Leiter

MULTIPLYING THE RESULTS

 

Dear Leader,

Do you want your area to grow spiritually and numerically? But is this really possible today? Yes, it is definitely possible. How?

“What you intend, you will not succeed by the power of an army and not by human power: No, my spirit will effect it! I promise, the LORD Almighty God.” (Zech.4:6 Hfa)

How is this supposed to happen? I think we all still have to learn here. Do we also want to learn from the experiences of others? I’m convinced of it. May the Lord show us all the entire way through his Spirit.

The shared experiences through “Steps to Personal Revival” show that this booklet can be of valuable assistance. But spiritual and numerical growth requires more than just reading a booklet once or distributing it. It needs your heart’s involvement. I dare say: Your area will only go as far as you go. No one can guide another, unless he himself has gone on the path before. Our lives, our prayers, our testimonies, our conversations, our influence and our sermons will be used by God. In fact, multiple reading seems to be a key: Educational research has shown that it is necessary to read such a crucial theme for our lives six to ten times before you understand it thoroughly. Try it at least once. The result will convince you.

  1. Two testimonies from a pastor and a Union Departmental Leader, now retired, USA:
    1. Testimony – …  I read your book “Steps to Personal Revival” three times. I never thought I would find such new insights about prayer. Prayer, which is based on God’s promises like you explained. Since then, God has achieved victories in my life that I never thought possible.  –  I have been invited to preach at a camp meeting. Your book gave me the topic.   June 26, 2017 – F.S.  Abbreviated
  2. Testimony – … Since I started reading your book (I have read it 6 times according to the advice in the book) and learned how to pray with promises, my life has been transformed. …  The Lord guided me to prepare a sermon for the camp meeting about our greatest need, the refreshing showers of the Spirit of God. In all the years I dedicated to the ministry, I have never felt the power of the Holy Spirit moving among people as among those 3,000 in that auditorium. – My wife has noticed a complete change in me.  Even I am surprised at myself. July 25th, 2017 – F.S. abbreviated

My request: May I – as an older brother – recommend to you: pray and read the booklet several times with someone who is near to you. This will notably influence the progress in your group, church or conference.

Could the next step be to share your insights and experiences with the Pastors, Elders and other key-members? It is so important to reach their hearts. That is how Ethiopia started. In July 2017, 500 pastors received the booklet in Amharic at the end of a revival-week. – In the North Philippines Union the booklet was presented at a prayer-conference in Filipino to 1,500 Elders in June 2017.

Experiences
Will you share testimonies personally and in our papers? There is great inspiration in them. If necessary, testimonies can also be used from www.steps-to-personal-revival.info – Testimonies

‘How to raise interest?’ Under this menu point you find valuable suggestions. One thing, which is very easy to start, is the suggestion of “Coordinated Reading”. The strongest incentive is through holding a “seminar”.  You can hold it yourself, or have a guest speaker (or use a video; only available in certain languages.) You can still enhance the experience of a seminar if you have “Coordinated Reading” before or after the seminar.

40-day Concept – from 17 to 65 members
The small church in Cologne-Kalk, Germany, had 17 German, Spanish and Portuguese members. Pastor J. Lotze invited them to carry out the 40-day concept. They studied a 40-Days-Book in groups of two, each one prayed daily for five unreached people and they established personal contact with them. On the 40th day they had a visitor’s sabbath and after that was a 14-day evangelistic campaign. They were able to baptize 13 people within a short time. They repeated the 40-day concept several times and have grown to 65 members within 4 years. (See 40-day books for the 40-Days Concept and go to “Experiences” No.19 to find more about the experience from Cologne.)

Lugano, Italian speaking area of Switzerland – very secular
Pastor Matthias Maag had excellent experiences as missionary in South Africa with the 40 Days books by Dennis Smith. When he returned to Switzerland, he started immediately with this concept. There were 15 baptisms in the first year [which is very extraordinary in this region]. One lady had been a regular visitor at the church for 15 years. During the 40 Days she decided to be baptized.

Youth – My name is Alina van Rensburg and I’m the Young Adult Director for the South Queensland Conference [12,200 members in Australia]. I had a young lady share ‘Steps to Personal Revival’ with me at the beginning of this year and I was absolutely blown away.  It explores the exact theme that God placed on the hearts of my husband and myself: awakening to the Holy Spirit in our lives!! – I could tell you so many stories, but in essence, we have been so blessed by this little book!  Greg Pratt [Discipleship and Spiritual Development Director SQC] had an extra 300 that I distributed to all of my young adult leaders at our leadership meetings earlier this year and the response has been absolutely incredible. – So now I would like to source an extra 150 to give my young adults at Big Camp this year, to study during Life Group Sessions.

366 baptisms + 35 in baptismal class –
The Secretary of the Burundi Union, Paul Irakoze, [130,000 members, 100,000 “Steps to  Personal Revival” in Kirundi], said that as a whole
320 former members came back through the influence of the brochure. They were accepted by a new baptism in March 2017.

Deaf people read the booklet three times – Then they shared their experiences with other hearing impaired people. Result: In March 2017, we baptized 25 deaf people.

Prisoners – We distributed the booklet to our church members in Mpimba Prison. They were moved by the Holy Spirit and started sharing their faith. This last Sabbath, 21 prisoners were baptized and 35 are preparing for baptism. This is the fruit of the booklet Steps to Personal Revival.

Study Period / Week of Prayer
The Burundi Union had the week of prayer for their 130,000 members in Nov. 2017 using “Steps to Personal Revival” again. The sermons of our Secretary on this topic were also broadcast on the adv. radio every evening. – Results: Valuable prayer week, prayers answered, fulfillment with the Holy Spirit, many members witnessed a conversion, pastors are thankful to do their service filled with the Holy Spirit.

Students – Pastor Dwight Nelson, Leading Pastor of Andrews University, told, that this little book “changed the inside of me. I want to do the same for you”. He started at Sept.2nd 2017 a series of three sermons: “Ground Zero and the New Reformation: How to be baptized with the Holy Spirit?” He quoted from “Steps to Personal Revival” and recommended it to everyone. That led to 4,000 downloads and the order of several thousand booklets. Link to these sermons and his blog: https://www.pmchurch.tv/sermons

Evangelism  – Dwight Nelson writes in his blog Oct.11, 2017 (shortened and edited)
Ninety-one “guests” (as they call them) joined with Zagreb Adventists in the nightly ninety-minute program. …On a personal note and in grateful appreciation for your intercessory prayers, I need to testify I’ve not had an experience of public evangelistic preaching quite like this one in Zagreb in all the years I’ve been involved in evangelism. As I told the pastors here at Pioneer, I’m absolutely certain it was and remains the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s own full-court intervention day and night in that city in response to concerted prayer. I remind you, many of us back in September began seeking God for a daily baptism of the Holy Spirit (as Christ invites us to do in Luke 11:13). Which is why I can be confident in attributing what I personally experienced and witnessed in Zagreb to His direct work. All of which says nothing about me—but says everything about the veracity of Jesus’ promise—”But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses . . .”(Acts 1:8). So whatever we do, let’s not abandon our daily seeking for the Spirit of God’s fresh, empowering baptism every morning.

Reconciliation: There are very good experiences of individuals and families (see experience nos.2 / 17; 3/31; 3 /, 35; 3/40; 4/52; 4/56;). Experiences of entire churches from tensions, quarrels, divisions, injuries, no forgiveness, emotional outbursts and personal attacks to loving and peaceful forgiveness and reconciliation (experiences no. 1/10; 7/84).
Dear Leader!
Let us grow in the Holy Spirit. The Lord himself has given the command [MB20.3]:
“Let yourselves be constantly and repeatedly filled anew with the Spirit”. (Eph. 5:18)

Christ in us and the Holy Spirit make us “heralds of good tidings” (Is.40:9). Don’t forget Jesus’ last words on earth: But you will receive the Holy Spirit and be my witnesses through His power
[ability, equipping, supernatural power].” (Acts 1:8)

Your Brother in Christ Jesus
Helmut Haubeil