Erweckt Durch Gnade (Eng - German) — George Verwer

I'm praying a lot about this, I especially also want to just give thanks for every mission fellowship that's represented here during this weekend. I'm in touch with the leaders of over 200 mission agencies around the world, and try to support these agencies in prayer and in giving free books and in finance.

Now that I'm not any longer the leader of OM, I have more time to do that. And it's amazing how many new ministries God has raised up. There are about 100 ministries that actually trace their birth back to their founder being.

On OM, over 100 ministries.

So there's, even though I'm no longer the director, there's just so much, so much I have the privilege of being involved with. Please do visit all of the wonderful book exhibits. Some of you may know that in the past year or two, we've had a new director of OM here in Germany.

We're thankful for the leadership of Fritz and Elfriede Schuller over a number of decades. The present leader's name is Tobias Schulz, who worked in the Muslim world for many years. I spoke with him on the phone last night.

I hope many of you will get to meet him. And he's written a book about the Muslim world. So I hope you might be able to pick up a copy of that. Turn with me in your Bibles to the epistle of John, 1 John chapter 3.

We all know John 3 .16, but not everybody seems very familiar with 1 John 3 .16. And we'd like to read just starting at the 16th verse. And I've got a different Bible now, and this one has got very small print.

But I think we'll read right through verse 18. Three verses.

These are very strong words.

It speaks, first of all, how do we know God's love for us? He gave his life. When I was out walking early this morning, I'd been listening to some ministry tapes all about salvation and what Christ has done.

And that is generally, hopefully emphasized in all of our churches. Similar to John 3 .16.

But the verse does not end there. It then says we should be laying down our lives for the brothers, for the others. I've thought about this so many times.

And then when we tie it in with the next verse, it seems to be even more powerful. Look at the 17th verse. Let's read that again.

Biblical Stewardship and Sacrificial Giving

We all live in a very materialistic society. It is amazing the accumulation of wealth among God's people in Britain, America, Germany, Switzerland. And I'm not condemning this. Only God can judge. God has given me the privilege of having many, many friends who are quite wealthy.

I have 25 times as many who are very poor. And I believe the word of God teaches biblical stewardship. So if a person's business is doing well and they're making finance, that's a huge responsibility.

I was on the phone with a business person this afternoon, a Canadian man. I wish he were here to speak. He started his business from very small. He put it in God's hands. And God prospered that business.

It doesn't always happen that way. God works in different ways in different people. And this man for the past 30 years.

Has been able to give very, very large sums of money to world leaders.

I called him to thank him for a gift of 50 ,000 Canadian dollars that he just gave me yesterday. I have a fund called the Special Projects Fund. And we're involved in literature projects in about 100 countries.

And about 50 languages. And to carry those projects forward, we need a lot of money.

Many of our gifts are very small.

And often if I get a small gift, I phone the person up and thank them for their 30 euro gift.

Some of you may be aware that one of the biggest gifts to buy our new ship, Logos Hope,. Logos Hope, which is the new ship we have just purchased,.

Many of the finance ministers were very small gifts.

Thousands of small gifts. But one German business person.

Set up a matching fund of one million euros. He said, if we find a million from other people, we will give a million.

If we don't find it, we don't get it.

So we know that people who have been committed with large wealth or small wealth, if they're dedicated Christians, they are stewards. Some of you who want to go to the mission field, any of you young people, you're going to have to find some business people and professional people willing to support you,.

Or you're not going to go. In 49 years of missionary work, 43 years visiting Germany,.

We've always had far more people who want to go than we've ever had the money to send them.

And for young people who want to go into international faith missionary work,.

Germany is a very difficult country. You will not easily raise that support, and you may get discouraged in the battle. So having a biblical view of money, understanding what Neil Pirolo talks about in his book,.

The book I mentioned yesterday, Serving as Senders,.

Is incredibly important. And I pray that you will read this little book.

I also talk about some of these things in my latest book about world missions.

From Reflection to Compassionate Action

We are facing phenomenal global challenges. This is just one of many verses that clearly, clearly exhort us.

To open our hearts,.

To open our bank accounts, to open our minds, and to respond in passion and reality and commitment. There was a great writer who brought many thousands to Christ named C .S. Lewis.

C .S. Lewis, ein großer Autor, hat viele, viele Menschen zu Jesus geführt.

It's amazing how God has used that man in his reign, because he came from atheism and agnosticism to Jesus. And people were amazed at his conversion. And C .S. Lewis said this,.

You may want to write it down, because it describes the situation in many of our hearts and churches today.

C .S. Lewis said we have the tendency to think, but not to act.

And we have the tendency to feel, but not to act. And he went on to say, if we keep thinking and feeling without acting, someday we will be unable to act. This has been my observance around the world for 48 years.

As the Lord's people, we go to church, we go to great meetings like this, we hear tremendous music, we see slides and pictures of dying children, and we think about it, and we often feel moved,.

But we find it so hard to change our ways to become effective in doing something about it.

A pastor came to me one day, said he'd been preaching to his congregation faithfully for 10 or 15 years. Strong messages from the Lord God. Nobody said to me, I'll never forget.

He said, I have never seen anyone change, not one person in my church ever change as a result of my preaching. We're not talking about change of vocabulary. We're not talking about learning a new song.

We're talking about right change,.

So that person becomes compassionate and does something about the lost and about the poor. Now I feel very fortunate because I have seen quite a few people change.

I'm actually more optimistic about people being changed than many people that I read.

But I know it is not easy,.

And I want all of us to search our hearts tonight. If we think about this world in which we live, we talked about 10 of those most impossible countries in the planet this morning. I wonder if we will be willing and actually pray for those places.

I wonder if we will actually be willing to get involved in those places. Maybe send some money to ministries in those places to send people.

But tonight I want to think not just about individual nations.

I want us to think about the globe, the world as a whole. And I want to talk about 7 of the most phenomenal global challenges that all of us are facing right now. I'm going to do this very quickly, and then we're going to look at Isaiah chapter 6.

Global Poverty and the Church’s Twofold Mission

7 global challenges that we must respond to. We must stop just talking, and we must act. We must do something. Many of us are doing something. Somehow we must see whether God wants us to do more. The first challenge is the challenge of global poverty.

About one third of the entire world lives in poverty. I've been amazed when I've talked to some Christians, and they obviously had heart in their heart against it. Even taking some verse from Jesus' teaching out of context, as an excuse for not doing anything among the poor.

A serious study of the Bible shows verse after verse expressing concern for the poor.

If they are across the street,.

Or if they're across the ends of the earth, and as we've read these verses, surely that is just so very clear.

Operation Mobilization, about 20 years ago, went through tremendous change.

Before that, we were a one-handed gospel. We had only one arm.

We had Bibles. We had gospel tracts. Videos, cassettes.

We had the gospel. And we were giving it out all over the world. We thank the Lord for that. We've been able to give the word of God to one billion people. One thousand million, the Brits say. One billion other people say.

But as we saw the global poverty,.

And other challenges that I'm talking about right now, that is, we went to the Lausanne Congress in Switzerland,.

And as we began to study under great mythologists in more serious study and prayer,.

We realized we had to change. Become concerned about the whole person.

And we always were, to some degree.

But we thought these other organizations take care of the physical,.

And we will take care of the spiritual. We had a dichotomy.

And God, from his word, especially using Asians and Latin Americans in my stubborn mind,.

And men and women from Germany, and people like John Stott from Great Britain, Tony Kampala from America,.

And Ajit Fernando from Sri Lanka, many people influenced us to see that we had to have both hands. And the spiritual and the practical were one.

We began to reach out to the poor of India. Yes, helping in their physical needs, having small clinics. One of our first works of this kind were among the Afghans,.

Almost 30 years ago.

And then we began to respond to earthquakes and to floods, helping those who are suffering, rescuing and serving.

And helping in their practical needs.

And the ships each year had one or two projects in where their focus was helping with the human suffering in that poor impractical way.

And our movement was transformed.

And one of the reasons so many young people are still joining OM.

Is because this generation has a greater vision for the whole person than my generation did. We've seen whole new mercy ministries born, functioning in many countries where also supposedly the door is closed.

Children at Risk

The second great global challenge is the challenge of children at risk. Hundreds of millions of children are at risk tonight. Children at risk, they're suffering, they're in danger, at risk means they're in danger.

The whole movement has been born called the Viva Network. And it's amazing how their network is spread all over the world. They did a lot of research. They discovered the church is one of the greatest global ministries working among suffering children.

People were stunned by these statistics when they turned out a magazine and had conferences and gave reports.

And of course they showed how many more were not being helped. Millions and millions of orphans.

Millions of refugee children. Millions of street children. Hundreds of thousands of children sold into sexual slavery in places like Bombay. Millions of underage children sold into factory and slave labor.

Around the world.

You will study this in a serious way, it will blow your mind, it will not comprehend, it's so great.

Letting Jesus Break Our Hearts for the Suffering

And then the third global challenge that we must respond to.

Now I know there's a danger at this point when we share these heavy challenges that we can switch off emotionally because it seems too much. I'd ask you not to do that.

Even though you feel weak. Even though it seems overwhelming. Just let Jesus break your heart tonight. We may not be able to do much.

Right at this point. But if we allow our hearts to be broken,.

That could be the beginning of a whole deeper level.

Spiritual revolution in our lives.

That will lead to dynamic change and ministry that will affect every one of these massive global challenges.

Jesus looked over Jerusalem.

At that moment he could not do much. But he wept. Jesus wept. Let us weep tonight for the children at risk. The third huge global challenge.

HIV, AIDS, and Compassionate Christian Response

Is the challenge of HIV and AIDS. Tens of millions,.

Tens of millions are already dead. How many have to die before the church wakes up to this enormous challenge? Does it have to happen in your own family first? Do we have to lose ten students from HIV here?

Will that wake us up? In South African countries that's the only thing that may change. Ten years ago they didn't want to talk about it. Even the governments were in denial. This is no big problem. Now in Africa alone tens of millions are already dead.

Forty millions are infected. Statistically they're all dying.

In a couple of African countries.

One out of five is infected and dying. One out of five. I must be very honest.

That took a long time for this vision to take hold in my own heart. I failed to study it carefully. I failed to understand it.

But a few years ago.

Through reading and contact with Patrick Dixon who wrote this great book.

About HIV and AIDS and through meeting people with HIV and AIDS God completely changed my life.

And today next to winning men and women to Christ this is my number one focus. And we're joining in partnership with other missions and missionaries for a great global campaign against HIV and AIDS and this horrendous epidemic.

We can all do something. Let God break your heart over this situation. Become more informed about this situation.

And support ministries around the globe that are attempting to do something both in prevention and caring for those that are already having it. Germany will see a great increase of HIV and AIDS.

In the next few years.

If you think this is only affecting homosexual people.

Then you are ignorant of what is actually happening.

What do we say about millions of AIDS orphans and many children who are infected by AIDS itself. And then the fourth global challenge and I must move more quickly is the challenge of women who are abused, abused women.

Abuse of Women and the Church’s Responsibility

Now it's interesting that when women were being so mistreated.

By the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Incredible mistreatment. Not many Christians even Christian women were saying anything. It was non-Christian women.

Who spoke up about the abuse of women in Afghanistan. And what about female circumcision? I know some do not even know what that is. But it is now being practiced all over Europe among people of certain culture.

I think Denmark is one of the first countries that wants to make it illegal.

I have read many horrendous articles about suffering all of my life.

I can usually read the article through to the end. I may weep, I may get angry.

But when I have read articles about female circumcision.

I have never been able to finish the article. I became sick. I became angry. That such an evil practice against women is still taking place among millions of women on planet earth with our United Nations sitting over there in New York with all of its pride.

And then what about the fact that in certain religions. What about the fact that in certain religions it is very normal to beat your wife.

This is the great cover-up. We try to hide it. And especially in the Christian church where research has shown lately that amazing numbers of women are beaten to profess the name of Jesus Christ. And if the women here don't think this is relevant you are extremely naive.

Let me assure you.

I just had a woman on the phone some months ago. Her husband was fired for addiction to internet pornography in a Christian organization. Fourteen other men were fired at the same time. All hooked and addicted to internet pornography.

All working for a very famous Christian organization. But this woman shared with me why she finally divorced her husband. She didn't believe in divorce. And so when he beat her up somehow she forgave him and they tried to continue.

He beat her up fourteen times. He broke her jaw. He inflicted her in other ways. But she finally had the courage the courage when the church would do nothing to call the police have him arrested and then seek a divorce.

We can be in a situation where everything looks okay.

We can be in a church where everything looks okay. But I can assure you.

It is not okay. We are covering up the reality.

And there are men who have the name Christian.

Who have done evil things to their wives they have done evil things to their children.

And they never get caught.

Because they hide behind the Christian church.

And their religious suit coat.

And it is truly one of the greatest abominations before the living God.

That exists in the world today.

My heart goes out to so many women who are suffering. We of course know that some men suffer. We have probably seen a film.

Where that woman eventually killed her husband. The word of God is clear.

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God whether you are a man or a woman. But as God's people.

Concerned about being obedient.

To the whole of the word of God we want to respond to these global challenges.

We want to be active in the social and political arena as much as we can.

To urge our governments to also do something about these situations. And then the fifth great global challenge is the challenge of the disabled.

Disability and the Disenfranchised

And disenfranchised, the blind, the deaf, disabled people.

Around the world.

Praise God for Johnny Erickson and others like her.

There is so much more that has to be done. Again, sometimes the government has been ahead of the church in concern for the disabled and the deaf and the blind. As a movement we're wrestling with this and trying to improve and it's not an easy road.

Impure Water and Practical Mercy

And then the sixth global problem must be most surprising. I bet you never thought of this one. The huge problem of impure water. Do you thank the Lord for the water you're able to drink here in Germany?

Never take it for granted. For 25 of the people in the world they do not have it. Diseases, the death that comes from impure water beyond comprehension.

I'm aware that what I'm sharing tonight is not new to many of you. I'm also aware that in the last 20 years there's been response to these challenges with new mission agencies of all kinds being raised up.

Some of them right here in Germany and some German mission agencies were committed to these things even 50 and 100 years ago.

There are a number of mission agencies now, one or two. Their main goal.

Together with winning people to Christ is giving people pure water.

The water of life in one glass.

And water to drink in another glass. This is something we can get involved in. There are new water purifiers. I think some of them invented in Germany.

Millions do not have access to these sometimes expensive little devices. And my final global challenge not that there are not more.

Lukewarmness and Spiritual Revitalization

And I may surprise you even more. It's the challenge of lukewarmness among God's people. In Revelation chapter 3 it says, Be ye hot or be ye cold. If you're lukewarm I'll spit you out of my mouth.

If 1 John 3 .17 is difficult.

This one is even more difficult. But it is my dream. It is my prayer. That all over Germany and all over the world.

The sleeping giant of lukewarm people in the church.

Who do not know the reality of intimate fellowship with Christ so that they're involved in prayer and in giving and in ministry.

And somehow through prayer and sharing and every possible means we may see them revitalized and mobilized. If lukewarmness has come into your life.

Turn from it tonight in the name of Jesus. Allow God to fill you afresh.

With his Holy Spirit.

Allow Jesus to break your heart.

And do a new work in your life.

Believe me the whole world will feel the impact of that decision. In closing I want us to look at Isaiah chapter 6. I want us to be willing.

Isaiah’s Vision and the Call to Availability

To pray this prayer that Isaiah once prayed. Here am I, send me.

Turn to Isaiah chapter 6. We're just going to read the passage starting at verse 1. We'll read until we get to the prayer. Here am I, send me. That's verse 1 through verse 8 in German. In German.

In German. This is one of the most powerful missionary passages in the whole of the Bible. Many of you have heard messages on these words. Many times the challenge is given to go into all the world. And this is the passage.

That is used by the speaker. And we use these verses to recruit missionaries to go out and to serve Christ in other places. But I think if we study this verse more carefully.

And bring it into balance with other verses in the New Testament.

Then we're unable to say.

That this is only talking about missionary service. The only way we can interpret this.

Is it is for every believer. Every believer is to have experience with God. To have experience with God. First of all, conversion.

And then experiences of forgiveness.

Of cleansing, of worship, of revival.

And if you can read these words again before you go to bed tonight perhaps God would meet with you as He met with Isaiah.

It can even happen here as we're sitting here.

We get a realization of our sins. The sins of the tongue. The sins of lukewarmness. God works in different people in different ways.

When we respond in confession.

As Isaiah did remember those words woe is me, I'm a man of unclean lips I'm among a people of unclean lips.

When we confess our sins there comes the forgiveness and the cleansing and the setting free from guilt. Such a beautiful picture of God working in a person's life. I know that God is working in your life.

And I'm sure many of you have had similar experiences to this. In fact, I wanted to ask this. How many already at some point in your life when God has spoken to you maybe from this passage you have already prayed this prayer.

Here am I, send me. Raise your hand. Raise your hand. You've already prayed that prayer. God bless you. A number of you are here in Bible college perhaps because you prayed that prayer. But most of you have not raised your hand.

Did you think that was just for Bible school students? Did you think that was just for missionaries going to China? Send me so send I you.

And so I believe every believer should be a sent person. Maybe to the mission field.

But it may be into the marketplace across the street.

In fact, when I have given this message I've had people come to me and say to me that through his word.

They realized for the first time that God had sent them to where they already were.

And they were thanking God for the first time. He had sent them to that particular work in a factory, in an office and that was part of the kingdom.

Every Believer Sent into Every Sphere of Life

But we are not called just to evangelize the world. We are called to build the kingdom everywhere. We need it in Lemgo. We need it in every part of Germany, every part of Europe, every part of the world.

So I'm going to ask you to hear the voice of God tonight.

Just as Isaiah did. And to respond.

To think again of these seven global challenges.

And to say, Lord, here am I. Send me.

To help the poor. Send me to do something about HIV and AIDS. Send me to the children at risk. Send me to help women who are abused. Send me to the disabled and the blind and the deaf. Send me to help people get pure water and better health.

Send me to bring revival and spiritual fire to my church.

And to my friends.

Maybe across the ocean.

But more likely for many of us it's across the street.

While at the same time through prayer and finance we can help those who are going to more distant places.

I believe God has blessed us here today. We have heard. We have felt. But I believe now is the time to act. And I'm going to ask for you to pray this prayer.

In absolute yieldedness.

Not primarily a prayer for missions it's a prayer of availability.

It's saying, Lord, I'm willing to do whatever you want. It's saying, Jesus, I want you to be the Lord of my life. My time, my talent, my future, my business, my education I put it under your lordship.

Just like that great hymn take my life and let it be. That is the message of Romans 12, 1 and 2. So I'm going to ask right now for all of us to pray.

Yielding the Body as a Living Sacrifice

For you to be willing to pray this prayer here am I, send me. Let us bow in prayer. Let us take a moment of silent prayer. Let us see the vision, let us sense something of what Isaiah saw and experienced.

Let us reflect on some of the things that we've heard. Let us search our own hearts. Let us exercise faith. Knowing his grace is sufficient,.

His strength is made perfect in weakness.

If you're willing to pray this simple prayer,.

God has spoken to you. If you're willing to pray this prayer, here am I, send me. I'm going to ask that you stand up as an outward expression of an inward transaction. And I want to stand with you and I want to pray for you.

This is a moment of decision. This is a moment of action. So if you'll pray this prayer, even though you're not sure exactly where it will lead, it's a step of faith. I want you to stand up. I want to pray for you.

Here am I. Send me.

It may be a few. It may be a many. A lot of people are praying for this meeting. The decision is for you. God bless you. Jesus lives within you. He will make this real. Here am I, send me. Down the road or across the sea.

That can only be determined in time. But the initial prayer can be prayed tonight. God bless you. I'm sure some have not understood.

And that's probably my own fault. Maybe you want more time to think about it. This is a moment of destiny for some of you. Is there anybody else? Please stand. Pray this prayer. Here am I, send me. Here am I, send me.

God bless you. Anyone?

A Prayer for Mission, Renewal, and Global Compassion

Father, you see those who are standing before you. This is a moment of destiny. It's a moment of decision. Many thousands are praying for this meeting tonight. So Lord, we present our bodies as a living sacrifice to you as you told us in Romans 12.

We will go where you want us to go. We'll do what you want us to do. Though we may be fearful. Though our knees may be knocking. We know your grace is sufficient.

Lord, I ask for each one standing before you. And many others who have already prayed this prayer. Fill us afresh, O God, with your Holy Spirit. Send us wherever.

You want us to go. But especially to respond to these seven agonizing global challenges. We may get involved. And we will no longer just be thinking and just be feeling. But that we will be in the action.

Giving and going and praying. Mobilizing others.

Working toward renewal and reality in our churches. We ask in the glorious name of Jesus. Amen. Can we all stand? Can we sing something together that our music group can come and help us with? As we sing, let us be searching our hearts.

Let us continue in an attitude of prayer. Amen.