –  Welcome and Orientation 

 √ Week Two –  Sharing the Gospel

√ Week Three –  The Empowering Presence of the Holy Spirit 

√ Week Four –  Discipleship  

√ Week Five -  Church Planting – Part One  

√ Week Six –   Leadership 

√ Week Seven –  Kingdom Culture and Cultural Dynamics

√ Week Nine –   Prayer, Worship and Warfare

√ Week Eight –  Suffering, Sacrifice and Simplicity 

√ Week Nine –  Church Planting = Part Two  

√ Weeks Ten to Twenty – Outreach Prep and Team Outreaches

√ Weeks Twenty-One to Twenty-Two – Travel Back to Cape Town, Debriefing, Graduation, and New Members Orientation

Why We Must Love Osama Bin Laden

It is the best of times and the worst of times for Sally and me right now.  This little literary phrase really boils down our lives. We are so thankful for you and others who have stood alongside us through so much, so of course we want to keep you informed to what is happening in our lives. I’ll start with the “best of times”.

Ministry is exploding. The Church Planting Experience (CPx) training school is raising up new leaders, with our students learning everything from inductive Bible study techniques to how to reach Muslims to a trade (like how to run an Internet café or a preschool, to enable them to be self-supporting as they move into closed nations).

These reports back to us from countries where we have sent workers have been beautiful:

“One of the young men … actually said he had been waiting for somebody to come and teach himabout the Bible, as he was eager to know more but couldn’t find anybody to help him.”

Another man said—from the Muslim nation where our team is working:

“Some of our guys have a group meeting in a park nearby almost everyday to read theNew Testament and talk about Jesus. We also have some of our team members reading through theGospels with one of the local Imams [Muslim leaders] and other men we’ve met on theisland. Some of our ladies met 12 students at a local school who wanted Bibles and havebeen meeting to discuss the life of Jesus and his teachings...”

Muslims are coming to Christ. Muslims are responding to the Gospel in our ministry, and in huge numbers all over the world. I know Muslim terrorists are at work around the world, which raises the question, must we love Muslims even though there are terrorists among them? Sally and I have chosen not to operate in fear because of terrorists. We take the Bible literally when it says we should love our neighbor as ourself.

Why? I refuse to be afraid of Muslims because I want to see people the way Jesus sees them. I reject fear because that plays into the hands of a few violent extremists who want to see a gulf of fear and prejudice between Muslims and the good news of Jesus.

I don’t fear terrorists because fear is not of God. God loves the whole world, including the Muslim world—even the terrorists who, like Saul before he “became” Paul, hate and kill Christians. God loves the world so much that He sent Jesus to redeem the world by dying for it. In the same way, God has called us to lay down our lives to bring people to faith in Jesus. We cannot win those we fear and hate.

One more deeply penetrating reason not to fear Muslims: The terrorists are the ones who areafraid! Muslim terrorists are a tiny, tiny minority of a huge religious block of people in the religion called Islam.  They are afraid because the good news of Jesus is impacting millions and millions (this is not an exaggeration), of Muslims. They may not understand the spiritual dynamics, but there are spiritual forces at work to stir up hate and fear.

They are coming to faith in Jesus in the Middle East, in Indonesia, and here in Africa where we live. Terrorism is the response of a losing cause ... it is almost as if there is a spiritual force stirring up terrorists to detract true followers of Jesus from loving Muslims, and we must not be thrown off by this tactic. We must stay focused on praying and loving and taking the good news of Jesus. Jesus called us to love not hate.

We must not draw back in fear, but move forward in faith! I want to encourage you and other friends and fellow believers: the Lord loves Muslims. And we are thrilled to be a part of raising up a movement of disciple makers to take the Gospel to them. Just this week I heard from one of our teams in a Muslim country that they have begun three "underground" churches among Muslims who are coming to faith in Jesus.

God is at work bringing people to Himself like never before in history—and we are so grateful for your prayers and support that allow us to be part of what God is doing! The Lord is using you in ministry with us here in Africa and the Middle East —your prayers, your gifts, your encouragement makes it possible. Thank you!

In spite of the good news, this also seems to be the worst of times for Sally and me. Sally and I see the “worst” of times as God’s opportunity for the best, but it is still hard. We know tough times are God-given opportunities to grow, but that doesn't make them any easier. God is using what we are going through to refine us. In that light, here is what’s been hitting us hard these days:

First, Sally’s had a rough go of it physically, dealing with painful shingles for several months now, as well as two major dental surgeries that cost us a lot ($9,500 which we had not budgeted for).

Secondly, we’ve experienced a family member in crisis. We’re helping and praying, but it’s touched us deeply, both emotionally and financially.

Also, I’ve been somewhat overwhelmed on a personal level. The ministry activity is thrilling … but the long days are just that, long and tiring. I’m still praying (and I hope you’ll join me in this) for a gifted assistant. Plus, and it's embarrassing to say this, but I sprained both my wrist and my ankle in a nasty fall a bit ago (I’m happy to report I'm healing ok - fortunately the x-rays came back negative yesterday - no break or fracture).

All in all it's been an emotional few months, including a lot of highs and some lows. As we look ahead, we see so much potential, especially in the Muslim world. But both Sally and I also feel a little overwhelmed with the personal challenges. We see the Lord's blessings, but we also see the practical realities, such as our need for help to cover the “extra” expenses, as well as our regular living costs.

If the Lord leads, whatever you could offer toward these needs would be a tremendous blessing. I have provided details below for your convenience. Regardless of whether or not you can send a financial gift, we’d love to hear from you with any prayer requests and any family news you can share with us. We would love to partner with you in prayer as you pray for us.

Thank you for standing with us in the face of many challenges. May the Lord bless you with His grace and mercy.

Thank you for your love and prayers,

Floyd & Sally

Amazing African Women Film Society!

In the last few weeks we have had one wonderful breakthrough after another here in Cape Town. We have often asked the Lord for keys to reaching one of the disadvantaged communities here in Cape Town, and it has come through the high school. Below are some of the highlights shared by the CPx students (CPx is our training program) who have been given an open door to the high school and through the students to the teachers, parents and leaders in the community. One of the keys to making disciples and planting churches in Africa is finding the right access to people's hearts... this time we found it in the most unusual way... Be encouraged as you read!

Floyd and Sally

After School Club

“Fourteen girls attended Karl and Julie’s new after school club: the “Amazing African Women Film Society.” We bribed them with snacks to get them there – then taught them how to interview each other, answer questions and film it with a FLIP video camera. Each girl took a turn being the camera woman, acting as the interviewer and answering questions as the interviewee.

We showed them the interviews at the end of class, and they were so excited to see themselves on film! Not one of them owns a camera, and we are doubtful they have ever seen a video of themselves.

Over the next few weeks we will be bringing in “Amazing African Women” guest speakers, giving the girls an opportunity to interview and film them. In the end, we will show the girls how to make a movie of these “Amazing African Women.” We are thrilled to build relationships with these precious girls!

Leadership Camp

Last weekend we held our leadership adventure camp with the Ocean View High School student council (prefects in South Africa). The students joined us for two nights of non-stop action over the weekend at a camp near Hout Bay.

It was amazing! We kept them busy with games, teachings, small group discussions and adventure activities (obstacle course, problem solving outdoor events, etc.). The teachings incorporated many Bible verses from Proverbs, compelling video clips and inspirational life lessons. During the last session we spoke openly about God’s love for them.

Here are some quotes from the students after the camp:

“All my life I wanted to fit in – but now I know that I’m different and will make myself known to people all over the world…I will make a difference in Ocean View.” (Johannes did a talk on not fitting in, but standing out)

“I must learn to trust and be open with the Lord”

“You can do good stuff without anyone beating you down” (which is the crux of many Ocean View problems…you can’t paint your house in Ocean View without the neighbors accusing you of trying to be better than them.)

“I can keep believing that my life can be a success.”

“I learned how to uplift myself when I am surrounded with evil.”

“God gave you something that no one can take away from you.”

“Please keep up the work you are doing. Even if you don’t see it now your work will impact the lives of many.”

“On Sunday, the 16th of May I will never forget as I have finally given all I have to God.”

We grilled “bread on a stick” at the barbeque (literally dough on a stick you cook over a fire), Johannes did a “leap of death” from one tree branch to another (physical illustration of his talk on “jumping into life”), and seven kids made a decision during the last session to “seek after God.” Yes – you heard that right – at a public school retreat! We are blown away about what the Lord is doing with these kids and are excited about following up with them!

School Assembly

Suretha spoke during a school assembly on addiction and brought in a guest speaker who gave an amazing testimony. He was a former gangster who went to prison and spoke about how God freed him from addition and a destructive lifestyle.

The principal has been very pleased with our interactions at the school and has indicated that the high school will be an open door for All Nations involvement for years to come!!

Short Term Team Reaps Fruit of Long Term Workers in Zambia

One team of students from our church planting school (CPx) are now in Zambia. They are working with a long-term team of students who are graduates of past CPx's. The long-termers have been telling the God story, laying foundations in villagers minds about the foundations of the gospel: creation, rebellion, sacrifice, return/repentance/ commission. Recently there was the beginning of a reaping of the seed already sown:

"We are doing great after showing the Jesus film in the local language in the local villages. It was nice to see quite a sizable number of people come to our property from Singanga, Lyooka and Komayana villages. What we did before and while the people were watching the movie, was to intercede and I think that kept every one of us busy connecting with the heavens.

After the movie Namisha got to share a message with them about how Jesus longs to be their Friend and that He is the one that connects us to God and without Him we can never come to a loving relationship with God. After Namisha finished sharing what God had put upon her heart I challenged the team to reach out to people and find out if anyone of them wanted to have a relationship with Jesus and we saw quite a few of them being prayed for and giving their lives to Jesus. What I also sensed is that a good number of them were so shy and ashamed to step forward and be prayed for. So those who gave their lives will be followed up with tomorrow. I have been encouraging the team to get in their homes and asked them if they can find out more about the decision those people made - whether they were serious about it. I will follow-up with a young man whom i prayed for - he really wanted to give it all to Jesus. I ask him whether He meant what He was saying and he told me he did. He wants his life to turn around and follow Jesus".

A CPx report from Cape Town

A report from team leaders Brandon and Juliana Jones, students in CPx who are now working in a local community called Masi here in Cape Town:

Candace and Nick are from Zimbabwe and could be the catalyst for a move of God throughout the Zimbabwean social network of Masi. Brandon and Lifa met them through another Bible study among some Zimbabweans. They said they would like to have a Bible study in their home, so Brandon went to them last Friday and led a Discovery Bible Study (DBS) with them, a simple method of prayer and Bible study. During the study, it was obvious they were seriously contemplating the Scriptures (the story of creation). Afterward, Nick said he hadn’t invited any of his friends or neighbors to the group because he wanted to see what it was like for himself first. Now, he said, he wanted to share what he had learned immediately with his neighbors. Brandon suggested he lead his neighbors in the study of the same set of Scriptures the next day, and then they could meet the following Friday and talk about how it went. Nick and Candace agreed! Saturday, they led the DBS with their neighbors and friends! This is exactly the kind of empowerment we are hoping to see — Africans empowered to experience God for themselves, not dependent on Western missionaries.

Holistic Discipleship and Church Planting

“Planting churches among unengaged and unreached people groups really means engaging in holistic discipleship. To start simple churches without caring deeply about people's whole lives is pretty superficial, and to be engaged in transformation of people's social and economic circumstances without leading them to faith in Christ and gathering them in new communities of faith, is to not care about their eternal salvation and spiritual growth.”

- Floyd McClung

“An individual gospel without a social gospel is a soul without a body, and a social gospel without an individual gospel is a body without a soul; One is a ghost and the other a corpse.”

- E Stanley Jones;

How To Pray For a Nation in a Time of Crisis

When a nation is in crisis we can either see what God sees for the nation, and align our hearts and thoughts with Him, or we can be overwhelmed by circumstances and allow offence and cynicism to take control of our heart. We can see how God sees and have faith, or we can see evil and tragedy without discernment - and lose faith. There is no in-between place for the heart of a Christian. The nation of South Africa has faced a very serious crisis in the last few days. A well known political figure was murdered last weekend. Though two farm workers have turned themselves in to the police for the crime, the murder is being attributed to the influence of a radical political youth leader in the nation and his racist rhetoric.

These happenings have touched a raw nerve in both the white and black communities. There is great concern and fear that the racial divide in South Africa will be deepened. The old wounds of apartheid have been reopened. The pain of the Afrikaner people has been touched deeply. Everyone is aware that if the nation goes the direction of Zimbabwe, immediately to the north, South Africa will be plunged into economic ruin and racial conflict. There is a fear that a civil war could take place.

How do we respond to such a crisis? Do we take sides and let the divide deepen in our own hearts?

Does the word of God have anything relevant to say about such a crisis?

The prophet Daniel in the Bible was a teenager when he was taken captive by the invading armies of Babylon. Daniel as a 16 year old was violently ripped from his family and all that was familiar to him. He was sent into exile, then forced to serve as a slave to the most brutal and wicked man on the earth. Daniel was surrounded by demonic religions, pagan idolatry, palace intrigue, and still he kept faith in God - and he became a political leader of great influence.

There is no other book in the Bible that so uniquely reveals how the destinies of nations are impacted by the choices of ordinary people. We see one man pray, and the nation changed. We read the story and watch a young man given a role of counselor to kings. We are given insight into the throne room of God as the curtains of heaven are drawn back. We watch God judge His people, and overturn rulers and kingdoms to accomplish His secret plans.

There is just one prophetic message in the book of Daniel: kingdoms come and kingdoms go, but God’s kingdom is forever! The message of Daniel is intended to inspire people to discern what God is up to in a nation, then align their lives with what is on His heart, with His purposes. We learn from the book of Daniel that God reigns over the affairs of nations and it is He who allows and uses rulers for His purposes. We learn we are not to panic or loose heart – God is at work.

It is important for Christians today to understand the message of Daniel: if they do not they will have only a human perspective tainted by political views and ethnic considerations. The book of Daniel is not in the Bible for us to speculate about the future, but to understand God’s purposes in the present.

The two most powerful passages in the book are two prayers of Daniel. From these two prayers in chapters two and nine, we learn how to pray for a nation in time of crisis. The prayers of Daniel are located in chapter two, verses 20-23, and chapter nine, verses 3-19.

How to pray in a time of crisis:

1. Focus on God’s character. Acknowledge God’s goodness, His greatness, and that He is ultimately in control. (Daniel 2:20-22 and 9:4,7,9). Refuse to be more impressed with sin or evil people or wicked rulers than with God’s greatness and goodness. Faith for a nation in a time of crisis comes from being impressed with God, not circumstances.

2. Thank God for what He has shown you in the past as you prayed for your nation. (Daniel 2:23, 9:3). If you have not prayed with fasting and brokenness and humility for your nation, ask God for forgiveness.

3. Declare to God in faith that He raises up kings and presidents, and He removes kings and presidents. (Daniel 2:21). Daniel believed his own king in Jerusalem was removed, and the king of Babylon was raised up to judge the people of Israel. God brings governments down if they do not govern righteously. God uses wicked nations to bring judgment on His people.

4. Confess the sins of your nation in humility. Name the sins of the people specifically. Notice Daniel identified with the sins of his people. When he prayed he said, “we have sinned”. (Daniel 9:3-6, 9, 13)

5. Acknowledge that the judgment of the Lord on His people are deserved because of the sins of their sins. (Daniel 9:11-15)

6. Call upon the mercy and forgiveness of God. Daniel believed there was only one hope for the nation, and that was the mercy of God. He appealed to God to be merciful. (Daniel 9:4,9,18-19).

7. Pray for God’s own sake, for His glory. As you pray, be more concerned for God than for the people or yourself. Too often our prayers are based on what we want or what we feel; our prayers become self-centered. (Daniel 9:18-19)

A Prayer for Faithfulness

A prayer written by one of the students in CPx, our training program for leaders and church planters.

“I want my behaviour to be consistent; I want my initiatives to be creative; I want my teaching to be truthful. I want my compassion to be real; I want my heart to be tender; I want my word to be reliable; I want my gifts to be available; I want my emotions to be stable; I want my attitude to be suitable; I want my life to be reproducible; I want my work to be sustainable; I want my deeds to be honourable; I want more of You and less of me.”

Update on Killing and Racial Tension in South Africa

One of the greatest tests to face South Africa as a new nation seems to be upon us. This past weekend Eugene Terreblanche – his last name literally means “white earth” – was bludgeoned and hacked to death while taking a nap on his farm. Two of his black farm workers turned themselves in to the police in connection with the killing and will appear in court this week. Terrreblanche had a large following among whites who still believe in an all-white state. His supporters are promising to avenge his murder. Terreblanche was convicted in 1996 for the attempted murder of Paul Motshabi, a black man who worked as a security guard on his farm. While serving a shortened five year sentence, Terreblanche said he became a born again Christian. But he maintained his stance in favor of all white state that would only allow blacks to visit if they were farm or domestic workers.

Terreblanche’s murder comes at a time of increasing racial tension here in South Africa. A South African court recently banned the singing of a political song from the struggle days against apartheid called “kill the boer”, which translates to “kill the farmer”. The song has been sung recently at political rallies by Julius Malema, the leader of the youth league of the ruling ANC political party.

Please pray for our land – for peace, for freedom from fear, and for a move of God to turn this tension and tragedy into a demonstration of reconciliation and forgiveness.

Pray for Julius Malema – for Godly counselors, for wisdom and for the fear of the Lord.

Please pray for courage to replace fear – in the hearts of believers and political leaders across the nation. Pray for courage in the hearts of our co-workers and team members.

Pray for Sally and me to be filled with courage and boldness – we believe courage in the face of danger is far more pleasing to God than to be “safe” but lack faith.

Pray for Sally’s health - she is struggling with shingles, and is due for a costly dental surgery in a couple weeks time.

Your prayers for Sally and me and our ministry mean a lot to us right now. If you would like to contribute to us personally or to our ministry, we would be very grateful. We have several significant faith challenges before us right now.

To contribute to us personally or to the ministry, you can click on the donate block on our homepage and choose an option.

The Most Important Week of the Year

Passion Week of Jesus

From Luke’s Gospel Chapters 19:28 – 24:53

Sunday

• The triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem – 19:28-40

• Jesus weeps over the city of Jerusalem – 19:41-44

Monday

• Jesus cleanses the temple – 19:45-46

• He teaches the Passover crowds – 19:47-48

Tuesday

• He contends with religious rulers – 20:1-8

• Jesus again speaks to the Passover crowds – 20:9-21:38

Wednesday

• The plot against Jesus – 22:1-2

• Judas joins the conspiracy to betray Jesus – 22:3-6

Thursday

• Preparation for Passover – 22:7-13

• The Lord’s Supper – 22:14-38

Friday

• Peter’s denial of Jesus – 22:54-62

• Jesus mocked and beaten – 22:63-65

• Trial before the Sanhedrin – 22:66-71

• Trial before Pilate – 23:1-25

• The crucifixion of Jesus – 23:26-49

• Burial of Jesus – 23:50-55

Saturday

• Rest and preparation of spices for final entombment of Jesus - 23:55-56 (also see John 19:38-42, Mark 16:1)

Sunday

• The Resurrection of Jesus – 24:1-12

The last days of Jesus on earth after His death and resurrection…

• The encounter on the road to Emmaus – 24:13-45

• Jesus gives proof of His resurrection – 24:23-43

• The Great Commission – 24:44-48

• The Ascension of Jesus 24:49-53

This is the most important week of the Christian calendar. It is Passion week - the week we give special attention to the events leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Above are an outline of readings for the rest of the week. I suggest you follow the daily readings to meditate on Jesus' death and resurrection.

Our church will celebrate this Sunday as we gather home churches, friends and family. There will be believers from Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Limpopo - and many other provinces and countries. We will worship in a variety of languages, see a dramatic presentation of Jesus' death and resurrection, then scatter around the grounds of Africa House in small groups to discuss the Scriptures and do communion together - led by local people, many of whom are recent converts. Then there will be baptisms and more rejoicing!

I wish you could be with us!!

May this week be a blessed week for you, your family and your community.

Yours,

Floyd and Sally

The Servant Leader's Ten Commandments

1. Thou shall not make thyself a god or big boss to the people that you lead.

2. Thou shall not allow people to flatter you, and thou shall not take for your self big titles.

3. Thou shall not require an unquestioning loyalty from others, nor shall you teach people that you are their covering.

4. Thou shall not be a spiritual social climber, nor shall you purchase a theological degree online.

5. Thou shall lead with meekness and grace.

6. Thou shall not seek to control and manipulate others, nor use intrigues and scheming to get your own way.

7. Thou shall not have two standards of conduct for your public and private life, nor shall you have secret relationships or sexual fantasies.

8. Thou shall not interfere with or weaken the marriages of others by usurping authority over them.

9. Thou shall not compete with others in ministry for the allegiance or praise of people.

10. Thou shall not discourage people from joining other churches or being sent as missionaries with other groups.

Access Ministries and Church Planting

Have you ever heard of an "access ministry"? One of the keys to discipling new believers is finding the right "access ministry" to connect to their hearts. An access ministry is what we do to serve people that opens them to hear the good news of the gospel. Not every church planter/disciple maker is good at creating an access ministry, and not every person who can start an access ministry is a natural evangelist and disciple maker. But these two types of ministries desperately need to be integrated. Doing one type of ministry without the other is to be guilty of the worst extremes of missions: hit and run evangelism on the one hand, and social justice without mentioning Jesus or sharing the gospel on the other hand. Planting churches among unengaged and unreached people groups really means engaging in holistic discipleship. To start simple churches without caring deeply about people's whole lives is pretty superficial, and to be engaged in transformation of their social and economic circumstances without leading them to faith in Christ and gathering them in new communities of faith, is to not care about their eternal salvation.

We are committed to holistic church planting and disciple making in here in Cape Town. It is not easy. It takes a lot of hard work, fierce focus, and great intentionality. It means making sure there are passionate evangelists on every team we send out, and linking these evangelists with those who can start practical ministries of of social development.

Let me give you an example of how we are attempting to integrate the these two dimensions in All Nations Cape Town. In fact, I could give you lots of examples: Baby Safe - rescuing abandoned babies, Vulnerable Children - caring for AIDS impacted child-headed households, Steps Job Training, etc. In fact, every ministry we do is aimed at integrating practical care, personal salvation, and establishing communities of faith for the new believers. But one recent example stands out.

Play Prof

Two days ago I attended the first graduation ceremony of pre-school principals being trained in the use education toys for disadvantaged pre-schoolers. We do this under the banner of PlayProf. This program is led by Anna Chan. Anna is from Hone Kong and works with All Nations to train and mentor pre-school teachers and principals in Masiphumelele, a township in Cape Town. Each lady who completed the course was given a large plastic box, filled with educational toys and a teachers manual. Anna will follow up with monthly one-on-one mentoring times with the pre-school leaders.

The training course is the result of a partnership between All Nations and Pray-Prof, a South Africa pre-school training and equipping company. A child born in poverty often lacks basic motor and learning skills, which sets them on a life-time pathway of educational and learning disadvantages. Most never recover from this early childhood disadvantage. Pray-Prof exists to address this need. And All Nations is deeply committed to meet that need as well.

Anna is excited about discipling the teachers of pre-schools, the parents of children in the pre-schools, the children themselves, and their siblings. Anna sees what she is doing as a huge door opener, an access ministry, into the lives of teachers, parents, older bothers and sisters, and care givers. What she is doing is an example of holistic discipleship: she is adding huge value to people's lives, and creating an important "access ministry" for starting simple churches. She and others she works with are discipling people they meet one-to-one, starting Bible Studies in their homes, and growing up leaders to lead simple home churches. No one is more excited than Anna when one of those she has discipled to faith is baptized in one of our church celebrations.

So, while we have our personal health struggles, at the same time Sally and I are deeply encouraged. Thanks for your love and prayers.

God bless,

Floyd

Passions and Practices of Apostolic People

Are you prepared to lead your followers on a journey of pioneering passion? If so, then this issue has to be settled: are you certain that you want your followers to be apostolic people? Here are some of the apostolic passions and practices of the church in Antioch and in the lives of Paul and Barnabas:

• The leaders set aside time to worship and fast and listen to the Holy Spirit – 13:2

• They had a readiness to send out their best people – 13:2-4

• They were a multi-cultural church and leadership, before they went to the nations – 13:1

• The church in Antioch had a variety of spiritual gifts in their leadership – 13:1

• Paul and Barnabas preached the word of God without compromise, which opened the door to those who were hungry for spiritual truth – 13:5

• They focused on people whom God had prepared for the gospel - don't waste time trying to stir passion in those who are not motivated (if you do, the enemy will lead you in circles) – 13:5-6, 14-41

• When there was spiritual opposition, they opposed the opposition; they confronted the confrontation, e.g., they resisted Satan working through the sorcerer, Elymas – 13:8-12

• They were sensitive to the cultural context of the people: they told the story of the Jewish people back to the Jewish people – 13:14-41

• They storied the gospel – 13:16-17

• They quoted the prophets of the people back to the people: can you quote the secular "prophets" of our day? – 13:33

• They were careful not to give time and energy to people who resisted the gospel – 13:45,51

• They intentionally spread the word of God to an entire region - 13:49

• They were bold - 14:3

• They refused to allow people to idolize them; apostolic leaders must be very careful to do the same today - 14:14-15

• They preached the gospel: 14:7, 21, 25,

• They stayed relationally connected to their home church (no apostle is above being known or being accountable to a few people in close community) - 14:27-28

The Short History of One Black Man

A good friend and one of our key leaders in All Nations Cape Town is Bruce Chitambala. He is single, 33 years old, a university graduate, and comes from the beautiful land of Zambia. He has a passion for sports - especially soccer - and loves to disciple anyone he can, but especially emerging African leaders. He serves as a mentor to students in CPx, our leadership school. I want to commend Bruce to you for financial support. Would you prayerfully consider supporting him with a monthly gift of $25, $50 or $100? Bruce would be happy to correspond with you regularly and keep you informed of his vision for Africa. Recently, he gave a talk to our staff and students titled, The History of the Black Man. It was powerful in that it was used to break negative stereotypes of Africans and African men in particular. If you would like to correspond with Bruce his email is chitambala@gmail.com

It is God's hour for Africa!

Thank you!

Floyd and Sally

It's Africa's Hour!

Yesterday I met with an Ethiopian brother who is a student in CPx, our leadership and church planting school. He has started and oversees 164 churches in Ethiopia, so he is not a novice. He endured the time in the 1980's when the communists ruled Ethiopia and persecuted the Christians mercilessly. My question to this dear brothers, and I'm sure you would think of the same question, is why would he come to our training program when he has already done so much for the kingdom?

"I want to learn more", he said, when I asked him that question. "I want to learn how to send church planters from Ethiopia to other countries to spread the gospel".

In talking to him yesterday, I was surprised to learn that Muslims now claim 44% of the population of Ethiopia! There is growing persecution against believers in areas where Muslims are dominant. The Communist regime has been overthrown, but now the Muslims are rising up in numbers to try to take over the government. Please pray for this pastor, would you?

There are others like him who have attended CPx and are now working full time with All Nations: Bruce Chimtabala from Zambia, Munyaradzi Hove from Zimbabwe, Eric Mogane from Limpopo, and Petrus Mamonyane - these are African brothers are sold out, dedicated, men of integrity and character. They are far more effective that I will ever be, or any Westerner will be in reaching and transforming Africa.

Sally and I consider it a privilege to serve with them as co-workers. These brothers are in great need of monthly support - please pass the word to your friends or family members if you think any of someone who would like to support one of these brothers for $25, $50, or $100 a month. It would mean so much to them!"