Death swallowed up in Victory!
My friend Tony Rodgers, an Aboriginal leader with Indigenous Ministry Links Australia, ministering from Mossman Gorge, Qld into the North Territory, passed away on 27th October 2012.
Revival broke out around this time in north west Northern Territory, 300km south of Darwin, in the communities of Kalkarindji, Daguragu, and Lajamanu and into the neighbouring Walparri communities.
Reports confirming ongoing revival have come from multiple sources:
Leslie Harris (nephew of Aboriginal Pastor Glenn Johnson) and Stewart Hooligan via Carl and Gail Musch, Indigenous Ministry Links Australia and Kris Schlyder, Australian Indigenous Prayer Network; Bill and Pauline Morrison, Baptist Union, Global Interaction, via John Chew and Anne Green, Victorian Indigenous Prayer Ministry.
What is happening!
- In June 2012, Bill Morrison asked what the Kalkarindji and Lajamanu people wanted to study and they said the Holy Spirit. Bill taught the elders in English and the elders taught their people in their language.
- Bill taught simply on the person and role of the Holy Spirit-that conviction of sin comes by the Holy Spirit.
- The people were amazed that you could have a relationship with the Holy Spirit; that it’s not their job to convict one another of what is wrong; that the job of the people is to share the good news and let the Holy Spirit do the rest. The people were amazed how simple the role of a Christian is – just talk and share, which they are good at! Can you do that too?
- It just grew from there! The town pub is about to close. There are only 3 people drinking there now. Card gambling is no longer evident. People are in church everyday!
- A 7.30 show reporter went to Kalkarindji to do a shoot on the effects of alcohol in the community. She came away stunned. She said, “Alcohol is not affecting the community! The church is!”
- The police officer rang Bill and said, “I don’t know what is happening, but whatever it is, long may it continue.” The men who were often drunk, get involved in abuse and fights, are now sitting in church, sober, well behaved and learning about God.
- Bill reports 215 baptisms between mid October and the end of November. Leslie Harris reports that nearly everyone …that’s more than a thousand people have given their lives to Christ between Daguragu and Kalkarindji.
What we are not to do!
Carl Musch says, “after 25 years of NT ministry and a few revivals and after planting a dozen or so churches and supporting the development of many developing Aboriginal leaders over that time… runs the risk of offending some people by saying that becoming a Christian tourist destination is not helpful to the development of an effective indigenous work. I would ask that people take these reports and continue to pray for those that God is using in the region and the Aboriginal ministers that God is raising up rather than rushing out there to see what is happening or add their bit. Outside culturally inappropriate interference has contributed to the derailment of too many past indigenous moves of God in this country.”
We can provide financial resources* to assist with costs and we can pray:
- Carl says, Praise God for the years of faithful ministry by both the missionaries and indigenous ministers in these regions.
- Please intercede for the unity of the Spirit among local Christians and the strength to persevere as every move of God is eventually tested by tribulation including persecution from somewhere.
- Pray for wisdom for local leaders to handle extremes in teaching and false doctines which will try to come in under a plea for unity and tolerance and yet in themselves destroy the true unity of the Spirit.
- Pray for continued and deepening humility in those God is raising up as this will give them them access to the Grace they need to provide the leadership and milk of the Word that spiritual lambs will need to survive and grow.
- Pray that with Holy Ghost sensitivity, faithfulness and wisdom this revival can run long enough to birth and establish a new generation of disciples with a passion for God and for souls. Pray that this move of God would leave a legacy of disciples who are disciple makers and the ongoing testimony of transformed lives and communities.
- Some of you may have heard of an old Arnhem Land Elder who had prayed for his dead son who was miraculously resurrected about a year ago. His nieces have just texted me that he is very sick and in such stomach pain that he cannot sit up and has been like that at least over night and I perceive that his family thinks it’s serious. This old man has been responsible for about 30 people almost his whole outstation hearing the gospel and is a significant witness among elders. I love the old fella so he is important to me but also to the Kingdom and I’m sure to the King.
- Also please pray for strong unity and godly wisdom for Bill and Pauline Morrison and all the Aboriginal leaders as they disciple many new believers.
Thank you Jesus! Rule, Lord over all of us!
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