Jag är djupt inspirerad av missionärsparet Rolland och Heidi Baker som sprider Guds Rike i ett av världens fattigaste länder, Mozambique. På mindre än två decennier har tusentals kommit till tro, blivit helade och tagit sig ur fattigdomen genom deras arbete. Heidi kommer komma till Sverige i sommar, som talar på Arkens kvinnokonferens 24-27 maj och på New Wines sommarkonferens 27 juni-1 juli. Vid jul fick jag detta nyhetsbrev som jag vill dela med mig bitar av:
Fernando and Visions Beyond the Veil
This is Fernando, one of our teenagers, a normal, likable kid who has been with us for a long time. We have a homegroup for our youth every Monday night, and recently at one of these meetings Fernando got a taste of heaven! Some background here. Heidi and I were not originally ”children people.” But we learned from my grandfather H.A. Baker, who wrote Visions Beyond the Veil, to look for revival among ”the least of these,” poor, helpless, abandoned children. And so we came to Mozambique hungry for a continuation of that outpouring described in Visions. Many have had visions during these sixteen years since, but Fernando had one that is taking us even closer to the sequel we are after.
The meeting started with unusually deep prayer and worship. The Holy Spirit fell on some, and one of the older youth began prophesying spontaneously that our kids would have dreams and visions, and encounters with God. While we read from H.A.’s book, Fernando was filled with the Spirit. He got up, walked around with his eyes closed, and was talking to thin air—but all very coherently. Clearly he was seeing and hearing things that we were not. Immediately we realized he was in a vision! We could ask him questions and he would respond, but at the same time he was talking to Jesus and to angels, shaking their hands—which we saw him act out, and we heard his responses. Just like Visions Beyond the Veil.
To mention a few things we learned later, God spoke to him out of Proverbs 7 about following His commandments. He saw angels all around. There were flowers that never decay, houses, a river-fountain and lights with lots of colors—yellow, red, green, blue—lots of blue. He saw fire over people’s heads. He saw the hand of God stretched out to help him up a ladder to a higher place where he saw a big gate, and he was given a key. He opened it, and there were many more entryways ahead. He was most moved when at one point he saw Jesus’ hands, which had holes in them from the crucifixion.
He came out of the vision and we gathered around to hear more. And then he went back into another vision, this time of the healing blood of Jesus, and a place full of joy and the Holy Spirit where all can receive love and knowledge. We enter by a straight path that does not turn, and we cannot leave it. Then Fernando started giving thanks and praising God for His might, His power, His extended hand, all His wonders, and a spontaneous song sprang up from his heart.
Our entire base was deeply stirred after this meeting. We realize we are on course to receive the desire of our hearts, the greatest down payment on heaven we have heard of yet! ”Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Col. 3:1-2). ”So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18).
[…]
Village outreaches
Actual experience on the frontiers of missions in the African bush is the highlight of every session. In the last few years we have seen more than two thousand churches planted in this one province of Cabo Delgado. More spring up every week and we cannot keep count. Our ”technique” is simple: all that counts is faith working through love (Gal. 5:6).
Every week we send truckloads of leaders, students and our own children to three villages. So many have opened up to the Lord that we are now often welcomed excitedly as we come back to love and encourage the people further. It is glorious to see the Kingdom spreading through the isolated and forgotten countryside of this land as village by village the power and love of our King is becoming known.
No carpets and air-conditioned sanctuaries here. We meet outside in the dirt and in the dark with hundreds and even thousands of villagers. In wind, dust, heat and rain they stand in their rags for hours, absorbing all they can. There is almost no resistance to the Gospel in this environment. Everyone wants Jesus when they feel His love through us all and see what only He can do. Of course they will need much more teaching, and more sanctification by the Spirit. But it is thrilling to see great crowds jumping and shouting ”Yes!” to Jesus and His gifts. Every time our teams spread out and pray for everyone possible, resulting in tremendous testimonies. And in the morning we serve food for everyone, make friends, honor the chiefs, visit houses and families, pray for the sick, disciple the elders, preach and teach in simple mud churches, and just keep pouring out all we have.
This is Antonio, a 12-year-old known to his whole village as a deaf-mute since he was very young. Here he is, happy and healed, to the joyful excitement of everyone around. Almost every week the deaf are healed, and as a result this time three local chiefs came to Jesus acknowledging that He is Lord. They opened the whole area to us, welcoming our desire and efforts to bring more teaching, ministry and practical help of all kinds. For months since our last major newsletter we have seen this kind of breakthrough in village after village, invigorating us with fresh energy and appetite to see God do even more in the future.
The Kingdom of God is holistic. We don’t just preach heaven, but we prove the love of God by drilling wells, building simple churches and schools, supplying teachers, providing for orphans and abandoned women—doing whatever we can with what we have. These villages are primitive almost beyond belief to many Westerners, and desperately need help and development of every kind.
We love adorning the Gospel with love and good works that people can enjoy and appreciate here and now. We revel in all that transformation that we can achieve in the Lord that gives the poor more of a taste of heaven. We love material blessings that come from the good hand of the Father. We love to feed the hungry, set the lonely in families, teach the unlearned and bring hope and a future to the destitute.
But most of all we proclaim Jesus. He is our salvation, our prize, our reward, our inheritance, our destination, our motivation, our joy, wisdom and sanctification—and absolutely everything else we need, now and forever. All His grace and power flow to us through the Cross and no other way. We say with the Psalmist, ”Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you” (Ps. 73:25).
We are glad to be known as social workers and humanitarians, and to have a reputation for doing good. But all is in vain if we do not bring to the people faith in our God and Savior Jesus Christ. We want to be known by His Name, first and foremost. And our Christmas is spectacular because He is with us!
Hela Pingsten 